From the Sector

• Target markets: automotive, furnishings, sports and technical apparel
• New product entry: radipeople® line of personal protective equipment

RadiciGroup is at Techtextil 2022, the leading European trade fair for technical textiles, taking place in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, from 21 to 24 June. On display in the RadiciGroup exhibition area are the Group’s latest products for the automotive, furnishings and apparel markets: from nylon and polyester yarn, including biosource and recycled lines, to nonwovens and the new radipeople® line of personal protective equipment (PPE).

Indeed, at Techtextil, RadiciGroup is showcasing RENYCLE®, a yarn obtained from recycled nylon; REPETABLE®, a polyester yarn from post-consumer recycled plastic bottles; RESPUNSIBLE®, a nonwoven fabric from recycled polypropylene; and BIOFEEL®, a brand identifying a yarn line obtained from renewable sources of both nylon and polyester.

Moreover, RadiciGroup is participating in a forum organized by the Technical Textiles Section of Sistema Moda Italia in collaboration with the Italian Space Agency (ICE) (Hall 12.1 – Stand C58), with the goal of introducing product innovations not only coming from a single manufacturer, but also from an innovative synergistic approach all along the supply chain, from raw materials to finished products. An example of this synergistic collaboration is the “Mars Spacesuit”, recently tested in the USA by analogue astronauts as part of a space medicine project designed to measure the vital signs of future astronauts and develop technologies to support the simulation of life in space and planetary environments. RadiciGroup teamed up with major Italian textile companies and supplied the materials to make the suits for the six analogue astronauts participating in the mission and coordinated the development of the technologies needed to create the technicalwear for use in extreme environmental conditions.

Monforts is introducing a range of modular upgrades that can be added to existing finishing lines already in production.

The Monforts universal Energy Tower – a flexible, free-standing air/air heat exchanger for recovering the heat from the exhaust air flow of thermal processes – can result in a 30% reduction in the energy consumed by a line, depending on the exhaust air volume and operating temperature.

A Monforts Eco Booster, completely integrated into the chamber design of the Montex stenter, is another retrofitting option. As a single state-of-the-art heat recovery system with automatic cleaning, it can be added to existing ranges. For ranges of up to eight chambers only one module is necessary to achieve significant energy savings.

On an eight-chamber stenter with an operating width of two metres carrying out a fixing process on a 150gsm woven fabric, for example, the energy savings have been calculated to be 35% over an annual schedule of 6,000 operating hours.

In addition, the Eco Booster consumes only minimal amounts of water during the cleaning cycle and the entire process is controlled and monitored automatically.

The Matex Eco Applicator is an alternative to the conventional padding process for energy-conscious finishing and achieving considerable savings in the energy required for drying treated fabrics. The precise amount of chemical can be applied to the fabric and with less residual moisture after application of only approximately 35% so that less drying capacity is required in the stenter, which leads to huge energy savings.

Finishes can be evenly applied on either or both sides of the fabric, and two separate treatments can be applied to front and back. This makes the unit ideal for the production of, for example, double-performance hydrophobic/hydrophilic fabrics for professional clothing, as well as the over dyeing or finishing of denim fabrics.

Lectra, whose connected industrial equipment and software facilitate the digital transformation and Industry 4.0 transition of fashion, automotive and furniture companies, announces its selection for the new Euronext Tech Leaders stock market index. This brings Lectra into the community of European technology leaders identified by Euronext as innovative and high-growth companies.

The new Euronext Tech Leaders market index, launched on June 7, comprises 100 European technology companies listed on the Euronext markets, which meet various performance and growth criteria. With the launch of this initiative, Euronext aims to offer better visibility and new services to selected European technology leaders.

Lectra is one of the 41 French companies that are now members of Euronext Tech Leaders. The company, founded in 1973 on a close relationship with fashion industry players, has also for the last three decades worked globally with automotive equipment and furniture manufacturers. In its three strategic markets, Lectra sells connected equipment that optimizes the cutting processes of fabric, leather and other soft materials used by manufacturers, and markets software and services that streamline their production processes while enabling them to be more agile and make considerable material savings.

In fashion, through the use of market data – made accessible and exploitable by the Internet of Things, the cloud, artificial intelligence and big data – Lectra’s software solutions also enable a better understanding of consumers’ behavior. They therefore facilitate strategic decision-making for brands, manufacturers and distributors at the key steps in the value chain of design, production and distribution. In this industry, the impact of Lectra’s solutions on reducing material consumption is even greater because it takes effect as early as the garment design stage.

Technology and innovation are therefore at the heart of Lectra’s strategy, with the company aiming to become a key player in Industry 4.0 in its strategic markets by 2030.

Archroma launches Smartrepel® Hydro SR liq, a new PFC-free* technology for the repellence of water-based stains.

The innovation has been developed in line with the principles of “The Archroma Way to a Sustainable World: Safe, efficient, enhanced, it’s our nature”.

