FOTL To Close Jamestown, Ky., Plant, Move Operations To Honduras

Bowling Green, Ky.-based branded apparel manufacturer Fruit of the Loom Inc. (FOTL) has announced it will close its Jamestown, Ky., plant and move the operations to Honduras. The company cited economic considerations as the basis for the decision. The closure will result in the loss of 601 jobs in the area. Operations will be phased out over a period of seven months, from June 8 through December 31.
 
“This decision is in no way a reflection on the dedication and efforts of the employees in our Jamestown facility, but is a result of a competitive global business environment,” said Tony Pelaski, the company’s executive vice president and COO.
 
FOTL, which was acquired by Berkshire Hathaway in 2002, will continue to be headquartered in Bowling Green, where it also maintains a distribution center. The company also has distribution and/or yarn spinning facilities in North Carolina, South Carolina, Alabama and Louisiana.
 
As one of the largest private employers in Honduras, FOTL has put considerable effort into making its operations in that country a model of social and environmental responsibility. Initiatives include: establishing a collective bargaining agreement with its Honduran workers; recognizing unions and assuming a union-neutral stance at its facilities; offering health screenings in local communities; and reducing carbon emissions and providing ecological stoves in rural areas. Earlier this year, the company received the 2013 Secretary of State’s Award for Corporate Excellence (ACE) in recognition of its role abroad as a good corporate citizen within the local Honduran community. It also received the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Climate Leadership Award for its commitment to reduce electricity-related greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2015 — with a large portion of that reduction related to electricity consumption in Honduras, where the company will offset all of that consumption with renewable sources including onsite biomass electricity and local hydroelectric power.

April 21, 2014
 

Lenzing Reports TENCEL® Fiber Suitable For Flushable Wipes

Austria-based Lenzing AG reports its TENCEL® cellulose fiber in a short-cut type is suitable for use in flushable wipes. Flushability has become an important factor in hygiene and care products, as many nonflushable items are disposed of in a toilet, leading to blockages in sewer systems.
 
According to Lenzing, disposable wipes made using its biodegradable Tencel fiber are more tear-resistant than wipes made with traditional materials such as pulp and short-cut viscose. In addition, because Tencel is stronger than short-cut viscose, fewer fibers are needed to make a wipe of comparable quality; and using Tencel in the wipes reduces the need for binding agents.
 
“Quality does not, however, only mean enhanced service properties but also refers to the skin-friendly attributes of Tencel,” said Dieter Eichinger, Ph.D., Hytec market segment head, Lenzing. “The fiber has already demonstrated in tests that it is particularly well suited to sensitive skin. The exceptionally smooth surface of Tencel makes the fiber ideal for the skin and prevents skin irritations. For this reason, wipes of Tencel are particularly smooth and gentle on the skin.”
 
April 15, 2014

People

Mohawk Industries Inc., Calhoun, Ga., has named David Vita senior vice president, commercial sales, Eastern United States; Dave Thoreson senior vice president, Commercial Resilient Flooring; and Allie Finkell director of marketing, Commercial Resilient Flooring.
 
Wichita, Kan.-based Invista has named Ninabeth G. Sowell market development director, Performance Bedding Products.
 
Austria-based Lenzing AG has appointed Thomas Riegler CFO, effective June 1, 2014.
 
Switzerland-based Archroma has appointed Miguel De Bellis president, Emulsion Products and Americas.

Arlington, Va.-based Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP) President and CEO Avedis Seferian has been named to the Bangladesh-based Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety’s Board of Directors.
 
Houston-based Puget Technologies has appointed Gary J. Valentine president.
 
The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC), Research Triangle Park, N.C., has presented the Harold C. Chapin Award in recognition of outstanding service to Robert Keith Lattie. The AATCC Technical Committee on Research (TCR) has presented the TCR Service Award in recognition of achievements and service to H. Kenneth Greeson, Cotton Incorporated, and Adam R. Varley, Vartest Laboratories Inc.
 
