ZURICH, Switzerland — September 22, 2021 — Founded in 1846 and originally known as the “Seidentrocknungsanstalt Zürich” (Silk Conditioning Institute), TESTEX is one of the oldest companies in Switzerland. The institute’s core business was determining the commercial weight of raw silk. However, the second half of the 20th century saw the decline of the silk industry, and the company underwent a transformational process. It began to extend its testing to other fibers and was renamed to TESTEX in 1970.
Its transformation into a leading independent testing institute for human ecology began in the early 1990s, and TESTEX joined the OEKO-TEX® Association in 1993. The association and its founding institutes have spent almost three decades envisioning a sustainable textile industry and pride themselves on being pioneers in sustainability solutions. Consumers and brands alike are increasingly selecting products and companies that demonstrate action and make commitments on key environmental topics like water usage and climate change.
A variety of modern testing equipment is available for both physical textile testing and analytical tests. The most modern and up-to-date testing equipment and software now allows laboratory staff to process their results competently at home and to control devices remotely, which has been an important part of TESTEX’s digitalization process.
Today TESTEX focuses on a holistic approach, offering its customers complete solutions to successfully take on the sustainability challenges that the fashion industry faces today.
Posted September 22, 2021
Source: TESTEX AG, Swiss Textile Testing Institute
BIELLA, Italy — September 22, 2021 — FiloFlow, Filo’s sustainability project which has been launched for some years, is increasingly developing. The number of exhibiting companies participating in it is constantly raising.
The 56th edition of Filo confirms the centrality that the theme of sustainability has gained for the whole textile industry. Consequently, the FiloFlow project will have an even higher visibility compared to the past: it will be indeed the focus of the new Sustainability Area, comprehensive of a specific trend area of FiloFlow companies. Almost all exhibiting companies have now joined the FiloFlow project. And the approach that Filo wanted to give to the project also contributes to its success: the goal is to enhance productions carried out according to sustainable criteria and processes related to environmental and ethic profile. All this with a perspective of supply chain, the only way to reach a truly traceable and sustainable end-product. In fact, as has been the case for some years, a group of dyeing mills are present at the 56th edition of Filo, showing their solutions for environmentally responsible textile products.
ADLINGTON, England — September 22, 2021 — After 18 months of global supply chain disruption, workwear fabric manufacturer Carrington Textiles, revealed the company’s challenges during this period and the growth its supply chain team has been through to be able to maintain the company’s high levels of service.
Since early 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic caused a whole new set of challenges for Carrington Textiles, ranging from the team having to adapt to a new dynamic way of doing things remotely, to lockdowns and positive cases around the world impacting the availability of raw materials and freight.
Brexit was another big task for Carrington Textiles, as the company had to find ways for establishing new procedures that adhered to the Trade Cooperation Agreement (TCA) with the European Union to ensure products could still be shipped to customers without unnecessary delays
Additionally, the Suez Canal blockage which lasted six days, had a severe impact on the supply chain, generating even further delays on blank sailings, loops changing and unforeseen transhipments.
With the rollout of the vaccine program and the coronavirus pandemic restrictions gradually easing in many countries around the world, Carrington Textiles saw a considerable increase in demand from the beginning of 2021, a situation to which it had to respond quickly to meet customers’ expectations.
Supply Chain Director for Carrington Textiles Stuart Pritchard explained: “We have seen in 2021 extraordinarily high levels of demand in comparison to 2020, which were higher than we could have predicted. We worked in collaboration with our internal teams to understand where we produce fabrics, ensuring we have the right raw materials in the right place, at the right time. With a multisite operation in the UK, Portugal for EU origin fabrics and Pakistan, these challenges were complex.”
The supply chain boost
Stuart outlines what has changed in Carrington Textiles’ supply chain and how is this benefiting not only customers but the environment.
“We have introduced a new warehouse in Portugal with a bespoke management tool written by our own IT team, so we have full control on the system and its features.
