From the Sector

A sector alliance that was formed to tackle issues relating to microplastics has completed the next phase of its project to develop a harmonised industry standard for the supply chain. The Cross Industry Agreement (CIA) has revealed the results of a fibre fragmentation trial that has been carried out in advance of establishing a CEN Standard (from the European Committee for Standardization). Once confirmed, the standard will also become an ISO standard under the Vienna Agreement, providing apparel manufacturers and policy makers with a vital tool as part of wider work to reduce microfibre shedding into the environment.

In 2018, five industry organisations agreed to join forces to proactively tackle the issue of microplastics, and signed the Cross Industry Agreement. The initial signatories were European industry associations that represent the European and global value chains of garments and their associated maintenance – the International Association for Soaps, Detergents and Maintenance Products (A.I.S.E.), European Man-Made Fibres Association (CIRFS), European Outdoor Group (EOG), EURATEX the European apparel and textile industry confederation, and the Federation of the European Sporting goods Industry (FESI). Together, the five organisations understood that the very first step to enable global action around the topic, was to agree a harmonised test method which would allow the collection and comparison of globally generated data, to aid the identification of solutions.

The microfibre shedding test method was developed thanks to the joint efforts and cooperation of experts from 28 European, American and Asian organisations; the result was handed over to CEN in 2020. Since then, representatives from the CIA have been working with CEN to fine tune details in order to meet the requirements for a CEN Standard. To verify the reproducibility of the method, the partners have carried out a round robin trial (RRT) to determine if the method could be replicated in different laboratories and produce similar results. 10 organisations participated in the RRT, which was co-ordinated by the CIA, sending fabric samples to all of the laboratories involved and then collecting and analysing the data.

The results from the RRT show statistically significant consistency, both within and between participating laboratories, which demonstrates that the method is both repeatable in the same setting and reproducible in other laboratories.

The CIA has submitted the results of the RRT to CEN, with the intention that the CEN Standard is confirmed in the near future. Once that has happened, it will be promoted throughout the apparel industry and will become a key tool for researchers, businesses and governments as they accelerate efforts to reduce microfibre shedding associated with garment production.

Instead of taking place from August 25-27 as originally planned, Asia's leading trade fair for fashion and lifestyle will now be held from October 9-11, 2021 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai. The fair has been taking place physically again since July 2020, always in compliance with strict safety and hygiene regulations. Various digital platforms are being set up in parallel.

The around 500 brands registered for CHIC (August) will now present themselves to the trade visitors in autumn on 62,000 sqm, including important industry players such as JINTIANSHI (menswear), VINI Bespoke (menswear), Zaijiu (womenswear), Jiebeidi (womenswear), COFNA (childrenswear), Laura Vita (shoes), Hattershub (headwear), MANNYLONQ (CHIC-Young Blood) and Dragon Heart (CHIC-Young Blood) and exciting up-and-coming designers such as KIMUSSO, Yujiantian and Wuma.

The expected 60,000 visitors are also able to attend seminars and workshops on current topics such as Recognition and new opportunities of new retail in AI Fashion or 2021 Maker of Silk Road & Innovation of Design Infinity -- The Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition of China Textile & Apparel SME.

Next events:
CHIC Shenzhen | 3rd-5th November 2021 | Shenzhen
CHIC March 22 | 9-11 March 2022 | Shanghai

• Strong operating result: EBITDA at EUR 217.8 mn, cash flow from operating activities at EUR 199.8 mn
• Major strategic projects continue fully on track – production start of the lyocell plant in Thailand in the fourth quarter of 2021
• Start of strategic cooperation agreement for textile recycling with Södra
• New milestones in the implementation of group-wide carbon neutrality: EUR 200 mn investment in existing locations in Asia
• Guidance 2021: Lenzing expects EBITDA of at least EUR 360 mn

The Lenzing Group reported a significant improvement in revenue and earnings in the first half of the year. Growing optimism in the textile and apparel industry and the ongoing recovery in retail caused a substantial increase in demand and prices on the global fiber market, in particular at the beginning of the current financial year.

Revenue rose by 27.5 percent to EUR 1.03 bn in the first half of 2021. This increase is primarily attributable to higher viscose prices, which stood at more than RMB 15,000 in May thanks to significantly higher demand for fibers, especially in Asia. The focus on wood-based specialty fibers such as TENCEL™, LENZING™ ECOVERO™ and VEOCEL™ branded fibers also had a positive impact on the revenue development; the share of specialty fibers in fiber revenue rose to 72.8 percent in the reporting period. The negative impact of more unfavorable currency effects was consequently more than offset.

The earnings development essentially reflects the positive market development and was additionally reinforced by measures to improve efficiency. Energy and logistics costs increased significantly throughout the entire reporting period. EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) more than doubled and amounted to EUR 217.8 mn in the first half of 2021 (compared to EUR 95.6 mn in the first half of 2020). The EBITDA margin rose from 11.8 percent to 21.1 percent. Net profit for the period amounted to EUR 96.1 mn (compared to a net loss of EUR minus 14.4 mn in the first half of 2020) and earnings per share to EUR 3.06 (compared to EUR 0.06 in the first half of 2020).

