From the Sector

Mimaki Europe wird auf der ITMA 2023 (8.-14. Juni 2023 Fiera Milano RHO, Mailand, Italien) seine auf Nachhaltigkeit und Kreislaufwirtschaft ausgerichteten Lösungen vorstellen. Neben der Präsentation neuer Drucker wird Mimaki auf der Messe auch seine internationalen Kooperationen im Designbereich hervorheben.

Nachhaltigkeit und Kreislaufwirtschaft sind heute für alle Unternehmen von entscheidender Bedeutung. Im Rahmen der Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) der Vereinten Nationen wird Mimaki auf der ITMA 2023 vollständig wasserlose digitale Lösungen für den Textildruck vorstellen, darunter Direct-to-Film- und Sublimationsdrucker.

Auf der Messe wird Mimaki seine neueste Lösung für das Segment der veredelten Bekleidung, den vor kurzem angekündigten Direct-to-Film (DTF) Inkjet-Drucker TxF150-75 vorstellen. Der Drucker, der ein auf Hitze basiertes Transferverfahren verwendet, eignet sich zur Herstellung hochwertiger, individualisierter Merchandising-Artikel, (Sport)bekleidung und anderer textiler Werbeträger.

Anwender, die ihren Textildruck ausweiten möchten, können am Stand von Mimaki den volumenstarken Sublimationsdrucker TS330-1600 erleben. TS330-1600, der mit einer 10kg-Tintenversorgungseinheit und einem verbesserten Einzugsmechanismus ausgestattet ist, hat eine maximale Druckgeschwindigkeit von 135m² /h und kann mit fluoreszierenden Tinten drucken, sodass sich Benutzer jetzt noch mehr Anwendungen erschließen können.

Auf der ITMA 2023 werden mehrere neue Modelle, darunter ein neuer Textildrucker, zu sehen sein, die auf dem bestehenden, branchenführenden Portfolio des Unternehmens und den Nachhaltigkeitsanforderungen des Sektors aufbauen. Die Textildrucker von Mimaki zeichnen sich durch eine hohe Druckleistung aus und basieren auf fortschrittlicher Technologie.

Am Stand des Unternehmens werden Kooperationen mit Designern aus aller Welt, darunter aus den USA, Australien und Italien, zu sehen sein, die Mimakis nachhaltige Drucklösungen eingesetzt haben. Als Teil der Zukunftsvision des Unternehmens arbeitet Mimaki mit solchen Künstlern zusammen, um sich neue Perspektiven zu erschließen und nah am Puls der Märkte und ihrer Bedürfnisse zu bleiben.

At ITMA 2023 in Milan from June 8-14, Fong’s Europe will introduce its latest THEN Synergy Airflow and THEN Airjetwin machines, which exploit the principle to provide high-quality, efficient and eco-friendly dyeing processes for a variety of fabrics.

“THEN introduced its first machines with Airflow technology in 1980 and since then we have had wide experience of pretreating and dyeing with Airflow transport systems on all kind of fabrics,” says Fong’s Europe Director of Sales and Marketing Richard Fander. “Our team of engineers has collected data on dyeing processes, results and consumption figures for years and constantly makes use of this accumulated know-how to optimise the processes of our customers.

“The THEN team understands Airflow dyeing processes and technology based on it guarantees the lowest liquor ratio on round shape machines. The transport of fabric by air reduces the liquor ratio compared to every kind of hydraulically driven transport system.”

He adds that while not every fabric can be dyed and treated on Airflow machines with the same handle and appearance as on hydraulic round shape or long shape machines, where it is applicable, it can lead to significant savings of up to 35% in water, 50% in salt, 20% in dyestuffs and 30% in process time.

The THEN Airflow dyeing machines have several features, including several parallel functions for reducing process time. The VPR system shortens the rinsing time and water usage and the robust and homogeneous spraying device in the nozzle ensures a uniform dyeing in the shortest process time. The very short liquor ratio also reduces the use of salt and chemicals.

Auf der im Juni in Mailand stattfindenden ITMA wird sich der Textilmaschinenhersteller Mayer & Cie. zum ersten Mal mit seinen zwei Geschäftsbereichen Rundstricken und Flechten präsentieren. In beiden Bereichen setzt der Hersteller ähnliche Schwerpunkte: solide Maschinen, denen er Lösungen an die Seite stellt, die Flechtanlagen und Rundstrickmaschinen effizienter, langlebiger und damit werthaltiger machen. Diese Lösungen reichen von maschinenindividuellen Upgrade-Kits über Innovationen zur Reduzierung von Ausschuss bis hin zu digitalen Lösungen, die das Kundenerlebnis verbessern.  
 
