From the Sector

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, announced three recipients for the INDA Lifetime Service Award and Lifetime Technical Achievement Awards. David Powling, Paul Latten, and Arnold Wilkie are being recognized for their key contributions to the advancement of the nonwovens industry and INDA.

David Powling and Paul Latten will receive their awards at the World of Wipes® (WOW) International Conference, June 18th beginning at 4:30 pm
Arnold Wilkie will receive his award at the RISE® Conference, October 1st at 4:30 pm.

The Award recipients are:

David Powling
David Powling has worked for Kimberly-Clark Corporation for nearly 25 years and has been a contributor to the Wipes Task Force and Technical Committees at INDA and EDANA for over 15 years. Powling served as Chairman of the INDA Wipes Task Force from 2009-2013. His work on these committees include developing the first and second edition of the Flushability Guidance Document (GD) and he was later instrumental in the roll out of the third and fourth edition GDs. Throughout this time, Powling coordinated activities with Kimberly-Clark Corporation to provide critical supporting data, as these flushability test protocols were developed.

Powling has been actively involved in collection studies where he was key in framing the work packages of those studies, collating and analyzing the data, and drafting reports. These collection studies include: Moraga, CA (advisor); Maine – Part #1 and Part #2 (hands-on); Jacksonville (hands-on); and the Northern and Southern California studies in 2023, which combined, was the largest study to date. Powling led the charge in the California study and was personally involved in identifying 1,745 samples.

Powling has been a key technical contributor to the INDA Government Relation efforts that has resulted in labelling regulations in multiple U.S. states. He has also been an active participant in efforts to develop an ISO standard for flushable products.  In this effort, he was a test method sub-team leader during the preparation of the proposed ISO standard responsible for organizing appendices of existing flushability methodologies. Additionally, Powling has been awarded, or has pending, 25+ U.S. patents, including many covering the development of dispersible wet wipes.

Paul Latten
Paul Latten has been an active member of the nonwoven and fiber industries for over 35 years. Most recently he has led innovation at Southeast Nonwovens, commercializing more than 75 new nonwoven products per year. Prior to joining Southeast Nonwovens, Latten held senior leadership positions with Basofil, Consolidated Fibers, Invista, and KoSa (and Trevira and Hoechst Celanese precursors to KoSa.)

Latten has a successful career of reinvigorating company R&D efforts by instilling a focus on customer-centric innovation. He is an inventor of record for a number of patents and pending applications. Latten has given numerous presentations on innovative nonwoven materials, at events such as INDA’s World of Wipes® (WOW) International Conference, RISE® (Research, Innovation & Science for Engineered Fabrics), the VISION International Conference, and the Converting and Bonding (CAB) Conference.

His recent innovations have been diverse in scope and include nonwovens for use in hydrogen fuel cells, moisture detection media, proprietary wipe designs, and natural fiber-based packaging. Aside from new fiber and nonwoven products, Latten has championed process innovation that has resulted in tangible output gains that broadened the market opportunity for his current and prior companies.

Latten’s portfolio of innovations has spanned across the nonwoven markets, often involving wetlaid and drylaid nonwovens. These include materials for moisture detection, synthetic papers, fuel cell cathodes, protective covers for treats, melamine nonwovens for surface treatment, and the development of binder fibers. His work also touched upon disposable hygiene applications entailing dry-laid web containing hollow synthetic fibers to improve absorbent core fluid uptake.

Latten has been a board member of INDA for multiple terms and served as Chairman in 2008-2010. Additionally, he has contributed to many INDA conference planning committees, helping drive the success of these events.

Arnold Wilkie
Arnold Wilkie has a distinguished career in advancing yarn, fiber, and nonwoven technologies since 1970. Since 1988, he has been President and Owner of Hills, Inc. where he has sustained their innovative culture. Wilkie has over 40 patents and applications covering yarns, bicomponent fibers, ultra-fine fibers, nanofibers, dissolvable filaments, meltblown nonwovens, and polymer processing innovations. He established Hills as a leading innovator in bicomponent fiber nonwovens and in the equipment to produce these materials. During Wilkie’s time leading Hills, their pilot capabilities have become well-known and highly regarded for enabling material innovations.

