http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ 2013-06-18T06:48:53+00:00 text/html 2013-06-17T06:39:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11802:clar&catid=11:manufacturing In response to increasing concerns about the use of certain chemicals in the production of nonwovens and textiles, Clariant is developing new solutions which are allowing producers to adopt more sustainable operations and processes.At last week’s Techtextil show in Frankfurt, the company put the emphasis on three key functionality areas – repellence and release, flame retardancy and stability and resistance.Nuva N C6-based products, first introduced in 2006, support the gradual switch away from traditional long-chain fluorotelomer products which, as an unintended manufacturing by-product, may contain PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) at trace levels.Designed to achieve state-of-the-art stain management properties, Nuva N is extremely easy to handle in processing, imparting long-lasting soil repellency and release effects, while being non-sensitive in respect of its compatibility to other finishing chemicals.Along with improved sewability and no impact on the breathability of the fabric, the agent has a positive effect on the abrasion resistance and tear strength demanded of many materials in the technical textiles field.Clariant is continuing to expand the Nuva range as well as increasing production capacity. Nuva 1811, Nuva N2114 and Nuva N2155 all meet the bluesign criteria.Fluorine freeMeanwhile, entirely fluorine-free chemistry and long-lasting water repellency – two benefits that have been previously unattainable in a single solution – come together in Arkophob FFR.This technology is an efficient alternative to conventional fluorocarbon-based repellency products, and its carefully-selected active ingredients and their special formulation allow a durable and even film formation on the surface of the fabric. Arkophob FFR has been extensively tested by Clariant experts in respect of its water repellency, in addition to its wash permanency and the softness or ‘hand’ of the resulting fabrics. In spray tests on 100% cotton twill fabric, for example, it clearly outperforms other fluorine-free products in terms of water repellence, and its performance is very close to C6 fluorochemicals. It meets the bluesign criteria and, when correctly used, also meets the OekoTex standard.Flame retardantsFirefighters, the military, and others working in extreme environments and weather, require performance that protects – not just against the elements, but against hazards including fire. Furthermore, requirements in areas such as home textile and construction are getting more stringent and require high attention during product development. Those sectors therefore welcome the reassurance provided by technologies such as Clariant’s high performance Pekoflam flame retardants. Until quite recently, the common chemistries for fire-proofing man-made fabrics were based on organic halogens. Significantly, the development of Pekoflam began back in 1997 when the debate about the potentially harmful effects of halogen-based chemistry to both human health and the environment was only just beginning. This gave Clariant a clear advance with its halogen-free* Pekoflam range, which is primarily based on phosphorous chemistry as a backbone. In the development of synergistic additives to achieve broad application properties comparable to existing halogen-based products, chemical know-how proved as important as the deeper understanding of flame retardant physics and related thermodynamics.The now-established Pekoflam range is consequently ideally suited to helping customers to face today’s ecological challenges and fulfill ever stricter safety regulations – whatever the application.Pekoflam STC and Pekoflam HFC are new coating additives displaying high efficiency and an improved ecological profile when compared to nitrogen and/or phosphorous based commodity chemicals. Ultra-low formaldehydeClariant’s polymer dispersions are highly valued by technical textile finishers, whether in coating, spraying, foaming, lamination or impregnation. The tailor-made solutions for customer-specific requirements allow range from soft to hard, from elastic to rigid, from hydrophilic to hydrophobic and from impermeable to breathable. Crosslinking is used to reinforce the dimensional web created by the polymer, under specific conditions of temperature and acidic catalysis, to provide a range of benefits. In its constant efforts to reduce formaldehyde, Clariant has especially focused on developing self-crosslinking products. Not only do they offer low formaldehyde solutions per se, but they also do not need to be used with melamine resins – which can be a source of free formaldehyde.The company’s Appretan E range of ultra-low formaldehyde polymer dispersions has been formulated to provide flexibility, strength, stability and resistance in textile and nonwoven applications.In addition to a general improvement in properties, the key performance attributes of this self-crosslinking dispersion are its high resistance to water, solvents, alcohol, and elevated temperature.For the production of textiles that are required to comply with very strict eco-toxicological regulations, Clariant has also developed Appretan NF formaldehyde-free dispersions.