Im Bereich Rundstrickmaschinen wird Mayer & Cie. drei Maschinen präsentieren: Die überarbeiteten Modelle der OVJA 2.4 EM und der Relanit 3.2 HS sowie die neue Bindefadenfuttermaschine SF4 3.2 III. Alle drei bedienen klassische Anwendungen und sind, bis auf die SF4-3.2 II, im Markt etabliert.

Die OVJA 2.4 EM strickt doppelflächig Jacquard mit Einzelnadelauswahl im Zylinder und sowie Doppeltuch mit Schussfaden. Sie ist die derzeit produktivste Maschine ihrer Klasse. Das Portfolio der Maschine wurde um Abstandsgestrick (Spacer) erweitert.  
Die Relanit 3.2 HS hat Mayer & Cie. zur Messe mit verbesserten Fadenführern ausgerüstet. Sie arbeitet mit einer Nadel mit optimiertem Haken und Zungenform sowie einer Sollbruchstelle zur erweiterten Sicherheit bei der höheren Produktionsleistung. Die neue Federplatine ist ein weiteres Feature der Relanit 3.2 HS. Sie verbessert die Laufruhe der Maschine und reduziert den Verschleiß.
 
Mit seiner dritten Maschine SF4-3.2 III adressiert das Unternehmen einen großen Trend in der Bekleidungsindustrie - Bindefadenfutterstoffe speziell für Freizeitmode, sowohl in reiner Baumwolle als auch mit Mischungen.

Mit den Upgrade-Kits für Flechtmaschinen profitieren Kunden vom technischen Fortschritt: Das Portfolio reicht vom Geschwindigkeits-Boost bis hin zu speziellen Abtafel- und Legeeinrichtungen. Ebenfalls neu sind die maschinenindividuell zusammengestellten Ersatzteilpakete. Sie liefern ein Mehr an Produktions- und Planungssicherheit. 

• Sales of CHF 1 510.9 million,
• Order intake of CHF 1 157.3 million in 2022; order backlog of around CHF 1 540 million as of December 31, 2022
• EBIT margin of 2.1%
• Implementation of action plan to increase profitability ongoing
• Dividend of CHF 1.50 per share proposed

With record sales of CHF 1 510.9 million, Rieter achieved an increase of 56% compared with the previous year (2021: CHF 969.2 million). In the second half of 2022, especially in the fourth quarter, the measures introduced to address material bottlenecks had a positive impact. Consequently, sales increased to CHF 890.3 million compared with the first six months (first half-year 2022: CHF 620.6 million).

Order intake was CHF 1 157.3 million in 2022 (2021: CHF 2 225.7 million) and thus remained at a high level thanks to the company’s technological lead and broad international presence. The market situation, especially in the second half of 2022, was characterized by investment restraint and below-average capacity utilization at spinning mills due to geopolitical uncertainties, rising financing costs, and consumer reticence in important markets.
The company had an order backlog of around CHF 1 540 million at the end of 2022, which thus extends into 2023 and 2024.

The profit at the EBIT level in the 2022 financial year was CHF 32.2 million (2021: CHF 47.6 million). The result was strongly influenced by substantial cost increases, which could only be offset in part through price increases or other remedial measures. In addition, to compensate for material shortages, expenses were incurred in connection with the development of alternative solutions, and in relation to the acquired businesses.

Completion of the Acquisition
Rieter consolidated the acquired automatic winding machine business with effect from April 1, 2022. This acquisition completes Rieter’s system offering in the largest market segment of ring and compact spinning, thus significantly strengthening the company’s market position.

Action Plan to Increase Profitability
Implementation of the action plan to increase profitability is ongoing. With regard to the margins for the order backlog, which remains high, the already implemented price increases in combination with a positive trend in costs, particularly in logistics, are having a favorable impact. In addition, progress was made in eliminating material bottlenecks and reducing expenses for the three acquired businesses.

Dividend
The Board of Directors proposes to the shareholders the distribution of a dividend of CHF 1.50 per share for 2022. This corresponds to a payout ratio of 56%.

Outlook
For the coming months, Rieter expects below-average demand for new equipment at first, with a revival expected in the second half of 2023 after ITMA, the leading trade fair in Milan (Italy). Rieter also believes that demand for consumables, wear & tear and spare parts will recover during 2023.
For the 2023 financial year, due to the high order backlog, Rieter anticipates sales in the order of magnitude of the previous year.
The realization of sales from the order backlog continues to be associated with risks in connection with the ongoing geopolitical uncertainties, rising financing costs, continuing bottlenecks in the supply chains, and possible, currently unforeseeable consequences of the earthquake in Türkiye in February 2023. Despite the price increases already implemented, further global cost increases continue to pose a risk to the growth of profitability. Rieter will specify the outlook in the 2023 semi-annual report.

