Textile World January/February 2022

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Executive Forum: Uster Albarrie Chooses Monforts Water Repellency Testing ■

■

January/February 2022 Founded 1868

A Textile Education Circa 2022

Supply Chain Challenges Forecasting The Unforecastable

IDEA®2022/ FiltXPO™ Collocate In Miami Beach

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Global Reach, Global Market Combine the POWER of Display Advertising

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eNewsletter advertisers reach an audience of opt-in textile executives around the world

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January/February 2022 TextileWorld.com

A

Founded 1868

Publication

Features 10

Executive Forum: Orders Boom, Business Hampered An interview with Uster Technologies’ Sivakumar Narayanan

12

Show Preview: IDEA® and FiltXPO™ INDA’s IDEA 22 and FiltXPO trade shows are collocating in Miami Beach, Fla., for a value-added, in-person experience.

14

A Textile Education, Circa 2022 Part one in a two-part feature on textile education focuses on college and university offerings.

20 Supply Chain Challenges The Covid-19 pandemic tests the integrated nature of today’s global economy and exposes the fragility of its interdependence.

ON THE COVER: The Covid-19 pandemic has created supply chain disruptions that have jammed U.S. ports and created shortages of trucks, truck trailers, drivers, warehouse space and more.

28 The Resurgence Of Water Repellency Testing Water repellency testing helps retailers and manufacturers meet and exceed consumer’s comfort and performance expectations in outdoor apparel.

30 Eco-Conscious Cellulosic Fiber Yarn Realized With Rieter Expertise Eastman Chemical engaged Rieter when it wanted to extend its Naia™ cellulosic product into staple fiber yarns.

Photograph courtesy of Georgia Port Authority

Departments 4

From The Editor

6

News

7

Business & Financial

Fiber World

Nonwovens/Technical Textiles 25 News 26 MonforClean Brings Big Savings For Albarrie

25 News

Albarrie is now benefiting from one of the first Monforts Montex tenter installations.

8 Yarn Market 34

Bulletin Board

35

People

36

Supplier Notes

37

Calendar

38

Quality Fabric Of The Month

Knitting/Apparel 31 32

News

Dyeing,Printing & Finishing 31

News

Significance Of Sustainability In Textiles Brands and consumers can work together to make the textile industry more sustainable.

VOL. 172, No. 1 / TEXTILE WORLD (ISSN 0040-5213) is published bimonthly by Textile Industries Media Group, LLC, PO Box 683155, Marietta, GA 30068, and incorporates Modern Textiles, Textile Industries, Fiber World and Knitting/Apparel magazines, which remain the property of Textile Industries Media Group, LLC. Copyright 2022, Textile Industries Media Group, LLC Title registered with the U.S. Patent Office. All rights, including translation into other languages, reserved. Subscription rates for one year are: $65 (US); $85 (Canada and Mexico); $130 (Other International). Single copy rates are: $15 per copy. All prices are in U.S. dollars and all orders must be prepaid. Questions may be submitted to jdavis@textileworld.com. To obtain electronic copies of print articles, please contact ProQuest at www.proquest.com. To obtain microform copies, please contact NA Publishing at www.napubco.com.

POSTMASTER send address changes to: Textile Industries Media Group, LLC, PO Box 683155, Marietta, GA 30068.

Send Canadian address changes to: Textile World, c/o The Mail Group, P.O. Box 25542, London, ON N6C 6B2, Canada. Customer #7007632 Publications Agreement #40612608.

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From The

Editor

Textile Worl d’s Pursuit Of

The Digital Issue

F

ounded in 1868 and published for more than 150 years, Textile World magazine has always had two directives: A focus on editorial content that informs and supports the U.S. textile industry; and to maintain a qualified audience of textile industry professionals that are attractive to those trying to reach key members of the U.S. textile community.

Over the years, editors have adapted the editorial focus to meet the changing needs and interests of a dynamic industry. From the early days of wool and cotton processing, content has shifted to include more nonwovens and technical textile topics.

In format, TW has had to adapt to changes in the overall publishing industry including the speed of news delivery and changes in reader preferences. From the days of solely printed magazines, buyer’s guides and directories, the dynamics of delivering content and reaching readers has changed. Today, TW is delivered in print and online. Additional content reaches more than 17,000 readers through the weekly e-newsletter, and the website attracts an average of 65,000 page views per month.

With changes in mind, editors of TW and its sister publication Textiles Panamericanos have been experimenting with the creation of a digital edition. There is nothing new about the digital rendering of a printed magazine. When the technology was first developed more than 20 years ago, the internet was just taking hold with low speeds and other barriers.

There was also a strong demand for print in a time with no iPhones, iPads and few laptops. Over the course of the past 20 years, one might observe that all things internet are vastly different.

The turning point for a relook at digital edition technology came when Covid-19

struck. TW editors learned that some tradeshows were going to take a new approach to distributing magazines and discourage print in favor of digital editions to reduce point of contact exposures.

This idea presented an opportunity to augment print rather than replace.

Both TW and Textiles Panamericanos have limited circulations, in publishing circles known as “qualified circulation.”

In short, that means that the magazines are limited to certain readers based on qualifications such as geography or industry sector. TW rarely goes, with exceptions, to non-USMCA (NAFTA region) readers. Textiles Panamericanos is largely delivered to qualified readers in Mexico, Central and South America.

So, the opportunity is apparent — maintain the qualified print circulations and expand the readership through the digital edition to all readers in, and beyond, the qualified parameters.

The dynamics available in the new technology also add value. All advertising that appears in print will also be present in the digital edition with the ability to be linked for the reader’s convenience. For example, an event ad might have a link to register. Or in an article, a link may be included for a reference or a video.

The editorial team is at the beginning of exploring these new digital possibilities and hope they will enhance the editorial experience of the highly valued TW and Textiles Panamericanos audiences of textile industry professionals.

James M. Borneman jborneman@TextileWorld.com

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A

EDITOR IN CHIEF

James M. Borneman EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Rachael S. Davis TECHNICAL EDITORS

Dr. Lisa Parillo Chapman, Dr. Peter J. Hauser, Dr. Trevor J. Little, Dr. William Oxenham, Dr. Behnam Pourdeyhimi, Dr. Abdel-Fattah Seyam, Dr. Andre West

Publication

ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVES UNITED STATES & CANADA

Turner Marketing & Media, LLC Telephone +864-594-0921 Fax +864-439-5070 E-mail: sturner@textileworld.com EUROPE (except ITALY)

Sabine Dussey Telephone +49-171-5473990 E-mail: sabine.dussey@dussey.de

ECONOMICS EDITOR

ITALY

Robert S. Reichard

Ferruccio & Filippo Silvera

YARN MARKET EDITOR

Telephone +39-022-846716 Fax +39-022-8938496 E-mail: info@silvera.it

Jim Phillips

ASIA CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

James M. Borneman

Jim Kaufmann Stephen M. Warner

Telephone +678-483-6102 E-mail: jborneman@textileworld.com MEXICO, CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA

INTERNET CONTENT EDITOR

Rachael S. Davis CIRCULATION MANAGER

Julie K. Brown-Davis

Virgilio L. Gonzalez Telephone +58-412-622-2648 Fax +58-212-985-7921 E-mail: vlgonzalezp@gmail.com CLASSIFIEDS & INTERNET

Julie Davis ADVERTISING BUSINESS MANAGER

Denise Buchalter

Telephone +678-522-0404 E-mail: jdavis@textileworld.com

ART DIRECTOR & PRODUCTION MANAGER

OWNER/PUBLISHER

Julie K. Brown-Davis

James M. Borneman

PO Box 683155 Marietta, Georgia 30068, USA Telephone +678-483-6102 TextileWorld .com www.T

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News Walmart Joins Unifi’s REPREVE® Billion Bottle Circle Unifi Inc., Greensboro, N.C., reports Walmart has purchased the equivalent of 1 billion post-consumer plastic bottles worth of REPREVE® recycled performance fibers. The calculations are based on a standard 16.9-ounce-bottle and how it translates to bottles per pound of recycled polyester (rPET); and tracked pounds of Repreve yarn, fiber and resin sold to Walmart suppliers for store programs. This achievement puts Walmart in the Billion Bottle Circle of Repreve’s Champions of Sustainability program.

“We’ve been using REPREVE’s recycled fibers for 10 years now, and this achievement is the result of not only our commitment to a more sustainable supply chain, but that of our customers, who have purchased products in our stores made with REPREVE,”said Deanah Baker, senior vice president, Merchant, Men’s, Kids, Footwear, Walmart U.S.“This is part of Walmart’s larger goal to move toward a circular economy, where materials stay in use in a productive way that is better for the environment.”

“Due to Walmart’s scale and reach, commitment to sustainability, and ability to set goals and reach them, we are seeing a shining example of how large retailers can drive change

6

and improve material usage for our earth,”said Unifi CEO Eddie Ingle.

Fiber Industries Expanding in Darlington County, S.C. Polyester staple fiber manufacturer Fiber Industries LLC has announced plans to invest $30 million to expand its operation in Darlington, S.C. The investment includes increased capacity through upgrades and modernization of production lines such as the addition of state-of-the-art control systems, as well as increased warehouse space.

The expansion includes more than 50 new jobs and is expected to be complete by early 2023. The South Carolina Coordinating Council for Economic Development has approved job development credits, and also awarded a $300,000 Rural Infrastructure Fund grant to Darlington County to assist with the cost of building improvements.

“We are excited about the continuing growth of our facility which is now even better positioned to serve the needs of the American textile industry,” said Fiber Industries CEO Don Bockoven.“We also are proud to be part of the wider effort to reshore jobs and bring textile manufacturing back to the USA. We thank the state of South Carolina as well as Darlington County for their unwavering support.”

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 TextileWorld.com

Jennifer Knight Appointed U.S. DOC Deputy Assistant Secretary For Textiles, Consumer Goods And Materials The Biden Administration recently named Jennifer Knight deputy assistant for Textiles, Consumer Goods And Materials at the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC).

She will oversee the Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA), the Office of Materials Industries and the Office of Consumer Goods within the International Trade Administration’s Industry and Analysis unit.The Washington-based National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) was quick to congratulate Knight, praising the administration for its choice.

“Jennifer’s extensive and successful career in U.S. textile manufacturing, as well as her experience

Mount Vernon Mills To Acquire Facility From Wade Manufacturing Mount Vernon Mills, Mauldin, S.C., has announced plans to purchase a yarn spinning and weaving facility in Rockingham, N.C., from Wade Manufacturing Co., Wadesboro, N.C. No other Wade Manufacturing assets are part of the deal.

Mount Vernon Mills will retain substantially all of the Rockingham facility’s employees, possibly adding new jobs in the future.

Financial terms were not disclosed, and the transaction is expected to close in early February.

in setting up international operations in regions such as Central America, is an enormous asset as she takes on this critical role,” stated Kim Glas, NCTO’s president and CEO. “As onshoring and nearshoring efforts gain momentum amidst the global supply chain crisis, Jennifer’s appointment could not have come at a more pivotal time. We couldn’t be more delighted with her appointment and strong familiarity with our sector and beyond. Jennifer will be a strong advocate for American workers and industries, and we look forward to working with her on the U.S. textile industry’s top priorities in the months and years ahead.”

To begin with, the business will manufacture open-end spun yarns and woven greige goods for Mount Vernon Mills’flame resistant products.

“The Rockingham facility is a modern, cost-efficient operation with an experienced and stable workforce, making it a great fit as we increase the amount of control that we have over our yarn supply, weaving operations and overall costs,” said Bill Duncan, CEO, Mount Vernon Mills.“We are also proud to expand our footprint in the U.S. and build upon our made in America commitment and heritage. TW

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Business & Financial Textile Activity At A Glance DEMAND

*Latest

Previous

Year Ago

(Federal Reser ve Board [FRB], 2017=100)

PRODUCTION

Textile mill Textile product mill Apparel

95.0 93.7 97.4

95.1 93.6 98.4

90.0 91.5 92.6

(Dept. of Commerce [DOC], millions)

MANUFACTURING SALES

Textile mill Textile product mill Apparel Apparel retail

$2,334 $1,873 $878 $26,061

$2,316 $1,867 $872 $26,885

$2,211 $1,807 $872 $20,130

PRICES

(BLS,1982=100)

Man-made fibers Processed yarn & threads Greige goods Finished fabrics Home furnishings Carpet Apparel

*Latest

Previous

Year Ago

154.8 176.2 156.2 188.3 175.9 189.3 148.5

155.3 175.5 155.2 186.7 175.7 189.2 148.1

125.7 136.8 137.6 164.9 169.0 176.6 144.3

$10,283 $1,922 $8,361

$11,242 $2,053 $9,189

$7,841 $1,806 $6,035

117.1

109.6

101.3

111.2

110.8

106.7

100.5 109.5 94.8

99.8 108.6 94.2

INTERNATIONAL TRADE (DOC, millions)

TEXTILE & APPAREL

SUPPLY (FRB, 2017=100)

CAPACITY

Textile mill Apparel

94.8 85.1

94.8 85.3

95.3 87.3

OPERATING RATE

(BLS, 2011=100)

Textile product mill

69.1 79.0

STOCK/SALES RATIO Textile mill Textile product mill

1.34 2.07

1.37 2.09

1.38 2.05

123.7

107.1

79.2

(DOC)

COSTS (Bureau of Labor Statistics [BLS], $/h)

HOURLY EARNINGS

Textile mill Textile product mill Apparel

PRICE INDEXES

$22.53 $22.62 $23.07

$22.54 $22.37 $23.13

Textile mill

66.0 70.7

69.2 78.4

(cents/lb)

IMPORT PRICE

(FRB)

Textile mill Apparel

Cotton

Imports Exports Trade Deficit

$22.35 $21.76 $21.36

(December 2003=100)

(BLS, 2005=100)

EMPLOYMENT

(BLS, thousands)

Textile mill Textile product mill Apparel

PROFITS

(census, millions per quarter)

Textile Apparel

$897 $4,379

Textile Product Mills Price Index

Textile Apparel

10.8 16.0

8.3 15.1

*Latest

Previous

Year Ago

3.9

4.2

6.7

$18,147

$18,137

$17,596

1,702

1,678

1,661

278.8

277.9

260.6

241.0

243.2

200.5

Factory utilization rate 77.2 Industrial production (2017=100) 101.9 Production capacity (2017=100) 99.8

77.5 102.0 99.8

74.7 98.3 99.5

(BLS)

(DOC, billions)

Housing starts (DOC, thousands)

Consumer Price Index

`

(BLS, 1982-84=100)

Producer Price Index, all (BLS, 1982=100)

AGGREGATE J

F

M

A

M

J

J

2021 September – December = preliminary

A

S

O

N

D

J

2022 January = estimated

$751 $2,802

7.8 19.1

Unemployment Rate Disposable income

Textile Mills Price Index

$1,189 $3,503

(census, quarterly per $ of sales)

MARGINS

MACROECONOMIC FACTORS

162 160 158 156 154 152 150 148 146 144 142 140 138 136

96.1 105.21 98.2

(FRB)

* all figures are for the latest available month as of TW’s press time, except for profits where only quarterly data are available.

