From the Sector

Kelheim Fibres has been selected as a finalist for the Sustainability Heroes Award in the category “Sustainable Innovation”. The award is presented by DQS (German Association for Sustainability) and DGQ (German Association for Quality) to pioneers in sustainability and aims to further encourage active involvement in this field.
 
The viscose speciality fibres manufacturer has secured the selection with its innovative plant-based fibres that can substantially contribute to a plastic-free future in absorbent hygiene products such as femcare or incontinence products.

In contrast to other plant-based fibres, viscose fibres can be precisely modified and functionalised during the production process. They can be adapted to meet the exact requirements of the single components of a hygiene product in terms of their liquid management properties (from water repellent to highly absorbent) and so match the performance of synthetic fibres that are still used in the majority of these single-use products.

Whereas today, environmentally conscious consumers must often decide between feeling safe and a clear conscience, the Bavarian fibre experts are actively developing more and more products that do justice to both: Kelheim combines sustainably manufactured and completely biodegradable fibres with the technical performance of synthetic fibres. The aim is to help to reduce the use of crude-oil-based plastics in single-use products and their negative impact on the environment.

Sappi Europe received a platinum score in the latest EcoVadis rating. On of the leading global providers of sustainable woodfibre products and solutions retained its top position from the previous year among the leading one per cent of all companies assessed which exhibit high activity and responsibility with regard to corporate social responsibility (CSR).

• Sappi Europe receives top rating for sustainability
• Unlocking the power of renewable resources to benefit people, communities and the planet

As part of its clear strategic goals in relation to sustainability and environmental protection, Sappi reached a new milestone. A market leader in environmentally friendly packaging and graphic papers received a platinum score in this year’s sustainability rating from EcoVadis, establishing itself as one of the top performers, with a score well above the overall average. The EcoVadis rating covers a total of 21 criteria, which in turn are divided into four general areas: environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.

Encouraging sustainable operations across the entire value chain have been a key part of Sappi’s corporate strategy for many years. Sappi’s entire business model and investments in research and development are based on the use of renewable materials. The environment management approach of the global company includes a variety of strategies designed to improve its ecological footprint. For 2025, Sappi has linked its sustainability targets to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Sappi has long held principles based around People, Planet and Prosperity and with  a heightened focus on seven of the SDG’s they believe they can deliver  real impact and contribute to the global sustainable development agenda.

The platinum rating from EcoVadis demonstrates that Sappi not only talks about sustainability, but actively works towards ensuring it in a very practical way. The whole world is talking about sustainable solutions and looking for alternatives to fossil fuels. Sappi is focused on providing product solutions to the market. A few weeks ago, the market leader presented a number of solutions relating to functional paper packaging as part of its ‘Pro Planet Paper Packaging’ campaign to enable sustainable, high-quality packaging for food and non-food products.

Sappi Europe is extremely proud to have obtained the EcoVadis Platinum rating and while certification and recognition go a long way to helping our work we also acknowledge at Sappi Europe that we are part of a global community that need to continue to strive in all our business areas to create the change needed to help our customers become truly sustainable. The recyclable nature of products derived from woodfibre are essential to creating a more circular economy, where the world’s resources are kept in use longer and more creatively. By responsibly sourcing materials, reducing material waste and emissions , carefully considering product end-of-life, and aiming to use the full potential of trees, we actively promote more sustainable systems explains Sarah Price, Sappi Europe’s Sustainability Manager

At a total length of over 71 metres, the Montex finishing line that has just been installed by Monforts for Acafintex at its plant in Puebla, Mexico, is one of the highest capacity stenters the German technology leader has delivered to date.

Puebla is known as the epicentre of Mexico’s textile and clothing industry and is ideally placed for supplying both the USA and Europe, being three hours from the Gulf of Mexico for shipping via the Atlantic, and five hours from the Pacific coast as well.

Mexico's textile and clothing industry spans the entire production chain – from cotton growing and man-made fibre production to the manufacture of yarn, fabric, finished clothing and accessories. The industry is estimated to directly employ around 640,000 workers and to provide livelihoods for many more people indirectly. The country is a key supplier of textiles and clothing to the USA, but has faced fierce competition from China, which has until recently been the largest supplier of textiles and clothing to the US market.

