From the Sector

Against the background of the worsening pandemic situation in Germany over the past two weeks and the associated restrictions, Heimtextil, scheduled to take place in the second week of January, is cancelled. Messe Frankfurt is working with the industry to determine whether and in what form a new offering in the summer of 2022 can be organised to run parallel to the Techtextil/Texprocess trade fair duo. Later events such as Ambiente, Christmasworld, Creativeworld, Paperworld and Frankfurt Fashion Week are still planning to take place at the present time.

Due to the unforeseeable dynamics in the development of the pandemic, the reciprocal and cumulative effects of the relevant factors, as well as the extreme escalation and deterioration of the pandemic situation in Germany within a very short period of time, including the decisions taken at the Conference of Minister Presidents on 02.12.2021, the date of Heimtextil right at the beginning of the year, in the second week of January, cannot be kept. Heimtextil, the leading international trade fair for home and contract textiles, will be cancelled. Messe Frankfurt is working closely with all industry partners to find out whether and within what framework Heimtextil can be held parallel to Techtextil and Texprocess from 21 to 24 June 2022.

Heimtextil as an international trade fair has always kicked off the spring trade fair season and is the first major international trade fair in Germany directly after Christmas and New Year with exhibitors and visitors from over 135 countries. The exponential increase in the number of infections in a very short period of time and the accompanying multitude of developments and resolutions that are clearly outside the realm of influence of the organizer have led to a significant deterioration in the general conditions and necessary requirements for holding Heimtextil as a major trade fair of international relevance at this early stage. These developments include in particular the classification of Germany as a high-risk area and the associated travel warnings, international and intercontinental travel restrictions in India, Japan, the United States and Great Britain, as well as the quarantine obligation and “2G” (only with vaccinated and recovered status) requirements without recognition of the WHO vaccine list in Germany. Equally important are the steadily rising infection figures and the accompanying urgent appeal, including by the Robert Koch Institute, to reduce contacts to a minimum and to cancel all major events.

A large number of the exhibiting and visiting companies at Heimtextil are currently reacting to this with travel and trade fair attendance bans out of an obligation of concern towards their employees to protect them from health risks. The global willingness to travel is continuing to fall rapidly.

The planning and staging of the other spring trade fairs Ambiente, Christmasworld, Creativeworld and Paperworld is not affected. Due to their later dates in the year, at the end of January and mid-February respectively, these fairs are still planning to take place at the present time. Compared to Heimtextil, which is the most international trade fair at the Frankfurt location, Frankfurt Fashion Week currently has a much lower international profile and from this perspective can therefore still take place. The extremely volatile situation is continuously reviewed and evaluated in close exchange with the relevant authorities and industry partners.

IFFT/Interior Lifestyle Living has wrapped up three successful days of business at Tokyo Big Sight’s South Halls. From 18 – 20 October 2021, a total of 11,147 visitors found their way to the fairground. Assembling again for the first time since the pandemic began, 300 exhibitors from five different countries and regions welcomed visitors with an extensive and diverse selection of products in 10,390 sqm of gross exhibition space.

“As the place where designers set trends and decision makers meet, IFFT/Interior Lifestyle Living has once again proven to be the premier trade fair in Japan for the entire living space,” says Mr Yasushi Kajiwara, Managing Director of Messe Frankfurt Japan Ltd. “After last year’s fair was deferred due to the pandemic, we worked hard to present industry buyers with new impulses and ideas at this edition. This included an additional focus on up-and-coming designers at dedicated zones for new talent.”
 
Fresh talent and green living
With products for the entire living space assembled at the fairground, trade buyers were once again spoilt for choice, but a number of product zones in particular were worthy of special attention.
As a new initiative for 2021, the renowned Japanese architect Mr Keiji Ashizawa gathered prospective new interior designers and their products at the highly anticipated '+Talents' Zones.
 
To maximise connections, a series of fairground tours were also arranged to bring architects closer to the best new designers and their interior products for the Japanese market. A new 'Ethical' Zone was also introduced to spotlight green living, up-cycling, fair trade, and more.

Lectra finalizes June 1^st, the acquisition of all outstanding shares of Gerber Technology, on a cash-free debt-free basis, for 175 million euros – financed through a 140 million euro loan and the Group's available cash – plus 5 million newly issued Lectra shares to AIPCF VI LG, Gerber Technology’s sole shareholder.

This strategic combination, of which all stages have now been successfully completed, has led to the creation of a leading global Industry 4.0 player for the fashion, automotive and furniture markets.

