The LYCRA Company, a global leader in developing sustainable and innovative fiber and technology solutions for the apparel and personal care industries, today announced the publication of its first annual Planet Agenda Update. Visitors to the company’s website may download the entire update or the abridged 2030 Goals and Commitments section.
The Planet Agenda Update is named for The LYCRA Company’s sustainability framework that was established in 2008. It has three pillars that touch every aspect of its business: corporate responsibility, product sustainability, and manufacturing excellence. The sustainability goals outlined in these documents are organized around these pillars, include 2030 targets (unless otherwise noted), and provide 2021 baseline performance.
“We believe in transparency and think it’s important to have a clear sustainability roadmap to guide our business into the future – a bold plan that fully supports our customers and stakeholders,” said Julien Born, chief executive officer of The LYCRA Company. “In support of this plan, we have signed the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) Call-to-Action Commitment Letter, a testament to our company’s focus on lowering emissions and environmental impact. I’m proud of our teams’ work to advance our sustainability efforts and develop our 2030 goals as we work toward our 2050 net zero commitment.”
This update also outlines how the company’s sustainability goals align with five of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and reports on its progress made thus far in reaching its objectives.
“We have a long legacy as an industry leader known for investing in developing sustainable fibers and collaborating across the value chain,” said Jean Hegedus, sustainability director at The LYCRA Company. “As we created our 2030 goals, we researched our customers’ goals to ensure that our goals supported them, which inspired the update’s theme of ‘What moves you… is what moves us.'”
The LYCRA Company is an innovation-driven organization that began offering COOLMAX® EcoMade fiber in 2008 and has since extended its recycled product line to include fiber branded under LYCRA®, LYCRA® T400®, and THERMOLITE®. It also produces LYCRA® XTRA LIFE™ brand fibers for stretch apparel that delivers lasting shape and fit. Extending garment life with durable fibers reduces the environmental impact of garments and helps keep them out of landfills. The company recently announced an agreement with Qore® LLC to use QIRA® for bio-derived LYCRA® fiber at scale.
“Our industry-leading research and development team is creating the next generation of sustainable offerings for apparel and personal care products right now. We can’t wait to share what’s next,” Born added.
LYCRA®, LYCRA® T400®, COOLMAX®, THERMOLITE®, and XTRA LIFE™ are trademarks of The LYCRA Company. Qore® LLC and QIRA® are trademarks of Qore® LLC.
Monforts has supplied seven complete finishing machine ranges to Turkmenistan company Cotam, as the Central Asian country looks to boost its production of cotton yarns and fabrics via an ambitious textile industry modernisation plan.
Around 80% of Turkmenistan’s production of textiles and garments is currently exported, with a value of $350 million in 2020. This is now expected to rise to $450 million by 2023.
In addition to expanding in cotton yarns and fabrics, the country is also looking to enter other textile markets, including nonwovens, carpets and absorbent hygiene products, and negotiations are currently underway between the Turkmenistan Ministry of Textile Industry and the Korean Institute of Industrial Technologies to also commence manufacturing synthetic fibres from polymers.
In 2021, a new textile complex was opened by state-owned textile manufacturer Cotam in the city of Kaka, which is aiming to produce 3,650 tons of yarn, 12 million square metres of different types of fabrics and 1.2 million tons of finished products annually, with the creation of 1,300 new jobs.
Cotam now has two separate manufacturing sites at Babadayhan and Kaka, both of which have now been equipped with Monforts technologies built at the company’s plant in St Stefan in Austria. They have been erected and commissioned to the full satisfaction of the customer by Monforts’ regional representative Neotek.
Cotam supplies finished fabrics to both the apparel and home textiles markets and at its Babadayhan plant is now operating two Montex stenter lines and a Monfortex sanforizing line. At its new Kaka plant, the company has also installed two Montex stenter lines, as well as a Thermex universal hotflue for continuous dyeing and curing.
