Africa & Middle East Textiles issue 3 2012

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ISSUE THREE/2012 TROISIÉME EDITION/2012

Spotlight on South Africa High-tech sportswear ITMA ASIA + CITME 2012 review Pleins feux sur l'Afrique du Sud Sportswear de haute technologie Révue de l'ITMA Asie + CITME 2012

ITMA 2012 weaves a success story

Textile dye market looking up Amélioration du marché de colorants textiles

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S01 AFTEX 3 2012 Start_Layout 1 07/09/2012 10:18 Page 3

CONTENTS DEVELOPMENTS

4

News of recent textile projects, markets and contracts

DEVELOPPEMENTS

4

Revue des récents projets textiles, marches, contrats

SPOTLIGHT ON SOUTH AFRICA

6

It’s turnaround time for South African textile manufacturers

PLEINS FEUX SUR L’AFRIQUE DU SUD

6

C'est le temps de rotation pour les fabricants textiles sud-africains

DYES AND CHEMICALS

10

Textile dyes market headed for a brighter tomorrow

COLORANTS ET PRODUITS CHIMIQUES

10

Le marché de colorants textiles dirigé vers un avenir plus brillant

TEXTILE PRINTING

13

Advancements in screen and digital printing

L’IMPRESSION TEXTILE

13

Progrès dans l’impression d’écran et numérique

ITMA ASIA+ CITME 2012 REVIEW

15

ITMA Asia 2012 sees overwhelming response

RÉVUE DE L’ITMA ASIE + CITME 2012

15

L’ITMA Asie 2012 – un grand success

APPAREL AFRICA

17

Olympics 2012 breathes innovation into sportswear

RÉVUE D’HABILLEMENT

17

L'innovation dans le sportswear grâce aux Jeux Olympiques 2012

Couverture: Colorants et produits chimiques Inset: I’ITMA Asie+ CITME 2012

Cover: Dyes and chemicals Inset: ITMA Asia+ CITME 2012

Editorial and Design team: Bob Adams, David Clancy, Andrew Croft, Ranganath GS, Kasturi Gupta, Meenakshi Nambiar, Prashanth AP, Genaro Santos, Zsa Tebbit, Julian Walker and Ben Watts Publisher: Nick Fordham Magazine Sales Managers: Annabel Marx: Tel: +(27) 21 851 9017, Fax: +(27) 86 675 6776, email: annabel.marx@brenabel.co.za Country

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AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST TEXTILES ISSUE THREE/2012

Government: Municipal Services, Diplomatic, (UN, International Agencies)

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TEXTILE NEWS German firm to invest in Zambian textile sector THE ZAMBIAN TEXTILE sector will soon receive investments from Germany-based firm Conventium International Limited.

The company’s managing director, Klaus Ehrhardt, disclosed in an interview recently that his company has already conducted feasibility studies with regard to investing in textile industries in Zambia. The firm has also shown interest in investing in Zambian medical sector.

Ehrhardt added that his company was interested in buying cotton from the Zambian cotton growers for its own factories and spinning mills in Turkey. The company also has plans to set up a modern textile facility in Zambia, he said.

“This move must be seen as the initial step in order to learn more about the Zambian economy. We also want to study the cotton supply levels among the local farmers before making any gigantic move,” said Ehrhardt.

Conventium has plans to set up a sewing factory for women’s casual garments such as T- shirts, leggings, skirts and sweat shirts.

“The move will be directed to fulfill the company’s vision to meet the growing demand for various clothing garments, especially for women,” he added.

Iran may soon draw investments from India

TEXTILE CALENDAR / CALENDRIER September 2012 13-16 25-27 26- 29

3-6

FIMAST 2012: International Textile Machinery and Accessory Trade Show

BRESCIA, ITALY

IGATEX Pakistan 2012

LAHORE, PAKISTAN

www.igatex.pk 4-5

2012 Sustainable Textiles Conference

HONG KONG

www.textileexchange.org 4- 6

Technotext-2012, 2nd International Exhibition & Conference on Technical Textiles

MUMBAI, INDIA

www.technotexindia.in 11

Military/Other Government Agency Textile/Apparel Conference

NORTH CAROLINA, USA

www.internationalmarketsolutions.com 18- 20

2012 SGIA Expo, Las Vegas Convention Center

LAS VEGAS, USA

www.sgia.org

7- 9

4

GERMANY

October 2012

Cotton output surpasses target in Zimbabwe

SWISS COMPANY GRAF+Cie AG, has been named the Supplier of the Year 2012. The director president of Jingwei Textile Machinery Co. Ltd, Yao Yuming, handed over the award to Graf recently.

The company was judged on parameters like engagement, quality of service and the long-term close cooperation with clients.

A statement from Graf+Cie AG said, “We take great pleasure in having received the appraisal of Jingwei Textile Machinery Co. Ltd. as ‘Supplier of the Year 2012’. We appreciate the cooperative relationship with Jingwei Textile Machinery Co. Ltd. and view this award as recognition of our efforts to achieve customer satisfaction.

“It is our key aim for the future to provide our customers with high quality, innovative and sustainable products and to further strengthen the cooperation,”

16th IAW Trade Fair for Retail Promotions and Imports

www.fimast.com

22 - 24

Graf awarded Supplier of the Year 2012 title

ISTANBUL, TURKEY

www.iaw-messe.de/trade-fair.aspx

THE GROWING TEXTILE market of Iran has been drawing a lot of foreign investments in recent times.

India has been planning to join the race soon by boosting export of textiles to Iran.

“We are eyeing newer markets which have been initiated couple of years ago... Especially, tapping the potential of the Middle East, CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States) and Iran markets have been on our cards. The scope is immense,” said the Indian union commerce secretary S R Rao. Besides these countries, he said, there is also the possibility of exporting Indian textiles to China, which itself is deemed as the largest textile exporter in the world.

ZIMBABWE’S COTTON PRODUCTION has surpassed initial targets in spite of an impasse in prices, said a senior official from the ministry of agriculture.

“The cotton output stood at 316,000 tonnes, surpassing targets despite the price impasse,” said Ngoni Masoka, the ministry’s permanent secretary. In the 2012 national budget, cotton output was projected to reach 286,000 tonnes.

Early this year, cotton farmers were holding onto their crop protesting against the poor prices that were being offered.

Merchants were offering a price of US$30 per kg, which was unacceptable to farmers. The government later intervened and set the minimum price at US$77 per kg.

4th Islamic Fashion, Apparel and Accessories Fair

www.demosfuar.com.tr.

Cinte Techtextil China

SHANGHAI, CHINA

www.messefrankfurt.com.hk 22-24

China International Knitting Trade Fair

SHANGHAI, CHINA

www.chinaknitting.com.cn

November 2012 1- 2

Hong Kong 2012, Hong Kong Convention & Exhibition Centre

HONG KONG

www.ica-ltd.org 4-6

ITMF Annual Conference 2012

HANOI, VIETNAM

wwww.itmf.org 7-9

5th International Technical Textiles Congress

IZMIR, TURKEY

http://web.deu.edu.tr/ttk2012 IFAI Expo Americas 2012

BOSTON, USA

www.ifai.com 13- 15

Filtration International Conference & Exposition

PHILADELPHIA, USA

www.inda.org 15 -16

TCL2012, the International Conference on Textiles Coating and Laminating 2012

VALENCIA, SPAIN

http://www.technical-textiles.net 23- 24

2nd International Conference on Textile & Apparel (ICTA-2012)

DHAKA, BANGLADESH

www.icta.textiletoday.com

DECEMBER 2012 2-7

India ITME 2012 - 9th India International Textile Machinery Exhibition

MUMBAI, INDIA

www.india-itme.com

JANUARY 2013 9- 12

Heimtextil: International Trade Fair for Home and Contract Textiles FRANKFURT, GERMANY

www.heimtextil.messefrankfurt.com 29- 31

VISION 2013 Consumer Products Conference

ORLANDO, FLORIDA

www.inda.org/events

MARCH 2013 1

Outlook Asia 2013

NEW DELHI, INDIA

www.edana.org 28-30

MEGATECH Pakistan 2013

LAHORE, PAKISTAN

www.megatechpakistan.com Further information on these events can usually be obtained from the Embassy (Commercial Office) of the country in question.

Des renseignements plus complets sur ces évènements peuvent être demandés de l’Ambassade (Bureau Commerciel) du pays en question

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST TEXTILES ISSUE THREE/2012

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TEXTILE NEWS US Congress votes to renew textile trade act with Africa THE US CONGRESS has voted to renew the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) and extend it by three years, just two months before its was set to expire.

The act has supported thousands of jobs in Africa’s clothing sector in recent years due to the number of benefits it has provided African textile manufacturers.

If the provision failed to get an extension, a large percentage of African countries would have temporarily, if not permanently, lost duty-free access for clothing items exported to the US. AGOA, which was first passed in 2000, has provided incentives for African nations to open up their economies and build free markets. About 40 African countries have been eligible for AGOA benefits up until now. The renewed legislation has also made South Sudan eligible for the benefits.

The act offers substantial trade preferences that allow almost all goods produced in the AGOA-eligible countries to enter the US market duty free. AGOA’s effectiveness, however, has depended on its third country-fabric (TCF) provision, which was set to expire in September 2012.

Under the TCF provision, lesser-developed beneficiary countries enjoy an additional preference in the form of duty-free access for apparel made from fabric originating anywhere in the world.

Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki said, “The AGOA exten-

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AGOA supports thousands of jobs in Africa’s clothing sector due to the number of benefits it offers to textile manufacturers

sion will lead to an expansion in exports from Kenya and the whole of Africa to the US markets besides promoting a high-level dialogue on trade and investment-related issues.

“The act, which was signed into law 12 years ago, has encouraged economic integration and stimulated job growth in the country,” he added.

The uncertainty that prevailed until recently over whether or not the act would be extended was having a severe impact on the African textile industry.

Manufacturers in Lesotho and Swaziland had been laying off workers in anticipation of a fall in demand.

