INTERNATIONAL
NATIONAL
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], July 4: The Chairman of SRTEPC (The Synthetic & Rayon Textiles Export Promotion Council), Bhadresh Dodhia lauded the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the United States of America. "The visit of our PM to the US and the unprecedented response from the US President Joe Biden and the Americans clearly indicate that India is a growing power and is on the rise", said Bhadresh Dodhia. The visit would mark a "milestone" in the bilateral relationship between the two countries and would lead to significant investments in India and development of trade, according to the Chairman, SRTEPC. SRTEPC has been assigned the role of export promotion of technical textiles from India, in addition to Manmade fibre textiles. The Council will very soon be taking a delegation from India to the US and will be meeting top American Companies to increase exports of Manmade fibre textiles and technical textiles, said Dodhia. The Council is working on this delegation visit in consultation with the office of the Consulate General of India in Mumbai. US is also a source of supplies of high-quality raw materials like speciality yarns, aramid yarns, filter fabrics etc that are required by the Indian manufacturers of technical textiles, pointed out the Chairman, SRTEPC. The US is one of the leading export markets for Textiles & Clothing from India. Our PM's visit has certainly boosted the image of India not only in the US but across the globe which will lead to significant increase in exports of Textiles & Clothing from India, according to Dodhia. The visit of our PM marks one of the rare moments in the US-India history where there is a real opportunity to take things to the next level, said Bhadresh Dodhia.
Source: Business-Standard
UK trade minister Nigel Huddleston on Tuesday said the 2030 roadmap with India will bring immense benefits for both countries. Speaking at an event here, the minister said it will deepen cooperation and bring both the countries even closer. "The 2030 roadmap agreed by our Prime Ministers in May 2021 is a practical plan to transform the relationship between United Kingdom and India. It will bring immense benefits for both the countries. We have committed to doubling trade between the two great nations," Huddleston said. He said both UK and India have global interests and global reach. "We are science and technology superpowers. We worked together on the Covid vaccine which saved hundreds of lives in several countries," Huddleston said. In 2022, the volume of bilateral trade between India and the UK stood at GBP 36 billion, supporting half a million jobs in both the countries. The minister said of the great global challenges, none is more urgent than climate change. "We are proud to work with India and support initiatives such as the International Solar Alliance and the coalition for disaster-resilient infrastructure," the minister said. He also announced deepening of cooperation between the UK and West Bengal in electric mobility and sustainable construction sectors. He said to address the barriers for faster adoption of electric vehicles, UK had worked with the West Bengal government to bridge the skill gaps in the ecosystem in the EV space. "Together (UK and West Bengal) we will make the transition to zero emission vehicles faster, more affordable and accessible to all," he added. Meanwhile, both the UK and India are negotiating a free-trade agreement which has completed the tenth round of talks. Huddleston, who arrived here on Monday on a two-day visit to the metropolis, also met former West Bengal finance minister Amit Mitra. "A pleasure to speak with @DrAmitMitra to reaffirm the UK's commitment to bolstering economic growth in this vibrant state. Also committed participation in the Bengal Global Business Summit, to which we brought the largest international delegation last year," he tweeted. The UK minister also met Sanjiv Goenka, the chairman and MD of the RPG Sanjiv Goenka Group, and discussed business ties and opportunities. "Really productive meeting with Sanjiv Goenka - Chairman and MD of @rpsggroup. We discussed UK-India trade and how a UK-India FTA could help address obstacles to trade, reduce tariffs, and open doors for businesses - creating jobs and opportunities for economic growth," the minister tweeted. India is its 12th largest trading partner accounting for 2.1 per cent of its total trade. The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) said Huddleston is on a threeday visit to South Asia, which covers Kolkata and Dhaka in Bangladesh, focused on unlocking more opportunities for British companies to grow trade and two-way business flows.
Source: Economic Times
Union Textiles, Commerce and Industries Minister Piyush Goyal has urged exporters to focus on major markets including to boost exports. He also suggested focusing on organising global fairs and exhibitions. In a meeting with various Export Promotion Councils (EPCs) and Industry Associations, he discussed ways to enhance global market outreach to give further boost to India’s exports. These issues among others were discussed during a meeting called by the ministry with the industry and exporters. The meeting assumed significance as the country’s merchandise exports have been contracting for the last four months due to demand slowdown in the global markets. Along with few other sectors, textiles also hold huge potential to increase the country’s exports The main global destinations where exports could be promoted further include the US, UK, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Korea, Japan and Russia. It is worth mentioning here that India’s apparel exports increased by 1.1 per cent to US $ 16.20 billion in 2022- 23 from US $ 16.02 billion in 2021-22. In mid May, due to a lack of international orders, a few apparel exporters in Tirupur and Noida opted to close their manufacturing facilities for a few days to decrease operating costs. India’s textile and apparel export in April month was down by double digits. As per the official data, the export of textile yarn fabric made-up articles was 17.06 per cent down in April 2023.
