Pakistan Textile Journal – August 2021

Established 1951 August 2021

Calendar of Events

Intertextile Shanghai Apparel Fabrics - Autumn Edition Dates: Aug 25th to 27th 2021.

DOMOTEX Hannover 2022 Dates: January 13th to 16th 2022.

Venue: Hannover, Germany.

Venue: Shanghai China.

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

Venue: Istanbul, Turkey.

Techtextil 2022, Frankfurt Dornbirn GFC 2021 Dates: September 15th to 17th 2021.

Venue: Webinar week - Online event.

Dates: June 21st to 24th, 2022

Apparel Sourcing Paris Autumn

Venue: Frankfurt am Main.

Dates: February 7th to 9th 2021.

Venue: Paris

INTEX SOUTH ASIA 2022 Index 2021

Dates: July 27th to 29th 2022.

Dates: October 19th to 22th, 2021.

Venue: Palexpo, Geneva, Switzerland

Venue: Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Apparel Sourcing Paris Autumn Dates: February 7th to 9th 2021.

Venue: Paris

Cinte Techtextil China FESPA 2021 Dates: October 12th to 15th 2021.

International Trade Fair for Technical Textiles and Nonwovens

Venue: Amsterdam.

Dates: September 6th to 8th, 2022.

Istanbul Yarn Fair

Venue: Shanghai New International Expo Centre, Shanghai, China

Dates: February 22nd to 26th 2022.

Venue: Istanbul, Turkey.

Textile Asia 2021, Lahore Dates: October 22th to 24th 2021.

Venue: Expo Centre, Lahore.

Textile Asia 2022, Karachi Dates: March 26th to 28th 2022.

Venue: Expo Centre, Karachi.

Heimtextil 2022 Dates: January 11th to 14th 2022.

Venue: Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

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PAKISTAN TEXTILE JOURNAL - July 2021

ITMA ASIA + CITME 2022 FILTECH 2022 Dates: March 8th to 10th, 2022

Dates: November 20th to 24th, 2022.

Venue: NECC, Shanghai, China.

Venue: Cologne, Germany.

DOMOTEX asiaCHINAFLOOR 2022

ITMA 2023

Dates: May 27th to 27th 2022.

Dates: June 8th to 14th, 2023.

Venue: NECC ,Shanghai, China.

Venue: Milan, Italy.

Founded in 1951 by Mazhar Yusuf (1924-2009) Vol. LXX No. 08 August 2021

Publisher Nadeem Mazhar

Rs. 450.00

EDITOR’S PAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Supply chain disruption, a serious threat for Pakistan’s textile exports

Editor in Chief Amina Baqai

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

Associate Editor Dr. Noor Ahmed Memon

NEWS & VIEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

Production Manager Mazhar Ali

Hony-Editorial Board

AROUND THE WORLD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 CORPORATE NEWS FET installs new Spunbond system at University of Leeds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Dr. Hafizur Rehman Sheikh

Avery Dennison celebrates the launch of ADX LAB Ningbo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22

Ph.D (UK) F.T.I. (UK)

EFI Reggiani celebrates 75 Years of Innovative Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .23

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

RadiciGroup reports good FY2020 results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24 Rieter acquires three businesses from Saurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Mondi Gronau starts production of one million medical face masks per day in Germany .26

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

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PERSONALIA

Registered Office: Dairy House, Money Row Green, Holyport, Maidenhead, Berkshire, SL6 2ND, UK Registered no. 09141989

FAIRS AND EXHIBITIONS

Available on Gale and Factiva affiliated international databases through Asianet Pakistan

Archroma announces Chief Financial Officer succession . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27 BTMA appoints Jason Kent as CEO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

DOMOTEX 2022: Inspiration and information provided by new formats . . . . . . . . . . 28

ITMA ASIA + CITME 2021 ITMA ASIA + CITME concluded with strong local attendance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Swiss Textile Machinery companies welcome return to in-person customer contact . .32

Printed at: Color Plus Korangi, Karachi.

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

KARL MAYER: Live in Shanghai and then virtually for the whole world . . . . . . .34 Groz-Beckert reports on-site and virtual success . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35

40 36 SPECIAL REPORT Epson Monna Lisa: Advancing the digitalisation of industrial textile printing through greater flexibility and sustainability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36

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DYES AND CHEMICALS Moov&Cool supporting elite sport in the UK and Belgium . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39 Pulcra acquires Belgium-based textile chemical company Devan . . . . . . . . . . .39

FEATURES Rieter highlights the secret to achieving best Sliver Quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40 Novibra: LENA and CROCOdoff – The perfect match for efficient spinning . . . . . . .42 Première Vision’s Digital Denim Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44 Trützschler Pre-Cleaner CL-X: Higher productivity and lower energy consumption 46 Pandemic accelerates digital transformation process in textile sector . . . . . . . .50

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FIBRES AND YARNS MARMARA® Hemp - ORIGINAL & SCOURED by iTextiles® . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Does sustainable cotton production drive productivity and profitability for farmers? . . . .52 Asia Pacific Rayon raises US$ 300m to expand production capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54

CONFERENCE Seminar hosted by NTU & WWF: Sustainablility through green financing & environmental compliance in textile sector. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .56 NTU Signs MOU with Artistic Milliners & GulAhmed Textile Mills . . . . . . . . . . .58

CHINESE REVIEW

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Pak-China Economic and Trade Relations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61 China: Biggest machinery manufacturer in global textile arena . . . . . . . . . . . .62

by Professor Dr. Noor Ahmed Memon, Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education.

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EDITOR’S PAGE

Supply chain disruption, a serious threat for Pakistan’s textile exports The Covid 19 pandemic has disrupted the well established inter-dependent global supply chains in the last 1.5 years in an unprecended and unforeseen way.Freight cost for trade through sea routes has skyrocketed by approximately 700% and there is also an acute shortage of container vessels due to which the delivery time has increased from 45 days to 90 days. On the one hand this has increased the cost of production due to the imported raw materials needed primarily cotton which is in short supply in Pakistan.The shortest route to import cotton and cotton yarn is from India through land and from Uzbekistan through the Afghan Transit Trade. The extraordinary hike in the logistics cost has severely affected the bottom line of exporters primarily the SMEs in the value added sectors.

The new young entrepreneurs, who have been working mostly online, have been affected severely due to continuous hike in rates of DHL parcel service. As a shortterm solution the government should waive off taxes on courier service, especially for export-oriented SME sector to reduce its cost of doing business. As a long-term measure, we will have to revive and upgrade our PIA cargo service, national shipping line and Pakistan postal service to reduce dependence on global cargo and courier services. The presently inactive Pakistan National Shipping Corporation (PNSC) should be reactived to facilitate the exporters, as this strategy could help the government keep freight cost in control and making textile exports competitive in global market.

Established 1951 August 2021

August 2021.

A long term threat to exports to far away markets such as USA and Europe, is a shift to local or regional suppliers. Logistics managers plan to pivot towards regional/domestic supply chains For years, supply chains have focused on reducing inventory levels and cutting costs by embracing lean, just-in-time management in their logistics plans. These efforts negatively impacted the resilience and agility of the supply chain.

The pandemic exposed weaknesses in contingency planning and risk mitigation strategies across the world. From the initial scarcity in personal protective equipment to the shortage in microprocessors, challenges emerged in linking suppliers of goods on one side of the planet to sources of demand on the other. As a result, companies are growing more risk-averse with their global manufacturing footprint.

Almost two-thirds of shippers in a recent survey (68%) conducted in the US believe supply chains have become too global and must be balanced towards more regional and local/domestic ecosystems.

Nearly 70% of companies in the survey said supply chains have become too global Risks associated with a single source of supply have increased dramatically during the pandemic. A single outbreak of COVID-19 at a far away plant can have reverberations thousands of miles away. What is of great concern for our exporters is that a new definition of single source of supply now includes a single country or region, not just exposure to one company.

A growing thinking is that when a global link breaks, regional links need to be self-sustainable. Until these links can be established, risks associated with raw material shortages, rising transportation costs and delays will likely continue. The traditional textile supplers in Europe such as Spain, Portugal and even Turkey will be more viable in the future due this new but supposedly long term and lasting trend. 

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Textile Briefs National

PAF Chairman Jawed Bilwani said that textile exporters have formed a committee for due diligence to shift industries in the wake of gas crises and an unviable business environment. It important to note that many exporters disturbed from gas load-shedding have threatened to move their industries to other countries.

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Pakistan and Bahrain recently agreed to start talks on a free trade agreement for trade liberalisation and increasing the volume between the two countries. A statement was issued that said, "Two sides concurred to start negotiation towards a Comprehensive

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Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)".

Pakistan’s exports to the United Kingdom posted a 33 per cent growth when it reached $2.025 billion in the fiscal year 2021 (FY21) against $1.522bn over FY20, mainly led by textile products.

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The Ambassador of Italy to Pakistan Andreas Ferrarese has said that there are vast opportunities for mutual trade and investment between Pakistan and Italy from which businessmen and traders of both countries can reap the benefits. Pakistani businessmen and traders

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move forward and work to promote mutual trade and economic ties between Pakistanis in Italy.

had made exports of US 284.237 million dollars during the first month of the current fiscal.

PHMA Chief Coordinator highlighted that knitwear garment exports of Pakistan had surged 36.57% in the fiscal year 2020-21. Total exports of the country rose from $21.4 billion in FY20 to $25.3 billion in the previous fiscal year and the share of textile in the overall exports came in at 60.86%.

Standard Chartered Bank (Pakistan) Limited in its global initiative of supporting sustainable financing and promoting earth-friendly industrial practices, has provided a sustainable-trade financing facility to Gul Ahmed Textile Mills Limited.

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Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry (FCCI) President Engineer Hafiz Ihtasham Javed said that Faisalabad

The US Commercial Counsellor John Coronado said that there was a wide scope for economic cooperation between the business communities of both the United States and Pakistan through boosting business-to-business interaction. 

jection for the year due to

uninterrupted supply chain.

disruptions from the pan-

VITAS Chairman said social

demic-induced lockdowns

distancing norms in many

and shipping space con-

localities have put pressure

straints, according to the

on businesses and stifled pro-

Foreign Buyers Association of

duction activities in 19 south-

the Philippines (FOBAP).

ern provinces.

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Textile Briefs International

Bangladesh recently lost its rank as the second-largest apparel exporter to Vietnam, according to the latest data released by the WTO. Vietnam sold $29 billion worth of apparel merchandise to the world in 2020, while Bangladesh’s garment exports were valued at $28 billion.

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Influenced by the lower domestic supply, cotton prices resumed an upward trend in Brazil in the first fortnight of August.

Between July 30 and August 13, the CEPEA/ESALQ Index for cotton increased by 4.6 per cent, closing at 5.1915 BRL/pound on August 13.

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The Chinese cotton industry is moving ahead with plans to

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PAKISTAN TEXTILE JOURNAL - August 2021

form a fairer and more transparent international industry standard-setting platform to replace the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), as the latter failed to facilitate the positive and sound development of the global cotton supply chain.

India’s leather and footwear exports are expected to touch about $6 billion in this fiscal on account of healthy demand in key global markets, according to the Council for Leather Exports (CLE).

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Garment exports in

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the Philippines are expected to fall below

the US dollar 1.4-billion pro-

The Sustainable Supply

6

Chain Optimisation project has been

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A new fabric range

has been developed for both innerwear

awarded GBP 1.4 million in

and base layers having the

funding by Innovate UK, part

combination of wool and

of UK Research and

Pilbloc. It is an anti-pilling

Innovation, on behalf of the

acrylic fibre that is also soft

Industrial Strategy Challenge

to touch and still provides a

Fund (ISCF) Manufacturing

remarkable degree of thermal

Made Smarter Challenge.

heat. Thai Acrylic Fibre Co

Vietnamese firms

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Ltd (TAF) and World Knitting

recently sought stan-

Textiles which is a garment

dard pandemic-related

manufacturer and exporter

regulations for specific cases

have contributed together to

for better production and an

create it.

Pakistan, Bahrain agree to negotiate CEPA Pakistan and Bahrain recently agreed to start talks on a free trade agreement for trade liberalisation and increasing the volume between the two countries.

A statement issued after the conclusion of second session of Pakistan Bahrain Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) held in Manama, Bahrain said the "two sides concurred to start negotiation towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)".

Pakistan has adopted a very liberal and investor-friendly investment policy, which provides no restriction on remitting capital. All sectors are open for investments and equal treatment is given to local and foreign investors.

The volume of bilateral trade between the two countries stood at $117.23 million in 2019-2020. Pakistan’s exports to Bahrain include rice, cotton yarn, textured yarn, printing ink etc. Whereas, major imports from Bahrain include ferrous waste and scrap, iron or steel and petroleum bitumen.

Pakistan and Bahrain also signed sectors focused MoU on manufacturing, tourism, logistics, information and communication technology, financial services, healthcare and education, and vocational training.

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PAKISTAN TEXTILE JOURNAL - August 2021

The MoU will remain enforced for a period of two years and can be renewed later subject to mutual approval by both parties. The MoU was signed by the Board of Investment of government of Pakistan and Economic Development Board, the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Furthermore, Pakistan and Bahrain have agreed to develop cooperation between the various textile associations in the two countries and have strongly welcomed cooperation at parliamentary level, emphasizing the exchange of bilateral visits.

The statement said the two countries have fostered a climate of innovation and advancement and foresee opportunities for strength and synergies to be cultivated, thereby creating successful and prosperous business relationships.

"The countries have expressed desire to harness and enhance collaborative and cooperative business initiatives emanating from the Board of Investment and Economic Development Board."

It is worth mentioning that during the first session, there was a consensus that volume of bilateral trade is much below the potential of both countries and future prospects in this regard were discussed.

The Pakistani side also proposed to offer Special Economic Zones (SEZs) in Pakistan to Bahraini investors, which was well received by the Bahraini side.

Both sides highlighted the importance of regular meetings of established bilateral mechanisms and high level bilateral visits. In regards to economic cooperation, the countries recognized great potential for further developing sectors of mutual interest with special focus on promoting trade and business development.

Consensus to invite each other to participate in relevant activities related to the MOU including conferences, symposiums, road shows, workshops, discussion courses, forums, exhibitions, business delegations etc. was also reached during the meeting.

Pakistan's textile & apparel exports surge 22.94% in FY21 The value of textile and garment exports from Pakistan increased by 22.94 per cent year-on-year in dollar terms in fiscal 2020-21 that ended on June 30.

During the period, Pakistan earned $15.400 billion from textile and apparel exports, compared to exports of $12.526 billion in July-June 2019-20, according to data from Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.

Category-wise, knitwear exports rose by a sharp 36.57 per cent year-on-year to $3.816 billion during the twelve-month period, while exports of non-knit readymade garments were up 18.83 per cent to $3.032 billion.

News & Views Meanwhile, the value of textile machinery imports by Pakistan grew by 35.35 per cent year-on-year to $592.076 million during the twelve-month period.

Among textiles, cotton yarn exports increased by 3.26 per cent to $1.016 billion in July-June 2020-21, as against exports of $984.901 million made during the corresponding period of 2019-20.

Exports of cotton fabric also rose by 4.98 per cent and were valued at $1.921 billion during the period under discussion.

Bedwear exports jumped by 28.87 per cent to $2.771 billion during the year, the data showed.

On the import side, synthetic fibre imports shot up by 47.19 per cent yearon-year to $629.099 million, while imports of synthetic and artificial silk yarn rose 30.21 per cent to $655.726 million during the period under review.

In fiscal 2019-20 ending June 30, textile and garment exports from Pakistan decreased by 6.01 per cent to $12.526 billion over $13.327 billion exports in the previous fiscal, mainly on account of the impact of COVID-19 pandemic.

Textile exports: DDT incentive to remain continue: Dawood Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood has said that the real target for the country is to achieve sustainable growth in exports as sustainability in exports is the only recipe to cope with the economic miseries of Pakistan.

Addressing the members of Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA),

Abdul Razak Dawood said that country's exports have witnessed highest ever 18% surge in FY 202021 despite adverse impacts of Covid-19 Abdul Razak Dawood, Advisor for Commerce, pandemic.

Textile, Industry and World's major Production, and economies shrunk Investment of Pakistan. mainly due to the deadliest Covid-19 waves, but it is Pakistan that showed tremendous performance in increasing the exports; whereas the regional competing economies of India and Bangladesh remained in the negative zone. All credit goes to our valued exporters who performed extremely well even in challenging times of pandemic.

Responding to a question, he assured that Duty Drawback of Taxes (DDT) incentive will remain continue for textile exports; whereas Export Development Fund will be utilized for export promotion only. While quoting the example of jute industry, the Advisor built his argument saying that it was unattended, but the

News & Views Government facilitated it and extended to it zero duty, which resulted in surge in exports of jute products. He stressed the need to focus on diversification and SME promotion as these two segments would lead Pakistan towards economic heights.

The Chairman National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance & Revenue Faizullah Kamoka said that textile industry is the backbone of economy; whereas textile exporters are playing vital role in economic development of the country. Remedial measures to overcome the challenges are being taken to uplift this sector.

