From the Sector

• Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG is expanding the team at its Advanced Technology Center (ATC) in Mönchengladbach, Germany, with the appointment of Jonas Beisel as a new textile technologist.

Having studied textile engineering in both Germany and China and taken an internship with Adidas before deciding he wanted to work in a more technical environment, 30-year-old Jonas will be transferring his theoretical knowledge into practice for customers at the ATC and at the plants of Monforts customers around the world.

“I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone at the forthcoming ITMA show in Barcelona as I familiarise myself with the fast-moving environment of the industry,” he said. “It’s good timing for me that ITMA,  which only takes place every four years, is happening now, so soon after my appointment.”

“The Monforts ATC has been extremely busy conducting customer trials and developing new processes recently, so it’s great to welcome Jonas to the technologists’ team,” added Monforts Vice President Klaus Heinrichs.

• Operations, Product Development, Sales and Technical Support Growth

Celine Huang 黄秀蔚 is named Chief Executive Officer for HeiQ Greater China and Ming Wen Liang 梁銘文is named Chief Executive Officer HeiQ Taiwan. Huang, with her background as a general manager of a large player in the same industry brings a total of over 20 years of solid testing lab, agent and country strategies management expertise with an excellent relationship skills with customers, distributors, dealers and end users. She has a chemical engineering degree in dyeing and finishing from China Textile University. Huang has worked in both Australia and China in senior management positions. Huang will lead the group’s Greater China business from the newly created Shanghai office (瑞士海屹科新材料有限公司上海办事处).

Liang will manage mill relations, technical support and distribution at HeiQ Taiwan. She brings close to 20 years of experience in textile and garment production supply chain focusing on sales, material innovation and development, sourcing and production. Liang holds a Bachelor of International Trade from the National Taipei University of Business, Taiwan, speaks Chinese, English and Spanish and has lived in both Taiwan and Argentina. And will be based in the new office in Taipei (瑞士海屹科有限公司).

HeiQ continues to increase its global footprint with the creation of HeiQ Shanghai and HeiQ Taiwan. In addition to HeiQ Hong Kong, these offices aim to provide dedicated technical support in the Greater China area, further broaden its geographical reach in strategic locations and support HeiQ’s brand partners’ manufacturing activities in the region.

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.”

Gianluca Croci's priority will be to support Lectra's French customers in their transformation towards Industry 4.0
Lectra announces the appointment of Gianluca Croci as Managing Director, Lectra France. Based in Paris, Gianluca Croci reports to Fabio Canali, President, Southern Europe & North Africa.

Gianluca Croci has more than 20 years of experience in the fashion industry. He began his career in 1998 in the department store chain La Rinascente before joining the Giorgio Armani group in 2002, where he managed, from 2006 to 2015, the Belgian and French subsidiaries. Gianluca Croci later held management positions for major fashion and luxury brands, such as Roberto Cavalli and Marcolin, and was recently the Sales & Marketing Director for Technogym France, a designer of sports equipment.

Gianluca Croci will fulfil Lectra's promise to fashion companies in France: to facilitate the digitalization of their know-how in order to empower them to make a successful transition to Industry 4.0. This ambition is being realized by the 2018 launch of the revolutionary solution, Fashion On Demand by Lectra, which enables fashion companies to customize a garment or make it to measure. This end-to-end personalization offer—the first of its kind—complements a portfolio that is known to solve the pressing challenges confronting the fashion industry. The latest, Kubix Link, developed by Kubix Lab, a start-up acquired by Lectra in January 2018, is an innovative platform for managing product information.

"France is known worldwide for being a leader in fashion and technological innovation. It is a country where brands, retailers and manufacturers have already begun their transformation towards Industry 4.0. I am proud to support our customers’ pursuit of greater connectivity and collaboration in their operations, as well as in assisting them to make the shift to personalization," says Gianluca Croci.
Gianluca Croci and his teams are committed to providing their French customers with the high level of expertise and service that characterizes Lectra's value proposition.
Gianluca Croci's efforts are also tied to the dynamic activities of Lectra Southern Europe & North Africa. There are many synergies in the region’s fashion industry, ranging from the sharing of expertise between French and Italian companies to the integration into their ecosystem of the Moroccan and Tunisian subcontractors.

"Our regional organization enables us to be closer to our customers’ challenges and to provide them with the support they need to achieve their ongoing targets. Gianluca Croci will lead the French teams and contribute to the region's growth," says Fabio Canali. "His extensive experience with major Italian and French companies brings new energy to the development of Lectra France.”
Gianluca Croci is a graduate of the European Institute of Business Administration (INSEAD), Fontainebleau (France), and the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan (Italy).

Feb. 2019 Event Targets Laundry Execs, Upper Management Teams Serving Hospitality and Hotel Lodging Markets

Anthony Melchiorri, the renowned hospitality expert, creator and host of The Travel Channel shows Hotel Impossible, Hotel Impossible: Five Star Secrets and Hotel Impossible: Showdown once thought of opening his own hotel laundry when he was fresh out of the Air Force and entering the hospitality industry. Attendees at TRSA’s inaugural Hospitality Conference, Feb. 20-21, 2019, will hear about that and more when Melchiorri delivers the keynote address at the Walt Disney World’s Coronado Springs Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL. Melchiorri’s 20 years of hospitality industry experience and resultant successes has provided a wealth of insights and actionable steps that he will share during his presentation, How to Build Your Personal Brand.