Many of his patents pertain to the development of equipment solutions that enable the production of complex bi- and multi-component fiber structures. These solutions include the method of forming a continuous filament spun-laid web, the method and apparatus for producing polymer fibers and fabrics including multiple polymer components, the method and apparatus for controlling airflow in a fiber extrusion system, and controlling the dissolution of dissolvable polymer components in plural component fibers.

Arnold Wilkie, President, Hills, Inc., earned his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee and an MBA from the University of West Florida. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Florida, and has been engaged in the synthetic fibers industry since 1970. The first 17 years were with the Monsanto Company, where he held positions in Fiber Process Engineering, Fiber Product R&D, and Product Management. Since 1988, he has been a majority Owner and President of Hills, Inc., a 52-year-old company located in West Melbourne, Florida, specializing in the development, manufacture, and supply of advanced custom fiber extrusion equipment. Wilkie has been involved with and supported The Nonwovens Institute, since its founding in 1991 as the Nonwovens Cooperative Research Center (NCRC), with Hills joining as a Member in 2001

The fifth edition of the Texhibition Istanbul Fabric and Textile Accessories Fair from 6 to 8 March 2024, organised by İTKİB Fuarcılık A.Ş. in cooperation with the Istanbul Textile Exporters Association (İTHİB), presented 557 exhibitors showcasing the entire range of the textile supplying section: from woven and knitted fabrics to accessories and artificial leather. A new addition was a separate hall for yarns and denim, the BlueBlackDenim hall. With this trade fair, Texhibition has more than doubled its floor space compared to the last event to 35,000 square metres.

Exhibitors
Texhibition Istanbul acts as a central point of contact for the entire international industry, with a clear focus on quality, innovation and the latest trends like the denim companies Bossa, Çalık, İsko, İskur and Kipaş at the BlueBlackDenim Hall.

Yarn companies such as Aksa, Diktaş, Ensar, Karafiber, Kaplanlar, Korteks, Migiteks, Sasa, Tepar showed the production power of the yarn sector, where the product quality, design and workmanship came together.

In addition to well-known companies such as Almodo, Bahariye, BTD, Can Textile, Iskur, Kipaş, Menderes, Söktaş, Yünsa, Zorlu, İpeker a large number of other export-oriented companies from the segments of textiles (woven fabrics, knitting) presented their latest designs and products.

Visitors
25,752 visitors came from over 112 countries, 41.8% from the European Union (including Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain, Romania etc.) and Great Britain, Ukraine,26.5% from Asia (including Russia etc.), 14.8% from the Middle East (including Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia) 10.7% from North Africa (including Algeria, Tunisia etc.), 3.1% from North America (United States, Canada), 3.1% from South America and other countries.

American buyers from the USA and Canada in particular, but also a large number of Mexican and Colombian buyers took advantage of the numerous match-making opportunities at Texhibition. Many B2B meetings took place and led to numerous orders being placed, including from key accounts such as Alexander Wang, Asos, Forever 21, Sainsbury's, Veronica Beard etc.

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, announced a call for abstracts for IDEA®, April 29-May 1, 2025, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, Florida. IDEA attracts thousands of nonwoven professionals from all functional areas spanning the entire supply chain.

The theme for IDEA25 is “Nonwovens for a Healthier Planet” highlighting nonwoven advancements in sustainability.

Product developers, designers, engineers, technical scouts, and marketing professionals accountable for their product’s environmental impact will attend IDEA. Presentations will focus on responsible sourcing, innovations in sustainability, and end-of-life solutions for nonwovens and its related industries.

