From the Sector

In the latest technology innovation from members of TMAS (the Swedish textile machinery association), ACG Kinna and ACG Nyström have teamed up with Juki Corporation – the world’s leading sewing machine manufacturer – in the development of a new automated line concept that can considerably speed up the production of finished filter bags.

Woven or nonwoven filter bags employed in a wide range of industrial processes may be under the radar as products, but they represent a pretty significant percentage of technical textiles production.

According to a recent report from BCC research, a leading US analyst covering this sector, industrial filtration represented a $555 million market in 2019 and some of the key areas where such filter bags are employed include:

• Metal fabrication, with effective filtration required for manual and automated welding, thermal cutting, blasting and machining, especially for coolant filtration.
• The process and energy industries, including foundries, smelters, incinerators, asphalt works and energy production plants.
• Other key manufacturing fields – often where dust is generated – including the production of timber, textiles, composites, waste handling and minerals, in addition to chemicals, food production, pharmaceuticals, electronics and agriculture.

Line integration
The new SFL-2000 line is the result of a four-year development project between Juki Central Europe, headquartered in Poland, and the two ACG companies.

It is capable of handling a wide range of different filter media, and as an all-in-one solution, can produce high quality and accurate seams to pre-defined parameters, with optional modules allowing for customised constructions.

Fashion giant H&M Group and Danish retailer Coop are joining chemical expert NGO ChemSec’s call to action to end the use of harmful PFAS chemicals in products and supply chains.
This commitment comes on the same day as award-winning actor Mark Ruffalo and director Todd Haynes address the EU Parliament to speak about the true story that inspired the duo’s latest film Dark Waters, in which an environmental attorney takes on chemical giant DuPont and exposes decades of PFAS pollution.
ChemSec’s corporate PFAS initiative includes:

• A call on policy makers to regulate PFAS efficiently, without the possibility for manufacturers to simply swap one PFAS chemical for an unregulated “cousin”.
• A call on the chemical industry to put money into innovation and develop safer alternatives to PFAS for all kinds of products.
• A recognition that PFAS are a major health and environmental problem.
• A serious commitment to end all non-essential PFAS uses in products and supply chains.
• A call on all other brands to join this commitment and work towards a phase-out of PFAS in all kinds of consumer products.

The single biggest problem with PFAS is that, with very few exceptions, they are perfectly legal to use. This means that the brands and retailers who want to stop it from being used as ingredients in their products have very limited ways of communicating this in the global supply chain. As long as there is not a restriction in place, suppliers will continue to use these very effective chemicals in manufacturing.  

PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, is a chemical family consisting of almost 5,000 industrially produced chemicals. In manufacturing, PFAS are favoured for their durability and well-functioning properties; they provide properties such as non-stick, water repellence and anti-grease to many types of products, including cosmetics, food packaging, frying pans, outdoor gear and firefighting foam.
The industrial use of PFAS has been so prevalent in the last decades that today 99% of every human, including foetuses, have measurable levels of PFAS in their bloodstreams.   
What is worrying is that human epidemiological studies have found associations between PFAS exposure and a number of health disorders, including various cancers, lowered birth weights and negative effects on the immune system.

In the AZL Workgroup "High-Performance SMC", a project was developed in cooperation with M-Base, the IKV and the AZL partner network for the efficient and standardized provision of engineering data for SMC. Within the scope of the project, companies can participate in the definition of the required characteristic material data, the guidelines for the production of test specimens and the test specifications.
Sheet Moulding Compounds (SMC) are used in various application areas such as vehicles, electronics, construction and infrastructure.

Driven by the requirements to reduce the production costs of lightweight components, a new generation of SMC components with high mechanical properties is of highest relevance. SMC offers enormous potential to realize structural components with good lightweight characteristics at significantly reduced costs compared to conventional continuous fiber-reinforced components.
In order to further establish SMC in broad industrial applications companies participating within the AZL Workgroup recognized the value of a data bank for data harmonization of SMC to provide the possibility of easily finding the right material with its characteristics for the needed specific requirements.