SOUTH AFRICAN MINISTER of economic development Ebrahim Patel has called for a push to the textile industry to ensure creation of jobs in the sector.

The rising job losses and management-worker conflicts have resulted in a series of negative impacts on textile industry across the African continent.

Patel said at a briefing in Pretoria, “South Africa needs a deep partnership between business and labour to help the clothing and textile industry preserve and create jobs.”

South Africa could also benefit from a surge of investments from the Middle East textile investors, he added.

Patel was extremely positive about new government support policies that encouraged technology upgrade and said it would help in stemming job losses.

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SPOTLIGHT ON SOUTH AFRICA

It’s turnaround time for South African textile manufacturers The boom in South African consumer market has led to a surge in textile imports. The domestic clothing and textile businesses have responded to the rush by trying to attract foreign investments with specialised products

T

HE RISE IN competition faced by South African industrialists after ending of the Multi Fibre Arrangement, which determined quotas on the amount developing countries could export to developed countries, has now dissolved.

The textile and clothing sectors are much fitter as a result and responding to an import surge in South Africa with innovation and specialisation.

On the face of it, the latest international trade figures are disappointing. Held down by Chinese competition and ‘difficult’ markets in both Europe and North America, textile (fabric and fibre) exports have more or less remained stable since 2000 at around US$250mn per year.

However, overseas clothing sales have steadily tumbled to below the US$200mn mark while imports have soared from roughly US$223mn in 2000 to a massive US$1363mn in 2010 according to the WTO figures.

World Cup has been the major fuel to the import rush in the country and China is the biggest player in influencing this sports-fuelled surge. However, other African countries have also been targeting the apparently booming South African consumer market.

This has all been paid for, of course, by a relatively small general trade gap sustained by all those profitable hard-mineral exports to China, in particular.

But, based on this year’s hard-commodities performance that situation could be on the change.

The domestic textiles and clothing businesses represented by major world performers such as Associated Spinners, Da Gama Textiles, Cordustex Manufacturing and the various Frame enterprises have certainly shrunk overall, but they are still going out of their way to attract foreign investment for future growth based on their specialised niche products such as technical-grade synthetic fibres and top-end garments and furnishing fabrics.

Most of this capital quest is successfully being targeted at sovereign wealth funds and Far Eastern sources, who value South Africa’s membership of the USA’s African Growth & Opportunity Act and its sophisticated infrastructure, including IT and banking services, in particular.

An estimated billion dollars-plus has been spent on these since the mid 1990s, when the prospect of threatening postMFA change started to loom.

In this move forwards, of course, today’s Rainbow Republic isn’t alone. As a new-found ‘BRICS’ member South Africa is one of very few medium-sized/middleincome, but still emerging, economies in Africa. As such it regards labour-intensive textilebased production as somewhat 20th century in flavour, even though it still makes a hugely positive difference to the employment figures.

Like Mauritius, the economic base of South Africa has moved on. That very prosperous island state’s clothing exports have shrunk by nearly a third since the turn of the century, too.

Of course a lot depends with what’s happening with the economy overall, both at

6

Domestic textiles and clothing businesses have shrunk overall, but they are still going out of their way to attract foreign investments with their specialised products

home and abroad. Fairly steady growth has been maintained through most of this handy ten-year review period, with a sustainable but not exciting (by subSaharan standards!) 2.5-3.0 per cent being forecast for 2012. Consumer price rises are being kept around the higher five-point mark, and interest rates have been falling satisfactorily recently.

Meanwhile, the all-important international value of the Rand – which influences trading conditions throughout southern Africa, as well as the exports promoted by the SA Textile Industry Export Council – has reached a welcome four-year low against the dollar, currently around R8.30 to the dollar compared with an export-crippling R6.77 just a year ago.

The much-respected domestic banking system has managed to miss out on most recent global woes, and the only really dark cloud on the business horizon is the appallingly high level of unemployment, which of course affects female

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST TEXTILES ISSUE THREE/2012

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SPOTLIGHT ON SOUTH AFRICA Against this mixed background, the industry’s Export Council points out that the combined yarn and fabric, clothing, technical materials and home furnishing industries “are among the most established sectors of the South African manufacturing economy …[having] gained international recognition for specialisation.”

The official DTI body stresses the special service it offers to small, micro and medium enterprises, black economic businesses and those run by women. This is particularly important for the import-threatened clothing business under today’s particularly challenging conditions.

“Based on our South African and African history we can meet your requirements for products that require something different,” they confidently say (www.satiec.co.za for more details; footwear and leather products are looked after by a separate Export Council).

The only dedicated textile and clothing trade fair we could find for the remainder of this year is the combined “Garments & Textiles Johannesburg” ( with “Fashion & Accessories”) event which is being held in the business capital from 28-30 November.

Significantly, this is organised by Global Sources of Hong Yarn and fabric clothing, technical and home furnishing materials are among the sectors of the South Kong, so it will presumably focus on the booming business with African manufacturing economy that have gained international recognition for specialisation China (call +852 8199-7308 for details). For news of more general textile and clothing workers more than most. trade-promotion events such as the “Indaba” series visit www.eventseye.com Business-conditions surveyors like the World Bank/IMF, World Economic We’ll leave the last word to SATIEC’s own website and its incorporated link Forum (specifically their very useful African “Competitiveness” rankings) and to www.designafrica.info and the eight-nation Design Africa initiative. “A new Ernst & Young (“Attractiveness”) consistently rate South Africa highly generation of designers … is coming to the fore and they are ready to show the compared with its sub-Saharan competition. world the continent’s true talent. Whether you are a traditional textile Some note that in terms of size of economy Nigeria is now catching up fast. manufacturer, design is the value proposition, and if you are a design But, the appointment of Nkosazana Dlamimi-Zuma, a South African, as the head manufacturing company, seeking global exposure or a buyer … now is the time of the influential African Union in July was a real feather in the nation’s cap. to make your mark”. ❑

Ethiopia-Korea Textile Co-operation Centre launched in Addis Ababa KOREA WILL NOW be able to share its experience in textile manufacturing with Ethiopia through the Ethiopia-Korea Textile Cooperation Centre, which was recently opened in Addis Ababa.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Ethiopia’s industry minister Tadesse Haile said the centre would play a vital role in supporting the textile industry and also help in achieving technology transfer.

He said the new establishment would aid the development of Ethiopia’s textile industry, and also extend support to the private sector to help it raise its competiveness.

Textile and apparel sectors lead the list of priority industries recognised as the key drivers of industrialisation policy in Ethiopia’s five-year Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP), said Haile.

Korea’s rich experience in rapid industrialisation, especially in development of green industrialisation, and the lead role of the government in this regard, would help Ethiopia in realising the GTP, he added.

During the last Ethiopian fiscal year, the domestic textile industry in Ethiopia contributed about US$90mn to the country’s economy, Haile said.

He added that by the end of the GTP period, the industry was expected to earn US$1bn from the export market annually.

Jae Do Moon, Korean deputy minister for international affairs, ministry of knowledge economy, said Korean assistance on textile front would greatly contribute to sustainable economic growth of Ethiopia. He mentioned that Korea would extend support on the front of textile technology transfer.

South Korean Ambassador to Ethiopia, Jong Geun Kim, said the two countries have shared bilateral trade ties for over past six decades and the inauguration of the centre would further bolster Korea’s existing trade ties with Ethiopia.

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST TEXTILES ISSUE THREE/2012

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S02 AFTEX 3 2012 Country Feature_Layout 1 07/09/2012 11:54 Page 8

TEXTILE NEWS Biggest textile factory in Middle East opens in Fujairah emirate THE BIGGEST TEXTILE factory in the Middle East has opened in the emirate of Fujairah in UAE. The place which used to boast of its port and beachside resorts can now be termed as a throbbing textile trade hub.

The plant was built at a cost of Dh225mn (US$61.2mn) by the Azerbaijan government, in partnership with the Fujairah Government and promises to produce 10,000 tonnes of cotton yarn each year.

The chief executive of United Textiles FZE, a new company running the plant located inside Fujairah Free Zone, Raj Kumar Kak said, “Within the UAE, we believe that Fujairah has always provided the best facilities to foreign investments.”

Relatively low overhead costs and excellent road and connectivity were also important factors that influenced our decision,” he added.

The 44,250 sq m factory has a capacity of 45,600 spindles and can employ a workforce of about 225 people.

The yarn will be used as a raw mate-

rial for industries such as clothing and garment-making, as well as knitting furniture fabrics.

Produce from the factory will be exported to markets in Asia, the United States, North Africa, Europe and the Middle East.

The opening ceremony of the factory was held in June. “Built with the latest technologies, the plant is the biggest textile unit in the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) and the Middle East,” said Kak, in a speech addressed to Sheikh Hamad bin Mohammed, Ruler of Fujairah, during the opening ceremony.

“By way of this plant, United Textiles looks forward to making a positive contribution to the regional economy,” he added.

General manager of Fujairah Free Zone, Sharif Al Awadi informed that there were 2,600 factories and companies operating in the free zone.

He added that the new textile facility would create around 20 new positions in senior management for UAE citizens.

Facilities for foreign investments, low overhead costs and excellent connectivity has led United Textiles FZE to set up the plant in Fujairah

Fujairah is quietly growing its economy and expanding industries as different sectors receive heavy investment from the local government and partners located overseas.

Three major malls are expected to launch in Fujairah this year, significantly adding to the retail land-

scape and ensuring residents no longer have to travel to other emirates to shop.

Created in 1987, Fujairah Free Zone has become a popular base among manufacturing companies thanks to its close proximity to the port and infrastructure for exporting goods.

Turkey’s textile export up in first half of 2012

New safety rules for Dubai textile industry

THE TEXTILE MARKET in Turkey’s northwestern province of Bursa has been agog with activity in the first six months of 2012.

Textile and garments worth US$884.9mn were exported during the period said a report from the Anatolia News Agency.

The exports from Bursa in ready-made clothing and garments dropped 6.29 per cent, while those in textiles rose 9.98 per cent in the period.

