From the Sector

Shanghai – Sateri has unveiled FinexTM as its new product brand for recycled fibre. FinexTM, short for ‘Fibre Next’, is an innovative next-generation cellulosic fibre containing recycled content. Internationally known outdoor brand Lafuma has produced FinexTM apparel ahead of 618, China’s major mid-year online shopping festival, while independent China designer Rico Lee will launch his FinexTM apparel next month.

Since its announcement in March this year of a breakthrough in commercial production of viscose using recycled textile waste, Sateri has worked closely with its downstream yarn and garment manufacturing partners to bring the recycled fibre product to the consumer market.

“We’re pleased to collaborate with Sateri as one of their first brand partners for FinexTM. Sateri’s dedication to this partnership made it possible for Lafuma to produce T-shirts with this fine quality fibre in a short time. T-shirts made with FinexTM will be among the offerings Lafuma has in store for the 618 festival as we look to support environmentally-friendly and excellent performance solutions to strengthen our position as a leading outdoor apparel brand,” said Wu Qian, General Manager of Lafuma China.

Echoing similar sentiments is Rico Lee who established his own independent label in 2014, “I jumped at the opportunity to collaborate with Sateri when they approached me because FinexTM encapsulates what my brand stands for – Beautiful Technology that combines function and fashion.”

Tom Liu, Sateri’s Commercial Vice President said, “Like our flagship brand EcoCosy®, FinexTM is made from bio-based natural fibres. Innovation and technology has made cellulosic textile fibre recycling possible and FinexTM represents how nature not only renews itself but that products made from nature can also be regenerated. This, at its heart, is what circular fashion looks like. Our brand promise to customers remains constant– Sateri’s products are sustainable, high quality, efficient, and cost-effective. The FinexTM tagline ‘Together For A Better Next’ expresses our aspiration to be the partner of choice for next-generation fibre - we thank Lafuma and Rico Lee for pioneering with us on this quest.”

Last month, Sateri announced its entry into China’s Lyocell fibre market. The recent string of product portfolio expansion announcements is underpinned by Sateri’s business strategy to capture value. Allen Zhang, President of Sateri said, “Being the world’s largest viscose producer gives us the advantages that come with volume, but value is what we hope differentiates us. By this, we don’t only mean higher value products like Lyocell or FinexTM but also the value we bring to communities, country, climate and customers.”

Globally, less than 1% of material used to produce clothing is recycled into new clothing. This presents a big opportunity for textile fibre recycling, particularly in China which is the largest textile producing country in the world. Last month, Sateri became a council member of the China Association of Circular Economy (CACE). The company will work closely with CACE’s Textile Waste Comprehensive Utilisation Committee to establish standards and promote industrial-scale textile waste recycling. Sateri is part of the Singapore-based RGE group of companies which has committed USD200 million into next-generation textile fibre innovation and technology.

Pinko is glad to announce that its Chinese subsidiary, Cris Conf Retail, received from the highest office in the Shanghai municipality the “Shanghai Multinational Company Headquarter” certification.

At the presence of Shanghai mayor, Gong Zheng, Cris Conf Retail obtained this status thanks to its investment projects for the creation of a central headquarter in the Chinese city, which will be the primary hub for the management and commercial development of Pinko’s operations across the Asian market. Through this important recognition, Pinko and its parent company Cris Conf confirm the strategic importance of the Chinese market in the brand’s global internalization process.

Thanks to the “Shanghai Multinational Company Headquarter” certification, Pinko will have access to a range of benefits in China, including facilitated import and custom procedures, as well as expedited clearance for the company’s staff upon arrival in China and a direct channel of communication with Chinese national offices.

Pinko currently operates 72 stores in China, located in the most important cities and at the most prestigious malls and department stores.

In keeping with the brand’s internationalization strategy, Pinko is glad to announce an ambitious retail expansion plan in the Korean market.
The first phase of this retail project, developed in collaboration with Mitsui & Co. Italia and La Pace as local partner, saw the opening of two stores located inside two of the most important and prestigious Korean duty free shopping destinations.

The first Pinko shop in Korea opened its doors at the end of January at Seoul’s Shilla Duty Free Downtown Store, which houses the boutiques of the most prestigious global luxury brands. The inauguration of the second Pinko store in Korea was celebrated with an opening party on Feb. 20. This store is located in Seoul at the Hyundai Department Store Duty Free Dongdaemun, one of the most important Korean touristic attractions at day and night, thanks to its wide offering of merchan-dising categories, spanning from international luxury and fashion items to the highly popular Made in Korea beauty products.