TRSA has added the Hospitality Conference to its growing professional-development opportunities in response to member requests for enrichment specific to this rapidly-growing market. Attendees for this event, which is targeted to laundry executives and their upper management teams who serve the hospitality and hotel lodging markets, will benefit from opportunities to build skills, learn best practices from industry leaders and spend time collaborating and sharing information. Agenda highlights include these general session topics:

• Contracting with Group Purchasing Organizations (GPOs)
• Hospitality Market Research
• Understanding Hospitality Textiles

Panel discussions pay professional growth dividends in the form of networking and information-sharing. The TRSA Hospitality Conference’s agenda includes these interactive opportunities:

• CEO Panel: Hospitality Market Trends
• Customer Perspectives: Benefits and Challenges of In-House (OPLs) and Outsourcings
• Making the Case for Outsourcing Laundry Services and Closing In-House or On-Premise Laundries (OPLs)

Day two of the agenda will consist of tours at these state-of-the art central Florida plants: Walt Disney World Textile Services Resort Linen Plant and Hotelier Linen Service. Following the plant tours, management teams will offer debriefing sessions that allow for comparison of operations, thereby enriching the discussion of alternative approaches to similar tasks among conference attendees.

Early-bird registration pricing for this event is open now through Jan. 11, 2019. An additional 10% off registration for three or more who register from the same company is also available. Visit www.trsa.org/hospitality for additional information. The full TRSA professional development calendar for 2019 can be viewed at www.trsa.org/calendar.

ERIC PIERREJEAN, CEO OF JEC GROUP

Mr. Eric PIERREJEAN, who joined the company in January, has been appointed Chief Executive Officer, succeeding to Mrs. Frédérique MUTEL. He will be in charge of the further development of the company after two decades of growth under Mrs. MUTEL leadership, dedicated to the development and the promotion of the composite materials industry. Before joining JEC Group, Eric PIERREJEAN was Division General Manager at Comexposium from 2011 to 2017. Prior to this, he spent much of his career in sales and marketing positions, spending more than 15 years in the automotive sector (BMW Group, Land Rover) as well as in the sports goods industry (Nike).

ADELINE LARROQUE, EVENTS DIRECTOR FOR EMEA

Mrs. Adeline LARROQUE joins JEC Group as Show Director JEC World and EMEA Events with more than 15 years of Global work experience as she has worked in several countries such as USA, UK, China, India, Qatar and UAE where she has developed a strong skill set in exhibitions and events management. After a successful experience at Reed Exhibitions France and China managing numerous exhibitions in the Aerospace, Material, Security, Maritime, Logistics, Construction and Medical industries, she then worked for Qatar Tourism Authority as Head of Exhibitions driving growth for the Doha Jewellery Show, Qatar Motor Show and Women Fashion exhibitions. Lately, she worked for the Events division of the Daily Mail Group supervising the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference as Event Director.

On Thursday, March 22nd, C.L.A.S.S., with support from the Council of Fashion  Designers  of  America  (CFDA),  hosted  an  intimate  gathering  of  fashion’s  industry  leaders, educators, designers and members of the press to celebrate An Evening of Smart Innovation.

The event was beautifully orchestrated by Ginger Design, an exceptional team of Italian creatives, filmmakers, food and  textile  designers  as  a  way  to  create  a  unique  immersive  experience  telling  the  story  of  C.L.A.S.S.’ visionary journey. Thus, providing guests with an awareness and chance to embrace knowledge related to four key areas that set new standards for fashion vital to C.L.A.S.S.’ business philosophy:  Heritage, Smart Innovation, Circular Economy and Design Responsibility.

Imagination and responsibility at the forefront of the event, guests entered to view a film by Cristina Picchi that  represented harmony  between the various  phases  of  the  textile  process  and  the  cycles  of  natural elements.

The piece de resistance was a three-dimensional installation designed by Cécile Feilchenfeldt that  contained  exquisite  knits  allowing  guests  to  walk  through  the area to  inspire creativity and explore the  limitless possibilities using innovative  smart  materials.  So,  with  responsible  design  in  mind  the guests  were  able  to  touch  and  feel  the  luxurious  smart  textiles supported  by  sustainable  credentials  from  Bacx  by  Centro  Seta, Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei, ECOTEC® by Marchi & Fildi, Organic Cotton  Colours,  Re.VerSo™,  ROICA™  by  Asahi  Kasei,  TINTEX Textiles, and Zignone. The new generation of beautiful cottons, rich silks, lush wools and opulent cashmeres showcased throughout the C.L.A.S.S. event currently available to the market.

