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(c) Lenzing Gruppe
08.05.2018

Lenzing Group generates solid results in a more demanding market environment

•    Revenue down 6.1 percent to EUR 550.3 mn primarily due to currency effects
•    EBITDA decline of 24.8 percent to EUR 101.6 mn mainly due to softening prices for commodity viscose and increasing costs for key raw materials
•    Company is intensively pushing ahead with expansion of production capacities for specialty fibers
•    Strong message to consumers – new master brand and new product brands presented

Lenzing – The Lenzing Group started the 2018 financial year with solid business results. Revenue and earnings decreased compared to the first quarter of the previous year against the backdrop of a challenging market environment for standard viscose combined with changes in currency exchange rates. The corporate strategy sCore TEN is being implemented with great discipline in order to expand the company’s offering of specialty fibers and even more extensively support customers and business partners.

For more information see Attachment.

 

 

 

•    Revenue down 6.1 percent to EUR 550.3 mn primarily due to currency effects
•    EBITDA decline of 24.8 percent to EUR 101.6 mn mainly due to softening prices for commodity viscose and increasing costs for key raw materials
•    Company is intensively pushing ahead with expansion of production capacities for specialty fibers
•    Strong message to consumers – new master brand and new product brands presented

Lenzing – The Lenzing Group started the 2018 financial year with solid business results. Revenue and earnings decreased compared to the first quarter of the previous year against the backdrop of a challenging market environment for standard viscose combined with changes in currency exchange rates. The corporate strategy sCore TEN is being implemented with great discipline in order to expand the company’s offering of specialty fibers and even more extensively support customers and business partners.

For more information see Attachment.

 

 

 

More information:
Lenzing Gruppe Lenzing Group
Source:

Lenzing Group

03.05.2018

Clariant debuted additive solutions and launched AddWorks® at Chinaplas 2018

•    New, sustainable, ready-to-use solutions for plastic auto parts to support China’s electric vehicle boom
•    Stronger, softer nylon polyamide fibers plus fast processing for clothes, carpets & industrial applications
•    AddWorks blends lower total cost of ownership & reduce production complexity while enhancing performance

Muttenz, May 3, 2018 – Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, introduced new additive solutions for plastics materials at Chinaplas 2018.

“Our innovations focus on higher performance at better convenience for a sustainable future,” says Stephan Lynen, Head of Clariant BU Additives. “At Chinaplas 2018 we demonstrated our technical and market capabilities around the theme of e-mobility. The immense changes in mobility call for lighter, safer and smarter vehicles. We offer new additive solutions, such as AddWorks, and technical capabilities to respond to this demand. We are accompanying this with a series of investments such as new production facilities in China.”

•    New, sustainable, ready-to-use solutions for plastic auto parts to support China’s electric vehicle boom
•    Stronger, softer nylon polyamide fibers plus fast processing for clothes, carpets & industrial applications
•    AddWorks blends lower total cost of ownership & reduce production complexity while enhancing performance

Muttenz, May 3, 2018 – Clariant, a world leader in specialty chemicals, introduced new additive solutions for plastics materials at Chinaplas 2018.

“Our innovations focus on higher performance at better convenience for a sustainable future,” says Stephan Lynen, Head of Clariant BU Additives. “At Chinaplas 2018 we demonstrated our technical and market capabilities around the theme of e-mobility. The immense changes in mobility call for lighter, safer and smarter vehicles. We offer new additive solutions, such as AddWorks, and technical capabilities to respond to this demand. We are accompanying this with a series of investments such as new production facilities in China.”

Clariant’s new AddWorks solutions – AddWorksATR 146, AddWorks LXR 568 and AddWorks TFB 117 – are specifically aimed at improving performance and efficiency of plastics materials for compounders, polymer and fiber producers in China’s major plastics manufacturing segments. All three solutions are part of the globally available portfolio.

The full AddWorks portfolio consists of differentiated market-specific synergistic additive blends that streamline production processes and create value for customers while enhancing performance. Each solution is customized to specific market needs, underlined by broader considerations such as emission reduction, and less energy and resource usage.

Sustainability and performance for the world’s largest auto market
To support the significant investment in electric vehicles in China, Clariant launched two additive innovations that improve the lifetime of lightweight automotive parts and under-the-hood applications and reduce VOC emissions in an easy to use single solution.

AddWorks ATR 146 is a new low dosage, sulfur-free heat and light stabilizer for filled polypropylene (TPO) compounds used in interior applications. Its exceptional heat and light stability and long term color retention offers the automotive industry unmatched performance. It shows no surface cracking after 700 hours at 150°C, which enables dashboards, instrument panels, door panels and pillars to maintain their aesthetics longer than with traditional stabilizers. It also contributes to reducing blooming and VOC emissions, supporting the common effort to make automotive interiors healthier and odorless.

AddWorks LXR 568 is a high performance processing stabilizer that helps to prevent plastic resins, especially polyolefins, from degradation at high processing temperatures. For the automotive industry, this reduces the tendency of injection molded polypropylene interior car parts to turn brittle during heat exposure, enabling them to maintain a defect-free surface. It also has low migration and low fogging that support healthier in-cab environments.

AddWorks LXR 568 combines outstanding color and melt flow protection with good resistance to hydrolysis and high thermal stability. This makes it ideal for interior and under-the-hood powertrains and wider application areas such as packaging films. It is available in free-flowing pills and micro-pills which are easy and convenient to use.

Softer, stronger polyamide fibers for clothes, carpets and industrial applications
Within the next three years, China is expected to account for 40% of the world’s nylon production and more than 30% of the nylon resin consumed globally[1]. The new AddWorks TFB 117 offers a number of benefits to help stabilize and smoothen fiber production processes, protect color, and improve heat stability and mechanical properties of fibers. AddWorks TFB 117 ensures smooth spinnability with less filaments breakage, even at low processing temperatures and at high speed spinning up to 5,500 m/min.

Martin P. J. John, Head of BL Performance Additives at Clariant, comments: “AddWorks solutions are an ideal fit with China’s priority of achieving more sustainable production. They save time and reduce complexity along the production process, with easy to use formats that reduce health risk and chemical waste. Our new state-of-the-art production facility in Zhenjiang, China, which opens later this year, is dedicated to the manufacturing of AddWorks to deliver innovative solutions tailored to the needs of the market. Made for China in China.

In addition to AddWorks, Clariant presented Exolit® OP 1400, a highly stable non-halogenated flame retardant enhancing safety during the charging process. It also provides outstanding thermal stability for under the hood applications. Exolit OP 1400 has been awarded the Clariant EcoTain® label for outstanding sustainability and performance.  

Clariant also introduced two ranges of performance waxes that smoothen the production of automotive plastics for under the hood applications, Licowax® and Licocare® RBW. The recently launched Licocare RBW is a series of multi-purpose additives based on crude rice bran wax. They offer better shaping flexibility, better mechanical properties and enhanced surface finish, which results in a reduced rejection rate and a more effective dosage.

Source:

EMG PR

02.05.2018

Demand for European technical textiles attracts leading companies to Cinte Techtextil China

Exhibitors from eight countries have already confirmed to participate in the fair’s European Zone. They join an expected 500-plus total exhibitors from around the world. The 2018 edition of this biennial fair takes place from 4 – 6 September in halls N1 – N3 of the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.

While China retains its edge in terms of technical textiles and nonwovens production capabilities, in the eyes of Chinese buyers, European suppliers are still the leaders when it comes to technology and innovation. This was widely reported by European exhibitors at the previous edition in 2016 of Asia’s leading biennial trade event for the industry: Cinte Techtextil China.

Exhibitors from eight countries have already confirmed to participate in the fair’s European Zone. They join an expected 500-plus total exhibitors from around the world. The 2018 edition of this biennial fair takes place from 4 – 6 September in halls N1 – N3 of the Shanghai New International Expo Centre.

While China retains its edge in terms of technical textiles and nonwovens production capabilities, in the eyes of Chinese buyers, European suppliers are still the leaders when it comes to technology and innovation. This was widely reported by European exhibitors at the previous edition in 2016 of Asia’s leading biennial trade event for the industry: Cinte Techtextil China.

“In the Chinese market, buyers want good quality products, so overseas companies, and products with recognised quality certifications, have a lot of potential,” Ms Ping Chen, General Manager of IBENA Shanghai Technical Textiles commented. “As a leading German company in the industry, our products are welcomed by many buyers at this fair. It is also important to be in the German Pavilion as this signals to buyers that we have quality products, and it attracts more attention.” Swiss firm Sanitized AG had the same experience. “As a Swiss company in the European Zone I believe it’s an advantage, as some local buyers have more confidence towards imported products,” Mr Steven Liu, Sales Manager said.

Other exhibitors commented on the long-term trends in the Chinese market. “There’s a definite shift to more high-quality machinery in China that isn’t affected by what’s happening in the overall economy. Moreover, there are opportunities for overseas suppliers as there is still a gap between us and what Chinese companies produce,” Dr Joachim Binnig, Vice President, Head of Development & Technology, Autefa Solutions Germany GmbH explained.

Mr Roger Zhang, Sales Manager for German firm J.H. Ziegler Nonwovens and New Materials commented: “Our products are mainly for high-end Chinese customers, such as BMW and Audi. The Chinese market has gradually matured, but the production capability for high-performance products which are energy efficient and eco-friendly is still developing, so there is a lot of space for overseas brands to develop here.”

