Perfecting polyamide yarns Xentrys

PERFECTING POLYAMIDE YARNS

Xentrys is a global leader in the production of high quality ‘nylon 6’ polyamide carpet yarns. Philip Yorke talked to Dominique van den Neucker, the company’s research and development manager, about innovative product design for the contract market and sustainability in relation to its product portfolio.

Xentrys is part of the “domo chemicals” Group, which is a global player in the field of nylon, nylon intermediates and engineering plastics. Xentrys is one of its flagship companies focused on the development and manufacturing of polyamide ‘nylon-6’ BCF (bulk continuous filament) carpet yarns for the contract and residential carpet markets. As a leading and globally active manufacturer of carpet and textile yarns, the company’s production processes are fully integrated and managed to optimise sustainable production methods and processes. In Leuna, near Leipzig in Germany the company’s entire production cycle, from the raw material, caprolactam, to the finished polyamide yarn, is all concentrated in one purpose-built location. This means significantly reduced transportation costs and low CO2 emissions.

Innovative new products

Xentrys’ key market sectors include the textile floor covering market in the form of wall-to-wall carpets and tiles as well as other sectors such as, for example, mattress ticking industry. New product development has always been a priority at Xentrys and today the company is committed to not only improving the quality of its nylon yarns, but also to significantly improving the sustainability of its products and manufacturing processes. Currently, mainly white yarn is manufactured, but the company is also producing more spun-dyed (solution dyed) yarns as well. And since this yarn is dyed already in the production stage by adding pigments, this method offers not only technical advantages but also ecological benefits to the customer. Xentrys offers both these yarn types in a wide range of counts, lustre levels and dye affinities.

Mr van den Neucker said, “Most of our R&D is carried out in Leuna, and gives us a competitive advantage, as all our processes can be developed, produced and implemented at one site. We are also upgrading our current machinery to give us more flexibility and the capability to produce even higher quality yarns. Our expertise in developing new products for the high-end market as well as for contract applications means that we can offer customised products specifically designed to meet the most exacting criteria. In the growing contract market we are interested in helping to reduce the environmental impact of building materials. Most of our new developments are specifically custom-made according to the criteria that each customer sets us. We then propose yarns which create new effects and qualities that can be applied to a finished carpet tile or carpet.”

Mr van den Neucker added, “We have an extensive in-house development centre with all possible facilities, ranging from cabling, air-entangling and tufting to dyeing and finishing. These modern facilities can be utilised by our customers, where it only takes a few hours to process a yarn into a finished product. Since we are a fully integrated company, starting from the production of caprolactam over polymer and ending with a finished yarn, we can also use this integration to change and develop our basic raw materials in order to bring further innovation into our product mix.”

Delivering sustainable benefits

At the recent Domotex trade fair in Hanover, Germany, it was announced that Xentrys is the first carpet yarn manufacturer to obtain an ‘Environmental Product Declaration’ (EPD), which is issued strictly in accordance with EN 15804 and verified by the IBU (Institut Bauen und Umwelt eV). With its strong focus on sustainable development, Xentrys has been able to provide a clear view of the environmental impact of its products, and especially those being used in the carpet industry. This allows architects to determine which products to select when considering the design of sustainable building projects. With the individual Xentrys EPD, a decisive advantage for the sustainability assessment of building products can be achieved, compared to generic data that is based only upon sector data.

Furthermore, Xentrys prides itself on being a reliable and high-performance partner for sustainability in the floor covering sector. Its products all meet strict environmental, health, quality and social standards and the company is committed to a programme of continuous development in all its sustainable production processes.

Leading the way in residential and contract sectors

In the highly competitive residential carpet market, Xentrys leads the field by offering high product quality with excellent priceperformance ratio. The company’s yarn production is tailored to suit any customer’s

individual requirements in terms of dyeability, luster, yarn count as well as filament crosssection. The company’s best known brand in this sector is Xentrylon™.

At the high-end of the market, Xelux™ and Xelux™ Color are the premier brands in the polyamide-6 contract field and one which offers an unparalleled range of colours and aesthetics. Through the intelligent application of its production technology, the texture and appearance of Xelux™ and Xelux™ Color can be developed according to suit any customer’s requirements and both meet the highest standards of quality and durability. n