At its recent General Assembly, the Milan-based Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT) emphasized the need to enhance the value of Made in Italy as a key challenge for its textile machinery sector. In 2024, industry production declined 8 percent to 2.1 billion euros, while exports dropped 9 percent to 1.8 billion euros. China, Turkey, India, and the United States remained the main export markets despite weak demand.
ACIMIT President Marco Salvadè said: “U.S. protectionist policies and mounting geopolitical instability risk further slowing global investments in the textile and apparel sector. In particular, any escalation of the trade war would prove even more damaging to the entire supply chain.”
Roundtable discussions focused on priorities for the future including internationalization, innovation, sustainability and promoting authentic Made in Italy.
The assembly also marked ACIMIT’s 80th anniversary. “An important milestone that invites us to look back with pride and ahead with renewed passion and responsibility,” Salvadé said.
It is “… essential to defend and promote true Made in Italy — products designed and manufactured in Italy without compromise, distinguished by the quality and creativity for which we are renowned worldwide.”
Paris-based Lectra has announced that Walters, a New York City-based 85-year-old outdoor furniture manufacturer for architects and designers, has success-fully implemented Lectra’s Furniture on Demand and Valia Furniture platforms to streamline production and order fulfillment. By digitizing its entire catalog with Valia Furniture, Walters has reduced lead times, optimized efficiency and improved customer satisfaction. The digital pattern library replaced physical patterns, eliminating manual searches and ensuring up-to-date versions are always accessible. With integration across the cutting room and real-time analytics, Walters gained visibility into production processes, supporting smarter decisions and continuous optimization.
“Our experience with Lectra, as a first-time customer, has been very positive: everything from presale to the installation to the follow-up support has been nothing but outstanding,” said Adam Schindler, CEO of Walters. “We chose Furniture on Demand because it was the most advanced platform yet very intuitive and user-friendly.”
Crimping is a demanding process, and Oerlikon Textile Inc., Charlotte, N.C., now offers a crimper repair service.
Oerlikon Textile Inc. has launched a crimper repair service at its Charlotte, N.C., site that specializes in Fleissner and Neumag crimpers. Crimping is a critical step in the staple fiber process, and the condition of these components directly affects product quality and production reliability. The Charlotte workshop is staffed with specialists who provide complete overhauls including roller and chamber repairs, as well as inspection of pneumatic, hydraulic and electrical systems. Each crimper is pre-set, tested, and delivered with warranty coverage.
“With this new service, we can work closely with our customers and guarantee the best service with OEM standards and short response times,” said Daniel Möller-Langmaack, team leader, Service Sales Staple Fiber, Oerlikon Neumag.
Mayer & Cie.’s growing braiding business unit now offers braiding machines with 48 carriers.
Germany-based Mayer & Cie. is celebrating its 120th anniversary. The fourth-generation family-owned company exports almost all of its circular knitting and braiding machines. Known for precision and durability, Mayer & Cie. continues to drive innovation, from electronic pattern control and Relanit technology to today’s digital solutions.
“We are truly proud to be celebrating this anniversary,” said Benjamin Mayer, managing partner. “120 years of a family business is far from a given: statistics show that only 12 percent of family-owned companies make it past three generations — and we are already in our fourth. This proves that we’ve consistently under-stood market demands and met them with technological innovation.”
In other company news, Mayer & Cie. recently delivered its first MR-15 braiding machine with 48 carriers, following the successful delivery of a 48-carrier MR-11 system in late 2024. The milestone highlights the Germany-based company’s growing braiding division, which has evolved into a key business pillar since 2019.
“We are pleased that we have now also completed an MR-15 with 48 carriers,” said Patrick Moser, head of the business unit. “This shows that we have fully achieved our goal of strengthening in-house development in the field of braiding machines. We are seeing an increasing number of inquiries for interlinked systems and in-line processes in which further units are to be integrated into the braiding line.”
Germany-based Mahlo GmbH + Co. KG is celebrating 80 years of innovation, evolving from a small postwar workshop building radio receivers into a global measurement and control technology company. Founded in 1945 by Dr. Heinz Mahlo, the company’s breakthrough came with the 1958 patent for the first automatic weft straightener. Today, Mahlo serves the textile, nonwoven, paper and plastics industries with an international network and export share of 80 percent.
“Keeping a company successful in the market over eight decades is only possible with a spirit of innovation, reliability, and the dedication of many smart minds,” said CEO Rainer Mestermann. “I am proud of our team and grateful for the trust of our customers around the world.”
