China’s domestic knitwear manufacturing industry is now ready for digitalisation and automation by way of complete garment knitting - also known as seam free knitting or Wholegarment knitting, or knit & wear - depending on who’s battle camp you are in.

This was one of the key messages presented by the world’s leading flat knitting machine builders at last week’s ITMA Asia + CITME, which was held at the National Exhibition and Convention Centre (NECC) in Shanghai. The show hosted over 1,600 exhibitors and was expected to attract around 100,000 visitors.

Shima Seiki’s flagship MACH2XS machine. © Knitting Industry

Until fairly recently China was at the beating heart of the world’s knitwear manufacturing and exporting industry with its huge labour pool and low labour costs. Now with rising labour costs and labour shortages that heart has slowed down a little. As a knitwear exporting country, it is still significant but is smaller than it once was, and a lot of production has moved to countries like Vietnam and the now booming Bangladesh.

The situation in China’s domestic manufacturing industry is quite different however, with consumers wielding real spending power with domestic fashion brands.

Japanese solution

In an interview with Knitting Industry in Shanghai last week, Ikuto Umeda, Director of Sales Headquarters at leading Japanese flat knitting machine builder Shima Seiki, explained: “With rising living standards and booming demand, China’s domestic needs in terms of knitwear and other apparel cannot be met conventionally. Production needs to change, and China has to deal with it. China has to adopt Industry 4.0.”

Shima Seiki’s solution is its Total Fashion System, a complete digital system which, the company says, maximises profits while achieving zero inventory loss, zero leftover stock, zero lost sales opportunity and most importantly zero waste through smart, speedy and sustainable production.

The automation part comes in the shape of the company’s WHOLEGARMENT knitting technology, a pioneering seam free knitting solution, which is now gaining real traction in the Chinese domestic market. Shima has been selling its flagship MACH2XS and MACH2S machines in significant numbers over the past three years, and a range of machines was on show in Shanghai.

German solution

The case for the digitalisation and automation of China’s domestic knitwear manufacturing industry was reinforced by Raymond Chu, Chairman of Chemtax Industrial Co. Ltd., representative in China for leading German flat knitting machine builder Stoll. “The competition has been selling its seam-free technology well in the China market in recent years and machines from the Chinese builders are getting better. Accordingly, we have reactivated our Stoll Knit & Wear programme and are introducing new models, such as our new ADF Knit & Wear machine.”

In Shanghai, Stoll exhibited the ADF 830-24 W knit & wear machine. © Knitting Industry

In Shanghai Stoll exhibited the ADF 830-24 W knit & wear machine, the first knit & wear model in the company’s new generation ADF range. The machine is currently available in knit & wear format in gauges E6.2 and E7.2 and will soon be available in gauge E9.2. Also, on show was a redesigned CMS 830 HP knit & wear machine in gauge E9.2.

Chinese puzzle

If further evidence was needed of the imminent digitalisation of China’s domestic knitwear manufacturing industry, then visitors needed to look no further then Chinese machine builder Cixing.

Cixing as a company recently split with a new player emerging in Beworth, a flat knitting machine builder which claims to employ 700 people and have an annual production capacity, just one and a half years after its incorporation. Accordingly, Cixing’s booth at ITMA Asia + CITME was not as large as at previous exhibitions but there was a big emphasis on its European Steiger brand, with Steiger technology occupying much of the booth.

At the entrance to the Cixing booth there was a cordoned off area housing six machines, which could only be entered by being accompanied by a designated Cixing staff member. Of the six machines, one was a Steiger JAUNS 3.130SC 14M fully-fashioned intarsia machine and the others were all Steiger KS3-72C-II models in a range of gauges – 7.2, 9.2, 10.2, 11.2 and 12.2.

The KS3-72C is a brand-new range of complete garment knitting machines which Cixing staff and Cixing-Steiger product catalogues claim are actually four-needlebed machines. To date, only Japanese technology leader Shima Seiki has developed a four needlebed machine. According to Daniel Chen, a Regional Sales Manager at Cixing, who escorted me on a tour of the booth, the machines were definitely four needlebed machines with needles and selector jacks on all four needlebeds.

