Quarterly magazine of the Society of Dyers and Colourists
Textile machinery SDC global events Textiles-UK
www.sdc.org.uk
Issue 3 / 2010
Textiles-UK Wool - the cloth of kings
Date: Tuesday 5 October 2010 Venue: Clothworkers’ Hall, London, UK Bookings and information: www.textiles-uk.org.uk Textiles-UK is a major one day conference, co-hosted by the Society of Dyers and Colourists, Dyers’ Company and Clothworkers’ Company. It is aimed at professionals working across the textile supply chain. We believe in the future of the UK textile industry and in invigorating the woollen industry and natural fibres. This event will look at the vital role of the wool industry in the UK, its extraordinary history, heritage and diversity of use, and focus on its future potential through product development and innovation. Speakers include Malcolm Campbell (Retail and Textile), Rebecca Sharp (Australian Wool Innovation), Peter Ackroyd (Campaign for Wool), Peter Duffield (Global Textile Associates), Andrew Caughey (John Smedley Ltd), Bill Macbeth (Textile Centre of Excellence) and David Lewis (University of Leeds). The venue is the magnificent Clothworkers’ Hall in the City of London. Media partner:
Book your place now! For further information and to book your place: www.textiles-uk.org.uk email: info@textiles-uk.org.uk telephone: +44 (0) 1274 761780 Established in 1884, SDC is the world’s leading independent, educational charity dedicated to advancing the science and technology of colour worldwide
Governance
Welcome to this issue of The Colourist which focuses on textile machinery, as well as all our regular features on membership, governance and events. Here, I wanted to update you all on the hard work the team has been doing on your behalf. Implementation of the busi siness pla lan is ongoing. We successfully introduced new bu business plan the new brand and the response has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly from our corporate partners who think we project a level of professionalism that was previously missing. We are now in the middle of a major consultation exercise about the role of the SDC regions – with the trustees, regions and all of you as individuals – and we welcome your comments and ideas about how to maximise our resources in the future for the benefit of the majority of the membership. I’ve been focusing on diversifying our income and working with Andrew Filarowski, our technical director, to reposition ourselves as a technical society. To this end, we have been working on a range of projects in the UK, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, China and Hong Kong. We are also restructuring the technical department with a strong emphasis on technical sales and marketing. We are particularly pleased with the work of our India country manager, Parvez Kotadia, who is responsible for selling our training, technology transfer projects and services in India and adjoining countries. Another area of development has been to establish a stronger relationship between the Society and SDC Enterprises (SDCE), our wholly-owned trading company. Both the SDCE chair, Bill Laidlaw, and the managing director, Mark Yare, have been really helpful over the past year and I wanted them and the other directors and staff of SDCE to know how much we appreciate the hard work they do raising income on behalf of the Society by running such a tight and professional ship – we are truly proud of them all! Finally, I wanted to thank you for being so patient in this time of change. You all know that the Society faced serious problems with declining membership and falling revenues. The turnaround over the past 18 months has been incredible and we are some way towards being a truly relevant society for the 21st century. This has required many members to let go of the ‘old’ and welcome in the ‘new’ – which is always hard when you have put your heart and soul into something and consequently have a strong sense of ownership. Please bear with us, we are trying some new things, some of which are working, some need a little more time and some are just not right for us, but we are getting there and can only continue with your support. Susie Hargreaves, SDC chief executive
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Theme: Textile Machinery 5–7
Theme: DyeCoo
welcome
From the top
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Theme: John Smedley Ltd 9
Industry News
10
Textiles-UK
11
SDC Events in India, China and Bangladesh
12–13
Technical Article
14
Diary Dates
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Front cover image: kindly provided by John Smedley Ltd (see p.9) © Society of Dyers and Colourists 2010 PO Box 244 / Perkin House / 82 Grattan Road Bradford / BD1 2JB / UK Tel: +44 (0)1274 725138 Fax: +44(0)1274 392888 www.sdc.org.uk / www.colour-experience.org www.colour-journal.org / www.colourclick.org To contact the editor, Carmel McNamara, email: editorial@sdc.org.uk
Full staff contact details are available at: www.sdc.org.uk/pdf/staff-contacts.pdf Design & print: The Ark Design & Print Ltd T: 0113 256 8712 www.thearkdesign.co.uk To discuss advertising opportunities within The Colourist please call Mick Tonks on +44(0)113 256 8712 or email: mick@thearkdesign.co.uk
Printed on: 9Lives 80 which contains 80% recycled fibres Contributions: Content from this issue is also published on ColourClick; where there is a full length article available, the web address is indicated
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governance 4
News from the SDC Board of trustees Update from chairman Adrian Abel The SDC Board of trustees has continued to maintain its almost 100% attendance record, which is very helpful to avoid decisions being questioned then overturned. Consistency of decision making is a pre-requisite to moving the Society forward. The practice of handing over tasks to a smaller group to obtain the facts and come back with a recommended decision is helping us to get through a long agenda. Communications: Critical to the Society’s ability to communicate with its members is an effective IT system. The new facility, now being developed, combines a content management system with a customer relationship management database. At the moment we may feel a little overwhelmed with all the information we receive, but hopefully the new system will make us much more able to target members with information that is of interest to them. The contracts were drawn up after listening to solid legal advice, with John Bone leading trustee involvement. We have gone through a lengthy scoping and are on course for introducing this major investment in the Autumn. Training: Approval has been given to our training programme, an area in which the Society has to devote time and energy and is a vital part of developing the consultancy programme. As an educational charity, the SDC is in a unique position to provide top quality training from an objective source that contributes to developing a competent workforce in the textile supply chain. Additionally, it will promote environmental sustainability within the textile industry, in the UK and beyond. Once fully established, it should also help fulfil the financial objectives of the SDC by providing an additional income stream. The Society would like its name Issue 3 | 2010
