KARL MAYER Supplies Technology Behind The AI Boom

KARL MAYER FILSIZE-G
Obertshausen, Germany- based KARL MAYER reports growing demand for its warp-preparation technology as artificial intelligence infrastructure drives production of copper-clad laminates, the glass-fabric reinforced base material used in printed circuit boards.

“Currently, around four billion meters of glass fabric are produced worldwide each year,” said Enzo Paoli, president of KARL MAYER’s Warp Preparation Business Unit. “By 2028, another two billion meters will be added — a massive market in which we lead with a major market share.”

KARL MAYER’s FILSIZE-G sizing machine and AM-G assembling machine are designed to provide process reliability, efficiency and consistent warp quality for glass-fabric production. The company said it has supplied leading glass-fabric manufacturers for nearly 20 years, reaching a milestone of 100 electronic-glass machines sold in China in 2020.

AI data centers require increasingly complex printed circuit boards, with copper-clad laminate exceeding 24 layers, compared with six layers for standard electronics. KARL MAYER said precise yarn-tension control during warp preparation helps prevent fabric-density variation that can affect high-frequency signal transmission.

2026 Quarterly Issue III

Orbital Composites Wins U.S. Space Force Contract

Orbital S – Multi-Robot Additive Manufacturing Platform for Advanced Composite Rocket Nozzles
Campbell, Calif.-based Orbital Composites Inc. has received a $1.9 million Tactical Funding Increase contract from SpaceWERX, the U.S. Space Force’s innovation arm, to continue development of its robotic additive manufacturing platform for extreme-environment materials.

The platform is designed to manufacture components for conditions exceeding 3,000-degrees Celsius, high-velocity combustion gases and repeated thermal-shock cycles. “This work addresses a critical barrier to the rapid scaling of manufacturing for high-temperature rocket nozzles to serve the U.S. warfighter,” said Amolak Badesha, CEO of Orbital Composites. “Our initial goal is to eliminate the supply constraints on solid rocket motors that have long limited what the warfighter can field.”

Orbital combines robotics, advanced materials and physical AI to streamline manufacture of extreme-environment materials.

2026 Quarterly Issue III

DiloGroup Receives Order For Complete U.S. Nonwoven Line

Dilo Nonwoven Production Line
Eberbach, Germany-based DiloGroup has received an order for a complete needling line for production of hygiene materials in the United States.

The line will cover all process stages, beginning with fiber opening. It includes a TEMAFA fiber-opening and filtration system designed to support stable operation, fiber preparation and dust and particle management.

The installation also features Dilo Spinnbau card feeding and carding equipment, as well as DiloMachines crosslapping and high-performance needlelooms supported by the CV1 system. The configuration is intended to provide controlled fiber processing, stable web formation and high throughput.

DiloGroup said the equipment is suited for hygiene-material applications requiring process stability, uniform web quality and consistent production parameters.

The order strengthens DiloGroup’s position in the U.S. hygiene sector and reflects continued demand for complete, high-performance nonwoven production systems.

2026 Quarterly Issue III

NC State To Spearhead 10-Year, $480 Million Effort To Bolster Defense Textile Manufacturing

Raleigh, N.C.-based NC State University will lead FutureTEX, a 10-year Department of War initiative to modernize U.S. textile manufacturing for defense and domestic applications. The award includes $36 million in its first year and has a $480 million ceiling over a decade.

FutureTEX will unite industry, government, university and nonprofit partners to advance textile manufacturing technology, workforce development, and facility and equipment modernization. Core partners include Drexel University, Gaston College, Georgia Tech, ISAIC and UMass Lowell.

“FutureTEX is focused on creating a cutting-edge national ecosystem for defense textiles that simply doesn’t exist today,” said David Hinks, FutureTEX chief strategic partnerships officer and dean of NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles.

NC State and Gaston College will establish a nonprofit to oversee the initiative, headquartered at Gaston College’s Kimbrell Campus in Belmont, North Carolina.

“North Carolina and Gaston County have deep roots in the textile industry,” said Gaston College President John Hauser. “We are uniquely positioned to propel this manufacturing innovation institute forward.”

2026 Quarterly Issue III

Supreme Nonwoven Inc. Invests $25.8 Million In North Carolina Facility

Raleigh, N.C.-based Supreme Nonwoven Inc., a manufacturer of advanced nonwoven materials and products, will invest $25.8 million to establish its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Lexington, North Carolina.

The more than 200,000-square-foot facility will support technical collaboration and customized material development for North American customers in apparel, automotive, filtration and industrial markets.

“Our decision to establish this facility in North Carolina reflects a long-term commitment to serving the U.S. market with locally manufactured nonwoven materials,” said Amit Kavrie, managing director of Supreme Group, Supreme Nonwoven’s India-based parent company.

Average annual wages for the new positions will be $55,800, above Davidson County’s average of $54,395. The jobs could generate an annual regional payroll impact of $2.79 million.

2026 Quarterly Issue III

Thomas Jefferson University Announces The New College Of Fashion And Textiles

Philadelphia-based Thomas Jefferson University established the College of Fashion and Textiles this summer as part of a restructuring of its Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce.