The total export figure of Bursa’s textile exports rose from US$574.3mn in textiles, ready-made clothing the first half of 2011 to US$631.6mn in the first and garment sectors increased half of 2012 according to reports from US$844.6mn in first half of 2011 to US$884.9mn in first half of 2012.

According to figures from the Uluda Exporters’ Associations, textile exports rose from US$574.3mn in the first half of 2011 to US$631.6mn in the first half of 2012.

Ready-made clothing and garment exports decreased from US$270.3mn to US$253.3mn in the same compared period.

The province exported textiles to 116 countries and autonomous regions and to nine free zones. Ready-made exports reached 112 countries and autonomous regions and seven free zones. The exports figure for June was US$107.8mn, an increase of 10.47 per cent from the same month last year, while ready-made exports decreased by 1.37 per cent to US$47.6mn.

THE DUBAI CENTRAL Laboratory (DCL) at Dubai Municipality has issued a set of new public health and safety requirements and specifications related to textile products.

Amin Ahmad Amin, head of consumer product laboratory, told Gulf News that the new set of requirements ensured that materials were free of substances that could be transmitted to the human body and pose health risks like cumulative skin diseases and sores.

To ensure that the requirements were followed, Amin said that DCL had facilities to check the stability of colours and tints used in textile items and as to whether the textile will be damaged by sweating or exposure to light or washing, as those also came under the risks to human health and environment.

Other tests that textiles would undergo at DCL include checking the type of cloth, examining pH-value that may cause skin allergies, presence of allergenic formaldehyde compounds and tests to measure concentration of heavy toxic elements, remains of pesticides and harmful hazardous amines. Amin added that DCL would provide the facilities to conduct tests.

Hawa Abdullah Bastaki, director of Dubai Central Laboratory, said, “DCL issues the new requirements and specification as a step to achieve the strategic vision of Dubai to become a Green City. This comes after carrying out analysis of UAE’s environment conditions and after thorough study of best international practices.”

Many federal and local bodies — Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), Dubai Police and The Armed Force, to name a few — have expressed their interest and concern in the new initiative, Hawa said.

She explained that those organisations have started cooperating with DCL to make their uniform’s textile material suppliers abide by the new set of specification.

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AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST TEXTILES ISSUE THREE/2012

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TEXTILE NEWS African cotton sector to receive assistance from India THE AFRICAN COTTON sector, which was ravaged by problems last year, is set to receive aid from India to recover from the crisis.

India has launched a US$4.66mn programme to develop the cotton industry across the African continent.

The plan will initially cover seven countries across the continent, SK Makhijani, economic counsellor in the Indian High Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, told IANS. The seven countries are Benin, Nigeria, Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Malawi and Uganda, Makhijani said, adding, “The entire project is valued at US$4.66mn and it covers the period from January 2012 to December 2014.”

Experts claim African producers have not been able to improve their production over the past few decades. Alejandro Plastin, an economist of the International Cotton Advisory Council (ICAC), said African cotton production declined from a peak of two million tonnes in 2004-05 to just a million tonne in the three seasons up to last year.

“African cotton accounted for seven per cent of world cotton production at its peak, while it accounts for only five per cent now,” added Plastin.

Notwithstanding the low production, he said,

“African cotton is perceived to be of higher quality than cotton from many competing origins and to have fewer neps because of hand picking. However, African cotton has a strongly negative perception for contamination and delays in delivery linked to poor roads, railroads and ports.

“Furthermore, most African cotton is still hand-classed, while competing exporters make full use of high volume instruments.

However, the greatest challenge for The greatest challenge for African cotton currently is its declining African cotton is its declining internainternational competitiveness due to falling yields tional competitiveness due to declining yields,” Plastin said. changes in the sector,” Plastin added.

Despite the increase in production observed over Last year, Payhounni Bebnone, vice president of the last three decades, the total area under producthe African Producers of Cotton Association (APtion globally always fluctuated around 33mn roCA), said in a meeting of the Africa cotton prohectares. ducers in Cotonou, Benin, that the industry across “Consequently, increase in production was the continent was “facing many different chaldriven by increase in yields. In particular, inlenges. Efforts in some countries to find solutions creases in yields from the 1990s to the 2000s have rather contributed to worsening of the situawere driven by the adoption of better production tion.” He identified access to land for production practices around the globe and adoption of as one of the main problems. “Most of the land biotechnology in major producing countries. was leased and there was insecurity to tenure. This This is what kept Africa's production very low has affected programmes to promote better farmbecause it had not been able to keep up with the ing practices,” Bebnone said.

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST TEXTILES ISSUE THREE/2012

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DYES & CHEMICALS

Textile dyes market headed for a brighter tomorrow

By Ian Holme

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ECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS, GROWING consumerism, population growth and changing perceptions about fashion is set to influence the textile dyes market in a big way. A report tabled by the Global Industry Analysts (GIA) entitled ‘Textile Dyes: A Global Strategic Business Report’ has projected that the textile dyes market will touch US$5.9 billion by 2017.

Over the last five years, the dye manufacturing industry has had to cope with several challenges. In 2008-2009, all textile chemical companies had to

deal with marked increases in feedstock prices and low demand from the textile sector. Due to the industry being highly raw material intensive, the profit margins were also adversely affected.

Moreover, increasing pricing pressures, as well as high energy and transportation costs, coupled with capacity under-utilisation resulted in a lot of highs and lows, according to GIA. A key trend in the textile dyes market has been the migration of production facilities from high cost bases in the US and Europe to low cost Asian countries.

The textile dyes market is looking at a brighter tomorrow as a result of innovative developments in eco-friendly dyes and chemicals as well as growing preferences for enhanced performance from new materials. Dye manufacturers and textile producers are developing innovative products and processes to comply with strict environmental regulations.

Research and development spending have also been recognised as an important factor to underpin such innovations.

According to GIA, the largest and fastest growing market for textile dyes is the Asia-Pacific region. Within this region, China, Taiwan and Korea have a stranglehold in disperse dyes, with China in top position in the production and export of reactive, direct, disperse, acid and basic dyes.

India holds a dominant position in the production of reactive dyes. The Indian dye industry is growing fast with help from its developed chemical industry coupled with high-entrepreneurial skills and sufficient availability of feedstock. In terms of value sales, GIA states that fibre-reactive dyes represent the largest segment in the global textile dyes market.

It was clear from the developments introduced at ITMA 2011 that the message that innovation in ecofriendly dyes and chemicals can lead to dramatic improvements in sustainability had been taken on board. These improvements are measurable in terms of the saving in water quantity, energy and processing time, all of which have positive impact on profit margins and international competitiveness because of the cost saving that such benefits produce.

Global competitiveness in textile dyeing, printing and finishing is highly dependent upon the economics of textile wet processing, machine utilisation and productivity.

Embracing new technology will be the key to future survival and growth, and innovation in dyes and chemicals will be important in this connection.

Recent developments

The textile dyes market is looking at a brighter tomorrow as a result of innovative developments in eco-friendly dyes and chemicals.

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The projected growth in the dyes market has fostered a lot of developments in the sector. Clariant has recently introduced a new acid dyestuff, Lanasyn Flavine F-5G, which is metal-free and provides an outstandingly brilliant yellow colour when applied to polyamide, wool and their blends.

Brilliance of colour is an important criterion for many fashion end-uses, especially in the sportswear and swimwear sectors. As Lanasyn Flaxine F-5G is perfectly compatible with Clariant's Lanasyn

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST TEXTILES ISSUE THREE/2012

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DYES & CHEMICALS Turquoise M-5G, this dye combination now offers textile designers, dye houses and textile printers the opportunity to produce exciting bright green shades. This opens up new design and fashion opportunities in bright yellows and greens on polyamides and wool which were previously not possible.

Both Lanasyn Flavine F-5G and Lanasyn Turquoise M-5G exhibit tone-on-tone rate of strike to provide high colour build-up without any mutual blocking. The response of these two dyestuff to pH changes is similar so that the combination is ideally suitable for pH shift dyeing using Opticid VAN liq c (Clariant). Another important aspect of the performance of this dyestuff combination on 80/20 polyamide/elastane swimwear is high colour fastness to light as a self-shade, together with tone-on-tone fading of Lanasyn Flavine F-5G when used with Lanasyn Turquoise M-5G. Lanasyn Flavine F-5G is said to exhibit the highest brilliance of all non-fluorescent acid yellow dyestuffs currently available. Brilliant yellows and greens can now be dyed on polyamide and wool to match similar colours dyed on cellulosic fibres using reactive dyes. Lanasyn Flavine F-5G exhibits high wet fastness properties on polyamides and wool and is recommended for application to polyamide, polyamide/elastane and wool textiles. This novel yellow acid dyestuff from Clariant is also suitable for use in CMYK printing systems.

Nylosan Brilliant Red S-3R is again a new, unique dyestuff from Clariant which claims to outperform existing milling red dyestuffs and, in addition, offers far superior build-up for the deepest red shades.

Eminently compatible with Clariant's range of Nylosan S dyestuffs, this new dyestuff offers greatly enhanced colour fastness and build-up compared with CI Acid Red 131 and CI Acid Red 249. On 80/20 polyamide 6/elastane fabric, Nylosan Brilliant Red S-3R has demonstrated superior colour fastness over CI Acid Reds 131 and 249 in the AATCC Cold Water text, ISO 105 E04 alkaline perspiration, and ISO CO6 B25 wash fastness test.

Clariant has also introduced three new Foron S-WF disperse dyestuffs for polyester dyeing. Foron Turquoise S-WF is a brilliant blue/turquoise dyestuff which is recommended for use as a self-shade for sportswear or as a combination element for bright green shades.

Foron Vermillion S-WF is a very brilliant red dyestuff providing high tinctorial strength coupled with the highest colour fastness to wet treatments on sportswear.

The third dyestuff, Foron Atlantic Blue S-WF is a greenish-blue dyestuff offering a high reverse on cotton. This dyestuff can be used as a combination element for green and blue shades and can be used for control of metamerism, shifting shades greener under Dyestuffs and chemicals from Clariant incandescent light sources.

