Keeping denim out of landfills is a big priority for Cotton Incorporated. The company’s Blue Jeans Go Green program founded in 2006 allows people to recycle their old denim clothing of any brand in exchange for savings on new pairs of jeans. The program has collected more than two million pieces of denim. Those who’d like to recycle their denim jeans, skirts and similar items are able to drop them off at select clothing retailers, which offer a discount on a new pair of jeans.

The collected denim will be returned to its natural cotton fiber state and upcycled into Ultra Touch Denim Insulation for housing organizations across the US, helping to divert denim from landfills where millions of pounds of textiles are discarded annually.

To date, the program has kept over 700 tons of textile waste out of landfills. The Ultra Touch Denim Insulation is made of 80 per cent post-consumer recycled denim. It’s durable, environmentally friendly, has great sound absorption and is also mildew resistant. It’s a high-quality housing insulation product.

The average American throws away approximately 70 pounds of clothing and other textiles each year. Textile waste, including denim, which is made from biodegradable cotton, takes up nearly five per cent of all landfill space.

Fashion firms fear they will have to stop sourcing from Bangladesh if Accord ceases operations. One of these is Esprit, which produces about a third of its garments in Bangladesh. They feel the closure of Accord’s office will undermine the reputation of the textile industry.

Accord has been asked to cease operations on November 30, 2018. Accord has inspected more than 2000 factories in Bangladesh and helped draw up plans to fix 1,50,000 structural and fire hazards. Some 90 per cent of those issues have since been addressed.

More than 200 firms - including the world’s top fashion retailers like Inditex and H&M - signed the legally-binding, five-year Accord after at least 1,100 people were killed when the Rana Plaza complex collapsed. Low wages have helped Bangladesh build the world’s second-largest garment industry after China, with 4,000 factories employing about four million workers. The sector exports more than 30 billion dollars worth of clothes a year, mainly to the United States and Europe.

Brands fear the premature shut down of Accord, leaving workers in unsafe circumstances, would jeopardize brands’ ability to source from a safe industry and that activism in key market countries could make the Bangladesh brand toxic to consumers in spite of the tremendous improvements achieved in recent years.

"Studies by research firm Global Data shows, the overall retail expenditure in Mexico is likely to grow 29 per cent to reach £285 bn by 2022. The country’s expenditure on clothing and footwear is forecast to grow by 45 per cent to £27bn – driven by a 167 per cent rise in online sales. The nation is currently flooded by British brands like Ted Baker, Karen Millen and AllSaints that are expanding through license and franchise partnerships."

Studies by research firm Global Data shows, the overall retail expenditure in Mexico is likely to grow 29 per cent to reach £285 bn by 2022. The country’s expenditure on clothing and footwear is forecast to grow by 45 per cent to £27bn – driven by a 167 per cent rise in online sales. The nation is currently flooded by British brands like Ted Baker, Karen Millen and AllSaints that are expanding through license and franchise partnerships.

Factors like a large and growing population, increasing personal wealth, urbanisation, growing economy and a greater stability along with an increasing demand for retail make Mexico an appealing destination for UK and European brands. A striking example of this is premium womenswear brand BCBG which has 36 partner-operated stores and concessions in Mexico

Cultural similarities with the US also give Mexico an appeal over other destinations. The nation, being heavily influenced by the US culture and language, it is easier for global brands to trade in Mexico rather than Asia-Pacific countries. Spanish womenswear brand Desigual, entered the market in 2015. It currently has 13 franchise stores operated with upscale Mexican department store Palacio del Hierro, and more than 100 multi-brand points of sale.

Challenges in the market

However, the Mexican market has its own set of challenges. It is highly competitive and proximity to the US mega-brands and big retailers adds to its difficulties. The massive marketing budgets of brands like Tommy Hilfiger and Guess spill over into the Mexican market making it more difficult for a British brand to enter the market, unless it has some serious marketing support to create a buzz.

Mexico is a logical next step in expansion for British brands having a strong US presence. International fashion house specialising in women's fashion Karen Millen leveraged its experiences in the US market to target Mexican shoppers. The brand now operates in the market via a franchise partnership with an undisclosed partner.

Good environment triggers online sales

According to the Pitney Bowes Global Ecommerce Study 2018, nearly 90 per cent of consumers in Mexico shop online with 22 per cent shopping online at least once a week. There is a growing interest in well-known online British brands like Heritage and luxury brands that are otherwise difficult to get hold of in the domestic market. The environment for online sales is good with high urban density. It is the obvious route to understand demand without the risk of investing in property and locations.