to be synonymous with world class quality courses in the textile supply chain and, ultimately, to the whole of the coloration industry. Attendance on an SDC course may be part of member’s professional development. The expansion in our training programme is moving forward at some pace, fulfilling our charitable objectives and building up the Society’s reputation. Courses have been delivered in the UK, Hong Kong, India and Bangladesh, covering subjects from basic principles of dyeing through to colour management and fastness testing. Colour Experience: The Colour Experience has recovered well and relationships with various educational establishments initiated. Marketing: The Board has expanded the role of the marketing director to include communications. This position will be reviewed in 12 months. Fundraising: The Society has traditionally regarded fundraising just in terms of obtaining sponsorship for various events. The Board backed the plan formulated by Susie Hargreaves, our chief executive, who has formulated a more structured approach and set stretching targets, which to date is proving realistic. The main target is to raise £150 000 from charitable trusts and foundations over the period 2010–2013. The additional funding would be sought from trusts, legacies, partnerships and, of course, sponsorship. Education: We considered offering our members the possibility of obtaining Chartered Scientist designation by cooperating with our sister organisations Oil and Colour Chemists Association (OCCA) and the Society of Chemical Industry (SCI). However, this would have required an additional financial contribution from the member without
any real recognition over our current professional qualifications, so the idea was rejected for the time being. This was part of the recommendations made to the Board by Prof. Roger Wardman, who has also developed a hierarchy of awards offered by the Society. The recommendation also stated that we incorporate a requirement for continuing professional development for Chartered Colourists and a parallel development programme for members in the design side of our membership. Ambassadors: It was agreed to give more prominence and responsibility to our ambassadors who promote the Society in the different parts of the world. The former role of vicepresidents will be merged into the ambassadorial role. A very useful meeting was held with ambassadors during the SDC Day of Celebration in Nottingham. Health and safety: A new policy, outlining procedures and responsibilities, has been agreed for the Society, covering staff and visitors to Perkin House and our volunteers. The policy recognises that the trustees are ultimately responsible for the Society’s health and safety. Finance: The Society’s accounts for 2009 have been published and were significantly better than anticipated. The £42K profit in 2009 was welcomed and much better than the loss of £393K budgeted. The Society spent £183K less than in the previous year in spite of a delayed payment of £30K, which should have been in the 2008 accounts but omitted and carried forward into 2009. SDC Enterprises gift-aided £85K more than budget and investments rallied, increasing in value by £245K but delivered less than budgeted dividends (–£34K). Staff costs were £25K below budget. The trustees received training in their responsibility for formulating an investment policy including trust funds, delivered by Sarasin prior to a Board meeting earlier this year.
textile machinery
Clean and green textile machinery
Andrew Filarowski, SDC technical director, reports on Asia’s largest showcase of innovative textile machinery and solutions The ITMA ASIA + CITME 2010 exhibition took place in Shanghai, China this summer with a total of 1171 exhibitors from 28 countries and regions, showcasing a wide array of solutions during the five-day exhibition. Over 90 000 trade visitors from 96 countries and regions visited during the duration of the show. The theme on many of the exhibition stands, as in previous shows, was about environmental issues, such as savings on water, energy, process optimisation and process control. This was the theme throughout the preparation, dyeing and finishing areas and also by the dyestuff manufacturers who were present.
Asia focus Shanghai Newtech (China) was exhibiting the patented process Cooltrans, a cold-transfer printing process that is claimed to allow fixation under normal temperatures thus leading to lower energy consumption (65% reduction) and low water usage (66% reduction), as well as low emissions
compared to traditional printing methods and heat transfer processes. The process is applicable to most fibre types and the company claims that, as well as energy and water savings, the use of no heat in the process means that the original handle of the fabric remains unchanged. The company at the moment only sells into China. Fong’s Industries Group (Hong Kong) took the opportunity at ITMA to inform all present of their new sales, marketing and service approach to the business which was well received. The group offers a comprehensive range of high quality textile dyeing and finishing equipment under its own brand name Fong’s, with the Jumboflow high temperature dyeing machine on show at the exhibition. This piece of machinery can operate at a liquor to goods ratio of 1:4.5, has a fabric running speed of 400 m/min, has a variable loading chamber which allows it to accommodate different types of fabric and a TIT heat exchanger to provide a high heating range with minimum heating loss. It can dye many fabric types and is
equipped with the advanced intelligent rinsing system. The company claims the Jumboflow system offers a solution for dyehouses to reduce their energy consumption and effluent discharge. Fong’s also provided details of the Allfit-1 small batch dyeing machine for accurate transfer of recipes from laboratory to bulk and can run with as little as 1 kg of fabric. The Microwin mini sample yarn dyeing machine is designed to offer an efficient machine to produce a coloured package in the weight range 200–300 g as opposed to a normal package weight of 1.2 kg therefore offering savings in yarn, chemicals and energy at the sampling stage while still producing a usable recipe for bulk production. In the jet dyeing machine segment, Fong’s developed the patented Then Airflow machine which offers short batch times and low water, steam, power and chemical consumption. The technology behind this piece dyeing machine means that all the liquor that would have been used to transport the fabric through the machine has been replaced with a recirculating air stream. The company claims that the system allows typically for one more batch of dyeing per day and can save 40% to 60% of water usage and therefore effluent as well. Also on show was the Then Airflow Synergy 600 G2 system, Issue 3 | 2010
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which is a threeport machine with a practical loading of 600 kg with a maximum rope length of 1200 m. Montfort It is suitable for Fong’s Twinair woven and knitted stenter unit fabrics of cotton, viscose, polyester, loyamide and their blends which can include up to 23% of spandex. Montforts Fongs, a joint venture between Fong’s and the textile machinery manufacturer Monforts (Germany), exhibited the Montex 6500 stenter range which is currently available in China and South East Asia. A modular system allows the machinery to be applicable for various uses, whether as a stand alone stenter, a unit with extended dwell time for heat setting and curing, with integrated coating units, integrated infrared predryer for pigment dyeing or other units for the finishing woven and knitted fabrics, e.g. the Toptex shrinkage unit and is also available as a chainless predryer. The system uses the patented TwinAir principle of independent airflow regulation for the top and
bottom air. It makes use of a new integrated heat recovery system which is a new space saving design that allows for up to 60% of the fresh air used by the stenter to be preheated through the heat exchanger and which is claimed can give between 10% and 30% energy savings depending on the production.
