From the Sector

Lightweight design is a key enabler for addressing the energy transition and sustainable economy. Following the liquidation of the state agency Leichtbau BW GmbH, a consortium consisting of the Allianz Faserbasierter Werkstoffe Baden-Württtemberg (AFBW), the Leichtbauzentrum Baden-Württemberg (LBZ e.V. -BW) and Composites United Baden-Württemberg (CU BW) now represents the interests of the lightweight construction community in the State.

The Lightweight Design Agency for Baden-Württemberg is set up for this purpose on behalf of and with the support of the State. The Lightweight Construction Alliance BW is the central point of contact for all players in the field of lightweight construction in the State and acts in their interests at national and international level. Professor Markus Milwich from the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) represents the agency.

The use of lightweight materials in combination with new production technologies will significantly reduce energy consumption in transportation, the manufacturing industry and the construction sector. Resources can be saved through the use of new materials. As a cross-functional technology, lightweight construction covers entire value chain from production and use to recycling and reuse.

The aim of the state government is to establish Baden-Württemberg as a leading provider of innovative lightweight construction technologies in order to strengthen the local economy and secure high-quality jobs.

Among others, the "Lightweight Construction Alliance Baden-Württemberg" will continue the nationally renowned "Lightweight Construction Day", which acts as an important source of inspiration for a wide range of lightweight construction topics among business and scientific community.

Professor Milwich, an expert with many years of experience and an excellent network beyond the State's borders, has been recruited for this task. In his role, Milwich also represents the state of Baden-Württemberg on the Strategy Advisory Board of the Lightweight Construction Initiative of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action, which supports the cross functional-technology and efficient transfer of knowledge between the various nationwide players in lightweight construction and serves as a central point of contact for entrepreneurs nationwide for all relevant questions.

From 2005 to 2020, Professor Milwich headed the Composite Technology research at the DITF, which was integrated into the Competence Center Polymers and Fiber Composites in 2020. He is also an honorary professor at Reutlingen University, where he teaches hybrid materials and composites. "Lightweight design is an essential aspect for sustainability, environmental and resource conservation. I always showcase this in research and teaching and now also as a representative of the lightweight construction community in Baden-Württemberg," emphasizes Professor Milwich.

Frauenpower ist in den Führungsetagen des Mittelstandes längst angekommen und unverzichtbar. Aber – auch in der Recycling- und Entsorgungswirtschaft – durchaus noch ausbaubar, betont die erste bvse-Vizepräsidentin Christiane Neuhaus und lädt zur Gründungsveranstaltung des bvse-Frauennetzwerks am 26. September nach Leipzig ein.

„Gleichberechtigung und Frauenpower – davon hören und lesen wir derzeit viel. Aber wir wissen auch, dass die Realität in einigen Berufsfeldern durchaus noch veränderungsfähig ist. Unsere Branche gehört definitiv dazu. In den über 1.000 Mitgliedsunternehmen des bvse sind inzwischen zahlreiche kompetente Frauen vertreten. Aber es dürfen gerne noch mehr werden. Wir vom bvse nehmen gerne Herausforderungen an und gründen daher das Netzwerk Frauen in der Entsorgungs- und Recyclingwirtschaft“, erklärt Christiane Neuhaus.

Um die Herausforderungen und Hürden für aufstrebende Jungmanagerinnen und Geschäftsführerinnen, aber auch um deren Potenzial und Leistungsfähigkeit, weiß die erfolgreiche Unternehmerin und langjährige bvse-Vizepräsidentin aus eigener Erfahrung sehr genau. Und auch darum, welch wichtige Rolle der gemeinsame Austausch und die öffentliche Wahrnehmung für die Entwicklung neuer Ideen und Chancen spielen.

„Mit dem Netzwerk Frauen in der Recycling- und Entsorgungswirtschaft möchten wir unseren Führungspersönlichkeiten und Expert:innen in der Fachverantwortung eine Plattform schaffen, die den weiblichen Anteil an Führungskräften und Fachwissen in unserer Branche unterstützt. Wir möchten Ihnen die Möglichkeit zum Kennenlernen, Netzwerken und auch zum Austausch geben“, macht Christiane Neuhaus deutlich.