Textile World JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

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YarnMarket Demand Steady; Costs Soar

By Jim Phillips, Yarn Market Editor

D

espite soaring raw materials prices, product demand from U.S. yarn spinners remains relatively strong. As has been the case since the economy began to reopen after the first COVID-19 wave, the primary issue has been timely product delivery as a result of a shortage of qualified labor and a muddled supply chain.

However, soaring prices for cotton and petroleum, as well as a general escalation in energy costs, continue to put pressure on margins for many spinners.

The per-pound price for cotton is at levels not seen for nearly a decade. As of the week ending February 10, spot quotations for the base quality of cotton (color 41, leaf 4, staple 34, mike 35-36 and 43-49, strength 27.0-28.9, and uniformity 81.0-81.9) in the seven designated markets measured by the U.S.Department of Agriculture averaged 122.37 cents per pound. This was slightly down from the previous week, but substantially up from the 81.08 cents reported during the corresponding period a year ago. The ICE March settlement price ended the week at 125.66 cents.

Before the recent surge in prices, the last time

8

cotton exceeded $1.20 per pound was in the first half of 2011. In 2010, cotton exceeded $2.00 per pound for a short period of time.

For petroleum, the crude oil price per barrel was just shy of $94.00 on February 14. This compares to just $20.67 as recently as August 2020.

“Margins throughout the yarn industry have always been on the thin side,” said a research analyst. “The escalating costs across the board put tremendous pressure on spinners. Their customers are facing pricing and sales pressures of their own, so they often push back on large price increases. So, the spinners are caught in the middle. They have to be more efficient and effective. They need to turn product around quickly.

And they need to get product to customers as promised — a much more difficult proposition today when the supply chain is still somewhat scrambled.”

COMPETES Act Passes House, But Faces Senate Resistance The U.S. House of Representatives in late January passed the America COMPETES Act, a legislative package that will help close the de minimis

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 TextileWorld.com

loophole on duty-free imports from China and also renew the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB), both important provisions to U.S. textile manufacturers, according the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO).

Another important provision in the legislation, NCTO says, is that it renews the MTB for two years, which would extend limited tariff relief on a range of manufacturing inputs used by U.S. textile producers.

“We commend the House for passing this sweeping legislation, which contains several critical trade provisions beneficial to American manufacturers,” said NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas. “This legislation contains a provision that would effectively prohibit China from exploiting the Section 321 de minimis mechanism in U.S. trade law, a win for U.S. textile producers and workers.”

Despite the action in the House, the act faces some stiff opposition in the Senate. The next step is to reconcile the bill with its Senate sibling, the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act of 2021, which was passed in June with the support of 19 Republicans.

But those same GOP

senators say changes will have to be made to the House bill if there is any chance of passage in the Senate.

A number of Republican senators say the House strayed from the bipartisan language of the Senate bill.

“Throughout our nation’s history, Republicans and Democrats have worked together on critical national security issues,” said Senator Todd Young (R-Ind.) “In that tradition, last year the Senate followed regular order and an open process to pass the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) with strong bipartisan support. I am disappointed that the House did not follow a similar process. To outgrow, out-innovate, and outcompete China, we need to work together and take the fight to the Chinese Communist Party.

“As we head to a conference process, my hope is that the final legislation will reflect the Senate bill and give House Republicans a much better option to support. The Senate-passed bill focuses on directly confronting China, and getting legislation like USICA across the finish line will ensure the United States leads the world into the future,” Senator Young said. TW

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Color 41, Leaf 4, Staple 34, Mike 35-36 and 43-49, Strength 27.0-28.9, Uniformity 81.0-81.9 COTTON FIBER (BASE GRADE)

Spot Market, ¢/lb.

CURRENT

6 MO. AGO

1 YR. AGO

122.37

83.59

77.40

Ring-Spun 100% Carded Cotton

CARDED COTTON

Open-End Spun 100% Carded Cotton

YARN TYPE

CURRENT

6 MO. AGO

1 YR. AGO

YARN TYPE

CURRENT

6 MO. AGO

1 YR. AGO

10/1 18/1 24/1 30/1 12/2 20/2

2.40 2.43 2.61 2.63 2.98 3.10

2.01 2.04 2.21 2.22 2.58 2.66

1.94 1.96 2.10 2.15 2.53 2.57

4/1 10/1 16/1 18/1 20/1

1.76 1.83 1.89 1.95 2.04

1.18 1.23 1.28 1.34 1.43

1.13 1.17 1.22 1.28 1.36

Ring-Spun 100% Combed Cotton COMBED COTTON

POLYESTER/ CARDED COTTON

ACRYLIC & RAYON

Ring-Spun 50/50% Polyester/Combed Cotton

YARN TYPE

CURRENT

6 MO. AGO

1 YR. AGO

YARN TYPE

CURRENT

6 MO. AGO

1 YR. AGO

18/1 26/1 30/1 38/1

3.42 3.51 3.82 3.89

2.74 2.82 3.11 3.18

2.70 2.78 3.07 3.14

20/1 30/1

2.78 2.87

2.29 2.35

2.22 2.26

Ring-Spun 50/50% Polyester/Carded Cotton

Open-End Spun 50/50% Polyester/Carded Cotton

YARN TYPE

CURRENT

6 MO. AGO

1 YR. AGO

YARN TYPE

CURRENT

6 MO. AGO

1 YR. AGO

20/1 30/1

2.49 2.55

2.15 2.22

2.03 2.10

12/1 14/1 18/1 24/1 28/1

1.65 1.78 1.99 2.05 2.08

1.09 1.22 1.42 1.46 1.50

1.08 1.11 1.30 1.34 1.43

Open-End Spun 100% Acrylic (worsted count)

Open-End Spun 100% 1.2 Denier Rayon

YARN TYPE

CURRENT

6 MO. AGO

1 YR. AGO

YARN TYPE

CURRENT

6 MO. AGO

1 YR. AGO

1/12 1/18 1/24 1/28 1/32

3.10 3.15 3.22 3.27 3.48

3.10 3.15 3.22 3.27 3.48

3.10 3.15 3.22 3.27 3.48

20/1 30/1

4.56 4.79

4.56 4.79

4.56 4.79

Ring-Spun 100% Polyester (whites only) SPUN POLYESTER

Ring-Spun 100% Polyester (dyed)

YARN TYPE

CURRENT

6 MO. AGO

1 YR. AGO

YARN TYPE

CURRENT

6 MO. AGO

1 YR. AGO

8/1 16/1 20/1 22/1 30/1

2.50 2.62 2.75 2.85 3.23

2.19 2.31 2.44 2.54 2.92

2.16 2.28 2.41 2.51 2.89

8/1 16/1 20/1 22/1 30/1

3.67 3.88 3.96 4.01 4.39

3.36 3.57 3.63 3.71 4.08

3.25 3.46 3.51 3.59 3.95

Filament Polyester Partially Oriented Yarn (POY)

Textured Nylon

MAN-MADE FIBERS/ FILAMENTS

YARN TYPE

CURRENT

6 MO. AGO

1 YR. AGO

YARN TYPE

CURRENT

6 MO. AGO

1 YR. AGO

70/2 100/2

3.45 3.58

3.45 3.58

3.45 3.58

70 denier 100 denier 150 denier

2.20 2.14 2.08

2.20 2.14 2.08

2.20 2.14 2.08

Textured Polyester (knits)

Man-Made Staple Fiber

YARN TYPE

CURRENT

6 MO. AGO

1 YR. AGO

YARN TYPE

CURRENT

6 MO. AGO

1 YR. AGO

70 denier (dyeable) 70 denier (whites) 100 denier (dyeable or whites) 150 den. (dyeable) 150 den. (whites)

2.21 2.25 1.92

2.01 1.93 1.72

1.96 1.88 1.67

Polyester (1.5 denier) Acrylic (3.0 denier)

2.22-2.36 2.08-2.24

2.22-2.36 2.08-2.24

2.22-2.36 2.08-2.24

1.87 1.85

1.67 1.65

1.62 1.58

All yarn prices in U.S. dollars per pound & asking prices only. Prices compiled from 2/11/22 See TextileWorld.com for archived Yarn Market data.

Textile World JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

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Orders Boom,

Business Hampered How Uster is meeting multiple global challenges to serve growing demand TW Special Report

T

he order situation may be excellent for many companies, but there is still no talk of a boom as the business environment is extremely challenging. In this interview, Sivakumar Narayanan, executive vice president and head of Business Development at Switzerland-based Uster Technologies AG, comments on the current economic situation. He explains the problems and their impact, setting out Uster’s commitment to meeting the challenges while giving customers the best possible service.

Textile World: The vast

majority of companies in the Swiss mechanical, electrical and metal industries benefited from the strong recovery in the global economy in the first nine months of 2021, according to Swissmem, the representative trade body.

And entrepreneurs in the sector continue to take

10

Sivakumar Narayanan

a fundamentally positive view of the outlook for the year ahead. How is Uster doing?

Sivakumar Narayanan: Very well. For Uster Technologies, 2021 has been the best year for several years in terms of order intake. We believe this reflects our strong relationships with customers, who appreciate our ongoing efforts to support them with continuous innovations, including our digital offerings such as Uster Quality Expert.

TW: A number of

challenges have emerged globally with the positive order situation. Increasing inflation, raw material and energy costs, supply shortages, transport costs, currency instability, the risk of trade conflicts and the continuing unpredictable pandemic developments all create a difficult business environment.

Narayanan: I agree, and I see those factors as

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 TextileWorld.com

having a negative impact on margins. There is still a high level of uncertainty, so we have to remain very agile and dynamic to manage the situation day by day, to ensure we offer the best possible support, as well as value-enhancing products and solutions.

We share the concerns of our customers that a worstcase scenario for textile producers could see these factors affecting the current strong consumer demand.

A situation where textile mills were not able to invest in innovations and digitization would be bad news for the whole value chain, including Uster.

TW: What is the biggest

challenge currently for Uster?

Narayanan: Currently our major challenge is satisfying all our customers with regards to yarn clearer deliveries. We have been fortunate in that customers really liked the latest innovation, and this resulted in

aggregated short-term demand from all the machine manufacturers reaching a peak that we have never seen in recent years. The effect was that our inventory was rapidly consumed, including that in the pipeline.

Unfortunately, at the same time, the sharp increase in semiconductor shortages led to a total lack of visibility of component availability — both the required quantities and time scales — as well as a steep escalation in costs. To be specific, we are suffering from a difficult situation with the advanced chips built into our yarn clearers.

Perhaps our customers will understand it when I make this comparison.

Imagine yarn buyers waiting at your door for their large orders and deliveries, while you are trying to obtain the raw material. And there is no guarantee what you will get, in what quantities, or when and under what

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ExecutiveForum

Uster headquarters in Uster, Switzerland.

conditions, as your whole supply chain is facing shortages and lacking order confirmations or reliable commitments.

That’s the level of pressure — and uncertainty — we are going through now.

We also currently have a high demand for laboratory instruments, as well as fiber cleaning, fabric inspection and quality management systems.

Consequently, lead times have partially increased, but in general, production and delivery of these items have been impacted to a lesser degree, and we have so far been able to meet most of the delivery commitments.

TW: Do you expect the

situation to improve?

Narayanan: Unfortunately, there is no easy answer to that. It is a similarly challenging situation for most hightech companies including phone manufacturers and car producers, for example.

They have all been seriously affected and are constantly trying to find components from key manufacturers. Therefore, we expect shortages to remain for the next several months, affecting our abilities to deliver.

TW: How do you plan

to deal with the continued shortages?

Narayanan: Firstly, I’d like to emphasize that Uster is mobilizing all resources and networks to meet delivery commitments. We are working on several fronts in parallel — redesigning where possible, extending sourcing channels and negotiating with key suppliers. We are also looking into the future and taking risk mitigation measures.

Despite the difficult situation, Uster never accepts compromises in product quality. Our motto remains “Think Quality.”

For example, we have scaled up testing dramati-

cally to screen material procured through alternative channels. We have had a reasonable level of success in this, thanks to our hard-working teams and partners. But there is still a long way to go.

Secondly, we sincerely apologize to our customers.

We are aware how badly customers are affected due to the longer waiting times. I can only ask for their trust and understanding and assure them that Uster, at all levels, is working like never before to match expectations and to find solutions. The good news is that the impact is mostly limited to the yarn clearers, due to the unprecedented high volume of demand, but of course we also understand that, of all things, yarn clearers are among the most essential parts.

TW: Of course, yarn

clearers are an important element of quality control in spinning but they also are a

further supporting means of controlling yarn production.

Narayanan: Uster yarn clearers in a modern spinning mill play a much more important role than simply clearing yarn on the winders. The data gained by the clearers are combined in Quality Expert with data from other instruments — and sophisticated automated analysis drives efficiency in yarn production and more.

TW: So, what do you

wish for in 2022?

Narayanan: Frankly, providing more relief to our customers is what really matters for us, and would make us happy in the coming year. We hope to see the back of this semiconductor and logistic crisis in 2022 and get back to normal life. We hope at the same time that the textile industry and all our customers continue to thrive in 2022 and beyond, and wish them the best for their families and society. TW

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IDEA ®2022 PREVIEW

Back To

In-Person Business INDA’s IDEA® and FiltXPO™ trade shows are collocating in Miami Beach for a value-added, in-person experience.

TW Special Report

T

he Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry’s (INDA’s) IDEA ® show is heading to Miami for the 21st anniversary of the nonwovens and engineered fabrics event. This edition will be collocated with the second edition of the Cary, N.C.-based association’s FiltXPO ™ filtration and separation show. Both events will take place at the Miami Beach Convention Center (MBCC) in Miami Beach, Fla., March 28-31, 2022.

