MycoWorks’ Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony Celebrates Its Next-Gen Material Fine Mycelium™ Production Facility In South Carolina

UNION, S.C. — October 25, 2023 — MycoWorks celebrated the opening and start of production at its first full-scale Fine Mycelium™ facility in Union, S.C., with a ribbon-cutting attended by South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, as well as other government officials, community leaders, brand partners, and supporters. The world-class manufacturing plant gives MycoWorks the capacity to scale-up to meet demand for their luxury leather-like material Reishi™. Produced with the company’s patented technology for partners including Hermès and Ligne Roset, MycoWorks’ new plant has already made a significant impact by spurring new investment in Union’s storefronts, housing, and employment portfolio.

Union, S.C. to Lead in U.S. Biomaterials Manufacturing

On Tuesday, South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster joined MycoWorks Chief of Culture Sophia Wang, COO Doug Hardesty and CEO Matthew Scullin to celebrate the opening of the biomaterials company’s Fine Mycelium factory in Union, S.C with a ribbon cutting ceremony. Photo courtesy of MycoWorks.

Situated in the Upstate region’s thriving manufacturing corridor, local officials expressed excitement for MycoWorks’ new facility and are welcoming the opportunity for Union to bring this new industry to fruition. With MycoWorks’ technological advancements to the materials sector and its commitment to bringing competitive jobs to the region, the first-of-its-kind facility is positioning South Carolina to lead the biomaterials industry, reshoring luxury textile manufacturing to the United States. In celebration of this industry-first achievement, attendees had the opportunity to witness the factory’s cutting-edge technology and learn about the diverse applications of MycoWorks’ biomaterial Reishi™.

Built on-time and on-budget, the 136,000 sq. ft. factory is the world’s largest mycelium production operation. For the leather industry, MycoWorks’ Union facility is a breakthrough in supply chain management, providing full predictability, transparency, and provenance of high-quality natural materials while remaining efficient and low-impact. Marrying the latest technological advancements with old world craftsmanship, the team in Union will be creating a product of the highest standards and will be the first-movers in an industry on track to be world-changing.

“I was proud to join with MycoWorks to celebrate the grand opening of their new Union facility,” said Governor Henry McMaster. “It’s great to add a biomaterials manufacturer to South Carolina’s expanding range of products and services, and we look forward to the opportunities this investment will bring to students and technicians across the state.”

MycoWorks’ choice to open its first-commercial scale manufacturing plant in Union signals its long-term commitment to outreach, employment and education, going beyond standard manufacturing practice to build a supportive and empowering work-environment with rewarding benefits.

MycoWorks is actively recruiting from education and training networks in the state

With support from readySC at SC Technical College and EmployersNetwork, the biomaterials company has continued to recruit top-tier technician talent from the region. MycoWorks hopes to empower college and high school students to innovate through engineering and manufacturing with ongoing outreach to networks including USC Union, Spartanburg Community College,and Union County Schools. The biotech company’s team of operation and manufacturing leaders hail from the consumer goods, automotive, food, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries, and are excited to show a new generation of changemakers how creative materials science can be.

MycoWorks to bring high-quality jobs with competitive benefits

The biotech company was awarded a $30 million allocation of the federal government’s New Markets Tax Credits (NMTC), flagging the grant’s support to bring high-quality jobs to Union County. To date, MycoWorks has employed over 150 employees at the newly-opened facility, of which 90 percent are technicians being trained to manage the company’s proprietary technology, Fine Mycelium™.

At full capacity, the facility will employ nearly 400 people in its operations. Dedicated to the personal and financial growth of their employees, each new full-time hire at MycoWorks is granted incentive stock options through the company’s Employee Incentive Stock Option Plan. The grants vest over a four-year period and employees may begin purchasing their equity after one year of service, a new and welcome benefit to the South Carolina team at MycoWorks.

Local Support has Reshored American Textiles Back to the State
Fostered by the state’s economic incentives and strong support provided by South Carolina Department of Commerce and the Union County Development Board, MycoWorks chose Union’s tight-knit community for their eagerness to elevate the region’s global manufacturing profile and clean business portfolio. MycoWorks’ facility derives 98 percent of its power from nearby solar and hydroelectric plants provided by the renewable electric provider Lockhart Power.