The fourth quarter 2022 textile machinery orders index, processed by ACIMIT, the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers, showed a sharp 35% decline compared to the period from October to December 2021. In absolute value, the index stood at 83.6 points (basis: 2015=100).

Orders took a 34% drop on the domestic market, while the foreign index was down fully 37%. In Italy, the index’s absolute value came in at 155.4 points, whereas on foreign markets the value stood at 75.8 points.

On annual basis, the orders index marked an 18% decrease and an absolute value of 110.4 points. The drop in orders abroad was 17%, while orders collected in Italy were 28% lower than the figures drawn up in 2021.

ACIMIT president Alessandro Zucchi stated that, “The orders index data for the fourth quarter confirms what had already been observed in the previous quarters in 2022. After a sharp increase in 2021, this decrease in orders for the past year is physiological. Furthermore, the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, with its related consequences on daily business and trade, and a macroeconomic framework in which uncertainty prevails, have further negatively affected the orders intake.”

Data for the last quarter does not suggest a reverse in the negative trend for the first months of 2023. Declining energy prices and inflation, although still high, also declining slightly are, however, signs of a light improvement in the business of companies in the sector as well. “We need to look to the current year with optimism,” continued ACIMIT president. “Our member companies are already focusing on ITMA, the upcoming global textile machinery industry trade fair, that will be held from June 8-14 in Milan.” “I am confident that ITMA Milan can represent an opportunity for further development of the Italian textile machinery sector,” concluded Zucchi. “The technological innovations that our manufacturers will bring to the trade show will meet the textile industry’s need to be increasingly sustainable, both environmentally and economically.”

As part of an ongoing investment programme ensuring it remains at the forefront of advanced technology for carpet production, West Yorkshire, UK-headquartered Phoenox Textiles has recently installed a new two-metre-wide shearing line supplied by BTMA member Sellers Textiles Engineers.

Phoenox, which has been family owned since its foundation in 1954, develops original creative flooring design concepts for retail brands. Its products are sold through high street outlets, department stores and volume retailers across Europe and North America, in addition to substantial online and catalogue-driven business. All told, the company’s 24-hour parcel service dispatches some 3.2 million orders every year.

Operating from two manufacturing sites, Phoenox manufactures an annual 1.7 million metres of flooring in the UK. Over a combined area of 1,700,000 square metres, the two plants are equipped for tufting, backcoating, cloth printing and finishing along with automated cutting, sewing and packing.

In addition to the Sellers shearing line, other recent investments for the UK operations have included three new advanced tufting machines and a high-speed Sellers backcoating line equipped to handle widths of up to two metres and coat at six metres per minute. Washable and dyeable foams and eco-friendly applications in different weights are applied for many product areas.

The company’s state-of-the-art Chromo jet printing process line is meanwhile the only one of its kind in the UK, with its 256 jets making possible designs in up eight colours per pattern. With sustainability very much at the forefront of the company’s approach, Phoenox recycles most of its paste and inks and uses organic options wherever possible, as well as recycled water.

“We operate a piece dye colour cloth programme and can dye nylon and cotton with weights of up to 500kg per load, working with direct, organic, vat and reactive dyes,” says Mosley. “We also offer computerised and weighed commission dyeing. Computerised automated cutting machines and photocell pattern recognition enable us to cut at high speed in most cloth densities. With finishing and sewing though, it’s all about the detail, and our team have years of experience and hand-finish our products on traditional high-speed machines.”

The new Sellers Hybrid Shearing Cylinder can provide a competitive edge for manufacturers which is currently being proven in the field, including at Phoenox. It’s one of a number of new innovations BTMA members are planning to showcase at next year’s ITMA exhibition in Milan.

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.”

International textile producers meet again in Istanbul, Turkey, from June 14 – 18, 2022 on the occasion of the ITM + Hightex Exhibition. In Hall 9 (Hightex) the exhibitors will present the complete industry value chain from nonwovens raw materials, production machines and accessories to the endproduct. The related industries covered include hygiene, filtration, fabrics and apparel, medical, automotive, wipes, home furnishings and upholstery. DiloGroup offers tailor-made production systems from one supplier and will inform about its portfolio and the latest equipment developments from fibre opening to the finished felt.

