From the Sector

• Lenzing plans to invest more than EUR 1 bn in new lyocell fiber production facilities
• First expansion phase with 100,000 tons approved in Thailand
• State-of-the-art production plant enhances global specialty fibers footprint
• Accelerates business growth with TENCEL™ branded fibers
• Biogenic energy supply fosters low CO2 emissions and climate protection  

Lenzing – The Lenzing Group is substantial increasing its production of lyocell fibers to meet the strong demand for these products and further strengthening its position as an industry leader in specialty fibers. Over the next years, it plans to invest more than EUR 1 bn in new production facilities for lyocell fibers. The first expansion phase of this ambitious growth plan, the construction of a state-of-the art lyocell fiber production plant in Prachinburi (Thailand), has now been approved. The plant will have a capacity of 100,000 tons and feature investments of approximately EUR 400 mn.

Kornit Digital market leader in digital textile printing technology, announced Kornit Konnect, its new cloud-based, mobile workflow software platform that enables businesses to maximize productivity of their digital printing solutions. This is the first phase in Kornit’s implementation of its industry vision of textile design, decoration and production being fueled by data-driven insights and performance metrics.

From the machine to the assistant
"With our groundbreaking new M-TYPE DELTA sewing system, we redefine industrial sewing and enable solutions that were previously unthinkable," says Dietrich Eickhoff, CEO of the Dürkopp Adler Group, at the world premiere at the Texprocess 2019 in Frankfurt: "The sewing machine becomes an assistant, partner, helper and communicator. This is a significant difference to all previous machine concepts and offers an incredible number of new possibilities! "

The new M-TYPE DELTA sewing system is a fully digitized industrial sewing machine for materials such as leather, upholstery and technical textiles. Thomas Brinkhoff, Director of Marketing Dürkopp Adler Group, explains: "We produce the perfect seam with this machine, whatever the situation, without the need for conversion." This is ensured by the new smart sewing kinematics, which immediately achieve the best sewing results without having to mechanically change the machine.

The training of the operator is reduced to the absolute minimum, because the machine shows the user with video support what to do and how to do it right. With sophisticated sensor technology, the M-TYPE DELTA ensures that virtually no loss of valuable materials occurs through bad stitches or missing threads.

An integrated usage- or time-controlled maintenance assistant indicates upcoming work. Service work can be documented in the machine and retrieved at any time. This reduces machine downtime to an absolute minimum.

"Anyone who wants to sew individualized products industrially can gain the decisive competitive advantage with this sewing system," emphasizes Dietrich Eickhoff, "because the M-TYPE DELTA is perfectly prepared for use in the necessary machine networks such as our QONDAC system."

This year, AZL won the JEC AWARD 2019 for the development of the new machine system “Ultra-Fast Consolidator Machine”. This innovative machine system is a result of an 18-months AZL Joint Partner Project, conducted in 2017-2018 by the research partners AZL Aachen and Fraunhofer IPT Aachen, in cooperation with industrial partner companies including Conbility, Covestro, Engel, Evonik, Fagor Arrasate, Faurecia SE, Laserline, Mitsui Chemicals, Mubea Carbo Tech, Philips Photonics, SSDT and Toyota (in alphabetical order).

The new UItra-Fast Consolidator Machine offers both high flexibility and mass production of tailored thermoplastic laminates with reduced scrap. Fully consolidated multi-layer laminates with different fiber directions and minimized scrap (tailored blanks) can be produced in cycle times below 5 seconds with this new scalable machine setup. This individualized mass production is accomplished by a combination of laser-assisted tape placement with in-situ consolidation and a piece-flow principle, which is state of the art in the printing industry but has not been used in such a way within composite production. The achievable productivity is enhanced to more than 500 kg/hour by this piece-flow principle with carriers moved through multiple application stations which are equipped with multiple tape placement applicators. The new machine is scalable: multiple application stations can be added, e.g. for each layer one station for mass production or for each fiber direction one station with a carrier-conveyor carousel: here the carriers are moved multiple times through the application stations.

The system will be commercialized by some of the industrial partners in 2019. The real machine setup has been presented at the AZL booth during the JEC Exhibition in Paris 2019.

The follow-up project has just started and is still open to join for industrial partners. This follow-up project comprises a further upscale of the machine system as well as a preparation of the commercialization by long-term durability tests and further process optimizations using different tape materials.

