KARL MAYER sets the trend at Heimtextil, on Stand K 65 in Hall 3.0 at Messe Frankfurt and during an in-house show in Obertshausen

For the first time after roughly 40 years, KARL MAYER will again take part in Heimtextil in Frankfurt/Main. At the trade fair to be held from 8 to 11 January 2019, this innovative textile machine manufacturer will be introducing some worldwide novelties around the topics of terry fabrics and curtains. For this purpose, the company received from the organizers a stand located in the exhibition’s Trend Forum. There, KARL MAYER will be present on Stand K 65 in Hall 3.0 with an information booth. At the same time, an In-house Show will take place at the company’s headquarters in Obertshausen, which can easily be reached by shuttle bus. Machines and new textile developments will be shown there.

KARL MAYER will pool its new activities in the field of weft warp knits for Heimtextil under the WEFT.FASHION brand. For this purpose, a new weft curtain article will be produced for the In-house Show. The trendy pattern is captivating due to an extravagant design in the currently fashionable woven-like look. Sophisticated fancy yarn gives the warp-knitted weft curtain a completely new face. For this article, KARL MAYER announces a new weft-insertion warp knitting machine with an extremely attractive price-performance ratio – entirely in line with WEFT.FASHION: New HOME TEXTILES manufactured with the benefits of WARP KNITTING efficiency.

Moreover, there will be a machine premiere for the terry segment: for the first time, KARL MAYER will be showing its TM 4 TS-EL in a working width of 193? and in a gauge of E 28 in Germany. This efficient machine will reveal its high performance in Obertshausen by producing a revolutionary textile novelty: a double-face warp-knitted terry fabric with a soft velour layer made from microfibers on the outer face, and an absorbent surface made from cotton on the inner side. This article for bathrobes is not only functional and stylish, it also shows advantages in terms of environmental protection compared to woven counterparts, and this is due to the machine technology used for its manufacture.

KARL MAYER’s solutions for a sustainable production of terry articles can be found under TERRY.ECO, and the company’s entire commitment to a clean production stands under the heading CLEANER.PRODUCTIONS.

Mimaki Eurasia started a campaign at FESPA Eurasia 2018 in order to support the Turkish printing industry and became the central point of the show with their printing solutions. Mimaki Eurasia exhibited their advertising/graphic and textile printing applications in two separate booths, revealing their commitment and faith in the printing industry. Mimaki Eurasia, the main sponsor of the digital printing fair FESPA Eurasia 2018, was able to attract great attention through their message of strong support to the industry. Mimaki exhibited advertising and industrial printing solutions in Hall 10 and textile printing solutions in its booth at Hall 9, and turned into a centre of attraction of the fair with a user-focused comprehensive portfolio. FESPA Eurasia visitors experienced an unforgettable Mimaki experience for pre-processing, printing and post-processing.

Underlining the success of FESPA Eurasia 2018, Mimaki Eurasia General Manager Arjen Evertse said that they were pleased with the volume and productivity of the meetings. He said: “The intensity, from the first day of the fair was really nice. We have seen the positive response to the FESPA team’s work for overseas visitors. We hosted many foreign visitors at our booth in the first two days. Considering the whole of the fair, I can say that visitors from the Turkish printing industry constitute the main visitor category. We have realized productive meetings with our visitors in our hospitality area about their investments and the opportunities to expand their business.”

Evertse noted that the fair became the meeting point of the digital printing industry, and was a successful platform for hot sales as well. He continued his words saying; “In recent years, hot sales or order agreements did not take place in the fairs a lot. There was mostly an agreement for more forward-looking negotiations. However, FESPA Eurasia reminded how important fairs are for sales. We have realized significant sales in both industrial advertising and textile segments”. Evertse also stated that installations for some of the sales done during the fair had already started before the exhibition finished.

Sectoral Support Campaign will last until 31 January 2019

Underlining Mimaki Eurasia’s commitment to Turkey and the digital printing industry, Arjen Evertse said: "We believe in Turkey and its manufacturing power. We will continue to provide every kind of support we can give the industry in order to strengthen it and improve our users’ competitive position”. Evertse reminded that they have started a campaign covering up to 25% discount in various machine groups on the first day of FESPA Eurasia 2018, and said that it was the right time to invest.

