From the Sector

From leaders to entrepreneurs, JEC COMPOSITES CONNECT is welcoming a lineup of special guests. As part of conferences, they will share their expertise, vision, and perspective in front of all the players in the composites industry.

AEROSPACE – Towards a More Sustainable Strategy, Tuesday, June 1st –  9am to 10:15am (CEST)
The aerospace industry is a major source of innovation and technological advancements that often originates inspiration across a wide variety of other industries. Nowadays, in a context where environmental constraints are becoming increasingly stringent especially when it comes to air mobility, OEMs are constantly in search of innovative answers and solutions that will allow them to create a ‘greener’ future. The need for light-weighting, reduced maintenance and waste, and repurposing aerospace-grade CFRP towards other applications are expected to drive demand and adoption of composites in aerospace applications.

Yannick Willemin, Head of Marketing & Business Development, 9TLabs, will chair this conference with Clémentine Gallet, CEO, Coriolis, Hervé Gilibert,CTO, ArianeGroup, Jean Botti, CEO, Voltaero and Scott Finn, Chief Consulting Engineer for Composites, GE Aviation.

AUTOMOTIVE – The Right Material at the Right Place, Tuesday, June 1st –  3 pm to 5:05 pm (CEST)
Among the many challenges facing the automotive industry, reducing vehicle mass and therefore emissions all while maintaining safety and cost-efficiency remain key. Lighter materials implying higher costs, they limit mass production. Therefore, a combination of materials, albeit hybrid solutions, would help solve this issue and are becoming increasingly attractive for manufacturers. This conference consists of industry presentations and a panel discussion involving major OEMs & Tier1s from all over the world. It covers the challenges & opportunities of using composites materials in the Automotive field.

Dale Brosius CFO, IACMI, will chair this conference with Alice Swallow, Senior Innovation Engineer, FORD MOTOR GROUP, Christophe Kühn, Senior Project Manager – Composites & Hybrid Components, VOLKSWAGEN, Dominik Klaiber, Doctoral Candidate Body Advanced Engineering, PORSCHE and Gerard LIRAUT, Expert Leader Polymers, GROUPE RENAULT – ALLIANCE RENAULT NISSAN MITSUBISHI.

Sappi is expanding its product range for corrugated board applications with Fusion Nature Plus.

With Fusion Nature Plus, Sappi is launching an uncoated, fully bleached and completely recyclable virgin fibre liner. The company provides a unique variety of packaging and speciality papers. The specialist in paper-based solutions also offers a wide range of products in relation to labels. Fusion Nature Plus offers excellent printing results in flexographic, digital and offset printing processes.

• Ultra-bright, uncoated virgin fibre paper with excellent printing results
• Ideal for attractive corrugated board as well as premium shopping bags
• Can be used as topliner, liner or fluting
• Available in grammages of 80 to 130 g/m²

The virgin fibre liner is based on the concept of the successful Fusion Topliner. In contrast to the double-coated Fusion Topliner, Fusion Nature Plus has a natural, uncoated surface with a more tactile feel, in response to the growing market appetite for this type of product. The liner is also provided in very low grammages.

Fusion Nature Plus enhances brand appearance

Brand owners, corrugated board processors, manufacturers of display cartons and folding cartons as well as designers all benefit from the versatility of the new Fusion Nature Plus. In contrast to conventional uncoated liner papers, the material offers high brightness, brilliant colour reproduction and consistently high quality. These features make the product the perfect choice for corrugated board or solid board packaging, where a very bright appearance is needed for topliners, inner liners and corrugating applications. Whether used as an inlay in cosmetics or confectionery packaging, or as a liner in shipping packaging to ensure an exceptional unboxing experience, Fusion Nature Plus is called upon wherever an enhanced appearance is desired.

Another area of application is paper carrier bags, where uncoated paper qualities are often preferred.

Fusion Nature Plus is ideally suited to a range of printing processes: the product achieves outstanding results in flexographic and offset printing. The pre-treated surface and high brightness offer clear advantages with regard to primer requirements and print behaviour, especially for inkjet-based digital printing. Bernd Gelder, Head of Sales Containerboard at Sappi Europe: ‘With its exceptional print quality and impressive colour reproduction, Fusion Nature Plus particularly appeals to packaging customers who value a natural look and feel in paper. The response from the market, in which packaging based on corrugated board still needs to take on a bigger role, is enormous, of course, with the result that we have succeeded in completing a number of interesting end applications and customer projects with Fusion Nature Plus shortly after market launch.’

Virgin fibre vital for recycling

In continuous recycling use, fiber that has already been recycled is subject to a progressive weakening of quality, resulting in a weakness in the products that incorporate them, but also, crucially, over time they will ultimately degrade to a point where they become unrecoverable. As a result, a certain amount of virgin fibre needs to be introduced into the cycle on a regular basis. Without continuous virgin fibre contribution to the pulp cycle, recycled producers will in the end run out of raw material. The premium virgin fibre liner Fusion Nature Plus from Sappi plays an important role here in maintaining the quality of the recycling substrate.

