From the Sector

• New digital platform unveiled
• Due to the continued impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and after thorough consultation of clients and partners, the JEC World team today announces that the next edition of JEC World is postponed from March 9 to 11 to June 1 to 3, 2021.

With the growing concern among our exhibitors and partners surrounding the critical situation of the Covid  19,  travel  restrictions,  quarantine,  and  lockdown  measures  announced  recently  in  many  countries, the JEC World team has decided to work on a new timeline to hold the next edition of the event in safer conditions in 2021.

Thus, JEC World exhibitors answered a survey proposing three dates to determine which one would suit  them  the  most.  It  appeared  that  a  large  majority  of  respondents  favored  holding  the  next  JEC  World session from June 1 to 3, 2021."We truly regret having to make this difficult decision. However, we are all committed, starting todayto deliver the best JEC World experience to our clients.  We look forward to welcoming the international composites community back to Paris in June 2021", says Eric Pierrejean, CEO of JEC Group. As the leading trade show of the composites industry, JEC World brings together the whole composites materials  value  chain  and  professionals  from  application  sectors,  experts  from  the  scientific  and  academic world, associations and media from more than 112 countries.

JEC  World  is  also  proud  to  introduce  its  audience  this  year,  its  new  digital  platform,  JEC  World  Augmented.

This online platform, programmed to take place alongside JEC World,istailored primarily for attendees who cannot be present physically at the show but still want to experience a tremendousdigital event immersion. "JEC  World  and  its  augmented platform  will  bring  the  international  composites  community  and  specialists   together   to   network   with   exhibitors,   hold   digital   business   meetings,   access   online   conferences, workshops, and discover the latest composites innovation,"  says Adeline Larroque, Show director and EMEA events. "Now, more than ever, the international composites sector needs to come together to discuss today's challenges and tomorrow's composites solutions," adds Larroque.

Belgian textile innovator Devan Chemicals was lauded by Frost & Sullivan for its antimicrobial technology with proven quaternized silane chemistry, known under its trade name as BI-OME®.

RONSE, BELGIUM – The non-leaching attributes of the technology coupled with its ability to reduce microbial mutation make it a potential candidate for textiles where durability and safe human contact are highly valued.

Based on its recent analysis of the European antimicrobial technology for the textile market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes the Belgium-headquartered Devan Chemicals NV (Devan) with the 2020 European Technology Innovation Leadership Award. Devan’s highly relevant antimicrobial technology addresses issues concerning the contamination of PPE and textiles, including the spread of drug-resistant bacteria, viral transmissions, and hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). Its quat-silane technology, due to its non-migrating behaviour, physically punctures the microorganism cell to destroy it without interfering with cell DNA. Notably, it eliminates the adverse effects of leaching antimicrobials while providing high efficiency in the range of 99.9 percent to 99.99 percent, even after multiple washes.

"By providing non-migrating antimicrobial technology for the textile industry, Devan plugs the safety and performance gaps inherent in current inorganic and organic antimicrobial agents. Its antimicrobial technology, unlike silver- or triclosan-based technology, comprises non-migrating monomers and prepolymers such as organo-functional silane," said Monami Dey, Industry Manager, Frost & Sullivan. "The organo-silane polymers are covalently bonded and polymerized to the textile surface as a coating via padding, exhaust, and spraying techniques. The coating forms a non-leaching reactive surface and destroys the microbes on contact, without releasing harmful components into the environment."

Devan CEO Sven Ghyselinck is very happy with the award: “The best practice award is a nice recognition of the hard work we did in the last 6 months to evaluate the performance against viral activity. It’s great to see our efforts didn’t go unnoticed.”

Earlier this month Devan published new test results confirming the high performance virus-reducing capabilities of its BI-OME fabric coating technology on both unwashed and intensely washed fabrics. The Belgian company has worked closely with a series of international third party laboratories to test different fabric substrates against a wide range of enveloped viruses. Before washing, samples treated with Devan BI-OME score very good to excellent (99% and higher according to ISO 18184) results on virus reduction. Different substrates, like polyester, cotton and polycottons, were exposed to enveloped viruses like SARS-COV-2 (known to cause COVID-19), Feline Corona, Vaccinia (the EU standard for enveloped viruses) and Porcine Respiratory viruses. After 30minutes, BI-OME already reduced 99.96% of the activity of SARS-COV-2.