“Clariant’s commitment to establishing long-lasting customer relationships, backed by extensive customer service and support, ensures we deliver products that not only advance the performance of technical textiles with measurable benefits, but also assist producers in adopting more sustainable operations and processes,” says Jochen Schmidt, head of technical service EMEA at Clariant Textile Chemicals. “These are key elements for the success of our customers success in today’s challenging business environment.” text/html 2013-06-13T14:49:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11800:milk&catid=124:news-free Having received an Innovation Award for the development at Techtextil in 2011, Qmilk, based in Hannover, Germany, is moving to industrial-scale production of its casein milk protein fibre.At this week’s Techtextil in Frankfurt, company founder Anke Domaske said a new line is under construction which will have a capacity of around 100kg per hour, compared to the current pilot line in Bremen which has output of just 6kg hourly.She likened the patented fibre manufacturing technology to noole manufacturing, involving pushing the casein powder and water through an extruder. The resulting fibres can then be cut into staple products or supplied in filament form. “Because of our technology and special recipe, we set new standards in the field of fibre production,” she said. “Only natural and renewable raw materials are used and no waste is generated during the process. All we need is two litres of water and an hours processing time per kilogram of product.”The casein is produced from raw milk that can no longer be marketed and is not allowed to be used as food. Around 1.9 million tons of such milk are disposed of in Germany every year.A process for producing milk fibre was first invented back in the 1930s, but involved formaldehyde and met with little commercial success.“Qmilk’s a fibre that’s safe enought to eat,” said Ms Domaske. “It’s biodegradable and leaves no trace. It’s also 100% antibacterial, temperature regulating, UV filtering and inflammable to B2 standard.Pictured at Techtextil 2103 is Anke Domaske (centre) with Messe Frankfurt’s Michael Janecke and a model wearing a dress made from 100% QMilk fibres. text/html 2013-06-13T12:01:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11799:geland&catid=124:news-free There was little sense of an ongoing Euro Crisis at this week’s Techtextil trade show in Frankfurt, with packed halls and visitor numbers well ahead of previous editions.The event attracted some 1,322 exhibiting companies from 48 countries, with the national presence of many – even trouble-hit Spain – at record new levels. A further 326 companies took part in the less well established but growing Texprocess event for textile processing.On Wednesday, details were provided of the success of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) in having an initiative opinion overwhelmingly adopted in April. This should result in a much greater awareness of, and support for, the technical textiles and nonwovens industries at European Union level.The EESC consists of some 344 people in 27 member states and its adoption of the opinion, explained vice-president Jane Morris, casts technical textiles as a traditional industry which has reinvented itself, with key innovations that could respond to a huge variety of social challenges.It draws the attention of the European Commission and the European Parliament to the major success factors which need to be encouraged in order to foster further growth.It calls for simple and efficient means of financing innovation at both national and EU levels and for EU R&D programmes to include a textile component, with the aim of replacing traditional materials such as steel and cement, and to strengthen the research into both recycling and the evolving field of the CO2 economy.It also particularly draws attention to the effect of any energy cost increases to EU companies in the nonwovens and composites sectors and to support life cycle assessment in order to demonstrate the environmental sustainability of products.In figures drawn from a number of sources, the opinion puts the global technical textile market in 2011 at 40.6 million tonnes, with a value of US$253 billion. Of this figure, technical textiles account for 25 million tonnes ($133 billion) with the EU having a 20% share. Annual growth is around 3%.The nonwovens market is put at 7.6 million tonnes ($26 billion) and the EU’s share is around 25%, with annual growth of 6.9%, while composites add a further 8 billion tonnes with a value of $94 billion. The EU’s share of this last market is 33%, with annual growth of 6%.More details in the next print issue of Sustainable Nonwovens. text/html 2013-06-11T23:00:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11795:gev&catid=10:raw-materials Gevo and Toray are planning