The normal clear Perspex safety covers on the machines were semi-opaque making it impossible to see inside the machines. However, when individual machines stopped for faults and the guards were opened, it was clear that the machines were v-bed machines with transfer type beds on top. Garments on display also showed that alternate needles knitting had been employed and not four needlebed knitting, as claimed by Cixing.

So, what was all the smoke and mirrors about? Well, it seems that Cixing has also sensed the imminent automation opportunity in the Chinese domestic market – no surprise there. But it appears it is not quite ready with its four-needlebed technology. This was a signal to its rivals and to China’s domestic manufacturers that it will be ready soon - rumours say that Cixing does have a four needlebed machine in development but that development is still at quite an early stage.

Shima Seiki started developing four needlebed knitting technology way back in the 80s and so its original patents have long expired. However, the Japanese company has innumerable patents around its digital knitting technology and advanced Wholegarment knitting techniques and is likely to defend these vigorously.

Whatever happens in the battle to automate, it is clear that China’s domestic manufacturers will adopt complete garment knitting solutions soon. However, this is likely to be a mix of advanced four needlebed technology and alternate needle v-bed machines – four needlebed offers the ultimate in complex seam free garments whilst v-bed alternate needle knitting offers more flexibility at a lower cost, allowing the user to switch between seam free production and conventional shaped knitwear production.

The lines have been drawn – now let battle commence.

Research Triangle Park, N.C. – The Digital Textile Printing Conference 3.0 is scheduled for Dec. 5-6 at the

Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Durham, N.C.

A joint production of the American Association of Textile Colorists and Chemists (AATCC) and the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association (SGIA), the conference will offer presentations by experts which will cover the latest industry trends, the newest digital textile ink and printing technology developments, key market drivers, global market conditions, color management and workflow developments, design software, digital manufacturing and

integration, micro-factories and other topics.

Digital Printing

The sessions include:

“Digital Textile Print Renews an Industry,” by Mark Hanley, IT Strategies

“Designing for Digital Textile Printing,” by Debbie McKeegan, TexIntel

"Print on Demand: Exploring the Market Opportunities,” by Kristen Dettoni, Pattern Pod

“The Evolution of Customization,” by J. Flint Davis, WeaveUp, Inc.

“Embrace Your Digital Reality… A New Paradigm in Creating Digital Print Files,” by Kristen Ritter, Gerber Technology

“Integrated Color Management: The X-Factor of Digital Textiles,” by Duncan Ross, AVA CAD CAM Group Ltd.

“Print Clarity Test on Digitally Printed Textiles: A Quantitative Evaluation,” by Xingyu Li, Intertek

“Replication of Screen-Printing Fabric via Ink-jet Textile Printing,” by Ming Wang, North Carolina State University

“Adobe Insight: The Future of Workflow in Digital Textile Printing,” by Mike Scrutton, Adobe

“New Print Head Technologies: Breaking Down Barriers,” by Mike Raymond, Xaar

“Pigment Inks Explained,” by Wolf Reddig, EFI

“Bespoke Experiences Made Economical: The Pigment Pretreatment Process Evolution,” by Kelly Lawrence, Lubrizol

“The Taming of Pigment Inks: How to Gain Control over Print Quality by Using Primers,” by Helmuth Haas, CHT

“Building an Apparel Micro-Factory: Real Life Lessons,” by Bill Grier, AM4U

“First Sell, Then Produce: Enabling Sustainable Capsule Production,” by Sharon Donovich, Kornit

“Reaching Full Visibility in Digital Textile Manufacturing,” by Per Bringle, Exenta

“Building the Bridge for a Stronger U.S. Supply Chain,” by Will Duncan, SEAMS

“Digital Dye Sublimation Printing for Customized Warp Knit Advanced Flexible Composites,” by Mark Sunderland, Thomas Jefferson University

“Digital Pile and Carpet Printing: Possibilities and Limitation,” by Roland Zimmer and Thomas Kloebl, Zimmer Austria In addition to the presentations, the program will feature two panels. The Dec. 5 panel will focus on

“Brand/Color Management/Digital Workflow,” and the Dec. 6 panel will address “Micro-Factory/Automation.”

