From the Sector

Smart textiles have the potential to revolutionise healthcare. In his doctoral thesis in textile technology at the University of Borås, Emanuel Gunnarsson presents unique solutions to the bottleneck that has long inhibited the market.

With an ageing population, increasing demands are being placed on healthcare and smart textiles can offer a solution where only imagination sets limits. “The long-term goal of most smart textiles is for them to be so easy to use that the user doesn't think of them as anything more than regular garments. No special procedure should be needed to use them. If we succeed in that, we won't burden healthcare by having healthcare personnel administer vital parameter monitoring such as blood pressure and pulse, as the user can handle it themselves,” said Emanuel Gunnarsson.

In his work, he has investigated how a t-shirt for measuring heart rhythm and movement patterns, and garments for electrostimulation, can be produced in a single step. This involves the connection between the contact surfaces (electrodes), the insulated conductive paths between the electrode and the contact point, and the electrical measuring equipment required.

“This, as far as we know, has never been described before. We are completely convinced that this is the solution to a significant bottleneck when it comes to getting the smart textile market going in earnest,” said Emanuel Gunnarsson.

His work has resulted in two different simple ways to produce smart textiles. He demonstrates that sensors can be integrated using standard textile manufacturing methods. The research also includes criticism of some of the methods used to measure the functionality of smart textiles, and advice on how to do it better instead.

“The next natural step will be to see how these garments cope with one of the toughest challenges a garment faces, namely washing. Especially as these garments must be worn closest to the skin, they will need to be washed relatively often,” said Emanuel Gunnarsson.

Studies from other universities indicate that the yarns used to measure signals from the body do not withstand many washes, but after a small pilot study, Emanuel Gunnarsson is hopeful of the opposite.

Barry-Wehmiller announces the appointment of George Berg as the Vice President of Global Supply Chain. In this new role, Berg will lead and develop a team to serve as the primary contact between Barry-Wehmiller and its suppliers throughout the world.

Under Berg’s leadership, the Enterprise Supply Chain team will establish formal guidelines that govern business transactions with Barry-Wehmiller and outline clear expectations for suppliers. Specifically, they will set global procurement policies and establish global preferred suppliers to deliver greater value to customers.
This reorganization streamlines operations across the spectrum of Barry-Wehmiller companies and provides suppliers with more opportunities as they deliver savings, support innovation, increase quality and reduce lead times.

Berg brings a wealth of experience in supply chain management. He joins Barry-Wehmiller from Robert Bosch, where he worked for 27 years in various supply chain, operation and finance roles. His most recent role was Vice President of Logistics and Supply Chain for the $1.6 billion automotive aftermarket division, where he led all supply chain functions, including planning, warehousing, transportation and foreign trade. Before that, he was the Chief Operating Officer of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning division. He also served as the Chief Financial Officer of the packaging division, which manufactured vertical and horizontal packaging systems for the food industry.

Jan Karnath (39), a nephew of Bernd Reifenhäuser (CEO) and Ulrich Reifenhäuser (CSO), is the first representative of the fourth generation to join the operational business of the Reifenhäuser Group. His start paves the way for the continuous development of the family business and reinforces the transformation from machine manufacturer to solution provider: As the company's first Chief Digital Officer, Karnath will henceforth be responsible for and steer the Group's digital transformation.

In his new position as Chief Digital Officer, Jan Karnath is responsible for the strategic and operational development of all Reifenhäuser units whose business model is based on digital products: The tech start-up RE: GmbH, which specializes in connecting entire production facilities, AR:DEL, Reifenhäuser's digital education and learning platform, and R-Cycle, the digital product passport for sustainable packaging. In addition, Karnath is responsible for the Group's overall digital strategy: he will continue to develop the portfolio of digital products and ensure that all relevant digital initiatives are integrated into strategic planning.

Jan Karnath has over 15 years of experience in the digital business. He studied Management in Vienna and Digital Transformation & Innovation at Stanford University. He then began his career at SAP and has since successfully led several digital companies as a board member and founder. Investors in these companies have included EQT and Porsche AG.

INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, announced three recipients for the INDA Lifetime Service Award and Lifetime Technical Achievement Awards. David Powling, Paul Latten, and Arnold Wilkie are being recognized for their key contributions to the advancement of the nonwovens industry and INDA.

David Powling and Paul Latten will receive their awards at the World of Wipes® (WOW) International Conference, June 18th beginning at 4:30 pm
Arnold Wilkie will receive his award at the RISE® Conference, October 1st at 4:30 pm.

The Award recipients are:

David Powling
David Powling has worked for Kimberly-Clark Corporation for nearly 25 years and has been a contributor to the Wipes Task Force and Technical Committees at INDA and EDANA for over 15 years. Powling served as Chairman of the INDA Wipes Task Force from 2009-2013. His work on these committees include developing the first and second edition of the Flushability Guidance Document (GD) and he was later instrumental in the roll out of the third and fourth edition GDs. Throughout this time, Powling coordinated activities with Kimberly-Clark Corporation to provide critical supporting data, as these flushability test protocols were developed.

Powling has been actively involved in collection studies where he was key in framing the work packages of those studies, collating and analyzing the data, and drafting reports. These collection studies include: Moraga, CA (advisor); Maine – Part #1 and Part #2 (hands-on); Jacksonville (hands-on); and the Northern and Southern California studies in 2023, which combined, was the largest study to date. Powling led the charge in the California study and was personally involved in identifying 1,745 samples.

Powling has been a key technical contributor to the INDA Government Relation efforts that has resulted in labelling regulations in multiple U.S. states. He has also been an active participant in efforts to develop an ISO standard for flushable products.  In this effort, he was a test method sub-team leader during the preparation of the proposed ISO standard responsible for organizing appendices of existing flushability methodologies. Additionally, Powling has been awarded, or has pending, 25+ U.S. patents, including many covering the development of dispersible wet wipes.

Paul Latten
Paul Latten has been an active member of the nonwoven and fiber industries for over 35 years. Most recently he has led innovation at Southeast Nonwovens, commercializing more than 75 new nonwoven products per year. Prior to joining Southeast Nonwovens, Latten held senior leadership positions with Basofil, Consolidated Fibers, Invista, and KoSa (and Trevira and Hoechst Celanese precursors to KoSa.)

Latten has a successful career of reinvigorating company R&D efforts by instilling a focus on customer-centric innovation. He is an inventor of record for a number of patents and pending applications. Latten has given numerous presentations on innovative nonwoven materials, at events such as INDA’s World of Wipes® (WOW) International Conference, RISE® (Research, Innovation & Science for Engineered Fabrics), the VISION International Conference, and the Converting and Bonding (CAB) Conference.

His recent innovations have been diverse in scope and include nonwovens for use in hydrogen fuel cells, moisture detection media, proprietary wipe designs, and natural fiber-based packaging. Aside from new fiber and nonwoven products, Latten has championed process innovation that has resulted in tangible output gains that broadened the market opportunity for his current and prior companies.

Latten’s portfolio of innovations has spanned across the nonwoven markets, often involving wetlaid and drylaid nonwovens. These include materials for moisture detection, synthetic papers, fuel cell cathodes, protective covers for treats, melamine nonwovens for surface treatment, and the development of binder fibers. His work also touched upon disposable hygiene applications entailing dry-laid web containing hollow synthetic fibers to improve absorbent core fluid uptake.

Latten has been a board member of INDA for multiple terms and served as Chairman in 2008-2010. Additionally, he has contributed to many INDA conference planning committees, helping drive the success of these events.

Arnold Wilkie
Arnold Wilkie has a distinguished career in advancing yarn, fiber, and nonwoven technologies since 1970. Since 1988, he has been President and Owner of Hills, Inc. where he has sustained their innovative culture. Wilkie has over 40 patents and applications covering yarns, bicomponent fibers, ultra-fine fibers, nanofibers, dissolvable filaments, meltblown nonwovens, and polymer processing innovations. He established Hills as a leading innovator in bicomponent fiber nonwovens and in the equipment to produce these materials. During Wilkie’s time leading Hills, their pilot capabilities have become well-known and highly regarded for enabling material innovations.