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

Healthcare laundry and linen provider Hospital Central Services (HCSC) has earned the Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification for its Baltimore plant, 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 Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification 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.

CHOMARAT, the specialist in composite & construction reinforcements and coated fabrics, has demonstrated the Group’s determination to pursue a sustainable process by earning environmental management (ISO 14001) and energy management (ISO 50001) certification for its French sites. “By obtaining both ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 certification, CHOMARAT now has a tested and standardized framework for developing an effective, sustainable environmental and energy management strategy,” says CHOMARAT Environment and Energy Manager Laurent VÉRITÉ.

Minimizing environmental impacts & optimizing energy use
ISO 50001 certification is validation of efficient energy management, with the bonus of lower energy consumption and the tools needed to address a warming climate. ISO 14001 certification is based on standards and requirements, and it constitutes an international benchmark for environmental management systems. “CHOMARAT is committed to a responsible and sustainable process for all of its activities in France. With ISO 14001 certification, the Group is incorporating environmental requirements into its management and production systems,” explains CHOMARAT France CEO Raphaël LAURENT.

Pursuing a long-term strategy
This twofold certification is in keeping with CHOMARAT’s long-term vision. “Our strategy is implemented through new investments and international development. But the Group is also actively involved in sustainable development and a sustainable innovation initiative,” explains Raphaël LAURENT. Measures that have been implemented include reducing the noise level, preventing pollution risks and improving waste management. Fluorescent lighting has been replaced by LEDs; new, more energy-efficient equipment has been installed; and the heating and air-conditioning ductwork has been insulated to reduce fuel-oil consumption.
“It is thanks to the combined efforts of all CHOMARAT’s teams that we were able to obtain these two certifications. For us, this is our first milestone towards a sustainable economy,” concludes Laurent VÉRITÉ.

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

Angelica, one of the nation’s largest healthcare linen providers, now has 23 laundries that have earned the Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification. This is reflective of  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. Angelica’s locations are throughout the United States, and the laundries now carrying the certification are located in Phoenix, AZ; Colton, Fresno, Los Angeles, Orange, Pittsburg, Pomona, and Sacramento, CA; Holly Hill and Safety Harbor, FL; Rockmart, GA; Chicago, IL; Somerville and Worcester, MA; Durham, NC; Henderson, NV; Batavia, NY; Lorain, OH; Pawtucket, RI; Columbia, SC; Ooltewah, TN; and Dallas and Houston, TX.

The Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification 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 Angelica on their certifications,” said Joseph Ricci, TRSA president and CEO. “This achievement proves their commitment to infection prevention and that their laundries take every step possible to prevent human illness.”

Emphasis on Process, Third-Party Validation and Outcome-Based Testing

Canadian Linen and two U.S. AmeriPride Services Inc.’s locations have recently earned have earned the Hygienically Clean Food Safety 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 company’s Canadian Linen and Uniform Service facilities in these locations have earned the Hygienically Clean Food Safety certification:  

• Alberta: Edmonton and Lethbridge
• British Columbia: Victoria and Vancouver/Burnaby
• Manitoba: Winnipeg
• Nova Scotia: Halifax
• Ontario: Etobicoke, London, North York and Ottawa
• Quebec: Quebec City
• Saskatchewan: Regina and Saskatoon

The recently-certified U.S. AmeriPride laundries are located in Vernon, Calif. and Durant, Miss.  
The certification confirms the laundry’s dedication to compliance and processing garments and linens using BMPs as described in its quality assurance documentation, the focal point for inspectors’ evaluation of critical control points (CCPs) that minimize risk. The independent, third-party inspection must confirm essential evidence that:

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

In addition, these facilities each passed three rounds of outcome-based microbial testing, indicating that their processes are producing Hygienically Clean garments and other reusable textiles with diminished presence of harmful bacteria. To maintain their certification, laundry plants 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.
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 animal processing, dairies, fruit/vegetable, bakeries, grain and other food and beverage industry segments.
These Vernon, Calif. and Durant, Miss. locations of the AmeriPride chain join these laundries who have previously received the Hygienically Clean Food Safety certification:

• Tuscumbia, Ala.
• Bakersfield and Fresno, Calif.
• Twin Falls, Idaho
• St. Cloud and Minneapolis, Minn.
• Amarillo Texas

Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) practices are examined in the Hygienically Clean Food Safety inspection process, evaluating the plant’s techniques for:

• Conducting hazard analysis
• Determining CCPs, monitoring their control, correcting them if not under control
• Validating and verifying HACCP system effectiveness
• Documenting and record-keeping to show ongoing conformance

On-site inspections also evaluate practices relevant to handling and processing textile products used in food manufacturing/processing establishments for adherence to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) directives. Introduced in 2014, Hygienically Clean Food Safety brought to North America the international cleanliness standards for laundering garments and other textile products for food manufacturing used worldwide by the Certification Association for Professional Textile Services and the European Committee for Standardization.
Twelve of the company’s U.S. locations have achieved the Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification:

• Little Rock, Ark.
• Phoenix and Watkinsville, Ga.
• Twin Falls, Idaho
• Topeka, Kan.
• Bemidji and Minneapolis, Minn.
• pringfield, Mo.
• Omaha, Neb.
• Roswell, N.M.
• Memphis, Tenn.
• Lubbock, Texas

The company’s Canadian Linen and Uniform Service facility in Lethbridge, Alberta, is also Hygienically Clean Healthcare-certified.
In January 2018, Philadelphia-based Aramark Corp. announced the completion of its acquisition of AmeriPride, making AmeriPride a wholly owned subsidiary. Aramark’s uniform rental and career apparel business is headquartered in Burbank, Calif.

Chomarat has specialized in scrim reinforcements for construction materials for more than 50 years. Now, it has invested in a new pilot production line to develop its next generation of reinforcements. Unique in the market and designed entirely by CHOMARAT’s teams, this technological innovation was born by the Group’s body of technological know-how. Conceived for the development of next generation cement board and roof-waterproofing reinforcements, the machine is versatile for developing materials for new markets. The new line will become operational in early 2019 at CHOMARAT’s construction plant in Anderson, South Carolina, USA.

A technological innovation for higher performance
The new pilot line will enable CHOMARAT to accelerate its development projects focusing on cost, performance and sustainability. The Group’s goal is to launch a new generation of laid scrim reinforcements for construction materials, with incomparable performance. “We are working on all the parameters (technological, chemical formulations, textile fibers) to optimize the performance of CHOMARAT scrims, such as protecting glass against alkali in cement or increasing impact resistance and water repellency. We plan to stay in front of economic and environmental challenges facing the construction market,” explains Raphaël PLEYNET, Director of Composites & Construction Europe at CHOMARAT.

“This pilot scrim line is a key element in the Group’s global innovation and development strategy. The technological developments achieved on this equipment will enable us to lead through innovation, meet the challenges to come for construction materials, and enhance our value to the market” adds John LEATHAM, Director of Sales and Marketing at CHOMARAT North America.

Combining expertise from textile and chemical-formulation technologies
The scrims designed and developed by CHOMARAT are reputed for their advantages: dimensional stability, laminating quality with other materials (film or veils), excellent mechanical performance, and very good protection against the alkalinity of cement. “CHOMARAT’s knowhow in laid-scrim manufacturing is based on the combined expertise in textile and chemical-formulation technologies. With this new pilot technology, CHOMARAT will be able to build on these two advantages and propose even better-performing materials!” concludes Philippe SANIAL, Director of Research & Technologies at CHOMARAT.

• HUB 1922, the fashion division of the RUDOLF GROUP, takes the stage at the Kingpins Show in Amsterdam and presents new technologies that make it possible to move away from environmentally questionable industrial practices.
• HUB 1922 also announces the opening of the new company building in an ancient textile factory near Milan.

Amsterdam/Geretsried/Milan. It was only six months ago that the RUDOLF GROUP, with its fashion Division named HUB 1922, began its journey through the fascinating world of garment finishing. Since then, the team has made significant progress and has moved from being a newcomer to the business to a solid and reliable reality. “HUB 1922 introduces the Rudolf Group to design thinking,” says Alberto De Conti, Head of Fashion Division at Rudolf Group. “And when you break perceived restrictions and paradigms within a strongly science-driven organization, only sky is the limit.”

For an entire semester, the organisation remained focused on one, single goal without getting distracted from it: to become the partner of choice for environmentally conscious advancements in garment processing that are rooted in real experience and science.

