From the Sector

Alchemie Technology, a leader in waterless, digital on-demand, smart dyeing technology, has today announced its partnership with HeiQ, a leader in textile innovation, as it prepares the production rollout of its NOVARATM digital multifunction finishing solution to the global textile market in Q3 this year.

NOVARA can apply single-sided, or simultaneous two-sided, coating of multiple finishes to specific areas of textile. For example, combining anti-odour and water repellence in one material.

“For example, using NOVARA for single-sided finishing of HeiQ Viroblock required 52% less chemistry, 66% water reduction and 50% less energy, whilst achieving a 99.7% reduction in antimicrobial activity after 15 washes at 400celsius. With the huge demand for high-performance antibacterial, antiviral finishing for face masks, medical apparel, gym wear, home furnishing, mattresses, and textiles for high-risk, high traffic areas such as train, plane seats, and more, our combined technology is critical for increasing protection and reducing environmental impact of these products” says Dr Simon Kew, Managing Director, Alchemie Technology.

NOVARA also enables unique lifestyle product innovations at lower production cost for fashion, sportswear, technical clothing, and upholstery such as combining sustainable odour control, skin care additives, and fragrance finishing, without impacting breathability, hand feel or wicking. It is suitable for finishing all fabric types, from 50 - 1000 gsm, including polyester, cotton, nylon and polycotton.

• Create truly unique yarn designs: with up to 6 colors from a large predefined color range and infinite combinations of twisting & air entanglement
• Endlessly recyclable yarn solution - available in both standard PA6 and 75% recycled content EqoCycle PA6 yarn
• Efficient and flexible - all colors in stock to shorten lead-time; customized lot sizes

B.I.G. Yarns brings inspirational design freedom to high-end loop-pile contract and automotive carpets with the unveiling of ColorMind. The innovative yarn technology is B.I.G. Yarns’ first venture into a two steps yarn collection, offering a unique solution for creating multi-color PA6 yarns for any carpet design.

Available from mid-June 2021 in both standard and EqoCycle 75% recycled content yarn, designers are invited to work closely with B.I.G. Yarns experts to realize the designs they have always wanted. Combinations of variable levels of twisting and air entanglement, using up to 6 colors at once, elevate design possibilities beyond current limitations.

The ColorMind color bank features predefined colors, always in stock, meaning short lead times. Manufacturers can also benefit from customized lot sizes and bobbin length, creating even more flexibility and design freedom. To preview a taster of the potential directions opened up for loop-pile carpets, B.I.G. Yarns has used the technology to achieve its own “Optica” dot effect and “Illusion” wave effect as inspiration for customers’ design explorations.

“ColorMind offers never-seen yarn diversity to support a new level of design sophistication in high-end carpet segments. We’re very proud and excited to enter into two steps yarns with a solution offering something truly special, the result of intensive dedication from our design and development teams,” comments Emmanuel Colchen, General Manager, B.I.G. Yarns. “ColorMind combines our strengths in delivering high-performance, more sustainable yarns to fit the evolving demands of these segments, underpinned by our expertise in color sequencing and color mixing. We’re looking forward to exciting collaborations and innovative, eye-catching designs for future loop-pile carpets.”

ColorMind PA6 yarns are based on a unique Solution Dyed Nylon yarn and are suitable for Class 33 certification (heavy commercial use). The EqoCycle yarn version is mainly based on post-industrial waste and supports contract and automotive carpet manufacturers with a drop-in circular solution to reduce the ecological footprint of their end carpets.

• Order intake of around CHF 300 million received in the month of April 2021
• Order intake in the first half of 2021 expected to be around CHF 800 million
• Start of implementation of the Rieter CAMPUS project in Winterthur

In the month of April 2021, Rieter received orders of around CHF 300 million. The order intake in April was broadly based internationally with the main focus on Turkey, Uzbekistan and India.

In addition to the regional development of the market, Rieter also attributes the business performance to a catch-up effect due to the low propensity to invest in 2019/2020.

As a result, Rieter expects an order intake of around CHF 800 million in the first half of 2021.

As already announced, Rieter anticipates that sales in the first half of 2021 will be below the break-even point. Rieter expects an operating profit for the full year 2021. On July 15, 2021 Rieter will give an updated outlook for 2021 in connection with the semi-annual results, taking into consideration the ongoing challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Rieter Board of Directors has approved the implementation of the CAMPUS project. The Rieter CAMPUS comprises a customer and technology center as well as an administration building at the Winterthur location. It will make an important contribution to the implementation of the innovation strategy and to the enhancement of Rieter’s technology leadership position.

