From the Sector

Norbert Klapper, who has led Rieter as CEO for nine years, has informed the Board of Directors that he wishes to take on new professional challenges. Thomas Oetterli has been appointed as his successor as CEO of Rieter.

Thomas Oetterli (53) has made a significant contribution to the successful development of the world-leading Schindler Group, starting in 2006 as CEO Switzerland, later as a member of the Group Executive Committee responsible for Europe and China, and from 2016 until 2022 as CEO of the Group. With his comprehensive leadership skills and many years of industrial and international experience, Thomas Oetterli brings ideal prerequisites to lead Rieter as a global market leader through the current challenges and successfully develop it further in the long term. He will take over the function of CEO from Norbert Klapper on March 13, 2023.

The Board of Directors would like to thank Norbert Klapper for his many years of hard work for Rieter and his lasting contribution to the company, particularly in terms of further strengthening its technology leadership, developing the components and service business, completing the systems offering. Following his departure as CEO, he will be available to the Chairman of the Board of Directors as Senior Advisor until the end of September 2023.

In view of the current challenges Rieter is facing in the current economic and market situation, which require close cooperation between the Board of Directors and the Group Executive Committee, the Board of Directors considers a dual function of Thomas Oetterli as CEO and member of the Board of Directors to be advantageous and in the interest of all stakeholders. It will therefore propose Thomas Oetterli for election as a member of the Board of Directors at the upcoming Annual General Meeting on April 20, 2023.

Kornit Digital LTD. (NASDAQ: KRNT) ("Kornit" or the "Company"), a market leader in sustainable, on-demand digital fashion and textile production technologies, announced its partnership with VORN – The Berlin Fashion Hub, Zalando, and Unity – creating an "alliance of the willing" to transform the industry via "phygital" fashion with a circular approach.

Nine designers were challenged to create fashion capsules in eight weeks utilizing the latest technology innovations from the three alliance partners – combining digital product creation, web3-based design, digital printing, immersive circular design, 3D rendering and avatar development. All collections are on display exclusively at Berlin Fashion Week from Wednesday, January 18 to Friday, January 20 at Bikini Berlin.
 
The challenge follows standing room only Kornit Fashion Week events across the globe, displaying how on-demand, digital production creates a fashion world of nearly endless creativity. Hosted at the Impact Hub Berlin, the VORN Academy Program offered creators access to a holistic technology toolset - including the advanced Kornit Presto MAX single-step solution for direct-to-fabric sustainable printing. Some of the prominent designers taking part include costume and fashion designer Alexis Mersmann, Judith Bondy, AR and NFT artist Ann-Britt Dittmar, Berlin-based director Tanja Bombach, Nina Jurcic, Olga Boncheva, digital artist, and fashion designer Schirin Negahbani, Johann Erhardt, and Israeli designer Idan Yoav.
 
"This collaboration across four industry leaders is so unique because the result is a sum so much greater than each of its individual parts. It's a true 'alliance of the willing' that opens doors to 'phygital' collections built at the intersection of digital fashion, 3D design, and on-demand production," said Omer Kulka, Chief Innovation Officer at Kornit Digital. "We're honored to team with VORN – The Berlin Fashion Hub, Zalando, and Unity during Berlin Fashion Week to demonstrate what's possible as the physical and virtual fashion worlds come together."
 
"When we launched the Berlin Fashion Hub, our intent was to create a B2B environment to spark unmatched fashion and sustainability innovations. As Berlin is one of the world's most important fashion and textile centers, there is no better place to demonstrate economically succesful circularity in the fashion industry," said Professor Marte Hentschel, Co-Founder at VORN – The Berlin Fashion Hub. "Together, we're changing fashion to drive sustainability and harness the creative power of both the physical and virtual. We're proud of what's been accomplished in conjunction with an incredible group of designers, creators, and partners."

Fibre Extrusion Technology Limited (FET) of Leeds, England, a supplier of laboratory and pilot melt spinning systems, is celebrating a record breaking year of sales and product innovation. “Sales revenue for 2022 has easily beaten our previous high” said FET Managing Director, Richard Slack “and the research projects we have collaborated in have become increasingly challenging in terms of technical specification.”

Prestigious new projects during 2022 included a multifilament melt spinning line for Senbis Polymer Innovations, Netherlands enabling the development of textile fibres from recycled polymers or biopolymers; a FET-200LAB wet spinning system at the University of Manchester which will play a major part in advanced materials research in collaboration with the renowned Henry Royce Institute; and a FET-103 Monofilament line for RHEON LABS of London to help develop a hyper viscoelastic fibre from RHEON™ which displays high strain-rate sensitive properties. The latter two of these examples were aided by significant UK grants to develop advanced materials.