“The union of our respective innovative expertise, our state-of-the-art offers and our talented resources will enable us to bring long-term value to our customers. We will now be in an even better position to support our customers throughout the world in accelerating the digital transformation of their operations,” says Daniel Harari, Chairman and CEO of Lectra.

This acquisition, which was announced on February 8, was approved by Lectra’s Board of Directors on March 25 and by Lectra’s shareholders June, 1.

• Swiss weaving machinery manufacturers are in the forefront of novel application development

Shoes and electronic calculators are probably not the first products people would associate with the textile weaving process. But they certainly signpost the future for woven fabrics, as two examples of the ever-wider possibilities of latest technology in the field. Fashion and function already combine in the increasing popularity of woven fabrics for shoes, and this is a present and future trend. Calculators in fabrics? That’s another story of ingenious development, using so-called ‘meander fields’ on the back and keys printed on the front of the material.

These glimpses of the outlook for modern weavers are among the highlights of developments now being pioneered by Swiss textile machinery companies. All weaving markets require innovation, as well as speed, efficiency, quality and sustainability. Member firms of the Swiss Textile Machinery Association respond to these needs at every point in the process – from tightening the first thread in the warp to winding the last inch for fabric delivery. They also share a common advantage, with a leading position in the traditional weaving industry as well as the expertise to foster new and exciting applications.

Technology and research cooperation
The concept of a ‘textile calculator’ was developed by Jakob Müller Group, in cooperation with the textile research institute Thuringen-Vogtland. Müller’s patented MDW® multi-directional weaving technology is able to create the meander fields which allow calculator functions to be accessed at a touch. A novel and useful facility, which suggests limitless expansion.

Today, the latest woven shoes are appreciated for their precise and comfortable fit. They score through their durability, strength and stability, meeting the requirements of individual athletes across many sports, as well as leisurewear. Stäubli is well known as a leading global specialist in weaving preparation, shedding systems and high-speed textile machinery. Its jacquard machines offer great flexibility across a wide range of formats, weaving all types of technical textiles, lightweight reinforcement fabrics – and shoes.

It’s possible to weave new materials such as ceramics, mix fibers such as aramid, carbon and other, and produce innovative multi-layers with variable thicknesses. Such applications put special demands on weaving machines which are fulfilled by Stäubli high-performance TF weaving systems.

Great weaving results are impossible without perfect warp tension, now available thanks to the world-leading electronic warp feeding systems of Crealet. Some market segments in weaving industry today demand warp let-off systems which meet individual customer requirements. For example, the company has recognized expertise to understand that geotextile products often need special treatment, as provided by its intelligent warp tension control system. Individual and connective solutions are designed to allow external support via remote link. Crealet’s warp let-off systems are widely used in both ribbon and broadloom weaving, for technical textiles applied on single or multiple warp beams and creels.

Functional, sustainable, automated
Trends in the field of woven narrow fabrics are clearly focused on functionality and sustainability. The Jakob Müller Group has already embraced these principles – for example using natural fibers for 100% recyclable labels with a soft-feel selvedge. It also focuses as much as possible on the processing of recycled, synthetic materials. Both PET bottles and polyester waste from production are recycled and processed into elastic and rigid tapes for the apparel industry.

For efficient fabric production environments, it is now recognized that automated quality solutions are essential. Quality standards are increasing everywhere and zero-defect levels are mandatory for sensitive applications such as airbags and protective apparel.

Uster’s latest generation of on-loom monitoring and inspection systems offers real operational improvements for weavers. The fabric quality monitoring prevents waste, while the quality assurance system significantly improves first-quality yield for all applications. Protecting fabric makers from costly claims and damaged reputations, automated fabric inspection also removes the need for slow, costly and unreliable manual inspection, freeing operators to focus on higher-skilled jobs.

Smart and collaborative robotics (cobots) offer many automation possibilities in weaving rooms. Stäubli’s future oriented robotics division is a driver in this segment with first effective installations in warp and creel preparation.

Control and productivity
Willy Grob’s specialized solutions for woven fabric winding focus on reliable control of tension, keeping it constant from the start of the process right through to the full cloth roll. Continuous digital control is especially important for sensitive fabrics, while performance and productivity are also critical advantages. In this regard, the company’s large-scale batching units can provide ten times the winding capacity of a regular winder integrated in the weaving machine.

The customized concept by Grob as well as design and implementation result in great flexibility and functionality of the fabric winding equipment – yet another example of Swiss ingenuity in textile machinery.  
There is even more innovation to come in weaving – and in other segments – from members of the Swiss Textile Machinery Association in future! This confident assertion is founded on an impressive statistic: the 4077 years of experience behind the creative power of the association’s member firms. It’s proof positive that their developments grow out of profound knowledge and continuous research.