A few examples of topics for consideration are:

RESPONSIBLE SOURCING

• Natural Fibers (Cotton, Hemp, Bamboo, Banana, Wood Pulp, Regenerated Cellulose, Wool, Fur, Chitin, Feathers)
• Polymers (Biopolymers, Regenerated and Recycled polymers, Unconventional and Alternatives to Traditional Polymers)
• Sustainable Chemistries (finishes, lubricants, adhesives, and additives)

INNOVATIONS IN SUSTAINABILITY

• Process Improvements with Sustainability Impact (reduced waste, reduced energy, reduced water consumption)
• Product Design Improvements with Sustainability Impact (lightweighting, designs for end-of-life, “good enough” design)

END-OF-LIFE SOLUTIONS

• End-of-Life or Next-Life Considerations (compostability, biodegradability, recycling, advanced recycling and circularity)
• Presenting is an opportunity for technical professionals to showcase pioneering research, innovative solutions, and expert insights with technology scouts.

Abstracts must be submitted via the INDA website by June 7, 2024.

The 17th World-Pultrusion-Conference (WPC) took place in Hamburg from 29 February to 1 March. Pultrusion, also known as the extrusion process, is a highly efficient method for producing fibre-reinforced plastic profiles for various applications in the construction/infrastructure and transport sectors.

A record number of almost 150 participants from all over the world attended the event. An international audience of experts from Europe and the USA, as well as China, India and Japan was represented.

The lecture programme with a total of 25 specialist lectures was strongly characterised by the topic of sustainability. The process development of thermoplastic pultrusion and applications in wind energy, solar panels, bridge construction and the automotive industry were also discussed at length. Despite the difficult market environment, many opportunities and possibilities for the pultrusion industry were presented.

The conference takes place every two years in a European country of importance to the pultrusion industry and is organised by AVK for the European Pultrusion Technology Association (EPTA), in cooperation with the American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA).

Texhibition Istanbul Fabric and Textile Accessories Fair, organised by İTKİB Fuarcılık A.Ş. in cooperation with the Istanbul Textile Exporters Association (İTHİB), is ready for its fifth edition. From 6 to 8 March 2024, 558 exhibitors will present themselves to the 30,000 expected visitors from over 100 countries, including the European Union, Great Britain, the USA, North Africa and the Middle East. With this edition, Texhibition has more than doubled the space compared to the last event to 35,000 square metres.

The fifth edition of Texhibition Istanbul offers a comprehensive overview of all product groups in the textile prepress sector: from woven fabrics to knitwear, from denim to artificial leather and textile accessories

Due to popular demand, the fair has been expanded to five halls, including the new Yarn Hall (Hall 8) with exhibitors such as Sasa, Aksa, Karafiber, Kortex, Tepar, Ensar, Kaplanlar and Iskur and the BlueBlack Denim Hall (Hall 7), which showcases the latest denim trends and presents a wide range from blue shades to black denims with exhibitors such as İsko, Çalık Bossa, Kipas and İskur. BlueBlack Denim is designed by the  designer Idil Tarzi in cooperation with the creative directors Gönül Altunisik and Selvi Yigci.

Curated by Idil Tarzi and her creative team, the Texhibition Trend Area in Halls 4 and 5 presents the latest colour trends, materials and accessories.

Under the direction of designers Arzu Kaprol and Filiz Tunca, the Innovation Hub showcases technological innovations that add value to textile production: from fibre to yarn, from fabrics to clothing.

Digital art installations in the entrance area, which run through the entire trade fair, as well as piano performances in the foyer await visitors at the upcoming Texhibition.

Seminars and workshops with industry experts shed light on current topics in the industry, including innovations, production processes and design developments. These opportunities offer participants a platform to exchange knowledge and discuss the latest developments in the textile industry.

Textiles for technical applications often derive their special function via the application of coatings. This way, textiles become, for example wind and water proof or more resistant to abrasion. Usually, petroleum-based substances such as polyacrylates or polyurethanes are used. However, these consume exhaustible resources and the materials can end up in the environment if handled improperly. Therefore, the German Institutes of Textile and Fiber Research Denkendorf (DITF) are researching materials from renewable sources that are recyclable and do not pollute the environment after use. Polymers that can be produced from bacteria are here of particular interest.

