From the Sector

Trützschler Card Clothing (TCC), technology leader in the manufacture of high-performance card clothings for textile yarn processing, is expanding its site in Neubulach, Germany. With the twelve-million-euro investment, the supplier for the international textile machinery industry is expanding its production, warehouse and office capacities. A groundbreaking ceremony will take place during the coming winter.

The new building will expand the warehouse and logistics area by 600 square meters, to make a total area of 2,800 square meters. In the optimized cube of the new hall, a modern warehouse system will double the storage capacity. There will also be a fully automated warehouse for coils for sawtooth wires. During the construction phase, logistics and shipping will be temporarily outsourced to Pforzheim-Büchenbronn.

The move into the new building is planned for 2024. TCC will also expand the range of services and the production intensity at the site, while optimizing the process flows. Trützschler intends to recruit the additional employees required within a short timeframe by hiring new staff and offering apprenticeships at the Neubulach site. TCC employs more than 130 people in Germany, with a further 220 people employed worldwide at locations in Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Turkey and the USA.

Overall, the production area will be expanded from 4,000 to 5,400 square meters. This will enable the process flows to be optimized. The office space will be increased to 1,000 square meters. An additional level of the building will provide modern workplaces for administration and sales.

The new building will also improve access and exit routes for truck traffic. This will provide considerable relief for the local neighborhood in terms of noise emissions and other factors. Good integration into the region is very important to Trützschler. All contracts for planning, construction and air conditioning technology have been awarded to local companies.

In the future, TCC will operate its production facility in Neubulach in a climate-neutral manner. This will contribute important progress toward achieving the ambitious climate goals of the Trützschler Group. The new production facility will meet the highest requirements for energy efficiency and climate protection. Heating is provided by process heat recovery and geothermal energy. In addition, the company produces green electricity via its own solar panels.

"By expanding our business here in Neubulach, we are strengthening our presence in this area and our leading global market position too," says Managing Director Peter Gäbler. The Trützschler Group SE is also investing in India to build a new site with over 100,000 square meters for the Spinning, Card Clothing and Nonwovens business units. "It is important to be close to the customer worldwide because our foreign companies make a significant contribution to the success of the Group," says Gäbler.

TCC achieved another record sales result in 2021. Demand for the technology components for carding fibers in spinning mills and for carding in nonwovens production has increased significantly. The steel sawtooth wires, which are wound onto coils and produced for customers around the globe, eventually get worn down by use in production processes – so it is necessary to replace them regularly. For this reason, further growth is expected in 2022 and beyond.

• Sales of CHF 366.8 million in the third quarter, CHF 987.4 million after nine months
• Order intake of CHF 226.4 million in the third quarter, CHF 1 095.8 million after nine months
• Order backlog of around CHF 2 000 million as of September 30, 2022
• Precautionary measures taken against potential energy crisis in Europe
• Financing of a Professorship for Artificial Intelligence
• Rieter site sales process on schedule
• Outlook 2022

Rieter recorded a significant increase in sales in the third quarter of 2022, reaching a level of CHF 366.8 million (2021: CHF 257.3 million). The measures introduced to increase sales and profitability in the second half of 2022 are taking effect and will continue to be implemented in a systematic manner. These include a close cooperation with key suppliers, the development of alternative solutions to eliminate material shortages, the enforcement of price increases, and the improvement of the margin quality of the order backlog.

The order intake of CHF 226.4 million in the third quarter of 2022 reflects the expected normalization of demand for new equipment compared to the record year of 2021, which was characterized by catch-up effects and the regional shift in demand. In addition, the well-known uncertainties and risks and the continuing extremely long delivery times at key manufacturers had a dampening effect on demand. Due to the slowdown in capacity utilization in the spinning mills, demand for consumables, wear & tear and spare parts also declined in the third quarter of 2022. Major orders continued to be recorded from Turkey, Uzbekistan, and China.

Rieter has a high order backlog of around CHF 2 000 million as of September 30, 2022 (September 30, 2021: CHF 1 562 million), which will guarantee capacity utilization in all three business groups until well into 2023 or rather 2024. The cancellation rate in the reporting period was around 5% of the order backlog.

Outlook 2022
Rieter anticipates weakened demand for new systems in the coming months. The demand for consumables, wear & tear and spare parts will depend on the capacity utilization of spinning mills in the months ahead.