“Lenzing had a very strong first half-year. The demand for our sustainably produced specialty fibers once again developed excellently,” says Stefan Doboczky, CEO of the Lenzing Group.

Schoeller Textil AG, the Swiss textile and technology company, announces a shift in leadership as Joachim Kath takes over as CEO. Following a 10-year career at the global textile solutions brand, CEO Siegfried Winkelbeiner is moving into his retirement later this month. Joachim Kath, who comes from the chemical industry, has been working closely with Winkelbeiner as COO at Schoeller for the past year and a half.

The transition comes after long-term planning. Since February 2020, and in close partnership with Siegfried Winkelbeiner, Joachim Kath (on the left) has been preparing as Schoeller COO to take over its management. Joachim Kath originally comes from Flensburg (DE) and, following his studies of Chemical Engineering in Karlsruhe, shaped his professional career in the chemical industry with Ciba (-Geigy) / BASF in Basel (CH). His career over 30 years has incorporated engineering, production and marketing & sales in diverse management functions – in a wide range of business segments for various industries and areas of application around the globe. Joachim Kath spent 12 years of his career dedicated to textile finishing, with a period of intensive travel in Asia and a 3-year stay in the USA.

Asked how he sees himself, Joachim Kath said: “The common thread running through all my assignments and business activities is process orientation, interest in new paths, and an instinct for what is feasible – with the goal of achieving customer benefits and satisfaction. Kath aims to ensure that Schoeller can continue to face the challenges of changing market requirements with outstanding and exceptional products, while evolving and innovating to stay ahead of consumer needs for the future. High performance capability, sustainable product development, premium quality, reliability, productivity, and keeping the customer as the central focus of all activities continue as essential keys to Schoeller’s continued business success.

In addition to the in-person event, the company invited its visitors to a virtual booth. Groz-Beckert welcomed a total of almost 3,600 visitors during the trade fair – 2,300 of them in person and around 1,300 virtually.

This year, the virtual booth complemented the traditional booth on the trade fair grounds to enable us to reach as many customers as possible despite the coronavirus pandemic and worldwide restrictions. At both booths, the product highlights were explored using 3D models and discussions were held. At the virtual booth, each visitor had their own avatar which they could use to move through the virtual world. An exchange between customers and Groz-Beckert took place either in person or – also in real time – via chat or video cal
 
In Shanghai, most of the visitors came from China due to the pandemic. The ranking in the virtual environment puts India top in terms of visitor numbers, followed by Bangladesh, Germany and Turkey.

The recent ITMA Asia + CITME exhibition was marked by a strong showing from Swiss Textile Machinery members, in what was the sector’s first major face-to-face showcase since the pandemic restrictions.

With an attendance comprised of 99% visitors, the show still proved a satisfactory venture, the Swiss companies reported. There was real product innovation, and meaningful customer interest, prompting a genuine mood of optimism among exhibitors. The event was held from June 12-16 in Shanghai, with 18 Swiss exhibitors, of whom 13 were Swiss Textile Machinery member companies.

The Swiss Textile Machinery member firms exhibiting at ITMA Asia + CITME 2020 were:

• Bräcker
• Graf
• Hunziker
• Loepfe
• Luwa
• Polytex
• Rieter
• Santex Rimar
• Sedo Engineering
• SSM
• Stäubli
• Uster
• Willy Grob

The new, industrial, entry-level EFI™ Reggiani BLAZE scanning printer from Electronics For Imaging, Inc. is making its debut at the ITMA Asia tradeshow, 12-16 June in Shanghai, China. The high-quality printer is an easy-to-use, smart solution to help textile companies blaze their successful trail into the world of efficient, sustainable industrial inkjet printing. It is equipped with EFI Reggiani’s state-of-the-art technology, offering high quality, reliability and flexibility on the widest variety of designs.

Cutting-edge technology in a compact footprint
The EFI Reggiani BLAZE printer is designed to give textile companies the opportunity to enter the digital textile printing market with a compact solution. The new, 1.8-metre wide printer offers an innovative, low-maintenance, continuous recirculation ink system equipped with a level sensor and degassing as well as a printhead crash protective system for longer printhead life and superior uptime.
 
Thanks to its cutting-edge printhead reliability and low maintenance costs for a competitive TCO (total cost of ownership), the BLAZE printer can produce up to 125 linear metres per hour with a printing resolution up to 600x1200 dots per inch (dpi). The printer – which delivers excellent productivity as one of the fastest digital inkjet solutions in its class – has eight 300-dpi dual channel printheads and can print in up to eight colours with full variable drop size.

