From the Sector

Carbios announces the appointment of two new members to its Executive Committee: Lionel Arras, Industrial Development Director, and Mathieu Berthoud, Sourcing and Public Affairs Director.

Lionel Arras joined Carbios’ teams in 2021 to support the industrial growth of PET enzymatic recycling technology as Industrial Development Director. He was appointed to the Company’s Executive Committee on May 2. An engineer who graduated from ENSIC Nancy and holds an MBA from the Lyon School of Management, Lionel Arras has more than 25 years of experience in the field of process engineering and the chemical industry.
At Carbios, he now heads a team of around 50 people mobilized around three major divisions:
- the industrial demonstration plant, inaugurated last September in Clermont-Ferrand,
- technological development,
- the first Reference Unit project, installed on the Indorama Ventures site in Longlaville, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France.

Lionel Arras, Carbios’ Industrial Development Director: “After the successful start-up of our industrial demonstration plant in Clermont-Ferrand, we are continuing our scale-up with the construction of the first enzymatic recycling plant in the world in Longlaville, France. Its launch, scheduled for early 2025, will enable the processing of 50,000 tons of post-consumer PET waste or the equivalent of 2 billion bottles. It is a great source of pride for me to be able to support Carbios in this strategic development phase.”

Mathieu Berthoud will join Carbios as Sourcing and Public Affairs Director on June 1, 2022. With more than 30 years of experience, including 10 years at Rhodia (now Solvay) and more than 20 years at Suez, in various commercial development or subsidiary management positions, he was most recently Technical and Performance Director for the Group’s recycling and recovery activities. A university-trained scientist, he also holds an MBA from HEC Paris. At Carbios, he will be responsible for securing the supply of PET waste for the future reference plant in Longlaville and the other industrial sites that will follow. He will also manage the Company’s public affairs.

The EREMA Group, which comprises EREMA Group GmbH and its subsidiaries EREMA, PURE LOOP, UMAC, 3S, KEYCYCLE and PLASMAC, closed the 2021/22 financial year with a 17 percent increase in revenue. Consolidated Group revenue amounted to EUR 295 million, and the number of employees increased to over 840. The EREMA Group remains on course for continued growth.

A closer look at the post consumer segment clearly shows a trend towards larger plants, both for PET recycling and for processing polyolefins. For example, the first VACUREMA® Basic 2628 T machine with an annual capacity of up to 40,000 tonnes was recently commissioned at a customer's site in Brazil. This plant features a ten-meter-long special geometry screw with a diameter of 280 millimetres and a weight of 3.5 tonnes. The screw was developed and manufactured by 3S, a subsidiary of EREMA GmbH.

Demand for previously-owned machines at UMAC also remained high during the past financial year. In addition to the general trend towards plastics recycling, the decisive factor here is that customers are more frequently opting for previously-owned systems available at short notice due to the tense situation on the procurement markets. At the same time, businesses that have so far had little contact with recycling are also becoming increasingly interested in this topic. Their need for feasibility studies, consulting and engineering services, project management and turnkey projects are now also very successfully catered for by KEYCYCLE, an EREMA Group company. KEYCYCLE has also acquired from Cadel Deinking the patent, technology and distribution rights for an innovative ink removal technology, which is now being further developed using the know-how of the EREMA Group and shaped into a product that meets industrial standards.

The initiative launched four years ago to modernise and expand existing EREMA Group sites was continued during the past financial year with the expansion and construction of a dedicated machine demonstration centre for PLASMAC in Milan. Equipped with additional production floor space and new and enlarged customer centres, all companies within the group are now well prepared to meet rising demand, and with the new research and development centre under construction in Ansfelden, the framework for further outstanding plastics recycling milestones from EREMA is currently being optimised.

Cooperating alliances for lightweight technology: The European Lightweight Association (ELA) and the European Lightweight Clusters Alliance (ELCA) have decided to work together. Both European lightweight clusters are united by the common goal of giving the enormous economic and ecological potential of lightweight technology more visibility in politics, business and science at European, national and regional level. In addition, complementary expertises of work form the basis for the future partnership, from which European lightweight technology can optimally benefit.

"We see great potential in the future cooperation of the ELA and the ELCA to advance lightweight technology in Europe with combined forces," says Dr Katharina Schöps as representative of the ELCA. "In this way, we are strengthening the global competitiveness of European companies and at the same time making a significant contribution to climate protection," says Jean-Pierre Heijster of the ELA about the cooperation of the European lightweight technology networks.

Together, ELCA and ELA represent a growing network of more than 4,500 companies and more than 600 research institutions from 12 European countries active in lightweight technology across different
sectors and industries. This brings together the two largest lightweight technology communities in Europe. Lightweight solutions from Europe can thus gain visibility and be implemented more quickly in global markets.

