Pakistan Textile Journal, April 2022

Established 1951 April 2022

Dyeing, Printing and Finishing I / FESPA 2022

Calendar of Events

FESPA 2022 Dates: May 31st to June 3rd 2022.

Venue: Berlin, Germany.

INTEX SOUTH ASIA 2022 th

Dates: June 16 to 18

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2022.

Venue: Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Cinte Techtextil China International Trade Fair for Technical Textiles and Nonwovens Dates: September 6th to 8th, 2022.

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th

Dates: July 27 to 29

2022.

Venue: Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Venue: Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China

Dates: December 8th to 10th 2022.

Venue: New Delhi, India.

ITM 2022 Dates: June 14th to 18th, 2022.

ITMA ASIA + CITME 2022

Venue: Istanbul, Turkey.

Dates: November 20th to 24th, 2022.

Venue: NECC, Shanghai, China.

Intertextile Shanghai Home Textiles Dates: August 15th to 17th 2022.

HIGHTEX 2022

Venue: Shanghai, China.

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DOMOTEX Hannover 2023

Dates: June 14 to 18 , 2022.

Dates: January 12th to 15th 2023.

Venue: Istanbul, Turkey.

Venue: Hannover, Germany.

Techtextil 2022, Frankfurt

DOMOTEX asiaCHINAFLOOR 2022

Dates: June 21st to 24th, 2022

Dates: August 31th to Sep. 2nd 2022.

Venue: Frankfurt am Main.

Venue: NECC, Shanghai, China.

Istanbul Yarn Fair Dates: February 16th to 18th 2023.

Venue: Istanbul, Turkey.

Heimtextil 2022, Frankfurt Dates: June 21st to 24th, 2022 Venue: Frankfurt am Main.

IGATEX Pakistan 2022, Lahore Dates: September 1st to 4th 2022.

Venue: Expo Centre, Lahore.

Texworld Paris th

iCADEX Pakistan 2022, Lahore th

Dates: July 4 to 6

2022.

Venue: Paris

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PAKISTAN TEXTILE JOURNAL - April 2022

Index 2023 Dates: April 18th to 21th, 2023.

Venue: Palexpo, Geneva, Switzerland.

ITMA 2023

Dates: September 1st to 4th 2022.

Dates: June 8th to 14th, 2023.

Venue: Expo Centre, Lahore.

Venue: Milan, Italy.

Founded in 1951 by Mazhar Yusuf (1924-2009) Vol. LXXI No. 04 April 2022

Publisher Nadeem Mazhar Editor in Chief Amina Baqai

Rs. 565.00

EDITOR’S PAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Pakistan’s textiles exports have continued the upward surge to $9.381 billion

Associate Editor Dr. Noor Ahmed Memon

TEXTILE BRIEFS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

Associate Editor Nimrah Nadeem Associate Editor Shahnawaz Khan Production Manager Mazhar Ali

NEWS & VIEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 AROUND THE WORLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14 CORPORATE NEWS

Hony-Editorial Board Dr. Hafizur Rehman Sheikh Ph.D (UK) F.T.I. (UK)

Syed Mahfooz Qutab C.TEX, F.T.I (U.K), B.Sc. Fellow I.C.T.T Atlanta, GA; (USA)

Rieter completes acquisition of the three Saurer businesses . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Mayer & Cie. looks back on a successful 2021 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20 Oerlikon Nonwoven: hycuTEC sets standards in terms of quality and efficiency .22 Naia™ from Eastman loungewear insights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 BB Engineering order intake from Thai Polyester for VacuFil recycling systems .26 Shandong Anhui Rifa Textile Machinery Co. is an independently operated . . . . .28

Mian Iftkhar Afzal B.S.N.C State, M.Sc. (Leeds) C.TEXT.F.T.I (UK)

Dr. Zubair Bandukda PhD (Textiles), CText ATI

Editorial & Advertising Office B-4, 2nd Floor, 64/21, M.A.C.H, Miran M. Shah Road, Karachi - Pakistan Tel: +92-21-34311674-5 Fax: +92-21-34533616 Email: info@ptj.com.pk URL: http://www.ptj.com.pk

PTJ Europe Ltd. Correspondence & Mailing address: PTJ Europe Ltd. 93 Fleming Place, Bracknell, RG12 2GN, United Kingdom Tel: +44 792 2228 721 Registered Office: Dairy House, Money Row Green, Holyport, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 2ND, UK Registered no. 09141989

26 FIBRES AND YARNS

LYCRA launches online customer portal, digital transformation for the apparels...30 Cotton USA: When it comes to cotton production, Sustainability is in the water...32

DYES AND CHEMICALS Archroma launches metal-free* and halogen-free* Nylosan® S navy and black colors for sportswear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34

Available on Gale and Factiva affiliated international databases through Asianet Pakistan

Printed at: Color Plus Korangi, Karachi.

Published by Nadeem Mazhar from D-16, K.D.A. Scheme No.1. Karachi.

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36 52 FESPA GLOBAL PRINT EXPO 2022 Brand-new content to inspire and educate visitors at FESPA Global Print Expo . . . . .36 MS & JK Group: Solutions for sustainable production chain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38 Epson: Latest Monna Lisa series reduce environmental impact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Mimaki: Lights, Camera, Action! – See Mimaki in Motion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42 Aleph: LAFORTE 340 direct-to-textile inkjet printing system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Brother: New products, techniques and possibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Zünd: Mind software with new features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .46

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SPGPrints presents three ways to prevent errors due to incorrect design files . .48 Monforts: Resource-saving in Textile Processing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52 BRÜCKNER presents a wide range of products for the nonwovens industry . . . .54 Biancalani: AQUARIA® with benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 Celludye is one of the leading manufacturer of inkjet inks and high purified dye . . .57 Jeanologia Colorbox is a sustainable alternative for garment dyeing . . . . . . . .58 Aurora highlights extensive technical textiles capabilities and markets . . . . . . .60 Navis TubeTex announces acquisition of Gaston Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 Automatex: Full automation from the roll to the finished product . . . . . . . . . .62 Nexia highlights innovative and sustainable laundry solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

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EDITOR’S PAGE

Pakistan’s textiles exports continued the upward surge to USD 9 billion in the first half of 2021-22 The exports are in line with the targets and is expected to achieve the yearly target. We congratulate our exporters for maintaining the momentum of exports under these testing times in the global market.

Established 1951

Pakistan’s textiles exports have continued the upward surge to USD 9.381 billion in the first half of 2021-22, as compared to USD 7.442 billion in the corresponding half last year, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported. It is indeed an impressive 26% increase.

April 2022

Dyeing, Printing and Finishing I / FESPA 2022

Pakistan’s exports for Mar-2022 grew by 17.3% to USD 2.773 billion as compared to USD 2.365 billion in March 2021. For July 2021 - March 2022 period, exports grew by 25% to USD23.332 billion as compared to USD18.688 billion in July-March 2021, showing an increase of USD 4.644 billion.

Furthermore, the raw cotton exports went up 197.30 percent to USD 1.763 million from USD 0.593 million. The cotton yarn exports increased by 52.33 percent to USD 610.427 million from USD 400.733 million last year. The cotton cloth went up 21.35 percent to USD 1.134 billion from USD 935.009 million, yarn (other than cotton yarn) increased 110.07 percent to USD 28.279 million from USD 13.462 million, whereas exports of knitwear increased by 35.21 percent to USD 2.5 billion from USD 1.849 billion last year.

April 2022.

In addition, half-year exports of bed wear increased 19 percent to USD 1.659 billion from USD 1.394 billion, towels climbed up 17.54 percent to USD 523.686 million from USD 445.697 million, readymade garments went up 22.93 percent to USD 1.831 billion from USD 1.490 billion; art-silk and synthetic textiles increased 34.24 percent to USD 224.847 million from USD 167.500 million, madeup articles (excluding bed wear and towels) grew 11.36 percent to USD 422.254 million from USD 379.187 million, whereas the exports of all other textile materials increased by 26.59 percent to USD384.601 million from USD 303.822 million.

The textile commodities that witnessed negative growth in trade were tents, canvas, and tarpaulin, the exports of which decreased by 9.18 percent, from USD 62.477 million to USD 56.742 million. 

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Textile Briefs National

The textile commodities that contributed in trade growth included cotton yarn, the exports of which increased by 25.97 per cent from US$ 721.216 million last year to US$ 908.487 million during the current year.

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Planting cotton under extreme water stress as Pakistan starts yet another tough Kharif season with water shortages and especially in the early part of the season.

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The local cotton market has remained dull while the trading volume remained low. The rate of cotton in Punjab and Sindh is between Rs 18000 to Rs 21,000 per maund.

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Pakistan’s export to Italy is expected to cross the US$ 1 billion mark in the current fiscal year ending on June 30 mainly led by an increase in value-added textile products.

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Textile Fibre and valueadded textile products using Okra (ladyfinger) waste are introduced by the UET Textile team. The researcher has developed an innovative and chemical-free process to overcome the technical issues. Okra fibre was blended with cotton and yarn was produced at the state of the art mini-spinning lab, which is the first of its kind in Pakistan.

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The textile industry has filed a package of submissions with the Prime

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Minister which will help pave the way for increasing textile exports to US$ 26 billion in the next fiscal year and US$ 50 billion in the next 5 years.

Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) has demanded the government immediately reduce interest rates to prevent economic stagnation and restore public confidence. The increase in the policy rate by the State Bank would bring severe consequences for the industry that was already facing an energy crisis.

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The readymade garments sector has asked new government to initiate lobbying for continuity of (GSP)-Plus, besides implementing new textile and

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apparel policy through revival of Pakistan Export Promotion Board.

Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) has demanded the government to immediately reduce interest rates to prevent economic stagnation and restore public confidence.

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The exports of the country in rupee term witnessed an increase of 33.09 per cent during the first three quarters of the current fiscal year as compared to the corresponding period of last year, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported.

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Textile Briefs International

Plans to give Bangladesh textiles a boost with the revenue board also looking positively at the demand for lowering VAT on imports of raw materials for blended yarn and fabrics; these will also help the textile industry move faster with its next venture.

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Cotton prices fluctuated slightly in the Brazilian market in the first fortnight of April, influenced by the dollar and the quotations of the product abroad.

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China's exports of textile and apparel maintained rapid growth during the first quarter of the year, textile and apparel exports rose 11.2 percent

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PAKISTAN TEXTILE JOURNAL - April 2022

year on year to 72.25 billion U.S. dollars from January to March.

Country hopes to

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greatly increase its recycling capability and

have a waste textile recycling system ‘initially established’ by 2025.

Cambodia’s export

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surged 25.7 percent to US$ 5,716 million in

the first three months of the year, compared to the same period last year.

India has inked a his-

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toric trade deal with its business partner

Australia to export over 95 per cent of its goods to the island country free of duty.

Tamil Nado exporters request the textile associations’ members to revoke the cotton yarn price hike of Rs 40 per kg for all counts immediately and restore to April level.

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Malaysia has a thriving textile sector with a large number of textile manufacturing enterprises.

Malaysia's industrial master plan has enhanced product quality, kept prices affordable, and increased exportoriented marketing.

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Tunisia was the European Union's second supplier of workwear and its fourth jeans supplier in 2021. There is an opportunity for Tunisia to increase exports to

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Germany and strengthen mainstream markets so as generate euros130 million in export gains and create 20,000 jobs.

The global

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market for Technical Textiles

is projected to reach US$ 208.5 Billion by 2024, registering a CAGR of 5% over the analysis period.

Vietnam’s textile

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and garment industry has seen

stable growth, recording an export turnover of US$ 8.84 billion in the first quarter of 2022 with an increase of 22.5 per cent against the same period last year.

News & Views

Pakistan’s textile exports jump 25pc to $14.3billion The exports of Pakistan textile commodities jumped by 25.43 per cent during the first nine months of the current fiscal year (2021-22) as compared to the corresponding period of last year, according to Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) report.

As per PBS data, the textile exports were recorded at $14,242.623 million in July-March (2021-22) against the exports of $11,355.465 million in July-March (2020-21), showing growth of 25.43 per cent.

The textile commodities that contributed in trade growth included cotton yarn, the exports of which increased by 25.97 per cent from $721.216 million last year to $908.487 million during the current year.

Likewise, the exports of raw cotton increased by 1009.03 per cent, cotton cloth by 26.51 per cent, from $1,419.181 million to $1,795.457 million, cotton (carded or combed) by 100 percent to $1.632 million from $0.064 million exports last year, yarn (other than cotton yarn) increased by 104.53 per cent, from $23.560 million to $48.188 million whereas exports of knitwear increased by 34.12 per cent, from $2,780.896 million to $3,729.683 million.

Meanwhile, on year-on-year basis, the textile exports increased by 19.90 per cent during the month of March 2022 as

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PAKISTAN TEXTILE JOURNAL - April 2022

compared to the same month of last year.

The exports during March 2022 were recorded at $1,625.253 million against the exports of $1,355.542 million during March 2021.

On month-on-month basis, the exports of textile from the country however witnessed a decrease of 3.51 per cent during March 2022 when compared to the exports of $1,684.313 million in February 2022.

354,000 acre-feet. Last year, the country started the season with 1.57 million acrefeet of water - some five times more than what it has to contend with this year.

Even if taken against the last ten years’ average of over one million acre-feet, this year began with one-third of it.

