From the Sector

Lectra, whose connected industrial equipment and software facilitate the digital transformation and Industry 4.0 transition of fashion, automotive and furniture companies, announces that it has been named one of the 11 French companies selected for the 2022 edition of Deloitte France’s Best Managed Companies program.
 
Established 30 years ago by Deloitte Canada and launched in France at the end of 2021, this program recognizes excellence in companies that stand out for the quality of their management and their performance, through a rigorous and independent selection process. Companies are assessed on their long-term strategy, talent management, innovation capacity and CSR policy, as well as their governance and financial management. On one hand, these criteria assess the company's distinguishing features and, on the other hand, its capacity to address current and future challenges.
 
Lectra is one of 11 French companies recognized as the Best Managed Companies for 2022. “For this first edition, I am delighted to announce that Lectra is one of the companies to have obtained our Best Managed Companies mark of excellence,” says Eric Forest, Deloitte Private Associate and Head of the Best Managed Companies program. “Throughout the selection process, Lectra shone through with its extensive strategic vision, solid financial and innovative culture, and its ability to decrypt trends in order to adapt its solutions to changes and the needs of its different markets. This enables Lectra to be a strategic partner to guide its customers in their digital transformation.” Thanks to its capacity to develop innovations, be that with equipment, software or services, and its mastery of technologies such as IoT, the cloud, artificial intelligence and big data, Lectra plays a key role in helping fashion, automotive and furniture industry players evolve towards Industry 4.0.
 
“Obtaining the Best Managed Companies mark of excellence is great recognition for all of our teams at Lectra. I would like to thank all Lectra employees for this collective achievement,” says Daniel Harari, Lectra’s Chairman and CEO. “The work we have carried out together has enabled Lectra to become a global technological leader. This recognition inspires us to continue with our commitment to the Industry 4.0 revolution and to the success of our customers.”

Carbios has signed an agreement with On, Patagonia, PUMA, and Salomon, to develop solutions that will enhance the recyclability and circularity of their products.
 
An important element of the two-year deal will be to speed up the introduction of Carbios’ biorecycling technology, which constitutes a breakthrough for the textile industry. Carbios and the four companies will also research how products can be recycled, develop solutions to take-back worn polyester items, including sorting and dismantling technologies, and gather data on fiber-to-fiber recycling as well as circularity models.
 
The challenge the four brands share, is that their ambitious sustainable development goals can only partially be met by conventional recycling technologies which mostly target bottle-to-fiber recycling. Future regulations will require more circularity in packaging and textile. Yet the market consensus is that there will soon be a shortage of PET bottles, as they will be used for circular production methods in the Food & Beverage Industry.   
 
Carbios’ innovative process constitutes a technological breakthrough for the recycling of polyester (PET) fibers, which are widely used in apparel, footwear and sportswear, on their own or together with other fibers. PET polyester is the most important fiber for the textile industry with 52 MT produced, even surpassing cotton at 23MT. The biorecycling process uses an enzyme capable of selectively extracting the polyester, recovering it to recreate a virgin fiber. This revolutionary technology makes it possible to recover the PET polyester present in all textile waste that cannot be recycled using traditional technologies.
 
PET plastics and fibers are used to make everyday consumer goods such as bottles, packaging and textiles. Today, most PET is produced from fossil resources, then used and discarded according to a wasteful linear model. By creating a circular economy from used plastics and fibers, Carbios’ biorecycling technology offers a sustainable and more responsible solution.

On July 7, the fashion industry met again at all events of the Premium Group - the two fashion fairs PREMIUM and SEEK, the new GenZ festival The Ground, the conference format FASHIONTECH and the conference newcomers CONSCIOUS CLUB Conference and The Ground Talks - in a common location at Messe Berlin.

From trade visitors to fashion enthusiasts, everyone wanted to see what happens when B2B and D2C come together and when a large as well as inspirational hub is created for topics related to fashion, trends, retail, culture, sexuality, marketing, social media, sustainability, NFTs, metaverse and more. What happens when trade fair stands become experience spaces, brands meet consumers and a stage programme full of edutainment is presented.