“We want to support the Turkish market and investors with this campaign, which runs until 31 January 2019” said Evertse and continued as follows; “There are many print and advertising companies that want to invest. We have shown that this is the most favourable time period for sector professionals who were waiting on their investment due to the fluctuation in the market and who want to realize it as soon as possible”.

Mimaki Eurasia solutions dominate both halls

Mimaki Eurasia exhibited textile and digital printing/advertising printing solutions in 2 different halls. UV flatbed, roll-to-roll UV print/cut solutions were featured in the Hall 10 booth that addressed advertising and industrial printing. The TS30-1300 models were exhibited here with SIJ-320UV, JFX200-2513, CJV300-160, UCJV300-75 / 160, UJF-3042MkII EX, UJF-7151plus. Arjen Evertse stated that UCJV is already a very popular model in the market; “Our visitors have been curiously interested in the printing shown on copper film with the use of our superior UV-LED technology and in the new improved clear printing with special effects on silver film. They also experienced the unique 5-layer printing opportunity. They were also able to test our newly released silver metallic print ink on the Mimaki UJF-7151plus. Our technical information and successful results on the sample prints have affected the new investment decisions positively”.

Completely dedicated to textile, the pre-processing and post-processing units were exhibited for the first time in addition to the well-known digital printers at Mimaki Eurasia’s booth in Hall 9. Mimaki TR300-1850C/S coating and steaming units save cost and time in textile printing. Evertse emphasized that these products meet a significant need in the market; “Especially textile manufacturers from Bursa expressed their strong demands on these solutions. These positive feedbacks are very important for us, because as Mimaki, we have proved that we are offering full solutions for digital textile printing which goes beyond the offering of just printers”.

Another favourite of the textile booth was the TS55-1800 printer launched in the past months. Its high-speed features and the mini jumbo roll for the mid-segment manufacturers have attracted a lot of visitors. The Tx300P available both with belt and without belt can print directly onto fabric with different ink technologies enabling users to take on more niche and boutique jobs.

Crypton and Designtex have teamed up to introduce a special collection that pays homage to art, design, technology, performance, and two leaders in the contract textile industry. Designtex 5×5, A Crypton Collection features five contemporary artists from around the world, whose work is translated into five patterns in five colorways each, digitally printed onto Crypton-backed upholstery textiles to celebrate 25 years of fabric solutions.upholstery textiles

Crypton® is an intelligent, engineered fabric system offering permanent stain and odor resistance plus an integrated moisture barrier.

Designtex commissioned the five artists and expanded their works into five colorways each to complete the collection. The 25 colorways are then digitally printed onto Crypton-backed upholstery textiles at Designtex’s state-of-the-art digital printing facility in Portland, Maine using a cutting edge digital printing process that insures a clarity of image and color. The featured artists include: Arturo Guerrero (Line Variations), Elizabeth Atterbury (Social Dance), Ellie Malin (Five Cities), Kapitza (CrissCross), and Phillip David Stearns (BitDrift).

“As a design director, it was challenging and exciting to work on the initial collaboration with Crypton 25 years ago,” says Susan Lyons, President of Designtex. “Through the inherent performance capabilities of Crypton married with the technological advancements of our digital printing facility, we were able to develop a collection that is both visually and (durably) superior. Combine that with five incredibly talented artists and the result is better than we could have imagined.”

The initial collection of Crypton textiles that was introduced 25 years ago was cutting edge and paved the way for the performance fabric category, allowing decorative fabrics to be placed in high-use applications. In that spirit, this new collection offers a boundless look towards the future, utilizing Designtex’s technical breakthroughs in print technology, with limitless scale and colors.

“It is a privilege to be able to work with Susan Lyons and Designtex again on such a special project,” says Randy Rubin, Co-founder of Crypton. “The first collection that we introduced will always have a special meaning to me and to the industry. This new collection takes art, design, and performance to a whole other level and we are so excited to see how the design community embraces and utilizes the capabilities for future projects in all of the various markets.”

Designtex 5×5, A Crypton Collection pays homage to the power that art and design have on a space, a mood, and even the healing process. To emphasize that power, Designtex and Crypton are partnering with RxArt, a non-profit organization whose mission is to help children heal through the extraordinary power of visual art. A portion of the proceeds will benefit this cause.

