From the Sector

As a leader in colour measurement and management solutions, Verivide will showcase its latest DigiEye imaging system at the forthcoming ITMA Asia + CITME exhibition in Singapore from October 28-31.

This benefits from 100% LED illumination, improving the accuracy of colour assessments while supporting environmentally responsible practices in colour management.

Designed for efficiency and reliability, the DigiEye includes integrated dust filtration and a fully enclosed camera for added security. 

Unlike its predecessor, the new DigiEye no longer requires annual fluorescent lamp changes, thanks to its 100% LED light source. The system also includes software-integrated lighting controls and lighting geometry checking, enhancing its precision and ease of use. Additionally, it now has the ability to auto-capture images upon door closure, making it ideal for imaging multiple samples quickly and efficiently.

The new DigiEye offers significant upgrades, including a 67% larger imaging area and a 112% larger measurement area. Its drawer load rating has increased by 55%, and the LED light source lasts ten time longer than before. 

As part of the VeriVide ecosystem, the DigiEye integrates seamlessly with UltraView, VisionView and the VeriVide Portal, offering a comprehensive solution for all colour management needs. 

Abrasion and pilling testing 
Martindale testing needs little introduction to textile manufacturers, being well established as the industry standard for abrasion and pilling testing since its initial development and introduction by James Heal back in the 1940s.

For 2025, however, James Heal’s development team have taken a fresh look at this classic instrument and the result is the new Martindale Motion.
This redesigned nine-station Martindale instrument with individual lifting heads now offers the flexibility to run each station independently for carrying out different textile tests simultaneously.

Multiple textiles can be tested at the same time through to conclusion without intervention. Once set up, the Martindale Motion can be left running with the sample holders automatically lifting at the required evaluation points, freeing up the operator’s time to do other work without the need to return until the abrasion or pilling test is fully completed, including overnight.

Each sample is kept in-tact at the end point for evaluation and checking, reducing queries on grading and the potential need for re-testing. Further refinements include a new hinged access to change the self-aligning drive pins, allowing quick and safe switching between tests.

Designed and manufactured in the UK, the James Heal Martindale range has seen numerous updates, models and innovations over the years, such as touchscreen and user-friendly software, best-in-class safety features combined with the signature near silent running of this staple lab instrument. Added to this have been the introduction of the DurAbrasion multi-function testing machine, later followed by the market-leading evolution, the AquAbrasion wet abrasion tester launched in 2019.

The Martindale Motion, however, is now taking productivity and efficiency to a higher level than ever before.

Radio frequency drying
Total control of textile drying is meanwhile enabled with the advanced radio freqency (RF) technology of Strayfield, which has over 4,000 installations worldwide and provides solutions tailored to diverse textile applications such as cotton, wool, polyester, nylon, silk, acrylic and speciality blends.

Strayfield technology enables consistent quality, superior output and sustainability benefits through gentle and uniform drying, ensuring even results and moisture removal across entire batches and preserving fibre integrity, colour vibrancy and softness without yellowing or shrinkage.
Adaptive electrodes regulate power delivery according to product height and moisture, maximising efficiency and eliminating energy waste and unlike conventional rod systems, Strayfield’s full-area plates deliver consistent energy density for gentle drying without hotspots.

Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited, a global sustainable chemicals company, reinforced its commitment to advancing innovation and entrepreneurship by sponsoring the 12th Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition (LKYGBPC), hosted by Singapore Management University (SMU). 

The LKYGBPC, Asia’s largest university startup challenge focused on urban solutions and sustainability, drew more than 1,500 applications from six continents, with 57 finalists competing at the Grand Finals Week in Singapore. Ms. Catia Cesari, Managing Partner of Volta Circle, represented Indorama Ventures on the judging panel. Volta Circle, an investment platform within the Lohia single-family office, supports early-stage ventures driving innovation in green chemicals, advanced recycling, and waste management value chain. While operating independently, its mission complements Indorama Ventures’ broader sustainability strategy. 

Indorama Ventures also presented the “Future of Sustainable Materials Award”, recognizing university ventures with outstanding achievements in advanced fibers and polymers, bio-based feedstocks, advanced recycling, and circular economy solutions. The award supports early-stage startups at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 3 or higher, with prizes of S$50,000 in the Beta track and S$75,000 in the Infinity track. Winners were evaluated on scientific merit, scalability, industrial validation potential, and impact on urban infrastructure and manufacturing. 