to move from lab-scale ‘proof of concept’ to pilot plant production of their 100% bio-based PET, with the longer-term goal of establishing commercial-scale operations.The two companies have developed renewable paraxylene from isobutanol which has been converted into biobased PET using Gevo’s paraxylene and commercially-available renewable monoethylene glycol (MEG). “Companies today are looking for ways to introduce new products and packaging that helps meet the growing consumer demand for environmentally friendly products, while at the same time contributing to the sustainability goals of their companies,” says Chiaki Tanaka, executive vice president and former CTO of Toray. “Our partnership with Gevo and our internal progress to date suggest we are on track to help our customers fulfill these needs.” “We believe there is strong customer demand for fully renewable, non-petroleum derived PET and we are working to fill that demand as soon as possible,” says Christopher Ryan, President, COO, and CTO of Gevo. “We are pleased to have validated this technology with Toray and look forward to building a market for fully renewable PET.”Approximately 50 million metric tons of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) are produced annually for conversion into fibres for nonwovens and textiles as well as films and bottles for packaging, as well as, and resins for automotive applications. Gevo is currently working with partners to optimise the process technology needed to produce paraxylene from isobutanol at commercial-scale and competitive economics. text/html 2013-06-10T23:00:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11794:er&catid=26:industrial-products Neschen AG, based in Bückeburg, Germany has received Oeko-Tex Standard 100 for its range of coated fabrics for digital printing.The wallcoverings can be be printed with water-based or latex inks and are free of harmful substances. The Neschen coated media are based on Erfurt’s cellulose and polyester nonwovens and fall below all safety limits in respect of of currently valid human-ecological requirements. The Oeko-Tex Standard 100 in Product Class IV certification covers furnishing materials such as curtains, table cloths or upholstery covering.“This Oeko-Tex Standard is an internationally-recognised guarantee of responsible manufacturing as well as being an indication of safety and transparency,” said Frank Seemann, Manager of Marketing and Communications at Neschen AG. Digitally printable photo wallpaper is ideal for individual interior design and the product of close cooperation between two Neschen and Erfurt, based in Wuppertal. The Neschen coating makes it possible to customise the Erfurt wallpaper with personal motifs on inkjet printers and it can then be applied using commercially available nonwoven wallpaper paste. text/html 2013-06-09T23:00:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11793:carb&catid=26:industrial-products In response to the increasing awareness of the positive environmental aspects of geosynthetics and geosystems, TenCate Geosynthetics has developed the Geotube carbon footprint calculator for use in dewatering and breakwater applications. This CO2 footprint calculator provides water management customers with background information on several aspectas of sustainability.Based on factual market and database information, the calculator determine the CO2 footprint of sludge dewatering projects and of hydraulic structures for breakwater applications, to be built with the durable TenCate Geotube systems. TenCate Geosynthetics has been working together with Sustain, the independent environmental accounting agency from the United Kingdom, which validated the calculator. The total footprint of an application is determined by using the independently validated database information on the impact of various factors, including types of transport, transport distances, and energy consumption by country. Within the calculator it is also possible to compare the solution that uses the Geotube system with other dewatering solutions. Based on its sustainability policy, TenCate continues to display the positive impact of advanced Geosynthetics and geosystems have a positive impact on sustainability and the environment at large, the company says. Alternatives are usually traditional materials such as concrete, stones and steel, which often have to be transported as heavy loads over long distances. By opting for geosynthetics, locally available materials – such as sand or sediments – can be used, which drastically reduces the overall carbon footprint of a Geotube-based project. text/html 2013-06-06T09:20:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11797:hist&catid=124:news-free This week Lenzing AG is celebrating its 75th anniversary together with 3,000 invited guests – employees, customers, business companions, politicians and partners. The company presented them with the book 75 Years of Innovation published to mark the occasion. Several decades ago there were more than 30 viscose fibre production plants in Europe. Today there are only two, one of which is the headquarters of