From the Sector

Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles will mark its 30-year milestone at the National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai) this autumn, from 14 – 16 August 2024. With industry players from around the world gearing up to join this year’s anniversary edition, the showcase will feature returning pavilions, a new product zone, and exhibitors with a wide range of fabrics and more.

30th anniversary celebration
With the ‘Intertextile’ brand present in the Chinese textile market since 1995, increasing market demand, both domestically and internationally, has contributed to the consistent upward trajectory of Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles – Autumn Edition.

By utilising advanced technologies and abundant resources, China has earned its global reputation as one of the major manufacturing hubs for home textile products. Chinese home textile exports reached over USD 4.8 billion in the first two months of 2024, a year-on-year increase of 13.7%[1], demonstrating a welcome recovery. On the other hand, the country’s huge population, coupled with its increasing per capita textile consumption and home renovation projects, is providing a plethora of business opportunities for international suppliers to discover.

Featured zones and country pavilions
At this special edition, a new product zone will be unrolled for the first time–the Carpets & Rugs Zone. Set to feature various related products, the rising demand for these floor coverings has prompted the birth of this new featured zone. Meanwhile, the sought-after Designer Studio will return to help buyers achieve product-specific sourcing goals. Furthermore, with carpets, curtains, sun protection, leather, and many more home textiles all zoned accordingly under one roof, buyers will be able to source from a full range of products.

The Belgium and Türkiye Pavilions will once again showcase various product series from premium brands, alongside a comprehensive list of domestic exhibitors and multiple standalone international suppliers set to present their latest innovations and designs.

Beyond exhibitors’ booths, the fair’s anticipated fringe programme will showcase innovations and discuss market trends, such as broadly discussed AI and sustainability topics, to help fairgoers stay ahead of the curve. Simultaneously, the Danish trend agency SPOTT, founded by Ms Anja Bisgaard Gaede, also the leading trend agency for Heimtextil 2024, will be collaborating with the fair for the first time this year. The organisation will present an innovative trend area, set to illustrate design inspiration and industry direction for the upcoming season, through a series of creative displays. In addition, Mr Shen Lei, Founder and Design Director of Interior Architects Design, and the Chinese representative of the Intertextile International Lifestyle Trend Committee, will be returning this year to delve into design topics via his seminar.

^[1] Tnc.com.cn：Analysis of China’s home textile exports from January to February 2024. https://www.tnc.com.cn/info/c-001001-d-3742104.html

By establishing touchpoint textile, drupa has created a special forum to showcase pioneering applications in digital textile printing. The highlight will be the Digital Textile Micro Factory – a fully connected, integrated process chain starting with the customer enquiry and design through to large-format digital textile printing.

touchpoint textile represents drupa’s growing expansion into new markets comprising such segments as packaging production, large-format or industrial and functional printing next to packaging production. All of these segments are undergoing the same transformation processes and offer enormous growth potential. The special forum revolves around the opportunities and challenges of digital textile printing, brings together renowned exhibitors, industry partners and brand owners and provides scope for cross-industry cooperation, new projects as well as product and manufacturing ideas. The operational content partners of touchpoint textile include the German Institutes for Textile and Fibre Research Denkendorf (DITF), as Europe’s largest textile research centre, as well as ESMA, the European Specialist Printing Manufacturers Association.

Digital Textile Micro Factory: on-demand and virtual products – on the path towards sustainable production
In cooperation with 12 partners from industry and research the DITF will demonstrate a Digital Textile Micro Factory live at drupa and, hence, a fully connected, integrated process chain from design to finished product. This will present new possibilities for digitalisation and direct customer involvement, for instance in the form of 3D apparel simulations complete with links to design networks for creative input. Digital workflows and virtual products are integrated directly in the manufacturing process. As a special highlight for all trade visitors the technology partners of this Micro Factory will demonstrate an automated on-demand production, textile printing, cutting and sorting – without any manual interaction. Such decentralised and digitally connected design and production chains will enable the textile industry to respond to customers’ requests and trends in a more targeted manner in future. This means, touchpoint textile 2024 technologically points the way to a future without shelf-warmers. In addition, the carbon footprint for the complete process from virtual development to finished product will be modelled and presented at the trade fair.  