“The segment of SMC is with 250,000 tons production per year the largest composites market in Europe. I am very pleased that we start now with the project of data harmonization along the complete value chain. The goal is to have a similar data base as already established by Campus® for thermoplastics and thermoplastic composites. Only with a reliable set data we can convince the engineering experts to use SMC in a larger variety of applications,” says Dr. Michael Effing, Chairman of the Board of AVK and Composites Germany.

As of right now a databank for engineered thermoplastic materials (by Campus®) already exists and is offering an immense value.
Under the lead of M-Base, Dr. CEO Erwin Baur who has successfully established the CAMPUS database, the AZL, IKV and companies along the value chain of long fibre reinforced SMC initiated to build a CAMPUS-compatible data structure and material characterization methodology during the High-Performance SMC Workgroup Meetings.

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.

• Increasing demand for graphite-based automotive solutions
• Strengthening SGL Carbon’s site in Bonn

Over the past three years, SGL Carbon has invested a total of around 25 million euros in the modernization and expansion of its production capacities for specialty graphite automotive components at the Bonn site. The expansion project was completed at the end of last year and was inaugurated today at the site in an official ceremony. Besides the installation of partly new production facilities and a modernized production set-up, construction of a new, 2,000 m2 large hall for the production of the parts was implemented in the course of the expansion.

The background of the expansion is the continuously increasing demand for advanced solutions and products made from graphite in the automotive sector. Due to its durability, high strength, low friction behavior, and high conductivity, the material is suitable for many different automotive applications. Examples include rotors and vanes in vacuum pumps for brake boosters, bearings for exhaust gas management, and sealing rings and bearings for seals in coolant pumps. These solutions include applications for vehicles with conventional combustion engines as well as for e-mobility, thereby making an important contribution to clean driving, higher energy efficiency, and lower emissions.

“Automotive components made from specialty graphite are increasingly becoming the standard in many different applications in the automotive industry. Due to their special properties, they are more and more frequently replacing the materials previously used in pumps and seals, such as plastic and metal. By investing in the modernization and expansion of production in Bonn, we are consolidating our leading position in this market and offering our customers real added value in the close partnership with each other. Through the expansion, we are also strengthening our site in Bonn,” explains Burkhard Straube, President of the business unit Graphite Materials & Systems.

Swiss textile innovator HeiQ has added a new dimension to air management in the HeiQ Fresh product range – air purifying functionality that will be used in curtains from IKEA to reduce indoor air pollutants such as the Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) acetaldehyde, formaldehyde and nitrogen oxide (NO).

No electricity required, no extra space occupied, the Gunrid curtain from IKEA looks like an ordinary curtain but performs a novel function – it purifies indoor air because it is infused with the latest technology in the HeiQ Fresh range – HeiQ Fresh AIR. Gunrid curtains will be available in IKEA retail stores in 2020.

According to the World Health Organization, over 80% of urban residents are exposed to high levels of air pollution1. The concentration of VOCs indoors is generally higher than outdoors2.. While many VOCs are not considered as harmful to health, such as perfumes and fragrances, some others such as acetaldehyde, formaldehyde, nitrogen oxide (NO) and d-limonene and other semi-volatile polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons are attributed as responsible for significant negative impact on health by the World Health Organization (WHO). These VOCs come from outdoor sources as well as indoor sources such as furniture, paints, household cleaning products, sprays or cooking activities, as outlined in the clean air survey 2018, conducted by IKEA. Aiming to improve the lives of people through making everyday textiles more functional, HeiQ innovated a textile treatment that will use home fabrics such as curtains as a medium to purify the indoor air.

Since 2018 the CHT Group has broken new ground in communication with BeSoEFFECTIVE. Complex chemical interrelations are translated into simple and hardly technical words in combination with stylistically clear pictures.

The Best Solutions ”BeSo“ were specifically tailored to the communication with the target group of textile brands and retailers and do therefore not only appeal classic B2B clients but are also visible and comprehensible for end consumers of textile goods. The agency RTS Rieger Team from Leinfelden-Echterdingen that had already supported the new brand identity of the CHT Group in 2017 assisted CHT again in developing and creating the BeSoEFFECTIVE concept. One year after its publication, the communication concept has now achieved great success. BeSoEffective was honoured with the GWA Effie Award 2019 in bronze in Frankfurt am Main on 14th November.