European exhibitors A number of European manufacturers also had products on show. Benninger (Switzerland) exhibited its simplified Kusters DyePad Basic model. The machine produced in response to customer requirements offers mechanised adjustment rather than complicated electronics and costs less than the one with PLC control. Icomatex (Spain) had a number of machines on show, including the Stenter IC8/IC10, which now features
SDC Enterprises Ltd and BTMA presence at ITMA
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Representatives of the SDC trading company, SDC Enterprises (SDCE), welcomed a great number of people to the exhibition stand in Shanghai, with visitors from all over Asia. The SDCE stand was amongst those of 16 other British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) member companies exhibiting at ITMA. To international textile manufacturers, the BTMA is the ‘shop window’ for the best of Britain’s textile machinery, associated products and service providers and, with that, allows access to Britain’s vast heritage and innovations in textile machinery and processing. The BTMA is one of the nine associations that make up CEMATEX (the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers). Along with the International Textile Manufacturers
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Federation (ITMF), CEMATEX has announced a high-level business forum that will take place alongside the ITMA 2011 show, in Barcelona, Spain. The ITMA-ITMF World Textile Summit 2011 will be a one-day event that brings together textileindustry leaders and policy makers in strategically important fields such as technology and sustainability. Comments Steve Combes, vicepresident of CEMATEX and a director of SDCE, ‘The textile industry must adapt constantly to changing world conditions. The World Textile Summit 2011 will give those with strategic responsibilities clearer insights into the future challenges.’ www.sdcenterprises.co.uk www.btma.org.uk www.cematex.com
independent airflow on each side of the fabric with independent airflow and inverters. These models also feature dual heat, gas and thermal oil, depending on the fabric requirements. Also available is indirect gas heating with heat exchangers. Germany’s Brückner company has invested heavily to optimise the energy efficiency and productivity of its lines. In its pad–dry/thermosol lines Brückner is targeting the production of a homogeneous, reproducible, migration free dyeing for both shorter and longer runs and claims that the Power-Colortherm hotflue dryer gives a symmetrical large volume air circulation system leading to improvements in the dyeing process. Brazzioli (Italy) launched its Innoecology machines system and is the next generation in its innovations programme for more efficient dyeing machines. Innoecology uses innovative translational flow of the liquor in the machine which the company claims makes the dyebath much more uniform. The new feed system (patent pending) removes all delivery differences between nozzles regardless of the number of nozzles being fed. Additionally, the new fabric conveyance system allows for increased speed (up to 50% compared to typical conveyance systems) while still maintaining softness and smoothness without pilling or abrasion. Overall, the system allows a reduction of 30–40% in the nozzle working pressure. Thies (Germany) – with its company tagline ‘water is for living, not for dyeing’ – exhibited two products for the first time. The first was the new double nozzle, twin chamber, Luft Roto Plus S11. This machine is said to offer increased flexibility for dyeing over a wide range of fabric types. The machine is able to operate with or without air and therefore provides the opportunity for significant energy savings with air and electrical power costs being reduced. The second product was a Thies connecting pipework system which offers easy connection to the mains utilities (including all isolating valves, steam traps, non-return valves and dirt traps) and offers major savings in reduced installation time costs and minimised pipework. Repeat elbow/ bent joints are eliminated keeping
It is clear that it was not only the dyeing machine and stenter manufacturers that were coming up with the innovations for more environmental dyeing, there were a whole range of companies looking to minimise costs either during process or before. These organisations will already be looking towards the next ITMA Asia in 2012 (www.itmaasia. com).
Research focus Arthur Welham looks at some historical facts in relation to the development of modern-day textile machinery The first jet dyeing machines were introduced by Gaston County at the Basel ITMA exhibition of 1967, although machines had been in operation in the USA for a number of years and the original patents (developed by Burlington Industries) date from the mid-1950s. Over the last 40 years, progress in machine design has been rapid (certainly in an historical context) and has been exclusively based on satisfying requirements in the dyehouse. Originally, the need for high physical action to develop the textile properties of texturised polyester fabrics was a major advantage in jet machines. However, with the increase of popularity of fairly light weight knitted fabrics, especially for casual wear, came the need for machines which had a more gentle action but with the same advantages of level dyeing and good fabric penetration. Also, increasing awareness of the importance of minimising water consumption resulted in a change of emphasis towards low liquor machines rather than the original fully flooded machines [1,2]. Unfortunately, the requirement of dyeing at a lower liquor ratio to conserve water is not immediately beneficial in respect of preserving fabric quality and preventing damage. The success of, for example, pad– batch dyeing and the work by Lister on dyeing from a microfoam [3], had shown that only a small quantity of water is necessary to effect the transfer of dye to fibres. However, much larger quantities of water are required to transport fabric through the liquor with sufficient liquor circulation to ensure level dyeing without severe physical damage. Jet dyeing machine manufacturers followed Lister’s lead and succeeded in producing machines which would treat fabric (especially knitted cotton
fabrics) gently and give excellent level dyeing with a minimum usage of water. Machine manufacturers have continued to address modern dyehouse problems. In recent years there have been two particularly successful technologies. The first is based on transporting the fabric using both air and water [4], typified by the Then Airflow machines and Thies Luft Roto. The other dominant technology uses the Twin Soft Flow system, developed by Sclavos SA [5]. These technologies have permitted level and well penetrated dyeings with a minimum liquor ratio. The airflow type machines transport the fabric with a mixed stream of air and water (aerosol) and the Luft Roto uses separate jets of dye liquor and air. These systems allow dyeing at much lower liquor ratios and also permit good even penetration of textile structures. It also must be said the possibilities of improved process control have helped to avoid the need for reprocessing and this is also important in reducing the environmental impact of dyeing as well as in controlling costs.