European Zone highlights
This year’s European Zone will feature around 30 exhibitors from eight countries, including Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK, while further exhibitors can be found in national pavilions from Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany and Italy. Some of the exhibitor highlights in the European Zone include:

  • Arkema (France): with brands including PMMA Altuglas, Rilsan, Pebax, Kynar PVDF and Bostik, they will present polymer resin for fibres and yarns, which apply to a wide range of applications, at the fair.
  • Dakota Coating (Belgium): specialists in thermoplastic and thermosetting adhesives, their polymer products, based on polyethylene, polyolefin or mixtures, ethylene vinyl acetates, co-polyamides, polyurethanes and co-polyesters, are suitable for automotive, building, heat transfer and sound insulation uses.
  • Lenzing Plastics (Austria): a new exhibitor at the fair, they are a leading manufacturer of polyolefin and fluoropolymer products, such as Thermoplast and PTFE products. One of their core competencies lies in the monoaxial stretching of films and filaments, and they offer special solutions in the fields of construction & insulation, medicine & hygiene, packaging and cables, as well as automotive and technical textiles. They will highlight their PROFILEN® PTFE product at the fair, and with its extreme durability and very smooth surface, it is highly valued in many niche applications in the technical and medical sectors.
  • Protechnic (France): leading manufacturers of hot-melt adhesives and plastic printed films, they will showcase hot melt thermo-adhesive nets, webs and films at the fair.
  • Trelleborg Coated Systems (Italy): another new exhibitor this edition, they produce high-performance, engineered coated fabrics. They offer a wide variety of substrates – from Kevlar® to silk – with a choice of weaving methods.
17.04.2018

Wearing A Uniform of Progress

At Kingpins Amsterdam, RUDOLF GROUP launches a selection of chemical auxiliaries for fashion and function as well their new HUB 1922.
The RUDOLF GROUP, not completely new to garment and denim finishing, decides to take the first steps of what will be a long and exciting journey in the field. In order to shorten the distance with both manufacturers and apparel brands and retailers it deploys two synergic initiatives:

At Kingpins Amsterdam, RUDOLF GROUP launches a selection of chemical auxiliaries for fashion and function as well their new HUB 1922.
The RUDOLF GROUP, not completely new to garment and denim finishing, decides to take the first steps of what will be a long and exciting journey in the field. In order to shorten the distance with both manufacturers and apparel brands and retailers it deploys two synergic initiatives:

  • A refined selection of chemicals auxiliaries targeting garment finishing and delivering, in addition to current aesthetics, sophisticated functionalities that take denim to the next level in terms of both performance and enhanced quality.
  • The launch of a new project that, combining German engineering and Italian style, provides solutions at the crossroad of fashion and utilitarian functionality. The project, called HUB 1922, introduces elements of unorthodox diversity and fosters collaborative environments that can be truly disruptive.

The word HUB is evocative of the main part of something where there is most activity, whereas the number, 1922, is the year of foundation of the RUDOLF GROUP and therefore symbol of heritage, tradition and significant experience. Ultimately, HUB 1922 wants to be the unmatched one-stop shopping for fashion and function, innovation and creativity in garment processing. A hub that enables continuous, synergetic, and powerful collaboration with brands and retailers to deliver disruptive innovations in the global markets.

It introduces functional chemistry in an universe that is almost entirely driven by aesthetics and the extension to other materials and product categories (such as outdoor apparel and performance wear), of knowledge and techniques developed for denim over the past 50 years. Very aware of its status of rookie and yet very determined, the project HUB 1922 begins exploring through concepts and values rooted in deep scientific knowledge, true responsibility, technical innovation and fresh creativity.
At Kingpins Amsterdam, HUB 1922 will present 3 concepts rooted in RUDOLF’s sophisticated and conscious chemistry:

  • ODYSSEY: a voyage through textures and innovation, softness, comfort and signature handfeels.
  • SHELTER: performance inspired by natural models for urban protection and for much reduced domestic washing.
  • MEMOFLEX: A modern-day miracle preventing denim from sagging and bagging. A truly denim Botox that shows improved quality on many stretch fabrics.

Since when it was founded, almost 100 years ago, RUDOLF GROUP’s secret of success is being big enough to matter, small enough to care. Captured in this definition are an obvious desire to play a meaningful role in the textile industry and an equally palpable vocation to customer service.

Alberto de Conti, Head of Rudolf Fashion Division: “Every generation has their time to make a mark on the world. Considering the environmental emergencies in garment production and the lack of real innovation on the retail shelves, for the current generation of companies active in garment finishing that time is now.”

RUDOLF GROUP acknowledges therefore that there is an additional opportunity to responsibly further redefine the future and turns their sizeable R&D power towards refining their approach to what is fashion quintessential staple: garment and denim finishing. Through a renewed, highly responsible involvement in garment finishing and with the introduction of HUB 1922, the RUDOLF GROUP wants to send out a message of true optimism. It is about showing the entire industry that there is a blank canvas ahead and tangible difference can be made.

Oerlikon: AC-Automation Acquisition (c) Oerlikon
Georg Stausberg, CEO of Oerlikon Manmade Fibers Segment, Rolf Gänz, Managing Director of AC-Automation, and Ralf Schilken, CFO of Oerlikon Manmade Fibers Segment (from left, first row).
13.04.2018

Oerlikon: AC-Automation Acquisition

  • Oerlikon integrates automation solutions for largescale plants in technology portfolio

Remscheid, Germany / Pfäffikon, Schwyz, Switzerland - Oerlikon announced today that it has acquired Germany-based AC-Automation GmbH & Co. KG, an engineering company specializing in large-scale plant automation solutions for the textile and packaging industries. The two companies have been partnering since the early 1980s. The integration of AC-Automation in Oerlikon expands the market-leading technology portfolio of its Manmade Fibers Segment. It also marks a milestone in Oerlikon’s ongoing quest to offer innovative, fully automated and digitally networked Industry solutions in the manmade fiber industry.

  • Oerlikon integrates automation solutions for largescale plants in technology portfolio

Remscheid, Germany / Pfäffikon, Schwyz, Switzerland - Oerlikon announced today that it has acquired Germany-based AC-Automation GmbH & Co. KG, an engineering company specializing in large-scale plant automation solutions for the textile and packaging industries. The two companies have been partnering since the early 1980s. The integration of AC-Automation in Oerlikon expands the market-leading technology portfolio of its Manmade Fibers Segment. It also marks a milestone in Oerlikon’s ongoing quest to offer innovative, fully automated and digitally networked Industry solutions in the manmade fiber industry.

The 60 employees at AC-Automation’s Bernkastel-Kues and Augsburg locations will become part of Oerlikon’s Manmade Fibers Segment, which includes the leading brands Oerlikon Barmag and Oerlikon Neumag. The move will expand the Segment’s business model, adding another key core component to its current offering of production plants and technology solutions from melt to yarn, fibers, andnonwovens. Ultimately, Oerlikon will be able to offer customers a total solution from a single source, including automation logistics for packaging, high-bay storage, and other areas, which complement its current market-leading spinning and process technologies for the textile industry.

"We see our expanded overall offering as an Industry solution, reflecting the future of an even more efficient, digitized and profitable chemical fiber industry, especially for large-scale plants with daily production capacity of several hundred tons of polyester, nylon, polypropylene, or other manmade fibers,” explains Georg Stausberg, CEO of the Manmade Fibers Segment. Manmade fiber producers from China — the world’s most important market, generating more than 70 % of worldwide manmade fiber production — as well as companies from other fast-growing markets such as India, Turkey and the USA are also relying on automated and networked Industry total solutions.

"The acquisition and integration of AC-Automation’s automation solutions will provide new opportunities for our manmade fiber business. It enables the Segment to increasingly position itself as an Industry solution provider in combination with our own digitization solutions,” says Oerlikon Group CEO Dr. Roland Fischer. “As a leading provider of advanced materials, surface solutions and materials processing including the engineering and production of polymer plants, this acquisition marks another milestone in Oerlikon’s strategy to strengthen its businesses and thus sustain profitable growth.”

"After such a long partnership, we are excited to be able to benefit even more in the future as part of a global player in the textile industry. Our market access will further improve with the help of the Oerlikon
Group's sales and service network. For my employees, I am very pleased to be able to bring them into an international Group, in which there would be new opportunities and perspectives for them personally,”
said Rolf Gänz, AC-Automation’s Managing Director.

More information:
Oerlikon Automation
Source:

Oerlikon - Corporate Communications
and Public Affairs (Segment Manmade Fibers)

An Evening of Smart Innovation that Showcased New Standards for Fashion (c) Rodin Banica
Textile installation by Cécile Feilchenfeldt
29.03.2018

An Evening of Smart Innovation that Showcased New Standards for Fashion

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.

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.
 

Ternua Group chooses Lectra Fashion PLM 4.0 (c) Tenua Group
21.03.2018

Ternua Group chooses Lectra Fashion PLM 4.0

  • Spanish outdoor and sportswear market leader expands international presence thanks to Lectra’s latest product lifecycle management solution

Ismaning/Paris – Lectra, the technological partner for companies using fabrics and leather, is pleased to announce that the Ternua Group, a world-renowned Spanish outdoor clothing and sportswear group, has chosen Lectra Fashion PLM 4.0 to increase their geographical presence by improving global teamwork.

Founded in 1994, the Ternua Group has achieved worldwide success by promoting adventure through respect for nature, producing sustainable technical clothing for outdoor sports enthusiasts worldwide. The group’s strong commitment to the environment is shown through their R&D that focuses on developing their own fabric by using eco-friendly materials such as organic cotton and recycled down.

Today, the group’s portfolio includes three brands Ternua, Astore and Lorpen, currently exporting to more than 50 countries, with operations in Europe, America and Asia. Compounding this global success, the ambitious group plans to penetrate more markets across the globe.

  • Spanish outdoor and sportswear market leader expands international presence thanks to Lectra’s latest product lifecycle management solution

Ismaning/Paris – Lectra, the technological partner for companies using fabrics and leather, is pleased to announce that the Ternua Group, a world-renowned Spanish outdoor clothing and sportswear group, has chosen Lectra Fashion PLM 4.0 to increase their geographical presence by improving global teamwork.

Founded in 1994, the Ternua Group has achieved worldwide success by promoting adventure through respect for nature, producing sustainable technical clothing for outdoor sports enthusiasts worldwide. The group’s strong commitment to the environment is shown through their R&D that focuses on developing their own fabric by using eco-friendly materials such as organic cotton and recycled down.

