From the Sector

Progressive material innovations presented digitally: following the cancellation of this year’s fair due to the corona pandemic, Heimtextil is extending its range of digital services and launching a new online materials library entitled ‘Future Materials Library’. 24 future-oriented materials for interior applications can now be found at www.heimtextil.messefrankfurt.com/future.

The curators of the new materials library are London-based futures-research agency, FranklinTill. “We are transitioning to a materials revolution that will help restore the balance in our relationship to our planet. As part of the Heimtextil Trends 21/22, we present a new selection of materials for interior applications with exciting innovations from all over the world”, says Caroline Till of FranklinTill.

A mix of commercially viable products and developments in an early stage

Imaginative designers and environmentally-aware manufacturers: the Future Materials Library 2021 offers materials pioneers a platform and presents a first-class mix of economically proven and revolutionary developments. FranklinTill has organised the materials in four themes: REGENERATIVE CROPS, REMADE FIBRES, HARVESTING WASTE STREAMS and SUSTAINABLE COLOUR.

Resources are running low

Thus, the new Heimtextil materials library tackles one of the main problems of the modern age: the shortage of resources on earth. In particular, textile production creates huge and continuously growing quantities of waste. And, over past decades, the design business has developed a ‘take, make and discard’ model of consumption that is incredibly harmful for our planet. In the climate-emergency era, however, future-oriented designers are learning from nature and working together with it. They endeavour to make use of the power of highly efficient natural circular systems to create textiles and materials that are better for both humans and the planet.

Heimtextil Trends: a guide for the international sector

The ‘Future Materials Library’ is part of the Heimtextil Trends that, for almost three decades, have been offering orientation for the sector by revealing design tendencies for the coming season. Even in the crisis, the Heimtextil Trends remain a vital part of the overall concept of the fair and provide important content for all target groups involved within the worldwide sector. Accordingly, Heimtextil aims to spotlight style-defining design developments taking place within the larger context of lifestyle trends. At the same time, the Heimtextil trend experts scan the exhibitors’ product world and identify unequivocal trends in the sector. In this connection, particular attention is paid to sustainable aspects along the entire value chain – in both the new digital library and live during the fair next January. 

• New air purification and sulfur recovery plant up and running at the Lenzing facility
• Another step closer to meeting sustainability and climate targets
• Self-sufficiency in raw materials further enhanced

Lenzing Group is continuing to make great strides toward achieving carbon neutrality across the Group. The successful completion and commissioning of an air purification and sulfur recovery plant at the Lenzing facility marks another milestone in the Group’s ambitious strategy. Lenzing has invested some EUR 40 mn in this project since construction began in 2019.

Using state-of-the-art technology, the plant will enable carbon emissions to be reduced by 15,000 metric tons at the Lenzing facility. This will also make the group more self-sufficient in securing vital raw materials for processing, which will bolster the site’s competitive standing in terms of sustainability.

“As a result of this investment, Lenzing has made further progress towards implementing its climate targets, while achieving much greater autonomy with regard to one of its core raw materials”, says Christian Skilich, Member of the Managing Board at Lenzing Group.

In 2019, Lenzing set the strategic target of halving its group-wide greenhouse gas emissions per ton of product by 2030. Its goal for 2050 is to achieve climate neutrality.

We aRe Spin Dye (WRSD) AB (publ) (“WRSD”) enters into a collaboration agreement with the international premium brand, Hugo Boss.

Hugo Boss has a clear agenda for how they will gradually become even more sustainable. One of the company's intermediate goals is to have reduced total water consumption by 40% by 2025 - where WRSD is expected to be involved and contribute with competence and technology. The long term goal for Hugo Boss is to be completely climate neutral by 2050.

In November, Hugo Boss Ag entered the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) World for the fourth year in a row. Hugo Boss is thus one of the four companies in the textile, clothing and luxury segment that have qualified for the index this year. Hugo Boss is also listed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI) Europe for the first time. In the assessment carried out by S&P Global, HUGO BOSS improved significantly compared with the previous year and received, among other things, the assessment “best in class” in several categories.