Over the last five years, the dye manufacturing industry has had to cope with several challenges. In 2008-2009, all textile chemical companies had to deal with marked increases in feedstock prices and low demand from the textile sector.

Due to the industry being highly raw material intensive, the profit margins were also adversely affected

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Critical Colours Solution Pale to medium shades of olive, grey, red-brown, khaki and beige are some of the most difficult colours dyed on cellulosic textiles using reactive dyestuffs. The solution for such critical shades according to Everlight Chemical Industrial Corporation (Taiwan) is their Critical Colors Solution based on their Everzol CS dyestuffs that provide exceptional dyeing compatibility in exhaust dyeing.

The Everzol CS range includes Everzol Yellow CS, Everzol Red Brown CS, Everzol Olive CS and Everzol Grey CS. All these Everzol CS dyestuffs provide enhanced colour fastness to light and chlorinated water and, in addition, offer confident laboratory to bulk reproducibility and right-first-time dyeing performance.

DyStar have introduced a novel and innovative reactive dyestuff, Levafix Dark Blue CA, designed as a high colour fastness to light dyestuff for pale-medium blue depths of shade. It is also intended for use with DyStar's Remazol RGB/Ultra RGB dyestuff combinations, especially where an economical high

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST TEXTILES ISSUE THREE/2012

Erhardt+Leimer GmbH Albert-Leimer-Platz 1 86391 Stadtbergen, Germany Phone +49 (0)821 2435-0 Fax +49 (0)821 2435-666 info@erhardt-leimer.com www.erhardt-leimer.com

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DYES & CHEMICALS light fastness blue component is needed. Levafix Dark Blue CA also exhibits high colour fastness to ozone and nitrogen gases, coupled with good perspiration light fastness as in the NIKE PLF (ISO 105 B07) test.

Levafix Dark Blue CA meets the requirements of many market challenges. The market requires satisfactory high performance with regard to colour fastness, ecological/toxicological issues and sustainability impact, as well as decreasing costs.

Levafix Dark Blue CA provides the dyer with colour confidence in terms of its high colour fastness to light under different agencies, as well as providing controlled coloration performance. In addition, the reactive dyestuff is flexible from the viewpoint of application technology. Levafix Dark Blue CA is applicable by exhaust, cold pad-batch and most continuous dyeing processes. It offers balanced migration, level dyeing and very good reproducibility, high fixation on cellulosic fibres and good wash-off behaviour.

In this connection, Levafix Dark Blue CA is suitable for the newly-developed Sera Eco Wash process developed by DyStar. This utilises an innovative textile auxiliary product, Sera Fast CRD, which is a wash-clearing additive that imparts a pronounced wash-accelerating action. This additive speeds up the removal of hydrolysed reactive dyestuffs at 60°C. This enhanced wash-clearing system saves on water, energy and processing time as well as exerting a major impact on machine productivity and on sustainability.

Tri-reactive dyestuffs Huntsman Textile Effects has introduced its Avitera SE range of tri-reactive dyestuffs for exhaust application to cellulosic textiles. Its use can be combined with Hutntsman's Gentle Power Bleach System developed jointly with Genencor enabling cotton to be bleached at 65°C under neutral pH conditions. Thus, low-temperature bleaching can be followed by warm ultra-short reactive dyeing using Avitera SE dyestuffs and using a high-performance wash-clearing additive Eriopon LT. As a result, wet processing is conducted at temperatures that never exceed 65°C. The Huntsman Textile Effects Avitera SE trichromat is based on Avitera Yellow SE (CI Reactive Yellow 217), Avitera Red SE (CI Reactive Red 286) and Avitera Deep Blue SE (CI Reactive Blue 281).

Avitera Yellow SE is a nonphotochromic golden yellow, Avitera Red SE is a brilliant bluish-red and Avitera Deep Blue SE is a greenish-casted deep blue dyestuff offering good build-up on cellulosic fibres.

Huntsman's Avitera SE reactive dyes are based upon novel chemistries and are particularly designed for the production of medium-to-dark shades. The high-aqueous solubility of the Avitera SE dyestuffs ensures that they are applicable via ultra-short dyeing and wash-off cycles. The wash-off process time is markedly decreased because of the high degree of exhaustion and fixation of the Avitera SE

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Dye manufacturers have introduced a series of dyestuffs that provide a brilliant colouring to polyamide, wool and their blends

Global competitiveness in textile dyeing, printing and finishing is highly dependent upon the economics of textile wet processing, machine utilisation and productivity.

Embracing new technology is key to future survival and growth, and innovation in dyes and chemicals is important in this connection dyestuffs on cellulosic fibres. As a result, these novel reactive dyestuffs provide a drastic reduction in water consumption, savings in energy and other natural resources, savings in processing time and decrease in carbon dioxide emissions, ensuring cleaner production.

Four new Drimaren reactive dyestuffs have been introduced by Clariant, namely, Drimaren Dark Blue HF-CD, Drimaren Blue K-RB, Drimaren Golden Yellow HF-CD and Drimaren Red CL-4B. Especially developed for application via cold padbatch and continuous dyeing, Drimaren Dark Blue HF-CD is also suitable for exhaust dyeing. This dyestuff is suitable for use as an element of the Drimaren HF-CD trichromat for medium-dark shades on cellulosic fibres. This dyestuff has high stability to atmospheric pollutants and also good colour fastness to light, chlorine and peroxide.

The other blue reactive dyestuff, Drimaren Blue K-RB, is a brilliant blue suitable for royal

blue and violet shades when used in combination with Drimaren Red K-4BL or Drimaren Violet K2RL. Drimaren Blue K-RB and Drimaren Red CL-4B (which is a highly concentrated brilliant red dyestuff) are both suitable for all combinations with Drimaren HF/HF-CD elements and are applicable by cold pad batch, continuous and exhaust application methods.

Drimaren Red CL-4B can be used as a trichromatic element for economical combinations such as Drimaren Yellow CL-2R, Drimaren Aquamarine HF-CD and Drimaren Dark Blue HF-CD. Drimaren Golden Yellow HFCD (Clariant) is a very highly-concentrated dyestuff that is suitable for all tones. It exhibits colour fastness properties and is a main trichromat element in the Drimaren HF-CD range. Drimaren Golden Yellow HF-CD can be applied via semicontinuous, continuous and exhaust methods providing a good dyeing performance. ❑

AFRICA AND MIDDLE EAST TEXTILES ISSUE THREE/2012

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L’IMPRESSION TEXTILE

Progrès en sérigraphie et en impression numérique par Ian Holme E SECTEUR DE l’impression sur textile repose encore principalement sur la sérigraphie, notamment sur l’impression en sérigraphie par rotative pour les longs cycles de production. La technologie mécanique pour la sérigraphie par rotative a été développée à un très haut niveau, mais des développements technologiques de la sérigraphie actuelle continuent de voir le jour.

Lors du dernier salon ITMA 2011 de Barcelone, Stork Prints (Pays-Bas) a présenté un nouveau type NovaScreen® pour le secteur de la sérigraphie sur textile. Il s’agit en fait d’un ajout à la gamme existante d'écrans Nova qui comprend Nova 135, Nova 165 et Nova 195. Les différences entre ces trois types d’écran en nickel électroformés sont présentées dans le tableau 1.

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Tableau 1 Détails des NovaScreens® (Stork Prints) Type NovaScreen

Épaisseur (microns)

Superficie ouverte (%)

Taille des trous (microns)

Nova 135 Nova 165 Nova 195

120 115 115

22 % 19 % 16 %

88 67 52

Le rapport entre la superficie ouverte/le nombre de mailles et l’épaisseur de l’écran est proche à cause du développement du nickel pendant le processus de fabrication de l’écran. Pendant la fabrication de l’écran, le nickel se développe à partir du mandrin, à la fois vers le sommet et vers les côtés. Ainsi la superficie ouverte diminue avec l’augmentation du nombre de mailles et l’épaisseur du filtre.

Stork Prints est un expert de l'électroformage de nickel pour la fabrication d'écrans. Ils ont développé leur technologie de fabrication d'écrans en orientant la croissance du nickel principalement dans la direction supérieure. Cela permet de conserver une certaine finesse dans la forme barrière de l’écran et d’obtenir des écrans profilés. De cette façon, Stork Prints est parvenu à repousser les limites de la sérigraphie par rotative en modifiant le rapport entre taille des trous/nombre de mailles et épaisseur de l’écran. Il en résulte un nouvel écran Nova, le NovaScreen 195-19%, qui a une superficie ouverte plus grande pour une taille de maille donnée par rapport aux écrans Nova précédents. L'écran Nova 195-19% a une épaisseur de 115 microns, une taille de trou de 57 microns et une superficie ouverte accrue , désormais de 19%.

Stork Prints affirme que la nouvelle conception de ce NovaScreen 19519% permet de mieux contrôler le transfert de la pâte d'impression sur le tissu. Cette conception spécifique de l'écran permet aux flux de pâte de trous adjacents de se rejoindre pour donner une répartition homogène de la pâte sur le tissu. Le NovaScreen 195-19% peut être utilisé pour maintenir la pâte d'impression sur la surface du tissu, comme l’exige l'impression pigmentaire , en appliquant une faible contrainte de cisaillement à l'intérieur de l'écran. En outre, grâce à un contrôle approprié des paramètres d'impression, il est également possible d'effectuer une impression par pénétration, comme cela est nécessaire pour appliquer des colorants réactifs .

L'imprimabilité avec le NovaScreen 195 à superficie ouverte de 19% est améliorée et une moindre pression d'impression est nécessaire pour atteindre une bonne couverture du tissu . Le fait de pouvoir contrôler la formation d'impression à la surface du tissu est un avantage pour

TEXTILES AFRICAINS ET DU MOYEN ORIENT 3EME EDITION/2012

Les encres numériques à sublimation thermique J-Next Subly JXS-65, basées sur le cyan, le magenta, le jaune et le noir absolu, sont idéales pour l'impression

l'impression pigmentaire, car, en évitant la pénétration dans le tissu, on peut obtenir un rendu des couleurs supérieur et un toucher plus doux. Une taille de trou plus large assure qu’en impression réactive, on puisse obtenir une transvision complète avec un grand volume de pâte. Le NovaScreen 16519%, qui a une taille de trou de 67 microns contre 52 microns pour le NovaScreen 165-16%, a une superficie ouverte supérieure et peut donner des nuances vraiment profondes et des teintes pleines grâce a u grand volume de pâte appliqué .