the Lenzing Group. The Austrian company has emerged as a global player as well as the market and technology leader for man-made cellulose fibres for nonwovens and textiles. Lenzing fibres were once a cheap substitute for cotton but are now highly sought-after premium products which are valued due to their renewable raw material and environmentally-compatible production. Innovations to minimise the environmental burden of the production process have made Lenzing the best practice model in the industry. At the same time, the company has developed Tencel as a forward-looking technology which will shape the cellulose fibre industry in the coming decades. Lenzing manufactured just 30,000 tons of fibre 75 years ago, but today production volume will soon reach a level of 900,000 tons. The Lenzing Group operates the world’s leading research center for cellulose and fibre chemistry at the Lenzing site. About 170 employees work there to further develop products and production technologies. Some 1,400 patents and patent applications in 57 countries demonstrate the effectiveness and performance of this team of specialists. Research expenditures of about €28 million annually underline the importance the group attaches to research and development. An important objective of research projects is to develop ecological production methods and sustainable products with increasingly specialised areas of application. text/html 2013-06-06T08:31:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11796:mat&catid=11:manufacturing Dubai-headquartered polyolefin carpet backings and geotextiles manufacturer Mattex plans to build a $60 million extrusion plant in Murray County, Georgia, USA.This will be the company’s first operation outside the Middle East, where it runs four manufacturing plants in Dubai and Saudi Arabia. In 2011 Italy’s Farè supplied Mattex with a polypropylene fibre manufacturing line for the production of high tenacity staple fibres at its plant in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia. Mattex is also now manufacturing thermobonded needlepunched nonwoven geotextiles on a a six-metre turnkey NSC Nonwoven (now Andritz Nonwoven) needling line. The new US operation will create 200 jobs over the next three years.“Mattex’s expansion speaks to the continued revitalization of the floorcovering industry in northwest Georgia,” said Georgia’s Governor Nathan Deal. “Georgia’s rich history in the industry, skilled talent and workforce training foster the ideal business environment for companies in this industry to succeed.”“Our mission to be the preferred global partner of choice led to the decision to build a state-of-the-art carpet-backing facility in North Georgia as the next logical step for better servicing our current customer base,” said Luc Blommaert, CEO of Mattex Group. “The period we’ve been operating out of our existing distribution center can be referred to as our engagement period. Now it’s time to get married, so we are building a plant. This is the group’s fifth expansion. The choice of North Georgia was easy and the available business assets spoke for themselves.”The manufacturing plant is ant to begin operations in 2014. The Georgia Department of Economic Development (at GDEcD) partnered with the Murray County Industrial Development Authority to manage this expansion. “Here’s a company that understands the importance of being close to its customers,” said Chris Cummiskey, commissioner of GDEcD. “It’s no more than a two-day truck drive to eighty per cent of the country from Georgia, which gives international companies such as Mattex a competitive advantage when they locate here.” text/html 2013-06-05T09:08:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11792:sino&catid=10:raw-materials With their superabsorbent polymer (SAP) plant scheduled to commence production in 2014, BASF and SINOPEC are considering extending their BASF-YPC joint venture in Nanjing, China.With the expansion of existing ethylene oxide (EO) production and a new plant for neopentylglycol (NPG), BASF-YPC is looking to further expand its acrylic acid value chain with additional acrylic acid and butyl acrylate plants.In May 2012 BASF-YPC broke ground on its superabsorbent polymers which will have an annual capacity of 60,000 metric tons per year, primarily to serve the market for nonwoven-based personal hygiene products like diapers and femcare items.Acrylic acid is an important precursor for the production of superabsorbent polymers. Butyl acrylate, one of the esters of acrylic acid, is used to produce adhesive and surface coating raw materials.Sinopec is Asia’s leading refined oil products producer and the second biggest in the world. It also has 300,000 gas stations and ranked the fifth in the Fortune Global 500 listings in 2012.With sales of €72.1 billion in 2012, chemicals giant BASF has more than 110,000 employees globally. text/html 2013-06-05T08:38:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11791:wow13&catid=124:news-free Four finalists have been selected to compete for the World of Wipes Innovation Award competition being held as part of the annual World of