From the Sector

• Expert Speakers Delivering Key Region Market Updates

Industry leaders will gain a compelling region-by-region view of the nonwovens industry from experts presenting the latest nonwovens trends in their areas of the world at IDEA®22, March 29-31 in Miami Beach.

Speakers with the latest knowledge will deliver important nonwoven market updates, demand forecasts and research findings on the industry in China, Asia, South America, North America and Europe.

The conference will explore how each region has responded to the pandemic challenges and supply chain issues with new innovations and solutions, providing IDEA®  attendees with vital insights for decision-making.

Program highlights include:

• Overview and Green Innovation Development of China’s Nonwovens Industry,  by Guimei Li, Vice President, China Nonwovens and Industrial Textiles Association (CNITA) on March 29
• South America – Land of Opportunity or Land of Turbulence? The Recent History and Trends That Are Shaping the South American Nonwovens Market, presented by Mariana Mynarski, Corporate Marketing Manager, Fitesa on March 29
• Asian Nonwovens Production and Market Update by Chan-Hyou Park, Chairman, Asia Nonwoven Fabrics Association (ANFA) on March 30
• Understanding the State of the North American Nonwovens Industry and a Market Gone Mad presented by Brad Kalil, INDA Director of Market Intelligence and Economic Insights on March 31
• An Overview of Key Issues Facing Nonwovens on Top of European Market Trends presented by Pierre Wiertz, General Manager, EDANA on March 31

IDEA® Award Presentations
Another conference highlight will be the presentation of the IDEA® 2022 Achievement Awards in partnership with Nonwovens Industry magazine, based on the results of online voting in six categories as well as the announcement of the first Sustainability Advancement Award on March 30.

IDEA® – the World’s Preeminent Event for the Nonwovens & Engineered Fabrics Industry – will feature several hundred exhibitors from a myriad of industry sectors and is expected to once again draw an audience of several thousand senior-level buyers and attendees from over 60 countries to the Miami Beach Convention Center. A welcome reception will be held to officially kick off the event on March 28.

IDEA®22 Essentials of Nonwovens Training Courses
Product developers, marketing managers, technical sales, support and other professionals can expand their industry-focused knowledge by attending the IDEA®22 Essentials of Nonwovens Training Courses.

This vital training program will provide an immersive dive into the latest nonwoven technologies, industry segments and more with courses on absorbent hygiene cores, making nonwovens, industrial wipes and consumer wipes.

A must-attend educational session on patent searching on March 31 will cover the latest major changes in patent searches on the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) website that has been updated to enhance user experience. 

• INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, today announced six new board members and its 2022 slate of officers to guide the success of the nonwovens industry and its members.

Elected by the INDA membership to three-year terms that began on March 1, the new board members bring a high level of diverse expertise and insight to the management of the association as it moves forward with its vibrant growth.

“I am delighted to welcome such a strong group of new board members who bring deep industry knowledge and insights to provide strategic stewardship for our association,” said Dave Rousse, INDA President. “We look forward to working with them to advance INDA’s new value proposition to enhance our industry’s leadership position and deliver greater value to our members.”

The new board members are from global leaders Lenzing Group, Bast Fibre Technologies, Reifenhauser Reicofil, Rockline Industries, Hollingsworth & Vose Company and Principle Business Enterprises.  

INDA also announced Bryan Haynes, Ph.D., R&E Technical Director Kimberly-Clark, has been named Chairman of the Board. Barbara Lawless, Vice President Sales and Marketing, Medical Products, Precision Fabrics Group, Inc. has been elected Vice Chair of Finance, and Richard Altice, President and CEO of NatureWorks, has been appointed to INDA’s Executive Committee.

The new board members are:

• Jürgen Eizinger, Senior Commercial Director, Nonwovens Business EU/AM/MEA, Lenzing Group

Eizinger has nearly 20 years of fiber industry experience. He has been with the Lenzing Group since 2001 and most recently was Vice President of the Global Nonwoven Business. He has worked at multiple locations around the world and held various commercial, engineering and technical customer services roles.

• Jim Posa, President and General Manager, Bast Fibre Technologies, Inc.

Posa has 30-plus years of nonwovens experience and has successfully led businesses from startups to some of the largest companies in the nonwovens market. He has developed and implemented strategic business, development, operational and acquisition growth plans. His teams have worked with businesses focused on most of the major end use markets such as hygiene, wipes, filtration, medical and industrial. As a senior executive, Posa has led global businesses at Fiberweb, BP/Amoco, CEO of a Nisseki/Amoco joint venture (ANCI), Lydall, and Nitto America. A long-time INDA supporter, he has previously served on committees and as a Board member.