Dans un développement séparé, Stork Prints a introduit un autre nouveau type écran, à savoir le modèle RM à mailles aléatoires. Bien que la taille des trous soit de 79 microns, comme dans l'actuel PentaScreen 125 de Stork Prints, et que le nombre de trous soit comparable à celui du PentaScreen 125, les formes des trous sont désormais plus profilées. Il en résulte un écoulement de pâte et une application légèrement plus élevés, ce qui se traduit par une amélioration sensible de l’imprimabilité .

Une caractéristique importante du nouvel écran Random Raster (RR125) est la capacité d’éviter les effets de moiré en sérigraphie. Le m oiré peut se produire lorsqu’une structure d’écra en treillis normal et la structure de grille d'une trame en ligne correspondent. Les deux structures régulières donnent lieu à des effets d'interférence, ce qui entraîne alors l'apparition d'un nouveau et troisième motif, généralement un effet de moiré souvent observé comme un motif de rayures en diagonale .

Le nouvel écran Random Raster évite les effets de moiré , parce que les trous ne sont pas disposés en lignes droites comme dans les écrans classiques. Dans l'écran Random Raster, la position de chaque trou est légèrement décalée, ce qui provoque une perturbation de la régularité, évitant ainsi l'apparition du troisième motif ( moiré). Le nouvel écran RR125 de Stork Prints évite également les problèmes de motifs de rosette formés là où des cercles de points de trame sont disposés autour d'un point central.

Cet effet de rosette perturbe les dessins géométriques aléatoires, notamment quand on veut représenter une structure de tissage ou d’ écorce. Le débit plus élevé de pâte dans l'écran RR125 se traduit par des points plus lisses et donne des impressions en demi-teinte plus douces ainsi qu’un renforcement du contraste dans les zones de trames, ce qui accentue l’impression de relief dans les motifs de trame géométriques.

Le secteur de l’impression numérique continue à se développer à un

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L’IMPRESSION TEXTILE Stork Prints a développé la gamme d'encres Quasar pour la machine LARIO de MS

rythme extraordinaire , et les derniers développements exposés dans le hall 7 par des imprimeurs textiles en provenance de l'Inde , du Brésil et de la Turquie ont suscité un vif intérêt à l'ITMA 2011 . Naturellement, la Chine domine tout le marché traditionnel mondial de l’impression textile avec environ 28 milliards de mètres-carrés, ce qui représente 30% de la production mondiale. L’Inde (17,5%), les autres pays d’Asie (18,8%), les Amériques (12,9%) et l’Europe, la Russie, la CEI (11,1%). À l'heure actuelle, le Moyen-Orient et les pays africains ne produisent que 9,7 % environ du marché de l'impression textile traditionnelle, et le passage à l'impression numérique pour exploiter les opportunités d’impression hors sérigraphie par rotative pourrait s’avérer un choix judicieux pour de nombreux imprimeurs textiles de ces régions .

Les principaux développements en matière d’impression numérique à jet d’encre reposent sur des têtes d’impression piézo industrielles qui rendent possible une vitesse d'impression élevée. En outre, le coût des encres d’impression a baissé, ce qui rend encore plus réalisable un alignement du coût au mètre carré sur celui de la sérigraphie pour les petits et moyens volumes de production.

Il existe maintenant un certain nombre de têtes d'impression à grande vitesse pour l'impression à jet d'encre des textiles. Parmi les imprimantes numériques à grande vitesse présentées à l'ITMA 2011, on trouve la Vega 600-16 d’ Hangzhou Honghua, la Qualijet K16 de Meccanica, la Série JP et la Lario de MS Italy, la ReNOIR EVO de Reggiani et la Sphene 24 de Stork Prints.

Cependant, il existe aussi beaucoup d'autres têtes d'impression disponibles sur d'autres imprimantes numériques à grande vitesse. On peut citer notamment la Kappa Durst 180 qui utilise la tête Gen 4 de Ricoh, la Nassenger Pro 1000 (tête KM 1024 ) de Konica Minolta, la Monna Lisa EVO (tête DX5 d’ Epson) de Robustelli et la Zimmer Colaris (tête 508GS de Seiko). Xennia Technologies a aussi ses imprimantes Osiris et Emerald, tandis que Mimaki a sa machine concept TX 600-1800 .

Ces nouvelles machines d'impression numérique s'appuient sur une technologie de tête d'impression de pointe couplée à l'évolution des formulations d'encre pour contrôler le point produit. Pour des vitesses élevées d'impression numérique, la fréquence de tir des têtes à jet d'encre doit être élevée. Cela a conduit à des modifications au niveau de la formulation des encres, car les encres de nouvelle génération ont désormais une viscosité supérieure. Depuis peu, la viscosité des encres est passé de 3 à 5 mPas à 7 à 15 mPas. Cette augmentation de la viscosité de l'encre a été obtenue par l'ajout de glycols pour atteindre 10 à 15 mPas mais a eu un effet secondaire important . Essentiellement, les quantités relatives de colorants dans la formulation des encres ont été réduites, avec un impact négatif sur la qualité d'impression. On assiste donc à une diminution de l’intensité des couleurs des images, associée à un comportement médiocre du séchage des encres dans les substrats du fait de la forte teneur en glycol .

Pour pallier ces inconvénients, Sawgrass Technologies a développé et breveté de nouvelles encres à base d'eau pour les conditions de vitesse élevée de l'impression à jet d'encre. Les encres Sawgrass commercialisées sous la marque RMI (Rheological Modified Inks) assurent une impression numérique à grande vitesse à des fréquences de tir extrêmes, offrant une intensité remarquable des couleurs et un séchage contrôlé des encres dans les substrats. Ceci a été obtenu en intégrant différentes familles chimiques baptisées RM qui sont compatibles avec les encres d'origine et qui changent le comportement rhéologique des encres en conditions de cisaillement élevé .

Des formulations d'encre courantes présentent une rhéologie newtonienne, la viscosité restant constante quelle que soit la vitesse de cisaillement . En revanche, les encres RM de Sawgrass Technologies ont un comportement pseudoplastique non newtonien. Ainsi, la viscosité de l'encre diminue avec l'augmentation du taux de cisaillement; c’est ce

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que l’on appelle l'effet pseudoplastique. Du fait de ce phénomène, l'encre liquide RMI forme des couches cylindriques coaxiales en conditions de cisaillement élevé, par exemple sous tir à haute fréquence du jet d'encre.

De cette façon, on obtient une plus grande capacité de contrôle de la formation des points .

Les encres à l'eau RMI innovantes de Sawgrass Technologies contiennent généralement de 20 à 40 % de moins de glycols et jusqu'à 80% de plus de colorants que les encres actuelles. On obtient ainsi une qualité d'impression améliorée en termes d'intensité des couleurs et de netteté, tandis que le comportement de séchage amélioré permet d'augmenter la vitesse d'impression et facilite l'opération d'impression dans sa globalité .

Jaysynth (Inde) a présenté des encres acides à moyenne et haute viscosité DIGITEX ainsi que des encres pigmentaires pour l’impression en grand format . Leurs nouvelles encres CMYK + pigmentaires blanches à faible et haute viscosité pour l’impression DTG (directe sur vêtement) ont été lancées lors du récent salon FESPA Digital de Hambourg, en Allemagne.

J-Teck 3 Srl a présenté ses nouvelles encres J-Next Subly JXS-65 qui sont considérées comme une gamme d'encres numériques de conception nouvelle, qui offrent une plus grande stabilité de la molécule d'encre. Ces nouvelles encres sont réputées capables de répondre aux exigences de configuration de toutes les imprimantes piézo utilisées pour la sublimation thermique. Les encres numériques à sublimation thermique J-Next Subly JXS-65, basées sur le cyan, le magenta, le jaune et le noir absolu, sont idéales pour l'impression sur tout type de papier couché en vue d’ un transfert ultérieur sur des tissus de polyester et de polyester mélangé pour des applications telles que vêtements de sport, drapeaux et bannières .

MS Italy et Stork Prints ont récemment annoncé un accord de coopération pour le développement et la production de systèmes numériques d'impression à jet d'encre. Ainsi, Stork représentera les machines MS au niveau international, y compris les machines de la série JP et les machines Lario de MS, tout en commercialisant ses propres machines à production élevée, dont la S phene Stork .

Stork Prints a développé la gamme d'encres Quasar pour la machine LARIO de MS qui peut imprimer à une vitesse de 20 à 30 mètres linéaires par minute. Les encres réactives et acides de Quasar sont basées sur la propre technologie d’impression numérique à un seul passage de Stork développée pour la machine DSI et qui utilise des techniques brevetées pour empêcher la formation de rayures. L’encre ReAcid de Quasar est actuellement utilisée sur la première machine prototype LARIO de MS qui a été installée dans une imprimerie de sérigraphie de Côme, exploitée par Tintseka Ink. Stork a également élargi sa gamme d'encres acides Nubula pour têtes d'impression Kyocera en introduisant une nouvelle encre réactive Deep Black qui serait plus efficace que l'encre acide classique. La gamme d’encres Nebula de Stork est compatible avec l'imprimante numérique Sphene de Stork ainsi qu'avec les machines ReNOIR de Reggiani , et les séries MS JP6 et MS JPK . ❑

TEXTILES AFRICAINS ET DU MOYEN ORIENT 3EME EDITION/2012

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ITMA ASIA 2012

ITMA Asia 2012 sees overwhelming response Despite the global economic slowdown, the mega textile expo hosted in China was seen brimming with enthusiastic visitors and exhibitors

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HE THIRD EDITION of ITMA ASIA + CITME 2012, the region’s leading textile machinery exhibition, met with a tremendous success with a record number of visitors and exhibitors participating in the event. The show was held at Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) from 12 to 16 June 2012.