However, the position of Mexico in the US import market has become more stable following the signing of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which came into force in July this year. The country has also been a key beneficiary of the current trade war that is raging between China and the USA.

In addition, there is scope for higher sales in Mexico’s domestic market. The country has a population of 129 million people who are becoming increasingly prosperous, with a large proportion of younger people who are spending more on clothing.

Flexible operation

Founded in 1986, family-owned Acafintex operates as a commission dyehouse, finishing both knitted and woven fabrics for local companies in Mexico, in widths of between 100cm to 3.6 metres. The company is run by father and son team Don Francisco and Lic Francisco Moyano.

“We have very flexible operations for fabric finishing and also produce and sell our own fabrics for both the fashion industry and for the uniforms market,” says Don Francisco. “These days, we are increasingly finishing materials for technical textiles and for the automotive industry too. We have both local and international suppliers of both yarns and base fabrics and make sure we choose the best and most reliable sources. Exports now account for over 40% of our sales.”

European contract

With a  width of 3.8 metres, the new Monforts Montex line at Acafintex is equipped with no less than 12 double TwinAir drying chambers to meet the requirements of specific technical textiles to a European customer, in a contract secured following the company’s ISO 9001 certification in 2019. The line is equipped with an integrated heat recovery system and also benefits from an exhaust air cleaning system to ensure the most resource-efficient processing available on the market.

On the Monforts TwinAir system, the airflows above and below the fabric being dried can be regulated completely independently of each other, with Optiscan Auto-Balance fully controlling the distance between the fabric and the dryer nozzles via variable-frequency fan motors and CCD chip evaluation. As a result, the evaporation rate of the stenter and its energy utilisation are always fully optimised. Contact-free drying eliminates the possibility of fabric marking or stitch draft.

Highly-intuitive Monforts Qualitex visualisation software allows all machine functions and process parameters to be assessed and controlled easily, and thousands of article specific settings and formulations to be called up at any time – with 100% reproducible results.

In combination with an existing Montex stenter, the new line has expanded finishing capacity at Acafintex to an annual 20 million linear metres.

Modifications

“From the installation to the start-up, we were supported by a team of Monforts technicians and local representative Arnulf Thaler at Sattex here in Mexico,” says Lic Francisco. “Of course, every installation has its challenges and with such big machines we needed to modify several things inside the factory and also required certain modifications from Monforts which were all carried out successfully.”  

Forced, like much of the textile industry globally, to temporarily suspend operations at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Acafintex is now back to full production, having installed the necessary safety measures for its employees, and is anticipating a bright future.

“We are passionate about developing new materials in search of mutual benefit for both our clients and suppliers, as well as our own workforce and the environment,” Don Francisco Moyano concludes. “Investment in the latest technology like this new Monforts line plays a key role in helping us achieve our long-term goals.”

• The Lenzing Group was the first Austrian company to send goods 100 percent “Made in Austria” by train directly to China.
• The train loaded with TENCEL™ fibers reached Xinzhu station in Xi'an on September 05.

Xi’an, China – The Lenzing Group is breaking new ground due to the short-term increase in demand for sustainably produced fibers from Chinese customers. For the first time, the company delivered wood-based cellulosic fibers, which are produced at the Austrian sites in Lenzing and Heiligenkreuz, directly to China by train. Thanks to this new transport route, Lenzing is able to meet the urgent demand of its Chinese customers twice as quickly as by the usual sea freight.

The first complete train with goods 100 percent “Made in Austria” started on August 20 in the presence of Leonore Gewessler, Federal Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology, His Excellency Xiaosi Li, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in Austria, Stefan Doboczky, Chief Executive Officer of the Lenzing Group, Thomas Kargl, Board Member of the ÖBB Rail Cargo Group, Erwin Cootjans, Chief Executive Officer of Nunner Logistics, and Erich Hampel, Chairman of the Board of the B&C Private Foundation, at the Vienna South Terminal and reached his destination on September 05 at the Xinzhu train station in Xi'an, China. The train loaded with 41 containers with TENCEL™ branded lyocell and modal fibers and a total value of EUR 1.8 mn, passed a total of 10,460 km in seven countries: Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan and China.

