Eruslu Nonwovens Group To Enter The Biodegradable Nonwoven Market With Truetzschler Nonwovens’ Machinery

EGELSBACH, Germany — July 15, 2021 — Truetzschler Nonwovens will deliver equipment to enlarge an existing spunlacing line into a flexible, state-of-the-art production line for various light to heavy weight sustainable nonwovens.

When Turkey-based Eruslu Nonwovens Group (ENG) invested in a Truetzschler Nonwovens’ spunlacing line in 2015, it became clear that the company was heading for growth. The line, consisting of a single NCR random card, AquaJet and a drum dryer had already been laid out for later extension. All components were either fully equipped or designed to deliver higher performances.

Last year Eruslu decided to broaden its portfolio in the wipes segment by adding biodegradable products from renewable resources. The group took full advantage of the 2015 small capacity line and went for:

  • A second NCR random and a NCA airlay card;
  • fiber preparation and card feeding equipment for the two new cards;
  • More hydraulic power to reliably and efficiently hydroentangle multi-layer webs; and
  • An extension to the dryer for increased evaporation capacity.

After starting up in the second half of 2022, Eruslu will be operating an ultra-modern, highly flexible NCR-NCA-NCR spunlace line, the first of its kind in Turkey. The line is tailor-made to process virgin cotton fibers, comber noils and short fibers at high speeds. End products are top-quality, lightweight natural wipes or heavy-weight, three-layer nonwovens for cosmetic pads.

Posted July 16, 2021

Source: Truetzschler Nonwovens & Man-Made Fibers GmbH

JCPenney Introduces Thereabouts™ Brand For Fully Inclusive Back-To-School Style

LEWISVILLE, Texas — July 15, 2021 — Back-to-school season is more exciting than ever as parents prepare to send their kids back for in-person learning this fall. To ensure every kid can confidently express their style as they head into the classroom, JCPenney introduces the Thereabouts™ private brand, a new inclusive line of kids apparel that celebrates diversity of shapes, sizes, styles, and abilities. Designed with every kid in mind, the Thereabouts collection is available exclusively at JCPenney and jcp.com beginning July 15.

“We believe all kids should feel confident and capable in the clothes they wear, and parents should feel good about the clothes they buy,” says Michelle Wlazlo, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer. “Fulfilling the wants and needs of our diverse customer base is the foundation of our business. That’s why we relied on research and feedback from parents and kids throughout the design process. We are proud to say that the Thereabouts collection is our most inclusive kids brand ever.”

The Thereabouts assortment has all the back-to-school essentials, from basics to uniforms, sleep to outerwear, and a variety of shoe styles. Designed for all ages from toddler to big kid, the Thereabouts line is size-inclusive running from 2T–22, including plus and husky.

Made with super soft fabrics, the Thereabouts collection is inspired by the latest trends in kids’ fashion, including sneaker dresses, head-to-toe color, and prairie cool looks. Thereabouts apparel is available with adaptive features, including easy-access openings, sensory-friendly seaming, and no tags, ensuring there’s something stylish for every kid, including those with disabilities. JCPenney has also partnered with Patti + Ricky, an adaptive fashion marketplace for adults and kids with disabilities, to expand its children’s adaptive offerings via notable accessory brands PunkinFutz™, BeedleBug™, Max & Me™, and Myself Belts™. Shop all adaptive apparel and accessories on jcp.com.

In addition to offering inclusive apparel for kids who make the future bright, JCPenney is partnering with Communities In Schools® (CIS™) to make sure they have the support and resources they need to succeed. From July 15 to Aug. 12, JCPenney will donate $1 for every Thereabouts item sold in store or online, up to $100,000, to Communities In Schools to fund programming that empowers students to stay in school and achieve in life.