textile machinery
welding to a minimum. SSM Schärer Schweiter Mettler AG (Switzerland) exhibited improved precision winding machines allowing greater density of dye packages therefore reducing energy use in dyeing and giving cost savings. The PS6plus–W machine offers better performance and higher speed while maintaining the quality of the yarn. If coupled with Digicone winding, this results in higher dye package densities which could offer the saving mentioned above. Goller (Germany) has developed a new continuous Knitcolora Pad Steam dyeing range for knitted fabrics. They claim that continuous dyeing of knits was previously impossible because there was no steamer available to handle the delicate mesh material. Dye fixation takes place in the steamer and without a suitable medium to carry the fabric the fabric was deformed and damaged leading to variation in colour. This new design sees the entrance of the passage into the steamer adapted with the fabric carried in tight strand form from the padder nip to the steaming zone through a steam lock. Their system allows almost tensionless transport and an even steam atmosphere to guarantee even dyeing. Finally, another German company, Mahlo, was offering sustainability and energy management systems. Mahlo presented the new Atmoset SMT-12, a dynamic cylinder dryer control system. This retrofit piece of equipment can, they claim, save up to 15% energy and the subsequent savings in costs. The system optimises the heat output of drum dryers depending on the product. It controls the residual moisture of the fabric and is successful in this respect by using two superimposed control loops. This allows for the optimal degree of drying to be reached regardless of the weight of the product or the speed.
References: 1. M Patterson, Rev. Prog. Color., 4 (1973) 80. 2. J Ratcliffe, Rev. Prog. Color., 9 (1978) 58. 3. G H Lister, US4260389 (Sandoz Ltd; 1982). 4. R Adrion, Saving Water – A Global Concern in Textile Finishing (Hessental: Then AG, 2003). 5. A C Welham, Am. Dyestuff Rep., 82 (9) (1993) 40. To access references 1 and 2, visit www.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/ cote. See also the SDC award-winning 1993 review article covering the history of yarn dyeing machinery by Joseph Gaunt.
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textile machinery
DyeCoo: waterless dyeing Launch of the first commercial dyeing machine that uses supercritical carbon dioxide instead of water The textile industry is believed to be one of the biggest consumers of water. In conventional textile dyeing, large amounts of water are used both in terms of intake of fresh water and disposal of wastewater. On average, an estimated 100–150 litres of water is needed to process 1 kg of textile material, with some 28 billion kilos of textiles being dyed annually. Water is used as a solvent in many pretreatment and finishing processes, such as washing, scouring, bleaching and dyeing. Hence, the elimination of process-water and chemicals would be a real breakthrough for the textile dyeing industry, and it seems this has now come to fruition, with the launch of the world’s first ever industrial dyeing machines that uses super carbon dioxide (CO2) as a replacement for water. The manufacturer behind this system is the Dutch company, DyeCoo Textile Systems BV. Years of extensive research and development has gone into producing the novel, completely water-free dyeing process which has considerable lower operational costs compared to conventional dyeing processes.
Award-winning process
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From an environmental point of view, the new dyeing machine is revolutionary. The machine was unveiled this summer and is so new it has yet to be given a name, although the technology behind the process was unveiled to the world last year when DyeCoo won the Herman Wijffels Innovation Award for the best innovative eco-based product for 2009/2010. Reinier Mommaal of DyeCoo explains that the idea for water-free dyeing is nothing new. ‘The principle of Issue 3 | 2010
dyeing with CO2 was invented in Germany twenty-five years ago. Developing a wellfunctioning machine, however, turned out to be too expensive.’ DyeCoo Textile Systems’ parent company, Feyecon, began tackling this issue ten years ago in partnership with the Delft University of Technology and Stork. This ultimately resulted in DyeCoo (which was formed in 2008), which literally means dyeing with CO2. ‘The benefits are huge,’ continues Reinier Mommaal. ‘There is no water consumption, no use of chemicals, no drying and it is twice as fast. This also makes it attractive in terms of energy. It is consequently not surprising that people from around the world have shown interest in this new machine.’ The disperse dyes used in the process were specially produced in cooperation with another Dutch company, Triade, responsible for the production and distribution of the CO2 dyes, with Setex (Germany) responsible for the control system.
Production machine The final partner of DyeCoo to make history is Tong Siang Co. Ltd (Thailand), part of the Yeh Group. The polyester textile producer will become the first textile mill to implement the commercial-scale supercritical fluid CO2 machine into production, branding the process as DryDye. Supercritical fluid CO2 enables polyester to be dyed with modified disperse dyes. It causes the polymer fibre to swell, allowing the disperse dye to diffuse and penetrate the pore and capillary structure of the fibres. The viscosity of the dye solution is lower, making the circulation of the dye solutions easier and less energy intensive. This deep penetration also provides effective coloration of polymers. Furthermore, dyeing and removing excess dye can be carried out in the same vessel; and residue dye is minimal and may be extracted and recycled. Currently, the process is limited to dyeing of scoured polyester fabric run in batches of 100–150 kg, although DyeCoo and its partners are developing reactive dyes for cellulosics to be available for use in this process in the not too distant future. www.dyecoo.com
Dyeing with CO2 “When carbon dioxide is heated to above 31°C and pressurised to above 74 bar, it becomes supercritical, a state of matter that can be seen as an expanded liquid, or a heavily compressed gas. In short, above the critical point, carbon dioxide has properties of both a liquid and a gas. In this way supercritical CO2, has liquid-like densities, which is advantageous for dissolving hydrophobic dyes, and gas-like low viscosities and diffusion properties, which can lead to shorter dyeing times compared to water. Compared to water dyeing, the extraction of spinning oils, the dyeing and the removal of excess dye can all be carried out in one plant in the carbon dioxide dyeing process which involves only changing the temperature and pressure conditions; drying is not required because at the end of the process CO2 is released in the gaseous state. The CO2 can be recycled easily, up to 90% after precipitation of the extracted matter in a separator.” To read more about supercritical fluid dyeing technology, read the paper by Bach et al. published in the SDC review journal in 2002 online at: www.wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cote.