Clevedon – Responding to market demand for production flexibility in the digital textile print sector, Roland DG is excited to announce the launch of the multi-function Texart RT-640M, a ground-breaking digital dye-sublimation printer that enables direct-to-textile and indirect sublimation printing in a single, powerful device. From today the RT-640M is available across the EMEA region*.

The latest addition to Roland’s popular Texart dye-sublimation range, the RT-640M’s unique printing capabilities make it possible to print directly onto polyester-based fabrics** and onto dye-sublimation transfer paper, using the same ink and RIP. Delivering an unparalleled price to performance ratio, the RT-640M offers textile print suppliers a truly versatile digital dye-sublimation print solution.

Paul Willems, Head of Business Development and Product Management, Roland DG EMEA comments ‘Digital technology is ideally suited to today’s ‘print-on-demand’ and short-run production models and the RT-640M is the ultimate flexible digital textile print solution, enabling sign makers, sportswear manufacturers, fashion producers, interior décor suppliers and promotional goods companies to deliver agilely across a huge range of applications. Plus, its direct printing capabilities make it ideal for businesses that want to print double-sided items, such as flags and banners.’

The RT-640M makes it possible to print directly onto polyester fabrics for a huge range of applications (visual communication, fashion, sports and décor), as well as rigid items such as promotional objects, rigid boards, Chromaluxe®, ceramic tiles, stretch fabrics and more when printing on paper for indirect sublimation. The RT-640M can also be paired with a 3D vacuum oven to create sublimated 3D objects for promotional or industrial use. When printing directly to textile, the RT-640M is compatible with an impressive variety of single and double-sided polyester fabrics such as flag, mesh fabric, backlit, voile, block out and banners. A range of enhanced features ensure even tensioning and precise, accurate prints onto even the thinnest of materials.

Roland Texart ink, specially formulated for Texart sublimation devices, offers fast drying times and transfer rates, plus an exceptionally wide colour gamut which ranges from dense blacks to high intensity orange and violet, eye-catching fluorescents and soft pastel shades for vivid colours, smooth gradations and super-sharp images.

ErgoSoft Roland Edition 2 RIP software, included with the RT-640M, is widely regarded as the premier RIP software in the textile and dye-sublimation market and further accelerates productivity.

Paul Willems adds ‘The Texart RT-640M multi-function sublimation solution really is the first of its kind on the market and offers exceptional performance at an accessible price point. There is huge profit potential for savvy print suppliers in the growing digital textile print sector and the RT-640M is the ideal entry point system. At Roland, everything we do is intended to help our users explore both their creative and business potential and the RT-640M has been designed specifically to meet our users' requirements.’

To discover more about the Texart RT-640M multi-function dye-sublimation printer visit www.rolanddg.co.uk.

* Europe, Middle East, North Africa and India

** min.70% polyester and testing of exact media is recommended for best results

With 300 3D flatbed knitting machines, Stoll and Project I restore high-tech domestic manufacturing jobs

With 300 3D flatbed knitting machines, Stoll and Project I restore high-tech domestic manufacturing jobs with a full-scale, next generation facility that moves fully-fashioned knit production to the US and helps retailers meet demand.

Project I is an apparel manufacturing group started by fashion executives Jon Lewis and John Elmuccio with the goal of reshoring high-paying fashion jobs to the United States.

John Elmuccio

“We’re partnering to create the apparel manufacturing and supply chain facility of the future,” Elmuccio said. “The collaboration with Stoll will strengthen America’s fashion market, restore apparel production jobs using the latest technology, and revitalize the fully-fashioned knit sector.”

The driving force within the knitting industry

Between this new founded collaboration with Project I and the kick-off of the company’s 145th anniversary, Stoll consistently proves to be the driving force within the knitting industry.

Project I and Stoll’s advanced apparel manufacturing facility results in the largest single order of Stoll’s latest 3D knitting machinery and software solutions within the United States. This impactful collaboration will bring a revolutionary output of jobs and help position the US as a key player of the apparel manufacturing and supply chain market. “The apparel, fashion, and luxury markets are ripe for disruption and resurgence in the U.S.,” Lewis said. “By shortening the supply chain and locating production in the U.S., fashion brands and retailers will be able to keep pace with emerging trends and react to — not just anticipate — customer demand.”