“Turkmenistan celebrated 30 years of independence in 2021 and has made a giant leap forward in its progressive development,” said Monforts Managing Director Stefan Flöth. “A textile industry equipped with modern high-tech equipment has been created factories and equipped with the most advanced and high-performance equipment built and put into operation. We are extremely pleased that the Ministry of the Textile Industry of Turkmenistan chose Monforts machinery for its new textile complex in Kaka and together with the machines for Babadayhan and other recent projects we are proud to say that 15 Monforts machines are now established in the country.”
Monforts will take part in a VDMA textile technology trade delegation to Turkmenistan from November 21-26, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry of Economics.
As part of an ongoing investment programme ensuring it remains at the forefront of advanced technology for carpet production, West Yorkshire, UK-headquartered Phoenox Textiles has recently installed a new two-metre-wide shearing line supplied by BTMA member Sellers Textiles Engineers.
Phoenox, which has been family owned since its foundation in 1954, develops original creative flooring design concepts for retail brands. Its products are sold through high street outlets, department stores and volume retailers across Europe and North America, in addition to substantial online and catalogue-driven business. All told, the company’s 24-hour parcel service dispatches some 3.2 million orders every year.
Services
“Not only are we a private label supplier to some very well known names, we also own a range of consumer brands,” says director Adrian Charles Mosley. “Many of our customers utilise our full range of services from design and colour trend forecasting through to manufacturing. Through bespoke services we also work closely with our customers to develop products and production processes that are accurately aligned with specific market needs – everything from water resistant backings to antibacterial finishes.”
Operating from two manufacturing sites, Phoenox manufactures an annual 1.7 million metres of flooring in the UK. Over a combined area of 1,700,000 square metres, the two plants are equipped for tufting, backcoating, cloth printing and finishing along with automated cutting, sewing and packing.
In addition to the Sellers shearing line, other recent investments for the UK operations have included three new advanced tufting machines and a high-speed Sellers backcoating line equipped to handle widths of up to two metres and coat at six metres per minute. Washable and dyeable foams and eco-friendly applications in different weights are applied for many product areas.
The company’s state-of-the-art Chromo jet printing process line is meanwhile the only one of its kind in the UK, with its 256 jets making possible designs in up eight colours per pattern. With sustainability very much at the forefront of the company’s approach, Phoenox recycles most of its paste and inks and uses organic options wherever possible, as well as recycled water.
“We operate a piece dye colour cloth programme and can dye nylon and cotton with weights of up to 500kg per load, working with direct, organic, vat and reactive dyes,” says Mosley. “We also offer computerised and weighed commission dyeing. Computerised automated cutting machines and photocell pattern recognition enable us to cut at high speed in most cloth densities. With finishing and sewing though, it’s all about the detail, and our team have years of experience and hand-finish our products on traditional high-speed machines.”
Hybrid Shearing Cylinder
The latest Sellers line at Phoenox benefits from the new Hybrid Shearing Cylinder.
“For many years, we have offered two options in the construction of our shearing cylinders,” explains Sellers Director Neil Miller. “The first ‘strap-on’ type incorporates spiral blades bolted to the cylinder body and the second, known as the ‘caulked-in’, includes spirals which are fixed very securely in a machined groove within the machine. The Hybrid Shearing Cylinder combines the benefits of both, resulting in an improved cut and finer finish, in addition to longer repeatable finishing and increased rigidity.”
“Since the beginning, we have stayed close to our Yorkshire roots, working with the loyal, skilled local people who have helped our business to sustain itself into the third generation of family ownership,” adds Mosley. “Sellers Textile Engineers is virtually on our doorstep and has proved a reliable partner for many years. Our shearing machinery from Sellers, coupled with our team of expert operators, allows us to provide an improved quality of finish, at various pile heights, economically and efficiently.”
‘’Sellers is proud to be a key supplier to such a renowned, progressive and innovative manufacturer as Phoenox Textiles,” says Charlie Armitage, Sellers Managing Director.
Final step
“Carpet shearing remains the essential final step in ensuring tuft uniformity and ‘just new’ freshness in finished carpet rolls and there can be no better example of a highly successful and localised partnership than that between Phoenox and Sellers in West Yorkshire,” concludes Jason Kent, CEO of the British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA). “Sellers shearing machines have led the field in carpet finishing for many decades, enabling the leading manufacturers to stay competitive by enabling the highest quality of finish to be achieved’’.