“We’ve also had to restructure the entire supply chain team by adding 50 percent more talent in order to ensure we have the right competence operating at the right level to meet our customers’ needs. We looked outside the textile industry to find the best people with a wide range of experience and ideas that can improve our service to customers.
“With this growth, the team is not only able to implement new customs procedures and documentation, but also to spend more time analyzing and improving processes, stock performance, global production capacity utilization and ensuring our worldwide raw material needs are fit for purpose.
“Because it’s important for us to have access to the right data at the right time and in the right format we have also invested in a demand planning tool that will produce forward sales, production and stock projections and help manage our business in order to meet that all our customers’ expectations. This will no doubt enable us to be more agile and predict where we need to focus our efforts to ensure smooth operations through what’s been a very tough couple of years for supply chains.
“This new technology will also make our supply chain a lot more sustainable and environmentally friendly, as it will help us ensure we are not purchasing and shipping more product than needed. I believe in managing our capacity needs and production facilities ahead, so we utilize our assets efficiently and don’t waste energy”.
EGELSBACH, Germany — September 21, 2021 — At this year’s INDEX from October 19-22, Trützschler Nonwovens, Trützschler Card Clothing and Voith introduce new solutions for manufacturing a broad range of sustainable nonwovens for wipes, hygiene or medical textiles at booth 2327.
Trützschler Nonwovens and Voith address the quest for more sustainable and affordable nonwovens in the wipes segment by two proven technologies for manufacturing pulp-based nonwovens. Firstly, WLS (Wet-Laid/Spunlaced) lines. More than a handful are in service worldwide and mainly target the flushable wipes market. At INDEX we’ll introduce our latest nextLevel/WLS baby and body wipes, a joint development by Voith and Trützschler.
The second focus is on carded/pulp (CP) products. A CP line — including a TWF-NCT card placed between the HydroFormer and the AquaJet is already running to full capacity at customer site. Various CP materials, including innovative nextLevel/CP wipes, will be on display at the booth and invite visitors to discuss characteristics, benefits, line concepts and equipment.
When talking sustainable nonwovens, solutions for efficiently manufacturing biodegradable nonwovens from virgin cotton fibers, comber noils and viscose/lyocell fibers must not be missing. Visitors can look forward to directly comparing cotton nonwovens to a broad range of cellulose-based material.
Trützschler Card Clothing, our in-house competence center with respect to card clothings and comprehensive service, presents its latest development, the Z wire for high-speed roller cards. A new geometry minimizes fiber fly and allows for better carding and more stable web forming.
BRIXEN, Italy — September 22, 2021 — Durst Group, manufacturer of advanced digital printing and production technologies, will present a wide range of end-to-end solutions for digital printing applications at FESPA 2021 in Amsterdam, October 12-15, under its slogan “From Pixel to Output”.
“After such a long time, we are pleased to present our solutions to an international audience and to communicate the benefits of our ‘From Pixel to Output’ approach to the large format printing market,” said Christoph Gamper, CEO and co-owner of Durst Group.
In recent years, Durst Group has built its own ecosystem, ranging from large-format printers with software and hardware to e-commerce portals and finishing modules, offering customers end-to-end solutions including training, support and maintenance.
“Our modular software suite helps our customers to optimize their processes and ultimately increase their competitiveness,” Gamper added. “The market is responding very positively to this approach, which is also reflected in the installation numbers in the large format segment.”
P5 – Production Excellence
With the P5 – PRODUCTION EXCELLENCE, Durst Group already launched a solid technology platform in 2018 that scores with its outstanding versatility and efficiency. In the meantime, more than 100 systems of the P5 350 series alone have been installed worldwide in a wide variety of application areas. P5 350 is a hybrid solution for both roll-to-roll and flatbed printing and covers a substrate width of 3.5 meters.
