From the Sector

Dedicated marketing channel to better serve the US market

Huntsman Textile Effects and Xenon arc today announced the formation of NaviColor, a dedicated marketing channel to service the unique needs of select customers in the United States textiles and apparel industry.  

NaviColor is a business specifically designed to meet the needs of select Huntsman Textile Effects customers and to further expand the growing customer base. NaviColor features a dedicated team of professionals in a highly advanced technological environment to support customers utilizing Huntsman’s Textile Effects innovative chemicals, dyes and digital inks in the United States.  

NaviColor is the latest deployment of Xenon arc’s innovative xa-Direct model that helps the world’s preeminent manufacturing companies reach, grow and more effectively service the needs of their customer bases. Leveraging its domain expertise of the marketplace, combined with extensive voice of the customer research and leading-edge technology platform, the xa-Direct model delivers enhanced customer intimacy, valuable insights and improved customer service levels.

“We are excited to partner with Huntsman Textile Effects,” commented Mica Zuniga, Vice President of Strategic Growth for Xenon arc.

NaviColor will exclusively represent Huntsman Textile Effects product portfolio including:

•  Dyes
•  Chemical Auxiliaries
•  Digital Inks

The origins of both Industry 4.0 and an awareness of the need for more sustainable manufacturing methods can arguably be traced back to the year 1971.

It was in 1971 that the first microprocessor was introduced by Intel, and also that the first and perhaps now most well-known environmental campaigner, Greenpeace, was founded.

As such, a direct line can be charted from that year to today’s automated textile manufacturing machinery concepts, as well as the drive to develop more increasingly resource-efficient processes.

All of the recent innovations which have been introduced to the market by A. Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG, for example, are being powered by the possibilities of Industry 4.0 and developed in response to the market demand for more sustainable production.

They include the new ‘digital twinning’ capability introduced in 2019 for all Monforts machines, with advanced sensor technologies which make it possible to access comprehensive technical machine data from any location using the company’s Smart Support and Smart Check apps. In addition, the digital twin system provides information on individual wear parts, such as, for example, converters or gears.

These latest developments have been very favourably received by Monforts customers, especially in Europe.

50th anniversary
The very first Heimtextil – the leading trade fair for the home textiles market – was also held in Frankfurt in January 1971 and Monforts customers Bierbaum Group and Konrad Hornschuch AG are amongst the German companies who were there from the very start and have attended every annual show since.

Bierbaum Group, based in Borken, is the company behind the well-known Irisette bedding brand and is celebrating its own 125th anniversary in 2020. It has also introduced products bearing the German government’s new Grüner Knopf textile seal of approval for sustainable production.

As a specialist in synthetic leathers for home surfaces, as well as vehicle interiors, Konrad Hornschuch AG, of Weissbach, has been a member of the €44 billion automotive giant Continental AG since 2016.

Representatives from both companies received memorial trophies at a special presentation held on January 7th during the 50th anniversary Heimtextil show.

The home textiles market remains very strong in Germany, with sales amounting to some €9.6 billion in 2019, according to analyst IFH Cologne.

Global growth
The first Heimtextil in 1971 was a significant success, attracting 679 exhibitors from 26 countries.

This year’s show, however, attracted a total of 2,952 exhibitors from 66 countries, reflecting not only the growth of the home textiles industry, but also the globalisation which has taken place over the last half century.

Monforts now has customers for its advanced finishing technologies around the world, with home textile customers from India and Pakistan being particularly well represented at Heimtextil 2020.

Among stand outs from Indian companies at this year’s show was the 2020 collection of Welspun India’s famous Christy England brand, inspired by botanical studies of the gardens of British stately homes. Welspun towels meanwhile benefit from the company’s HygroCotton hollow core yarn technology, produced by a proprietary spinning method which ensures they become softer, fluffier and more absorbent after every wash.

An equally ground-breaking new technology is being introduced by Trident Group, which is one of India’s largest vertically-integrated home textiles manufacturers and two years ago installed five complete Monforts finishing ranges for its new linen department.

Trident’s patented Air Rich yarns feature pores throughout their cross sections for high breathability and absorbency, as well as rapid drying.