Despite the difficult global economic climate, the exhibition registered 92,000 visitors from 94 countries over five days, up 12 per cent from the 2010 show. Over 20 per cent of the visitors came from outside of China.

Following the tradition of ITMA and ITMA ASIA exhibitions, only manufacturers of textile machinery and accessories were qualified to take part in the show.

Of the overseas visitors, India led the pack, reflecting the rapid growth of its textile industry.

Following closely were trade visitors from Japan, Indonesia, Iran and Pakistan.

The combined show was put up by CEMATEX and its Chinese partners — the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT (CCPIT-Tex), China Textile Machinery Association (CTMA) and China International Exhibition Centre Group Corporation (CIEC).

Stephen Combes, president of CEMATEX, said, “We are delighted with the response. The huge turnout of visitors has demonstrated that buyers in the region still remain upbeat about the potential of the Asian textile market. It also reaffirms the reputation of ITMA ASIA + CITME as the most effective business platform in China for the industry.

He added, “The opportunities presented by China’s market remain an attraction for machinery manufacturers. We are glad to see many leading textile manufacturers gathered at the show with a wide range of textile machinery and solutions. We are overjoyed to see that ITMA ASIA + CITME has remained an important and effective platform for

them to reach out to the vibrant Asian market, especially the enormous Chinese market.”

The show attracted 1,283 exhibitors from 28 countries and economies who presented their latest textile machinery and related technology.

For many exhibitors, the exhibition was an effective platform to have face-to-face meetings and to network with industry players from the region.

An exhibitor at the show, Fritz Mayer, the president of Karl Mayer Textilmaschinenfabrik GmbH, said, “We benefited greatly from our participation at ITMA ASIA + CITME as it had a targeted audience and enabled us to feel the pulse of the industry. Most of the visitors are serious buyers and we are extremely happy with the business opportunities gained from this show.”

Ye Maoxin, vice president of China Hi-Tech Group Co, Ltd said, “We are very satisfied with our participation in the exhibition, and the efforts made by the organisers to bring in quality visitors. Many The exhibition registered 92,000 visitors from 94 countries over five days, up 12 per cent from the 2010 show (Images: ITMA Asia+ CITME 2012)

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ITMA ASIA 2012 of the local and overseas visitors were serious buyers. Hence, we are pleased to continue to support future editions of the combined show.”

Delighted with the response to the ITMA ASIA + CITME series, the showowners have announced that the collaboration will continue for the next two editions. Beijing Textile Machinery International Exhibition Co. Ltd and MP International Pte Ltd have also been re-appointed as organiser and coorganiser, respectively of the next two shows.

Wang Shutian, president of CTMA, said, “ITMA ASIA + CITME is a vital event in the calendar of textile machinery shows and we are very happy to continue to present the best technologies from both east and west to Asian buyers.”

Rieter’s ripples The Rieter exhibition stand A10 in Hall W2 saw an overwhelming visitor turnout from across the world. The customers enjoyed the comfort of being given competent advice on spinning systems at the Reiter stand.

The visitors showed a lot of interest in the new E 80 comber, the four end spinning systems and their areas of application. The machine’s combing area is enlarged by 43 per cent. This achieves flexibility with regard to excellent yarn quality, higher production and additional savings with comber noil.

The economical G 32 ring spinning machine also generated great interest amongst the visitors.

Stäubli’s success Stäubli, a leading manufacturer of high-speed textile machinery, displayed its innovative products and service solutions at the ITMA Asia + CITME exhibition in Shanghai. The products featured: Active warp control systems: Innovative shed forming technologies with Jacquard machines,

The show attracted 1,283 exhibitors from 28 countries and economies who presented their latest textile machinery and related technology

high-speed dobbies and cam motions as well as automatic drawing-in machines and warp tying systems.

Active weft control systems: Magic weft patterning solutions on heavy-duty weaving machines.

Active electronics control: Under the brand name DEIMO, the Stäubli Group also offered electronic controllers for textile machinery.

The Stäubli exhibition booth was agog with activity and enjoyed a positive feedback from customers around the globe.

The solutions for active warp, weft and electronics control were designed for meeting market needs and help end users streamline their

operations using automated machinery and technology to maintain repeatability and reproducibility at the highest quality and lowest cost.

Karl Mayer’s innovation Once again, KARL MAYER exhibited at ITMA Asia + CITME as one of the main technical pioneers in the field of warp knitting machines and warp preparation machines.

The visitors were treated to an innovative machine show at the company’s stand, B 10 in hall E 5. Two high-speed warp knitting machines and two lace machines with new performance features in terms of efficiency and flexibility were the highlights at the stall.

A Wefttronic® with a new performance demonstrated its capabilities for producing technical textiles. This raschel machine with parallel weft insertion has a working width of 213" and complements the widths of 268", 176" and 138" that has been available until now.

For the warp preparation sector, KARL MAYER showcased its Nov-O-Matic 2 with Isotens creel.

This automatic sectional warping machine is setting new standards in quality and productivity for producing long production warps as well as for processing batches with short running lengths.

Oerlikon’s nextgen machines

Over 20 per cent of the visitors at the show came from outside China

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Oerlikon showcased some of the best automation technologies at the ITMA Asia + CITME. The new ZinserRing 71 and ZinserImpact 71 generation of machines presented at the show promised delivery of any desired yarn at a guaranteed quality and at an unrivalled price-performance relationship.

The ZinserImpact 71 was presented to customers for the first time at the show. The compact spinning machine was on display in combination with the Autoconer X5 at the firm’s exhibition booth at the show. ❑

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APPAREL Africa and the Middle East Olympics 2012 breathes innovation into sportswear Niki Tait takes a look at high-tech sports clothing developed by big brands across the world for Olympics

O

LYMPICS 2012’S IMPACT on design and technology used in sportswear has been tremendous. All major sportswear brands launched custom designed products to ensure the efficiency of sportspersons was enhanced and comfort and style was maintained. The innovations are bound to have a lasting effect on the make of sportswear in times to come.

Swimwear Speedo launched a new high-tech swimwear collection for the 2012 Olympics. While suits, caps and goggles were conventionally designed, the brand ensured that the products were engineered in a way that all three elements generated a unified system that secured FINA (Fédération Internationale de Natation) approval.

Speedo claims its combined FASTSKIN3 Racing System will enhance both comfort and hydrodynamic efficiency by a full body passive drag reduction of up to 16.6 per cent, an 11 per cent improvement in swimmers’ oxygen economy enabling them to swim stronger for longer, and achieve a 5.2 per cent reduction in body active drag.

The Super Elite suit of Speedo incorporates Hydro K-Zone 3D fabric with multi-directional stretch characteristics to give the swimmer ease and freedom of movement. The flat surface structure helps deliver a 2.59 per cent reduction in skin friction drag. This is complemented by Pulse-Flex fabric used on the shoulders and panels, which allowes high-stretch in one direction to allow freedom of movement in key areas. The fabric construction of Pulse-Flex delivers a two per cent decrease in skin friction drag while the durable C6 water repellent finish minimises water absorption.

Incorporated within the Hydro-K Zone 3D fabric is Investa’s premium swimwear fibre, Xtra Life LYCRA®, which is ten times more resistant to chlorine than standard elastane. Varying decitexes are knitted throughout the fabric to create graduated

Niki Pro TurboSpeed suit 2

compression across different body zones.

A ‘Body Stability Web’ constant seam framework allows greater stability, improving stroke and enhancing the effectiveness of starts and

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turns by up to three per cent, while an IQ FIT ‘snap back’ waistband on the male jammer eliminates the need for drawstrings and ensured a flatter, more efficient profile.

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HIGH-TECH SPORTSWEAR For female suits, Speedo developed a unique armhole entry system making it easier to put on while maintaining the best possible fit and maximum fabric coverage, optimising the suit’s hydrodynamic properties.

The new racing system was developed following extensive research and development

by Speedo’s own in-house Aqualab facility, working with elite level athletes and coaches, sports scientists, global hydrodynamics experts and optical engineers around the world. There were three levels of technology, each tailored to the needs of swimmers of differing abilities: SUPER ELITE for professional athletes; ELITE for advanced competitors; and PRO for intermediate swimmers.

Christian Moreau gymnastic wear

Caps and goggles The Speedo FASTSKIN3 Cap is the world’s first to feature IQ Fit Cap Profile, designed using accurate three dimensional head mapping data.

Made to fit head and face contours exactly, it promises optimum comfort, improved hydrodynamic performance and ease of use. When combined with the Speedo FASTSKIN3 Super Elite Goggles, full body drag force is reduced by 5.7 per cent.

The brand also designed a special hair management system for swimmers with long hair.

The Speedo Hair Management System, a bonded fabric cap with a non-slip edge is structured to hold and shape longer hair to fill the gap at the curve of the neck so that it enhances the swimming form and improved hydrodynamics.

Also designed utilising 3D head scanning data, the FASTSKIN3 Super Elite Goggles incorporates a unique IQ FIT seal and strap and dive stream outer profile that improves the contours of the swimmer’s head. This helps reduce localised force by up to 63.4 per cent, minimising the risk of goggle movement during a swim. The goggles also feature a hydroscopic lens that offers 180 peripheral vision.

The Speedo FASTSKIN 3 racing system

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Light weight sportswear Nike announced a series of cutting-edge, lightweight performance innovations, designed for the track, basketball court and other sports, including Nike Flyknit and Nike Pro TurboSpeed uniforms.

Nike’s Project Swift has evolved and refined its Nike AeroSwift technology over the past 12 years, incorporating more than 1,000 hours of wind tunnel testing, with the aim of maximising velocity for elite athletes. As a result, the new Nike Pro TurboSpeed suit, which is made with approximately 82 per cent recycled polyester fabric, using an average of 13 recycled plastic bottles per suit, enables an athlete to run 0.023 seconds faster. During 2012, the new suit will be used by athletes from the USA, Russia, Germany, and China for international team competitions and by NIKE-sponsored athletes in individual competition.