After washing, a decrease in virus reduction performance of coating technologies is normal and expected. However, BI-OME is confirmed to deliver only a minimal reduction, retaining up to 98.5% virus reduction even when the fabric is washed 25 times.

"Devan is working towards sustainability and green chemistry. For instance, its technology does not contain any harmful solvents such as formaldehyde or polychlorinated phenols and fulfills the regulatory obligations of the EU BPR," noted Dey. "Its commitment to promoting sustainability in textile finishes with a strong focus on GMO-free, kosher, as well as halal certifications, and recyclability has given the company an edge in launching new products at an accelerated pace to match customers’ most pressing concerns and demands."

One of those innovations is BI-OME NTL (natural), a natural, bio-based antimicrobial solution that guarantees an optimal freshness and hygiene for textiles. The active ingredient is the well-known Linseed oil, obtained from the dried, ripened seeds of the flax plant. The active ingredients in BI-OME NTL are GMO free, Halal, Kosher and recyclable.

• Successful concept to be continued in 2022

For three years now, the Trevira CS joint fair booth, where Trevira, its customers and partners present their new ideas within the framework of an innovative creative concept, has been an established and popular feature of Heimtextil. In 2021, the international trade fair for home and contract textiles is planned to take place from 12-15 January in Frankfurt/Main. However, as a result of the numerous uncertainties brought about by the coronavirus crisis, Trevira has decided that it will not take part next year.

“Messe Frankfurt has shown us its comprehensive hygiene concept and plans and there is no question that their plans fully meet health and safety requirements,” explained Trevira CEO Klaus Holz. “But at Trevira, we are also very much aware of our responsibilities. Our joint booth concept is not only on an extensive scale, but it is also built around the idea of communication. This makes it even more important that we consider the potential risks involved and how they could impact our customers, co-exhibitors, visitors and staff.” Given the uncertainty as to how the situation might develop in the future, Trevira has decided it has no option but to withdraw from next year’s fair and postpone its participation in Heimtextil until 2022. This decision has been made in agreement with parent company Indorama Ventures PCL (Thailand), which has put stringent measures in place to keep its staff and customers safe. As a result, the concern and its subsidiaries are not currently participating in any trade fairs.

At the 2020 Heimtextil, Trevira exhibited together with around 30 of its major Trevira CS customers with a joint booth whose total floor area measured over 2,000 msq. The number of partners exhibiting alongside Trevira has increased steadily over the past three years, and the Trevira display, along with many of the newest flame retardant Trevira CS collections from its customers, has always been hugely popular at the fair, especially in Hall 4.2, where it has continually attracted a very high number of visitors. As a joint booth, it has benefited especially from the vibrant and positive discussions among visitors and exhibitors, together with the various events that accompany the display. Usually, these included a press conference and a party held at the new stand. Trevira’s Heimtextil presence in the past three years has strengthened and expanded the position of Trevira CS as the leading brand for flame retardant home textiles.

CEO Klaus Holz said, “As a regular exhibitor at Heimtextil for many years, we found this decision extremely difficult. We greatly regret that we will not be able to bring our joint booth to Heimtextil next year. However, we plan to return in 2022 with a fair booth offering visitors and partners the high quality they have come to expect of us, with brand new ideas and measures in place to ensure its success”.

Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, has joined hands with Liberty Textile Mill Limited (Liberty), a leading producer in healthcare textiles to produce high quality personal protective equipment (PPE).

Liberty will be benefitting from Archroma’s specialty solutions for hygiene protection, and well-established technical expertise in the area of medical textiles. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the PPEs manufactured by Liberty are aimed at easing the current shortage of PPEs for medical professionals in Pakistan.

Liberty carries over two decades of experience in medical textiles and exporting them all over the world. Its partnering with Archroma is a major step forward towards creating enhanced protection in the current crisis. With its advanced scientific knowledge and technical expertise, Archroma provides a complete set of specialty chemicals required to produce PPEs, in particular in the area of antimicrobial and barrier coatings. The project will assist in enhancing medical standards in hospitals, isolation centers and intensive care units, in Pakistan and, very soon, worldwide.