INDA is excited to combine the two events into one enhanced experience — a decision that was made in part to avoid a crowded show calendar late in 2021, but also adds value for both exhibiting companies and attendees.

IDEA 2019, held during the INDA’s 50th anniversary year, was the largest IDEA show in the event’s history. The 2019 edition attracted 509 exhibiting companies and more than 6,500 visitors from more than 75 countries at IDEA. Visitors came from all sectors of the market including wipes, apparel, geosynthetics, absorbent hygiene, transportation, home and office furnishings, building construction, filtration, and medical and surgical, among other sectors. Job titles run the gamut from senior leadership to research and development to purchasing.

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The association is expecting similar exhibitor and visitor numbers in March as the industry has an opportunity to reunite in person. “We are very excited about being face-to-face again!” said INDA President David Rousse. “Our industry needs face-to-face interaction to build trust. This event provides that forum. As we emerge from the pandemic, our members and the entire industry realize the power of gathering in-person at live expositions and conferences like IDEA.” IDEA 2022 kicks off with a welcome reception to be held on the outdoor terrace of the Miami Beach Convention Center, Monday, March 28, from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The exhibit floor is open Tuesday and Wednesday from 10:30 a.m. until 6 p.m. and on Thursday from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Educational Opportunities The 2002 IDEA conference will focus on “The World View of Nonwovens.” Each morning, conference sessions presented by industry experts will look at how each global region’s nonwovens industry has changed since the onset of the Covid19 pandemic. Sessions will take place from 9 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. prior to the exhibit halls opening.

IDEA 22 also will feature a series of short-course training courses aimed to share essential information and key details with newcomers, as well as enhanced knowledge for those with two or more years of experience in the nonwovens industry.

Under the header, “Essentials of Nonwovens” the six training courses focus on absorbent hygiene cores, making nonwovens, industrial wipes, consumer wet wipes and patent searching.

The courses are taught by James “Jim” Robinson, principal with Absorbent Hygiene Insights LLC, Dr. Jim Loftus, principal with Loftus Technical Consulting LLC, and INDA’s own director of Education and Technical Affairs, Chris Plotz.

Attendees register for courses individually and may choose all courses or just one depending on budget and learning needs.

IDEA® Achievement Awards Presented by INDA in partnership with Nonwovens Industry magazine, the IDEA Achievement Awards are handed out every three years in conjunction with IDEA. The awards recognize leading companies, individuals and new products in the global nonwovens and engineered fabrics industry who have contributed to the industry since the last IDEA show, so in this case, since 2019. The following five awards will be presented: • IDEA Equipment Achievement Award; • IDEA Raw Material Achievement Award; • IDEA Short-Life Product Achievement Award; • IDEA Long-Life Product Achievement Award; • IDEA Sustainability Advancement Award; and • IDEA Nonwoven Product Achievement Award.

Three finalists were selected in each category by INDA’s Technical Advisory Board. Winners are determined by an online vote on the Nonwovens Industry website, and awards will be presented by INDA’s Rousse

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and Rodman Media Corp. Owner and President Rod Zilenziger on Wednesday morning, March 30, after the first conference presentation.

FiltXPO Details FiltXPO is INDA’s new filtration and separation event first held in Chicago in February 2020. FiltXPO features an exhibit floor, filter media training course and trend presentations, as well as five interactive panel discussions on indoor air quality, sustainability, clean water, pandemics and filter standards.

“With COVID-19, “filtration has become mainstream,” says Mike Clark, divisional president, Filtration Solutions, Hollingsworth & Vose Co. “This new public awareness will likely have a profound and lasting impact on the industry. The filtration industry continues to be on the ‘front line’ providing critical personal protective equipment (PPE) and IAQ (indoor air quality) to minimize the spread of the virus, along with advanced filtration solutions for medical equipment and hospitals, and the biopharma production processes used to develop and produce the vaccines at tremendous scale.”

Health And Safety Protocols INDA reports it is committed to providing a safe and healthy environment for all attendees. Precautions, including social distancing, mask wearing, personal hygiene and sanitation, and self-monitoring and self-reporting will be enforced during the event inline with current guidance provided by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control; and any federal, state or Miami Beach health authorities as well as MBCC rules. IDEA and FiltXPO attendees can check the event websites for safety protocols and mask/vaccine requirements.

Change For Future Show Schedules Traditionally, IDEA has occurred on a triennial schedule. However, INDA recently made the announcement that the show will move to a

IDEA®2022

Schedule At A Glance Monday, March 28 Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8:30 a.m. - 9:30 p.m.

Welcome Reception . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.

Tuesday, March 29 Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Conference Session: China, South America. . . . . . . . . . 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Training Sessions: Essentials of Nonwovens Absorbent Hygiene Cores . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Making Nonwovens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.

EXPO Floor Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, March 30 Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Conference Session: Asia & IDEA®22 Achievement Award Announcements . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Training Sessions: Essentials of Nonwovens Industrial Wipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

Consumer Wipes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

EXPO Floor Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, March 31 Registration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Conference Session: North America, Europe . . . . . . . . 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.

Training Sessions: Essentials of Nonwovens Patent Searching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.

EXPO Floor Open . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Information accurate as of TW’s press time

biennial schedule beginning in 2024.

The next show will take place April 23-25, 2024.

After the 2022 collocated event, FiltXPO will return to its 18-month schedule and will next take place October 10-12, 2023, at Navy Pier, Chicago, Ill. “Establishing this new timing for IDEA® and returning FiltXPO™ to its original cycle aligns with our industry’s needs to continue the growth of the nonwovens industry and establish its global leadership and versatility in delivering essential, environmentally-responsible materi-

als and products,” Rousse said. “With a more frequent IDEA® cycle, INDA will be better positioned to overcome business challenges and to support our members at the highest level.”

IDEA cannot wait to host a “real live meeting of the minds” this March in Miami Beach where attendees can see, touch and feel the latest innovations available in the nonwovens and engineered fabrics sector. TW For more information about IDEA® and FiltXPO™ and to register, visit ideashow.org. and filtXPO.com.

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TEXTILE EDUCATION

Students at the East Falls campus of Thomas Jefferson University.

A Textile Education,

Circa 2022

Part one in a two-part feature on textile education focuses on college and university offerings.

By Jim Kaufmann, Contributing Editor

S

ome 20 years ago, Textile World published an article about textile education offerings in the United States (See “Making the Grade,” TW , January 2002) . Ironically, or maybe not, many of the industry specific comments contained in the article remain entirely viable if not prophetic in 2022. Some of the comments included: • “Over the last 20-plus years, the U.S. textile industry has shifted and been altered dramatically, yet the need for qualified, well-educated individuals to assume leadership roles remains constant.”

• “With the growing prevalence of niche markets and specialized products in the U.S. textile industry, colleges and universities are offering more diverse programs in order to meet the needs of the industry and provide more opportunity for graduates.”

• “A lingering question in the minds of many prospective students concerns the wisdom of entering an industry many consider to be declining?” The response? “There will always be a textile industry in the United States! No doubt it has changed over the years and will evolve

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even more in the years to come.

Textile management, marketing, chemistry and engineering skills are vital today. I would heartily encourage anyone considering a textile education to pursue it.

There is still a lot of opportunity out there!”

Words quoted more than 20 years ago, but each still resoundingly rings true in today’s textile arena.

According to David Hinks, dean of the Wilson College of Textiles at North Carolina State University (NC State), Raleigh, N.C.: “Significant changes in the textile industry in the 1980s and ‘90s with a collective move to producing textiles offshore resulted in closing down many textile mills in the U.S. and intensified the shift towards a negative opinion of the textile industry as a whole. This had a direct effect on the elimination of schools of textiles at colleges and universities and a change in programs specific to textiles being merged into materials sciences programs. As other universities moved away from textiles, it created a challenge, but it also created opportunities for NC State.

We did the opposite and doubled down on maintaining the textiles name in our Wilson College of Tex-

tiles, textile programs and in our focus on the textile industry.”

Today, NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles remains the largest school focused on textiles in the United States and offers the most comprehensive program offerings devoted to textiles and the textile industry. According to Dean Hinks, “Before the shift, there was a healthy collaboration between traditional textile schools like Clemson, Georgia Tech, Philadelphia Textile, NC State and others. This had become a little eco-system that raised everyone up through a healthy competition for students and also occasional joint programs.”

Today, some of the other textiles schools mentioned by Dean Hinks are still offering textile programs in one form or another, but like the industry it supports, there have been many changes.

“While textile manufacturing at large was exported out of the U.S., you have to understand that the design, engineering and development functions never left. These functions are still thriving in the U.S. and manufacturing is returning,” noted Mike Leonard, academic dean, School of Design and Engineering in the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce at Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia. Philadelphia University, formerly known as Philadelphia Textile, merged with Jefferson University in 2017, however, textiles continue to be an integral part of its academic offerings. “Yes, textile classes are smaller than decades ago, but they still provide excellent training grounds for addressing today’s textile endeavors that continue to be more complex, involved and engaging,” Dean Leonard said.

Second Verse, Same As The First While not much has changed, seemingly everything has changed in today’s textile industry. As of this writing, the industry is dealing with

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the ongoing global pandemic, labor shortages, supply chain concerns, off shoring and reshoring, sustainability efforts, Industry 4.0 adoption, technological advancements, and a broadly expanding list of unique applications. This is not to mention the never-ending battle to reverse the textile industry’s perpetually dismal and negative image.

“In reality, the textile industry continues to be alive and well, and all that textiles do for us remains incredibly important and ever expanding,” said Dean Leonard.

“Upon becoming Dean, I made everyone promise to ‘stop talking about textiles in the past tense!’ We need to be positive and looking forward. The main thing we can do for textiles, including for our current and prospective students, is be able to describe a future, a real future for the textile industry, not just give up and say it doesn’t exist anymore.”

Dean Hinks offered a similar view: “The prevailing images that the textile industry has left and all that remains are rusted out buildings and hazardous sites or that its merely not exciting or ‘techy’ enough to garner the interest of younger generations is just simply not true. I always enjoy seeing people’s faces when they come to our facilities for a tour and see all that we’re involved in and where our students end up in industry. They had a vision in their mind that predictably isn’t our reality.”

Many in the industry agree that the timing is right for the industry to mount a collective effort to effectively rebrand textiles, which if presented accurately, would only help in attracting new blood to textiles.

“We find many young people seem to have a bad taste for textiles due to the old-world exposure and faded beliefs originating from adults in their lives,” said Jasmine Cox, director of Textile Technology Programs and Business Innovation at Gaston College’s Textile Technology Center, Belmont, N.C. “There really needs to be more exposure through a positive industryled effort to reach out to students and

A student performing microscopic analysis at Gaston College’s Textile Technology Center.

young people in general in order to erase these old perceptions and reintroduce today’s textile industry.”

“We need a collective effort throughout the industry to come together to show today’s amazing world of textiles,” Hinks said. “It’s incumbent on us to educate our society on the whole world of textiles, not just the clothing portion, and how textiles as a whole continue to improve the quality of our lives and livelihood.”

New Blood Individual and collective programs are being developed and put into motion that, to a baseball fan, sound very similar to creating a “farm system” for identifying and growing the textile industry’s talent pool. The Textile Technology Center at Gaston College recently introduced its Textile Academy (See “Breaking New Grounds,” TW November/December 2021) offering a variety of education options in order to “cultivate highly skilled workers of all levels for local textile industry employers.”

“The Textile Academy is a culmination of our efforts to meet the local textile industry’s needs and fill a perceived void based on the feedback received from different textile industry avenues,” Cox offered. “A textile education today really depends on the individual’s interests and goals.

Most universities only offer four-year or higher degreed programs that may not be right for many individuals. It’s great to have university graduates go

into staff positions, but you still need training for workers, technicians, shift managers, and others who may only really need a couple of days to get familiar with textiles. Or perhaps an option for someone just looking to learn more about textiles to get started, who might then entertain a more in-depth program, possibly leading to a four-year program.”

The Textile Academy is a function of the continuing education department at Gaston College. It has established several program offerings akin to attending a trade school, and accredited textiles specific courses that can lead to a two-year associates degree. Gaston College and the Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) recently announced a “bilateral 2+2 articulation agreement” with NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles.

This agreement provides the opportunity for students who graduate from the Textile Technology Degree program with a two-year associates textiles degree — initially in Textile Technology or Textile Management tracks — and who meet eligibility requirements, to possibly transfer those credits into a Bachelor of Science in Textile Technology degree program at NC State. “We’re finding that not everyone is ready for a fouryear college commitment, so we are developing these programs as a way to provide an easier entry into academics through local colleges in the form of training classes, certificate courses and associates degrees,”

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Partial Listing Of U.S. Textile Programs School / University

Department Name

Textile Offerings

Auburn University

Department of Consumer & Design Sciences

Apparel Merchandising, Design & Production Management

Auburn University

College of Engineering

Materials/Polymer & Fiber Engineering

Clemson University

College of Engineering, Computing & Applied Sciences

Materials Science & Engineering

Department of Design & Merchandising

Apparel & Merchandising

Cornell University

College of Human Ecology

Human Centered Design (formerly Fiber Science & Apparel Design)

Drexel University

Westphal College of Media Arts & Design

Fashion Design

School of Art & Design, School of Business and Technology

Fabric & Fashion Design, Textile Development

Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship

Textiles & Apparel Entrepreneurship

Textile Technology Center/Textile Academy

Textiles Training, Internships, Courses & Associates Degrees to be Introduced

College of Engineering

Materials Science & Engineering

Kennesaw State University

College of the Arts

Apparel & Textiles Minor

Louisiana State University

College of Agriculture

Apparel Design, Textile Science, Merchandising

College of Agriculture & Environmetal Sciences

Fashion Merchandising & Design

Wilson College of Textiles

Textiles — Broad Range of Majors Offered

College of Education & Human Ecology

Fashion & Retail Studies

Colorado State University

Fashion Institute of Technology Florida State University Gaston College Georgia Institute of Technology

North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University North Carolina State University Ohio State University Rhode Island School of Design

Textiles & Apparel Design

Savannah College of Art & Design

Fibers (textiles) & Fashion Design

Syracuse University

College of Visual & Performing Arts

Fashion Design & Merchandising

Department of Human Sciences

Apparel Design & Manufacturing

Texas Woman's University

College of Arts & Science

Fashion Design & Merchandising

Thomas Jefferson University

Kanbar College of Design, Engineering & Commerce

Textiles — Broad Range of Majors Offered

University of Alabama

College of Human Environmental Sciences, Department of Clothing, Textiles & Interior Design

Apparel & Textiles

University of Georgia

College of Family & Consumer Services

Textiles, Merchandising, Polymer, Fiber & Textile Sciences

University of Missouri

College of Arts & Science

Textile & Apparel Mangement

University of North Texas

College of Visual Arts

Fashion Design

University of Rhode Island

College of Business

Textiles, Fashion Merchandising & Design, Textiles Marketing

School of Human Ecology

Textiles & Fashion Design

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences

Fashion Merchandising & Design

Texas Tech University

University of Wisconsin-Madison Virginia Tech University (information accurate as of TW’s press time)

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Associates

• • • • •

11:36 PM

Degrees Offered Undergrad Graduate

• •

auburn.edu

• •

• •

clemson.edu

• •

• •

• •

Dean Hinks noted. “Community colleges generally have a high percentage of first-generation attendees and we need to gain and provide access to these individuals. Our intention is to start these partnerships with Gaston and CVCC and learn as we further develop the program. Then there’s no reason not to take a similar approach with other community colleges, continue to grow the program offerings, and subsequently the talent supply.