FET is now looking forward to 2023 with a record order book. The company’s newly opened Fibre Development Centre features over £1.5 million investment in customer laboratory systems that will further enable fibre trials and product R&D. Three new polymer types were developed with clients in 2022 and several more are lined up in 2023, which is expected to bring the total of different polymer types to more than 40 in multifilament, monofilament and nonwoven formats.

FET will be exhibiting at two major exhibitions in 2023; INDEX 23, a leading Nonwovens show at Geneva in April; and ITMA, Milan, an international textile and garment technology exhibition in June.

Over the past year, TMAS, the Swedish Textile Machinery Association, has been working with ClimatePartner on a corporate carbon footprint (CCF) mapping project with its member companies, as a natural step towards supporting a more sustainable textile industry.

Over half of the members of TMAS are participating in the project, which involves calculating each operation’s Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions in order to identify the current climate impact and areas where reductions can be made.

“Integrating climate action into strategies is becoming increasingly important in Europe and we have decided to take a pro-active role,” says TMAS secretary general Therese Premler-Andersson. “There is growing pressure from customers to be more transparant in this area and forthcoming legislation will soon make it necessary for all to take climate actions. TMAS members, however, recognise the benefit of taking action now, not least in terms of taking responsibility and demonstrating credibility.”

The CCF project’s scope examines all aspects of a business split into five areas:

• Facility Management (heating, electricity, water, cooling agents and waste disposal).
• Employee Mobility (commuting and company cars).
• Business Travel (flights travel by train, rental cars).
• Procurement (production, packaging and office materials).
• Logistics (inbound and outbound).

Primary data is being used wherever possible and emission factors originate from internationally recognised databases such as ecoinvent and GEMIS.

The ClimatePartner measurement programme is based on the guidelines of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Corporate Accounting and Reporting Standard (GHG Protocol), and factors in all greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol. These are carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nitrous oxide (N₂O), hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFC), sulphur hexafluoride (SF₆) and nitrogen trifluoride (NF₃).

Each of these gases affect the atmosphere differently and remain in the atmosphere for different lengths of time. Rather than reporting on each gas separately, they are expressed as a CO₂ equivalent (CO₂e) for the sake of simplicity. A CO₂e is essentially a conversion into a ‘global warming potential’ value that enables the influence of different gases on global warming to be compared.

Japan International Apparel Machinery & Textile Industry Trade Show (JIAM) has wrapped up four successful days of business at INTEX OSAKA. From 30 November – 3 December 2022, a total of 10,452 visitors found their way to the fairground. 150 exhibitors from 11 different countries and regions welcomed visitors with an extensive and diverse selection of products. Buyers from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, South Korea, and Pakistan constituted the top five visiting countries (excluding Japan), compensating for a drop in visitors from China this year due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

Under the theme of "It all connects at JIAM – the forefront of technology and master craftsmanship", the 2022 edition showcased apparel manufacturing solutions catered to each and every need, combining skillsets and knowledge with modern technology. At the opening ceremony, Mr Shinsuke Uchinashi, Chairman of the Japan Sewing Machinery Manufacturers Association (JASMA), commented, "In the new normal, there is growing demand for new technological advancements, productivity improvements, and greater quality control. In addition to solving these pain points, this edition’s exhibitors are also showcasing various innovations in response to automation, IoT, and networking."

A wide variety of special seminars held in Hall 4 were well received. Highlights included a skills training seminar hosted by an emeritus professor and panel discussions by leading companies in the manufacturing industry. SDGs, examples of IoT in industrial sewing machines, and upcycling initiatives were also on the agenda, with visitors gathered around the presented items taking notes.
 
The Home Sewing Zone led by three machine manufactures and JASMA held daily workshops where visitors could learn about upcycling using scraps, and take a break at the café with "cup sleeves" of their own making. Ms Kazuko Mizuochi of JASMA said, "We had a great attendance from the very first day. We were able to familiarize participants with sewing machines and also promote upcycling activities."

The next edition will take place from 27 – 30 November 2024 at INTEX OSAKA.

Baldwin Technology Co. Inc. has appointed Adina Starke, a seasoned print and packaging professional with wide-ranging expertise, as Regional Sales Leader for the West Coast.

At Baldwin Technology Company Inc., a leading global manufacturer and supplier of innovative process-automation equipment, parts, service and consumables for the printing, packaging, textile, plastic film extrusion and corrugated industries, Starke will be responsible for all product sales to print and packaging professionals in Washington, Idaho, Oregon, California, Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Alaska and western Canada.

Starke has spent the past 15 years in various technical and sales roles in the print and packaging industry. Most recently, she spent four years with All Printing Resources (formerly JVI Solutions), as a Territory Manager and a Technical Sales and Business Development Representative. Prior to that, she spent several years with Lohmann Specialty Coating and Sun Chemical.

Starke graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic Communications.