“At MycoWorks we believe our success comes from the creativity and expertise of our team,” said Doug Hardesty, Chief Operating Officer. “Our outreach to the region is critical to our success.  Our partnerships with the Upstate educational ecosystem and the leadership in South Carolina will enable us to bring continued training and high quality jobs.”

Tuesday’s ribbon-cutting celebration enabled MycoWorks supporters and community stakeholders from across government, business and education to celebrate the grand achievement towards growing the future of materials in Union County, S.C.

As a token of appreciation to the community, MycoWorks has made a donation to the Junior League Charity, a women’s leadership organization supporting community impact initiatives.

To learn more about employment opportunities at MycoWorks, visit https://www.mycoworks.com/careers

Posted:October 25, 2023

Source: MycoWorks

Milliken Invests In Sustainable Carpet Maintenance Company

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — October 25, 2023 — Global diversified manufacturer Milliken & Company has invested in Orak, a Paris-based carpet maintenance and flooring reuse company, as a strategic sustainability enabler for its floor covering business. The relationship marks the beginning of a new generation of sustainable floor covering solutions, and it is set to change the way the industry thinks about waste and its approach to the circular economy.

Milliken invests in a Paris-based carpet maintenance and flooring reuse company, Orak.

Orak’s Optimal Karpet line of upcycled premium carpet tile has quickly become the leading solution for carpet customers seeking to reduce the carbon footprint of their construction and renovation projects. With Milliken’s investment and partnership, Orak will improve and expand its product offerings to a broader range of customers by managing all the stages in the life of clients’ carpets to guarantee excellent quality reuse. As Orak’s exclusive industry partner, Milliken’s customers will receive access to Orak’s inventory of upcycled carpet tile, all of which aligns with Milliken’s N/XT Life™ circularity program.

As one of the first 50 companies in the world to set net-zero targets verified by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), Milliken has a proud record of providing its customers with sustainable products and solutions. Halsey Cook, president and CEO of Milliken & Company, states: “Orak shares our commitment to providing innovative, effective, and sustainable solutions to our customers. At Milliken, we understand the significance of prioritizing sustainability in all our operations. This partnership with Orak is just one of the many ways we are collaborating with key partners to create a positive impact for humankind.”

“We are honoured to join with Milliken in this next phase of our business development,” adds Nicolas Lohéac, founder and CEO of Orak. “Milliken shares our vision and desire to reshape the future of our industry and create a new generation of sustainable floor covering solutions.”

“Our team is committed to advancing sustainability and accelerating the circularity conversation within our industry, which is why we are excited to support Orak,” concludes Patrick Keese, president of Milliken’s Floor Covering Business. “Together, we will bring customers efficient, cost-effective and, most importantly, impactful flooring solutions that fulfill carefully crafted design specifications.”

Posted: October 25, 2023

Source: Milliken & Company

New Datatex Offices In Coimbatore And Lahore

ZUG, Switzerland — October 25, 2023 — Datatex, a global supplier of IT solutions for the textile industry, is strengthening its presence in the Indian and Pakistani markets.

Present in India since the early 2000s with a network of partners and resellers, Datatex landed directly in the country in 2017 with the opening of the large Bangalore office, which now employs more than sixty people. Datatex’s expansion on the Indian market continues today – in October 2023 – with the opening of a new office in the city of Coimbatore, which will report directly to the Indian headquarters in Bangalore and will help to better serve the growing number of Indian textile industries that have chosen the NOW ERP by Datatex solution to manage their IT system.

In Pakistan, Datatex, already present in the country through partner companies, now lands directly with the opening of a new office in the city of Lahore, with a dedicated team that will be able to closely follow Pakistani textile companies, offering solutions and technical support for digitization and innovative IT management of production processes.

Textile fashion is now the largest segment of Pakistan’s manufacturing sector, employing more than 15 million people and accounting for 70 percent of exports.

India is now one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of textiles and is already the fourth largest exporter of textiles in the world (after China, Bangladesh and Vietnam). India’s textile sector currently employs more than 45 million people and is strongly supported by the government, which has announced the construction of seven new textile industrial mega-parks (PM-MITRA) in 2023, the allocation of nearly 500 million euros in the 2023-2024 budget (22.6 percent more than last year), and the launch of a development program (SAMARTH) to train more than one million new workers for the sector over the next three years. It is estimated that India’s textile production will reach a GDP of $250 billion and exports of $100 billion by 2025.

