From the Sector

On the occasion of the VDMA press conference, André Wissenberg, Head of Marketing, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs at Oerlikon Polymer Processing Solutions Division, presented the company's concept for ITMA Asia with the claim: Clean Technology. Smart Factory.

Due to the Corona pandemic, Oerlikon has decided to concentrate with their Chinese sales and service teams on guests primarily from China and greater Asia. However, some experts from Germany, who are working in China at our locations anyway, will be live on site at the booth. Other experts from Germany, India and US will be available online for the entire 5 days of the trade fair and will simply be connected by video conference to the discussion with the visitors on site if there is a need for.

At ITMA Asia 2021, Oerlikon will present the next generation of an automatic texturing solution with up to 25 % energy saving and up to 30 % higher production speed, easy maintenance and best yarn quality. The core of this machine, the socalled EvoCooler, will be shown as an exhibit in combination with digital solutions like AIM4DTY. In the field of high-precision flow control solutions components, the two new gear metering pumps developments for the production of aramid and spandex will be presented as well.

• Lakmé Fashion Week 2020
• Bemberg™ fibers empower “Tattva”
• Hemang Agrawal's new craft-tech collection

Smart tech fibers, contemporary style and heritage. Past, present and future are intertwined in the new ‘Tattva’ collection by famous Indian designer Hemang Agrawal who has teamed up with Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei, the Japanese yarn manufacturer leading in both high-performative innovation and sustainability. The collection comprises textiles entirely conceived and created by the designer. A new chapter for Bemberg™ glamorous uniqueness for high-end fashion, first Japanese reality that participated at Lakmé Fashion Week 2020, the biggest fashion event in India.

Made from the smart-tech transformation of cotton linters pre-consumer materials and converted through a traceable and transparent closed loop process, Bemberg™ fibers add responsible values to the collection, matching perfectly the vision and the ethic of Hemang Agrawal, a designer with more than one eye on sustainability, innovation and deep knowledge and respect for traditional Indian crafts and culture.

Tattva debuted at the Lakmé Fashion Week 2020 and comprises 40 exquisite pieces for men and women, all inspired by the 12 Tattva – the natural elements bringing harmony in the universe, according to the Indian scriptures and tradition. Motifs representing these elements, including quirky versions of moon-phases, tigers, human mind & DaVinci’s Vitruvian man were woven into the glittering fabrics. The collection was crafted harnessing the skills of Indian handlooms artisans in the designer’s hometown Benares (Varanasi).

Tattva featured Bemberg™ brocades as the predominant textile, along with plain Bemberg™ fabrics and a few blends. The result is a magnificent touch, fabrics are distinctively smooth like silk, second skin-like, shining, and bright. On top of that, Bemberg™ yarns add a new dimension in terms of sustainability and comfort by boosting antistatic and breathable performances, amazing precious touch while being also biodegradable and compostable.

“We are so happy that we participated in LFW and collaborated with Hemang Agrawal.” Says Mr. Hideto Tanimoto, General Manager, Bemberg™ Sales and Marketing Department. “The collection has come out really wonderful and has brought out the properties of Bemberg yarn such as noble sheen, smooth and soft touch, bright colour, supple drape amazingly. I strongly believe that the collection made significant impact on the sustainable fashion scene in India. We are expecting that the collection will be successful commercially and will help the local craftsman from Varanasi.”

The collection blends crafts and technology, Indian tradition and Japanese innovation, sustainability and high-end style. Designer Hemang Agrawal says, “The dexterity which the weavers in Benares have acquired, finds few parallels in the world. Although predominantly a silk-weaving centre, many master-weavers in the city are highly skilful in handling different yarn types. Japan, on the other hand, is well-known for its advanced technologies as well as its approach towards environment and sustainability as a country. Both these facts are well-reflected in the Bemberg™ Yarn”

“During our R&D, we found that the yarn, which is available in various counts and deniers is highly adaptable. The lustre, hand-feel, strength and colour depth are very well-suited for premium textiles, which come out of our looms. For the collection ‘Tattva,’ our endeavour has been to merge the skill-set of Benares weavers with qualities of the Bemberg™ yarn, to create textiles and apparel, which transcend the boundaries of what is termed as traditional Benarasi."

With the Tattva collection Hemang Agrawal and Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei show a new way of making fashion: merging craft & tech, cutting-edge materials and deeply rooted traditions. A stunning collection marking the rise of craft-tech, a trend going beyond the dichotomy of ancient and new, injecting the human-based into the high-tech and a futuristic imprint into heritage. Like the 12 Tattva, a new harmony takes shape, intertwined into exquisitely stylish garments.