These biopolymers have the advantage that they can be produced in anything from small laboratory reactors to large production plants. The most promising biopolymers include polysaccharides, polyamides from amino acids and polyesters such as polylactic acid or polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), all of which are derived from renewable raw materials. PHAs is an umbrella term for a group of biotechnologically produced polyesters. The main difference between these polyesters is the number of carbon atoms in the repeat unit. To date, they have mainly been investigated for medical applications. As PHAs products are increasingly available on the market, coatings made from PHAs may also be increasingly used in technical applications in the future.

The bacteria from which the PHAs are obtained grow with the help of carbohydrates, fats and an increased CO₂ concentration and light with suitable wavelength.

The properties of PHA can be adapted by varying the structure of the repeat unit. This makes polyhydroxyalkanoates a particularly interesting class of compounds for technical textile coatings, which has hardly been investigated to date. Due to their water-repellent properties, which stem from their molecular structure, and their stable structure, polyhydroxyalkanoates have great potential for the production of water-repellent, mechanically resilient textiles, such as those in demand in the automotive sector and for outdoor clothing.

The DITF have already carried out successful research work in this area. Coatings on cotton yarns and fabrics made of cotton, polyamide and polyester showed smooth and quite good adhesion. The PHA types for the coating were both procured on the open market and produced by the research partner Fraunhofer IGB. It was shown that the molten polymer can be applied to cotton yarns by extrusion through a coating nozzle. The molten polymer was successfully coated onto fabric using a doctor blade. The length of the molecular side chain of the PHA plays an important role in the properties of the coated textile. Although PHAs with medium-length side chains are better suited to achieving low stiffness and a good textile handle, their wash resistance is low. PHAs with short side chains are suitable for achieving high wash and abrasion resistance, but the textile handle is somewhat stiffer.

The team is currently investigating how the properties of PHAs can be changed in order to achieve the desired resistance and textile properties in equal measure. There are also plans to formulate aqueous formulations for yarn and textile finishing. This will allow much thinner coatings to be applied to textiles than is possible with molten PHAs.

Other DITF research teams are investigating whether PHAs are also suitable for the production of fibers and nonwovens.

Haelixa, the trailblazer of physical traceability solutions, has partnered with Trudel Silk, a market leader for sustainable organic and recycled silk products. This collaboration brings traceability and transparency to silk production.

Silk is one of the finest and smoothest fabrics; the better the quality of the silk, the more luxurious it feels to the touch. To create the best quality silk, the conditions for mulberry cultivation must be up to the highest standards. A healthy micro-ecosystem in the fields translates to top-grade silk cocoon quality. At Trudel, this is the environment they have created for the vertical integration of their business. Trudel aims to succeed at every stage of the process, which can only be accomplished through the active involvement and visible cooperation of all market players. These players include farmers, reeling mills, twisting/spinning mills, weaving mills, dyeing and printing mills, and brands. They are involved in every step, from the cultivation of mulberry trees to the production of silk fabrics.

Haelixa and Trudel have collaborated to improve silk’s robust and consistent traceability. As the demand for validation of the silk value chain increases, they have partnered with groups from Italy and Asia to develop a unique solution that uses DNA markers to trace the entire supply chain of silk production. This innovative approach ensures each silk product’s ethical sourcing.

The silk fibers used in their spun silk yarns are marked with a specific DNA per farm set selected by Trudel. Throughout the supply chain, samples of yarn, fabrics, and finished products undergo testing to verify the presence of original silk fibers. Based on the reporting, the brand can trace the finished accessories or garments to Trudel.

Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer lamellas are an innovative method of reinforcing buildings. There are still many unanswered questions regarding their recycling, however. A research project by Empa's Mechanical Systems Engineering lab is now set to provide answers. Thanks to the support from a foundation, the project could now be launched.

The construction sector is responsible for around 60 percent of Switzerland's annual waste. The industry's efforts to recycle demolition materials are steadily increasing. Nevertheless, there are still end-of-life materials that, for the time being, cannot be reused as recycling would be too time-consuming and expensive. One of these are carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) lamellas.

Making buildings "live" longer
The reinforcing method developed by Urs Meier, former Empa Director at Dübendorf, has been used in infrastructure construction for 30 years. CFRP lamellas are attached with epoxy adhesive to bridges, parking garages, building walls and ceilings made of concrete or masonry. As a result, the structures can be used for 20 to 30 years longer. The method is increasingly being applied worldwide – mainly because it massively improves the earthquake resistance of masonry buildings.