Die Gründungsveranstaltung findet am Dienstag, 26. September, im Rahmen der bvse-Jahrestagung, von 12:00-13:30 Uhr, im Raum Amsterdam, H4 Hotel Leipzig, statt.

Dr. Harald Weber will become the new managing director of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association on 1 January 2023. The 44-year-old industrial engineer succeeds Thomas Waldmann, who has held the position since 1991 and will retire at the end of the year.

After completing his doctorate at the Technical University of Darmstadt and working as a lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences Mittelhessen (THM), Dr. Weber joined the VDMA in 2011. Since then, he has been responsible for the topics of technology and innovation in the Plastics and Rubber Machinery Association.

Dr. Janpeter Horn, Chairman of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association and Managing Director of August Herzog Maschinenfabrik, commented on the change of personnel: "From his previous work in the plastics industry, Dr. Weber has profound knowledge and experience in topics that are also gaining in importance in textile machinery manufacturing. Examples include recycling and the circular economy, as well as digitalisation and especially the communication standard OPC UA."

Dr. Horn added: "We combine our warm welcome to Dr. Weber with a big thank you to Thomas Waldmann. 30 years as managing director at the Textile Machinery Association also stand for constantly changing framework conditions. Mr. Waldmann has always had his finger on the pulse of the industry and, together with his team, has represented the special interests of the member companies: From technology policy to challenges of market access to the leading trade fair ITMA and the European association CEMATEX. ITMA 2007 in Munich was certainly a highlight. The executive board of the association wishes Mr. Waldmann all the best for the new phase of his life that is now beginning."

Carbios announces the appointment of two new members to its Executive Committee: Lionel Arras, Industrial Development Director, and Mathieu Berthoud, Sourcing and Public Affairs Director.

Lionel Arras joined Carbios’ teams in 2021 to support the industrial growth of PET enzymatic recycling technology as Industrial Development Director. He was appointed to the Company’s Executive Committee on May 2. An engineer who graduated from ENSIC Nancy and holds an MBA from the Lyon School of Management, Lionel Arras has more than 25 years of experience in the field of process engineering and the chemical industry.
At Carbios, he now heads a team of around 50 people mobilized around three major divisions:
- the industrial demonstration plant, inaugurated last September in Clermont-Ferrand,
- technological development,
- the first Reference Unit project, installed on the Indorama Ventures site in Longlaville, Meurthe-et-Moselle, France.

Lionel Arras, Carbios’ Industrial Development Director: “After the successful start-up of our industrial demonstration plant in Clermont-Ferrand, we are continuing our scale-up with the construction of the first enzymatic recycling plant in the world in Longlaville, France. Its launch, scheduled for early 2025, will enable the processing of 50,000 tons of post-consumer PET waste or the equivalent of 2 billion bottles. It is a great source of pride for me to be able to support Carbios in this strategic development phase.”

Mathieu Berthoud will join Carbios as Sourcing and Public Affairs Director on June 1, 2022. With more than 30 years of experience, including 10 years at Rhodia (now Solvay) and more than 20 years at Suez, in various commercial development or subsidiary management positions, he was most recently Technical and Performance Director for the Group’s recycling and recovery activities. A university-trained scientist, he also holds an MBA from HEC Paris. At Carbios, he will be responsible for securing the supply of PET waste for the future reference plant in Longlaville and the other industrial sites that will follow. He will also manage the Company’s public affairs.

• Winners in Six Categories to be Announced at IDEA® 2022 in Miami Beach

Online voting for the prestigious IDEA® Achievement Awards representing the “best of the best” innovations in the global nonwovens and engineered fabrics industry in six categories will open on Feb. 28.