Wipes (WOW) Conference, which takes place from June 17-20 at the Hotel InterContinental in Atlanta,?Georgia.The annual WOW Conference, organised by INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry, is the only event devoted entirely to wipes. This year’s event will chart the latest market and technology trends and new developments in the wipes industry.The World of Wipes Innovation Award recognizes and rewards innovation across the entire wipes value chain that utilizes nonwoven fabrics in a way that expands their usage. The four finalists demonstrated advancements in one or more of the following categories: creativity, novelty of approach, uniqueness, and technical sophistication. They are:• Quatguard XL, ITW Professional Brands. Quatguard is said to be the only disposable food service wiper that does not deplete sanitizer and disinfectant levels with the added cleaning performance and bacteria removal attributes of microfibre. It is designed to be used with both quaternary ammonium compounds and chlorine sanitizer in an affordable microfibre nonwoven. The reason traditional microfibre are not being generally used today in food service is that they are too expensive.• Flushabyes, Sellars Nonwovens. This dry dispersible wipe or towel, is manufactured using a modified DRC (double re-crepe) process with a unique and proprietary dispersible binder system. The product has both adequate tensile strength and the ability to disperse after being flushed.• Snapplicator, Tapemark.Tapemark’s patented Snapplicator provides a convenient applicator for ‘no touch’ unit-dose application of lotion or ointment. Tapemark’s Snapplicator keeps hands clean, while spreading a precisely measured amount of a lotion or ointment where needed. The Snapplicator features a hinged nonwoven applicator that pops up to stand out three-dimensionally from the package when opened, and for an added bonus, the unopened Snapplicator lies flat for ease of packaging. • Trio Hygiene System, Duo. This new product combines toilet paper and Suominen’s Hydraspun flushable wipes in a single bathroom dispenser.The four finalists will give ten minute presentations during WOW 2013 and the recipient of the 2013 World of Wipes Innovation Award will be presented during a session on Thursday morning during the Conference.Further details: http://www.inda.org/events/wow13/index.htm (http://www.inda.org/events/wow13/index.htm)l.? text/html 2013-06-04T06:20:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11787:twist&catid=124:news-free Following the successful launch of its EcoStar at the same event two years ago Groz-Beckert will introduce a new concept for needlepunched nonwovens at next week’s Techtextil show in Frankfurt – twisted needles.Said to introduce an additional workstep into the needling process, initial field experiments and tests in universities and at the company‘s own laboratories at the Technology and Development Centre (TEZ), the new needle geometry shows a highly promising improvement in tear resistance and needling efficiency. The twisted needle is also intended to optimise fibre reorientation, for improved tear-resistance ratio in both machine and cross directions. text/html 2013-06-03T13:55:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11786:opti&catid=110:raw-materials-premium A key role for high performance nonwovens in fuel cells is outlined in a new patent secured by two UK companies.Fuel cells produce electricity and heat from a fuel (often hydrogen) and oxygen (usually from the air), but unlike conventional engines, do this without burning the fuel and are both cleaner and more efficient. And unlike batteries, they don’t run out of power and have to be recharged or disposed of, but will continue to function and produce power as long as the fuel and air are supplied to them.In principle, they could power any device that requires electrical energy, ranging from laptops and mobile phones to cars, houses and factories. Recent developments have suggested that laptops may be the next commercial application for them.In addition to the potential to use less fuel than competing technologies and to emit no pollutants when used, there are also site-specific and application-specific reasons why fuel cells can be superior to existing technology such as their high quality power, which is especially useful in electronics, their silent operation and their low thermal signature which could prove advantageous in military applications. text/html 2013-06-02T23:00:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11784:eleather&catid=26:industrial-products Public transport company Arriva has recently launched its latest venture into the bus market – the new ‘Sapphire’ service in the North West of the UK and Wales. With this premium programme the company is looking to attract non or infrequent bus users by improving perceptions about the mode of transport.The ADL Enviro 400 double decker vehicles have undergone a complete overhaul, with new 2 + 1 seating installed on the upper deck and refurbished standard seating on the lower.Charcoal and cream E Leather was chosen to upholster