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Suominen: innovative and more sustainable nonwovens
In financial year 2019 the net sales of nonwovens producer Suominen Corp, Helsinki/Finland, decreased by 4.6% to €411.4 million. Sales of Americas business area were €261.7 million (2018: €259.9 million) and sales of Europe business area €149.8 million (2018: €171.3 million).
In 2019, the share of nonwovens for baby wipes was 40% (2018: 39%), for personal care wipes 22% (2018: 22%), for home care wipes 20% (2018: 20%), for workplace wipes 9% (2018: 9%) and for medical & hygiene applications 8% (2018: 8%).
Suominen expects that in 2020, its comparable operating profit will improve from 2019, when operating profit amounted to € 8.1 million (+76%).
A new strategy, which was announced in the beginning of January 2020, is targeting growth by creating innovative and more sustainable nonwovens for the customers. Also, the profitability through more efficient operations and by building a high performance culture will be improved.
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Water UK: soluble wet wipe awarded Fine to Flush accreditation
The world’s first 100% environmentally friendly soluble wet wipe that dissolves in seconds when immersed in water has been awarded the Fine to Flush accreditation by Water UK, London/UK. Fine to Flush is the new official standard identifying which wet wipes can be flushed down toilets safely. The new wet wipes from McCormack Innovation, Kirkcaldy/UK, are not only flushable, they are also biodegradable for landfill.
Wet wipes are the principal cause of 50-70% of blockages in UK sewers. There are around 300,000 sewer blockages each year, costing the country in excess of £100m annually. The majority of wet wipes contain various synthetic fibers, which makes their disposability problematic and time consuming. Some wet wipes could take as long as 100 years to biodegrade.
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PyroTex: heat resistant fiber for home and outdoor textiles
The first product for end consumers by the fiber producer PyroTex Fibers GmbH, Hamburg/Germany, is a multifunctional blanket that is not only flame-resistant, but also serves as an accessory for living, automotive, outdoor and leisure. The high-tech fiber PyroTex is already used in areas that require fire resistance, for example in aircrafts, workwear or in filtration.
According to Robert Jarausch, managing director of PyroTex, the heat resistant fiber is well suited for the home textiles sector as it has soft, warming and antibacterial properties without the use of chemicals.
The new multifunctional blankets, for example, have been awarded the M1 certificate; the PyroTex fiber is certified in accordance with Standard 100 by Oeko-Tex.
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Index 2020: 6 free-to-attend seminars
With over 700 exhibitors already booked for the Index 20, the largest global meeting place for players in the nonwovens industry, this year’s even from March 31-April 3, 2020 in Geneva/Switzerland, will be bigger than ever before.
6 free-to-attend seminars in the fields of Filtration, Automotive, Infection Prevention, Geotextiles, Sustainable Nonwovens and Smart Nonwovens will take place. Additional free ‘taster’ tutorials on other sectors will also take place during the show.
The Index Innovation Awards’ nominated products will be showcased in the Index Innovation Lab, with the diverse properties of these highly-engineered structures demonstrated in a special Research & Testing area.
For further information: www.indexnonwovens.com
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Teijin Aramid: Peter ter Horst appointed CEO
The high-performance fiber producer Teijin Aramid BV, Arnhem/Netherlands, has appointed Peter ter Horst as the company’s new President and CEO effective April 1, 2020. ter Horst succeeds Gert Frederiks, who will continue in an advisory role before retiring one year later.
Peter ter Horst joined Teijin Aramid in 2006 and brings relevant experience to his new role as CEO. He has held the position of Chief Financial Officer (CFO) at the company since 2011, having previously held strategy and controller positions.
Gert Frederiks and Peter ter Horst have worked closely together since the early 2010’s, focusing on cost leadership and investments in new technologies, products and capacity. As a result, Teijin recently announced production capacity increase in Delfzijl and Emmen/Netherlands, contributing to 25% targeted capacity increase from 2017 until 2022.
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Lenzing: 2nd pilot plant completed for Tencel Luxe filament yarn
The producer of cellulosic fibers, Lenzing AG, Lenzing/Austria, has completed the 2nd pilot production plant announced in May 2018 for its innovative lyocell filament yarn Tencel Luxe. Construction of the facility at the Lenzing site involving investments of €30 million could be concluded on schedule and within budget after 20 months of intensive work. The new pilot production line, which was put into operation in the middle of December 2019, gives Lenzing sufficient capacity for commercial programs and further application development.
The properties of the Tencel Luxe fine filament yarn can be compared to those of silk due to its airy feeling on the skin and the matte finish. At the same time, it also stands out because of its extensive strength and high level of environmental compatibility. It is very well suited for very fine fabrics and in blends with silk, cashmere and wool.