Industry professionals will have the opportunity to vote for the winners from the finalists and see award-winning achievements in person at IDEA® 2022, the World’s Preeminent Event for Nonwovens & Engineered Fabrics, March 28-31, at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Presented by INDA, in partnership with Nonwovens Industry magazine, the awards recognize the leading introductions in equipment, raw materials, short-life, long-life and nonwovens products, and sustainability. To vote on the Nonwovens Industry website, visit: https://www.nonwovens-industry.com/idea-reg-achievement-awards

In addition, INDA will unveil the IDEA® 2022 Lifetime Achievement Award honoree and Nonwovens Industry will announce the IDEA® Entrepreneur Achievement Award recipient at the event. 

All of the winners will be announced on March 30 at a ceremony at IDEA® from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. moderated by Dave Rousse, President, INDA and Karen, McIntyre, Editor, Nonwovens Industry.

Finalists Named

The INDA Technical Advisory Board, consisting of technical professionals from member companies, has narrowed the competition from more than 100 online nominations to the following 18 finalists selected for their leading innovations since the last IDEA show in 2019.

Now, the industry will have the chance to select their top choices from the three finalists in each of the following six categories through the online voting process:

1-    IDEA® Equipment Achievement Award

ESC-8 – Curt G. Joa, Inc.
Elastic Thread Anchoring (ETA) Sonotrode – Herrmann Ultrasonics Inc.
Doffer Airlay Card – Technoplants SRL
 

2-    IDEA® Raw Material Achievement Award

sero™ premium hemp fiber – Bast Fibre Technologies Inc.
ODOGard – Rem Brands, Inc.
SharoWIPES™ – Sharon Laboratories
 

3-    IDEA® Short-Life Product Achievement Award

MDP™ – Dermasteel, Ltd.
Organic 2.0 – Ellepot A/S
LifeSavers Wipes – LifeSavers LLC
 

4-     IDEA® Long-Life Product Achievement Award

Canopy Hero Pro – Canopy
Long-Life Cellulose-based Nonwovens for Higher Performance in Reusable Baby Diapers – Kelheim Fibres GmbH and Sumo Diapers
Nanofiber Cabin Air Filter – MANN + HUMMEL GmbH
 

5-    IDEA® Sustainability Advancement Award

Pureflow8 – In Flight Material Separator – Diaper Recycling Technology Pte. Ltd.
Fitesa® 100 Percent BioBased Bico – Fitesa
Fiber-based Screw Caps – Glatfelter Corp. and Blue Ocean Closures
 

6-    IDEA® Nonwoven Product Achievement Award

Sontara® Silk – Glatfelter Corp.
HYDRASPUN® Aquaflo – Sustainable Nonwoven Substrates – Suominen Corporation
LS SAF™ Nonwoven Fabrics –Technical Absorbents
 

Moving forward after this year, the IDEA® Achievement Award will be presented every two years under the new cycle announced for the event with the subsequent IDEA® taking place April 23-25, 2024.

• Session "Recycling and Other Alternative Feedstocks"

Cellulose fibres are a true material miracle as they offer a steadily expanding, broad range of applications. Meanwhile markets are driven by technological developments and policy frameworks, especially bans and restrictions on plastics, as well as an increasing number of sustainability requirements. The  presentations will provide valuable information on the various use-opportunities for cellulosic fibres through a policy overview, a special session on sustainability, recycling and alternative feedstocks, as well as the latest developments in pulp, cellulosic fibres and yarns. In addition, examples of non-wovens,  packaging and composites will offer a look beyond the horizon of conventional application fields.

The fourth session, "Recycling and other alternative raw materials", will cover topics ranging from textile recycling - both cotton and regenerated cellulose fibres - to the use of hemp shives as raw material. Self-initiated cooperation and waste management pave the way to a fully closed European material loop where textile waste is collected, recycled and reprocessed into new raw materials.

The speakers will demonstrate the importance of cooperation in recycling fabrics already in circulation, perfectly following the topics and discussions of the previous conference day.