Source: Apparel Resources
The shortage is not felt as acutely in the industries only because major labour-intensive sectors of textile and chemicals have downsized production in the wake of dwindling demand — both in the domestic and the export markets. However, industries continue to bear the brunt of labour constraints. Pathik Patwari, the president of Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), said, “We observe a shortage of labour in various industries during Holi, but now it is a common situation and industries continuously face a labour shortage of at least 10%. Skilled workers’ availability has decreased because the states from where we used to get labourers are witnessing development. Workers have options to get local employment in their home states, so Gujarat finds it difficult to attract labourers. The situation will be challenging in the next couple of years.” Currently, many textile and chemical manufacturing units are operating at underutilized capacities and therefore, the requirement of labourers is less. However, in the months to come as the business improves and the scale of business expands, there will be a need for a larger workforce. Post Covid pandemic, the government has aggressively taken measures to initiate skill development by establishing Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) and taking other initiatives to make the local workforce employable,” said Chintan Thaker, chairman, Assocham Gujarat State Council.
Source: Times of India
In a stunning revolution, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting said that it has accumulated billions of rupees in Indian banks, which it can't use. "This is a problem,” Lavrov said during the SCO meeting which took place in Goa and added that to utilise this money, these rupees need to be transferred in another currency and this is being discussed now. It majorly started in 2022 when Vladimir Putin-led Russia invaded Ukraine. Several Russian banks opened Vostro accounts in rupees with authorised dealer banks in India. This initiative aimed to facilitate rupee trade between the two countries. However, due to the rupee's limited convertibility, establishing a market-driven exchange rate for the rupee-rouble pair has proven challenging. Consequently, billions of rupees have accumulated in Indian bank accounts. According to a Bloomberg report, an uneven trade relationship with India is forcing Russia to assemble up to USD one billion every month in Indian rupee assets that remain stranded outside the country, swelling the stockpile of capital it’s amassed abroad since the Ukraine war. Since the invasion, Russia became the biggest supplier of oil to India. As Europe reduced its purchases amid the war, Russia settled for a lesser share of trade in domestic currencies and redirected its shipments towards the east. In April, the visit of the Deputy Governor of Moscow, Ekaterina Zinoveva region concluded with discussions on expanding the utilisation of national currencies. It was emphasised that payments can now be made in rupee and ruble, both within the territory of Russia. The leading bank in Russia has a branch in India, which extends full cooperation to Indian investors, fostering bilateral relations. Additionally, officials from both nations are engaged in talks to explore avenues for boosting exports to Russia, particularly in sectors like electronics. “Discussions are underway with Russian counterparts to explore options for converting the accumulated rupees into another currency. Trade between India and Russia has persisted despite the presence of sanctions and payment issues. Moreover, ongoing negotiations with Russia seek to address the obstacles arising from currency-related trade issues,” said Saket Dalmia, President, PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PHDCCCI). In pursuit of resolving these challenges, India is also working towards the launch of a SWIFT-like system. This system aims to facilitate paperless transactions for cross-border trade, providing a more efficient and streamlined process. In order to promote the growth of global trade with emphasis on exports from India, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in July 2022 decided to put in place an additional arrangement for invoicing, payment and settlement of exports and imports in the Indian rupee. The central bank last year stated that all exports and imports under this arrangement will be denominated and invoiced in rupees. The exchange rate between the currencies of the two trading partner countries is to be market-determined. India has recently launched its new Foreign Trade Policy for 2023 (FTP) with an aim to position itself as a reliable and trustworthy trading partner. The primary objective behind this policy is to increase India's share in the global supply chain for exports. The Modi government has implemented several measures within the new FTP to enhance the ease of doing business in India, which is expected to have a positive impact on the country's exports in the years to come. One of the key focuses of the FTP 2023 is trade facilitation through the use of technology and digitisation. The policy aims to promote e-commerce and introduces various schemes and measures to facilitate exports. In addition, the FTP 2023 places significant emphasis on the inclusion and empowerment of local vendors, highlighting the concept of "Local goes Global." This approach aims to create new job opportunities and enhance the overall performance of the country's trade sector. “Overall, the FTP 2023 sets out a comprehensive roadmap to position India as a prominent player in the global trade arena. By implementing trade facilitation measures, leveraging technology, and promoting local vendors, India aims to enhance its trade performance and establish itself as a key player in the global supply chain for exports,” added Dalmia.