This year, Indorama Ventures recommended six finalists with innovations spanning AI-enabled materials discovery, low-emissions chemical scale-up, and bio-fabricated alternatives for hard-to-abate sectors. The winners of Indorama Ventures’ Future of Sustainable Materials Award were “Synmetabio”- a Shanghai-based biomaterial startup developing high performance biobased leather solutions (awarded S$75,000), and “Micromelt” – a UK-based deep tech startup who is advancing green closed-loop solutions for mixed plastics with microwave technology (awarded S$50,000). 

Mr. Yash Lohia, Executive President of Petchem and Chairman of the ESG Council, said, “At Indorama Ventures, sustainability drives our innovation strategy. We collaborate with startups to develop recycling technologies and bio-based materials that can scale from lab to industry, supporting the transition to a more circular economy. We recognize that startups hold the key to breakthrough solutions that provide a competitive edge. Through initiatives like the LKYGBPC, we connect entrepreneurial talent with our global platform to accelerate solutions that create long-term value for society and our business.” 

At the Grand Finals Week Dr. Anthony Watanabe, Chief Sustainability Officer at Indorama Ventures, joined CSO Conversations to explore how businesses can build climate resilience, harness digital governance, and mobilize capital for impact. He shared valuable insights on Indorama Ventures’ investments in advanced PET recycling, innovation process, bio-based feedstocks, and ESG achievements with prominent sustainability leaders during the roundtable discussions. 

SMU’s partnership with Indorama Ventures reflects a shared belief that scaling university-led innovation is essential to accelerate sustainability and circularity across borders. Through mentorship, funding, and ecosystem-building, Indorama Ventures continues to shape a future where materials are more innovative, more circular, and more sustainable.

FET is launching the FET-500 Series of gel spinning systems in a move that could revolutionise the research and development of UHMWPE fibres.

Fibre Extrusion Technology Ltd (FET) of Leeds, UK, has built a reputation in medical fibre extrusion technology and innovations, designing and delivering high-performance equipment for a range of precursor medical products, including bespoke extrusion systems for the production of both resorbable and non-absorbable sutures. FET’s equipment supports small-scale, adaptable production and rapid new product development.       

In recent years, there has been a growing demand for R&D of UHMWPE fibres. These fibres are prized in many industries due to their extraordinary properties. However, current production processes are complex and focused on the large-scale output of existing fibre grades. This rigid supply chain has stifled innovation in this untapped product market.

The FET-500 gel spinning systems will address this gap in the market. The FET-500 enables a flexible and consistent process, able to produce quality fibres with less than 100 grams of polymer, while avoiding the harsh processing chemicals that were historically associated with gel spinning. The key to unlocking this lab and pilot scale flexibility is the use of supercritical carbon dioxide as a green solvent in a patent-pending process.

Gel spinning starts with extrusion, but the additional washing and drawing technology to produce finished yarn is critical to the overall performance characteristics. An example of the wide range of features and benefits can be shown in the Washing process, with Patent Pending technology using Supercritical Carbon Dioxide:

Extract carrier oil without using toxic, environmentally harmful chemicals such as Hexane and DCM.

• CO2 is green, cheap, abundant, and significantly safer to work with
• CO2 efficiently dissolves carrier oils without affecting the polymer yarn

Reduced operational costs

• 9-Vast reduction in solvent use (CO2 vs Hexane/DCM)
• Comprehensive oil recovery and recycling
• Zero solvent waste is generated, unlike the hexane route

Compact and efficient batch washing system

• Recipe controlled plug and play technology
• Scalable and adjustable to customer needs
• Carrier oil is recovered and fed back to the extrusion process
• 80% reduction in factory footprint vs hexane route

FET’s Fibre Development Centre is critical to the inception and success of the FET-500. Having this facility located in Leeds where the manufacturing takes place allows FET to offer a gateway to de-risk, develop and demonstrate the system’s capabilities. FET houses a full demonstration line of the FET-500 to allow customers, existing and new, to visit and experience the system operating from start to finish. They can also aid in developing new products and operating parameters through R&D trials, giving customers the confidence and knowledge to transfer a new product offering onto a production line.

By digitalising their supply chains, start-up Labwear Studios is able to manufacture fashion labels and garments in small quantities, thereby helping to combat overproduction in the fashion industry.

With as many as one in three garments left unsold on the peg, the fashion industry has a major sustainability issue. One reason is that clothing manufacturers often stipulate large minimum order quantities. While this enables them to reduce their unit costs, the result is overproduction and tons of waste.

Start-up Labwear Studios has found a better way to trim costs. “We’ve digitalised the old, inefficient supply chain,” explains ETH electrical engineer Michael Mangold, who founded the start-up together with Nicolas Schierle and Samuel Thoma. The three entrepreneurs have set up an online manufacturing platform where fashion labels can configure and commission production of their latest creations and then track each stage of the order process. The platform connects all the parties involved, streamlining supply chain logistics from initial design to finished garment. Thanks to digitalisation, Labwear Studios can produce clothing in quantities as small as 50 units and with a lead time of just six weeks.