Kornit Digital has announced its partnership with Matset (Turkey) as it continues to broaden its market presence.

Delivering digital textile production-on-demand solutions to the Turkish market
With over 45 years of experience, Matset has a long-standing reputation as being a pioneer of innovation in the printing industry. After the first meeting, Kornit and Matset were quick to recognize how their partnership would effectively accelerate the development of the Kornit brand and solutions in the Turkish market. The deal will see Matset sell and deliver after-sales support for all Kornit textile solutions, including both direct-to-garment and direct-to-fabric product lines, particularly for t-shirts, activewear, denim, fashion, beachwear, home textiles, and fabrics.

Doğu Pabuççuoğlu, General Manager at Matset, explains the collaboration combines the digital leading vision of Matset with the market awareness and quality of Kornit’s products: "With Kornit’s production systems, we have made an important addition to our product portfolio. We were able to quickly build a roadmap and are sure the market share will increase very rapidly in the near future. With Kornit’s reliable and creative solutions and our well-known and engaged distribution network, we will provide customers with a strong sales and support service.”

• "Dibella up" records its first big success

Aalten, "Dibella up" is bearing its first fruits. Since the launch of the recycling concept initiated in August 2020, six tons of sorted laundry items have already been returned to Dibella and converted into new ones by the company in farsighted reuse projects. The customer who has been involved in the project from the very beginning is Lamme Textielbeheer from Nederhorst den Berg. The Dutch textile service provider sees the initiative as an important measure for more appreciation of resources.

Dibella has taken the closed-loop approach of the textile service as a model and has taken a step towards a completely closed cycle with the "Dibella up" project. The system includes unlimited reuse and recycling of the fibre raw materials bound in the textiles. To this end, the company's own textile qualities, which are selected from laundries, are taken back and passed on to selected upcycling projects. Polyester-cotton blended fabrics are processed there into high-quality bags. Pure natural fibre textiles as well as blended fabrics with at least 50 percent cotton are chemically converted into an important raw material for cellulose fibre production, while the remaining polyester is still being thermally recycled for technical reasons.

Six tons of laundry from the Netherlands

Lamme Textielbeheer was immediately enthusiastic about the "Dibella up" initiative. The committed company has been involved in various Dibella sustainability projects for many years and recognises the future-oriented character of the new project. "Our will to cooperate was immediately clear after Dibella's managing director Ralf Hellmann presented the upcycling project, because we see it as an important measure for the prudent use of resources," reports Jan Lamme, managing director of the company of the same name. "Within a very short period of time, we therefore jointly started to take back our discarded, no longer usable old textiles. In this way, we have already been able to return six tonnes of laundry for a new product cycle. This corresponds exactly to our idea of upcycling!". "Dibella provides stable, reusable cartons for shipping," says a delighted Frank David, Lamme's Assistant Operations Manager. "This makes collection much easier for us and we don't have to take any means of transport out of our laundry".

Prepared for the mega-trend of recycling management

Dibella would like to build on the initial joint success and further expand the initiative for a closed textile cycle in the industry. "The awareness of sustainability is high in the textile rental service. But the next mega-trend is already emerging. The future lies in closed-loop recycling. With "Dibella up", we are offering our customers the opportunity to get involved now and make resources usable in the long term. We are happy about every new cooperation partner who appreciates the value of textiles as much as we do".

•   Mimaki Tiger-1800B MkII Printers for Faster, High-Quality Textile Printing

Amsterdam - Mimaki Europe, a leading manufacturer of inkjet printers and cutting systems, announces today that Pakistani textile company, Moti Fabrics (Pvt) Ltd., is leveraging multiple Mimaki Tiger industrial textile printing units to take its business to the next level. As a result of on the outstanding performance and process optimisation delivered by the Mimaki digital printing equipment, the company has been able to adapt to changes in the textile industry and is now projected to reinforce its market position and expand its capabilities in high-quality textile production.