Greenville-based Global Location Strategies has promoted Monty Turner and John Longshore to consultants.


Longshore


Turner
 

 Detroit-based Sandler & Travis Trade Advisory Services Inc. has named Mike Wilder vice president, business practice innovation.
 
Turkey-based Mogul Co. Ltd. has appointed C. Enver Kayali president; Ayse Kayali Executive Board Member; Serkan Gogus CEO; and Ersin Kosker director, projects and operations.
 
New York City-based Iconix Brand Group Inc. has promoted Seth Horowitz to COO; and has named Jeff Lupinacci CFO and Rodney Hutton executive vice president, Men’s Division.
 
Mason, Ohio-based Downlite International has named Chuck Northcutt vice president, quality assurance.


Northcutt

 
Milan-based Parà S.p.A. has named Jeff Jimison national sales manager, Tempotest USA Division, Dallas.


Jimison

 
Switzerland-based Swisscanto has presented the prix eco.swisscanto, the Swiss sustainability award, to Patrick Hohmann,
 
April 2014
 

Karl Mayer Introduces MT 51/1/32 Multibar Textronic® Lace Series Machine

Germany-based Karl Mayer Textilmaschinenfabrik GmbH recently introduced a new Multibar Textronic® Lace series machine for economical lace fabric production. The MT 51/1/32 features more than 32 yarns in front of the fall-plate to enable unique and varied effects in the finished lace in addition to larger widths of lace bands.
 
The machine currently is supplied in a 134-inch working width and gauge of E 24. The company reports E 18 and E 28 gauges also will be available in the future.
 
Karl Mayer’s China-based subsidiary Karl Mayer (China) Ltd. will supply the machines, with the first deliveries scheduled the third quarter of this year. Further details about this machine, as well as an entry-level  MT 31/1/16 featuring fewer fall-plate yarns and an MT 43/1/24 with fewer guide bars will be available at ITMA Asia + CITME 2014, to be held in Shanghai June 16-20.


A sample of lace fabric produced on Karl Mayer’s MT 51/1/32 machine.

April 15, 2014

The JEC Americas 2014 Innovation Awards Program Recognizes Ten Composite Companies For Innovation And Industry-Leading Advances

UNION, N.J. — April 10, 2014 — JEC Group, the world’s largest organization exclusively dedicated to the composites industry, has announced the ten winners of its prestigious 2014 JEC Americas Innovation Awards program, which highlights the most pivotal advances in composites design, manufacturing and application. JEC will recognize the ten winning companies and their innovation partners during the third annual JEC Americas exhibition at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

Since its launch in 1998, JEC’s Innovation Awards program has recognized over 700 companies and their partners throughout the world at ceremonies in Paris, Shanghai, Mumbai, Singapore and Boston for their industry-leading contributions toward improving composites technology and enhancing value for end-users.

“The American market has traditionally been at the forefront of composites both in terms of manufacturing and innovation. The Americas continue to be a key engine for innovation, investment and the commercialization of cutting-edge composites technology. The US is a key geography for the global composites industry as it represents around a third of its value, $22.5 billion on an overall of $70 billion,” said Mrs. Frédérique Mutel, President and CEO of JEC Group. “The JEC Innovation Awards Program continues to identify and celebrate the very top innovators from the Americas and abroad to help fulfill JEC’s mission to share the latest industry advances with the global composites community. From environmentally friendly bio-based resins to cutting-edge personal protection to innovative musical applications to integrated software and preforming processes, the products and technologies highlighted in this year’s competition are incredibly rich and varied.”

For this year’s award’s program, JEC compared applications from dozens of international companies for recognition in ten competitive categories, including Automation, Automotive, Ballistics, Construction, Processing, Raw Materials, Reinforcements, Software, Sports & Leisure and Wind Energy.

