From the Sector

At Lectra’s Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting held on April 30, members voted to appoint Céline Abecassis-Moedas as a new independent director. Nominated for a period of four years, she becomes a member of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Strategic Committee.

The appointment of Céline Abecassis-Moedas to Lectra's Board of Directors will notably strengthen the Strategic Committee, which will be called upon to examine an increasing number of investment projects in innovative companies and the continued development of our offers for Industry 4.0.

Céline Abecassis-Moedas will also draw upon her international experience as an independent director, through positions held for nearly ten years at four companies in Spain and Portugal: Europac (Papeles y Cartones de Europa) from 2012 to 2019, CTT (CTT Correios de Portugal) from 2016 to 2020, CUF since 2016, and Vista Alegre Atlantis since 2020.

Céline Abecassis-Moedas, 49, is now Dean for Executive Education and Associate Professor at Católica-Lisbon. She began her career in research at France Telecom R&D, before joining Lectra in New York as an e-business product manager in 1999, then AT Kearney in London as a consultant in 2000. From 2002 to 2005, she was Lecturer in Strategy at Queen Mary University of London, then joined Católica-Lisbon University as Assistant Professor in Strategic and Innovation Management.

From 2014 to 2020, Céline Abecassis-Moedas was also Affiliate Professor at ESCP and co-scientific director of the Lectra-ESCP Chair's "Fashion and Technology".

Céline Abecassis-Moedas is a graduate of the École Normale Supérieure de Cachan, of the Université Paris Dauphine (DEA in Scientific management methods), holder of a Ph.D. in Management from the École Polytechnique and holder of the INSEAD Certificate in Corporate Governance obtained in 2017.

International technology Group ANDRITZ has received an order from Amarande SAS to supply an elliptical cylinder pre-needler for their plant in Lussac les Châteaux, France. This machine will process shoddy and natural fibers for the production of heavy felts. Installation and start-up of the machine are scheduled for the second quarter of 2021. The new needlepunch production line with the high-performance ANDRITZ cylinder pre-needler will allow Amarande to offer high-quality products and thus open up new market opportunities.

ANDRITZ offers a complete range of elliptical cylinder pre-needlers serving different weights, widths, speeds and punching capacity. Over the years they have become a must for production of heavy products, special applications and also for demanding applications like automotive. They are a key success factor in enabling the subsequent needling machines to process heavy batts smoothly and control the progressive draft through the consolidation process.  

Established in 1990, Amarande is an important French producer of nonwovens, specialized in the production of felt and wadding from recycled textile and natural fibers (wool, cotton, hemp, flax, jute, etc.). The company operates in various markets such as furniture, green spaces, horticultural crops, and insulation.

International technology Group ANDRITZ has signed an agreement with Laroche, based in Cours, France, to acquire LM Industries comprising Laroche SA and Miltec SA, France. ANDRITZ will take over all Laroche entities and their business worldwide. Closing of the transaction, which is subject to approval by the ANDRITZ Supervisory Board, is expected at the beginning of 2021.

Laroche is a leading supplier of fiber processing technologies such as opening, blending and dosing, airlay web forming, textile waste recycling and decortication of bast fibers. The product portfolio further complements the ANDRITZ Nonwoven product range. ANDRITZ is now able to offer the complete supply and value chain, from the raw material, to opening and blending, web forming, bonding, finishing, drying, and converting. Laroche’s high-performance technologies for opening and blending enhance the ANDRITZ scope of supply for spunlace, needlepunch and wetlaid production lines. Moreover, both companies have agreed to further strengthen the development of their existing technologies for high-speed and high-capacity applications and also to continue pursuing the development of textile recycling processes in order to stay ahead of the changes the industry is facing.

Laroche SA has been developing fiber processing technologies for more than 100 years. With integrated manufacturing, the company supplies lines for a wide range of industries/products: spinning, bedding and furniture, automotive, acoustic and thermal insulation, geotextiles, filtration, wipes, and many more.