Is de-dollarisation possible According to experts, de-dollarisation by India is possible subject to many policy interventions. For converting the rupee to an acceptable global currency for trade transactions, India must become a trade surplus or at least a current account surplus. That will generate natural demand for the rupee in the currency market and arrest the chronic depreciation of the Rupee. "For this, 'efficiency of the economy' must improve by reducing the cost of basic inputs such as capital, energy, logistics and minerals at a globally competitive level. Let’s acknowledge that; during 2002-2011, the rupee was almost stable," said RP Gupta, Author and Economist. Gupta added that for converting the rupee into an acceptable 'reserve currency', Indian institutions must improve transparency and win global trust that has been compromised in recent years. "More so, 'net International liability' must be reduced and India should become a nation with 'surplus international assets'. That needs a viable financial innovation such as the modified gold-deposit scheme, a game changer," added the economist. Dalmia also said that though the internationalisation of the rupee would involve major strategic moves by India's policymakers, India's new FTA 2023 extends all benefits for payments conducted in the Indian rupee, facilitated through special vostro accounts established as per the RBI guidelines. Vijay Kalantri, Chairman, MVIRDC World Trade Center Mumbai said, "India is not entirely ready for de-dollarisation as there is no proven alternative mechanism globally to replace dollars in cross-border trade settlement." He added that as a long-term step to reduce India's reliance on dollars and promote local currency, India has taken a few steps in the recent past. Many foreign banks have opened Vostro accounts with Indian banks to enable trade settlement in local currency in the recent past.
A challenging road ahead Talking about the challenges on the road to de-dollarisation, the dollar continues to have a major share of 42 per cent in international payment and settlements, followed by Euro (32 per cent) and Chinese Yuan (3.51 per cent), as per SWIFT data. Kalantri added, "If a country has to promote its currency in international payments and settlements as an alternative to the USD dollar, its currency should be freely convertible in the world forex market, with minimal transaction cost. In other words, there should be an active and liquid forex market for that currency. He explained that a country should have a stable economy and open its financial market completely to foreign investors and allow unrestricted outflow of capital to foreign countries. Not many countries satisfy all these conditions together to promote their currency as an alternative to the US dollar. Currently, the central banks across the world hold 58 per cent of their reserves in dollars, 20 per cent in Euros and 2.69 per cent in Chinese renminbi, according to the IMF COFER Database 2022. As the dollar continues to be a predominant reserve currency for most central banks, it is more liquid and hence more acceptable in the global forex market.
A lesson from the history In 1944, about 44 leading nations signed the “Bretton-Woods Agreement” and accepted the US dollar (USD) as the global currency. During that period, the American central bank was holding the most extensive stock of gold and agreed to convert USD into gold on-demand basis. Subsequently, oil trading in dollars facilitated the wider acceptance of USD among other nations. However, due to the fluctuating price of gold, this agreement couldn’t survive after 1971. Interestingly, by that time, the USA had already demonstrated its economic strength, fire-power and space technology. It became the largest economy and a large energy producer, leading to innovation and research. More so, vibrant democracy and a free economy facilitated its wider acceptance. Lately, other currencies such as Euro, British pound, Japanese Yen, China RMB/Yuan, Germany Mark, Swiss franc etc., were also accepted. Currently, about 80 to 90 per cent of trade transactions and about 60 to 65 per cent of forex reserves held in the world are in USD only. About 40 to 45 per cent of debt transactions are also in USD. In about 2009, China attempted to develop a reserve currency. Despite being the second largest economy, it couldn’t succeed much due to a lack of transparency, absence of democracy and global trust. However, in 2016, the Chinese RMB became one of the world's reserve currencies. "It must improve global competitiveness and convert India into a trade Surplus and investment-friendly nation. India is holding the largest stock of private gold that can replace international liability with domestic liability through a tax-friendly gold-deposit scheme," Gupta added.