Trützschler Card Clothing (TCC), technology leader in the manufacture of high-performance card clothings for textile yarn processing, is expanding its site in Neubulach, Germany. With the twelve-million-euro investment, the supplier for the international textile machinery industry is expanding its production, warehouse and office capacities. A groundbreaking ceremony will take place during the coming winter.

The new building will expand the warehouse and logistics area by 600 square meters, to make a total area of 2,800 square meters. In the optimized cube of the new hall, a modern warehouse system will double the storage capacity. There will also be a fully automated warehouse for coils for sawtooth wires. During the construction phase, logistics and shipping will be temporarily outsourced to Pforzheim-Büchenbronn.

The move into the new building is planned for 2024. TCC will also expand the range of services and the production intensity at the site, while optimizing the process flows. Trützschler intends to recruit the additional employees required within a short timeframe by hiring new staff and offering apprenticeships at the Neubulach site. TCC employs more than 130 people in Germany, with a further 220 people employed worldwide at locations in Brazil, China, India, Mexico, Turkey and the USA.

Overall, the production area will be expanded from 4,000 to 5,400 square meters. This will enable the process flows to be optimized. The office space will be increased to 1,000 square meters. An additional level of the building will provide modern workplaces for administration and sales.

The new building will also improve access and exit routes for truck traffic. This will provide considerable relief for the local neighborhood in terms of noise emissions and other factors. Good integration into the region is very important to Trützschler. All contracts for planning, construction and air conditioning technology have been awarded to local companies.

In the future, TCC will operate its production facility in Neubulach in a climate-neutral manner. This will contribute important progress toward achieving the ambitious climate goals of the Trützschler Group. The new production facility will meet the highest requirements for energy efficiency and climate protection. Heating is provided by process heat recovery and geothermal energy. In addition, the company produces green electricity via its own solar panels.

"By expanding our business here in Neubulach, we are strengthening our presence in this area and our leading global market position too," says Managing Director Peter Gäbler. The Trützschler Group SE is also investing in India to build a new site with over 100,000 square meters for the Spinning, Card Clothing and Nonwovens business units. "It is important to be close to the customer worldwide because our foreign companies make a significant contribution to the success of the Group," says Gäbler.

TCC achieved another record sales result in 2021. Demand for the technology components for carding fibers in spinning mills and for carding in nonwovens production has increased significantly. The steel sawtooth wires, which are wound onto coils and produced for customers around the globe, eventually get worn down by use in production processes – so it is necessary to replace them regularly. For this reason, further growth is expected in 2022 and beyond.

The 11^th India ITME will take place from December 8.– 13., 2022, in Noida, India. Over 1,800 exhibitors and more than 150,000 trade visitors from the textile and apparel industry from all over the world are expected. Groz-Beckert will be presenting innovations from its various product areas..

India ITME takes place every four years and is the ideal technology platform for forward-looking innovations in the textile world. At the 11th edition of India ITME, exhibitors will be presenting their highlights from research and development across 15 halls.

The Knitting Product Division will be presenting several new products at India ITME: Among them the SAN™ SF staple fiber needle and the SNK SF staple fiber sinker, which are specially designed for use on large circular knitting machines. The division will also be exhibiting the SAN™ TT for application-related use in the field of technical textiles for flat knitting machines, as well as a needle which enables the advance into new dimensions of gauge in the flat knitting sector.

Groz-Beckert will also be demonstrating its competence as a system supplier in the field of warp knitting at the India ITME. The warp knitting machine needles and system parts from Groz-Beckert are precisely matched to one another and achieve a uniform and flawless warp knitting process.

With the WarpMasterPlus and the KnotMaster, the Weaving product division presents the latest generation of drawing-in and knotting machines from Groz-Beckert. They are particularly distinguished by their ease of operation and flexibility.

The product area Felting (Nonwovens) presents its product and service highlights for the nonwovens industry. These include the HyTec P jet strip for spunlace customers as well as the GEBECON felting needle, the dur needle, EcoStar felting needle and the Groz-Beckert customer product. The HyTec P-nozzle strip is characterized by improved handling and higher hardness. The patented GEBECON felting needle offers an improved surface finish and optimized breakage bending properties.

The Carding product area will present its further developments for the spinning industry. These include the new stationary flat series, the TV56 revolving top and the cylinder wire set with special tooth geometry. The new stationary flat series is characterized by an innovative tooth geometry and a new type of tooth distribution. The new TV56  revolving top with its new setting pattern and 560 points per square inch is particularly easy to clean. The improved cylinder wire convinces with its special and patented tooth shape, which has a positive effect on the maintenance effort. This makes it particularly suitable for quality-oriented cotton spinning mills producing high-quality yarns. Visitors can also look forward to the new InLine card clothing series for the nonwovens sector.