On Wednesday, 6 July, Anita Tillmann, Jörg Arntz and the Premium Group Team were welcomed back in by the Senate of the State of Berlin in the presence of Stephan Schwarz, Senator for Economics, Energy and Public Enterprises, in the historic Bärensaal of the Berlin City Hall.

DThe Premium Group events will continue until Saturday evening, 9 July. The entire stage programme will also be streamed live on the Premium Group website

The Trützschler Group SE has appointed Dr. Ulrich Schwenken and Heinrich Krull to its Board of Directors with effect from July 1, 2022. Dr. Schwenken will serve as Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Heinrich Krull will serve as Chief Operations Officer (COO).

Dr. Schwenken will assume responsibility for Development, Digitalization, IT and Corporate Communications. As a doctoral graduate specialized in engineering, he has many years of experience in automotive and mechanical applications. Since 2008, he has held various management positions in the areas of Service, Sales and Development at companies including Porsche AG and Volkswagen AG, where his responsibility covered a range of key topics such as digital transformation. Most recently, Dr. Schwenken served as CSO, CTO and CDO at Leistritz AG, and was responsible for the strategic focus on innovative growth areas.

Mr. Krull joined Trützschler Group SE in September 2020. As a graduate engineer for production engineering and management with international experience in mechanical and production site engineering, he has comprehensive expertise related to operations. He also has extensive experience of production technologies, including in-depth knowledge of Lean Management methods and expertise in post-merger integration. As COO, he will be responsible for the areas of Production, Purchasing and Logistics, Quality Assurance as well as Supply Chain.

Until his scheduled retirement at the end of 2022, Dr. Dirk Burger will act as Co-CEO to Dr. Schwenken.

The responsibilities of the Board of Directors of Trützschler Group SE as of July 1, 2022 are as follows: Dr. Ulrich Schwenken (CEO) is responsible for Development, Digitalization, IT and Corporate Communications; Dr. Dirk Burger will take over the role of Co-CEO to Dr. Schwenken until the end of 2022; Dr. Ralf Napiwotzki (CFO) is responsible for Finance and Controlling, Human Resources, Legal and Compliance; Alexander Stampfer (CSO) is responsible for Sales, Marketing and Service; Heinrich Krull (COO) is responsible for Production, Purchasing and Logistics, Quality Assurance as well as Supply Chain.

More than 450 participants from 18 countries made in-person connections and gained innovative insights into the segment’s future at the World of Wipes® (WOW) International Conference at the Marriott Marquis in Chicago.

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, reported strong attendance and activity at its 16th WOW conference, June 27-30. Highlights included a conference, award presentations, a separate 1.5-day WIPES Academy training course, and a new mentorship program.  

WOW speakers focused on the future of the $17 billion wipes sector amid changing consumer trends, supply chain complexities, sustainable packaging demands, and medical disinfection challenges. Program sessions included Circular and Sustainable Wipes, Supply Chain Challenges, Sustainable Substrates, Disinfection Concerns, Sustainable Packaging Trends, and Flushability Developments.

Tony Fragnito welcomed participants in his new role as INDA President for the first time since succeeding Dave Rousse, now President Emeritus and advisor.

WOW highlights included the announcement of Nice’ N CLEAN® SecureFLUSH™ Technology Flushable Wipes from Nice-Pak as the winner of this year’s World of Wipes Innovation Award® for their flushable wipes made of 100 percent cellulose nonwoven. A specialty “lock and key” design of plant-based fibers and formula leverages patent-pending technology to ensure responsible care of plumbing and wastewater.

Other highlights included the presentation of the 2022 INDA Lifetime Technical Award to Richard Knowlson, Principal, RPK Consulting. The award honors an individual with a long-established nonwovens career that advance technology and the commercial success of the North American nonwovens industry. Knowlson pioneered the use of powder super absorbents in airlaid forming systems creating new period product designs for ultra-thin products. He co-founded Airformed Composites, co-invented the first commercial multi-bonded airlaid products in North America that were used in characters for Sesame Street and served in leadership positions with Rayonier, Ciba/Huntsman and Jacob Holm.