Pinko’s retail expansion plan in the Korean market also includes the opening of two new stores by the end of 2020, while the company aims to operate a total of 14 boutiques, 6 inside department stores and 8 at Duty Free destinations, within three years.

The conference on sustainability in production, trade and consumption will take a second round: On March 24, 2020, the Weser-Kurier’s conference SUSTAIN will take place in the run-up to the International Cotton Conference once more. The Bremen Cotton Exchange is again cooperating partner of this event. The theme “City and Change – the Future of the Textile Retail Trade” is on focus this year.

Shirt and trpousers or blouse and skirt – clothing is an instrument of expression, a social must and a major factor of consumption. Internet and debates on climate change have changed the indicators. On the one hand, textile online trade is booming, while local stores have come under pressure to an increasing degree and cities are on the search for new ideas. On the other hand, consumers increasingly ask for products considering aspects of fairness and ecology during production. Manufacturers and stores have to react. These subjects are on focus during the Sustain that takes place on Tuesday, March 24, 2020 in Bremen in the Glocke.

Exciting keynote speakers and panel guest from fashion, science and the textile industry
Sustain will feature outstanding speakers from the economy, politics and society discussing for instance the possibilities of new techniques in stationary retail trade, the compatibility of fair production with business interests of manufacturers as well as the question whether consumers are willing to pay the additional costs of sustainability. These are themes that influence the vitality of the cities just as the purchase decisions of the consumers.

Prof. Dr Niko Paech, Professor of Economics, Wolfgang Krogmann, Advisory Director Primark, Urs-Stefan Kinting, Managing Partner of the Zero Group, Model & TV Presenter Alena Gerber, Rolf Heimann, CEO Hessnatur Stiftung, Kai Falk, Managing Director Communication of the German retail association Handelsverband Deutschland and many others confirmed their participation.

Focus on Sustainability and Climate Change

Passion for Cotton: The 35th International Cotton Conference Bremen starts on 25 March in the Hanseatic city’s historic Town Hall. But before subject-specific questions are discussed in depth in the individual sessions, the concise and inspiring keynotes by leading business experts from science and industry will draw attention to the current trends and challenges in the industry at the start of the conference. A large part of the presentations is shaped by the current discussion on environmental and sustainability issues and the resulting consequences for the global economy.

Climate Change and Sustainability

“Climate change - a storm in a teacup?” asks Kai Hughes, Executive Director of the International Cotton Advisory Committee, Washington D.C., USA, in a provocative speech. The aim of his presentation is to work out the challenges of climate change especially for agriculture and cotton production. This should form the basis for later discussion on concrete approaches and solutions within the cotton community.

With his lecture “The HUGO BOSS sustainability programme ... and what our customer has to do with it” Andreas Streubig, Director of Global Sustainability at Hugo Boss AG, Metzingen, Germany, rolls up the textile value chain from a different angle, starting at the consumer level. As a representative of a premium brand for women's and men's clothing, Streubig discusses sustainability as a strategic element of the corporate strategy and provides information on how elements of the strategy are being implemented at Hugo Boss.

Rüdiger Senft, Head of Sustainability at Commerzbank, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, looks at the changing role of banks in financing the cotton market. In addition to a general introduction to the topic of sustainability and banking regulation, Senft's presentation deals with the financing of the cotton trade from a social and ecological point of view.
The opening session on 25 March is hosted by Bill Ballenden, founder and owner of Dragontree, Swindon, UK, an online auction platform for the cotton trade. As a former cotton manager for Louis Dreyfus in Europe and Asia, Bill Ballenden has many years of experience in the industry.

Cross-Cutting Issues: Digitalisation, Gender, Value Chains

The subsequent session in the conference programme with the headline “A Wider View” is devoted to currently defining trends and important cross-cutting issues in the industry. This goes far beyond classic cotton themes.

A lecture by Mark Messura, Senior Vice President, Global Supply Chain Marketing for Cotton Incorporated, Cary, North Carolina, deals with the role of cotton in an increasingly digitally controlled supply chain. Significant keywords here are faster delivery times, vertical integration, transparency and traceability.