Andrew Caughey discusses how taking a fresh look at the business has led to a reduction in lead times John Smedley Ltd, a company known for its quality knitwear, celebrated its 225th anniversary in 2009 and holds the title of being the oldest manufacturing company in the world that has remained in continuous production. The John Smedley mill is located in Lea Bridge, near Matlock in Derbyshire (UK). It is here that we design and knit our renowned fine-gauge knitwear that is sold in leading department stores and fashion boutiques across the globe. The mill is located less than two miles from the Cromford mill where Sir Richard Arkwright made his significant contribution to the world we know today by creating the world’s first factory. Production at the existing site began in 1784, before the industrial revolution, and yarns and garments have been produced ever since, through wars, recessions, depressions and boom times with many kings and queens and the many social and industrial periods of change across these four centuries.
Evolving the business The history of John Smedley Ltd has been filled with risks and opportunities taken as the company changed and adapted garments and systems to meet the changing demands of consumers, from underwear to outerwear using only the finest natural fibres. But these changes have only happened because of the quality of the workforce and their vision for the future. Generations of people have worked for the company and throughout every era many have played key roles in evolving the business. Developments in technology and new processing machinery have made
significant changes to the way we operate our business and have allowed us to maintain a fine balance between retaining the unique hand-finishing techniques that make a Smedley ‘a Smedley’ and industrialised output. The older frame knitting machines produce a high quality garment with a consistent output while the computerised ribknitting machines, such as Shima Seiki, give flexibility in expanding the design options and in our production planning. Whilst it is important we produce a consistently high quality garment, we were increasingly aware of the need to be more flexible and responsive to the demands of our retail customers in the market. The demands were to deliver on time and in full at the start of the retail selling season, presenting challenges for both our systems and processes.
textile machinery
John Smedley Ltd: knitting for success
As these changes in approach have been implemented, they have impacted on all departments across the company involving design, through all production areas and including sales. This process of change is well on its way but it hasn’t been without its own unique set of challenges. We have worked closely with the employees to educate them on the need to change the way we operate towards being a more efficient company, but in some instances this has required a cultural change in approach. We have to look at our approach to production and establish what the new methodology is. The full transition to three weeks will take more than one production season to refine but the changes are well underway with clearly defined goals. These changes were necessary and are enabling us to use our plant and equipment in a more effective ways. This is another phase in the evolution of John Smedley Ltd and one that will help place us in a stronger position in support of our exclusive retailer base when selling our John Smedley knitwear throughout the world. www.johnsmedley.com
Lead time reductions At the beginning of 2010 we began working with Goldratt UK consultants, to assist us in meeting these market demands. The basis of this consultancy was to help us identify and exploit the production constraints at our mill and reduce the production lead time so we were more responsive to the market needs. In January, we took the first steps towards reducing our production lead time from eight weeks to three weeks. The benefits of this approach are many. By only producing against orders we are able to deliver complete orders towards the start of the selling season. Also, with the shorter lead times, we reduce the need for significant stock holdings so we can offer a faster resupply of popular styles. Our aim is to be able to resupply in season in around three weeks.
Andrew Caughey is the managing director of John Smedley Ltd and has over 20 years of experience in international sales and marketing working with luxury clothing brands throughout the world. He is a speaker at the SDC’s Textile-UK conference in October, where he will talk about ‘Wool and the next generation’ (see p11).
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industry news
Plan A update from M&S “There’s nothing woolly about our commitment to animal welfare.” This phrase was first coined by Marks and Spencer in 2006, a whole year before Plan A was launched, as part of the ‘Look behind the label’ campaign (and can still be seen today in stores and on delivery trucks). Plan A was then rolled out in January 2007, ‘committing to change 100 things over five years, because we’ve only got one world and time is running out’. In March this year, the company’s ethical and eco plan was extended to include an additional 80 new commitments, with the ultimate goal of becoming the world’s most sustainable major retailer by 2015. Through Plan A, M&S is working with customers and suppliers to combat climate change, reduce waste, use
sustainable raw materials, trade ethically and help customers to lead healthier lifestyles. In the company’s annual ‘How We Do Business Report’, the progress of Plan A is detailed and we see that, three years on, 62 of the original 100 commitments have been achieved, 30 are ‘on plan’ to be achieved by 2012 and seven are ‘behind plan’ as a result of unexpected challenges. Sir Stuart Rose, chairman of Marks and Spencer, said, ‘We’ve made excellent progress, but there’s no time to stand still. Through Plan A, we’ve introduced products and services to help
Paris ISO meeting report
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Every three years, members from two of the sub-committees for the ISO textiles technical committee TC38 gather for a joint meeting. The most recent meeting, held in July in Paris, was hosted by Association Francaise de Normalisation (AFNOR) and brought together all the countries involved in the process of developing and maintaining the current ISO 105 series of standard test methods (tests for colour fastness). Member representatives from eleven countries discussed the requirements of the industry going forward in relation to both ‘TC38/SC1 Tests for coloured textiles and colorants’ and ‘TC38/ SC2 Cleansing, finishing and water resistance tests’ and a number of major resolutions were agreed. It was noted that the BSI (UK) through the SDC would assume the Secretariat of SC1 on the 1 Oct 2010 for a period of three years, followed by SAC (China) assuming Secretariat the next three years (subject to approval). The arrangement would no longer be a co-Secretariat, but will be a shared Secretariat. It was agreed that ISO 105-B02, which is the standard that looks at the method for testing the light fastness of a textile, is
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to go to a Draft International Standard (DIS) vote to include flatbed machines for the first time, with the exception of Method 2. Also agreed was that the standard looking at the use of the DigiEye equipment (ISO/DIS 105-A11) would proceed to the final stages (FDIS) and thus would hopefully soon be formally adopted as an ISO method. The SDC took a major role in all of these standards and by continuing its secretariat of this committee, and its sister committee in BSI TCI/81, the SDC is showing its commitment to the high standards expected by the retailer/brands and the consumer, ensuring that these standards are maintained on an international stage. The SDC was instrumental in the writing of the very first standards in this area and for many years published its own standard test methods. Without these standard test methods and the consumables that are manufactured to a high standard and sold by SDC Enterprises, retailers/brands would not have a common base on which to set specifications for their product to ensure consumer satisfaction and success in the retail world. Full report at: www.colourclick.org/137962.aspx
customers live more sustainably, increased our contribution to local communities, and this year, generated £50m additional profit which has been invested back into the business. We’ve also ‘gone public’ with our view that sustainability is critical to future business success.’ Some of the achievements include 33% less waste sent to landfill yearon-year; 40% electricity sourced from ‘green’ tariff renewable supplies; and 1.8 million garments recycled through the Oxfam Clothing Exchange. Progress updates are available in the full report, available at: www.marksandspencer. com/thecompany
Campaign for Wool
The wool initiative launched by His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales at the start of this year (see The Colourist, issue 1, 2010, p4) has now been reclassified as The Campaign for Wool (originally the Wool Project). It aims to demonstrate wool’s sustainable qualities as well as highlighting its natural benefits and versatility to both retailers and consumers. In June the Prince announced his official patronage of The Campaign for Wool for its five year duration. As part of a promotional programme to reposition wool, there will be a Wool Week taking place this autumn (11–17 Oct 2010) which will be thoroughly supported by The Campaign for Wool and retail partners. More at: www.campaignforwool.com As a precursor to the Wool Week events, the SDC is holding its own conference where wool will be the focus on 5 Oct 2010 in London (see p11).