Datatex now has a global presence with offices in the USA, China, India, Pakistan, Turkey, Italy, Israel, Switzerland, Serbia and Germany.

Posted: October 25, 2023

Source: Datatex Ag

Revolutionizing Textile Pre-Treatment And Bleaching: Introducing The Hydra Machine

BARCELONA — October 25, 2023 — In a revolutionary leap for textile manufacturers, TVE ESCALE thrilled to introduce the state-of-the-art Hydra Machine, a groundbreaking solution designed to transform the pre-treatment and bleaching processes for woven fabrics.

Traditionally, textile pre-treatment and bleaching have relied on continuous lines, but the Hydra Machine has redefined the landscape. This patented semi-continuous process machine is meticulously engineered to deliver extraordinary results, with a specific focus on:

  • Efficient Pre-Treatment: The Hydra Machine streamlines the pre-treatment process for woven fabrics. It’s capable of autonomously and automatically executing various techniques to achieve optimal results, all while minimizing resource consumption.
  • Superior Bleaching: With unparalleled precision, Hydra ensures that the bleaching process meets the highest industry standards, resulting in fabrics that are not only brilliantly white but also eco-friendly.
  • Water and Energy Savings: The Hydra Machine is a game-changer in resource conservation. It slashes water usage by up to 50%, a reduction of steam consumption by up to 35% and the electricity consumption is reduced by more than 30% in comparison to the continuous lines, setting new industry standards for sustainability.
  • Cost-Efficiency: While traditional continuous lines may boast higher production volumes, they often come with significantly higher costs. In stark contrast, Hydra offers remarkable cost savings, with machinery and infrastructure expenses reduced by over three times.
  • Scalability: For high-volume manufacturers, the Hydra Machine is fully scalable. Manufacturers can easily expand their production capacity by adding more units, ensuring a seamless and efficient workflow.

An astonishing fact is that the total water consumption for desizing, scouring, and bleaching is reduced to a mere 5-6 liters per kilogram with the Hydra process.

TVE ESCALE believes that Hydra sets the new industry standard for pre-treatment and bleaching of woven fabrics. By adopting this state-of-the-art technology, manufacturers can unlock enhanced production efficiency, reduced costs, and minimal environmental impact; all while achieving extraordinary results in pre-treatment and bleaching processes

Posted: October 25, 2023

Source: TVE ESCALE

Serge Ferrari Group Launches Custom Anniversary Color At Advanced Textiles Expo

DEERFIELD BEACH, Fla. — October 25, 2023 — Serge Ferrari Group, a designer, developer, and manufacturer of innovative composite fabrics, is proud to officially launch a new custom anniversary color for its best-selling exterior solar protection fabric at the Advanced Textiles Expo on Nov. 1-3, 2023, in Orlando, Florida. To celebrate 25 years of Soltis Proof 502, Serge Ferrari Group is presenting this industry-leading waterproof membrane fabric in Revival Blue. Attendees are invited to visit booth #917 to learn more about the Soltis Proof line and other exterior solar protection materials from Serge Ferrari Group.

Soltis Proof 502 is a waterproof, durable, lightweight, and easy-to-clean fabric that delivers superior flexibility and strength to allow creative freedom of shape and size for various outdoor applications. This cutting-edge fabric is ideal for awnings, pergolas, shade sails, light structures, and fixed shading systems.

“Serge Ferrari Group now proudly offers Soltis Proof 502 in Revival Blue, addressing the current urban renewal trends and the resurgence of textile innovation within the awning industry,” said Jeff Dellinger, Business Development Manager, Marine, Solar & Distribution, Serge Ferrari North America. “In an ever-evolving urban landscape, we recognize that urban design keeps pace with our evolving human needs. Revival Blue serves as a symbol of our cities’ ongoing evolution and their ability to adapt to changing times.”