"By significantly extending the lifespan of buildings and infrastructure, CFRP lamellas make an important contribution to increasing sustainability in the construction sector. However, we need to find a way how we can further use CFRP lamellas after the buildings are being demolished," explains Giovanni Terrasi, Head of the Mechanical Systems Engineering lab at Empa. To achieve this, he wants to develop a method for recycling CFRP lamellas. Convinced by this idea, a foundation supported it with a generous donation. The project officially launched in October.

Gentle separation
First, a mechanical process will be developed to detach the CFRP lamellas from the concrete without damaging them. Initial tests at Empa are encouraging: After the lamellas were separated from the concrete, they still had a strength of 95 percent – even if they had already been used for 30 years.

Then, the demolished CFRP lamellas shall be used to produce reinforcement for prefabricated components. Terrasi's goal: saving thousands of tons of CFRP lamellas from ending up in landfills after the demolition of old concrete structures and reuse them in low-CO₂ concrete elements. After completion of the project, Giovanni Terrasi and his team – consisting of Zafeirios Triantafyllidis, Valentin Ott, Mateusz Wyrzykowski and Daniel Völki – want to produce railroad sleepers from recycled concrete, which will be reinforced and prestressed with demolition CFRP lamellas. This would give the "waste-to-be" material a second life in Swiss infrastructure construction.

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, and The Nonwovens Institute (NWI), have announced their 2024 workforce development program. The INDA/NWI portfolio of training content covers the full spectrum of the nonwovens value chain, ranging from raw materials to processes to products.

Jointly organized courses include a combination of classroom learning supported by hands-on activities in NWI’s world-class nonwoven production and testing labs on the Centennial Campus of North Carolina State University. Each course is designed to be accessible and valuable to those who are new to the nonwovens industry and/or come from a non-technical background, as well as seasoned nonwovens professionals.

2024 INDA/NWI Workshops Schedule:

• Elementary Nonwovens
  January 23-24, 2024
• Intermediate Nonwovens
  February 6-9, 2024
• Meltblown Technology
  February 27-29, 2024
• Spunbond Technology
  March 19-21, 2024
• Intermediate Nonwovens
  April 30-May 3, 2024
• Elementary Nonwovens
  May 7-8, 2024
• Nonwoven Fabric Property Development and Characterization
  June 4-7, 2024
• WIPES Academy
  June 17-18, 2024
• Fiber and Filament Extrusion Fundamentals
  July 24-27, 2024
• Nonwoven Product Development and Innovation
  August 13-16, 2024
• Absorbent Hygiene Course
  August 27-29, 2024
• Elementary Nonwovens
  September 10-11, 2024
• Carded Nonwovens Technology
  October 3, 2024
• Intermediate Nonwovens
  October 15-19, 2024

Short Course Value Packs

New this year, INDA and NWI are offering a Short Course Value Pack program, enabling companies to purchase a block of registrations, which can be used by any combination of employees to register for any combination of training courses, at a discounted rate. Value Packs are available in bundles of 5, 10, 15, and 20 registrations, with discounts ranging from 10 percent to 25 percent, depending on the size of the Value Pack.

INDA’s World of Wipes® (WOW) International Conference is accepting abstracts on wipes products, markets, and technologies to be presented in Minneapolis, MN, June 17-20, 2024. The deadline for abstract submissions is January 12, 2024.

Experts in dry and wet nonwoven wipes, sustainability, end-use markets, substrate formation, raw materials and fibers, liquid ingredients, packaging, machinery, and market trends and data are encouraged to submit a brief abstract. The abstracts may be submitted via the WOW website.

Topics for consideration include:

• Dry and wet wipes
• Circular economy
• Sustainability / End-of-life implications
• Substrate formation
• Skin care formulations
• Raw materials
• Packaging
• Machinery and equipment
• Market trends and consumer insight
• Regulations
• Ecommerce / Retail channels