From the Sector

At the end of last year, KARL MAYER launched the TM 4 EL – a new, highly flexible machine for the mid-range segment in the four-bar tricot machine sector. The machine produces fabrics for upholstery, automotive interiors and outerwear, as well as sportswear items and home textiles.

Featuring KARL MAYER’s proven CFRP technology, the TM 4 EL is up to 30% faster than the previous four-bar tricot machine designed for the commodity sector.

The new TM 4 EL is offered in gauges E 28 and E 32. The available working widths are 210” and 280”, with a working width extension also available. Further width varieties are also planned. Equipment highlights include an integrated Laser Stop to detect yarn breakages early, and functional LED lighting, which illuminates the warp knitting area for easy handling and signals unplanned machine stops using the corresponding colour. The machine can be networked with KM.ON’s secure cloud via the k.ey device to utilise the KARL MAYER GROUP’s digital solutions. This includes, for example, the web-based lapping editor CORE LITE.

BTMA member Vickers Oils has marked an important milestone in its partnership with knitting machinery leader Lonati by earning Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) approval for its VICKERLUBE SOCK 46 needle oil.

VICKERLUBE SOCK 46 is a mineral-based needle lubricant designed to meet the criteria for modern knitting machine technology. It provides a high standard of lubrication as well as holding very good stability properties and having a high resistance to oxidation. The product is readily scourable and holds a well-balanced additive system meaning that it is fully compatible with all machine components. It can also be used with machines producing any yarn type – including tricky elastanes – to produce the highest quality end product.

Lonati, headquartered in Brescia, Italy, has been a prominent name in knitting machines for over 70 years, designing and manufacturing an impressive average of 8,000 annually. It places a strong emphasis on delivering the highest quality textile machinery, underpinned by a commitment to research and development that ensures the use of cutting-edge products, technologies and processes in its machines.

Vickers Oils, based in Leeds, West Yorkshire, shares these values, leading the industry in quality and assurance through its continuous focus on research and development, technological leadership, quality control and customer service. As it has done for almost two centuries – the company will mark its 200th anniversary in 2028.

Lonati is now officially recommending VICKERLUBE SOCK 46 for use in its single-cylinder GOAL series of knitting machines, marking a successful collaboration that required dedicated efforts from the teams of Lonati, Vickers Oils and its Italian representative Lubrogamma. Vickers Oils is committed to sustainable product development and VICKERLUBE SOCK 46 meets the clearly defined criteria set out by the Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS) and conforms to ZDHC MRSL Level 1 certification.

This year’s edition of ITMA ASIA + CITME proved to be a success for the exhibiting VDMA member companies. Measured by booked square metres, Germany had the largest contingent, among the foreign exhibitors. More than 40 VDMA member companies were exhibiting their innovative products in Shanghai.

Dr. Janpeter Horn, chairman of the VDMA Textile Machinery Association noted: “Although facing a difficult market situation, this year’s edition of ITMA ASIA + CITME has exceeded the expectations, both in terms of the number of visitors and the quality of the talks. The significant number of foreign visitors to the fair was particularly pleasing.”

Solutions were demonstrated for more sustainable textile productions by most of the exhibitors, and here the VDMA members presented their technologies for saving water, energy and raw materials under the heading “Smart technologies for green textile production.”  

Dr. Uwe Rondé, CEO, Saurer Intelligent Technology AG explained: “Saurer is satisfied with both the number of visitors and the quality of the discussions. Our booth was full from morning to evening with customers focused on latest technologies within the three mega trends: recycling, automation and digitalisation. Although machine utilisation in the spinning mills is still well below average, people are already gathering information and thinking about what to invest in once the market recovers.”

Benjamin Reiners, owner of Reiners + Fürst stated: „This year’s ITMA ASIA + CITME has exceeded our expectations by far. Especially the first day - a Sunday - has brought many high-quality customers and exclusively decision makers to our booth. We estimate about 20% international customers mainly from Bangladesh, Egypt, India, Iran, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Vietnam. All customers agreed that the market situation at the moment is difficult, capacity usage is between 50-75% in the ring spinning sector and improvement is expected not before the 2nd half of 2024. Nevertheless the general spirit is very positive.“

“This ITMA ASIA was a great success for Trützschler. We welcomed a large number of Chinese visitors to our booth, as well as a significant number of interested international visitors”, said Dr. Bettina Temath, Head of Global Marketing Trützschler Group SE.