In addition to Revival Blue, the Soltis Proof 502 range is available in 40 other colors, which offer a unique, satin finish and a modern, high-end look suited for commercial and residential applications. Serge Ferrari Group’s patented Précontraint technology guarantees exceptional durability and dimensional stability for Soltis Proof 502. This technology prevents tearing or stretching, while the company’s meticulous pigment selection and thicker yarn crest coating outperform competing products. Proven through rigorous testing, this membrane fabric provides year-round comfort against heat and the elements, offering 100% UV ray protection (UPF 50+). Soltis Proof 502 is GREENGUARD Gold certified and comes with a 10-year warranty. For more information about Soltis Proof 502, please visit www.sergeferrarigroup.com/us.

Posted: October 25, 2023

Source: Serge Ferrari Group

Gaston College Fiber Innovation Center Receives $1.2M In Equipment Donations

DALLAS, N.C. — October 25, 2023 — The Gaston College Fiber Innovation Center, a world-class facility focused on the future of the textile industry, has received a $1.2 million equipment donation from Truetzschler, a German textile machinery manufacturer, building upon its anticipated opening next year.

“Truetzschler is excited to be a part of the new state-of-the-art Fiber Innovation Center at Gaston College and proud to show our commitment to the textile industry for the future,” said Greg Duncan, VP of Sales, Spinning at Truetzschler.

The donated equipment features technology that is focused on circularity and reducing the carbon footprint of fiber and textile production. Once finished, the facility in Belmont, North Carolina, will be the only facility in the world where scientists, entrepreneurs, and industry leaders can take a fiber idea and convert it to a textile product under one roof. Features of the innovation center include a new polymer development lab, a fiber extrusion line, and yarn preparation capabilities thanks to the Truetzschler donation.

“Thanks in part to our longtime partnership with Truetzschler, the Fiber Innovation Center will help revolutionize the textile industry as we know it,” said Stephen Sharp, VP of Fiber Innovation at Gaston College. “The current process for developing innovative textile solutions is expensive, timely, and highly fragmented. With this center, and through Truetzschler’s gracious donation, textile innovation can occur from conception to completion, all here at Gaston College.”

For over 75 years, Gaston College’s Textile Technology Center has provided technical assistance and support to the textile industry in North Carolina and around the world. While the industry has evolved, the Center has remained committed to helping companies and entrepreneurs meet new and emerging needs for developing and testing advanced fibers and fabrics.

The Textile Technology Center and Fiber Innovation Center allow students to get hands-on experience with the latest technology and equipment used in research and development, testing, and production processes for the textile industry.

Just last year, Gaston College, along with the U.S. Department of State, North Carolina State University, and Catawba Valley Community College, announced a partnership with Honduran-based Central American Technological University. Through this partnership, Gaston College is providing space to educate and train thousands of students for the next generation textile workforce to meet the rising demands of nearshoring and onshoring in Honduras, Central America, and the United States.

Posted: October 25, 2023

Source: Gaston College Fiber Innovation Center

Asahi Kasei Invests In US Startup NFW — Cooperation To Deliver Scale In The Field Of Non-Petroleum-Based, Fully Circular Leather Alternatives For Automotive Interiors

Discover MIRUM® Touch

DÜSSELDORF, NEW YORK And TOKYO — October 25, 2023 — Asahi Kasei has decided to invest in US-based startup NFW, a producer of non-petroleum-based leather alternative for car interiors. As part of Asahi Kasei’s medium-term growth strategy and in close cooperation with Sage Automotive Interiors, Inc. (Sage), an Asahi Kasei company and a leading global provider of innovative and functional materials for the automotive interior, this strategic partnership enables another major step to support global automotive OEMs in reducing the environmental burden of automobiles.

Based in Peoria, Illinois, NFW was founded in 2015 and has developed the only platform capable of producing precision-engineered, natural (non-petroleum-based) leather, foam, and textiles to replace animal and petrochemical-based materials. Certified by the United States Department of Agriculture as having 100% biobased content, MIRUM®, the company’s patented leather alternative, is made from natural rubber, natural fibers, plant oils, natural pigments, and minerals. The material offers superior durability and quality that can replace traditional animal-based or synthetic leather products without the use of any polyurethane or other coatings.

