Nishat Chunian shows commitment to cutting edge technology with Monforts machines preparing a number of special finishes
by Klaus A Heinrichs, A. Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG

As the latest step in its programme of continuous expansion and forward integration, Nishat Chunian Ltd. (NCL) has invested around US$25 million in a brand new dyeing and finishing facility in Raiwind, near to the city of Lahore in Pakistan.

Since its inception in 1990 as a single spinning unit, NCL has expanded and diversified into a manufacturing and finishing operation consisting of five spinning factories, a weaving mill, a new dyeing and finishing plant and a stitching operation.

With 140,000 spindles and 293 air jet looms, NCL now has a monthly production capacity of 3,175 metric tonnes of yarn and four million yards of greige fabric.
The dyeing and finishing plant has a capacity of around 3.2 million metres of finished fabric per month. The stitching unit is producing 200,000 finished bedding items, including bed sheets, full bed sets, duvets, comforters and comforter shells.

Other finished end-products includes curtains, pelmets, cushions, tie backs and five-piece drapery sets which are offered to customers as separate items as well as complete curtain sets, tier swag sets for kitchen windows and shower curtains.

With 250 stitching machines, finished products are now exported to the USA, EU and Turkey.

NCL has increased its turnover from just US$8.5 million in 1991 to over $120 million, with exports accounting for over $100 million. By 2004 it ranked as the fifth largest textile manufacturing operation in Pakistan and in the same year, had the best stock performance out of all Pakistan companies, through wealth creation of 178%, according to Elixir Securities.

This unparalleled growth has been achieved while remaining committed to cutting edge technological innovation and uncompromising product quality.

NCL’s CEO Mr Shahzad Saleem always insists on buying the most modern machinery available on the market, and the new dyeing and finishing plant houses two new Montex 6000 stenters in addition to a Thermex 6500 and a sanforizing unit supplied by A. Monforts Textilmaschinen.

Both stenters are eight-chamber models, the first having a working width of 3.2 m and the second of 3.4 m.

The 3.4-metre model is equipped with an EVAC pre-dryer and two IR units and is used for pigment dyeing with temperatures kept between 180-190ºC.

The 3.2 m-wide model is running at speeds of between 60 and 100 m/min and mainly used for finishing and heat setting at temperatures between 120-200oC.

Both stenters are treating woven fabrics in widths up to 340 cm and in a weight range between 100-250 gsm.

Specifically for NCL’s sheeting and upholstery ranges, high density fabrics are woven from yarns in the count range of Ne 40/1 to 120/1. This includes percales of up to a thread count of 350 and sateens up to 800.

“We also produce high thread count sheeting fabric of unmatched quality with 1000 thread count using single yarn counts of Ne 150,” explains technical director Tanveer Ahmed Siddique. “Other products in this range include fabrics with up to six pick insertions, dobby fabrics with intricate designs using 12-14 frames, and fabrics made using plied, slub, dyed and fancy yarns.”

In addition to 100% cotton, a number of fibres in various blends are used including polyester, viscose, Lenzing’s Modal and Tencel cellulosics, as well as specialities including bamboo, soyabean and milk fibres, as well as Lycra, Cool Max, eVAP, T-400 and Amicor.

The Thermex 6500 hotflue dyeing unit is a five-chamber model with a working width of 3.2 m and features the Monforts Econtrol system.

Synchronised with a Kuesters padder, it is now running at an average speed of 75 m/min, Mr Siddique confirmed, adding that the company was using reactive, VAT, reactive-disperse and VAT-disperse dyes with the temperature kept at between 110-120°C during processing on the line.

“We are now achieving daily production of 50,000 metres from the Thermex,” he said. “We are happy and satisfied with the performance of both stenters and the Thermex. Before the erection of our new dyeing and finishing plant, we were just exporting greige fabrics, primarily to the USA, but customers are today demanding made-up items.”
The Monforts sanforiser, again with a working width of 3.2 m, limits residual shrinkage to just 3% and has an average daily production of 80,000 m at an average running speed of 80 m/min.

Special finishes offered by NCL include water repellency, soil and stain resistance, wrinkle-free and anti-microbial treatments, soft hand and fire retardant fabrics.

During the dyeing, finishing and stitching processes, several measures are taken to ensure timely delivery of high quality fabric. These include special care in fabric handling, full width rail stitching, PVA-based size recovery, various devices to avoid creases and band mark variation, special unwinding devices, efficient squeezers, a computerised dye dispensing system and the on-line measurement and storage of data at every machine.
In addition, a management information system (MIS) efficiently links all the processes in the NCK plants, in order to minimise idle machinery time, increase productivity and reduce costs.

The NCL group today employs over 4,000 people across its multi-faceted operations.