DiloGroup will inform about complete lines as well as high speed needlelooms for spunbonds. A new, simplified elliptical needle beam drive makes Hyperpunch technology also attractive for standard application. Hyperpunch HαV allows a more uniform stitch distribution in the preneedling process especially in combination with the new needle pattern 6000X. In a complete needling line this felt homogenization process can be improved further. The new needle pattern 8000X is a milestone in the needle pattern development process and results in endproduct surfaces with low markings over a wide range of advances/stroke.

Another strong pillar of the sales program over decades has been fibre preparation and high speed webforming equipment for other nonwoven technologies. The further development of the high-speed layering principle “Hyperlayer” made progress for better CD strength through a combination of inline cards and crossline card with crosslapper. Particularly, carding machines in a working width above 3.5 m up to 5.1 m have been supplied by DiloSpinnbau as complete high speed carding systems, comprising two or even three cards in a line to directly feed the hydroentangling units of various suppliers. Together with DiloTemafa not only have high throughput rates been achieved in the fibre preparation section of the line but also dedusting filtering and air-conditioning systems have been successfully engineered and integrated.

Together with Sicam, Dilo has combined know-how for hydroentangling technology and therefore can provide complete lines as general contractor including equipment for cutting, winding and packaging.

Another interesting machine is the 3D-Lofter, first presented during ITMA 2019 in Barcelona, which offers a wider range of nonwovens applications by exploring the third dimension. A series of single web forming units which work according to the aerodynamic web forming principle deliver defined fibre masses in varied patterns on a base needlefelt. A stress oriented production of technical formed parts resulting in fibre savings or patterned DI-LOUR or DI-LOOP felts with or without repeat are two examples for this technology which explores new application areas for needlefelts.
The 3D-Lofter technology may also be used “inverted” as “IsoFeed” for filling up bad spots in web mats and thus achieves a better homogeneity of spunlace or airlay products.

The DiloLine 4.0 concept offer I4.0 modules which not only support the user but also facilitate quality control and maintenance by a maximum data transparency in production and control of operation. The Dilo solutions “Smart Start” for a fully automatic start of the production line or “DI-LOWATT” for energy savings are accompanied by Siemens solutions which can be selected via App or Data Cloud “MindSphere”.

Fibre Extrusion Technology, UK is celebrating a successful INDEX20 nonwovens exhibition in Geneva, Switzerland, which closed on 22 October. Although the company has a long history in supplying meltspinning equipment for the nonwovens sector, this represents its first venture at a dedicated nonwovens show.
 
FET’s Managing Director, Richard Slack explains. “Techtextil and ITMA have previously been our main exhibitions of choice, but INDEX20 was an ideal vehicle for FET to launch our new laboratory scale spunbond system, which enables client development of nonwoven fabrics in a number of formats and polymers.”
 
FET already has spunbond systems in the field, including composite systems which utilise both spunbond and meltspun functions. The growth in global nonwovens technology, partly driven by demand for pandemic-related materials, is forecast to continue.
 
“We were delighted with the response at INDEX”, continued Richard Slack. “There was considerable interest shown in the new spunbond system and its potential for lab scale innovation. It’s clear that the industry is seeking new alternatives to synthetics at the moment, and our technology is able to assist with the testing and assessment of many of the new feedstocks being pioneered in this extremely inventive sector, where everyone is suddenly talking and cooperating with everyone else, regardless of whether they are generally competitors. We recorded in excess of 20 serious enquiries from totally new contacts and sectors, including blue chip companies in the hygiene, medical and packaging industries.”
 
“There were initial concerns about projected attendance figures, especially from China and USA companies, but we experienced good footfall from key decision makers, especially those from Europe. It was encouraging to at last experience the opportunity for face-to-face contact with old and new customers on a large scale and we are now starting to reap the benefits with enquiries continuing to flow in”.

Weko Holding GmbH has taken over RotaSpray GmbH from Oehringen with retroactive effect from January 1st, 2021 and further expands its textile segment.

With the merger of the two companies, the competencies in the field of functional wet finishing, digital printing pre-treatment and spray dyeing processes will be bundled for the textile segment. Both companies believe that these segments offer good future opportunities, because the demand for a resource-saving, CO2-reduced dyeing and finishing process for textile yarns and fabrics is increasing rapidly. Likewise the market trend of ever smaller production lot sizes per order.

RotaSpray GmbH will continue to be managed as an independent unit within the WEKO Holding Group and will focus purely on the high-quality textile sector.
WEKO has been developing and producing non-contact application systems for product optimization and surface finishing with different types of liquids and powdery substances since 1953. The areas of application are broad and the nonwovens, paper, tissue, printing, wood fiber boards, foils and metal industries are successfully supported with WEKO solutions.