Last year, the country started the season with 1.57 million acre-feet of water some five times more than what it has to contend with this year.

As per report, the country’s total merchandise exports increased by 24.98 per cent during the first nine months of the current fiscal year. The merchandise exports during July-March (2021-22) were recorded at $23.355 billion compared to the exports of $18.687billion during July-March (202021).

Though the Indus River System Authority (IRSA) is yet to announce final consensus shortages figures, it was already passing on the 30% shortages to Sindh and Punjab: against a demand of 77,400 cusecs by Punjab, it was getting 50,000 cusecs only. Similarly, Sindh received 31,500 cusecs against its indent of 44,700 cusecs, both absorbing 29% shortages to be exact.

Cotton plantation under extreme water stress

This is the water context in which Punjab plans to sow its biggest and nationally important cotton crop on 4.5 million acres: though the federal committee on cotton has still not formally assigned the target to the province.

Encouraged by last year’s better production, high rates and revival of farmers’ interest in the crop, Punjab is aiming for a 45% jump in acreage from 3.1m acres last year to 4.5 million acres this year.

Pakistan starts yet another tough Kharif season. With water shortages, especially in the early part of the season, shooting beyond 30%, threatening to go higher as river flows are receding with higher temperatures, Sindh and Punjab are disputing their share in this water poverty.

Statistical reality presents a gloomy picture. Pakistan began the season with both of its major reservoirs exhausted: Tarbella dam and Chashma at a dead level and Mangla Lake holding a paltry

Last year’s performance of the crop encouraged the province to aim much higher. Apart from better germination, the substantial increase in plant

population (from 15,500 in 2020 to 17,800 per acre in 2021) boosted the average yield from 15.68 maunds in 2020 to 19.62 maunds per acre in Punjab last year. In Sindh, it was even better; 30 maunds per acre, pushing the national average to 25 maunds per acre. The official hand holding only added to the economic sheen of the crop.

These factors helped put the crop back on the revival path and it was expected to retrieve the area it had lost to competing crops like rice and sugarcane in the province. However, water is turning out to be a big hurdle right in the middle of the sowing spree. To make the matter even more complicated, the entire crop is sown in the brackish water zone, completely dependent on canal water.

Pakistan exports to Italy likely to cross $1 billion Pakistan’s export to Italy is expected to cross $1 billion mark in the current fiscal year ending on June 30, mainly led by an increase in value-added textile products, said Pakistan’s Ambassador to Italy Jauhar Saleem.

The ambassador in an announcement said that Pakistan’s exports to Italy reached an all-time high of $805 million during the first nine months of 2021-22, an increase of 41percent year-on-year.

The value-added sectors were the main drivers of this growth. He said the growth in export proceeds was achieved despite the difficult conditions propelled by the pandemic.

While responding to a question, the ambassador stated that despite the false and fabricated Indian claim over Basmati’s exclusive Geographical Indication (GI) rights in the European Union (EU) and Italian market, Pakistan maintained its position as a market leader in rice export to Italy with 38% share, whereas India supplied only 12% of the total imported rice in Italy.

He also shared that following the Brexit, Italy is now home to the largest Pakistani diaspora in the EU. Workers’ remittances from Italy reached an all-time high $639 million in 9MFY22, which marks a 48% increase over the last year making Italy Pakistan’s biggest source of remittances in the EU and the 7th largest in the world.

He expected the growth streak to continue in the last quarter of this financial year to take workers’ remittances from Italy around $1billion.

In the area of investment, industrial and technological cooperation, Mr Saleem mentioned various ongoing initiatives and informed that Italian firms were keen to invest in the fields of energy, food processing, leather, textile, construction and furnishing.

He added that the embassy was promoting joint ventures to increase Italian investment in Pakistan that will help in technology and skills transfer to our businesses.

News & Views Researchers develop textile products using Okra waste A team of researchers at the UET Lahore’s Faisalabad Campus, led by Prof Dr Mohsin, Chairman, Textile Engineering Department, has made value-added textile products using Okra (lady finger) waste.

According to a press release, mostly plants and other waste is burnt which leads to further pollution and toxic smoke and in winter and it creates lot of health problems in Pakistan.

Pakistan is the third largest producer of Okra in the world. It is cultivated in over 45,000 acres in the country leading to the annual production of over 180 million kilogram Okra. This leads to approximate stem waste of around 335 million kilogram annually.

By using this innovative technology and optimise blending with cotton, it can lead to more than Rs 54877 million textile export from Okra stem waste. Despite the ease of availability and low cost, Okra fiber is technically harsh and difficult to convert into yarn, fabric, and dyed form.

Therefore, its usage is limited worldwide and especially in Pakistan.

However, UET Textile team has developed the innovative and chemicalfree process to overcome the above technical issues. Okra fiber was blended with cotton and yarn was produced at the state of the art mini-spinning lab, which is first of its kind in Pakistan. The fabric was also produced and dyed with natural dye by using UET Textile Department another Intellectual Property (IP) based technology, thus making the whole process bio-based and organic.

“Okra fiber is cheaper than cotton, raw material is easily available rather wasted, its strength is better and top brands are asking for such sustainable products and willing to pay the premium price,” said Prof Mohsin.

“This technology is not only sustainable Prof. Dr. Syed Mansoor but it can Sarwar; UET Vice-Chancellor

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PAKISTAN TEXTILE JOURNAL - April 2022

make Pakistani textile industry more competitive with the attraction of more top brands,” he added.

The UET Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Syed Mansoor Sarwar has commended efforts of the team. He said, “Our Textile Department is also producing a range of value-added products from various agro waste and has already successfully developed value added fabric from banana waste and recycle cotton. Our researchers’ efforts will make our country clean, green, and pollution-free by better utilisation of its waste and can promote value-added textile products with the label of ‘Made in Pakistan’,” added Dr Sarwar.

Govt assistance sought to push textile exports to $50billion The textile industry has filed a package of submissions with Prime Minister Mian Mohammad for his approval. This will help pave the way for increasing textile exports to $26 billion in the next fiscal year and $50 billion in next 5 years. In a letter written to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) urged him to ensure the continuation of Regionally Competitive Energy Tariff (RCET) to the textile Industry with RLNG price at $6.5/MMBTU and electricity at 7.5 cents/unit, immediate provision of gas connections to the new units coupled with extension of load for enhanced capacity and revival of sick units, and reaffirmation for export sector priority in gas allocation.

APTMA also called on the Prime Minister to ensure the cotton support price for this season was fixed at Rs 8,000/maund for the upcoming season to encourage farmers to grow more cotton, making a point that the country every year loses at least $ 3 billion/annum on account of low production of cotton.

The textile sector demanded a review of duty on Polyester Staple Fibre and removal of anti-dumping duties to enable Pakistani export products to compete internationally.

It also asked the government to implement a weighted average cost of gas in letter & spirit, enabling uniform and rational gas or RLNG prices across the country.

In the letter, APTMA drew the PM’s attention towards the success story of exports showing the increase by 26 percent over the previous year to a record of $ 23.3 billion, the majority of which were textiles (61 percent).

It pleaded that the growth was enabled by implementation of Regionally Competitive Energy Tariff (RCET), investment of over $5 billion in expansion and establishment of 100 new textile units resulting in enhanced export capacity of $ 500 million per month.

Coming to the energy issues, APTMA said that the cost to the exchequer of Regionally Competitive Energy Tariffs has been 2.44 percent of textile exports which was a tiny fraction of the cost of potential foreign currency borrowing that the forex earnings were replacing.

News & Views PTEA demands lower interest rates Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA) has demanded the government to immediately reduce interest rates to prevent economic stagnation and restore public confidence.

In a statement, Khurram Mukhtar, patron-in-chief of PTEA, said sudden increase in the policy rate by the State Bank would bring severe consequences for the industry that was already facing energy crisis.

He asked the newly elected PM Shehbaz Sharif to take an immediate notice of the increased policy rate and Shehbaz Sharif, gas supply halt Prime Minister of Pakistan to the industry. “The industry currently accounts for 50 percent of the gas supply.

Shortages are making it increasingly difficult to complete export orders on time.”

Stressing need to stabilize the rupee against dollar, he urges measures to continue upward trend in the exports.

He further said the government should increase prices of petroleum products as per the market situation, and implementation of the agreement reached with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

He stated that continuity of policies, increase in exports, and promotion of the import substitution industry were imperative. He was of the view that Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN) had an economic team consisting of professionals with a capability to tackle the country’s economic crisis.

Govt urged to ensure continuity of Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP)Plus The readymade garments sector has asked new government to initiate lobbying for continuity of Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP)-Plus, besides implementing new textile and apparel policy through revival of Pakistan Export Promotion Board (PEPB).

While felicitating newly-elected PM Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA) office-bearers suggested the government to initiate work on lobbying for renewal for GSP

status for Pakistan from the European Union (EU) to sustain export growth.

“Though the present status will expire in Dec 2023, but Pakistan can face its destructive effects from next year, as international buyers will start searching for other regional suppliers for placing new orders, leading to export loss of around $3 billion for the country,” PRGMEA regional chairman Sheikh Luqman Amin said.

Its chief coordinator Ijaz Khokhar observed that extension in the EU’s status had played a great role in enhancing Pakistan’s exports.

“The government will have to act immediately to push the EU countries for extension of GSP Plus facility to Pakistan for another 10 years, from Jan 2024 to Dec 2033,” he said, adding, the end of duty-free facility would damage the exports growth volume by at least $3 billion annually.

The association also felicitated Naveed Qamar for being appointed as minister for Commerce and Textile.

Khokhar urged interaction and communication with ambassadors of the EU bloc and other European countries. He also suggested underlining the need for direct advocacy and lobbying through visits to the EU headquarters in Brussels.

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BANGLADESH Plans to give Bangladesh textiles a boost With US$2.5 billion investment proposals in the pipeline, the textile sector of Bangladesh appears to be in the government's good books. The ministry concerned recommends the revenue authority for some favour in taxes, while the revenue authority itself is working to make customs procedures easier for the sector to save money and time.

The revenue board is also looking positively at the demand for lowering VAT on imports of raw materials for blended yarn and fabrics. These will help the textile industry move faster with its next venture – to create a stronger backward linkage for the apparel industry by boosting local production of manmade fibre and thus reducing import bills for cotton. In response to the industry's long-held demand, the National Board of Revenue (NBR) has taken steps to resolve complexities concerning the harmonised system (HS) code in importing various spare parts of textile mills.

The revenue board is also looking positively at the demand for lowering VAT on local supply for blended yarn and fabrics like polyester, synthetic, viscose and Lycra (combinedly known as manmade fibre). As the budget for the next fiscal year is in the works, the Ministry of Textiles and Jute has urged the NBR to keep the income tax rate at 15% for

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textile and spinning millers till 2026 – as the benefit is set to end on 30 June 2022.

The initiatives have come in tandem with the spirit of the upcoming National Industrial Policy that proposes tax breaks and subsidies on capital investment for import substitute industries. Bangladesh spends Tk53,000 crore on cotton imports, which accounts for 13% of the country's total import bills. The already drafted new industrial policy is designed to discourage such imports and support backward linkages and local production of capital machinery and spare parts for industries like apparel, automobile and pharmaceutical. Furthermore, the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) has long been complaining on how HS code complexities are making imports of spare parts costlier than the capital machinery.

BRAZIL Cotton index remains stable in first fortnight of April Cotton prices fluctuated slightly in the Brazilian market in the first fortnight of April, influenced by the dollar and the quotations of the product abroad. The CEPEA/ESALQ Index for cotton stayed around BRL 7.1/pound during the entire fortnight. Between March 31 and April 14, this Index dropped by 0.87 per cent, to BRL 7.1951/pound.

In the national spot market, liquidity was constrained by the dispute between

agents for price and quality. Many purchasers, majorly agents from processors, stayed away from the market, working with the cotton stocked and/or being delivered (previously purchased).

These buyers considered the prices in the spot too high and reported difficulties to pass these values to by-products. Only the purchasers with urgent needs bought cotton in the first half of April. So far, at least 44 per cent of the 2020-21 Brazilian crop and 26.8 per cent of the 2021-22 crop have been sold, according to the data from the BBM compiled by CEPEA. In terms of volume, in the 2020-21 season, 1.056 million tons of cotton has been sold. Of this, 488,040 tons has been bought by the domestic market, while 468,570 tons has been sold to the international market. Of the 2021-22 season crop, 756,860 tons have been sold, mostly to be exported (418,980 tons) and 255,300 tons in the Brazilian market; flex contracts account for 82,560 tons.

CHINA China's textile, apparel exports up 11.2% in Q1 China's exports of textile and apparel maintained rapid growth during the first quarter of the year, data from the China National Textile and Apparel Council showed. Textile and apparel exports rose 11.2 percent year on year to 72.25 billion U.S. dollars from January to March.

In breakdown, textile exports reached 36.57 billion dollars, up 15.1 percent from a year ago, and apparel exports were 35.68 billion dollars, an increase of 7.4 percent year on year.

In March alone, the country's textile exports jumped 22.4 percent year on year to 11.83 billion dollars, 7.7 percentage points higher than the growth reported for national goods exports.