2024 will see the design competition “drupa – textile design talents” being held for the first time. This was conceived of by the DITF and will be implemented by the partner Mitwill. This provides up-coming textile designers and newcomers with a unique opportunity to introduce their ideas and visions to a professional audience.

Broad industry support
A project as comprehensive as the Micro Factory requires many strong partners. The companies “on board” here include: Assyst/Germany (3D simulation for digital apparel twins), Mitwill Textiles Europe/France (creative design network), D.G.I. Digital Graphics Incorporation/South Korea, Multi-Plot Europe/Germany (large-format textile printing), LEONHARD KURZ Stiftung/Germany, Zünd/Switzerland (digital cutting), robotfactory/Denmark, Asco/The Netherlands (presenting an innovative buffer solution between digital printing and cutting, automated sorting of cut parts from the cutter by robotfactory) as well as Brother/Japan (for small-format textile printing and bonding technology). Vaude and berger textiles will be sponsoring the touchpoint. Another key partner is the Albstadt-Sigmaringen University that is supporting the project as a conceptual sponsor and which has set itself the clear mission to incorporate these new topics into its curriculum. This means the staff of the future will be geared up to the new challenges ahead.

Another partner of touchpoint textile is the European Specialist Printing Manufacturers Association (ESMA), which is responsible for the lecture programme. ESMA represents industrial, functional and specialist printing and acts as an organiser of educational events in the field of textile printing. At drupa speakers from research, development, and industry will address issues related to printing and finishing techniques, workflows, market developments and sustainability, to name but a few. The focus will also be on trends and applications that unlock ever new potential through the interplay of digital printing and textile printing substrates. The lectures are divided into the categories Research, Finishing, Print Systems & Hardware, Substrates, Inks & Chemistry and Software & Electronics. Assyst, for example, will deliver talks on the virtual development of apparel as well as the research project ECOShoring, which is funded by the “Deutsche Bundesstiftung Umwelt” – DBU (German Federal Environmental Foundation) and focuses on personalised and on-demand sustainable manufacturing. Other speakers represent Adobe, Balta Group, Barbieri Electronic, Brother, Centexbel, CST, DITF, Fujifilm Speciality Ink Systems, HS Albsig, Kornit Digital, Meteor Inkjet, Mimaki, Mitwill, Multiplot, Print-Rite, RWTH Aachen, Seiko Instruments, Tiger Coatings, Xaar, Zünd and the list is updated on regular basis.

drupa will be held at the Düsseldorf Exhibition Centre from 28 May to 7 June 2024.

The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), representing the full spectrum of U.S. textiles from fiber through finished sewn products, held its officer elections for fiscal year 2024 at its annual meeting April 9-11.
NCTO has elected Charles Heilig, President of Parkdale Mills, as Chairman; and Chuck Hall, President and CEO of Barnet, as Vice Chairman.

In addition to the appointment of a new chairman and vice chairman, NCTO elected chairs for each of its five councils. NCTO is comprised of five councils to ensure a broad representation of the industry supply chain. Each council has an allotted number of members who are elected to the association’s Board of Directors, in addition to the Executive Committee.

Elected as NCTO Chairman and Vice Chairman for 2024:

• Chairman – Charles Heilig, President of Parkdale Mills based in Gastonia, North Carolina, a leading American manufacturer of yarn and cotton consumer products.
• Vice Chairman – Chuck Hall, President and CEO of Barnet based in Spartanburg, South Carolina, a 125-year-old manufacturer of technical textiles.

Elected to the NCTO Board of Directors:

• Fiber Council – David Adkins of Lenzing; John Freeman of Nan Ya Plastics; and Melissa Stewart of The LYCRA Company
• Yarn Council – Justin Ferdinand of Kentwool; Peter Iliopoulos of Gildan; Eddie Ingle of Unifi; Eric Noe of Buhler Quality Yarns; Marvin Smith of Shuford Yarns; and Jay Todd of Service Thread
• Fabric and Home Products Council – David Smith of Milliken & Company; James McKinnon of Cotswold Industries; Blake Millinor of Valdese Weavers; Leib Oehmig of Glen Raven; Dan Russian of Sage Automotive Interiors; and Walter Spiegel of Standard Textile
• Finished Textiles and Apparel Products Council – Marisa Fumei-South of Two-One-Two New York (Alternate: Gabrielle Ferrara of Ferrara Manufacturing)
• Industry Support Council – Todd Bassett of Fi-Tech; Greg Duncan of American Truetzschler; and Jim Reed of YKK Corp.