The new college will offer undergraduate and graduate programs in fashion design, fashion merchandising and management, textile design and textile technology, as well as a doctoral program in textile engineering and sciences. Students will remain in their current programs without changes to curriculum, faculty or advising.

“Rooted in our legacy as the nation’s first textile school and strengthened by our internationally recognized fashion programs, the College creates a dynamic, collaborative environment where creativity, innovation and purpose converge,” said Marcia Weiss, dean of the College of Fashion and Textiles.

Thomas Jefferson University also will create the College of Business and the College of Architecture, Design and Engineering.

2026 Quarterly Issue III

Burlington Celebrates Commissioning Of State-Of-The-Art Dyehouse

The commissioning ceremony (l to r): NC Rep Garland  Pierce, County Commissioners Chairman James Leach, County Commissioner Mary Blue McCollum, Raeford Mayor John McNeill, Elevate CEO Jeffrey P Pritchett, US Rep Richard Hudson, Burlington President Guy Lucas, and Raeford Plant Manager Keith Mims.
Charlotte, N.C.-based Burlington Industries, a U.S. manufacturer of advanced textile solutions, celebrated the commissioning of a modernized dyehouse at its Raeford, N.C. operation. The investment supports domestic textile production and the company’s military-uniform supply programs.

The Raeford facility produces specialized fabrics for military dress uniforms and is the only U.S. manufacturer producing those fabrics domestically. It supplies dress-uniform programs for the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, Navy and Space Force.

“Our dyehouse investment demonstrates our confidence in the Raeford operation, our employees and the critical role this facility plays in supporting those who protect our freedoms,” said Jeffrey P. Pritchett, CEO of Elevate Textiles, Burlington’s parent company.

Burlington President Guy Lucas said the modernized dyehouse equips employees with technology to sustain the site’s more than 70-year legacy. “This new state-of-the-art dyehouse is an investment in our future, but it is also an investment in our people,” Lucas said.

2026 Quarterly Issue III

Reju Opens First U.S. Research And Development Center

Reju opens its first U.S. Research & Development Center in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, accelerating the path from circular innovation to industrial-scale textile regeneration.
Paris-based Reju, a textile-to-textile materials regeneration company, has opened a research and development center in Conshohocken, Pennsylvania, its first dedicated North American research facility.

Located within Technip Energies’ Advanced Materials and Catalysts Research Center, the facility will support development and validation of recycling technologies for Reju’s future Regeneration Hubs. Its work will span polyester recycling, mixed-fabric solutions and new circular chemistry pathways, from early-stage feasibility through kilo-scale production.

The center also marks the relocation of Reju’s core research team from IBM’s Almaden Research Center in San Jose, California, where its VolCat depolymerization technology was developed. VolCat is a catalytic chemical recycling process that breaks polyester into reusable raw materials.

“I am excited to be joining such an innovative company and to be part of the team moving the technology toward industrialization,” said Gregory Breyta, Reju’s director of research and development.

Reju’s global infrastructure includes Regeneration Hub Zero in Frankfurt, Germany, and planned hubs in Sittard, Netherlands; Lacq, France; and Rochester, New York.

2026 Quarterly Issue III

CovationBio Introduces Sorona Elasterell-p Fiber

Newark, Del.-based Covation Biomaterials LLC, doing business as CovationBio, has introduced Sorona elasterell-p fiber, its first branded fiber and first U.S.-produced bicomponent stretch fiber.

Made with partially plant-based Sorona polymer, the fiber provides durable stretch and shape retention without elastane. It is designed for apparel applications requiring stretch and recovery, including activewear, athleisure, workwear and uniforms.

“Sorona elasterell-p fiber is our first branded fiber,” said Steven Ackerman, CovationBio CEO. “With the introduction of Sorona elasterell-p fiber, we’re pairing our reputation for trusted performance and sustainability benefits with a new stretch solution built for what brands need next.”

The fiber is commercially available in the United States and Latin America through regional distribution partner Mercados Internacionales, which will provide local inventory and customer service.

Sorona polymer is used in apparel, home goods and carpeting to add softness, stretch, durability and warm breathability.

2026 Quarterly Issue III

Rieter: Barmag Integration On Track

Winterthur, Switzerland-based Rieter reported that integration of Barmag, its Man-Made Fiber Division, is on track following their completion of the company’s largest acquisition. The expanded group is now positioned as a system supplier for processing natural and man-made fibers and expects at least CHF 20 million in synergies by the end of 2028.

Rieter also entered a strategic partnership with Recycling Powerhouse to industrialize, standardize and scale textile recycling. Rieter will contribute expertise in tearing textile waste and spinning short fibers to support development of scalable circular solutions.

First-half order intake increased 56% year over year to CHF 554.1 million, including CHF 261.3 million from Barmag. Sales rose 72% to CHF 576.7 million, and the June 30 order backlog totaled approximately CHF 760 million.

Rieter confirmed its 2026 outlook for sales of CHF 1.3 billion to CHF 1.5 billion and an operating EBIT margin of 0% to 3%.

2026 Quarterly Issue III

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