• Markus Mueller – Sales Director and Board Member, Reifenhauser Reicofil

Mueller brings to the INDA Board 35 years of experience with Reifenhauser in the nonwovens and film industries. His experience has included roles as PLC Engineer, Commissioning Engineer, Project Manager and Sales Manager. Mueller has extensive knowledge of the global hygiene and medical nonwovens markets. He holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Technical University of Cologne.

• Matt Koele, Director of Global Materials Development, Rockline Industries

Koele is based at Rockline’s headquarters in Sheboygan, WI.  Before joining Rockline in 2012, he has held several business and Research and Development (R&D) leadership positions at SC Johnson and Kimberly-Clark Corporation. An inventor with over 10 patents, Koele is a magna cum laude graduate of Michigan Technological University in Chemical Engineering.

• Mike Clark, President, Filtration Solutions, Hollingsworth & Vose Company

Clark joined H&V in 2003 and has held numerous leadership positions in the U.S. and Germany. He previously served as the President of the High Efficiency and Specialty Filtration Division from 2009 to 2020.  Before joining H&V, Clark was a strategy consultant for eight years working with Fortune 100 manufacturing companies. He holds a bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

• Andrew Stocking, Ph.D., President and CEO, Principle Business Enterprises, Inc. (PBE)

Stocking joined PBE in 2017 after a career in engineering, technology, nonprofits and government. He was named President and COO in 2018, then President and CEO in 2020, becoming the third-generation leader of the family-owned organization. He previously held roles in the private sector and within federal government offices, including the Department of Energy and Congressional Budget Office. He earned a BS in Chemical Engineering and an MS in Civil Engineering from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. in Resource Economics from the University of Maryland.

The 21-member board is comprised of elected Board Officers. One-third of the entire Board is elected each year for a three-year term by a majority vote of INDA’s general membership. INDA’s Executive Committee, empowered to act on behalf of the Board between meetings, consists of the Board Officers plus four appointees.

• International technology group ANDRITZ has received an order from Romatex (Pty) Ltd., South Africa, to supply a new batt forming line.

The line will be dedicated to the production of Maliwatt products used in a wide range of applications, including home textiles. Start-up of the line is planned for the fourth quarter of 2022.

ANDRITZ will deliver dedicated batt forming equipment, mixing an aXcess card and an eXcelle crosslapper to achieve the technical characteristics Romatex requires in terms of product quality and line performance. This new stitchbonding line will enable Romatex to better serve the growing customer requirements in terms of availability of high-quality products.

This will be the third line supplied by ANDRITZ to Romatex in four years. Helmut Höck, General Manager Operations at Romatex, says: “We bought our first line from ANDRITZ in 2017, then another one in 2019. We have been very satisfied with the close collaboration between our companies, the flexibility and reliability of the machines, as well as the excellent service from ANDRITZ over all these years. The experience has been uncomplicated. This has given us the confidence to consider ANDRITZ for a further investment.”

ANDRITZ is one of the global market leaders for supply of nonwoven production technologies, including batt forming equipment for the stitchbonding processes used to make Maliwatt, Malivlies and Multiknit. This segment addresses a variety of applications, including automotive, household, bedding, footwear, wipes, and many others.

Romatex is the leader in Maliwatt stitchbonding in Africa. Its facility is located in Cape Town. One of the company’s key strengths is its product diversification. Today, the company offers a complete range of bed linen, duvets, pillows, and stitchbonded products.

• A springboard for entrepreneurs in the composites industry

In a few years, JEC Composites Startup Booster has became a reference for entrepreneurship in the composites industry worldwide. Each year before JEC World, among the startups that submitted their application, 20 of them are selected. 20 finalists from all over the world who will join the leading composites trade show to pitch their project on stage before a panel of expert judges.

This competition is a unique opportunity to network and shine a light on what will be the future of the composites industry so save the date: the two pitches sessions will happen on May 3rd, and the winners will be named on May, 4th at 2.45 pm at JEC World 2022 in Paris as well as online on JEC World Connect platform. This year’s competition is sponsored by Airbus & Mercedes-Benz (Main Innovation Partners) as well as Magna Exteriors (Innovation Partner).

Launched in 2017, Startup Booster has been organized in three different regions (Europe, USA and Asia) and has already fostered the emergence of 500+ innovative projects from 50+ countries, 80 finalists and 30 winners, including Arevo, Continuous Composites, ComPair, Fortify and Vartega…
This challenge not only represents an opportunity to the winners of the trophy but to all the parts involved: participants, jury, official partners and the worldwide audience of JEC World. It brings the entire composites value chain together, creating future business opportunities.