The pilot plant developed by Lenzing and the know-how acquired during the construction phase will comprise the basis for the company’s further expansion in the field of sustainable filament yarns. This will also comprise the starting point for the planned construction of a large commercial production plant at the Lenzing site.
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Oerlikon Nonwoven: new meltblown and spunbond technology at the Filtxpo 2020
Experts of the Nonwoven business unit of the Manmade Fibers segment of Oerlikon Management AG, Pfäffikon/Switzerland, will be presenting solutions for filtration tasks to an international trade audience at the trade fair for filtration Filtxpo 2020 in Chicago, IL/USA, which takes place on February 26-28, 2020.
Meltblown technology is a method for producing fine, separating filter media made from manmade fibers. It is characterized by its constant melt pressure distribution and consistent dwell time across the entire width of the spinning beam. Furthermore, the novel guidance and distribution of the process air outside the coat-hanger distributor offered by the Oerlikon Nonwoven technology prevents so-called hotspots, which overall ensures homogeneous nonwovens properties and basis weights even in the case of delicate raw materials.
The filter efficiency can be increased by means of so-called electro-charging – where the nonwovens are electrostatically charged. Users can choose from a number of variation possibilities and set the appropriate charging method depending on the filter application, allowing the Oerlikon Nonwoven charging unit to also be used for the manufacture of EPA and HEPA class filter media.
Regarding spunbonds, the company is presenting its segmented spin packs, which guarantee even melt distribution and polymer dwell time. The new forming section ensures improved formation evenness across the entire width, even in the case of high spinning speeds, special polymers and polymer combinations. In addition to this, the newly-designed system also ensures that nonwovens only require minimal edge trimming at the end of the production process. The newly-developed mixed fiber technology enables the combining of various filament cross-sections and polymers, in order to set ideal filtering and pleating performances, for example.
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RadiciGroup: investments in sustainability with recycled polyamide
With Renycle, the manufacturer of synthetic fibers and yarns, RadiciGroup, Grandino/Italy, introduced a range of yarns obtained from recycled polyamide at the Domotex in Hannover/Germany, on January 10-13, 2020. The company also announced the acquisition of the material recovery company Zeta Polimeri, Buronzo/Italy, with 30 years’ experience in the recovery of synthetic fiber and thermoplastics.
Also at the Domotex, RadiciGroup exhibited a number of solutions for the recovered fibers sector, targeted at fashion fabrics, furnishings and automotive applications. These new products are the result of the company’s vertically integrated polyamide production and the synergies among its various business areas, from chemicals to engineering polymers and synthetic yarns.
Renycle offers the capability to produce yarn for the segments of textile flooring, rugs and fitted carpets, as well as fashionwear. Renycle reduces the need for new raw materials of fossil origin and is 100% recyclable at the end of its life.
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Unifi: sustainable cationic-dyeable polyester
The filament yarn producer Unifi, Inc., Greensboro, NC/USA, has introduced a new product and further product expansion, consistent with meeting sustainability and performance demands. They are based on the Repreve performance fibers made from recycled PET bottles. These include Repreve cationic-dyeable polyester and expanded Repreve Our Ocean offerings.
Repreve cationic-dyeable delivers 100% Repreve heathers and solids to the market. Offering deeper and brighter colors, as well as improved colorfastness, it can be used in a variety of constructions and across all market segments, from woven to knit to warp knit. The dyeing of these yarns may offer energy savings as compared to some traditional disperse-dyed polyester by utilizing lower temperatures.
Repreve Our Ocean products are made with plastics collected within 50 km of waterways or coastal areas in developing countries or regions. Repreve Our Ocean is concerned with developing recycling programs in areas where plastic is most at risk of entering a marine environment and where there is a lack of formal waste or recycling systems.
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Edana: nominees for the Index 20 Awards
The Index 20, the largest global meeting place for players in the nonwovens industry, will again feature the Index 20 Awards for “Excellence in the nonwovens and related industries” at the stand of the international association serving the nonwovens and related industries, Edana, Brussels/Belgium, on March 31, 2020, the opening day of the exhibition.
Throughout the 4 day exhibition the nominated submissions will be displayed at The Nonwovens Innovation Lab, a new Index feature showcasing how invention and sustainability drive the industry forward.
Open to products commercially available by January 31, 2020, and selected by a jury of experienced peers, Edana’s Index 20 Awards are presented for examples of excellence in the industry, highlighting creativity and innovations from businesses of all sizes, and from all parts of the nonwovens supply chain.
Categories for the award are:
• Nonwovens roll goods
• Finished products made from, or incorporating nonwovens
• Raw materials or components (e.g. fiber, binder, polymer, tape), of special relevance to the nonwovens industry and related converted products
• Innovation in machinery of special relevance to the nonwovens industry
• Achievement for the most original marketing campaign for a product made from, or incorporating nonwovens
• Sustainable Product
• Sustainable process or management practice
For further information: www.indexnonwovens.org.
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