The idea for the start-up was hatched at the Student Project House, a creative thinkspace and makerspace for ETH students. “The coaching and the community there showed me that being successful is much easier than you might think,” says company founder Mangold. 

Heberlein, a leading supplier of air interlacing and air texturing jets, aims to impress visitors at ITMA Asia + CITME 2025. Novel solutions will be presented, which will allow filament yarn producers to achieve special quality specifications and process optimization. These latest developments combine the most sophisticated technology with user convenience and savings potential. 

Data in the ‘Fibre Year 2024’ report confirms that synthetic fibres continue to outpace natural fibres, growing by 8.4% against 2.7% – and this upward trend is expected to continue. Man-made fibre hubs such as China (+8.8%) and India (+7.7%), and also Vietnam (+8.9%) show significant growth. Looking at the development of different synthetic materials, polyamide stands out, with a notable increase of 4.1%, underscoring its promising future. In the forefront of these developments are Swiss-made key components from Heberlein, delivering cutting-edge technology that powers quality and efficiency in polyamide yarn production.

DTY jets for demanding spinners and yarns 
Launched at ITMA 2023, the Heberlein APe series was expanded with new types of jets. The two additional jets are particularly suitable for polyamide with fine titers.

This DTY jet series sets new standards in yarn processing. Developed for the efficient processing of fine polyamide yarns with a particularly high number of knots (FP/m), the successful APe series is renowned for its unique performance of more than 200 knots per metre. Despite its outstanding performance, it is the smallest jet in its class – fitting anywhere and best suited wherever air savings and optimized production efficiency are required.

The APe series is also attracting interest from market players striving for sustainable production through various measures. Its capability for equal knot performance with reduced energy consumption delivers sustainability without compromise.

Air splicing: maximum control and minimum effort
Yarn splicers produce a tear-resistant, homogeneous splice of material without knots. All they need is compressed air. Heberlein's AirSplicers produce first-class splices for a wide range of applications for technical fibers where extreme strength characteristics are needed.

The new AirSplicer-Basix was designed for technical yarns – including aramid, glass, and carbon. The splicer offers maximum control and user-friendly operation. 

The sophisticated blow chamber design makes it easy to insert, splice and remove the yarn without any additional manual steps or the need for the user to activate further mechanisms.

The design of the AirSplicer-Basix is reduced to the essentials. Still, it performs convincingly and offers flexibility as one or more connection points can be created, depending on the material used and the desired splice strength.

Oritain announced the expansion of its services into leather. This development will enable the fashion, luxury fashion and automotive industries to meet the rising demand for traceability, sustainability, and regulatory compliance.

Oritain’s proprietary methodology already trusted across apparel, food and agriculture, can now verify the geographic origin of leather from key producing countries across Europe, Africa and South America.1 This capability is increasingly vital as regulations like the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) are enforced and the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) mandates a Digital Product Passport. Such regulations require companies to disclose traceability information that proves their supply chains are transparent and ethically sourced.

The global leather goods market is projected to grow from $493 billion in 2025 to $904 billion in 2035, according to Future Market Insights (FMI, 2025). Meanwhile, the luxury leather goods segment alone is expected to generate over $66 billion in revenue in 2025, as reported by Statista (2025). These growth figures underscore the growing pressure on brands to demonstrate responsible sourcing.

“Leather sourcing is facing heightened scrutiny for its environmental and human rights impacts” said Alyn Franklin, CEO of Oritain. “Our origin verification programs give brands and tanneries the insights they need to make meaningful changes in their supply chain, meet regulatory obligations and build lasting trust with their customers.”

Traceability is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s a strategic imperative. Regulatory frameworks are tightening, and consumer expectations are shifting towards transparency, sustainability, and ethical practices. Brands that fail to meet these standards risk reputational damage, legal consequences, and loss of consumer trust.

Oritain’s extensive origin database and forensic expertise provide a unique solution for brands navigating increasingly complex supply chains. The service is designed to verify sourcing claims made by intermediaries and tanneries, enabling brands to identify deforestation and labour risks, supporting end-to-end supply chain mapping. Whether it’s bespoke handbags, premium footwear, or high-end automotive interiors, Oritain’s product origin verification is tailored to meet the unique needs of the fashion and automotive sectors, offering both precision and adaptability.