For the full year 2022, Rieter expects sales of around CHF 1 400 million. The realization of sales revenue from the order backlog continues to be associated with risks in relation to the well-known uncertainties.

Despite significantly higher sales compared to the prior-year period, Rieter expects EBIT and net result for 2022 to be below the previous year’s level. This is due to the considerable increases in the cost of materials and logistics, additional costs for compensation of material shortages as well as expenses in connection with the acquisition in the years 2021/2022.

Freudenberg Performance Materials (Freudenberg) has concluded a high-volume, multi-year contract with a global automotive tier one supplier to supply high-performance gas diffusion layers for the stacks forming the core of the fuel cell systems produced by the leading automotive supplier. Global target applications are mid-sized and heavy commercial vehicles as well as buses. Freudenberg is supporting the customer’s global fuel cell activities, thereby also accelerating the breakthrough of mass-produced fuel cell stacks.

Fuel cell technology is an important element of a successful energy transition. Gas diffusion layers play a key role in this context: they are indispensable for the functioning of a fuel cell and have a significant impact on the performance of a fuel cell stack.

A fuel cell converts the chemical energy of hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen into electricity. Functionally-optimized gas diffusion layers made of carbon-fiber based nonwoven are installed on both sides of a catalyst-coated membrane positioned in the middle of the fuel cell. The gas diffusion layers distribute hydrogen and oxygen evenly to the membrane and remove the electricity, heat and water generated by the CO₂-free chemical reaction. They also protect the sensitive membrane and are optimized to suit the bipolar plate. A fuel cell stack is made up of several individual fuel cells.

Freudenberg already has more than 20 years of unique expertise in the development and production of gas diffusion layers for fuel cell applications in the mobility sector and for porous transport layers used in electrolyzers. Freudenberg is currently expanding its production capacity at its Weinheim headquarters by installing additional lines. Further investments are on the verge of implementation.

BTMA member Sellers Textile Engineers is marking its 110th anniversary this year with the introduction of a new concept in carpet shearing, as the essential final step in ensuring tuft uniformity and ‘just new’ freshness in finished carpet rolls.

The company has for many years offered two options in the construction of its shearing cylinders – the first, namely the ‘strap-on’, incorporates spiral blades bolted to the cylinder body and the second, known as the ‘caulked-in’, includes spirals which are fixed very securely in a machined groove within the machine.

The new Sellers’ Hybrid Shearing Cylinder combines the benefits of both, resulting in an improved cut and finer finish, in addition to longer repeatable finishing and increased rigidity.

“The Hybrid Shearing Cylinder has all the advantages of the ‘strap-on’ spiral blade to provide a sharper and cleaner cut, along with enhanced rigidity which significantly lengthens the intervals between the necessary regrinding of the blade,” explains Sellers Director Neil Miller. “We currently have six Hybrid Shearing Cylinders operating in the field and the earliest, which has been installed in both No1 Head position, where the majority of the shearing operation and heaviest cut is performed, and also in No3 Head, where the sharper cutting angle has resulted in a much improved surface quality.”

Sellers shearing machines have led the field in carpet finishing for many decades, enabling the leading manufacturers to stay competitive by enabling the highest quality of finish to be achieved economically and efficiently.

The latest advanced features of these machines include a load cell tension control drive system, an automated touchscreen for easy operator control and fault diagnosis, an enhanced cleaning system including cylinder and blade separation and fully controllable pivoting beds. Further options include thickness monitoring, seam detection and metal detection systems.

“The Hybrid Shearing Cylinder will become standard on our latest machines and also be made available for retrofitting, to provide significant benefits to our existing users,” says Miller. “All of our equipment is designed, manufactured, assembled and tested at our plant in the UK, and as one of the few remaining European engineering companies to make all of our components in-house – with now over a century of accumulated know-how – flexibility in design allows our finishing solutions to be targeted to specific customers and their product requirements. Aligned to this is a lead in process control systems which ensure the accurate control, reliability and repeatability of the processing parameters on all of our machines.”

Sellers remains committed to providing complete finishing solutions for all carpet, tile and artificial grass products. Its range includes machines for tufted secondary backing, both conventional, powder and extrusion lamination, Wilton and Axminster products, artificial grass and foam lines, coating lines for bitumen, PVC, PU and other polymers, as well as shearing for all carpet products.

Ongoing developments on the company’s coating and drying lines have resulted in improved guiding and product tension control as well as dryer efficiency, reducing heat loss and optimising energy use. These include a re-design of the fan pressure boxes and impingement nozzles to increase airflow efficiency, modulating gas burners and introducing easy clean, accessible filters.