Smartrepel® Hydro SR liq is the latest addition to a range of micro-encapsulated, highly biodegradable, non-PFC based technology offering durable water repellency to all cotton and synthetic fibers, and their blends.

The new Smartrepel® Hydro SR liq has been specifically developed for soil repellent finishes aiming to offer protection against water-based stains such as coffee, red wine and ketchup, in applications such as home textiles, table clothes upholstery, car seats and interior textiles.

The new grade offers the signature Smartrepel® high performance standard: a symbiosis of water protection, soil repellence, breathability and durability – with the soft hand-feel that is sought after by consumers.

The Smartrepel® product range supports the increasing adoption of eco-advanced materials and production processes by textile producers and brand owners adhering to standards such as ZDHC, bluesign and Oeko-tex.

• Finnish fashion and textile technology company Infinited Fiber Company plans to build its first commercial-scale Infinna™ fiber factory at Stora Enso’s Veitsiluoto industrial site in the city of Kemi in Finland’s northernmost region of Lapland. Infinited Fiber Company plans to convert a building currently housing a discontinued paper production line.
• The size of Infinited Fiber Company’s planned investment is around EUR 400 million.
• The planned factory is expected to create around 270 jobs at the Veitsiluoto industrial site.
• The factory is expected to operate at full capacity in 2025.

Fashion and textile technology company Infinited Fiber Company plans to build a commercial-scale factory to produce regenerated textile fiber for the world’s leading apparel companies at the site of renewable materials company Stora Enso’s closed Veitsiluoto paper mill in Kemi, a Finnish city on the northern shore of the Baltic Sea. The size of the investment is estimated at EUR 400 million, and it is expected to create around 270 jobs in the area. The annual fiber production capacity of the planned factory is expected to be 30,000 metric tons, which is equivalent to the fiber needed for about 100 million T-shirts.  

Infinited Fiber Company’s technology enables cotton-rich textile waste to be transformed into a versatile, high-quality regenerated textile fiber called Infinna™, which looks and feels like cotton. Major international fashion and apparel companies – including Zara’s parent company Inditex, PVH Europe, which is known for the Tommy Hilfiger brand, Patagonia, PANGAIA, H&M Group and BESTSELLER – have already committed to Infinna™ purchases through multi-year agreements as they look for materials that enable the industry to shift towards circularity. Infinited Fiber Company expects to export most of the output of its planned factory. This makes Kemi an ideal location as the city’s port serves as an efficient link to the rest of the world.

Infinited Fiber Company will convert a building housing a discontinued paper production line into an Infinna™ fiber factory. Both the factory engineering and project implementation as well as the related financing negotiations were commenced at the beginning of the year and are progressing well. Infinited Fiber Company has also agreed on the provision of energy and water related services with utility infrastructure company Nevel.

Once up and running, the factory is expected to provide direct employment for around 220 people, and for a further 50 through on-site support functions such as services, maintenance, and logistics. The additional indirect employment impact is estimated to be around 800 jobs. The construction and installation phase is expected to create jobs equaling around 120 person-years. The factory is anticipated to operate at full capacity in 2025.

Stahl announced the launch of its Integra^® portfolio, a versatile toolbox that provides tailor-made, customer-orientated solutions under the umbrella of flame-retardant technology, protective surfaces, and protective coatings. The integrated, polymer-driven approach behind Integra® offers customers greater flexibility in terms of product development, helping them to achieve regulatory and environmental compliance while ensuring superior product quality and fabric integrity.

The market for flame retardants and performance coatings is increasingly complex and subject to extensive – and often conflicting – demands and requirements. This includes increasingly stringent chemical industry legislation that limits flexibility regarding chemical and additive usage as well as growing expectations from stakeholders regarding environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors.
 
With Integra^®, Stahl offers a polymer-driven solution that builds upon the flame-retardant technology offered through Stahl’s Eagleban™ brand, which is enhanced by Stahl’s expertise in polymer-based technologies for protective coatings and surfaces. By using the proven polymer technology as its “backbone” while harnessing the other technologies in its toolbox, including specialty crosslinkers and other additives, Integra® can help customers solve complex challenges in a flexible, integrated way that goes beyond traditional additive-driven approaches.

Billi London is shaping the future of fashion with eco legwear. Founded by Sophie Billi-Hardwick and Marie Bouhier in November 2020, the pair’s goal was to create durable and comfortable hosiery that was no longer seen as disposable or for single-use.
 
Each piece is made with innovative enhanced degradable yarns Amni Soul Eco® nylon and ROICA ™ V550 elastane. Amni Soul Eco® is degrading in a time of 5 years*, 20x faster than the normal 40–100-year timeframe. The materials break down into biomass and biogas, create renewable energy and do not leave behind microplastics in landfill. The soft yet chic fabrics have revolutionised the legwear industry as well as pioneering a change across the fashion sector which rarely goes beyond just using recyclable materials.