“By continuously challenging the status quo, we at Archroma are able to support our customers operating in or entering the area of medical textiles, with a holistic and expert approach to hygiene protection. With our collaboration with Liberty, we are so proud to be able to bring state-of-the art protection to health professionals and the general public,” comments Mujtaba Rahim, CEO of Archroma Pakistan.

“Liberty has a presence of more than five decades with high achieving accolades. Our processing units are fully equipped with latest equipment complying with international standards. We take this new partnership with Archroma as a start of building a strong relationship in the area of medical textiles. The COVID-19 pandemic has given a wake-up call to work extensively towards enhancing healthcare facilities. We are looking forward to new innovations in producing top-class PPEs,” adds Taimoor Mukaty, Director of Liberty Textile Mills Limited.

As part of its active engagement in the fight against COVID-19, Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, started bulk production of a new range of hand sanitizers at its Landhi site in Pakistan in May 2020. The new Kieralon® HS range was developed by the R&D team at the Archroma Center of Excellence in Karachi, in line with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations.

Sanitizers are currently in high demand in Pakistan in hospitals, isolation centers, medical institutes and other health care environments, due to the COVID-19 outbreak. The use of sanitizers has also been made mandatory in all factories, offices and public places, driving the demand even higher.

The Kieralon® HS range is being produced in different grades and concentrations to eliminate a broad range of germs, bacteria and viruses, to cater for various healthcare and hygiene requirements. They also include emollients and display non-stick and quick drying effect, for skin comfort.

In April 2020, Archroma announced the introduction in Brazil of Mowiplus® HPC 9600, a new thickener for sanitizing gels, developed to address the global shortage in the thickener traditionally used for sanitizing gels.

Archroma is also actively supporting manufacturers in the production of face masks and medical protective equipment. Its antimicrobial and barrier products in particular are in high demand, and Archroma is making every effort to assist existing and new customers entering this sector by providing technical know-how and support.

The company is supporting producers of packaging & paper who are facing high demand for food packaging as many restaurants have switched to delivery or take-away, as well as for parcels and boxes supporting online shopping.

Mujtaba Rahim, CEO of Archroma Pakistan comments, “Within Archroma we are cognizant of the acute community need for high quality hygiene products that are also comfortable for users, as hand sanitizers tend to be harsh on the skin, so we took on the challenge to develop and start production in record time. The Archroma team in Pakistan won’t rest in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, and hopes this new product will help to stop the spread of the virus and the suffering that it causes.”

Energiapura – Production of reusable, customised protective masks that are also fashion accessories

• The Italian company, a specialist manufacturer of functional sportswear, conducted research and began producing masks in response to the COVID-19 crisis
• Using Mimaki sublimation printers, the masks can be customised, getting away from their connotation with hospitals and transforming them into a fashion accessory

From functional sportswear to combatting the spread of the Coronavirus: Energiapura, an Italian company has developed a mask that meets the Class I medical device requirements. The EP PA 2020 (Energiapura Pure Air) facial device, optimised for air filtering and breathability, provides protection while working, and can be reused. But Energiapura has gone even further, branding and customising the masks with sublimation printing.
The EP PA 2020 mask, compliant with 93/42 EEC Medical Devices – Class I washable, meets the essential requirements of UNI EN 14683:2019. Having redirected the manufacturing process, Energiapura is now stepping up production levels to meet the rising demand from hospitals, pharmacies, chemists, companies and consumers.

Pure Air, Energiapura’s mask
The EP PA 2020 is based on a functional concept: protection, breathability and reusability are the main principles. EP PA 2020 is made up of three layers of fabric: the first, the outer layer, is DWR-treated polyester, the second is TNT polyester, providing a filtering function, and the third, which comes into contact with the face, is polyester containing special fibres, such as coolmax and carbon.  Therefore it can be reused via normal washing and steam ironing, which also sterilises it.
The CEO of Enegiapura, Alberto Olivietto explains the idea of the customisation of the mask: “We wanted to disassociate our masks from the hospital image. By decorating them with company branding and designs provided by customers.” This is where the Mimaki JV300 wide-format printer comes in.