Utilising India's strength According to the experts, India is a large democratic nation which enjoys global trust. It has a hidden growth potential that must be unlocked. However, India’s currency is not freely convertible as it has restrictions on capital account convertibility and the country's financial market is not completely open to foreign investors. Hence, it will take many years to make India's currency acceptable as a medium of exchange in the global market, as per the experts. "In the near future, India may take the lead to revitalize and expand the Asian Clearing Union (ACU), which was launched in 1975 jointly by Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and other Asian countries to promote settlement of cross-border transactions in local currencies," Kalantri asserted. India has a large workforce of talented youth and those must be gainfully deployed. If these strengths are rightly leveraged, the Indian rupee can be certainly recognised as a dominant global and reserve currency in future years and replace USD to a large extent. That will also improve diplomatic relations," added Gupta. Meanwhile, small steps such as the opening of Vostro accounts are a decent beginning, however, there is a long way to go with well-established policy initiatives and structural reforms for India to achieve this far-fetched dream.
Source: Business World
Never in my long career have I been so amazed to see the remarkably enabling environment being provided by policymakers to the Indian industry with a view to enhance manufacturing value-add in the country. Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes are the cornerstone of the government’s efforts to make India a global manufacturing powerhouse — both by augmenting the capabilities of Indian companies and attracting global companies to set up mother plants in India. As chairperson of the SCALE committee, I have an opportunity to directly interact with industry in many of the PLI sectors and I can confidently say that PLI is making a huge difference and the impact is going to go way beyond the end of the scheme in five years. PLI is giving a kick-start to manufacturing in a way that it will get into a positive spiral. The government is investing in the long-term growth of our manufacturing sector by providing a strong financial booster shot in the form of the Production Linked Incentive Scheme, as well as doing other reforms. The intent is very clear — to make our manufacturing sector globally competitive and thereby making India Atmanirbhar and take advantage of current geo-political situation. I may also add that we are only in the second year of the five-year PLI scheme. The positive impact of PLI will only accelerate as we move forward.
The foundation
PLI, as envisioned, are built on the foundation of 14 sectors with an incentive outlay of ₹1.97-lakh crore (about $26 billion) to strengthen their production capabilities and help create global champions. The underlying principle is to grow scale and make India globally competitive. The expectation is that in five years the industry will reach a scale and efficiency, helped with other reforms such as Gati Shakti, new trade agreements, EoDB, that it would not need a PLI to be competitive. Already, we are witnessing a gradual shift in India’s export basket, from traditional commodities to high value-added products such as electronics and telecommunication goods, processed food products etc. PLI Sectors that have seen an increase in FDI inflows in the last year are Drugs and Pharmaceuticals (+46 per cent), Food Processing Industries (+26 per cent) and Medical Appliances (+91 per cent). In the 14 PLI sectors — mobiles, medical devices, telecom & networking products, automobiles and auto components, pharmaceuticals, drugs, white goods, specialty steel, electronic products, food products, textile products, solar PV modules, advanced chemistry cell battery and drones and drone components, as on date, 733 applications have been approved with expected investment of ₹3.65-lakh crore, of which ₹62,500 crore is already realised till March 2023. Along with the large industries, 176 MSMEs are also among the direct PLI beneficiaries. Incentive amount of around ₹2,900 crore has been disbursed in FY 2022-23 under PLI Schemes for eight sectors — Large-Scale Electronics Manufacturing (LSEM), IT Hardware, Bulk Drugs, Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals, Telecom & Networking Products, Food Processing and Drones & Drone Components. One of the big success stories is that of mobile phones. The PLI Scheme has enabled major smartphone companies — Foxconn, Wistron and Pegatron to shift supplier base to India. As a result, top high-end phones are being manufactured in India. This has also resulted in increase in localisation in IT Hardware such as Battery & Laptops. India has been able to increase the value addition in mobile manufacturing to almost 20 per cent within a period of three years, which is indeed a very good start compared to its peers. Apple Inc. is looking to shift part of its iPhone manufacturing value chain to India. PLI Scheme for LSEM along with existing Phased Manufacturing Program (PMP) has led to increased value addition in the electronics sector and in smartphone manufacturing, 23 per cent and 20 per cent respectively, from negligible in 2014-15.