Robert Laroche, President of Laroche: “This acquisition is the logical conclusion in view of the successful long-term relationship between ANDRITZ and Laroche. We have been working in close cooperation for more than ten years and are very much looking forward to becoming a member of the ANDRITZ family.”

Andreas Lukas, Senior Vice President and Division Manager, ANDRITZ Nonwoven: “By adding Laroche’s state-of-the-art products and expertise to our existing capabilities, ANDRITZ Nonwoven will further strengthen its market and technology position.”

Royal DSM, a global science-based company in Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living, today announces that Dyneema® is driving the performance of Team Sunweb’s protective cycling jerseys in the 2020 Tour de France. Together with its partners, Team Sunweb and Craft Sportswear, DSM has helped to deliver a jersey that, when combined with a protective baselayer, offers cyclists effective abrasion protection at speeds up to 60km/h, while also reducing the severity of open wounds at even higher speeds. In this way, DSM underlines its commitment to protect people and the environment they live in.

Professional cycling places its participants in considerable danger; in recent years, the Tour de France has averaged 1.5 crashes per stage, while crashes in one-day classics are even more frequent. Cycling jerseys can support riders by enabling protection for a large portion of the body, while allowing for moisture transport to the surface and offering low thermal resistance. However, cycling jerseys made with conventional materials offer limited protective performance.

To address these needs and enable a safer riding experience, DSM has teamed up with Craft Sportswear and Team Sunweb to develop a cycling jersey that offers much-needed increases in abrasion resistance without compromising the comfort or low weight that cyclists demand. The new jersey is the latest protective cycling apparel solution, following the launch of the protective bib shorts (2015) and the protective baselayer (2019). The jersey will be worn for the first time by Team Sunweb in this year’s Tour de France. When combined with the protective baselayer, the new jersey offers complete protection against abrasions up to 60km/h, a speed below which professional cyclists spend 95% of race time in a typical stage.

Dyneema® has been used to protect workers in high-stake industries for more than 30 years – and the expansion into fabrics means both professional and recreational cyclists can enjoy the intrinsic performance capabilities of Dyneema® in their protective garments without sacrificing wearer comfort.

“Being 15 times stronger than steel on a weight for weight basis, Dyneema® fiber offers an excellent solution to increasing the abrasion resistance of a fabric, reducing the severity of road rash in case of a crash, without compromising the rider weight or comfort,” states Piet Rooijakkers, Head of R&D Team Sunweb “What’s more, the new jersey can form part of a modular protection solution, where riders can easily take off or put on layers according to race and weather conditions. In this way, the new jersey will support our riders significantly in the Tour de France and beyond.”

“The new cycling jersey with Dyneema® will make a real difference to cyclists facing the dangers of professional competition, and help ensure the health of both people and the environment,” states Wilfrid Gambade, President DSM Protective Materials. “The jersey is physical proof of the great achievements collaboration with expert partners can deliver. Moving forward, we will work with Craft and Team Sunweb to integrate bio-based Dyneema® fibers into protective cycling jerseys – contributing even further to a safe and healthy world!”

In line with its commitment to protect people and the environment they live in, DSM introduced the world’s first-ever bio-based HMPE fiber in May 2020. Bio-based Dyneema® fiber offers the same exact performance as conventional Dyneema® with a carbon footprint that is 90% lower than generic HMPE. The continued partnership between DSM, Craft and Team Sunweb will not only provide innovative, lightweight solutions for cyclists, but also environmentally sustainable alternatives that contribute to a circular economy.

• There is an urban legend that hemp canvas was used to make the very first pair of Levi’s jeans.
• While this is a myth that originated in the counterculture of the 1960s, hemp is without doubt the fibre of the moment for the denim industry.

At the second Kingpins24 virtual denim show that was broadcast from New York on June 23rd and 24th, the sustainable benefits of hemp fibre were referenced by many Monforts customers who are now including it in their collections, including AGI Denim, Artistic Milliners, Black Peony, Calik, Cone Denim, Naveena Denim Mills (NDM) and Orta.

“Hemp is an easy to grow fibre which requires no irrigation, no fertilizers, no herbicides and no chemicals,” says Allan Little, Director of Product Development for Cone Denim, which has recently launched its Sweet Leaf collection featuring the fibre. “Significantly, it also uses fifty per cent or even less water than cotton in cultivation.”