The installation of these 300 high-tech flatbed knitting machines will happen throughout the next three years. Stoll will install the latest generation of ADF machines, which feature yarn carriers that are independent of the carriage and can move horizontally and vertically, and the latest CMS 830 C&S knit & wear (seamless knitting) machines.

Stoll will provide programming, training, manufacturing and on-site production support while guiding new and existing customers alike to Project I.

Saurer exhibited the Epoca 7 pro at ITMA Asia. The machine on display evoked great interest from all visitors. It was interesting to know from Mr. Simon Benzer of Saurer Embroidery that the machines on display was sold to Thailand based customer KS Perfection. Saurer is very encouraged by the positive response received at ITMA Asia this year.

Saurer Embroidery is a leading producer for shuttle embroidery systems. Extensive experience accumulated over many generations is combined with modern knowledge to help shape the future of textile production. This brand merges textile tradition with state-of-the-art technology in a symbiosis of expertise, quality and safety.

Based on more than 150 years of experience, Saurer Embroidery is the leading manufacturer of sophisticated embroidery systems and provides to the embroidery industry innovative solutions from the embroidery sketch to the finished product.

The Epoca 7 pro is an innovative embroidery system setting a new benchmark. It offers an increase in productivity of up to 20% and embroidery speed of up to 700 rpm. With unique setting options and new technology features it ensures a trouble-free production of high quality embroidery.

A new important partnership marks the path of Itema towards a greener future for the whole denim production chain. Prosperity Textile, one of the main denim producers worldwide, has chosen for its new facility one of the most interesting and sustainable-oriented Itema technologies, iSAVER™ equipped on the Itema R95002denim. Prosperity Textiles is, in fact, one of the early adopters of this new technology chosen for the new plant that the world-famous indigo fabricsproducer will open in Vietnam, and that will be exclusively equipped with the latest Itema weaving machine model, demonstrating once again its green, future-oriented approach.

Thanks to its partnership with Itema, Prosperity Textiles makes again a step forward in terms of sustainable innovation, as one of the first denim producers able to successfully turn - even the weaving production - green.

A partnership that is planned to be showcased in some of the most important textiles exhibitions worldwide focusing on Asian and denim markets. A path that starts with Kingpins Show, Amsterdam (October 24-25) where the Chinese denim producer will put into the spotlight this brand-new solution aimed at further increasing the eco-driven approach of the company; an important appointment is also in the Itema calendar: the ITMA Asia + CITME 2018 exhibition, Shanghai (October 15-19) where the Italian company showcased the important green step-forward in denim weaving processes and the full range of its innovations.

iSAVER™: the ideal green tool for denim weaving

This new technology, developed by ItemaLab™, the Itema Advanced Innovation Department, is able to completely eliminate the left-hand weft waste, allowing to insert the weft yarns in the fabric without the need of additional yarns. iSAVER™ significantly reduces raw material waste, leading to tangible benefits in terms of machine’s efficiency, cost reduction and energy saving.

Just consider that the weaver will gain a minimum saving of € 2.000 per year per machine, and our planet will gain even more. In fact, for the first time in the weaving industry, a sustainable approach when choosing the weaving equipment is now possible. Thanks to iSAVER™, 1.000 Kg of cotton per machine per year – the 3% of the total raw materials - will be saved, thus avoiding the waste of 20 million liters of water, equivalent to 400.000 showers.

Numbers are clear: the introduction of iSAVER™ clearly sets a new benchmark in terms of sustainability within denim fabric production. Furthermore, the iSAVER™ is one of the key features of the Itema R95002denim, the rapier weaving machine born and designed to weave denim guaranteeing to weavers superior textile quality, outstanding user-friendliness and tangible energy and raw materials saving.

A joint eco-driven path

Itema, understanding very well the importance of saving resources and energy to drive the textile production in the direction of a more conscious manufacturing, focused its attention to develop breakthrough weaving solutions and in 2018 introduced to the market the iSAVER™, a revolutionary device dedicated specifically to denim fabrics able to eliminate the waste selvedge on the left-hand side of the fabric.