Monforts home textile customers from Pakistan stressed the resource efficiency of their processes and products as a result of investments in advanced technology, and during the show the ‘Sustainable Pakistan’ initiative was announced.

Supported by GIZ, the German Society for International Cooperation, the initiative aims to reshape global perceptions of Pakistan’s manufacturers and their innovations. So far, twenty producers have been carefully chosen to be presented on this global platform and will help rebrand Pakistan’s textile industry at the Heimtextil exhibitions going forward.

Heimtextil’s organiser Messe Frankfurt also announced its own new alliance with the United Nations Office for Partnerships, in order to support the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.

Constancy
Many things have changed since 1971 and home interiors are certainly no longer predominantly orange and brown – and perhaps unlikely to ever become so again.

It’s clear, however, that there has been a constancy in the push to consistently improve textile technologies, processes and products that may have originated in Europe, but have subsequently spread around the world.

And the significance of both microprocessors and sustainability in 2020 could only have been guessed at back in 1971.

In the 2019 `Hot-Button´ report issued by the forest conservation organisation Canopy, Kelheim Fibres attained a “green shirt” ranking. Many fashion brands already value the `Hot-Button´ report as a reliable indicator for sustainability for viscose fibre producers.

Raw material wood sourced only from certified sustainable forestry
The CanopyStyle initiative aims to achieve that no wood from ancient and endangered forests is used to produce viscose fibres. The audited companies must prove that they avoid these fibres and have implemented appropriate rules and procedures to check the origin of the wood. Performance in the areas environmental protection and innovation have been examined and evaluated by qualified external auditors; the report will be posted publicly in the first quarter of 2020.

Sustainable fibres for a changing market
“For years now Kelheim Fibres has consistently recognised the importance of sustainability and environmental protection. Now that resource saving and alternatives to plastics are of focal interest to the public and to the economy, our products are meeting with an even better reception from the market. Fibres produced in Germany with low emissions from certified sustainable timber meet the needs of customers seeking products that have a low risk of sourcing from ancient and endangered forests. “Having been awarded a `green shirt´ in the `Hot-Button´ ranking once again underlines this absolutely clearly!” says Matthew North, Commercial Director at Kelheim Fibres.

Kornit’s Avalanche Poly Pro system “offers the best possible quality” for consumers demanding custom-decorated polyester and poly-blend apparel
January 8, 2020, Englewood, New Jersey – Kornit Digital (Nasdaq: KRNT), a worldwide market leader in digital textile printing technology, announced that GEAR for Sports, a division of Hanesbrands Inc., has installed a Kornit Avalanche Poly Pro system to supplement previously-implemented Kornit Digital direct-to-garment (DTG) print systems within the company’s Lenexa, Kansas production facility.

GEAR for Sports sells its products under some of the most powerful brands in sportswear, including Under Armour®, Champion®, Alternative Apparel, Hanes, and Gear for Sports®. This compelling portfolio of brands allows GEAR to provide a longstanding history of quality graphics and innovative apparel design, giving customers a single resource for all their sportswear needs. Installing Avalanche Poly Pro, which integrates Kornit’s proprietary NeoPoly print technology with the brand’s production strategy, will enable them to custom-print poly rich garments on demand.

GEAR for Sports has implemented three Kornit DTG print systems in the last two years. Having established a process for delivering imprinted cotton garments on demand, and further answering the voice of its customers, the brand decided to expand these capabilities to polyester and poly-blend pieces.

“We’ve been inviting key customers to our facility to demonstrate what the Poly Pro equipment can do, as we expand our digital printing capability throughout our facility,” said Cindy Olivarez, Director of Operations—Customs and Logistics with GEAR for Sports. “Digital printing is an ever-growing business and is key to our business initiatives. Having the ability to print polyester t-shirts one unit at a time will allow us to gain consumers who want poly rich garments, and Kornit’s Poly Pro system offers the best possible quality to allow GEAR for Sports to expand our direct-to-garment business.”

Cepi, the European association representing the paper industry, has announced a new alliance called 4evergreen. The aim of the alliance is to boost the contribution of fibre-based packaging in a circular and sustainable economy that minimises climate and environmental impact. The alliance will increase awareness about the benefits of fibre-based packaging materials, advocate for EU legislation supporting product design for recyclability and call for the development of optimised collection systems and appropriate recycling infrastructures.