Government, under the dynamic leadership of the Prime Minister Imran Khan, is imparting all Mr. Imran Khan, Prime Minister of Pakistan possible facilities to the export sectors as it is playing a major role in bringing economic stability. No country could achieve economic targets without the due role of exporters; therefore, allout efforts are being done to facilitate export industries. He assured that amendment in section 203A of the Income Tax Ordinance will be reversed.

Earlier, PTEA's patron-in-chief Khurram Mukhtar commended the strenuous efforts of the Advisor

Commerce & Investment for uplifting the country's exports. He congratulated the Government on achieving highest ever export growth this year. He said that Pakistan can become an economic giant by utilizing its trade and investment potential. Lauding the sincere support of Chairman Standing Committee on Finance & Revenue Faizullah Kamoka, he said that he always voiced up our concerns at all levels and extend full support in resolving our issues.

Chairman PTEA Muhammad Ahmad, in his welcome address, commended Government's policies and Prime Minister Imran Khan's revolutionary steps to enhance exports. Later, the Advisor

Commerce & Investment Abdul Razak Dawood inaugurated the newly established ECO section of PTTF Lab working under the aegis of Pakistan Textile Exporters Association. A large number of textile exporters were present in the meeting.

Export of textiles soars to $15.4bn in FY21 Pakistan’s exports of textile and clothing posted a 22.94 per cent growth in the outgoing financial year compared to the same period a year ago, data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics showed recently.

In absolute terms, the total exports of textile and clothing were $15.4 billion in 2020-21 against $12.526bn of the previous year.

The growth in exports of value-added sectors contributed to an increase in overall exports from the sectors. One of the reasons for growth in these sectors is because of low-base of last year when export-oriented industries remained closed due to the Covid-19 lockdown and cancellation of orders from international buyers.

The breakdown shows exports of readymade garments went up by 18.83pc to $3.032bn in FY21 against $2.552bn over the corresponding months of previous year. The exports of knitwear increased by 36.57pc to $3.816bn against $2.794bn over the corresponding months of last year. Exports of bedwear

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PAKISTAN TEXTILE JOURNAL - August 2021

went up by 28.87pc to $2.771bn this year against $2.150bn of the last year.

A growth of 31.81pc was seen in export of towels to $937.536m in FY21 against $711.265m of the last year.

The export of leather garments was up by 14.02pc and leather gloves by 22.26pc. The exports of raw leather declined by over 12.04pc.

The cotton cloth export posted a growth of 4.98pc in FY21 to $1.921bn, while the export of cotton yarn went up by 3.26pc to $1.016bn on a year on year basis. The export of raw cotton declined by 95.27pc this year over the last year.

It indicates that these raw materials were consumed maximum in the value-added sector as the government has also allowed duty-free import of these products. The exports of cotton carded were up by 3.17pc and yarn other than cotton yarn by 29.62pc.

The exports of tents, canvas and tarpaulin went up by 12.10pc, art, silk and synthetic textile by 17.68pc and made up articles, excluding towels and bed wear, by 28.08pc.

In the budget 2021-22, several measures, including reduction in duty on raw materials to promote exports of pharmaceutical, plastic, chemicals, engineering, and valueadded textile products, had been proposed.

Between July 1 last year and June 30 this year, the overall exports reached $25.304bn as against $21.393bn over the corresponding months of last year, indicating a growth of 18.28pc. The import of textile machinery posted a growth of 35.35pc to $592.076m on a year on year basis.

This indicates that the industry has started importing textile machinery as part of modernisation or expansion in the sector.

The industry imported 857,373 tonnes of raw cotton in outgoing year against 536,707 tonnes last year, showing an increase of 59.75pc, to bridge the shortfall in the domestic sector. Similarly, the import of synthetic fibre grew by 52.69pc as industry imported 447,351 tonnes this year as against 292,972 tonnes of previous year.

The import of synthetic and artificial silk yarn stood at 392,092 tonnes this year as against 248,834 tonnes last year, showing an increase of 57.57pc. The import of worn clothing recorded a growth of 89.64pc to 732,623 tonnes this year as against 386,320 tonnes of previous year.

Cotton crop revival linked to financial viability With the country missing out on the cotton sowing target for the 2021-22 season, stakeholders maintain the crop can only be revived if work is done to make it financially lucrative to the farmers.

Cotton was sown on 1.96 million hectares of land against a target of 2.32m hectares fixed for the 2021-22 season. Both Punjab and Sindh missed their plantation targets by 25.7 per cent and 16.7pc, respectively. During the 2020-21 season, the cotton crop was planted on 2.079m hectares, showing a contraction of 17.4pc over the

News & Views previous year’s 2.517m hectares. Since 1986-87, cotton has been planted on an area above or close to 2.428m ha, reaching a high of 3.19m ha in 2004-05.

The country harvested 14.26m bales in 2004-05, compared to just 5.57m bales in 2020-21 — a whooping 61pc decline in the last 16 years.

This gradual decrease in cotton output has been forcing the country to rely more and more on lint imports as the textile industry needs 16mn bales per annum to meet its demands. During the 9MFY21, lint imports reached $1.838bn and the figure is likely to cross $2.5bn mark by the year end, further tilting the foreign trade balance against Pakistan.

Cotton crop was blatantly overlooked in Prime Minister’s Agriculture Emergency Programme two years ago. The authorities disapprove any question about the crop’s viability, saying “agriculture does not end with cotton”.

Climate change, harsh weather, pest attacks and poor quality seeds are just some of the reasons that have adversely affected cotton. Add intensifying water crisis, increase in production costs and no minimum support price into the mix and the crop has little appeal for growers.

Talking to media, a senior agriculture officer said that cotton was losing ground in the past in the wake of mealybug and cotton leave curl virus attacks. “However, the trend would reverse next year

because of the profit the crop still promises,” the officer said, requesting anonymity.

Central Cotton Research Institute, Dr Zahid Mehmood, Multan, Director Central Cotton Research Dr Zahid Institute, Multan, Mehmood, who has recently been tasked by the federal government to ascertain the reasons behind shrinking cotton acreage, also stresses this point by saying that cotton cannot be revived until its production is linked with productivity and profitability.

“The farmer is ready to plant cotton if, like sugarcane, the crop gives him Rs100,000 per acre income.” About the challenges facing cotton in the form of alternative crops like maize and rice, he says these alternatives are short lived as prices of these crops dropped this year after a robust demand in the last two seasons.

He goes on to add that the government should announce an indicative price for cotton and make textile millers pay a better price to the growers to attract them back to the crop.

“The textile industry is paying more for import of lint than what it offers to local growers,” he added.

Adil Bashir, a textile industry representative, noted that local cotton was costlier than imported one in terms of staple size and contamination.

About fixing a minimum support price, he said that it not the price but rather dropping yield that was an issue.

The research institutes should come up with seed varieties capable of a better yield and resilient to the climate change for reducing gate price of cotton, Mr Bashir added.

Brand building in textile to boost exports The focus on brand building in the textile industry can fetch better export volumes but unfortunately traders in Pakistan do not pay attention to this factor, said Pakistan Businesses Forum (PBF) President Mian Usman Zulfiqar.

Speaking to a delegation of the Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA) he said that Pakistan’s fashion designing and textile segments had emerged as important contributors to the national trade because of their export potential.

He was of the view that the two segments possessed tremendous potential to secure a mammoth share in the international fashion market valued at billions of dollars.

News & Views “Pakistan can grab a significant share in the global fashion industry if it succeeds in attracting the attention of foreign buyers,” he said.

were mostly empty due to the disruption to the supply chain of textile.

Mian Usman Zulfiqar.

Central Cotton Research Institute, Multan,

Zulfiqar recommended the government to establish five mega textile parks to help turn the local industry competitive at the global level.

He stressed that the government should make it compulsory for large spinning units, having more than 30,000 spindles, to grow their own cotton for manufacturing yarn.

“The country’s textile exports cannot be enhanced without increasing the area under cotton cultivation and enhancing the cotton yield,” he said.

He highlighted that the country’s textile sector was functioning at its full capacity and all major textile exporting nations, including Pakistan, were brimming with orders because stores

“We have to devise a proper mechanism to continue this trend in the long run,” he said. “Pakistan is an agrarian country and its textile sector is considered the backbone of the national economy because it contributes 8.5% to the GDP and employs 40% of the total labour force.”

The textile sector “is also producing artificial silk, which resembles its natural counterpart but costs less to produce”, he said, adding that around 90,000 looms were working on this product throughout the country. “The quality of fabric produced by Pakistan is better than many other countries,” he emphasised.

PBF Vice President Ahmad Jawad was of the view that brand building in the textile sector was direly needed because it could soften the international image of the country.

Speaking to media, he added that the lack of brand building was limiting revenues of the country and pointed

out that Pakistan could generate an additional $2 billion in exports solely by focusing on branding.

Ch Ahmad Jawad, Vice President PBF

“We have the capability but are lagging behind in effective marketing,” he said.

“European companies earn millions of dollars by branding merchandise that is mostly manufactured in South Asian countries.”

Topline Research analyst Saad Ziker said that strong brands could boost attractiveness of Pakistani products in the international market.

“Pakistan’s textile sector needs branding as it can promote Pakistani flavour in the international market and help secure maximum orders, which can augment the export value of readymade garments,” he said.

Around the World BANGLADESH Government support helped the RMG industry make turnaround: BGMEA Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) president Faruque Hassan recently applauded the inclusion of garment workers under the COVID-19 vaccination programme on a priority basis. He appreciated the government for its crucial support to the readymade garments (RMG) industry during the pandemic that helped the sector ‘survive and make a turnaround’,

BGMEA urges buyers to nominate more shipping lines, private docks The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association president Faruque Hassan urged global buyers to nominate more shipping lines and private docks to help ensure timely shipment of export containers. The meeting discussed ways to address a container backlog and vessel shortage that are affecting garment exports.

Hassan said many export containers loaded with garment items sit idle for as many as 10 to 15 days at their respective inland container depots before being sent to the Chattogram port.

This is to select shipping lines, freight forwarders, and off-docks being nominated for the job by international buyers, he said. Many global retailers and brands that import billions of dollars’

worth apparel products from Bangladesh nominate only one or two shipping lines and freight forwarders to transport their cargo, he concluded.

The container backlogs also occur since most international buyers chose just four or five off-docks to handle their cargo before shipping. This causes delays in shipment and exporters are forced to bear additional charges for the delay.

There are 19 inland container depots in and around Chattogram, where the country's premier seaport is located. At the beginning of last month, most inland container depots were overwhelmed with export containers staying longer than usual.

During a meeting between Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) and various stakeholders on July 12, held for solving the container crisis, it was decided

that the BGMEA should convince global buyers to refrain from nominating select shipping liners, freight forwarders, and off-docks.

BRAZIL Low supply increases cotton prices Influenced by the lower domestic supply, the cotton prices resumed an upward trend in Brazil in the first fortnight of August.

The CEPEA/ESALQ Index for cotton increased by 4.6 percent, closing at 5.1915 BRL/pound on August 13 (Between July 30 and August 13). This is the highest price level registered since May 18, 2021.

During the fortnight, Brazilian cotton farmers became focused on the harvesting and processing of cotton and on the accomplishment of contracts.

Many sellers took advantage of the price levels in that period to close new deals for further delivery – to both the domestic and the international markets – for the cotton from the 2021-22 and the 202223 seasons, Sao Paulo-based Center for Advanced Studies on Applied Economics (CEPEA) said in its latest fortnightly report on the Brazilian cotton market.

Meanwhile, cotton harvesting was complete in nearly 50 per cent of the total cotton area in Brazil, by August 13, according to data from Abrapa (Brazilian

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PAKISTAN TEXTILE JOURNAL - August 2021

Cotton Producers Association). Cotton processing was at 10 percent of the expected for the season. In July, Brazil exported 61,400 tons of cotton, about 39% less than the volume shipped in June and 20.6 per cent below that from July 2020.

A report released by Conab (Brazil’s National Company for Food Supply) on August 10 showed a decrease of 0.11 per cent in the estimates for the Brazilian cotton area in the 2020-21 season compared to that reported in July, now forecast at 1.36 million hectares, 18 per cent smaller than that in the previous season.

Productivity estimates were revised up by a slight 0.04 per cent compared to that reported in July, to 1,714 kilograms/hectare, but 4.9 percent down from that in the 2019-20 crop. The Brazilian output is currently estimated at 2.341 million tons, stable compared to that previously reported, but 22% lower than that in the previous season.

Domestic consumption is estimated at 715,000 tons, and the exports in 2021 are now forecast at 2.1 million tons, 1.2 percent down from that estimated for the 201920 seasons. Thus, ending stocks in the current season are estimated at 1.29 million tons, 6.9 per cent lower than that reported in July and 26.8 per cent below that last season. If this is confirmed, the inventory/consumption ratio will be the lowest in the last three seasons, Conab concluded.

CHINA Seeks to replace the weakening global cotton industry body BCI Chinese cotton industry is moving ahead with plans to form a fairer and more transparent international industry standard-setting platform to replace the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI), a Switzerland-based non-governmental organization, as the latter failed to facilitate the positive and sound development of the global cotton supply chain, as stated by Chinese industry experts recently.

The BCI, which had been the leader in the global cotton industry, has been under heavy fire both in China and abroad for its baseless "forced labor" claims against cotton from Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region and is losing membership and leadership in the global industry.

In the latest development, US brand Levi Strauss was standing down from the BCI's leadership amid debate over the group's response to "alleged human rights abuses" in Xinjiang's cotton industry, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

The US firm's reported move came after the BCI and H&M sparked widespread anger in China over their baseless claims against Xinjiang cotton. Meanwhile, several other large international fashion brands, including FILA and MUJI, expressed their strong support for Xinjiang cotton in defiance of BCI's claim. Chinese industry experts said Levi's move is in line with expectations since the BCI's illusion over Xinjiang cotton not only damaged its industry

Around the World

reputation but also brought about risks of uncertainty to the global textile supply chain, in which Xinjiang cotton holds a significant share.

The weakened BCI has created an opportunity for the Chinese industry to establish a new coalition for quality evaluation, according to experts.Wang Wenkui, an executive at the China Cotton Industry Alliance (CCIA), an organization under the Institute of Cotton Research of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, told the media that the domestic industry has already been doing the groundwork for a new coalition and that some of CCIA's experts have also been invited to formulate Chinese cotton standards.

"The standards of BCI are too general and may not be suitable for cotton growth in China," said Wang, noting that the Chinese cotton standards will offer detailed cotton growing practices, including growing temperature and regulation of pesticides.

China is now the world's largest cotton consumer and the second-largest cotton producer, with total demand of about 8 million tons per year, accounting for about one-third of the global total consumption, data shows. Supported by world-leading technologies and management, China also supplies more than 80 percent of high-grade yarns and grey fabrics for the global textile supply chain.

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PAKISTAN TEXTILE JOURNAL - August 2021

INDIA Leather exports to touch about $6 bn in FY22 India’s leather and footwear exports are expected to touch about $6 billion in this fiscal on account of healthy demand in key global markets, according to the Council for Leather Exports (CLE), which recently urged the government to release pending refunds under the Merchandise Export From India Scheme (MEIS) as liquidity crunch is a major concern for exporters now.

"The sector has the potential to reach a total turnover of $30 billion in next five years, which includes the domestic turnover of $20 billion and export turnover of $10 billion and generate additional employment for 15 lakh more people," he added.

He also requested the government to extend the production-linked incentive scheme (PLI) to the sector.

India's growth in exports shows resilience: FIEO President A Sakthivel, Federation of

Similarly, this year's all industry rates of drawback should be immediately revised to compensate for the duties imposed on the wet blue, crust, and finished leather as well as embellishments used in production, CLE chairman Sanjay Leekha.

Indian Export Organisations (FIEO) while

"The Ministry of Commerce and industry has set up a reasonable target of $5.88 billion for the leather and footwear export sector and CLE is confident to achieve the target comfortably by the end of 2021-22," he said.

demonstrated the strength and resilience

He informed that the industry is labour intensive, employing 45 lakh (100 thousand) people. The sector has a total turnover of $17.09 billion, which includes exports of $5.09 billion and domestic industry turnover of $12 billion during 2019-20.

reacting to the trade data for July 202122, highlighted that the sustained export growth of around 50% with a figure of $35.43 billion over fiscal 2020-21 and by 35 per cent over fiscal 2019-20 has of the country’s exports sector.

This is the highest-ever exports recorded at least in the last nine years as per the data readily available with FIEO, the federation said in a press release.

It also is a sign that global trade is recovering fast, said Sakthivel. He urged the government to soon notify the rates of Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP) to remove uncertainty in the industry.

ITALY Italian exports to China jump in first four months of 2021: Italy-China Foundation The exports to the Chinese market in January-April of 2021 grew by some 55 percent from the same period of 2020, according to data from the Italy-China Foundation.

The new data came with the 296page report "China 2021" unveiled by the foundation's Business Studies Center (CeSIF) in a virtual conference. It showed that the spike in "Made in Italy" sales there came with the rapid growth of foreign investment to China in 2020 and the first months of 2021. "China will remain in the next years, one of the great protagonists of post-COVID recovery," Italy-China Foundation president Mario Boselli said.