The 20 finalists are divided into two categories:
• Process, Manufacturing & Equipment
• Materials & Products

The jury includes representatives from major manufacturers and investors:
Jelle BLOEMHOF, Head of Manufacturing Technologies of Composite, Airbus
Karl-Heinz FULLER, Head of Future Outside & Materials Mercedes-Benz AG
Florent ILLAT, Head of Safran Corporate Ventures, Safran
Brian KRULL, Global Director of Innovation, Magna Exteriors
Tim VORAGE, Founder and Manager Growth Garage Accelerator , Mitsubishi Chemicals Advanced Materials

Two pitch sessions of 10 presentations each will be held in the Agora stage (Hall 5), on Tuesday, May 3, from 10am to 11.25am (Category: Products & Materials) and from 4.30pm to 5.55pm (Category: Process, Manufacturing & Equipment). Three winners will be chosen by the jury and one winner for the sustainable aspects of the project. The awards ceremony will be held on Wednesday, May, 4th at 2.45 pm.

Category “Products & Materials”
o Blackleaf (France)
o Dongnam Realize (South Korea)
o FibreCoat (Germany)
o FVMat (Israel)
o Ora Graphene Audio (Canada)
o Pangolin Defense (France)
o Phononic Vibes (Italy)
o Revolve (Germany)
o Smart Resilin (Israel)
o Space Walker (Japan)

Category “Process, Manufacturing & Equipment”
o Antefil Composite Tech (Switzerland)
o ANYBRID (Germany)
o Atomic-6 (USA)
o Carbon-Drive (Germany)
o Continuum (Denmark)
o Fibraworks (Germany)
o Herone (Germany)
o RVmagnetics (Slovakia)
o Touch Sensity (France)
o XARION Laser Acoustics (Austria)

Baldwin Technology Company Inc. is pleased to announce that sales professionals Scott Burnett and Thomas Kobrak have joined the organization. Baldwin recently realigned its sales teams to provide a single regional point of contact for printing and packaging industry customers, optimizing service and simplifying access to the company’s process-improvement and consumables technologies, as well as access to technical experts.

Burnett is now serving as Baldwin’s Regional Sales Manager for the west-central region. He is responsible for driving sales growth with print and packaging customers in Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming. His experience within the industry and the knowledge he gained from previously being a Baldwin customer at Cedar Graphics in Iowa uniquely position him to understand customers’ needs and share the value of Baldwin’s products.

In addition, Kobrak is now serving as Baldwin’s Regional Sales Manager for the West Coast region. He is responsible for driving sales growth with print and packaging customers in Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and western Canada. Most recently, he was a sales representative for global film manufacturer Multi-Plastics.

For the second time in a row, the speciality viscose fibre manufacturer Kelheim Fibres was awarded a place on the podium at the Cellulose Fibre of the Year Awards. The concept for sustainable menstrual underwear made from Kelheim’s functionalised speciality fibres achieved third place. Kelheim Fibres thus emerges from the competition as the most innovative fibre manufacturer.

Project manager New Business Development Natalie Wunder presented the promising concept from Kelheim at the International Conference on Cellulose Fibres: "We have been able to use our experience as a long-established supplier for the tampon industry to develop further sustainable solutions in the feminine hygiene sector, in this case reusable menstrual underwear. As an innovation pioneer, we are thus helping to break the taboos that surround the topic of menstruation. We offer women the choice between different environmentally friendly products which also offer high levels of performance - depending on what fits their lifestyle."

For the next step, the commercialisation of the concept, Dr Marina Crnoja-Cosic, Director New Business Development at Kelheim Fibres, puts her trust in the proven open innovation approach: "We want to bring partners from the entire value chain together. By bringing in our joint expertise, we can significantly accelerate the path from idea to finished product in the market. At the same time, through open dialogue, we ensure that the concept works seamlessly from fibre through processing to the final product.

• Sustainability at Milano Unica:  Ecodesign for an environmentally friendly fashion industry.

A ski suit made of yarn obtained from recycled materials and fully recyclable at end-of-life, without giving up on style, design and technical performance: this is RadiciGroup’s business card at the 34th Milano Unica, the international high-end textiles trade show taking place at the Milan Rho Fairground on 1-2 February.

In the Innovation Area of TexCubTec, Sistema Moda Italia’s technical and functional textile section, visitors can see and touch the new uniform of the RadiciGroup Ski Club designed by RadiciGroup in collaboration with the DKB sportswear brand.

