From the Sector

The corona pandemic continues to put a strain on health systems around the globe. Many places lack effective textile protective kit among others for their medical personnel. HeiQ, a Swiss specialty chemicals company, has developed antiviral and antibacterial protective kit that is quickly effective against Coronaviruses (229E), as confirmed in wide-ranging studies. In cooperation with HeiQ, the CHT Group is supplying this technology to the market to help decrease the global shortage in protective wear.

A wide number of studies have proven that viruses and bacteria can remain active on textile surfaces for a longer period. The SARS-COV-2 virus, which causes the COVID-19 disease, can stay active on a textile for up to two days and therefore be infectious. Shortages in textile protective kit create a high risk for medical personnel who are in contact with COVID-19 patients: often, doctors and nurses cannot change their protective masks and clothing as frequently as would be necessary in order to adhere to hygiene rules and to prevent the spreading of the virus.

The HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 that has been developed by HeiQ is a new technology that is also effective against Coronaviruses (229E) thanks to its antibacterial and antiviral properties. Comprehensive studies have demonstrated the kit‘s effectiveness. A combination of silver salts with a vesicle technology deactivates bacteria and viruses on textile surfaces within a few minutes and renders the bacteria and viruses harmless. Textiles equipped in this way reduce the rate of infection by 99.99%, which stops the transmission and the spread of bacteria and viruses through textiles.

Viroblock can be used on all types of fibers – not only for protective kit and masks, but also for work clothing, bed linen, towels and home textiles. The kit is wash-resistant and still highly effective after 30 standard wash processes.

Materials for in excess of one million protective masks
Within the context of supporting the critical infrastructure in Germany, Oerlikon Nonwoven immediately began converting its laboratory systems in Neumünster to manufacture nonwovens at the end of March. With this, only small local businesses and companies were initially supported in the manufacture of oronasal masks.
With the laboratory system at the R&D Center material for more than one million protective masks a month can be manufactured.

The laboratory has meanwhile run out of raw materials and new orders for replacement materials had to be placed before Easter – with current delivery times of approx. 3 weeks. This will allow production to be resumed, and even considerably expanded, in May.
The laboratory system is now once again being deployed to produce nonwovens that will be used to make more than million face masks / oronasal masks a month. “We will not be manufacturing the masks ourselves. We have meanwhile found both corresponding partner companies and also private individuals demanding nonwovens”, adds Andreas Frisch, commenting on the developments.

Boom in orders
Furthermore, Oerlikon Nonwoven has also fired up the production of the machines and systems used for its meltblown technology. The demand from Germany, Europe and the rest of the world has quickly
secured the company a high in orders..
We will be commissioning the first meltblown system at the site of a leading Western European nonwovens producers in the second quarter of 2020. The capacities for respiratory masks available in Europe to date are predominantly manufactured on Oerlikon
Nonwoven systems.

• The PREMIUM GROUP in Berlin is cancelling its PREMIUM and SEEK trade shows for this summer season, as well as the FASHIONTECH conference – in collaboration with the leading global digital B2B marketplace, JOOR, there is still a guaranteed trading option.

Due to the coronavirus crisis, in April the dates of the PREMIUM GROUP’s events were provisionally moved from the original schedule of 31 June-2 July 2020 to 28 -30 July. Now, the Federal and State governments have decided to cancel large-scale events with over 1,000 visitors until 31 August 2020.
     
A statement from Anita Tillmann, Managing Partner of the PREMIUM GROUP: 

“We greatly regret the decision of course, especially after the success of our January events. The ban on large-scale events has been around for some time and has been publicly discussed. It hurts us to do it, but we are also conscious of our responsibility. If cancelling our trade shows, conferences and parties contributes to the safety of our customers and visitors, then we have to take this step.
 
We are in close contact with all our brands and partners and have spent the last four weeks discussing possible approaches, concepts and new focal topics for the summer. The bottom line is that digitalisation is clearly the focus. It’s all about using the time over the next few months sensibly. The timing for brands and retailers is now right – all market participants are aware of the necessity of this.

We have been working closely with JOOR, the leading B2B marketplace globally, for around a year, after successfully integrating our own digital platform, Veee.com. JOOR has digitalised the entire procurement process and ensures a seamless, functioning wholesale process on an international scale – both for brands and retailers.
 
We shall shortly be offering webinars on this and can offer our customers an optimal, digital ordering solution so as to use this time of the pandemic efficiently. We are very happy with this option and our year-long investment in the topic of digitalisation. This has come good for us now.
 