Elected by their respective Councils to serve on the Executive Committee:
David Adkins, Lenzing; Eddie Ingle, Unifi; Marvin Smith, Shuford Yarns; David Smith, Milliken & Company; James McKinnon, Cotswold Industries; Marisa Fumei-South, Two-One-Two New York; Gabrielle Ferrara, Ferrara Manufacturing; and Todd Bassett, Fi-Tech.

NCTO Chairman Charles Heilig has elected additional executives to serve on the Executive Committee: Anderson Warlick of Parkdale Mills; Norman Chapman of Inman Mills; John Maness of Gildan; Amy Bircher Bruyn of MMI Textiles; and Jackie Ferrari of American Fashion Network.

Elected to chair the Councils:

• Fiber Council: David Adkins of Lenzing
• Yarn Council: Justin Ferdinand of Kentwool
• Fabric and Home Products Council: David Smith of Milliken & Company
• Finished Textiles and Apparel Products Council: Marisa Fumei-South of Two-One-Two New York.
• Industry Support Council: Todd Bassett of Fi-Tech

Companies, designers, architects and agencies worldwide are now invited to submit their products and projects for the German Design Awards 2025. The German Design Awards by the German Design Council honours projects that are pioneering in the German and international design landscape and highlights positive developments in circular design. The award not only makes success visible, but also opens up a network, international reach and additional market opportunities for the award winners. Application deadline is 6 September 2024.
 
Whether digitalisation, AI or circular design - the German Design Award platform reveals the contribution that design can make to the sustainable transformation of the economy. Now more than ever, outstanding design can provide answers to the challenges of our time, focussing on the impact of products and services on the planet and our society - through multi-perspective approaches, sustainable and circular design processes or resource- and environmentally friendly production. The German Design Award has set itself the goal of promoting the diverse transformation tasks of our time through design and providing orientation for others through outstanding examples.

Focus on circular design
Starting this year, companies and designers can submit their projects in an additional category called "Circular Design". This category recognises particularly innovative solutions that implement the current objectives of the circular economy and provide inspiring impulses.

The  international jury of the German Design Awards honours these pioneering design achievements in three main categories: "Excellent Product Design", "Excellent Communications Design" and "Excellent Architecture".

New category
To visualise pioneering developments in architecture through the influence of artificial intelligence and digital design methods, designers and developers can submit projects, service designs and virtual architectures in the "AI in Architecture and Metaverse Space Design" category from this year onwards.

Access to the American market
The German Design Council has entered into an exclusive TV partnership with CBS/Paramount's new US documentary series Europe ByDesign, offering German Design Award winners far-reaching opportunities to position themselves on the US market. You can present your work in the next season of Europe ByDesign, which will be broadcasted in prime time on CBS in the USA as well as streamed worldwide.
 
Important dates at a glance

• Call for entries: 23 April 2024
• Register at the Early Bird price: until 21 June 2024
• Deadline for grant applications: 30 August 2024
• Registration deadline: 6 September 2024
• Jury meeting: 26 and 27 September 2024
• Awards Show: Beginning of February 2025

At the upcoming Techtextil show for technical textiles, which will take place in Frankfurt from April 23-25, Monforts will launch its new coaTTex coating unit dedicated to air knife and knife-over-roller coating.

For single-sided application with paste or foam, the versatile coaTTex is suitable for both incorporation into existing finishing ranges as well as installation with new Monforts lines, notably the Montex stenter systems.

A wide range of coatings can be applied to fabrics for providing functions such as waterproofing, liquid and gas protection and breathability, in addition to foam lamination and coating, including black-out coating.

The considerable technical textile end-use applications envisaged for the coaTTex range from window blinds to abrasive cloths and from airbags to sails.