Joining forces to strengthen lightweight technologies ́ market position at the European level ELCA and ELA want to improve the positioning of lightweight technologies and materials with joint activities and events, in particular to prioritise them on the agenda of the European Commission. The cooperation thus wants to send a clear signal to Brussels. Especially with the view to achieve European climate protection goals; lightweight technology has the potential to conserve valuable resources and reduce CO 2 emissions. At the same time, the improved sustainability with the same or even optimised performance brings valuable competitive advantages for companies. Lightweight products and technologies Made in Europe can thus become a unique selling point for European stakeholders on international markets.

With this cooperation, ELCA and ELA combine their respective strengths: ELCA, as the European Lightweight Clusters Alliance, has very successfully created a resilient pan-European innovation ecosystem for lightweight technology in recent years. ELA, on the other hand, is particularly characterised by its close ties to industrial users. As a result, the existing ecosystem is enriched and a more demand-oriented development and faster market introduction is made possible. In this way, both lightweight technology networks will complement each other optimally in the future in order to bring technology and markets together in a targeted manner.

C.L.A.S.S. has taken another strategic step with Training, an educational offer made of three moments aimed at sharing valuable and practical information concerning three main areas of sustainable development. Training will be adding value to the Smart Academy offer by C.L.A.S.S., a program of events and conferences, lectures or customized training services, united by an important goal: to educate, raise awareness and inspire professionals, students and even consumers with an eye to the values of responsibility.

There are three trainings offered:

1. Introduction to a new generation of fashion
   C.L.A.S.S. team will introduce and explain the new generation of value-driven fashion where the fusion of design, innovation, communication and responsibility shapes an informed and competitive business, able to play both at an economic and social level. Since 2007, at the base of our philosophy is a formula: Virtuous Fashion, the one with the capital F, is the product of an integration of design (D), innovation (I), sustainability (S) and communication (C). In brief: F = D x I x S x C.
    
2. Introduction to Smart Ingredients
   What is a responsible material? How to source responsibly? Which are the latest smart ingredients that can enrich with new generation fashion collections?
   During the session participant will be guided through materials available in the market, and will have the chance to have an “informed background“ of each one of the materials' journey. Conscious Choices can be made ONLY IF we have all the true full information in our hands. This training informd participant to make the best informed choice for their objectives. A simple but facts driven introduction to the key available innovative and sustainable materials: naturals, transformed and innovative where traceability, transparency, innovation, performance, responsible measurements are leading both the storymaking and the storytelling of each one of them.
    
3. Introduction to Sustainability Report
   The preparation of the company's sustainability report is a fundamental moment to define objectives, identify improvement actions, and measure its environmental and social impact. It is a job that involves the entire company team, which can transform the report into an opportunity for growth.
   The package offered by C.L.A.S.S., in collaboration with Silvia Gambi, sustainable fashion journalist and podcaster of Solo Moda Sostenibile, combines training with personalized consulting with a coaching action to guide the company team in the preparation of its sustainability report, offering the necessary support to create a document that tells about the company, its values, its commitment and also its objectives.

Following their merger, Freudenberg Performance Materials, Low & Bonar, Mehler Texnologies® and Filc will be presenting their innovative solutions at a joint stand for the first time at this year’s techtextil exhibition in Frankfurt. The focus is on sustainability. Among the highlights are Evolon® RE, a microfilament textile for a wide variety of applications and markets, FILFLEX, a sustainable padding material for car seat covers, and the truck tarpaulin POLYMAR® 8556 ECO CF. Customers will find the world's leading manufacturer of technical textiles at Stand C51 in Hall 12.1.

Evolon® textiles made from recycled PET
With Evolon® RE, Freudenberg Performance Materials is presenting an even more sustainable version of its high-performance microfilament textiles. Evolon® RE is manufactured from an average of 70% recycled polyester, which the company makes by cycling post-consumer PET bottles in-house. Evolon® RE products are available for various applications such as technical packaging, in weights currently ranging from 80g/sqm to 300g/sqm. For high-tech wiping, lightweight Evolon® RE is now available starting from 30g/sqm. The material meets the needs of cleaning specialists for more sustainable wiping solutions. Evolon® RE offers the same high quality and material performance as all other Evolon® textiles.

Tarpaulins made from recycled raw materials presented by Mehler Texnologies®
When it comes to tarpaulins on trucks, both protection of the transport cargo and advertising for the transport company place high demands on the material. Mehler Texnologies® tarpaulin material ranks among the premium products for truck tarpaulins. The company is a pioneer in sustainable development and is showcasing POLYMAR® 8556 ECO CF. This unique material has a 25% share of recycled raw materials in the coating mass. In addition, the material is made with 100% R-PES yarns. The input materials undergo a complex separation and filtering process.