Messe Frankfurt India has announced new dates for the Mumbai edition of Screen Print India - the leading trade fair for screen, textile, sublimation and digital printing technologies The exhibition will be held in parallel with Gartex Texprocess India, from 19 – 21 March 2021 at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai. With the gradual re-opening of commercial activities and businesses, the co-located fairs will enable the industry to channel their efforts back towards business development and cater to the needs of screen printing, textile and garment manufacturing industry players as it gears up to bring the production and manufacturing value chain under one roof.
 
While the focus segments under Gartex Texprocess India will draw attention to innovations in garmenting & apparel machinery, the product launches and live demos at Screen Print India will enable business visitors and traders to track technological advances in digital textile and screen-printing technologies. The secure, business-focused ambience will enable both printing and textile sector players to showcase, source and strengthen their supply chains and keep pace with the shifting demand for screen printing, textile printing, digital and sublimation technologies across other sectors.
 
Screen Print India will also host a series of sessions on processes and innovations related to the graphics industry. Another key highlight of this successful trade fair is the Screen Print Excellence Awards that upholds a strong tradition of honouring technology inventors and trailblazers within the screen-printing industry. With this in mind, the Mumbai edition will curate a special “SPI Gallery” to showcase award winning pieces of screen-printing excellence.

DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR (March 24-26) – the leading trade show for carpets and floor coverings in the Asia Pacific region - expands the design and conference area and welcomes new and returning brands.

Shanghai - For the 22nd edition, each flooring sector will have a theme. The highlighted product category in wood is solid wood for ground heating systems. The category is taking over the entire hall showing new technologies, new designs and new products in floor heating. Solid wood for ground heating systems is growing in China – according to China National Forest Products Industry Association, around 80% of China's wood flooring brands have developed the product.

At the same time the market share is increasing by more than 30% annually. It is expected that by 2025, the market size of solid wood for ground heating systems will reach RMB 10 billion (approx. 1.4 billion USD). The international and local market leaders, such as Junckers, Foglie d’Oro, Edelholz, IBF, Teclic, Nature, Fudeli, Bloor, Jinyi, Licher, Nuogao and Moganshan have already confirmed their participation at the show. Also in this hall we see the latest developments in the market in the dedicated InnovAction campaign.

The resilient flooring section will be spread out to 69,500 sqm gross, featuring Stone Plastic Composite (SPC) flooring. Among the resilient halls, there will be an “Inspiration Hall”, housing InnovAction campaign and design forum, where famous interior designers will educate the audience on using resilient flooring in interior. The InnovAction will be upgraded by showcasing the new products within matching interior spaces. This new way of presenting the InnovAction products is ideal for both manufacturers to share the ideas and for visitors to keep up to date with the market trends.

Carpet section will promote carpet as a driving force for interior design, with a dedicated hall being the epicenter of home and design carpets and the host hall for the Luxury Brands Carpet Show – a showcase of the most sought-after international high-end carpet design brands. After the successful first edition in 2019, Chinese Original Carpet Design Show comes back to promote the works of young Chinese carpet designers. Country pavilions from Germany, Belgium, Iran and Turkey will also showcase their products among the carpet halls. Traditionally DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR has been focused on B2B, however due to the market changes, the end users are more and more welcome to the show. In order to give the oriental carpets and rugs the spotlight and follow the trends, Indian and Afghanistan pavilions will be creating a new area - “Treasure of Orient”.

In 2020, DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR will cover more than 185,000 sqm of gross space, taking up 16 halls at the Shanghai New International Expo Center. Five of the exhibition halls will be dedicated to carpets and rugs, four to wood, bamboo and other hard floors, 2 to FLOORTECH asia and 5 halls to resilient floor coverings. In 2019, the show gathered 1,579 exhibitors from 36 countries and attracted 66,875 trade visitors, of which 15,092 international, coming from 107 nations.

Archroma will be at ChromaTexChem India 2019 to present its latest innovations and solution systems aimed to help textile manufacturers with optimized productivity and/or value creation in their markets. Archroma will also moderate a panel at the exhibition official conference on “Sustainable innovation in textile processing”.

At ChromaTexChem, visitors will be able to discover 24 systems developed along the principles of The Archroma Way to help them create value in their textile applications and markets.

Anjani Prasad, Head of Sales, India, Archroma, comments: “With the growing concerns about resource scarcity and product safety, brands and manufacturers in India work with us, because we continuously develop the innovations and solution systems that help them to address these challenges, increase productivity and create value for them. We do that with in mind the planet and its inhabitants, in line with the objectives of “The Archroma way": Safe, efficient, enhanced. Because it’s our nature!”