China aims to recycle 25 per cent of all textile waste, increase recycled fibre output by 2025 Country hopes to greatly increase its recycling capability and have a waste textile recycling system ‘initially established’ by 2025. Beijing’s guidelines show it plans to focus on raising public awareness and acceptance of upcycled fibres.

China aims to recycle 25 per cent of all its textile waste and churn out 2 million tonnes of recycled fibre by 2025 as part of its push to peak its carbon emissions by 2030 and become carbon-neutral by 2060.

It hopes to greatly increase its recycling capability and have a waste textile recycling system “initially established” by 2025, according to a document jointly released by the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the ministry of industry and information technology and the ministry of Commerce informed recently.

CAMBODIA Export surged to more than 25% in first quarter The Kingdom’s export surged 25.7 percent to US$5,716 million in the first three months of the year, compared to the same period last year, according to the General Department of Customs and Excise. The report stated that the US is the biggest market for Cambodia’s export, accounting for 37.6 percent of total exports, or US$2,150 million. The country’s exports to the US increased by 43.7 percent.

Cambodia’s exports to Vietnam rose 3.9 percent to US$758 million while its exports to Thailand jumped 28 percent to US$318 million. On the other hand, China is the biggest market for Cambodia’s imports. The Kingdom’s imports to China rose 30.1 percent to US$2,552 million.

The exports of garment products surged 24.8 percent to US$3,155 million, while non-garment exports rose by 38 percent to US$1,213 million.

The exports of agricultural products jumped 10 percent to US$1,123 million. Sin Chanthy, president of the Cambodia Logistics Association, said, “The purchase orders have been placed on Cambodian products since the government resumed socioeconomic activities last November.”

Around the World Goyal said the Indian textile Industry has the potential to achieve USD 100 billion dollars in exports by 2030.

The lockdown has pushed some of the logistics service providing companies to pause operations, but they are now restarting operations, Chanthy said.

“Due to the increase in purchase orders on Cambodian products, this has pushed the local logistics and transportation companies to resume fully as of present,” Chanthy said.

Prime Minister Hun Sen said recently that he was satisfied with the export growth in the early period of this year.

The Premier encouraged all stakeholders to boost trade and other economic activities to fuel the economic growth after the country’s reopening in all domains.

INDIA India achieved export target of US$ 418 billion this year India has achieved the export target of USD 418 billion this year and the latest figure of exports is close to USD 419.5 billion, said Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Wednesday.

Goyal told a press conference, "You all are aware that we have achieved the export target of USD 418 billion this year.

According to the new figures that have just come out, we are close to USD 419.5 billion."

He said that after achieving the 'goods export target' of over USD 400 billion, India has achieved yet another

MALAYSIA Textile manufacturing market size to grow by USD 2.35 bn Piyush Goyal , Union minister for commerce and industry.

milestone by accomplishing the 'service export target' of USD 250 billion for the financial year 2021-22.

The Union Minister said that new economic cooperation and trade agreements with Australia and UAE would open 10 lakhs job opportunities in sectors such as textiles, pharmaceuticals, leather goods and jewellery.

"Countries across the globe are working in partnership with India. The India-UAE agreement will give a minimum of 10 lakh jobs and IndiaAustralia FTA (Free Trade Agreement) will provide another 10 lakh jobs in textile, pharmaceuticals, leather goods, gems and jewellery sectors," Goyal said.

The Union Minister said that new economic cooperation and trade agreements with Australia and UAE would open infinite opportunities for sectors such as textiles, handloom, footwear. He said that Indian textile exports to Australia and UAE would now face zero duty and expressed confidence that soon Europe, Canada, the UK and GCC countries would also welcome Indian textile exports at zero duty.

The report on the textile manufacturing market in Malaysia byproducts (natural fibres, polyester, nylon, and others) and application (fashion, technical, household, and others) Forecast and Analysis 2022-2026 is published recently.

The well-established textile industry in Malaysia and the high export of textile industry products are some of the key market drivers. Malaysia has a thriving textile sector with a large number of textile manufacturing enterprises.

Malaysia's industrial master plan has enhanced product quality, kept prices affordable, and increased export-oriented marketing.

Malaysia's textile sector has high expectations for the future in terms of strengthening the country's economy.

Various textile manufacturing firms in Malaysia provide a wide range of textile items with various applications in people's daily lives.

Textile companies also provide buyers with high-quality textile products at affordable prices, which will fuel the market's expansion in Malaysia over the projection period. However, factors such as health hazards in the textile industry will challenge market growth.

During the projection period, the natural fibres sector will gain considerable market share in Malaysia's textile manufacturing industry. Manmade and natural fibres are used in the textile business.

Clothing makers and fabric suppliers in Malaysia's textile industry offer a diverse range of textile items for everyday use, fueling demand for natural fibres.

Furthermore, Malaysian textile industry is reliant on the import of raw materials, particularly for fabric manufacturing, a shortage of raw materials could affect the country's market growth.

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Around the World

USA Global technical textiles market to reach $208.5 billion by 2024 The global market for Technical Textiles is projected to reach US$208.5 Billion by 2024, registering a CAGR of 5% over the analysis period. In the US, technical textiles have already established their use case in a multitude of applications including automotive, sporting goods and industrial components. China dominates growth in the Asia-Pacific region, owing to the sheer increase in production and consumption volumes of technical textiles.

Global market for technical textiles is being propelled by expanding applications in a range of end-use sectors, steady pace of technology advancements, and a relatively stable economic environment. Rapid growth of automotive industry in emerging economies and the growing use of technical textiles in construction industry applications are expected to stimulate growth in the coming years. Growth will also be driven by the sustained increase in healthcare spending across the world as well as the growing emphasis on sustainable manufacturing and environmental conservation.

Rising demand for building textiles, increasing demand for nonwoven technical textiles and the growing use of technical textiles in electronics industry also augur well for the market`s growth.

In addition, after returning to work, their health remained poor, and they could not keep up with daily work, leading to low labour productivity.

Therefore, the company must

VIETNAM

negotiate with customers to reschedule delivery times, rearrange production plans, and prioritize urgent orders first.

Apparel industry sees stable growth amid pandemic

Employees who previously worked indirectly now have been directly

Vietnam’s textile and garment industry has seen stable growth, despite the devastating impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, recording an export turnover of US$8.84 billion in the first quarter of 2022 with an increase of 22.5 per cent against the same period last year.

involved in production. The company has

In many industries, especially labourintensive ones like the textile and garment industry, labour shortages during the Covid-19 pandemic have directly impacted apparel manufacturers' production and business activities.

in the fourth wave of the pandemic,

Trần Tường Anh, deputy general director of Hòa Thọ Textile and Garment JSC, said that 1,719 employees in her company were tested positive for Covid19, accounting for 15 per cent of the company’s total number of employees.

Having a large number of employees to take off from work, the company encountered many difficulties in arranging its production plans.

also arranged different workplaces and canteen for those who tested positive for Covid-19 to work once health authorities approved it, said Tường Anh. Over the past two years, particularly apparel companies have always faced difficulties due to disruption of the global supply chain, leading to a temporary closure of many companies.

Hoàng Văn Linh, chairman of Aligro JSC, said fabrics were based on the seasons. Therefore, his company prioritized garment orders and had enough raw materials.

To cope with uncertainty during the pandemic, the company determined to ensure social and welfare interests for employees to make them feel secure at work, said Linh.

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Rieter completes acquisition of the three Saurer businesses With the takeover of the automatic winding machine business at the UebachPalenberg/Germany site with effect from April 1, 2022, Rieter has completed the acquisition of the three businesses from Saurer.

The acquisition of the automatic winding technology in the premium category completes Rieter’s ring and compact-spinning system and thus lays the foundation to further improve the company’s strong position in the largest staple fiber market segment.

The components businesses Accotex (elastomer technology for spinning machines) at the Muenster/Germany site and Temco (technology components for filament machines) at the Hammelburg/Germany site had already

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been acquired by Rieter as of December 1, 2021.

Rieter had announced the acquisition of the three businesses on August 16, 2021.

In total, the three businesses generated sales of EUR 142 million in 2020, the year of the COVID crisis. In 2019 and 2018, total sales amounted to EUR 235 million and EUR 260 million, respectively.

The winding machine business with new machines will be assigned to the Business Group Machines & Systems, and the after-sales business will be assigned to the Business Group After Sales. The Accotex and Temco component businesses are managed by the Business Group Components.

About Rieter Rieter is the world’s leading supplier of systems for short-staple fiber spinning.

Based in Winterthur (Switzerland), the company develops and manufactures machinery, systems and components used to convert natural and manmade fibers and their blends into yarns. Rieter is the only supplier worldwide to cover both spinning preparation processes and all four end spinning processes currently established on the market. Furthermore, Rieter is a leader in the field of precision winding machines.

With 17 manufacturing locations in ten countries, the company employs a global workforce of some 4 900, about 18% of whom are based in Switzerland.

Rieter is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange under ticker symbol RIEN. 

Corporate News

Mayer & Cie. looks back on a successful 2021 Digitisation, sustainability and modernisation are the topics for 2022 Looking back, 2021 was a positive year for the Albstadt-based circular knitting machine and braiding machine manufacturer Mayer & Cie. After two tough years, sales exceeded Euro 100 million again last year, and the outlook for this year is promising, with production working at long-term full capacity in the circular knitting machine sector.

To maintain its market edge, Mayer & Cie continues to rely on the digitisation of both its processes and its products.

Substantial investment at its headquarters location, especially in machinery, is on the Mayer & Cie's agenda for 2022. In addition, the company has passed an energy upgrade milestone by launching its new CHP cogeneration units.

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Sales back to pre-crisis level "Compared with 2020, our Group sales were up by about 40 per cent in 2021," said Mayer & Cie. Managing Director Benjamin Mayer. After two difficult years in 2019 and 2020, the circular knitting machine manufacturer was able to restore sales to a stable level of about 103 million euros in 2021. And it could have achieved an even better result. "Supply chain problems hampered production perceptibly," the company's managing director said. "In view of the order situation, up to five per cent more might have been possible."

The Albstadt textile machinery manufacturer's order position has stayed at a sound, high level since the fourth quarter of 2020, and orders in hand will already keep the circular knitting machine

division busy until the end of the year, with orders coming in from all over the world, but especially, and with no change, from the company's core markets Turkey, China and India.

The Management views with concern, however, the conflict in Ukraine, which at first glance may not affect the sales market directly but might lead to general purchasing restraint in the capital goods sector that, like the trade war between the United States and China, which began in 2018, would also affect Mayer & Cie. In addition, effects of the conflict such as high energy prices and interruptions in material supplies and logistics pose a genuine challenge in the further course of the year.In the braiding machine division, the order position recovered in 2021.

Corporate News

Sales of new machines and, especially, spare parts exceeded the 2020 figures significantly. "In the braider business," Benjamin Mayer said, "we regained ground to some extent, although our sales are still not where we would like to see them. We aim to expand in this area in the years ahead with further developments to existing machines and plans for new machines."

Award-winning digitisation Production and machine data bundled and available to access worldwide in realtime is part of the vision of Sebastian Mayer, a member of the Mayer & Cie. management and its development supremo. He and his team have in recent years created a digital backbone that connects the entire company. Product Lifecycle Management, or PLM, is part of it and has standardised and streamlined historical processes in production and development. What customers will see is the online spare parts Webshop, the remote maintenance options for machines and the bundling of production and machine data on the knitlink platform.

"Even in difficult years," says Sebastian Mayer, "we have deliberately focussed on optimising core processes in order to be able to hit the ground running when the market recovers. We are naturally pleased to have set a benchmark with this approach."

Investing in the location "To operate successfully in the long term, investing in the location is absolutely essential," Benjamin Mayer says. "That is quite clear in the policy of modernising machinery that we are

pursuing." In the years ahead, a range of production machinery – lathes, gear cutting and grinding machines – is to be replaced at a scheduled cost running into low double-digit millions. Last year saw an investment in a robot-controlled laser hardening system for heat-treating machine components.

The company has also completed its on-site energy upgrade. The CHP cogeneration plant that will supply much of the energy consumed by Mayer & Cie. at its main production facility in Albstadt is to be inaugurated shortly.

Mayer & Cie. has once more won an award for its in-house and external digitisation measures as one of the most innovative German SMEs. The textile machinery manufacturer won a 2022 Top 100 award for its innovative processes in particular.

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Corporate News

hycuTEC sets new standards in terms of quality and efficiency Oerlikon Nonwoven convinces at the FILTECH with a new hydro-charging solution The Neumünster-based systems builder Oerlikon Nonwoven premiered its new hycuTEC hydro-charging solution at this year’s FILTECH in Cologne. This new technology for charging nonwovens enables the filter efficiency to be increased to more than 99.99%. As a result, it offers meltblown producers considerable material savings with simultaneously improved filtration.

The hycuTEC is the market’s first industrially-manufactured hydro-charging solution that can also be seamlessly integrated into the production process. And the innovative technology is also easily retrofitted to existing systems as a plug & produce component – a first within the market.

Filter media with a whole new level of quality hycuTEC hydro-charging can reduce the pressure loss in typical FFP2 filter media to less than a quarter. Even filtration efficiencies of more than 99.99% are easily achieved in typical filter media of 35 g/m² at 35 Pa. Tests at pilot customers manufacturing FFP2 face masks have confirmed quality increases due to the improved filtration with a simultaneous reduction in material usage of 30%. For end users, the consequence is noticeably improved comfort resulting from significantly reduced breathing resistance.