Despite the corona virus emergency and related restrictions at the domestic level and on global trade, China remained the ninth foreign market of reference for Italy in 2020 and Italian exports to China grew by an overall 3 percent on the annual basis.

"Comparing 2011 and 2020 - in the framework of the European exports to China - it emerges that Italy has grown more than some other (EU) member countries in textile and in leather and leather goods, which are the two sectors where Italy represents China's main partner in the EU with over a third of all trade," the report explained.

Italy's imports of Chinese goods and services were worth 32.1 billion euros (37.7 billion U.S. dollars) in 2020, said the

report on the base of data from the National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT).

"Italy's trade deficit (with China) further decreased to 10.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2020 from 11.9 billion in 2019," it added. At the same time, the CeSIF researchers noted China overall boosted its sales abroad last year despite the pandemic crisis. "The growth of Chinese exports in 2020 seems to be in contrast with the exports of other commercial macro-areas such as the European Union (-9.2 percent) and United States (-0.4 percent)," they said. The Sino-Italian trade was benefitting from this context, according to the report.

PHILIPPINES Garment exporters may miss US $1.4 billion sales target Garment exports in the Philippines are expected to fall below the $1.4-billion projection for the year due to disruptions from the pandemic-induced lockdowns and shipping space constraints, according to the Foreign Buyers Association of the Philippines (FOBAP), which recently said

exporters are facing order cancellations.

Curfew, lack of transport, and other restrictions have added to the problem.

Bataan, where many garments exporters operate, is among the areas that have been placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) or the most stringent quarantine classification from August 8 to 22. FOBAP President Robert Young said all manufacturing activities by exporters located in the Freeport Area of Bataan have been ordered to halt operations during the ECQ given the surge in coronavirus cases.

“The shipping space crisis, which caused previous order cancellations too, is still on our shoulders and seems to have no solution yet,” he was quoted.

UNITED KINGDOM Sustainable supply chain optimization The UK Fashion and Textile Association (UKFT) is working with IBM, Tech Data, and the Future Fashion Factory to design, prototype, and pilot a new technology platform based on IBM technologies to help the UK fashion and textile industry to drive sustainability and profitability through increased transparency within the supply chain.

Retailers Next, H&M’s COS brand, N Brown Group, New Look, and yarn manufacturer Laxtons will be part of the initial pilot.

The Sustainable Supply Chain Optimisation project has been awarded GBP 1.4 million in funding by Innovate UK, part of UK Research and Innovation, on behalf of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) Manufacturing

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Around the World Made Smarter Challenge.The global fashion industry is one of the biggest global polluters and one of the greatest producers of waste, while issues around unsafe workplaces, labour abuses, and low wages continue. One of the major obstacles preventing organisations from implementing more sustainable, responsible practices and preventing consumers from shopping more sustainably is a fundamental lack of transparency and visibility across the different stages of the supply chain. Data is siloed, systems tend to operate in isolation and parties have had little to no incentive to share data with the rest of the ecosystem due to the significant manual effort.

The new technology platform will combine several emerging technologies like blockchain, AI, and sensors to digitise the key processes in the supply chain, creating a shared system of data that the different parties can trust and easily act upon.

VIETNAM Garment firms want standard anti-pandemic regulations Vietnamese firms recently sought standard pandemic-related regulations for specific cases for better production and an uninterrupted supply chain. Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS) chairman Vu Duc Giang said social distancing norms in many localities have put pressure on businesses and stifled production activities in 19 southern provinces.

Some localities have not been flexible while implementing the directive and some enterprises with no COVID cases had to close. According to Giang, 97 percent of textile and garment makers in the southern localities had to suspend operations due to the resurgence of the coronavirus. The textile and garment industry is running at just 10-15 percent of its capacity. Vietnamese enterprises have been urged by foreign partners to deliver products like garments as no one wants to receive products when the sale season is over. Some garment enterprises based in the south are thinking of outsourcing production to companies in the northern region. However, it is

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PAKISTAN TEXTILE JOURNAL - August 2021

difficult to transport materials from the south to the north and go through checkpoints on the way, according to a report in a Vietnamese newspaper.“Some foreign partners thought of placing orders with other countries instead of Vietnam to ensure uninterrupted supply chains.

Many companies have been put on tenterhooks,” Giang added.

COVID-19 restrictions imposed in Vietnam by the local authorities are heavily impacting manufacturing as factory shutdowns and labour shortages are on the rise as new COVID cases are reported. Several factories which produce goods for some of the largest international brands have reportedly shut operations to prevent further increase in COVID-19 infections.

UNITED STATES Carter’s April-July net income rises to $71 million Carter's, a US-based marketer of apparel for babies and young children has posted 45 per cent sales increase to US $746.4 million in its second-quarter (Q2) of FY21 ended on July 3, 2021, which also exceeded pre-pandemic performance due to strong growth in all business segments.

The company’s net income for Q2 rose to $71.6 million (Q2 FY20: $8.1 million). “Our performance meaningfully exceeded our expectations and was driven, we believe, by the strength of our product offerings, more effective

marketing, leaner inventories, and improved price realisation,” Michael Casey, chairman, and chief executive officer at Carter’s said in a press release.

The company’s gross profit for Q2 FY21 was $368.7 million ($235.5 million), and operating income expanded to $107.6 million ($20.9 million). US retail segment’s sales surged to $423.6 million contributing 56.8 per cent to the net sales, whereas US wholesale sales were $231.6 million contributing 31.0 per cent to the net sales. Carter’s international sales during Q2 FY21 climbed to $91.1 million which was 12.2 per cent of the net sales.

According to the company, factors expected to benefit the company’s performance in the second half of FY21 include its market-leading product assortments, structural changes made during the pandemic, such as improved assortment productivity, inventory management, and marketing effectiveness, and the benefit of government stimulus. Carter’s expects its FY21 sales to grow approximately 15 per cent.“In the second half, we are also planning increased investments in ecommerce capabilities, technology, brand marketing, and employee compensation.

We believe these investments, together with structural improvements we’ve made in our business over the past year, will enable us to further strengthen our market leadership position and continue to provide the best value and experience in young children’s apparel,” Casey concluded.

Corporate News

FET installs new Spunbond system at University of Leeds Fibre Extrusion Technology Ltd, UK has completed the installation and commissioning of a new FET Laboratory Spunbond system for the University of Leeds.

FET has built an excellent reputation in melt spinning technology over three decades, with expertise in nonwoven processes for difficult to process materials. This step represents a significant technological development and a continuation of the company’s drive for innovative excellence.

This FET spunbond system is now an integral part of the research facilities of the CCTMIH (Clothworkers’ Centre for Textile Materials Innovation for Healthcare), led by Prof. Stephen Russell based in the School of Design, University of Leeds, who commented “The new spunbond system is perfectly suited to our academic research work, and is

already proving itself to be extremely versatile and intuitive to use”.

This spunbond system complements existing research lab facilities at the university, which covers all areas of fibre and fabric processing, physical testing and characterisation. It forms part of a wider investment in facilities to support fundamental, academic research on ‘future manufacturing’ for medical devices, where the focus is on studying small-scale processing of unconventional polymers and additive mixes to form spunbond fabrics with multifunctional properties.

Key to this research is developing the underlying process-structure-performance relationships, based on the measured data, to provide detailed understanding of how final fabric performance can be controlled during processing.

As a rule, many exciting materials developed in academic research struggle to progress beyond the bench, because of compatibility issues with key manufacturing processes such as spunbond. By leveraging mono, coresheath and island-in-the-sea bicomponent technology, the Leeds University team is working with polymer and biomaterial research scientists, engineers and clinicians to explore the incorporation of unusual materials in spunbond fabrics, potentially widening applications.

FET has built on its melt spinning expertise to develop a true laboratory scale spunbond system and is currently working on a number of other such projects globally with research institutions and manufacturers.

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Corporate News

Avery Dennison celebrates the launch of ADX LAB Ningbo to accelerate innovation and lead the trends for the apparel industry Avery Dennison, one of the global leaders in innovation, materials science, branding and manufacturing, and Shenzhou International Holdings Ltd., as one of the world’s largest verticallyintegrated knitwear manufacturers, hosted a grand opening event for the launch of ADX Lab Ningbo, an experience hub co-created by the two innovators, located in Ningbo, China.

Themed “Newness is the Name of Your Game,” the opening event brought together leading global apparel and footwear brands. Offering a bespoke lab experience, an insightful seminar, and a plant tour, Avery Dennison shared the cutting-edge fashion trends for seasons ahead and launched new design concepts and solutions. Industry stakeholders saw how ADX Lab Ningbo empowers global apparel and footwear brands with Avery Dennison’s end-to-end solutions, bringing their innovative ideas to life, telling their brands’ story, and helping them create cutting-edge, diverse products.

ADX, which stands for “Avery Dennison Experience,” offers a futurefocused platform for apparel industry stakeholders to see innovative technology, materials and solutions, and explore how these breakthrough technologies can be put into development. At ADX Labs, Avery Dennison engages apparel and footwear brands around the globe, co-creating the next breakthrough solutions.

ADX Labs will launch new collections and solutions biannually across digital production techniques, external embellishments, packaging, automation and more. The newly-launched ADX Lab Ningbo is Avery Dennison’s fourth ADX Lab across the globe, joining the innovation and experience hubs in Norway, Italy, and Panyu, China. Avery Dennison will expand its hub in the USA in January next year.

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PAKISTAN TEXTILE JOURNAL - August 2021

Avery Dennison celebrates the launch of ADX Lab Ningbo to accelerate innovation and lead the trends for the apparel industry.

During the ADX Lab Ningbo launch event, Avery Dennison’s revealed its newest portfolio for external embellishments. The collection was inspired by seasonal trends and featured sustainable production techniques, materials and designs. From larger graphics to small details, different materials and technology were juxtaposed and brought to life in novel ways. The results are over 90 bespoke graphic technique combinations – covering heat transfer labels, woven, embroideries and more, spanning performance, lifestyle and team sports.

“Avery Dennison joined forces with Shenzhou International to introduce a broader vision for innovation to our global customers to help apparel and footwear brands stay ahead of industry trends and, ultimately, achieve their business goals,” said Michael Barton, vice president and general manager, global commercial, apparel solutions, Avery Dennison. “We believe that inspiration and innovation should never be limited by geographic location. Therefore, virtual experiences will be available at the ADX

Lab Ningbo started on July 30, 2021. Our customers can be inspired by this immersive experience from the comfort of their own homes.”

“The partnership between Avery Dennison and Shenzhou International can be traced back to 2005. Over the past 16 years, the innovation driven by this important partnership has allowed both corporations to expand the scope of services in our businesses. By incorporating innovation throughout the process to product offerings, our customers are empowered to scale their businesses in more creative, diverse and personalized ways,” said Ally Feng, vice president and general manager, Greater China, Avery Dennison RBIS. “The launch of the ADX Lab Ningbo is another momentous step forward in our joint pursuit to drive innovation for the industry. Moving forward, we will continue to work together closely to serve the needs of apparel and footwear brands around the world, accelerating innovation and shaping the future of the industry at large.” 

EFI Reggiani celebrates 75 Years of Innovative Solutions This year, EFI™ Reggiani celebrates 75 years of heritage, innovation and glamour in the textile world. As part of its anniversary celebration, the textile technology innovator is revealing the imminent launch of three new digital textile printers.

EFI Reggiani has become the trusted partner for integrated, scalable solutions for the entire textile process – from yarn treatment to fabric printing and finishing.

“Textile has been in our DNA since the beginning,” said EFI Reggiani Senior Vice President and General Manager Adele Genoni. “We are always moving to the next level, thinking ahead and developing high-tech, quality and reliable products as well as new textile industry solutions and processes. We are proud of achieving this 75 years of innovation milestone.

“We are also pleased to be a part of the success of so many global textile manufacturers and apparel brands over the past seven decades and into the future,” she added. “We have very close relationships with our customers, and the collaboration we have together allow us to develop groundbreaking new technologies. The three new printers we are launching this year speak to the legacy and expertise for solutions that have made our technologies a benchmark of productivity and quality ever since the creation of the first Reggiani textile printer in 1946.”

Transforming the textile industry with innovation Always striving to be at the cutting edge of technology, EFI Reggiani delivers

world-class products offering boosted uptime and reliability, high performance throughput, unparalleled printing uniformity, and accuracy – all while helping customers increase the sustainability of their textile manufacturing activities.

New EFI Reggiani innovations also help facilitate the spread and localisation of industrial textile manufacturing closer to end users in new geographic markets.

75 years of history and excellence Reggiani Tessile – which was one of the largest fabric manufacturing companies in Italy – created the company to meet its needs in machinery development. Reggiani Macchine started a new chapter in the early 2000’s with the introduction of digital printing technology to their product range. Then, in 2015, Reggiani Macchine joined the Electronics For Imaging family.

EFI Reggiani’s product portfolio has continued to expand, ranging from rotary and flatbed printing machines to scanning/multi-pass digital printers to the world’s fastest digital textile printer – the EFI Reggiani BOLT single-pass inkjet printer launched in 2018. The company has also substantially advanced its ink offerings.

Driving customer success for the future Today, EFI Reggiani’s leadership in innovation is the result of improving productivity and quality, optimising the textile manufacturing process, and reducing energy use, water consumption and overall environmental impact.

Genoni believes productivity is key to

Adele Genoni

any solution that will help customers recover and thrive post-pandemic, and one of the company’s new launches will specifically target a noticeable gap in the market.

“We want to help support our customers in their digital transformation,” she said. “One of our three new printers is going to target the industrial highspeed segment of the multi-pass textile printing sector. The new printer will not only be the fastest multi-pass printer that EFI Reggiani has ever developed, but we are also expecting it to be the fastest of its kind in the market.”

In the growing industrial, entry-level segment of the market, EFI Reggiani is strengthening its multi-pass offering by introducing two new scanning machines, which will help facilitate customers’ needs to manufacture closer to the end consumer. The pair of scanning printers EFI Reggiani is bringing to market in 2021 will enable new customers to take their first steps in industrial textile digital printing. The new printers will not only be easy to use, but, as with all of the company’s solutions, they will also give customers access to the best technology platforms and innovation for digital industrial printing with EFI Reggiani’s renowned quality and reliability.

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RadiciGroup reports good FY2020 results due to new investments in innovation and sustainability RadiciGroup – an Italian multinational founded and headquartered in Bergamo closed its 2020 financial year with consolidated sales revenue of EUR 1,019 million, curbing the decrease compared to 2019 to -6.7%. On the other hand, EBITDA reached EUR 173 million, up 4.4% compared to the prior year, and net income, net of amortization and depreciation, rose to EUR 87 million (+8.1% over 2019).

Throughout the year, which was inevitably impacted by the pandemic and the restrictive measures adopted to contain its spread, the Group continued its strategy of focusing on its strategic and synergistic core businesses, such as chemicals for nylon production, engineering polymers and advanced textile solutions.

Generally speaking, Group performance in 2020 reflected the trend of the pandemic: a drastic drop in demand during the first half of the year after a lockdown was imposed, followed by a good recovery from September to November, which was, however, somewhat slowed down in December by an upsurge in the contagion rate. The Advanced Textile Solutions business area

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PAKISTAN TEXTILE JOURNAL - August 2021

was more affected than the other BAs in the Group, in line with the performance trend of the textiles sector nationwide.

The year 2021 got off to a positive start: in the first quarter, sales revenue and gross operating margin went up in almost all business sectors, despite the large increase in the cost of raw materials observed in the same time period.

“FY2020 was certainly a challenging year in many respects,” Angelo Radici, president of RadiciGroup, stated.

“Nevertheless, we managed to limit the negative effect of the pandemic and obtain satisfactory results, which confirm our competitiveness in the market.

The new year began with a challenge: to fully seize the opportunities presented by the recovery of business activities. Although the global scenario is still uncertain, we are confident that, by leveraging the Group’s reputation as a solid and efficient company and focusing on higher value-added products, enhanced production flexibility and investments in research and development, we will be able to continue to offer our customers highperformance solutions through our collaborative effort on increasingly innovative and sustainable

projects.”

Despite the particularly hard times of 2020, we maintained our commitment to ensure that our companies stay competitive, consistent with our previous years’ strategy. We set out a EUR 50 million investment plan to upgrade the technology and flexibility of our production lines, as well as the sustainability of our products and processes.

“During the last five years,” Alessandro Manzoni, CFO of RadiciGroup, stressed, “we have invested over EUR 240 million to meet the technological challenges of industrial development. All the while, we’ve kept debt under control and managed to close the 2020 financial year with a positive net financial position and improved asset ratios all across the board. We are thus ready to seize all the growth opportunities heading our way and to pursue further sustainable development objectives. To this end, capital investments are required, and finance is going to be an absolutely indispensable aspect of sustainability.”

Accordingly, one of RadiciGroup’s key strengths is its focus on innovation and

Corporate News sustainability. And this is where Radici InNova comes in.