throughout, providing a sophisticated, upmarket appearance.Not only does the modern ‘Sapphire’ branding look attractive, it has also meant the introduction of a number of facilities that aim to provide a more user-friendly, up-to-date travel experience. These include free Wi-Fi, advanced audio-visual announcements and e-ticketing opportunities.Using its patented process based on techniques adapted from the needlepunching of conventional nonwovens, E Leather, based in Peterborough, UK, combines leather fibre and a high performance core to produce an engineered artificial leather with exceptional properties in terms of appearance, weight, durability and eco credentials.Manufactured using leather off-cuts that would otherwise end up in landfill, E Leather reduces the costs both environmentally and economically of producing high-quality, upholstery material.Discarded leather is upgraded in a process,which physically interlinks the fibres without the use of adhesives. The manufacturing process uses techniques which close loop recycles 95% of the process water, and converts its own waste streams into energy which is fed back into the process.E Leather is a clean technology produced using sustainable natural leather fibres and 100% zero carbon electricity in its production process. text/html 2013-05-30T23:00:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11785:ren&catid=11:manufacturing Osaka, Japan-headquartered Rengo Nonwoven Products is to establish a new thermobonding plant in China.With an initial annual production of 4,800 tons starting up in January 2013, the plan is that capacity will gradually be expanded to 10,000 tons in th enext few years.The manufacturing line will be installed at the company’s existing subsidiary, Wuxi Rengo Packaging, in Wuxi, Jiangsu, China. Its plant building will be renovated and all products will be supplied to a newly-established sales company.Since its establishment in 1986, Rengo Nonwoven Products has manufactured thermal bonded nonwovens for hygiene products – mainly disposable diapers and sanitary products.In recent years, high-level economic development in China has led to increased demand for products such as disposable diapers and further growth in consumption volume is anticipated in the future with switchovers from cloth diapers, the company says. text/html 2013-05-29T15:42:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11782:dom&catid=9:consumer-products Montreal, Canada-headquarted Domtar Corporation – which dubs itself ‘the sustainable paper company’ – has made another significant move into the market for hygienic disposables based on nonwovens with the acquisition of privately-held Associated Hygienic Products (AHP).Domtar wil pay $272 million to DSG International for AHP, which is the largest manufacturer and supplier of store brand infant diapers in North America.The closing of the transaction is expected by the end of the second quarter of 2013, subject to customary closing conditions. “The market for store brand infant diapers is growing steadily in North America driven by high quality products and a strong value proposition,” said said John D. Williams, president and CEO of Domtar. “The acquisition of AHP will provide meaningful market expansion opportunities and innovative product development capabilities with our existing Personal Care business, as well as synergies to the bottom line.“This will be our fourth transaction in Personal Care in two years, and with it the division will reach over $200 million in earnings by 2017. This is part of our company-wide goal of having $300-$500 million in earnings from growing businesses over the next four years.”AHP manufactures and markets infant diapers in the United States with established long-term relationships in the retail distribution channels. It operates two large modern facilities, a 376,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Delaware, Ohio, and a 312,000 square foot manufacturing facility in Waco, Texas. The company also has administrative offices and operates a distribution center in Duluth, Georgia. AHP has 621 employees and has annual run rate sales and EBITDA of $320 million and $31 million respectively. It is anticipated that the integration to Domtar'ss Personal Care division will provide annualized synergies of $10 million within two years. The synergies will come from a combination of lower purchasing costs, a reduction in general and administrative costs and sharing of best practices in manufacturing and product development. Domtar manufactures, markets and distributes a wide variety of fibre-based products including communication papers, speciality and packaging papers and adult incontinence products. The foundation of its business is a network of world class wood fibre converting assets that produce papergrade, fluff and speciality pulps. The majority of its pulp production is consumed internally to manufacture paper and consumer products. Domtar is the largest integrated marketer of uncoated freesheet paper in North America with recognized brands such as Cougar, Lynx Opaque Ultra, Husky Opaque Offset, First Choice and Domtar EarthChoice. It