Headquartered in Faisalabad, Punjab province – the second largest textile hub in Pakistan –, Moti Fabrics (Pvt) Ltd. mainly serves the high fashion industry and uses its cutting-edge technology to print about 100,000 metres daily. Faced with recent challenges in the global textile market, management at Moti Fabrics (Pvt) Ltd. embarked on innovating the company’s business model, shifting from conventional to digital printing. In doing so, the company invested in Mimaki’s advanced industrial textile technology and installed three Mimaki Tiger-1800B MkII units. “We were – and still are – experiencing a massive transformation in the printing segment, with brands demanding high quality products delivered within short deadlines. This change in our customers’ requirements urged us to move to digital printing,” says Muhammad Asif, CEO at Moti Fabrics (Pvt) Ltd. “Our choice has already proved sound as our brand-new Tiger-1800B MkII printing systems have enabled us to cope with the high standards of the fashion industry in terms of both quality and delivery times. In addition, we have been able to gradually enhance our production processes in a cost-effective way.”

The Tiger-1800B MkII is Mimaki’s flagship industrial volume textile printer, available either in dye sublimation configuration for transfer printing or with reactive ink for direct-to-textile printing. Of the three Mimaki Tiger-1800B MkII solutions operating at Moti Fabrics (Pvt) Ltd., two are equipped with reactive inks, enabling the company to directly print onto natural fibres such as cotton and linen, as well as onto manufactured cellulose fibres, including rayon and nylon. The third Mimaki Tiger-1800B MkII features sublimation inks serves the ever-growing printed polyester market, allowing the company to strategically diversify its product portfolio.

“There are several features of the Tiger-1800B MkII that benefit our production and our business at large. The MAPS (Mimaki Advanced Pass System), just to name one, prevents banding and colour-shifting to deliver a higher standard of quality, while the NRS (Nozzle Recovery System) provides uninterrupted production, minimising downtime and ensuring superior results. The sticky belt system together with the large-size ink tanks (with a capacity of 10kg) and the high-performance software RIP TxLink3 are some of the other features that make these printers efficient, user-friendly and reliable,” says Asif.

Asif concludes, “Looking at the future, our aim is to set up a print department featuring only Mimaki’s technologies. We are already considering the next steps to make this possible, knowing that we can count on the support of Signtrade, Mimaki’s dealer in the region and our trustworthy partner.”

Moti Fabrics (Pvt) Ltd. was founded in 1992 by Muhammad Asif’s father Haji Muhammad Yousaf and his partner Haji Rasheed Ahmad. Established as a dyeing company, Moti Fabrics (Pvt) Ltd. was able to gradually diversify the business over the years to become an advanced textile printing specialist. Today, the company is an established provider to the high fashion industry in Pakistan and on an international level.

“The story of Moti Fabrics is incredibly inspiring. Belonging to a region with such rooted textile printing heritage, the company has been able to embrace a new, challenging business model in order to stay at pace with the changing demand from the textile industry and has succeeded,” comments Ronald van den Broek, General Sales Manager at Mimaki Europe. “Customers like Moti Fabrics make us proud as they demonstrate how our advanced Mimaki Tiger industrial textile series can be the enabling technology for those textile companies planning the shift from conventional to digital printing.”

Asia’s leading trade platform for the home and contract textile industry, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles, is ready to welcome over 600 exhibitors to China’s commercial hub from 24 – 26 August. As China’s economy continues its recovery, the upcoming fair will serve as a key platform for the industry to reconnect and prepare for the seasons ahead. Taking consideration of current international travel restrictions, Intertextile has launched a brand new online business matching platform, enabling participation for those who cannot travel to Shanghai.

Ms Wendy Wen, Senior General Manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd commented: “2020 has been a difficult and unpredictable year for every business and industry across the world, so we are pleased to be providing a platform for the home textile industry to connect and recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles is the first physical trade event for the sector held by Messe Frankfurt since January, so we hope that the fair assists the sector to join forces and overcome this challenging year together.”

Ms Wen continued: “Our first priority is to create a clean and hygienic space for all participants to source and network. To achieve this goal, the fair will implement extra health care and hygiene precautions onsite. On the other hand, we are aware that a number of travel restrictions are still in place across the world. With this in mind, Intertextile will offer a series of online services for those who are unable to travel to Shanghai, allowing the fair to reach as wide an audience as possible.”

2020 fair highlights

To provide buyers with greater efficiency, the fair, which covers four halls, will be divided clearly by product categories: Household Hall (hall 3), International Brands / Upholstery Hall (hall 4.1), Brand Fabrics Hall (hall 5.1) and Sofa Fabrics Hall (hall 6.1).

In addition, the Contract Business 360° concept will return this year, with over 40 premier upholstery exhibitors presenting their latest textile products and furnishing solutions for contract use. Exhibitors include Guangzhou Yuanzhicheng Home Textile, Haining Julai Textile, JAB, Morgan Shanghai, Symphony Mills, Suzhou Roufang, Ter Molst International, Zhejiang Hexin and Zhejiang Maya Fabric. Furthermore, top brands such as Agmamito from Poland and Wollsdorf Leather from Austria will be exhibiting for the first time at Intertextile.