Local value-addition
The PLI scheme for White Goods (Air Conditioners, etc) has been successful in boosting local value addition. The domestic AC industry is working towards increasing the localisation content from 25 per cent to 75 per cent in five years and targeting to acquire a reasonable share of global exports in room air conditioners from a miniscule share currently. There is increased confidence in Indian companies to play in the global arena, thanks to the support from PLI. Telecom sector has been able to achieve import substitution of 60 per cent with increased self-reliance in Antennae, GPON (Gigabit Passive Optical Network) & CPE (Customer Premises Equipment). Drones which is a strategic sunrise sector has seen significant momentum post PLI, particularly in growing number of promising start-ups in drone manufacturing. Medical devices is another important sector with high import dependency – to the tune of 75-80 per cent and yet high export potential. India can become the global manufacturing and export hub for medical devices. Thanks to the PLI support, the sector has received committed investment of ₹1,206 crore, with actual investment of ₹714 crore till date. Wipro and GE, Siemens are increasing manufacturing footprint in India. It is very encouraging to see that domestic manufacturing of high-end medical devices like, MRI Scan, CT-Scan, Mammogram, high end X-ray tubes, etc is starting in India. A word of caution for the industry. The PLI scheme is for five years. It is critical that these five years are used by the industry to create scale and with the government’s help to reduce factor and logistics costs. By the sixth year we must ensure that the Indian manufacturing is globally competitive even without the help of the PLI scheme. The writer is Chairperson of INSPACe and former Managing Director of Mahindra and Mahindra.
Source: The Hindu business line
ITMA ASIA + CITME, Asia’s leading business platform for textile machinery, continues to draw interest for its exhibition which has been rescheduled to take place from 19 to 23 November 2023 in Shanghai. Todate, over 1,400 exhibitors from 24 countries and regions have applied to take part in the combined exhibition. Six exhibition halls of the National Convention and Exhibition Center grossing over 160,000 square metres have been booked, according to the show owners - CEMATEX and its Chinese partners, the SubCouncil of the Textile Industry, CCPIT (CCPIT-Tex), China Textile Machinery Association (CTMA) and China Exhibition Centre Group Corporation (CIEC). Exhibitors are also buoyant about prospects as China’s economy is projected to be performing better than expected. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) recently revised its forecast for China's GDP growth upwards to 5.2% in 2023 from its previous projection of 4.4% last October. “The reopening of China's economy is pivotal for the region as China is a key driver of the expansion. Such positive news has helped textile machinery manufacturers to rebuild their confidence in the China market,” explained Mr Ernesto Maurer, President of CEMATEX, which owns the ITMA and ITMA ASIA exhibitions. He added: “We salute our exhibitors for keeping faith with us. Not only have they not withdrawn their participation, some have even increased their booth space. We have also received a steady stream of enquiries from new applicants.” Mr Gu Ping, President of China Textile Machinery Association, further commented: “Compared with the previous combined exhibition, the number of exhibitors in this edition has increased by 15 per cent, with new exhibitors accounting for 30 per cent of the total number of exhibitors. We welcome the presence of these new enterprises as they will add to a more diverse showcase of the technological innovation, and provide new vitality and impetus for the development of the textile industry.” Many exhibitors have also increased their booth space after China eased its strict COVID rules and reopened its borders earlier this year. Among the exhibitors who have increased their space since the Chinese government’s announcement early this year are Muratec, Saurer, Savio, TMT Machinery and Trützschler. Mr Harald Schoepp, Managing Director of Trützschler China, said, “We have decided to enlarge our booth space because our outlook collaborated with mainstream household brands such as Kimberly-Clark, Vinda, and BabyCare on flushable products. In addition to joint product innovation, the collaboration between Veocel and NBond will cover the three key pillars of product, service, and sustainability. On product, to differentiate from flushable products made of wood pulp, Veocel Lyocell fibers with Disperse technology will help strengthen NBond’s nonwoven fabrics in wet conditions, ensuring flushability while improving user experience. Moist toilet tissues, sanitary napkins and other personal hygiene products produced by NBond which adhere to G4 guidelines and the National Standards of China for flushability of nonwoven materials can decompose easily after being immersed in water. To date, high-quality, flushable, and degradable nonwoven products made of Veocel fibers have been widely recognized as a solution that covers fiber dispersion and strength. On service, the technical support and consultancy service provided by Veocel empowers NBond to continuously optimize wetness, strength, thickness, safety, and sustainability in nonwovens fabrics, developing a strong portfolio of flushable products that focuses on comfort and care. In terms of sustainability, Veocel branded fibers, which have been certified by the EU Ecolabel for meeting high environmental standards throughout the entire life cycle of the fibers, can help NBond address heightened global consumer demand for premium nonwovens products that are made of botanic materials which can be biodegradable and compostable at the end of use. “With NBond, we hope to expand the portfolio of flushable nonwovens products globally, not only around flushable wet wipes and sanitary products in the hygiene and surface cleaning segments, but also multipurpose dry flushable wipes in Asia,” added Steven.