Georg Stausberg, CEO of the polymer processing solutions division and chief sustainability officer of the Oerlikon Group stated: „We can look back on a successful show where we were able to meet many of our customers not only from China, but also from Pakistan, India and Indonesia, for example.”

“A very well-attended trade fair, with interesting discussions, great innovative topics, in line with the modern and rapidly developing China" noted Wolfgang Schöffl, head of product line weaving machines and member of the extended management, Lindauer Dornier.

The VDMA Textile Machinery Association and VDMA China were present at the fair, to support the members e.g. with regard to IPR. With the help of a VDMA expert and a contracted law firm, the member company Sahm submitted a complaint application for patent infringement disputes during the exhibition to the onsite IPR office. Both parties, Sahm, and the Chinese company, that used patented design without permission reached an agreement: The Chinese company had to stop displaying functions and designs involving patent infringement on site which meant the removal of some structural parts and the covering of key components protected by patent protection.

Dr. Harald Weber, managing director of VDMA Textile Machinery concluded: “Asia, and China in particular, represent the primary foreign markets for the VDMA member companies in the sector. The Chinese market is the main destination for their exports. Other major export destinations in Asia include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Uzbekistan. ITMA ASIA + CITME provides a unique platform to showcase technologies for customers directly in Asia. The VDMA member companies are looking forward to the coming edition of the fair from 14 to 18 October 2024 in Shanghai.”

The latest survey of VDMA members' subsidiaries in China gives reason to hope that the economic situation in the Chinese textile industry could also improve significantly in the second half of the year. In addition, European textile machinery manufacturers are urged to be present on the most important market and at the trade fair and to offer Asian customers most advanced technology for their demanding challenges.

Partnership between Nouvelles Fibres Textiles, Pellenc ST and ANDRITZ promotes circular economy for textiles.

France’s first industrial plant for automated sorting and recycling of textile waste was officially inaugurated at Nouvelles Fibres Textiles, Amplepuis, on November 30, 2023. The plant is the result of an ambitious partnership between textile recycling company Nouvelles Fibres Textiles, waste sorting specialist Pellenc ST and international technology group ANDRITZ, a specialist in textile recycling machinery and processes.

Capable of automatically sorting garments by composition and color, the new line meets the needs of both post-consumer and post-industrial waste markets. The line also removes hard parts such as buttons and zippers to prepare the material for further processing in an ANDRITZ tearing machine.

The automated textile sorting line at Nouvelles Fibres Textiles is dedicated to industrial-scale production, customer trials and projects, and the R&D activities of the partners. It will process textile waste to produce recycled fibers for the spinning, nonwovens, and composites industries.

Automated sorting was the last missing link needed to develop a complete ecosystem in France, where the fashion industry, social and solidarity economy actors, waste management companies, and textile producers from different sectors are working together towards a textile circular economy.

The EU's strategy for sustainable and circular textiles aims to ensure that by 2030 textile products are made to a great extent of recycled fibers and incineration and landfilling of textiles are minimized.

EasyCut Studio, a developer of sign-making software solutions, has launched a new enhancement to its vinyl cutting software, Easy Cut Studio, which now includes true shape nesting.

This new feature enables all users to reduce their material waste in average by 40%. The option improves the arrangement of multiple objects per job by rearranging the objects based on their actual shape.

In addition to the new nesting feature, this update also includes more than 10 new cutter drivers, the official support of macOS Sonoma, several bug fixes, compatible with several new vinyl cutters and improvements to the stability and performance of the software, enabling users to design, print and cut more efficiently.

In China, the textile industry is forward-looking and resilient – with a healthy appetite for new technologies and a determination to keep its leading position. Sustainability is increasingly coming into focus, so there is a growing demand for recycling technologies, as well as automated solutions and digitalization. Cornelia Buchwalder, Secretary General of the Swiss Textile Machinery Association, is clear: “China is the main market for a large number of our association members.” On top of growing consumer demand and technological capabilities, the latest ambitious five-year plan will drive further development of the Chinese textile industry in world markets, and Swiss companies will work with all stakeholders to enable its success.