Features include: • Zoned Aerodynamics: NIKE has used a similar principle to golf ball’s dimples, which are designed to help the ball go farther and faster, to help reduce the aerodynamic drag of the athlete.

Wind tunnel data has been used to strategically place patterns and surface architectures on key areas of the athlete’s form to assist aerodynamic drag reduction.

• Zero Distraction: The interior surface of Nike Pro TurboSpeed has been made as smooth, even and uninterrupted as possible. Elastics and edge finishes on the outside of the garment and an innovative waistband have been used to eliminate bulkiness and abrasions.

• Superior Lightweight Performance: Lightweight materials have been combined with design principals of reduction and simplification to create lighter suits, thereby helping increase overall speed.

Specific products were developed for distance, sprint, and field events, each offering a different degree of support and adjustability. They incorporate Dri-FIT moisture management while strategic colour blocking is used to help visually capture movement.

Sports shoes To accompany the new sports suit, a range of specially-engineered shoes were developed for specific sports events. One of these is the Nike Zoom Superfly R4 which is equipped with dynamic super strong Flywire cables that move with the foot, offering support and comfort while minimising weight and bulk.

The cables individually wrap around the foot and connect to the laces for a more personalised fit and improved lockdown. An ace-span liner has been designed to give a smooth seamless interior for comfort against the skin, while an ultra-thin TPU film overlays provide additional support in key areas while maintaining the shoe’s superlightweight feel.

The rigid Pebax® plate with eight spike receptacles provide maximum power and traction whilst a thin phylon midsole wedge offers improved impact cushioning while keeping the spike light and low to the ground.

The inspiration for Nike Flyknit, another Nike

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HIGH-TECH SPORTSWEAR Nike Flyknit racer

engineering technology has gone into the making of the product which was launched for the 2012 Olympic Games.”

Software for sportswear

innovation, was born from repeated runner feedback. The brand wanted to develop a shoe with the qualities of a sock with a snug fit that goes virtually unnoticed to the wearer. However, all the features that make a sock desirable have proven to make them a bad choice for a running upper.

Inherently dynamic materials like yarn tend to have no structure or durability.

Four-years of research on micro-engineering static properties into pliable materials with teams of programmers, engineers and designers were needed to create the proprietary technology required to create a new knit upper. The next steps were to map out precisely where the specific yarn and knit structures were needed to incorporate support, flexibility and breathability into one layer.

The result was a precision fit, lightweight and virtually seamless upper, engineered in one piece and one layer. With all the structure and support knitted in, the Nike Flyknit Racer’s upper and tongue weighes only 34 gm and a

complete size 9 shoe weighes just 160 gm, making it 19 per cent lighter than the Nike Zoom Streak 3, a shoe worn by first, second and third place athletes in the men’s marathon at the 2011 World Championships.

The Nike Flyknit Racer was worn by runners from Kenya, Great Britain, Russia and the US in this spring’s marathons and the Olympics, while the Nike Flyknit Trainer+, developed as an everyday running shoe, weighing a total of 218 gm (7.7 ounces), will bring the weight and fit benefits of Nike Flyknit to runners of all levels.

Another knitted running shoe was introduced

by Adidas. The adiZero Primeknit shoe launched for Olympics is the brand’s first one-piece upper performance runner. It used a new seamless engineering technology making the complex product beautifully simple.

The company said, “adiZero Primeknit harnesses groundbreaking technology, the likes of which have never been seen before. Seamless

TC2 KX-16 3D Body Scanner

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Several high-tech software were used in the making of the performance-enhancing sportswears. Tukatech’s TUKA3D is easy to use, three-dimensional CAD software which helped in developing sportswear and active wear for companies like Dick’s Sporting Goods, Academy, Reebok, Nike and others. It is used to create custom-fit models, build life-like digital clothing samples, and adjust these based on virtual fit.

Tuka3D software takes a digital (CAD) pattern and a set of fabric values such as stretch, weight, etc. and creates a digital sample of the garment, draped on a 3D virtual fit model, using the latest in cloth simulation technology. Users of Tuka3D provide the software with the pattern, the type of fabric, the measurements and shape of the fit model, and the software will accurately create the sample.

TUKA3D includes an animation capability which can work for all kinds of sports animations including soccer, jogging, cycling, ice skating and several other sports, to assist its customers in visualisation and fit analysis for their active wear.

It can show a sample-in-motion that allows a virtual review of the design, fit, athletic movement and artwork placement in advance of the actual garment being cut and sewn.

TUKA3D can create many virtual samples in much less time than it would take to physically make and deliver an actual garment. It also provides a multitude of data about a garment unavailable elsewhere. Garments can be viewed from multiple angles using lighting effects. Prints, patterns, and logos can be accurately and easily applied. Digital 2D patterns together with a set of fabric values can be converted into realistic 3D samples that accurately simulate the weight, stretch, colour and other values of any fabric.

Animation enables drape and movement of a garment to be seen. Images and videos can be shared with customers and clients before any physical sample is made.

Special features are included in the TUKAcad software which make it particularly useful for making patterns used to create the performance and warm up apparel used by Olympic athletes.

These include the “scale and shrink” function that allows compression apparel manufacturers to automatically adjust patterns to incorporate stretch percentages of performance fabrications. The software allows for “made-to-measure” custom fit adjustments to be made to patterns through halfsize grading. Artwork that needs to be seen on the finished apparel and engineered for production on

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HIGH-TECH SPORTSWEAR pattern cutwork pieces can be copied directly to the digital pattern pieces for logo placements, numbering, country flags, etc.

Another software that has been extensively used for sportswear manufacturing and design is Lectra’s CAD software. Christian Moreau is a big propagator of the software. Since 1984, the company has been creating fashionable, highquality sportswear for competitive gymnasts including the 2012 Olympic teams from Romania, Ukraine, and Germany.

Each year, the company produces and sells more than 130,000 leotards and other gymnastics clothing and accessories worldwide, usually on demand, and its unique patterns and styling are key to its success.

However, increasing the complexity of the products caused development and production challenges for the company. Converting so many imaginative sketches into usable, practical patterns in a wide range of sizes required not only a talented patternmaker, but also a powerful technology solution.

To address many of these problems the company

TUKA3D can create many virtual samples in much less time than it would take to physically make and deliver an actual garment. It also provides a multitude of data about a garment unavailable elsewhere now use Lectra’s CAD software. A useful product of the company is Modaris, Lectra’s pattern-making and grading solution, which has the ability to help pattern-makers to assign interdependency to specific pattern pieces, and create multiple grades automatically from previously graded basic blocks during development. This eliminates repetitive tasks, guarantees accuracy even after pattern modifications, and results in high-quality patterns in record time, even for complex leotard designs which may contain ten or more pieces each, including appliquéd motifs which also need to be graded.

DiaminoFashion Expert, Lectra’s markermaking solution, provides fast and easy interactive nesting as well as fully automated markers respecting garment and fabric constraints, such as those presented by multidirectional stretch velours.

Using this system the company is currently achieving a 78 per cent fabric utilisation even with its unusual shapes and small runs, a figure which is continuing to improve. The cutting schedule has also improved with the system used in automatic mode, as staff are freed up to do other work.

One more use of technology in making of the high-tech sportswear that deserves a mention is the

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3D sports annimation from Tukatech

[TC] ² KX-16 body scanner. It has the capability of scanning a body in seconds and rapidly producing a true-to-scale 3D body model. It was used for scanning Speedo’s Olympic swim team members.

This fifth generation 3D body scanner, with 20 sq.ft. footprint and 16 sensor design, is twenty times cheaper and ten times smaller than TC2’s first body scanner launched in 1997. The placement of sensors around the body at four specific heights and at four specific angles was first developed with the NX-16 scanner, predecessor to the KX-16. The software functionality includes: • Automatic body measurements at over 400 unique points • Manual measurement software features • Automatic 3D digital avatar creation from the scan including face texturing from a photo • Virtual Fashion features to allow virtual try-on of garments within seconds • Body shape and body composition (body fat)

analysis tools • Fully private scan mode with computer voice instructions and self-scan control button • Colour scan data • Low sensitivity to room light or sharp colour contrasts on the scan subjects • A yield of more than two million data points at full body resolution.

The software analyses body size, shape, and features of tens of thousands of individuals so that the most accurate and complete body scans could be taken of any subject. The 3D body scanners have been used for human body surveys over the past twenty years, but the NX-16 and KX-16 scanners are the first scanners designed using data from those same surveys. The small footprint is crucial with the new depth sensors as the data quality is excellent close to the body, but is not as good further away. ❑

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TEXTILE NEWS GE plans to expand eVent DVL waterproof technology GE HAS ANNOUNCED an expansion of its eVent fabrics collection with the introduction of eVent DVL waterproof fabric, a new textile technology and fabric line that is engineered for lightweight, high-performance rainwear for outdoor and aerobic activities. eVent DVL (direct venting lite) features the proven air permeable and breathable performance of the patented membrane used in all eVent fabrics.

The inaugural collection of eVent DVL fabric includes lightweight textiles that are ideal for making unlined garments for light duty use in activities such as hiking, climbing, cycling, running and cross-country skiing.

Its breathable nature makes eVent DVL suitable for high-energy output sports where excess body heat and moisture is readily generated and there is less demand for the durability of heavier weight fabrics. According to the compnay, this new line expands and complements the entire eVent fabrics collection used in apparel, sports gear and footwear by a number of companies globally. “eVent DVL fills the market’s continuing demand for light waterproof breathable fabrics,” said Glenn Crowther, product line leader for eVent fabrics. “eVent DVL waterproof fabric offers the ultimate combination in rainwear in the form of it’s air permeability, breathability and 100 per cent waterproof nature. We believe it is best in class by

The new line complements the entire eVent fabrics collection used in apparel, sports gear and footwear by a number of companies

all measures for activities and seasons that call for lightweight, packable rainwear,” added Crowther.

