Crowley Names Clay Heil Vice President, Global Government Relations

Heil

WASHINGTON — February 3, 2023 — Crowley has appointed Clay Heil as vice president of global government relations, where he will lead the company’s full spectrum of government advocacy across all of the company’s business interests and activities.

Based in Washington, Heil will spearhead Crowley’s engagement with federal, state and local government partners and elected officials on policy and regulatory matters that support the company’s strategic growth.

Heil joins Crowley with more than 25 years of legislative and legal experience. In Congress, he worked in the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate for 12 years, holding senior roles including deputy staff director and general counsel for the Senate Appropriations Committee. Most recently, Heil was a partner in Taft’s Public Affairs Strategies Group, where he represented Fortune 500 companies in the defense, cybersecurity and technology sectors.

“Clay’s experience, knowledge and relationships in Washington and the private sector make him a strong advocate for Crowley and our industries,” said Chief Legal and Risk Officer Parker Harrison. “His leadership will help elevate Crowley’s transportation and logistics solutions to continue the growth as a chosen partner for government and military.”

During his time in Congress, Heil also served as legislative director for Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and worked for Rep. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.), Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Ark.) and Sen. Judd Gregg (R-N.H.).

Heil holds a juris doctorate from the Georgetown University Law Center and a bachelor’s degree from Colorado State University. He is a member of the District of Columbia Bar.

Posted: February 8, 2023

Source: Crowley

Italian Textile Machinery: Declining Orders For Fourth Quarter 2022

MILAN — February 3, 2023 — The fourth quarter 2022 textile machinery orders index, processed by ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, showed a sharp 35-percent decline compared to the period from October to December 2021. In absolute value, the index stood at 83.6 points (basis: 2015=100).

Orders took a 34-percent drop on the domestic market, while the foreign index was down fully 37 percent. In Italy, the index’s absolute value came in at 155.4 points, whereas on foreign markets the value stood at 75.8 points.

On annual basis, the orders index marked an 18-percent decrease and an absolute value of 110.4 points. The drop in orders abroad was 17 percent, while orders collected in Italy were 28-percent lower than the figures drawn up in 2021.

ACIMIT president Alessandro Zucchi stated: “The orders index data for the fourth quarter confirms what had already been observed in the previous quarters in 2022. After a sharp increase in 2021, this decrease in orders for the past year is physiological. Furthermore, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, with its related consequences on daily business and trade, and a macroeconomic framework in which uncertainty prevails, have further negatively affected the orders intake.”

Data for the last quarter does not suggest a reverse in the negative trend for the first months of 2023. Declining energy prices and inflation, although still high, also declining slightly are, however, signs of a light improvement in the business of companies in the sector as well.

“We need to look to the current year with optimism,” continued the ACIMIT president. “Our member companies are already focusing on ITMA, the upcoming global textile machinery industry trade fair, that will be held from June 8-14 in Milan. I am confident that ITMA Milan can represent an opportunity for further development of the Italian textile machinery sector. The technological innovations that our manufacturers will bring to the trade show will meet the textile industry’s need to be increasingly sustainable, both environmentally and economically.”

Posted: February 8, 2023

Source: ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers

INDEX™ 2023 Exhibitor Preview: DiloGroup

EBERBACH, Germany — February 8, 2023 — This year and in quick succession, there will be two flagship exhibitions for the textile and nonwovens industries. The first one — INDEX in Geneva, April 18-21, 2023 — for textile production with special focus on disposable textiles used in hygiene, medicine and similar applications, followed by ITMA in Milan, June 8-14, 2023, which shows the latest developments in textile machinery. This most important exhibition of its kind presents investments in the textile production process which meet the latest ecological demands for sustainability, recycling and reduction in energy consumption.

DiloGroup plans to participate in both exhibitions and present at INDEX the latest developments in needling technology in anticipation of the machinery exhibition ITMA and to draw the visitors’ attention to the latest demands of environmental sustainability in nonwoven production. The research work of DiloGroup traditionally focuses on production lines for the webforming and needling of staple fiber material. After years of gradual advancements in the intense needling technology, we have succeeded in achieving the industrial scale of “MicroPunch” intense needling technology.

Good abrasion resistance of this intensely needled material allows the production of apparel, artificial leather, battery separators and filter media as well as medical and hygiene nonwovens.