Emphasis was put on listening attentively to the market and on engineering solutions proactively, without being prompted.
When it comes to Denim, two separate yet correlated calls for action were heard:
1. the need for a serious departure from established industrial practices that are environmentally questionable
2. the opportunity to change the current rules and stir toward enhanced product quality.

Departure from the environmentally questionable

• HypNO: The next generation of bleach

Many attempts to technical alternatives to local and total denim bleaching have been launched in the market, over the past five years, by a number of competing players. Originality and innovation are at the base of HypNO technical uniqueness that can be injected into traditional denim processing, but that can also be used to create whole new processes and aesthetics.
Birth child of relentless dedication to science, HypNO is the latest alternative to the traditional denim bleaching agents currently under the spotlight because of their alleged safety issues. HypNO is the next generation of bleach.

- HypNO is based on the application of a whole new family of RUCORIT compounds, which are halogene-free and heavy metal-free
- HypNO can replace both potassium permanganate and sodium hypochlorite with one more eco-friendly solution
- HypNO is free from unpleasant smells; it is production friendly and suitable for both spray and bath applications
- HypNO does not require neutralisation with agents such as sodium metabisulphite or peroxides, hence reducing the need for chemicals significantly
- HypNO is GOTS approved. Bluesign and ZDHC Chemical Gateway certifications are intended
- HypNO further helps in the elimination of pumice stones
- HypNO is highly efficient and has been engineered to be cost competitive compared to other existing bleaching solutions

Toward enhanced product quality

• SoSoft, RawLong, DuraBlue

Durability over time still builds a brands’ reputation for quality. The notion of “durability” has changed over the years and has moved from sturdy workwear to the product's ability to retain its characteristics and structural properties.

“It goes against the whole denim philosophy, but, jeans are increasingly bought for what they look like at the time of purchase and are expected to evolve as little as possible. It is what it is; you can’t argue with consumers” says De Conti.

SoSoft, RawLong, DuraBlue, the three new technical concepts launched at Kingpins Amsterdam by the RUDOLF GROUP all sit under the umbrella wings of enhanced quality and specifically address long-lasting softness, preservation of original look and depth of blue.

• SoSoft

All appreciate the softness and suppleness of used/worn denim and the comfort benefit it delivers. It is a generic denim truth, and it is even stronger when it can extend over time. SoSsoft is about softeners carefully engineered for an enduring emotion, one that lives along favourite clothes.

Tried and tested to over 15 home washes, these marvels of chemical engineering allow consumers to toss domestic fabric softeners to the benefit of environmental sustainability.

• RawLong

Denim lovers want raw jeans to fade with time, soften and transform into what feels like an extension of their body. More often, people just want to prolong the look they chose. In both cases, home washing is a headache.

Years of testing have identified RawLong innovative, highly durable and natural solution that keep wearers fresh and at ease in their jeans allowing for long-wearing without washing. Moreover, less home washing means much less impact on the environment.

• DuraBlue

The role of designers is to come up with the bluest of blue jeans in a spectrum of fantastic new blue finishes and supporting textures. The role of DuraBlue is to ensure a continuously updated collection of technical solutions that keep that rich, deep, dark blueness of jeans for much longer while limiting the quality issues that come with denim rubbing. In other words, light underwear, snowy shoes, and white sofas no longer live in fear.

The launch of HUB 1922

• Busto Arsizio, Italy.

On a discreet street of Busto Arsizio, a village at the North of Milan is a red-brick building which in the 1800’s was the house of a textile mill. This 150-year-old structure is where the RUDOLF GROUP, the 100-year-old leader of textile, functional, responsible chemistry, is about to open its Fashion Division. Or, better, it’s HUB 1922.

HUB 1922 is committed to research and develop innovation within garment processing for the privately held mother company. HUB 1922, whose doors are expected to open during fourth quarter of 2018, will foster collaborative efforts with international fashion brands and retailers, will provide product innovation ideas at the crossroad of fashion and utilitarian functionality and will introduce elements of unorthodox diversity rooted in deep scientific knowledge, true environmental responsibility, technical innovation and creativity. “At a time when science plays such a powerful role in the life of society, it is incumbent on fashion to be dealing with scientific research. HUB 1922 facilitates that reunion” concludes De Conti.