The industry’s talent pool needs to become more diverse in terms of heritage, income levels, and ethnicity, and this program will indeed help.”

This collective effort is geared towards supporting the rural North Carolina textile industry base where according to Dean Hinks, a recent study indicated that within a threehour drive of Raleigh, one can encounter approximately 50 percent of the U.S. textiles industry. “We really need to put ourselves in a position to supply talent to fill the needs of the textile industry at all levels. Through this program, we can incorporate community college efforts to supply ground level needs as well as potentially feeding those interested into NC State.”

Website

• •

auburn.edu

colostate.edu cornell.edu drexel.edu fitnyc.edu

•

fsu.edu gaston.edu

•

•

gatech.edu kennesaw.edu

• • • • •

•

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•

lsu.edu ncat.edu

•

nscu.edu osu.edu

•

risd.edu

• • • •

•

scad.edu

•

•

Soft Goods Versus Hard Goods Mentality Paul Latten, director of Research and Development at Southeast Nonwovens and a graduate of NC State with a Bachelor of Science degree in Textile Engineering and Science, said: “My textile degree has proven to be useful, valuable and made it easier to relate to both soft and hard goods throughout my career. Soft goods offer a unique value proposition that you need to understand from the onset. For example, how does a polymer and/or fiber behave individually and also in a fabric structure. Then, how does each influence the intended application.

This adds a complexity that isn’t necessarily apparent when dealing with hard goods. In fact, one could argue that it’s easier for someone educated in soft goods to transition into hard goods than vice versa. Soft goods just necessitate a different way of thinking.”

syracuse.edu ttu.edu twu.edu

•

jefferson.edu

ua.edu

• • •

• •

• • •

• • •

uga.edu missoui.edu unt.edu uri.edu wisc.edu vt.edu Table 1

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A senior design team from NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles at work on a project.

Another consideration, often overlooked, is that a textile education tends to be a more effective way to grasp and understand the many layers intrinsic to textile technologies, related terms and nuances specific to the soft goods industry. There is a unique, if subtle, difference in philosophies associated with soft goods compared to that of hard goods such as steel, wood or concrete. According to Dr. Brian George, director of Engineering Programs at Thomas Jefferson University: “We’ve noticed that traditional mechanical engineers transitioning into textiles do tend to have troubles initially. They’re generally amazed by how many variabilities must be considered that factor into textile product decisions. There can be so many different options or paths available to make a textile perform a specific way, which differs greatly from common hard goods perspectives. It’s just a different way of thinking.”

To be clear, having a textile education is not a mandatory requirement for someone to work in the textile industry. All are certainly welcomed and there are countless examples of men and women working throughout the textile industry who did not have a prior formal textile education when hired. Many textile companies historically have simply taken it upon themselves to teach their new hires what it believes they need to know about textiles to do their jobs. However, a textile education does make the indoctrination and assimilation period for new

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hires shorter and more efficient. The 2002 TW education article noted that, “The general estimate is that it takes roughly two years to bring a generic major up to the same use level as an entering textile major at a support cost to the hiring company of approximately $200,000 per year.”

In And Out Of Sorts As the textile industry has shifted and evolved over the past few decades — from an industry focused on traditional textiles to one manufacturing high-performance products using increasingly intelligent machinery — so too has the approach taken by institutions of higher learning in redefining the make-up and options available for education. As mentioned by Dean Hinks, NC State has continued to maintain its focus on textiles while other traditional textile schools have incorporated their textile offerings into materials-, science- or fashionspecific curriculums. However, textiles can still be prevalent in these programs depending on the student’s course of study. “In the 90s and 2000s, we were finding that students and colleagues who had a textile engineering degree were having trouble breaking out of textiles and transitioning to, or being accepted in, other industries because of the potentially negative connotations associated with textiles, especially as engineering tools,” Dr. George said.

“We heard things like ‘what do they

learn about socks or towels that is relevant to our industry?’ So, we reasoned that a more general engineering degree with a concentration in textiles, for example, would allow them to break out into other industries without the textile stigma.”

Along with Jefferson, Auburn University, Clemson University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have transitioned their textile programs into their College of Engineering. For example, Jefferson currently offers a B.S. degree in Engineering with a concentration in Textile Sciences and a B.S. in Textile Product Sciences. Jefferson also offers a Master’s in Textile Technology or a Master’s of Science in Engineering with a textile engineering concentration. And for anyone interested in continuing, Jefferson also offers a doctorate in Textile Engineering and Sciences. Texas Tech University’s textile programs are now part of the Department of Human Sciences.

There are, however, a growing number of colleges and universities that offer a variety of textile- and/or fashion-related programs (see Table 1), and interest in textiles is continuing to grow. “There does seem to be a change in perspectives about textiles as people start learning and seeing more about how textiles can be used,” said Dr. George. “Interest in textiles as an engineering and design medium is certainly growing and we’re finding that there are more jobs than applicants. People with textiles knowledge can essentially pick and choose where they want to go and what industry they want to be a part of. That wasn’t the case 20 years ago.”

Emphasis On Technology “Textiles are definitely complex; and delightfully so,” advised Dean Leonard. “Because of this inherent complexity, we have altered our course offerings to be more inclusive in nature. We want our designers better versed in the technical details of textiles; and conversely, we want our technology and engineering students to be more aware of the design aspects of textiles to better under-

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stand the edges of each discipline.” A bigger emphasis on technology across the board helps instill this sentiment at most all universities.

Design technologies and patterning software continue to become more complex for both knitting and weaving machines as the designs and applications also become more complicated in fashioning, and 3D knitting and jacquard weaving.

Priya Jyotishi, a graduate of Drexel University with a Masters in Science, Fashion Design and Research, who now works as a textile technologist for Propel LLC, Pawtucket, R.I., actually sought out the technical component when evaluating her school and program options. “The design execution is becoming more technical in nature,” Jyotishi said. “So, having that exposure from my classwork and labs has been very helpful in my current work.”

This technical growth is complicated by the fact that there isn’t a consistency to the design programs or interfaces used by different machine manufacturers. Programs can literally change from year-toyear and even model-to-model. A ground level exposure in school to machine design program fundamentals has proven to be very helpful to designers and engineers alike.

Collaboration Is Key Collaboration is also a common term used at the universities. “We teach collaboratively at Jefferson,” Dean Leonard said (See “A Study In Collaboration, TW, September/October 2020) . “Departments collaborate with other departments. Students collaborate with each other and with our professors. And in all aspects, we engage our alumni and continue to build our collaboration efforts with the textile industry. Our goal is to create a hybrid student through collaboration. This allows them to address problem solving effectively from all sides and make them more grounded in what they do. You really can’t design or engineer things from only one perspective each time.”

Dean Mike Leonard (third from left, wearing tie), academic dean, School of Design and Engineering, Thomas Jefferson University, sitting in with students during a presentation.

At Gaston College’s Textile Academy, a similar theme rings true.

“We’re hoping to rebuild the bridge between industry, both locally and nationally, and education through our collaboration efforts,” Cox said.

“The textile industry in the U.S. continues to grow and change and we need to be able to support it throughout all levels.”

As the textile industry becomes more global in scope and nature, many of the universities also are extending their collaboration efforts globally by offering, projects with colleges and universities outside of the United States, international internships, and study abroad options. In most cases, these opportunities are geared specifically to the student’s interests.

Not to be outdone, NC State — with close to 1,000 students enrolled in undergraduate- and graduaterelated programs as of Fall 2021, and countless numbers of alumni — is focusing its collaboration efforts on an even grander scale. “Taking a much broader world view helps our students to become more confident, more worldly and better prepared for what awaits them after their graduation,” Dean Hinks said. “We want to support the entire student, not just a part of them.” As a result, at NC State there has been an increase in study abroad options along with a heightened awareness of intern programs offered through local and international textile companies. To carry these efforts even further, the Wilson College of Textiles is prepar-

ing to launch “Wilson for Life,” a new directive intended to foster a lifelong relationship with the school.

“We want earning that degree to be a mile marker and the beginning of a lifelong relationship that supports our graduates throughout the twists and turns of their career journey,” Dean Hinks said. “This program will include lifelong career support, increased community engagement and relationship building opportunities, and augment what has been done in the past only in a more formal manner. The cost of a four-year degree keeps increasing, and we need to demonstrate the real value of that degree is not just those four years, but much more.”

The Value Of A Textile Education Textiles continues to offer a more unique value proposition, which really matters in today’s world. Today’s textile industry for a new hires can include most anything from polymer composition and additive chemistry to manufacturing, fashion, industrial and technical fabrics, or fiber reinforced composites. Given this and the fact that student placement rates are almost 100 percent, it’s fair to say a textile education can be an e-ticket ride to a rather interesting career and a wealth of opportunities! TW Editor’s Note: Part two of this feature, to be published in an upcoming issue of Textile World, will look at continuing education and training courses offered by the industry’s various associations.

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SUPPLY CHAIN

The Georgia Ports Authority achieved a record level of container trade in Calendar Year 2021, handling more than 5.6 million twenty-foot equivalent container units of cargo.

Supply Chain Challenges T he term “supply chain” swiftly entered common usage as the covid pandemic took hold in early 2020. For most consumers, the term and what it refers to was typically of no concern. Consumers relied on retailers and service providers to fulfill their daily demands at a moment’s notice.

There was little need to know or understand the breadth of connections in global trade that put food on the table or packages under the Christmas tree.

In general, consumers rarely experience scarcity and empty store shelves — perhaps only in the runup to a predicted storm that leaves supermarkets devoid of bread and milk, and home improvement stores out of plywood and sandbags. But consumers always had the confidence that once the storm cleared, abundance would be restored.

As the pandemic took hold with no reliable information regarding the depth or duration of the impending

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The Covid-19 pandemic tests the integrated nature of today’s global economy and exposes the fragility of its interdependence.

TW Special Report

crisis, this experience with scarcity would be put to the test.

Trying To Forecast The Un-Forecastable Good economic forecasts require stability in data. When data is lacking, and shifts and changes create uncertainty, it is impossible to make accurate forecasts — a fact that became evident as the Covid-19 pandemic unfolded.

Textile World magazine has posted more than 470 Covid-19-related news releases on its website since the pandemic took hold. The first post related

to personal protective equipment (PPE). At that stage, the real effects of the disease were still relatively unknown, and no-one knew how important PPE was to become. The first such website posting, on February 3, 2020, was titled “Berry Global Increases Production To Aid In Coronavirus Protection.” The company, a major nonwovens manufacturer, acknowledged the importance of nonwovens “used in face masks, N95 respirators, and protective apparel, all of which have recently been in high demand in the plan to prevent the spread of not only the coronavirus, but also other communicable diseases.”

As the global economy began shutting down in early 2020, “nonessential” workers were furloughed or let go as factories around the world closed. “February is historically a slow month for imports because of Lunar New Year and the lull between retailers’ holiday season and summer, but this is an unusual situation,” said NRF Vice President for

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Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold in the National Retail Federation (NRF) Global Port Tracker press release in early February 2020. “Many Chinese factories have already stayed closed longer than usual, and we don’t know how soon they will reopen. U.S. retailers were already beginning to shift some sourcing to other countries because of the trade war, but if shutdowns continue, we could see an impact on supply chains,” the report continued.

“Projecting container volume for the next year has become even more challenging with the outbreak of the coronavirus in China and its spread,” Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett reported in the same NRF press release. “It’s questionable how soon manufacturing will return to normal, and following the extension of the Lunar New Year break all eyes are on what further decisions China will make to control the outbreak.”

The NRF Global Port Tracker report was correct, uncertainty was the state of mind. Unfortunately, this led to several assumptions which, although reasonable at the time, in hindsight would set the stage for supply chain challenges. The general consensus was that if workers aren’t working, consumers have less money to spend and demand for goods in general would fall. In addition, lower levels of manufacturing would lead to less shipping and trade. But, in fact, demand shifted from services to goods, and rather than falling, created unexpected demand in the marketplace.

Hygiene, and Specialties Division.

On February 25, 2020, National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas issued an announcement on the industry’s response to the coronavirus crisis stating: “The coronavirus has impacted Asian textile and apparel manufacturing productivity and output, and our concerns lie with the affected companies and workers during this terrible crisis.

“The U.S. textile industry continues to be ready, able, and willing to help in any way possible. Our industries have been in touch with U.S. government officials to help identify key U.S. textile suppliers to provide surgical masks and other items to help contain the spread of the coronavirus. In addition, several companies have donated much-needed medical textile supplies and other sanitary items to help address this outbreak.”

In March 2020, the NRF’s Global Port Tracker reported, “There are still a lot of unknowns to fully determine the impact of the coronavirus on the supply chain,” Gold said. “As factories in China continue to come back online, products are now flowing again. But there are still issues affecting cargo movement, including the availability of truck drivers to move cargo to Chinese ports. Retailers are

working with both their suppliers and transportation providers to find paths forward to minimize disruption.”

“Now that we are in the coronavirus environment, uncertainty has expanded exponentially,” Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said in the NRF March 2020 report. “Our projections are based on the optimistic view that by the end of March or early April some sort of normalcy will have returned to trade.”