Fibre Extrusion Technology Ltd of Leeds, UK has now commenced construction of a new purpose-built Research & Development Centre to enable continued growth through innovation. This modern two-storey development will be situated on the adjacent site, providing state-of-the-art facilities, including a Visitor Centre and enhanced Process Development Laboratory (PDL) for client testing and product development. Central to FET’s success has been its ability to provide customers with advanced facilities and equipment, together with unrivalled knowledge and expertise in research and production techniques. The new expanded premises will further improve this service.

Clients frequently spend several days on site participating in development trials and technical sales meetings, so the Visitor Centre is designed to make their stay more efficient and comfortable. Sales, administration and design departments will also be housed in the new building.

The addition of the Visitor Centre will free up a considerable amount of space for production and other facilities in the existing premises. This major refurbishment phase for the existing premises is scheduled for completion at the end of 2021. As a result, FET’s manufacturing capacity will increase by more than 50% to cope with customer demand.  

Substantial year-on-year growth has driven this initiative and FET’s current order book in excess of £10million has provided the opportunity for equipping the company infrastructure for the future. Sustainability has been at the forefront of FET’s growth, supporting customers in their development of sustainable textiles and this principle is reflected in the choice of building materials and products for the Visitor Centre wherever possible.

It is expected that the new Visitor Centre will be opened in the first quarter of 2022.

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, announced the release of its Sustainability Report for its fiscal year 2020.

Prepared again in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards, and building on a strong track record, the report outlines the company’s progress on its priority sustainability topics, such as human health and environmental safety, resource efficiency, sustainable sourcing and product stewardship, as well as diversity & inclusion, and talent management.

For the first time Archroma conducted a survey with its stakeholders to confirm the relevance of the sustainability topics covered in the report. These include biodiversity, occupational and product safety, and fair labor practices, as well as maybe less expected topics such as compliance, economic performance, and culture.

The report can be downloaded at: www.archroma.com/sustainability.

GREENBOATS, Sicomin and Bcomp are nominated as finalists for the JEC Innovation Awards 2021. The three project partners have been selected as finalists in the awards’ Renewable Energy category for their innovative Green Nacelle – the first offshore nacelle manufactured with natural fibre composites (NFC).

The Green Nacelle was designed by NFC innovators GREENBOATS, who were also responsible for the structural engineering, manufacturing and assembly of the nacelle.  By incorporating Bcomp’s ampliTex™ flax reinforcements, FSC certified balsa wood cores and bio-based resins, the Green Nacelle’s NFC construction saves approximately 60% CO2 equivalent and reduces the energy consumption by over 50% compared to a nacelle made with existing GFRP technology.

In addition to the lower CO2 footprint, the natural fibre composite structure also introduces viable options for the end of the nacelles’ life unlike traditional GFRP structures - an issue of increasing concern for the wind energy sector that presents a great opportunity for natural fibre composites to bring a sustainable change to this market.

Sicomin, the formulator and supplier of the leading range of GreenPoxy bio-based epoxy resin systems, supplied its DNV GL approved InfuGreen 810 resin system that was used to infuse the Green Nacelle’s main structural sandwich panels, as well as providing intumescent FR gelcoats, bio-based laminating resins and UV resistant clear coatings for the groundbreaking new nacelle.  Materials, as well as on-site technical support, were delivered by Sicomin’s German distributor TIME OUT Composites.

The winners of the awards will be announced during JEC Connect which will be held on the 1st and 2nd June 2021.

Devan Chemicals recently added two more products to its range of bio-based textile finishes. One being a softener, the other one a quick-dry finish. Both are derived from vegetable oils and are in line with the company’s latest innovations on bio-based chemistry.

Due to the Covid-pandemic, serving as an accelerator for a worldwide green economy, the textile industry is increasingly seeking more sustainable and products fit-for-circular programs. According to McKinsey & Company, the textile industry will experience innovation surrounding sustainably sourced raw materials and bio-based chemical additives to accommodate increasing consumer demand.