Mexico’s logistic network is not fully equipped despite huge investments in it. Payment methods in the country differ from other markets. The use of credit cards is not very common with only 48 per cent of consumers using an ‘e-wallet.’

Finding a perfect trade partner

Apart from ecommerce, franchise and licensing can be the key to succeed in the Mexican market. Marquee Brands, the US owner of BCBG and Ben Sherman, operates with partners in Mexico, although the precise nature of the partnership structure is not known. This partner experience proves invaluable in tariffs, import processes, shipping mall rental agreements and department store logistics. Though Mexico has its challenges, a burgeoning appetite for international brands, growing consumer base and US connections should place the market firmly in the sights of UK and European brands seeking to expand.

Indian VSF imports are almost 1.5 times compared to last year. If production remains stable, VSF consumption may increase by about 80,000 tons compared to the previous year.

According to the current market situation, increments are almost entirely used for domestic spinning. Combined with the production and sales ratio structure of Indian rayon yarn, the proportion of pure rayon single yarn and other yarns is about 1 :1. So the output of pure cotton single yarn has increased by 40,000 tons. Indian pure cotton single yarns imports are almost four times the previous year’s. Combined with production growth, Indian cotton yarn consumption last year increased by about 60,000 tons, and may move up further in 2019. Blended yarn imports also increased but amid small volumes the improvement was not large. Indian domestic blended yarn production was over 80,000 tons. The increment is insignificant compared with domestic rayon yarn volume, but in India, VSF increase was about 15 per cent of local production capacity.

As the Chinese cotton market continues to develop, the cotton market in South Asia and Southeast Asia such as India and Indonesia is also catching up rapidly. Production and consumption capabilities of spinning and fiber have improved in differing degrees.

Africa has always played a significant role for Stoll, a leading manufacturer of flat knitting machines based in Reutlingen, with the oldest agency contract, in South Africa, dating back to more than 35 years. Especially in South Africa and Kenya, Stoll machines, built in the 1950s and 60s, are still running. The company is now sharing its success story and the future outlook on the growth opportunities in the region.

This is the last part of the story, exploring the company’s success in Ethiopia, Uganda, Ghana and Zimbabwe.

Ethiopia

Garment and leather shoe manufacturing, along with cultivation of agricultural products, are the main industries in Ethiopia, mainly driven by foreign investment. Local companies are not yet in the position to play a bigger role in this game. Due to the lack of foreign currencies, Ethiopian companies are outplaced when it comes to economic growth and wealth as they are simply not able to invest.

“Even though the textiles manufacturing sector has been named a number one priority for the country, there are still many obstacles to overcome. Qualified and well-trained people are not yet available to the extent as required. Foreign investors have to make use of expensive expats for quite a long period to get their business running and achieve the economic targets - this is where Stoll comes into the picture,” the company reports.

Stoll has been the first manufacturer of electronic flat knitting machines to supply two state-of-the-art CMS machines, along with two design software M1plus to the Textile Institute of Bahir Dar University. Today, Bahir Dar University is giving education to roughly 3,000 students. It is planned to double the number of students within the next five years. Bahir Dar is currently constructing a Mega Textile City within the University campus. The aim is to educate and produce simultaneously. Bahir Dar wants to become the biggest University in Africa for applied textile sciences, as well as one of the biggest textiles producers. Buildings are nearly finished and waiting to be equipped.

“Stoll will have a vital part in the flat knitting sector,” the manufacturer says. “This way, we can assist in further education/training as well as in production of flat knitted items. The Ethiopian government is attracting foreign investors with an exemption of income/profit tax, duty free import/export possibilities and quota free export to the US and Europe (for textiles). In addition, Ethiopia is selling energy at the lowest rate in the area and is building huge industrial estates country wide.

“The system of incentives will definitely attract all kinds of foreign manufacturing companies, at least for the period of the incentives, which is between 7-10 years respectively. The government is aware that these companies will move, once the incentives are not available anymore, but hopes, that until then, the local industries have grown in such a way that substitutes the foreign companies.”

“But, to achieve that, money has to be made available. There is still a long way to go, but this is possible to achieve with the new Prime Minister. Stoll is represented locally and is consistently monitoring the situation.”

Uganda

“Since we are active in Kenya, we also know that flat knitting is done in Uganda. The yarn trade between Kenya and Uganda made us discover potential customers. Like in all East-African countries, school uniforms are a must for children and students. As such, flat knitted sweaters and cardigans are part of the equipment. But, so far, everything is knitted on hand flat or semi-automatic machines,” the company says.