Staggered in terms of timing and with varying magnitude, the global spread of coronavirus is impacting the development of the regional economies in the core markets of the Manmade Fibers segment of the Swiss Oerlikon Group.
The sales markets for manmade fiber systems and equipment have been primarily located in China, India and Turkey for many years now. Together, these markets – above all China – make up the lion’s share of the project landscape at Oerlikon Manmade Fibers. And this is paying positive dividends at the moment. Because the production facilities of the major manmade fiber manufacturers in
China have been systematically fired up again over the past few weeks, with capacity utilization increasing consistently.

Going against the flow
The Segment CEO, Georg Stausberg explains the reason: “Long before the coronavirus situation developed, the major manmade fiber manufacturers in China had decided to reverse-integrate their production chains to include petrochemicals in order to expand their portfolios with targeted investments, to reduce their dependence on a ,single product’, to optimize their costs and ultimately to acquire greater control over margins in a global volume business”.
Similar processes and decisions – albeit not on the same scale as in China – have also
been detected at the large manmade fiber manufacturers in India and Turkey. Even though businesses in India and Turkey are presently still temporarily severely impacted by the coronavirus situation, their long-term commitment cannot however be questioned, as the company-internally-agreed plans will be systematically implemented moving forward.

Long-term investments of global market players
All this has recently resulted in increased demand for spinning and texturing systems – just like those supplied by total solutions provider Oerlikon Manmade Fibers with its
Oerlikon Barmag, Oerlikon Neumag and Oerlikon Nonwoven product brands.
“The investments in petrochemical systems are based on long-term strategic considerations and are resulting – even during the coronavirus pandemic – neither in short- and medium-term economic dips, nor in changed customer behavior. (...)”, states Segment-CEO Georg Stausberg.
As a result of Oerlikon Manmade Fibers delving into the digital age years ago, the segment has experienced the intensive and short-term benefit from all the measures, in part also in its processing of customer projects.

The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), representing the full spectrum of U.S. textiles from fiber through finished products, issued a statement from NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas today in response to the administration’s plan to institute a 90-day deferral on MFN tariffs,  as reported by numerous press outlets.

The reported plan being pushed by the importing and retailing industries would defer certain tariffs, including those on finished apparel products. It is an ill-advised policy that will hurt the U.S. textile industry at the very time it is answering the call of the nation to produce medical supplies to battle the coronavirus pandemic. 

These unnecessary tariff concessions would benefit importers and retailers at the direct expense of manufacturers on the front lines of the COVID-19 response and send a demoralizing message.

Tariff deferrals would severely exacerbate ramifications for the U.S. economy, manufacturers and workers and open the floodgates for imports.

If the U.S. government makes tariff concessions during this crisis, it will be inviting a virtual tsunami of imports further devastating domestic manufacturing as it attempts to regain its footing.     

We urge the administration to abandon any moves to defer tariffs on finished products. It would only serve to allow importers to exploit the current crisis, while dealing a severe blow to U.S. manufacturing and its workers.  

NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers, including artificial and synthetic filament and fiber producers. 

• U.S. employment in the textile supply chain was 585,240 in 2019. 
• The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $75.8 billion in 2019. 
• U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $29.1 billion in 2019. 
• Capital expenditures for textile and apparel production totaled $2.5 billion in 2018, the last year for which data is available.

Beverly Knits Inc. is proud to be involved in the effort led by Hanes and Parkdale to help support the fight against COVID-19. Working with a coalition of textile companies, we are ramping up production in the USA to provide face masks for health care workers on the frontlines. With the combined efforts of many small and medium-size companies, we are retooling our production lines to begin manufacturing immediately.

Beverly Knits is coordinating the production of up to 1.5 million masks produced domestically per week. Ron Sytz, CEO of Beverly Knits, said “It is an honor to be working with great American companies, united to supply critical resources to healthcare workers and first responders”.

Companies on the Beverly Knits team

• Clover Knits
• Contempora Knits
• Carolina Cotton Works
• Southfork Finishing
• National Safety Apparel
• A Lava & Sons
• Wells Hosiery
• Jomel Industries
• LA Corp
• Greenwood Mills