Posted July 15, 2021

Source: JCPenney

GK Elite To Outfit USA Gymnastics Olympic Athletes On-Mat At The Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 For The First Time

READING, Pa. — July 15, 2021 — GK Elite, a brand of gymnastics competitive and training apparel, will be worn by Team USA gymnasts on-mat at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 through its official apparel sponsorship of USA Gymnastics, the National Governing Body for the sport in the United States. Although GK has been the manufacturer of previous Olympic Games garments, this will mark the first time that GK Elite’s branding will appear on leotards and apparel worn by the women’s and men’s gymnastics teams at the Olympic Games, an honor previously held by Under Armour and Adidas.

“GK Elite has a rich heritage as the leading apparel for competitive gymnasts and we are proud to have our brand represented on the sport’s greatest stage by Team USA,” said Girisha Chandraraj, president and CEO of Elite Sportswear. “We are thrilled to continue our partnership with USA Gymnastics as we collaborate to encourage and inspire gymnasts across the world to feel and perform their best. We are proud to represent Team USA in Tokyo and look forward to cheering on the women’s and men’s teams as they go for gold.”

The designs being worn by Team USA will be unveiled on-mat during competition in Tokyo. The leotards and men’s apparel all incorporate strong design cues that insight a sense of patriotism, strength, and confidence. Additionally, the women’s leotards are each adorned with thousands of radiant Swarovski® crystals, providing epic sparkle to every athlete’s look that will be sure to capture the attention of all, and giving each leotard a shine that will stand out on the competition mat.

Examples of the patriotic themes of the leotards include the Women’s Team Final leotard featuring 7600 Swarovski® crystals and another competition leotard with 76 hand-applique stars — nods to the United States’ independence in 1776.

Each Olympic Games garment was designed with the athletes in mind. All the uniforms are made in the USA, having been designed, cut and assembled at the Elite Sportswear headquarters in Reading, Pa. A limited production of replica leotards and men’s shirts, also made in the USA, will be available for purchase following the competitive leotard and apparel debut during the Games on gkelite.com.

“GK Elite has been a valued partner of USA Gymnastics for over two decades, and we know they share our commitment to supporting gymnasts at all ages and across all disciplines,” said Li Li Leung, President and CEO of USA Gymnastics. “We are excited to see our teams compete at the Olympics in GK’s outstanding apparel.”

GK Elite is also proud to outfit other gymnastics federations worldwide including Gymnastics Canada, Gymnastics Australia, Netherlands, and many more. For more information about GK Elite’s partnership with USA Gymnastics and presence at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, please visit gkelite.com.

Posted July 15, 2021

Source: GK Elite

PPG Appoints Melissa Wills As Vice President, Finance Administration

PITTSBURGH — July 15, 2021 — PPG today announced the appointment of Melissa Wills as vice president, finance administration, effective August 1, 2021. Wills will continue to report to PPG Senior Vice President and CFO Vince Morales.

In this newly created role, Wills will continue with her current responsibilities as CFO, Americas, and will add responsibility and oversight of financial administration for PPG’s Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific regions. Wills will draw upon her broad and diverse experiences in various business finance roles, corporate finance functions, shared financial services and audit to drive efficient and effective business finance support and transactional processing.

Wills has held a variety of roles of increasing responsibility over her career with PPG. She joined PPG in 1989 at the Chillicothe, Ohio, Shared Financial Services Center and later moved into the automotive coatings business, where she held finance and strategic planning leadership roles. Wills was appointed director, global shared financial services, in 2006; director, strategic planning, in 2009; director, finance business process transformation in 2010; and assistant controller in 2011. She became director, corporate audit services in 2013, and was named global finance director, automotive refinish, in 2017. Wills was promoted to CFO of the United States and Canada region in 2018, and assumed her current role as CFO, Americas, adding the Latin America region to her accountability in March 2021.

Wills earned a bachelor of science degree at Shawnee State University and a master of business administration degree at Franklin University.

Posted July 15, 2021

Source: PPG

LaTonya Groom Joins HanesBrands as Vice President, Talent & Diversity

LaTonya Groom

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — July 15, 2021 — HanesBrands, a global supplier of iconic apparel brands, today announced that LaTonya Groom has joined the company as vice president, talent & diversity.