is also a leading marketer and producer of a complete line of incontinence care products marketed primarily under the Attends brand name. Domtar owns and operates Ariva, a network of strategically located paper and printing supplies distribution facilities. In 2012, Domtar had sales of US$5.5 billion from some 50 countries. The company employs approximately 9,300 people. text/html 2013-05-29T08:38:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11781:hammer&catid=11:manufacturing Autefa Solutions has acquired the automatic needle exchanger developed by a consortium of companies led by CU4Motion GmbH and first publicly introduced at ITMA in 2011.The placement of needles into boards for the needlepunching of nonwovens needs to be as simple, safe and effective as possible, in order to avoid long downtimes and to extend the service life of the needle boards.“With the automatic needle exchanger, CU4Motion has developed and built a perfect service machine,” said Autefa MD Stefan Schlichter. “It is efficient and equipped with an adapted software system, so that reproducibility and safety at every needle exchange are guaranteed. It was of major importance for us that the unit could be universally used for all practicable applications required from our customers and does not only cover inserting needles into new needle boards. It is about time that the hammer – as the main tool – disappeared from the needle workshop.”The key benefits of the unit, which will be demonstrated at the forthcoming Techtextil show in Frankfurt, include:• Universal application for all needle boards and needles.• The accommodation of different needle designs, needle types and needle densities in a single board.• A gentle treatment of the needle boards enabling an extension of the service life of, since they are damaged when worn or broken needles are exchanged.The system is also capable of detecting damaged/broken needles as well as contamination by fibre dust and since the actual operation of exchanging needles is happening without the direct involvement of personnel and in an entirely encapsulated environment the system is completely safe. “After positive feedback at ITMA 2011, our development team has has optimised the processing speed as well as the robustness of the individual functions of the needle exchanger,” said Roberto Rahn of CU4Motion. “As a result of these efforts we have redesigned important individual processes, which has led to another patent application. In Autefa Solutions we have found a partner to successfully establish our system on the market.” text/html 2013-05-29T08:06:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11780:tex&catid=11:manufacturing Techtex, one of the UK’s largest suppliers of healthcare and industrial nonwovens, has recently taken delivery of a new high speed converting line for folded wipes.The equipment is part of an ongoing capital investment programme which will increase capacity and efficiency.“This machine is just one of a number of improvements we’ve been planning for 2013,” said operations director Brian Whitney (pictured). “Our production area layout was redesigned in 2012 to accommodate this and various other changes over a two year period to improve output and efficiency. We were particularly keen to specify a machine which is both fast and flexible in the product which it makes. With ever-increasing pressure on raw material prices we see investment in new production technology as a key part of our efforts to remain competitive.”The two trading divisions of Techtex manufacture a variety of branded, private label and generic products ranging from high quality wet wipes to nonwoven geotextiles, with each division supplying many different industries.Based in Manchester, the company operates from a modern, 60,000 sq ft manufacturing/warehouse facility and employs over 60 staff in its two divisions and over 3,000 tonnes of fabric pass through its warehouse every year. No other UK-based nonwoven conversion and supply company has the same diversity of products for such a wide cross-section of markets.Techtex was the first independent UK nonwovens convertor to gain accreditation under BS EN ISO 9001:2008 and was also recently ranked in the top 100 best performing North West SME Businesses in 2012, in a survey carried out jointly by North West Insider Magazine and CLB Coopers accountancy firm. text/html 2013-05-28T06:46:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11779:lel&catid=10:raw-materials Protecting products against forgery, product traceability, supply chain control and legal protection against fraudulent warranty claims are all becoming increasingly important in a globalised economy.In response, in cooperation with Tailorlux, a specialist in anorganic phosphors, Kelheim Fibres has developed a viscose ‘fibre with a fingerprint’.To achieve this, luminescent pigments from Tailorlux are incorporated in the viscose fibre matrix during the spinning process – so they are intrinsically bound to the fibre and durable.Tailorlux produces customised pigments in a range of more than 300 billion combinations, each with its own individual