Source: TECOYA TREND
INTERNATIONAL
Horizon Digital Print’s investment in a Vanguard Europe digital machine — the first in Ireland — is the central focus of its sustainability drive that has resulted in scooping Ireland’s national Green Manufacturer Award ahead of the likes of global brands such as Coca-Cola. Described as a fabulous user-friendly machine printing excellent quality products 10 times faster than previously at a fraction of the cost, Dublin-based Horizon Digital Print has also announced a major investment in Vanguard Europe parent company Durst’s LIFT ERP software as it continues its growth and transformation into one of Europe’s most sustainable and innovative printing companies. Coca-Cola HBC Ireland and Northern Ireland was also among the 10 finalists in the Green Business and Sustainability Green Awards 2023 in which Horizon triumphed in The Green Manufacturer category. The robust Vanguard VKR3200-HS roll-to-roll UV-LED printer running at speed of up to 3,000 sq ft per hour. Horizon Digital Print, which employs 100 people, has an €11m turnover and is based across two sites in Navan Road, Dublin. Its primary markets outside of Ireland are the UK and France. “The Vanguard is a fabulous, versatile and user-friendly machine – uncomplicated and the quality of print is excellent,” said Declan Kelly, Print Manager at Horizon Digital Print. “It has super-fast turnaround time, and the cost of the power consumption is predicted to be a 10th of the power our previous system, thanks to the LED functionality. The Vanguard is so versatile – from fabrics, PE, paper, mesh, PVC vinyl among many the materials we print on. It is an ideal product for our needs, with perfect image quality, and is extremely reliable. For one of our clients in Dublin, JCDecaux, we have many positive comments about the quality of the lightbox skins that are all produced on the Vanguard. We had a painless installation that only took two days followed by a couple of days training.” Derek Gillen, Managing Director of Horizon Digital Print, said: “As an already established Durst production house, investing in yet more state-of-the-art technology – this time from Vanguard – is an important step forward. Our big focus has been on energy reduction, which is why we were even more delighted to be win the Green Manufacturer Award this year, in the process beating the likes of household names such as Coca-Cola and others. The decision to purchase the Vanguard was at the centre of sustainability drive – it’s because of its green credentials.” Fabian Sottsas, Managing Director of Vanguard Europe, said: “We are delighted with this first installation in Ireland and to have played our part in the Horizon sustainability and wider company success story. It is all part of the Vanguard growing your business strategy where we work in partnership to help deliver new opportunities through our technology. The Vanguard VK3200 roll-to-roll machine sets new standards with high print quality and performance that is available at a competitive price point.”
Source: Textile World
World premiere at the international ITMA trade fair in Milan: for the first time, Oerlikon presented its innovative new development, the EvoSteam, for manufacturing PET staple fibers. Visitors to the Oerlikon trade fair stand were extremely interested in the new, innovative technology, with business discussions very clearly showing that the new development fulfills the needs of potential clients. The EvoSteam process convinces both in terms of its energy, water and raw material savings and also with regards to lowering operating expenses and the carbon footprint — simultaneously with excellent fiber qualities. Visitors to the trade fair spoke about a pioneer for more sustainable staple fiber production. “This shows that our customers have understood that the EvoSteam process has tremendous potential and represents a huge step forward”, comments Martin Rademacher, Head of Sales Oerlikon Neumag, thrilled by the across-the-board positive trade fair feedback in Milan.
Performance in numbers When developing the EvoSteam process, our engineers focused both on fiber quality and in particular also on sustainability, energy efficiency and reducing the consumption of resources. Compared to conventional staple fiber systems, an increase in efficiency of up to 12%, a reduction in production waste of up to 50% along with energy savings of up to 8% speak a very clear language. With water savings of up to 10 million liters per annum and a lowering of the carbon footprint by up to 20%, this Oerlikon system helps fiber manufacturers achieve their sustainability targets.
EvoSteam process dispenses with liquid baths 10 million liters less water: the function of the immersion bath is assumed by a carefullycoordinated setup comprising godets and pulsed spray nozzles. Consequently, moisture is precision-metered and added to the process as required. Completely dispensing with liquid baths generates significant savings in terms of water, energy and spin finish, while simultaneously also increasing occupational safety and cleanliness at the production line. “In conventional drawing processes, large volumes of water are used to control the temperature and provide the requisite moisture in the fiber tow. At the end of the process, this water must be removed from the tow again, which is a very resource- and energyintensive process”, stated Martin Rademacher. “The sparing utilization of water enables a significant reduction in the requisite drying energy, which translates into a tremendous cost benefit for our customers.”