The first Lenzing fiber train was received in a grand ceremony on Tuesday, September 08 at the container terminal in Xi'an. Numerous guests, including the Austrian ambassador to China, Friedrich Stift, representatives of the Xi'an Municipal Government, the China Railway Xi'an Group, the Xi'an International Trade & Logistics Park as well as representatives of the Lenzing Group, the China National Textile and Apparel Council, Lenzing customers and the media attended the ceremony.

In his speech, Friedrich Stift, Austrian ambassador to China, emphasizes the importance of international trade and sustainable development: “The delivery of Austrian-made products through the CHINA RAILWAY Express adheres to the sustainable concept of Lenzing. Since China and Austria signed the bilateral railway cooperation agreement in 1994, the two countries have maintained good cooperation in the railway field and will continue to do so in the future. China is Austria's largest partner in Asia, and it is believed that after the outbreak of the corona crisis bilateral trade will normalize in 2021.”

“This is the first time for the Lenzing Group to deliver Austrian-made TENCEL™ branded fibers directly to Chinese customers. The Silk Road has been a main transport route between Europe and Asia since ancient times. Chinese consumers affectionately call TENCEL™ fibers ‘Silk from Heaven’. The China-Europe Express can reduce the transport time between Europe and China by half, thus meeting Chinese customer’s demand for environmentally friendly fibers more quickly”, states Hu Jian, Senior Vice President of the Lenzing Group for North Asia.

Royal DSM, a global science-based company in Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living, today announces that Dyneema® is driving the performance of Team Sunweb’s protective cycling jerseys in the 2020 Tour de France. Together with its partners, Team Sunweb and Craft Sportswear, DSM has helped to deliver a jersey that, when combined with a protective baselayer, offers cyclists effective abrasion protection at speeds up to 60km/h, while also reducing the severity of open wounds at even higher speeds. In this way, DSM underlines its commitment to protect people and the environment they live in.

Professional cycling places its participants in considerable danger; in recent years, the Tour de France has averaged 1.5 crashes per stage, while crashes in one-day classics are even more frequent. Cycling jerseys can support riders by enabling protection for a large portion of the body, while allowing for moisture transport to the surface and offering low thermal resistance. However, cycling jerseys made with conventional materials offer limited protective performance.

To address these needs and enable a safer riding experience, DSM has teamed up with Craft Sportswear and Team Sunweb to develop a cycling jersey that offers much-needed increases in abrasion resistance without compromising the comfort or low weight that cyclists demand. The new jersey is the latest protective cycling apparel solution, following the launch of the protective bib shorts (2015) and the protective baselayer (2019). The jersey will be worn for the first time by Team Sunweb in this year’s Tour de France. When combined with the protective baselayer, the new jersey offers complete protection against abrasions up to 60km/h, a speed below which professional cyclists spend 95% of race time in a typical stage.

Dyneema® has been used to protect workers in high-stake industries for more than 30 years – and the expansion into fabrics means both professional and recreational cyclists can enjoy the intrinsic performance capabilities of Dyneema® in their protective garments without sacrificing wearer comfort.

“Being 15 times stronger than steel on a weight for weight basis, Dyneema® fiber offers an excellent solution to increasing the abrasion resistance of a fabric, reducing the severity of road rash in case of a crash, without compromising the rider weight or comfort,” states Piet Rooijakkers, Head of R&D Team Sunweb “What’s more, the new jersey can form part of a modular protection solution, where riders can easily take off or put on layers according to race and weather conditions. In this way, the new jersey will support our riders significantly in the Tour de France and beyond.”

“The new cycling jersey with Dyneema® will make a real difference to cyclists facing the dangers of professional competition, and help ensure the health of both people and the environment,” states Wilfrid Gambade, President DSM Protective Materials. “The jersey is physical proof of the great achievements collaboration with expert partners can deliver. Moving forward, we will work with Craft and Team Sunweb to integrate bio-based Dyneema® fibers into protective cycling jerseys – contributing even further to a safe and healthy world!”

In line with its commitment to protect people and the environment they live in, DSM introduced the world’s first-ever bio-based HMPE fiber in May 2020. Bio-based Dyneema® fiber offers the same exact performance as conventional Dyneema® with a carbon footprint that is 90% lower than generic HMPE. The continued partnership between DSM, Craft and Team Sunweb will not only provide innovative, lightweight solutions for cyclists, but also environmentally sustainable alternatives that contribute to a circular economy.