Giusy Bettoni and the C.L.A.S.S. team from Milan and New  York, as well as several of their partner representatives from around the globe  were  on  hand  to  engage  designers  and  educators  and answer   questions   related   to   smart   materials   and   processes. Designers  and  educators  were  pleased  to  learn  about  the  new C.L.A.S.S. e-commerce site dedicated to emerging designers and fashion  startups,  as  well as  new  details  regarding  C.L.A.S.S. Education  as  a  university   learning  resource,  co-founded   with James  Mendolia,  FIT  Professor,  MFA  Fashion  Design  and  FIT Sustainability Council Member.

Attendees included: Julien Labat, president of Edun and Marilyn Balkaransingh Director of  Fabric  R&D of  Edun, J.R.  Campbell  and  Young  Kim  Thanos of Kent State’s School of Design and Merchandising, Lisa Smilor and Stephanie  Soto of  CFDA,  Nomi  Dale  Kleinman of  FIT,  Susan Easton, founder   of   From   the   Road,   Nicole   Fischelis,   Heron Preston, Luciana Scrutchen of Parsons School of Design and Kay Unger, chair of the Board of Governors for Parsons, among others.
 

Image processing system allows cost savings of more than 2,000 euros per year and weaving machine

MSc Marco Saggiomo from the Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) and graduate engineer Marcin Kopaczka from the Institute of Imaging & Computer Vision of RWTH Aachen University (LfB) developed an image processing system for weaving machines that provides comprehensive benefits for woven fabric producers. The image processing system enables the weaving machine to detect faulty pickings autonomously. The application of the image processing system leads to cost savings of at least 2,210 euros per year for each weaving machine in comparison to manual faulty picking repairs.

The researchers won the “Best Student Paper Award” within the framework of the 7th International Conference on Pattern Recognition Applications and Methods (ICPRAM) for their joint paper on “Fully Automatic Faulty Weft Thread Detection using a Camera System and Feature-based Pattern Recognition”. The award confirms the success of the co-operation of both institutes, ITA and LfB, which will be continued in future research projects.

The image processing system is part of the doctoral thesis of Marco Saggiomo. Marcin Kopaczka supported ITA with the development of the image processing algorithm.
The joint paper is based on the successfully concluded project WeftAlert within the framework of the German Federation of Industrial Research Associations. Further results of the WeftAlert project include the extension of the state of the art of image-based process optimisation of air-jet weaving, excellent outcomes in image processing as well as the validation of image processing systems in laboratory and industrial environments.

Gorham, ME, USA – Montalvo, international specialists in web tension control, has promoted Bryon Williams to Director of Sales and Marketing. Mr. William’s will oversee Montalvo’s North America sales efforts, and global marketing strategy with an emphasis on building relationships within existing and new industries, managing Montalvo’s internal and external sales team, and continuing to further Montalvo’s marketing strategy. Previously Mr. Williams worked as Montalvo’s Global Marketing Manager.

Montalvo’s CEO Robin Goodwin says “Bryon has been with Montalvo since 2010, during which time he has shaped and elevated our global branding and marketing strategy while helping to manage our product portfolio. Bryon is highly committed to delivering excellence both internally and externally, directly benefitting our customers and his colleagues. He will bring this commitment and dedication to his new role, to grow Montalvo even further.”

Before Montalvo, Mr. Williams specialized in customer communication and marketing coordination at JobsintheUS.com and Sunday River Ski Resort. Mr. Williams attended Bryant University and earned a Bachelor’s in Business Administrant in Marking and Communication and is currently earning his Masters of Business Administration in Leadership from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine.

Berlin / Frankfurt am Main, 2 November 2017 – Ms. Regina Brückner, Managing Associate of Brückner Trockentechnik, is the new chairperson of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association. The businesswoman from Leonberg was elected at the members’ meeting of the Association in Berlin. The new executive board is completed with Ms. Verena Thies, Thies Textilmaschinen, and Mr. Fritz P. Mayer, Karl Mayer Textilmaschinenfabrik, who were elected as vice chairpersons.

After her election, Regina Brückner stated: „I am pleased to have Ms. Thies and Mr. Mayer by my side, the two chairpersons who complement each other very well. Mr. Mayer is an entrepreneurial personality with decades of experience which he is meanwhile bringing in as the president of CEMATEX, the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers.  Ms. Thies assumed responsibility in the family company early on and has been working for the traditional company Thies in international textile machinery business since 2009.”

The new executive board for the legislative period until 2021 is composed of:
Regina Brückner (Chairperson), Brückner Trockentechnik
Verena Thies (Vice Chairperson), Thies
Fritz P. Mayer (Vice Chairman), Karl Mayer Textilmaschinenfabrik
Johann Phillip Dilo, Oskar Dilo Maschinenfabrik
Peter D. Dornier, Lindauer Dornier
Arno Gärtner, Karl Mayer Textilmaschinenfabrik
Roland Hampel, A. Monforts Textilmaschinen
Dr. Janpeter Horn, Herzog
Markus Kleindorp, Memminger-Iro
Martin Küppers, Saurer Schlafhorst
Georg Stausberg, Oerlikon Textile
Andreas Lukas, Andritz Küsters
Benjamin Mayer, Mayer & Cie.     
Eric Schöller, Groz-Beckert
Heinrich Trützschler, Trützschler