Today, the group’s portfolio includes three brands Ternua, Astore and Lorpen, currently exporting to more than 50 countries, with operations in Europe, America and Asia. Compounding this global success, the ambitious group plans to penetrate more markets across the globe.

The group is implementing Lectra Fashion PLM 4.0 into their entire production process. Specifically developed to help fashion companies navigate the digital era, this modular and user-friendly solution will help the Ternua Group centralize and store information coming from their brands by digitalizing their supply chain. This will connect all teams involved in the design-to-production process, regardless of geographic location. Team members will also be able to comm unicate better with external suppliers, access accurate information and keep track of every collection’s development progress. The group can hence speed up the entire production process and help their brands deliver their collections to markets all over the world on time.

“We manage our design and product development processes in-house but outsource our production in Europe, north of Africa and Asia. For our business to expand globally, we need to go fully digital. By having a system that consolidates and standardizes data coming from all supply chain actors across the world, we can respond faster to consumer demand,” explains Aitor Barinaga, Chief Operations Officer, Ternua Group. “We have assessed all other vendors—and Lectra Fashion PLM 4.0 is clearly the winner. It has the ability to fully integrate all processes and improve communication and teamwork across all departments through sound data management. We are more than happy to have a trusted partner as Lectra for such an ambitious project.”

“Ternua Group is constantly pushing the boundaries of innovation. This is shown through their desire to help customers achieve their personal best by providing them with high-performance technical wear that is also environmentally friendly. We are thrilled to embark on this new journey with the Ternua Group, and we are confident that our solution and expertise will help them get their collections out to new markets on time,” says Rodrigo Siza, Managing Director, Spain and Portugal, Lectra.

Source:

Lectra

15.03.2018

An Evening of Smart Innovation that Sets New Standards for Fashion

On Thursday, March 22nd, C.L.A.S.S., with support from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), will invite fashion’s industry leaders, designers and members of the press to celebrate An Evening of Smart Innovation.  An exceptional team of artists, filmmakers, food and textile designers have created an immersive experience that will engage the guests’ senses highlighting that smart innovation is the new standard for fashion. The experience will examine the four key areas that are vital to C.L.A.S.S.’s business philosophy: Heritage - Smart Innovation - Circular Economy - Design Responsibility. The commitment to those principles and to forward thinking led to C.L.A.S.S. having been nominated as one of the European Business Awards 2017/2018 Ones to Watch for exceptional growth, significant innovation along with an ethical approach to business.

On Thursday, March 22nd, C.L.A.S.S., with support from the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), will invite fashion’s industry leaders, designers and members of the press to celebrate An Evening of Smart Innovation.  An exceptional team of artists, filmmakers, food and textile designers have created an immersive experience that will engage the guests’ senses highlighting that smart innovation is the new standard for fashion. The experience will examine the four key areas that are vital to C.L.A.S.S.’s business philosophy: Heritage - Smart Innovation - Circular Economy - Design Responsibility. The commitment to those principles and to forward thinking led to C.L.A.S.S. having been nominated as one of the European Business Awards 2017/2018 Ones to Watch for exceptional growth, significant innovation along with an ethical approach to business.

The March 22nd date is a deliberate choice as it marks International Water Day and serves as a way to advocate for sustainable water management, a key issue in textile manufacturing. Many of C.L.A.S.S.’s partners, such as ECOTEC® by Marchi&Fildi, Bemberg™ and ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei and TINTEX Textiles use technological breakthroughs to offer fashion materials that provide significant reductions in water during the manufacturing process, an important step toward responsible future fashion systems.

“In touting significant reductions in water, energy usage and CO2 emissions, C.L.A.S.S.’s  message has always been one of consistency but now with today’s customers becoming increasingly environmentally mindful, the timing has never been better to bring awareness to the ways that responsible sustainability can be incorporated, in an authentic way, into a fashion or lifestyle brand increasing the bottom line without compromising design integrity,” said C.L.A.S.S. founder Giusy Bettoni.

The future is already here; guests can see and feel materials during the event that showcase technological breakthroughs currently available. While C.L.A.S.S. works with leading brands that practice responsible design, the next step is to expand their reach and set a new level of standards that benefit the entire industry. To that end, they have identified C.L.A.S.S. Education, their new division, as an essential learning resource to support fashion schools. The new division was co-founded with James Mendolia, professor in the MFA Fashion Design program at Fashion Institute of Technology. C.L.A.S.S. will also launch C.L.A.S.S. e-commerce platform, which will sell partner materials to support emerging designers and fashion start-ups.

Thank you to all of our partners for making this event and the last ten years possible: Bacx by Centro Seta, Bemberg™ by Asahi Kasei, ECOTEC® by Marchi & Fildi, Organic Cotton Colours, Re.VerSo™, ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei, TINTEX Textiles, Zignone.

More information:
Fashion C.L.A.S.S.
Source:

C.L.A.S.S.

JEC World 2018 (c)AGENCE APOCOPE
Crowded aisle of JEC World 2018
08.03.2018

JEC World 2018: Composites Industry in Paris

  • JEC World 2018, closes its doors on March 8 with a record increase in attendance resuming 3 days of vibrant networking and knowledge sharing.

The event confirms its leading position of JEC Group as number one organization for the promotion and development of the composites industry. Indeed the show welcomed more than 1,300 exhibitors from every continents and counted 42,445 professional visits from 115 countries. “The ability of JEC Group to gather the whole composites Industry under one roof over 3 days lies in the fact that we always initiate new precursory programs to the service of composites professionals.” says Ms. Frédérique Mutel, JEC Group President & CEO. “This year we initiated new programs, for instance the Composite Challenge allowing 10 PhD students to pitch their thesis in front of the industry, thus facilitating connections between students and industrialists. In the same spirit, we increased in power our Start Up Booster and Innovation Award Programs to accelerate relations between young or innovative companies with investors or established enterprises.

  • JEC World 2018, closes its doors on March 8 with a record increase in attendance resuming 3 days of vibrant networking and knowledge sharing.

The event confirms its leading position of JEC Group as number one organization for the promotion and development of the composites industry. Indeed the show welcomed more than 1,300 exhibitors from every continents and counted 42,445 professional visits from 115 countries. “The ability of JEC Group to gather the whole composites Industry under one roof over 3 days lies in the fact that we always initiate new precursory programs to the service of composites professionals.” says Ms. Frédérique Mutel, JEC Group President & CEO. “This year we initiated new programs, for instance the Composite Challenge allowing 10 PhD students to pitch their thesis in front of the industry, thus facilitating connections between students and industrialists. In the same spirit, we increased in power our Start Up Booster and Innovation Award Programs to accelerate relations between young or innovative companies with investors or established enterprises. We also introduced one new planet called “Make it Real” along with the Aero, Auto and Construction planets. In this planet, we could discover astonishing futuristic products for example the Aeromobil, a flying car that would revolutionize urban transportation in the near future,“ she adds. “We launched our new Book on Natural Fibers: Flax and Hemp. We had strong communications on Composites Environmental Input and Recycling.”

The event was the first event to promote and host the new “French Fab”, a French government initiative to internationally promote the French Industry and Manufacture. Also, JEC World welcomed the French Secretary of State to the Minister of Economy and Finance Ms. Delphine Gény-Stephann, visit that demonstrates the growing role of composites in the industry.

Inspiring Keynotes to foster composites disruption

Dirk Ahlborn,CEO of Hyperloop opened the Startup Booster ceremony by supporting the spirit of ingenuity in the Industry. Dayton Horvath, industry expert and consultant in additive manufacturing presented his vision of how to apply artificial intelligence to composite Materials and Manufacturing. Finally, Yves Rossy, the “jetman” using the latest carbon-fiber wings for flight introduced the JEC Innovation awards ceremony, motivating the audience to pursue their dreams and explaining how composites could made his dreams come true.

The "Public Choice” Awards Winners

A first at the show this year was the introduction of the public votes to elect their favorite projects among two JEC programs promoting innovation. “The goal to create the “public choice awards” was to involve and embark our community to make their innovation loud. Our vision at JEC is to demonstrate and to make understand towards a broader scope the vast range of possibilities that composite materials offer.”
comments Ms. Anne-Manuèle Hébert, Director for JEC World and European Events for JEC Group.

Public Choice Award for Startup  Booster: Inca-Fiber (Germany) with 62.36% of the 2,221 votes
Public Choice Award for JEC Innovation Awards: Infusion technology for an aircraft wing by AeroComposit JSC (Russia) gaining 20.96% of the 4,126 votes.

Source:

AGENCE APOCOPE

20th anniversary of the JEC Innovation Awards (c) GROUPE JEC - Thierry-Alain TRUONG
07.03.2018

20th anniversary of the JEC Innovation Awards

  • JEC Group pays tribute to the winners at JEC World 2018

The 2018 session of JEC World, the reference trade show organized by JEC Group, is in full swing and the focus is on innovation!
The JEC Innovation Awards ceremony, which took place on the Agora stage on Wednesday, March 7 at 5 pm, opened with a presentation by Yves Rossy, aircraft pilot and inventor of the first jet-powered wingpack. Then the jury revealed the names of the composite champions up for a JEC Innovation Award. Eleven winning innovations were chosen, out of the thirty finalists that had been previously selected from more than 100 applications from all over the world.

  • JEC Group pays tribute to the winners at JEC World 2018

The 2018 session of JEC World, the reference trade show organized by JEC Group, is in full swing and the focus is on innovation!
The JEC Innovation Awards ceremony, which took place on the Agora stage on Wednesday, March 7 at 5 pm, opened with a presentation by Yves Rossy, aircraft pilot and inventor of the first jet-powered wingpack. Then the jury revealed the names of the composite champions up for a JEC Innovation Award. Eleven winning innovations were chosen, out of the thirty finalists that had been previously selected from more than 100 applications from all over the world.

