NEWS
New developments in the Textiles, Home & Personal Care industry
Taking Ontex to the next level
O
ntex, the world leading supplier of disposable personal hygiene products, has announced its plans to leverage its strong market positions, develop further growth opportunities and implement the Transform2Grow program to drive sustainable growth and create further value. Charles Bouaziz, Chief Executive Officer, declared: “Since its IPO in June 2014, Ontex has emerged as a leading international personal hygiene company, delivering consistently on its strategy to grow outside of Western Europe, increase branded business and expand its presence in Adult Incontinence. Faced with unprecedented headwinds and challenges in the last two years, Ontex has demonstrated the resilience of our business model. Yet, further action is required to take Ontex to the next level. “Our comprehensive transformation plan, Transform2Grow (T2G) will step-change our oper-
ational efficiency and commercial practices. With T2G-enhanced commercial focus and competitiveness, we will accelerate execution of our two strategic priorities: Strengthen our current leadership positions and expand into new businesses and geographies within our core categories. Our objectives remain to outperform markets in which we operate and improve our profitability and cash generation. Together with committed teams, we will make Ontex a stronger and more profitable company, delivering growth and creating value for all stakeholders.” Visit: www.ontex.com
Tesla developing “loadbearing fabric architecture”
T
-based flooring, transportation and industrial fibres company, Universal Fibers has celebrated the opening of its new European facility in Gorzów Wielkopolski, Poland. “In support of our honoured customers in Europe, we are thrilled to be opening our newest manufacturing facility here in Poland,” said Marc Ammen, CEO of Universal Fiber Systems. “This aligns with our strategy for global growth which began in 2009 with expansion into Asia and later
in the U.K. Since then, customer response has been tremendous, and we are winning in partnership with our industry leading products, quality and service.” From extrusion to finished yarns in multiple chemistries like type 6 and 66 nylon, the plant is fully integrated. It also serves carpet manufacturers across the continent working in the residential, commercial and automotive sectors. “This new facility marks another investment in our commitment to provide the highest level of quality and service to our customers,” said Phil Harmon, President of Universal Fibers. “As a global company, our leading technologies from the US and Asia are now deployed locally in the European market. We couldn’t be more pleased with this investment and the platform it provides Universal Fibers to expand in the region.”
esla is currently working on a brand new “soft and durable” type of fabric to be used in seating in its electric vehicles. The patent was filed by Tesla last year but it only just coming to public attention. The name of the developmental fabric is “load-bearing fabric architecture” and the intent is to make in-car seating last longer. Tesla outlined the problems with current “automotive textiles” in the patent application. It said that soft fabrics were unable to withstand the continual sliding in and out. This problem has led to car manufacturers being forced to use tougher fabrics, which are not always soft to the touch. Tesla feels that the solution to this problem is a new fabric architecture, that both durable and soft to the touch. It is a multi-layer fabric. The top layer being the softer, and the bottom, load-bearing material, would be made of something tougher. When sat upon, the softer layer will compress and flush with the strong bottom later, making a more durable fabric. How well the technique works and whether or not the softer upper layer lasts longer is still unclear. The price of the material is also an ongoing question and if the material will be more cost effective than the synthetic leather that Tesla is currently using for its seats. Many companies file patents for technology that they ultimately never use, and it’s also unclear whether the new Tesla patent will join those ranks. Visit: www.tesla.com
Fund opens to reduce waste from plastic packaging and textiles
as plastic trays, pots and tubs, plastic films and pouches, as well as funding for projects that boost the recycling of textiles. For plastics this could include innovative sorting or segregation equipment, and smarter systems to enable sorting of different polymers. For textiles this could include machinery for recycling textiles, technology for disassembling or sorting
textiles, and automated processes for removing items from textiles such as zips. The UK generates around 2.4 million tonnes of packaging waste annually. Around 40% of all plastic produced in the UK is used in packaging. In 2015, there were 300,000 tonnes of clothing in the UK going to landfill or incineration. Visit: www.gov.uk
Universal Fibers opens new European plant in Poland
US
T
he UK government is inviting organisations to apply for funding under a grant scheme to boost the recycling of plastic packaging and textiles. Organisations in England can apply for government funding for solutions to improve recycling of hard-to-recycle plastic packaging such
10 Industry Europe