“The ski suit, consisting of jacket and trousers, is fashioned with fabric made of RENYCLE®, a RadiciGroup yarn obtained from mechanically recycled nylon,” pointed out Marco De Silvestri, sales & marketing manager – Apparel and Technical of RadiciGroup Advanced Textile Solutions business area. “In addition, the suit’s padding and numerous accessories, such as zippers, Velcro, buttons and thread, are also made of polyamide. It was an ambitious project and we reached a definitive goal: circularity in sportswear without compromising on performance. A goal achieved through continuous close collaboration with other companies in the chain to develop chemically compatible materials that guarantee the high technical performance required by this kind of application.”

At Milano Unica, besides RENYCLE®, RadiciGroup is showcasing garments made of   REPETABLE®, a polyester yarn obtained from post-consumer recycled plastic bottles, and articles made of BIOFEEL®, a brand identifying both nylon and polyester yarn made from renewable source materials.

• Hexcel HexPly® XF Selected for High-Quality, Paint-Ready Parts for Sunseeker 90 Ocean Luxury Yacht
• Hexcel’s innovative surface technology yields parts with paint-ready surfaces for builder of luxury yachts

Yacht builder Sunseeker has chosen Hexcel’s HexPly® XF surface technology to produce prepreg parts with high-quality, paint-ready surfaces quickly and efficiently for its 90 Ocean luxury yacht, one of its newest models.

The lightweight composite hardtop for the Sunseeker 90 Ocean yacht is manufactured from a combination of HexPly® XF and Hexcel's HexPly® SuperFIT® semi-preg. The hardtop is lighter in weight than versions made using resin-infusion processes, and it de-molds with a pinhole-free surface that needs minimal preparation to be ready for paint. Sunseeker has recorded an overall reduction in process time of around 30%, saving three days of manufacturing time per hardtop.

The hardtop provides shade and protection for the yacht’s uppermost deck space. Its reduced weight helps to ensure the stability of the vessel, and the paint-ready finish with HexPly XF provides Sunseeker with more options for customizing its color to the individual needs of its clients.
 
HexPly XF is a lightweight, non-woven semi-preg that eliminates the need to use a traditional in-mold gel coat. The innovative surface technology significantly reduces the costly and time-consuming refinishing work typically required to impart a paint-ready finish to prepreg or semi-preg parts, and yields lightweight, consistent components in short cycle times.

Working with Sunseeker, Hexcel developed a material format, a laminate ply sequence, and a production process that satisfied the structural requirements for the hardtop and enabled the yacht builder’s production team to lay up and cure the part in a single shot – slashing cycle times.

Hexcel supplies Sunseeker with a HexPly XF product that comprises both the surface layer and the first structural reinforcement ply, eliminating the need for a cosmetic barrier coat. Neither the HexPly XF surface layer nor the following layers of HexPly SuperFIT require time-consuming debulking steps – significantly reducing lay-up time – and both are based on Hexcel's rapid-curing M79 epoxy resin system. Adhesive resin films are not needed to bond the hardtop’s foam core, as the resin content of the SuperFIT plies has been adjusted to further reduce overall process time.

Once de-molded, the cured hardtops are inspected before they are passed to Sunseeker’s finishing and painting technicians for final preparation and painting. The HexPly XF resin surface allows the yacht builder’s quality technicians to inspect the laminate below quickly and easily, ensuring the quality and consistency of the structural reinforcement plies.

“Composite materials that improve our production processes, as well as great technical support, are what makes working with Hexcel such a success story," said Stuart Vaughan-Jones, Composite Development Manager, Sunseeker. "With the switch from gel coat and resin infusion to HexPly XF and SuperFIT in the new hardtops, we are now building lighter, more consistent parts, more quickly than before, with a higher quality surface finish. XF really has ticked all the boxes.”  

Garth Thomas, Account Manager – Marine, Hexcel, said: "With the HexPly XF surface technology now well established, XF will soon be used in other large moldings where minimizing weight is critical, as well as additional hardtops across the Sunseeker model range."

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, and Jeanologia, a world leader in sustainable and efficient technology development, joined forces to launch an eco-advanced alternative to the denim fabric washing process, including in some cases the mercerization, one of the most water-intensive and pollutant processes of denim fabric finishing.

It all starts with the spinning step where the cotton is turned into yarn. The second step is a pretreatment that will prepare the yarn for the dyeing step. The dyed yarn then goes through the sizing process, which is a treatment preparing it for weaving. At this stage, we have obtained a denim fabric that will go through a few more steps. First, the fabric may undergo a washing treatment or, in some cases, mercerizing treatment which consists of treating it with caustic soda in order to obtain a more lustrous, flat and less reddish blue and black denim.