ROICA™ strengthens its presence in the apparel segment thanks to its established network of partners, who will present their latest innovations at the upcoming Première Vision.

ROICA™ partners are the “artists” and “heartists” of premium stretch in fabrics: because they have at heart all the values for which ROICA™ stands for. These partners presenting at Première Vision are:

• Iluna Group, whose journey into the new dimension of responsibility continues with developments in GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certified recycled yarns aimed at unprecedented effects in looks, performance and hands. Brand new for this edition of Première Vision is the inclusion of GOTS-certified organic cotton in GRS-certified galloons and allover lace containing ROICA™ EF, so as to meet market demands for natural comfort in the underwear sphere.
• Innova Fabrics, which recently enhanced its smart offering by launching the RF (Residual Free) line, with the goal of reducing the impact of microplastics derived from the fashion industry. This is made possible by mixing two responsible ingredients, SENSIL® BioCare by Nilit and ROICA™ V550 by Asahi Kasei, which give birth to both sporty and casual fabrics.
• Inplet, which enriched its production of smart elastic and rigid knitted fabrics with three new products: a powernet fabric in 77% polyamide RECO and 23% ROICA™ EF with good recovery; a net fabric in 55% polyamide RECO and 45% ROICA™ EF characterized by a soft hand and good elasticity; and a 79% polyamide and 21% ROICA™ V550 good power, good recovery and a soft touch.
• Penn Textile Solutions/Penn Italia, whose highlights of the new collection are on one side fabrics developed with the use of Neride eco yarns by Nurel with ROICA™ V550, characterized by restraining lace effect, soft touch and breathable, in combination with tulle as a sustainable basic, and on the other side charmeuses with soft hand, raw cut in combination with a band fabric from the dreamshape family with reinforced gripping edge, made again in Neride eco yarns by Nurel with ROICA™ V550
• Tessitura Colombo Antonio, which in its new A/W 23-24 collection expands its proposal of regenerated lace from the ECO-LACE line: new designs inspired by fashion trends using ROICA™ EF. Also, in its BIODEGRADABLE line it uses ROICA™ V550 for the realization of new designs. The new MICROMODAL line uses ROICA™ V550; the effect of this lace range is softness, elegance and relief effect.

ITM 2022 hosted textile technology leaders in Istanbul for 5 days, presenting the latest innovations in every field of textile from weaving, knitting, yarn, digital printing, finishing to denim. The ITM 2022 Exhibition, where a business volume of over 1.5 billion Euros was created in 5 days, accelerated the Turkish and world economy.

Organized by the partnership of Teknik Fairs Inc. and Tüyap Tüm Fuarcılık Yapım Inc., ITM 2022- International Textile Machinery Exhibition was held at Tüyap Fair and Congress Center between 14-18 June.  ITM 2022 Exhibition, attended by 1280 companies and company representatives from 65 countries, was visited by 64,500 people from 102 countries, consisting of 44% international and 56% domestic visitors.

Turkey became a Supply Center at the ITM 2022 Exhibition
The successful sales graph achieved at the ITM 2022 Exhibition proved that the difficulties experienced due to the pandemic for the last 3 years have been left behind. Turkey has become a supply center for European, Middle Eastern and African countries, especially with the disruption of the supply chain in Far East countries, including China. The profile of the professional visitors visiting the ITM 2022 Exhibition revealed that in the new world order that has shifted after the pandemic, the trade network has also changed hands and new players have appeared on the scene. The fact that manufacturers from all over the world such as Andorra, Angola, Honduras, Peru, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Brazil, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Egypt, Iran, and Oman purchased a large number of machinery and signed collaborations at the ITM 2022 Exhibition has proven this.