This year, Billi London was selected as one of only five brands to present as an Organic Exhibitor at the Salon International de la Lingerie (SIL) from 18-20 June at Porte de Versailles in Paris.

*In landfill conditions. Reference system: ASTM D5511 - Std test 

At Heimtextil Frankfurt 2022, Devan, will launch novel technologies to the Home Textiles market. The first innovation is a range of bio-based and biodegradable microcapsules. With increased sustainability and circularity requirements in Europe and beyond, Devan is pushing the limits further of its encapsulation methods, also in terms of wash durability. The capsules are biodegradable and hence no harm for risk of microplastics. The new R-Vital NTL range includes evergreen Aloe Vera, waste-material based avocado seed oil with very high hydration abilities! and Vitamine E.

Devan, as part of the Pulcra Chemicals Group, co-launches the new Pulcra TEC-SU, a new biobased C0 DWR. This hydrophobic agent has a bio-content above 60% and contains no APEO or formaldehyde. It keeps performing very good after multiple washings.

The Devan bio-based thermoregulation range, like Tones of Cool Bio which is already several years on the market, is having a positive effect on carbon footprint. Devan is now expanding its cooling range with a specific foam-solution. In the Home Textile industry new (bio)foam types are introduced the last 1,5 years to comply with the EU GreenDeal and circularity / recycling requirements. A good enough reason for Devan to develop a foam-specific cooling system. After all, research shows that our bedroom interiors get warmer every year, partly due to better insulation but also due to global warming. On top of that Devan thermoregulation solutions can save Energy and Water during application: low curing solutions are available next to cooling products to that can be applied, using less water.

Due to the impact of the war in Ukraine on the automotive industry and vehicle production as well as of rising inflation, Autoneum is adjusting its corporate outlook for the 2022 financial year. The market recovery will be delayed by current developments.

Since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, new bottlenecks in global supply and logistics chains have been impacting vehicle manufacturer production volumes and thus slowing the revenue and earnings development of the automotive supply industry, especially in Europe. Current developments are accompanied by accelerated inflation and significant price increases on the commodities markets, which have been further exacerbated by the war. These are felt at Autoneum through rising material, energy and transport costs. With regard to the rising costs, automotive manufacturers and suppliers are now required to ensure a fair burden sharing as partners.

In addition, renewed coronavirus-related lockdowns in China are delaying growth in Asia. According to the revised market forecasts1), global automobile production is expected to reach 80.4 million units in 2022, which represents an increase of 4.1% compared to 2021. Growth will thus be significantly lower than was still expected in mid-February.

Autoneum will do its utmost to minimize the impact on the Group. Despite the present challenges, the strategy will continue to be consistently implemented with a focus on innovative and sustainable technologies for growing markets of the future.

Based on current developments and knowledge, Autoneum has updated the forecasts that it presented at the Media Conference, which had not yet included the impacts of the war as outlined above. Autoneum continues to expect revenue to develop in line with the market. For the first half of the year, the Company expects an EBIT margin at break-even level. On the basis of the ongoing collaborative discussions with customers to participate in the sharing of the sharply increased energy and material costs, Autoneum anticipates an improvement in the EBIT margin to 2.0 to 3.0% (previously: 4.0 to 5.0%) for the full year 2022. Free cash flow for 2022 is expected to be in the mid to high double-digit million range.

Autoneum is very well positioned for the transformation of the automotive industry towards e-mobility and sustainability. Our product portfolio is suitable for all drive types, whether internal combustion, hybrid or pure electric vehicles. The medium-term forecasts that Autoneum published in November 2021 remain unchanged positive. The timing of the market recovery will be delayed by current events and will also depend on further geopolitical developments.

AkzoNobel has updated its Q2 outlook based on the impact of the evolving business environment, including the effect of China lockdowns and the slower start to the EMEA DIY season.

Overall demand signs for paints and coatings remain robust, with North America still constrained in raw material availability and logistics, but sequentially improving. In Europe in particular, macro-economic uncertainty related to consumer confidence has increased.

Consumer demand in the Deco DIY channels in Europe – which represent 40% of total Deco EMEA revenue – got off to a slow start in Q2, subsequently impacted by inventory reductions in the DIY channel. In June, Deco DIY channel demand improved back to 2019 levels. Despite share gains and our Deco Professional business performing as anticipated, the total Q2 operating income for our Decorative Paints segment is expected to be down by approximately €50 million versus expectations entering the second quarter.

COVID-19 lockdowns in China during Q2 impact both paints and coatings. This impact was mainly on our coatings business, while paints was able to almost offset by progressing with its geographical expansion initiatives. The re-opening in June is showing a positive rebound, but not enough to catch up on all the missed revenue in the quarter, resulting in a negative operating income impact of approximately €40 million for the quarter, versus expectations entering Q2.

AkzoNobel continues to focus on achieving its €2 billion adjusted EBITDA target for 2023, despite the volatile market environment having a material impact on the company’s Q2 2022 financials.