Textiles-UK London, 5 Oct 2010 The first SDC conference under the new imprint of Textiles-UK takes place on 5 Oct 2010 in London. The conference, entitled ‘Wool – the Cloth of Kings’, will look at the vital role of the wool industry in the UK, as well as the fibre’s technical properties, sustainability benefits and future possibilities through product potential and innovation. Comments Andrew Filarowski, the SDC technical director, ‘We believe in the future of the UK textile industry and in invigorating the woollen industry and natural fibres. In the growing climate of synthetics for low prices, we believe natural fibres are important in helping to re-establish a higher value for cloth, garments and other products. We also believe in product development and innovation, and will look at where wool could be in the future.’ As announced on p8, Andrew Caughey (John Smedley Ltd) has been added to the already impressive lineup of speakers for the event, which includes: ■ Peter Ackroyd (Campaign for Wool) ■ Peter Duffield (Global Textiles Associates) ■ Bill Macbeth (Textile Centre of Excellence) ■ David Lewis (University of Leeds) ■ Rebecca Sharp (Australian Wool Innovation) ■ and keynote speaker Malcolm Campbell (Retail & Textile). Malcolm will open proceedings by debating all the enticing aspects of wool – its chemistry, uses and unique properties, as well as new technical innovations that will bring wool alive again to a new generation in the 21st century, a blend of science and nature. He will discuss wool’s past and forecast its future, a future that mankind controls. The conference chair is Eric Musgrave, director general of the
UK Fashion & Textile aspect for Malcolm Campbell, Association. Supported by who is a true emissary for the Dyers’ Company and the the wool industry in the Clothworkers’ Company with UK. Malcolm comments, ‘I Twist as the media partner, see this conference not so the one-day conference much about educating the – which is a precursor to experienced members of the The Campaign for Wool industry but about educating M Mal lcol colm lm Camp C ampb bell bel ll Malcolm Campbell events – takes place at the students, newcomers and Clothworkers’ Hall in London retailers, and I truly hope and will be followed by a drinks that SDC members will support this reception and black tie dinner, with the major event.’ SDC members are eligible final of the SDC design competition. to a discount on tickets; for the full The fact that young designers from programme, prices and to book, visit: around the globe will be present is a key www.textiles-uk.org.uk
SDC conference
Wool – the Cloth of Kings
Global design talent selected The finalists in this year’s SDC ■ Hong Kong: Kwok Wai Liu (Hong competition, sponsored by Clariant, Kong Design Institute) have now been selected and all will ■ Ireland: Sinead Geraghty (National go on to compete for the SDC Colour College of Art and Design) Design Award 2010 at the grand ■ India: Swaroopa Adusumilli final in London this October. Open to (College of Home Science) undergraduates registered on fashion/ ■ Pakistan: Mariam Mobeen Shah textile design courses, the brief was (Iqra University Islamabad) all about colour and the students were ■ Singapore: Meng Jing (Lasalle also asked to demonstrate sociallyCollege of the Arts) responsible thinking in ■ South Africa: Laduma their approach to their Ngxokolo (Nelson designs. Heats were held Mandela Metropolitan around the world and the University) many expert judges have ■ UK: Kelly Taylor (De cogitated over which Montfort University). Designs by Sinead Geraghty collection was deemed The Society to be the most innovative acknowledges the and creative of all the support of all the entries, showing the judges and sponsors. student’s understanding Each of the global of social responsibility finalists’ work will be Design by Laduma Ngxokolo and the issues which exhibited following the surround the fashion Textiles-UK conference and textiles industry today. The nine and the winner (recipient of £1000 country winners include: and the Veronica Bell trophy) will ■ Australia: Anna Langdon (Sydney be announced at a ceremony in Institute) the magnificent Clothworkers’ ■ China: Shihao Bai (Xi’an Academy Hall. Read more on p15 and at: of Fine Arts) www.sdc-colourblog.blogspot.com
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international events
SDC events in focus around was particularly lively due partly to the passion of the panel. I was surprised that, although this was said to be the first time such a large group of technical dyers and suppliers had met in an open discussion with designers and retail consultants, how quickly a rapport Conference speaker Mr Stefan Schlosser (Clariant) built up between the two groups resulting in meetings between the two sides being arranged to follow up on any by Parvez Kotadia, SDC potential mutual benefit.’ country manager for India At the conference, a collaboration Conferences in coloration was announced between Dystar India The 7th Colour Trends international and Alok Industries, supported by the conference organised by SDC EC in India SDC, called Advanced Academy for titled ‘Evolving Maze in Coloration’ was Development of Textile Technologists. held in both Mumbai and Coimbatore in This will see students selected from June. The conference was attended by across the technical institutions captains of the industry, professionals, in India to be trained for better academicians, senior technologists, industry prospects. The conference management executives, and entrepreneurs in textile processing. Eminent speakers from the industry and academia presented their views on the Atul Industries, future of coloration and the prospects an SDC company for the industry. Each conference member, is one of began with the opening speeches the oldest business and the presentation of awards, the houses in India remainder of the programme consisted and is concerned of an interesting format of three panel with textiles and discussions: sustainability and ecology; chemicals. A township coloration of polyester and cellulosics; named ‘Atul’ built and retail and fashion. This was the around the factories first time the India conference has is around 20 km away involved the fashion fraternity to link from Vapi (one of the technical and artistic perspective for the manufacturing mutual benefit. hubs in Gujarat). This Comments John Morris, SDC town has access to education, health president, ‘The discussions were lively care, housing and other infrastructure and wide ranging but the questions and with the philanthropic initiatives of opinions could have been anywhere in Lalbhai family. During the recent visit the world, the overriding impression of John Morris and Susie Hargreaves, was that the concerns, problems, and the managing director of Atul, Sunil restrictions of the Indian industry are Lalbhai, extended its cooperation no different to those in Europe. The to give intervention to three local retail and fashion panel moderated by schools on the subject of coloration. SDC chief executive, Susie Hargreaves,
India updates
Mr John Morris pictured in Mumbai with the keynote speaker Mr Manish Kiri (DyStar)
In his first few months in office since taking up the post of SDC president in May, John Morris has carried out a number of ambassadorial duties. He is submitting regular reports of his activities, already having visited India, Italy and attended various events in the UK. Trip report: www.colourclick.org.uk/137326.aspx
was supported by Dystar India as lead sponsor and CHT Bezema India Pvt. Ltd, Clariant India, SF Dyes and Colourtex as gold sponsor. Full report: www.colourclick.org/137434.aspx
Seeing colours at Atul in Gujarat
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Issue 3 | 2010
Parvez Kotadia delivered the three sessions for around 700 students and 55 of their teachers. Two sessions were delivered in Gujarati (regional) language and one in English. The students and the teachers found the session interesting and useful and have requested more such interventions in the future.