And soon, as shipments of PPE vital to combating Covid-19 spread globally — from China to Africa, and China to the United States — long established shipping routes and divergent demand would disrupt the flow of shipping containers and a shortage of containers would ensue.

Soon those disruptions would log jam U.S. ports and create shortages of trucks, truck trailers, drivers, warehouse space and more.

Domestic PPE By early April of 2020, the U.S. textile industry had quickly organized a manufacturing response to demand for PPE. “Coordinating with local hospitals, healthcare organizations, the entire U.S. production chain and federal agencies, the textile industry has been at the forefront of the incredible manufacturing effort, contributing to

U.S. Textiles Responds To The Shift Berry Global’s early warning about the need for PPE in early February 2020, was a sign of things to come.

The company’s factories in Nanhai, China, and Suzhou, China, were prioritizing the production of nonwoven healthcare products where “… dedicated teams are working around the clock to manufacture as much of these materials as possible to help prevent the spread of the virus,” said Curt Begle, president of Berry’s Health,

The container ship CMA CGM Marco Polo is loaded and unloaded at the Georgia Ports Authority's Port of Savannah Garden City Terminal, Savannah, Ga. (GPA Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

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U.S. Export Markets Total Textile Mill Products (thousands $) Year Western Hemisphere

2017 $1,1806,250

US, Mexico, Canada CAFTA-DR

$8,488,574 $2,602,280

2018

2019

2020

2019 vs 2020

$12,205,172 $8,772,471 $2,737,558

$11,840,331 $8,319,194 $2,859,558

$9,990,695 $7,496,885 $1,958,275

-15.62% -9.88% -31.52% Figure 1

Total Textile Mill Products (thousands $) YTD Western Hemisphere US, Mexico, Canada CAFTA-DR

November 2020 $9,118,055 $6,837,811 $1,792,151

November 2021 $10,718,027 $7,741,290 $2,389,245

Figure 2

Source: The Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA)

the country’s rapid response to the rising needs of frontline workers,” said NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas in a press release. “This industry has taken the lead in this effort, utilizing American manufacturing facilities and workers, despite facing many challenges in this environment,” Glas continued. “Our industry will continue to do all they can to serve the American people, frontline hospital workers and patients at this time.”

A broad coalition came together with companies like Parkdale Mills and Beverly Knits organizing a team of more than 25 companies employing some 4,000 American textile and apparel workers, to manufacture personal protective masks.

Shift In Demand And Working From Home Early demand assumptions quickly backfired as consumers shifted demand from service industries to manufactured goods. Parents faced school closings and distance learning for their children. Trade shows, annual meetings and the like looked for virtual solutions. Business that could, quickly adjusted to work from home policies using virtual meeting solutions. But other businesses struggled and some closed. In

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% Increase 17.55% 13.21% 33.32%

addition, many workers, though severely challenged, received government assistance and pumped money into the economy.

Not understanding the duration of the pandemic, retailers didn’t know how best to respond. On March 19, 2020, a Bed, Bath and Beyond press release said the company would: “… temporarily close more than 50 percent of its stores across all its banners, within the United States and Canada, to help reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).” The closures affected the majority of its core Bed Bath & Beyond retail stores. Soon, other retailers followed suit as they attempted to manage the situation.

As retail stores closed, consumers shifted purchasing to online shopping. Delivery businesses sprung into action, often the only way restaurants could stay afloat. And virtual solutions took hold.

Port Bottlenecks Shanghai’s problems were soon U.S. port’s problems. Goods of all stripes stacked up in California’s San Pedro Bay Ports Complex, which consists of the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. The ports were bottlenecked with sometimes 80, or close to 100, ships anchored outside

the bay standing ready to deliver.

Lack of trucks, trailers and drivers intensified the shipping jam. Christmas jitters put even more pressure on the stressed supply chain leading consumers to shop early. By the leadup to Christmas 2021, trans-pacific shipments had risen 30 percent, the container shortage worsened, and the cost to ship from Shanghai to Los Angeles increased to nearly $20,000 from $2,000 in just 18 months.

In December 2021, the Port of Savannah in Georgia marked 16 consecutive months of record growth.

The Georgia Port Authority’s (GPA’s) response to the crisis was growth.

“Infrastructure projects at the Port of Savannah will add 400,000 twentyfoot equivalent units (TEU’s) of annual capacity before January, and 1.6 million TEUs by June,” GPA reported. “The GPA handled nearly half a million TEUs in November.

GPA is also expediting the completion of its Berth 1 expansion which will add 1 million TEUs of new berth capacity and eight ship-to-shore cranes at its docks. The project is now 30 percent complete and will come online at the end of Q2, 2023.”

GPA also noted that container storage was a major issue, stating: “Off-terminal, GPA has activated

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four flexible “pop-up” container yards near manufacturing and distribution centers. The sites in Atlanta, Savannah, Statesboro, and Murray County in Northwest Georgia bring cargo closer to customers and reduce the length of container storage time at the Port of Savannah. The GPA is also arranging additional sites, which will bring the total annual capacity for the off-port locations to 500,000 TEUs.” Improvements in port congestion, even with growth, was achieved with The Journal of Commerce reporting in early January of 2022, “The number of vessels anchored outside Savannah has fallen to fewer than five, a significant improvement from September when the number was as high as 30.”

U.S. Textile Exports A look at textile exports to major trading regions illustrates the pandemic’s impact on the flow of goods.

With data captured by The Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA), Washington, the group “Textile Mill Products” is a strong proxy for a broad swath of U.S. textile manufacturing that, in general, captures textile products that come from the transformation of basic fiber into

products, such as yarn or fabrics, that are further manufactured into functional items like apparel, sheets, towels, and bags for individual or industrial use.

For year ending November 2021, a full 70.6 percent of U.S. exports of Textile Mill Products went to the Western Hemisphere, 51.2 percent went to USMCA member countries — Mexico and Canada — and 15.6 percent went to CAFTA-DR member countries — Central America and the Dominican Republic.

As illustrated in Figure 1, U.S. exports of Textile Mill Products to the Western Hemisphere declined 15.6 percent in 2020 from shipments recorded for 2019, a decline of 9.9 percent was exported to USMCA and there was a whopping 31.5-percent decline to CAFTA-DR members.

However, year-to-date November 2020 shipments compared to yearto-date November 2021 show a significant rebound. As illustrated in Figure 2, U.S. exports of Textile Mill Products to the Western Hemisphere increased 17.6 percent in 2021 from shipments recorded for 2020, an increase of 13.2 percent was exported to USMCA and there was an increase of 33.3 percent in shipments to CAFTA-DR members.

U.S. Textile Yarn Exports Yarn exports are very important to the U.S. textile industry and benefit trading partners who utilize the “Yarn Forward Rule” — the basis of many U.S. trade agreements.

A similar pattern of recovery is illustrated as displayed with mill products, and the November yearto-date data points to a positive 2021 outcome.

For year ending November 2021, a full 64.9 percent of U.S. exports of textile yarn went to the Western Hemisphere, 19.0 percent went to USMCA members, and 41.8 percent went to CAFTA-DR members.

As illustrated in Figure 3, U.S. exports of textile yarn to the Western Hemisphere declined 31.0 percent in 2020 from shipments recorded for 2019, a decline of 22.9 percent was reported to the USMCA region, and there was a sharp 35.71-percent decline in shipments to CAFTA-DR members. But again, year-to-date November 2020 shipments compared to year-to-date November 2021 show a significant rebound. As illustrated in Figure 4, U.S. exports of textile yarn to the Western Hemisphere increased 37.0 percent in 2021 from shipments recorded for 2020, an increase of 20.1 percent was exported

U.S. Export Markets Total Yarn (thousands $) Year Western Hemisphere

2017 $2,674,044

US, Mexico, Canada CAFTA-DR

$907,880 $1,602,506

2018

2019

2020

2019 vs 2020

$2,833,699 $983,494 $1,683,646

$2,716,088 $802,522 $1,742,438

$1,873,303 $618,970 $1,120,242

-31.03% -22.87% -35.71% Figure 3

Total Yarn (thousands $) YTD Western Hemisphere US, Mexico, Canada CAFTA-DR Source: The Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA)

November 2020 $1,707,598 $569,502 $1,016,870

November 2021 $2,339,817 $683,708 $1,508,904

% Increase 37.02% 20.05% 48.39% Figure 4

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the seamless movement of cargo through the supply chain.

Relief On The Horizon

Infrastructure projects at the Port of Savannah are set to add 2 million twenty-foot equivalent units of annual capacity. (GPA Photo/Stephen B. Morton)

to USMCA and there was a strong recovery of 48.4 percent to CAFTADR countries.

This is good news for the textile supply chain, but 2022 is still throwing head winds with rising commodity prices, fuel and energy costs trending higher and spotty delivery of components used in basic textile formulations.

•

Supply Chain Relief Ideas In November of 2021, an open letter to President Biden undersigned by a broad coalition of associations, representing agriculture, food service, trucking, warehousing, manufacturing, retail, construction, energy, and other key supply chain participants was issued. The extensive list of undersigned organizations included: the American Apparel & Footwear Association; American Chemistry Council; National Cotton Council; and National Retail Federation, to name just a few.

The letter outlined a plan regarding five immediate supply chain solutions, summarized from original letter following: • Younger Driver Pilot Program: A pilot program that will enable employers to create a two-stage, safety-focused apprenticeship program to allow younger, qualified drivers — between the ages of 18 and 20 — who satisfy rigorous safety, training, and technology

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•

•

•

requirements to operate in interstate commerce.

Promotion of Careers in Transportation and the Supply Chain: Encourage federal agencies, including the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Labor, to collaborate with industry and state and local partners to promote transportation and supply chain occupations, particularly commercial truck driving, as a career of choice.

Flexibility in Vaccine Mandates: The organizations asked for flexibility for transportation and supply chain essential workers, particularly truck drivers who spend most of their time in their trucks and have minimal contact with colleagues and customers Hours of Service Relief: Continue to support last year’s changes to the hours of service regulations that give commercial truck drivers greater flexibility while improving safety and efficiency. The Biden administration was encouraged to not only retain the changes, but also provide additional flexibilities.

Flow of Goods through Ports: Continue to investigate the causes of inefficiencies at the nation’s ports, draw input from a wide variety of supply chain stakeholders, and work collaboratively to minimize the bottlenecks and operational practices that prevent

This year, 2022, is an unprecedented time in a world that has been bound together with global trade and integrated economies, while facing new geopolitical challenges and varying political structures — be it China, Russia, Central and South America, Europe or the United States.

Unfortunately, “supply chain challenges” are just part of the issues facing businesses and consumers today, but the term is on the brink of becoming a catchall phrase that includes all of the problems in today’s economy.

Business and consumers discovered that computer chips are in everything, and that a shortage could lead to a delay in buying a new truck — if one could be found. A supply chain issue? Maybe, but investment in additional microchip plants and equipment may help.

Consumers learned that shortages of commodity products like toilet paper could produce empty shelves for fairly long periods of time, a problem further impacted by some buyers hoarding more than they needed.

Consumers learned that food supply chains could by hit by multiple issues driving food prices ever higher. When fertilizer prices rise, feed crop prices rise, beef prices rise, labor shortages cause an increase in processing costs, and transportation — fuel and labor — costs rise, how can the cost of a hamburger not go through the roof?

Supply chain challenges are real, and some issues will be worked through more quickly than others.

The year 2022 presents a real time of reawakening and rebuilding the economy. A new look at labor and the nature of work. A new look at sourcing and locating supply chains. A new look at sustainable manufacturing for other reasons than being green.

The U.S. has a robust, innovative and creative economy — supply chain solutions are on the horizon. TW

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Fiber World BFT To Acquire Lumberton Cellulose Bast Fibre Technologies Inc. (BFT), Victoria, British Columbia, has entered into an agreement with GeorgiaPacific Cellulose LLC to acquire Lumberton Cellulose, a Lumberton, N.C.-based processor of natural fibers.

“Acquiring this state-of-the-art natural fiber processing facility and integrating the great team at Lumberton enables BFT to immediately establish North American manufacturing operations to meet the rapidly growing demand for our sustainable natural fibers,”said BFT CEO and Chairman Noel Hall.

“This acquisition is a key strategic milestone in our mission to build out significant manufacturing capacity while supporting the vast potential of North American grown hemp and flax”, added BFT President Jim Posa.

TENCEL™ Turns 30

New HQ For Natureworks

This year, TENCEL™, the flagship fiber of Austria-based Lenzing AG, is celebrating its 30th anniversary.

To mark the occasion, the company has planned a series of brand, employee and consumer activities beginning in February.

“Since its launch 30 years ago, TENCEL has always been envisioned as a solution provider for the textile industry,”said Robert van de Kerkhof, member of Lenzing’s managing.

“Aligning with the industry-wide shift towards deeper levels of sustainability and transparency, in 2018, the brand evolved from a behind-thescenes contributor to a front-facing player. …We are thrilled to reach this milestone and are looking forward to driving continuous innovation and building stronger partnerships over the next 30 years and beyond.”

Natureworks LLC, Minnetonka, Minn., has opened a new headquarters and advanced biopolymer research facility in Plymouth, Mass.

The new facility supports research into its Ingeo™ biopolymer including next generation fermentation technology and new applications for a full circular life cycle. The research and development capabilities also will support the company’s planned Ingeo manufacturing complex in Thailand.

“In the face of these challenging times, we’ve designed a space that will enable research, invention, and collaboration between us, our partners, and the market, no matter where we are located in the world,” said Rich Altice, president & CEO of NatureWorks. TW

Nonwovens/Technical Textiles Herrmann Ultrasonics Expands Nonwovens Lab Herrmann Ultrasonics, Bartlett, Ill., has expanded its nonwovens laboratory at its headquarters to increase its global presence and support the growing North American market with application testing and customer support. The investment includes a ULC 600+ Ultrasonic Lab Calendar, among other technologies.

“Flexible and very thin materials, like 9 gsm, can be better controlled by means of a new web tensioning and control system,”said Uwe Peregi, president of Herrmann Ultrasonics.

“With our brand-new quick exchange system for the ultrasonic stations, we can experiment with different ultrasonic technologies — static or rotating — in one single day. As a

result, our customers will save time and money.”

The equipment is scheduled for start up in the second quarter of 2022.

ANDRITZ Reports Sales

Essity Acquires Legacy Converting

Austria-based ANDRITZ recently reported sales.