In the Sewing exhibition area, the focus is on technical textiles – in particular the manufacture of car seats. The answer to the high demands of sewing car seats is the special application needle SAN® 5.2 from Groz-Beckert. The special geometry gives it sufficient stability. The double groove at the point improves thread guidance and leads to a uniform seam pattern, especially in multidirectional sewing processes. The scarf chamfer on both sides of the needle prevent skipped stitches and optimize loop formation. The wear protection is increased by the titanium nitride coating GEBEDUR. In addition, the quality management INH will be exhibited and the functions and contents of the customer portal will be presented.

Monforts will be presenting its finishing technologies at the forthcoming Igatex textile machinery exhibition, which takes place from December 1-4 at the Lahore Expo Centre in Pakistan.

The importance of the textile industry to Pakistan’s economy cannot be overstated – it accounts for 60% of the country’s overall exports and some of its industry’s players are very major employers. In the year to June 2022, Pakistan’s textile exports climbed by 25% to a record value of $19.3 billion according to the country’s Bureau of Statistics, as security of deliveries – especially to Europe and the USA – worked in the country’s favour, in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent supply chain issues. It has a key role to play in quickly getting the country back on its feet after the devastation.

Monforts customers in the regions around the country’s three biggest cities of Karachi, Lahore and Faisalbad include all of the main players in the fields of home textiles and denim production, including Afroze, , Al Karam Artistic Milliners, Azgard-9, Crestex, , Gul Ahmed, Interloop, Liberty Mills, Lucky Textile Mills, Mustaqim, Naveena (NDL), Rajby Industries, Sapphire Finishing, Soorty, Style Textile and US Denim.

These companies rely on established Monforts technologies including Montex stentering equipment, Monfortex sanforizing units and Thermex dyeing ranges. The company’s Matex Eco Applicator minimum application system has also proved a big hit in recent years.

Monforts has also achieved considerable success in Pakistan with its Econtrol®* dyeing system  – an effective and established dyeing process. More than 40 Thermex continuous dyeing ranges have been installed in Pakistan in recent years and operator training on the Econtrol®* process by sophisticated technologists is an additional service.

The Econtrol® pad-dry process has a number of immediate benefits. Compared to the common pad-dry-pad-steam process, no salt is used and no steamer is required for a separate fixation step. Compared to the pad-dry-thermofix process, no urea is used and no smoke or deposits are generated, and unlike with the cold pad batch process, direct feedback of the dyeing results ensures no batching time is necessary and guarantees good reproducibility from the lab to bulk production.

An immediate wash off is also unnecessary, allowing for flexible production planning. The process is suitable for pale to dark shades with very good fastness properties. Also waste water treatment is improved by this technology.

*Econtrol is a registered mark of Dystar Colours Distribution GmbH.

As part of an ongoing investment programme ensuring it remains at the forefront of advanced technology for carpet production, West Yorkshire, UK-headquartered Phoenox Textiles has recently installed a new two-metre-wide shearing line supplied by BTMA member Sellers Textiles Engineers.

Phoenox, which has been family owned since its foundation in 1954, develops original creative flooring design concepts for retail brands. Its products are sold through high street outlets, department stores and volume retailers across Europe and North America, in addition to substantial online and catalogue-driven business. All told, the company’s 24-hour parcel service dispatches some 3.2 million orders every year.

Operating from two manufacturing sites, Phoenox manufactures an annual 1.7 million metres of flooring in the UK. Over a combined area of 1,700,000 square metres, the two plants are equipped for tufting, backcoating, cloth printing and finishing along with automated cutting, sewing and packing.

In addition to the Sellers shearing line, other recent investments for the UK operations have included three new advanced tufting machines and a high-speed Sellers backcoating line equipped to handle widths of up to two metres and coat at six metres per minute. Washable and dyeable foams and eco-friendly applications in different weights are applied for many product areas.

The company’s state-of-the-art Chromo jet printing process line is meanwhile the only one of its kind in the UK, with its 256 jets making possible designs in up eight colours per pattern. With sustainability very much at the forefront of the company’s approach, Phoenox recycles most of its paste and inks and uses organic options wherever possible, as well as recycled water.

“We operate a piece dye colour cloth programme and can dye nylon and cotton with weights of up to 500kg per load, working with direct, organic, vat and reactive dyes,” says Mosley. “We also offer computerised and weighed commission dyeing. Computerised automated cutting machines and photocell pattern recognition enable us to cut at high speed in most cloth densities. With finishing and sewing though, it’s all about the detail, and our team have years of experience and hand-finish our products on traditional high-speed machines.”

The new Sellers Hybrid Shearing Cylinder can provide a competitive edge for manufacturers which is currently being proven in the field, including at Phoenox. It’s one of a number of new innovations BTMA members are planning to showcase at next year’s ITMA exhibition in Milan.