“This new role illustrates the importance of talent and diversity in unlocking our Full Potential,” said Kristin Oliver, chief human resources officer for the company. “And we are thrilled to have a leader of LaTonya’s caliber join us as we build the talent we need to meet the demands of consumers and create opportunities for our 61,000 associates around the world.”

Groom joins HBI from Northrop Grumman Corp., where she served as senior director, talent management & development, and had global responsibility for establishing and implementing a talent development strategy and diversity programs for a 90,000-plus employee base.

Prior to Northrop Grumman, Groom spent more than a decade at IBM as a human capital leader supporting a variety of clients. Her consulting roles also included work for PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst and Young and Booz Allen Hamilton.

Groom holds a bachelor’s degree in information systems management from the University of Maryland Baltimore County.

Posted July 15, 2021

Source: HanesBrands

Collaboration Between The LYCRA Company And HeiQ Promises An Exciting Future For Textiles With A Focus On Stretch, Comfort, Freshness And Sustainability

WILMINGTON, Del. — July 15, 2021 — Textile technology innovation leaders, The LYCRA Company and HeiQ, have entered into a broad-based collaboration across multiple technology and brand platforms that promises to bring more innovative, quality-enhancing and sustainable textile technologies to consumers around the world.

Building on exploratory discussions that started in early 2019, HeiQ and The LYCRA Company have elected to leverage their shared philosophies and strengths in textile science, commercial networks, and global marketing to drive innovation platforms into broad textile markets. The companies envision consumer-branded innovations in the stretch, thermoregulation, freshness and sustainability market spaces.

“We are pleased to announce the launch of this collaboration, the culmination of conversations that began two years ago,” commented Steve Stewart, chief brand and innovation officer at The LYCRA Company. “By combining the strength of both companies, we will continue to drive meaningful innovation within the textile industry, delivering new solutions at a quicker pace to a broader audience.”

Together, The LYCRA Company and HeiQ bring trusted expertise across the global textile value-chain of yarn processors, fabric mills, garment producers, brands and retailers and demonstrate a commitment to sustainable, consumer-driven innovations, delivered through partnerships, that take textile performance to unprecedented levels. These industry leaders have complementary strengths: whereas The LYCRA Company is the consumer-recognized leader in branded fibers and fabrics addressing needs for sustainable stretch, warming and cooling, HeiQ is a renowned innovator in finished-based innovations addressing freshness, sustainability, smart temperature management, antiviral, dryness, and many other market spaces.

The initial and first of many innovation platforms will roll out through the summer, bringing a new dimension of comfort and confidence to the consumer by delivering HeiQ freshness and antiviral benefits with the quality and comfort of stretch fabrics certified to perform with a new LYCRA® freshFX® technology brand standard. Preparation for this innovation is already underway, with an initial focus on Chinese local value chains for the Chinese consumer, and the introduction is earmarked for the Intertextile show in Shanghai at the end of August.

“Our goal at HeiQ is to enable brands and mills in the textile industry to bring more comfort, performance and sustainability to textile products while raising brand awareness with key consumers who will benefit the most from these innovations,” noted Carlo Centonze, co-founder and CEO of HeiQ Group. “This collaboration with The LYCRA Company not only brings the best minds together but also ensures our breakthrough innovations will be available for and benefit as many consumers as possible.”

“The collaboration is based on a strong foundation of common values and philosophies shared by our two companies,” said Julien Born, CEO at The LYCRA Company. “We look forward to exploring the natural synergies between us and uncovering new solutions for the apparel industry.”

The focus of these collaborations will be to address relevant consumer needs for quality, durability, and sustainable garments. Sample fabrics and garments will be available in late summer for commercial selection.

Posted July 15, 2021

Source: The LYCRA Company

Nextil Group Commits To Sustainability And Efficiency With A New Plant In Guatemala

MADRID — July 15, 2021 — Nextil Group is to open a new fabric production plant in Guatemala, a country with a long tradition in textiles. The plant, with an area of 25,000-square-meters, is expected to come on stream in the first quarter of 2023.

