From the Sector

Monforts dyeing and finishing technology customers from Pakistan had a successful presence at the Heimtextil 2026 home and contract textiles exhibition which attracted over 48,000 visitors to Frankfurt in Germany this month (January 13-16).

They included key home furnishings suppliers such as Crestex, Faisal, Gohar, and Kausar Processing, all based in the Faisalabad region of the country, Karachi-based Al Karam, Adamjee, Liberty, Lucky and Rainbow, and Kohinoor, Nishat Chunian and Sapphire of Lahore.

Strategic importance
For these vertically integrated manufacturers, Europe remains one of the most strategically important end markets for home textiles, not simply for volume, orders but because of what Europe represents in terms of standards, stability and long-term positioning. European buyers, whether retailers, brand owners or contract textile specialists, have historically set the benchmark for quality, safety and consistency in bedding, towelling and decorative home fabrics. Supplying this market therefore anchors Pakistani mills at the higher end of the global value chain and provides a reference point that strengthens their credibility in other markets.

Pakistan is also one of the world’s few countries with large-scale vertical integration across cotton raw materials, spinning, weaving, knitting, wet processing, finishing and making up, all concentrated within single groups or closely linked clusters. This allows mills to respond to European buying models that favour fewer, larger suppliers capable of controlling quality from fibre to finished product. 

In addition, European customers increasingly want traceability, process transparency and consistency across multiple seasons, not opportunistic buying. Vertically integrated Pakistani mills are able to offer this by aligning yarn selection, fabric construction, finishing and made-up production within one controlled industrial ecosystem.

European norms
“Pakistan offers relatively predictable shipping routes to Europe and crucially, a manufacturing culture already shaped by European norms,” says Monforts Area Sales Manager Manfred Havenith. “These companies rely on our established technologies including MONTEX stentering equipment, MONFORTEX sanforizing units and THERMEX dyeing ranges. We continue to assist them with trials and optimised processing parameters in developing advanced fabrics for a wide range of end-uses, both at their own plants and at our Advanced Technology Centre (ATC) in Germany.

“We have also worked with Al Ameen, our valued partner in Pakistan for over 40 years and this close cooperation, along with constant R&D and machine innovations – both in terms of productivity and energy savings – has allowed Monforts to build an 80% market share for stenters in Pakistan and to retain it for a number of decades. We remain dedicated to the ongoing success of our valued customers in Pakistan.”

Researchers have developed a wearable, comfortable and washable device called Revoice that could help people regain the ability to communicate naturally and fluently following a stroke, without the need for invasive brain implants.

The device, whose development was led by researchers at the University of Cambridge, uses a combination of ultra-sensitive sensors and artificial intelligence to decode speech signals and emotional cues to allow people with post-stroke speech impairment to communicate naturally.

The Revoice device, worn as a soft and flexible choker, captures the wearer’s heart rate and tiny vibrations from throat muscles, and uses those signals to reconstruct intended words and sentences in real time.

The signals from the device are processed by two AI agents: one reconstructs words from fragments of silently mouthed speech, while the other interprets emotional state and contextual information, such as the time of day or weather conditions, to expand short phrases into complete, expressive sentences.

In a small trial with five patients with dysarthria, a common type of post-stroke speech impairment, the device achieved a word error rate of 4.2% and a sentence error rate of just 2.9%. Unlike existing assistive speech technologies, which often require slow letter-by-letter input, eye tracking or brain implants, the Revoice device provides seamless real-time communication, turning just a few mouthed words into full, fluent sentences.

Their results, reported in the journal Nature Communications, could not only have implications for stroke rehabilitation, but could also help support people with conditions such as Parkinson’s and motor neuron disease. The researchers are currently planning a clinical study in Cambridge for native English-speaking dysarthria patients to assess the viability of the system, which they are hoping to launch this year.

About half of people develop dysarthria, or dysarthria in combination with aphasia, following a stroke. Dysarthria is a physical condition that causes weakness in the muscles of the face, mouth and vocal cords. It affects people in different ways, but often causes an inability to speak clearly, slurred or slow speech, or speaking in short, disjointed bursts rather than full sentences.

“When people have dysarthria following a stroke, it can be extremely frustrating for them, because they know exactly what they want to say, but physically struggle to say it, because the signals between their brain and their throat have been scrambled by the stroke,” said Professor Luigi Occhipinti from Cambridge’s Department of Engineering, who led the research. “That frustration can be profound, not just for the patients, but for their caregivers and families as well.”