Market proximity
Swiss companies realized many years ago that geographical proximity is the key to success. Stäubli has started to set up offices in Chinese cities since 1998 and counts 12 locations today, to serve the whole country. In 2002, Itema established a centralized local branch which today has 160 employees in various functions. Loepfe has expanded its presence by creating an independent local business unit to overcome the 9,000 km distance by air, while Uster Technologies has had a Chinese subsidiary since 1982, with offices and service stations in different provinces. Luwa set up its offices and workshop in Shanghai in 1997. Rieter established a presence in mainland China in 2005, driven by a strong commitment to expanding the country’s know-how and expertise – and ten years later opened an advanced research center. All Swiss companies with serious business goals in China have made similar commitments to connect with customers and maintain strong relationships.

Understanding Chinese customers
Swiss companies also understand that Chinese customers require dedicated attention, and that speed is more essential than ever in delivering both machines and services.
Manufacturers in China are seeking cost-effective solutions to remain competitive, while consumers are looking for value in their purchases. Companies need to develop solutions that provide tangible economic benefits to their clients. Furthermore, energy savings have become paramount in China, due to the government's commitment to environmental sustainability and reduced carbon emissions. “Businesses are adopting more energy-efficient processes and technologies to meet stringent energy conservation and emission reduction targets,” says Peter Schnickmann, Managing Director at Luwa Air Engineering (Shanghai). He notes an investment trend for solutions helping Chinese companies cut operational costs and minimize their carbon footprint.

To enhance the reputation of both companies and products – and boost the image of the entire industry – the environmental impact needs to decrease. Priorities are saving water and waste, as well as reducing, replacing or completely eliminating the use of harmful substances. China has a strong demand for environmental-friendly solutions and sustainable technologies.

Customer-oriented in weaving
The huge number of Chinese fabric producers calls for an immense volume of weaving machinery to be supplied by international and local providers. Swiss machinery manufacturers hold an impressive share of this business.
Chinese weavers require advanced technology, with increasingly higher standards of efficiency. In weaving preparation, latest solutions match the speed, quality and reliability now wanted. Weaving machines too offer the eco-efficiency, performance, and ease of use needed, with innovations that extend the scope of sustainable weaving, and open-platform systems configurable to weavers’ specific operations. A huge increase in demand for technical textiles in recent years has been driven by applications such as carbon fiber, aramid and glass fiber.

Profitable in spinning
China’s competitive advantages come from its large-scale and integrated manufacturing capabilities, along with the use of advanced automation and digitization technologies. Spinners aim to capitalize on extended market opportunities, with more economical production. The latest air-jet spinning machines serve these goals, allowing exceptionally low production costs per kilogram of yarn, coupled with high flexibility and reliability. Sustainable yarns are in great demand.

The automation trend in spinning mills focuses on connecting production processes. Data is used to ensure the highest quality standards, most efficient raw material usage, reduction of waste, and energy savings. To make spinning mills more competitive, latest solutions combine cutting-edge hardware, data-enabled software and renowned textile expertise.

In order to be even closer to the customer, Groz-Beckert opened a new sales office in Surat, Gujarat, India. The inauguration of the new sales office took place on Sunday, October 15, 2023, with an official opening ceremony.

With the new office, Groz-Beckert aims to provide even better support for its customers from the knitting industry – especially from the circular knitting and warp knitting industry – as well as from the sewing industry in the growing market in Surat and the surrounding area.

Surat has a very old textile production and trade history, dating back to the 16th century. The city is known as the “Textile and Silk City” of India. Today it is an important hub for large-scale production of synthetic textiles and skilled workforce. The textile Industry in Surat produces est. 25 Million meters of fabrics per day. It is also considered to be the financial capital and the growth engine of Gujarat.

Carbios inaugurated its textile preparation line at its demonstration plant in Clermont-Ferrand, in the presence of Mr. Lescure, French Minister for Industry. To streamline the textile preparation phase, which is currently carried out by hand or on several lines, Carbios has developed a fully integrated and automated line that transforms textile waste from used garments or cutting scraps into raw material suitable for depolymerization with its enzymatic biorecycling process. This patented line integrates all preparation stages (shredding and extraction of hard points such as buttons or fasteners), and provides Carbios with a high-performance, scalable development tool. The platform will help validate the biorecycling technology for textiles at demonstration plant scale (by 2024), and provides Carbios with expertise in working with collection and sorting operators to specify the quality of textiles and the preparation steps needed to make them suitable for enzymatic recycling. This expertise will also be invaluable to brands in the eco-design of their products.