The new plant will be set in a privileged, strategic location just 30 minutes from the city of Guatemala, with easy access to two oceans (Atlantic and Pacific) and the Pan-American road, providing magnificent connections with practically all continents. Its geographical location will give Nextil Group access to the mass production market in competition with Asian suppliers, enabling it to obtain a return on items that are currently deficit, securing maximum efficiency in logistics and distribution, with preferential tariff arrangements.

With an overall investment of 40 million euros ($47 million), the new production plant will have 350 local employees on its payroll and this number will grow as the pace of production steps up. The plant will also train Guatemala university students who wish to go into the textile sector. The Spanish group will keep welfare and social responsibility benefits on a par with production plants in the EU or USA, including a health clinic, company store with credits, monthly grocery bag and a fund for loans to employees.

Efficiency and sustainability

The industrial plant will optimize its cost structure in line with other plants in the group and will maintain the certifications of origin for its products, thanks to the agreements arranged by this Central American country. Guatemala has EUR1 certification, by virtue of which it can preserve the origin of goods from both Europe and the United States, in turn obtaining preferential treatment on entry to those markets. “This was unquestionably one of the key factors when choosing the location for our new production plant”, said Manuel Martos, the general manager of the firm.

Nextil Group will maintain its existing production plants in Spain and the USA for value-added specialties, for the development of new products and for local and commercial logistics. According to the general manager, “We want to get into a market that is currently inaccessible for us due to the cost structure, while keeping our existing plants for value-added products and the development of new collections in Spain.”

The industrial group is going to build a state-of-the-art factory. In keeping with its policy of environmental commitment, the textile group’s new plant will implement a plan to maintain a low carbon footprint and incorporate cutting-edge machinery and advanced systems in energy saving, rainwater treatment and reuse of resources, among others.

The basic principle of the Greendyes dyeing method will also be applied at this new plant. This dyeing process patented by the group features low water consumption, no toxic products and execution at ambient temperature, thereby considerably reducing energy consumption.

Posted July 15, 2021

Source: NEXTIL GROUP

Milliken & Polartec Serve As Global Presenting Sponsors For Documentary, Everest

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. — July 15, 2021 — MacGillivray Freeman Films, an independent producer and distributor of original giant-screen 70mm films, will re-release its blockbuster giant-screen documentary Everest in February 2022 in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the production company’s historic filmmaking expedition that captured the first-ever IMAX® images from the top of Mount Everest. Polartec and parent company Milliken are the Global Presenting Sponsors of the film, which has been digitally remastered in 16k resolution. The critically-acclaimed film was first released in 1998 and has since earned more than $152 million in worldwide ticket sales, making it the highest-grossing giant-screen documentary of all time.

Narrated by Academy Award® nominee Liam Neeson and featuring the music of George Harrison, Everest is the dramatic true story of a team of four climbers who ascended Mount Everest just days after fellow mountaineers and friends died in the 1996 Mount Everest disaster. The film is a story of hope, strength and triumph in the wake of tragedy, showing audiences the true power and resilience of the human spirit.

“Everest captured the world’s imagination when it was released nearly twenty-five years ago, and this new edition will allow a new generation to be inspired by the film’s emotional story of human triumph over adversity,” said producer and director Greg MacGillivray. “With the very latest in 16k digital scanning technology, the film will look as if it was filmed yesterday, with spectacular sharpness, clarity and contrast in the images. Audiences will feel like they are there on the summit, standing on the top of the world.”

To prepare the film’s pristine new 16k digital images, the MacGillivray Freeman post-production team is using the same film scanner that was custom-made for the filmmakers of Apollo 11 to digitize NASA’s 70mm archival footage from its mission to the moon.

“Everest is an important part of giant-screen filmmaking history,” said Shaun MacGillivray, president of MacGillivray Freeman Films. “Its unprecedented success brought a new audience to giant screen theaters and introduced them to the powerfully immersive experience of these large-format films. We’re excited to share this new digital version with a whole new audience.”