In addition, the Durst Automat feeder and stacker system can be used to equip the entire P5 product line — which includes the P5 210/HS, P5 350/HS and P5 250 WT — for full- or three-quarter automated production. Durst Automat achieves high productivity in the automated production cycle and supports the hybrid features of the P5 series with the ability to quickly change materials between roll- and flatbed printing.
The operator is actively supported in the operation by various features. Access to two rolls via the Multiroll option makes material changes much easier in practice. In addition, the Dualroll option allows printing on two rolls with a maximum width of 1.6 meters. Moreover, when processing rigid materials, up to six boards can be printed in parallel. Light barriers at the infeed and outfeed as well as an all-round protection system ensure the necessary production safety for personnel and machine. The high-speed version P5 350 HS with a maximum printing speed of 700 m2/h, which is more than double compared to the standard model, in combination with Durst Automat and the corrugated option, is the ideal solution for entry-level digital corrugated printing for the packaging and display sector.
Paradigm shift in the soft signage market
The soft signage market has been recording constant growth rates for years, and in all aspects. With the introduction of the innovative P5 TEX iSUB, the Durst Group is once again setting the technology standard. At its heart is an integrated inline fixation system for direct printing on polyester fabrics, which enables a single-stage printing process and leads to greater efficiency and a significant increase in productivity. With the P5 TEX iSUB, transfer papers can also be printed and further processed. The combination of both printing methods in one system ensures flexibility in production.
The P5 Sublifix sublimation ink delivers vibrant colors, sharp images even on difficult media such as blackback or backlit for light boxes or flags. In addition to the CMYK inks, light versions of cyan, magenta and black are available to expand the color gamut. Another interesting feature of the Durst P5 TEX iSUB is the integrated finishing unit, which can be used to directly sew and stitch media. Both the P5 350/HS and the P5 TEX iSUB will be unveiled to the broad public for the first time at FESPA 2021 in Amsterdam.
Vanguard joins the Durst family
In 2020, Durst added to its portfolio by acquiring a majority stake in Vanguard Digital Printing Systems. FESPA 2021 marks the first joint appearance of the two companies. The new VR6D flatbed printer will make its debut in Amsterdam and covers the mid-range performance spectrum. It features an attractive price/performance ratio and can be configured for different applications thanks to its modular design. Vanguard’s solutions are meeting with a high level of acceptance among customers, particularly in North America.
“We are pleased to also be able to demonstrate the potential of the solutions to European visitors at FESPA and are convinced that Vanguard will successfully establish itself in the European market,” Gamper emphasized.
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany — September 22, 2021 — Meeting business partners, discovering new products and gaining inspiration – all will be possible again when Heimtextil 2022 opens its doors in Frankfurt am Main from January 11-14. With registrations from around 1,600 exhibitors from 50 countries, the Trade Fair for Home and Contract Textiles anticipates a highly promising return to the international stage. The Heimtextil Team has begun the decisive preparatory phase for this international meeting place for the sector with great commitment and enthusiasm.
“With four months still to go, there has been a tremendous response to Heimtextil 2022, especially from the international side. The yearning for personal encounters and the chance to examine the latest products in reality is greater than ever before. We are looking forward very much to welcoming the sector back to our fair and exhibition centre and have complete confidence that Heimtextil 2022 will be a safe and successful event for all concerned”, says Olaf Schmidt, vice president, Textiles & Textile Technologies, Messe Frankfurt.
Trendsetting themes and a multifaceted product spectrum
In addition to the extensive spectrum of products to be seen, Heimtextil 2022 will offer inspiration and an attractive range of information services and events to help visitors discover the latest market developments in the sector. In particular, the presentation of the Heimtextil Trends provides in-depth insights into tomorrow’s furnishing themes. Also at Heimtextil, Interior. Architecture.Hospitality will spotlight offers for (interior) architects and hospitality experts. Moreover, particular emphasis will be given to the on-trend subject of healthy sleep, including numerous advisory services and products for the specialist bed trade. In this connection, the Heimtextil Sleep & More Conference will be a meeting place for representatives of the specialist bed trade with a high-grade program of lectures, discussions and product presentations to choose from. Another important focal point at Heimtextil 2022 will be far‑reaching aspects for greater sustainability. Naturally, detailed information will also be available about this topic. Other highlights include presentations by Trevira and DecoTeam.