This launch follows Oritain’s recent expansion into the timber industry, another commodity highly relevant to concerns surrounding deforestation and subject to scrutiny by regulators. This broader business expansion into new sectors reflects Oritain’s commitment to innovation, and its role in helping clients set new standards for transparency and accountability.

“Our customers are looking for ways to get visibility into their supply chains. Extending our service to leather means we can stand alongside them and have a positive impact on the wider industry, delivering on our vision of being the source of truth in global supply chains” said Paul Bentham, Chief Product and Technology Officer at Oritain.
 
1 Argentina, Nigeria, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Turkey, Albania, France, Netherlands, UK, Germany.

Teijin Carbon Europe GmbH announces an important change in its executive leadership. Effective October 1, 2025, Dr. Bernd Wohlmann will step down from his role as CEO after seven successful years leading the company.

Dr. Wohlmann has played a key role in shaping the development of Teijin Carbon Europe. Under his leadership, the company has achieved significant milestones and navigated through challenging times with resilience and strategic foresight. Discussions regarding his future role within the Teijin Group are currently ongoing.

Moving forward, Takaya Miyano and Jörg Friedrich will continue to lead Teijin Carbon Europe as Managing Directors. 

Teijin Carbon, a subsidiary of the Teijin Group, specializes in the development and production of carbon fibers and carbon fiber-based materials. Under the brands Tenax™ and Tenax Next™, Teijin Carbon offers high-performance material solutions for industries such as aerospace, automotive, energy, electronics, civil engineering and sporting goods.

At K 2025, the Reifenhäuser Group will demonstrate Industrial AI's full potential for productivity in plastics processing. At the heart of the dedicated “Reifenhäuser NEXT” brand is a powerful AI chatbot that enables even inexperienced line operators to quickly solve complex tasks in their daily work, thereby maximizing availability, productivity, and quality.

In Germany, 86 percent of companies are affected by the shortage of skilled workers – more than twice as many as ten years ago. The global average is currently 74 percent*. Production companies rank fifth in the industry comparison. The low availability and high turnover of experienced production specialists is one of the biggest challenges facing the plastics industry. *Source: MPG study on the shortage of skilled workers in 2025

With Reifenhäuser NEXT, plastics manufacturers can reduce their dependence on highly qualified personnel and increase their overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) by optimizing availability, performance, and quality. This is made possible by a unique ecosystem that combines state-of-the-art AI technologies with Reifenhäuser's proven expertise and live data from production.

"Google, OpenAI, and others are already impressively demonstrating what AI solutions can achieve in the consumer sector. However, AI is only as intelligent as the data it has been trained with,“ explains Jan Karnath, Chief Digital Officer (CDO) of the Reifenhäuser Group and responsible for the NEXT brand. ”Reifenhäuser has decades of experience in plastics extrusion. We have integrated this bundled knowledge into an AI solution that is unique on the market."

The Reifenhäuser NEXT portfolio is based on three product streams that seamlessly interlock:

NEXT.AI – Intelligent assistance systems 
At the heart of NEXT.AI is an AI chatbot that provides real-time support to machine operators and service teams during ongoing operations. The AI accesses Reifenhäuser's comprehensive expertise in engineering, service, maintenance, and process technology – and, if desired, on the user's documentation and live production data. Operators receive immediately actionable recommendations via simple text entries (prompts) in the chatbot – for example, in the event of quality problems. Thanks to this support, even inexperienced employees can achieve optimal results. This reduces downtime, lowers service costs, and makes production processes more efficient.

“Our assistance systems act as constant companions for the production teams. They not only provide quick solutions to problems, but will also deliver proactive alerts and optimization suggestions in the future,” says Karnath.

NEXT.Learning – Knowledge as the key to success 
To build up and establish the necessary expertise among plastics processors in the long term, NEXT.Learning offers a combination of on-site training and a digital learning platform. This is individually tailored to the needs of customers and helps producers to retain expertise within the company despite staff turnover and make it available to new employees at any time. Thanks to the use of AI avatars, customers can access the virtual training courses in over 100 languages. On request, Reifenhäuser NEXT can also adapt and provide content very quickly to meet customer-specific requirements.

“By using natural language processing (NLP), we are democratizing specialist knowledge for our global customer base in a whole new dimension. Initial pilot projects have generated extremely positive feedback and highlight the added value of our solution – especially for international customers whose production employees speak different local languages and, for example, do not have sufficient English skills,” explains Karnath.