• Due to the short-term increase in demand from Chinese customers, Lenzing AG is breaking new ground. For the first time in the history of Austria, a local company is sending goods that are 100 percent produced in Austria directly to China by train.

Vienna – The Lenzing Group stands for the ecologically responsible production of specialty fibers made from the renewable raw material wood. Due to the high demand from Chinese brands and retailers for sustainably produced fibers, Lenzing delivers fibers from the two Austrian production sites Lenzing and Heiligenkreuz directly to customers in China by train for the first time.

Austria's first complete train with goods exclusively “Made in Austria” will leave the Vienna South Terminal towards China on August 20, 2020 at 11 am. The train is loaded with Lenzing fibers and provided by NUNNER Logistics. In strict compliance with the COVID-19 protective measures, Leonore Gewessler, Federal Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology, His Excellency Xiaosi Li, Ambassador of the People's Republic of China in Austria, Stefan Doboczky, CEO of the Lenzing Group, Thomas Kargl, Board Member of the ÖBB Rail Cargo Group, Erwin Cootjans, CEO Nunner Logistics and Erich Hampel, Chairman of the Board of the B&C Private Foundation, took part in the departure ceremony.

The train, which started at Vienna, brings 41 containers with TENCEL™ branded Lyocell and Modal fibers with a total value of EUR 1.8 million directly to customers in China. On its 16-day trip to Shanghai, the train covers a total of 10,460 kilometers and passes seven countries: Austria, the Czech Republic, Poland, Belarus, Russia, Kazakhstan and China. “With this new transport route, we can meet the high demand from our customers for sustainably produced fibers more quickly. Thanks to train transport, the urgently needed fibers arrive at our customers in China twice as quickly as by sea freight,” says Stefan Doboczky, CEO of the Lenzing Group. Lenzing has had very good experiences with rail transport for a long time when it comes to delivering the renewable raw material wood to its plants. Almost 70 percent of the wood processed at the Lenzing site is already delivered by rail. “Our declared goal is to shift more freight traffic to rail. Rail is the only way to combine climate goals and economic interests and thus transport growth. That is why we are happy to be part of this unique project for our long-standing customer,” says Thomas Kargl, Board Member of the ÖBB Rail Cargo Group. “Transporting goods by rail to China is possible. And this train from Vienna to China is an integral part of climate protection. Because we want to support the shift from road to rail, especially in freight transport. Today's train is the first step – I am convinced this train will set an example”, says Leonore Gewessler, Federal Minister for Climate Action, Environment, Energy, Mobility, Innovation and Technology.

• Fiber prices and demand under pressure
• Measures to protect employees, customers and suppliers and to keep plants operational implemented successfully
• Joint venture Hygiene Austria established for industrial production of protective masks in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic – new distribution channel via shop.hygiene-austria.at
• Strategic investment projects progress according to plan – financing agreements for construction of pulp plant in Brazil concluded as planned
• Revenue and operating result in the remaining quarters of 2020 expected to exceed that of the second quarter

Lenzing – In the first half of 2020, the Lenzing Group faced a historically difficult market environment with increased pressure on prices and volumes resulting from the COVID-19 crisis. To counteract that, Lenzing intensified its cooperation with partners along the value chains and adjusted its production volumes and sales prices to market reality. The disciplined implementation of the sCore TEN corporate strategy and the focus on specialty fibers continued to have a positive impact.*

*Please read the attached document for more information

Following the successful commissioning of two new Monforts Montex wide-width stenter lines and additional environmental management equipment at its plant in Germany, GtA – Society for Textile Equipment GmbH – is aiming to be the first textile finishing company to become entirely CO2-neutral in the manufacture of all of its products by 2025.

GtA is a partner company to Germany’s large-format digital printing fabric leader, Georg and Otto Friedrich GmbH, which has has this year been able to considerably expand its portfolio due to the new Monforts lines.

Headquartered in Gross-Zimmern, close to Frankfurt, Georg and Otto Friedrich GmbH and its partners in Germany have an annual production of 37 million square metres of warp knits for a range of end-use applications, including garments, automotive interiors and technical textiles, but increasingly with a concentration on digital printing substrates.

Fault-free textiles

A new standard in pure white, 100% clean and fault-free textile substrates has been demanded by this market in recent years due to the rapid growth in digitally-printed banners and billboards – often referred to as ‘soft signage’.