Digital services to supplement the trade fair
The range of products and information at Heimtextil 2022 will be rounded off by a blend of digital services. For example, the complete spectrum of Heimtextil Trends will be available for the first time in digital form — richly illustrated and visualized with the latest colors, designer features and short films. The Future Materials Library is also online with a first-class selection of sustainable material innovations. Also in planning are videos on demand about many of the items on the program and tours of the fair via audio guides.
Another digital service provided by Messe Frankfurt is the order and data-management portal Nextrade, which offers a digital 24/7 business relationship between dealers and suppliers. The first digital B2B marketplace for the home and living, Nextrade brings together the demand and supply sides of the whole sector online and thus generates substantial value added for both sides: www.nextrade.market
Business travel to Germany without quarantine
At present, it is possible to travel to Germany on business from almost all countries of the world without having to go into quarantine. The prerequisite for this is a business reason, which attending a trade fair meets. Additionally, Heimtextil visitors must provide evidence of either having been completely vaccinated or recovered from a Covid-19 infection. Alternatively, they can present an antigen test carried out immediately prior to entering the country. Detailed and up-to-date information about entry restrictions, testing and quarantine regulations in Germany can be found on the website of the Federal Foreign Office at: https://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/en/einreiseundaufenthalt/coronavirus
USTER, Switzerland — September 22, 2021 — Nonwovens producers need their products to be flawless, but they know this objective takes some doing in practice. Ordinary fabric inspection routines simply can’t deliver: only automated systems using high-performance spectroscopes are able to achieve the required standards, ensuring that quality is always significantly better. So, nonwovens manufacturers might be interested to hear first hand at the upcoming INDEX from the only provider of an effective fiber and fabric quality monitoring solution.
EDANA and INDA, the leading global nonwovens associations, recently issued the 2021 edition of their “Standard Procedures” guidance for nonwovens and related industries. These authoritative documents aim to define, in technical terms, relevant products — including 107 individual test regimes. This special article covers a range of intermediate measures and test processes for spunlace and other nonwoven technologies — leading ultimately to products with top class designations.
Pure fibers only
Nonwoven materials can’t really be better than the fibers they are made of. But there is a real threat to the quality of nonwovens caused by contamination. Fiber cleaning is the solution and bundle size is the key detail: small contaminant particles can hide inside bigger bundles, making them especially difficult to locate when the material is more compressed. Uster Jossi Vision Shield N is ideally positioned in the line to overcome this, directly behind the fine opener. This ensures that the fiber bundles pass the spectroscopes in their most open state.
Uster Jossi Vision Shield N is the result of surveys, close collaboration with international nonwovens companies and countless hours of field tests. Installation is easy, since the fiber cleaner’s slim design fits perfectly into existing lines — and readily copes with the high output of standard production lines. For best detection results, the fiber cleaner is tuned to identify the typical contamination types in nonwovens, including colored fibers.
Growing demand, growing needs
In Europe last year, medical applications recorded an increase in demand of 118 percent and wipes personal care plus 22 percent. These are the top two growing segments according to EDANA — and they are also the ones showing a trend towards zero tolerance levels for defects larger than 1 mm. While other technologies use conventional color cameras, the built-in spectroscopes of Uster Jossi Vision Shield N operate on a much greater wavelength range. This enables detection of contamination within the ‘invisible’ range of infrared and ultraviolet light, and even contamination fragments of the same or similar shade as the fibers themselves — down to the fineness of a human hair.