NEXT.Data – Generating added value from data 
The third product stream, NEXT.Data, enables producers to exploit the full potential of their production data. The data is automatically aggregated via robust system integrations (e.g., OPC UA or GraphQL) and displayed in clear dashboards using the ExtrusionOS application suite. ExtrusionOS is specially designed for the requirements of the plastics extrusion and packaging industry. Among other things, customers can use it to create real-time analyses and automated OEE calculations to make data-driven decisions.

“With Reifenhäuser NEXT Product Streams, we provide our customers with a customized industrial AI journey. Depending on their requirements, we combine our NEXT.AI, Learning, and Data solutions, select the appropriate level of integration, and thus create the basis for operational excellence in line operation,” explains Karnath.

Recent studies show that the use of Industrial AI offers considerable potential for increasing overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) – with improvements of up to 15 percent. Among other things, this is made possible by reducing downtime and waste by up to 20 percent*. In addition, cost savings are expected in the area of maintenance, which can be achieved through optimized service and spare parts planning. Reifenhäuser NEXT focuses on precisely this area and supports companies in integrating the use of AI into industrial production in a targeted manner in order to fully exploit this potential and achieve sustainable improvements. 
*Source: McKinsey / Deloitte

Anton Hofmeier has joined the Textile Solutions Group (TSG) as Group CEO, effective 1 September 2025. His appointment strengthens Group-level coordination and aligns strategy from ERP and CAD to MES and shop-floor automation, so textile manufacturers achieve faster, lower-risk improvements in processing cost, delivery reliability, and sustainability.

Anton Hofmeier is an enterprise-software executive with 20+ years of experience in revenue growth, market expansion and M&A integration. With electronic-engineering roots and recent global supply-chain leadership, he brings an operations-first mindset that matches mill reality: complex flows, short lead times and last-minute reorders, right-first-time pressure, and the need to make quick decisions on reliable, connected data - without losing the strengths of each specialist company.

This comes at a time when mills face higher energy and material costs, stricter ESG requirements and global uncertainty, while many machines and supply systems still depend on manual handoffs or disconnected systems. Under Anton’s leadership, TSG’s goal is practical: shorter order-to-ship cycles, higher right-first-time, lower kWh per lot, and audit-ready traceability, enabled by a connected stack spanning product design, planning & sourcing, production & maintenance, quality controls and shipment.

• Proprietary Borstar® Nextension polyethylene (PE) technology delivers superior performance and processability, enables downgauging and design for recycling – meeting the evolving demands of flexible packaging applications
• Borealis introduces development materials with superior toughness and sealability
• This marks the launch of a dynamic innovation pipeline across industries

Borealis proudly unveils its groundbreaking Borstar® Nextension Polyethylene (PE) technology, representing a significant leap forward in polyolefin innovation. 

Building on the proven performance of Borstar® technology, the new Borstar Nextension PE platform incorporates proprietary single-site catalysts developed by Borealis. This breakthrough technology marks a new era in advanced polyethylene solutions, delivering superior toughness, sealing performance, and enhanced processability for packaging solutions that enable downgauging, improve cost efficiency, and support design for recycling—addressing the critical needs of today’s packaging industry.

Borstar Nextension PE technology sets new standards by enabling mono-material solutions that can replace existing multimaterial products, thus making it easier to sort and recycle at the end of life. Crucially, this supports the packaging industry to meet the recycling and waste reduction targets set out in the EU’s Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR). 

“This technological step change paves the way for more circular, high-performance, and resource-efficient packaging solutions,” says Erik Van Praet, Senior Vice President Innovation & Technology at Borealis. “It underscores our strategic commitment to sustainable innovation, driven by continuous investment in cutting-edge research and development.”

Introducing next-generation development materials
Borealis introduces Borstar Nextension PE technology with two high-performance development materials, tailored to meet evolving market needs:

• A cutting-edge solution that delivers double the toughness of first-generation metallocene PE materials, while maintaining stiffness and excellent processability, including superior bubble stability and throughput. With its unique mechanical performance and strong downgauging potential, this new material enables more sustainable, fully recyclable packaging with excellent performance characteristics. Designed for industrial and food packaging applications, it is ideally suited for Form, Fill & Seal (FFS) and frozen food packaging.
• An advanced solution featuring a breakthrough sealing profile that reduces sealing initiation temperature by over 15% compared to first generation metallocene PE. This, in combination with the material’s outstanding mechanical properties, enables faster packaging speeds, best-in-class hot tack performance – making it perfectly suited for lamination, FFS, and food packaging.

“Borstar Nextension PE technology will expand our portfolio with highly efficient and recyclable solutions,” adds Craig Arnold, Executive Vice President Polyolefins, Circular Economy Solutions and Base Chemicals. “This is just the beginning of a robust innovation pipeline that will serve customer needs across multiple industries.”