In addition, the proven dual zone system has been enhanced, giving a temperature differential of up to 80°C between top and bottom zones. Dryers can be heated by either gas or steam and operation and access have been simplified with controls via touchscreen and PLC.

An extensive range of ancillary equipment is available to provide maximum flexibility to cover product requirements, for both new processing lines and as upgrades to existing equipment.

“Carpet manufacturing is now based on well-established, tried and trusted processes and it’s rare for new innovations to be introduced into this sector,” says Jason Kent, CEO of the British Textile Machinery Association. “The new Sellers Hybrid Shearing Cylinder can provide a competitive edge for manufacturers which is currently being proven in the field. It’s one of a number of new innovations the company is planning to showcase at next year’s ITMA exhibition in Milan.”

RF5 SMMS 3200 nonwovens line is scheduled to be commissioned in the fourth quarter of 2022, and will be the first Reicofil 5 (RF5) line operating in Africa.

PFNonwovens is one of the most innovative nonwoven companies in the world, and continues to grow its footprint in the US, Europe and Africa. PFN wants to set a new benchmark of high-quality and innovative products for the Southern African markets with this purchase.

Markus Mueller, Sales Director of Reifenhäuser Reicofil and Key Account Manager for PFNonwovens, adds: “Since 2018, Reicofil has been delivering RF5 lines to support the global hygiene industry across four continents. The hygiene industry values the consistent product quality provided by RF5 and the key product performance properties it delivers at lower basis weights helping to drive industry sustainability goals. With an energy requirement of 1-1.2 kilowatt hours per kilogram produced, Reicofil 5 manages the conversion from raw material to nonwoven more efficiently than any other technology on the market. We are very pleased that after many years of partnership cooperation with PFNonwovens, we are now able to establish this technology at their South Africa location and look forward to our further collaboration to serve the hygiene and medical market in the whole region with top quality products.”

In comparison to HY 21 revenue went up by 26% to 1,707.3 million EUR, the profit reached 123.9 million EUR (+6%).

Machines & Technologies revenue increased by +10%. The revenue of Agro increased by +46%, Bio-valorization revenue increased by +27%, the revenue of Industrial Solutions increased by +21%, and the revenue of T-Power increased by 4%. This revenue increase could be mainly realized thanks to higher sales prices, implemented to compensate the increase of raw material, energy and transportation costs in most segments.

In the first half of 2022, revenue increased by +10% for the segment Machines & Technologies. This increase in revenue took place both in weaving machines (Picanol) and other industrial activities (Proferro, PsiControl). Picanol launched the OmniPlus-i TC Connect weaving machine into the Machines & Technologies segment in early 2022. This model, which was specifically made for weaving tire cord, has been upgraded with the latest airjet technology and equipped with the features of the new generation Connect weaving machines. However, HY22 Adjusted EBITDA decreased by 64% compared to last year due to the negative impact of rising raw material prices, transportation costs and costs of late deliveries, which could not be translated into higher selling prices, partly due to the large order book.

The group anticipates a continued high level of uncertainty in the second half of 2022, as well as in 2023, due to the current conflict in Eastern Europe, the difficult supply chain circumstances, and other challenges following the coronavirus pandemic. The development of customer demand and sales margin could therefore come under pressure. However, based on currently available information, Picanol Group expects that the 2022 Adjusted EBITDA will be higher than the 2021 Adjusted EBITDA (430.3 million EUR). This revised outlook for the 2022 financial year reflects the strong first half of the year, while the result for the second half is expected to be in line with the same period in the previous year.

• Focus on straightening technology and process control

At Indo Intertex, held from 10 to 13 August in Jakarta, visitors get to see the Mahlo-way for process control in textile production. The German machine manufacturer and its partner agency Agansa Primatama will be available to show everyone its leading straightening technology as well as energy saving concepts around the stenter frames. INDO INTERTEX is South East Asia’s largest trade show on the textile and garment industries, bringing together leaders to experience world-class manufacture, technology and solutions.

Indonesia is one of the ten biggest textile producers in the world. Especially the USA, the European Union and Japan import a majority of their requirements from the Southeast Asian Island state. In order to fulfill the increasing demands and the call for high quality goods, producers invest in machinery, equipment and technology.