Flexible fabric feed and handling for higher productivity
The EFI Reggiani BLAZE is equipped with a continuous and switchable belt washing unit to remove water and fabric hairs. An embedded device for adhesive application offers the possibility to use thermoplastic, resin and permanent adhesives.
 
The printer also includes other features for enhanced productivity and value, including a 400-mm roll unwinder, expandable shafts, an air gun and a pneumatic bar for standard fabrics.

Efficient software and electronics technology
The Reggiani BLAZE printer offers a friendly and intuitive user interface with real-time image processing and flexible queue management. The software also runs a WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) job editor, as well as tools to accurately predict printing speed and ink usage.

EFI Reggiani TERRA Silver enhancement
EFI has also released an enhanced version of the EFI Reggiani TERRA Silver printer, a 1.8-metre wide printer operating with EFI Reggiani’s unique TERRA pigment ink with binder solution for high-quality, highly sustainable, direct-to-textile printing without steaming or washing.

Features:

• A new recirculating ink system for superior reliability and minimum maintenance at start up and during production
• Several printing modes to ensure maximum flexibility in terms of design capability
• New, real-time image processing that eliminates time spent in image pre-calculations
• A user friendly, intuitive interface
• A more-efficient polymerisation process that takes place as printed textile goes through the printer’s on-board dryer.

Flat knitting solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan, together with its Hong Kong subsidiary SHIMA SEIKI (HonG KonG) LTD., will participate in the ITMA Asia + CITME 2020 exhibition to be held at the national Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai, China in June.

Through its exhibit theme—Step Beyond—SHIMA SEIKI will present its vision of the future, while addressing a variety of solutions for the new normal, including proposals in Factory Automation, Digital Transformation (DX), and various online solutions.

At ITMA Asia SHIMA SEIKI will be making proposals for factory automation centered around the special manufacturing capabilities of our WHOLEGARMENT® knitting machines. WHOLEGARMENT® knitwear can be knit in one entire piece without the need for linking or sewing, and allows for on-demand knitting. SHIMA SEIKI will present its WHOLEGARMENT® knitting technology in the form of two of the latest machines. The flagship MACH2XS is the one of most advanced flat knitting machines, featuring proprietary four-needle bed and Slideneedle™ technology combined with spring-type moveable sinkers and i-DSCS+DTC® Digital Stitch Control System with Intelligence and Dynamic Tension Control, and capable of all-needle knitting of WHOLEGARMENT® items. MACH2XS is presented in ultrafine 18L gauge, shown for the first time in China. Also shown for the first time in China, MACH2VS, a flexible V-bed machine capable of knitting WHOLEGARMENT® knitwear using every other needle, or conventional shaped knitting using all needles. It also features spring-type moveable sinkers and i-DSCS+DTC® Digital Stitch Control System with Intelligence and Dynamic Tension Control. MACH2VS is presented in ultrafine 18G with auto yarn carriers as a prototype option.

ITMA Asia will also be the occasion for a sneak preview of next-Generation 4-bed WHOLEGARMENT® knitting technology. The new machine is named SWG-XR, adopting the SWG moniker from the first-generation WHOLEGARMENT® knitting machine introduced back in 1995. The "X" represents 4 needle beds arranged in an Xshaped formation as per the original SWG-X machine, while "R" stands for Reborn and Revolution, referring to a renewal of SHIMA SEIKI's WHOLEGARMENT® knitting that raises the technology to unprecedented levels. By increasing the number of systems from 3 to 4 and featuring auto yarn carriers, SWG-XR allows even higher productivity and vastly improved range of knitting.

In order to further support efforts in DX in the fashion industry, SHIMA SEIKI has released three new online services over the past year which will also be showcased at ITMA Asia: 'APEXFiz™' subscription-based design software; 'yarnbank ™' digital yarn sourcing web service; and 'SHIMAnAVI™' e-learning service.

The 7th ITMA Asia + CITME takes place from 12–16 June 2021 in Shanghai, China. Groz-Beckert presents the new products from all six product areas:
Knitting, Weaving, Felting, Tufting, Carding und Sewing.

The products are presented both physically as exhibits and in extended form via augmented reality. Groz-Beckert welcomes guests on-site at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Hall 4, Booth C31. In addition to the face-to-face event, the company is inviting industry visitors to its virtual booth.

Ensuring Competitiveness Through Technology

Rieter has doubled down on its R&D efforts since the onset of the pandemic to accelerate the development of its suite of intelligent and automated machines and systems so customers can manufacture yarns more profitably, efficiently and sustainably. This also empowers mill owners to respond flexibly to fast-changing markets.

• Ring spinning with G 38 and ROBOspin sets new standards in automation
• COMPACTapron takes yarn strength to new heights
• ESSENTIAL offers new features with smarter insights for better decisions
• ROBOdoff automates doffing to save time and money
• SSM’s new winder NEO-YW delivers more efficiency and sustainability
• Graf’s new cylinder wire and flats enhance lifetime and quality