With an operational speed of up to 40 metres per minute, coaTTex units are available in nominal widths of between 1800mm to 3600mm and their robust construction is characterised by a rotating beam for the fixation of up to three different knife executions.

Central adjustment of both the horizontal and vertical position of the beam, and also of the knife angle, enables easy adaptation to new projects and automatic tension control guarantees high quality production. In addition, the cleaning blade for the coating roller is pneumatically controlled, as is the lifting of the beam at seams and clamping during fabric standstill.

Members of TMAS – the Swedish textile machinery association – will display technologies in alignment with the theme of digitalisation at the forthcoming Techtextil and Texprocess 2024 exhibitions, taking place in Frankfurt from April 23-26th.

Automatic handling
The fully automated and digitised handling solutions for finished garments, home textiles and furniture of Eton Systems, for example, will be demonstrated at Texprocess.

Designed to increase value-added time in production by eliminating manual transportation and minimising handling, the individually addressable product carriers are fully managed and controlled by the latest ETONingenious™ software. This web based real-time data collection and information system continuously accumulates, processes and makes all production information instantly available to supervisors, quality control personnel and management.

Bespoke seams
Svegea will demonstrate its EC 300-XS colarette technology, which is used by garment manufacturers around the world for the production of tubular apparel components such as cuff and neck tapes and other seam reinforcements.

The EC 300-XS collarette cutter on show in Frankfurt is equipped with the latest E-Drive II system providing the operator with a very user-friendly touchscreen, providing full control of the cutting process. An accompanying FA 350 fully automatic roll slitting machine will also be demonstrated.

Digital finishing
At Techtextil meanwhile, Baldwin Technology Co. will provide full details of how its highly digitised TexCoat G4 non-contact spray technology for textile finishing and remoistening not only reduces water, chemicals and energy consumption, but also provides the flexibility to adapt to customer requirements in terms of single and double-sided finishing applications.

TexCoat G4 can reduce water consumption and chemical usage by as much as 50% compared to traditional padding application processes.

Yarn tension
Celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, Eltex will display the latest Eltex EyETM system for the continuous monitoring of yarn tension on warp beams.

The Eltex EyETM eliminates problems when warping, and also in subsequent weaving or tufting processes, monitoring the yarn tension on all positions in real-time and enabling a minimum and maximum allowable tension value it be set. If any yarn’s tension falls outside these values the operator can be warned or the machine stopped.

The Eltex ACT and ACT-R units meanwhile go beyond yarn tension monitoring to actually control yarn tension. This extends the application range greatly. The plug and play system automatically compensates for any differences in yarn tension that arise, for example from irregularities in yarn packages.

Accumulated know-how
Vandewiele Sweden AB benefits from all of the synergies and accumulated know-how of Vandewiele Group, supplying weft yarn feeding and tension control units for weaving looms to the majority of weaving machine manufacturers. It also retrofits its latest technologies to working mills to enable instant benefits in terms of productivity and control.

The company will present its latest X4 yarn feeders with integrated accessory displays (TED) as a new standard, as well as launching its own e-commerce platform – iroonline.com.

The TED function enables weft tension settings to be transferred from one machine to another, enabling a fast start-up the next time the same article is woven. The position of the S-Flex Tensioner is constantly monitored by an internal sensor – even if adjustment is made during power off.

X4 feeders are also available with integrated active tension control (ATC-W) as an option. With the ATC-W active tension control, the required tension is easily set and monitored on the integrated display. Once set, the system constantly regulates itself, ensuring consistent yarn tension during the weaving process which is constantly and accurately measured by the ATC sensor unit, sending a signal to the ATC operator unit resulting in consistently stable yarn tension at the required level.

A new €26 million manufacturing plant with its own forest has been opened by AkzoNobel in Faisalabad – the company’s largest investment in Pakistan to date.

The 25-acre site, which has facilities for making decorative paint, wood finishes, automotive and specialty coatings, coil coatings and protective coatings, will help to meet increasing customer demand across a variety of markets.

Also incorporated into the Faisalabad location is a forest spanning an area of 5,450 square feet. More than 1,400 native trees and shrubs – planted using the Japanese Miyawaki gardening technique – are expected to grow into a flourishing self-sustaining ecosystem over the next two years.