“Knitters were more than impressed when we showed them how to knit fronts, backs and sleeves completely shaped. No waste means saving around 30% of yarn (in comparison with the semiautomatic machines). In addition, the productivity and reliability of a computerised flat knitting machine speaks for itself.”

“Customers calculated quickly how much money they could save per year and, conclusively, the investment in computerised machines became cost effective. This is not limited to school students but also churches, hospitals, military and police sectors, and all government related industries that are in need of knitted sweaters. The potential is huge and has to be developed step-by-step.”

Ghana

Since 2018, Stoll has the first two CMS 530 HP machines in Ghana. A Catholic Diocese was able to realise this project with the support of the German company. The diocese today is doing garment manufacturing as well as knitting sweaters. “Getting the local technicians trained was a big challenge as they had no knowledge about knitting but, within a few weeks, they were ready to program and knit,” the manufacturer reports.

Zimbabwe

“Economically speaking, the South African neighbour is far behind, but hard-working people want to bring this country up,” the company says. “Unfortunately, there is still a big lack of foreign currency. Nevertheless, we have customers in Zimbabwe equipped with the latest CMS technology. And these customers are moving on steadily, but it always takes time to get the money released.”

“But they are confident that, with the new government, things will become easier in the future. Stoll is handled in Zimbabwe by our South African agent. A combination that has proved to be very successful.”

Karl Mayer, the leading German warp knitting machinery manufacturer, welcomed 760 visitors at last month’s five-day-long ITMA Asia + CITME trade fair, with the company’s stand being particularly busy during the first three days of the fair. Roughly 300 participants also visited the in-house show at Karl Mayer (China), which was held at the same time.

“ITMA Asia + CITME 2018 was a successful show, with many visitors from China and also from other countries in and around Asia. Our stand was THE meeting-point for the sector, with its modern design, innovative machines and solutions designed to cater for current trends. We have shown that we are also pioneers in the future issues of sustainability and digitisation, and we are opening up new opportunities for our clients,” said Arno Gärtner, Karl Mayer’s CEO.

The highlight of Karl Mayer’s presentation was the company’s demonstration of its digitisation strategy: the launch of the company’s own digital brand, Km.On, and the presentation of the associated digital solutions and the Karl Mayer Digital Factory, the start-up behind Km.On. “With the much-viewed brand launch and our first digital solutions, we were clearly showing that we are an expert partner for the digitalisation. Both our customers, as well as other textile machinery manufacturers, welcomed this initiative, which successfully positioned us as a real innovator,” said Arno Gärtner.

Integrated sustainability

Another focal point of Karl Mayer’s presentation were systems concentrating on greater sustainability during production, under the heading of Cleaner.Productions, and these were also a great success, according to Arno Gärtner. “We have shown that we are a global market leader in the field of sustainability as well. We have further developed our warp knitting technology in terms of environmental protection and presented it as a beneficial ecological alternative to other technologies,” he said.

The possibilities of replacing weaving with warp knitting quickly became a magnet for the public. Both weaving and warp knitting companies were also interested in the Terry.Eco for the environmentally friendly production of terry goods.

High output, flexible and reliable

The highlights for the warp knitting sector were tricot machines with three guide bars. An HKS 3-M, 280" and a TM 3 were on show. The extra-wide HKS 3-M was producing a velour fabric in a gauge of E 32. Referring to the TM 3 the guests were particularly interested in the opportunities for market expansion offered by the TM machine. It produces warp-knitted fabrics, which can be used to replace the fabrics woven on water-jet looms, thus offering advantages in terms of costs and sustainability.

Specific machines at the well-attended in-house show at Karl Mayer (China) in Changzhou were the TM 4 TS-EL terry warp knitting machine and the new five-bar tricot machine, COP 5 M-EL, 180". An RD 7/2-6 EN, 138" from the RD machine range was premiered at the in-house show. This new machine was presented as the first prototype. With 6 mm reduced flexibility of the trick plate distance, compared to the established RD 7/2-12 EN machine, it is said to deliver a 30% increase in speed.

Karl Mayer was also showing two lace machines at the in-house show. The OJ 83/1 B was producing a fine lace band during the show, and the new Leisuree.Fashion, type LM 41, was also presented as an attractive machine for producing functional, multibar lace in a gauge of E 28.

