GREENVILLE, S.C. — June 17, 2014 —  Louis P. Batson Company is pleased to announce our recent agreement with Cormatex (Prato, Italy) to be their marketing and sales agent in the United States.

We pride ourselves on only representing the best and Cormatex is definitely not an exception to that commitment. Never have we been able to offer a more comprehensive line of machinery for the production of nonwoven products.

Established in 1938, Cormatex is a forward-thinking, innovative company equipped to work closely with manufacturers to design and engineer complete needle punch, thermobonding and airlaid production lines.

Of special note is the Cormatex Lap Formair with airlay technology that produces nonwoven products by recycling various types of industrial waste materials. Using aerodynamic technology, it is capable of replacing traditional mechanical processes requiring a carding machine and cross lapper. The Lap Formair features a pressure control system capable of producing a fiber batt that is perfectly blended as well as perfectly even length-wise and across the machine width.

The Lap Formair and Lap Formair H can be combined in the same line to produce nonwoven structures with horizontal and vertical fiber orientations with varying densities and blend compositions.

In addition, Cormatex roller top cards feature flexible configurations in order to process most kinds of natural or synthetic fiber (both raw or regenerated) for perfectly blended and even webs.

And, their crosslappers have patented PROFILE systems for expert control of fiber laps at production speeds of 150 meters/minute and widths up to 15 meters.

Application areas include automotive, geotextiles, filtration, thermal and acoustic insulation, protective clothing and building materials.

Posted June 24, 2014

Source: Louis P. Batson
 

Ahlstrom, a global high performance fiber-based materials company, extends its range of Sterile Barrier Systems (SBS). Ahlstrom Reliance® Tandem’s extended range now offers sterile barrier systems designed for light to heavy medical instrument trays.

The expanded portfolio consists of grades ranging from a light 35 gsm to heavy 85 gsm, in four main colors: green, light blue, medium blue and deep blue. “The variety of weights allows our customers to better meet hospitals’ needs. The expanded range can be used to wrap light packs all the way up to heavy instrument sets,” states Product Manager, Mark Berman.
The Ahlstrom Reliance® Tandem range utilizes Ahlstrom’s most advanced SMS (spunbond-meltblow-spunbond) technology, in combination with our wetlaid and crepe technologies, to provide the optimal combination of sterile barrier systems for sequential wrapping. Sequential wrapping or interleaving combines two Ahlstrom SBS wrap sheets. The two sheets, when used together, offer a higher degree of flexibility in terms of performance, technology, and cost.

Posted June 24, 2014

Source: Ahlstrom
 

COLUMBIA, S.C. – Giti Tire, the 10th largest tire company in the world, will establish its first North American manufacturing facility in Chester County. The company plans to invest $560 million and create 1,700 new jobs over the next decade in order to meet the growing demand of the North American market.

The company announced its plans today during an event at the GATEWAY Conference Center in Richburg, where state and local officials – including Gov. Nikki Haley and Singapore’s Ambassador to the U.S. Ashok Kumar Mipuri – joined to celebrate Giti’s location decision.

Based in Singapore, Giti Tire will produce both passenger and light truck tires for the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) and replacement markets in the Chester County plant. The new facility, which will be located on the Carolinas I-77 Mega Site, will combine manufacturing and distribution activities, with total building area estimated to be 1.8 million square feet.

During the first phase of production, the plant’s capacity is expected to be five million tires annually. Giti Tire plans to further increase production capacity in response to future market demand and conditions. The Chester County facility represents Giti’s ninth manufacturing plant in its global system.

The company’s decision to locate in South Carolina was driven by a number of factors, including the area’s workforce and training opportunities through the technical college system, proximity to major transportation infrastructure and deep-water port facilities in Charleston, market access to the growing Southeast region and the state’s business-friendly environment.

readySC will be assisting the company with the recruiting and training of its initial workforce.

“This significant investment represents our strong commitment to customers in North America,” said Enki Tan, executive chairman of Giti Tire Group. “This is a key milestone for Giti Tire and an important part of our growth strategy worldwide. Existing business and strong demand for Giti Tire’s passenger and light truck tires in North America has made this significant investment in South Carolina possible.  Giti Tire would like to thank Governor Haley, Secretary Hitt, the state and people of South Carolina, Chairman Roddey and the Chester County community for welcoming us.”

“Chester County is an excellent location for Giti Tire, offering extensive and efficient infrastructure network including interstate highways, rail, close proximity to airports and a major metropolitan area to support the company’s needs and growth for many years to come,” said Lei Huai Chin, managing director of Giti Tire Group.

“This is another huge win for our state and Team South Carolina,” said Gov. Nikki Haley. “We are the nation’s tire capital, and Giti’s decision to come to our state is another great sign that our economic development efforts are paying off for the hardworking people of South Carolina. We celebrate Giti Tire’s $560 million investment that will create 1,700 new jobs in our growing tire industry.”

“Today we welcome South Carolina’s fifth OEM tire manufacturer, which further bolsters our state’s reputation as a manufacturing powerhouse and the nation’s tire capital. We look forward to a long and successful partnership with Giti Tire in our state,” said Secretary of Commerce Bobby Hitt.

“SC Ports Authority welcomes Giti Tire to South Carolina,” said Jim Newsome, president and CEO of the South Carolina Ports Authority. “We look forward to handling their import-export needs through the Port of Charleston and continuing to support our state’s growing tire industry.”

“Today’s announcement is a great example of what happens when we all work together to bring jobs and manufacturing back to the U.S.,” said Ryan Peterson, Walmart’s vice president of automotive. “We applaud Giti Tire and Governor Haley, and we are excited to bring quality, affordable tires to our customers that will also help us meet our goal to spend an additional $250 billion on domestically manufactured products over 10 years.”

“Once again, Chester County has proven its dedication to grow and prosper economically,” said R. Carlisle Roddey, Chester County supervisor and chairman of Chester County Council. “We celebrate the company’s decision to invest and create new jobs in Chester County. This announcement marks an important milestone in the history of Chester and we are extremely excited to be selected as the new location for Giti Tire. We have no doubt that Giti Tire will see much success in Chester County! ”

“We are pleased to welcome our new partner to the Chester County business community,” said Brian Singleton, chairman of the Chester Development Association. “Giti Tire is known worldwide for their industry leadership and commitment to producing the highest quality products available in the marketplace today. This significant investment in a North American production facility means they are serious about expanding their global brand and continuing to lead the industry for many years to come. We are elated  that they chose Chester, South Carolina and are anxious to work with them building this new world class tire manufacturing operation.”

Posted June 24, 2014

Source: Giti Tire
 

National Safety Apparel (NSA) — a Cleveland-based manufacturer of industrial protective apparel — has introduced the CARBONCOMFORT™ FR line of flame-resistant (FR) workwear for men and women.
 
The workwear is constructed using a soft, inherently FR fabric that will not melt, drip or ignite; and it offers advanced moisture management, breathability and drying rates, NSA reports. All styles in the line meet National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 70E®: Standard for Electrical Safety in the Workplace® requirements under Hazard Risk Category 2; NFPA 2112: Standard on Flame-resistant Garments for Protection of Industrial Personnel Against Flash Fire; and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 1910.269 requirements.
 
All garments in the Carboncomfort FR line feature tagless shirt collars and FR exterior labeling that cannot be removed. Styles include long-sleeve T-shirts, Henleys, polos, button-down work shirts, coveralls and pants.
 
June 17, 2014