“JEC Group supports innovation. In 1998, it created the first award dedicated to composites, as a way to promote and reward the sector’s champions. Thanks to the work of JEC Group’s teams, the program has become an international benchmark. Each year, we receive more than a hundred applications from all over the world. Selection is now based on criteria like the level of involvement of the innovation’s partners in the value chain, the technical nature of the innovation, or its commercial applications,” explains JEC Group President & CEO Frédérique Mutel.
A new feature this year is that the jury revealed the winners during the ceremony, and the public could choose their favorite innovation before, during, and after the ceremony. So there is still time to vote! Votes are opened until Thursday March 8th, 5pm http://innovationawards.jec-world.events
Did you miss the ceremony?

11 AWARD WINNERS:
AEROSPACE APPLICATION

Winner:
AeroComposit, JSC (Russia) and its partner Solvay (United Kingdom)

  • Infusion technology for an aircraft wing

The use of infusion technology to manufacture primary structural components for an aircraft wing. The technology makes it possible to create extra-long, integrated composite structures with complex aerodynamic shapes.

AEROSPACE PROCESS 
2 tied winners!
Winner: Airbus (Germany) and its partners, BMW Group (Germany), Technical University of Munich (TUM) (Germany), Neue Materialien Bayreuth GmbH (Germany), Werkzeugbau Siegfried Hofmann GmbH (Germany), BASF SE (Germany), Foldcore GmbH (Germany), Neenah Filtration (Germany) and SGL Carbon GmbH (Germany)

  • Complex structural applications for MAI sandwich technology

Cost-effective production of a complex 2.5D structure made of thermoplastic composite sandwich, with very short cycle times: under 5 minutes for aerospace materials and 2.5 minutes for automotive materials.

Winner: M. Torres Diseños Industriales SAU (Spain)
Moldless process to manufacture one-piece parts
A new manufacturing process for oversized one-piece reinforced composite structures, without requiring the use of complete molds.

AUTOMOTIVE APPLICATION
Winner: Ford Werke GmbH (Germany) and its partners, Gestamp (United Kingdom), GRM Consulting (United Kingdom) and University of Warwick (United Kingdom)

  • Lightweight composite automotive suspension part

Structural suspension part made of lightweight composite, using a brand-new patented process for prepreg/SMC/steel overmolding that was designed using a new computer-aided engineering (CAE) technology.

AUTOMOTIVE PROCESS
Winner: Audi AG (Germany) and its partners, Voith Composites GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), Dow Automotive (Switzerland), and Zoltek Corp. (United States)

  • Series production of a rear panel module made of carbon composite

For the first time, the potential of carbon fiber reinforced plastics (CFRP) is used to full advantage in series production with a new rear panel module and cost-effective production technologies.

CONSTRUCTION & INFRASTRUCTURE
Winner: Komatsu Seiren Co., Ltd. (Japan) and its partners, Kanazawa Institute of Technology (Japan) and Nagase ChemteX Corporation (Japan)

  • Cabkoma cable made of CFRTP

Komatsu Seiren has developed a cable made of molded carbon fiber reinforced thermoplastic (CFRTP), using a very cost-effective process that consists in polymerizing a thermoplastic epoxy resin in situ.

MARINE
Winner: Uljanik JSC (Croatia)

  • Composite cargo decks for a vehicle carrier

On the SIEM Cicero, a vehicle carrier with a capacity of 7,000 vehicles, glass-fiber reinforced composites are used for a number of the structures for the cargo decks, thereby considerably reducing the ship’s weight, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

RAILWAY
Winner: ELG Carbon Fibre Ltd. (United Kingdom) and its partners, Alstom Transport (United Kingdom), Magma Structures (United Kingdom), the University of Birmingham (United Kingdom), and the University of Huddersfield (United Kingdom)

  • A bogie frame made of optimized lightweight carbon fiber

This project has developed the very first carbon-fiber bogie frame that uses a recycled material, making it possible to overcome the obstacles to a commercial adoption of this type of structure.

SPORTS & LEISURE
Winner: BMW Group (Germany) and its partners EDAG Engineering GmbH (Germany), KraussMaffei Technologies GmbH (Germany), Chr. Karl Siebenwurst GmbH & Co. KG (Germany), TUM-LCC (Germany), Automation W + R GmbH (Germany), and FHG-IGCV (Germany)

  • A modular construction system for the rear swing arm suspension of a motorcycle

A modular system to produce a complex-shape swing arm suspension reinforced with carbon fiber. The system can adjust the mechanical properties on a case-by-case basis, for a competitive cost and weight compared to metal solutions.

SMART CITIES
Winner: MC Materiales Compuestos (Argentina) and its partners, Plaquimet (Argentina), Purcom (Brazil), IS Groupe - Composite Integrity (France), and G12 Innovation (Brazil)

  • The Wet Core Pod composite housing module

The Wet Core Pod is a composite housing module with an industrialization potential that can facilitate the most complex, costly and difficult step in a construction project.

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Winner: Cetim-Cermat (France) and its partner, CETIM (France)

  • “3-in-1” line for producing recycled composites

A modular line that uses an innovative thermomechanical process to make large panels from recycled composites or plastics. The panels are then thermoformed into parts.
 

Source:

Dorothée David & Marion RISCH, Agence Apocope

(c) Messe Frankfurt (HK)
05.03.2018

European suppliers at Intertextile Shanghai the go-to option for Chinese buyers seeking quality and style

  • New collaboration of sustainable viscose suppliers formed in China

Digital Printing Zone debuts at Spring Edition
Despite the economic ups and downs in China over the last few years, demand for premium European textiles remains high.
Whether it be premium wool for the flourishing suiting market, ladieswear fabrics, lace & embroidery for high-end domestic brands each with hundreds of stores across the country, innovative yarns & fabrics for the booming sports and activewear sectors, or original pattern designs for the thousands of new online fashion brands, European suppliers remain the go-to option for Chinese buyers looking for quality and style.

  • New collaboration of sustainable viscose suppliers formed in China

Digital Printing Zone debuts at Spring Edition
Despite the economic ups and downs in China over the last few years, demand for premium European textiles remains high.
Whether it be premium wool for the flourishing suiting market, ladieswear fabrics, lace & embroidery for high-end domestic brands each with hundreds of stores across the country, innovative yarns & fabrics for the booming sports and activewear sectors, or original pattern designs for the thousands of new online fashion brands, European suppliers remain the go-to option for Chinese buyers looking for quality and style.

As one of the undisputed leaders in the European textile scene, Italy is always a good bellwether of the trends between Europe and China. After a less than stellar 2016, Italy’s fabric exports to the Mainland China and Hong Kong markets grew by 12.4% in the first 10 months of 2017[1]. The expected demand for European brands at Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics will be most evident in the SalonEurope zone, which features exhibitors from Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey and the UK, as well as country pavilions & zones from France, Germany, Italy and Turkey.

There is also continuing demand for overseas expertise when it comes to more technical areas such as sustainability and digital printing, solutions to which can be found in the fair’s All About Sustainability area and Digital Printing Zone.

SalonEurope showcases the continent’s full textile expertise
The best of the best from Europe will be on display in this edition’s SalonEurope, with a range of products across the whole textile spectrum on offer. Some of the highlights this edition include:

  • Alumo (Switzerland): celebrating its 100-year anniversary this July, Alumo has undertaken a complete refresh of their brand, highlighting the character of their mill in Appenzell, Switzerland that has deep roots in the local textile industry. This edition, they will showcase a renewed collection of luxury shirting fabrics with intricate designs and added functions such as natural stretch and wrinkle-free, and a newly enlarged, never-out-of-stock ‘Sartorial’ collection.
  • Hatfil Tekstil Isletmeleri (Turkey): a Turkish-Italian joint venture, they offer a huge range of yarns including eco-friendly options such as organic, BCI and fair trade yarns, as well as cotton, Tencel, Amicor, bamboo, cashmere, modal and other varieties.
  • Hohenstein Textile Testing (Germany): offering testing services, OEKO-TEX® services and certifications, the Hohenstein Quality Label and more.
  • Ricamificio Paolo Italy SpA (Italy): an embroidery manufacturer, they have developed a new technique using very thin embroideries to produce a lace-like effect, which can also be customised to the customer’s requirements in no more than four weeks. They have also produced a quilt-like fabric suitable for spring / summer garments which is made from materials such as silk organdie, cotton yarn or lurex to produce a shiny effect.
  • Teseo Tessitura Serica Di Olmeda SpA (Italy): for their summer 2019 collection, Teseo is inspired by the natural elements with increased attention to sustainability with GOTS-certified bio silk and eco-friendly yarns. New articles are lighter and enriched with yarn-dyes, include jacquard stripes and checks, gauze and devoré bands to add transparency, and more.

New collaboration of sustainable viscose suppliers formed in China
While the textile industry in China still has a long way to go in terms of sustainability, genuine progress is being made at both a government and company level. January of this year saw the implementation of a new environment protection tax, with companies charged for noise, air & water pollution and generating solid waste[2]. Replacing a pollutant discharge fee that had been in place for 40 years, the new tax is set by local governments – with some of the regions suffering from worse pollution setting higher rates – and also incentivises companies with lower emissions.

In another encouraging move, 10 leading global viscose producers in China have come together to form the Collaboration for Sustainable Development of Viscose (CV) to promote the sustainable sourcing and responsible production of viscose. These 10 producers collectively account for over 50% of the world’s viscose staple fibre production, and have partnered with two trade associations to adopt a sustainability roadmap for the viscose industry. Built around credible international sustainability standards and programmes, the CV Roadmap aims to provide guidance to viscose producers on sustainable sourcing and production practices.

The CV collaboration will make its debut appearance in the fair’s All About Sustainability zone, where visitors can learn more about this initiative, as well as sustainable developments in the Chinese textile industry. Apart from an educational programme and garment display area, the zone will also feature a number of exhibitors other than CV.