Many of his patents pertain to the development of equipment solutions that enable the production of complex bi- and multi-component fiber structures. These solutions include the method of forming a continuous filament spun-laid web, the method and apparatus for producing polymer fibers and fabrics including multiple polymer components, the method and apparatus for controlling airflow in a fiber extrusion system, and controlling the dissolution of dissolvable polymer components in plural component fibers.

Arnold Wilkie, President, Hills, Inc., earned his bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Tennessee and an MBA from the University of West Florida. He is a licensed Professional Engineer in Florida, and has been engaged in the synthetic fibers industry since 1970. The first 17 years were with the Monsanto Company, where he held positions in Fiber Process Engineering, Fiber Product R&D, and Product Management. Since 1988, he has been a majority Owner and President of Hills, Inc., a 52-year-old company located in West Melbourne, Florida, specializing in the development, manufacture, and supply of advanced custom fiber extrusion equipment. Wilkie has been involved with and supported The Nonwovens Institute, since its founding in 1991 as the Nonwovens Cooperative Research Center (NCRC), with Hills joining as a Member in 2001

Victoria Beckham's new collection for Mango, which coincides with the brand’s 40th anniversary, will go on sale internationally on April 23th, 2024.
The collaboration is part of Mango’s new 2024-26 Strategic Plan Elevate lever, which aims to reinforce the company’s differential value proposition based on aspirationalism, quality and its unique style.

Mango is teaming up with Victoria Beckham to launch a new capsule collection, which will be available internationally on April 23, 2024. Victoria Beckham x Mango has been designed by Victoria Beckham and reflects the essence of the designer's eponymous label, considered the perfect blend of classic British luxury with a subtle contemporary twist, as well as the shared values of both fashion brands, such as quality and femininity.

The new collection, which coincides with Mango's 40th anniversary, is the latest in a series of collaborations with other brands, artists and talents including SIMONMILLER, Camille Charrière, and Pernille Teisbaek. It follows the latest edition in Mango’s Capsule collection, a collection of eventwear for woman differentiated by the quality of its materials and finishes, which was released in March 2024 after being launched in 2023.

Mango’s collaboration with Victoria Beckham is part of the new Strategic Plan 2024-26, which aims to generate total turnover of more than 4 billion euros by 2026 through a differentiated value proposition, strong expansion drive, and improving sales in existing stores and online channels, as presented by the company last March.

The collaboration supports Elevate, one of the core pillars of the Plan. Elevate focuses on promoting a differential value proposition in all lines through aspirationalism, quality and a unique style designed in Barcelona, with excellent customer service. Since its inception, Mango has a very clear DNA and its own design and style proposal, whose main attribute is a positioning of superior quality to its competitors.

INDA is warmly remembering CK Wong, a veteran of the nonwovens industry for more than five decades and long-time member of INDA’s Board of Directors and Executive Committee. Wong passed away on March 22, 2024 at the age of 86.

Wong recognized the importance of the emerging nonwovens industry in the early 1970s. He began his career in the 1980s as a marketing consultant and, one year later, Wong set up his corporate headquarters in Hong Kong to convert nonwoven roll goods into disposable medical and industrial protection products. Over the past 35 years, Wong’s business grew to include household, beauty salon, sports applications, and other value-added products.

In 1994 Wong’s company officially became U.S. Pacific Nonwovens Industry Limited. His business expanded with a new converting plant in Dongguan, China, and in 2007 he invested in an adjacent building to handle his growing business. In 2018 Wong’s business broadened to include manufacturing PLA nonwovens. In addition to converted products, Wong’s business provided sales, service, and training for nonwovens equipment.

Wong was an active member at INDA since the late 90s. He served as Vice Chair of Finance on the Board of Directors for many years before becoming an Appointee on INDA’s Executive Committee. Wong was instrumental in helping INDA set up partnerships with key contacts and associations in China. He was also the Honorable Chairman for the Guangdong Nonwovens Association (GDNA) and the China Nonwovens & Industrial Textiles Association (Spunbond Division).