Exhibitors of ITM 2022 enlarge their stands for ITM 2024
Many company officials, who stated that they have achieved a sales graphic far above their expectations starting from the very first day of the ITM 2022 Exhibition and that they have hosted visitors from all over the world, decided to enlarge their stands at the ITM 2024 Exhibition. During the exhibition, companies visited the registration application points and applied for ITM 2024 participation.

The next meeting of the ITM and HIGHTEX Exhibitions will be held in Istanbul between 4-8 June 2024.

Since 85 years, Riri Group is a point of reference for the creation of details of style providing fashion brands with accessories, including zippers, buttons, metal components, and fashion jewels. Fashion is necessarily a reflection of social changes, cultural turmoil, popular aspirations, and the needs of the final customer: from these assumptions comes Riri Group’s FW 23-24 collection. The newly released collection presents two dynamic paths to explore the needs of the market targeting self-expression through style: Extreme Outverse and Fluid Glamour.

EXTREME OUTVERSE: Accessories for accessing multidimensionality
Art, space travels and the metaverse experience provide the inspiration for transparent and glossy digital prints, laser markings, use of colored paints, use of jacquard ribbon and iridescent lurex, invisible button caps, PVD finishes (rainbow, matt black), reverse coated nylon zips.

FLUID GLAMOUR: Redefine infinitely (elegance) standard
Fluid Glamour expands the processes of representing the individual in an elegant interpretation of its complexity. This concept of fluidity and uniqueness meets the new frontier of the space tourism race and intergalactic style to create futuristic atmospheres and sculptural silhouettes: rhinestones and black stones developed by Amom, wool yarns, jacquard, and a variety of tapes – metallised genuine leather and eco-leather, GOTS-certified cotton and GRS-certified recycled polyester, knitwear, white with silver lurex – that reflect the space exploration and dark desert landscapes.

The process industry today still relies primarily on fossil raw materials. A transformation towards regenerative resources, in particular renewable raw materials, is under way. In addition, circular economy, recycling and resilience play important roles in existing and new value chains. The congress "BIO-raffiniert XII", March 7 and 8, 2023 at the Fraunhofer UMSICHT in Oberhausen, takes up these topics and focuses on innovative technologies, sustainability strategies as well as logistics and supply chains. Its thematic focal points will be: Bioeconomy - Strategy and Implementation, Transformation Pathways and New Value Chains. Regional as well as international developments will be addressed.

The institute invites interested experts to present their innovations, concepts, or industrial practice solutions around the bioeconomy transformation in the context of short presentations in English (10 min presentation). The deadline for proposals outlined in a one-page abstract is: Tuesday, September 16, 2022.

Further information online.

Archroma launched Perapret® AIR liq, a new light-activated air purification technology for all kinds of fabrics. The new innovation was presented at the Techtextil last month.

The mineral-based Perapret® AIR liq eliminates air pollutants and airborne smells by imitating the natural process of photocatalysis under normal day and artificial light sources.

The chemistry usually used in such applications is nano-sized TiO2 (dioxide titanium), which attack every organic matter, including the textile fiber, and not only pollutants.

Perapret® AIR liq is produced using a patented Core Shell technology that partially surrounds the TiO2 molecules, solving the issue of fiber damage, and at the same time still allowing the photocatalytic process to work efficiently.

Therefore, the innovative Core Shell technology behind Perapret® AIR liq makes it possible to use the capabilities of nano-sized TiO2 also on organic based substances such as cotton, polyester, polyamide, viscose and any additional fiber and its blends.

In addition, the treatment is highly durable, as the product doesn’t self-consume and retains its performance over time.

Perapret® AIR liq is ideally suited for indoor applications, such as curtains, textile wall coverings, as well as cars and other automotive interiors, allowing to reduce air pollutants and airborne smells and thus improving overall air quality*.

The technology is at the core of CLEAN AIR, a new system that combines Perapret® AIR liq with other recent innovations such as Smartrepel® Hydro TS liq for PFC-free** durable water repellence, and Sanitized® T27-22 liq antimicrobial agent.