For the record: Uster Jossi Vision Shield N is made in Uster, Switzerland. So is Uster EVS Fabriq Vision N, the nonwovens quality assurance system which ensures a consistently high rate of fault detection using automated inspection during the production process. “Our customers aim for confidence in delivering the right quality to strengthen their own customer relationships. With Uster EVS Fabriq Vision N, they can guarantee quality compliance and protect their business,” said Grégory Winiger, Area sales manager at Uster Technologies.
The right quality on the roll
The Uster nonwovens systems lead to total fabric quality assurance by using automated control during intermediate inspection. Uster EVS Fabriq Vision N locates any visible faults objectively and consistently. Defects in every roll are located and recorded in a defect map, at full line running speeds.
Uster EVS Fabriq Vision N enables seamless integration of an inspection system into any production process — and ideally into nonwovens manufacturing lines — detecting contamination, holes, irregularities and any other defect. Installation is simple and flexible: a fixture bar bridges the full width of the process line, holding as many spectroscopes as required for the application.
“With improved quality, as well as improved first-quality efficiency, Uster EVS Fabriq Vision N offers an additional advantage for all applications,” Winiger said. The combination of a full map of fabric defects and the cut optimization module means more first-quality rolls can be produced and bad quality taken out.
Complete quality solution
The combination of Uster automated contamination removal and quality assurance is the best solution today for nonwovens producers to protect quality, avoid material waste and take full advantage of the potential for process optimization. “The combination of Uster Jossi Vision Shield N and Uster EVS Fabriq Vision N means that Uster can offer a complete and unique quality monitoring solution for the nonwoven industry,” Winiger said.
Uster will present this solution at INDEX 2020, in Geneva, Switzerland, from October 19-22, 2021. Uster experts are ready to welcome visitors, pass on information and answer visitors’ questions at Booth 1402 in Hall 1.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — September 21, 2021 — Kontoor Brands Inc., a global lifestyle apparel company with a portfolio led by two of the world’s most iconic consumer brands, Wrangler® and Lee®, today announced the appointment of Tammy Heller as chief human resources officer, effective September 29, 2021.
Heller will be responsible for developing and driving the organization’s people strategy. In addition to overseeing fundamental Human Relations functions such as compensation, benefits, HR systems, recruitment, onboarding, training and retention programs, she will also be responsible for leading Kontoor as a high-performance and growth-mindset culture, translating business strategies into actionable people plans, overseeing the inclusion and diversity strategy, and elevating Kontoor as an employer of choice and for top talent. As a member of the company’s Executive Leadership Team, Heller will report to Kontoor’s President, Chief Executive Officer and Chair of the Board, Scott Baxter.
“Tammy brings an extensive track record of leading dynamic talent management programs and human resources organizations,” said Baxter. “Our people and culture are our most critical assets, and we’re thrilled to add Tammy to our executive team to continue to evolve these efforts as we enter a new phase of growth.”
Heller joins Kontoor from Perspecta where she served as chief human resources officer and senior vice president since 2018. Prior to that, she was vice president, Global Human Resources at CGI; vice president, Human Resources – Card Operations and Enterprise/Corporate at Capital One; vice president, Governance & Oversight at Freddie Mac; and Global Human Resources director at BearingPoint.
Heller succeeds Scott Shoener, who has announced his intent to retire at the end of December 2021 after more than 35 years of serving VF and Kontoor’s Human Resources organizations.
“Scott started his career with our organization as an intern and is ending it as a member of our C-Suite for Kontoor. There are many highlights from his three-plus decades with the company, but most notably he was the driving force behind establishing and strengthening Kontoor’s culture upon our separation from our former parent company,” said Baxter. “We are grateful for Scott’s many contributions, including his commitment to ensuring a smooth transition in the coming months as he hands the reins to Tammy.
NEW YORK CITY — September 21, 2021 — Resonance Companies today announced a key milestone in driving the return of domestic textile manufacturing — the opening of the company’s first stateside sew production facility in New York City. The 300 square-foot facility is housed at Pier 59 in Chelsea Piers, adjacent to Resonance’s headquarters. Resonance has built the first creation-to-customer-closet platform for sustainable fashion; the company uses digital printing on organic and environmentally certified fabrics as part of a fully automated process to design, sell, and make garments in real time, on demand, sustainably anywhere in the world.