“Polartec, at its core, is the outdoors. In the forty years since we invented technical fleece and beyond, our fabrics have been a key part of the outdoor experience,” says Steve Layton, president of Polartec. “We were a sponsor twenty-five years ago, and to be a global presenting sponsor for the anniversary release of Everest means a great deal.”

“The story of hope and the resilience of the human spirit is one that will resonate throughout history,” says Chad McAllister, executive vice president, Milliken & Company, and president, Milliken’s Textile Division. “We at Milliken are proud to help bring this stunning film to global audiences, aligning with our purpose to positively impact the world around us for generations to come.”

The MacGillivray Freeman film crew was filming on the mountain when the historic storm of 1996 claimed the lives of eight climbers, a tragedy that became an international news sensation chronicled in Jon Krakauer’s best-selling book Into Thin Air. The filmmakers became a key part of rescue efforts to save other lives on the mountain.

Everest’s release in 1998 was the largest network-wide rollout ever for a large-format film and shattered all previous giant-screen theater attendance records. Less than one year from its release, it became the fastest-grossing giant-screen documentary film in history. Everest is produced by Greg MacGillivray, Alec Lorimore and Stephen Judson and co-directed by MacGillivray, Judson and David Breashears.

Posted July 15, 2021

Source: MacGillivray Freeman Films

Li & Fung Joins Forces With Canopy To Protect Forests

HONG KONG/VANCOUVER — July 15, 2021 — Canopy is thrilled to announce that its latest partner in protecting the world’s Ancient and Endangered Forests is global supply chain and logistics orchestrator Li & Fung. The company has committed to keeping irreplaceable forests out of viscose and paper packaging by implementing the use of circular, Next Generation alternatives, and engaging their brand and retail customers to join them in these sustainability efforts.

Operating one of the most extensive global supply chain networks in the world, Li & Fung helps brands and retailers design, source and deliver a diverse range of products from a network of factories in more than 50 production countries. As a convener of the global supply chain, Li & Fung will collaborate with its brand and retail customers to better protect our forests through responsible material sourcing and product manufacturing and in the transportation of products.

By leveraging Canopy’s strong track record of working with global companies to protect endangered forests, this partnership will help strengthen Li & Fung’s sustainability journey in building environmental resilience across global supply chains. Both entities will work together to develop solutions to support industry transformation.

“We understand that building sustainable supply chains cannot be done alone – and so are very pleased to be partnering with Canopy to advance ambitious and tangible solutions for our climate and forests in the apparel and packaging supply chains,” said Deepika Rana, COO, Li & Fung. “We look forward to continuing to meet the demands of a dynamic global retail sector and working with our extensive production network to deepen sustainability efforts and conserve the world’s forests and climate.”

“When a company as pivotal as Li & Fung commits to transform their sourcing to protect the world’s forests and climate, it reverberates through supply chains in all corners of the world,” said Canopy’s Executive Director Nicole Rycroft. “We are delighted to embark on the next stage of our work together in shaping the supply chains of the future.”

Li & Fung, a powerhouse in Asia and globally, adds tremendous strength to the CanopyStyle initiative and collective efforts of hundreds of companies to green the viscose supply chain. The company will also work to reduce the impacts of paper packaging in its shipping and operations through Pack4Good.

Posted July 15, 2021

Source: Li & Fung Limited / Canopy

Rieter Reports On First Half Of 2021

WINTERTHUR, Switzerland — July 15, 2021 — Rieter posted an order intake of 975.3 million Swiss francs ($1.1 billion), which corresponds to an increase of 289 percent compared to the previous year period (first half of 2020: 250.7 million Swiss francs ($278 million)). The recovery is broadly supported globally and is based on a catch-up effect relating to the years 2019 and 2020 and a regional shift in demand. Rieter is benefiting from its innovative product portfolio and the company’s global positioning. The highest order intake was recorded in Turkey. On June 30, 2021, the company had an order backlog of about 1,135 million Swiss francs ($1.23 billion) (June 30, 2020: about 490 million Swiss francs ($531 million).