It can also bring some new aesthetics to denim too, he adds.

“Hemp has a unique colour and adds a different cast to our indigo, the drape and texture of the fabrics is different and it even adds  a bit of a unique hand, so combined with its sustainable credentials we are proud to be bringing the Sweet Leaf collection to the market.”

US supply chain

Cone is currently sourcing its hemp from France, but with much of its manufacturing now in Mexico – and with the introduction of the US Farm Bill in 2018 which has legalised the growing of legal hemp – is exploring the possibility of investing in the US supply chain.

“With US hemp we’re really at the R&D phase,” Little emphasises. “It’s a unique crop, so coming up with the right stalk to provide the right fibre is challenging. We’ve experimented with different types of seed and various methods of decortication.”

Decortication, he explains, is the mechanical removal of the outside layer of the hemp stalk to useable fibre on the inside. A second process, cottonization, is necessary to make the fibre suitable for spinning, because compared to cotton, hemp is longer, stiffer, and less flexible.

100% success

At the end of 2019, Naveena (NDM), headquartered in Karachi, introduced fabrics featuring up to 51% hemp content in blends with Tencel and recycled polyester and this year has developed the first 100% hemp denims.

“The response to the fabrics we showed last year was incredible and we were looking forward to the response to this latest development – which everyone was asking for – at the Kingpins show in Amsterdam, which unfortunately was unable to go ahead,” says NDM’s Director of Marketing Rashid Iqbal. “We produced initial samples in an undyed state because we were not sure how the wet spun yarn would react in the dyeing, but I’m happy to say we have had success in this respect and are now able to provide one hundred per cent indigo dyed hemp denim.”

Environmental benefits

“Differentiation is the key in the highly-competitive denim industry and we have assisted our customers with trials and optimised processing parameters for a range of different fibres, including hemp, both at our Advanced Technology Centre in Germany and at their own mills around the world,” says Hans Wroblowski, Monforts Head of Denim. “Given the environmental benefits of hemp, and the liberalisation of its cultivation in many parts of the world, the interest in it now comes as no surprise. We have the technologies and know-how to help our customers to fully maximise their hemp denims at all post-weaving stages of production.”

Monforts has a dominant position in the field of denim finishing with its well proven Montex stenters. It has been enjoying further recent success with its Eco Line concept based on two key technology advances – the Eco Applicator and the Thermo Stretch.

The latest Monforts innovation for denim is the CYD yarn dyeing system. This technology is based on the effective and established dyeing process for denim fabrics that is now being applied for yarn dyeing.

The CYD system also integrates new functions and processes into the weaving preparation processes – spinning, direct beaming, warping and assembly beaming, followed by sizing and dyeing – to increase quality, flexibility, economic viability and productivity. A full CYD line is now available for trials at the company’s Advanced Technology Centre.

Riri and Coeurdor announce that they are creating the largest metal accessories group dedicated to the high-end luxury brands. The combination of the two companies will result in a unique value proposition, offering the full range of metal trims. This will allow luxury brands to simplify their supply-chain and benefit from unique innovation capabilities, including new technology like 3D printing and stainless steel. They will also rely on a production network that spans from France, Italy, Switzerland to Portugal, offering maximum flexibility and security of supply adapted to the fashion market requirements.

Founded in 1951 and headquartered in Maîche (France), Coeurdor is a manufacturer of metal accessories for the luxury industry. The company is specialized in surface finishings and manufacture of metal products for Luxury leather goods, with production facilities in France and Portugal. The company is well-known for the quality of its products, its innovation capabilities and strong customer relationships.

Founded in 1936 and headquartered in Mendrisio (Switzerland), Riri is a well-known brand, producing zippers and buttons, through Riri and Cobrax brands, mostly for the high-end luxury market. Riri is the privileged choice of many brands in light of high quality of the creations released season after season, ever-ending effort in terms of innovation, personalization of details and high service levels. The company has a world commercial presence, with commercial offices in Paris, New York City, Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Shanghai and four manufacturing sites across Switzerland and Italy.

