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Julien Born Photo HeiQ Materials AG
Julien Born
16.02.2024

Julien Born new CEO of HeiQ AeoniQ Holding

HeiQ AeoniQ Holding, a subsidiary of HeiQ Group, is appointing Julien Born as its CEO, leveraging his extensive executive leadership and profound textile industry expertise cultivated in prestigious organizations such as DuPont, KOCH Industries, and The LYCRA Company, where he served as CEO since 2021. Julien Born will champion the growth of the cellulosic filament fiber HeiQ AeoniQ™.

The HeiQ AeoniQ™ technology is poised for commercial production at the inaugural manufacturing facility in Portugal by the close of 2025. The just concluded €5M acquisition of land and buildings, within a 2-year project total investment of €80M, marks a pivotal milestone for the 15,000m2 facility in Maia, Porto. Situated strategically in Portugal's textile hub and a mere 20 minutes from a major commercial port, this facility is poised to catalyze the scale-up phase of the business, going from pilot manufacture to mass production when it wants to compete at full-scale on cost and performance with fossil fuel-based fibers.

HeiQ AeoniQ Holding, a subsidiary of HeiQ Group, is appointing Julien Born as its CEO, leveraging his extensive executive leadership and profound textile industry expertise cultivated in prestigious organizations such as DuPont, KOCH Industries, and The LYCRA Company, where he served as CEO since 2021. Julien Born will champion the growth of the cellulosic filament fiber HeiQ AeoniQ™.

The HeiQ AeoniQ™ technology is poised for commercial production at the inaugural manufacturing facility in Portugal by the close of 2025. The just concluded €5M acquisition of land and buildings, within a 2-year project total investment of €80M, marks a pivotal milestone for the 15,000m2 facility in Maia, Porto. Situated strategically in Portugal's textile hub and a mere 20 minutes from a major commercial port, this facility is poised to catalyze the scale-up phase of the business, going from pilot manufacture to mass production when it wants to compete at full-scale on cost and performance with fossil fuel-based fibers.

HeiQ intends to consolidate the Group’s current and future activities in Portugal at the newly acquired site. This includes Shared Service Center functions as well as the Innovation Hub for the HeiQ Textile & Flooring business unit.

The recent addition of Julien Born to lead the charge follows the nomination of Robert van de Kerkhof to the HeiQ Board, a seasoned executive with extensive textile experience holding positions as CCO, CSO, Board member of Lenzing Plc, and Chairman of CIRFS, the European Man-Made Fibres Association. Robert will also serve as the Chairman of the HeiQ AeoniQ Holding Board.

HeiQ AeoniQ Holding, established as an independent subsidiary to attract new investors, value-chain partners, and brands, embarks on an ambitious multi-year scale-up strategy. This strategy involves integrating diverse sources of bio-derived feedstock and hyper-scaling cellulosic filament fiber production capacity over the next decade, targeting industries such as apparel, footwear, automotive, home textiles, and aeronautics.

Source:

HeiQ Materials AG

Robert van de Kerkhof (c) Karl Michalski
Robert van de Kerkhof
27.11.2023

Robert van de Kerkhof joins HeiQ’s Board of Directors

HeiQ announces the appointment of Robert van de Kerkhof as Non-Executive Director, with effect from 1 January 2024 to the board of HeiQ plc and as Chairman of the Environmental, Occupation, Health & Safety and Sustainability Committee. Robert will also be appointed to the board of HeiQ AeoniQ Holding AG (in Switzerland), a subsidiary of HeiQ plc.

Robert van de Kerkhof has over 30 years of experience in general management and sustainability leadership and extensive knowledge of the textiles industry, including cellulosic fiber technology. He founded PEPPER-i2, an advisory company specializing in sustainability and circularity. Robert also serves as the Chief Sustainability Officer and as a Board Member of Lenzing AG, a position he has held since 2014. Robert will be leaving Lenzing and its Board on the 31st. December 2023.

Robert joins HEIQ AeoniQ™ with the firm belief that the novel HEIQ AeoniQ™ man-made cellulosic fibers (MMCF) are one of the most promising solutions to transform the textile industry, now the second-most polluting in the world, into one of the most sustainable, by rendering fossil fuel-based fibers like polyester obsolete.

HeiQ announces the appointment of Robert van de Kerkhof as Non-Executive Director, with effect from 1 January 2024 to the board of HeiQ plc and as Chairman of the Environmental, Occupation, Health & Safety and Sustainability Committee. Robert will also be appointed to the board of HeiQ AeoniQ Holding AG (in Switzerland), a subsidiary of HeiQ plc.