The site, which employs nearly 200 people, has been constructed to comply with the company’s strict environmental standards and includes a series of sustainability features, such as renewable energy generation and energy efficient design.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), between 2009 and 2023, has performed compliance checks of approximately 15 000 registrations, representing 21 % of full registrations.  The Agency has met its legal target for dossier evaluation, which was increased from 5 % to 20 % in 2019. While, for substances registered at quantities of 100 tonnes or more per year, ECHA has checked compliance for around 30% of them.  

In 2023, the Agency conducted 301 compliance checks, covering more than 1 750 registrations and addressing 274 individual substances. These checks focused on registration dossiers that may have data gaps and aim to enhance the safety data of these substances. As a result, 251 adopted decisions were sent to companies, requesting additional data to clarify long-term effects of chemicals on human health or the environment.

ECHA will now put more focus on following up the requests sent to companies. In the follow-up evaluation process, the Agency assesses the incoming information for compliance. The outcome of the incoming data is shared with the Member States and European Commission to enable prioritisation of substances. ECHA will work closer together with the Member States for enforcement of non-compliant dossiers.  

Compliance of registration dossiers will remain a priority for ECHA for the coming years. This year, the Agency will review the impact of the Joint Evaluation Action Plan, aimed at improving REACH registrations compliance, and, together with stakeholders, develop new priority areas to work on.

In the first partnership of its kind, AlphaTauri has joined with the governing body for world motorsport, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), to become their official clothing partner.

Over this significant three-year partnership, AlphaTauri will equip all FIA staff with clothing and accessories, redefining how style and convenience intertwine with the world of motorsport. AlphaTauri will also be the official partner of the FIA Prize Giving Ceremony that is held once a year to honour the champions from every major branch of motorsports in a star-studded event. This strategic collaboration aligns two organisations that are deeply committed to innovation.

The partnership between FIA and AlphaTauri represents a fusion of automotive technology, high fashion, and the pursuit of excellence. It will transform the way FIA staff experience their roles while ensuring they maintain a distinctive and stylish presence.

The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) has published its Strategy Statement 2024-2028. The strategy details the agency’s goals and priorities over the next five years to protect health and the environment through its work for chemical safety.

Main elements of the Strategy – Goals and Priorities

Be a trusted chemicals agency – ECHA aims to achieve this by delivering its legal mandate using independent expertise and robust data. The Agency, to support this, will:

• Deliver transparent, independent, and high-quality scientific advice, opinions, and decisions;
• Enhance decision and policy making through optimal use of data, knowledge, and competence; and
• Facilitate the prioritisation and co-ordination of regulatory actions on substances and groups of substances with the European Commission (EC), EU agencies and Member State Authorities.

 
Respond to emerging challenges and changes in their legal landscape – ECHA will prepare for new tasks and inform EU chemical and environmental policy. To support this goal, it will focus on the following priorities:

• Implement new legal requirements using existing and new synergies and experience;
• Work with relevant EU agencies and bodies to deliver Chemical Strategy for Sustainability (CSS) actions and objectives; and
• Provide scientific and technical advice on chemicals to EU policy makers.

 
Communicate and Engage – by collaborating with stakeholders and partners, ECHA will strengthen public confidence in chemicals regulation. In support of this goal, the Agency will:

• Deepen their network of engagement with EU institutions and agencies and Member States;
• Collaborate and provide tools, advice, and support to industry; and
• Promote awareness and understanding of ECHA's work to stakeholders representing workers, the public and the environment.

 
Lead on chemical knowledge and expertise – the Agency will advance knowledge and understanding on chemical safety. To achieve this, it will:

• Contribute proactively to expanding scientific and technical competence and knowledge on chemical safety;
• Promote the development and use of alternative methods for the assessment of hazards and risks of chemicals; and
• Support the EC to enhance engagement and synergies at international level.

 
Invest in people and organisational excellence – ECHA is committed to working together to achieve their vision. In order to achieve this they will:

• Develop and empower their people for success;
• Create optimal ways of working for the Agency, its bodies, its people, and the environment; and
• Adopt an IT delivery model that is cost-effective, streamlined, modular, interoperable, cloud based and centralised.