The substrates of choice for digital printing are 100% polyester warp knits which are resilient and allow excellent take-up of inks, and vibrant colours and clear and precise images to be achieved with digital printing techniques. The knitted construction also has the advantage of elasticity, which is a plus in terms of flexibility for installers.

Critically, the warp knitted fabrics have extremely smooth surfaces which is becoming increasingly important due to the general move away from PVC coatings which were the standard in the past.

It was to finish these fabrics for Georg and Otto Friedrich GmbH as well as providing such services for many other customers, that the GtA plant in Neresheim, Baden-Württemberg, was established in 2015.

The purpose-built plant on a greenfield site was initially equipped with a fully-automated, 72 metre long Monforts installation comprising a washing machine integrated with a 3.6 metre wide, seven-chamber Montex stenter. The line quickly went from single to double shift production and then to 24/7 operation  to meet demand.

Expanded widths

Building on the success of this installation, GtA has now installed two more Montex stenter lines – both in expanded working widths of 5.6 metres and purpose-built at Montex GmbH in Austria.

A six-chamber Montex unit is combined with a washing machine to guarantee the purity of the substrates, while a five-chamber line is integrated with a wide-width coating machine. This new coating capability at GtA has led to a number of new additions to the Georg and Otto Friedrich DecoTex range for digital printing, including wide width fabrics with flame retardant, antimicrobial and non-slip finishes.

The new Montex stenter lines benefit from all of the latest innovations from Monforts, including the Smart Sensor system for the optimised maintenance planning of key mechanical wear components on the stenters. A comprehensive overview of the condition of all parts at any time is now available for operators within the highly intuitive Qualitex visualization software.

With Qualitex, all article-specific settings can be stored and the formulations for thousands of treatment processes called up again at any time. Individual operators can also personalise their dashboards with the most important machine functions and process parameters.

Environmental commitment

GtA is run by a seasoned team of textile professionals led by Managing Director Andreas Niess.

“We have received excellent service from Monforts from the outset and we were happy to place the order for these two new lines as part of our ongoing cooperation,” he says. “With all of the latest Monforts advances in technology we are fully in control of all production and quality parameters with these lines, as part of our significant commitment to innovative environmental technology.”

The GtA plant, which operates in near-cleanroom conditions, has also been equipped with proprietary technology to fully exploit the Monforts air-to-air heat recovery systems that are now standard with Montex stenters.

“Around 30 per cent of our investment volume at the site goes to energy-saving measures and we are sure that this commitment is worthwhile,” Mr Niess says. “As an example, our integrated heat recovery system fully exploits the waste heat from the process exhaust air and the burner exhaust gases of the Monforts stenters, allowing us to achieve an exhaust air temperature of  between 30 to 34°C, compared to what would conventionally be between 140 to 160°C. Another focus has been on exhaust air purification technology and here too, the latest technology has been installed with integrated heat recovery elements.”

This, he adds, saves 52% of the energy that would normally be used – equating to 5,800,000 KwH per year. The necessary audits for energy-efficient companies are also carried out annually.

In addition, GtA has purpose-designed the automatic chemical mixing and dosing systems that feed the padders for the key treatments that are carried out on the fabrics through the stenters.

The company is going further, however, in its pursuit of clean production and raw materials.

"We want to be an asset and not a burden on our immediate environment and therefore do not use any additives containing solvents," Mr Niess says. “We were the first to use fully halogen-free flame retardant chemistry, and we use bio-based, finely ground alumina products for the washing process instead of surfactants. PES polyester yarns made from recycled material are also increasingly used and the latest additions to our raw materials portfolio, the RC-Ocean products, are made from recycled sea plastic.

“We are now planning a combined heat and power plant for the production of electrical energy and heat and we will also build a photovoltaic system that converts solar radiation into electrical energy. GtA wants to be the first textile finishing company to be CO2-neutral in the manufacture of all of its products by 2025. The complete heat supply and heating for the 13,000 square metre production hall, as well as the office building and the hot water supply for the domestic water, is already energy-neutral. We are convinced that this commitment will pay off in the long term and our positive business development proves that sustainability and business profitability are perfectly compatible.”

In addition to the products for Georg and Otto Friedrich GmbH, GtA  offers its manufacturing capacities for other customers as a contract service.