Online business matching platform offers new sourcing landscape

Although face-to-face interaction is irreplaceable, a virtual complement has become more important as a result of the worldwide pandemic. To support the industry during these unprecedented times, Intertextile has launched a brand new online business matching platform. With this free service, participants are able to source and network at their fingertips. The virtual platform will offer many new features including:

• Easy sourcing: exhibitors are categorised by product groups including Sofa / Decorative Fabrics, Curtains and Accessories, Bedding and Finished products, Shading and Accessories, and Editors
• Live-streamed product presentations of exhibitors
• Smart recommendations: pre-selected exhibitor lists will be provided to buyers based on their personal preferences and interests
• Convenience: participants are able to use the service through computers or portable devices without the need to download any software

High quality fringe programme covers comprehensive topics
 
The fair’s event programme will once again provide the industry with the latest trends and insights in four topics: Design Inspiration, Business O2O, Textile & Technology and Industry Empowerment. One of the highlights will be the 2021 Intertextile Trend Forum, led by Shen Lei, the Chinese representative of the Intertextile International Lifestyle Trend Committee. The forum will bring together five prominent Chinese designers including Ben Chen, Ben Wu, Meng Ye, Paul Pang and Xie Ke, who will delve into the theme of 2021 Intertextile Trends–“BOUND”, as well as the Chinese market conditions. The event will be held on day 1 of the fair, from 14:00 – 17:00 in hall 5.1 booth C18, and streamed live online.

Another not-to-be-missed event is the Ride the Storm – Home Textile Digital Printing Forum, which will include an array of educating seminars that cover the latest digital textile printing trends and technologies. The forum will be held on day 2 of the fair, from 13:20 – 17:20 in hall 3, booth M12.

Furthermore, joining forces with Tmall Global, the largest cross border B2C online retail platform in China, the fair will host a series of seminars delivering the solutions and strategies for industry digitalisation during the afternoon of day 1. In addition, the well-received Furniture & Home Textile Direct Negotiation Event will return to provide an excellent opportunity for furniture companies and fabric brands to collaborate.

Additional health care and hygiene precautions will be in place

As trade fair co-organisers, Messe Frankfurt’s number one priority always remains the health and safety of fairgoers. To maintain a clean and hygienic environment for visitors and exhibitors to meet in, extra measures will be in practice at the fair. These include: real-name registration, onsite temperature checks, frequent sterilisation of public areas and distancing measures for forum / seminar audiences, amongst others.

Netherlands-based operation expands on-demand garment decoration capabilities

Kornit Digital (Nasdaq: KRNT), a worldwide market leader in digital textile printing technology, announces Netherlands-based Simian, an online total print provider to more than half a million businesses and end-consumers, is implementing the Kornit Atlas digital direct-to-garment (DTG) system to increase its capacity for delivering sustainable, retail-ready decorated apparel on demand. Simian is the parent company of online print providing sites Reclameland, Drukland, and Flyerzone.

Having established itself as a total print solutions provider for signage, banners, posters, flags, and other digitally printed textiles, Simian first entered the decorated apparel market by implementing two entry-level, single-pallet DTG systems. Kornit Atlas, which can imprint more than a thousand garments per day with a single operator, will enable them to increase capacity to accommodate ongoing growth in this line of business.
Offering lower total cost of ownership than other DTG systems, Atlas meets the retail quality, wash and light fastness, and sustainability standards of the world’s largest apparel brands. Simian will use the system for nontoxic decoration of baby apparel and accessories, in addition to t-shirts, polos, sweaters, vests, and tote bags.

• Growing demand for natural fabrics and blends driving Brodelec business growth

September 25th, 2019, Rosh Ha’ayn, Israel – Kornit Digital (Nasdaq: KRNT), a worldwide market leader in digital textile printing technology, announced that Orleans, France-based Brodelec has installed the country’s first-ever Kornit Presto S system for roll-to-roll, pigment-based digital textile printing.

This installation will enable the multiservice marking brand to expand their business further into customized décor and on-demand fashion.

Brodelec has partnered with Kornit for over a decade and owns several direct-to-garment print systems. Based on demand for natural fabrics and blends in the home décor and fashion markets, they are now expanding their offerings to include bespoke direct-to-fabric services.

Brodelec chose the Kornit Presto S as it is the only single-step solution and therefore the fastest route from design to finished product, making it the most efficient and eco-friendly fabric printing solution in France today.