Our trade show formats have been about more than just ordering for a long time now. They are about encounters, emotion, inspiration, communication and, finally, the fashion community getting together. Although lots can take place digitally nowadays, it doesn't replace physically meeting up in person. We have seen this more than ever in the present situation.
 
We are going to work on new concepts for 2021, and we will liaise with the key stakeholders in Berlin and with all others too to ensure we hit the ground running again. We’re taking on the challenge and will come back to the industry when we have news.”

Strategic Cooperation in Advanced Materials and Composite Machine Technologies between REACH Group/China and AMAC/Germany

A close cooperation, especially in difficult times like the Covid-19 crisis, is more and more important for sustainable success. Today, Reach Group/China and AMAC/Germany signed a cooperation agreement to
strengthen their business between China and Europe in the field of advanced materials and composite machine technologies.

Reach Group, based in Shanghai is a comprehensive group company present in the composite industry since 1996. AMAC is an expert advisor and business enabler in composite solutions based in Aachen, Germany.
Now the companies want to cooperate in the field of materials on Thermoplastic composites, bio-based materials, materials for additive manufacturing, additives for high performance and in the field of composite machine technologies on tape placement solutions, continuous lamination machines, 3D-printing as well as on advanced automated thermoset processing.

The cooperation will be presented at the next China Composite Expo on September 2-4, 2020 in Shanghai.

Fairfield Chair Co. has retooled its production of chairs and sofas to high-in-demand surgical gowns in an effort to help rush supplies to health care companies on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic.

When the spread of the coronavirus impacted Fairfield and the entire U.S. manufacturing sector, Fairfield executives jumped into action.

The seating manufacturer, which essentially took a crash course on apparel patternmaking and industry specs, has switched its production to surgical gowns overnight. In just over a week, Fairfield produced its first samples of the surgical gown and immediately received approval on the prototype from Blue Ridge Healthcare in North Carolina, which has placed an initial order for 1,200 surgical gowns.
Cotswold Industries worked closely with Fairfield to help the company pivot to gown and mask manufacturing and provide the materials needed for the finished products.

Fairfield is also tapping into the experience it gained from producing seating for senior living facilities, which require certain materials with antimicrobial finishes.
“We are very accustomed to working with antimicrobial fabrics however, we have never worked with wovens that are developed to meet specifications like this material has to,” states McClurd, vice President of imports of Fairfield.

Amid the rapid spread of COVID-19 around the world, DyStar’s global operations continue to adapt to the development of the situation and to mitigate potential risks or impacts across the business. While the trajectory is unknown, DyStar is guided by recommendations from the World Health Organization and the local government authorities, to proactively address situations that could possibly affect our people and customers. This is to ensure that we have effective plans and standard procedures to minimize the disruption of our global operations.

Business Continuity Plan (BCP)
As a globally operating company, each of our operating sites, manufacturing plants, offices have a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) in place to sustain our operations and the supply chains we serve. The BCP, owned by our Business Continuity Management Team, provides clear guidance for all local operations, such as Administration, Customer Services, Finance, Logistics Services, Sales and Technical Support as well as Procurement, to enable all functions to continue operating effectively to serve our customers, distributors and agents.

Emergency Response Plan (ERP)
DyStar’s manufacturing sites are also installed with an Emergency Response Procedure to cover all emergency circumstances, including the COVID-19 pandemic disease. The goal of the emergency response procedure is to mitigate the impact of such events on people and the environment, ensuring operational readiness of the site during an emergency.

As the world adjusts to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, DyStar will continue to monitor the situation very closely and will provide updates that adapt to the changing situation. We remain committed to provide our customers with excellent service and to work closely with all our partners throughout this difficult period.

Less wear and superior fiber quality

Technological changes to Oerlikon Neumag’s Baltic crimper thrust pad contacting device have resulted in considerably reduced friction in the crimper rolls and hence less wear and fewer metal particles contaminating the crimped staple fibers.

Thrust pads close the gap between the crimper rolls on either side. Normally, these thrust pads are continually pressed – under high pressure – against the sides of the crimper rolls. Wear and metal debris on the thrust pads is the result of this constant contact. The metal debris can contaminate the fibers, something that is particularly undesirable in hygiene applications.