In addition to this, the hydro-charging unit also stands out in terms of sustainability: “The hycuTEC process excels as a futureproof technology due to its considerably lower water and energy consumption compared to other hydro-charging concepts. This unit allows an additional drying process to be dispensed with in many applications, which has a huge impact

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on energy consumption”, comments Dr. Ingo Mählmann, Head of Sales & Marketing at Oerlikon Nonwoven. Incidentally, the hycuTEC unit can be easily and quickly installed and is simple to operate, set and service, while also being extremely user-friendly.

Technological quantum leap Whereas classical hydro-charging processes charge the finished non-woven material, the hycuTEC concept is based on the all-round charging of each filament. Through controlled atomization, a charge is evenly transferred to the fibers from the water spray. And a special additive is used to permanently bond the charge to the surface of each fiber. The result: filter media with a uniformly stable charge over the entire cross-section and an effective fiber surface area about 10 times greater than that of surface-charged media. Integrating the new unit into a stateof-the-art Oerlikon Nonwoven meltblown system helps achieve a uniformly high product quality across the whole production process. 

Naia™ from Eastman releases industry loungewear insights Consumer preference for casual comfort expected to last beyond pandemic The global pandemic has driven consumer preference for comfortable loungewear, and the latest research conducted by Naia™ from Eastman proves it is a trend with staying power.

When surveyed, 78% of women in the U.S. and Europe selected comfort as their top priority when selecting loungewear. Other findings show 74% of respondents dressed more casually at home and 66% are also choosing to dress more casually outside of the home.

Consumers also want more comfortable fabrics and more versatile loungewear and will likely purchase more loungewear items in the future. The survey results showed 61% of women investing in more casual clothing, with 44% reducing the amount of formal clothing in their wardrobes.

They also prefer more sustainable loungewear with new and different fibers and would like brands to offer more of those options.

The study also highlighted a satisfaction gap among consumers who wanted better loungewear comfort, fit, quality, drape and durability. With Naia™, Eastman aims to collaborate with

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brands to fill this gap and help them enhance the consumer shopping journey.

“Loungewear has become the musthave item in every woman’s closet,” said Ruth Farrell, marketing director of textiles for Eastman. “Our insights aim to help brands understand how today’s consumers define comfort and sustainability with regards to loungewear.

With two-thirds of consumers wanting more sustainable options in their

loungewear fibers, Naia™ is perfectly positioned to help our value-chain partners create comfortable, quality, sustainable loungewear that is accessible to all.”

Available as both a filament yarn and a staple fiber, Naia™ Renew cellulosic fiber is inherently soft, is quick drying and has reduced pilling properties. It blends well with other eco-friendly materials, such as modal and recycled polyesters, to

Corporate News

produce sustainable fabrics for everyday garments - including tops, dresses, jumpsuits, twinsets, t-shirts, comfy pants and sweaters.

Naia™ Renew is produced from 60% sustainably sourced wood pulp and 40% hard-to recycle waste materials*, which would otherwise be destined for landfills or incinerators, with a low carbon footprint in a closed-loop process where solvents are safely recycled back into the system for reuse.*Naia™ Renew recycled content is achieved by allocation of

recycled waste materials through mass balance accounting.

Stay up-to-date on Naia™ news and information via LinkedIn, Instagram and the Naia™ Survey details: Harris Insights & Analytics surveyed 2,060 women online for Eastman in December 2021/January 2022. The subjects own and purchase loungewear and were between the ages of 18–60 in the U.S.A., Germany, Spain and the U.K.

About Eastman Founded in 1920, Eastman is a global specialty materials company that produces a broad range of products found in items people use every day.

With the purpose of enhancing the quality of life in a material way, Eastman works with customers to deliver innovative products and solutions while maintaining a commitment to safety and sustainability. The company’s innovationdriven growth model takes advantage of world-class technology platforms, deep customer engagement, and differentiated application development to grow its leading positions in attractive end markets such as transportation, building and construction, and consumables. As a globally inclusive and diverse company, Eastman employs approximately 14,000 people around the world and serves customers in more than 100 countries.

The company had 2021 revenues of approximately $10.5 billion and is headquartered in Kingsport, Tennessee, USA. 

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Corporate News

BB Engineering records order intake from Thai Polyester for four VacuFil recycling systems BB Engineering GmbH (Germany), a subsidiary of Oerlikon Textile, announces that Thai Polyester Co., Ltd (Thailand) placed an order for four VacuFil systems for recycling bottle flakes with connected direct spinning. The polyester manufacturer, established in 2001 and with an overall annual capacity of 316,800 tons, is one of Thailand’s leading producers and exclusively uses German technology. To this end, the company already operates Oerlikon Barmag and Oerlikon Neumag systems.

The BB Engineering VacuFil systems will be deployed to convert existing spinning plant equipment from processing polyester to processing PET bottle flakes without loss of performance.

BB Engineering supplies the complete recycling process – from the drying stage and extrusion, all the way through to the spinning plant-appropriate fine filtration stage.

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Thanks to decades of experience in spinning plant technology, the German machine constructor also provides comprehensive spinning plant know-how and is aware of how the recycling process must be designed to ensure that the product manufactured using the spinning plant ultimately has the right quality.

The four new VacuFil systems will be integrated into the existing building infrastructure and process landscape at Thai Polyester, with a total output of approx. 4,000 kg/h. The VacuFil systems will be complemented by BB Engineering 3DD mixers for directly feeding dyes into the recycled melt flow. Commissioning has been scheduled for 2023.

Thai Polyester will be using the new VacuFil systems to manufacture its ‘EcoTPC’ recycling-brand yarns. 100% of these polyester yarns are produced from bottle, fiber and yarn waste and are all GRS certified. 

About BB Engineering GmbH BB Engineering GmbH is a German machine building company founded in 1997 as a joint venture between Oerlikon Barmag, a subsidiary of Oerlikon Textile GmbH & Co. KG, and Brückner Group GmbH. Today, the company employs more than 160 members of staff at its location in Remscheid, Germany, focusing their business on the development, engineering, design and manufacturing of extrusion and filtration technologies as well as complete spinning lines (VarioFil) and recycling technologies (VacuFil, Visco+) for the plastics and textiles industry. The services offered range from the design and planning phases all the way through to the implementation of projects. 

DELIVERY SPEED: 300 M/MIN EXTRA HIGH SPEED: 120,000 RPM

Shandong Anhui Rifa Textile Machinery is the leading textile machinery supplier from China Established in 1993, Shandong Rifa Textile Machinery Co. is an independently operated enterprise held by Zhejiang Rifa Textile Machinery. The firm's other holdings include Anhui Rifa Textile Machinery Co. and Zhejiang Rifa Textile Machinery Co. The company was founded with a registered capital of 69.48 million RMB. Since its inception, Rifa has successfully developed and introduced nearly one hundred types of textile machinery. This equipment is classified into four systems, twisting machines, spinning machines, looms, and knitting machines. The products are manufactured in six series, including two for one twisting machines, rotor spinning machines, knitting machines, compact spinning machines, air jet looms, and rapier looms. Our machines are used to produce textiles from cotton, wool, silk, flax, blended fabrics, jacquard (home textiles, towels, etc.), industrial fabrics (fiberglass), and more.

Shandong RIFA operates China's largest textile manufacturing base without the use of a shuttle loom. With many years of professional experience in the manufacturing of textiles without a shuttle loom makes RIFA a significant player in the textile industry when it comes to R&D and production.

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RIFA operates assembly workshops for four core products: air jet looms, rapier looms, terry rapier looms, and water jet looms. We employ excellent production equipment, advanced processing methods, and excellent testing procedures. More than 20 sets of advanced manufacturing and testing devices from Germany, Italy, Taiwan, and other countries and regions around the world have been imported. The investment into innovation and technical strengths, modern management techniques, and high efficiency operations all help to realize stable products that deliver on performance and durability.

The technical center of RIFA won the title of Shandong Rapier Loom

Engineering Technology Research Center and Shandong certified enterprise technical center. We have more than 40 professional technicians with at the minimum an intermediate certificate or title of senior professional post.

RIFA has established long term cooperation with Donghua University, Qingdao University, China Textile Academy and some other colleges and universities and research units. According to the customer demands, RIFA carries out continuous adjustments to design methods and philosophies to realize scientific and technological innovation.

RIFA has obtained 6 national new products, more than 10 provincial new products, more than 100 patents for invention and utility models.

Corporate News

RIFA successively took on two national innovation fund projects, National Science and Technology Support Program, China Torch Program and some other national science and technology programs.

The modern textile machinery science park project undertaken by RIFA is located in the high and new tech development zone in Liaocheng, Shandong, occupying an area of 1550 Mu.* The floor area is a massive 1.0307 million square meters. And the total investment is 5 billion RMB. The construction goal is the overall planning and implementation in stages. The first stage is the intelligent water jet loom and terry towel loom industrial project. It is

located at the south-east of the science park which is 438 Mu. And the investment is 1.3 billion RMB.

finishing machines. After the

This project can carry out manufacturing of 8000 water jet looms and 800 terry towel looms in one [GF2] year after establishment. The second stage is high-end electronic equipment project which is 302 Mu. And the investment is 0.8 billion RMB. The annual manufacturing capability is 2000 electronic equipment sets after establishment. And the third stage is knitting machine and dyeing and finishing machine project which is 810 Mu. And the investment is 3 billion RMB. The annual production ability is 20000 knitting machines and 500 dyeing and

RMB and the profits and taxes is 1.6

establishment of all the projects, the increasing sales income can be 10 billion billion RMB. RIFA equipment is sold in more than 20 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa and America and to more than 20 provinces and cities in China. The sales of various high level textile machinery is within the top three in the industry. RIFA is represented in Pakistan by Akhtar & Sons. *Mu is the unit of area that is often used in south Asia. 1 Mu corresponding to 1/15 ha1, about ⅔ × 1000 (or 666.7) m2

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The LYCRA Company launches online customer portal, driving digital transformation for the apparel industry The LYCRA ONE™ portal includes the latest innovations, fabric library, knowledge center, certification services, and merchandising assets, allowing mills and retailers to collaborate digitally The LYCRA Company, a global leader in developing innovative solutions for the apparel and personal care industries, today announced the launch of their LYCRA ONE™ Online Network Exchange.

The new online customer portal empowers brands, retailers, and garment makers to connect to a global network of mills all in one convenient platform focused around the science of comfort, fit and performance.

Prior to the pandemic, there was already a need in the marketplace for a digital experience allowing brands and retailers to connect with mills and manufacturers in a virtual capacity without losing the inherent advantages of an in-person connection. Through the LYCRA ONE™ portal, users can source innovative fiber solutions using the digital fabric library. Users can also directly connect with mills to begin or expand on business relationships, learn about capabilities, and view product catalogs.

“The LYCRA Company has a rich legacy of innovation, and we must embrace digital transformation. The launch of the LYCRA ONE™ portal leverages our connectivity across the apparel and personal care value chains and offers a one-stop seamless solution to rapidly move our customers’ ideas from concept to launch,” said CEO of The LYCRA Company, Julien Born.

LYCRA ONE™ features a knowledge center where users can access exclusive

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content such as webinars, white papers, and videos covering new fiber technologies, industry trends, marketing, sustainability, and more. These resources help educate users on maximizing the value of The LYCRA Company and its innovative solutions to deliver products that can meet their consumers’ needs and provide inspiration for new ideas.

Customers will discover innovative marketing and merchandising solutions through the LYCRA ONE™ portal, including brand assets and garment hang tags. Additionally, requests can be submitted for trademark license agreements and fiber certifications that help to reinforce the quality of products backed by the power of the LYCRA® brand.

To learn more and register for the LYCRA ONE™ portal, visit one.lycra.com and select the signup button, or contact info@itextiles.com.pk to know more about the LYCRA ONE® portal.

About The LYCRA Company The LYCRA Company innovates and produces fiber and technology solutions for the apparel and personal care industries. Headquartered in Wilmington, Delaware, The LYCRA Company is recognized worldwide for its innovative products, technical expertise, sustainable solutions, and unmatched marketing support. The LYCRA Company owns leading consumer and trade brands:

LYCRA®, LYCRA HyFit®, LYCRA® T400®, COOLMAX®, THERMOLITE®, ELASPAN®, SUPPLEX®, and TACTEL®. The LYCRA Company’s legacy stretches back to 1958 with the invention of the original spandex yarn, LYCRA® fiber. Today, The LYCRA Company focuses on adding value to its customers’ products by developing unique innovations designed to meet the consumer’s need for comfort and lasting performance. For more information, visit www.thelycracompany.com.

About iTextiles® iTextiles® is the sales representative of The LYCRA Company in Pakistan. It is a multi-disciplinary textile solutions company that creates, manages and innovates the entire value chain in performance textiles. Started in 2006 as a trading concern for fibers, the company has rapidly evolved to become a leading value chain manager in the region, supplying raw material to and representing some of the biggest international companies and their brands.

LYCRA® and LYCRA ONE™ are trademarks of The LYCRA Company. 

When it comes to cotton production,

Sustainability is in the water It all comes down to water use. Whether it’s in our own personal lives or the fashion brands we patron, lowering our water use is a significant part of how we reduce our environmental impact. And it matters in the raw materials these brands and retailers decide to source.