Most stroke patients with dysarthria work with a speech therapist to regain their ability to communicate, primarily through repetitive word drills, where patients repeat words or phrases back to the speech therapist. Typical recovery time varies from a few months to a year or more.

“Patients can generally perform the repetitive drills after some practice, but they often struggle with open-ended questions and everyday conversation,” said Occhipinti. “And as many patients do recover most or all of their speech eventually, there is not a need for invasive brain implants, but there is a strong need for speech solutions that are more intuitive and portable.”

Occhipinti and his colleagues developed the Revoice device as such a solution. The sensors in the device capture subtle vibrations from the throat to detect speech signals and decodes emotional states from pulse signals – a simplified but effective proxy. The device also uses an embedded lightweight large language model (LLM) to predict full sentences, so only uses minimal power.

Working with colleagues in China, the researchers carried out a small trial with five stroke patients with dysarthria, as well as ten healthy controls. In the study, participants wore the device and mouthed short phrases. By nodding twice, they could choose to expand those phrases into sentences using the embedded LLM.

In one example, “We go hospital” became “Even though it’s getting a bit late, I’m still feeling uncomfortable. Can we go to the hospital now?” The sensors in the Revoice device inferred that the wearer was feeling frustrated due to their elevated heart rate, and that it was getting late at night. The LLM was able to use this data to expand three mouthed words into a full sentence.

Participants in the study reported a 55% increase in satisfaction, showing that the device could be a promising development to help stroke patients regain their ability to communicate. Although extensive clinical trials will be required before the device can be made widely available, the researchers hope that future versions of the device will include multilingual capabilities, a broader range of emotional states and fully self-contained operation for everyday use.

“This is about giving people their independence back,” said Occhipinti. “Communication is fundamental to dignity and recovery.”

The research was supported in part by the British Council, Haleon, and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Despite a challenging market environment, Autoneum reached key strategic milestones in fiscal year 2025. With two acquisitions in China, the Group significantly strengthened its position in the strategic growth market of Asia. Revenue consolidated in Swiss francs totaled CHF 2’290.6 million (2024: CHF 2’338.7 million). In local currencies, revenue increased to CHF 2’393.3 million.

This performance underscores Autoneum’s resilience in a globally demanding market and demonstrates its solid foundation for the future. Despite muted economic conditions and moderate demand for new vehicles in many regions, Autoneum maintained its position and generated important growth impulses. The global automotive market grew by 3.7% in 2025*, driven primarily by China — highlighting the strategic importance of Asia for Autoneum.

In local currencies, Autoneum achieved revenue growth of 2.3%. This was primarily due to two acquisitions in China which contributed to an inorganic revenue increase of 6.4%. Organically, revenue declined by 4.1%. Due to the continued appreciation of the Swiss franc and resulting negative currency translation effects, consolidated revenue in Swiss francs amounted to 2‘290.6 million, down 2.1% from the prior year CHF 2’338.7 million. 

Regional Performance
In Business Group Asia, revenue grew strongly to CHF 326.4 million (previous year: CHF 198.3 million), corresponding to an increase of 73.9% in local currencies. The main driver was the successful acquisition of Jiangsu Huanyu Group and Chengdu Yiqi-Sihuan Group. The integration of both companies is progressing according to plan. This strengthens Autoneum’s ability to expand its access to leading Chinese OEMs and to sustainably build its market presence in Asia.

In a slightly declining market (–1.3%), Business Group Europe generated revenue of CHF 1’057.1 million (previous year: CHF 1’152.4 million). In local currencies, revenue decreased by 7.6%. Business Group North America recorded revenue of CHF 805.8 million (previous year: CHF 884.6 million). In local currencies, revenue fell by 3.0%, while the market declined by 1.0%*. Business Group SAMEA (South America, Middle East and Africa) benefited from a slightly growing market (+2.1%) and achieved revenue growth of 17.7% in local currencies, primarily driven by inflation-related price increases. In Swiss francs, revenue declined to CHF 117.8 million (previous year: CHF 121.4 million) due to the significant devaluation of various local currencies.