NFW MIRUM® Multi Drape

Sage is engaged in developing, manufacturing, and selling innovative functional materials used in automobile interiors globally. Since its acquisition by Asahi Kasei in 2018, Sage has strengthened its business activities in Europe and China through mergers and acquisitions in parallel to expanding its lineup of growth-potential materials such as suede and synthetic leather. As one of the leading global suppliers in the car seat fabric market, Sage has a strong presence among automakers and suppliers.

Dirk Pieper, Chairman of the Sage Board of Directors and Lead Executive for the development and growth of Asahi Kasei’s overall automotive product offering, stated, “The cooperation with NFW will enable Asahi Kasei and Sage to assist global automakers in reducing the environmental burden of their cars. By jointly developing and manufacturing a non-petroleum-based and fully circular leather alternative, the Asahi Kasei Group takes a leading position in revolutionizing the market for car interior materials.”

First project within the “Care for Earth” investment framework

The cooperation with NFW is the first project within Asahi Kasei’s “Care for Earth” investment framework, announced in April 2023. Asahi Kasei allocated up to $100 million for investments worldwide in early-stage startups that aim to solve issues in environmental fields such as hydrogen, energy storage, carbon management, and bio-based chemicals over the 5-year period up to fiscal 2027. As described in its April 2022 medium-term management plan, the car interior material business is one of Asahi Kasei’s “10 Growth Gears” (GG10)—businesses that are to drive future growth, targeting more than 70% of operating income around 2030.

Posted: October 25, 2023

Source: Asahi Kasei Corporation

WACKER Presents Hydrophilic Silicone Active For Household Fabric Softeners

MUNICH, Germany — October 25, 2023 — At the 70th SEPAWA Congress in Berlin, Germany, WACKER is unveiling its new LIOSIL®
FC 3300 E silicone emulsion to a broad technical audience. The product was developed as a highly efficient additive in house- hold fabric softener formulations. Its active silicone ingredient strengthens the product’s softening effect and makes clothing absorbent and easy to iron. This year’s SEPAWA Congress will take place October 25 – 27.

WACKER presents its new LIOSIL® FC 3300 E silicone emulsion at the SEPAWA Congress. The product was developed as a highly efficient addi- tive in household fabric softener formulations. Its silicone active ingredient makes clothes soft, absorbent and easier to iron. Photo: WACKER

LIOSIL® FC 3300 E, an emulsion containing a high concentration of actives, complements the chemical group’s portfolio of silicone products designed for fabric softener production. LIOSIL® FC 3300 E is an odor- and colorless opaque product that is very easy to work with. It simply needs to be stirred into the formulation at the end of the fabric softener manufacturing process. One outstanding feature of the new emulsion is that it combines multiple properties of the existing product line.

The active ingredient of the new emulsion is an aminofunctional silicone polymer to which polyether groups have been added to make it hydrophilic, i.e., to give it an affinity to water. It follows that fabric softeners formulated with LIOSIL® FC 3300 E improve the wetting properties of the fibers and allow the fabric to absorb more water. As a result, fabric softeners like these can also be used in applications where rapid moisture absorption by the fabric is espe- cially important. Like classic silicone actives, the LIOSIL® FC 3300 E silicone polymer also reduces friction, lending textiles an extraordi- nary soft hand and making clothing easier to iron.

All three effects – the typical soft hand of silicones, easy ironing and absorbency – play out on cotton and synthetic fibers alike. LIOSIL® FC 3300 E avoids the pitfall of many commercially available fabric softeners, i.e., that they make fabric hydrophobic, causing laundry to repel water. Instead, it allows cotton to retain its absorbency, while making synthetics absorbent as well. This means that LIOSIL®

FC 3300 E opens the door to a new generation of fabric softeners that can be specifically tailored to consumer preferences.

WACKER will be doing more than simply exhibiting at this year’s SEPAWA Congress. On Friday, October 27, silicone experts Christof Brehm and Peter Horvath will hold a talk on fluorine-free impregna- tion, in which they demonstrate that the effect of impregnation with silicones rivals that of products containing fluorine-based ingredients (Forum for Innovation – Home Care, room 12 + 13, 9:30 – 9:45 a.m., “Silicones leave no one out in the rain – fluorine-free impregnation, Part II”).