The production of comfort tissues with a weight range of 30 to approximately 60 grams per square meter made from fine fiber blends using polyester and viscose has been a domain of the water-entangling technology so far. This product being a typical disposable is in the crossfire regarding sustainability and recyclability. Therefore biodegradable or decomposable fiber material is the target for more environmental sustainability.

In addition, for the evaluation of a web consolidation process, low carbon emission and low energy consumption are important criteria.

The classical needling technology and its qualification for the production of lightweight nonwovens at low cost per kilogram has been technologically and economically proved in the meantime after many years of research work. It has become possible by an intense concentration of needles in the board and very fine barbs on these specialty needles which allow an economic mounting and quick exchange due to a new module design.

Compared to water-entangling lines, the “MicroPunch” needling line provides a drastic reduction in energy consumption (electricity and gas).

In view of heavily increased costs for electricity and gas, this reduced consumption has a great impact on the total cost for a kilogram of finished product in many countries.

We look forward to welcoming you at our booth # 2010 during INDEX.

Posted: February 8, 2023

Source: DiloGroup

Polartec Introduces Shed Less Technology That Dramatically Reduces Fiber Fragmentation In Laundering Tests

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — February 8, 2023 — Polartec®, a Milliken & Company brand, has announced Polartec Shed Less Fleece, a new milestone in its efforts to reduce textile fiber fragment shedding. Shed Less is a process that combines yarn construction, knitting, chemistry, and manufacturing to reduce home laundry fiber fragment shedding by an average of 85 percent. The first fabric to receive this new technology is the brand’s iconic Polartec 200 Series Fleece, the modern version of the original PolarFleece launched in 1981, and in 1993, the first performance fleece knit from yarn made from recycled plastic bottles.

The Shed Less process works by engineering the lofted fibers that give fleece its soft hand the ability to resist breaking and rubbing off during home laundering, cited as one contributing factor to the spread of fibers fragments (commonly referred to as microfibers). Polartec Shed Less Fleece achieves this remarkable outcome while maintaining all the attributes that continue to make Polartec fleece a staple of midlayer collections — lightweight, breathable, and warm, with unmatched softness and hand feel.

“Polartec has a long tradition of EcoEngineering its products to reduce their environmental footprint,” said Dr Ramesh Kesh, senior vice president, Milliken & Company. “Shed Less is the latest progression of these efforts and the result of many years of research and development.”

The brand used the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) TM212-2021 test method for fiber fragment release during home laundering. This test was conducted with large sample sizes to account for variability. The testing concluded that Shed Less Fleece reduced fiber fragment shedding by an average of 85 percent compared to the baseline fabric.

“In 2016 we began looking into how we might test for fiber loss because there wasn’t a lot of research on the issue.” said Aimee LaValley, Polartec Textile Development, Dye and Chemistry manager. “This led to new products like Polartec Power Air™, new manufacturing processes, as well as our participation in the TextileMission workgroup to study the issue on an interdisciplinary basis.”

TextileMission was a three-year collaborative initiative of academia and industry to reduce the impact of textile microplastics funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Founding partners include The Association of the German Sporting Goods Industry, Hochschule Niederrhein – University of Applied Science; TU Dresden – Institute of Water Chemistry; Vaude Sport; WWF Germany; Adidas AG; Henkel AG; Miele & CIE; and Polartec, LLC.

Known for pioneering the use of recycled materials in performance knits, Polartec has also EcoEngineered new processes at its plants to reduce the spread of fiber fragments, including the installation of customized vacuum and filtering systems for all surface finishing machinery, and upcycling all captured fabric waste for reuse in other products. These efforts also extend to other product innovations such as 2018’s Polartec Power Air, constructed to contain lofted fibers to prevent breakage and maintain heat retention.

“While performance fabrics contribute a small percentage of the fibers fragments shed by the global textile industry, Polartec has been researching root causes and mitigation strategies for many years,” Dr. Kesh said. “Shed Less Fleece is a natural progression of this curiosity toward our goal of reducing fiber fragment shedding to near zero in all of our performance fabrics.”

Polartec Shed Less Fleece will be initially launched in the United States and will be available to customers beginning March 1, 2023. The brand plans to apply the Shed Less process to many other fabric platforms and manufacturing facilities around the world.