At IndoIntertex, Mahlo informs about its straightening machine Orthopac RVMC-15, among other. Based on experience reaching back to over 75 years, the machine offers the latest technology for correcting distortions. The modular straightening and process control system ensures a straight-thread product before and after the drying or fixing process and optimises the processes all around the stenter. This increases quality and saves resources and energy. The process control system Optipac VMC-15 measures and controls critical parameters such as dwell time, thread density or residual moisture.

• Annual assembly of ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers

• Digitalization and Sustainability Key to Resiliency for Italian Textile Machinery Sector

The objective critical issues faced by Italy as a whole throughout the course of 2021, primarily dictated by a pandemic that upset any and all pre-existing equilibriums, have not slowed or halted the Italian textile machinery sector.

Indeed, data presented during the annual assembly of ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, held on 1 July proved decidedly positive, showing that in 2021 the sector recovered significantly compared to 2020, to the point of returning to pre-Covid levels.

Specifically, Italian textile machinery production amounted to 2.388 billion euros (+35% over 2020 and + 5% over 2019), with total exports amounting to 2.031 billion euros (+37% over 2020 and +9% over 2019).

However, these results do not cancel the obstacles that companies are still facing. Looking to the near future, expectations are for a rather uncertain outlook, as underscored by ACIMIT President Alessandro Zucchi: “2022 remains a year replete with unknown factors, starting with the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, along with the persistence of the pandemic, which seriously risk delaying expected growth consolidation for businesses in the sector. Difficulties in finding raw materials and components negatively affect the completion and fulfilment of orders processed as far back as 2021. To boot, rising energy costs and inflationary trends affecting numerous commodities are depressing overall business confidence. So the outlook for the sector is not so good.”
As such, the two cornerstones through which ACIMIT aims to support the Italian textile machinery sector are digitilization and sustainability.

4.0: The textile machinery sector looks to the future
The road to digital transformation has already led numerous manufacturers to completely rethink their production processes, rendering them more efficient and l ess expensive. The digital world is moving ahead at a decisive rate in the textile machinery sector, where the buzzwords are increasingly, for instance, the Internet of Things connecting to a company’s ecosystem, machine learning algorithms applied to production, predictive maintenance, and the integrated cloud management of various production departments. It is no coincidence that ACIMIT has focused decisively on its Digital Ready project, through which Italian textile machinery that adopt a common set of data are certified, with the aim of facilitating integration with the operating systems of client companies (ERP, MES, CRM, etc.).

A green soul
Combining production efficiency and respect for the environment: a challenge ACIMIT has made its own and which it promotes among its members through the Sustainable Technologies project. Launched by the association as early as 2011, the project highlights the commitment of Italian textile machinery manufacturers in the area of sustainability. At the heart of the project is the Green Label, a form of certification specifically for Italian textile machinery which highlights its energy and environmental performance. An all-Italian seal of approval developed in collaboration with RINA, an international certification body.
The assembly held on 1 July provided an opportunity to take stock of the Sustainable Technologies project, more specifically, with the presentation of the Rina Consulting survey on the Green Label’s evolution and impact in recent years.

The results have confirmed the initiative’s extreme validity. The technological advances implemented by the association’s machinery producers participating in the project have effectively translated into benefits in terms of environmental impact (reduction of CO₂ equivalent emissions for machinery), as well as economic advantages for machinery users.

With reference to the year 2021, a total of 204,598 tons of CO₂ emissions avoided on an annual basis have been quantified, thanks to the implementation of improvements on machinery. This is a truly significant reduction which, for the sake of comparison, corresponds to the carbon dioxide emissions generated by 36,864 automobiles travelling an average of 35,000 km a year. In terms of energy savings, the use of green labeled textile machinery has provided excellent performances in allowing for a reduction of up to 84% in consumption.

A round table discussion on the Green Label’s primary purpose
The environmental and economic impact generated in production processes for Italian textile machinery through the use of Green Label technologies was the focus of the round table which concluded the ACIMIT assembly.

Moderated by Aurora Magni (professor of the Industrial Systems Sustainability course at the LIUC School of Engineering), the debate involved Gianluca Brenna (Lipomo Printing House administrator and Vice President of the Italian Fashion System for Welfare), Pietro Pin (Benetton Group consultant and President of UNI for the textile-clothing area), Giorgio Ravasio (Italy Country Manager for Vivienne Westwood), as well as ACIMIT President Alessandro Zucchi.