Devan launched its first bio-based technology in 2019 and is fully committed to making bio-based versions of their existing textile finishes. ‘We have put ourselves on a mission to be able to extend our Bio-Based range further”, says Sven Ghyselinck, CEO of Devan. “We wanted to make an even bigger impact on circularity than before, therefore we looked into what fabric producers use a lot: softeners and moisture management systems. Only by focusing more on the large volume products, can we support the industry to have a bigger impact on sustainability. After the growing success of our natural antimicrobial BI-OME NTL, we are proud to now introduce our new natural Passerelle line”.

Passerelle Soft NTL is a durable softness technology based on vegetable ingredients. The technology is wash durable and can be used with natural fibres like hemp, cotton, but is also fit for synthetic fibres like rPES, PA. The bio content of the technology is above 85% (ASTM D6866-20).

Passerelle Quick-Dry NTL is a moisture management technology also based on vegetable ingredients. This bio-based finish enables high wicking and evaporation capability which helps to evaporate water/sweat easier and faster. The technology is also > 60% (28 days) biodegradable according to OECD 301B.

• Checkpoint becomes the first RFID label manufacturer to achieve ARC certification with NXP’s UCODE 9 IC

Checkpoint  Systems,  a  vertically  integrated  supplier  of RFID  solutions  for  retail,  has again  demonstrated  its  commitment  to  innovation  by becoming the first manufacturer to have an RFID inlay featuring the new NXP UCODE 9 IC certified by Auburn University’s ARC Laboratory.

The  announcement  follows  news  that  Checkpoint  recently  became  the  first  company  to achieve ARC-certification for its Impinj M700-based inlays. By setting another new standard for the  industry,  Checkpoint  are  enabling  retailers  around the  world to  further  improve  their inventory visibility, reduce costs, improve performance and increase their overall profitability.

Delivering enhanced performance
Delivering the same ARC certifications as the Vortex U8 (Spec G, K and Q), the new Vortex U9 goes one step further by meeting the requirements of Spec N.

All aspects of the retail supply chain benefit from the increased read and write sensitivity of the  Vortex  U9.    The  11%  increase  in  read  distance,  decreases the time  for  inventory  cycle counts in both sparse or densely populated environments.  It also increases the compatibility of  smaller  RFID  labels with  RFID  Point  of  Exit  (PoE)  or  loss  prevention systems.  The  write sensitivity is significantly improved which is beneficial when encoding labels in densely packed cartons during source tagging and bulk encoding operations.

Finally,  the  new  Vortex  U9  will  provide  retailers  with  added  value  when  it  comes  to sustainability. NXP’s UCODE 9 RFID IC is 18% smaller than its predecessor, reducing the carbon footprint on an individual IC basis.

Scott Mitchell-Harris, Group Vice President Checkpoint Systems, commented:  “The investment Checkpoint has made over the past few years in our manufacturing facilities is evident. We have one of the most talented development teams who are continually seeking out the latest technology with new ideas to deliver market leading label designs.”

Checkpoint’s Vortex range delivers high read rate performance in semi-automated  physical inventory control and RFID as EAS. Vortex is ISO18000-6C compliant and can be encoded and printed tocarry EPC data in several formats -RFID EPC global protocol, printed bar code and human readable text.

International technology Group ANDRITZ has always been at the forefront in providing innovative and sustainable solutions for the global nonwovens industry. Optimization of resource management, especially reducing the consumption of raw materials and other substances used and also keeping resources in use for as long as possible, are decisive factors in enabling nonwovens producers to offer competitive and sustainable products.

As a world market leader for nonwovens production equipment and services, ANDRITZ offers a full range of products to meet these challenging demands.