Warp preparation

Karl Mayer’s Warp Preparation Business Unit was demonstrating the new Isodirect direct beaming machine and the VSB Size Box. The technology of the Isodirect makes it an efficient direct beamer for the mid-range segment. Two features in particular have set it apart from the rest of the market: the smart reed for automatically adjusting the reed to suit the required yarn number and beam width, and a well-thought-out system to optimise the interfaces between the direct and the Prosize sizing machine.

The key element of the Prosize is the VSB Size Box, whose application system is designed to help reduce costs and the environmental impact. Up to 10% of the size alone can be saved, the company reports.

The demonstration of warp preparation was complemented by innovations for the denim sector and sectional warping, which were shown at Karl Mayer (China).

Solutions to build on

Karl Mayer’s Technical Textiles Business Unit was exhibiting as an expert, flexible partner for a wide range of applications. At the focal point of its demonstration of applications were textiles for the construction industry, such as concrete reinforcements, plaster carriers and roofing materials. This issue is currently a hot topic. The possibility of using textiles in the building sector is opening up new global markets and is arousing the interest of every textile producer in Asia.

“Traditional warp knitting companies in particular see the opportunities of opening up new business areas. Weaving companies with experience of technical textiles are surprised at the high productivity of warp knitting. Depending on the application, the cost:benefit ratio of warp knitting to weaving may be 1:17,” said Hagen Lotzmann, the Sales Manager of the Technical Textiles Business Unit.

Ricoh Company based in Tokyo has recently announced to acquire ColorGATE Digital Output Solution GmbH, a leading software provider in the printing industry with specific competence in color management. This acquisition will strengthen Ricoh’s growing industrial printing business. The transfer of shares is scheduled to happen on November 30.

ColorGATE founded in 1997 is based out in Germany. It has been supporting the printing industry for about 20 years by providing software for the wide format and industrial printing sectors.The company has a huge customer base in Europe supplying industrial printing software with unique color management technology in order to support printing along with decorating a wide variety of materials that are used for packaging, floor and wall coverings as well as textiles and signages. Moreover it is one of the leading providers of performance optimized color management and workflow software so as to standardize and automate growing digital print market including the decor and textiles.

Thomas Kirschner, Co-founder, ColorGATE said ,“We are delighted to have been selected by Ricoh to contribute to this strong future growth strategy whilst we continue to serve our established customer base, OEM partners and reseller channel.” Thomas will continue to serve as the CEO.

Ricoh announced about its growth strategy plan, “ RICOH Ignite” in February this year and intend to reinforce its value offering by expanding its printing technology portfolio. The investment in ColorGATE is the latest part of the plan.

Moreover, in order to enhance its industrial printing business, the company has recently established a “Global IP Technology Center” as well as “ Global IP Marketing Center” located in Europe which is increasingly the center of incubation printing markets. This allows access to cutting-edge technology and also enables increased responsiveness to the market needs. The main purpose of the centers is to drive marketing, strategic planning and development of business and products with Ricohls alliance partners present all over the world.

Peter Williams, Corporate Vice President and General Manager of Commercial and Industrial Printing Business Group, Ricoh, mentioned, “By combining ColorGATE’s proprietary software technology with our own industrial printers, Ricoh will provide solutions covering the whole printing workflow from Pre-Press to Post-Press. This acquisition will enable ColorGATE to expand its industrial printing business and global presence as together we become better able to support our customers to accelerate their transition from analogue to digital based production.”

Ricoh is empowering digital workplaces using innovative technologies and services enabling individuals to work smarter. It has been there for more than 80 years and is a leading provider of document management solutions, IT services, commercial and industrial printing, digital cameras, and industrial systems.

AnaJet, a Ricoh company, clinches prestigious CES Innovation Award Honoree designation for second straight year, this time for the newly released RICOH Ri 1000, a full-featured prosumer DTG printer available at an affordable price

Tustin, Calif. – AnaJet, a Ricoh company and global leader in the direct to garment (DTG) industry, today announced that it has been named a CES 2019 Innovation Awards Honoree for the newly released RICOH Ri 1000 Direct-to-Garment (DTG) printer. Products entered in this prestigious program are judged by a preeminent panel of independent industrial designers, independent engineers and members of the trade media to honor outstanding design and engineering in cutting edge consumer electronics products across 28 product categories.

The next-generation RICOH Ri 1000 delivers advanced DTG printing at an affordable price.

