Pioneering exceptional functionality TWE Group

PIONEERING EXCEPTIONAL FUNCTIONALITY

The TWE Group was founded in 1961 and today is one of the world’s foremost developers of highly functional non-woven products. From negative pressure wound therapy dressings to advanced applications in acoustics, automotive and household products, TWE sets the standards …and the pace of change in industry, as Philip Yorke reports

When the non wovens division of the TWE Group was established in 1961, in Emsdetten, Belgium, it was the first in the world to produce a synthetic non-woven material and heralded a culture of innovation that prevails to this day.

Currently the company employs more than 1,400 people worldwide from over 40 different nations. Its strict demands in terms of efficiency, durability, comfort and the safety of its products are widely acknowledged as the best in the world. TWE works closely with its global partners to develop innovative, highly flexible nonwovens to meet the challenges of tomorrow.

Delivering optimal wound management

In the medical sector TWE’s nonwovens are used in two vital medical applications. Firstly in adhesive plasters for the treatment of minor and acute wounds, and secondly to treat more serious chronic wounds. The latest generation of wound dressings use

“negative pressure” therapy to support and accelerate the healing process of hard-to-manage wounds.

TWE has developed a very special nonwoven for this innovative new therapy which can replace most of the foam dressings currently used in this type of application, as well as offering many other significant benefits. These dressings are always used in the treatment of particularly large, chronic wounds, which will not heal solely or without the aid of medications, gels and bandages.

Hospitals are now moving towards this new process of wound treatment known as Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT). It has been clinically proven that a wound heals six times faster with the use of this negative pressure wound therapy than with a traditional dressing.

“Our Aerofil product is exceptionally elastic yet soft, and in these dressings it serves to pack and absorb liquid from the wound. Because Aerofil can be sterilised with no physical or chemical side effects, it is perfectly suited for this area. Our product really shows its strength when sterilised, because it dries very quickly following sterilisation in hot steam and does not discolour when exposed to gamma radiation or when ethylene oxide is present. The result is a bright white nonwoven that is perfect for use in all wound management products” said a TWE spokesman. Unrivalled functionality

In the field of cleaning and household products, TWE’s stay-fresh, and ‘odour-stop’ wipes offer exceptional functionality and are capable of far more than simply absorbing water and removing dust and dirt. When using a dishcloth at home to wash your dishes or clean your house, consumers rarely give the cloth itself a thought. However there are products in the field of cleaning today that offer exceptional functionality. These include TWE’s latest “Odour-Stop-Stay Fresh” wipes.

The problem with traditional dishcloths is that they soon start o smell unpleasant. It is not just dirt that is responsible for these odours, so are the bacteria that breed in them. TWE treats its Odour-Stop cleaning cloths to significantly inhibit or prevent entirely the build-up of dishcloth odour. Thanks to a special bacteriostatic treatment based on pyrothione zinc, the formation of bacteria is stopped in its tracks. TWE avoids the use of silver or any other nanomaterials and complies fully with international Okotex standards that guarantees that there are no health concerns to consider.

Not only does the bacteriostatic treatment have the advantages already described, but it also increases the absorption of the dishcloths by up to 15 per cent thanks to a hydrophilic binder.

Furthermore, wipes form the company’s Odour-Stop range can be washed at up to 60 degrees centigrade with no loss of their positive bacteriostatic action.

Sound absorbing solutions

The world’s most important trade fair for noise control and sound design ‘Acoutex’ celebrated its world premiere in Dortmund, Germany in October last year. For the first time experts from the acoustics sector of industries such as construction, traffic and interior design businesses came together and a total of around 1500 experts were counted in the main Westfalenhalle in Dortmund.

Now TWE can look back on two very successful trade fairs during which it was able to bring its sound-absorbing nonwoven solutions for the construction and automotive sectors closer to this growing specialist audience.

One particularly outstanding product on display was an acoustic quaver chamber made from TWE’s sound absorbing nonwovens. Both TWE sound absorbing products, “Safe-T-Sound” from the business unit building as well as products from its “Quiet Web Series”, (which are otherwise used in automobiles), were used to great effect in the main hall. As a result, plans are already advanced for TWE’s attendance at the next Acoutex Trade Fair that will take place again on 2nd October 2019 in Dortmund. n

For further details of TWE’s latest innovative nonwoven products and services visit: www.twe-group.com