Created through parametric computation and cellular automata, BitDrift 3958 is sourced from sections of a photograph whose pixels have been algorithmically sorted and shuffled to generate a wholly unique composition that vacillates between order and entropy.

Informed by a wide range of references, from abstraction to natural forms, the studio’s distinct, vibrant aesthetic makes use of a wide color spectrum in CrissCross 3959, featuring a syncopated, striped pattern in five colorways: Gravel, Blossom, Meadow, Sky, and Earth.

Five Cities 3960 combines tonal planes and overlaid cutout shapes that together form a playful, abstract composition with a layered and dimensional depth. Line Variations 3961 features warm overlapping fields of earth tones and cool indigo blue. Social Dance 3962 grew out of a series of monoprints with Wingate Studio, from which the artist has reconfigured plates of abstract colorforms to create a wholly new composition.

Members of the digital textile printing industry gathered in Durham, North Carolina, December 5-6 for the third annual “Digital Textile Printing Conference 3.0” hosted by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) and SGIA. The “forum for collaboration” covered the current digital textile print market including digital textile design; color management, sampling, and digital workflow; technology and ink; and digital manufacturing and integration.

While screen printing is still seen as the dominant technology utilized in the textiles market, 371.4 billion square feet of digitally printed textiles have sold worldwide, said Duncan Ross, AVA CAD/CAM Group. And that number is destined to rise exponentially as printers and designers understand the value of digital print, from increased ROI to customizable, visually appealing designs to green practices.

Here’s what a few of the speakers had to say about digital print’s benefits:

“When you print digitally, you have higher volumes and a much higher profit margin,” said Mark Hanley, IT Strategies.

“Digital textile printing allows for endless rich and vivid design options, a number of colors without limitation, and multiple fabric types with the same inkset,” said Sharon Donovich, Kornit Digital. “Plus, it’s a 100-percent sustainable solution, and offers a fast learning curve and a clean chemical-free work environment for employees.”

“The benefits to digital textile printing include sustainability, high speed, and print on demand,” said Debbie McKeegan, TexIntel.

“Digital platforms can dramatically compress timelines. Results: decreased labor cost, increased responsiveness, reduced frustration, and higher close rates,” said J. Flint Davis, WeaveUp.

The Specifics

Another major benefit? Customization. Digital allows for short runs of whatever carefully crafted or person-specific design a customer wants. Kristen Dettoni, Design Pool and Pattern Pod, broached the much-talked-about topic in the best possible way, with a scene from the iconic film “When Harry Met Sally...” Sally’s order goes like this: “I'd like the chef salad, please, with the oil and vinegar on the side. And the apple pie a la mode… But I'd like the pie heated, and I don't want the ice cream on top. I want it on the side. And I'd like strawberry instead of vanilla if you have it. If not, then no ice cream, just whipped cream, but only if it's real. If it's out of a can, then nothing.” And her character wasn’t even a millennial! Some people just want it how they want it. And digital print allows for that.

“The market now is ‘I want it how I want it,’” Dettoni said . “Brands in the textiles market allow for customization through micro manufacturing, flexible pricing, flexible sizing, and flexible automation.”

“Customer attitudes are fueling growth in customization. Millennials really like to tell a story with a product, so they’re seeking uniqueness,” Davis said. Think about what Big Picture has talked about before: Instagrammable and selfie worthy. They’re also willing to pay a premium. “More than 80 percent of consumers are willing to pay 10-15 percent more for a customized product,” Davis said.

“The footwear market is so successful because they embrace a disruptive technology. Think knit tops and 3D-printed bottoms, all customizable,” said Will Duncan, Seams, the association for the US sewn products industry.

First Things First

As printers, we focus largely on how to print on textiles. But how much do we know about actually designing for digitally printed textiles? McKeegan’s answer to addressing the first major step in the production process is understanding the textile technology. “The design to production cycle time today is instant: design, process, prepress, print ready,” she said. “However, working with multiple media across processes has its challenges.”