The rise of environmental awareness and consumer concerns, as well as the increase of packaging focused regulation, such as the Single Use Plastics Directive, have helped companies to accelerate the development of alternative packaging materials including fibre-based packaging with a view to helping consumers make more climate-friendly choices.

4evergreen was created as a forum to engage and connect industry members from across the fibre-based packaging value chain, from paper and board producers to packaging converters, brand-owners and retailers, technology and material suppliers, waste sorters and collectors.

“The 4evergreen alliance is important because it was born from an initiative of consumer product industry leaders who recognize the huge potential of fibre-based packaging in a circular economy” said Susanne Oste, VP Innovation and Sustainability at Sappi. “Their customers want sustainable packaging and fibre-based products provide the most climate-friendly solution available. Sappi is proud to play a part in this industry alliance. We have been investing heavily for more than 10 years in cutting edge research into real solutions for the problems that confront our customers. A recent success is the launch of the only fully recyclable confectionary wrapper on the market today.”

Myant Inc. and Osmotex AG have agreed to enter into a joint venture for the commercialization of Osmotex’s HYDRO_BOT active membrane technology across various textile-based applications. The integration of HYDRO_BOT with Myant’s existing portfolio of textile-based sensing and actuating capabilities opens up new possibilities across a wide range of domains including sweat/moisture management and thermal regulation.

HYDRO_BOT technology is capable of moving 200 liters of fluid across a square meter of textile every hour via an electroosmotic process, providing a practically limitless ability to manage moisture in textile applications. Applied in conjunction with Myant’s existing capability to deliver heat via textile and to achieve effective passive moisture wicking via novel knitted structures, the combination of technologies is poised to dramatically improve the ability to regulate body temperature in applications such as personal protective equipment for workers in heavy industry, protective gear for workers in hot desert-like climates, performance wear like snow suits or skiing apparel in cold climates, footwear, motorcycling apparel, and more. In addition to apparel, significant market opportunities exist in the moisture management as applied to the automotive industry and in the healthcare industry.

“The creation of this joint venture between Myant and Osmotex reinforces our mission to develop textiles as bidirectional interfaces to the human body capable of optimizing health and performance across all spheres of life,” said Tony Chahine, founder and CEO of Myant. “Our team is excited to begin integrating HYDRO_BOT into our textiles and bringing this transformative technology to market.”

“We are excited to be working together with Myant to realize the full potential of the HYDRO_BOT technology,” said Joacim Holter, Managing Director and Chairman of the Board for Osmotex AG. “Myant’s ability to integrate our technology and to produce at scale all under one roof made them an ideal partner to help make our vision a reality.”

SGL Carbon and Solvay collaborate to develop highly-competitive advanced carbon fiber composites for aerospace primary structures

SGL Carbon and Solvay have entered into a joint development agreement (JDA) to bring to market the first composite materials based on large-tow intermediate modulus (IM) carbon fiber. These materials, which address the need to reduce costs and CO2 emissions, and improve the production process and fuel efficiency of next-generation commercial aircraft, will be based on SGL Carbon’s large-tow IM carbon fiber and Solvay’s primary structure resin systems.

The agreement encompasses both thermoset and thermoplastic composite technologies. It builds on Solvay’s leadership in supplying advanced materials to the aerospace industry and SGL Carbon’s expertise in high-volume carbon fiber manufacturing.

“For Solvay, this is an opportunity to lead the aerospace adoption of a composite material based on 50K IM carbon fiber. This is a highly competitive value proposition that brings more affordable high-performance solutions to our customers. We see this as the first step in a long-term partnership,” said Augusto Di Donfrancesco, member of Solvay’s executive committee.

“By combining SGL’s carbon fiber expertise in our newly developed, unique 50K IM fiber with Solvay’s resin formulation and aerospace market expertise, both partners are aiming to develop an advanced aerospace material system. This alliance supports our strategic direction and accelerates our growth in the attractive aerospace market,” said Dr. Michael Majerus, spokesman of the management board of SGL Carbon.

Composite materials for aerospace applications represent a multi-billion-dollar market that is expected to grow strongly in the coming decade. Solvay and SGL Carbon are uniquely positioned to develop solutions to address the needs of this market.