Mahlo remains family-owned, guided by a commitment to sustainability, responsibility, and long-term growth.
The SDL Atlas MMT®: Moisture Management Tester was recently used in a study by India-based Woxsen University researchers Rajesh Kumar and Adity Saxena to examine moisture management in cattail-cotton knit blends. The research showed that these blends demonstrated favorable performance, including faster spreading speed and stronger one-way trans-port, making them suitable for activewear and functional textiles. The SDL Atlas MMT provided the critical data used to evaluate and compare the dynamic liquid transport properties of the fabric samples the study noted.
Vietnam-based spinner Tra Ly Hung Yen is tackling labor shortages with support from Trützschler’s auto-mated machinery. Rapid industrialization in Vietnam has made it difficult to recruit skilled operators, threatening mills where consistent quality relies on precise adjustments.
Tra Ly has a capacity of 60 tons of carded and combed cotton daily, half of which is exported to China, Pakistan and Bangladesh. To maintain quality, the company turned to Trützschler’s advanced technologies, including the TC 19i card with T-GO, the TD-10 draw frame, the TCO 21XL 12-head comber, and the T-SCAN TS-T5 foreign part separator. Tra Ly also recently installed My Mill, Trützschler’s mill monitoring system.
“Innovations from Trützschler offer efficient handling that frees up time for our employees,” said Tra Ly Director Do Thi Lan Phuong. “In this way, we are able to cope with labor shortages. These machines enable higher productivity, improved sliver evenness and more energy-efficient manufacturing.”
BRÜCKNER, Germany, recently established a new subsidiary in India to strengthen its presence in one of the world’s key textile markets. Since 2007, the company has been represented by Universal MEP Projects & Engineering Services Ltd., which played a significant role in building the Brückner brand locally. With growing demand and innovation opportunities in India, the new branch will allow closer collaboration with customers.
“We could not have imagined a better partner in the Indian market and are very grateful to Universal for their support and constant guidance over nearly 20 successful years,” said Regina Brückner, owner and CEO, Brückner Group. “India is a key market for the textile industry and offers many opportunities for us, firstly due to the growing local demand for textiles and secondly due to the enormous potential for innovation. The new branch enables us to be even closer to our customers.”
Ultrafabrics, New York City, has named Caroline Ollivier senior director of Trade Marketing.
England-based textile manufacturer Think Group named Rachel Douglas Phillips Technical and Sustainability manager. She will lead the development of new products in collaboration with customers as well as guide businesses on sustainability within the nonwoven industry.
Kerley
Standard Textile Co. Inc., Cincinnati, has appointed Frank Kerley vice president of its Textile Division. He will oversee strategic direction, growth initiatives and operational performance across the Healthcare and Hospitality textile markets.
Germany-based KARL MAYER recently appointed Hagen Lotzmann managing director and president of the Karl Mayer Technical Textiles business unit. In other company news, Axel Wintermeyer was named president of Karl Mayer’s Warp Knitting business.
Scott Blackadar has joined South Korea-based Hyosung as Personal Healthcare Global leader. Based In Philadelphia and working from the Hyosung’s Charlotte, N.C., office he will manage the company’s global sales team promoting Hyosung’s specialty fibers in the healthcare market.
Evans
Dr. Eric Evans was named the Board of Directors chair for the Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA), Cambridge, Mass.
Atlanta-based brrr° has announced two new appointments. Christopher Heyn transitioned from executive chairman to CEO; and David Ludd has joined the company as vice president of Sales and Marketing.
Roebuck
Catherine Roebuck has joined England-based dyeing, printing and Roebuck finishing
company Pincroft as Business Development manager. She will focus on supporting the company’s growing military and defense portfolio, as well as expanding its wide com-mission finishing services.
Jen Hanna has joined Carbitex, Kennewick, Wash., as vice president of U.S. sales.
Paris-based Lectra has promoted Maximilien Abadie to deputy CEO responsible for Lectra’s software as a service (SaaS) activities.
Weatherill
Geneva-based Better Cotton has announced Nick Weatherill as CEO. He will work with outgoing CEO Alan McClay to ensure a smooth leadership transition.
Herculite Products Inc., Emigsville, Pa., has promoted Mike Stephenson to director of Manufacturing.
Toronto-based Cobmex Apparel Inc., a provider of high-performance knitwear for the uniform industry, has named Jon Edberg president and COO. He succeeds Founder and President Phil Newman who will assume the role of CEO.