Full-Year Guidance Achieved; Free Cash Flow Exceeds Expectations
In fiscal year 2025, Autoneum delivered revenue of nearly CHF 2.3 billion, an EBIT margin well above 5%, and a strong free cash flow exceeding CHF 100 million. The Group’s solid financial foundation and successful execution of its strategic “Level Up” initiatives provide the basis for sustainable growth and value creation going forward.

At this year's supplier conference held by polyamide yarn manufacturer Yongrong on January 17, Barmag was honored with the Gold Partner Award. The company presents the award to suppliers who make a significant contribution to the sustainable growth and success of the group.

The Yongrong Holding Group's supplier conference 2025 took place in Fuzhou, China, under the motto “Shaping the future together with a focus on value.” As a long-standing strategic supplier, Barmag was invited and represented by Hou Xiaoguang, Head of Barmag China, and Felix Chau, Head of Sales China.

Barmag and the Yongrong Group have maintained a partnership-based business relationship since 2004, which has developed from a strategic to a value-adding collaboration over more than two decades. In the field of polyamide yarn production, the Yongrong Group is now one of Barmag's most important customers worldwide.

While the company initially used mainly standard equipment from Barmag, the focus is now on customized, innovative solutions that have been jointly developed and continuously optimized. High-quality, cutting-edge technology from Barmag, combined with the Yongrong Group's forward-looking strategy, has contributed significantly to the successful development of both partners.

In the future, both partners intend to further intensify their cooperation. The focus will be on developing environmentally friendly and intelligent production processes for the nylon industry, as well as a new model for a high-quality and sustainable industry.

Indorama Ventures, a global sustainable chemical company, takes an important next step toward making textiles more circular for homes and public spaces. To support fabric makers in creating a more sustainable version of the well-known flame-retardant Trevira CS fabric, the company now offers Trevira® flame-retardant fibers and filament yarns that contain 50% recycled textile material. First customers were introduced to the new offering during Heimtextil trade show mid-January in Frankfurt, Germany. 

Jesper Nielsen, Global Key Account Manager Flame Retardancy, explains: “This innovation is possible through Indorama Ventures’ joint venture with Jiaren Chemical Recycling. The renowned recycler uses textile waste from both, consumers and industry, to produce recycled polyester chips. From these chips, we make our high-modified Trevira® flame-retardant fibers and yarns. Customers who use these fibers and yarns to produce fabrics can then apply for the Trevira CS Eco brand. This way, they combine their commitment to circularity with the strong, permanent flame-retardant performance the Trevira CS fabric brand is known for since 1980.” 

Indorama Ventures announced its partnership with Jiaren Chemical Recycling in November 2025. This strategic move reflects the company’s ambition to play a leading role in making textile circularity a reality at scale. The newly available textile-recycled Trevira® flame-retardant fibers and yarns are one outcome of this partnership, which will create more resource-friendly textiles without compromising on comfort or safety.

Borealis announces a EUR 49 million strategic investment to scale up production of Borstar® Nextension polypropylene (PP) at its manufacturing site in Burghausen, Germany. This will expand commercial production of next-generation single-site polypropylene (ssPP) grades that deliver enhanced purity, processability, and performance - supporting customers in key sectors including packaging, healthcare, mobility, and fibers, to meet evolving market and regulatory demands.  
 
Enabling the shift to circular design with monomaterials  
The investment will support the transition to high-performance monomaterial PP solutions. By integrating a tailored combination of performance properties into a single PP material, Borstar Nextension technology facilitates material substitution in complex multilayer structures – supporting design for circularity, reducing weight, and improving overall performance. 
 
Meeting recyclability requirements 
In packaging, this innovation enables brand owners and converters to comply with the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR), including the target of achieving 100% recyclable packaging by 2030. A growing portfolio of Borstar Nextension PP grades is already demonstrating these benefits in flexible packaging applications, combining improved processability with superior sustainability and a step change in purity, clarity and sealing performance. 
 
Driving customer growth and sustainability 
“By scaling up Borstar Nextension PP production, we empower our customers to stay ahead in a rapidly changing regulatory and market landscape. It’s another example of our commitment to increase the availability of innovative, recyclable polymer materials suitable for a wide range of applications across multiple industries,” says Craig Arnold, Borealis EVP Polyolefins, Circular Economy Solutions and Base Chemicals. 