Established in 2019 with the purpose of managing and coordinating all the Group’s R&D activities, the company became fully operational in 2020 and started experimentation on a number of projects of strategic importance to the Group.

Among these projects, noteworthy is the development of materials for the medical sector, which was aimed at providing support to local communities. The initiative was launched in March 2020, a very difficult moment due to the shortage of personal protective equipment, and was soon organized into a structured production chain.

Additionally, in the area of new applications, a number of projects were

Maurizio, Angelo e Paolo Radici - Shareholders of Radici Group

launched to develop new materials for the automotive sector, additive manufacturing and 3D printing. Other projects underway are related to the circular economy and the recycling and recovery of materials for

reuse in the production of textiles and engineering polymers. Still another area of research and development involves the study of developing polyamides from renewable source materials. 

Rieter acquires three businesses from Saurer Rieter Holding Ltd., Winterthur /Switzerland, and Saurer Intelligent Technology Co. Ltd., Shanghai/China listed, signed an agreement by which Rieter will acquire three businesses from Saurer Netherlands Machinery Company B.V., Amsterdam/Netherlands, the parent company of Saurer Spinning Solutions GmbH & Co. KG, UebachPalenberg/Germany and Saurer Technologies GmbH & Co. KG, Krefeld/Germany.

In 2019 and 2018, the total combined turnover was at a level of EUR 235 million and EUR 260 million, respectively.

In the first step of the transaction, Rieter

The purchase price for the three businesses is EUR 300 million on a cash and debt free basis. Rieter has financed the purchase price by cash and available credit lines.

to Saurer after the implementation of

Rieter and Saurer expect to close the transaction during the month of August.

automatic winders to Saurer in the

will acquire 57% of the shares of Saurer Netherlands. The shares will be returned the transaction in six to nine months.

In connection with the transaction, it is envisaged that Rieter will supply future.

With this acquisition, Rieter will complete the offering of ring- and compact spinning systems by acquiring the Schlafhorst automatic winder business. Additionally, Rieter invests in two attractive component businesses: Accotex (elastomer components for spinning machines) and Temco (bearing solutions for filament machines).

In total, the three businesses had a combined turnover of EUR 142 million in 2020, the year of the COVID crisis.

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Mondi Gronau starts production of one million medical face masks per day in Germany Mondi, one of the global leaders in packaging and paper, has started up new production lines for melt-blown nonwoven fabric and medical face masks at its site in Gronau, Germany to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Mondi Gronau has over 50 years of experience in the production and processing of films, nonwovens and elastic components for hygiene products.

Last year Mondi announced it would start up production lines to produce both the important base material, melt-blown nonwoven fabric, as well as the medical face mask themselves. With the new lines, Mondi is building up a local value chain in Germany to address the needs of the pandemic. The fully integrated production with two highly automated high-speed machines allows the output of 700 high-quality medical face masks per minute. This is approximately seven times higher than the standard face mask production line and will produce at least one million medical grade masks a day.

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PAKISTAN TEXTILE JOURNAL - June-July 2021

The masks are certified as a medical product by the German Johner Institute as well as meeting the German standards OEKO-TEX and Dermatest. With this production, Mondi Gronau will be directly addressing the needs of the German health sector including hospitals, pharmacies and specialised medical retailers.

“We identified the shortage in meltblown nonwoven fabric in Germany early on in the pandemic last year and reacted swiftly to set up the production of highquality medical face masks. With our high-speed production set-up and certifications in place, Mondi Gronau is ideally positioned to supply high-quality medical masks that offer reliable protection and high comfort from the moment they are put on to when they are taken off,” says Jürgen Schneider, Managing Director Mondi Gronau.

About Mondi Mondi is contributing to a better world by making innovative packaging

and paper solutions that are sustainable by design. The business is integrated across the value chain – from managing forests and producing pulp, paper and plastic films, to developing and manufacturing effective industrial and consumer packaging solutions.

Sustainability is at the centre of our strategy and intrinsic in the way we do business. We lead the industry with our customer-centric approach, EcoSolutions, where we ask the right questions to find the most sustainable solution. In 2020, Mondi had revenues of Euro 6.66 billion and underlying EBITDA of Euro 1.35 billion.

Mondi has a premium listing on the London Stock Exchange (MNDI), and a secondary listing on the JSE Limited (MNP). Mondi is a FTSE 100 constituent, and has been included in the FTSE4Good Index Series since 2008 and the FTSE/JSE Responsible Investment Index Series since 2007.

Personalia

Archroma announces Chief Financial Officer succession Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals towards sustainable solutions, today announced that it has appointed Thomas Bucher as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) effective 1 October 2021, replacing Roland Waibel who will retire.

Thomas Bucher has a long career in Finance, having held CFO roles with leading industrial and services companies as well as senior Finance roles in the chemical sector. He joins Archroma from Alpiq Holding AG, where he has been Group CFO and a Member of the Executive Management Board since 2015.

Prior to Alpiq, Thomas Bucher was Group CFO at Gategroup for 6 years, where he supported the company’s listing and subsequent strategic repositioning, and before that he held a number of senior Finance roles at Ciba Specialty Chemicals over more than 12 years.

the beginning of Archroma in 2013. He has played an important role helping the company deliver on our growth whilst building a strong finance expert team and expertise at Archroma.”

“I am very excited to join Archroma and a team who has shown amazing agility and market relevance in the recent years,” adds Thomas Bucher, “transforming itself to operate ever more efficiently, profitably and sustainably.”

Thomas Bucher, Chief Financial Officer Archroma

Chief Executive Officer Heike van de Kerkhof comments: “We are very happy to have Thomas Bucher join us, and add his financial expertise to support our agenda towards confirming Archroma as an undisputed leader in innovative and sustainable specialty chemicals, supported by solid and profitable growth.”

She adds: “I want to thank Roland Waibel for his many contributions since

About Archroma Archroma is a global, diversified provider of specialty chemicals serving the branded and performance textiles, packaging and paper, and coatings, adhesives and sealants markets.

Headquartered in Reinach, Switzerland, Archroma operates in over 100 countries, with 3,000 employees located in 35 countries and 26 production sites.

BTMA appoints Jason Kent as CEO The British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) has announced that Jason Kent has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of the BTMA Group, which also includes subsidiaries NWTexnet and TREX, effective from Monday 23rd August 2021.

Jason has been a non-executive member of the BTMA board for over 8 years and brings a wealth of experience with him having spent 35 years working in the carpet tufting machinery industry.

As a time-served mechanical technician engineer, Jason ascended through a series of positions of greater responsibility with Cobble Blackburn Limited until its acquisition in 2013 by the Vandewiele Group where he undertook the role of Managing Director for the tufting machinery business.

Jason also studied part-time for his MBA back in 2011 and is also a

Chartered Fellow of the Chartered Management Institute.

“Jason is the right person for leading the BTMA Group into the future,” said Alan Little, BTMA’s Association Director.

“Jason’s textile machinery background, business development skills and extensive knowledge of the BTMA and its members will help in delivering the strategic vision of the board. Alan went on to say that “the current BTMA staff look forward to working alongside Jason to assist him in achieving his goals”.

“I am very privileged to be joining the BTMA,” said Jason Kent. “I believe there are many generational changes ahead that our members must face and the BTMA Group needs to be ready and capable of supporting such challenges.”

Jason then went on to explain, “As I see it, we have three initial goals in providing better business outcomes for

our Members through active engagement in addressing industry skills deficits, ensuring we are at the forefront of the industrial digitalisation revolution, and leveraging opportunities brought about through Innovation and the associated global focus on Sustainability.”

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Innovation, inspiration and information provided by new formats at DOMOTEX 2022 

Room stagings presented in Mood Spaces  Material collections presented in Material Selections  Wall products presented in Wallroom Hannover, Germany. DOMOTEX 2022 opens its doors in Hannover from 13 to 16 January with numerous innovations.

Deutsche Messe has used the pandemic timeout to adapt the world's leading trade show for carpets and floor coverings to changing market conditions and develop it strategically.

The most important aspect is the socalled 2-world-concept with the division of the trade show structure into the two labels 'Carpets & Rugs' for carpets and mats (Halls 2-7) and 'Floor & Wall' for floor coverings and wall products for the parquet, carpet and resilient LVT

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segments (Halls 11-13). In addition, many new formats await exhibitors and visitors alike in the halls.

explains Sonia Wedell-Castellano, Global Director DOMOTEX, Deutsche Messe AG.

"There will be lots of new elements to discover at our next DOMOTEX. We have used the last year intensively to develop new participation opportunities for companies and to create a new brand experience for visitors. The exchange with all market participants was and still is extremely valuable for us.

Several discussions and roundtable talks with exhibitors, as well as visitors and our media partners have supported and accompanied us in this conceptual phase.

New space for inspiration

The 'new' DOMOTEX offers everyone involved plenty of scope for experience, orientation, innovation and inspiration, but also, of course, access to new customers, partners and suppliers,"

The upcoming DOMOTEX will offer new formats and new places to be in all product areas. These include the new Mood Spaces, six booths designed by interior designers that represent current trends and express the interaction between floors and walls on the one hand and interior design on the other.

The Spaces are a source of inspiration for furniture trade and contractors and, in the spirit of the concept store formats, show which products in combination can form a themed world. The Mood Spaces for the residential sector will be located in Hall 7 and in Hall 13 for the contract sector.

Fairs and Exhibitions Also new on board are the Material Selections, which provide an overview of the most important application and trend topics for architects, interior designers and contractors, but also for trade and industry partners. The Material Selections for wall and floor coverings offer orientation and inspiration and, thanks to corresponding manufacturer's references, make it easier to find products at DOMOTEX. These material collections are available for the topics of healthy living, recycling, hygiene and health, outdoor, acoustics and colour.

The product range of DOMOTEX will be complemented by interior finishing products such as wall and acoustic panels and wallpaper. As a new hub for manufacturers with corresponding products, the Wallroom in Hall 13 offers a new and central place to be. DOMOTEX is thus creating a new low-threshold offering for manufacturers of wall products.

The Retailers' Lounge is the new meeting place for retailers in which to enjoy the exchange among experts on equal terms. It is also a source of inspiration for retail visitors, as the lounge will be directly integrated into the Mood Spaces.

Practical knowledge, new technologies, tools and materials are what counts in the Application and Installation Technology (FloorTec) area.

The new Craft Attack Guide provides a

well-structured overview of offers and live demonstrations for the craft industry.

One of the highlights in this part of the show is the Workcamp Parquet - an association of internationally experienced parquet masters who are committed to the topic of promoting young talent. The Workcamp Parquet is dedicated to the reconstruction of old parquet flooring and emphasizes the use of original techniques. During DOMOTEX the international team will be demonstrating this traditional craft in various live demos over the course of three days (from January 13 to 15) in Hall 12.

New Nominees - New Winners For years, the international Carpet Design Awards (CDA) presented by COVER and HALI Magazines, as well as the Parkett Star and Carpet Star presented by SN-Verlag, are part of DOMOTEX. This tradition continues next year, as designers and manufacturers will be honored with these awards.

For the first time, the CDA will also include carpet designs from nonexhibitors. This gives visitors an even broader overview of international trends and designs in the product segment of fitted carpets. In addition to and surrounding the CDA other special events will take place such as the CDA Forum or a special event for oversized carpets organized by Iranian designer Lila Valadan.

"We are delighted to offer so much inspiration in all areas of DOMOTEX after this long period of abstinence. Even the development of the formats has been hugely enjoyable together with our exhibitors and partners, we can thus offer an eventful and innovative DOMOTEX 2022," explains Wedell-Castellano.

"Digitalization - in the industry and also for us as a trade show organizer - enables many new, exciting approaches. But one thing is certain: there is no substitute for face-to-face meetings at a trade show."

DOMOTEX 2022 will take place as a hybrid event in Hannover from 13 to 16 January. The new hybrid concept offers numerous digital services and participation opportunities for exhibitors and visitors, and enables everyone who cannot attend live for various reasons to participate digitally.

DOMOTEX Worldwide DOMOTEX asia/CHINAFLOOR (Shanghai, 25–27 May 2022), the international trade show for carpets and floor coverings in the Asia-Pacific region, will be held in May instead of March due to an overlap with official government dates. The venue will be the NECC exhibition and convention center in Hongqiao, Shanghai. DOMOTEX Turkey (Gaziantep), the leading trade show for carpets and floor coverings in Middle East, is scheduled to take place in spring 2022.

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ITMA ASIA + CITME concluded with strong local attendance and exhibitor endorsements ITMA ASIA + CITME 2020 ended on a successful note, attracting a strong local turnout. After a delay of 8 months, the seventh combined exhibition welcomed visitorship of about 65,000 over 5 days.

Riding on positive business sentiments, following the post-epidemic economic recovery in China, exhibitors were thrilled to be able to have face-toface contact with local buyers from the world’s largest textile manufacturing hub.

In addition, they were excited to receive overseas visitors who were able to travel to Shanghai.

Yang Zengxing, General Manager of Karl Mayer (China) enthused, “Due to the Coronavirus pandemic, there were fewer overseas visitors, however, we were very satisfied with our participation in ITMA ASIA + CITME. The visitors who came to our stand were mainly decisionmakers, and they were interested in our exhibits and held focused discussions with us. As such, we are expecting numerous projects in the near future."

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Alessio Zunta, Business Manager, MS Printing Solutions, agreed: “We are very glad to have participated in this ITMA ASIA + CITME edition. Finally, we were able to meet our old and new customers in-person again, as well as to launch our latest printing machine, which received very positive feedback at the exhibition. I am happy to see that the local market in China has almost fully recovered and we look forward to next year’s combined show.”

more automated and productivity enhancement solutions in China, Satoru Takakuwa, Manager, Sales and Marketing Department; Textile Machinery, TSUDAKOMA Corp. commented: "Despite the pandemic, we had more customers visiting our stand than expected. In China, the demand for more efficient production and labour-saving technologies are growing because costs are increasing every year. We’re glad to be able to respond to the demand.”

The combined exhibition brought together 1,237 exhibitors from 20 countries and regions. In an exhibitor survey conducted onsite with over 1,000 exhibitors, over 60% of the respondents revealed that they were happy with the quality of visitors; 30% reported that they concluded business deals, of which over 60% estimated sales ranging from RMB 300,000 to over RMB 3 million within the next six months.

Another satisfied exhibitor is Lorenzo Maffioli, Managing Director, Itema Weaving Machinery China. He explained: “Being located in a pivotal market such as China, ITMA Asia + CITME has always been an important platform for our company. The 2020 edition was a special one as it represented the first international exhibition since the start of pandemic.”

Attributing to the success of their participation to the vibrant demand for

He added: “Despite the Covid-19 restrictions, we are very satisfied by the outcome of the exhibition as we

move forward. Due to a remarkable recovery in local demand, there is a need to expand production capacity quickly.

Besides, textile manufacturers have resumed plans to invest in new machinery to stay competitive. We hope to welcome more Asian buyers to the next show as many were not able to make it to this edition due to travel restrictions.”

welcomed a good number of qualified visitors at our booth. We were also very impressed by the efforts of the organisers to guarantee a safe environment for both exhibitors and guests and to manage the event in a very efficient way.”

The show owners, CEMATEX, together with its Chinese partners – the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT (CCPIT-Tex), China Textile Machinery Association (CTMA) and China International Exhibition Centre Group Corporation (CIEC) were also very pleased with the outcome of the combined exhibition, praising participants for their cooperation and support that helped ensure a smooth, successful faceto-face exhibition.

Ernesto Maurer, President of Cematex.

ITMA ASIA + CITME 2022 will be held from 20 to 24 November 2022 at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (NECC) in Shanghai. It is organised by Beijing Textile Machinery International Exhibition Co. Ltd. and coorganised by ITMA Services. 

Wang Shutian, Honorary President of China Textile Machinery Association (CTMA), said: “The transformation and upgrading of China’s industry has entered a stage of substantial development, and textile enterprises are investing in highend manufacturing technologies and sustainable solutions. From the results of ITMA ASIA + CITME 2020, we can see that the combined exhibition remains the most effective business platform in China for the industry.”

Ernesto Maurer, President of CEMATEX, added: “We owe our success to the support of our exhibitors, visitors and partners. Following this coronavirus setback, the textile industry is excited to

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Swiss Textile Machinery companies welcome return to in-person customer contact Shanghai show heralds investment revival The recent ITMA Asia + CITME exhibition was marked by a strong showing from Swiss Textile Machinery members, in what was the sector’s first major face-to-face showcase since the pandemic restrictions.

With an attendance comprised of 99% Chinese visitors, the show still proved a satisfactory venture, the Swiss companies reported. There was real product innovation, and meaningful customer interest, prompting a genuine mood of optimism among exhibitors. The event was held from June 12-16 in Shanghai, with 18 Swiss exhibitors, of whom 13 were Swiss Textile Machinery member companies.

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“Our members were first of all delighted to be able to meet their customers in person again,” said Cornelia Buchwalder, Secretary General of Swiss Textile Machinery.

“And the feedback was extremely positive regarding the post-pandemic future market situation. From an admittedly low base in recent times, we see a real revival in investment.