And as much as this industry is now accessible to wide-format PSPs, textile designers now have the capability to purchase machines and print in-house. “We’ve totally democratized print. Everything is online, whether it’s fast fashion, design, or interiors,” she said. “Print has become available to all, and the marketplace has shifted to customization. Designers are now migrating from fashion to interiors, to graphics and events because of digital print.” How will your shop adjust to a possible increase in competition?

India-based Embee Group has introduced improvised washers for the textile printing industry. These washers also use filtered recycled water for washing, reusing 90 per cent of water. The improvised screen, squeegee and drum washers are perfect for efficient washing with minimum water consumption combined with water recirculation, the company said.

The need to reduce water consumption and pollution are not just important but a growing necessity all over the world today. Water pollution is also a growing concern in the textile industry. One area of concern is the printing section were water is consumed in large amount for washing screen, squeegee and drum. Currently, majority of the washing is done manually and as a result there is no control over the water consumption. Understanding the current need, Embee has introduced improvised washers which also use filtered recycled water for washing, and in this way 90 per cent of water is reused.

“One of our customers was facing problem with reduced productivity and to overcome this problem they were planning to buy new textile rotary printing machine. After understanding and analysing their problem, we proposed them a simple solution. We convinced them to invest on Embee’s highly advanced screen washer, squeegee washer and drum washer. Moreover, the investment on these washers is negligible as compared to the new printing machine. Today, the customer is not only just satisfied with our washers but after using our washers their productivity has increased by up to 50 per cent,” Harsh Shah, MD and board member, Embee Group, told Fibre2Fashion.

Unique advantages of new Embee washers include significant increase in efficiency and productivity. Gone are the days, when the customer demanded for long printing run. Today, the trend has changed; customers are now demanding for short printing run. If the customer just wants to print up to 2,000 meters then achieving increased efficiency becomes very difficult with the manual washing of screens, squeegees and drums. Embee’s high tech washers can wash 6 screens and 6 squeegees in the same time duration while only 1 screen and 1 squeegee can be washed with manual method. In this way, design overtime can be reduced to 10 minutes which significantly increases efficiency and productivity up to 60 per cent.

Another advantage of Embee washers is perfect and efficient washing for all types of screens. High pressurised water jet uniformly cleans thoroughly from all sides with the aid of bristles. In conventional manual washing there is always a risk of damaging the delicate nickel screens and improper washing of drums. Further in manual washing, screens and drums are not washed properly from inside and outside.

There is significant water saving, compared to conventional cleaning, which is carried out with enormous wastage of water as well as messing up the workplace. Embee strongly believes in conserving nature and as a part of this belief all washers of Embee use minimum water as compared to conventional cleaning.

Water reusability is another feature of all the washers of Embee – screen washer, squeegee washer and drum washer, which have water recirculation system. There are 2 connections—one for fresh water and another connection for filtered recycled water. Users can set timer according to the requirement and as result up to 90 per cent of the water can be saved.

There is also significant time saving. In manual washing, even though the screen/squeegee takes 5-10 minutes for washing, it is not properly washed. Whereas, 6 multiple screens and squeegees can be washed within the same time with Embee washers. Further with drum washer and squeegee washer, waste water can be filtered and reused for washing purpose; thereby, saving up to 90 per cent of water consumption.

Further, there is minimum requirement of labour. The growing textile sector is evolving fast towards decreasing the running cost, which is dependent on labour and resources. Keeping the cost factor in mind, Embee has manufactured washers which need minimum labour unlike conventional cleaning. Since washing is an automated cycle completely devoid of human interference, labour is required only to load and unload the screens/drums.

Embee washers also give the fastest payback, possibly within few months, since significant time, water and labour saving can done. There is also space saving as the compact design of the machine requires minimum space and can be easily placed along side of the rotary printing machine.

Established in 1956 with a small beginning, Embee has always believed in continuous innovation and research for the betterment of today’s and tomorrow’s commitments to the textile industry. All products of Embee are aligned with its vision to be the most trusted global leader in innovative technological solutions, focused on ‘higher efficiency’ and ‘returns’ for sustainable growth of all the stakeholders.