Sustainable padding material for automotive and furniture seat covers presented by FILC
FILFLEX is a soft and flexible padding layer made from nonwovens for automotive and furniture seat covers. It prevents leather from creasing and improves the dimensional stability of the seat covers. In terms of sustainability, its benefit is its 100% PET composition, making FILFLEX easy to recycle. FILFLEX offers customers easier handling during sewing and the seat covering process. End users benefit from the high seating comfort.

• Natural fibers combined with bio-derived epoxy resins provide sustainable options for Industrial markets

Hexcel has developed a new product range that combines Hexcel resin systems made with bio-derived resin content with natural fiber reinforcements to create material solutions for Automotive, Winter Sports, Marine and Wind Energy applications.

HexPly Nature Range includes proven resins such as HexPly M49, M78.1-LT and M79 but with bio-derived epoxy resin content. The excellent resin characteristics remain unchanged in the new Nature Range products, maintaining high mechanical performance and consistent processing properties.
In addition, the HexPly Nature Range provides prepreg options with natural fiber reinforcements that can be seamlessly integrated into existing production processes.

Hexcel worked with TÜV Austria to provide independent, high-quality measurement and assessment of the bio-content of HexPly Nature Range products. TÜV Austria’s OK biobased certification uses a standardized measurement of the biobased carbon content enabling transparency and easy like-for-like comparison between products.

At JEC World in Paris on May 3-5, Hexcel presented an alpine ski produced by the Tecnica Group Ski Excellence Center which produces skis for Blizzard and for Nordica using HexPly Nature Range M78.1-LT UD flax fiber prepreg. In addition to providing a bio-based material solution, the natural fiber-reinforced prepreg also offers the potential to improve impact performance and vibration damping in the ski.

Claude Despierres, VP of Sales and Marketing – Industrial at Hexcel, said, “Our new HexPly Nature Range forms an important part of providing customers with biobased, TÜV-certified material options based on our established prepreg resin systems. Marine, winter sports, wind energy and automotive manufacturers can now have the choice to switch from petroleum-based material solutions to Hexcel HexPly Nature Range with no compromise in performance or process efficiency.”

Organized by the partnership of Tüyap Fairs and Exhibitions Organization Inc. and Teknik Fairs Inc., the ITM 2022 International Textile Machinery Exhibition will be held at Istanbul Tüyap Fair and Congress Center on 14-18 June 2022. Hundreds of domestic and international exhibitors are looking forward to presenting their newest technologies for the first time at the ITM 2O22 Exhibition. Leading textile machinery manufacturers, global sector investors, and professional visitors are planning to come to the ITM 2022 Exhibition to examine the latest technologies closely.

Trade committees from dozens of countries are requesting to attend the ITM 2022 Exhibition, which is included in the ‘Domestic Organizations Covered by State Incentives’ list by the Ministry of Commerce. Bangladesh, India, Iran, Serbia, Czech Republic, Pakistan, Indonesia, Ethiopia, Malaysia, Mexico, Egypt and Vietnam are among the countries that requested procurement delegations.

The ITM 2022 Exhibition is of great importance for Turkish textile machinery and accessories manufacturers to increase their competitiveness in exports and to sign collaborations that will result in worldwide exports. Leading textile technology brands, which focus on product development and new productions during the pandemic conditions, are looking forward to the ITM 2022 Exhibition to present their products to the market and introduce them to their customers face to face. More than 300 manufacturers will make the world launches of their latest technological innovations at the ITM 2022 Exhibition.

ITM 2022: Rieter Further Improves Attractiveness of Ring and Compact-Spinning System

• Autoconer X6 is the key machine for highest efficiency
• Roving frame F 40 sets industry standard at 90 seconds only for doffing
• New top and bottom aprons NO-79201 offer greater durability
• i-Bearing enables 24/7 visibility for fast and smart decisions
• Berkolizer pro introduces easily adjustable UV treatment as industry-first
• European roll out of precision winder NEO-YW to launch in Turkey

Rieter is presenting the Autoconer X6 at the upcoming ITM 2022 in Istanbul (Turkey), taking place from June 14 to June 18, 2022, which further improves the attractiveness of the company’s ring and compact-spinning offering by completing the system. In addition, Rieter is showing the roving frame F 40 which doffs at 90 seconds only. SSM’s NEO-YW precision winder is launching into the European market while three key innovations in components are being introduced.

Opportunities and Challenges to the Spinning Industry

2021 was an unprecedented year for the global spinning industry. Driven by the market recovery after the pandemic and the regional shift of the industry, customers invested in new spinning systems at levels never experienced before. And despite the current uncertainties, customers continue to invest.