Since 1981 the Effie has been awarded for efficiency in marketing communication by the Gesamtverband Kommunikationsagenturen GWA (general association of communication agencies). It’s not exclusively the convincing look or content of campaigns that is honoured by the jury of experts with the GWA Effie Award but it’s rather the proven success and efficiency of such ideas and campaigns. By using the BeSoEFFECTIVE communication the CHT Group has so far increased the brands’ & retailers’ demand for innovative effects by about 30 %.

with CHT products are put in a nutshell by BeSoEFFECTIVE. The brand promise BeSo (”Best Solution“) is supplemented by an effect name deriving from the corresponding functionality – BeSoCOOL, BeSoFRESH or BeSoSMOOTH. Thus, each effect of the portfolio is given a uniform yet individual branding and a clear structure. The functionality of each effect is supplemented by pronounced and symbolic pictures which visually stress the benefits.

Eric Knehr, Head of Brand & Retail Service of the CHT Group states: “To us its of utmost importance to speak our target group’s language. Therefore, our BeSoEFFECTIVE campaign focuses on a clear communication with unique pictures and a uniform effect branding. Our customers’ positive reactions and this award prove, that our strong concept optimally supports our daily work as well as market and customer demands. However, it also puts the excellent performance of our innovative and sustainable effects into the right light."

• A naturally advanced collection, a cutting-edge coloration technology, and a brand-new collaborative business model.
• TINTEX stands out at PERFORMANCE DAYS, the functional fabric fair for the sourcing in sports, work and corporate wear.
• Performance Days, Munich, November 13th -14th, 2019 –booth C08 / hall C1

The leading jersey manufacturer brings a new holistic and sustainable approach spun from the company’s DNA and woven in the mission to create Naturally Advanced fabrics.

The WEME collection - A/W 20/21
The new statement collection goes beyond intellectual and spiritual individual needs to embrace a communal vision blurring ‘we’ and ‘me’, ‘conscious’ and unconscious’, responsible innovation and creativity. Developed around the concept sub-collections ID, Superego and EGO, the range comes in electric and active tones and combines smart ingredients and processes to drive innovation by harnessing the company’s unique dyeing and finishing expertise.

The new fabrics are made from a mix of new generation fibers that enhance free movement such as REFIBRA™ by Lenzing, Q-NOVA® by Fulgar and the unique GRS certified premium stretch ROICA™ EF.  The smartcel™ powered ID sub-collection is defined by striped structures that simulate flaws on initially smooth and perfected surfaces and provides soothing, anti-inflammatory effects thanks to the inclusion of zinc oxide, provides soothing, anti-inflammatory effects. The “EGO” selection comes in rich purples, calm lilacs and feminine yellows and features natural fibers such as organic wool. The “Superego” is available in unique styles and colours, achieved thanks to Colorzen® and the Naturally Clean® finishing. Together these enhance the natural beauty of cotton and cellulosics eliminating harsh treatments and optimizing clean surfaces with vivid colors, and an exquisitely smooth hand feel. Transformed materials take such as ECOTEC® by Marchi&Fildi take the lead saving up to 77.9% in water compared with regular cottons.

COLORAU®
TINTEX’ cutting edge color technology which received the Sustainable Solution award in the May 2019 edition of Techtextil debuts in Munich. COLORAU®  was created with a Portuguese consortium constituted by premium realities and gives life to responsibly colored fabrics with antimicrobial properties, using natural dyes extracted from different types of natural plants resources that do not use salt in the production.

COLORAU® uses only compounds of natural origin such as thyme, boldo, peppermint, chestnut and gambier in the production of functional and sustainable textiles in a variety of fibers such as cotton, lyocell and wool. An eco-efficient and low temperature surface treatment improves the affinity between the textile substrate and these natural compounds. The technology features a selection of “performing” extracts for appropriate color fastness to light and washing as well as color durability and antimicrobial functionality.