The membrane technology, with its millions of tiny pores, allows “direct venting” of the body’s heat and moisture through the fabric, yet is waterproof from the outside. The fabric’s membrane is

laminated to lightweight face fabrics for use in jackets, pants and other products.

The technology in eVent DVL waterproof fabric improves upon the performance of what are commonly called 2.5-layer fabrics, according to Crowther. “eVent DVL waterproof fabric stands alone in this class of fabrics because it does not use a polyurethane coating to protect the membrane from contamination,” explained Crowther.

“Polyurethane, applied as a coating, clogs the pores of the membrane and impedes airflow. In eVent fabrics, by comparison, the individual fibrils forming the membrane are treated so the pores remain open — or air permeable — and heat and moisture can pass through directly. That is GE’s Direct Venting technology,” added he.

“Originally developed in the 1990s for highefficiency industrial air filtration, GE’s venting membrane technology was found to be highly effective in waterproof fabrics for apparel — letting sweat out but keeping rain and elements at bay — and eVent fabrics were launched to the marketplace in 1999,” said a statement from GE. The patented technology that protects the membrane and retains its porous air permeable structure is found only in eVent fabrics and now in the new eVent DVL waterproof fabric.

Denim manufacturing goes green with Advanced Denim technology DENIM MANUFACTURING WORLDWIDE is headed for a complete change with introduction of a ‘greener chemistry’ process described at the 16th annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference held in Washington.

The process, called Advanced Denim, can produce a pair of jeans using up to 92 per cent less water and up to 30 per cent less energy than conventional denim manufacturing methods, according to Miguel Sanchez, a textile engineer at Clariant, a company based in Muttenz (near Basel), Switzerland, that developed Advanced Denim.

In addition, it generates up to 87 per pent less cotton waste, which is often burned, adding carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases to the atmosphere.

Unlike conventional denim production methods, which require up to 15 dyeing vats and an array of potentially harmful chemicals, Advanced Denim uses just one vat and a new generation of eco-advanced, concentrated, liquid sulfur dyes that require only a single, sugar-based reducing agent. All other production steps are eliminated, according to Sanchez.

If just 25 per cent of the world’s denim jeans were dyed with this technology, Sanchez said, it would save enough water to cover the needs of 1.7

Advanced Denim can produce a pair of jeans using up to 92 per cent less water and up to 30 per cent less energy than conventional denim manufacturing methods

million people every year. That’s equivalent to about 2.5 billion gallons of water every year. It also would forestall the release of 8.3 million cu m of wastewater, save up to 220 million kW hours of electricity and eliminate the release of a corresponding amount of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere annually.

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“Advanced Denim wants to go beyond the technologies that are today considered standard for obtaining denim material,” Sanchez said.

“We offer new possibilities for enlarging the number of tones and effects currently achievable, make production more simple and efficient, and all this with the minimal use of resources,” he added.

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TEXTILE NEWS High-tech textiles for security personnel FUNCTIONALISED TEXTILES FOR security personnel to wear at workplace have a lot more to offer than uniform appearance, comfort and suitability for harsh environment conditions.

Protection from harmful radiations, dirt, odour and other harmful elements are often integrated into the textiles for safety and hygiene.

Textiles with UV radiation protection Clothing with integrated sun protection is an example for textiles designed to keep harmful UV radiation away. The textile fibres contain titanium dioxide which is also used in sun protection creams, providing the wearer with a particularly high level of UV protection. Because clothing covers most of the body, it is predestined for protection from harmful UV radiation.

Different measurement methods exist for determining the UV protection factor UPF (Ultra Violet Protection Factor) which corresponds to the sun protection factor in creams. The measurements, according to UV Standard 801, are particularly realistic as they take into account factors such as the change in UV protection of textiles through wearing and cleaning.

Textiles with dirt and odour protection Nature's so-called lotus effect has been known for some time. Dirt on the leaves of the lotus plant can easily be washed off with water.

The basic principle has also been used for textiles for some time. Until now, the surfaces of the materials were additionally finished with hydrophobic (water-repellent) micro and nano structures. Researchers have now developed the lotus effect further: The nano particles are directly incorporated during production of the fibre, making the dirt-repellent effect resistant to intensive wear.

Another option for the use of nano particles is to embed silver into materials. The antimicrobial effect of silver has been known for centuries; one of its uses is water purification. It can be embedded into the fibres or applied by vapour-depositing.

Textiles for (in)visibility The functionalisation of textiles can achieve many other remarkable properties. An example from textile research is the textile material which effectively shields infrared radiation (IR) and is intended for use in the uniforms of armed forces.

Until now, IR-absorbing vat dyes in camouflage print ensured that the wearers were mostly “invisible” to the CCD sensors (chargecoupled device – a light sensitive electronic component) of night vision devices.

The absorption capacity of the dye particles quickly reaches its limits, though. Dotation (embedding) or coating of chemical fibres with indium tin oxide nano particles (ITO) allows significantly more efficient absorption of heat radiation, achieving a higher shielding effect than conventional camouflage prints.

ITOs are transparent semiconductors which are also used in touch screens for smartphones.

The challenge for many researchers was to fuse the ITO particles with the textiles in a way that does not negatively affect their other properties such as the physiological comfort.

Furthermore, it has to be ensured that the textile finish is resistant to washing, scrubbing and weathering.

ACIMIT green label gets RINA acknowledgement ITALIAN TEXTILE MACHINERY has set a benchmark in global research for innovative technologies designed to reduce textile production costs and stop harmful impact on environment.

The ACIMIT green label certification was introduced by the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers (ACIMIT) at the ITMA ASIA + CITME 2012, as part of its “Sustainable Technologies” project.

The certification aims at identifying the energy and environmental performances of textile machinery. In particular, it points out the quantity of equivalent emissions of carbon dioxide (Carbon Footprint - CFP) produced during a machine’s operation.

Subsequently, the association chose RINA, an international certification body, to define and validate the process for issuing the ACIMIT green label.

Manufacturers participating in the “Sustainable Technologies” project are in fact obliged to adhere to implementation measures and operating instructions on the measurement of energy and environmental performances declared by the green label.

RINA does not just limit itself to defining regulatory measures, since it also inspects and verifies their correct application, thus providing a guarantee of the accuracy of the performance indicators reported on the ACIMIT green label.

Each year, a sampling of 20 per cent of all the machinery producers participating in the project will be subjected to a monitoring procedure by RINA, which will control procedures for the measurement of parameters and the operating conditions of machines on which the green label is being affixed.

The sampling inspection by RINA of green labels issued is a guarantee for all green label machinery produced in accordance with ACIMIT’s own specifications.

This year, RINA has verified green labels at 6 machinery manufacturers, out of the 34 which have thus far used this process. On 25 June, RINA released the certificate of conformity for the green label issuing process.

With the green label certification procedure, Italmachinery manufacturers can provide potential customers verifiable information on the performance of their machinery.

DSM introduces fibre for deepwater moorings DSM, PRODUCER OF Dyneema® fiber, has introduced DM 20, which is designed for production of strong ropes that provide strength, stiffness and durability for deepwater mooring ropes.

A company official said, “DM 20 is an innovative fibre that redefines the capability of HMPE ropes and forms the basis of Dyneema® Max Technology.”

This technology is developed for the production of deepwater mooring ropes for oil and gas production facilities. “These ropes are ideal for all rope applications requiring resistance to permanent loads,” the official added.

AD INDEX Brother Internationale Industriemachine GmbH................................................ 5

Madeira Garnfabrik ..............................................................................................9

Erhardt+Leimer GmbH......................................................................................11

Rieter Machine Works Ltd. ................................................................................24

Industrial Development Corporation ................................................................23

Vetri Engineers .................................................................................................... 7

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A catalyst to the South African clothing and textiles industry The South African textile, clothing, leather and footwear manufacturing sectors are significant employers within the South African economy in that they are highly labourintensive with a low job creation cost when compared to other manufacturing industries.

The IDC’s Textiles Unit (SBU) provides support to a variety of sector enterprises, ranging from clothing and leather goods manufacturing, to the production of natural and synthetic fabrics, and the creation of home décor.

As a primary source of development finance for the sector, the IDC’s Textiles Unit provides loans and equity finance to sector projects and businesses that exhibit economic merit, as well as assists with the turnabout of troubled businesses that have a clear recovery potential. The focus is on both working capital and capital equipment expenditure related to start-ups, including the expansion and modernisation of existing businesses. An additional element of support for existing sector players is the approved low interest rate financing scheme.

The IDC is an integral part of the solution to overcoming the textile sector challenges. It has adopted an overarching and enterprising role that seeks to drive industrial development and nurture sector growth. Key to this strategy is the development of regional capacities and capabilities in textile production, and where necessary, to act as a catalyst in sector consolidation, collaboration and expansion.

The IDC is committed to supporting the development of this vibrant sec enching itself in the clothing sector, thr y clusters and groupings; facilitating link etail sector and reg g ticipating in the implementation ple of C rammes (CSP).

Chillibush7273IDC

The Unit has a proactive strategy that includes analysis of the entire industry value chain in order to identify project opportunities; the encouragement of investment in capacity-building activities to support sector sustainability; lit

the contribution to an enabling environment through co-funding and co-project development; and the close cooperation with textile sector-specific schemes such as the Development Funds Department (DFD), which manages the dti’s Production Incentive Programme (PIP), and the Clothing and Textiles Competitiveness Improvement Programme (CTCIP) incentive scheme.

Telephone: 086 069 3888 Email: callcentre@idc.co.za To apply online for funding of R1 million or more go to www.idc.co.za

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The Comfort of Competence Settle back and relax – thanks to Rieter

Feel at ease and indulge in the comfort of truly tailored support. Our proficient personnel are at your service – from the very first meeting seamlessly through to operations of your spinning mill plant. Rest assured – Rieter provides all four spinning system technologies and will advise you with competence on the best investment in terms of economy and market impact. Benefit from our expert services and enjoy the comfort of partnership with Rieter.

Rieter . The Comfort of Competence

www.rieter.com