EasyCut, a cutting-edge company focused on sign making software solutions, announced the official release of Easy Cut Studio 6.016, an upgrade of its sign design and vinyl cutting software. This updated version brings support for several new vinyl cutters, including Vevor Smart1, Vevor TT450, E-Cut TT-450, YOW! CraftY and Roland CM series cutters, and also brings a series of improvements aimed at enhancing the user experience and make your cutting machines run better.

Easy Cut Studio 6.016 builds on its set of functions and tools, while offering new features, improvements, and efficiency, elevates excellence and performance for signage and professional graphic designers. With the newly added cutter support, more users can now use the software to design, print, and cut. These enhancements allow beginners to get started quickly, while enabling seasoned experts to easily create more complex, technically advanced layouts with greater ease – and less time. 

"We are very proud that our software is compatible with more models of cutting plotters, helping our customers achieve outstanding results. EasyCut has always been dedicated to simplifying complex workflows and making professional printing and cutting accessible to everyone", says Eric Johnson, Director of Global Marketing and Sales, EasyCut. "We are confident that printing and cutting with Easy Cut Studio Version 6.016 is more efficient than ever before, with the guarantee of delivering better results no matter the application.”

Vevor Smart1 is a precise, versatile desktop vinyl cutter designed for creative and DIY projects. It features auto-adjusting blade pressure and auto-tracking for consistent, clean cuts. It supports over 100 materials (vinyl, cardstock, heat transfer, etc.) and various tools for cutting, writing, and fold lines, it’s ideal for stickers, decals, apparel, home decor, labels, and signage. User-friendly and efficient, it suits beginners to pros, helping turn ideas into high-quality projects with less setup and fewer errors. Now Vevor Smart1 users can fully control the Vevor Smart1 cutting machine with Easy Cut Studio, effortlessly handling printing and cutting projects.

The E-Cut TT-450 and Vevor TT-450 are compact, entry-level auto contour vinyl cutting plotters ideal for DIY crafts and small businesses. Both models are produced in China, and their appearance and functions are basically identical. Both machines feature automatic contour cutting (via camera or edge detection) for precise print-and-cut applications, delivering ±0.1mm accuracy at speeds up to 400mm/s. When using this machine with Easy Cut Studio, anyone can easily create custom stickers, labels, and signs.

In addition, Easy Cut Studio 6.016 also added support for the Roland CM series machines, including the CM-12, CM-24, and the older CM-300, CM-400, and CM-500. EasyCut is constantly updating Easy Cut Studio 6 to support new vinyl cutters as they are released and ensuring that old vinyl cutters remain supported, even when the manufacturer stops supporting these cutters.

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals focused on sustainable solutions, is excited to announce its debut participation in Denimsandjeans Egypt, taking place on January 19–20, 2026 at the InterContinental Citystars Cairo. 

In its first year at the show, Archroma will showcase its low-impact denim solutions, designed to help brands and mills advance sustainability without compromising aesthetics, quality or performance. 

“With Egypt emerging as a strategic denim sourcing market, there is a clear opportunity to accelerate more sustainable production. Archroma’s innovations are designed to support this growth with scalable, low impact solutions,” commented Dhirendra Gautam, Vice President, Commercial, Archroma. 

Visitors to the Archroma stand will discover a portfolio of innovative and award-winning solutions, including: 

• DENIM HALO - Archroma’s revolutionary award-winning denim pretreatment and dyeing process that gives brands and mills a simple way to produce highly sought-after distressed denim looks. It draws on a unique new chemistry, DIRSOL® RD, and a broad portfolio of textile dyes based on decades of advanced research to produce laser-friendly denim with outstanding contrast on intense black and indigo shades. 
• DIRESUL® EVOLUTION BLACK - Archroma’s cleanest sulfur black dyestuff. Manufactured using fewer resources, it has an overall impact reduction of 57% during dye synthesis compared to standard Sulfur Black 1 liquid. 
• DENISOL® PURE INDIGO 30 LIQ - An aniline-free pre-reduced indigo that creates authentic denim colors with the same performance and efficiency as conventional indigo dye, but in a way that can reduce the risk of pollution. Furthermore, it is produced in an aniline-free** process to help enable cleaner denim production. 
• EarthColors® - A patented Archroma technology that creates high-performance biowaste-based dyes from non-edible food and agricultural waste, leaving the edible part available for consumption. EarthColors® dyes help reduce the industry’s overall impact on the water footprint. Since they upcycle waste from other industries, they also help contribute to a circular economy. 