“Despite the lack of many show visitors from other countries, it is still the case that China itself is a pre-eminent market for textile machinery – so it is the ideal place to restart our exhibition campaign.”

Catch-up effect Rieter Group, including the Graf, SSM and Bräcker businesses, described the event as “a success despite the restrictions.” Lower visitor attendance overall was outweighed by the response to the company’s ‘virtual booth’.

Norbert Klapper, Rieter CEO said, “At the moment, the textile machinery market is booming due to a catch-up effect.” Orders for the first half of this year are already expected to be more than triple the level in the corresponding period of 2020, and customer feedback at the event was also positive.

Rieter also sees changes in the Chinese market for spinning equipment, driven by cost development in the country. “On the one hand, Chinese customers will foster investments outside China, in particular for their export business. At the same time, they will invest in their operations in China in order to stay competitive,” he said.

Biggest customer base The importance of the China market was also emphasized by Loepfe Brothers Ltd., whose CEO, Dr. Ralph Mennicke commented: “ITMA Asia means meeting our biggest customer base in the world – physically by our local partners, and virtually via our virtual meeting point at the Loepfe booth. While we expect to see a major transformation of exhibitions, we are determined to shape this transformation our way.”

Both new and existing Loepfe customers visited the company’s booth, with two new products attracting great interest. “We have seen a great pick-up of investments into spinning mills in 2021...the starting point for a new era of sensor solutions for fibres and filaments,” Dr Mennicke said.

Boom period Stäubli is also looking ahead to a boom period after Covid-19, and the Chinese market is viewed as “still very stable,” with potential for growth in the denim industry in the Guangdong region, although companies from here were unable to attend in Shanghai because of travel restrictions.

The chance to meet customers faceto-face was an important factor for Stäubli, for this event and for those scheduled during 2022. “Real customer contact is very important to us,” said Fritz Legler, Vice-President Marketing, Sales & Service. “Digital trade fairs will not replace the feeling to ‘experience’ the machines, when all five senses are activated, and the performance of the product can be presented directly.”

Stäubli was able present a broad range of machinery at its booth, with a number of new launches, and special interest reported in weaving preparation solutions, dobby and Jacquard machines.

Innovations interest Despite the pandemic, Uster Technologies was able to launch three significant innovations during 2021, all of which attracted serious interest – both technical and commercial – when presented at ITMA Asia + CITME. Sivakumar Narayanan, the company’s Executive Vice-President, said: “We closed quite a few contracts, and we were generally very satisfied with the response at the show. It was handled 100% by our Chinese team, who did a fantastic job in setting up the exhibits and handling Chinese and international visitors. It was predominantly visited by Chinese companies but there were a few from other countries, such as Pakistan and Turkey. We were also pleased to

return to ‘live’ exhibitions, but our virtual showroom was a valuable extra channel to stay in contact with customers and prospects.”

Like other companies in the industry, Uster is in a high demand phase, striving to meet delivery times, despite an ongoing semiconductor supply chain challenge. While the company hopes demand will sustain, its aim is to maintain flexibility and adapt to the needs of the market situation.

The Swiss Textile Machinery member firms exhibiting at ITMA Asia + CITME 2020 were Bräcker, Graf, Hunziker, Loepfe, Luwa, Polytex, Rieter, Santex Rimar Group, Sedo Engineering, SSM, Stäubli, Uster Technologies and Willy Grob.

About Swissmem and the Swiss Textile Machinery Association Swissmem is the leading association for SMEs and large companies in Switzerland's mechanical and electrical engineering (MEM) industries and related technology-oriented sectors. Swissmem enhances the competitiveness of its 1200 or so member companies both at home and abroad by providing needs-based services. These services include professional advice on employment, commercial, contract and environmental law, energy efficiency and technology transfer.

Swissmem operates a number of strong networks, including 27 specialist groups.

The Swiss Textile Machinery Association is the oldest division, founded in 1940. It represents the interests of the Swiss textile machinery manufacturers. Swissmem and the Swiss Textile Machinery Association are headquartered in Zurich. 

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KARL MAYER at ITMA ASIA + CITME: Live in Shanghai and then virtually for the whole world The KARL MAYER Group exhibited innovations for machines and technical services at ITMA ASIA + CITME in Shanghai. These innovations ensure speed, flexibility and independence, particularly with digital solutions in production. This was complemented by a trendy textile show as inspiration for new business opportunities.

The offers for warp knitting, flat knitting, production of technical textiles and warp preparation are very well received. During the first two days alone, several hundred visitors came, mainly with specific interests and mainly from China. "The quality of discussions is very high," said Yang Zeng Xing, General Manager of KARL MAYER (CHINA) after the second day of the event.

At its first real trade fair appearance since the beginning of the pandemic, however, the KARL MAYER Group is also focusing on its customers in the other parts of the world.

Being close to all its customers is particularly important to the global player now, during the pandemic. Equipped with a microphone and a camera, a team of experts from KARL MAYER (CHINA) is recording the atmosphere on the spot for guests who have no means of travelling.

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With the live recordings, KARL MAYER take visitors on a virtual tour of its exhibition, at a hybrid show directly following ITMA ASIA + CITME. A vivid 3D model of the exhibition stand, which can be rotated and moved interactively, ensures easy orientation, and there is an experience behind every exhibit: in live interviews, experts explain details and answer questions that have already been asked, while videos and information material provide further information. Visitors will also find contact details for the exhibits of competent contacts from the entire global

organization, who are looking forward to answering all questions and holding interesting discussions. In addition, webinars on individual highlights can be booked for the end of June and the beginning/middle of July.

Behind the impressive virtual presence is a mature performance. "We have a strong team on site at ITMA ASIA + CITME, whose commitment makes the virtual tour of our hybrid trade show an experience," says Christine Wolters from Corporate Communications. https://www.karlmayer.com/en/itmaasia-hybrid-booth/ 

Groz-Beckert at ITMA Asia: On-site and virtual success ITMA Asia + CITME 2021 in Shanghai, China, was a complete success for Groz-Beckert. In addition to the in-person event, the company invited its visitors to a virtual booth. Groz-Beckert welcomed a total of almost 3,600 visitors during the trade fair – 2,300 of them in person and around 1,300 virtually This year, the virtual booth complemented the traditional booth on the trade fair grounds to enable us to reach as many customers as possible despite the coronavirus pandemic and worldwide restrictions. At both booths, the product highlights were explored using 3D models

and discussions were held. At the virtual booth, each visitor had their own avatar which they could use to move through the virtual world. This year, an exchange between customers and Groz-Beckert took place either in person or – also in real time – via chat or video call as part of the trade fair. The model proved to be a success: Around 2,300 visitors visited the traditional booth, while around 1,300 international customers accessed the virtual booth.

In Shanghai, most of the visitors came from China due to the pandemic. The ranking in the virtual environment puts India top in terms of visitor numbers, followed by Bangladesh, Germany and Turkey.

About Groz-Beckert Groz-Beckert is one of the world’s leading providers of industrial machine needles, precision parts and fine tools as well as systems and services for the production and joining of textile fabrics. The products and services support the fields of knitting, weaving, felting, tufting, carding and sewing.

The family-owned company, founded in 1852, employed around 9,000 people and generated a turnover of Euro 618 Million in 2020. Groz-Beckert operates with agencies, production and distribution subsidiaries in more than 150 countries around the world. 

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Special Report

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Special Report

Epson Monna Lisa: Advancing the digitalisation of industrial textile printing through greater flexibility and sustainability The global health crisis has forced industries to adapt to the new normal as they quickly pivoted to online and hybrid working. With the accelerated pace of digitalisation, those that were quicker to adopt digital solutions and processes in their operations were able to continue business as usual and thrive in the new normal.

The textile production industry was not spared from the economic effects of the pandemic as fashion retail chains and other textile-related retail businesses were forced to close their physical stores in line with strict health protocols. The challenges are further aggravated by the increasing costs of exporting and importing caused in part by the ongoing trade war between China and the US. For textile printing-related businesses, thriving in the new normal meant leveraging technology to make operations in an agile work environment sustainable. It also meant keeping costs down without sacrificing quality output. These conditions were ripe for the adoption of digital textile printing technology across businesses.

In fact, in the area of textile production, a Future Market Insights report revealed that the increase in preference of direct to fabric printing technology on a wide range of fabrics will continue to assist the growth of the digital textile printing market over the projection period, until 2029 .

operational costs, improved accessibility, and business continuity.

Epson Total Solution As a digital textile printing technology pioneer, Epson recently introduced its Monna Lisa Evo Tre 32 industrial digital textile printer based on Total Solution, a fully integrated system where all components belong to the same process to guarantee vivid, high-quality printed textiles that stand out from the others. The Monna Lisa Evo Tre 32 combines performance and usability to meet the needs of the digital textile market for flexibility, which is vital for operations during the pandemic.

Epson offers complete end-to-end solutions in digital textile printing which include print-heads, inks and software all designed to work smoothly and seamlessly. From pre-treatment to colour management, sample printing, and post-printing steps, Epson ensures that it provides businesses and partners the needed solutions for digital textile printing. Epson Total Solution comes from the collaboration of Epson’s inkjet printing technology with the engineering by F.lli Robustelli and pre/posttreatment and inks by For.Tex–two companies that are now part of the Epson Group.

The benefits that digital textile printing offers business owners in the new work environment make it the natural smart option: it allows for shorter production runs, reduces the need to stock inventory, enables quicker delivery to market, and allows production to be remotely controlled, making it less manpower-dependent and best suited to the new agile work environment.

Predicting the shifting preference toward digital printing as a solution, Epson developed a suite of products that leveraged technology to enable more productive, more consistent, and more cost-efficient operations with high quality output. By listening to customers, Epson developed solutions that would improve customer workflows and target their major pain points brought about by recent challenges.

The digitalisation of textile printing operations and processes from analog to digital comes with the benefits of reduced

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The Monna Lisa Evo Tre is the cutting edge Direct-to-Fabric printer that will bring production efficiency to a whole new level.

It delivers superior print quality and high accuracy through Epson’s very own precision dot technology and PrecisionCore 4chip print-heads.

Epson’s advanced PrecisionCore technology is the outcome of constant research and development to achieve greater efficiency, quality, and reliability in Direct-to-Fabric printing, This technology makes Epson’s Monna Lisa range one of the most versatile digital textile printers in the market today.

The Monna Lisa Evo Tre is a next-generation digital textile printer with high print quality, productivity, stable operation with minimal downtime, and allows easy operation for an affordable price, making it the ideal printer for companies looking to move into digital printing.

To further strengthen its digital textile printer line, Epson will launch its first 64-head direct-to-fabric printer, the ML-64000, in Pakistan and Southeast Asia later this year. This new model offers high productivity and high print quality for manufacturers shifting from analogue to digital textile printing and looking to expand their offering in the fast fashion industry.

“With Epson Digital printer we can achieve the perfection and quality not possible with conventional printing” Hamid Zaman, Managing Director, Sarena Textile Industries (Pvt) Ltd. We are one the few companies in textile in Pakistan which has an entire research and development department headed by a general manager. One of the reasons we went for the digital printing was because that was a new process. It was the need of the time. The kind of quality and the kind of perfection that digital printing gives to our designs is not possible in tratitional types of printing that we will do for design perfection and versatility. I can make a hundred colour design with digital but I can’t do that with rotary or flatbed.

Eco features for greater sustainability Since the digital textile printing process is shorter and does not require printing plates, it uses less energy and water than a traditional analog process and wastes far less ink. Driving efficient inventory management, digital textile printing minimises inventory losses associated with materials, partly finished and finished products, from production through distribution and sale.

Epson’s digital textile printer inks have acquired Eco Passport

by OEKO-TEX® certification, indicating that they meet international safety standard for chemical substances of textiles.

Bottom Line Businesses in the fashion industry look for flexible solutions to help them meet client demands. Epson’s Monna Lisa series provides users with the choice of a single printer to meet a variety of different production needs. It can print on any type of fabric with speed and precision to show even the smallest detail.

Epson’s Monna Lisa series has a complete and integrated system that offers maximum assistance throughout the production cycle. There is a single supplier for all components: print-head, inks, before and after chemical treatment, and engineering support.

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We can produce anywhere from one thousand meters a day to five thousand meters a day depending on the kind of quality that we want and the requirement of the customer.

As a company we are extremely concerned about the environment and throughout eighteen years of our existance we have been very particular that we do not pollute the environment. We put up a water reprocessing plant to clean the water that we put into the drains. It’s all keeping it with the philosophy that we have. Right from day one it has always been excellence, which is the first priority.

It was again our quest for improvement that we got the Epson printer. One thing we have had from Epson printers is excellent service. That is something that is always important in a long-term relationship. And for that we are very happy because you always want to work with a company which gives you the best service. And with that vision we always want to go for a company that makes the top quality. 

Dyes and Chemicals

Moov&Cool supporting elite sport in the UK and Belgium Textile finishing expert, Devan Chemicals, has been supporting high performance sport in the UK and Belgium with its ‘cool comfort technology’ Moov&Cool.

Worldwide, hot temperatures are a new reality that brings extra challenges for athletes. Top-notch thermo-regulation technology is becoming more and more important in order for athletes to perform at their best on the pinnacle of sports.

Working alongside the English Institute for Sport (EIS) and Sally Cowan Ltd, the technology is being applied to garments with the aim of improving the thermal comfort of elite athletes.

Moov&Cool consists of a multifunctional polymer technology that proposes to absorb heat during performance and improve the moisture management properties of the fabric. The

treatment has been designed to simultaneously react to sweat build up and heat emission.

Jonathan Leeder, Performance Innovation Consultant at the EIS, said: “Through our partnership with Sally Cowan Ltd, we have been really pleased to work with Devan and find out more about their Moov&Cool technology and the feedback from the sports that we work with has been positive.”

In Belgium, Devan has been involved in the Gold2Gold project carried out by Sport Vlaanderen. Gold2Gold is a unique collaboration between sports, government and the industry to prepare Belgian athletes to perform better in hot environments during world-level championships. Thermo-regulating technology is increasingly becoming a key aspect of endurance performance for elite athletes. At that top level, small

differences in body core temperature can make the difference between being on the podium or sometimes not even finishing the race.

“We are happy to see that our Moov&Cool technology is finally taking of in the market”, says Sven Ghyselinck, CEO of Devan. “With all the test work that has happened by the Sport Science Institutes like the Bakala Institute in Belgium and the University of Nottingham in the UK, we are happy it can now perform on the highest levels of sport. We are very satisfied that the precompetition test results carried out by athletes in different sports disciplines speak for themselves.”

In other news, Devan has recently been acquired by Pulcra Chemicals in a move that CEO Sven Ghyselinck says is “the natural next step” in its company development. 

Pulcra acquires Belgium-based textile chemical company Devan Pulcra Chemicals, with headquarters in Geretsried (Germany) announced its first acquisition in its history by acquiring Devan.

Devan is known from its antimicrobial range BI-OME®, its large sustainable track record with probiotics solutions, a wide range of recently introduced bio-based textile finishes and a long standing in thermo-regulation and flame retardants.

Devan has offices in the UK, Portugal, the US and a team in Shanghai. Devan was founded in 1977 and has been owned by Pentahold, a Belgian private equity fund, since 2013.

will support our vision of being the leading international benchmark for sustainable chemistry,” said Umit Yaldiz, chief executive officer of Pulcra Chemicals Group. “Both organizations have deep histories of creativity, innovation excellence and a shared commitment to care for our communities.

With our combined platform, Pulcra will become a stronger partner for our customers, uniquely positioning us to address our customers’ evolving needs.”

“For us, Pulcra Chemicals is the natural next step in the development of Devan,” said Sven Ghyselinck, CEO of Devan. “After a long and successful ownership by Pentahold, we are pleased to integrate into a larger textile chemistry player like Pulcra Chemicals. This new home will allow the innovative Devan finishes to find a faster way into the global textile market and will help the textile industry to benefit from more sustainable products.” 

“We are thrilled to make this announcement with our mutual trust to grow our business as a solution specialist for our customers across broad range of textile markets. The acquisition of Devan

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Features

The Secret to achieving best Sliver Quality: Draw frame maintenance and SERVOdrive upgrade Draw frames are key in every spinning process because they play a lead role in determining the quality of the yarn that is manufactured. So regular maintenance and care are required to ensure top performance. Rieter’s new maintenance concept features a range of essential upgrades that help draw frames reach new heights. The SERVOdrive for auto-leveler draw frames is a shining example of how the quality of the sliver can be improved while overall costs are reduced over the long term.

process. After years of operation and heavy use, the quality of the sliver shows minute variations. As parts slightly wear out over time, the machines can no longer run at high speeds which is why some operators choose to reduce the machine speed to achieve the same quality. In practice the quality monitor or control settings are often enlarged or bypassed to increase speed, resulting in lower quality. In these cases, maintenance restores the machine performance and reduces the number of warnings and standstills.

Rieter’s new draw frame maintenance concept takes a comprehensive approach.