Optimized draw point release and improved drive concept Up to 12% superior efficiency: the new, optimized draw point release permits higher production speeds and hence increased production volumes. The fiber draw point is released by a precisely-focused vapor curtain, is now carried out more evenly and dramatically minimizes the friction between the filaments in the tow. In addition, an innovative drive concept reduces yarn slippage on the godets, improves the process stability and hence increases system availability. Both technological innovations improve the yarn quality demanded by the downstream processes and which play a decisive role for manufacturers’ margins.
Spotlight on reducing waste The development focused not only on resource-efficient fiber production and improving the fiber qualities, it has also been designed to dramatically reduce the waste generated when manufacturing with this system concept. Martin Rademacher comments on this: “With all the optimizations, we promise a 50% reduction in production waste.”
Source: Textile World
It is already operating at PT. Kahatex — one of Indonesia’s largest manufacturers of woven and circular-knitted fabrics: Oerlikon Barmag Huitong Engineering’s homogenization technology for mechanically recycling prepared polyester (PET) waste such as post-industrial waste (popcorn), bottle flakes and films. This key component ensures an evenlyhomogeneous melt, influences the increase in viscosity and hence enables the production of defined rPET preliminary products for further processing such as melt, chips and fiber materials for direct spinning. Reusing waste is increasingly becoming a trend within the textile industry as well: in May 2022, PT. Kahatex commissioned a system with a daily capacity of 25 tons for recycling popcorn and bottle flakes into textile-quality chips for manufacturing POY and DTY. Traditionally, Southeast Asia’s largest family-run business is committed to ecological responsibility and is focused on manufacturing high-end textiles for the Asian, U.S. and European markets. Here, the Indonesian fiber manufacturer is utilizing the homogenization technology provided by Oerlikon Barmag Huitong Engineering (OBHE), a joint venture between Oerlikon Barmag and Yangzhou Huitong Chemical Engineering Technique Co., Ltd. Using the corresponding thermomechanical recycling process, the waste material is extruded and the larger, more solid components filtered out before the homogenizer swings into action. It is in this reactor that the actual mechanical recycling and polycondensation take place. The technology generates a high surface area and — in conjunction with the precisely-defined dwell time — provides more options for influencing the melt. This creates an even, homogeneous melt, while the technology also simplifies the removal of volatile components. In turn, this enables targeted adjustment of the viscosity, which is necessary as the waste material to be processed does not always have the same viscosity. In this way, spinning system yarn waste – in the form of knotted balls or tangled threads, for instance – is processed into popcorn-shaped agglomerates for extrusion. This popcorn can have viscosity values of 0.6, but also lower values of 0.4. No problem: the homogenizer’s increase in viscosity adjusts this.
Also operating in China After exiting the reactor, the melt is once again filtered and finer, gel-containing components are removed. Subsequently, it can be further processed as required: in the form of chips or — using a direct spinning process — in the manufacture of filament yarns, staple fibers and nonwovens. Applicable to all applications: the recycling result can only be as good as the processed starting material, as mechanical recycling processes are unable to improve the starting materials. And chemical recycling is still in its infancy. For this reason, the homogenization technology remains attractive and is already being utilized by both Kahatex and Chinese fiber manufacturers recycling bottle flakes and yarn waste into staple fibers and filament yarns by means of directspinning processes. And the more the industry focuses on recycling systems, the greater the interest: “We are currently registering enquiries from Bangladesh, but also from China,” stated Michael Mächtig, Product manager at Oerlikon Barmag. For the purpose of more intensive global marketing, the OBHE technology has therefore been integrated into the Oerlikon Polymer Processing Solutions product portfolio.