All products are manufactured in accordance with Öko-Tex Standard 100, product class 1 and the company is also involved in the research and development of new sustainable manufacturing processes, in cooperation with many regional universities and funding project partners.

For the third time in a row, the Lenzing Group was awarded gold status in the EcoVadis CSR rating. The assessment is further evidence that the company is one of the top performers in the field of sustainability worldwide.

Lenzing is thus one of the leading two percent of all assessed companies in its industry.
The assessment covers the four most important CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) practices:

• environment
• fair working conditions and human rights
• ethics and sustainable procurement

“This award makes us very proud and encourages us to continue on our path to becoming a provider of environmentally friendly specialty fibers. At Lenzing, we look beyond fibers and take responsibility for our children and grandchildren by
standing up resolutely against the shortcomings of our time. This attitude is part of our strategic principles and we will continue to work hard to make a sustainable contribution to the environment and society”, says Stefan Doboczky, CEO of the Lenzing Group.

Lenzing’s ambitious climate target represents an important component of the company’s strategy and the responsibility towards future generations. In the 2019 financial year, Lenzing became the world’s first producer of wood-based cellulosic fibers to strategically commit to a climate-neutral production. This vision is to be put into practice by 2050. By 2030, the company aims to achieve an interim goal of reducing emissions by 50 percent per ton of product compared to 2017.

In 2019, Lenzing was once again rated number one in the world in the “Hot Button Report” of the Canadian NGO Canopy, another highly regarded ranking. In this ranking, Canopy grades the world’s 32 largest producers of wood-based fibers with respect to their success in achieving sustainable wood and pulp sourcing.

• Specialised in dye-sublimation printing, the Italian company has conquered the heights of the high fashion sector with its top-quality printed fabrics.
• With its recent investment in a direct-to-fabric printing line, Digitak is preparing to expand its range of printed products, focusing on fabric differentiation.

Dye sublimation printing of high fashion designs is the beating heart of Digitak, an Italian company specialised in digital textile printing. Operating in the textile district of Lombardy, Italy, the company has established itself among the main suppliers in the world of high fashion and sportswear in just under 15 years.

Making production versatility one of the cornerstones of its philosophy, Digitak has continued to invest in technology, as well as research and development its product portfolio. This forward-thinking approach has enabled the company to guarantee innovative, personalised products with meticulous attention to detail, with the highest – almost obsessive – standards of quality and maximum design flexibility. Over the years, the extensive experience gained by the company’s management in the field of sublimation with traditional and digital techniques, combined with their investment decisions have allowed Digitak to enhance its production performance, gradually implementing higher quality standards and differentiating itself from the competition in the complex and competitive sector of high fashion. An important feat, which has not, however, dampened its enthusiasm and willingness to continue growing and exceeding its goals. The company’s latest investment in a direct-to-fabric digital printing line with pigment ink propels the company into a new and promising production dimension.

Sublimation printing specialists

Since Digitak’s establishment, Filippo Taccani, the founder and current owner of the company, had set himself a clear and ambitious objective: “I wanted to take up the challenge of operating digitally - printing fabrics using this innovative technology to create products on a par with those  I had achieved with traditional sublimation textile printing methods during my previous work experience.”

The purchase of a Mimaki JV4 plotter, one of the first to be installed in Italy, marked the beginning of Digitak’s adventure. “To start the business, I needed a printing system that could operate with dispersed inks to print on polyester and I found the JV4 to be the best option,” explains Taccani. “It was an excellent decision, because I used these plotters to build the company and its success.”

The first Mimaki plotter was in fact followed by a second and a third. When it bought the fifth, the company moved to an industrial unit in Tradate (Varese) – Digitak’s current site – which now houses around fifteen Mimaki JV33 plotters, in addition to three Mimaki TS500-1800 wide-format sublimation printers, and a Mimaki TS300P-1800 high-speed sublimation printer. This Mimaki powered production facility – which is one of the company’s core strengths – was recently expanded with the addition of a Mimaki TX300P-1800B belt-type hybrid printing system, together with a Mimaki TR300-1850C textile coater and a Mimaki Tiger-1800.

“Naturally, over the years, we have also tested printing systems from other suppliers, but we have always returned to Mimaki. With high fashion as our key market, we need to guarantee our customers the highest levels of quality and, to date, we have never found solutions that beat the quality of this Japanese brand’s technology.”