• Bangladesh’s biggest denim expo takes place 5-6 November
• The show runs concurrently with the Sustainable Apparel Forum Bangladesh
• From 4-6 November, Bangladesh becomes the perfect meeting point for stakeholders in the global apparel industry

DHAKA - Responsibility is the theme of the 11th Bangladesh Denim Expo which takes place on 5th and 6th November at International Convention City in Bashundhara, Dhaka. The event, now firmly established as one of the world’s leading denim trade shows, runs alongside the Bangladesh Sustainable Apparel Forum.

Bangladesh Denim Expo

Around 100 exhibitors from 11 countries, including host Bangladesh, will participate in this year’s denim expo. Other participating countries are china, Japan, Italy, India, Singapore, Brazil, Spain, Pakistan, Turkey and Germany.

H&M Group is collaborating with Bangladesh Denim Expo for the forthcoming 11th edition of the event and a number of guest speakers will be present from the company, including Pierre Borjesson, head of sustainability, global production. Other guest speakers include Andrew Olah, the founder of Kingpins Denim show, Alice Tonello, R&D director with the Tonello Group, world renowned denim designer, Piero Turk and Jordi Juani, Asia regional director with Jeanologia.

Through a series of product displays, presentations, seminar sessions & panel discussions, the Expo will encourage healthy debate and interaction among exhibitors and visitors to champion a more responsible denim industry. One of these, of course, is sustainability and within this sits the issue of responsibility – an overriding theme of this year’s event. Denim manufacture faces huge challenges with regards its social and environmental responsibility, with production techniques having potentially far-reaching ramifications for the environment as well as people involved in the production process.

However, the industry and its supply chain are making impressive progress on these issues with Bangladesh – now the world’s largest producer of denim – leading the way in terms of addressing some of the sustainability challenges relating to denim production, including excessive use of water and chemicals. Mostafiz Uddin is the organiser of Bangladesh Denim Expo. Uddin has watched with interest the evolution of the denim industry, with each Expo marking continued and gradual progress being made by the more progressive players in the industry.

Uddin says: “The way that business and product development is conducted can have far reaching consequences on the environment, on the people that make the product and the product’s end use & life-span. “It is the duty of all stakeholders in the apparel industry to acknowledge this responsibility and to analyse our business practices, for the benefit of all.” Emphasising the theme of responsibility within Denim Expo is the fact that revenues from the expo support the running and presentation of the Sustainable Apparel Forum.

Sustainable Apparel Forum

The Sustainable Apparel Forum (SAF) is the biggest annual sustainable apparel event in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE) along with Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) as co-organiser will jointly carry out the 2nd edition of the SAF on 5th Nov 2019.

This is the second edition of the Sustainable Apparel Forum, with the first-ever forum held in 2017 in Dhaka. The objective of this year’s forum is accelerating the momentum of sustainability in Bangladesh apparel industry.

The forum will see more than 50 speakers gathered from Bangladesh and overseas sharing expert opinions across five panel discussions covering current issues in the country’s apparel industry. These include human resources, transparency in business, water conservation, purchasing practices, sustainable chemical management, waste management, circular economy in textiles and climate change to name a few.

Additionally, the conference will host several knowledge building technical presentations from renowned organisations which will cover different issues relating to sustainability, including waste management, protection of the environment and better working conditions.

Speakers at the show include Md. Shahriar Alam, MP, Honourable State Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh, H. E. Benoit Préfonatine High Commissioner, High Commission of Canada, Bangladesh, and Dr. Rubana Huq President, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers’ and Exporters’ Association, Sheikh Fazle Fahim, President, Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industries, Pierre Börjesson, Head of Sustainability – Global Production, H&M Group, Tuomo Poutiainen, Country Director, International Labor Organization, Peter McCallister, Executive Director, Ethical Trading Initiative and H.E. Winnie Estrup Petersen Ambassador, Embassy of Denmark, Bangladesh.

Prior to this year’s conference, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh and the Sweden Embassy in Bangladesh will also co-host two roundtable discussion in collaboration with BAE and in association with BGMEA on 4 November, 2019, while H&M, Better Work Bangladesh and C&A Foundation are partners in the event.
The conference will be followed by showcasing different innovative, sustainable & best work practices in RMG manufacturing factories in Bangladesh. Following the discussions, a series of recommendations will be made, and a Sustainability Roadmap for the Bangladesh apparel industry will be formulated.