Portugal-based Sasia, a textile recycling company engaged in reducing textile waste, took delivery of its fourth tearing line — including a seven-cylinder Jumbo tearing machine and the latest Andritz Laroche technology for fiber opening.

Andritz also received an order from the converting/wipes manufacturing partners Switzerland-based Laboratoire Naturel and Russia-based ZetTechnology group of companies — for their first neXline spunlace line.

Philadelphia-based health and hygiene company Essity has acquired Legacy Converting Inc., a producer of roll and folded wipes in a variety of formats based in New Jersey.

Legacy Converting produces disinfecting and wipe products under the Environmental Protection Agency-regulated Everwipe™ brand.

“The acquisition of Legacy Converting Inc. strengthens our wiping and cleaning product expertise and offering and is a step in our expansion of this product area,”said Don Lewis, president, Professional Hygiene, Essity. TW

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NONWOVENS/ TECHNICAL TEXTILES

Full configuration of the Monforts and KMA Umwelttechnik line.

MonforClean Brings Big Savings For Albarrie

W

ith the new three-chamber Montex tenter at its plant in Barrie, Ontario-based Albarrie Canada Ltd. is treating specialized needlepunched nonwovens up to 4 millimeters thick. These nonwovens have applications in a wide range of filter media and performance fabrics.

The new tenter enables Albarrie to heat set and dry its materials to produce denser, higher quality fabrics which can also be finished and delivered to customers more rapidly.

Across Time Zones It took a crew of skilled millwrights, electricians and product specialists to build the line which was delivered in 11 shipping containers to Albarrie’s production facility. The line was originally scheduled to be fully operational in the Spring of 2020, but the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic inevitably led to several delays during the start-up and commissioning process.

“Through the challenges of the pandemic, Albarrie staff worked remotely across time zones with Monforts technologists and product

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Albarrie – a major player in North America’s industrial nonwovens industry – is now benefiting from one of the first Monforts Montex tenter installations equipped with the full range of MonforClean heat recovery and exhaust air purification technologies.

tomers to bring more manufacturing back to North America, which is definitely a benefit to us,” said PSP Vice President Alex Franco. “And the trend to smaller lot sizes and speedto-market is something at which the latest Monforts’ technologies excel.”

Energy Savings The Albarrie Montex line’s MonforClean capabilities include an air-to-air cross flow heat exchanger and an electrostatic precipitator pro-

TW Special Report

specialists to access and configure the machine and run it through a rigorous testing schedule prior to launch,” said Kevin Horner, Albarrie’s director of Operations.

Assistance closer to home also came from PSP Marketing, which represents Monforts in North America from its base in Charlotte, N.C. PSP reports that there currently is a push for the replacement of tenter frames in the United States. “There’s a move by a number of our cus-

The Albarrie team by the new machine at the company’s plant in Barrie, Ontario.

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viding the ability to purify the exhaust air and to recover energy to a maximum of 22,500 cubic meters of air per hour, resulting in a radical reduction in the conventional heat supply required.

The MonforClean was developed in cooperation with Germany-based partner KMA Umwelttechnik.

The fully automated system is powered by a Siemens SPS S7 controller and KP 700 touch panel from which the recycled energy can be continuously monitored and savings calculated.

“The further integration of a washing system that automatically cleans the heat recovery and the exhaust air filter is a serious benefit to U.S. manufacturers because the labor costs for the normally manual cleaning work is so high,” Franco said.

“This is an exciting time here at Albarrie and this new Montex tenter will ultimately open new doors for our business,” Horner noted. “We have noticed significant improvements in many areas compared to our old unit, such as the cleaning access and the ability to easily clean, which reduces down-time, while the efficient burners and exhaust system allow quicker start up and cool down periods. In addition, more controllable features allow for increased quality control and the air filtration system reduces smoke and pollutants, keeping pollutant-free air in our neighborhood.”

The three-chamber Montex tenter is fitted with the latest Monforts Qualitex 800 PLC control system with WebUI, providing ease of operation, a full operating cost overview and maintenance monitoring.

“The new tenter has been very easy to learn for the operators,” Horner said. “It is easy to monitor, and the controls are simple and easy to understand. While reviewing the requirements for the new machine, energy savings were part of our OEM score card. Energy costs are rising, and with carbon taxes being implemented, having our tenter use natural gas will result in energy savings. We are still early in the process of review-

Finished roll coming off the line at Albarrie.

The line’s MonforClean capabilities include an air-to-air cross flow heat exchanger and an electrostatic precipitator.

ing the consumption data from the new unit compared to the older unit, but currently, the early data indicate that we are consuming on average the same amount of energy, but achieving 1.5 times the amount of BTUs per hour for the same consumption. Most importantly, all of

our products run without problems.”

“This was a big investment for Albarrie, but it was an investment for the future, one that will ensure we have the capability to remain competitive in the fabricated textile market for years to come,” added Albarrie’s Executive Director Margaret Driscoll. TW

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QUALITY CONTROL

James Heal’s TruRain tester uses an artificial rain shower to determine water repellency.

The Resurgence Of Water Repellency Testing Water repellency testing helps retailers and manufacturers meet and exceed consumer’s comfort and performance expectations in outdoor apparel.

By Paul Montalto

I

n 2019, the waterproof, breathable textiles market was valued at $1.7 billion, according to a Market Analysis report. The report further estimates a compound annual growth rate of 6.6 percent over the following six years for that particular market.

This trend is driven by a growing awareness of the health benefits of sports and the increased necessity to exercise outdoors. Within this space, water repellent garments have become key performers.

Water repellency describes water beading on the surface of a textile where the water resists penetrating the fabric. This property often is achieved by combining membranes or coatings with tightly woven fabrics. The benefit of water repellent garments is their breathability. The fabric remains porous making it permeable to air and water vapor, which makes them more comfortable for the wearer. Ultimately, a water repellent garment should offer comfortable protection from intermittent rain.

Why Is Water Repellency Important?

Water repellency is important largely because a change in consumer behavior makes it so.

There has been an increased interest in athleisure for many years now.

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The sportswear industry has influenced mainstream fashion, and innovations in technology have led to improvements in functionality.

For outdoor wear in particular, the onset of a global pandemic increased demand even further. With the longterm closure of gyms, swimming pools and exercise classes, more and more people headed outdoors to exercise. In addition, more people are holidaying in their home country, which for many, means swapping swimwear and shorts for raincoats and walking trousers. With this increase in demand comes more rigorous performance testing to ensure the garments perform as they should when exposed to the elements.

It is also becoming more common to select accessories such as backpacks for their water repellent or waterproof qualities. Another consideration for brands and manufacturers can often involve more feature specific testing to establish, for example, what role seams, zips and pockets play.

Consumers expect comfort from their garments. Comfort is influenced by fit factors as well as fabric properties such as stretch and recovery, and thermal and moisture management properties. But for outdoor wear in particular, comfort is about finding a balance between keeping water out and letting sweat escape.

Risks Involved In Getting The Breathability Of Water Repellent Fabrics Wrong Safety is arguably the most important feature that users expect from their performance garments. There are risks involved with getting the breathability of water repellent fabrics wrong, mainly that they can trap sweat and cause the wearer to overheat. This might not seem like an issue for a quick walk around the park, but for wearers on long hikes this could cause serious health risks.

To understand the testing that must be performed, it is important to understand the make-up of a garment, and the role that layers play.

In sportswear, and especially outdoor wear, a three-layer clothing system is often advocated, with each layer in the system performing a different function that complements the whole for maximum comfort.

A layering system typically includes: • A base layer; • A mid layer; and • An outer protective shell layer.

An effective outer layer should have a high level of water resistance as well as a high level of water vapor permeability, or breathability. How this layer is constructed plays a significant part in this permeability.

This is where the challenge for the outer James Heal’s TruRain water repellency tester.

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layer comes in — creating a fabric that provides good water resistance is relatively simple, but doing so while maintaining breathability is a more complex process because the two properties have an inverse relationship in typical textiles.

A thorough testing regime can prove the balance between these properties have been met.

Testing Water Repellency Water repellency is tested by spray methods, using instruments such as the Bundesmann or Spray Rate Tester, where water is run over the surface of the fabric and the repellency is visually graded.

For the Bundesmann method, in particular testing to ISO 9865, the test instrument generates artificial rainfall to simulate the real life conditions the end garment will be used in. Here, three aspects of water repellency are measured: • Surface water repellency is visually assessed; • Resistance to water absorption is evaluated by weighing the specimen; and • Resistance to water penetration is determined by collecting water that has passed through the sample.

As with any testing, there are certain parts of the process to look out for, which can have an impact on the results.

Pro tips for testing include: • Clamping the fabric correctly to avoid variance in results; • Timing is everything – be ready to assess as soon as the test finishes; • Condition the samples in accordance to the standard; • Water temperature is important and should be recorded; and • The Bundesmann must be run for 15 minutes prior to testing to guarantee water flow is consistent.

Sustainability Traditionally, the Bundesmann test requires a lot of water, which can be an issue for apparel brands and manufacturers who are tackling sustainability issues.

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James Heals’ Spray Tester also may be used to test water repellency.

The UN Partnership on Sustainable Fashion found that fashion is responsible for nearly 20 percent of the world's wastewater, and 10 percent of global carbon emissions, so there is a lot of pressure to be cleaner, more efficient and ultimately sustainable. Although testing plays a small part in the process, there are significant savings to be made in water usage during testing.

James Heal recently conducted a small research project into the efficacy of water recirculation on its Bundesmann testing instrument.

A typical Bundesmann water repellency tester that runs for eight hours per day, five days per week, is consuming 3,360 liters of water. It is plumbed into the mains and drained directly after a single fall onto the specimen. Recirculating the water would reduce usage, but we had to establish there would be no detrimental effects to testing when doing this.

Concerns included: • If the fabric sheds when being washed — and man-made fabrics in particular shed a lot of microplastics — would this shedded material stay in the water and impact the next round of testing?

• Would the shedded material stick to the next specimen being tested and give a false impression of water repellency for a garment that would then fail when worn?

James Heal conducted significant testing, both in-house and using an

external laboratory, to verify that the results would be accurate regardless.

The test results concluded that there was consistency from start to end, and by confirming this, the company was able to calculate the savings its recirculation unit could offer, including: • An eight-hour working day’s use of the James Heal TruRain Bundesmann recirculation system sees 83 percent total cost savings in energy consumption and total running costs.

• There is less waste: 99-percent less water is used during testing alone — 150 tests a week equates to a drop in water consumption from 2,100 liters to just 23 liters.

• Additionally, it is accurate, safe and reliable: Through the use of an effective Water Safety Plan, health and safety can be maintained.

James Heal also found that by using the recirculation unit, it was much easier to maintain the temperature of the water. The percentage of water absorbed by fabrics can increase as the temperature increases, so it is important to control temperature for consistency in results.

Proving Water Repellency With an increase in demand for water repellent clothing, and the subsequent increase in the popularity of Bundesmann testing, understanding and implementing repeatable testing is crucial to substantiate any claims made about a garment. The challenge for retailers and manufacturers is to meet and exceed consumer’s expectations for comfort and performance, and water repellency is one part of the puzzle for achieving this. TW Editor’s Note: Paul Montalto is a Technical Knowledge manager for the Physical Properties Testers (PPT) Group, an England-based family of brands — James Heal, Mecmesin and Alluris — that design and produce solutions for testing a wide range of physical properties including compression, light fastness, moisture, dry rate, water repellency, abrasion, flammability, and tensile and torque properties.

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understanding the characteristics of the cellulosic fiber, the technologists targeted their process approach and shared their intermediate learnings.

New Fiber, New Blends

Eco-Conscious Cellulosic Fiber Yarn Realized With Rieter Expertise

Eastman Chemical engaged Rieter when it wanted to extend its Naia™ cellulosic product into staple fiber yarns.

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lobal specialty chemicals company Eastman Chemical Co., Kingsport, Tenn., turned to Switzerland-based Rieter regarding a process consultancy for its new staple fiber. The cellulosic fiber Naia™ already existed as a filament yarn and can now be utilized for a wider range of textile applications. Eastman and Rieter worked together to find the right blends and yarn counts for the Naia staple fiber to increase its market penetration, while giving fashion brands a truly sustainable choice.

Eastman turned to Rieter for help in developing a new staple fiber, made from cellulosic acetate. To increase market penetration, and bring the Naia fiber to more textile applications, Eastman decided to also offer it in the form of a staple fiber as well as a filament yarn.

This is where Rieter came into play. Rieter has broad experience across all spinning systems and in processing all types of staple fibers from bale to yarn. The company’s expertise also extends to processing

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and testing further applications of the yarns in the downstream process.

The eco-conscious blends created with the Eastman Naia staple fiber are supremely soft and dry quickly.

Naia consistently reduces pilling, giving designers more freedom and choice. The fiber is produced using wood pulp and sourced from sustainably managed pine and eucalyptus forests. It is produced in a safe, closed-loop process where solvents are recycled back into the system for reuse and without the use of hazardous chemicals. The manufacturing process has a low tree-to-fiber carbon and water footprint. This, combined with biodegradable certification, results in a sustainable material that is perfect for T-shirts, comfort wear, jumpsuits, sweaters and dresses, and delivers a truly sustainable option to fashion brands globally.

First Trials With Naia — Understanding The Fiber The cellulosic fiber used in Rieter’s first trials brought to light some challenges. By more deeply studying and

The second set of trials showed more promise. Building on the initial trial results, Eastman went back to its laboratories and further developed the Naia staple fiber, improving the fiber’s processability. A noteworthy improvement in the carding process resulted in a high-quality sliver.

Rieter’s textile technologists continued to process the different blends with polyester, modal and lyocell fibers. This included winding cones, spun conventional ring yarn and compact-twin yarn made from each blend in Rieter’s spin center at the company’s headquarters in Winterthur, Switzerland. It spun single ring yarns in Ne 30 and Ne 40 counts, and compact-twin yarns in Ne 40 and Ne 60 counts. Running performance throughout fiber opening and carding was smooth. The Naia staple fiber performed well on the draw frames, and sliver was produced with acceptable uniformity. All blends could be processed with normal production speed.