• Acquisition drives market growth
• Additional sales channel for BASF customers and partners
• Access to new materials and technologies for customers of BASF and Sculpteo

To continue to expand its position as a leading service provider in the additive manufacturing sector, BASF New Business GmbH has formally agreed to acquire the online 3D printing service provider Sculpteo. The agreement was signed on November 14, 2019 and is expected to become effective in the next few weeks pending regulatory approval by the relevant authorities. The acquisition of the French 3D printing specialist based in Paris and San Francisco will enable BASF 3D Printing Solutions GmbH, a wholly-owned subsidiary of BASF New Business GmbH, to market and establish new industrial 3D printing materials more quickly. Sculpteo’s management team fully supports the acquisition and will remain in place to provide customers and partners with this expanded service spectrum.

For around a decade already, Sculpteo has operated an online platform with integrated production for the manufacturing of prototypes, individual objects, and serial production components with a range of different additive manufacturing technologies. Customers in various industrial sectors around the world use the Sculpteo service to produce new components rapidly and reliably.

BASF will develop the existing Sculpteo 3D printing platform further into a global network. For customers and partners, BASF 3D Printing Solutions will thus be able to offer an additional channel for marketing their services and expanding their own customer bases.

"Through the acquisition of Sculpteo, we can provide customers and partners with even faster access to our innovative 3D printing solutions. In addition, our customers will benefit from an extended range of services”, explains Dr. Dietmar Bender, Managing Director BASF 3D Printing Solutions. “Together with Sculpteo, we are pursuing our goal of establishing additive manufacturing as a proven technology for industrial mass production", says Bender.

Combining the strengths of both companies will provide Sculpteo's existing customers with access to a more extensive portfolio of 3D printing materials. "We are excited to join the BASF team and thus benefit from BASF’s outstanding R&D to provide our customers with innovative solutions”, says Clément Moreau, CEO and Co-Founder of Sculpteo. Moreau will stay with Sculpteo as CEO.

Beyond this, the Sculpteo Design Studio and BASF’s technical experts will collaborate to be able to support customers in their 3D printing projects from the early planning phase right through to the final printed part. This will enable BASF to offer its customers end-to-end industrial 3D printing solutions.

Mr. Robert Bélanger, President of the Board of Directors of the CTT Group and President of Belt-Tech Products inc., is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Olivier Vermeersch as President/Chief Executive Officer of the CTT Group, one of the Collegial Center for Technology Transfer (CCTT) of the Cégep of Saint-Hyacinthe. Mr. Vermeersch succeeds Mr. Jacek Mlynarek from today. Mr. Mlynarek will remain associated to the CTT Group as an Ambassador and Strategic Advisor and - Research and Development, Partnership and Innovation.

The CTT Group Board of Directors and the entire team would like to thank Mr. Mlynarek for the energy and dedication he has devoted over the last 26 years to the development of the CTT Group, which is now recognized as one of the most important Collegial Center for Technology Transfer in Quebec and Canada. In 2009, Mr. Mlynarek received the Innovation System Builder Award from the Quebec Association for the Development of Research and Innovation.

Mr. Vermeersch is in a familiar territory, since he has been working for the CTT Group from the beginning of his career in 1991. In 2014, he was promoted Vice President - Research and Development and more recently, he was appointed as Executive Vice-President. In 2014, he was awarded the prestigious Excellence Award from the “Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies”. Mr. Vermeersch will continue to be Chairholder of the NEXTEX Industrial Chair of St-Hyacinthe College, a Canadian NSERC Level 2 Chair in Innovative Technical Textiles, which brings together many of CTT Group's customers.

• Bangladesh’s biggest denim expo takes place 5-6 November
• The show runs concurrently with the Sustainable Apparel Forum Bangladesh
• From 4-6 November, Bangladesh becomes the perfect meeting point for stakeholders in the global apparel industry

DHAKA - Responsibility is the theme of the 11th Bangladesh Denim Expo which takes place on 5th and 6th November at International Convention City in Bashundhara, Dhaka. The event, now firmly established as one of the world’s leading denim trade shows, runs alongside the Bangladesh Sustainable Apparel Forum.