Maximizing the evenness of the product across the entire production line is one of the key success factors. The weight profiling product range of ANDRITZ – consisting of ProDynTM and ProWidTM – has been extended by ProWinTM. This new development is the combination of the two existing systems ProDynTM and ProWidTM. It allows nonwovens producers to achieve optimum weight profiling at the crosslapper delivery and increase their process speed by up to 15% at the same time. ProWin combines the long-term process experience and in-depth knowledge ANDRITZ has on needlepunch lines with innovative software to synchronize action across the line. Guillaume Julien, Head of Needlepunch Sales at ANDRITZ Nonwoven, explains,

“We have developed a self-regulating, advanced technology to reduce fiber deposits at the edges of the web and eliminate the “smile” effect across its width. ProWin enables producers to optimize the CV ratio autonomously and precisely while also generating significant fiber savings of up to 10% and increasing production speed. Thus, it also provides a faster ROI.“

When it comes to the spunlace process, a better product quality can be obtained by ensuring that the different equipment units in the production line are consistent with one another. The TT card, the Jetlace hydroentanglement unit, and the neXdry through-air dryer are the perfect combination to obtain premium visual quality and characteristics in the web. For an equivalent amount of fibers, this set-up is designed to produce an even web with significant bulkiness and an excellent MD:CD ratio without impacting the production capacity.

Maximizing performance by minimizing the raw material input and the amount of waste produced is a real driver of cost optimization. This is why ANDRITZ has created and integrated a solution that allows nonwovens producers to retrieve the wasted edges of their spunlace fabric and re-use it as recycled fibers. As a result, roll-good producers can even obtain the same web characteristics as when using virgin fibers, and most importantly, the exact same quality.

ANDRITZ also offers – under the brand Metris – ANDRITZ digital solutions – a variety of several service apps for optimum customer benefit. The Metris Cost Management app is used to track raw material consumption. It is an advanced system aimed at monitoring fiber consumption and allowing in-depth diagnoses to investigate raw material losses and savings grouped by different process areas. Thanks to this Metris application, ANDRITZ customers are able to optimize their system’s consumption of raw materials.

All these innovations are available in ANDRITZ’s technical centers, where ANDRITZ process experts will be glad to welcome customers in order to discuss and define their product expectations.

Oerlikon signs agreement to acquire INglass, a global leader in high precision polymer flow control equipment, to accelerate expansion strategy in polymer processing market

• INglass and its HRSflow Division is a market leader spezialized in hot runner sytems
• Technology is highly complementary to Oerlikon’s existing capabilities in polymer flow control and will expand Oerlikon’s market access
• Acquisition accelerates Oerlikon’s strategy in diversifying its manmade fibers business to expand into the high-growth polymer processing solution market
• Oerlikon renames ‘Manmade Fibers’ Division to ‘Polymer Processing Solutions’
• Acquisition is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2021

Oerlikon, a leading provider of surface engineering, polymer processing and additive manufacturing, announced today that it has signed an agreement to acquire Italy-headquartered INglass S.p.A. and its innovative hot runner systems technology operating under its market-leading HRSflow business.

The strategic acquisition is a significant step in expanding Oerlikon’s current manmade fibers business into the larger polymer processing market. The acquisition accelerates and enhances existing organic initiatives to diversify and strengthen the company’s core high-precision polymer flow control capabilities, products and services. The completion of the transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals and is expected by the second quarter of 2021.

To reflect Oerlikon’s expansion into a larger high-growth market, the Manmade Fibers Division will be renamed as Polymer Processing Solutions Division. This division will have two business units: Flow Control Solutions and Manmade Fibers Solutions. The busines unit Flow Control Solutions will combine the expertise of Oerlikon Barmag’s existing gear metering pumps business line and INglass’ HRSflow operations. The business unit Manmade Fibers Solutions will continue to focus on growing the existing chemical fiber machinery and plant engineering business, offering plant solutions for the production of polyester, polypropylene and polyamide.