Reflecting JEC Group’s 20-year history of dedicated support for this region’s vibrant composites industry, the JEC Americas Exhibition & Conference is the only composites event that brings together leaders from the full spectrum of the global composites value chain, both upstream and downstream. This year, JEC Group will leverage its new relationship with Messe Frankfurt, Inc. to co-locate the JEC Americas Exhibition & Conference with Messe Frankfurt’s Techtextil North America and Texprocess Americas shows, giving visitors a rare opportunity to attend all three events at once.

The 2014 Innovation Awards Program is actively supported by JEC Magazine and Aviation Week.
 

Ten Companies Recognized at the 2014 JEC Americas Innovation Awards

  • Raw Materials Category Winner: TSE Industries (USA)
    • VOC- and BPA-Free Bio-Based Polyurethane Spray Layup Reinforcing Resin
  • Reinforcements Category Winner: Stäubli GmbH (Germany)
    • Double Rapier Weaving Machine for Economic Production of Locally Adapted 3D Weaves
  • Software Category Winner: Plataine Technologies (USA)
    • Integrated Production Optimization – New Technology Bridges the gap between CAD and ERP
  • Processing Category Winner: EADS (Germany)
    • Fiber Patch Preforming (FPP) Ttechnology
  • Automation Category Winner: Technische Universität Braunschweig (Germany)
    • Form-Flexible Preform-End-Effector (FormHand)
  • Automotive Category Winner: FRIMO Group GmbH (Germany)
    • Technical Demonstrator “Street Shark”
  • Ballistics Category Winners: PPE (France), Cedrem (France)
    • BBOX High-Energy Absorber for the Defense and Security Market
  • Construction Category Winner (JEC Composites Magazine Special Prize): Kompetenzzentrum Holz GmbH (Austria)
    • Non-Combustible Composite for Decorative Façades
  • Sports & Leisure Category Winner: BComp (Switzerland)
    • First Ukulele made of natural fiber Ekoa composites
  • Wind Energy Category Winner: Owens Corning (France/USA)
    • Innovative Wind Turbine Blades Manufactured with Glass Fabrics

Posted April 14, 2014

Source: JEC Americas
 

ITMA And EDANA Sign Memorandum Of Understanding

GENEVA — April 14, 2014 — The International Association for the Nonwovens and Related Industries (EDANA) and MP Expositions, the organiser of ITMA 2015, have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU), intended to support the organisation of a conference on nonwovens during ITMA 2015.

Mr Pierre Wiertz, General Manager of EDANA, said: “For more than 40 years, EDANA has served its member companies through a number of programmes and events designed to bring the industry together. We share a common objective of helping the textile and, in our case, nonwoven industries reach out to a wider audience through greater innovations and education.”

Ms Eileen Ng, Executive Director of MP Expositions, added: “ITMA is the world’s largest textile and garment technology exhibition and it showcases the entire value chain. Since the introduction of the fibre and yarn sector at ITMA 2011, there is a growing emphasis on solutions for nonwovens and technical textiles. Visitors are able to witness the interaction of the materials and chemicals with the machines on the spot during live demonstrations. The cooperation with EDANA is synergistic and beneficial for the industry.”

Among the proposed joint efforts outlined in the MOU which was signed in Geneva on 10 April during the Index™ 2014 exhibition is collaboration on a nonwovens conference to be held at ITMA 2015 in Milan.

Lauding the collaboration, Mr Charles Beauduin, President of CEMATEX, said: “As the owner of ITMA, we warmly welcome EDANA to co-organise the nonwovens conference. Many of our CEMATEX national association members who produce machinery and related solutions for the nonwovens sector will look forward to this joint initiative.”

Details of the nonwovens conference will be released at a later date. It will be held during ITMA 2015 at Fiera Milano Rho in Milan Italy. ITMA will be staged from 12 to 19 November 2015.