Effective from January 1, 2026, Volker Gingter, has been appointed the new Managing Director of A. Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG, headquartered in Mönchengladbach, Germany, and will steer the fortunes of the leading dyeing and finishing technology company going forward.

Gunnar Meyer stepped down as Managing Director on December 31, 2025, and will remain with the company in an advisory capacity until his well-earned retirement in July 2026.

Mr Gingter started his career as an electrician in 1997 at Sucker-Müller-Hacoba, also headquartered in Mönchengladbach, and first joined Monforts in 2000 as an inhouse commissioning engineer. Between 2010 and 2013 he worked at Esprit on a new European warehouse before rejoining Monforts as Engineering Service Manager. He became Head of the Service Department in 2020 and in 2025 also took charge of the Spare Parts Department.

He is now looking forward to meeting the worldwide Monforts network of customers and suppliers personally at the forthcoming Techtextil 2026 exhibition in Frankfurt.

“Today’s volatile worldwide market situation will be a challenge, but I am ready to navigate Monforts through this demanding time,” he said. “The Techtextil exhibition serves as an excellent platform for networking and meeting with key players and provides a great opportunity to meet many customers and potential new ones. Keeping good relationships with customers is essential and it is our aim to fulfil their expectations when investing in our products.”

A. Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG was founded in 1884 and today is a leading supplier of textile dyeing and finishing machines as well as coating devices. The company is a market leader in stenters, continuous dyeing ranges, sanforising ranges and special executions for denim and for the finishing of technical textiles.

X-energy Reactor Company, LLC (“X-energy”) and SGL Carbon LLC (“SGL”) have signed a 10-year framework agreement to provide graphite for the deployment of X-energy’s Xe-100 small modular reactor (“SMR”). 

Graphite Production for Long Mott Generating Station (Dow, Texas)
SGL has been awarded an initial three-year contract valued at around 100 mUSD to supply medium grain-graphite supply for X-energy’s first commercial project, a proposed four-unit
Xe-100 plant in partnership with Dow, Inc. in Seadrift, Texas. Graphite production on graphite reactor components has started, and SGL will supply components within three years for a total value of around 100 mUSD.

Capacity Reservation for Cascade Advanced Energy Facility (Energy Northwest, Washington State)
X-energy and SGL have also signed an agreement to reserve capacity and develop production readiness for the Cascade Advanced Energy Facility with Energy Northwest in Washington state. Cascade is a planned 12-unit Xe-100 plant, and the first of several proposed Amazon and X-energy projects targeting at least five gigawatts of new nuclear energy by 2039.Graphite production is expected to begin in the second half of 2026.

SGL has a long history in supplying graphite into nuclear applications. The product and service portfolio covers graphite components for the reactor core but also material for nuclear fuel production. X-energy and SGL Carbon are long-standing partners, with collaboration dating back to 2015 to advance the development and qualification of graphite for commercial use in the Xe-100. To explore further opportunities for collaboration on future X-energy projects, Andreas Klein, CEO of SGL Carbon, met with J. Clay Sell the CEO of X-energy this week at their Maryland headquarters.

Andreas Klein, CEO of SGL Carbon, explains: "X-energy is a pioneer in the development and manufacture of small, modular, high-performance nuclear reactors for energy generation.
X-energy has done groundbreaking work in recent years and is now entering the implementation phase with its first projects with Dow and other well-known customers. We are proud to be part of this success story and to contribute to a long-term and successful partnership. This is a first milestone in the development of new applications for our products."

“Scaling new nuclear requires partners who know how to execute and have done so time and again in the world’s most demanding industries,” said J. Clay Sell, CEO of X-energy. “SGL brings decades of innovation in aerospace, automotive, energy, and semiconductor applications, and we are thrilled to bring that depth of experience into the new nuclear sector.”

About X-energy Reactor Company, LLC 
X-energy Reactor Company, LLC, is a leading developer of advanced small modular nuclear reactors and fuel technology for clean energy generation that is redefining the nuclear energy industry through its development of safer and more efficient advanced small modular nuclear reactors and proprietary fuel to deliver reliable, zero-carbon and affordable energy to people around the world. X-energy’s simplified, modular, and intrinsically safe SMR design expands applications and markets for deployment of nuclear technology and drives enhanced safety, lower cost and faster construction timelines when compared with other SMRs and conventional nuclear.