Among other things, Köfner will play a key role in shaping the internationalization of the Lenzing Group and contribute to the implementation of the corporate strategy sCore TEN.

Dominic Köfner (46) will take over as head of Corporate Communications & Public Affairs at Lenzing AG at the beginning of May. As Vice President, he will report directly to the Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Stefan Doboczky.

Dominic Köfner has gained national and international experience over the past two decades at renowned consulting firms, communications agencies and on the corporate side. Before joining the Lenzing Group, Mr. Köfner was Managing Director of the communications agency Serviceplan Austria and most recently Senior Consultant at the agency group Sports & Media in Munich. Before that, he was responsible for the agendas of the Zumtobel Group and the MOL Group, respectively as CMO and CCO. Before he was appointed as crisis communications manager by the Austrian Ministry of Finance to deal with the “Hypo Alpe Adria Bank” case, he managed numerous national and international mandates as a communications consultant for the Brunswick Group.

At Lectra’s Extraordinary Shareholders’ Meeting held on April 30, members voted to appoint Céline Abecassis-Moedas as a new independent director. Nominated for a period of four years, she becomes a member of the Audit Committee, the Compensation Committee and the Strategic Committee.

The appointment of Céline Abecassis-Moedas to Lectra's Board of Directors will notably strengthen the Strategic Committee, which will be called upon to examine an increasing number of investment projects in innovative companies and the continued development of our offers for Industry 4.0.

Céline Abecassis-Moedas will also draw upon her international experience as an independent director, through positions held for nearly ten years at four companies in Spain and Portugal: Europac (Papeles y Cartones de Europa) from 2012 to 2019, CTT (CTT Correios de Portugal) from 2016 to 2020, CUF since 2016, and Vista Alegre Atlantis since 2020.

Céline Abecassis-Moedas, 49, is now Dean for Executive Education and Associate Professor at Católica-Lisbon. She began her career in research at France Telecom R&D, before joining Lectra in New York as an e-business product manager in 1999, then AT Kearney in London as a consultant in 2000. From 2002 to 2005, she was Lecturer in Strategy at Queen Mary University of London, then joined Católica-Lisbon University as Assistant Professor in Strategic and Innovation Management.

From 2014 to 2020, Céline Abecassis-Moedas was also Affiliate Professor at ESCP and co-scientific director of the Lectra-ESCP Chair's "Fashion and Technology".

Céline Abecassis-Moedas is a graduate of the École Normale Supérieure de Cachan, of the Université Paris Dauphine (DEA in Scientific management methods), holder of a Ph.D. in Management from the École Polytechnique and holder of the INSEAD Certificate in Corporate Governance obtained in 2017.

Royal DSM, a global science-based company in Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living, announced that, together with armor manufacturing partner, MKU Ltd, has provided next generation armor technology with Dyneema® unidirectional (UD) material to support the Sao Paulo police.

The Sao Paulo police, which is comprised of more than 100,000 officers, is the first law enforcement agency in Brazil to initiate a tender for personal protective equipment based on the latest National Institute of Justice (NIJ) .06 standards for body armor, which provide comprehensive and rigorous compliance for the performance and testing of ballistic materials. In addition to NIJ .06 certification, the tender set extremely lightweight requirements for level IIIA soft armor vests.

The hybrid vest solution developed MKU, a global leader in defense and homeland security solutions, for the Sao Paulo police utilizes predominantly Dyneema® UD material to reach new levels of performance and protection while simultaneously enhancing user comfort and mobility. Dyneema®, a strong and light fiber, is the one of leading global brands for ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMwPE) fiber, UD and fabrics, offering ballistic solutions for personal and vehicle armor that combine maximum strength with minimum weight.

In soft armor applications, Dyneema® offers up to 35 percent weight reduction when compared to competitive materials, while still protecting against both legacy and emerging threats.

In addition to the lightweight armor requirement, the vests were also thoroughly tested to ensure performance with NIJ ballistic reports, NIJ certification and in-house ballistic testing both during the tender process and after the vests were received.

In line with DSM’s commitment to protect people and the environment they live in, one of the world’s first ever bio-based HMPE fibers was introduced in 2020.

• Successful measures to fight against the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on the safety and health of employees, customers and partners and securing sustainable business development
• Implementation of strategic investment projects and climate targets progressing on schedule – launch of first TENCEL™ branded carbon-zero fibers
• New level of transparency in the textile industry: introduction of blockchain technology
• Target setting: Lenzing raises the bar even higher and sets new sustainability goals

The Lenzing Group presented its Sustainability Report 2020 on April 22, 2021, World Earth Day. Featuring the title “Stand up for future generations”, Lenzing once again emphasized its commitment to taking responsibility beyond the products it makes. The non-financial report, prepared in accordance with the reporting standards of the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and the Austrian Sustainability and Diversity Improvement Act (NaDiVeG) and reviewed by KPMG Austria GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungs- und Steuerberatungsgesellschaft, illustrates how the company is responding to the global challenges of our time.