Digital Printing Zone debuts at Spring Edition
While digital printing is rapidly gaining traction in the global textile industry, this is especially so in China due to its potential to reduce pollution during the production process. Amongst the exhibitors looking to take advantage of this in the fair’s new Digital Printing Zone is MS Italy, a market leader in the design, development and distribution of innovative digital ink-jet printing systems and associated consumables, which serves the high-end, roll-to-roll textile printing and specialty material markets. Also exhibiting is DIGITEX which will introduce the latest digital- and inkjet-printed natural and manmade fabrics.

Apart from digital printing exhibitors, a day-long forum will inform fairgoers on the exciting possibilities of digital printing. Held on day 2 of the fair, the Fast Fashion and Digital Printing Application Forum features sessions on fast fashion technology & trends and digital printing applications. These are followed by a series of discussions on topics such as flexible supply chains, business opportunities created by digital printing and IP protection. The forum also includes a presentation on the findings of a six-month study conducted by Fashion Print, a Chinese publication, for which they visited hundreds of textile companies, printing and dyeing enterprises, as well as their suppliers to produce a research paper on the digital textile printing market and technology.

In addition to Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, four other textile fairs also take place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center: Yarn Expo Spring, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition, fashion garment fair CHIC and knitting fair PH Value.

  • Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics – Spring Edition 2018 is co-organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Textile Information Centre. For more details on this fair, please visit: www.intertextileapparel.com. To find out more about all Messe Frankfurt textile fairs worldwide, please visit: www.texpertise-network.com.

[1] http://hk.fashionnetwork.com/news/Italian-textile-industry-back-on-growth-track-in-2017,944760.html
[2] http://www.fibre2fashion.com/news/textile-news/china-imposes-environment-protection-tax-beginning-jan-1-239965-newsdetails.html

 

Source:

Liam Rodden, Messe Frankfurt (HK)

27.02.2018

JEC GROUP MAKES PARIS THE WORLD’S COMPOSITES CAPITAL

On March 6-8, 2018, Paris will host the largest international trade show for advanced materials: JEC World, which is organized by JEC Group. For three days, more than 43,000 professional visits from some 100+ countries will gather at the world’s most innovative platform for the materials and products that are revolutionizing our century. “One field where France is a global leader is the field of composites!” says JEC Group President and CEO Frédérique MUTEL.

COMPOSITES ARE GOING STRONG
The share of composites in the global economy is growing. The market for these products is worth 83 billion euros, for a volume of 11.23 million metric tons of volume (2017 statistics). Analysts are predicting a steady 5% growth by 2021. From the industrial viewpoint, composites are developing rapidly, with new automated processes for high-volume production.

On March 6-8, 2018, Paris will host the largest international trade show for advanced materials: JEC World, which is organized by JEC Group. For three days, more than 43,000 professional visits from some 100+ countries will gather at the world’s most innovative platform for the materials and products that are revolutionizing our century. “One field where France is a global leader is the field of composites!” says JEC Group President and CEO Frédérique MUTEL.

COMPOSITES ARE GOING STRONG
The share of composites in the global economy is growing. The market for these products is worth 83 billion euros, for a volume of 11.23 million metric tons of volume (2017 statistics). Analysts are predicting a steady 5% growth by 2021. From the industrial viewpoint, composites are developing rapidly, with new automated processes for high-volume production.

INNOVATION IN COMPOSITES
“Innovation is there with the raw materials, such as better-formulated resins (and even recyclable ones like thermoplastics) and higher-performance fibers like carbon, glass and aramid. Moreover, natural materials like starch for matrices and flax, hemp, sisal and bamboo for fibers are being introduced. There is also innovation in the ways composites are being used, and with the creation of completely new things like drones, electronic devices, hydrofoils and flying taxis. Composites are currently making progress everywhere there is a need for low weight and performance. They offer nearly infinite possibilities. These are truly the materials of the century. Designers are adopting them in a broad range of fields like smart cities, infrastructure, networks, transportation, medical devices, sports & leisure and design. Composites materials expand the field of possibilities.” explains Ms. MUTEL.

“MAKE IT REAL” AT THE 2018 JEC WORLD TRADE SHOW
To present the latest trends and innovations, the 2018 JEC World has even more surface area, with 68,000 square meters. The 1,350 exhibitors (from carbon fiber producer to auto builder, from designer to decorator, from research fellow to aircraft manufacturer) will display their latest advances. All stakeholders will be present at the show. JEC World received more than 40,000 professional visits last year, and is expecting 43,000 this year!

THE NEW “MUST” THINGS TO SEE
This year, JEC World will have four planets. Besides the aerospace, automotive and construction planets, there will be a new “Make it real” planet, which gives a preview of designer creations to be exhibited at the Ghent museum starting in October 2018. “We will show the many aspects of composites, and how these materials are being gradually incorporated into everyday objects,” adds Ms. MUTEL.
This year’s JEC World will feature a new “Composite Challenge” program that gives the floor to ten PhD students, who will be given five minutes to pitch their research projects with the help of a single slide. “True to its mission, the JEC Group has set up this new program to share the latest research on composites. But it is not just a way to share the most advanced knowledge, it also helps to bridge the gap between academics and the industry and to identify the industry’s next generation of leaders,” she says.
JEC World will also be the occasion to launch Flax & Hemp Fiber Composites, A Market Reality: The Biobased Solution for the Industry, a new book published by JEC Group on the use of plant-based materials.

KNOWLEDGE & NETWORKING PROGRAMS SUPPORTED BY JEC GROUP
The trade show will host well-known speakers, including Dirk AHLBORN, the CEO of Hyperloop Transportation Technologies, a company that is reinventing transportation with high-speed travel (up to 1,300 km/h, or 808 mph), and Yves ROSSY, aircraft pilot and inventor of the first jet-powered wingpack, with which he is able to reach speeds of up to 300 km/h, or 186 mph. The Startup Booster program will pay tribute to startups, and the JEC Innovation Awards program, to innovations. For the first time, the public will be invited to vote on these two programs!
Six new conferences will also address the latest technical advances that are moving the sector forward, and a Composites in Action program will present live demonstrations throughout the show, in three different places.

More information:
JEC World JEC Group
Source:

Dorothée DAVID & Marion RISCH, AGENCE APOCOPE

26.02.2018

Hexcel’s Product Innovations for Aerospace, Automotive, Wind Energy and Marine at JEC WORLD 2018

STAMFORD, February 26, 2018 - at JEC World 2018, taking place in Paris March 6-8, Hexcel will display an array of product innovations for customer applications in aerospace, automotive, wind energy and marine markets.
Hexcel’s banner at the exhibit hall entrance features the Airbus H160 helicopter and A350 XWB aircraft, both with carbon fiber livery to acknowledge the high Hexcel composites content in both programs. Hexcel’s reinforcements, prepregs, adhesives and honeycomb materials were selected for the H160’s composite fuselage structures and main rotor blades, contributing to the lightweight fuel-saving design and performance optimization. Airbus has loaned Hexcel an H160 BLUE EDGE blade to display on the booth.

STAMFORD, February 26, 2018 - at JEC World 2018, taking place in Paris March 6-8, Hexcel will display an array of product innovations for customer applications in aerospace, automotive, wind energy and marine markets.
Hexcel’s banner at the exhibit hall entrance features the Airbus H160 helicopter and A350 XWB aircraft, both with carbon fiber livery to acknowledge the high Hexcel composites content in both programs. Hexcel’s reinforcements, prepregs, adhesives and honeycomb materials were selected for the H160’s composite fuselage structures and main rotor blades, contributing to the lightweight fuel-saving design and performance optimization. Airbus has loaned Hexcel an H160 BLUE EDGE blade to display on the booth.

Among the Aerospace promotions at Hexcel’s booth are carbon-reinforced 3D printed parts, made from Hexcel’s HexAM™ additive manufacturing technology that uses PEKK ultra-high performance polymers. Hexcel acquired this technology from Oxford Performance Materials in December 2017 to provide a weight-saving solution for intricate parts in highly demanding aerospace, satellite and defense applications. HexPEKK™ structures offer significant weight, cost and time-to-market reductions, replacing traditional cast or machined metallic parts with a new technology.

Aircraft engines benefit from a number of Hexcel technologies that will be promoted at JEC 2018, including HexShield™ honeycomb that provides high temperature resistance in aircraft engine nacelles. By inserting a thermally resistant material into honeycomb cells, Hexcel provides a core product with unique heat-shielding capabilities that allows for the potential re-use of material after a fire event.
Another honeycomb innovation from Hexcel is Acousti-Cap® broadband noise-reducing honeycomb that significantly improves acoustic absorption in aircraft engine nacelles. The acoustic treatment may be positioned at a consistent depth and resistance within the core, or can be placed in a pattern of varying depths and/or resistances (Multi-Degrees of Freedom and 3 Degrees Of Freedom), offering an acoustic liner that is precisely tuned to the engine operating conditions. These technologies have been tested at NASA on a full engine test rig and meet all 16 design conditions without trade-offs. An example of this technology will be on display at JEC 2018.

Rounding off the aircraft engine exhibits is a CTi fan blade for new generation lightweight turbofan engines from Rolls-Royce, manufactured from Hexcel’s HexPly® M91 high toughness and impact-resistant epoxy prepreg. Hexcel supplies HexPly® M91 as slit tape for the automated lay-up of the complex aerodynamic shape, with a constantly changing thickness across the blade length. The blade which is thinner and lighter than titanium fan blades is currently undergoing flight tests.
Hexcel’s HiTape® and HiMax™ dry carbon reinforcements that were developed for the automated lay-up of preforms for resin-infused aerospace structures will be promoted at the show. Two demonstrator parts, one made with HiMax™ and one with HiTape®, were both infused with HexFlow® RTM6 resin to demonstrate the potential benefits of an integrated design for aircraft skins, spars and stiffeners that meets OEM requirements for production rate increases and cost effectiveness.