spectrum.Fibres incorporating these pigments bear their characteristic spectroscopic fingerprint in the body of the fibre, allowing the fibres and the products made using them to be precisely identified and therefore impossible to forge.Validation is by the widely recognised and uncomplicated light spectroscopy method. The pigment can be detected in a non-destructive or a destructive examination (for example in the ash of a product).For quick checks in the field, Tailorlux offers a simple hand scanner.Kelheim’s latest development is primarily aimed at the paper industry. Viscose fibres can be easily integrated in the papermaking process and remain – together with the pigments incorporated in the fibre – in the paper. More possible applications will be in the textiles and nonwovens industries, whenever products need an invisible but unique identification mark. These fibres can ensure the traceability of filters or other products for example – or they can help to control the compliance of predetermined supply chains in the textile industry.Kelheim Fibres is able to manufacture diverse types of viscose fibres incorporating Tailorlux’ luminescent pigments, based on the customer’s specific needs, which allows a perfect match to the end product and to the customer’s production process. text/html 2013-05-28T06:14:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11778:nord&catid=9:consumer-products Variation management is the key to Nordson’s latest OptiBond technology which has been developed to improve production efficiency, reduce maintenance and enhance product quality for manufacturers of disposable hygiene products based on nonwovens.The latest VersaBlue Plus adhesive melters demonstrated at IDEA13 in Miami introduce optional melter-integrated flow monitoring and closed-loop flow control for up to four channels to the technology’s full-feature set. The closed-loop control continuously measures the material flow rate and compares it to the application’s flow requirement – the output of the melter pump is automatically adjusted in real-time to minimise the difference between the requirement and actual flow rates.Integrating flow control simplifies both the installation and the need for additional as well as providing ease-of-use through touch screen interfaces. The intuitive, easy-to-use graphical touch display simplifies set-up and operation and provides system status for the various melter functions. Basic graphing and data reporting of the flow control are also available on the melter display, or more detailed information can be exported to a laptop or via field bus.“VersaBlue Plus melters were developed to meet the market needs of our sophisticated customer base, particularly nonwovens product manufacturers,” says Andreas Bornkessel, Nordson nonwovens market development manager. “Implementing solutions to control material flow allows manufacturers to more efficiently and cost-effectively produce higher quality products for the consumer.”Nordson’s broad range of OptiBond solutions includes passive or active metering, point-of-application or intermediate system component and melter-integrated or standalone control. text/html 2013-05-22T10:43:00+00:00 http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/ Adrian Wilson http://www.sustainablenonwovens.net/index.php?Itemid=2&option=com_content&view=article&id=11776:close&catid=112:consumer-products-premium Knowaste is to close its current UK plant in West Bromwich with immediate effect, but says that having simply outgrown the location, it is now looking for a new recycling site in the West Midlands region.The West Bromwich plant is reported to have recycled 77 milion diapers since it opened in 2011, with recycling options including converting recovered nonwovens and plastics into timber decking and fencing, benches, bollards, railway sleepers and flood defence systems.“Whilst the first ever operation of its kind in the UK has proven the concept for recycling absorbent hygiene products – thereby representing a major breakthrough for handling such waste, which has traditionally gone to landfill – the current site does not meet the future requirements of the business,” the company said in a statement today. “These include space for additional facilities and extra energy capability to take advantage of new market opportunities, which have been identified for the company’s recycled materials.“Knowaste will therefore be directing all future investment at an improved site, which will meet the company’s strategic objectives going forward. The process for finding an ideal site has already begun and the company is looking for a location which can accommodate its plans to introduce new washing, drying and plastic processes. This will allow the business to generate a broader range of recycled materials from the feedstock received. The company is also looking for the new site to offer a more sustainable operation, for example the reuse of the heat from the process to dry the recycled materials.“Knowaste would like to thank all its staff, customers and suppliers who have made this groundbreaking development possible.”