It defines the machine as a system of components that need to work together as a team so they can deliver the best results. One of the key components is the levelling system. Replacing it with a new SERVOdrive not only improves the quality of the sliver. It also reduces overall maintenance costs as high-maintenance components such as the gearbox are eliminated.

Engineered parts as an ideal solution

Recognizing signs of fatigue Draw frames improve the evenness of the sliver for the downstream spinning

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dynamic drive concept, it is used in the latest draw frame generation (RSB-D 50).

SERVOdrive replaces four maintenanceintensive parts – motor, brake, coupling, gearbox – with just one that is maintenance-free. On top of the technological advantages, there is also an economical argument for a SERVOdrive upgrade: A collective single part replacement is more expensive over the long run than new technology. Hence, a SERVOdrive upgrade saves maintenance costs in the long term. The exchange of the levelling system is all about the right timing.

When to exchange motor and gearbox Condition-based maintenance can be done for machines up to an age of six or seven years. After ten or more years, multiple components run out. This is when Rieter recommends its customers to integrate new technology components to enhance machine performance. Instead of replacing the old part one-to-one, a new, engineered part is the ideal solution.

The levelling system of an auto-leveler draw frame is subject to a high workload.

The new SERVOdrive upgrade is a stateof-the-art replacement for the levelling system. A cost-effective and highly

The existing levelling system consists of motor, gearbox, coupling and amplifier (controller). Rieter uses high performance quality motors that have an internal temperature sensor that acts as a safety mechanism: Gearing sluggishness causes the motor to overheat, which is when the sensor stops the drive, preventing consequential damage to the motor winding. But the most common failure occurs because of worn out ball bearings of the motor shaft. The bearings are lubricated at the factory. The grease is

Features used up after a while so that the bearings run dry and become firm. If they are not replaced, quality losses arise due to the lower drive dynamic.

Another focus area is the gearbox.

When it becomes stiff due to defective bearings or oil leaks, it runs hot, which negatively affects the levelling performance. Besides operational limitations, there is a mechanical limitation of the bearing exchange. The motor and gearbox casings have a press fit for the bearings, which are worn out after two to three bearing exchanges. For such cases, an elaborate overhaul strategy should be considered.

Error analysis and search If the motor and gearbox function flawlessly, they ensure a consistent sliver quality. Under heavy use, the parts wear out and the levelling system loses its dynamic ability. Levelling related issues can also be associated with sluggish mechanics. They reduce the dynamic of the system and cause delays between the scan and the drafting zone. This negatively affects the levelling performance. The timing is no longer accurate so that the levelling is performed at the wrong segment of the sliver. To identify these errors, the built-in spectrogram-troubleshooting function supports operators (Fig. 1).

The spectrogram characteristics accurately point to wrong parts or settings in different zones of the machines. There are two spectrogram errors: peaks (single channel) and draft waves (multiple channels). Peaks arise from errors related to rotating parts. The sliver passes through the machine’s moving parts. If one part quivers, the sliver is disturbed resulting in a peak.

Draft waves arise for three reasons. First, because of poor textile technology settings such as a faulty drafting system setting. Second, because of wrong sliver tensions and sliver guiding elements, or thirdly because of the quality of the raw material.

The good news is that there is a simple solution to correct the spectrogram errors which is cleaning and maintenance. The aim is to avoid spectrogram peaks and CV%-values outside the targeted range. The following steps help to locate and correct errors:

1. Get the basics right Clean and adjust the machine and check the free movement of all rotating parts. Check the mechanics such as the shafts, bearings and gears, belts and pulleys.

Don’t forget the scanning discs in particular. If errors in the spectrogram persist, check the functionality of the Figure 1: Spectrogram of a peak (left) and draft wave (right) machine by running it with the auto the G90 servo amplifier, the new soft levelling turned off. If peaks still show up starter and the new non-contact B92 in the spectrogram, this is related to the encoder. Immediately available, this mechanics. The values of the CV%upgrade enables a high dynamic levelling diagram provide another error indication. system that is easy to maintain and If these deviate from the usual standard operate. It is compatible with the RSB-D values, this usually indicates that the 30/35 and replaces all existing upgrade levelling system is not functioning solutions. The new drive concept for the properly.

RSB-D 40/45 (Fig. 2) is available starting in 2022. More information about the new 2. Align with Uster tester draw frame maintenance concept can be found in the latest brochure on For the quality values, the machine www.rieter.com. mechanically measures the scanning disc deflection and gives an indication of the error. The Uster tester by contrast uses an exact capacitive measurement method that is used as a guiding value. The laboratory values can be entered into the machine to calibrate the machine CV% with the laboratory CV%.

A comparison of the machine’s values, based on the Rieter Quality Monitor (RQM), with the values measured in the laboratory by the Uster tester enables the identification of errors.

3. Verify the electronics with a cross-change Use electronic parts such as motor or frequency converters of a second machine to either identify or exclude errors based on electronics.

Rieter’s Service Offering Rieter’s latest motor generation, called SERVOdrive, shifts the drive concept from a mechanical to an electrical gear making it simple and reliable. It includes the M90 SERVOdrive,

Rieter’s After Sales organization leverages its vast experience in retrofitting and extending machine lifecycles to help customers get the greatest value from their machines and systems throughout the entire life cycle.

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 spinning preparation processes and all four endspinning processes currently established on the market. Rieter is also a market leader in precision winding machines.

With 15 manufacturing locations in 10 countries, the company employs a global workforce of some 4,420 employees, about 21% of whom are based in Switzerland. Rieter is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange under the ticker symbol RIEN.

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Features

LENA and CROCOdoff – The perfect match for efficient spinning Every spinning mill around the world faces the dual challenge of high energy consumption and a shortage of skilled labor. The only way to remain competitive is to automate and increase efficiency. This is where Novibra steps in with the Low-Energy and NoiseAbsorbing Spindle LENA and the underwinding-free clamping and cutting crown CROCOdoff.

Full reliability and long service life of spindles are decisive success factors for spinning mills. Modern spindles are expected to deliver faster speeds and greater productivity, no running-in time and, thanks to long lubrication cycles, less maintenance. The most important longterm goals are energy and cost savings.

Furthermore, the falling number of available workers in today’s spinning mills calls for more automation. Machines are now being upgraded with auto-doffers and spindles with underwinding free crowns so that they can run on fewer operators and less maintenance.

Novibra fulfils the market needs with LENA Novibra confirms its market leadership and leverages its proven spindle technology to deliver on these urgent market needs with LENA, which stands for Low Energy and Noise Absorption (Fig.1). LENA is the latest addition to Novibra’s spindle family and combines the company’s signature spindle technology and design concepts with new features. Novibra’s spindle technology is characterized by a unique hydro dynamic two-level bearing system that effectively absorbs imbalances caused by belt tension, full cop imbalances, traveller tension and more.

The absorption of imbalances is why the spindle can boast the industry’s longest operational lifetime and high reliability.

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Technical optimizations save energy and reduce noise LENA was designed to attain the fastest speeds with low energy consumption, reaching up to 30000 rpm while saving on average between 4 and 6% of energy. LENA’s second damping system is why it can reduce noise efficiently. This unique and well-proven Noise Absorbing System Assembly, firmly established in Novibra NASA spindles, ensures both minimum neck bearing load and vibration with little noise even at high speeds.

The LENA neck bearing diameter was reduced to 5.8 mm and so consequently the wharve diameter was also reduced to only 17.5 mm. From a power transmission perspective and compared to spindles with a standard wharve diameter, a smaller diameter allows operating the machine at lower speed.

The spindle itself maintains the same speed and thus the desired yarn count and twist.

The footstep bearing unit consists of a radial and an axial bearing. The former is designed as a hydrodynamic plain bearing with the internal diameter of 3 mm.

Besides many other factors, it is the small diameter of the shaft’s tip that allows further energy savings, as the power consumption of the radial bearing is directly influenced by its own diameter.

This correlation has been confirmed already by the low energy consumption of the HPS 68/3 spindles. These optimizations all add up to make significant energy savings.

CROCOdoff for Efficient Clamping and Cutting of the Yarn Novibra’s latest generation of clamping and cutting crowns, CROCOdoff (Fig. 2), offers improved functionalities and an optimized design

LENA spindle for lower energy consumption.

that meets all the requirements of modern spinning mills. CROCOdoff noticeably optimizes spinning automation as it not only helps to reduce the required maintenance time and costs. It also allows running the ring spinning machines more efficiently and economically and thus contributes to a reduction of energy consumption.

CROCOdoff enables doffing without underwound yarn left on the running spindle. The machine no longer needs to be stopped to clean the yarn catching area of the spindle so that yarn production continues seamlessly. After doffing, the yarn end flies out of the system and no open yarn tails are able to consume expensive energy.

The secret lies in the efficient clamping of the yarn. The catching area of the crown has a meander for catching and cutting the yarn. It is clamped tightly and prevented from slipping out.

Extensive tests conducted on different raw materials proved the reliability of the system. It has been confirmed in practice through the reduction of the after-doff ends down rate.

Customer Benefits – Lower Ends Down Rates, Reduced Maintenance Novibra customers in China who compared CROCOdoff with traditional underwinding systems reported a four to

Features

CROCOdoff contributes to efficient spinning by reducing time for cleaning and maintenance.

six times lower ends down rate. Their cleaning procedure also became much easier. According to a customer located in Shandong, the CROCOdoff ends down rate during doffing is consistently around 2% which means production efficiency is significantly higher. Maintenance is optimized, because the cleaning can be integrated in the general machine cleaning routine that takes place every two months – in contrast to traditional yarn cutters that need to be cleaned every two days. The lower workload enabled by CROCOdoff provides more flexibility to assign operators to other tasks.

company develops and manufactures

In the face of labor scarcity, a highly reliable, self-cleaning system with a low ends down rate is a great opportunity for modern spinning mills to improve automation of their ring spinning machines.

Switzerland. Rieter is listed on the SIX

Modern Spinning Mills Count on LENA and CROCOdoff

machinery, systems and components used to convert natural and manmade fibers and their blends into yarns. Rieter is the only supplier worldwide to cover spinning preparation processes and all four endspinning processes currently established on the market. Rieter is also a market leader in precision winding machines.

With 15 manufacturing locations in 10 countries, the company employs a global workforce of some 4420 employees, about 21% of whom are based in Swiss Exchange under the ticker symbol RIEN.

About Novibra Novibra, one of the world’s leading suppliers of high-speed spindles, is a subsidiary of the Rieter Group. The

In this ideal combination, LENA spindles and CROCOdoff crowns (Fig.3) significantly contribute to energy savings during spinning and higher productivity.

Furthermore, they allow reduced maintenance and create a lower noise level in spinning mills – even at the highest spindle speeds.

company, based in Boskovice (Czech

About Rieter

quality of the production. Almost all

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

Based in Winterthur (Switzerland), the

Republic), creates customer value through system expertise, innovative solutions, after sales excellence and global presence. The leading position of Novibra spindles is based on patented design of spindle insert and the highest renowned manufacturers of ring spinning machines specify Novibra spindles for high performance. 

LENA spindle and CROCOdoff clamping crown – the perfect match for efficient spinning

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Features

Première Vision’s Digital Denim Week Could tomorrow’s textiles act like trees?

Monforts customers shine at Première Vision Digital Denim Week

Azgard 9’s innovative fabric absorbs carbon dioxide while simultaneously producing oxygen. © Azgard 9

Denim manufacturers employing trusted Monforts technologies continue to lead the field when it comes to sustainable fabric manufacturing, rapidly adopting every new advance in fibres, dyes and chemicals, as well as process and supply improvements and recycling options into their operations.

Many took the opportunity to showcase their latest activities at Première Vision’s Digital Denim Week, held from July 5-9.

Holistic The new Naveena Denim Mills (Pakistan) Holistic collection, for example, employs a suite of sustainable materials such as organic cotton and postconsumer and post-industrial waste cotton that has been shredded and recycled at its in-house unit in Pakistan.

Hemp and Tencel provide sustainable and aesthetic qualities to the collection and the company is replacing conventional elastane with Roica’s

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Cradle-to-Cradle certified degradable option and polyester with CiClo – a material developed by re:newcell of Sweden that repurposes discarded cotton textiles, such as worn-out denim jeans, through a process akin to recycling paper.

Open secrets

“At Naveena, we constantly ask ourselves how we can create lasting social and environmental impact while designing new products and services for the market,” said Aydan Tuzun, Naveena’s Executive Director of Global Sales and Marketing.

Supply chain transparency is also becoming increasingly important, and Turkey’s Bossa is now sharing information on its dyes, energy sources and recycled content use with its customers. For organic cotton in particular, Bossa provides QR codes with which brands can identify the names of individual farms and their locations, as well as details such as the origins of specific seeds and the use of irrigation by growers.

According to Première Vision experts, denims featuring blends with bio-sourced fibres such as nettle and kapok are now being used to attain softer handles, a lighter feel and natural waterproofing, avoiding the need for additional finishing treatments. Both are highly insulating fibres, while thanks to its almost silk-like visual and tactile advantages, soy fibre is an eco-friendly alternative and biopolymers made from corn, beet and sugar cane are all emerging as potential new solutions.

“We believe that if we are doing something good, it shouldn’t be a bestkept secret, and we are also sharing this information with other denim manufacturers,” said Per Besim Özek, Bossa’s Strategy and Business Development Director. “Traceability is already an expectation rather than a differentiator since brands want to see the data. Some retailers will even establish ultimatums, asking suppliers to prove specific targets have been met, in order to retain their business.”

A modern Monforts denim finishing range.

Turkey’s Orta’s new Denim Route – inspired by the historical Silk Road for trade between the East and West – is an interactive supplier map detailing the regions from which it sources cotton, dyestuff, chemicals and various fibres to complement its other transparency initiatives.

Via a dedicated app, the Denim Route shares three years’ of LCA (life cycle assessment) data on each of the company’s fabrics featured. By scanning the QR code on a product’s hangtag, users can pull up the data for detailed information.

More than just a label saying that garment are ‘ethically-made’ or ‘sustainably-sourced,’ transparency of sourcing back to the first steps of the supply chain, the processes and the companies involved are becoming a consumer mandate, the company says.

Game changer Meanwhile, a living and breathing piece of clothing that absorbs carbon dioxide while simultaneously producing oxygen was introduced at Digital Denim Week 2021 by Azgard 9 (Pakistan) .

Treated with microbial pigmentation, this garment – which is currently being analysed by all of the company’s global customers, from large luxury fashion

groups like LVMH to fast fashion brands like Zara – basically behaves like a plant or tree.

During its life cycle, it will improve the immediate environment of the wearer and produce approximately the same amount of oxygen as an oak tree. In addition, the garment is water resistant and breathable, with advanced antimicrobial and anti-odour properties.

“While brands are thinking about their next collections, we have been thinking about collections of and for the future,” said CEO, Ahmed Shaikh, Azgard 9. “Essentially we want to provide a climate positive result simply from everyone wearing clothes. The goal now is to turn this into a mainstream concept.”

Caretakers “Our photosynthetic coating is a living layer of photosynthetic microorganisms that we embed into textiles,” explained Dian-Jen Lin of the Post Carbon Lab in London which has worked with Azgard 9 on the development. “What this means is that it absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and releases oxygen during both its production and the user phase.

“It’s radical because like a plant, textiles treated with microbial

The key vertically-integrated users of Monforts equipment present at Première Vision Digital Denim Week included AGI Denim (Pakistan), Azgard 9 (Pakistan), Berto (Italy), Bossa (Turkey), DNM (Turkey), Kilim (Turkey) and Orta (Turkey). pigmentation have basic survival needs and require an adjustment in mentality and behaviour by the consumer. They have to adopt a caretaker role, but we’ve developed the coating so it responds to artificial light and only needs a little moisture – you can hang it up after you shower and the humidity will be enough.”

“It is really inspiring to see such innovations continue to emerge from the denim sector,” said Monforts Marketing Manager Nicole Croonenbroek.

“Monforts has a leading position in the field of denim finishing with its well proven range for resource-efficient and economical processing and our partners are constantly setting themselves new goals in respect of sustainable production – and more importantly, going beyond them. We work closely with them to constantly optimise processing parameters and achieve further savings in energy, water and raw materials throughout the dyeing and finishing stages of production as their partner for value added finishing.”

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Inside the new Pre-Cleaner CL-X.

Trützschler Pre-Cleaner CL-X: Higher productivity and lower energy consumption Double the production rate, with lower energy consumption per kilogram of fiber material – that might sound like a contradiction, but the new Trützschler pre-cleaner CL-X makes it possible. It gently and reliably removes coarse contaminants like leaf debris, stalks or seeds from cotton with minimum loss of good fibers. The pre-cleaner CL-X provides more efficiency and lays the foundation for a high-quality end-product before the cotton is further processed in mixers and fine cleaners.

The new CL-X especially meets the urgent demand for lower energy consumption. Energy efficiency is not only important for environmental and regulatory reasons. Due to rising energy

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prices, it is becoming an increasingly decisive factor for the competitiveness of spinning mills.