More than six decades of experience with continuous research, technical modernisation, cooperation of its technical and R&D teams enables Embee to offer unique textile machinery products of high quality and precision. Today, Embee provides a complete range of textile rotary printing systems. “Innovation has been not only a core strength but also a tradition at Embee,” says Shah. (RKS)

Stäubli, a leading textile machinery manufacturer, will present at the upcoming Dhaka Int’l Textile & Garment Machinery Exhibition (DTG) that takes place from 9-12 January, with its machinery and system solutions for optimising workflows in mills that seek to capture benefits like time savings and increased overall efficiency.

Stäubli invites textile industrials to visit the booth of its agent, Spintex Technology. A range of Stäubli products will be displayed, offering weavers and knitters solutions that are adapted to their specific needs and requirements: from automation of weaving preparation to ultra-reliable shedding solutions for frame and Jacquard weaving to an innovative device that shortens the sock-knitting process – D4S.

“The recently launched D4S toe-linking device is becoming indispensable in more and more knitting mills. This ingenious device sews the toe closed while the sock-knitting machine simultaneously produces the next sock. The precise operation of the device ensures perfect linking quality,” the company says.

“Thus, the D4S answers several key challenges in knitting: minimising idle time, delivering higher-quality and higher-volume output, and reducing waste material, the increasing price of which eats into profit margins.”

Installing the D4S device on a sock-knitting machine promises a quick return on investment for the mill. In addition to more efficient production, the mill will also benefit from enhanced operator convenience and expanded functionality, especially thanks to the independent 2900SL electronic controller.

Rieter, a Switzerland-based Leading supplier of systems for short staple spinning, held a Com4 Yarn seminar in India's textile city of Ahmedabad. At the end of the seminar, attendees gained detailed technological knowledge of the 4 established yarn spinning systems and the the effect of yarn characteristics on downstream processes. They also had experienced the feel of fabrics made out of all the 4 different end spinning systems.

Technicians and other downstream processing specialists from various companies were informed on the yarn characteristics of the 4 spinning systems and were able to draw conclusions on the downstream behaviour and the influence on the final product appearance and its properties.

The ring yarn spun on Rieter ring spinning machines is marketed under the name Com4 ring, the compact yarn produced on the compact spinning machine is marketed as Com4 compact, the rotor yarn from the rotor spinning machine under Com4 rotor and the air-spun yarn from the air-jet spinning machine under Com4 jet.

"Yarns spun on Rieter spinning machines fulfill the most challenging requirements. Outstanding properties and constant high-quality safeguard the competitive edge in a dynamic market. Each of these yarns is distinguished by a special yarn character and its related yarn properties. The yarns have different qualitative or economic advantages, not only for downstream processors but also for end users," the participants were informed during the course of the seminar.

Additionally, information was also shared about Rieter's yarn marketing and the Rieter Com4 yarn family. Samples of various fabrics and international reference list of all Com4 licensed yarn manufacturers was also provided to the participants.

IEPER, Belgium — December 12, 2018 — This event will take place from January 9-12, 2019, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Picanol will be present at the booth of our agent, Spintex Technology (Booth 7-126).

Bangladesh has been a very important market for Picanol over the last decade. Picanol is proud to be the most important weaving machine supplier to the Bangladeshi market, this was made possible thanks to the combination of a complete & competitive product portfolio as well as top class service.

The main investments are being made in denim, bottom weights, shirting and bedsheeting fabrics. Picanol offers both rapier (OptiMax-i, TerryMax-i) and airjet weaving machines (OMNIplus Summum and TERRYplus Summum) for these applications. Our valuable and loyal customers can be assured of Picanol’s commitment to this market in the future.

For a number of years, Picanol has been represented in the region by Spintex Technology, our local agent. The agency is very well-organized, which ensures excellent local service via a pool of trained technicians and an excellent after market service for spare parts and Weave-Up packages.

At least once a year, all of the technicians travel to the Picanol headquarters in Belgium in order to receive training on all of the latest developments.

Picanol hopes to supply its products and excellent service to Bangladeshi Textile Mills for many years to come. Let’s grow together.

This year’s edition of Irantex, a comprehensive international trade fair for textile machinery and textile products that concluded in Tehran last week, featured a significant number of Italian textile machinery manufacturers. Among them 14 companies exhibited in the Italian Pavilion, the common area set up by the Italian Trade Agency and ACIMIT (the Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers).