Hexcel is also introducing its new range of HiFlow™ advanced liquid resins for aerospace structures manufactured by liquid molding technologies. Based on novel proprietary chemistry, the new resin family will enhance the performance of composites and ease processing when combined with HiTape® and HiMax™ dry carbon reinforcements. HiFlow™ HF610 is the first resin in the range.
Hexcel’s range of high performance adhesives has expanded considerably following the company’s acquisition of Structil last October. Hexcel is relaunching the acquired products under the new HexBond™ brand name at JEC World. This fast-growing range of pastes, liquid shim and film adhesives has a wide spectrum of operating temperatures and is in qualification with a large number of aerospace and industrial OEMs.
In the Planet Aerospace area at JEC, Daher and Hexcel will jointly display an aircraft spar manufactured from HexPly® M56 prepreg. Hexcel’s Neil Parker and Daher R&T Director Dominique Bailly will give a joint presentation focusing on the materials used and the benefits for the finished part. The aircraft spar was designed and manufactured by Daher using Hexcel’s HexPly® M56 prepreg, in slit tape format, that was developed for automated deposition and out-of-autoclave curing. The spar was manufactured using only the vacuum bag process and demonstrates very low porosity levels. It is currently undergoing testing and validation through CORAC funding.

Hexcel’s Automotive promotions at JEC World 2018 include a new prepreg for composite leaf springs, HexPly® M901. In contrast to steel leaf springs used for suspension on vans, trucks and SUVs, newer composite versions offer many advantages including weight savings of up to 70%, high corrosion resistance, optimized system integration and superior performance. Hexcel’s HexPly® M901 prepreg raises the bar further, reducing mold cure time below 15 minutes, a 50% reduction compared to standard industrial prepregs. HexPly® M901 provides 15% higher mechanical performance, with enhanced fatigue properties. It also operates at high temperatures, providing a Tg of up to 200°C following a post cure. Hexcel’s expertise in manufacturing heavy weight glass UD prepregs, with fiber areal weights of up to 1600gsm, allows the company to offer a highly cost-competitive solution for the rapid manufacture of these safety critical components.

Hexcel is constantly seeking ways to ensure that customers obtain the maximum benefit from composites and has recently acquired state-of-the-art simulation technology that accurately predicts how HiMax™ non-crimp fabrics will drape in a mold. Working in collaboration with Nottingham University Hexcel has created a car seat shell, for which the material selection was optimized using this new drape simulation technology. Visitors to Hexcel’s stand at JEC will see an on-screen demonstration that illustrates how the simulation tool operates, predicting process and performance and ensuring that the optimum fabric architecture is quickly identified, reducing the need for expensive trial programs.
Hexcel’s HexMC®-i 2000 carbon fiber/epoxy molding compound has been successfully used by Audi to manufacture a high-performance engine cross brace. HexMC®-i is a fast curing high-performance molding material, suitable for the series production of complex shaped parts and providing excellent mechanical properties. The Audi cross brace covers the engine, providing torsional stiffness for enhanced drive dynamics.

Hexcel’s product offering for customers in the Marine industry has expanded following the acquisition of Formax in 2016 and Structil in 2017. At JEC World, Hexcel will promote its enhanced portfolio of carbon fibers, prepregs, woven reinforcements and multiaxial fabrics for builders of racing catamarans and luxury yachts.
Marine customers have supplied a number of parts for display to illustrate their expertise in manufacturing composite structures from Hexcel materials. These include part of a Diam 24 yacht mast made by ADH Inotec from Hexcel’s HexPly® M79 fast curing, low temperature cure prepreg. ADH Inotec purchased the prepreg from Composites Distribution, a Hexcel Official Distributor that also supplied HexPly® M9.6 prepreg to Lorima for the Outremer 5X catamaran mast section on display. Part of Lorima’s 42m wing mast for a multihull racing boat made with HexPly® prepreg from Vert-Le-Petit (formerly Structil) will complete the marine display.

Hexcel’s innovations for Wind Energy include Polyspeed® pultruded laminates for load-carrying elements in wind blades. These continuous cross-section profiles, made from a polyurethane matrix reinforced with unidirectional carbon fiber, provide consistently high mechanical properties, including high stiffness, fracture toughness and shear strength, combined with low weight and durability. Visitors to Hexcel’s stand will see a 2m diameter coil of pultruded carbon laminate that contains 255m of material in a single roll. This technology offers an economical way of reinforcing large-scale composite structures such as wind turbine blades. Hexcel will also launch its surface finishing prepreg for wind turbine blades and components. This provides a tough, durable and ready-to-paint blade surface without the use of gel coat and results in faster blade manufacture, saving time in production and reducing material costs. The benefits of the new surfacing prepreg will be demonstrated via a wind blade exhibit that has been given four different treatments across the blade surface. These include a section with gel coat, a section of standard prepreg without gel coat, and a section where a fleece has been added to improve surface quality but still requires preparation before painting due to pin holes. The final section made with new HexPly® XF2P surfacing prepreg has a ready-to-paint surface, straight from the mold, without any requirement for gel coat, fleece or finishing operations.

More information:
Hexcel JEC World 2018 Aircraft
Source:

Dorothée DAVID & Marion RISCH, AGENCE APOCOPE

Intertextile Shanghai, Taiwan Pavillion (c) Messe Frankfurt
26.02.2018

Largest range of exhibitors from Asia awaits at Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics

For buyers that prioritise having the widest range of sourcing options in one place, their best bet is March’s Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics. Boasting pavilions from Japan, Korea, Pakistan and Taiwan, individual exhibitors from Hong Kong, India, Indonesia and Vietnam, not to mention 2,800-plus Chinese exhibitors, the fair is the largest gathering of Asian suppliers under one roof for the spring / summer sourcing season. To ensure convenience for buyers, international exhibitors are grouped by country or region, while Chinese exhibitors are located in product halls including fabrics for casualwear, functional wear / sportswear, ladieswear, lingerie & swimwear, shirting and suiting, as well as for accessories and denim.

In total, around 3,300 exhibitors will showcase their apparel fabrics and accessories at the fair, with the SalonEurope zone hosting premium suppliers from Europe – including pavilions and zones from France, Germany, Italy and Turkey – while the International Hall also houses other overseas exhibitors from the likes of Argentina, Australia, Peru the US and elsewhere.

For buyers that prioritise having the widest range of sourcing options in one place, their best bet is March’s Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics. Boasting pavilions from Japan, Korea, Pakistan and Taiwan, individual exhibitors from Hong Kong, India, Indonesia and Vietnam, not to mention 2,800-plus Chinese exhibitors, the fair is the largest gathering of Asian suppliers under one roof for the spring / summer sourcing season. To ensure convenience for buyers, international exhibitors are grouped by country or region, while Chinese exhibitors are located in product halls including fabrics for casualwear, functional wear / sportswear, ladieswear, lingerie & swimwear, shirting and suiting, as well as for accessories and denim.

In total, around 3,300 exhibitors will showcase their apparel fabrics and accessories at the fair, with the SalonEurope zone hosting premium suppliers from Europe – including pavilions and zones from France, Germany, Italy and Turkey – while the International Hall also houses other overseas exhibitors from the likes of Argentina, Australia, Peru the US and elsewhere.

Japan Pavilion keeps ‘Banshu-Ori’ tradition alive
Organised by the Japan Fashion Week Organization (JFW), the Japan Pavilion will house 22 exhibitors and also feature a Japan Trend Corner. After the immense popularity of this pavilion with buyers in previous editions, the organisers are in a good position to comment on the trends in the local market. “The now mature Chinese market tends to seek out very different types of products and purchase in smaller batches, which is a world away from the mass-production focus of the past,” JFW commented.

Included in this edition’s Japan Pavilion are three companies from the Nishiwaki region, which is famous for its ‘Banshu-Ori’, or Banshu weave. Banshu-Ori is a yarn-dyed fabric, woven into various patterns, such as checks and stripes, with yarns that are dyed before being woven by weaving machines. This tradition dates back to 1792, and will be showcased by Bon Co Ltd, Ueyama Orimono Corp and Kuwamura Co Ltd at the fair. Bon will showcase a range of new products using this traditional technique, including organic cotton fabrics, paper yarn fabrics and indigo items. Ueyama Orimono, which boasts Japan’s largest dyeing factory in Nishiwaki, designs its own fabrics in Tokyo, and will present cotton, cotton / linen and medium-thin yarn-dyed fabrics at the fair. Kuwamura will showcase fabrics based on 100% yarn-dyed cotton, as well as cotton and cotton-blend materials.

Taiwan Pavilion the place to find innovation
The Taiwan Pavilion, with over 40 participating companies, is a guaranteed source of innovation at the fair, with a number of exhibitors also offering eco-friendly options. Some of the highlights include:

  • Keen Ching Industrial: they will have a number of their patented KCC-branded zippers at the fair including a durable double-coil zipper, an invisible zipper with a movable retainer box, a track type water-repellent zipper, a curved metal zipper and more.
  • Handseltex Industrial: will showcase a wide range of products including lace, jacquard and mesh, made with the likes of organic cotton and recycled polyester with an eco-friendly production process.
  • Paltex: the company’s ‘From Waste to Yarn’ regeneration system involves turning waste fishing nets and plastic bottles from the ocean into polyester and nylon fabrics, membranes and trimmings.
  • Superwill: their unique gradient fabric combines specialty yarns and a special knitting process, and features a thickness that decreases from top to bottom. This design allows the fabric to be tailored to different garments.
  • Tri Ocean Textile: will feature its own DreamFel® high-performance filament polypropylene yarn which is lightweight, durable and environmentally friendly, and used in sports & outdoor apparel and outdoor furniture.

The Taiwan Pavilion will be full of innovative textile solutions again this edition
The Korea and Pakistan Pavilions round out the Asian offerings. Nearly 60 Korean exhibitors will showcase predominantly manmade, fancy, knitted, acetate woven, tricot, jacquard, faux leather and printed fabrics, as well as lace and embroidery, for ladieswear, while other members will feature fabrics for sportswear and outdoor wear. Those from Pakistan, meanwhile, will feature in the Beyond Denim hall and offer a wide range of denim products.  