The presentation by Roger Gilmartin, Managing Director of Tri-Blend Consulting, Charlotte, USA, entitled “The secret recipe for timely, cost-optimised and high-quality cotton clothing” promises exciting and enlightening insights. Tri-Blend Consulting conducts studies on the performance of different cotton varieties during the entire consumption process to the finished yarn and evaluates them from an economic point of view.

Amy Jackson, from the Better Cotton Initiative, London, UK, presents ICA Liverpool's “Women in Cotton” initiative. With this commitment, the initiative aims to increase the influence of women in the cotton industry and give them a stronger voice, for example by building networks in cooperation.

Navdeep Singh Sodhi, International Strategic Management Consultant at the Gherzi Textile Organisation, Switzerland, gives an insight into the current development of the value chain for cotton, textiles and clothing in Africa. Looking ahead to the coming decades, also in view of population growth, Africa is seen as having a high potential for building economic structures to improve income and prosperity.

Thomas Schneider, Professor at the University of Applied Sciences in Berlin and active in the field of production planning and control, textile materials and materials testing will host the session. A leading light in his field, Thomas Schneider has more than 30 years of experience in scientific and application-oriented research in the textile and fibre sector, including at the Fibre Institute Bremen e.V.

The company announced that its three textile fairs in Shanghai will be postponed from March to a later date due to the Novel Coronavirus outbreak. This includes Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition, Yarn Expo Spring and Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition which were due to be held in Shanghai from 11 – 13 March at the National Exhibition and Convention Center.

This follows the recent announcement that the company’s other fairs to be held in China in the coming two months – Prolight + Sound Guangzhou, SPS – Industrial Automation Fair Guangzhou (SIAF) and Asiamold in Guangzhou, and Toy & Edu, Baby & Stroller and Licensing China in Shenzhen – have also been postponed until later in the year.

“Messe Frankfurt has been an active player in the China market for over 30 years now, so we stand fully behind the government’s efforts to control the outbreak,” Ms Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd outlined. “This includes the recent suspension of large-scale trade and economic events in a number of cities, so with this and the wellbeing of all our stakeholders in mind, we have made the decision to reschedule our upcoming textile fairs in Shanghai to a later date. Our teams are making every effort to find suitable alternatives, but we will only make the decision to go ahead with these fairs when it is deemed safe to do so.”

How many jackets do you need to get through all the shifts in temperature during fall and winter? The moment may have arrived where just one jacket will do. And how cool would it be if everyone could optimise the warmth of their jacket individually and adapt it to their personal feel-good factor? And all in a product without compromises, where sophisticated design and intelligent fabrics join forces with technological competence? For this ambitious aim, these three leading companies put their heads and their core competencies together.

The Heatable Capsule Collection is on its way
Today, Telekom, AlphaTauri and Schoeller are launching a technological innovation together: the Heatable Capsule Collection. While Telekom is bringing its technological components to the table, AlphaTauri designed the collection and Schoeller developed the heating technologies and fabrics as well as the electronic components. The Heatable Capsule Collection kicks off with a jacket and a gilet in two different colourways. Wearers decide the level of warmth for themselves in the jacket or gilet. The clothing items are operated by app. Individual zones around the pocket and kidney areas can be heated.

The collection, for men and women, targets the lifestyle and technology-oriented consumer segment, the so-called “urban explorer”. The apparel is cross-seasonal, suitable for all cooler types of weather, and practical when travelling, hiking or for other sports. The partially heatable gilet can be worn alone or under a jacket.

The ideal feel-good temperature can be selected from two heating levels in the jacket and gilet. Thanks to Schoeller® E-Soft-Shell heating technology the heat function is completely integrated into the fabric and localised as close as possible to the wearer’s body. Beyond that, the inbuilt sensors can measure the microclimate temperature inside the jacket.

The jacket is already being further developed with additional features, where connectivity and AI will become increasingly relevant.

Tailor-made solutions for hygiene, medical, filtration and other technical applications as well as extensive product and process know-how – with these arguments Oerlikon Nonwoven made a convincing appearance at the 18th Shanghai International Nonwoven Exhibition (SINCE) that took place from December 11 to 13.