This year’s SAF promises to be the biggest yet. Added by Mr Mostafiz Uddin in the recent press briefing for the event: “The title for this year’s Sustainable Apparel Forum is enabling sustainability through policy and leadership. The time for talking on sustainability issues is over. It is now time for actions. That’s why the focus of this year’s show is on practical, pragmatic actions the textile industry can adopt to improve its environmental footprint.”

A revolutionary new system for yarn dyeing based on the proven Econtrol® dyeing system for fabrics will be introduced by A. Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG at ITMA 2019 in Barcelona, Spain, from June 20-26.

This latest CYD denim processing technology integrates new functions and processes into the weaving preparatory processes – spinning, direct beaming, warping and assembly beaming, followed by sizing and dyeing – in order to increase quality, flexibility, economic viability and productivity.

“Denim finishing is a field in which Monforts has an undisputed lead and we have been working closely with our many partners in the key denim manufacturing countries of China, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Mexico and Brazil to develop new advanced solutions,” says Monforts Head of Denim Hans Gerhard Wroblowski. “The CYD system has been developed in response to a very strong market demand.”

A focus on customer service, aligned with the drive to constantly innovate, has long ensured that the member companies of TMAS – the Swedish texile machinery manufacturers’ association – stay well ahead of the curve.

“All of the Swedish textile machinery companies are doing really well in major markets such as Europe, China, India and the USA,” says TMAS Secretary General Therese Premler-Andersson. “They are now gathering forces to prepare for the most important show – ITMA 2019 in Barcelona in June. I expect to see new players and partnerships as we enter the industry 4.0 era for real. We are ready to display an even higher degree of the real time monitoring of processes, automation, flexible customisation, and the incorporation of robots into production lines.  Our customers expect a lot of in terms of knowledge and our ability to customise and offer turnkey solutions.”

The forward-looking attitude of the Swedish companies is perhaps best summed up by Reimar Westerlind, the owner, since 1961, of ACG Gruppen.
At the age of 90, Reimar still travels to his office every day to oversee the operations of the diverse companies operating under the ACG umbrella.
“Everything now is about automation and digitisation,” he says. “We have to be on that track or we will be lost – innovate or die.”

Robotics
One ACG Gruppen company moving rapidly forward with new innovations in this area is ACG Kinna, which at ITMA 2019 will be providing dramatic live demonstrations of its new robotic pillow filling system.
This has the ability to fill and finish some 3,840 pillows per eight-hour shift, which is a considerable improvement on what is currently possible with existing systems, resulting in significant savings in both labour and energy for busy home textile businesses.

At ITMA 2019, Eton will be demonstrating a complete material handling solution with advanced software providing real-time information covering every aspect of the process.
“Our systems are a natural fit with the major Industry 4.0 networked manufacturing plants that are now being constructed worldwide for sectors such as the garment and home textiles manufacturing and automotive industries,” says Eton’s Sales and Commercial Director Roger Ryrlén.

Sensors
Advanced senor developments are playing a large part in moving many areas of the textile industry forward too.
Eltex of Sweden, for example, is achieving considerable success with its yarn fault detection and tension monitoring systems across a range of sectors, including the tufting of carpets, the creeling of woven materials and even the production of woven reinforcements for the composites industry.

At successive ITMA shows, IRO AB has also consistently introduced new milestones in the field of yarn feeding technology for weaving machines, and ITMA 2019 will be no exception.
“Following significant investment in our R&D capabilities, we have been making great progress in further boosting the efficiency and performance of our expanding X3 range,” says IRO AB Managing Director and Chairman of TMAS Mikael Äremann. “I can’t remember a time since the 1980s when we had so many new innovations to unveil at an ITMA, and I’m greatly looking forward to the positive response to them we are anticipating in Barcelona this June.”

Resource savings
ITMA 2019 will meanwhile see the launch of TexCoat G4 – the next generation of Baldwin Technology’s non-contact precision application system for fabric finishing. The TexCoat G4 enables a continuously high-quality and productive textile finishing process with zero chemistry waste and minimised water and energy consumption.
The non-contact spray technology brings a range of advantages including single or double-sided application,  the elimination of Foulard bath contamination, low wet pick-up levels leading to the elimination of drying steps, zero chemistry waste in changeovers of chemistry, colour or fabric, and the possibility of batch reporting, visibility of pad loading, chemical usage etc.

Other TMAS companies exhibiting in Barcelona include Texo AB, whose wide-width weaving looms make the belts for machines on which half of the world’s paper is made, ES-Automatex, which specialises in bespoke automation concepts and Svegea, a company leading the field in a number colarette machines and cutting and slitting equipment.