Called on to compare common factors in their experiences relating to environmental transition processes for their respective companies, the participants were unanimous: the future of Italian textile machinery can no longer ignore advanced technology developments capable of offering sustainable solutions with a low environmental impact while also reducing production costs. This philosophy has by now been consolidated, and has proven to lead directly to a circular economy outlook.

The upcoming ITMA 2023 exhibition
Lastly, a word on ITMA 2023, the most important international exhibition for textile machinery, to be held in Italy from 8 to 14 June 2023 at Fiera-Milano Rho. Marking the 19th edition of ITMA, this trade fair is an essential event for the entire industry worldwide, providing a global showcase for numerous innovative operational solutions on display. A marketplace that offers participants extraordinary business opportunities. The participation of Italian companies is managed by ACIMIT.

The recent Techtextil show in Frankfurt emphasised the diversity of applications for nonwovens and technical textiles, according to finishing technology specialist Monforts.

“We fielded enquiries at top management level from an extremely wide range of companies, all with very different ideas for new product applications during the show,” said Alexander Fitz, who joined the company a year ago as engineer for textile technologies and co-ordinator of the Monforts Advanced Technology Centre (ATC). Fitz brings a background in both technical textile technology and processes to the role, having previously worked for a nonwovens machinery builder and a roll-goods manufacturer.

Trials
“We are now looking forward to interesting new trials and pilot production runs, as well as the commissioning of new orders for machines resulting from the extremely busy exhibition,” he says. “Obviously, everyone at the moment is looking to make energy savings, and we have developed a range of options for helping companies increase their resource efficiency, both on new lines and as retrofitted systems, but this is not stifling innovation at the new material level.

“There was a lot of interest in what is possible with the Montex®Coat coating system and the range of different techniques it enables, and at our ATC in Mönchengladbach, a Montex®Coat unit is integrated into the full technical textiles pilot line, on which it is possible to run new fabrics in widths of up to 1.8 metres.”

Explosion proof
The technical textiles line at the ATC incorporates a Montex four-chamber stenter and is fitted with an explosion-proof coating application chamber in order to allow treatment to be carried out with organic solvents and other volatile materials.

Every single component within the chamber has to meet the standards of the European Union’s ATEX directives for working in a potentially explosive atmosphere. A range of sensors linked to alarms operate at various levels within the chamber to ensure the specified lower explosion limit (LOL) is never exceeded and the ventilation adapts accordingly.

Advanced functions
Special features on the finishing line relate to further advanced functions such as the ability to treat materials not only at temperatures of up to 320°C, but also to be able to treat the top and bottom faces of certain materials at different temperatures within a single pass through the machine.

To achieve this, the first two chambers of the stenter are fitted with special, heavy duty TwinAir ventilation motors and separate burners for individual top/bottom temperature. A temperature differential of up to 60°C can be achieved between the upper and lower nozzles within the chamber, depending on the treatment paramenters.

Another key feature of the technical textiles line at the ATC is the special stretching device which is capable of pulling ten tons in length and ten tons in width – a huge amount per square metre of fabric and necessary in the production of materials such as woven or 3D knits for high temperature filter media.

With the purchase of the latest technology, iSAVER® by Itema, in weaving machines, ISKO pushes the envelope of technological performance and sustainability, making further progress in product and process efficiency.

This decision is an additional, important asset in ISKO’s journey towards a genuine Responsible Innovation™. It is part of other crucial investments made by the company, aimed at further reducing its environmental impact, among which stand out R-TWO™50+ – a new denim generation made with a minimum of 50% pre- and post-consumer recycled blend – and the Green Machine – a pioneering technology providing a 100% post-consumer recycling solution that fully separates and recycles cotton and polyester blends at scale.

After an intensive process, a selection was made where ISKO focuses on the development of technical solutions that enable greater resource savings and more sustainable production methods, always with the protection of workers at heart.

As a result, ISKO’s Headquarters extend the company's long-term relationship with Itema,
strengthening the company’s position as the mill with one of the world’s largest denim capacities. The new rapier machines are enhanced by the iSAVER® technology, a breakthrough mechatronic innovation that eliminates the waste selvedge on the left side of the fabric, allowing for saving in energy and raw materials, cutting in half the cotton waste that typically results from the weft yarn. All types of ISKO’s innovative fabrics, with a multitude of different constructions and fiber mixtures, can now be produced using these advanced weaving technologies, with a special focus given to the R-TWO™ technology in terms of its sustainable credentials.