Dr. Ingo Mählmann, Head of Sales and Marketing of Oerlikon Nonwoven, was very pleased with the three lively days at the trade fair: "The many discussions showed that we are on the right track with our strategy and the further development of our technologies with regard to nonwovens. Visitors were impressed by our technology solutions for disposable nonwoven fabrics or geotextiles". Almost all wellknown nonwoven fabric producers visited the trade fair stand of the plant manufacturer from Neumünster to find out about the advantages of spunbond, meltblown and airlaid technologies.

Overall, the nonwoven fabric team of the Oerlikon Group draws a very positive conclusion and looks back with satisfaction on the intensive and good quality discussions as well as numerous concrete inquiries from customers and prospective customers.

Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG will be providing information on its extensive range of coating and finishing technologies for the production of nonwovens and technical textiles at the forthcoming Techtextil India exhibition.

“India is already a very important market for Monforts and there are exciting prospects ahead for Indian manufacturers of technical textiles, who are well positioned to capitalise on growth opportunities,” says Monforts Head of Denim Hans Wroblowski, who will be at the Monforts stand in Hall 4, booth C52 at the show. “India has one of the largest working-age populations in the world and a complete textile value chain for both natural and synthetic fibres.”

In addition, he adds, India’s government, through its Ministry of Textiles, has been actively promoting the growth of technical textiles through various programmes based on investment promotion, subsidies, the creation of infrastructure and the stimulation of consumption.

As a result, India’s Ministry of Textiles is forecasting that the growth of technical textiles in the country will be over 18% annually in the next few years, from a value of US$16.6 billion in 2018 to US$28.7 billion in 2021.

Value addition

High value-added technical products such as wide-width digital printing substrates, carbon fabrics for high-performance composites, filter media, flame retardant barrier fabrics and heavy-duty membranes are now being coated on Monforts texCoat ranges and finished with the company’s industry-leading Montex stenters.

“Since we acquired the technology that our coating units are based on in 2015, we have made a lot of refinements,” says Hans. “All of these developments are reflected in higher coating accuracy and the resulting quality of the treated fabrics. At the same time, our latest multi-functional coating heads offer an unprecedented range of options, with a wide range of modules available.”

The texCoat user interface is now equipped with the unique Monforts visualisation system and the magnetic doctor blade has greater power reserves. Options include a carbon fibre-reinforced composite coating drum with a more scratch-resistant surface and maximum rigidity and remote control which simplifies exact adjustment for the operator.

Montex stenters in special executions are meanwhile ideal for the drying and finishing of both technical woven fabrics and nonwovens and characterised by high stretching devices in both length and width.

“The European-built Montex range of stenters has earned its leading position in the technical textiles market due to the overall robustness, reliability and economy of these machines,” Hans concludes. “Whatever the intended end-product – and we continue to discover potentially new areas in which technical textiles can be utilised all the time – we have the machine specification and know-how to turn ideas into reality. In India we also benefit from the strong sales and service support of A.T.E. Enterprises.”

Texchtextil India takes place alongside World of Composites at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai from November 20-22.

Notus Composites has achieved a major manufacturing milestone when the company’s one millionth m2 of fire retardant (FR) epoxy prepreg was shipped from its state-of-the-art facility in the UAE this month. Notus are supplying FR materials for several high profile infrastructure projects in the Middle East, with this latest batch of material being supplied for the new composite Museum of the Future in Dubai.

The one million m2 milestone was reached during a recent production run of Notus’ EPFR-609 glass fibre reinforced epoxy prepreg - a user friendly, long out life, FR prepreg designed for low pressure/vacuum curing at temperatures from 85-120˚C. EPFR-609 can also be supplied as a resin film or as Notus N1-Preg, the company’s versatile single sided prepreg product format. Having set up in 2015 but grown considerably in the past 4 years, Notus Composites has completed an extensive program of testing at well-known fire research laboratories in the Middle East and Europe with particular focus on large scale tests to verify material behavior as part of a complete wall or façade system.

As a result, Notus Composites EPFR-609 prepreg and NE11-FR surface film is the only epoxy prepreg system to have passed the NFPA 285 exterior and curtain wall test and to have achieved an impressive B2,s1,d0 rating when testing to the European EN13501-1 standard. In addition, these materials have been approved by the UAE’s Dubai Civil Defense (one of the Middle East’s leaders in building fire safety coding) who completed a program of factory inspections and production audits as well as witnessing fire tests themselves.