New thrust pad contacting device for reduced metal debris and greater durability
With the new system, the thrust pads are pressed against the rolls with less pressure and then fixed into place. This prevents fibers from being caught and the frictional force between the pressure disk thrust pad and the crimper roll is minimized. Pilot applications have demonstrated that metal debris from the pressure disks thrust pads is dramatically reduced, making them between three and seven times more durable.

Coalition of Iconic American Apparel Brands & Textile Companies Heeds Call of Nation to Produce Medical Face Masks

A coalition of iconic American apparel brands and textile companies, responding to the urgent call of the White House for medical supplies, have come together to build a supply chain virtually overnight and fast-track the manufacturing of medical face masks to help hospitals, health care workers and citizens battling the spread of the COVID-19 disease.

Parkdale Inc.-- the largest yarn spinner in the U.S. headquartered in North Carolina—helped lead the effort to build the coalition with Hanesbrands, Fruit of the Loom and six other companies to set up a manufacturing supply chain and begin ramping up production of the masks.

The coalition consists of iconic American brands such as Hanesbrands and Fruit of the Loom, often competitors in the marketplace, who are banding together for the greater good of a nation facing one if its most monumental challenges.

American Giant, Los Angeles Apparel, AST Sportswear, Sanmar, America Knits, Beverly Knits and Riegel Linen are also part of the coalition working tirelessly to respond to a national emergency in the nation’s time of need.

Dr. Peter Navarro, assistant to the President and director of the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, worked with the coalition and helped expedite the production of these masks. The first face masks have been approved by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The companies expect to begin production on Monday and will make the first deliveries by mid-week.

They are dedicating their assets, resources and manufacturing capacities to create a high output of facemasks. Once fully ramped up in four to five weeks, the companies expect to produce up to 10 million facemasks per week in the United States and in Central America.

If companies are interested in dedicating resources to help the cause, please reach out to the National Council of Textile Organizations at kellis@ncto.org

NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers, including artificial and synthetic filament and fiber producers.
 

• U.S. employment in the textile supply chain was 594,147 in 2018.  
• The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $76.8 billion in 2018.  
• U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $30.1 billion in 2018.  
• Capital expenditures for textile and apparel production totaled $2.0 billion in 2017, the last year for which data is available.

Textile and nonwoven associations issued a joint statement today urging federal, state and local governments to deem textile and nonwoven manufacturing facilities as “essential” when drafting “Shelter in Place” orders in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

Our associations recognize the serious challenges our elected officials, health administrators, and others are facing when issuing orders to protect communities across the country and we understand the necessity for leaders to enforce a ‘Shelter in Place” order or quarantine orders.

Our members make a broad range of inputs and finished products used in an array of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical nonwoven/textile supplies, including surgical gowns, face masks, antibacterial wipes, lab coats, blood pressure cuffs, cotton swabs and hazmat suits. These items are vital to the government’s effort to ramp up emergency production of these critical supplies.

If workers who produce these goods are not granted an “essential” exemption from “Shelter in Place” and other quarantine orders to go to their manufacturing and distribution facilities, it will cause major disruptions in the availability of these goods. This will create significant hardship to healthcare providers and consumers across the country who depend on steady and stable supplies of these critical items.

We are asking the administration and state and local authorities to provide greater certainty and clarity for our companies and employees and ask for a clear exclusion of our manufacturing operations from “Shelter in Place” orders as the textile and nonwoven products that we make in the U.S. play an essential role in mitigating the shortages of critical supplies. Such a designation will help us avoid disruptions of vital goods and services during this challenging time.

The U.S. textile and nonwoven associations NCTO, IFAL and INDA issued a joint statement today urging federal, state and local governments to deem textile and nonwoven manufacturing facilities as “essential” when drafting “Shelter in Place” orders in response to the COVID-19 crisis.

The associations recognize the serious challenges of the elected officials, health administrators and others are facing when issuing orders to protect communities across the country and show understanding for the necessity to enforce quarantine orders.

The members of these associations are part of the production of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical nonwoven/textile supplies, including surgical gowns, face masks, antibacterial wipes, lab coats, blood pressure cuffs, cotton swabs and hazmat suits. These items are vital to the government’s effort to ramp up emergency production of these critical supplies.
If workers who produce these goods are not granted an “essential” exemption from “Shelter in Place” and other quarantine orders to go to their manufacturing and distribution facilities, it will cause major disruptions in the availability of these goods, states the association. This will create hardship to healthcare providers and consumers across the country who depend on steady and stable supplies of these critical items, says the NCTO.