Bangladesh conference Dhaka, 30 Nov 2010 Water will be the focus of an SDC one-day conference to be held in Bangladesh on 30 Nov 2010. The projection is for the population of Dhaka to increase to 25 million by 2025. Before then Dhaka will become uninhabitable due to contamination of water. Action is required urgently and, as a major polluter, the textile dyeing industry must react. The only other alternative is for enforced industrial closure which will condemn Bangladesh to poverty and hardship, unprecedented in modern times. This event will cover: ■ the environmental issues facing Bangladesh ■ the key challenges facing the textile industry ■ the opportunities and benefits of getting it right through practical case studies ■ dyehouse good practice – practical suggestions for individual dyehouses
China updates by Andrew Filarowski, SDC technical manager Colour Index in China Prof. Shen, a member of the Colour Index Editorial Board, was invited to present at two dye China conferences recently with a paper entitled ‘Colour Index and Us’. The first event was organised by China Association of Dyes Industry, which also cooperates with the SDC and is made up of the main dye and pigment manufacturers in China. The second event was organised by China Association of Dyes Chemistry, which is a more scholarly society and focuses on dye and pigment research. A great deal of interest in the Colour Index – the colorants database which exists for the benefit of industry and gives those products listed credibility – was generated amongst delegates, which will hopefully further widen its usage amongst the dye and pigment manufacturers within China. Prof. Shen was also instrumental in organising a
■ the role of the retailer ■ the future – the use of technology and innovation. A world class line up of speakers includes: ■ Steven Barron, DyStar ■ Peter Johnson, Photo credit: Tony Cassidy (Nottingham, UK) Huntsman Textile Effects ■ Rahul Bhajekar, Texanlab ■ Syed Nayeem Emran, IFC advisory ■ Arthur Welham, The Dyehouse facility (SEDF) Doctor ■ Khawaja M Minnatullah, World Bank ■ And more, including Susie Hargreaves, SDC, and Rakesh Sachdev, SF Dyes. The event is sponsored by DyStar (gold sponsor) and Huntsman (silver sponsor), with International Dyer as the media partner. To book, contact: Parvez Kotadia (parvezk@sdc.org.uk).
international events
the globe
D Dhaka water catastrophe – what can we do about it??
number of meetings (during ITMA), with Zheijiang Lonsen Group Ltd and Tianjin DEK Chemical Company Ltd, regarding their involvement in the Colour Index and Tianjin has subsequently submitted four products into the Colour Index. These meetings were held with SDC and AATCC (co-publisher of the Colour Index) and both parties agreed that these discussions gave a basis on which to develop the dye section of the database in the future. www.colour-index.org
Hangzhou conference SDC and Adsale, together the China Textile Engineering Society, organised a two-day conference in June in Hangzhou. The third in a series of annual conferences on dyeing and finishing, the event was attended by over 200 people from mills, dyehouses and printing factories from the surrounding area. The full programme provided the audience with a useful insight into innovation and new techniques in preparation,
L–R: Tian Anli, Kuanjung Fang, Andrew Filarowski, Jinxin He, Jane Jiang, Calvin Lam, Eric Wang
dyeing and printing. Topics included the development of novel disperse dyes from the China Dyestuff Society through to the Oekotex standard, basic colour measurement from X-Rite and the need for tight control, and the launch of various new products by the dyestuff manufacturers. Clariant also introduced MaxPro, a new system for continuous desize, scouring and bleaching which produces fabric with greater strength over current products. Print works provided practical experiences in this area. The SDC raised the issue of water usage and the need to conserve water by the use of best available practice in all aspects of wet processing. Issue 3 | 2010
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technical article
Changing colours
Coral reef fish camouflage (image credit: Justin Marshall)
Ephemeral colour effects are being exploited in a number of modern technologies, as described recently by Tim Dawson “Whatever the end use, the colour makers (and those applying those colours) have always striven to attain a degree of permanence in the durability of the goods they produced, which might range from dyed garments, painted items or glazed ceramics. The natural world provided pigments which themselves were very stable chemically, but the majority of natural textile dyes (and even the early synthetic ‘aniline dyes’) were very fugitive. The environment of humans has always offered examples of impermanent colour, in which both
Colour: Design & Creativity
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The full content of the AIC Colour Congress special issue of the SDC’s design journal (issue 5) is now available, featuring such varying aspects as why animals are so colourful (by Justin Marshall), the complexities of simultaneous contrast in both urban transport and geological maps (by Paul Green-Armytage), and the history of the famous ‘White’s illusion’ and the impact it had on colour vision research (by Michael White). Read now, and subscribe to the journal for free, at: www.colour-journal.org
Issue 3 | 2010
