From the Sector

Chargeurs PCC Fashion Technologies has signed a binding agreement to acquire two strategic business units of the Swiss company Cilander, much renowned worldwide for its expertise in the supply of high-end textile fabrics and finishing services for complex textiles used in a wide range of applications.

The project includes the acquisition of the historic factory of the company, Geissbühler, located in Lützelflüh. The factory is a cornerstone of its finishing activities for high-tech textile solutions to address demanding markets such as the military, interior design, sports, and mobility. The site is the legacy of an industrial history that began in 1677, almost 350 years ago. With its Planofil® brand, Cilander markets high-performance textile fabrics for outdoor use, particularly in the nautical world. Cilander also offers a range of finishing options and can tailor-make products to customer specifications.

Under the agreement, CFT PCC also plans to acquire the shirt fabrics business, which mainly comprises the ALUMO brand, founded by Karl Albrecht, joined by Robert Morgen in 1941. For over a century, ALUMO has been at the forefront of offering fabrics made from the finest, highest-quality cotton for men's shirts. The company is the preferred supplier of tailors and specialized luxury brands worldwide, relying on its E-commerce platform.

In addition, Cilander's fabrics business includes the Eugster & Huber brand, aimed at women's fashion brands. The portfolio also comprises Brennet, known for its high-quality fabrics with a contemporary touch, and Swiss Ghutra, a brand specializing in high-end fabrics and headpieces for a clientele in the Middle East.

When completed, this acquisition will strengthen the development capabilities of Chargeurs PCC Fashion Technologies, a leader in interlinings for the garment industry. Thanks to Cilander’s high-tech products and solutions, the business line will open doors to new, particularly demanding niche markets, notably the military market and reinforce its market share in the apparel segment, especially shirt-making.

RadiciGroup announced the appointment of Stefano Pigozzi to the Board of Directors of Radici Partecipazioni SpA, the parent company overseeing all the Group's business activities in the chemicals, engineering polymers and advanced textile solutions sectors.
 
A professional with proven experience in the chemical industry, Mr. Pigozzi will complement the Board with his strategic vision acquired in international organizations.
 
Stefano Pigozzi graduated from the University of St. Gallen in Switzerland with a degree in Business Administration and started his work experience in the finance division of BASF in the late 1980s. Since then, chemistry has remained at the centre of his career: over the years, he has held marketing and sales positions of increasing responsibility in various business sectors (plastics and inorganics), moving up to more strategic and managerial roles within BASF, including president of the Monomers Division and, most recently, head of the Group Global Purchasing Division at the Ludwigshafen headquarters.
 
During his more than 30-year career at BASF, Mr. Pigozzi has consistently demonstrated his leadership capability, his financial analysis skills and his dedication to corporate business success. He has also contributed significantly to the positioning of BASF as a global leader in the chemical industry.
 
Mr. Pigozzi’s appointment to the Board of Directors of Radici Partecipazioni is aimed at strengthening RadiciGroup's presence in the market and helping to guide the company towards new goals.

ROICA™, Asahi Kasei's premium stretch fiber manufacturer, strengthens its presence in the high fashion segment thanks to its established network of partners, who will present their latest innovations - activated by ROICA™ - at the upcoming edition of Milano Unica, taking place at Rho Fiera Milano from 12th to 14th July 2022.

Going more in depth in the offers of ROICA™ partners for this season of Milano Unica, they are:

• Cifra, which presents its innovative garments for men and women, combining fashion and function. Base layers, tops, leggings and jumpsuits are made with natural yarns, or recycled pre- and post-consumer yarns in combination with ROICA™ EF, the sustainable recycled stretch yarn able to complete proposals that offer design, performance and responsibility. The design of the garments, created in Cifra's design office, offers a perfect shape with body mapping technology that creates dedicated ventilation zones, for a feeling of comfort and freshness as well as an innovative aesthetic impact.
• Iluna Group, whose journey into the new dimension of responsibility continues with developments in GRS (Global Recycled Standard) certified recycled yarns aimed at unprecedented effects in looks, performance and hands. Brand new for this edition of Première Vision is the inclusion of GOTS-certified organic cotton in GRS-certified galloons and allover lace containing ROICA™ EF, so as to meet market demands for natural comfort in the underwear sphere.
• Maglificio Ripa, which presents the Splash collection for summer 2024, developed in two major themes, united by the same focus on sustainability that results in the use of recycled pre- and post-consumer polyamide and polyester yarns including ROICA™ EF for the sustainable recycled stretch fiber. The first theme encompasses printed, 3D jacquard fabrics, ennobled by innovative processes that move the bottoms for an organic and sometimes irreverent final look. The second theme embodies a cocoon spirit, enveloping like a caress, soft as a hug.
• Penn Textile Solutions/Penn Italia, whose highlights of the new collection are on one side fabrics developed with the use of Neride eco yarns by Nurel with ROICA™ V550, characterized by restraining lace effect, soft touch and breathable, in combination with tulle as a sustainable basic, and on the other side charmeuses with soft hand, raw cut in combination with a band fabric from the dreamshape family with reinforced gripping edge, made again in Neride eco yarns by Nurel with ROICA™ V550
• Piave Maitex, whose orientation is, as always, to present new products with the right  balance between technological innovation and aesthetic look, between fashion and comfort, proposals that include sustainable fabrics made in recycled polyester,  polyamide and the sustainable recycled stretch fiber ROICA™ EF, three-dimensional and optical, perforated, plush effects, made by prioritizing technical functionalities such as waterproofness, breathability, transfer and moisture management, opacity and anti-UV as well as anti-abrasion.
• Sitip, which is one of the premium partners, together with ROICA™, for the creation of the first Scott Racing Team’s responsible biking uniform. This year, the evolution of research and development has also led to the creation of new responsible shorts, made with NATIVE-THUNDERBIKE POWER fabric by Sitip in recycled polyamide and ROICA™ EF yarn by Asahi Kasei. A fabric designed for high-performance sports, particularly suitable for making cycling pants for its maximum coverage and UV protection - thanks to ECLIPSE Sun Protection technology - breathability, comfort and fit. Also the shirt has been produced with Sitip recycled fabrics - NATIVE-BICIMANIA and NATIVE-PIRATA - made with Asahi Kasei's ROICA™ EF sustainable, stretch and certified recycled yarns.

• Continued focus on sizeable investments in innovation and sustainability.
• Underway in India, the acquisition of the Engineering Plastics business of Ester Industries Ltd. with the objective of keeping up the Group’s global growth trend

With total sales of EUR 1.508 million generated by over 30 production and sales units in Europe, Asia and America, RadiciGroup closed its 2021 financial year with positive results, despite the difficulties due to the lingering effects of the pandemic and the steep increase in the cost of raw materials and energy, especially during the latter part of the year.

The Group – led by brothers Angelo, Maurizio and Paolo Radici – continued to pursue its strategy of focusing on the core businesses considered to be strategic and synergistic, such as nylon chemicals, engineering polymers and advanced textile solutions, while, at the same time,  introducing new products, such as a line of personal protective equipment for medical and industrial use.

EBITDA reached EUR 268 million, and net income for the year was EUR 150 million.

Despite this situation, RadiciGroup considers it essential to continue making investments.

“In 2021, the Group invested EUR 53 million financed from cash flow,” Alessandro Manzoni, CFO of RadiciGroup, emphasized. “There was no impact on net financial position, which registered an improvement over 2020, as did all our balance sheet ratios."

Furthermore, in spite of the complexity of the period, in 2022 the Group shareholders have kept on with their significant investment plan aimed at strengthening RadiciGroup’s presence in global markets and improving its competitiveness.