"During the development process, our main focus was on optimizing the fiber air flows. This is the area where we achieved the breakthrough. By forcing the air flow over two rolls, we have found a solution that allows lower power consumption at the opening rolls,” says Robert Többen, Head of Mechanical Engineering at Trützschler. “The fact that this flow is in the form of a spiral is also reflected in the name CL-X: The ‘X’ comes from the Greek word for spiral, Helix.”

In comparison with the current benchmark, the CL-X saves up to 30 %

CL-X material flow.

Features energy (see chart 1). In addition to the optimized flow, an integrated air separator contributes to reducing the transport air by ensuring that only excess air has to be removed, rather than all of the air. Less exhaust air means less energy consumption.

The CL-X also provides significantly increased productivity. At a maximum of 1,600 kilograms per hour, the production rate from one CL-X corresponds to the rate achieved by two CL-P models. This gives customers the flexibility to operate at high or low productivity rates with one machine.

On top of this, the new CL-X is characterized by its excellent cleaning results. Trials conducted at a Turkish customer have shown that it reached a nearly three times better cleaning efficiency compared to the benchmark (US cotton, see chart 2). The improved grid geometry enables better separation and gentler tuft handling. Furthermore, a

Chart 1: Energy savings CL-X vs. current benchmark.

2.60 m long cleaning section provides a maximum degree of opening and cleaning tufts.

The lot management system enables direct, automated coordination with the Bale Opener BO-P. The speeds of the opening rollers and the position of the grid bars – and thus the intensity of the cleaning – are automatically adjusted to the changing material fed (lot).

Due to the stepless and individual adjustment of grid devices for each opening roller, the machine can react to a wide variety of impurities. A 10% higher speed of the second opening roller causes different speeds along the grids, while different sizes of waste can also be separated.

The WASTECONTROL waste sensor is now also integrated into the CL-X and makes sure that waste is reliably separated during production, which avoids unnecessary loss of valuable good fibers. The operator automatically receives a recommendation for the ideal setting via the machine's display and can implement it with just a few clicks.

The CL-X is the perfect and sustainable solution to meet today's demand for productivity, cleaning and energy efficiency.

CL-X features at one glance 

 The new Pre-Cleaner CL-X.



Continuous production of 1,600 kilograms per hour for present blow room configuration.

30% energy saving compared to the current benchmark.

Integrated WASTECONTROL for automatic adjustment recommenda-

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Features

 





   

tion of waste excretion to avoid unnecessary fiber loss.

2.60 m long cleaning section.

New and improved grid geometry for better separation and gentle tuft treatment.

Material draft due to 10% higher speed of second opening roller for reliable and consistent fiber transport.

Optimal cleaning level and minimal fiber loss due to individual and stepless grid adjustment for each opening roller by motor.

Gentle tuft treatment with adjustable opening roller speed.

Synchronized lot management (automatic lot change for up to three lots).

Connection possibility for a waste box (for waste analysis).

Lower cost of ownership.

Scan the QR code and check out new CL-X video on YouTube: The new Pre-Cleaner CL-X.

About Trützschler

Chart 2: Cleaning efficiency CL-X vs. current benchmark.

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The Trützschler Group is a German textile machinery manufacturer headquartered in Mönchengladbach, Germany. The family business is divided into the business units Spinning, Nonwovens, Man-Made Fibers and Card Clothing. Machines, installations and accessories for spinning preparation, the nonwovens and man-made fiber industry are produced in nine locations worldwide.

In addition to four factories in Germany, Trützschler has production sites in China (Jiaxing, Shanghai), India (Ahmedabad), USA (Charlotte) and Brazil (Curitiba) as well as a development location in Switzerland (Winterthur). The company has a worldwide service network with service companies and centers in all important textile processing markets.

Features

Pandemic accelerates digital transformation process in textile sector The Covid-19 pandemic that hit the world a year ago has also severely impacted the textile machinery sector.

At ACIMIT’s general assembly, the association representing the Italian textile machinery manufacturers, this was seen as an opportunity to consider what the sector had lost in 2020, while also presenting a variety of future projects to relaunch the industry.

In 2020, Italy’s production of textile machinery fell by 22% compared to the previous year, with a similar drop in exports (-21%). Weighing heavily on this situation was a near total stop in production between the first and second quarter of 2020, while the recovery in the second half of the year was only partial.

Travel restrictions have contributed negatively to performance in the industry, and still do not allow companies to seize the opportunities created by a recovery of the textile sector.

ACIMIT president Alessandro Zucchi commented that, “in this first half of

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2021, however, the overall economic situation appears to be improving both in terms of exports and in our own domestic market in Italy. The resumption of trade fair events in attendance in our sector has provided a positive sign of a progressive return to normal business conditions.”

Nonetheless, for many companies the pandemic’s legacy has also had a positive side. “Entrepreneurs in the industry have realised the urgency of enacting a digital transformation of their business,” stated Zucchi. “This is precisely why ACIMIT has accelerated its Digital Label project for certifying Italian textile machinery that adopt a common set of data, in order to more easily integrate with the operating systems of their client businesses (ERP, MES, CRM, etc.).”

“The competitive edge of each individual company, as for the entire industry,” recalled ACIMIT’s president, “will increasingly depend on the level of digitalization to which we will have been able to elevate our production and

organizational processes. ACIMIT’s digital certification wants to achieve this goal.”

In addition, the general assembly confirmed Alessandro Zucchi, who is CEO and partner of the company Ferraro, as the ACIMIT’s president for two more years. Also confirmed were the charges of Federico Businaro as vice president (Santex Rimar Group), Cristian Locatelli (Marzoli, Camozzi Group) and Andrea Piattelli (Unitech). The latter are joined by Ugo Ghilardi (Itema Group), elected vice president for the first time.

Lastly, during the assembly ACIMIT awarded a historic group of associated machinery producers, which since ACIMIT’s founding in 1945, or from its inception (companies that entered the group prior to 1950), have been a part of the Association. These companies are: Crosta, Gaudino, Marzoli, Mezzera (a brand owned by Reggiani), Noseda, O.C.T.I.R. (an Autefa Solutions Italy brand), Efi-Reggiani, Sant’Andrea, Savio and Zonco.

Living in the World of Sustainability!

MARMARA® Hemp - ORIGINAL & SCOURED by iTextiles® With increased awareness of sustainability, there comes a definite chance of people adopting the durable lifestyle in today's era. Natural and organic fibers are becoming more popular these days due to ethical responsibility and prudence.

Hemp fiber is considered to be one of the finest and oldest cultivated ecofriendly fibers, among others. It goes back more than 8,000 years, in Europe, where it all started. Europe now produces more than 35,000 hectares of this valuable fiber, making it quite possibly the most vital production area on this planet.

Hemp fiber is widely accepted worldwide because of its biodegradability and low density compared with artificial fibers.

Scrupulous hemp textiles are known to be very durable, breathable, and have solid thermal characteristics, as well as hypoallergic and mildew resistance to offer. Bearing antimicrobial properties, it is considered to be an adequate fiber to fight against bacteria in fabrics and garments.

Its softness and easy handling make it both simple to work with and very comfortable. Cottonized hemp fiber is just about as delicate as cotton while holding hemp's positive attributes and is ideal for blending with numerous fibers.

It can easily be spun on cotton spinning machines.

Examples of sustainable garments commonly made with hemp include denim and non-denim, dresses, skirts, pants, jackets, T-shirts, hoodies, and other textile garments. Most cotton garments start to warp, shrink, or fall apart after a few washes, but hemp fabrics retain their shape and fit for years and years, even after several washes.

Hemp materials are versatile and longerenduring than cotton. Being eight times stronger than cotton, it is more durable and softens with age with every wash.

Keeping in mind the benefits hemp fiber is offering, iTextiles® is now competing in sourcing the finest cultivated French hemp, MARMARA HEMP, across the regions. The MARMARA hemp fiber, provided by

iTextiles®, is one of the most ecofriendly fibers in the world. iTextiles® has a firm belief in sustaining the textile industry and offering the most durable products to its consumers and thus presenting such fiber that does not require pesticides and any chemical treatments or irrigation. It absorbs toxic material from the soil, produces oxygen, and helps in mineralizing the land more. Like linen and cotton, MARMARA HEMP is an excellent choice for summer with its UV resistant qualities. The consistent improved quality and availability of MARMARA HEMP are guaranteed throughout the year.

Hemp has more than 50,000 industrial uses and makes various commercial and industrial products including rope, textiles, clothing, shoes, food, paper, bioplastics, insulation, and biofuel.

The leading use of hemp fabric is apparel.

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Fibres and Yarns

Does sustainable cotton production drive productivity and profitability for farmers?

Cotton Council International (CCI) is a non-profit trade association that promotes U.S. cotton fibre and manufactured cotton products around the world since the past 60 years. It has set upon its mission to improve the valueadded premium that delivers profitability across the U.S. cotton industry and drives export growth of fibre, yarn, and other cotton products. Using technological advancements, they have been able to introduce new varieties of seeds as well as completely mechanize the process of picking cotton.

and small birds like quail, but also for larger species like deer. In this context, implementing field borders with perennial grasses and wildflowers allows pollinator species to thrive and improves the habitat quality for adjoining cotton-farmed areas which is beneficial for the crop itself.

Typically, farmers may set aside land that is less efficient, or with more challenging terrain, which allows them to focus on the most appropriate land for cotton production.

A whole-farm approach includes setting aside in-field corridors and buffer zones bordering cotton field that are allowed to grow back wild with native plants.

In addition to setting aside land to promote natural habitats, U.S. cotton farmers are increasingly adopting minimum- and no-till practices, and the use of cover crops, both of which also have a massively positive impact on biodiversity and soil health. Minimum and no-till systems improve soil structure by

These create natural habitats and food sources not just for bees, butterflies

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Minimum-tilling and cover crops

promoting a diversity of micro-organisms that have a symbiotic relationship with the cotton planting roots. By leaving soil intact and not turning it over carbon is retained, reducing the GHG impact.

Combined with minimum- and no-tilling practices, the use of winter cover crops also contributes to removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The land is covered in plants all year round, doubling its CO2 extraction potential.

Cover crops are hugely beneficial to biodiversity and soil health in other ways, as well as reducing other inputs. For example, at planting time for cotton, the residue left over the cover crop serves as a natural mulch to decrease evaporation, conserve moisture, and prevent soil erosion. “We see the difference for example in the heat of the summer between land that had been planted with cover crops and those without, where the land with residue from the cover crops

Fibres and Yarns will be cooler and also have greater moisture retention,” as one Louisiana cotton farmer put it.

The roots of the cover crops like radishes help break through compacted soils, and the earthworms that abound because the mulch from cover crops provide them with shade and food, also loosen and naturally aerate the soil. This in turn allows for better water absorption and less water run-off, species like hairy vetch, which extracts nitrogen from the air and makes it available for the cotton crop, and the early-spring-flowering crops are a boon for pollinators that proliferate wherever cover crops are routinely used. Healthy Soil is the basis of our growers’ livelihoods

The quiet revolution A quiet revolution has been happening across U.S. cotton farms. It is a revolution whose soundtrack is the gentle flutter of butterfly wings, the buzzing of bees, and a symphony of other wildlife, scented and coloured by an abundant pollinating floral tribute.

It is a philosophical revolution that promotes plant, animal, and microorganisms’ interaction above and below ground. It is the revolution of the inexorable march of biodiversity and regenerative practices that are spreading across American cotton farms, to the benefit of flora, fauna, and farmers alike.

A whole-farm approach

Conclusion

Taking a whole-farm approach means thinking about biodiversity and cotton farming inclusively and together, rather than as mutually exclusive or even competing approaches. It’s about appreciating the benefits – both evident and yet unknown – that a whole-farm approach can entail.

Last, but not the least, in order to help enable and support a better future through more productive and sustainable practices, the Cotton Council International (CCI) has focused primarily upon innovation using technologies. Not only this, but they have also relied on the use of cover crops to help maintain the biodiversity and through its mulch reduce water losses when planting the cotton crops. These are commendable efforts which can be a valuable guidance for other cotton producing nations to take a step in the right direction.

As Sledge Taylor, a cotton grower in Mississippi put it, “it is better to take a holistic approach on a farm as there are many benefits that we may not even understand yet. That’s why we’re incorporating biodiversity into a whole model”.

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Fibre and Yarns

Asia Pacific Rayon Raises US$ 300m from National and International Affiliated Banks to Expand Production Capacity  Continued capital expenditure aims to boost production and support the recovery of Indonesian economy  Loan agreements aligned with Indonesian Government’s strategy to drive investment growth in 2021  APR is a member of the RGE group of companies

Jakarta, 10 April 2021 – Asia Pacific Rayon (APR), the largest integrated rayon fibre producer in Indonesia, today announced that it has secured a syndicated loan facility of Rp 4.5 trillion (US$300 million) with national and international affiliated banks. The funding will be used to support continued capital investment in the company’s production facilities at Pangkalan Kerinci, Riau Province, Sumatra.

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APR is vertically integrated through its supply chain, from renewable fibre plantations to high-value textile development. It commenced operations in 2019 and was formally inaugurated

by President Jokowi Widodo in February 2020. APR plans to increase its production capacity over the coming year to capture the strong growth potential of viscose staple fibre (VSF), strengthening its market position in Indonesia and in export markets across the region. APR is a member of the RGE group of companies. RGE manages a group of resource-based manufacturing companies with global operations.

The syndicated loan participating banks are PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, PT Bank Central Asia Tbk, PT Bank Pan Indonesia Tbk, PT Bank Pembangunan Daerah Jawa Barat, PT

Bank Woori Saudara Indonesia 1906 Tbk and PT Bank KEB Hana Indonesia.

The joint mandated lead arrangers and bookrunners for the syndicated loan are PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk, PT Bank Central Asia Tbk, and PT BANK Pan Indonesia Tbk. Basrie Kamba, Director, Asia Pacific Rayon, said: “This funding will be used to support continued investment in our operations in Pangkalan Kerinci. Rayon fibre or viscose, is a textile raw material derived from sustainably managed plantations. As rayon is both renewable and biodegradable, it supports the trend towards sustainable fashion in Indonesia and in other markets around the world.”

APR’s planned expansion is aligned with the Indonesian Government’s strategy to increase investment and boost employment to support the

Fibre and Yarns recovery of the country’s economy and address the continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Following the passing into law of the Omnibus Bill in October last year to streamline investment and stimulate job creation, President Widodo said last month that investment would be the key factor in achieving 5% economic growth in 2021.

“This loan facility and our continued investment in our operations are evidence of the growth potential of the viscose rayon sector in Indonesia and around the world. We are committed to supporting the Indonesian Government’s efforts to improve the investment climate in exportoriented manufacturing industries, and its efforts to create upstream jobs in plantations and the processing of raw materials, and downstream opportunities in textile factories and related businesses,” said Basrie.

Hari Setiawan, Executive Vice President of PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk said: “As Representative of JMLAB and all lenders, I hope this collaboration will be useful to support the growth and development of PT Asia

Pacific Rayon in increasing production and operations and also supporting the recovery of Indonesia’s export growth.”

“Support from BCA and other Banks reflect our confidence in APR, and as our contribution to promote a sustainable and environment friendly industry. We hope this cooperation will tighten our relationship as well,” said Susiana Santoso, Executive Vice President of PT Bank Central Asia Tbk.

About Asia Pacific Rayon Asia Pacific Rayon is the first fully integrated viscose rayon producer in Asia.

Located in Pangkalan Kerinci, Riau, the company uses the latest production technology to produce high-quality rayon to meet textile needs. APR is committed to becoming a leading viscose rayon producer with the principles of sustainability, transparency and operational efficiency, serves the interests of the community and the country, and provides value to customers. APR is part of the RGE (Royal Golden Eagle) group of resource-based manufacturing companies. Sustainability is fundamental

to APR. The APR Sustainability Policy, updated in September 2020, include additional commitments on pulp sourcing and clean manufacturing.

About RGE RGE Pte Ltd manages a group of resource-based manufacturing companies with global operations. Our work ranges from the upstream, comprising sustainable resource development and harvesting, to downstream, where our companies create diverse value-added products for the global market. Our commitment to sustainable development underpins our operations, as we strive towards what is good for the community, good for the country, good for climate, good for customer, and good for company. RGE was founded in 1973. The assets held by RGE companies today exceed US$20 billion. With more than 60,000 employees, we have operations in Indonesia, China, Brazil, Spain and Canada and continue to expand to engage newer markets and communities.

55

“Sustainability through green financing & environmental compliance in textile sector” Seminar hosted by NTU & WWF A day-long seminar on “Sustainability through green financing & environmental compliance in the textile sector” was cohosted in Karachi by the National Textile University (NTU) Karachi Campus and WWF-Pakistan.

The seminar was organised under the aegis of the International Labour and Environmental Standards Applications in Pakistan’s SMEs (ILES) project (20162022) funded by the European Union, and implemented by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and WWFPakistan, aims to improve national compliance with international labour and environmental standards. It provides necessary policy and capacity-building support to the federal and provincial governments and extends hands holding and capacity-building support to the enterprises from the textile industry. It has introduced its targeted enterprises to different approaches or methodologies

that enable them to reduce waste production, ensure efficient resource utilization as well as have better working conditions. Which in turn enables them to increase productivity and be more environmentally friendly. The project aims to contribute significantly to increasing competitiveness, as well as promote sustainable and inclusive growth in the textile sector in Pakistan.