Process Recommendations For Eastman After all the tests and trials, the Rieter textile technologists gained a good understanding of what is possible with the Naia fiber. Learnings from the trials were shared with Eastman for further evaluation and testing. In addition, Rieter trained the Eastman team, including technical sales, on the process recommendations, machine settings and blend ratios to spin the best version of the fiber. The Naia staple fiber was launched into the market in February 2020. Leading global fashion retailer H&M was first to market with its Conscious Exclusive Autumn/Winter 2020 collection made with Eastman Naia Renew cellulosic fiber. TW

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Dyeing,Printing & Finishing Alchemie Establishes Taiwan Showroom England-based Alchemie Technology reports it has shipped one of its Endeavour™ digital dyeing machines to Taiwan. Endeavour produces no wastewater and reduces energy consumption by 85 percent compared to traditional dyeing processes. The machine will be installed at JSRTEX Group as part of an Alchemie demonstration hub and showroom to communicate the benefits of the technology to potential customers in Asia.

Alchemie has plans to establish more showrooms around the globe.

“Alchemie plans to deliver a significant number of Endeavour low energy, waterless dyeing machines into Asia in the next two years, where most of the world’s

dyeing and finishing takes place,” said Dr. Simon Kew, managing director of Alchemie Technology.

“This will also require the support of governments through investment, grants and legislation, and the critical effort of brands and pioneering manufacturers in their supply chains.

Having an Endeavour demonstration hub in Taiwan is another important milestone on our journey towards transforming the fashion industry and helping to reduce its climate impact. We are excited to be delivering the long-awaited transition to more sustainable textile dyeing.”

Archroma Introduces EARTH SOFT System Switzerland-based Archroma recently introduced EARTH SOFT, a new softening system based on its

Siligen® EH1 vegan silicone softener, which is made using 35-percent plant-based, renewable raw materials.

The softener also features ultralow amounts of cyclic siloxanes, which are classified by the European Chemicals Agency as “Substances of Very High Concern.” The range is built around Archroma’s principles of “The Archroma Way to a sustainable world: safe, efficient, enhanced, it’s our nature.”

Archroma reports Siligen EH1 offers a smooth, soft touch as well as good moisture transport making it suitable for shirts, underwear, sportswear, towels and bed sheet applications. The Earth Soft system includes its Hydroperm® wicking agent, which boosts hydrophilic properties on man-made and blended fibers. TW

Knitting/Apparel Avery Dennison Acquires TexTrace Glendale, Calif.-based Avery Dennison Corp., recently acquired TexTrace AG, a company that specializes in custom-made woven and knit radio-frequency identification (RFID) technologies that can be sewn or inserted into garments. The purchase includes all of TexTrace’s intellectual property and its employees who will remain in Switzerland working on apparel and non-apparel solutions. The company was a subsidiary of Switzerland-based Jakob Müller Holding.

“This is an exciting acquisition for Avery Dennison, expanding our digital ID portfolio to offer integrated RFID solutions for the apparel industry,” said Francisco Melo, vice president

and general manager, Avery Dennison Smartrac.“The innovative woven and knitted RFID products that TexTrace has developed, will add significant value to the traditional way the apparel and retail sector uses RFID, creating the opportunity for a more sustainable and intelligent future where digital ID’s can live with the life of the garments.”

Ambercycle Closes Series A Funding Los Angeles-based Ambercycle, a company founded in 2015 by Shay Sethi and Moby Ahmed focused on building circularity in the fashion industry, reports it has closed an oversubscribed $21.6 million Series A financing from H&M CO:LAB, KIRKBI, Temasek, BESTSELLER’s Invest FWD and Zalando. This

brings the total figure raised by the company to $27 million.

Ambercycle’s Ambercycling™ process separates and purifies postconsumer waste at the molecular level to make regenerated materials that may be used by brands and designers in new garments. The company’s first material, cycora®, can replace virgin polyester materials and offers similar functional characteristics, according to Ambercycle.

The company has a pilot plant in Los Angeles and plans to use the new funds to scale up production of cycora.

“The transition to circularity in fashion is inevitable”said Shay Sethi, co-founder and CEO of Ambercycle.

“We are building an ecosystem in which materials can exist in harmony with humans and the environment.” TW

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respected. People are protected from discrimination. Universal human rights and basic necessities are attainable by all.

Why Sustainability Is Imperative

Significance Of

Sustainability In Textiles Brands and consumers can work together to make the textile industry more sustainable.

By Puneet Goyal

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ecent globalization has led to a greater number of people migrating to cities in search of better opportunities. This has led to a continuous surge in demand for natural resources like fossil fuels, wood, metals and cotton. Continuous and unchecked usage of these resources has led to their rapid depletion. Another major problem is an increase in piles of waste generated as byproducts in manufacturing processes. Solid waste disposal has become a serious problem in urban cities across the world, thereby pushing mankind towards sustainable initiatives. Sustainability implies meeting our current needs judiciously, and also keeping in mind the needs and demands of future generations, to achieve a balance between the two.

Pillars Of Sustainability Sustainability is made up of three pillars — environment, economy and society. These three pillars also are informally called profit, people, and the planet. Each pillar plays a major role in categorizing the type of initiative taken by the corporations and brands. In recent times, it has become one of the major areas of concern because of the rapid increase in consumer awareness and availability of mass information online.

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Environmental Sustainability Environmental sustainability implies that natural resources within the earth’s environment are consumed by humans at a rate where they are able to replenish themselves. The environmental pillar often gets the most attention. Manufacturing industries and brands are constantly focusing on reducing their carbon footprints, packaging waste, water usage, and their overall effect on the environment. Corporations have discovered that these sustainable initiates also have a positive financial impact. For example, reducing the amount of material used in packaging usually reduces the overall expenditure on those materials.

Economic Sustainability This pillar ensures that economic systems are intact and activities such as secure sources of livelihood are available to everyone across the globe. Also, people are able to maintain their independence and have access to the resources that they require to meet their daily needs.

Social Sustainability Social sustainability takes into account that healthy communities have just leaders who treat everyone with equality and ensure labor, cultural and personal rights are

It is unrealistic to create a list of reasons why so many individuals, groups, and communities are working towards sustainability, because the motivations behind sustainability are often complex, personal, and diverse. Yet, for most people, sustainability boils down to the kind of future we are leaving for the next generation. Sustainability as a value is shared by many individuals and organizations who demonstrate this value in their policies, everyday activities and behaviors. These policies and activities play a vital role in deciding consumer choice. Common individuals also play a major role in developing current environmental and social circumstances by choosing greener alternatives.

Sustainability In Textiles Sustainability in textiles implies consuming green clothing. For this, one has to rely on specific brands using fabrics from recycled materials or innovative natural fibers. At times, we may have heard to avoid certain types of cotton or wool and instead choose fibers such as lyocell or linen.

Brands And Manufacturer’s Responsibilities For Promoting Sustainability Being a responsible brand in the textile industry in terms of sustainability is itself challenging.

Responsibility may mean a lot of things but essentially while classifying brands one should keep in mind the following: • Global corporate standards for health and safety of environment and workers; • Actions to enhance environmental performance such as reduced water usage and recycling programs, for example; • Transparent and ethical sourcing

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Many non-profit organizations have come with innovative programs to promote sustainability in textiles by targeting consumers. Cotton Incorporated offers its Blue Jeans Go Green™ program, a social initiative designed to encourage consumers to recycle old denim garments. Started in 2006, the Blue Jeans Go Green program collects old denim, made from high cotton content, so it can be recycled back to its original fiber state and transformed into useful new products such as building insulation, thermal packaging insulation, pet bed inserts, and more. The #DenimStackChallenge encourages consumers to collect their old and used denim, take pictures of their denim “stacks,” and share them on social media, and then recycle those pieces they can no longer wear.

Since the Blue Jeans Go Green program began, more than 1,950 tons of

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we firmly believe that small changes today will result in a better tomorrow,” said Brie Olson, PacSun president. “We are excited to introduce PacDenim for Good as a continuation of our journey to a more sustainable future.”

More than 2 out of 5 consumers — 43 percent — say they donate their old jeans they no longer plan to wear,

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Consumer’s Recent Shift Towards Sustainable Initiatives

denim have been diverted from landfills, and more than 3,900,000 pieces of denim have been recycled. In 2021 alone, more than 60,000 pieces of denim were collected in the first three quarters by individuals and retailers.

Among the consumers who have participated in the program, 80 percent said they decided to contribute because they’re “trying to be more

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policies for raw material as well as finished goods; • A commitment to fair living wages for workers; and • Clearly defined corporate sustainability strategies and practices.

Textile brands and manufacturers are taking initiatives towards sustainability. Some recent efforts include: • H&M — created transparency rules for suppliers and provided details of its sustainability strategy in its annual sustainability report.

• Nike — set sustainability targets that include minimizing its environmental footprint through analyzing the supply chain to “use less, use better and use again.”

• ASOS — initiated a “Green Room” on its website that displays only ethically conscious brands that fit within its “sustainability criteria.”

• Fat Face — developed a companywide code of conduct for its factories and a responsible sourcing commitment.

• Patagonia — A market leader in responsible fashion, the company has launched an innovative clothing reuse and recycle program.

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sustainable or environmentally conscious.” Consumers also said they liked the fact that their denim goes toward helping communities. Consumers said participating in the Blue Jeans Go Green program “makes me feel like I have done something good”, and they would prefer to keep their unwanted denim items out of landfills.

according to the 2020 Cotton Incorporated’s Lifestyle Monitor™ Survey.

That’s followed by 18 percent of consumers who plan to give them away, 12 percent who intend to throw them away, and 9 percent who expect to reuse them in a different way, such as for cleaning rags or craft projects.

Solution: Circular Economy

Natural resources available in the earth’s environment are scarce and their judicious use is imperative. Sustainability plays a vital role in this judicious use. Brands and consumers must come together and work towards a better future. Shifting towards greener alternatives can essentially reduce carbon footprints. Initiatives like Blue Jeans Go Green have successfully illustrated this. Another major solution is the circular economy in which emphasizes reducing and recycling waste materials. TW

A circular economy or circularity is a production and consumption model. It involves sharing, leasing, reusing, repairing, refurbishing, and recycling existing materials and products for as long as possible. This aims to tackling global challenges like climate change, biodiversity loss, and waste generation. A circular economy is unlike a linear economy in which there is no recycling or reusing.

On World Cotton Day last October, PacSun announced its involvement with Cotton Incorporated’s Blue Jeans Go Green program to launch the “PacDenim for Good” initiative.

“As a brand dedicated to inspiring positive development with fashion,

Bottom Line

Editor’s Note: Puneet Goyal is chief representative - polyester, for RIL USA Inc., a division of India-based Reliance Industries Ltd.

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BulletinBoard Germany-based Freudenberg Performance Materials has increased prices in Europe, the Middle East and Africa for its nonwoven performance materials used in flooring and filtration applications.

The company cited increased raw material, packaging, freight, consumables and energy costs, as well as inbound supply chain disruptions for the increases.

Bemberg™ cupro fiber — manufactured by Tokyobased Asahi Kasei — is celebrating its 90th anniversary. The company has launched a rebranding campaign to coincide with the milestone.

The Zurich-based International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF), recently announced it was postponing its 2022 annual conference from April until September.

In conjunction with that change, ITMF also has extended the application deadline until April 30 for the “Sustainability & Innovation”and “International Cooperation”awards to be handed out during the conference. More information about the awards and the application process can be found at itmf.org/awards/itmfawards-2022. In other ITMF news, the textile division of ARISE Integrated Industrial Platform, United Arab

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Emirates, has joined the organization as a Corporate Member.

Sorona®, Wilmington, Del., recently launched the Preferred Mill Network.

This catalog lists global mills that offer the full collection of sustainable Sorona sub-branded fabrics including Agile, Aura, Luxe, Profile and Revive.

Winston-Salem, N.C.based Renaissance Fiber LLC recently won a $50,000 Venture Winston Grant from Agile City, a company focused on business ecosystem building and entrepreneur innovation. Renaissance agreed to move 51 percent of operations and a co-founder to WinstonSalem where it will have access to a personal mentor and consulting team, among other benefits.

Italy-based Datatex and its U.S. subsidiary Datatex TIS Inc., Alpharetta, Ga., report Gehring Tricot Corp., Hauppauge, N.Y., selected Datatex ERP — including its Product Lifecycle Management (PDM), CAMS shop floor management system, CATS and QA systems for quality control, and PM and MQM solutions for maintenance and machine scheduling solutions — to manage its production processes.

LiveSmart® performance fabric from CULP Inc.,

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 TextileWorld.com

High Point, N.C., was used to cover 10,000 lower-level and mezzanine seats at the Dean E. Smith Center at UNC Chapel Hill. The fabric, matched exactly to the Pantone shade for Carolina Blue, was selected as a way to honor the late company co-founder Rob Culp who was a UNC Chapel Hill graduate.

ARTILECT has selected the Touchlink™ Near Field Communication enabled zipper from YKK® Group for 17 different styles in its Fall/Winter 2022 outdoor performance clothing collection.

Germany-based BASF announced plans to build a new hexamethylene diamine plant in France, and also to increase its nylon 6,6 production at a facility in Germany.

At the recent Outdoor Retailer Winter show, Acteev® and Coalatree launched a zinc-powered shirt designed to fight unwanted odors and the sun’s damaging rays.

Piana Technology, Cartersville, Ga., has received UL formaldehydefree certification for its flame-retardant (FR)treated fibers produced by its Tintoria Piana business. The company also has achieved a Zero Discharge certificate for its closed-loop FR treatment process employed at its

E.C.O. Planet facility in Cartersville.

Gerber Childrenswear LLC, Greenville, S.C., has expanded its Modern Moments™ by Gerber® collection of baby and toddler essentials sold exclusively at Walmart and on Walmart.com.

New items available include playwear, bedding, blankets, nursery décor and toys all available in on-trend colorways.

Pure White Celliant® from Los Angeles-based Hologenix LLC was recognized as a Top Ten product in the Fibers & Insulation category of the ISPO Textrends Fall/Winter 2023-24 trends.

Ireland-based Ulster Weavers recently launched its Home Comforts collection of contemporary home furnishings, which features linen bean bags, pouffes and cushions, as well as merino wool throws.

England-based MagnaColours® has introduced two new special effect inks. The MagnaPrint® Foil Adhesive is a water-based foil binder that may be used to apply a variety of foils to fabric or garments.

The MagnaPrint Ultra Clear Glitter Base allows a printer to add up to 20 percent glitter particles into the base ink. TW

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People Spartanburg, S.C.-based Milliken & Company recently presented The Roger Milliken Award to Jeff Price and Gary Newman. The award is given to associates who have “created lasting, changing and measurable differences within the company and [have] built a legacy of their own within the organization by creating lasting and measurable differences that have contributed to business success while being a role model of Milliken values as part of their performance.”