The following ACIMIT members companies were presenting their latest developments at the Italian Pavilion: Arioli, Caipo, Cognetex, Fadis, Ferraro, Fk Group, Laip, Lgl, Marzoli, Mesdan, Savio, Sicam, Smit, and Stalam.

Italian textile machinery exports to Iran (million euro - change y/y). © ACIMIT

“Despite the concern for the restoration of international sanctions against the country, Iran remains a market of absolute importance for Italian textile machinery manufacturers,” commented Alessandro Zucchi, President of ACIMIT.

“Irantex is a further opportunity to strengthen the links between the Iranian textiles industry and Italian technology suppliers. Indeed, the Italian textile machinery offer is already well-known by Iranian textiles companies. The value of Italian sales in 2017 – equal to EUR 45 million – is proof of this. In 2018 first half the Italian exports to Iranian market totalled a value of EUR 15 million.”

ACIMIT represents an industrial sector comprising around 300 manufacturers employing close to 12,000 people and producing machinery for an overall value of about EUR 2.7 billion, with exports amounting to more than 85% of total sales.

"For the last two and a half years, Brexit has consumed the entire United Kingdom. The UK’s negotiations with the EU have dragged on through multiple déjà vu moments, and the consensus is that the economic fallout will be felt far more acutely in Britain than in the EU, let alone in countries elsewhere. Still, the rest of the world is facing profound challenges of its own. Political and economic systems are undergoing far-reaching structural changes, many of them driven by technology, trade, climate change, high inequality, and mounting political anger. In addressing these issues, policymakers around the world would do well to heed the lessons of the UK’s Brexit experience."

For the last two and a half years, Brexit has consumed the entire United Kingdom. The UK’s negotiations with the EU have dragged on through multiple déjà vu moments, and the consensus is that the economic fallout will be felt far more acutely in Britain than in the EU, let alone in countries elsewhere. Still, the rest of the world is facing profound challenges of its own. Political and economic systems are undergoing far-reaching structural changes, many of them driven by technology, trade, climate change, high inequality, and mounting political anger. In addressing these issues, policymakers around the world would do well to heed the lessons of the UK’s Brexit experience.

No immediate repercussions

When Britian decided to leave the EU, experts predicted that the UK economy would suffer an immediate and significant fall in output following the 2016 referendum. However, Brexit was different. There was no immediate break in British-EU trade. In the absence of clarity on what type of Brexit would ultimately materialise, the economic relationship simply continued “as is,” and an immediate disruption was averted.

The question therefore, is not whether the UK will face a considerable economic reckoning, but when. The UK economy is already experiencing slow-moving structural change. Foreign investment is falling contributing to the economy’s disappointing level of investment overall. Moreover, this trend is accentuating the challenges associated with weak productivity growth.

Maintaining global norms difficult

Companies with UK-based operations have also begun to trigger their Brexit contingency plans after a prolonged period of waiting, planning, and more waiting. In addition to shifting investments out of the UK, firms will also start to relocate jobs. And this process is likely to accelerate even if British Prime Minister Theresa May manages to get her proposed exit deal through Parliament.

The Brexit process thus provides a preview of what awaits an increasingly fractured global economy if this continues: In this context, costly self-insurance will replace some of the current system’s pooled-insurance mechanisms. And it will be much harder to maintain global norms and standards, let alone pursue international policy harmonisation and coordination. Tax and regulatory arbitrage are likely to become increasingly common as well. And economic policymaking will become a tool for addressing national security concerns (real or imagined). How this approach will affect existing geopolitical and military arrangements remains to be seen.

Uncertain outlook for liquidity growth

Lastly, there will also be a change in how countries seek to structure their economies. In the past, Britain and other countries prided themselves as “small open economies” that could leverage their domestic advantages through shrewd and efficient links with Europe and the rest of the world. But now, being a large and relatively closed economy might start to seem more attractive. And for countries that do not have that option—such as smaller economies in East Asia—tightly knit regional blocs might provide a serviceable alternative.

Brexit holds important lessons for and about the global economy. We live in an era of considerable technological and political fluidity. The outlooks for growth and liquidity will likely become even more uncertain and divergent than they already are.