The textile sector is central to Pakistan’s economy and depends on the contributions of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). These enterprises across sectors contribute to around 30 per cent of Pakistan’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and account for an estimated 80 per cent of all enterprises in the textile sector (World Bank 2009; IFC et al. 2016). However, the unsustainable use of resources and poor environmental management practices, evident by the high levels of water and chemical

consumption and contamination, present a major threat to the sustainability of these sectors (Linstead 2015; Pakistan 2007, 2013). Despite relatively abundant water resources and regular monsoon rains, water shortages are expected in Pakistan (particularly in Karachi as well as around Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Sialkot), with estimates that the country will be water-scarce by 2035 (IFC et al. 2016, p.122).

These environmental challenges are compounded by a variety of factors including a weak and dispersed regulatory regime to ensure industrial compliance with environmental laws; ground and surface water pollution and overuse; and mounting industrial growth and urbanisation, with only 1 per cent of wastewater currently treated by textile firms before discharge (Hengstmann 2020) into seas and water bodies (rivers, irrigation channels).

The situation is further exacerbated by the concentration of water-intensive production in several industrial clusters. In light of these intersecting challenges, WWF-Pakistan’s International Labour and Environmental Standards Application in Pakistan’s SMEs (ILES) project has set out to improve water and resource management practices and energy consumption in the textile sectors, especially by resource-intensive SMEs,

56

PAKISTAN TEXTILE JOURNAL - May 2019

Conference through multi-stakeholder approaches.

The means for achieving these goals lies within the establishment of partnerships between various stakeholder groups, including SMEs, public authorities, intermediaries working with SMEs, financial institutions, and multinational corporations (MNCs).

The objective of the seminar includes:  Streamline and strengthen the regula-

tory regime and environmental compliance, including through mandates for green financing in the financial sector;  Support training programmes around green financing and SCP for regulators, financers, intermediaries and SMEs;  Expand technical assistance to banks to develop activities in line with the Green Banking Guidelines (GBG), especially in support of environmental risk assessment and green business facilitation;

 Integrate environmental risk manage-

ment into the core business of both SMEs and financial institutions through the adoption of robust risk assessment frameworks and practices;  Share knowledge and best practices among stakeholders on green financing needs and opportunities across Pakistan with particular attention to disseminating effective environmental risk management and green business facilitation approaches, and  Design tailored products that enable green investments by SMEs while responding to their specific investment needs and available financial data The dignitaries on the DICE were Prof. Dr Tanveer Hussain (Rector NTU), Prof. Dr Khalid Pasha (Director NTU-KC), Assistant Prof. Dr Qamar Khan, (HoD Textile and Clothing NTU-KC) and Guest Speaker Mr Muhammad Abdullah Manager ILES Freshwater Programme WWF-Pakistan.

This seminar has served as the basis for the future development of comprehensive Green Credit Guidelines (GCGs) supported by tailored financial mechanisms for SMEs to invest in environmental sustainability, particularly in Pakistan’s textile sector for the following expected results. a) Capacity of Federal and Provincial Environmental Administration strengthened to enforce environmental laws and standards in Pakistan. b) Improves the buy-in and institutional capacities of financial institutions to absorb and disperse capital through tailored green financing products for SMEs, and c) Textile sector SMEs implementing low carbon production practices through reduced water and energy footprint. d) Builds the knowledge and financial management capacities of SMEs to better access and allocate debt-based financing for green investments.

MOU Sighed between NTU and WWF

57

Conference

NTU Signs MOU with Artistic Milliners

Dr. Tanveer Hussain, Rector, National Textile University and Mr. Omer Ahmed, CEO of Artistic Milliners signing the MoU to bridge the academic and corporate skills gap for the aspiring textile professionals.

Artistic Milliners recently signed the MoU with National Textile University whereby, the Artistic Milliners team will mentor the graduating students in Research & Development to create innovative variants of indigo and sulfur-dyed denim. The incubation is expected to lead to some breakthroughs in denim fabric dyeing. The top leadership and Management team of Artistic Milliners was also present on the occasion: Ms Faiza Jamil, GM Corporate Responsibility & Communications, Mr Saqib Sohail, Head of Learning & OD, Mr Baber Sultan, Director R&D and Mr Waqas Ahmed, GM HR for Denim.

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PAKISTAN TEXTILE JOURNAL - August 2021

Conference

NTU Signs MOU with Gul Ahmed Textile Mills

Dr. Tanveer Hussain - Rector NTU and Akhtar Saeed - Director Marketing & Sustainability GTML signing the MOU.

Gul Ahmed Textile Mills Limited (GTML) & National Textile University (NTU) have signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) at Gul Ahmed Textile Mills on 6th July 2021.The MoU was signed by Prof. Dr. Tanveer Hussain - Rector NTU and Akhtar Saeed Director Marketing & Sustainability GTML. In the ceremony, the following members were part of this event;From Gul Ahmed; Wasif Sattar – Director HR GTML, Sajida Qurban – Manager HR, Muhammad Awais – DM PD, Nasir Ibrahim – ME PD, Prof. Dr. Khalid Pasha – Director NTU Karachi Campus and Dr. Qamar Khan – Chairperson Dept. of Textile, NTU Karachi Campus.

59

Pak-China Economic and Trade Relations

by Professor Dr. Noor Ahmed Memon, Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education.

Pakistan and China enjoy exemplary friendly ties, which have not only sustained changes of governments and the ups and downs in the regional and global situation but have been expanding and becoming even stronger. It is in the interest of both the countries to keep an eye on the new and emerging regional and global scenarios and come up with appropriate strategies to meet the challenges.

The bilateral relationship between the two neighbouring countries characterised by feeling of mutual trust, respect and goodwill towards each other. There is a regular exchange of visits at the highest level between the two countries. The strategic cooperation between Pakistan and China has grown over the past several decades.

China is Pakistan’s largest trading partner and a major investor, especially in the infrastructure and energy sector.

During 2019-20, bilateral trade between the two countries is US$ 11 billion. With the official launch of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), the bilateral relationship has been elevated to a higher level.

China and Pakistan are situated in an area that has great geographical importance and hosts almost half of the world’s population. Along with human resources, the area is also rich in natural material resources. This speaks volumes about the importance of stability in the region and of amicable relations between the countries situated here. The growth in the economic ties started with the signing of the free trade agreement between the two countries.

China-Pakistan economic corridor project (CPEC) will be another milestone in the development of their bilateral relations.

The leadership of the two countries attached top priority to its early implementation.

Besides the trade, there was also an unprecedented increase in China’s investment in Pakistan. According to the data by the Chinese Embassy in Pakistan, a total of 46 CPEC projects are under construction or have been completed, and the corridor has brought US$ 25.4 billion in foreign direct investment to

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PAKISTAN TEXTILE JOURNAL - August 2021

Table 1: Pak-China Trade (Value: US $ Million) Year

Exports

Imports

Total

Balance of Trade

2015-16

1,905

8,824

10,729

-6,919

2016-17 2017-18

1,624 1,753

10,077 11,472

11,701

- 8,453

13,225

-9,719

2018-19

1,859

10,165

12,024

-8,306

2019-20

1,664

9,566

11,230

-7,902

Source: State Bank of Pakistan - Annual Reports.

Pakistan and created 75,000 jobs for the locals, serving as a focal point for China and Pakistan to drive practical cooperation.

There is a manifold increase in several Chinese companies working in Pakistan. Currently, around 10,000 Chinese workers are engaged in various projects, undertaken in Pakistan.

It is important to note that both countries are giving much importance to their mutual relations in their foreign policy.

Pakistan supported the Chinese point of view on one-China policy, Tibet and Taiwan issues. China always gives defence and economic assistance to Pakistan.

In Pakistan, there is a huge Chinese investment that is likely to invest in the development of infrastructure, roads, highways, ports, and energy and communications sectors.

The CPEC energy projects have added thousands of megawatts of installed capacity to the grid of the country and the electricity shortage which was there for the last 20-25 years is no more.

Pakistan welcomed the Chinese investment for social and economic development. Chinese investment in Pakistan is gradually increasing which is very important for economic development in the long run.

Since the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries in 1951, China and Pakistan have developed an all-

Chinese Review season friendship that is based on equality, brotherhood and overall cooperation. In past years, the two countries have carried out multi-dimensional cooperation in various fields.

Despite the unstable international situation, the China-Pakistan friendship has remained strong and vibrant. Recent years have witnessed frequent exchange of visits between the leaderships of the two countries to further promote cooperation.

China and Pakistan have witnessed steady growth in mutual investments in recent years. A large number of Chinese companies are presently working in Pakistan in different sectors. Chinese goods are very much in demand in Pakistani markets.

Both countries have continued with their planning to undertake mega economic projects like the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) connecting the Pakistani port of Gwadar with Kashgar (Xinjiang region) in China. Other projects include the construction of dams and Chinese investment in Pakistani textile, energy, banking, commerce and industry sectors and numerous other development projects.

The government of Pakistan plans to develop nine special economic zones across the country under the CPEC to promote its industrialization. Pakistan also pins high hope on the CPEC and Gwadar port, in particular, to transform itself into a regional trade hub.

Pak-China Trade

Table 2: Export of Textile and Other Products from Pakistan to China (Value : US $000) Commodities

2019-20

2018-19

2017-18

Raw cotton

452

1,428

1,324

Cotton yarn

676,847

707,923

869,780

Cotton fabrics

63,783

89,744

122,449

Ready made garments

16,397

20,203

20,440

Knitwear

35,418

32,668

25,136

Textile made ups

1,716

2,598

5,159

Bed wear

7,890

10,494

18184

393

417

1,395

5,557

5,594

3,523

118,801

185,570

127,786

Apparel and clothing

2,291

1,062

1,489

Surgical instruments

18,614

19,105

21,178

Fish and Fish preparation

154,471

94,578

71,961

Fruits

2,797

9,301

21,886

Machinery and transport equipment’s

1,369

1,928

1,404

Towels Art Silk and synthetic textiles Rice

557,204 706,387 439,906 All others Due to various numerous agreements, Pakistan’s volume of 1,664,000 1,889,000 1,753,000 Total bilateral trade expanded and reached the US $ 11 billion in 2019-20. The trade balance has been skewed in China’s favour Source : Trade Development Authority of Pakistan ever since both countries entered into various trade hides and skin, surgical instruments, fruits, etc. Exports from agreements. Comparing the trade between the two, Pakistan’s Pakistan to China are given in Table 2. exports to China decreased from the US $ 1.88 billion in 2018On the other hand, Pakistan’s imports from China have 19 to US$ 1.66 billion in 2019-20. Against this, China’s exports been seconded by none. Pakistan imports the largest percentage to Pakistan also decreased from US $11.47 billion in 2017-18 to of goods from China, more than 29% of the entire imports the US $ 9.57 billion in 2019-20. Pak-China trade is given in come from China. The imports mainly include; textile machinery, Table 1. electrical equipment, high-tech machinery, iron & steel, organic China is amongst the top importers of Pakistani cotton yarn chemicals, manmade filaments etc. More than half of Pakistan’s and cotton fabrics. It may also be noted that the trade is not electronic and machinery imports come from China. restricted to cotton only, as China is also ranked as one of the

largest buyers of Pakistani rice. In fact, the dramatic increase in China’s rice imports in 2020, which was driven by strong domestic demand and low international prices, paved the way for Pakistani rice to enter Chinese markets. Other major Pakistani exports to China include fish and fish preparation, raw

References  Pakistan Bureau of Statistics.  State Bank of Pakistan - Annual Report 2019-20.  Trade Development Authority of Pakistan.

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China: Biggest machinery manufacturer in global textile arena

by Professor Dr. Noor Ahmed Memon, Dadabhoy Institute of Higher Education.

China's economy grew a record 18.3% in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same quarter last year.

China has set an economic growth target of 6% for 2021, after scrapping its target last year.

China's textile industry expanded emphatically in 2020 despite the COVID19 pandemic buffeting the global economy. China is a key driver of the global economy and a growth slowdown is a major concern for investors around the world. China is the world's secondbiggest importer of both goods and commercial services, meaning its economic performance has a big knockon impact around the world.

The textile machinery manufacturing hubs like China, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and India have already jumped into a gigantic competition to craft and bid the best technologies in textile machinery.

The changing fashion trends create uninterrupted demand for new textiles, which generates demand for textile machinery and has a special impact on fabric manufacturing.

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PAKISTAN TEXTILE JOURNAL - August 2021

According to a new report by Global Industry Analysts Inc, the global market for knitting machines by 3D knitting technology is expected to show a compound annual growth of 27.4% by 2026. Which will be driven by the growing demand for advanced, automation and the capability of artificial intelligence. The report said, the market is projected to reach 58.9 thousand units in 2020, which is expected to reach 260.7 thousand units by 2026.

At the same time, China has formed the largest regional market for sewing machine sales. Whereas global sales were 80.4% in 2020, and the fastest compound annual growth rate in the world during the analysis period will be recorded at 28.8%, reaching 2.7 thousand units by the close of the analysis period.

In the Covid-19 crisis, the global textile machinery market was estimated at 5.9 million units in 2020. Which will reach 10.1 million units by 2026 and will show a CAGR above 9.1%. One of the segments analyzed in the report is the spinning machine which is expected to

record a CAGR of 7.6% to reach a market of about 8.8 million units at the end of use. Following the epidemic and its resultant economic crisis, growth in the draw texturized machine segment is likely to expand to a CAGR of 18.6% for the next 7-year.

In terms of specific regions, the textile machinery market in the US is estimated at 39.1 thousand units in the year 2021.

Asia-Pacific is forecast to reach a projected market size of 3.8 million units by the year 2026 trailing a CAGR of 9.4% over the analysis period.

Asia-Oceania is estimated to be the largest market for textile machinery. The market is defined by a marked shift in demand from traditional machinery to more advanced technologies.

China is still the biggest machinery manufacturer in the global textile arena.

Many countries in Asia are facing adjustment of product structure, so demand of high-end and complete sets of textile machinery are in demand. Chinese industry has obvious advantages compared with textile trade powers of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Turkey,

Chinese Review particularly in cotton spinning equipment, complete sets of polyester equipment and dyeing-printing equipment due to price.

As China is clearly emphasizing high tech and high value-added products, textile machinery would be a key area for the country to focus on this year and onward. Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China specifies that the percentage of high-tech products in sales should increase from the original 40% to 60% and the proportion of research and development fund of high-tech products in total corporate sales should increase from original 2% to 5% each year.

The Chinese textile manufacturers are developing some of the best answers in technical aspects of the textile industry, along with very competitive prices. With the rapid expansion of the textile industry, China's textile machinery industry also enjoys an occasion for development and has become the world's largest textile machinery manufacturer.

China started industrialized machines virtually 80 years ago. At present, Chinamade textile machinery and equipment account for 80% of the domestic textile machinery market.

China is focusing more on technical textiles and the use of high tech automation in textile manufacturing, hence various types of machinery for those industries will move towards China.

Recently Shanghai has become one of

the most fashion conscious cities in Asia.

As China is producing fabric and apparel and look for value addition, they are moving for fast fashion products and therefore, investments would take place for those production lines.

machines due to constant technological advancements.

China is not the only exporter of textile machinery but also a potential importer of textile machinery. The potential import markets for textile machinery were Chinese provinces like Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Guangdong, which accounted for roughly 71% of China's overall textile machinery imports.

Europe is the biggest manufacturer of machinery in the global textile industry.

Its high-quality machines are the most sought after in the global textile industry to date. Until a few decades, European countries were considered the undoubted kings of this industry, but Chinese textile machinery has remained successful in providing some competition to them. Its machines are modern and inexpensive in comparison to many others in the industry. China, it seems, may contribute immensely shortly to the global textile machinery industry. The country is rising to become the next hotspot for its importers.

Many leading machinery manufacturers around the world chose China for expanding their production base and established their manufacturing unit in China. Rapid industrialization and subsequent economic development in China over the last decade have contributed to a significant rise in Asian textile production.

Nowadays, the focus of China seems to be shifting towards the chemical fibres and high tech industry including technical textiles and nonwovens.

Future Prospects The rapid industrialization and subsequent economic development in China over the last decade have contributed to a significant rise in Asian textile production. The market for textile machinery is dynamic, shifting from conventional to much more sophisticated

Increasing market demand for home textiles, furniture upholstery, automobile textiles, and fashion trends also affect the demand for textile machinery.

Asia-Pacific represents the biggest and fastest-growing region for textile machinery. Increasing investments in textile production in the Asian regions fuel the market for textile machinery.

Asian countries such as China, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan foresee a favourable market for textile machinery due to the shifting of manufacturing operations from the EU and US to mass cost benefits. Industrialization and economic development in China during the recent past has enhanced their textile production.

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Classified

ADVERTISERS INDEX AUGUST 2021

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