Milliken also recently named Shri Parikh president of its Healthcare Business and executive vice president of the company.

Quinn Houser has joined Organic Dyes and Pigments LLC, Houser Lincoln, R.I., as a business development representative for mid-Atlantic states.

Delta Apparel Inc., Greenville, S.C., has named Simone Walsh vice president, CFO and treasurer.

This E. Schneider announced his intent to retire from the board of directors at Rieter Holding AG, Switzerland, at the next Annual General Meeting in April. The board will propose

Sarah Kreienbühl and Daniel Grieder for election to the board.

Michelman, Cincinnati, recently announced a number of executive Michelman leadership changes as follows: Dr. Richard I. “Rick” Michelman is the new president and CEO; Andrew Michelman, chief business development officer and executive vice president, Asia and Fibers & Composites, has expanded his role with leadership responsibilities for the company’s Americas region and Coatings business segment; Paul Griffith, chief marketing officer and executive vice president, EMEA and Agriculture, will also lead the Printing & Packaging business segment; CFO Jason Wise will assume the role of chief financial & risk officer responsible for the direction and operations of Michelman’s Finance, Accounting, Legal, Regulatory, and Environmental Health & Safety functions; and Kreg Keesee will continue as COO. Outgoing President and CEO Steve Shifman transitioned to executive chair.

The Cary, N.C-based Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA) hired Anthony “Tony” Fragnito as COO. He will take a

leadership role in financial operations, updating INDA’s technology platform, and implementing the association’s Strategic Plan.

Craige Murray, executive vice president of Operations for Navis TubeTex, Lexington, N.C., recently retired after 32 years with the company. Mark West was promoted to executive vice president of Engineering and Operations, with additional responsibilities for global manufacturing and supply chain activities.

Toronto-based Canada Goose named Paul Cadman president for its Asia-Pacific (APAC) division. Cadman will oversee all business activities including commercial, financial and marketing in the APAC region.

Marc Austein has joined Glen Raven Inc., Glen Raven, N.C., as vice president of Austein Corporate Development. He is responsible for identifying and implementing growth strategies for the company including new acquisitions and partnerships Texo Trade Services, the Netherlands, has hired Matt van Aalderen as international sales manager.

Germany-based Mahlo GmbH & Co. KG reports

that Alan Lavore, CEO of Mahlo America Inc., and Michel Bruni, CEO of Mahlo Italia recently celebrated milestone anniversaries with the company. Lavore has been with the company for 25 years, and Bruni for 40.

England-based Global Inkjet Systems (GIS) named Steve Williamson engineering director.

Lisa Donohue was elected to serve on the board of directors at San Franciscobased Gap Inc. The American Association of Textile Chemists Colorists (AATCC) awarded Elizabeth A. Eggert its Harold C. Chapin Award winner in recognition of her outstanding service to the organization in the area of test method research and development. In addition, Louann Spirito received the AATCC Technical Committee on Research (TCR) Service Award for 2021. She was recognized for her lead role and support on the M14 Face Covering Monograph.

Unifi Inc., Greensboro, N.C., recently elected Rhonda Ramlo to its board of directors.

Portland, Ore.-based Columbia Sportswear Co. named Andrew Burns vice president, Investor Relations and Strategic Planning. TW

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SupplierNotes Baldwin Inks Supplier Agreement With Mexico-Based Blutec Baldwin Technology, St. Louis, has partnered with Mexico-based textile agency Blutec S.A. de C.V. The agency now represents Baldwin’s full range of spray systems and corona/ plasma treatment technologies for wovens, knits and nonwovens in Mexico.

“We are pleased to partner with Blutec in Mexico,” said Rick Stanford, Baldwin’s vice president of Global Business Development for textiles. “We find that this organization has an excellent reputation in the Mexican textile industry, with a portfolio of machinery principals that provides excellent synergy for Baldwin and our product lines. We’re extremely excited to be onboard.”

“The textile industry in Mexico is looking for solutions to help reduce manufacturing costs,” noted Daniele Uslenghi, Blutec’s general manager.

“Baldwin’s precision spray technology provides savings in energy, water and chemistry.”

Lanificio Cerruti Adds 30 Itema R95002 Weaving Machines Beginning in March, Italy-based woolen mill Lanificio F.lli Cerruti will begin installing 30 new rapier weaving machines from Itema S.p.A., Italy, in

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its Biella plant. Lanificio Cerruti identified the Itema R95002 rapier weaving machine as the best option to enhance fabric quality and process sustainability.

The company reports environmental, ergonomic and economic advantages that led to its choice.

“Lanificio F.lli Cerruti joins with great satisfaction a partner of excellence as Itema to undertake a path that will help us to further enhance the concept of creative luxury, so inherent in the DNA of our company,” said Filippo Vadda, president and CEO, Lanificio Cerruti.

“We are proud to work with Lanificio Cerruti. It is not just a technological partnership, but the beginning of a co-development journey that will allow us to design and implement solutions of great value,” added Ugo Ghilardi, CEO of the Itema Group. “We firmly believe that together we will give prestige to the Made in Italy creativity and innovation, which are admired all over the world.”

ZSK Machines To Represent Coloreel In the United States St. Louis-based ZSK Machines, a division of Notcina Corp., is a new distribution partner of Sweden-based Coloreel Group AB, the manufacturer of Instant Thread Coloring Units (ITCU)— a digital technology for

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 TextileWorld.com

Muratec Donates Vortex 870 Spinning Machine To TTC Gaston College’s Textile Technology Center (TTC), Belmont, N.C., recently received a Vortex 870 spinning machine from MuratecMurata Machinery USA Inc. The machinery supplier also will support the college with training for TTC staff and will service the machine at no cost. The vortex technology eliminates the need for the roving process and combines spinning and winding for efficient production of yarn using a variety of man-made and cotton fibers. Only 156 such spinning machines are in operation in North America, and TTC looks forward to the opportunities presented for new business and also the chance to provide exposure for Muratec’s latest vortex machine.

“Bringing the newest Vortex 870 advancements to Gaston College will

dyeing thread on-demand.

ZSK recent sold four Coloreel ITCUs and it is hoped the partnership will help increase sales.

“This is a natural next step in our partnership with ZSK and enable us additional possibility to grow our business in the U.S.,” said Sven Öquist, vice president, sales at Coloreel. “ZSK Machines has great reach into the U.S. embroidery market and provides excellent

keep the Textile Technology Center in the technology forefront for both commodity and engineered staple yarns,” said TTC Director Don Rusch. “The Textile Technology Center is

TCC’s Muratec Vortex 870

fortunate to have such substantial support from a technology leader like Muratec “We know the volume of traffic that TTC has, and we want our machine to be at TTC and be part of that visibility,” said David Stalvey, director of the Textile Division, and Chuck Butts, sales manager, Muratec-Murata.

customer solutions and support. I am looking forward to many more units sold through our new distribution partnership.”

“This is an exciting time for the textile market, and we are honored to serve the industry and support such incredible developments,” said Bob Mattina, ZSK Embroidery. We are looking forward to expanding the world of Coloreel and pushing the limits of embroidery.” TW

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Calendar FEBRUARY 23-24: 57th Edition of Filo, MiCo Milano Congress Centre, Milan, Italy.Visit filo.it.

Visit usindustrialfabrics.ifai.com/events/ outlook-conference.

24-26: 18th International Istanbul Yarn Fair, organized by Tüyap Trade Fairs Inc., Tüyap Istanbul Fair and Congress Center.

Visit iplikfuari.com.

26-28: Heimtextil Colombia licensed

by Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH, organized by Inexmoda, Medellin, Colombia Plaza Mayor convention center, Medellín, Colombia.

Visit heimtextilcolombia.com.

MARCH

MAY

16-17: First Annual Evolving Textiles Conference: Materializing the Future — Circularity in Textiles and Alternative Fibers, organized by NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles, Raleigh, N.C. Visit sites.textiles.ncsu. edu/sustainabilityconference.

1-3: Southern Textile Research Conference (STRC), Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort, Myrtle Beach, S.C.Visit thestrc.org.

28-29: Smart Fabrics Summit, hosted by the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) and partner NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles, NC State, Raleigh, N.C. Visit smartfabricssummit.com

3-5: JEC World 2022, organized by JEC Group, Paris Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center,Villepinte, France.

Visit jec-world.events.

28-31: IDEA® 2022, organized by the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA), Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, Fla.Visit ideashow.org.

28-31: FiltXpo™, International Filtration/ Separation Exhibition & Technical Conference, organized by INDA, Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, Fla.Visit filtxpo.com.

APRIL 6: 2022 Charlotte Regional - a town hall meeting organized by the Americas Apparel Producers’ Network (AAPN), Marriott City Center, Charlotte, N.C.Visit aapnetwork.net/2022-charlotte-regional.

21-22: Synthetic Yarn and Fabric Association (SYFA) Spring 2022 conference, Sheraton Charlotte Airport Hotel, Charlotte, N.C.Visit thesyfa.org.

24-26: IFAI’s Outlook Conference, Omni Homestead Resort, Hot Springs,Va.

1-3: 2022 pro:Americas Annual Conference, organized by AAPN, Miami, Fla.Visit aapnetwork.net.

10-11: National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) Annual Meeting, Washington, D.C.Visit ncto.org.

17-19:Techtextil North America/ Texprocess Americas, organized by Messe Frankfurt, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, Ga. Visit techtextil-north-america.us. messefrankfurt.com; and texprocess-americas.us.messefrankfurt.com.

23-26: SAMPE 2022 Conference & Exhibition, organized by SAMPE North America, Charlotte Convention Center, Charlotte, N.C. Visit sampeamerica.org.

JUNE 9-11: Outdoor Retailer Summer, organized by OIA, Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colo.

Visit outdoorretailer.com.

14-18: Hightex 2022 — International Technical Textiles & Nonwoven Trade Fair, Istanbul Tüyap Exhibition and Congress Center, Istanbul,Turkey.

Visit hightexfairs.com/hightex2022.

14-18: ITM 2022 – International Textile Machinery Exhibition, Istanbul Tüyap Exhibition and Congress Center, Istanbul,Turkey.

Visit www.itmexhibition.com/itm2022.

21-24:Techtextil/Texprocess 2022, organized by Messe Frankfurt, Messe Frankfurt Fairgrounds, Frankfurt, Germany.

Visit techtextil.messefrankfurt.com; texprocess.messefrankfurt.com.

21-24: Heimtextil 2022 Summer Special, organized by Messe Frankfurt, Messe Frankfurt Fairgrounds, Frankfurt, Germany.

Visit heimtextil.messefrankfurt.com.

27-29: Southern Textile Association (STA) and Annual Fiber Buyers Group Annual Meeting, organized by STA, Hilton Head, S.C.Visit southerntextile.org/events.html.

27-30: INDA’s World of Wipes (WOW) International Conference, Marriott Marquis Chicago, Chicago, Ill. Visit worldofwipes.org.

JULY

31-June 2: Emitex/Simatex/Confemaq, organized by Messe Frankfurt Argentina, Costa Salguero Center, Buenos Aires, Argentina.Visit industriatextilexpo.ar. messefrankfurt.com/buenosaires.

4-7:Texworld Evolution Paris, organized

by Messe Frankfurt France, Paris Le Bourget – Parc des expositions, Le Bourget, France.Visit texworld-paris. fr.messefrankfurt.com.

31-June 3: FESPA Global Print Expo 2022, Messe Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

Visit fespa.com.

20-21: Furniture Manufacturing Expo, Hickory Metro Convention Center, Hickory, N.C. Visit furnituremanufacturingexpo.com. TW

Textile World JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022

37

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Each Delos rug in the Technicolor Collection, such as this Mantra style, is made using Aquafil’s ECONYL® solution-dyed nylon.

Quality Fabric Of The

Month By Rachael S. Davis, Executive Editor

Viably Vibrant To celebrate the 10th anniversary of its ECONYL® nylon, Aquafil partnered with Delos to create the Technicolor Collection of rugs.

CONTACTS:

For more information about ECONYL®, visit econyl.com.

For more information about Delos and the Technicolor Collection, visit thedeloscompany.com

Go online to TextileWorld.com for archived Quality Fabric articles.

38

E

CONYL® regenerated nylon fiber recently celebrated its 10th anniversary. For more than 57 years, Italybased Aquafil S.p.A. has specialized in nylon 6 production, but the company’s desire to produce more sustainable products led to research and development efforts that culminated in the introduction of ECONYL nylon a decade ago. The polymer is manufactured using a closed-loop nylon regeneration process to repurpose nylon waste such as old carpet and fishing nets. According to the company, the process creates a nylon that offers the same properties as a virgin, fossil fuels-based product. ECONYL also can be recycled and reimagined over-and-over again.

For every 10,000 tons of ECONYL raw material, Aquafil is able to save 70,000 barrels of crude oil and avoid 65,100 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions.

Aquafil also has decreased total greenhouse gas emissions by 58 percent compared to 2016.

More than 2,000 brands — including Gucci, Prada, adidas, Speedo, Interface, BMW and Mercedes Benz — specify ECONYL nylon for a host of fashion, interior and automotive products.

To celebrate the ECONYL’s 10th

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 TextileWorld.com

anniversary, Calhoun, Ga.-based Delos Inc. recently introduced the Technicolor Collection — a line of trend-forward tufted and hand-carved rugs featuring 16 designs. The Technicolor name was inspired by the vivid, high-saturation color of Technicolor film and television, and 1950s pop art. Color combinations are almost endless with more than 177 ECONYL colors to choose from, and the fiber is solution-dyed to ensure longlasting color and commercially rated stain-free properties. The fiber also is bleach and wear resistant. Delos is a family-owned business established in 2005. Its rugs are made in America using state-of-the-art robotic tufting technology, and then hand finished by local craftspeople.

“Sustainability drives our processes at Delos,” said Ivan Phillips, co-owner.

“We are committed to doing our absolute best to serve our clients and our planet.

It’s the best of both worlds.”

The Delos Technicolor Collection debuted at NeoCon late last year. “We [were] excited to feature the latest designs made with ECONYL at NeoCon in Chicago …” noted Giulio Bonazzi, chairman and CEO, Aquafil Group.

“We’re so proud that we have been able to move the industry toward more sustainable practices over the last decade, while continuing to work with our partners to make beautiful products.” TW

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