“At the last ITMA in 2015 in Milan, there was much talk about Industry 4.0 technologies but certainly from the perspective of TMAS, ITMA 2019 will be the place for concrete solutions as to how data and the new tools we have available can be exploited to the full,” says Therese Premler-Andersson. “There is already much more networking between the companies, with software very much the enabler and common interfaces bringing ideas closer together. We are greatly looking forward to further exchanges of ideas when meeting with customers old and new in Barcelona.”

China is the world's largest producer and exporter of nonwoven fabrics, as well as having the largest consumer market for products made from nonwovens, making the upcoming biennial China International Nonwovens Expo & Forum (CINE – supported by Techtextil) the place to be for industry players from 3 – 5 June. This year’s event will relocate to a different venue, the Shanghai Convention & Exhibition Center of International Sourcing, located conveniently between Hongqiao airport and downtown Shanghai.

“The nonwovens market has been one of the fastest growing sectors of the Chinese textile industry over the last decade, and we expect this to continue in the coming years,” Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of the fair’s co-organiser, Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd, commented. “The demographic changes, evolution of the manufacturing sector and greater awareness of environmental protection that have driven growth in China, among other factors, are also evident in a number of markets in the region, particularly Southeast Asia, so we anticipate production growth will remain strong to meet export demand, even if the Chinese economy slows further.”

Reports by the China Nonwovens & Industrial Textiles Association (CNITA), the Freedonia Group and Smithers Pira support this. Nonwovens output in China grew year-on-year by 9.67% for the first 11 months of 2018, exceeding the corresponding figure for 2017 of 8.71%, while demand for nonwovens is predicted to reach 4.9 million metric tons in 2022, a 6.9% per year increase over this period.

Turning to the region, in 2015 Asia occupied 43.1% of the global nonwovens market – with China alone accounting for more than half of the share – with this figure expected to increase to 47.1% in 2020. The Freedonia report also notes that healthy growth in markets nearby to China such as India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Vietnam will also fuel nonwovens output in the country to meet export demand.

Globally, nonwovens demand is expected to increase 4.4% per year to 12.2 million metric tons in 2022, with developing regions being the main driver of this, in particular within Asia-Pacific. In the PP nonwovens sector, output is predicted to nearly double between 2013 and 2020, with the major drivers of this growth being baby diaper, adult incontinence and feminine hygiene products. In the durable nonwovens sector, annual growth of 6 to 7% for the period 2017 – 2023 is also anticipated for filtration, engineering construction and packaging uses.

Twelve companies from eight different countries will receive a JEC Innovation Award at JEC Asia 2018. Asia-Pacific is an innovative region that sets the tone for all other regions of the globe. Once again, the JEC Innovation Awards highlight how composites bring solutions considering the new challenges in terms of efficiency, sustainability and life-cycle analysis.

This year, JEC Group awards innovations in the following categories: aerospace (structural and tooling), automotive, commercial vehicles, e-mobility, marine, railway, sports & leisure, infrastructure & civil engineering, industrial equipment, sustainability and additive manufacturing.

The ceremony will take place on Thursday November 15, 2018 at the COEX Center of Seoul (South Korea). Ida DAUSSY (Seo Hye-na), will host the ceremony in front of officials, manufacturers, scientists and composites professionals.

Category: AEROSPACE – STRUCTURAL
Winner: CSIR National Aerospace Laboratories (India)

Most of the composite structures for aircraft are made of carbon-epoxy composites, which can withstand a maximum service temperature of 130°C. As a consequence, carbon-epoxy materials cannot be used in hot zones like engine vicinity areas. The Aeronautical Development Agency (ADA) and CSIR-NAL took up the challenge of developing high temperature resistant composites for use in hot zones of light combat aircraft, which would result in significant weight and cost savings, as well as a considerable reduction in the meantime between failures (MTBF) due to thermal ageing.

The first task was to choose a material system with a service temperature of about ~ 200°C. During the material selection process, it was found that BMI resins are a relatively young class of thermosetting polymers. Hence, a carbon-BMI prepreg was selected due to a number of unique features including excellent physical property retention at elevated temperatures and in wet environments.

It was realized that weight savings and performance can be maximized using co-curing technology. This results in a large reduction of fabrication cycle times, costs and weight. Co-cured structures have fewer fasteners, which results in shorter assembly cycle times and also reduces sealing issues.

A prototype engine bay door assembly was built and tested at 180°C for flight certification. The engine bay door consists of an inner skin and co-cured outer skin assembly with eight transverse stiffeners. The stiffeners were designed with ‘J’ sections. The door size was 1.5 m length, 1 m width and 0.4 m overall depth. The co-cured door was developed using autoclave moulding. Two doors were installed in prototype aircraft and successfully flown.