Posted April 14, 2014

Source: ITMA
 

TENCEL® Fiber With A “Flushable” Function

LENZING, Austria — April 10, 2014 — With the cellulose fiber TENCEL® as a short-cut type, Lenzing is satisfying the trend of the times in the nonwovens industry. The fiber is biodegradable and strong and yet it is still flushable”, ideal for high quality wipes and care wipes.

Convenience and sustainability are not a contradiction with TENCEL®
The market for wipes will grow by 6.5% per year.1  In an increasing number of households one can find practical wipes for hygiene and care applications and the trend is on the rise. Many wipes are disposed of in the toilet whether they are “flushable” or not which leads to problems with blockages in public sewage systems. This is the very reason why industry is looking into this problem and demanding new production technologies. With Tencel, Lenzing supplies a raw material which is of botanic origin, contains no additives, and is biodegradable. When processed in the right way, practical wipes can be produced which comply with the convenience mindset of consumers and are, at the same time, biodegradable and environmentally friendly.

More quality with Tencel for a wipe with a “flushable” function
“Flushable” wipes from Tencel stand out due to their high quality. Due to the enormous fiber strength, the Tencel wipe is particularly tear-resistant in contrast to the materials conventionally used such as pulp and short-cut viscose. The high strength of the Tencel fiber also reduces the use of binding agents which are mostly made of acrylic, latex or bi-component fibers. Another advantage of Tencel compared to short-cut viscose is that due to the higher strength profile, fewer fibers are required for a comparable quality than in a wipe of short-cut viscose.

“Quality does not, however, only mean enhanced service properties but also refers to the skin-friendly attributes of Tencel. The fiber has already demonstrated in tests that it is particularly well-suited to sensitive skin,” Dr. Dieter Eichinger, head of the Hytec market segment (hygiene, home and technical textiles) at Lenzing explains.

“The exceptionally smooth surface of Tencel makes the fiber ideal for the skin and prevents skin irritations. For this reason, wipes of Tencel are particularly smooth and gentle on the skin,” Eichinger argues.

Tencel perfect for new technology
The merging of paper and spun-laced technology will revolutionize the market for wipes. Short-cut Tencel is ideally suited to this application and due to its properties, it will play a key role in the development of “flushable” wipes particularly with this technology. “Here the fiber strength of Tencel also plays a vital role,” Eichinger is positive.

Certificates confirm the sustainability of Tencel
Environmental certificates such as the EU-Ecolabel, Nordic Swan, OK biodegradable from Viocotte or Ecocert demonstrate the environmentally responsible production of Tencel. ”In particular the botanic origin of Tencel and the sustainable production of the fiber fit perfectly with the current consumer demands and are vital for the production of disposable wipes,” Elisabeth Stanger, Head of Hygiene at Lenzing, is convinced.

1 The Future of Flushable Nonwovens Market Forecasts to 2018, Philip Mango Source: Smithers Apex

Posted April 14, 2014

Source: Lenzing
 

ITM 2016 Will Be Held September 1-4

ISTANBUL, Turkey — April 11, 2014 — The date of ITM International Textile Machinery Exhibition, which is highly anticipated by the textile world, has been determined.

ITM Texpo Eurasia International Textile Machinery Exhibition will be held in Beylikdüzü Tüyap Convention and Congress Center between September 1st and 4th, 2016. Uniting hundreds of domestic and foreign textile leaders, ITM Texpo Eurasia International Textile Machinery Exhibition ranks among the leading exhibitions of the sector. Entitled to receive an international exhibition certificate, ITM Texpo Eurasia International Textile Machinery Exhibition also has a place in the world’s textile exhibitions calendar with its feature of international arena where cutting-edge technologies are exhibited.

Making visitor and participant records every year it is organized, ITM Texpo Eurasia International Textile Machinery Exhibition will open its doors on September 1st, 2016, with the attendance of governmental and sectoral authorities. Heart of the textile sector will be beating once again in Beylikdüzü Tüyap Convention and Congress Center. ITM Texpo Eurasia International Textile Machinery Exhibition will witness the shows of textile leaders, just like the previous years. Thus, Turkey will be the subject of conversations again in countries with active sectors, owing to this important event.