Robert van de Kerkhof has over 30 years of experience in general management and sustainability leadership and extensive knowledge of the textiles industry, including cellulosic fiber technology. He founded PEPPER-i2, an advisory company specializing in sustainability and circularity. Robert also serves as the Chief Sustainability Officer and as a Board Member of Lenzing AG, a position he has held since 2014. Robert will be leaving Lenzing and its Board on the 31st. December 2023.

Robert joins HEIQ AeoniQ™ with the firm belief that the novel HEIQ AeoniQ™ man-made cellulosic fibers (MMCF) are one of the most promising solutions to transform the textile industry, now the second-most polluting in the world, into one of the most sustainable, by rendering fossil fuel-based fibers like polyester obsolete.

Robert has also held senior positions as President of the Austrian Fiber Institute, President and Board Member of CIRFS – the European Man-made Fibres Association, and Chairman of the ReHubs Business Council for Euratex, which is the voice of the European Apparel and Textile Industry.

Source:

HeiQ

04.01.2022

Cellulose Fibres: New Technologies for Pulp, Fibres and Yarns

  • Session "New Technologies for Pulp, Fibres and Yarns"

Cellulose fibres are a true material miracle as they offer a steadily expanding, broad range of applications. Meanwhile markets are driven by technological developments and policy frameworks, especially bans and restrictions on plastics, as well as an increasing number of sustainability requirements. The  presentations will provide valuable information on the various use-opportunities for cellulosic fibres through a policy overview, a special session on sustainability, recycling and alternative feedstocks, as well as the latest developments in pulp cellulosic fibres and yarns. In addition, examples of non-wovens,  packaging and composites will offer a look beyond the horizon of conventional application fields.

  • Session "New Technologies for Pulp, Fibres and Yarns"

Cellulose fibres are a true material miracle as they offer a steadily expanding, broad range of applications. Meanwhile markets are driven by technological developments and policy frameworks, especially bans and restrictions on plastics, as well as an increasing number of sustainability requirements. The  presentations will provide valuable information on the various use-opportunities for cellulosic fibres through a policy overview, a special session on sustainability, recycling and alternative feedstocks, as well as the latest developments in pulp cellulosic fibres and yarns. In addition, examples of non-wovens,  packaging and composites will offer a look beyond the horizon of conventional application fields.

The extensive fifth conference session, “New Technologies for Pulp, Fibres and Yarns”, includes the participation of eight speakers and promises the reveal of various innovations and new approaches. These address the processing of pulp, fibres and yarn, with the aim of realizing most sustainable and efficient solutions. The broad spectrum of topics ranges from processing cellulose with ionic liquids, material farming and chemical modification of pulp to functionalised fibres for feel-good textiles.

Speakers of the Session "New Technologies for Pulp, Fibres and Yarns"

  • Antje Ota - Deutsche Institute für Textil- und Faserforschung (DITF) (DE): The Versatility of the HighPerCell® Technology for Cellulose Filament
  • Carlo Centonze - HEIQ (CH): HeiQ AeoniQ – Cellulose Yarn Focussed on Climate and Circularity
  • Manuel Steiner - LIST Technology AG (CH): Cellulose Dissolving Technology Platform
  • Dominik Mayer - Kelheim Fibres (DE): Functionalized Viscose Fibres for Wellbeing Textiles: How Infrared Celliant® Viscose supports a Healthy and Sustainable Lifestyle
  • Michael Sturm - TITK (DE): Method for the Evaluation of the dissolution Power and dissolution Quality of Cellulosic Raw Materials dissolved in New Ionic Liquids
  • Kaoutar Aghmih - Hassan II University (MA): Rheology and Dissolution of Cellulose in Ionic Liquid Solutions
  • Ofir-Aharon Kuperman - Weizmann Institute of Science (IL): Material Farming and Biological Fabrication of Cellulose Fibers with Tailored Properties
  • Taina Kamppuri - VTT Technical Research Center of Finnland (FI): Chemically Modified Kraft Pulps to Improve the Sustainability of Regenerated Fibres
From left: Carlo Centonze, Dr. Thierry Pelet holding the first prototype of HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 treated face masks (c) HeiQ
From left: Carlo Centonze, Dr. Thierry Pelet holding the first prototype of HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 treated face masks
17.03.2020

HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 antiviral textile technology tested effective against Coronavirus

HeiQ, winner of the Swiss Technology Award and Swiss Environmental Award, launches HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03, an antiviral and antimicrobial textile treatment that is tested effective against coronavirus.