“We were incredibly excited to learn that we were named a CES Innovation Award Honoree for the second year in a row,” said Paul Crocker, Marketing Director, AnaJet, Inc. “Last year, we won with the Ri 100, a highly compact, all-in-one, desktop DTG printer. This year we followed up with the RICOH Ri 1000, which has a decidedly more robust feature set, but is still available at an affordable price point for the prosumer market.”

In addition to quick print speeds and high image resolution up to 1200 x 1200 dpi, the RICOH Ri 1000 is a stand-out from its competition because of its “walk-up ready” design. Maintenance for the machine is largely automated, including white ink agitation, self-cleaning functions, and continuous monitoring of ink supply and air levels. For maintenance functions that are not automated, the RICOH Ri 1000’s built-in Interactive Operation Guide alerts users, sending them reminders to complete necessary tasks. The result is a machine that requires minimal maintenance and is kept in an active state, ready to print at any time.

For further ease of use and added versatility, the RICOH Ri 1000 also features magnetized quick-change platens that easily snap on and off the machine without the need for additional tools. Quick-change platens in multiple styles and sizes up to 16 inches by 19.6 inches allow for maximum versatility with virtually no downtime between setups.

The prestigious CES Innovation Awards are sponsored by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)™, the owner and producer of CES 2019, the global gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies, and have been recognizing achievements in product design and engineering since 1976.

Entries are evaluated on their engineering, aesthetic and design qualities, intended use/function and user value, unique/novel features present and how the design and innovation of the product directly compares to other products in the marketplace.

Products chosen as CES Innovation Honorees reflect innovative design and engineering in some of the most cutting edge tech products and services coming to market.

The RICOH Ri 1000 was announced in the US on October 18, 2018 and is expected to begin shipping to US customers in Winter 2018. International availability will be announced at a later date. The machine will be displayed at CES 2019, which runs January 8-11, 2019, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

For details on Ricoh’s full line of DTG printers, consumables, and accessories, please visit www.RicohDTG.com.

The brand-new, next-generation, single-pass EFI™ Reggiani BOLT textile digital printer from Electronics For Imaging, Inc. (Nasdaq:EFII) made its debut this week during an open house event at the EFI Reggiani facility in Bergamo, Italy. The advanced, ultra-high-speed digital single-pass printer has the potential to revolutionize the textile printing market, providing users with high uptime and reliability, outstanding performance, superior printing uniformity and accuracy, long printhead life and minimal maintenance needs. The EFI Reggiani open house has created huge interest in global textile market opportunities, with nearly 300 customers and journalists attending to see the new BOLT in action.

“The innovative development of our new single-pass printer comes from Reggiani’s speed of innovation in digital textile printing, its 70 years of history, and our proprietary knowledge of high-volume analog rotary printing,” said EFI Reggiani Vice President and General Manager Adele Genoni. “Our EFI colleagues’ proven, worldwide expertise in single-pass technology and, most importantly, EFI Reggiani’s serious commitment to listening to and addressing our textile customers’ needs, have allowed us to achieve incredible results with our newest print technology. The EFI Reggiani BOLT re-writes the rules of digital textile single-pass printing, delivering superior throughput and quality with a highly competitive return on investment for customers. We are excited to bring this technology to our customers and see their businesses succeed and grow.”

Cutting-edge printhead technology and high-performance ink delivery

The BOLT offers an innovative, low-maintenance, fast-startup recirculation printhead that delivers better, more-uniform printing with superior uptime. Thanks to its cutting-edge printhead concept and high-performance ink delivery system, the BOLT has throughput speeds of up to 295 feet per minute (more than 86,100 square feet per hour) at a 600 x 600 dots per inch (dpi) resolution. It features high-end grayscale imaging in drop sizes from 5 to 30 picoliters, and also provides premium-quality 600 x 4,800 maximum-dpi resolution printing, allowing customers to address the full range of design needs. The printhead has been developed in partnership with a leading printhead manufacturer, and will be available exclusively for EFI Reggiani.

High-end capabilities, with reduced downtime

The EFI Reggiani BOLT meets growing requirements for high-quality, ecologically sustainable digital textile imaging in apparel, décor and other markets. Paired with an EFI Fiery® digital front end (DFE) print server offering unique, high-speed processing capabilities on demand, the BOLT printer is a robust, industrial platform designed for 24/7 operation and continuous productivity that drives high-volume throughput while reducing the cost per meter. Additional new features and enhancements on the printer include:

Enhanced maintenance features – The printer’s contactless wiping system prolongs printhead life and quality. Plus, the printer comes with an assisted alignment system for its test calibration scan unit, and features extractable printing beams for easier maintenance.