Thanks to the central location of Sappi’s production site in Ehingen, Fusion Nature Plus can be supplied quickly throughout Europe. The shorter transportation distances reduce transport related fossil emissions and protect the environment. The shorter production cycles in turn ensure high availability and rapid supply.

Fusion Nature Plus is currently available in six grammages from 80 to 130 g/m² in both sheet and roll form. Sappi can also provide Fusion Nature Plus with FSC or PEFC certificates on request.

US-made Acteev Protect™ masks have embedded zinc ion technology which deactivates many viruses and eliminates bacteria

Bunzl Distribution, a leading supplier of packaging, disposable supplies, and cleaning and safety products, has signed on as the distributor in Mexico for Acteev Protect™ masks, made in the United States by polyamide manufacturer Ascend Performance Materials. A global distributor, Bunzl provides supplies to supermarkets, food processing plants, retailers and convenience stores in Mexico.

Bunzl will distribute the Acteev Protect Nonwoven Mask, a reusable general purpose mask that features powerful antiviral and antibacterial properties. Acteev technology embeds active zinc ions in a polymer matrix which destroys microbes, deactivates many viruses and eliminates bacteria and fungi.

Recent testing on Acteev fabric completed at the University of Cambridge has demonstrated that Acteev technology deactivates the virus that causes COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2, with greater than 99.9% efficacy. Ascend has submitted several masks designs to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to obtain the appropriate regulatory clearances to make specific claims regarding the technology’s antiviral properties in the United States.

Carlos Green, Director General of Bunzl de México, says the company is pleased to bring products featuring better safety and protection to the Mexico market. “Our customers are more focused than ever before on doing business safely, and Acteev masks offer an added level of protection in the workplace,” he said. “We’re excited to offer our customers this premium product that provides some of the best protection available.”

In addition to antiviral, antifungal and antibacterial protection, the washable, reusable masks are lightweight, breathable and odor-fighting, making them comfortable to wear during a long shift at work or for outdoor workout. “Workers in industrial settings, such as chemical and food processing plants, and convenience stores and other retail outlets deserve the right protection as they keep society and the economy moving in Mexico,” said Juan Toro, Ascend’s principal business development leader for Acteev in the Americas.

“We are proud to partner with Bunzl to help deliver a reusable mask that provides both antiviral properties as well as an opportunity reduce the number of masks consumed, saving the companies money.”
Acteev Protect shows promise for use beyond masks, according to Ascend. The technology was originally developed for workout wear, and now the company is working textile applications ranging from gloves to scrubs to high-end athleisure.

Brodelec chose to broaden its scope of activity by investing in the Kornit Presto S.

Dominique Willems, CEO at Brodelec, comments: "We had already seen a strong trend for personalized items, whether in the furniture or fashion sector, but since the beginning of the pandemic we have seen a strong growth in requests for small-scale personalization. And that's exactly where Kornit offers us a solution with incredible durability and quality, perfectly suited to our needs."

He continues: "The Kornit Presto S has allowed us to bring our latest project to life: the creation of a website entirely dedicated to ordering custom masks. Thanks to an online editor and our 200 models, our customers can order their masks in quantities ranging from 1 to several thousand pieces if necessary. As the Kornit Presto is free of certain technical and chemical constraints and has adapted perfectly to Brodelec's workflow system; we are currently printing more than 10,000 masks per week and can respond to requests within extremely short deadlines while guaranteeing quality and sharpness of detail. The masks meet the recommendations of the AFNOR and are designed with a fabric that filters out particles in the air by over 90%! Therefore, the designed and printed fabric masks are designated as category 1 and meet the UNS1 standards. They are distributed after testing for 60 washes."

At the 77th Annual General Meeting of Lenzing AG, which was once again held virtually on April 14, 2021 via livestream due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the members of the Managing Board and Supervisory Board were formally discharged from liability for the business year 2020. KPMG Austria GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungs- u. Steuerberatungsgesellschaft was appointed to serve as the auditor of the annual financial statements and consolidated annual financial statements for the business year 2021.

Furthermore, the Annual General Meeting adopted the resolution on the compensation to be paid to Supervisory Board members as well as the principles underlying the remuneration of the members of the Managing Board. In addition to financial performance criteria, the remuneration policy of Lenzing AG regulating the multi-year, performance-oriented remuneration paid to the Managing Board members will also be linked in the future to non-financial sustainability criteria (ESG) designed to further promote the sustainable business strategy of Lenzing AG.