luminous and reflected colours might occur in a very transient manner. Some very short-term colour phenomena, such as aurora and luminescent effects, occurred in what were once regarded as mysterious circumstances and were associated with various gods and mythical persona. In contrast, the longer-lasting, but constantly changing, colours in vegetation, as well as some shorter-term familiar occurrences such as rainbows, carried more welcome portents. Some land animals and a variety of sea creatures have evolved with an ability to change their skin colours rapidly in complex and multi-hued patterns, either for camouflage to escape predation, as a mood indicator or even as a means of controlling their body temperature. Such complex effects can only be imitated by humans using complex electronic devices. Other creatures communicate by emitting flashes of light using a type of natural chemiluminescence which eventually led to important technical advances, the initial lead being given by studying the chemistry of transient effects produced by certain bioluminescent insects. A number of practical applications have been found for some light-induced colour-changing phenomena which might at first sight be considered
a technical defect, by deliberately producing products which change colour when irradiated or heated or exposed to other physical or chemical influences. A familiar example is the use of photochromic dyes which are colourless, but change to a darker shade only in bright daylight. These dyes are now widely used in plastic spectacle lenses (and experimentally in contact lenses) that react to strong sunshine to protect the wearer’s eye. Ultimately, the colours we think we are seeing may not be a true representation, for we all tend to see what we are accustomed to seeing. Indeed, it is believed that colours are stored in the brain in a compressed form called ‘cognitive colours’. Thus, our preconceptions influence the colours we perceive. In normal circumstances, the brain causes us to perceive objects in familiar colours; but under some circumstances our brains may cause us to see phantom colour transients as a result of short-term physiological defects. The colours we perceive in one specific area of a scene are also affected by the nature of the surroundings, as was so clearly demonstrated by Edwin Land, who proposed his retinex theory of colour perception in 1959.” This is an extract of a review article published in Coloration Technology (issue 4, 2010) and goes on to explore the practical purposes to which certain fluorescent, thermochromic and photochromic dyes can be put. To read more, visit: www.onlinelibrary. wiley.com. The award-winning review covering photochromic dyes by Corns et al. (issue 5, 2009) is also available. Members can receive current SDC review articles free of charge, email: editorial@sdc.org.uk
Coloration Technology Following the launch of the new Wiley Online Library in August, the full 125+ years of articles in the journal archive can now be accessed at: www.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/ journal/cote. Subscribers’ previous login details have been transferred to the new site. Members are encouraged to register on the site for free email alerts to be informed when new content is published.
diary dates
Diary of SDC events and training courses 15–17 Sep 2010 Birmingham, UK
28 Sep 2010 Huddersfield, UK
10–11 Nov 2010 Lahore, Pakistan
Get Up and Glow, by Richard Ashworth. Part of British Science Festival schools’ programme. Details: www.britishscienceassociation.org
Climate Change, by Paul Hudson (BBC weatherman). SDC North of England Region event. Contact: Jbhirst207@aol.com
SDC Competence Course – Colour Fastness. Contact: ar.lakhani@sgs.com
21 Sep 2010 Bradford, UK
5 Oct 2010 London, UK
History of Textiles in Bradford. Contact: marketing@sdc.org.uk
Textiles-UK. Conference & SDC Grand Final (see p11 and below). Contact: marketing@sdc.org.uk
How Did I Get Here? Lectures by experts in retail. SDC London Region event. Contact: susanruth.williams@tiscali.co.uk
26 Oct 2010 Dhaka, Bangladesh
12 Nov 2010 Worcester, UK
SDC Appreciation Course – Colour Fastness. Contact: yeasmin.akhter@sgs.com
Symposium. SDC WESW Region and SDC Midlands Region joint event. Contact: marketing@sdc.org.uk
5 Nov 2010 Hong Kong/Macau
30 Nov 2010 Dhaka, Bangladesh
SDC Appreciation Course – Colour Fastness. Contact: sancy.chan@sgs.com
SDC conference on water (see p13). Contact: parvezk@sdc.org.uk
12 Nov 2010 London, UK
25 Sep 2010 Sheffield, UK Communicating Colour, by Tracy Cochrane. Part of SLTC conference. Details: www.sltc.org
27 Sep–8 Oct 2010 Tirupur, India Training on Application in Coloration & Wet Processing of Textiles. Contact: parvezk@sdc.org.uk
Details of colour or textile-related events to be sent to: info@sdc.org.uk. Full event listings at: www.colourclick.org/events.aspx
SDC design competition 2010: grand final The finalists in this year’s competition have been inspired by many and varied factors. Examples include the trip to Nepal that inspired Sinead Geraghty (Ireland) to produce materials made from local fibres and resources commonly used in textile production in developing countries and Swaroopa Adusumilli (India) who was inspired by working with local weavers in rural communities on ecofriendly textile solutions. Traditional weaving techniques inspired Shihao Bai (China) in his designs, Kwok Wai Liu (Hong Kong) was influenced by rainforest ecology, and Anna Langdon
Anna Langdon
Kelly Taylor
(Australia) took her inspiration from Scottish and Bavarian national costumes. The fabrics utilised ranged from mohair, chosen by Laduma Ngxokolo (South Africa) for his knitwear because of its durability, warmth, flame resistance and colour fastness, and the fine-knitted samples
produced by Kelly Taylor (UK). The two finalists from Pakistan (Mariam Mobeen Shah) and Singapore (Meng Jing) also had an eco-focus in their designs. On reaching the final, Meng Jing comments, ‘The SDC competition is a great platform for designers to be seen in the eyes of the creative scene. I am truly honoured to have participated and be representing Hong Kong at the grand final in London.’ The 2011 has now been launched to colleges, with the theme ‘reduce, recycle, reuse’. For details, contact: marketing@sdc.org.uk
Issue 3 | 2010
15
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