Order Intake by Business Group

In the Business Group Machines & Systems, order intake amounted to 714.8 million Swiss francs ($775 million) (first half of 2020: 129.2 million Swiss francs ($140 million)). In the Business Group Components, order intake rose to 154.9 million Swiss francs ($168 million) (first half of 2020: 76.7 million Swiss francs ($83 million)), and in the Business Group After Sales it increased to 105.6 million Swiss francs ($115 million) (first half of 2020: 44.8 million Swiss francs ($49 million)).

A key driver of growth in the machinery business has been the demand for innovative complete systems in the areas of ring and compact spinning. The successful commercialization of the compacting devices and the piecing robot ROBOspin, launched in 2019, contributed to the increase in the Business Groups Components and After Sales.

Sales by Business Group

The Rieter Group recorded sales of 400.5 million Swiss francs ($434 million) (first half of 2020: 254.9 million Swiss francs ($276 million)). Sales significantly increased compared to the previous year period; however, as expected, they were still impacted by the low order intake of the financial year 2020.

In the first half of 2021, the Business Group Machines & Systems realized sales in the amount of 218.9 million Swiss francs ($237 million), which corresponds to an increase of about 83 percent compared to the previous year period.

Spinning mills are working at good capacity levels with an increased demand for components as well as spare and wear parts, which is the reason for the positive development in the Business Groups After Sales and Components. In the Business Group Components, sales rose to 112.4 million Swiss francs ($121 million) (+28 percent), and in the Business Group After Sales to 69.2 million Swiss francs ($75 million) (+46%).

Sales by Region

In the Asian countries, Rieter recorded sales of 137.0 million ($149 million) (+57 percent) for the first half of the financial year 2021. In China, sales rose by 85 percent to 68.5 million Swiss francs ($74 million) due to spinning mills investing in the improvement of their competitiveness. The recovery of the market in India resulted in a significant increase of 188 percent to 51.0 million Swiss francs ($55 million). In Turkey, sales improved slightly to 59.8 million Swiss francs ($65 million) (+17 percent). Sales increased by 94 percent to 59.8 million Swiss francs ($65 million) in the region North and South America, driven by a considerable increase in demand in Latin America.

EBIT, Net Profit and Free Cash Flow

In terms of EBIT, Rieter posted a profit of 9.0 million Swiss francs ($9.8 million) for the first half of 2021 and a net profit of 5.3 million Swiss francs ($5.8 million). A one-off effect associated with the reversal of allowances for machinery that was delivered in the first half of 2021 contributed to this development. Free cash flow amounted to 53.2 million Swiss francs ($58 million), which was considerably influenced by the advance payments received from customers in conjunction with the significantly increased order intake.

Strategy Implementation and Crisis Management

In recent years, Rieter has consistently implemented its strategy based on the cornerstones of innovation leadership, strengthening the components, spare parts and services businesses, and adjusting cost structures.

Crisis management in the pandemic year of 2020 was aimed at protecting employees, fulfilling customer commitments, ensuring liquidity, and also strengthening the market position for the time after the pandemic as well as retaining the ability to benefit from the incipient market recovery.

The focus for 2021 remains on the implementation of this strategy. The measures for crisis management relating to the protection of employees and fulfilling customer commitments are still in effect in countries that continue to be affected by the pandemic.

The Rieter Board of Directors has approved the implementation of the CAMPUS project. The Rieter CAMPUS comprises a customer and technology center as well as an administration building at the Winterthur location. It will make an important contribution to the implementation of the innovation strategy and to the enhancement of Rieter’s technology leadership position.

Outlook

As already announced, the first half of 2021 has been characterized by a strong market recovery in combination with a regional shift in demand for new machinery and systems. Rieter anticipates a normalization of the demand for new systems in the coming months. The company assumes that spinning mills will continue to work at high-capacity levels.

For the full year, Rieter expects sales to be above 900 million Swiss francs ($976 million).

The realization of sales from the order backlog continues to be associated with risks in light of bottlenecks in material deliveries and freight capacities as well as the ongoing pandemic in key markets for Rieter.

Posted July 15, 2021

Source: Rieter

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