Current collection, sorting and preparation infrastructures limit the amount of textile waste available for “fiber-to-fiber” recycling. Collection rates average around 15-25% worldwide^[1], and much of the waste collected is exported to Africa, Asia or Latin America for sorting.

Moreover, textiles are highly complex materials, with yarns of different composition (or nature) that are difficult, if not impossible, to physically separate. However, the highly selective enzyme developed by Carbios can specifically depolymerize the PET (polyester) present in textile material.

At present, textiles are sorted and prepared mainly by hand, with low yields, particularly for disruptors to recycling processes such as “hard points” (zips, buttons, etc.). To optimize this crucial phase, Carbios is contributing a textile preparation solution to accelerate the development of biorecycling in the textile industry. Enzymatic recycling, or biorecycling, therefore contributes to the construction of a textile recycling chain and the acceleration of textile circularity, also enabling brands to do away with used bottles.

^[1] Ellen MacArthur Foundation, 2017

ITM Exhibitions will open its doors to host "ITM 2024 International Textile Machinery Exhibition" from June 4-8, 2024. Preparations are in full swing for the organization, where textile technology leaders will bring the latest products together with their visitors for the first time.

The ITM team focused on advertising and promotional activities in order to host thousands of visitors and sector investors from all over the world at the ITM 2024 Exhibition, which halls were almost full due to intense participation demands. In this context; 'ITM 2024 Video', which tells the story of the increasing success of ITM exhibitions over the years and which is eagerly awaited by the whole sector, has recently been published. The video, which was published in Turkish and English on social media accounts such as YouTube, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, was viewed by more than 30 thousand people in total and received great appreciation from the viewers.

“Discover the Future!” in the video prepared with the main theme “Discover innovations, technologies, the future...” and including clues about the ITM 2024 Exhibition, was revealed as follows:
The textile sector is among the souls of the economy with its production capacity, export volume, and contribution to employment. Many R&D centers around the world and in Turkey are breaking new ground by taking their work and innovations one step further every day. Textile technology leaders are developing technologies that consume less water and energy, are easy to use, are software and automation supported, keep up with trends and respect the environment while doing so. Industry stakeholders, especially textile manufacturers, are now curious about the answer to this question: 'What will be the future of the textile industry, which is digitalizing, complying with sustainability principles, and signing groundbreaking innovations? This question will be answered at ITM 2024, which will host the latest innovations, technologies, artificial intelligence-supported machines, software and design excellence devices in textile machinery.

Stahl, a leading provider of coating technologies for flexible substrates, has been awarded a Platinum rating by the sustainability rating agency EcoVadis for the second consecutive year. For the 2023 EcoVadis assessment, Stahl’s rating increased by three points compared to its 2022 score, reflecting the company’s improved performance in the area of labour and human rights.

Progress in the Labour & Human Rights category
The 2023 EcoVadis assessment revealed the progress Stahl is making in the Labour & Human Rights category, where Stahl scored 90 out of a possible 100 points. This reflects the company's recent work to improve its health and safety management systems. In particular, the majority of Stahl’s global manufacturing sites are now ISO 45001 certified and more than 94% are ISO 14001 certified. Stahl has also taken steps to improve its approach to employee career development and well-being. These include the creation of an individual career plan for all employees and the introduction of a new company-wide employee satisfaction survey.
 
Stahl moves forward with 2030 ESG ambitions
Stahl has set a 2030 target to maintain its EcoVadis Platinum rating by working closely with its value chain partners to help them reduce their impact. In 2022, 83% of Stahl’s total spend on raw materials was sourced from EcoVadis-rated suppliers.

EcoVadis is a globally recognised, evidence-based rating platform that assesses the performance of more than 90,000 organisations against key sustainability criteria across four categories: Environment, Labour & Human Rights, Ethics and Sustainable Procurement. For the 2023 EcoVadis assessment, Stahl received an overall score of 80 out of 100, up from 77 in 2022. This score indicates an advanced level of sustainability maturity and ensures that Stahl retains its Platinum rating. This is awarded to the top 1% of companies assessed by EcoVadis. Stahl achieved its first Platinum rating in 2022, having undergone its first EcoVadis assessment in 2015.