• Heikki Hassi - SciTech-Service (FI):  Textile Recycling and MMCFs; Systemic Challenges, Market Opportunities and Advancing Technologies
• Valerie Langer - Canopy (CA): The Perfect Storm – A Five Year Feedstock Shift Forecast
• Helena Claesson - Södra (SE): Two is better than one – Lenzing and Södra together Face the Challenge of Recycling of Textiles
• Marina Crnoja-Cosic - Kelheim Fibres (DE) and Harald Cavalli-Björkman - re:newcell (SE): Sustainable Cellulosic Fibres from Recycled Raw Materials – A Solution for Europe
• Frank Meister - Thüringisches Institut für Textil- und Kunststoff-Forschung (DE): Lyohemp Fibres Made of Dissolving Pulp Based on Hemp Shives
• Miguel Sanchis-Sebastiá - ShareTex (SE): Expanding Textile Recycling Beyond Cotton: Innovations to Recycle Regenerated Cellulose Fibers

The Chairman of the Walter Reiners-Stiftung foundation of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association, Peter D. Dornier has awarded prizes to three successful young engineers. The award-winning works provide practical solutions on the topic of circular economy. For example, the recycling of carbon fibres, which are used to produce lightweight components for the automotive industry. Or the environmentally friendly production of yarns from crab shells. Another topic was medical applications: The processing of ultra-fine yarns into stents for aortic repair. The award ceremony took place online on 9 November as part of the Aachen-Dresden-Denkendorf International Textile Conference.  

With a creativity prize, endowed with 3,000 euros, the foundation honoured the diploma thesis of Irina Kuznik, TU Dresden. She used a creative approach to realise solutions for processing chitosan into fibre yarn.

Mr Kai-Chieh Kuo was awarded the diploma/master's thesis promotion prize of 3,500 euros. With his master's thesis, which was written at RWTH Aachen University, Mr Kuo contributes to the production of vital components used in medicine. The stents made of ultra-fine yarns are made possible by an innovative modification of the classic tube weaving process.

The Walter Reiners Foundation rewarded the doctoral thesis of Dr. Martin Hengstermann with the promotional prize in the dissertation category, endowed with 5,000 euros. The thesis deals with the production of recycled carbon fibres. These can be used to produce lightweight components for motor vehicle and aircraft construction or the wind energy sector.

New Prize Sustainability / Circular Economy
The environmental conditions of the textile industry and machine construction are changing. Topics such as climate protection and the circular economy are becoming central. From this perspective, the board of the Walter Reiners Foundation has decided to further develop the foundation's prize system.

In 2022, the foundation will for the first time offer a prize with a focus on design / sustainability. Peter D. Dornier, Chairman of the Foundation, explained: "Already in the design phase, one can set the parameters so that a textile product can be reintroduced after use into the economic cycle for a high-quality application. For example, through the appropriate use of materials and finishing. We are looking for solutions for resource-saving design, technology and manufacturing processes."   

In order to ensure the transfer of know-how and technology in times of the pandemic, the Manmade Fibers segment of the Swiss Oerlikon Group will start its new webinar series in November. Four interesting technology lectures are planned until the end of 2020 which will be held in English. Current trends in the production of manmade fibers as well as Oerlikons technology solutions will be presented and discussed with the participants. A continuation of the webinar series is already planned for 2021.

• Factory know-how from a single source – A boost for your efficiency
  4. November 2020: 11:00-11:45h CET
  Speaker: Jochen Adler, Oerlikon Manmade Fibers CTO*
   
• VarioFil – Your compact spinning solution
  11. November 2020: 11:00-11:45h CET
  Speaker: Ralf Morgenroth, Head of Engineering Textile Machinery BB Engineering (BBE)*
   
• Green Technologies – Join us on the road to a sustainable fiber industry
  2. December 2020: 11:00-11:45h CET
  Speaker: Markus Reichwein, Head of Product Management Oerlikon Manmade Fibers*
   
• VacuFil – Your future upcycling plant, from waste to value
  9. December 2020: 11:00-11:45h CET
  Speaker: Matthias Schmitz, Head of Engineering Recycling Technology, BB Engineering (BBE)*

*Please read the attached document for more information