Since inventing the original PolarFleece in 1981, Polartec engineers continue to advance the science of fabric by creating problem solving technologies that improve the user experience. They are the only company on the market who develops and manufactures comprehensive solutions encompassing base, mid, and outer layers under one brand, offering a wide range of versatile functionality; lightweight wicking and cooling, warmth and insulation, breathable weather protection, fire resistance, and enhanced durability. Polartec products are used by performance, lifestyle, and workwear brands from around the world, the U.S. Military and allied militaries, and contract upholstery markets.

Posted: February 8, 2023

Source: Polartec®, a Milliken & Company brand

New Training Courses For k.innovation CREATE DESIGN

Digital yarn creation with k.innovation CREATE DESIGN

OBERTSHAUSEN — February 7, 2023 — STOLL and KM.ON are kicking off spring 2023 with two new training courses for the design software k.innovation CREATE DESIGN. The first training course in the online course series will take place March 13 and 14, 2023, followed by a second one May 3 and 4, 2023. The target group is designers with basic know-how on flat-knit structures and stitch formations and yarns.

The participants will learn how they can significantly shorten the design-to-market workflow with k.innovation CREATE DESIGN. Besides familiarizing themselves with the basic functions of the design software for developing virtual flat-knitted products. They will, create various knitted structures — in line with the learning-by-doing approach — and learn how to work with digital yarns. They will also export the virtual knitted fabric for further use in external 3D clothing programs. There is a new feature here: the possibility of bundled export. If several design patterns or shape pieces are exported at once, the time required to prepare the data for use in external 3D software can be minimized. Also new is an extension to optimize the exported file sizes. With the function “compression/color reduction”, the colors and size of the exported files are reduced without affecting their image or color quality. The smaller file sizes speed up the work in external 3D software.

Data export and 3D render

Training instructor Goran Sidjimovski is looking forward to numerous registrations for the courses, under academy@kmon.net.

KM.ON and STOLL successfully presented its software solution for the flat knitwear sector at the MUNICH FABRIC START trade fair at the end of January. Sophie Neff, sales manager at the KARL MAYER GROUP’s software start-up, held numerous technical discussions in Munich. She said that the visitors were particularly interested in the possibilities for scanning their own yarns, for communicating with suppliers through one product family, and for reducing techpacks by working in just one software. In addition, the guests were enthusiastic about how “fully fashion” knitted garments can be displayed three-dimensionally.

Posted February 7, 2023

Source: Karl Mayer

Design for Circularity: Soorty Launches Capsule Collection Collaborators — Lenzing, The Lycra Co., Marmara Hemp, and Jeanologia

UNITED STATES — February 7, 2023 — Together with supply chain partners, Soorty — one of Pakistan’s largest vertically integrated denim companies — is pleased to announce its newest denim collection, Design for Circularity. The capsule collection of eight responsible denim pieces was soft launched at Soorty’s recent showroom event and at Kingpins in early January in collaboration with The Lycra Co., Lenzing, Marmara Hemp and Jeanologia. This collection highlights the value of design and emphasizes Soorty’s commitment to making quality clothing while bringing awareness to environmental as well as social impacts of fashion production and consumption.

“Now is a great time to redesign everything, driven by a new, responsible mindset and using new tools such as artificial intelligence, the internet of things and biomimicry,” said Eda Dikmen, marketing & communications manager, Soorty. “Our design ambitions are limited only by imagination, making creativity the most important part of the equation. Design thinking allows us to explore new ways of creating sustainable, resilient, long-lasting value as we redesign old products or even systems. When it comes to denim and jeans, making clothes that people love to wear, own a long time and feel good as they look good is an extensive part of circularity.”

Soorty emphasizes that the key to consciously made denim is having a holistic approach from fiber to finish, where its vertical capabilities enable the producer to offer sustainability as throughout all stages of production. To make this idea come to life, Soorty joined forces with Lenzing, The Lycra Co., Jeanologia, Marmara Hemp on a capsule collection that brings fiber innovation and smart laundry together. The capsule utilizes fabrics woven with the conscious fibers from The Lycra Company, Lenzing, Marmara Hemp, as well as recycled cotton that is produced in Soorty’s state of the art recycling facility; and laundry & finishing that is conducted by Jeanologia technologies such as G2 Dynamic and Laser. Focused on a small scale, and to the point production, the collection highlights that the route to circularity and sustainability is made possible when working collectively and producing responsibly.