Since its inception 15 years ago, HeiQ has forged a solid innovation track record helping brands improve textile products. Catalyzed to action by the global fight against Coronavirus, HeiQ launches HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03, an antiviral and antimicrobial textile treatment which is proven effective against human coronavirus (229E) in face mask testing, significantly enhancing the antiviral log reduction from 2.90 of untreated face masks to 4.48, over 99.99% reduction of virus infectivity. (Remarks: a log reduction of 2 is equivalent to 100 times the effectiveness).

Chinese protective masks producer Suzhou Bolisi is the lead adopter of HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03. Treated masks will be available on the market as early as this April. American legwear manufacturer Kayser-Roth is planning to add the technology to their new product, Ghluv hands protector, while Lufeng from China is evaluating the technology on other types of fabric used for garments.

HeiQ, winner of the Swiss Technology Award and Swiss Environmental Award, launches HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03, an antiviral and antimicrobial textile treatment that is tested effective against coronavirus.

Since its inception 15 years ago, HeiQ has forged a solid innovation track record helping brands improve textile products. Catalyzed to action by the global fight against Coronavirus, HeiQ launches HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03, an antiviral and antimicrobial textile treatment which is proven effective against human coronavirus (229E) in face mask testing, significantly enhancing the antiviral log reduction from 2.90 of untreated face masks to 4.48, over 99.99% reduction of virus infectivity. (Remarks: a log reduction of 2 is equivalent to 100 times the effectiveness).

Chinese protective masks producer Suzhou Bolisi is the lead adopter of HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03. Treated masks will be available on the market as early as this April. American legwear manufacturer Kayser-Roth is planning to add the technology to their new product, Ghluv hands protector, while Lufeng from China is evaluating the technology on other types of fabric used for garments.

HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 is a unique combination of vesicle and silver technologies designed to inhibit the growth and persistence of bacteria and viruses. The HeiQ vesicle technology targets lipid- enveloped viruses, such as coronavirus, providing rapid virus deactivation, while the HeiQ silver technology inhibits the replication of both bacteria and viruses. HeiQ Viroblock NPJ03 can be applied to a wide spectrum of textile surfaces including face masks, air filters, medical gowns, curtains, drapes and more. HeiQ also has a range of highly wash-durable antimicrobial and odor control textile technologies, called HeiQ Pure, combining silver-based and bio-based materials for all fabric types.

More information:
HeiQ Coronavirus
Source:

HeiQ

(c) HeiQ
04.06.2019

HeiQ announces new subsidiaries: HeiQ China and HeiQ Taiwan

  • Operations, Product Development, Sales and Technical Support Growth

Celine Huang 黄秀蔚 is named Chief Executive Officer for HeiQ Greater China and Ming Wen Liang 梁銘文is named Chief Executive Officer HeiQ Taiwan. Huang, with her background as a general manager of a large player in the same industry brings a total of over 20 years of solid testing lab, agent and country strategies management expertise with an excellent relationship skills with customers, distributors, dealers and end users. She has a chemical engineering degree in dyeing and finishing from China Textile University. Huang has worked in both Australia and China in senior management positions. Huang will lead the group’s Greater China business from the newly created Shanghai office (瑞士海屹科新材料有限公司上海办事处).

  • Operations, Product Development, Sales and Technical Support Growth

Celine Huang 黄秀蔚 is named Chief Executive Officer for HeiQ Greater China and Ming Wen Liang 梁銘文is named Chief Executive Officer HeiQ Taiwan. Huang, with her background as a general manager of a large player in the same industry brings a total of over 20 years of solid testing lab, agent and country strategies management expertise with an excellent relationship skills with customers, distributors, dealers and end users. She has a chemical engineering degree in dyeing and finishing from China Textile University. Huang has worked in both Australia and China in senior management positions. Huang will lead the group’s Greater China business from the newly created Shanghai office (瑞士海屹科新材料有限公司上海办事处).

Liang will manage mill relations, technical support and distribution at HeiQ Taiwan. She brings close to 20 years of experience in textile and garment production supply chain focusing on sales, material innovation and development, sourcing and production. Liang holds a Bachelor of International Trade from the National Taipei University of Business, Taiwan, speaks Chinese, English and Spanish and has lived in both Taiwan and Argentina. And will be based in the new office in Taipei (瑞士海屹科有限公司).

HeiQ continues to increase its global footprint with the creation of HeiQ Shanghai and HeiQ Taiwan. In addition to HeiQ Hong Kong, these offices aim to provide dedicated technical support in the Greater China area, further broaden its geographical reach in strategic locations and support HeiQ’s brand partners’ manufacturing activities in the region.