Source: Textile World
The new Pendik bicycle bag from the pinqponq brand by Germany-based baesiq GmbH has a significantly reduced carbon dioxide footprint thanks to BASF’s Ultramid® Ccycled® — a massbalanced polyamide that supports the use of alternative raw materials from chemical recycling of plastic waste. BASF feeds pyrolysis oil from end-of-life tires at the start of the production in Ludwigshafen, replacing 100 percent of the fossil resources otherwise needed for the product. The proportion of recycled raw material is allocated to Ultramid Ccycled products using a certified mass balance approach. “With Ultramid Ccycled, we offer our customers a reduced CO2 footprint for their product with the same quality as the conventional counterpart. With our partner pinqponq, we are actively advancing the topic of circular economy and are also excited about the other bag collections that will be launched in fall,” said Frank Reil, head of Marketing and New Business Development & Sustainability Polyamides at BASF. The materials used are innovative and functional, and importantly, sustainable. In summer 2023, pinqponq is expanding its range to include the bike product category, which is designed to simplify urban commuting. The Pendik model is a 2-in-1 bag with bike rack function. Its fabric, with Ultramid Ccycled, provides a fashionable matte look and a soft cotton-like feel, while retaining the robust performant benefits as of conventionally manufactured polyamide. “We are very pleased to add the new highly functional product to our portfolio and, thanks to the cooperation with BASF, to be the first brand ever to produce functional bike bags from the sustainable polyamide. Our bike bags are a symbol of our vision to combine innovation and responsibility to create a sustainable future together,” said Holger Fabianski, Product manager at baesiq.
Source: Textile World
The new Uster Fabriq Assistant is a central platform for automated processing, analyzing, and visualizing quality data from Uster fabric inspection systems. Its three value modules – AI Classification, Quality Reporting and Central Management – give fabric producers the whole story for quality, saving time and driving operational excellence. Uster’s latest innovation in the field of fabric inspection is an online tool giving a user-friendly summary of quality performance data from every fabric roll inspected in the mill. A range of statistical analysis tools highlight key info through various charts, histograms or trend diagrams. With the new Uster Fabriq Assistant, there is no need to toil over manual data. It’s all automated, so decision-making is simpler and much faster for fabric manufacturers.
Classification and reporting tasks Fabriq Assistant introduces three value modules. AI Classification is at the heart of the system, delivering levels of accuracy and performance that human operators could never match. The Artificial Intelligence attaches codes to each image generated by the Uster Fabriq Vision products. Without this AI Classification, mill personnel would have to spend time and effort inserting codes to each defect at a PC, to carry out a data review. Artificial Intelligence means data classification is fully automated, so producers can save over 80% of the time taken by manual methods. With Fabriq Assistant, old-fashioned manual data collection and analysis are consigned to history. Fabriq Assistant automatically gathers all the information from connected Uster fabric inspection systems – and applies smart analysis principles to calculate the most meaningful results. The Quality Reporting value module lets managers focus on the most important decisions, based on the guaranteed accuracy of advanced technology.
Benefits from synergies Fabriq Assistant unites all the data from AI Classification and Quality Reporting. Combining classified details of defects with smart analysis of inspection data gives producers a valuable advantage: Fabriq Assistant not only gives alerts of issues, it also goes a stage further by both describing and locating a problem. This is the knowledge required to enable continuous and systematic improvements to be made. Combining data from AI classification and Quality Reporting unleashes the full power of the value modules. The real impact comes from meaningful data which is automatically analyzed. “Using the synergies from AI classification and Quality Reporting maximizes the business value for all stakeholders in the production and the quality department,” says Michelle Salg, Product Manager Fabric Inspection at Uster Technologies.
Centralized efficiency Fabriq Assistant cuts down the unnecessary workload on managers, allowing them to focus on steering profitable production. The third value module, Central Management, makes this benefit clear, as all the required data is presented on a unified platform at the manager’s desk, in a real time-saving benefit. It means there is no need to check for machine alarms or identify finished rolls. Fabric inspection info for all connected Uster systems is readily available at this central platform. “We have customers who produce thousands of meters of fabric daily. Imagine the difference the Central Management or Fabriq Assistant with its full capability makes for them,” says Salg. “It’s not only about managing a large number of machines but also controlling the quality of the whole production.” The dashboard on the manager’s screen shows the number of defects, ongoing articles and orders, start and end time of rolls, and downtime, at a glance. Indispensable assistant Data from fabric inspection builds a reliable picture, as a sound basis for decisions. Cutting-edge hardware can be seamlessly integrated into production – at line running speeds up to 1,000 meters per minute – for consistent and efficient defect detection. After that Uster Fabriq Assistant takes over. Automation also allows users to customize their experience in a highly flexible way, to suit their own mill organization, thanks to the smart machine learning technology in Fabriq Assistant. For fabric producers it’s an indispensable route to greater efficiency and productivity.
Source: TECOYA TREND