“We can only do much by ourselves,” said Tuncay Kılıçkan, head of Global Business Development, Denim, Lenzing. “Things need to be scalable to make an impact and that requires being collective. If changes stay too niche, they just stay there and die overtime. But when we work together, we can change things in a better way.”

Jeanologia provides the technologies, innovations and machineries that help process both the fabric produced and the garments sewn together. Two sets of the collection were produced, with one finished by Soorty in Pakistan who owns a unique, future proof laundry set up with the highest technology machinery set up that ensures lowered impact and responsible innovation while the other set was finished by Jeanologia in their recently opened hub in Miami. The way materials are sourced has a clear social, environmental and economic impact. Being data driven, the impact of each piece was measured to ensure that each garment of the collection secures environmental and social safety. To tie in the main goal of transparently communicating sustainability, the supply chain partners attached labels to each garment where consumers can review not only what goes into making them but also how they were treated.

“Jeanologia’s #MissionZero is our goal to produce with zero waste & detoxify the industry by 2025,” said Jeremy Soldado, Miami hub manager, Jeanologia. “We reduce the use of a lot of resources including water & chemicals on fabric & garment finishing; and Soorty is a technology partner whose fabrics are light-sensitive, reacting well to the eco-technologies & offering eco-efficient alternatives to most water-intensive and pollutant processes”

Soorty strives every day to do the best they can against textile landfills. This includes both recycling and repurposing efforts, as well as partnering with the right names in the industry that share similar values. Driven by their motto DENIM AS A POWER OF GOOD, Soorty believes a change for the better is only possible if the denim value chain works in partnership to bring awareness to consumers and industry leaders of their options; meaning education and transparent communication become main pillars of the conversation.

Posted February 7, 2023

Source: Soorty

Dovetail Workwear Partners With CiCLO® Sustainable Textile Technology On New Shop Pant For Spring 2023

PORTLAND, ORE. — February 7, 2023 — Built by, for, and with women, Dovetail Workwear is proud to announce a partnership with CiCLO® technology to reduce the environmental impact of fugitive synthetic microfiber pollution caused by textiles, the most prevalent form of microplastic found throughout the globe. Debuting in the new Shop Pant for Spring 2023, Dovetail integrates CiCLO nylon fibers woven into cotton to create a durable and long-lasting garment with materials that will reabsorb back into the environment post-consumer use.

“Providing a true dirt-to-dirt experience, the inaugural run of our durable Shop Pant is a testament to our efforts to push the boundaries for women’s workwear — from the first step of product development to the final days after the life cycle of the garment,” said Sara DeLuca, Dovetail co-founder and director of Product Development. “The CiCLO fibers and cotton construction break down like natural materials do in environments where microfibers are prolific pollutants — including sea, water, and soil — and minimize accumulation in landfills.”

The Shop Pant offers a stylish, higher waist design with ten pockets and panel-free leg face for women who prefer a pant without reinforced front panels. The durability and added strength of CiCLO-infused nylon in the warp yarns eliminates the need for panels and rivets, allowing mechanics and makers alike to not scratch or ding their handiwork. CiCLO technology is non-toxic to marine life, fully traceable, and ECO Passport Certified by OEKO-TEX®.

“We are leading innovative efforts to reduce the environmental impact of synthetic microfiber pollution in landfill, sea water, wastewater treatment plants, and soil,” said Andrea Ferris, co-founder and co-inventor of CiCLO technology. “When synthetic textiles unavoidably leak into the environment during manufacture, use, and care; CiCLO fibers, unlike other non-CiCLO synthetics, behave more like natural fibers, such as wool. As a result, we leave less waste behind on our journey to create the best products and a more healthy, happy planet.”

The Shop Pant will be offered in Vintage Stripe and Olive Green, with two inseam length options and sizes ranging from 000-18. The Shop Pant will be available for purchase at Dovetail.com and select retailers beginning February 15, 2023.

Posted February 7, 2023

Source: Dovetail

Results Of The 18th ITMF Global Textile Industry Survey

ZURICH — February 7, 2023 — The business situation is at a new low point since ITMF started the Global Textile Industry Survey in 2021. High inflation and rising interest rates are the main current drivers of the global economy, but the core problem of the textile supply chain in 2023 are high inventories at the brand and retail level. With the opening of economies around the world after the COVID crisis, consumers had the opportunity to spend the money they could not during 2020 and in the first half of 2021. Consequently, demand soared, and brands and retailers increased orders to meet this pent-up demand. With inflation rising, especially after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, demand for consumer goods slowed while inventories remained very high.