“Our new Polymer Processing Solutions Division and the acquisition of INglass S.p.A. and its HRSflow business are critical components of Oerlikon Group’s growth strategy. We are accelerating our efforts to drive sustainable organic and inorganic growth in all of our businesses. The acquisition enables new synergy opportunities between both Oerlikon divisions in specific end markets such as automotive. With INglass and its HRSflow operations, we acquire leading suppliers in their markets with proven success of their technologies and services,” said Dr. Roland Fischer, CEO Oerlikon Group.

“We firmly believe that within the Oerlikon Group we can further exploit the potential of our hot runner systems technology and, when combined with the capabilities of Oerlikon Barmag gear metering pumps and their melt distribution engineering competence, will position our business as one of the leading precision flow control specialists for multiple applications in a global growth market”, said Antonio Bortuzzo, CEO of INglass S.p.A.

New business unit offers great growth potential

The Oerlikon Barmag competence brand already offers high precision flow control related components, including a large selection of gear metering pumps for textile and non-textile markets. These highly efficient pumps are used in silicone casting, dynamic mixing and oil spraying for the chemical, paint, polymer processing and automotive industries. This double-digit million CHF business, which has grown in recent years, will be merged with INglass’ HRSflow hot runner technologies under the new business unit Flow Control Solutions. HRSflow’s excellent market access to many OEMs in and outside the automotive industry brings significant growth opportunities.

INglass is a leader in automotive and expanding in other sectors

INglass S.p.A. is an internationally operating successful company established in 1987. Its product portfolio includes hot runners as well as engineering and consultancy services for the advanced development of polymer processing products. INglass’ HRSflow hot runner systems are applied in multiple industries from automotive, consumer goods and household appliances to packaging, waste management, construction and transportation.

INglass is headquartered in San Polo di Piave, Italy, near Venice. 2020 revenues of INglass were approximately CHF 135 million and the acquisition is expected to be immediately accretive to Oerlikon’s margins and cash flows. INglass has more than 1 000 employees and 55 sites worldwide, including production plants in Italy, China and the US. Among these sites are INglass’ newly renovated headquarters and production at its primary location in San Polo di Piave near Venice, Italy. The investment modernized the facilities with automated production, underlining the company’s commitment to sustainability and the environment. The other two modern production sites are in Zhejiang (Hangzhou Province) in China and Michigan (Grand Rapids) in the USA.

Following the integration with Oerlikon Barmag’s gear metering pumps business of about 200 employees in Remscheid, Germany, the new Flow Control Solutions business unit will have round about 1 200 employees.

"We see great potential for growth in our new Flow Control Solutions business unit,” said Georg Stausberg, Polymer Processing Solutions Division CEO and Member of the Executive Committee of the Oerlikon Group. “The businesses form the two core growth pillars and benefit from each other in global market development, in modern and digitized production, and in customer services. We also see potential synergies in R&D by combining existing know-how in the field of polymer processing. New technological solutions between hot runner systems and gear metering pumps are conceivable. We also anticipate collaborating more closely with the Oerlikon Surface Solutions Division, particularly in future mobility applications and functional polymer component solutions for the automotive industry. All in all, we will offer our customers innovative and attractive solutions in the field of polymer processing and high precision flow control components.”

Next steps for further diversification of the division product portfolio are already ongoing

Combining the divisions plant engineering and process know how with expertise on high precision flow control components technologies has a significant impact on product quality in nearly all applications, which opens up a platform for further organic and inorganic growth. "We are closely observing the megatrends in the markets and developing new business models to match. In the area of sustainability, covering topics such as circular economy, the recycling of materials using mechanical and chemical recycling solutions, as well as the handling of new, more environmentally friendly and biodegradable materials, we are on the verge of a breakthrough. We are ready to actively participate in these growth areas,” added Georg Stausberg.

“In realigning the Polymer Processing Solutions Division, Oerlikon will continue to apply our successful recipe of a lean organizational structure to efficiently manage the business. This means clear processes, short decision-making paths and competent teams in a diverse and multicultural organization in which everyone can contribute innovatively to create customer value,” said Georg Stausberg.