CO.LAB

TINTEX is proud to announce CO.LAB, a smart and collaborative business model and a totally new supply chain developed in coordination and with the support of C.L.A.S.S.. The first sustainable and PETA-Approved collections are 100% traceable without compromising on quality and style. As co-leader and founding actor, TINTEX has invited Becri, Confetil and Pedrosa & Rodrigues, 3 leading companies, each producing specialized garment styles. The new collections are:

1. The ECOPERFORMER by TINTEX with Confetil collection meets the values of millennials and generation Z consumers. Sustainable, multitasking, gender neutral and designed to fit contemporary urban lifestyle. The collection comprises modern soft sports garment with fully transparent innovation values. The range flexes its muscles with the best sustainable and high-performative materials for comfort, ease and style. All selected fabrics are PeTA APPROVED VEGAN. Designed to win.
2. ‘LEGACY H20’ by TINTEX with Becri is 100% traceable and focuses on responsible water-management.
3. ‘SENSING SMARTS’ by TINTEX with Pedrosa & Rodrigues, a next-to-skin soft and sensual range of materials enhancing wellbeing and comfort while harnessing an innovative and responsible way of using chemical products for a greener and safest future.

Fortum, together with the sustainable fibre technology company Spinnova have today introduced the first prototype product born out of their joint development of using wheat straw in the production of highly sustainable textile fibre.

Fortum and Spinnova are showcasing the world’s first clothing made from agricultural waste, namely wheat straw, at the Textile Exchange Sustainability Conference in Vancouver, during 15-17 October. The showpieces include a knitted t-shirt, as well as a jacket and skirt made of a woven fabric on organic cotton warp.

The prototype material is unique also due to its extremely low environmental impact from raw material extraction, processing and manufacture, verified by life-cycle analysis (LCA).

“We are very excited to present this revolutionary textile. Today, wheat straw is mostly discarded or even burned in the fields. As it can now be used in numerous textile applications, this opens up huge possibilities globally. This cooperation is a tangible step towards Fortum’s strategy to build options for significant new businesses that improve resource efficiency and provide smart solutions for a cleaner world. We would like to invite more key industry players to join us in this journey,” says Heli Antila, VP, Biobased solutions at Fortum.

“We are all very proud of this amazing collaborative accomplishment! This was a very fast journey from the first trials to real, appealing fabric materials. This shows that wheat straw-based fibre is well on its way to being a drop-in product of the most sustainable kind,” says Spinnova’s CEO Janne Poranen.

SEEK is edgy, clear and unpolished. It’s all about cool statement designs, the new classics, denim and sportswear. SEEK is the trade show for the fashion community that knows the facts, prompts sales and meets the needs of the new generation of decision-makers. Compared to other trade shows, SEEK is particularly unconventional and the antidote to boring.

At the start of the season in January SEEK will be showcasing one thing more than anything – relevance. SEEK epitomises values like honesty, loyalty, consciousness of quality, local proximity; and the brands that exhibit at SEEK are on exactly the same page. The BRIGHT brands relevant to retail are now fully integrated.

FOCUS TOPICS

• Responsible Future
  Sustainability is part of SEEK’s DNA and has always informed how the team and community operate. Over 80 sustainable brands make up the brand portfolio, including players like Veja, Dedicated, Sandqvist and Kings of Indigo.
  The SEEK team places great value on personal contact with customers and puts a great deal of love into the details and in honest collaboration with all stakeholders.

• Retail Experiences
  There is no other comparable brand portfolio at any other trade show. SEEK’s unique brand mix is becoming even more dynamic, reflecting retail concepts that have had international success. In the world’s most in-demand stores, such as End Clothing (London), Voo Store (Berlin) and Caliroots (Stockholm), EUR 500 designs are placed next to EUR 50 t-shirts and bought by the same customers. That’s the status quo – end consumers decide on and bring the range to life

• #FASHIONTECH at SEEK
  Digitalisation remains one of the most important topics in the industry. For this and other reasons, formats of #FASHIONTECH will take place at SEEK. For the first time, topics relevant to SEEK will be initiated in the style of talks and masterclasses at #FASHIONTECH. SEEK is taking a fundamental look at topics such as Brand Building, Social Media and Gaming.