Contrary to popular belief, cotton is not a water-intensive crop. According to Transformers Foundation, global averages about cotton’s environmental impact can be misleading, as they fail to capture huge local variations in resource usage and impacts. While global data can be useful to tell whether cotton’s overall impact is going up or down decade over decade, content and local data are key1.

Currently 2/3 of cotton grown in the U.S. is not irrigated, utilizing natural rainfall to grow. Roughly 1/3 uses irrigation to supplement natural rainfall and only 2% is solely dependent on irrigation.

Water sensing technology helps growers map and track where water is

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needed throughout their fields.

Irrigation scheduling technology and drip irrigation ensure water is soaked into the ground. Growers can also measure water evaporation from the soil and plants. All these practices ensure growers are taking advantage of every drop of water.

Thanks to these innovations and technologies U.S. cotton growers have reduced water use by 79% over the past 35 years.

The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol aims to tell the true story about U.S. cotton and its water use. With a growing demand for transparency about brands’ and retailers’ water use and their raw materials, the Trust Protocol sets a new standard in more sustainably grown cotton. It brings quantifiable and verifiable goals and measurement to sustainable cotton production and drives continuous improvement in key sustainability metrics.

It is a system that underpins and verifies U.S. cotton’s sustainability progress through sophisticated data collection and independent third-party verification, providing brands and retailers the critical assurances they need to show that the cotton fiber element of their supply chain is more sustainably grown with lower environmental and social risk.

In the face of climate change, brands and retailers have set comprehensive sustainability plans with significant

Fibre and Yarns

objectives for their businesses. And U.S. cotton growers are continuously improving their sustainability practices by employing new technologies to their lower water use.

In the face of climate change, brands and retailers have set comprehensive sustainability plans with significant objectives for their businesses. And U.S. cotton growers are continuously improving their sustainability practices by employing new technologies to their lower water use.

Growers have introduced systems like computer-driven moisture sensors to improve water efficiency by alerting them to periods of sufficient rainwater and showing them water-level measurements at a series of distances below ground level. These advancements enable growers to understand if their cotton is receiving enough water at all levels. By receiving a picture of the soil’s moisture, farmers can irrigate their fields more efficiently – if irrigation is needed at all.

Almost two-thirds of U.S. cotton growers now employ some type of precision technology.

“We track every drop of water that we apply to our fields year- to-year,” said Aaron Barcellos, a Trust Protocol

grower member from California. “We’ve got soil probes in the field and use satellite imagery. We have an agronomist that helps with irrigation scheduling and crop coefficients. All of these changes allow us to eliminate waste and put every drop of water to use.”

In 2020/21 Trust Protocol grower members showed significant improvement in water use increasing efficiency by 14%, compared to the 2025 U.S. National Goal for Continuous Improvement of increasing efficiency by 18%.

As a member of the Trust Protocol mills, merchants, brands and retailers will gain access to U.S. cotton with

sustainability credentials proven via Field to Market: The Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture, measured via the Fieldprint Calculator and verified with Control Union Certifications.

Mill and manufacturer members can also be identified as part of a fully transparent supply chain and selected by brands and retailers as they look to source more sustainably grown U.S. cotton fiber.

In its first year the Trust Protocol has welcomed more than 560 brand, retailer, mill and manufacturer members since its launch in 2020. This includes J.Crew, Madewell, Levi Strauss & Co. and, Gap Inc. as well as global apparel manufacturer Gildan. The Trust Protocol has also welcomed UK retailers Tesco, Byford and Next Plc. It’s on all of us; growers, brands, retailers, mills, manufacturers and consumers to use water more responsibly.

The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol provides the verified data to show that we’re using less of our natural resources when it comes to the clothes we wear.

To become a member , please visit TrustUSCotton.org.

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Dyes and Chemicals

Archroma launches longawaited metal-free* and halogen-free* Nylosan® S navy and black colors for sportswear

Archroma launches long-awaited metal-free* and halogen-free* Nylosan® S navy and black colors for sportswear Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, today announced the addition of two new metal-free* and halogen-free* acid dyes in its Nylosan® S range.

Dark shades represent approximately 80% of the outdoor and sportswear textile market, which is also under pressure to offer more sustainable articles. Iconic black and navy polyamides of major sportswear brands can finally be perfectly matched with safer dyestuffs.

In this context, the new Nylosan® Navy S-3R and Black S-3N, especially developed by Archroma for polyamides and blends, meet four long-standing market demands for blacks and navies.  First, the Nylosan® S range offers metal-free* alternatives to dyestuff generally used to dye polyamide and nylon and which usually contain metals. The new Nylosan® Navy S-3R and Black S-3N are taking the industry standard one step further by offering a halogen-free* option to those manufacturers, brands and retailers who are looking to offer the safest grade available.  Second, the Nylosan® S range now comprises a wide gamut of colors, with these new dyes targeting the color matching and fastness specifications of the iconic blacks and

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



navies of major sportswear brands. In order to support this color matching process, Archroma makes available the colorimetric dye primaries for the mills in order to (re)match the color standards.

Third, the new navy and black dyes display the same color constancy as the dyes used in many leading color standards, which means the navy and black colors created with Nylosan® S range will be non-metameric to the color standard under multiple light sources, whether artificial or natural, indoor or outdoor.

And fourth, the introduction of the new Nylosan® Black S-3N makes dyeing a metal-free* black on polyamide finally possible – something that was not available before.

Both dyes display the other usual features allowed of the Nylosan® S range, i.e., high fastness and buildup, and a wide shading gamut for industry leading metal-free* acid dyes. They are REACH registered and bluesign® approved.

Significant resource savings when dyeing with Archroma new signature CONSCIOUSLY DEEP system In addition, with the new Nylosan® Navy S-3R and Black S-3N at the core of its new CONSCIOUSLY DEEP system,

Archroma is offering another very welcome benefit in the production of polyamide articles: resource saving.

As most sportswear manufacturers and brands know, creating durable dark colors on nylon is a complex process that uses massive amounts of water and energy. Archroma therefore designed the new CONSCIOUSLY DEEP system to allow a highly efficient scour dyeing process reduced from 6 to 2 baths.

This results into reducing the process time by up to 36%, water consumption by up to 64%, energy by up to 46%, and CO2 emissions by up to 41% compared to conventional benchmark process.

“Innovation is a key enabler of the Archroma Way to a sustainable world,” explains Mark Dohmen, Head of Competence Center Synthetics. With the CONSCIOUSLY DEEP system based on the new Nylosan® S navy and black colors we combine all three: safer ingredients free*of metal and halogen, a more efficient process with less water, energy, and greenhouse gas, and enhanced value with a more desirable and durable article. That is how Archroma helps to transform our industry – because it’s our nature.” * Below limits of detection according to industry standard test methods. 

Brand-new content to inspire and educate visitors at FESPA Global Print Expo 2022 Sustainability Spotlight and Associations Pavilion set to educate and inspire Visitors to FESPA Global Print 2022 (31 May – 3 June 2022, Messe Berlin, Germany) are set for an inspiration and education boost with the launch of two new content-led features: Sustainability Spotlight and the Associations Pavilion.

Spotlight on Sustainability To enable speciality printers to make more sustainable and environmentally conscious choices for their business, FESPA will introduce its Sustainability Spotlight feature. Located in Hall 25 Stand C50, visitors can join presentations from several industry experts providing useful, informative and actionable advice around environmental best practice.

Graphics producers and textile printers can also view a wide range of material samples on display and learn how to produce innovative but sustainable finished products that their customers will value. The headline sponsor for the feature is HP and the stand will be recyclable and reusable, made using products from Reboard Technology.

During the event, industry experts will be hosting a series of highly informative talks on subjects including: Sustainable materials to use for graphics and textile

applications; How to reduce energy consumption; Carbon footprint facilities and benchmarking; How to make supply chains more transparent; and How print professionals can avoid greenwashing.

Michael Ryan, Head of FESPA Global Print Expo

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Commenting on the launch of FESPA’s new Sustainability Spotlight, Michael Ryan, Head of FESPA Global Print Expo

comments: “Building a successful and profitable business is every entrepreneur’s number one goal, but the print community has an obligation to sustainability too, and this is becoming a priority for print buyers. Becoming sustainable means understanding the whole operation and the opportunities

and risks that need to be addressed, now and in the future. Our goal with the launch of Sustainability Spotlight is to inform the print community of the different options open to them as they progress along the path towards sustainable operations. We want to show print businesses how to meet changing customer demands, increase productivity and profitability, while making meaningful improvements to their supply chain and efforts to decarbonise.”

Celebrating talent – FESPA’s Associations Pavilion This year’s event also sees the launch of the Associations Pavilion, celebrating the talent of FESPA’s international member community. The Pavilion gives members of FESPA’s worldwide network of Associations the opportunity to showcase their talent through samples of their screen- and digitally-printed work.

Visitors to the South Entrance of the Messe Berlin are set to be inspired and learn how the diverse applications were printed and finished by members from 16 countries, including Japan, Thailand, Mexico and South Africa.

Once again, FESPA has collaborated with illustrator Jasper Goodall whose work is being curated and developed through design, manufacturing and onto finished products by FESPA Textile Ambassador Debbie McKeegan.

Highlighting the multiple opportunities for printers in the world of interior and exterior décor, visitors will be immersed in an interactive world of flora and freshness of the natural world as they move through a collection of seven themes: Tropical Verdure; Nature’s Canopy; Opulent Lux; Aqua Mist; Surface Micro; Organic Flora; and Cacti Geos.

Get wrapped up in the action with the return of ‘Wrap Masters’ The popular, high-octane World Wrap Masters is also back this year, in association with 3M as vinyl partner and HP as print partner. As in previous years, participants will be tasked with wrapping cars as well as surprise objects in a series of timed battles where they will then be judged by a panel of past Wrap Masters.

As many as 36 European wrappers will compete in the regional competition on the first two days of the competition.

In the event’s biggest-ever final to date, 12 successful semi-finalists will then go head-to-head to compete for the title of Wrap Master 2022.

Michael Ryan concludes: “With new content streams and enthusiastic participation from our partners and Association members, FESPA Global Print Expo 2022 will be a must-attend event for the print community. Print professionals stand to gain so much by investing in time away from their day-today operations to boost their knowledge, network with peers and be inspired by other people’s creativity. With brand-new content streams, visitors will leave FESPA brimming with innovative ideas, fresh insights and valuable contacts, primed to make positive changes and enhance their offering.”

Printeriors immerses FESPA in nature Back by popular demand, Printeriors will return to Berlin to connect brand owners, designers and architects with PSPs and manufacturers as they explore the latest trends in décor and design. Also located in the Messe’s South Entrance, the showcase will bring illustrations to life across a range of textiles, wallcoverings, furnishings, flooring, fine art, lighting and accessories.

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MS & JK Group present solutions for sustainable production chain with cost-effective printing output We'll' be there to show our solutions to carry out a sustainable production chain ensuring cost-effective printing output If you think that digital printing is an opportunity for growth, come and visit our booth at FESPA Global Print Expo 2022. (31 May - 3 June 2022 – Berlin – Hall 3.2 - Stand B-21)

We will talk about sustainability, versatility, and reliability. 



Dye-sub printing is the sustainable choice to print onto synthetic fabrics: It is a straightforward and water-saving printing process for flexible production. You will see the JP4 Evo 1.8 working with Digistar K-ONE. It is the excellent combination of a tireless and solid scanning machine and an eco-friendly dye-sub ink for transfer printing.

Pigment inks = less water and energy consumption. The pigment printing is an easy and waterless process, allowing to set a sustainable production chain and ensuring costeffective printing outputs. You will see the JP7 1.8 working with Digistar K-CHOICE 4.0. It is a combination of a scanning machine and an ECO PASSPORT certified ink to increase production capacity by reducing operating costs.

Do not miss the exclusive sneak peek of Digistar Helios that stands out for the dramatic high lightfastness ideal for outdoor signage. The new dye-sub transfer ink has been jointly developed with Universal Woods Inc. specifically to print onto ChromaLuxe® Outdoor material.

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Epson’s Monna Lisa series reduce environmental impact without compromising quality or productivity The latest model ML-64000 at Sarena Textile Industries deliver high quality printing at exceptional speeds.

Epson had begun shipping the latest models in its series of Monna Lisa digital textile printers. Equipped with 64 PrecisionCore printheads, the ML-64000 combines the best of Epson's world-class inkjet printing and manufacturing technologies to deliver high quality printing at exceptional speeds to meet the needs of an increasingly competitive and dynamic textile market.

The textile market is now facing growing demands to reduce environmental impacts and improve work environments, and Epson is committed to leveraging its technologies to provide practical printing solutions that meet these needs. “The shift to digital printing and enhanced sustainability is gaining momentum worldwide,” said Kazuomi Okuzono, general manager, Seiko Epson Corporation. “Thanks to the new ML64000, Epson will continue to contribute to improved sustainability in the textile industry without compromising on quality or productivity.”

The ML-64000 has been installed at Sarena Textile Industries, a leading textiles company in Lahore, Pakistan.

“With increasing demand for digital textile printing, we needed a printer that could give us high productivity without compromising premium quality and reliability. Epson’s Monna Lisa was the choice for us and we are delighted that our ML-64000 has helped us deliver on

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our promise of consistently delivering quality products to customers quickly,” said Mr. Asif Masood, CEO, Sarena Textile Industries.