Fire-Dex, Medina, Ohio, has named Ben Pfahl chief information officer.
(left to right): Connelly Sr.’s brother and wife, Wes and Pat Connelly; AATCC President Christina Rapa; and Connelly Sr.’s wife Lynn and son Lee at the dedication.
AATCC ColorLab Dedicated To Roland L. Connelly Sr.
The American Association of Chemists and Colorists (AATCC), Durham, N.C., recently dedicated its newly refurbished ColorLab to Roland L. Connelly Sr. He had a more than 40-year career in the textile industry focused on all aspects of color management and control beginning working at Burlington Industries, X-Rite Inc. and GretagMacbeth, as well as owning several of his own companies. During his career, Connelly was very involved with AATCC.
He held leadership roles including president, he was chair of the RA36 Color Measurement Committee, and a member of AATCC’s board of directors. He was honored with the AATCC Chapin Service Award, played a significant role in the AATCC Foundation, and was instrumental in developing workshops and several AATCC standards.
AATCC held a dedication ceremony where Connelly was honored in the presence of some of his family members and close friends. He owned a personal spectrophotometer that was generously donated to the AATCC lab by his wife Lynn.
The sweater features a yarn made using 50-percent Procell/50-percent wool
Created from spent yeast, protein-based fiber Procell offers properties similar to those of wool.
By Rachael S. Davis, Executive Editor
As the increase in alternative and sustainable materials for textile applications grows, so does the list of interesting raw material inputs.
Initially inspired by squid proteins and with funding from BioMADE, Philadelphia-based climate-positive smart textiles company Tandem Repeat Technologies Inc. has created Procell, a yarn that begins its life as low-cost spent yeast. This protein-based fiber mimics the properties offered by wool, with none of the ethical concerns relating to animal cruelty, water pollution and land degredation.
Squid ring teeth is a self-assembling protein complex found in squid tentacles. “We initially extracted the genes from squid and heterologously expressed then in yeast through precision fermentation,” explained Dr. Melik Demirel, co-founder of Tandem Repeat and Huck Endowed Chair Professor of Biomimetic Materials at The Pennsylvania State University. “However, we later found that biomass fermentation of yeast is more straightforward and cost-effective for producing commodity protein fibers.”
This protein biomanufacturing approach takes the living yeast cells and transforms them into valuable products — such as textile fibers or nonwovens — using a patented fermentation microbial process. Temperature, pH, nutrient availability and microbial strain selection is carefully controlled to maximize yields, titers and productivity to ensure the process is sustainable and economically viable.
According to Tandem Repeat, Procell’s greenhouse gas emission footprint of 5.39 kilograms (kg) of carbon dioxide per kg, water usage of 0.52 cubic meters per kg and land usage of 12.4 points per kg are lower than other natural fibers including cotton, lyocell and wool.
The denim is made using a 15-percent Procell/85-percent cotton blend.
Processing Procell
Procell fibers are created using traditional wet spinning processes that are used in man-made cellulosic fiber production. From there, the staple fibers are spun into yarns, and Procell may be blended with other fiber types during spinning. “We have combined natural fibers like cotton and wool, as well as synthetics such as polyester to produce several garments,” Dr. Demirel noted. Initial apparel included a cotton blend dress and denim items, followed later by sweaters that can be purchased through the company’s own brand, Sonachic. “Procell can be crafted for various constructions, and we have developed both knitted and woven fabrics,” Dr. Demirel said. Procell has also been used to create nonwoven fabrics.
According to Tandem Repeat the fiber is soft and resembles a luxury wool such as cashmere. The 100-percent vegan, sustainable protein fiber is stronger than wool, but offers warmth, lightweight and breathability equal to or better than wool, and offers similar thermal conductivity. The company’s goal is to produce Procell at a cost lower than that of wool.
Dr. Demirel sees applications beyond textiles for Procell. “Our goal is to expand into other markets, including the leather, cosmetics, paper and pulp, and construction industries,” he said. “Protein fibers can serve effectively as feedstocks for all these sectors.”
Tandem’s research was supported by funding from BioMADE, an Emeryville, Calif.-based Manufacturing Innovation Institute sponsored by the U.S. Department of Defense, and member of the Manufacturing USA® network tasked with creating large-scale, public-private collaboration to advance manufacturing. “With support from BioMADE, we were able to reach a higher level of technological readiness in our industry where deep-tech advances thrive with government backing and venture capital funding remains limited,” Dr. Demirel noted.
For more information, e-mail contact@ tandemrepeat.com