Visit WACKER at the 70th SEPAWA Congress, booth C492-493.

Posted: October 25, 2023

Source: WACKER

KARL MAYER: Skin Protection The Textile Way — Warp-Knitted Sun Protective Clothing Triggers HKS 2-SE Boom

OBERTSHAUSEN, Germany — October 25, 2023 — People in China who protect their skin from harmful UV rays are not only doing something for their health, but also for their appearance. In the Middle Kingdom, fair skin is traditionally considered noble and aristocratic. In view of increasingly sunny summers, however, it is becoming increasingly difficult to conform to the ideal of beauty. Just this year, China experienced an extreme heat wave with temperatures of up to 52 °C locally.

Sunscreens protect against sunburn, but their application and the constant need to reapply them are cumbersome. In addition, many products are suspected of being harmful to health themselves due to their ingredients.

As a real alternative, UV clothing and accessories are gaining more and more acceptance and promise good business, especially in the wake of the growing trend of outdoor sports. According to statistics from China Insights Consultancy, their market reached a volume of around 67 billion yuan in 2022, and is expected to grow by 9.4% annually until 2026, 3.5% more than from 2016 to 2021.

In demand is clothing, as the most important product group, followed by hats, shoes and accessories, which include sunglasses, sleeves and gloves. This year’s top sellers also included facekinis: masks that cover the entire face.

Single tricot fabric

The top material for producing the UV-effective body coverings is an elastic warp-knitted fabric from the tricot machine HKS 2-SE. The demand for the smooth single tricot fabric has made the two-bar HKS one of KARL MAYER’s best-selling machines in China this year.

my TEXTILE NEWS editor Ulrike Schlenker wanted to know more about the reasons for the boom and asked Liu Guantong, Textile and Applications Engineer at KARL MAYER (CHINA).

Ulrike Schlenker: What makes the HKS 2-SE product so attractive for use in sun protective clothing?

Liu Guantong: The warp-knitted fabric convinces with its overall performance. It is UV effective, but in addition, smooth, thin and light with a fabric weight of 160 g/m², so just right to lie comfortably on the skin in the heat. For its production, the polyamide microfilament yarn and elastane are processed in two open short tricot lappings. The warp-knit structure provides enough openness for breathability and enough density for the desired protective effect. With 50 stitch courses/cm and 80 wales/inch, the warp-knitted fabric is finer than comparable circular knits. Its UV protection factor (UPF) is 50+. Other advantages are in processing and wearing, such as free-cut style, comfort stretch with high recovery, good shape retention and a nice drape. In addition, the short underlap ensures high snagging resistance.

Schlenker: Why did you decide to use a polyamide microfiber yarn?

Guantong: This yarn material offers several advantages due to its unique properties. The most important one for us was, of course, its UV resistance. Other benefits include a soft hand, a good feel against the skin and instant cooling on contact. In addition, polyamide microfiber yarns have long proven their worth in the mass production of knitted fabrics.

Schlenker: Sun protective clothing is not new. Previous textiles for this purpose were often woven. They were often made of natural fibers, e.g. linen. What advantages do the warp-knitted counterparts made of man-made fibers offer?

Guantong: In the past the majority of sun protective clothing was made of polyester woven fabrics. They are now being replaced by warp-knitted fabrics made of polyamide and elastane, for example, as these offer better comfort and breathability. Natural fiber yarns are less suitable. Linen, for example, feels rough, creases easily and can only be processed with reduced productivity. Cotton and wool have poor UV resistance compared to polyester and polyamide.

Schlenker: The yarns are processed on an HKS 2-SE. Why has this particular machine become established in the production of sun-protective clothing?

Guantong: The machine is specialized in the production of standard elastic goods. It perfectly combines efficiency and precision. At a rotational speed of 4,400 rpm, an output of around 85 m²/h finished fabric is possible, depending on the yarn selection, even with the high gauges of E 36 and E 40 used. The textile products are of the highest quality.

Posted: October 25, 2023

Source: KARL MAYER Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH

Monforts: Rethinking Energy And Textile Machinery At ITMA Asia + CITME

MÖNCHENGLADBACH, Germany — October 25, 2023 — China continues to lead the world in the production of textiles and investments in textile machinery, making ITMA Asia + CITME, which takes place in Shanghai from November 19-23, a must-attend event for Monforts.