As market and technology leader, Rieter succeeded in this environment in posting a record order intake for 2021. This is clear evidence of the high level of trust customers have in Rieter. Dr. Norbert Klapper, CEO of Rieter, says: “Systems, machines, components, parts and services from Rieter have ensured competitiveness and success for customers over many years in the past and will continue to do so in the future.”

Dr. Klapper also comments on the challenges that lie ahead for the industry as it takes advantage of market opportunities: “The pandemic is not over yet, and business is exposed to dramatic cost increases as well as shortages in material supplies and logistics. In difficult times, it is important to work together even more closely than under normal circumstances. It’s all about true partnership and trust – the basis of Rieter’s business for 226 years.”

• The first year of TECHNYL® in China under the DOMO brand name; DOMO will be pushing forward its expansion plan of high-performance polyamides in China
• Continued innovation in engineered nylon materials for a sustainable future

DOMO Chemicals announced a long-term investment plan in China to continue expanding its production capacity of TECHNYL® high-performance polyamides. This plan aims to meet growing demand in the automotive, electrical & electronics, and industrial consumer goods industries, and help build a sustainable future. DOMO Chemicals acquired Solvay's Performance Polyamides business in 2020 and has sold the TECHNYL® products globally since February 1, 2022, including in China, one of the company's key strategic markets.

The global demand for polyamide materials is currently booming at a CAGR of up to 3 percent. The adoption of new energy vehicles (including pure electric, hybrid and fuel cell vehicles) is expected to reach 45 percent globally by 2030, and automakers are increasingly using sustainable materials to make components, which are key growth drivers of the polyamide market. In addition, the demand for miniaturized circuit breakers, contactors, plug switches, and other components in the electrical and electronics and industrial consumer goods industries further opens up the application potential for polyamide materials.

DOMO Chemicals will continue to expand the capacity of its production site in Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, which has been planned to be gradually introduced in three stages:

• Since March 2022, an additional 6,000 tons of capacity has been made available, with the plant achieving the total capacity of 14,000 tons of PA6 from April onwards.
• A 35,000-ton new plant in Haiyan is planned to be completed in the third quarter of 2023, in which DOMO Chemicals has invested more than 14 million euros (97 million yuan).
• Going forward, DOMO Chemicals will further expand the plant, gradually increasing its capacity to 50,000 tons.

In addition to the expansion, the plant will also use renewable energy wherever possible, adopt advanced water and air treatment technologies to reduce water consumption and CO2 emissions, and fully comply with Health, Safety and Environmental Management System (HSE) regulations. DOMO Chemicals will improve HSE compliance continuously and work closely with the local government, while partnering with key local and global customers to accelerate innovation and development across a wide range of industries.

TECHNYL® has been committed to helping customers improve their low-carbon competitiveness since its very first year in China. It allows OEMs and component makers in the automotive, electrical & electronics, and industrial consumer goods segments to create lightweight, durable, aesthetically pleasing, smart and environmentally-friendly products.

Each year, since its creation more than 20 years ago, the JEC Composites Innovation Awards celebrate successful projects and cooperation between players of the composites industry. The competition has especially shined a light on some 203 companies and 499 partners, awarding them for the excellence of their composite innovations.

The ceremony took place on April 26th in Paris. Highlighted by the presence of jury members, finalists and winners but most importantly, as it was livestreamed, the gathering of many people all around the world to watch the awaited results.

The enthusiasm for the Innovation Awards, exactly 7 days prior to JEC World, is a good sign of the industry’s eagerness to get back together and ensure the future of composites innovation.

• Aerospace Application
  Diab (Sweden): 100% thermoplastic panel for cabin interiors
• Aerospace – Process
  MTorres Disenos Industriales S.A.U. (Spain): Innovative Infusion Airframe Manufacturing System
• Automotive & road transportation – Structural
  Jaguar Land Rover Limited (UK): TUCANA
• Automotive & road transportation – Surfaces
  AUDI AG (Germany): Seamless Integration of Flexible Solar Film in FRP
• Building & Civil Engineering
  Windesheim (Netherlands): Structural Re-Use of Thermoset Composites
• Design, Furniture and Home
  Kairos (France): Kairlin®, a new recyclable & compostable material
• Equipment and Machinery
  Fibraworks GmbH (Germany): Winding the future – fibraforce technology
• Maritime Transportation & Shipbuilding
  Voith Composites SE & Co. KG (Germany): Marine Rotor Blades made of Voith ‘Carbon4Stack’
• Renewable Energy
  Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy (Denmark): RecyclableBlade
• Sports, Leisure & Recreation
  Bcomp Ltd. (Switzerland): Eco-joint from thermoset race and thermoplast road