Extended color gamut and superior imagequality – Thanks to EFI expertise in color management and flexible color configurations, customers can easily reproduce a wider variety of work, including designs featuring plain colors, geometric patterns, fine lines, deep blacks and smooth gradients.

Proprietary IP combining digital and rotary technologies – One or more analog printing stations, which may be easily connected as an optional feature, can be integrated into the digital printer for special effects.

Efficient, high-powered EFI Fiery technology

The Reggiani BOLT is a Fiery Driven™ printer, featuring an EFI Fiery DFE with RIP and color management technologies running on Fiery XB bladed hardware for maximum performance. Fiery technologies for the printer give textile printing businesses the ability to successfully produce highly challenging jobs with the finest detail, demanding colors, smooth gradients and more. EFI color scientists developed special algorithms and custom screening for this Fiery system to deliver vivid print results, including high saturation without losing detail, and superior color even when using the fastest print mode.

Fiery technologies for the new Reggiani BOLT printer also will include a 1-year subscription to EFI Fiery DesignPro, a powerful textile and fashion design suite that runs inside designers’ Adobe® Creative Cloud® applications. Fiery DesignPro reduces the time needed to create color books, repeats, colorways and prepare files for production to minutes instead of hours. Together, the new Reggiani BOLT single-pass printer and Fiery technologies address key market trends as customers face pressure for faster time-to-market, quick fashion cycles, shorter print runs and more customization.

EFI Reggiani high-speed innovation in digital printing for textiles

The BOLT printer is the newest in an important series of EFI Reggiani innovations. In the last 15 months, the team has developed a totally renewed range of digital scanning printers with cutting-edge technologies, launching a new model every quarter to offer customers solutions to whatever their requirements may be for easily scalable textile printing. The list of EFI Reggiani advancements includes two recent launches – the COLORS digital printer, which provides unparalleled performance with up to 12-colour printing, and the TERRA pigment ink with binder solution featuring in-line polymerization, a process that speeds up customers’ printing with one of the industry’s greenest production technologies.

Saurer, the ring-spinning specialist, is supplying 48 ZinserImpact 72XL compact spinning machines with a total of 82 944 spindles to Sanko Textiles, one of the largest certified organic cotton yarn and certified organic knit fabrics producers in Turkey. The tradition-rich Turkish textiles company is thus one of the first customers worldwide to use this new generation of machines.

“We have been relying on Saurer’s leading technologies for years,” said Hakan Konukoğlu, Sanko Holding board member. “The new ZinserImpact 72XL is an important building block in our future modernisation strategy.”

Hakan Konukoğlu, Member of board, Sanko Holding (4.f.l.), Gökhan Aydın, Strategy and Business Development Manager, Sanko Textiles (3.f.l.), Clement Woon, CEO of Saurer (5.f.l.) and members of the Saurer management team. © Saurer Group

Sanko was founded in 1904 and produces around 250 tons of yarn per day and employs a total of 2,520 people in its spinning and knitting division. With its Textiles Innovation Center, founded in 2000, Sanko is constantly developing new textiles, such as the successful yarn brand Zeugma and others. Sanko is one of the pioneers in processing of organic cotton: In 2002, the company commissioned one of the world’s first certified spinning mills for this material.

Now, the company says it wants to further enhance its competitive advantage with Saurer’s most modern generation of ring-spinning machines. It is investing in a flexible and highly efficient overall solution consisting of roving and compact spinning machines. The roving is supplied by six ZinserSpeed 5A with a total of 1,152 spindles. Equipped with the RoWeLift transfer station, the RoWeClean tube-cleaning system, the RoWeStore empty-tube store and effective doffing technology, the roving frames are said to guarantee maximum cost-effectiveness. The ZinserSpeed 5A are connected to the compact spinning machines via the Autoflow FlexFlow system. This makes the assignment of the roving frames to the ring-spinning machines more flexible and opens up potential for optimisation in operational planning, according to the manufacturer.

The 48 ZinserImpact 72XL machines, each with 1,728 spindles, have been tailored to the spatial situation on site. The central FlexiDrive of the ZinserImpact 72XL is designed to ensure consistent yarn quality over the entire machine length. The self-cleaning compact spinning technology, Impact FX, is said to guarantee the most economical and top quality thanks to its constant compact power. The machines are equipped with the CS1 S premium spindle to further reduce noise emissions, vibrations and energy consumption in the high-speed range.

The new Zinser compact spinning mill will go into operation this year.