Robert Jeambrun, Chairman of Coeurdor said: “We are very excited to open this new chapter of our history together with Riri. We believe the two organizations share the same values, including a focus on innovation and dedication to high service levels for our customers. Crossing our path with Riri will enable us to continue our growth story and increase our financial means, becoming the supplier of choice of high-end luxury brands.”

Renato Usoni, CEO of Riri Group said: “We are welcoming the Coeurdor family. The alliance of the two groups will create a new leader in the market with a unique business model and industrial means capable of supplying all metal pieces needed by our clients, from zippers to buttons and metal trims, all at once. The combined offering will be highly synergetic and will allow our clients to better industrialize their supply chains and benefit from unique innovation capabilities.”

In the latest short film released on the Monforts YouTube Channel – captured at the recent Denim Première Vision show in London – some of the leading global manufacturers discuss their initiatives for more sustainable denim production.

Cone Denim, based in Greensboro, North Carolina, for example, can lay claim to having put in place its first environmental control measures back in the 1940s when the company first started recycling its water.

“It was a method of efficiency even back then, eighty years ago,” says Gabriel Magopat, of the company’s UK customer service centre, “but  producing high quality products is another method of being sustainable and of being efficient, and I think that’s what Cone stands for. We have an amazing history.”

Cone Denim is known for its signature S Gene® stretch denims which have traditionally incorporated polyester components to provide the stretch. It has now partnered with Intrinsic Advanced Materials of Gastonia, also in North Carolina, to introduce patent-pending CiCLO stretch polyester fibres into its denim collections. 

While still being synthetic based, CiCLO polyester is able to biodegrade in marine environments, wastewater treatment plants and landfill conditions, at rates similar to natural fibres like wool. 

This more sustainable solution for stretch is also being introduced to China for the first time by another leading denim supplier, Advance Denim.

“Advance Denim is spending its resources on being the most technologically advanced company in China, and also the most sustainable,” says Mark Ix, the company’s Director of Marketing. “We are investing heavily in our manufacturing to save both water and chemicals to create cleaner products.”

Monforts denim customer Berto is a family-owned company with its main denim mill in Bovolenta, a small rural town near to Padua in the north east of Italy, where respect for the environment has always been a must.

“The family has always been focused on respect for the environment,” says Berto’s Marketing Manager Francesca Palento. “In particular, we have a river next to the company from which we take our water for production and we then return it cleaner than it was before. We are also now producing GOTS and Global Recycling Standard jean produced with yarns made from our own internal waste production.”

Pakistan’s Soorty has recently received Cradle to Cradle Gold certification – the most stringent and exacting sustainable standard currently in existence – for its Pure D range of denims. These are produced using the company’s proprietary Zero Waste Water dyeing technology, in combination with the most advanced Monforts finishing machines. 

“Our very latest collection is called Climate Jeans, because every single product we now produce draws attention to the climate emergency we are living through right now,” says Eda Dikman, Soorty’s Marketing Communications Manager. “Sustainability is very important to us because we produce at scale and all of the actions we take reflect on the planet.”

“Authenticity wins: climbing business in a sustainable way” – the discussion targeted the importance of communication and transparency for today’s industry, promoting responsibility and innovation.

A selection of 26 fashion industry top players to discuss how digitalization is impacting companies’ value, one of the most important parameter to be considered when talking about business. This was the fifth edition of the CEO Roundtable, promoted by Fashion and eBusiness, which took place on November 7th at Palazzo Parigi, Milan.

The denim ingredient brand ISKO, always first in line when it comes to supporting the industry in the development of best practices, was among the event’s main partners. The company shared its long-standing and well-established commitment to Responsible Innovation™, taking part in a panel tackling new models to blend together authenticity and innovation and thus responsibly succeed in business.

Fashion Magazine CEO&Editor-in-chief Marc Sondermann hosted the discussion, which started at 9.20 a.m. and involved Elena Faleschini, ISKO Global Field Marketing Manager, along with Nicolas Bargi, Save the Duck Founder&CEO, Francesca Toninato, 7 For All Mankind CEO and Stefano Modellini, Diana E-commerce Corporation Founder&CEO.