In both traditional ways to clean the fabric, washing or mercerizing, multiple highly water intensive washings are required in order to restore optimal fabric pH and remove unfixed dyestuff and any undesired deposits or impurities from the fabric. One of such impurities released in the washing process is aniline, a substance that is classified as a category 2 carcinogen and considered toxic to aquatic life.

That is why Archroma and Jeanologia decided to team up and develop an alternative to the traditional fabric cleaning process and its subsequent water-intensive and water-polluting washings.

• The breakthrough alternative to the fabric cleaning concept presented by Jeanologia and Archroma combines the use of the aniline-free* PURE INDIGO ICON dyeing system of Archroma, and the water-free** and chemical-free “G2 Dynamic“ finishing technology of Jeanologia.
• The Archroma/Jeanologia solution allows to create aniline-free* denim, and improve the final aspect of the fabric through a fully chemical-free and almost water-free** cleaning alternative treatment.
• The Archroma/Jeanologia solution can also be used with additional Archroma coloration systems such as INDIGO REFLECTION or PURE UNDERTONES.

Umberto Devita, Business Development Manager at Archroma’s Competence Center for Denim & Casual Wear, who was the project leader for this new development, comments: “At Archroma, we strive to develop solutions in line with our principles of “The Archroma Way to a Sustainable World: Safe, efficient, enhanced, it’s our nature”. It was therefore very inspiring to work with a partner who shares the same values of developing efficient new processes to bring all know-how to our customers to maximize value – for denim that looks as good as the good it creates.”

For Jean-Pierre Inchauspe, Business Director of G2 Dynamic at Jeanologia, “this association is another step to change traditional, more polluting and water consuming processes in the textile industry for new ones using technology, improving, and boosting subsequent production stages up to the finishing of the garment, making them more efficient and allowing companies to be more competitive, increase productivity and offer a product that is completely sustainable with high quality.”

«Armalith^® is the story of my passions. Firstly textiles, which opened the doors to the great ready-to-wear and haute couture houses. Then motorcycling, an incredible vehicle for finding freedom and meeting people. In 2003, I combined these two passions by creating Armalith^® with one idea in mind: to offer the best possible protection to bikers without compromising on the comfort and authenticity of a real pair of jeans. Today, Armalith 2.0^® is the denim of choice for the most prestigious brands for their abrasion protection equipment.» Pierre-Henry Servajean, Armalith^® MK Support manager.

Armalith 2.0 in facts:

• The mechanical qualities of leather with the comfort of denim
• Extreme resistance to cuts, traction, tears and abrasion
• High UV resistance that preserves its mechanical properties
• One layer for resistance that is superior to any lined products

High technology for high security
The heart of the armour is made of UHMWPE (high molecular weight polyethylene). This high resistance fiber comes from aerospace research; it is used for space module re-entry ropes, military armour, mooring cables for offshore platforms and more. This core is then covered with a cotton fiber using an exclusive and patented process, and combined with LYCRA^® dualFX^® technology for a powerful and durable stretch.

High resistance for high protection
High-tech integrated into authentic denim for unique comfort and protection, Armalith 2.0^® meets the most demanding standards such as Darmstadt and Cambridge, which are more scientific than the CE certification.
Armalith 2.0^® is available in 3 grades - A, AA and AAA - to cover all needs from urban use to maximum protection against abrasion. In its EXO (KNIT) form, Armalith 2.0^® can be used as a lining to increase resistance in specific areas without using other uncomfortable solutions.

High comfort for high style
Safety in a single layer of fabric, comfort, softness, stretchability, and style! Armalith 2.0^® is a real denim. Soft, supple, comfortable, breathable and hydrophilic, it allows all the usual textures, dyes, prints and finishing in low temperatures.

Armalith 2.0^® is an ethical and responsible denim

• GRS cotton sourced from Greece.
• Designed in France, manufactured and produced on a single site - spinning, dyeing, indigo, weaving, finishing - at Tejidos Royo in Spain.
• UHMWPE fibre requires half the energy to produce than aramids.
• The UHMWPE fibre used under the ARMALITH 2.0^® patent is continuous (no energy-intensive cracking) and untextured (no energy-intensive texturing).
• All Armalith 2.0^® denim manufacturing processes are carried out at low temperatures: a world first for stretch fabrics.
• No heavy metals used in the pigments, the indigo is made using a slow, cold, waterless process
• Resistant to more than a thousand washes for greater longevity and without loss of elasticity.