Bangladesh Denim Expo

Around 100 exhibitors from 11 countries, including host Bangladesh, will participate in this year’s denim expo. Other participating countries are china, Japan, Italy, India, Singapore, Brazil, Spain, Pakistan, Turkey and Germany.

H&M Group is collaborating with Bangladesh Denim Expo for the forthcoming 11th edition of the event and a number of guest speakers will be present from the company, including Pierre Borjesson, head of sustainability, global production. Other guest speakers include Andrew Olah, the founder of Kingpins Denim show, Alice Tonello, R&D director with the Tonello Group, world renowned denim designer, Piero Turk and Jordi Juani, Asia regional director with Jeanologia.

Through a series of product displays, presentations, seminar sessions & panel discussions, the Expo will encourage healthy debate and interaction among exhibitors and visitors to champion a more responsible denim industry. One of these, of course, is sustainability and within this sits the issue of responsibility – an overriding theme of this year’s event. Denim manufacture faces huge challenges with regards its social and environmental responsibility, with production techniques having potentially far-reaching ramifications for the environment as well as people involved in the production process.

However, the industry and its supply chain are making impressive progress on these issues with Bangladesh – now the world’s largest producer of denim – leading the way in terms of addressing some of the sustainability challenges relating to denim production, including excessive use of water and chemicals. Mostafiz Uddin is the organiser of Bangladesh Denim Expo. Uddin has watched with interest the evolution of the denim industry, with each Expo marking continued and gradual progress being made by the more progressive players in the industry.

Uddin says: “The way that business and product development is conducted can have far reaching consequences on the environment, on the people that make the product and the product’s end use & life-span. “It is the duty of all stakeholders in the apparel industry to acknowledge this responsibility and to analyse our business practices, for the benefit of all.” Emphasising the theme of responsibility within Denim Expo is the fact that revenues from the expo support the running and presentation of the Sustainable Apparel Forum.

Sustainable Apparel Forum

The Sustainable Apparel Forum (SAF) is the biggest annual sustainable apparel event in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE) along with Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) as co-organiser will jointly carry out the 2nd edition of the SAF on 5th Nov 2019.

This is the second edition of the Sustainable Apparel Forum, with the first-ever forum held in 2017 in Dhaka. The objective of this year’s forum is accelerating the momentum of sustainability in Bangladesh apparel industry.

The forum will see more than 50 speakers gathered from Bangladesh and overseas sharing expert opinions across five panel discussions covering current issues in the country’s apparel industry. These include human resources, transparency in business, water conservation, purchasing practices, sustainable chemical management, waste management, circular economy in textiles and climate change to name a few.

Additionally, the conference will host several knowledge building technical presentations from renowned organisations which will cover different issues relating to sustainability, including waste management, protection of the environment and better working conditions.

Speakers at the show include Md. Shahriar Alam, MP, Honourable State Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh, H. E. Benoit Préfonatine High Commissioner, High Commission of Canada, Bangladesh, and Dr. Rubana Huq President, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers’ and Exporters’ Association, Sheikh Fazle Fahim, President, Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce & Industries, Pierre Börjesson, Head of Sustainability – Global Production, H&M Group, Tuomo Poutiainen, Country Director, International Labor Organization, Peter McCallister, Executive Director, Ethical Trading Initiative and H.E. Winnie Estrup Petersen Ambassador, Embassy of Denmark, Bangladesh.

Prior to this year’s conference, the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangladesh and the Sweden Embassy in Bangladesh will also co-host two roundtable discussion in collaboration with BAE and in association with BGMEA on 4 November, 2019, while H&M, Better Work Bangladesh and C&A Foundation are partners in the event.
The conference will be followed by showcasing different innovative, sustainable & best work practices in RMG manufacturing factories in Bangladesh. Following the discussions, a series of recommendations will be made, and a Sustainability Roadmap for the Bangladesh apparel industry will be formulated.

This year’s SAF promises to be the biggest yet. Added by Mr Mostafiz Uddin in the recent press briefing for the event: “The title for this year’s Sustainable Apparel Forum is enabling sustainability through policy and leadership. The time for talking on sustainability issues is over. It is now time for actions. That’s why the focus of this year’s show is on practical, pragmatic actions the textile industry can adopt to improve its environmental footprint.”