ML-64000 print speed The ML-64000 reaches a print speed of 740 square metres per hour (600x600 dpi - 2 pass), with 64 PrecisionCore printheads, without compromising on printing quality. The stable operation and unprecedented useability of the ML64000 are realised due to advanced cleaning mechanisms and automated adjustment functions. The fluff blower system removes fluff from the fabric surface before it enters the printing area, and the ink mist extraction system helps reduce nozzle clogging problems.

In the event a nozzle does become clogged, Nozzle Verification Technology (NVT) detects missing dots and adjusts ink delivery to maintain image quality and reduce printing errors. With highaccuracy head alignment technology and automatic calibration by the built-in RGB camera, printhead replacement and calibration can be completed easily. In addition, the Epson Cloud Solution PORT reduces downtime and service calls by allowing quick responses to potential problems, and the operating status of all connected printers can be viewed from PCs or mobile devices, helping to maximise productivity.

Key points  Printheads: 64 Epson PrecisionCore

Printheads  Productivity: up to 740 m2/h

(600x600 dpi; 2 pass)  Resolution: up to 1200 dpi.  Width: 180 cm  Ink types: Genesta Acid, Reactive,

Disperse and Pigment.  Ink capacity: 10 litres.

Epson GENESTA inks are available in Acid, Reactive, Disperse, and Pigment formulations in a degassed vacuum-pack.

They are ECO PASSPORT certified to meet globally recognised standards for environmentally conscious textile printing. In addition, the Acid ink is bluesign® approved, and the Reactive and Pigment inks are GOTS approved by ECOCERT. Monna Lisa is at the heart of a hightech Total Solution – a complete and integrated system that provides maximum assistance throughout the production cycle. There is a single supplier for all components.

More information regarding ML64000 is available from Epson’s representative The Textile Engineers of Pakistan and for technical details regarding Epson Direct-To-Fabric printers, please visit www.epson.com.sg/direct-tofabric. 

FESPA 2022 will mark the first time that the TS330-1600 is showcased at an international tradeshow.

Sign and textile technologies by Mimaki to debut at FESPA 2022 Mimaki’s latest cutting-edge technologies for sign and textile industries to make international tradeshow debut at FESPA 2022

Additionally, FESPA visitors will see Mimaki’s all new CG-AR cutting plotter, which goes above and beyond the current entrylevel technology available in this area.

Mimaki Europe, the leading manufacturer of inkjet printing and cutting technologies will be showcasing its latest innovative technologies and connecting with customers at FESPA 2022 Global Printing Expo (May 31st – June 3rd Berlin, Germany Hall 1.2 Stand 1.2-A30). Following the success of FESPA 2021, the first major European tradeshow for Mimaki post-COVID-19, Mimaki will return as a gold sponsor for this landmark industry event. With a host of new solutions released this year, FESPA 2022 will be the first opportunity for Mimaki to demonstrate these printers and cutters at an international event and further explain the many benefits they offer sign and textile printing companies.

Urbanising FESPA 2022 In line with FESPA 2022’s tagline, ‘Experience print in motion’, Mimaki’s stand will bring an exciting vibrancy to the show, by demonstrating real-world applications alongside the machines that created them.

This year will see Mimaki’s stand convey the streets of Berlin in its design, and urban inspired works by designers, including Nicky Nahafahik and Xavier Protano, all printed using various Mimaki’s printing technologies and displayed on the stand -

In the Spotlight Standout technology on show includes the new 330 series, consisting of the JV330-160, the CJV330-160 and the TS3301600. Launched during the company’s Global Innovation Days event, the 330 Series leverages Mimaki’s cross-platform strategy, to offer a high-end yet cost effective printing solution across several sectors. The eco-solvent inkjet printers, the JV330-160 and CJV330-160, boast innovative features such as the new media changer that allows three rolls of media to be loaded simultaneously, and the XY slitter, which provides in-line X-axis and Y-axis sheet-fed cutting. The TS330-1600, which will make its international tradeshow debut at FESPA, is a sublimation printer with an improved take-up system and optional add-ons to further increase efficiency, including a 10kg ink tank supply unit and a mini jumbo roll unit.

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CG-AR Series cutting plotters.

allowing visitors experience Berlin from inside the Messe Berlin halls. Mimaki will also join forces with Dutch designer Tessa Koops to create a selection of unique fashion items, after their successful collaborations in 2019.

Celebrating Customer Success As a centrepiece of Mimaki’s stand, the customer gallery will return to FESPA 2022, showcasing and celebrating customer samples and testimonials. There will also be live demonstrations of Mimaki’s latest technologies in dedicated sign, UV and textile application areas.

The latest UV printers on display include the UJV100, and the JFX and UJF series. The acclaimed 3D printer, the 3DUJ2207, will also return to FESPA this year to showcase the many high-quality, full-colour models, including figurines, scale models and prototypes, achievable with this cost-efficient, entry-level printer.

To answer questions about the applications and Mimaki technologies, hospitality and meeting areas will provide space for one-to-one conversations with Mimaki experts.

JV330-160 Solvent Print & Cut.

“FESPA 2022 is, as always, a fantastic opportunity for anyone and everyone, interested or invested, in the world of sign and textile printing. This year we’ve embraced FESPA’s theme of motion by bringing the hustle and bustle of city life to FESPA visitors – through the vibrant, urban-inspired prints from designers and the cutting-edge technologies that printed them.

This together with the customer success stories in the gallery, are sure to inspire and make for an invaluable experience for visitors,” commented Danna Drion, EMEA General Marketing Manager at Mimaki Europe. 

Aleph: LAFORTE 340 direct-to-textile inkjet printing system The flagship LAFORTE 600 Paper equipped with aleph’s A22 graphic pigments inks will take centerstage, demonstrating how to achieve high-volume productions of extremely high-quality printed textiles for indoor and outdoor communication, and with a sustainable process.

Alongside this, LAFORTE 340 direct-to-textile inkjet printing systemaddresses the increasing request for customised, on-demand applications in the interior décor space.

Featuring a width of 340 mm and equipped with aleph’s M22 pigment inks, this printer enables extreme flexibility, superior print quality with high fastness and high speed, and an extremely low environmental impact as no water is needed while the energy consumption is reduced.

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Brother: New products, techniques and possibilities New products, techniques and possibilities from Brother, one of the market leaders in the direct-to-garment business, will be displayed at FESPA Global Print Expo in hall 27 booth 27-C20 at the Messe Berlin in Germany.

This trade event is Europe's leading exhibition for screen and digital, wide format printing and textile printing.

Just a few months ago, the company introduced a new printer, the GTX600.

This new GTX series member is especially designed for mass production on an industrial level, equipped with a built-in humidifier that helps controlling the environment in the machine, four industrial print heads with internal cooling fans for longer continuous print operation and a possible print size up to 61x 61cm.

These are just a few of many advantages of the GTX600 that support mass production business. With this new model, we have expanded our GTX series by a third model to meet all the different production requirements – from unique, individual, personalised pieces made with the GTXpro via high volume output with the GTXpro BULK to mass production, the company said in a press release.

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Now that direct printing on leather and polyester has become established with our GTX series printers, the company has decided to add the option of DTF printing. All one needs is the socalled reversal driver, which is available free of charge from all certified dealers.

This makes customers even more flexible and allows them to react optimally to all requirements.

In addition, Brother has announced that its new software solution 'Brother Myze' will be released this summer.

GTX600 support mass production business.

Brother Myze was developed inhouse exclusively for the direct to garment sector by the 'Digital Solutions' department, which was newly founded last year. In cooperation with some of the major manufacturers from a wide range of different business sectors, we have not just created a software solution but a whole package of individual applications that cover all areas and needs of the digital print production. Brother Myze is a customer platform that brings everything together and simplifies daily work.

Zünd: Mind software with new features Zünd Systemtechnik has added new features to the Mind software suite that are making Zünd digital cutting workflows for leather and textile applications easier, more efficient, and more profitable than ever.

This is the most significant and comprehensive software update since Zünd first introduced the Mind workflow suite five years ago, and the developers have added a host of new features. First and foremost is the improved UI, which is now even more intuitive, enables deeper integration with MIS data and production workflows and with additional tools specific to textile processing. It also opens up new possibilities in the exchange of data with third-party suppliers.

With Version 5.3, MindGest now supports scan-to-stock and scan-to-order workflows. The latter is an offline process that allows for digitizing hides and nesting parts away from the cutter through a capturing system like MindCut. In the Scan-to-Stock workflow, hides are digitized and then temporarily “stocked” until production can proceed. These workflows are in contrast to the inline process, in which hides are captured/digitized and parts are nested directly on the Zünd cutting system.

For print & cut textile applications, the system now also supports register marks created in Zünd Cut Center – ZCC. Furthermore, MindCut is now also compatible with PrimeCenter and RIP software from other manufacturers

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through multi-layer PDFs. Improvements were made to the way the system controls the Zünd ICC camera used to capture the exact position of printed parts on the cutter, allowing for perfectly matching cut to print. In Version 5.3, MindCut now also fully supports the cradle feeder 100 with integrated cut-off function, Leibinger Jet3, the laser module LM 100W, and the V-Cut Tool - VCT2.

MindGest has been improved as well.

Users now have the option to graphically display relevant production data and are able to see anticipated nesting times at a glance. Pattern matching has also been improved with better guidance throughout the process. The system now displays the pattern in a separate window allowing the user to verify the settings before proceeding.

With adjustments made to the stepby-step guidance through the nesting process, the nesting portion of the UI in

Furthermore, the labels for marking digitized hides can now be individually designed and the interface for nested jobs has been optimized as well. The Model Importer, too, has been enhanced with additional functionalities, e.g. with the option to automatically create seam allowances. 

Dyeing, Printing and Finishing

Printing digital files on textile: Three ways to prevent errors due to incorrect design files

By Jos Notermans Marketing Manager, SPGPrints B.V.,

Jos Notermans attempts to answer all your questions regarding textile printing in 'The Note'. With years of experience, Jos can tell you all about the basics of textile printing as well as the latest innovations that help you grow your business.

textile that represents what he considers to be in the file. In many cases, it is possible to “invisibly” alter the file to prevent mistakes, without any change in the conclusion that the print represents what the customer expects from the original file.

The most important thing for any digital print on textile is the result; does the design look as intended and is the design misprint free? Unfortunately, quite often errors only become visible once the design is printed on fabric.

The printing machine is most of the time blamed for such errors, especially when the resolution is so high that every file error becomes visible when printed.

This is because the printer does exactly what it is supposed to do: printing digital files on textile as accurately as possible. The file can have a large share in possible errors that occur.

Watching an old Clark Gable movie on an old tube TV will look fine, but watching the same movie on a 4K modern TV will reveal all quality problems in the movie. This blog, contributed by SPGPrints, we will discuss possible file errors and how to prevent or recover them before printing.

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Mr. Jos Notermans Marketing Manager, SPGPrints B.V.,

Three preventable file errors for your digital print on textile As a printing company, you are often working on behalf of others who supply the file. The feeling that you should not touch their submitted file is understandable, as you want to print exactly what the client ordered. However, by reviewing the file thoroughly, you can often prevent painful mistakes. There is no harm in reviewing the file; after all, your customer only wants one thing, and that is a high-quality digital print on

In our Experience Center we always thoroughly review the file before a print job. If we discover mistakes in the file, that may lead to artifacts in the final printout on a high-resolution printer like JAVELIN (1200 dpi), we will alter the file in a way that the mistakes are prevented but the visible end result on fabric will be as expected from the original file. Once the file is approved, we start printing.

This is very important to avoid misunderstandings and be absolutely sure that the file is not the cause of design errors. We will discuss the three most important and common errors in printing digital files below.

The file’s resolution (and why scaling is not the solution) The first is an obvious one: the resolution of the file must be correct. This means that the file must have sufficient resolution for the size you will print. If you download a jpeg from Google and

Dyeing, Printing and Finishing Figure 1. examples of a circle design: a low resolution (150dpi) will result in a broken design, but a high resolution (720dpi) will also show errors.

print it on a 1.80 m fabric, the image is guaranteed to become fuzzy. This is called a Compression Artifact.

What the proper resolution is will vary from job to job, depending on the content of the design. There is no clear rule of thumb for this. Where one design will look good at 300 dpi, another file will need to be at least 600 dpi. Check this carefully to make sure your resolution fits the design.

Perhaps even more important: don't just scale the resolution in photo editing programs! This is especially an issue with printing digital files of Geometrics (designs with regularly recurring patterns). Such files are often 254 dpi.

The tendency to scale them to 300 dpi for a better resolution is understandable, but adjusting the resolution in editing programs has consequences.

If you scale down, data will be discarded and the design may contain blank spaces (Figure 1- 150 dpi).

If you scale up to a higher resolution, the program has to add lines that do not

exist in the file. This will happen in a repetitive way, which may result in very recognizable patterns for the human eye (see Figure 1).

Both of these cause design errors.

Errors that will continuously return when printing digital files of geometric designs.

Therefore, it is much better to recreate the geometric file in the proper resolution. This is often not a very challenging task for geometric designs. In the example above: instead of scaling a circle that was made in 254 dpi to 300 dpi, it is better to redraw the circle in a 300 dpi photo editing program, and make it the correct diameter that the circle had in the original 254 dpi file.