Monforts Head of Denim Hans Wroblowski

“While remaining the world’s largest producer of clothing and footwear, China has also been the largest consumer of these products since 2021,” says Monforts Head of Denim Hans Wroblowski. “The country now accounts for 25% of the global clothing and footwear market, with the USA in second place with a 21% share and Europe with a 20% share. This suggests a significant change, since the biggest market for China’s products is now its own. European machine builders like Monforts, however, have much to contribute to ensuring all markets continue to grow sustainably, and we are looking forward to many fruitful discussions in Shanghai.”

Efficiency

Monforts Montex stenters are already the industry standard for the fabric finishing industry.

At stand C07 in Hall 5 at the Shanghai exhibition, Wroblowski and other Monforts experts will be on hand to explain the advantages of Montex stenters for essential drying processes in terms of production throughput – and especially in energy efficiency and resource savings.

“Because finishing is a particularly energy-intensive part of the textile production chain, it is exactly where convincing results can be achieved and we have developed a wide range of energy-saving measures,” says Wroblowski. “This not only includes state-of-the-art machine chamber insulation, but also heat recovery systems.”

The Monforts Energy Tower can be retrofitted to existing ranges to achieve significant savings

The Monforts Universal Energy Tower, for example, is a free-standing air/air heat exchanger that achieves energy savings of up to 25%.

The ECO Booster heat recovery system with integrated automatic cleaning is meanwhile directly integrated into the chamber design of the Montex stenter and enables energy savings of up to 35% depending on the application. One ECO Booster module is sufficient for stenter ranges with up to eight chambers.

Both the ECO Booster and the Energy Tower can also be retrofitted to existing ranges, in order to make production more resource-efficient and economical, yet without having to invest in a new machine.

“If anything, today’s high energy prices are only encouraging investment, because for our customers, energy costs can account for up to 70% of production costs, so there is great demand for ways of saving money,” Wroblowski says. “This also helps in terms of global warming and reducing carbon footprint, of course. We see the energy crisis of the past two years as an opportunity because it is leading to an energy consumption rethink in the textile industry.”

Denim

Two major areas of specialism for Monforts technologies are in denim production and the finishing of a wide range of technical textiles.

Over 900 Monforts Thermex hotflue dyeing systems are now operational in the main textile producing countries, with around 150 of them already reaping the benefits of the Econtrol® and Econtrol®T-CA processes.

Econtrol® is a continuous process for the dyeing of woven cotton and cellulosic fabrics in which reactive dyestuffs are fixed into the fabric in a one-step dyeing and drying process with a controlled combination of steam and air. The entire pad-dry process takes just two-to-three minutes at a temperature of between 120-130°C and a relative humidity volume of 25-30%.

The latest innovation for denim manufacturers is the CYD yarn dyeing system which integrates new functions and processes into the weaving preparatory processes – spinning, direct beaming, warping and assembly beaming, followed by sizing and dyeing – in order to increase quality, flexibility, economic viability and productivity.

“Differentiation is the key in the highly-competitive denim fabrics industry, whether that is through the successful incorporation of new fibres, accommodating new fabric constructions or exploring the many options for how to treat them at the finishing stage, to gain a market advantage,” says Wroblowski. “These latest Monforts lines allow users to be extremely versatile and respond quickly to market demand, while also allowing very short production runs.”

Technical textiles

The Montex®Coat coater serves a diverse number of technical textile markets.

The Montex®Coat coater meanwhile serves a very diverse number of markets and enables full PVC coatings, pigment dyeing or minimal application surface and low penetration treatments, as well as solvent coatings to be carried out. Key applications include tents, tarpaulins and awnings, black-out roller blinds and sail cloth, automotive interior fabrics and medical disposables.

“Technical textiles are a key pillar of the Monforts production programme and we are always exploring potential new applications with our customers,” says Wroblowski. “There remains huge potential for the expansion of this market in Asia and we will be happy to discuss the possibilities of this very flexible technology with you in Shanghai.”

Econtrol® is a registered mark of DyStar Colours Distribution GmbH, Germany.

Posted: October 25, 2023

Source: A. Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG

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