The 2020 financial year of the Lenzing Group was largely dominated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lenzing took short-term measures to safeguard its business operations and mitigate the effects of fiber prices and fiber demand which came under increasing pressure. The priority was to protect employees and strengthen long-term partnerships with suppliers and customers. Following the current fight against the coronavirus and its consequences, the company continues to move ahead determinedly to achieve its sustainability targets, also against the backdrop of such a difficult market environment.

With the implementation of its science-based targets, the Lenzing Group actively contributes to mastering the problems caused by climate change. In 2019, Lenzing made a strategic commitment to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 50 percent per ton of product by 2030. The overriding target is to be climate-neutral by 2050.*

The launch of the first carbon-zero TENCEL™ fibers certified as CarbonNeutral® products in accordance with The CarbonNeutral Protocol – the leading global framework for carbon neutrality – represents another important milestone from the reporting year. As of June 2021, Lenzing will also market the first VEOCEL™ branded lyocell fibers as certified CarbonNeutral® products.

Promoting the circular economy
Lenzing also sets standards for the entire fiber, textile and clothing industry with respect to the circular economy which is of such crucial importance in climate and resource protection. In order to enhance resource efficiency and offer a solution for the global problem of textile waste, the company developed the REFIBRA™ recycling technology. REFIBRA™ is the only technology in the world enabling the production of new lyocell fibers on a commercial scale from cotton scraps derived from manufacturing cotton clothing as well as from used garments. In this way, an important contribution is made to promoting circularity in the textile industry.*

New level of transparency in the textile industry
In addition to environmental protection, the issue of transparency along the supply chain poses a major challenge to the textile industry. Working in cooperation with TextileGenesis™, Lenzing offers an innovative solution to ensure greater transparency on the basis of blockchain technology. Following several successful pilot projects with renowned fashion brands, this digital platform was ultimately launched in 2020 to enable the traceability of textiles, from the fiber to all stages of production and distribution. Thanks to the innovative Fibercoin™ technology of the TextileGenesis™ platform, Lenzing and its partners are able to issue so-called “blockchain assets” in direct proportion to the physical fiber deliveries of the brands TENCEL™ and LENZING™ ECOVERO™. These digital assets function like a “fingerprint” and thus prevent adulteration.*

Target setting: Lenzing raises the bar even higher
The Lenzing Group operates in line with three strategic principles within the context of its “Naturally positive” sustainability strategy: partnering for change, advancing circularity and greening the value chain.*

*See attached document for more information..

AMAC cooperates with ITA (Institute for Textile Technology of RWTH Aachen University and their ITA GmbH) for the business development in composites 

As of April 19th, 2021, AMAC is pleased to announce its cooperation with the Institute for Textile Technology, ITA, of RWTH Aachen University and their ITA GmbH. The aim of the cooperation is to strengthen and develop their business activities in composites.

ITA, as one of the largest institutes on the campus of the excellence University RWTH Aachen, Germany, develops complete solutions from the manufacturing of the fiber itself over the processing of textile intermediates with thermoplastic and thermoset resins, textile-based part manufacturing, capabilities such as braiding, pultrusion and in-situ impregnation of textile preforms. Top 3 focused industries are transportation and particularly the e-mobility sector, building and construction as well as the wind energy sector. Additionally, ITA GmbH is the partner of the industry in R&D, focusing on 8 business segments, providing technology and knowledge transfer, as well as offering comprehensive solutions along the entire textile value chain.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Gries, Director of ITA, explains the background of the strategic cooperation with focus on composites: „Our long-term experience and unmatched know-how with all aspects of continuous fibers, non-wovens and web-based reinforcements allows us to deliver to the composite manufacturers a complete technology and service offer around the development of technical textiles, from the development of glass and carbon fibers to the textile-based processing of composite parts. In all process steps of our research and developments, we focus on sustainable and recyclable solutions, an efficient cost-performance ratio, the possible use of bio-based materials and the reduction of the CO2 footprint. We are glad to cooperate with Dr. Michael Effing and AMAC in order to benefit from his door-opening network in the composites industry. “

Dr. Michael Effing, Managing Director of AMAC GmbH: „I am very happy to support the ITA to generate innovation thanks to further industrial networking and pre-competitive joint projects. ITA is indeed a one-stop source for composite solutions from the fiber to the cost-efficient manufacturing of final parts. In the context of the Covid-19 impact to the entire industry, it makes sense to bundle forces. Furthermore, ITA, with its long tradition and satisfied customers offers further valuable networking opportunities to the composites industry as well as access to relevant complementary fiber-based excellence and 250 different technologies in their machine-park with an outstanding infrastructure in Aachen.”