Fully on track strategically
The Managing Board of Lenzing AG presented the business development of the year 2020, a strategic outlook and sustainability strategy including the relevant roadmap to achieve climate targets to the participating shareholders. In 2019, Lenzing made a strategic commitment to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions per ton of product by 50 percent by the year 2030. The goal is to operate in a climate-neutral manner by 2050.

The substantial investments made in Thailand and Brazil not only support Lenzing in its transformation to a supplier of environmentally compatible specialty fibers but also comprise an important milestone on this journey which sustainably increases the company’s enterprise value.

The implementation of these two key projects is proceeding ahead as planned in spite of the direct impacts of the coronavirus crisis. The pulp plant in Brazil is scheduled to be put into operation in the first half of 2022 and will significantly increase Lenzing’s own in-house supply of dissolving pulp. Production in Thailand is expected to commence towards the end of 2021, further raising the share of eco-friendly specialty fibers in the Lenzing product portfolio.

New appointments to the Supervisory Board
Dr. Veit Sorger retired from the Supervisory Board of Lenzing AG on his request effective at the end of the Annual General Meeting. Veit Sorger had been a Member of the Supervisory Board since 2004 (also serving as Deputy Chairman since 2011) and served on various Supervisory Board committees.

The Annual General Meeting elected Dr. Markus Fürst, Managing Director of B&C Industrieholding GmbH, and Thomas Cord Prinzhorn, MBA, CEO of Prinzhorn Holding GmbH, to serve on the Supervisory Board until the end of the Annual General Meeting resolving upon the discharge of the Supervisory Board members for the business year 2024.

• Inspiring Interiors

Textiles are an inseparable part of the interior as they give a room atmosphere and good acoustics. But which fabric is best suited for which purpose? This  month's  drapilux recommendation is drapilux 191 and is aimed  at healthcare facilities as well as classic and modern hotels.

• Colourful stripes: drapilux 191

Colourful stripes: drapilux 191Aesthetic,  harmonious and  functional -that's what definesdrapilux  191. The colorful woven fabricwith  the  multicolored  stripes  is  part  of  the we  care-collection, which was specially developed for the dementia-sensitive design of healthcare facilities. Six atmospheric colour schemes ranging from invigorating orange-red to relaxing Mediterranean blue and friendly sunshine yellow create a homely feel-good atmosphere. However, the opaque fabric is not only convincing in terms of design, but also in terms of function. The article can be equipped with the intelligent additional function drapilux antimicrobial. This is effective against viruses, bacteria and fungi on the textile surface and thus makes an essential contribution to the hygiene chain.

• PrimaLoft and Origin Materials have launched a program to develop high-performance, carbon-negative insulating fibers for diverse apparel applications, including for leading outdoor, fashion, and lifestyle brands, as well as home goods applications such as hypoallergenic insulated bedding.
• PrimaLoft, an advanced material technology company and a world leader in the development of high-performance insulations and fabrics, will develop the fibers with Origin Materials to address demand for sustainable, high-performance materials from its over 900 global brand partners. PrimaLoft iconic brand partners include Patagonia, Stone Island, L.L. Bean, Lululemon, adidas and Nike.
• The program will focus on carbon-negative PET and next-generation polymers produced by the Origin Materials patented technology platform, which turns sustainable wood residue into cost-advantaged, carbon-negative materials that reduce the need for fossil resources.

Origin Materials, Inc. (“Origin Materials”), a leading carbon negative materials company, and PrimaLoft, an advanced material technology company and a leader in the development of high-performance insulations and fabrics, announced a new program to develop carbon-negative, insulating, high-performance fibers. The fibers will be used across a diverse array of end products, including insulating fiber for leading outdoor, fashion, and lifestyle brands, as well as home goods applications such as hypoallergenic insulated bedding.

The companies will work to rapidly develop and commercialize new products derived from Origin Materials’ platform. The collaboration will leverage the leadership position of PrimaLoft as a specialty producer of insulating fibers and filaments with over 900 global brand partners, as well as a large global network of manufacturers that employ a wide array of textile processes to make its products, including extrusion, carding, spinning, finishing, weaving, knitting, dyeing, airlaid, meltblown, and other technologies.

The collaboration builds on PrimaLoft’s “Relentlessly Responsible™” mission to elevate both performance and sustainability, through innovation. The platform includes PrimaLoft® Bio™, which was developed and launched into the market in late 2018 as an effort to battle microplastics in the ocean; PrimaLoft® P.U.R.E.™, which provides materials manufactured with greater than 50% CO2 savings; and PrimaLoft’s post-consumer recycling initiative. The next frontier for the company is non-petroleum based raw materials, including products that biodegrade and other circular economy solutions.

We aRe SpinDye (WRSD) and Gina Tricot have entered into a collaboration agreement. The partnership formed between the two companies is a strategic milestone for both parties.