This is one of the reasons-why Prosperity Textiles has chosen to adopt this extraordinary technology for its new facility. Today Prosperity Textiles is one of the main denim producers worldwide, counting 1,300 employees and 20 offices worldwide. Moreover, a second state-of-the-art denim mill will be inaugurated in Vietnam by the end of 2018.

What makes Prosperity able to stand out on a global scale, is not simply its products high quality but the ability to conciliate flawless denim fabric production with a sustainability-oriented mindset that permeates every stage of their textile supply chain.

Prosperity, indeed, adopted innovative green manufacturing concepts through all stages of the company’s operations, from product development, raw materials procurement and processing, to natural resources and energy utilization including waste management. Prosperity’s denim production is based on the employment of best quality yarns available on the market, while still targeting the most sustainable sources, from BCI to organic, recycled cotton, and from Tencel™ Lyocell to Sustans™, in 2017, more than 20 million yards fabric sales from Prosperity are with sustainable fibers inside.

The introduction of eco-friendly dyeing and finishing practices allows the company to create beautiful indigo shades and performance denims, with less water and energy consumption compared to the traditional systems. Last year, Prosperity produced 20% more fabrics than 2016, yet the water and electricity use and greenhouse gas emission was down by 11.5%, 7.9% and 5.4% respectively.

In this continuous process of improvement and contribution to a greener industry and planet, plays a central role the recent renewal of the historic partnership and strategic alliance with Itema – the leading manufacturer of cutting-edge weaving solutions – which represents the natural evolution of a constant process of research for partners able to support Prosperity Textiles’ growth as a sustainable company.

Up to now, all innovations and efforts done in this regard addressed the traditionally more polluting steps of the denim production. In fact, if the development of green technologies is nowadays spread in many fabric processing stages, such as finishing and dyeing, weaving was not yet capable to provide sustainable solutions to weavers.

SAVIO Macchine Tessili S.p.A. is a hundred-plus years old company, established in 1911 at Pordenone, Italy. Savio is the first manufacturer to come out with a breakthrough concept for energy saving in winding: suction on demand.

SAVIO introduced the new concept winder EcoPulsarS at ITMA at Milan, Italy, in 2015. The unique EcoPulsarS is designed to save up to 30% of the energy used to wind yarn. The EcoPulsarS has no common suction fan – which in the case of conventional automatic winders works all the time, and is an energy guzzler. Instead, in the EcoPulsarS each individual spindle has a small suction fan and a waste collection chamber which work only when the yarn end breaks. In other words, when the productive motor (drum motor) is in normal operation, the suction motor does not operate, resulting in significant savings in energy.

In addition, unlike conventional automatic winders with common suction fans, the EcoPulsarS does not need any trench for hot air discharge, which results in reduced civil work for EcoPulsarS installations. Instead, suction is generated close to the application according to the requirement in all spindles, the preparation station, the stripper area, etc.

General features:

Flexible cycle – independent operation of upper arm, lower arm and splicer

Intelligent on/off modulation – anti-patterning device that works only on critical diameters

Tensor – online tension monitoring system

Integrated panel – with 15” monitor

Possibility of centralised monitoring

High speed preparation stations

Intelligent feeding system

Modular layout – possibility of providing second station in between the machine for proper distribution of

cops

Exclusive features of EcoPulsarS

Suction on demand – individual suction arrangement – offers up to 30% power savings

Increased productivity – up to 10%

No common suction fan and so no exhaust trench required

CCS – Controlled Cut System – for less/no repeat cycle

High suction pressure on consecutive attempts

Flexibility of positioning wax – above/ below clearer

MESDAN 985 – newly designed air splicer – with 2 air controls

Double damper tension device – with finger system; more precise and effective

Cyclone waste collection – not disturbing production; no need to stop machine for cleaning

New designed heavy duty cradle with touch sensors

LED illumination for faster reach and identification

To maintain high quality standards, most of the components used in the SAVIO winders are manufactured within the SAVIO group:

Drum, twin splicers from SAVIO

Electronics and PCBs from EUTRON

Electronic Yarn Clearers (EYC) from LOEPFE

Air, water and thermal splicers are from MESDAN

Monitoring software from BMS VISION

SAVIO is the only winder manufacturer having a huge set up in India for after-sales support.