In conclusion, resizing a design file cannot be done without risks; you will have to redesign it in a higher resolution.

Only then will an error-free result be possible.

Color values and visibility The high resolutions that printers can achieve today present another significant challenge. In the past, printers had a much lower resolution (about 180 dpi

compared to today's 1200 dpi). An often heard misbelief is that this higher resolution is not visible in a digital print on textile. The opposite is true: digital textile printers often manage to print the file much more precisely than is visible on your desktop. See the image on top of this blog: there is a clear visible difference between a 600 dpi (left) and a 1200 dpi (right) print, even on textile!

In the high resolution lies another challenge. The color values in for instance a blotch area in the file will have to be exactly right. Otherwise, there is a good chance of visible differences on the fabric.

Even if this is barely perceptible on your screen, the printer will succeed in making the distinction between different shades perceptible thanks to today's highresolution prints.

Something similar can also happen, where too extreme colors are in the design, and the digital printer cannot actually achieve it. A flat oversaturated color can be the result, which is usually not desirable The printer is often blamed for the errors in the design, while the machine is

Figure 2 shows, what looks like a flat tone on a desktop, can show differences when zoomed-in or printed on fabrics.

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Dyeing, Printing and Finishing

Figure 3. Trapping used as a solution for more advanced coloring.

doing exactly what it is supposed to do: recreate the digital print on textile as accurately as possible.

Therefore, when printing digital files on fabric, always check the color values carefully and make sure that no different tones are used by mistake. Also, check carefully whether the colors you use in your design are feasible for the printer and whether they can be printed on the fabric you use. Most photo-editing software enables you to load the color profile of your printer and show so-called out of gamut colors.

Printing digital files with advanced colors: Trapping as a solution In a design, you can let your creativity run wild and use any colors you want.

This variety of colors will also end up in the file. However, a digital textile printer can only print a certain number of colors.

This means that advanced colors must be created by combining primary colors.

Take navy blue, for example. That exact color is not in the printer but has to be created by combining blue, black, and

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cyan. These three different colors have to be printed on top of each other to achieve the desired navy blue. This can certainly be a challenge on fabric, and the slightest inaccuracy can result in color differences.

One solution that is often used for this is Trapping. This is a term also used in conventional textile printing. The outer pixel border is printed in one color (e.g. black), after which the other colors (in the navy blue example: cyan and blue) are placed inside this border. This reduces the chance of one of the colors being misplaced, which results in an accurate print result.

Making the difference in terms of print results Checking the file (and making adjustments if necessary) can prevent a lot of rejected prints because of what is interpreted as printing errors. In short, checking the resolution and color values are truly best practices that can make the difference in terms of print results. Does your design contain blotches with

advanced colors? Then use Trapping to avoid design misprints.

Starting the printing process with the perfect file is just the beginning. There are other ways Digital Textile Printing can help you achieve new standards for print quality and production speeds. We cover these in more detail in our Digital Textile Printing Guide. Please download the copy from our website.

About SPGPrints Group SPGPrints is a leading global company in rotary screen-printing, mostly used in the Industrial, Label and textile printing markets, located in the Netherlands. It provides total system solutions, with a portfolio including rotary screens, lacquers, inks, digital engravers and a broad range of mesh types and digital printing systems. The company has applied its electroforming expertise to develop highly reliable rotary screen technology. https://blog.spgprints.com/printing-digitalfiles-on-textile.

Resource-saving in Textile Processing – Successful Webinar

by VDMA Over 600 delegates from 58 countries subscribed to the VDMA textile machinery webinar on sustainable dyeing – a record since the monthly online series started in June 2020.

The webinar, entitled ‘Resource-saving in Textile Processing – Continuous Dyeing and Washing’, involved the three companies Monforts, DyStar® and Goller.

In outlining the capabilities of Monforts Thermex hotflue lines for the Econtrol® continuous dyeing process, the company’s Textile Technologies Engineer Jonas Beisel observed that the current industry focus is very much on cleaner processes and products in accordance with the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) commitments of the major fashion brands, and with further regulations to be expected.

“It is clear the textile industry has to adjust to this situation through new investments that enable a significant reduction in resource consumption to be achieved, but are easy to integrate into

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existing production systems, and Econtrol® lines fit the bill,” he said.

Cellulosics Econtrol® is a continuous process for the dyeing of woven cellulosic fabrics that has already been well proven on the market, with over 150 Monforts Thermex lines already in operation at mills worldwide.

Reactive dyestuffs are fixed into the fabric in a one-step dyeing and drying process with a controlled combination of steam and air.

The entire pad-dry process takes just two-to-three minutes at a temperature of between 120-130°C and a relative humidity volume of 25-30%.

“The parameters for fixing reactive dyes are the temperature, the duration and the alkali content, but reactive dyes need a certain temperature in order to be fixed quickly,” Beisel said. “The Monforts solution is to raise the so-called “wet bulb temperature” inside the dyeing chamber with steam. This ensures the surface of the fabric is heated up to a stable temperature of around 68 degrees before being increased as the residual moisture of the fabric is drawn away.”

Benefits The Econtrol® pad-dry process has a number of immediate benefits. Compared to the common pad-dry-pad-steam process, no salt is used and no steamer is required for a separate fixation step.

Jonas Beisel; Monforts Technologist for Dyeing.

Compared to the pad-dry-thermofix process, no urea is used and no smoke or deposits are generated, and unlike with the cold pad batch process, direct

Dyeing, Printing and Finishing feedback of the dyeing results ensures no batching time is necessary and guarantees good reproducibility from the lab to bulk production.

well as reductions in both heating energy and waste generation, depending on the specific fabric construction and required shade.

An immediate wash off is also unnecessary, allowing for flexible production planning. The process is suitable for pale to dark shades with very good fastness properties.

“The Goller Sintensa Cyclone has a unique washing mechanism which is not affected by the fabric speed,” Seiler said.

“The concept of the line is based on a programmable washing action – from low to very high – and on a washing effect independent of the fabric speed, with simultaneous gentle fabric transport. The continuously adjustable speed of the internal rotor causes on one hand an overpressure which presses the liquor through the transport drum and the fabric and on the other hand an underpressure which sucks the liquor through the fabric and transport drum.

This interaction ensures a very good and intensive flow of the washing liquor through the fabric on the drum and results in a very high washing effect, independent of the fabric speed.”

Complementary services and systems Complementing the Monforts presentation during the webinar, Bertram Seuthe, Global Business Development Manager at DyStar, outlined the importance of specific Levafix® /Remazol® reactive dyes and Dianix® disperse dyes for sustainable dyeing processes such as Econtrol®, Cadira® Continuous and CPB knit. In these processes Sera® auxiliaries are also employed for optimised wash-off results.

Guido Seiler, Area Sales Manager at Fong's Europe, also introduced the latest developments of the Goller brand for the washing process, which can reduce water consumption by between 10 to 20%, as

The Goller Effecta module has been developed to meet customer requests for

a lower space requirement, as well as low liquor content to optimise the use of water.

“The smaller distance between the upper and bottom roller helps the system to reduce edge curling on nondimensional stable articles and additionally, the Thermplate heating system ensures a good, even and effective heating of the liquor inside the compartment,” Seiler explained, adding that the washing process comprises three separate steps – surface cleaning, soaping and rinsing and neutralisation with final rinse. “Depending on the requested fabric speed, different washing compartments are required. During surface cleaning the main target is to remove the unfixed dyestuff from the fabric by high washing action. The Goller solution for this process is the Sintensa Cyclone, whereas the Effecta is employed in the other steps where more time is required to achieve the required result.”

Econtrol® Levafix®, Remazol®,Dianix®, Cadira®,Sera® are registered trademarks of DyStar Colours Distribution GmbH, DE.

Monforts Thermex Econtrol® T-CA

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SUPRA-FLOW BX double belt thermofusion oven for Nonwovens.

BRÜCKNER presents a wide range of products for the nonwovens industry at IDEA 2022 BRÜCKNER as one of the world leaders in the construction of drying and finishing lines for the textile and nonwovens industry exhibited at IDEA 2022 trade fair during March 28-31, 2022. In the nonwovens sector, the German familyowned company supplies worldwide thermofusion ovens, dryers, coating and heat-setting lines.

On the IDEA 2022 in Miami, USA, BRÜCKNER present with its American representation FI-TECH highlighted new machine concepts and solutions for different applications in the mentioned fields.

The production of nonwovens always requires a bonding process after the nonwovens formation, where the loosely laid fibers are bonded to a resilient fiber composite. For this purpose, depending on the process, different ovens and dryers are used. BRÜCKNER offers the specific know-how and supplies the necessary lines for all applications. The production program is completed by different

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impregnation and coating units as well as slitting and winding equipment.

BRÜCKNER's customers produce geo nonwovens, filter media, hygiene and medical textiles or different fabrics for the automotive and transport industry. For each customer an individual solution and a corresponding line layout is designed.

Recently BRÜCKNER realized several extraordinary installations in the field of highloft nonwovens and geotextiles. For the production of highloft nonwovens the double-belt thermofusion oven SUPRAFLOW BX is used. This oven system operates according to the air-through principle and can be perfectly adapted to the product requirements in terms of flow speed, flow direction and temperature on a field-by-field basis.

Typical end products include mattresses, bedspreads, upholstery, wiping cloths, automotive components or insulating materials.

The SUPRA-FLOW BX can produce nonwovens up to a thickness of 280 mm

and a basis weight of max. 8 kg/m². The available working widths vary between 2400 and 5200 mm at production speeds of up to 100 m/min.

For geotextile projects, the proven POWER-FRAME stenter is usually used, which impresses with its high uniformity in terms of temperature distribution as well as maximum productivity.

In addition, the fabric can be stretched in a targeted manner by transporting it in the stenter chain. This has a controlled influence on fabric width, fiber orientation and fabric shrinkage.

Working widths of up to over 7 meters are not uncommon with geotextile finishing systems.

Depending on the required width, maximum temperature, stretching forces and other process requirements, the optimum solution is found for each customer. Fabric trials are also possible at any time in BRÜCKNER's Technology Center in Leonberg, Germany. 

Dyeing, Printing and Finishing

AQUARIA® Just Add Water

AQUARIA® with benefits Biancalani has tested thousands of meters of printed fabrics, which are further evidence of the versatile nature of AQUARIA®. The machinery does not aim at a single kind of after-printing washing process, but it has shown its limitless potential, its several applications. That is why it makes sense to call AQUARIA® a textile finishing machinery with benefits.

Quality check What seemed like an interesting number of very good results have underwent quality checks by external laboratories, which have done nothing but confirm those results, obtained by Biancalani during the last two years. ®

After-print washing by AQUARIA ensures extreme colorfast fabrics during the washing process. Besides, it astonishes the cleanliness of fabric fibers and yarns washed by AQUARIA® – both printed and to be piece dyed ones – which are totally free from the residues of chemical additives used during the spinning and weaving processes.

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R&D When creating what represents a breakthrough in the textile industry, thanks to an innovative machinery, it is essential both to have a deep knowledge of what is already on the market and to start a close synergy between the R&D department and highly prepared and experienced external experts. “After working for years in the mechano-textile industry and particularly in the segment of washing” a textile specialist states, “I’m very impressed that I’m face to face with a machine I’ve never seen before, a real step forward in the textile field of washing after printing.”

Benefits ®

The benefits of AQUARIA as the ultimate after-printing washing machinery should not be surprising as its core is the renowned AIRO® process. Thus, fabric is moved by air and thanks to the intense mechanical action resulting from special grates flapping – patented by Biancalani.

That’s what R&D also means: to find a connection between what you have

already achieved and what is still to be achieved, in order to make the best out of it.

Fine facts and numbers, but how does after-printing washing process by AQUARIA® actually work?

The machinery is composed two modules that can be combined in a line.

AQUARIA® main module takes care of the fabric, moving it back and forth alternately and pushing it thanks to an airflow blended with washing. That guarantees the ultimate combination of mechanical action and long dwelling times. The auxiliary module alternates between different phases, i.e. washing and rinsing.

Speeding up the washing process and thus reducing production time, AQUARIA® module can become the core of a three-modules after-printing washing line (pre-washing module + AQUARIA® + rinsing module). The AQUARIA® line can guarantee an increased productivity, up to 50 meters per minute, and confer to the fabric a unique hand, very different from fabrics finished using traditional machinery.

Celludye is one of the leading manufacturer of inkjet inks and high purified dye Founded in 2005, Celludye is one of the leading manufacturer of inkjet inks and high purified dyes, in China, they have two factories equipped with state-of-the-art facilities for chemical synthesis, purification and ink formulating.

Celludye has serviced a broad range of customers, with a large global market share.

Celludye’s products range includes only for inkjet printing, not for conventional use!

Q. We know that Celludye is a famous company specialized in inks for digital textile printing, but we seldom see the products branded by “Celludye” in the market, why?

A. Ink is usually bundled with the printers, that’s to say, we had to hide ourself behind the ink suppliers (ink formulating or printer manufacturer), Celludye has more than 15 years of experience for servicing the industry worldwide, it’s estimated that Celludye occupied at least 30% or more of the market share for inkjet inks and colorants.