"Gina Tricot has made impressive progress in the area of sustainability recently and it is fantastic that we get the opportunity to participate and contribute going forward", says Andreas Andrén, CEO of WRSD and continues: "The collaboration is completely in line with our ambitions to become an industry standard for coloring recycled polyester."

Gina Tricot is a Swedish brand that offers fashion to women in over 30 countries.
"Together with WRSD, we can create a better, more sustainable and circular fashion industry. We are convinced that the future lies in collaboration and innovation between the various tiers of our value chain", says Emma Garrote Fredman, Global production & Sustainability manager at Gina Tricot.

After a turbulent year, it seems strange to be thinking about ‘after the pandemic’, but with millions of vaccinations underway, the light at the end of the tunnel is visible. As we turn the corner, choosing technology partners that understand how to proactively respond to changing market needs and support the evolving requirements of print businesses and end customers will be vital. The printers in Mimaki’s ‘100 series’ portfolio, which consists of the high quality, high productivity entry level roll-to-roll inkjet printers the UJV100-160 UV and the JV100-160 solvent, and the high performance textile printer, the TS100-1600, are a perfect reflection of the way technology requirements are adapting in line with the industry as we look to the future. To demonstrate this, we have identified three post-pandemic technology touchpoints that will help print businesses target success amid uncertainty.

• Productivity

The pandemic has served as a major catalyst for existing trends, and our growing appetite for everything on-demand has been given a huge COVID-related boost. For printers, a digital solution that offers premium productivity, quality and efficiency at an entry-level price point is sure to be an invaluable investment to meet evolving ‘on-demand demands’. Adding a digital production element to your business doesn’t need to be daunting, complicated or overpriced – the Mimaki ‘100 series’ truly lives up to the tagline ‘Expert Printing Made Easy’, offering an incredibly intuitive user experience for streamlined, ultra-efficient printing, high-quality output, and cost-effective implementation. The powerful and productive new textile printer in the ‘100 series’, the TS100-1600, is a shining example of equipment developed with the future of the market in mind – the textile industry is fast-paced and constantly innovating, and the printer you invest in needs to keep up with your creativity.

• Diversity

2021 is set to be a period of transition. While that will mean navigating uncertainty, the ‘glass half full’ approach is to view the year ahead in terms of opportunities such as expanding your business, exploring alternative revenue streams, and taking the plunge into new markets. In the past, it may have felt as if the barriers to entry when it came to looking beyond your core business were too great. However, in a post-pandemic world, we need to break some of those barriers down and demonstrate that success with digital print is within reach if you invest in the right equipment. With the ‘100 series’ portfolio, Mimaki is acknowledging what print service providers need from their technology partners – the UJV100-160 and the JV100-160 are suitable for a wide range of applications that will allow you to easily and affordably diversify your offering, and with the TS100-1600 textile printer, it has never been easier to target growth in the thriving textile sector, even in challenging times.

• Affordability

Affordability is one of the most significant barriers to entry into new markets. 2020 was a year of unprecedented economic challenges, so it’s more important than ever to be thinking about gaining a competitive edge, and the printers in the ‘100 series’ from Mimaki have been specifically formulated to help you ramp up productivity while keeping running costs low. Whether you want to take your first foray into digital print production, expand the services you offer or simply grow your customer base, cost can be a major sticking point, which is why supporting customers is Mimaki’s number one priority, designing the ‘100 series’ around your needs and continuing to listen to how those needs are developing. Making an investment in the JV100-160 in order to move into outdoor graphics; meeting demand for faster turnaround times by adding the instantly curable UJV100-160 to your production setup; or taking a leap into new revenue streams with the TS100-160 – it’s all ‘100’ percent accessible.

Fashion 4 Development & C.L.A.S.S. Eco Hub will launch The Reclothe Resource Guide during the virtual exhibit: Discover the SDGs - To Make Peace With Nature, a virtual hub convened by the United Nations Office for Partnerships April 1 - 30, 2021.

The publication's mission is to inform and educate fashion industry professionals, schools, universities, students, and new generation brands to focus on the next generation of the circular economy and make an impact on the value chain. The ReClothe guide lists all solutions, technologies, fabric suppliers, dyers, and finishers currently available and scalable globally that can really answer the new generation needs of the contemporary consumer. ReClothe will be published quarterly and focus on innovators working the best practices and opportunities in development & manufacturing for a responsible fashion industry.

The guide includes Bacx™ by Centro Seta, Bext360, DYNTEX® Biosynthetics, Eastman Naia™, ECOSENSOR™ by Asahi Kasei, ECOTEC® by Marchi & Fildi, Iluna Group, Lanificio Zignone, Maeba International, Mending for Good, Modern Meadow, Re.VerSo™, ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei, Santoni, Smartex, Spiber Inc., SUPREME GREEN COTTON® by Varvaressos, TINTEX Textiles, VEGEA and YKK.

For registration click here.