Respondents to ITMF’s 18th GTIS survey confirm that order intake has continuously decreased since November 2021. In January 2023, the indicator was negative in all regions and segments except for North & Central America and fiber producers. The latter saw orders rise for the first time since last summer. The previously high global order backlogs also steadily decreased from 3.1 months in March 2022 to 2.4 months in January 2023, mainly due to brand and retailers’ restraint to place orders. The dampening effects of the earlier supply chain disruption further helped reducing order backlogs by improving global trade flows which led to slight rise of the capacity utilization rate worldwide (mostly driven by fiber producers and spinners).

Expectations in six months-time have soared and respondents are globally positive about business in June 2023. Textile manufacturers expect a better situation due to two important factors. First, the world is now in a much better energy situation with a relative mild winter in Europe and energy prices in Europe and Asia (especially for gas) dropping back to levels seen before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Second, the sudden end of the Zero-Covid-policy in China with a swift opening of the borders is promising to strengthen demand in China as well as abroad (more tourists and imports of goods). Everything else being equal, the global economy will see a higher growth level than expected and this will benefit the global textile industry.

Posted February 7, 2023

Source: ITMF

Sudamericana De Fibras Announces Innovative, Eco-Friendly Product Line

CALLAO, Peru — February 6, 2023 —Sudamericana de Fibras (SDF), the leading producer of dry-spun acrylic fibers, is pleased to introduce Drytex Cycle®. This product group contains up to 50-percet post-industrial content, earning the Recycled Blended Claim Standard.

In making this announcement, Elías Bugosen, SDF chief commercial officer, stated: “We are pleased to have made a technological breakthrough in the world of ecologically-sustainable fibers. With Drytex Cycle, we have both a technical success and a product certain to be in demand by consumers and brands, who are increasingly concerned with the health of the planet.”

Drytex Cycle utilizes novel technology in the world of acrylic fibers. In this proprietary process, industrial material that would otherwise have become waste is recovered, washed, and converted back into staple fibre or top. The products are available immediately in ecru for production.

In addition to the elimination of waste, Drytex Cycle also yields impressive savings in energy usage, water consumption, and carbon dioxide emissions relative to traditional virgin raw materials. Bugosen noted, “The combination of all these factors is good for our fragile planet. We are proud to have been granted the Recycled Blended Claim Standard to verify these claims to brands and consumers.”

Other certifications of the plant include Oeko-Tex Standard 100®, ISO 9001, BASC, AEO, and “A Great Place To Work.” All certificates are available for review.

Drytex dry-spun acrylic fibers are distinguished by their rapid drying time, UV protective qualities, cotton-like hand, thermal properties, and resistance to pilling. The fibers perform well in spinning, nonwoven processes, dyeing, and colorfastness. Drytex Cycle possesses all the beneficial qualities of Drytex virgin fibers.

Sudamericana de Fibras has operated for over 50 years in Perú’s free-trade zone, and is a division of Grupo Rassmuss, a diversified private corporation. Fibers are supplied to nearly 300 customers in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Posted February 7, 2023

Source: Sudamericana De Fibras

Orion Engineered Carbons Announces New Distribution Partnerships In Central America And The Caribbean

HOUSTON — February 7, 2023 — Orion Engineered Carbons, a specialty chemicals company, announced today it has signed new distribution agreements with Divsa and Terrachem s.a. to represent Orion in Central America and the Caribbean.

Divsa, a Barentz company based in Guatemala, will represent Orion’s specialty and rubber carbon black products in Central America from Belize through Panama.

“Divsa is a welcome addition to our distribution network,” said David Roth, Orion channel manager. “They have fully equipped labs and technically adept salespeople to support their customer base.”

Roth said that Divsa is intimately familiar with the business in their territory. “We look forward to partnering with Divsa and servicing our customers,” he added.

Based in the Dominican Republic, Terrachem s.a will represent Orion’s specialty and rubber carbon black product lines throughout the Caribbean.

“Terrachem has been servicing this market for many years,” said Jennifer Stroh, Orion director of sales & marketing, Specialties Americas. “They are strategically located in an ideal location, plus they have lab capabilities and the right infrastructure to support customers in the Caribbean region. We are excited to be working with Terrachem.”

Posted: February 7, 2023

Source: Orion Engineered Carbons

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