Q. In Pakistan, reactive ink dominated the consumables in digital textile printing, you mentioned that your products could be dyes (high purified for ink formulating), or Ink concentrate, also you can supply regular ink, can you tell me what’s the difference?

A. Dyes, powder form or liquid form, is the raw material for ink formulating; Ink concentrate is basically a kind of ink with high concentration which can be used directly or diluted by

diluent (sometimes di-water). BTW, the diluent can be used for cleaner for ink-path and printhead.

Q. Regarding Ink concentrate, would you please make it more clear, because as you know, this is a new concept for us.?

A. Sure, firstly I would like to disclose, for regular ink, the dye content is around 10-12% (for black, it could be 15-16%), our ink concentrate has the dye content of 20-30%, almost the double concentration compare to the regular one. Ink concentrate can be diluted to become a regular ink, in

Celludye we have a team to support our customers for formulation and testing, honestly this is not a complicated process that you can master it easily. If you try to use Ink concentrate without diluting, yes it’s OK but you should check from your printer supplier, or by yourself to adjust ICC curve, with this Ink concentrate you can get a bonus, that is, you can reduce the pass number to reach the same image quality, last but not least, it’s no longer difficult to print a “full black with large area” on the fabrics.

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Dyeing, Printing and Finishing

Jeanologia introduces Colorbox, the efficient and sustainable alternative for garment dyeing New milestone in the fashion industry transforming how garments are dyed in efficient and faster processes that respect the environment.

Jeanologia, one of the world leaders in sustainable and eco efficient technology development, introduces Colorbox, a revolutionary technology for garment dyeing transforming the traditional way that garments are dyed in an efficient and faster process that respects the environment.

The traditional dyeing is one of the most polluting processes in the fashion industry and with high production costs.

Jeanologia is committed to creating an ethical and eco efficient textile industry.

This new technology makes an efficient and sustainable alternative possible, hitting a new milestone in the textile industry.

Colorbox guarantees high color reproducibility, minimum environmental impact and maximum profitability through an automated and simplified process.

Colorbox reduces the environmental impact of the garment dyeing process, reducing resource use and pollution load of wastewater.

Through the perfect combination of Jeanologia technologies, the company provides the industry with advanced technical solutions, guaranteeing better production results at a lower environmental and production cost.

Enrique Silla, CEO at Jeanologia, states that Colorbox considerably reduces water, chemical, energy and salts use in comparison with traditional garment dyeing processes, allowing a low EIM score. “The average saving for water and chemicals is 60%, 45% for energy and 76% for salt in garment dyeing”.

First time color reproducibility The main cost of garment dyeing is the cost of reproducibility. With Colorbox it is possible achieve perfect

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Colorbox guarantees high color reproducibility, minimum environmental impact and maximum profitability.

Dyeing, Printing and Finishing reproducibility the first time with high-quality products and reduced production times.

Jeanologia creates a new eco-efficient operating model for garment dyeing. This technology makes it is possible to dye the product, not only at the beginning of the process, but at any point during the manufacturing of the product, responding quickly to customer demands.

“This allows us to reduce product color decision making deadlines, decreasing lead time to between two weeks and 48 hours in compared with the 18 weeks needed in traditional processes,” Silla highlights.

More than 18.2 million cubic meters of water saved in 2021 In 2021 Jeanologia created a saving of more than 18.2 million cubic meters of water, enough to provide the annual human consumption of one million people.

For World Water Day, Jeanologia has published the results of its annual ecological saving count by which it measures the amount of polluted water that is no longer poured into rivers and seas thanks to its technology.

Also, for the first time, Jeanologia has measured carbon emissions mitigated using its technology. In 2021 the planet has been saved from 83,800,000 kg of CO2 emissions. This is the amount captured by a 100,000 -acre woodland and a similar quantity to what would be eliminated by 5 million trees.

The company continues to work towards its MissionZero: the elimination of 100% of discharge generated in the

manufacturing and finishing of Blue Jeans, from the fabric to the final garment, reducing the use of water to near zero and returning clean water to nature.

More than 25 years working for the world Since 1994 Jeanologia’s mission has been to create an ethical, sustainable, and eco-efficient industry through their disruptive technology and know-how.

Their laser, G2 ozone, e-flow, Smart Boxes, Colorbox and H2Zero, have revolutionized the textile industry. They offer infinite design and garment finishing

possibilities, while saving water, energy, and chemicals, eliminating discharge and toxic emissions.

The company currently employs 257 Jeanologist from 27 nationalities and has clients in 5 continents through its 10 subsidiaries. The export of its machines and services represents 90% of its total billing, reaching 68 countries. Over 35% of the 5 billion of jeans produced worldwide every year are made with their technologies, and the biggest market brands place their trust in Jeanologia, using technology developed by the company.

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Dyeing, Printing and Finishing

Aurora highlights extensive technical textiles capabilities and markets Aurora Specialty Textiles Group, Inc. is a global leader in coating, dyeing and finishing of woven, non-woven and knit fabrics. Aurora unveils comprehensive view of the company’s extensive technical textiles capabilities and markets at Techtextil North America.

Aurora Specialty Textiles Group unveiled a new website that takes visitors inside their U.S manufacturing operations and offers an expanded view of the company’s textile manufacturing capabilities, products and people.

Customers can learn about Aurora’s capabilities and products easily through the new website. This includes quick access to information about Aurora’s many “Innovative Textile Solutions:”

R&D: The new website also discusses our role as a partner in new product development and how we can help our customers quickly deliver a vast range of new products to market.

Pressure Sensitive Tape: Aurora is one of the leader in the preparation of fabrics for a broad range of tape applications including gaffer’s tape, medical tape, athletic tape, automotive tape and printable tape.

“I am very excited to launch our new website,” said Marcia Ayala, president of Aurora Specialty Textiles. “It showcases our capabilities and products, as well as captures the essence of Aurora, our culture and our values. I hope the visitors to our website take the time to explore the pages, learn more about Aurora, and as a result, reach out to us.”

Digitally Printable Textiles: Aurora provides fabrics engineered for optimal print performance on latest wide format digital printers. Aurora’s printable fabrics portfolio is led by their Expressions Canvas product line.

Technical Textiles: Aurora’s state-ofthe-art manufacturing technologies offer a wide range of finishing and coating solutions for textiles used in military textile applications, healthcare & safety, sanding abrasives, industrial belting and outdoor protective coverings. The North American manufacturing operations comply with Berry Amendment requirements.

Marcia Ayala; President, Aurora Specialty Textiles.

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Aurora Solutions: In addition to fabric finishing and coating, Aurora offers fabric dyeing, fabric preparation, calendering, sanding, converting services, contract manufacturing, toll manufacturing and angle inducing.

Aurora is well-known for quality and has won multiple awards for outstanding business and manufacturing practices and sustainability.

This includes awards for Operational Excellence and Innovation from the Valley Industrial Association (VIA), which represents the manufacturing industry in one of the US Midwest’s largest industrial hubs.

The new website (www.auroratextile.com) also takes readers inside the efforts Aurora takes daily to incorporate best practices for sustainability into their operations and provides insight into the careers and benefits offered to employees. 

Gaston Systems.

Navis TubeTex announces acquisition of Gaston Systems Navis TubeTex adds state of the art foam coating technology Navis TubeTex one of the leading providers of high technology finishing machinery to the global textile industry, announced their purchase of Gaston Systems.

Gaston Systems designs and engineers advanced coating systems for the textile and nonwoven industries.

Using propriety foam generation and application systems, Gaston Systems satisfy most application requirements more economically and more environmentally friendly than conventional technologies.

Founded in 1979, Gaston System has more than 500 installations and an international reputation for high quality and innovative technologies. Christopher Aurich, Managing Director of Gaston Systems stated, “I have known and worked with Navis TubeTex for many

years. Our systems are frequently integrated with Navis Tubetex finishing lines making this the right fit for future growth and global expansion. I am very excited by the possibilities as a member of the team.”

Gaston Systems continues to develop new technologies with large investments in its Indigo and Oasis Programs. Aurich added “We have plans for several product launches in the upcoming months.”

Will Motchar, President and CEO of Navis TubeTex, commented, “We are very excited to expand our product line with the addition of Gaston Systems precision technology in the application of chemicals to substrates.

Will Motchar, President and CEO of Navis TubeTex

This acquisition brings together two industry leading companies with complimentary technologies in serving the global textile machinery marketplace.

Motchar added “This strengthens the

Navis Tubetex business offerings that keep our customers competitive, while continuing with our internal targets to minimize and reduce waste from our industry.” 

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Dyeing, Printing and Finishing

The Automatex model FDC-77735B90D-EC automatic fitted sheet system.

Automatex: Full automation from the roll to the finished product Automatex, a member of TMAS, the Swedish textile machinery association, has recently supplied a number of its latest Industry 4.0-enabled automatic fitted sheet systems to customers in Europe.

“Everybody is looking to automate right now, and not in the huge factories of the past, but with more compact and precisely targeted operations,” said Chuck de Sousa, the company’s head of business development. “It’s happening in Europe and beginning to snowball for us in the USA too. Our system provides companies with highly streamlined, justin-time and sustainable production close to their customers.”

The Automatex model FDC-77735B90D-EC system enables the full production and folding of six fully-fitted sheets per minute – approaching 3,000 an average shift – overseen by a single operator and eliminating many of the repetitive cut and sew operations of the

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past. Elastics insertion – usually a highly complex labour-intensive task – can be on all four sides of the sheet, two, or simply within the corners, depending on customer specifications.

Fabric is fed directly from the roll, with precise edge guiding and tension control, into a length-wise hemming and elastics insertion section with adjustable tension devices, before being measured and cross cut in an accumulator.

It is then transferred to the cross hemming section, again with elastics insertion.

A side drop forming unit pre-forms the sheet before it is transported by a multi-axis clamp conveyor system to the corner sewing section, consisting of left and right overlock sewing heads. Here, the corners are robotically sewn at 90 degrees and labels are also attached when specified. Further customised systems for folding are also supplied as required.

“The system is very simple to programme and operate, with remote access for troubleshooting capability,” de Sousa said. “It can be fully customised to the individual needs of the specific customer.”

“The automation enabled by the latest Industry 4.0 developments is currently top of the agenda for TMAS member companies,” added TMAS Secretary General Therese PremlerAndersson. “Automatex is among companies leading the field in new technologies which enable significant resource savings to be achieved, while making production in high-cost countries once more profitable. Cost effective production closer to the customer also leads to more sustainable production while enabling companies to change their cost structures but also increase their capacities and flexibility while creating a cleaner working environment and fewer heavy lifts. Ultimately this is good for the plant, the production, the people and the planet.”

Nexia highlights innovative and sustainable laundry solutions Nexia Engineering announces the launch of an innovative and exclusive system. This “state of the art” technology, with multiple washing options, is available under an all-inclusive “start” button. It is important to note that just one cycle reduces the environmental impact and significantly lowers time and energy consumption.

therefore uninterrupted leading to a more fluid and dynamic process with better results.

Ozone: Wet and dry process Wet&Dry ozone processing exploits ozone in synergy with water as bleacher and powerful sanitizer.

Nexstone: Stone free abrasion Nexia All Together Thanks to Nexia ALL TOGETHER, environmental objectives include reduced water consumption by up to 85%, the use of chemical products lowered by 87% and energy consumption lessened by up to 40%.

The ALL TOGETHER System puts these treatments into one High-speed extractor Nexia Nd420, a washing system complete with a spin cycle. This allows for the rinsing of garments between one treatment and the next, and with just one load/unload only. The wash cycle is

An exclusive and unique patented system, whereby textiles are washed without the use of pumice stone, Nexstone also allows for the reduction of waste emissions as well as limiting water consumption.

Wave System: Water recycling system Nexia Wave is a water recovery and recycling system, used in the washing or dyeing process, able to drastically reduce the liquor ratio, for a full sustainable cycle.

Nexia NS 420 C high speed extractor with 100 kg of garments.

N Drop: Double Nebulizer The double nebulizer of Ndrop increases load capacity and simultaneously reduces water consumption per garment by at least 85% (in relation to latest market technology). 

Consumption and production times compared with traditional systems

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Classified

ADVERTISERS INDEX APRIL 2022

Archroma..................................................................IFC AVM Chemicals .....................................................6 & 64 Benninger....................................................................15 Biancalani .....................................................................1 Chhipasons.................................................................64 CCI USA......................................................................9 DyStar .........................................................................3 Epson .........................................................................41 Fine Industries ...........................................................23 IGATEX Pakistan 2022 ................................................47 ICADEX Pakistan 2022................................................55 Intex South Asia .........................................................51 ITMA Asia + Citme 2022 ............................................31 ITM 2022 ..................................................................IBC iTextiles......................................................................19 Jet Logistics ................................................................64 MS Printing ................................................................39 Oerlikon ....................................................................BC Rastgar ............................................................... 45 & 64 Shanghai Celludye ...................................................... FC SPGPrints.....................................................................35 Swissmem ...................................................................11 Zhejiang Rifa ...............................................................27

Established 1951

Established 1951 February 2022

Spinning Review

March 2022

Swiss Review

“The Archroma Way to a Sustainable World: Safe, Efficient, Enhanced.

It’s our nature.”

Mujtaba Rahim, President & CEO, Archroma Pakistan Limited