Their new facility is comprised of 12 sewing stations with the ability to make hundreds of garments per week supported by Resonance’s proprietary technology. The team plans to hire additional team members to run the NYC facility as well as several others that are planned in the coming months.
“The U.S. has lost one million apparel manufacturing jobs in the last 50 years. These jobs won’t come back by just wishing it — every step in the value chain to create fashion needs to be reimagined. Using advanced machine learning, innovative manufacturing systems, and new human processes, we can create thousands of living wage jobs across this country,” said Resonance Chairman and Co-Founder Lawrence Lenihan.
Resonance is deeply committed to bringing components of garment manufacturing back to NYC, a city whose thriving textile manufacturing industry was driven overseas in search of lower production costs. The company is also working to create a network of U.S.-based sew production firms utilizing the Resonance platform to renew stateside manufacturing across the country. Resonance believes that this network can birth a new fashion value chain and new entrepreneurs can build job-creating manufacturing businesses in their communities powered by orders for clothing from brands on the Resonance platform. These next generation manufacturers will compete on cost and by being closer to the end customer, adding value to the last-mile process, and producing garments that create social and environmental value transparently.
In the future, Resonance’s goal is to open hundreds of these sew production facilities around the country and internationally while also connecting existing ones, helping to reimagine the textile manufacturing experience for designers, consumers and the planet.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — September 21, 2021 — Unifi Inc. is continuing its commitment to sustainability across college campuses. The company recently brought its REPREVE® mobile tour to The University of Notre Dame™ during the school’s home opener football game against Purdue University on September 18. This was the first time the mobile tour has visited Notre Dame, signifying the beginning of a new partnership. In addition, L2 Brands, makers of League apparel and Legacy headwear, was able to showcase fan gear made with REPREVE recycled performance fibers inside the mobile tour.
“Unifi is committed to working today for the good of tomorrow, and that includes educating younger generations about the importance of recycling,” said Jay Hertwig, senior vice president of Commercialization at Unifi. “Our partnership with Notre Dame demonstrates the importance and impact of recycling and how the transformation of recycled bottles into new products results in greener, more sustainable college campuses and helps to protect our natural resources.”
Inside the REPREVE mobile tour, L2 Brands also gave product demonstrations to college students, alumni and friends of Notre Dame, who were able to see firsthand how the bottles they recycle are given a second life and transformed into their favorite Fighting Irish™ hats, shirts and jerseys.
“Fans were able to interact with Notre Dame apparel that not only looks and feels great, but that also allows consumers to feel good about the products they purchase,” said Pete Waldon, president of L2 Brands. “When fans see that their favorite gear is made using recycled plastic bottles, it shows the endless possibilities of sustainability.”
Notre Dame’s commitment to sustainability runs deep. The university has pledged to be a leader in sustainable operations, education and research, and a role model for responsible citizenship.
“Our mission at Notre Dame is to be a powerful force for good in the world,” said Tomi Gerhold, director of Licensing at Notre Dame. “Our partnerships with Unifi and L2 Brands help us work toward the goal of fostering a focus on the connection between environmental stewardship and the common good.”
The REPREVE mobile tour’s next stop will be at the University of Maryland on Friday, October 1, where L2 Brands will also showcase its sustainably made REPREVE apparel.
ZURICH,
Switzerland — September 22, 2021 — Founded in 1846 and originally known as the “Seidentrocknungsanstalt Zürich” (Silk Conditioning Institute), TESTEX is one of the oldest companies in Switzerland. The institute’s core business was determining the commercial weight of raw silk. However, the second half of the 20th century saw the decline of the silk industry, and the company underwent a transformational process. It began to extend its testing to other fibers and was renamed to TESTEX in 1970.