According to Taccani, the difference lies in the “calligraphy” of Mimaki’s machines, that is the line of the ink on the fabric: “Unlike its competitors, Mimaki has focused on the ‘waveforms’, i.e. the electronics associated with the print heads. This attention paid to the way the ink jet is managed from the print head has allowed Mimaki to achieve unparalleled levels of accuracy, an aspect that has given my company a clear competitive edge.”

Moreover, at Digitak, quality comes before quantity: “We prefer to dedicate an extra day to production to guarantee the customer a final product that fully meets requirements and expectations. Mimaki’s technology not only suits this business model bult on top quality, but it crucially enables it.”

Operational and creative flexibility

Digitak currently prints around 2,000 linear metres of fabric per day. Its portfolio ranges from clothing and scarves, to beach and swimwear, with related personalised accessories, to sportswear, with technical properties such as breathability, comfort, resistance to external agents. The company have even added customised outdoor furniture to their offering of diverse and creative products.
The company’s machines operate continuously, 24/7. During the day, the machines are mainly used to develop and produce samples and colour proofs, while the actual production is carried out at night. “Thanks to our technology, we have developed an extraordinary operational flexibility. The fact that we have so many plotters allows us to work on multiple designs at the same time and to launch projects that are also very different from one another,” explains Taccani. “There are also some other crucial factors that have contributed, and continue to contribute, to increasing our production efficiency. The reliability of Mimaki’s solutions and the remote monitoring option offered is key. Once the standard start-up monitoring has been carried out and the machines are found to be printing correctly, we can let them work overnight without an operator. This is a great benefit for people who, like us, manage such a large and diverse fleet of machines.”

Digitak takes the same approach to customer service. Faced with an increasingly demanding market in terms of creativity, precision and completeness of service, the company wants to guarantee flexibility and customisation. “We decided to set up a department dedicated to the pre-press stage, in charge of preparing and checking the files supplied by customers. Seldom do our teams not need to do some editing of the files supplied, even if it’s only to make small changes that are essential for the print document to be as suitable as possible and to achieve the best final result.”

Technologies of the future

With a view to further enhancing production and customer service, Taccani has chosen to take on a new challenge, switching things up with some of the most recent investments.

While maintaining the focus on dye sublimation printing, Taccani has focused on technological diversification by installing a direct-to-fabric digital printing line. This consists of a Mimaki TX300P-1800B printing system with pigment inks and a TR300-1850C coater from Mimaki’s TR series. “The market continues to evolve and now requires even more flexibility regarding both processes and the fabrics supplied. This means that great opportunities exist for a print shop capable of simultaneously producing the same design – with minimal colour adjustment – on different fabrics, guaranteeing similar and accurate results. And this is precisely the path we are taking,” says Taccani. “Why have we opted for Mimaki again? Well, I had an opportunity to try out their new pigment inks and I immediately realised that they are a generation ahead of the other pigments available on the market. The cyan is very clean, the black is deep and there is a very interesting fullness of colour, suitable not only for furnishings, but also for other applications in the clothing sector.”

With its pigment inks, the new direct-to-fabric printing line allows Digitak to explore other related market segments. Thanks to the innovative automatic belt system, the TX300P-1800B guarantees good productivity and high-quality results. A standard of quality that is also boosted by the TR300-1850C fabric pre-treatment system: “This coater is essential for ensuring the best possible preparation of fabrics for printing. In fact, we are able to treat fabrics to make them suitable for the type of print they are intended for, sanitise them for specific applications and, in some cases, even dye them, with excellent quality.”

According to Taccani, another beneficial factor of direct-to-fabric pigment printing technology is the eco-sustainability of the process and its lower environmental impact. “We are proud to be able to offer our customers excellent printing results using little water and printing in ‘green mode’, with both the technologies we have available. I consider them winning technologies for the future, as both dye sublimation printing and direct-to-fabric printing with pigment inks use little water while mainly requiring the use of energy. Therefore, if you use renewable energy, then you’re done.”

Digitak’s other trump card is the Tiger-1800 installed in 2019. With this industrial printing system, the company aims to increase production volumes while maintaining its high-quality standards and further optimising costs. “We are excited to have these promising technologies available to us in-house. We are currently experimenting with these solutions, testing new opportunities and evaluating which paths to take to stay ahead of the game,” concludes Taccani.