Lectra announces the signing of an agreement with the shareholders of the Belgium company Retviews to acquire 100% of capital and voting rights.

Founded in 2017, Retviews has developed an innovative technological offer that enables fashion brands to analyze real-time market data, in order to increase their sales and margins. Today, more than 30 brands use Retviews in France and Belgium.

STAMFORD, Conn. – At this year's Paris Airshow [Le Bourget, June 17-23] Hexcel will promote a range of carbon fibers and composite materials used to manufacture high-performance weight-saving structures in civil aircraft, engines, helicopters, and space applications.

Visitors to the Hexcel stand will see an Integrated Wing Panel demonstrator and an I-beam, both made with HiTape® carbon fiber reinforcements. HiTape® dry carbon reinforcements were developed for the automated lay-up of preforms and to complement a new generation of HiFlow™ resin systems, producing high-quality aerospace structures using the resin infusion process. The reinforcements incorporate a toughening veil to enhance mechanical properties and meet the structural requirements for aerospace parts. The I-Beam was manufactured using C-RTM (Compression Resin Transfer Molding) and was injected with Hexcel’s RTM6 resin in a process taking less than five minutes.

Hexcel honeycomb saves weight and enhances stiffness in composite structures, and the company provides a range of engineered core solutions that enable highly contoured parts with precision profiling to be produced to exact customer specifications. A sample part made from aluminum FlexCore® that is CNC machined on both sides and formed and stabilized with both peel ply and flyaway layers of stabilization will be on display.

Another honeycomb innovation is Hexcel’s Acousti-Cap® broadband noise-reducing honeycomb that significantly improves acoustic absorption in aircraft engine nacelles. The acoustic treatment may be positioned at a consistent depth and resistance within the core or can be placed in a pattern of varying depths and/or resistances (Multi-Degrees of Freedom and 3 Degrees Of Freedom), offering an acoustic liner that is precisely tuned to the engine operating conditions. These technologies have been tested at NASA on a full engine test rig and meet all 16 design conditions without trade-offs.
Another Hexcel technology to benefit aircraft engines is HexShield™ honeycomb which provides high-temperature resistance in nacelles. By inserting a thermally resistant material into honeycomb cells, Hexcel provides a core product with unique heat-shielding capabilities that allows for the potential reuse of material after a fire.

With 50 years of experience behind its comprehensive range of high-strength, high-strain PAN-based carbon fibers, Hexcel continues to innovate and is introducing two new fibers to its portfolio. HexTow® HM50 combines high modulus and high tensile strength, making it ideal for commercial and defense aircraft and engines. HexTow® 85 was developed specifically to replace rayon-based carbon fiber for ablative applications.

Another area of expertise that uses HexTow® carbon fiber is additive manufacturing, where Hexcel uses PEKK ultrahigh performance polymers and HexAM™ technology to manufacture carbon reinforced 3D printed parts. This innovative process provides a weight-saving solution for intricate parts in highly demanding aerospace, satellite and defense applications. HexPEKK™ structures offer significant weight, cost and time-to-market reductions, replacing traditional cast or machined metallic parts with a new technology.

Later this year Hexcel will open a joint research and development laboratory in Les Avenières (Isère), France with Arkema to develop carbon fiber-reinforced thermoplastic prepreg tapes for aerospace, space and defense applications. A spool of thermoplastic prepreg tape will be on display on Hexcel’s stand to showcase this cost-effective technology that enables lightweight parts to be produced in faster production cycles for future generations of aircraft.

Hexcel’s stand is located next to Hexcel’s official distributor for aerospace products, Groupe Gazechim Composites. In 2018, Hexcel and Gazechim formed a joint venture, HexCut Services, to provide aerospace and defense customers with customized kitting services that include Hexcel’s innovative carbon fiber prepreg, fabrics and adhesives. Pre-cut kits save customers time and investment, reduce inventory and minimize material losses through scrap reduction.