Indeed, the Group has moved forward, according to plan, with the acquisition of the Engineering Plastics business of Ester Industries Ltd., an India-based company engaged for decades in the production of engineering polymers and listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange. RadiciGroup’s EUR 35 million investment in this transaction furthers the internationalization strategy of its High Performance Polymers business area.

ROICA™ main objective is to focus on and respond to new generation values in fashion. Values that are key for contemporary consumers, who are the ones leading the change throughout all the supply value chain, and have received even more attention since the beginning of the pandemic. ROICA™ by Asahi Kasei team knows that value creation is the basic foundation of contemporary business. Its teams are ready to go to the next level, answering to the market demand for innovation while sharing its responsibility efforts towards the new generation of consumer.

For this reason, the ROICA™ strategy is based on two key elements. On the one side, a strong focus on responsible innovation, able to respond to new fashion needs and desires while not harming the environment nor the society at large. On the other hand, a consolidation of partnerships along the whole supply chain through conversations and collaborations with companies sharing the ROICA™ values, in order to deliver creativity, solutions and design to all contemporary consumers. For example, in terms of fabric producers ROICA™ has been working alongside industry leaders such as Brugnoli, Candiani Denim, CIFRA, Dresdner Spitzen, Eusebio, Iluna Group, Innova Fabrics, Inter Jersey Milano, Lauma Fabrics, L/E Textile, Maglificio Ripa, M.I.T.I., Penn Italia - Penn Textile Solutions GmbH, Piave Maitex, Sitip S.p.A., Sofileta, Taubert Textil, Tessitura Colombo, TINTEX Textiles, TVB Textil-Vertrieb-Beratungs.

See attached document to read more about the current wardrobe stories.

Showing its leadership, ROICA™ marks a milestone in the world of stretch, enhancing a contemporary wardrobe made of new generation values that are fully conveyed and visible to the end consumer. Indeed, by creating cutting-edge tools, such as the hangtags that provide, through simple and well-designed icons, clear and concise functional information showing for each application the values and performances of each single ROICA™ families: ROICA Colour Perfect ™, ROICA Resistance™, ROICA Feel Good™, ROICA Eco-Smart™, ROICA Contour™.

On top of this, in order to ASSURE that what is labelled as ROICA™ Sustainable truly reflects the brand’s new generation values, the company created and introduced a branding policy indicating the allowed blends for their smart yarns belonging to the unique ROICA Eco-Smart™ family. A big step toward complete transparency and transparent AUTHENTIC communication.
ROICA™ identity will be activated in all its communication tools and channels, such as a renovated website and social media presence.

At MarediModa – the international fair dedicated to fabrics and accessories for the beachwear, underwear and athleisure sectors - ROICA ™ partners such as Eusebio, Iluna Group, Interjersey Milano, Maglificio Ripa, Penn Textile Solutions GmbH, Piave Maitex and Sofileta shared their latest fabric innovations where sustainability cutting-edge performance and design realized with ROICA™ premium stretch ingredient, were on stage.

Two long-established companies are joining forces: as of October 2021, textile finishing specialist AG Cilander from Herisau, Switzerland, will acquire 100 percent of ALUMO AG, an Appenzell-based manufacturer known for producing ultra-fine cotton fabrics to exacting Swiss quality standards.

The textile finishing industry is an environment in which quality, new technologies and a keen interest in innovative textile solutions play a crucial role. In this business, strong, reliable alliances with customers and partners are vital pillars to allow growth while still satisfying the high expectations set for the materials used. By acquiring ALUMO AG, the world leader in ultra-fine cotton fabrics, AG Cilander expands into a new market segment, setting the course for successfully broadening its product portfolio and tapping into new sales markets.

Both companies can look back on a long tradition of expertise in the textile industry, and their partnership has been a very successful one for years.

ALUMO AG will continue to operate as an independent company based in Appenzell, keeping the same strategic direction in the fabrics offered and the same standards for excellence in service and quality.