Pre-registrations for ITM Texpo Eurasia International Textile Machinery Exhibition will start on May 1st, 2014, and a press launch with international participation will be organized in the last quarter of 2014.

Posted April 14, 2014

Source: Teknik Fuarcilik
 

TENCEL® Skin Wins INDEX 14 Award from EDANA

LENZING, Austria — April 11, 2014 — During Index, the largest Nonwovens fair in Geneva held April 8-11, EDANA announced the winner of the EDANA’s INDEX™ 14 Awards.

INDEX 14, the largest global meeting place for the nonwovens supply chain and its customers, was launched, with a ceremony to showcase excellence in the nonwovens and related industries.

EDANA’s INDEX  14 Awards are the highest accolade for excellence in the industry and highlight some of the innovations from businesses of all sizes, and from all parts of the nonwovens supply chain.

Winner in the “most original marketing campaign for a product made from, or incorporating nonwovens”, was Lenzing AG with the TENCEL® Skin promotion campaign. “Especially the highly aesthetic and artistic video which lends life to the fiber and connects it to people, and effectively conveys the main properties of the fiber was the reason for the award”, stated the EDANA jury.

Tencel Skin is specifically developed for the use in facial masks. The smooth fiber surface creates a silky feeling. The unique structure provides optimum absorbance and compatibility with lotion. The Fiber is of botanic origin, since it is extracted from the raw material wood.

Posted April 14, 2014

Source: Lenzing
 

Indorama Ventures Acquires SASA In Turkey

BANGKOK, Thailand — April 10, 2014 — Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL) has announced the acquisition of 51% of leading Polyester and PET producer SASA Polyester Sanayi A.Ş (SASA) in Turkey through its wholly-owned subsidiary Indorama Netherlands B.V. (IBV) from Hacı Ömer Sabancı Holding A.Ş. (Sabancı Holding). SASA is a publicly listed company on the Borsa Istanbul and IBV will be conducting a mandatory tender offer for the remaining 49% of SASA’s share at Borsa Istanbul as per requirements of Turkish Capital Markets Legislation.

SASA incorporates integrated feedstock and polymer facilities producing DMT, staple fibers, filament yarns, PET, PBT polymers and specialty chemicals with a total plant capacity of 600,000 tons per annum. SASA supplies both Turkish and European markets with high quality, high value added products.

Mr. Aloke Lohia, Group CEO of Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited said, “SASA is an exciting addition to Indorama Ventures’ portfolio that allows us extended geographic expansion into a new and fast-expanding market and territory. The company is a well-known producer in the country and is an excellent first step into the Turkish market, allowing us to leverage its HVA production facilities to provide advantaged portfolio extensions for current and new customers. Turkey provides us the potential for expansion of domestic sales and opens up the opportunity to sell into the surrounding underserved region.”

“The acquisition is in line with our three dimensional strategic plan to expand broadly into fast-growing underserved markets, horizontally into high value add (HVA) products to offer a deeper portfolio of products to our customers and vertically integrating into our feedstock as SASA has onsite feedstock,”

Lohia explained. “SASA has a rich heritage of technology and expertise which will be complementary to Indorama Ventures since SASA is now serving over 54 countries with 150 different types of products. Moreover, Turkey’s unique geographical position straddling Europe, North Africa, Central Asia and Middle East offers the potential for faster growth in both the domestic and export markets to neighboring countries and Europe. Turkey’s textile sector is an important area of the economy an continues to grow, being a noted exporter to the key European market. We foresee this asset being the jewel in the crown of our expansion into the Turkish market and will be a good fit for our other expansion plans in the region.”

Standard Chartered Bank acted as financial advisor on the transaction to Indorama Ventures Pcl.

Posted April 10, 2014

Source: Indorama
 

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