In addition to Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics, four other textile fairs also take place at the National Exhibition and Convention Center: Yarn Expo Spring, Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Spring Edition, fashion garment fair CHIC and knitting fair PH Value.

Source:

Messe Frankfurt

Logo CHOMARAT (C) CHROMARAT
26.02.2018

CHOMARAT presents its latest innovations at the 2018 JEC World

CHOMARAT, the composite reinforcement specialist group, is launching its multiaxial glass NCF for thermoplastic composites. The unique patented stitching yarn used can withstand processing temperatures to 400°C, making it an innovative industrial solution for thermoplastic composites and an alternative to the woven reinforcements used especially in the automotive sector. For the first time, CHOMARAT is also exhibiting a unidirectional carbon NCF reinforcement that is adapted to the productivity and performance requirements in the wind energy sector.

CHOMARAT, the composite reinforcement specialist group, is launching its multiaxial glass NCF for thermoplastic composites. The unique patented stitching yarn used can withstand processing temperatures to 400°C, making it an innovative industrial solution for thermoplastic composites and an alternative to the woven reinforcements used especially in the automotive sector. For the first time, CHOMARAT is also exhibiting a unidirectional carbon NCF reinforcement that is adapted to the productivity and performance requirements in the wind energy sector.

AN INNOVATIVE INDUSTRIAL SOLUTION TO REINFORCE AUTOMOTIVE THERMOPLASTICS
Thanks to a unique patented stitching yarn, the glass NCF reinforcement (G-PLY™) developed by CHOMARAT offers new possibilities in thermoplastic RTM and organosheet processes. “This is an especially innovative solution, utilizing stitching yarns that are compatible with processing temperatures to 400°C. These multiaxials improve the performance and provide a lot of construction freedom in terms of fibre orientation. These new design possibilities contribute to structural optimization. The quest for more lightweight vehicles, shorter cycle times and lower cost is a major issue for all builders,” explains CHOMARAT Automotive Market Manager Francisco De Oliveira.
This new heat-stable G-PLY™ reinforcement can withstand very high processing temperatures without deformation and provides optimal mechanical performance.

A CARBON UD TO REINFORCE EXTRA-THICK WIND TURBINE STRUCTURES
For the first time, CHOMARAT is exhibiting an infusion-moulded laminate made with 150 plies of its new unidirectional carbon C-PLY™. This 600g/m², high-permeability NCF can be used to create extra-thick structures, in particular the wind-turbine blade stiffeners, or spar caps. “Cost reduction is the challenge in the wind energy industry. Increasing the blade length by incorporating carbon stiffeners increases power, and so it also lowers the cost of the energy,” says CHOMARAT Wind Energy Market Manager Raphaël PLEYNET. The carbon UD developed by CHOMARAT provides a solution to achieve the goal to optimize the weight/power ratio. The UD’s high permeability reduces cycle times and lowers the blade production costs.

Professor Sung Ha from the University of Hanyang will give a conference on composite challenges in the wind energy sector at 11:30 am on Wednesday, 7 March 2018 at JEC World.
Established in 1898, CHOMARAT is an international industrial textile group, involved in three businesses: Composites Reinforcements, Construction Reinforcements, Coatings & Films–Textiles. The privately held company operates in France, Tunisia, the United States and China to service its global customers.
CHOMARAT leads a strong innovation strategy, rising to challenges, developing materials for the future. Hence, the Group invests in new technologies and enters into collaborative research programs with universities and technical centers worldwide.
CHOMARAT offers strong technical know-how and mastery of complex technologies in fields ranging from automotive, aerospace, sports, energy, marine, construction, and also in markets requiring creativity and expertise, like luxury goods.

More information:
CHOMARAT JEC World 2018
Source:

Dorothée DAVID & Marion RISCH, AGENCE APOCOPE

21.02.2018

Filatura C4 is a Re.Verso™ partner of excellence

For the first time at FILO Milano, Filatura C4 is proud to present, in addition to the already established Re.Verso™ collection for contract, the Blue Drop winning fabric by Audejas, made with Re.Verso™ re-engineered wool. A result born from the shared commitment and vision to integrate a new generation of eco values into their circular economy creations.

Since 1962, Filatura C4 has been known for smart innovation in furnishing contract markets and is now specializing in the recovery of both technical and natural fibers. The company offers a wide range of styles and typologies of yarns for the Technical, Natural and Classic categories. From the choice of raw materials up until the final packaging, Filatura C4 develops and proposes, together with its partners, tailored solutions apt to satisfy a diversified demand. Thanks to its background and its grounding, Filatura C4 is a unique partner for Re.Verso™ in the contract sector.

For the first time at FILO Milano, Filatura C4 is proud to present, in addition to the already established Re.Verso™ collection for contract, the Blue Drop winning fabric by Audejas, made with Re.Verso™ re-engineered wool. A result born from the shared commitment and vision to integrate a new generation of eco values into their circular economy creations.

Since 1962, Filatura C4 has been known for smart innovation in furnishing contract markets and is now specializing in the recovery of both technical and natural fibers. The company offers a wide range of styles and typologies of yarns for the Technical, Natural and Classic categories. From the choice of raw materials up until the final packaging, Filatura C4 develops and proposes, together with its partners, tailored solutions apt to satisfy a diversified demand. Thanks to its background and its grounding, Filatura C4 is a unique partner for Re.Verso™ in the contract sector.

The collection was planned to satisfy the market’s increasingly more specific needs, which require increased specialization and responsibility in the recovery of textile fabrics. Thanks to the Re.Verso™ system, the company offers quality products with low environmental impact through the use of pre-consumer wool packaging cuts which are collected, selected and processed in an accredited, fully transparent and traceable way. The Re.Verso™ collection is mainly employed in contract and home furnishing.

The Re.Verso™ product is available in a range of counts going from 5,000 to 9,500 Nm and it can be supplied both in singles and in twisted plies.  Re.VersoTM yarns by Filatura C4 are certified by ICEA (Environmental and Ethical Certification Institute) according to GRS (Global Recycled Standard) issued by the international body Textile Exchange and can boast unique savings (in comparison to virgin wool) in terms of energy (-27%), water consumption (-53%), and CO2 emissions (-49%), as certified by the LCA (Life Cycle Assessment) study led by Prima Q.

At Filo, Filatura C4 presents the prizewinning product signed by Audejas, leading Lithuanian producer of upholstery and home textile fabrics since 1946, made for the 75% of wool (55% Re.Verso™ wool) in mix with 20% polyamide and 5% other fibres. This product received the Blue Drop Award on the second day of MoOD 2017. MoOD Brussels is an exhibition dedicated to producers of upholstery, window and wall coverings for the residential and contract market. The Blue Drop exhibition is an inspiring overview of the “best of the best” of what you can find at MoOD selected from creations submitted by exhibitors. Unique in its own way because it is the world’s only quality label of its kind for interior textiles. The “Floris” fabric by Audejas, won the first prize of the Circular Material category, being recognized as a  product that made great effort reducing waste by focusing on eco-centric materials.

20.02.2018

Hexcel Congratulates Airbus

On Febuary 20, 2018 – Hexcel congratulated Airbus on delivering the first A350-1000 to Qatar Airways earlier today, following successful FAA and EASA Type Certification on November 21.
Hexcel is a major supplier of advanced materials for the A350 XWB program, and composite materials make a significant contribution to the weight savings, performance and fuel efficiency of both aircraft in the family, the A350-900 and the A350-1000. This stretched version of the aircraft is 7 meters longer than the A350-900, carries an additional 40 seats, and offers similar unrivalled comfort and efficiency. Both versions are powered by latest generation Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.

Hexcel’s HexPly® M21E/IMA carbon fiber/epoxy prepreg is used to manufacture all composite primary structures of the aircraft, including the fuselage panels, keel beam, wing and empennage. The lower wing cover is the biggest single civil aviation part ever made from carbon fiber and spans 32 meters long.

On Febuary 20, 2018 – Hexcel congratulated Airbus on delivering the first A350-1000 to Qatar Airways earlier today, following successful FAA and EASA Type Certification on November 21.
Hexcel is a major supplier of advanced materials for the A350 XWB program, and composite materials make a significant contribution to the weight savings, performance and fuel efficiency of both aircraft in the family, the A350-900 and the A350-1000. This stretched version of the aircraft is 7 meters longer than the A350-900, carries an additional 40 seats, and offers similar unrivalled comfort and efficiency. Both versions are powered by latest generation Rolls-Royce Trent XWB engines.

Hexcel’s HexPly® M21E/IMA carbon fiber/epoxy prepreg is used to manufacture all composite primary structures of the aircraft, including the fuselage panels, keel beam, wing and empennage. The lower wing cover is the biggest single civil aviation part ever made from carbon fiber and spans 32 meters long.

A further advancement is the introduction of CFRP in other structural components such as the pylon upper spar and door surround. For the first time on an Airbus aircraft, Hexcel’s HexMC® carbon fiber/epoxy molding compound has also been used for the A350-1000 fuselage crutches.

“I send my congratulations to Airbus on delivering the first A350-1000 to Qatar Airways,” said Nick Stanage, Hexcel Chairman, CEO and President. “Hexcel is proud to be a partner-supplier to Airbus and to have Hexcel carbon fiber and composite materials incorporated into so many structural parts in the A350 XWB family.”

More information:
Hexcel’s HexPly® Airbus
Source:

AGENCE APOCOPE, Dorothée DAVID & Marion RISCH

20.02.2018

Dual and Lectra enter into long-term partnership

Paris, February 20, 2018 – Lectra, the technological partner for companies using fabrics and leather, is pleased to announce its partnership with Dual through the signing of a global agreement covering the Korean automotive supplier’s fabric seating and airbag businesses.