Based on Article 27 of Regulation 3 on measures to combat the Corona Virus (COVID-19), the Board of Directors of Rieter Holding Ltd. decided that shareholders can exercise their voting rights exclusively by authorizing the independent proxy. Shareholders therefore could not attend the Annual General Meeting in person. The AGM was held on the premises of Rieter Holding Ltd. at the company’s headquarters in Winterthur.

At the Annual General Meeting of Rieter Holding Ltd. on April 15, 2021, the independent proxy represented a total of 2 084 shareholders who hold 63.6% of the share capital.

The shareholders approved the proposal of the Board of Directors not to distribute a dividend in view of the negative business result. In addition, they approved the proposed maximum total amounts of the remuneration of the members of the Board of Directors and of the Group Executive Committee for fiscal year 2022.

The Chairman of the Board, Bernhard Jucker, and the members of the Board of Directors This E. Schneider, Hans-Peter Schwald, Peter Spuhler, Roger Baillod, Carl Illi and Luc Tack were confirmed for an additional one-year term of office. Stefaan Haspeslagh was newly elected to the Board of Directors for a one-year term of office.

Furthermore, This E. Schneider, Hans-Peter Schwald and Bernhard Jucker, the members of the Remuneration Committee who were standing for election, were also each re-elected for a one-year term of office.

Shareholders also adopted all other motions proposed by the Board of Directors, namely the approval of the annual report, the financial statements and the consolidated financial statements for 2020, and formal approval of the actions of the members of the Board of Directors and those of the Group Executive Committee in the year under review.

Outlook Updated
As already communicated at the Results Press Conference on March 9, 2021, Rieter expects the market recovery to continue in 2021. The company expects an order intake exceeding CHF 500 million in the first half of 2021. For the first half of 2021, Rieter still anticipates that sales will be below break-even point. For the full year 2021, Rieter expects an operating profit.

At the 77th Annual General Meeting of Lenzing AG, which was once again held virtually on April 14, 2021 via livestream due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the members of the Managing Board and Supervisory Board were formally discharged from liability for the business year 2020. KPMG Austria GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungs- u. Steuerberatungsgesellschaft was appointed to serve as the auditor of the annual financial statements and consolidated annual financial statements for the business year 2021.

Furthermore, the Annual General Meeting adopted the resolution on the compensation to be paid to Supervisory Board members as well as the principles underlying the remuneration of the members of the Managing Board. In addition to financial performance criteria, the remuneration policy of Lenzing AG regulating the multi-year, performance-oriented remuneration paid to the Managing Board members will also be linked in the future to non-financial sustainability criteria (ESG) designed to further promote the sustainable business strategy of Lenzing AG.

Fully on track strategically
The Managing Board of Lenzing AG presented the business development of the year 2020, a strategic outlook and sustainability strategy including the relevant roadmap to achieve climate targets to the participating shareholders. In 2019, Lenzing made a strategic commitment to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions per ton of product by 50 percent by the year 2030. The goal is to operate in a climate-neutral manner by 2050.

The substantial investments made in Thailand and Brazil not only support Lenzing in its transformation to a supplier of environmentally compatible specialty fibers but also comprise an important milestone on this journey which sustainably increases the company’s enterprise value.

The implementation of these two key projects is proceeding ahead as planned in spite of the direct impacts of the coronavirus crisis. The pulp plant in Brazil is scheduled to be put into operation in the first half of 2022 and will significantly increase Lenzing’s own in-house supply of dissolving pulp. Production in Thailand is expected to commence towards the end of 2021, further raising the share of eco-friendly specialty fibers in the Lenzing product portfolio.

New appointments to the Supervisory Board
Dr. Veit Sorger retired from the Supervisory Board of Lenzing AG on his request effective at the end of the Annual General Meeting. Veit Sorger had been a Member of the Supervisory Board since 2004 (also serving as Deputy Chairman since 2011) and served on various Supervisory Board committees.

The Annual General Meeting elected Dr. Markus Fürst, Managing Director of B&C Industrieholding GmbH, and Thomas Cord Prinzhorn, MBA, CEO of Prinzhorn Holding GmbH, to serve on the Supervisory Board until the end of the Annual General Meeting resolving upon the discharge of the Supervisory Board members for the business year 2024.