The service headquarters at Coimbatore with more than 30 qualified engineers and a fully loaded spares centre is in operation to extend customer support after sales. A well-equipped electronic lab is situated at Coimbatore for PCB related support. The technical support office helps customers on trials on simulated conditions on customer materials for better results. The facility also has a training centre and showroom of machines to train the customers’ technicians in depth. A similar service office with training facility is also available at Ludhiana with a dedicated team of experts. Offices at locations like Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Guntur and Kolhapur take care of regional service activities.

ITMA ASIA +CITME 2018 is China’s most important textile event. The sixth edition of the combined show has been held from 15 to 19 October 2018 at the new National Exhibition and Convention Centre (NECC) in Shanghai.

The subsidiary corporation COMEZ International s.r.l. of Switzerland based Jakob Müller AG, has at the on-site IPR Office successfully applied for interim injunctions to stop design patent infringements against Chinese manufacturers DKY Machinery Co. Ltd, Huibang Machine (Yingkou) Co. Ltd, and Dah Heer Industrial Co. Ltd.

On the first day of the fair, Jakob Müller found that the machines of the three companies showed a clear violation of COMEZ’s intellectual property without Jakob Müller’s or COMEZ’s permission. The patentee at once filed a complaint to the IPR Office against these companies, to prohibit the exhibition of the infringing systems.

The IPR Office served the complaint materials to three companies in the morning of the second day and set a time limit of 24 hours for a counterstatement to the three infringers. One of them, Dah Heer, removed the infringing system actively, and the others, DKY and Huibang, submitted a counterstatement. After the IPR Office assessed these statements and evaluated the possibility of the infringements, the IPR Office required them to remove the systems concerned in the patent on 17th October 2018. The systems concerned were removed by DKY and Huibang and not exhibited any more until the end of the fair.

Bernhard Engesser thanks the responsible patent lawyers of the intellectual property rights office and emphasizes that Jakob Müller AG will take a high priority against further patent infringements. Jakob Müller AG and its relevant companies reserve the right to take further civil actions against the respective companies.

With Swiss textile machinery companies, the ‘inventor gene’ leads to added value for customers

Over the centuries, the sheer innovative spirit of the Swiss has been demonstrated many times through inventions spanning various fields of human experience. Their impact on the global textile industry has been among the most notable, with continuous and significant developments. Swiss textile machinery companies have been at the core of this naturally-evolving tradition of inventiveness. Today, the producers of machines and components and service providers in Swiss Textlile Machinery sustain that heritage by a commitment to ongoing innovation that will influence the textile industry worldwide in future.

A single click and an application starts, another one and a file opens, or closes... Nowadays, hardly anyone remembers how we managed before the mouse made computer interactions so easy, quick and intuitive. In fact, it was a Swiss, Daniel Borel, whose inventiveness first brought the pc mouse to series production in 1982, launching a mass-market driver of progress that has been literally life-changing.

India wants tariff concessions for its exports to China. Among the exports are naphtha, bovine leather, shrimps and cotton yarn. Other products eligible for concessions include frozen, shelled shrimps, broken rice, fresh grapes, zinc, aluminium oxide and hydrocarbons like paraxylene, polyethylene, polypropylene and benzene.

The reason is that China has granted deep duty cuts to India’s competitors including Peru, Pakistan, Australia, South Korea and Asean countries in free trade agreements with them, which has displaced some of India’s exports. The Asia Pacific Trade Agreement is the only operational trade pact linking India and China. South Korea, Bangladesh, Lao PDR and Sri Lanka are also APTA members.

For instance, India’s exports of naphtha, a major industrial fuel, to China are subject to a six per cent duty with a ten per cent margin of preference under APTA. This is the highest duty for any of China’s FTA partners as Asean countries pay zero, Australia 2.4 per cent and South Korea 4.8 per cent. India’s exports of frozen shrimp and prawns form a small share in the Chinese market due to the absence of tariff concessions. Asean members face zero per cent tariff in the Chinese market and thereby account for a six per cent share in that country’s imports of these products.