Backed by world-class research and development, Dual strives to meet evolving customer needs by offering innovative new automotive interior materials and advanced safety textiles. The supplier’s automotive trim and airbag divisions serve Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, the fourth largest automaker in the world. Currently undergoing rapid expansion, Hyundai-Kia is counting on Dual to increase its manufacturing capabilities in the high-growth regions where the group operates, including China, Eastern Europe, Turkey and South America.

Paris, February 20, 2018 – Lectra, the technological partner for companies using fabrics and leather, is pleased to announce its partnership with Dual through the signing of a global agreement covering the Korean automotive supplier’s fabric seating and airbag businesses.

Backed by world-class research and development, Dual strives to meet evolving customer needs by offering innovative new automotive interior materials and advanced safety textiles. The supplier’s automotive trim and airbag divisions serve Hyundai-Kia Automotive Group, the fourth largest automaker in the world. Currently undergoing rapid expansion, Hyundai-Kia is counting on Dual to increase its manufacturing capabilities in the high-growth regions where the group operates, including China, Eastern Europe, Turkey and South America.

A key feature of the global agreement is Lectra’s commitment to help Dual optimize its manufacturing processes with the aim of improving its cost structure. Lectra’s most advanced technologies—Vector® for vehicle seating and FocusQuantum® for airbags—and unique expertise in cutting room processes are crucial to helping Dual reach its operational excellence objectives.

The agreement designates Lectra as sole supplier for high-ply cutting equipment and services for Dual’s seating and interiors business, and laser cutting equipment and services for the company’s airbag cushion business at six plants located in Korea and China.
For its operations in Korea and China, Dual will gain access to the full array of expertise, customer support and field services that Lectra provides worldwide. Lectra’s complete customer support structure enables maximum uptime through remote diagnostics and predictive maintenance.

“Dual will benefit most from this agreement by containing costs in the cutting room,” remarks Ong Jae-Yeol, Fabric and Seat BU Executive Managing Director, Dual. “This is precisely where Lectra’s expertise can help us gain a competitive advantage.”
“We are pleased to enter into this global partnership with Dual, to support them—not only with our best-in-class cutting technology, but also with Lectra’s expertise in cutting processes,” states Javier Garcia, Senior VP Automotive Sales, Lectra. “Our unique know-how contributes to Dual’s pursuit of operational excellence—the source of sustainable competitive advantage for car seat cover and airbag cushion suppliers.”

More information:
Lectra Vector® FocusQuantum®
Source:

Nathalie Fournier-Christol, Responsable des Relations Presse Groupe, press department, communications

16.02.2018

Superior Linen Supply Recertified Hygienically Clean

  • Emphasis on Process, Third-party Validation and Outcome-based Testing

ALEXANDRIA, Va., February 16, 2018 —Kansas City, Mo.-based Superior Linen Supply has again achieved Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification, reflecting their commitment to best management practices (BMPs) in laundering as verified by on-site inspection and their capability to produce hygienically clean textiles as quantified by ongoing microbial testing.

The laundry was first certified in 2014. Recertification confirms the organization’s continuing dedication to infection prevention, compliance with recognized industry standards and processing healthcare textiles using BMPs as described in its quality assurance documentation, a focal point for Hygienically Clean inspectors’ evaluation. The independent, third-party inspection must also confirm essential evidence that:

• Employees are properly trained and protected
• Managers understand regulatory requirements
• OSHA-compliant
• Physical plant operates effectively

  • Emphasis on Process, Third-party Validation and Outcome-based Testing

ALEXANDRIA, Va., February 16, 2018 —Kansas City, Mo.-based Superior Linen Supply has again achieved Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification, reflecting their commitment to best management practices (BMPs) in laundering as verified by on-site inspection and their capability to produce hygienically clean textiles as quantified by ongoing microbial testing.

The laundry was first certified in 2014. Recertification confirms the organization’s continuing dedication to infection prevention, compliance with recognized industry standards and processing healthcare textiles using BMPs as described in its quality assurance documentation, a focal point for Hygienically Clean inspectors’ evaluation. The independent, third-party inspection must also confirm essential evidence that:

• Employees are properly trained and protected
• Managers understand regulatory requirements
• OSHA-compliant
• Physical plant operates effectively

To achieve certification initially, laundries pass three rounds of outcome-based microbial testing, indicating that their processes are producing Hygienically Clean Healthcare textiles and diminished presence of yeast, mold and harmful bacteria. They also must pass a facility inspection. To maintain their certification, they must pass quarterly testing to ensure that as laundry conditions change, such as water quality, textile fabric composition and wash chemistry, laundered product quality is consistently maintained. Re-inspection occurs every two to three years.

This process eliminates subjectivity by focusing on outcomes and results that verify textiles cleaned in these facilities meet appropriate hygienically clean standards and BMPs for hospitals, surgery centers, medical offices, nursing homes and other medical facilities.

Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification acknowledges laundries’ effectiveness in protecting healthcare operations by verifying quality control procedures in linen, uniform and facility services operations related to the handling of textiles containing blood and other potentially infectious materials.

Certified laundries use processes, chemicals and BMPs acknowledged by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, American National Standards Institute and others. Introduced in 2012, Hygienically Clean Healthcare brought to North America the international cleanliness standards for healthcare linens and garments used worldwide by the Certification Association for Professional Textile Services and the European Committee for Standardization.

Objective experts in epidemiology, infection control, nursing and other healthcare professions work with Hygienically Clean launderers to ensure the certification continues to enforce the highest standards for producing clean healthcare textiles.

“Congratulations to Superior Linen Supply on their recertification,” said Joseph Ricci, TRSA president and CEO. “This achievement proves their ongoing commitment to infection prevention and that their laundry takes every step possible to prevent human illness.”

More information:
Hygienically Clean Healthcare
Source:

Ken Koepper, TRSA®

05.02.2018

ILUNA Group with ROICA™ at the Milano Unica

At Milano Unica, as key inspiring article, ILUNA presented an exclusive and elegant lace long dress, created in collaboration with Valery, starting from an all over textronic ultralight lace with a complex organic design completely made of recycled materials, using ROICA™ Eco-Smart family, a world-first range of responsible made premium stretch yarns, demonstrating, once more, how the two leading innovators continue their close partnership to present the most “advanced” and responsible solutions to the market today.

Nevertheless, for ILUNA smart innovation is not just a project even, at its space at Milano Unica visitors will had the opportunity to discover the new collection and also to experience and touch the latest boundaries of lace smart innovations. This season novelties include:

At Milano Unica, as key inspiring article, ILUNA presented an exclusive and elegant lace long dress, created in collaboration with Valery, starting from an all over textronic ultralight lace with a complex organic design completely made of recycled materials, using ROICA™ Eco-Smart family, a world-first range of responsible made premium stretch yarns, demonstrating, once more, how the two leading innovators continue their close partnership to present the most “advanced” and responsible solutions to the market today.

Nevertheless, for ILUNA smart innovation is not just a project even, at its space at Milano Unica visitors will had the opportunity to discover the new collection and also to experience and touch the latest boundaries of lace smart innovations. This season novelties include:

  1. Green Label collection, the Iluna dedicated range featuring a new responsible approach in respect of the planet and people, able to deliver innovation, beauty and quality, at 360°. This season, in addition to the all over, jacquard, double jacquard and mesh offer, the line is also featuring  new stretch Galloon laces fully made with GRS certified recycled  materials, including the stretch thanks to the introduction of the unique ROICA™ sustainable yarn part of the ROICA™ Eco-Smart family. 
  2. ILUNA is also proud to introduce a worldwide première: Eco- Smart family made of sustainable yarns allover laces made with NAIA cellulosic fiber by Eastmann combined with ROICA™ premium stretch sustainable yarn   realized on warp knitting jacquard looms. A unique innovation, with an interesting look & feel combined with a special softness!  
  3. ILUNA has strategically included in all their stretch laces only ROICA™ Eco-Smart family of sustainable yarns since some time. The company is pleased to introduce the latest version of this yarns that are able to deliver 3 functions in one:  premium stretch, sustainability combined with the ROICA™ Colour Perfect family function offering excellent flawless and world unique colour dimensions, homogeneity.
  4. For the salon, another première:  in cooperation with ROICA™ and Cupro by Asahi Kasei, Iluna is pleased to introduce ‘Smart Bucket Bag’ as a  special  limited edition gift. In origin, this was a roomy bag shaped like a bucket taller than it is wide with a rounded bottom. It first came to fashion in the 1900's, from a pouch with a string and a hardened bottom. Federica Annovazzi idea started from the traditional shape, but it went way beyond and imade it contemporary by smart materials and manufacturing. A beautifully crafted ‘double face recipe’ made  combining a luxurious Cupro fabric by Infinity with an Iluna stretch Double face Smart Bucket bag lace designed and produced with ROICA™ Eco-Smart family of sustainable yarns. The bag is manufactured exclusively by Made in Carcere a cooperative of women in rehabilitation, so creating a useful social exchange as well as a responsible and smart one. The Made in Carcere brand was founded in 2007, thanks to Luciana Delle Donne, founder of Officina Creativa, a non-profit social cooperative.
  5. ILUNA can also boast its new STeP (Sustainable Textile Production) certification by Oeko-Tex, a certification that clarifies and communicates the company’s sustainable production commitment. In addition to this, all products are Oeko-Tex 100 certified.

ILUNA’s newest digital programs:

  • ILUNA has created the new e-shop offering its exclusive materials to smaller companies looking for added values as: creativity, innovation, made in Italy and responsibility. 
  • The whole collection is also visible online at its web site, previous registration, and orders can be done directly online always aiming to customers care.

Today ILUNA represents the largest European lace producer, and thanks to its journey toward the most contemporary way to innovate that includes responsibility, has also become a reference point in the international market for a lace offer that is beautiful, innovative and responsible at the same time. An alchemy of design and sustainable innovation, the only eco-fashion line that includes lace and stockings, capable of combining ethics and high quality standards with a fashion image of bright and deep colors.