“The new Sellers Hybrid Shearing Cylinder can provide a competitive edge for manufacturers which is currently being proven in the field, including at Phoenox. It’s one of a number of new innovations BTMA members are planning to showcase at next year’s ITMA exhibition in Milan.”
ECH is a subsidiary company of the Cotton & Textile Industries Holding Company (CTIHC) –
followed by the Ministry of Public Business Sector. Egypt’s first public sector factories &
companies were established in the 1920s. This then grew to a total of thirty-three factories.
Each factory has a rich history and deep heritage, with more than a century of textile
experience.
These factories have been merged into nine companies located across Egypt. ECH is the
marketing and sales arm of CTIHC. The company manufacture a wide range of products
covering everything from yarns to finished garments including medical cotton. Furthermore, it also owns two different brands NIT and MEHALLA to serve the wide range of customers with a variety of products.
The ITMF founded in 1904 is the international forum of the global textile value chain from
fiber to finished products. Its members are from textile and apparel-producing countries
representing approximately 90% of global production.
“By joining ITMF, Egyptian Cotton Hub (ECH) will join associations and companies from around the world that are active along the entire textile value chain. In today’s interconnected and fast-changing world ITMF’s unique international platform helps producers of fibres, textiles, garments, home textiles, textile machines, or textile chemicals as well as other organizations and companies affiliated with the textile industry to connect with people and companies alike. Such an exposure to industry peers helps to better understand the underlying dynamics in the industry and identify both challenges and opportunities. On the other hand, ITMF and all ITMF members will benefit from ECH’s unique expertise and experience both in Egypt and the region as well as around the world. The ITMF Annual Conference 2022 which was held in September 2022 in Davos, Switzerland, proved once more the importance of in-person meetings”, stated Dr. Christian Schindler, Director General of ITMF.
Mr. Khaled Raafat, Executive General Manager of Egyptian Cotton Hub, said that: “In the
last 20 years the world has become ever more complex and intertwined. Despite all the very useful digital tools which have emerged during the pandemic, we have also realized how important personal relations are. The ITMF offers an extraordinary platform for companies from around the world to connect with and to learn from each other. In addition, ITMF produces a wide range of informative publications, statistics, and surveys that help companies to better navigate through the ups and downs. ECH looks forward to being an active partner of ITMF.”
Information about Egyptian Cotton Hub (ECH): www.ech-eg.com
Information about ITMF: www.itmf.org
KARL MAYER continues to be successful in the denim sector and is an important partner for the influential players in the industry. The company is establishing relationships with leading brands and recently signed an agreement to pursue a joint project with Levi Strauss & Co. for a more sustainable indigo dyeing process.
he innovation in indigo dyeing goes hand in hand with sustainability
KARL MAYER is already with its PRODYE®-S unit a leader in the fashion market, and its PRODYE®-R is increasingly establishing in the rope dyeing process. In 2019, KARL MAYER launched at the ITMA Barcelona its GREENDYE technology. The innovation is based on nitrogen dyeing system, and its advantages include highly reduced chemical consumption, best dyeing efficiency, and significant water savings.
The arguments for more sustainability and economic efficiency are convincing. This year, the innovative global player NIEN HSING was the first manufacturer to invest in GREENDYE by KARL MAYER. The premiere machine will be delivered to Taiwan by end of this year.
Denim R&D Center
The KARL MAYER Research & Development Center for Denim offers the opportunity to test the performance of GREENDYE by KARL MAYER on a pilot plant with individual trials. “The customer can come to us with his yarn. We dye and warp it and process it with our Italian partners into fabrics that he can compare with his previous goods,” explains Stefano Agazzi, Chief of Technology and Products at KARL MAYER. The experienced denim specialist is also on hand to answer questions and help with his extensive network.
• Order intake of CHF 869.4 million, order backlog of more than CHF 2 100 million
• Sales of CHF 620.6 million, preproduced deliveries in the three-digit million range had to be postponed until the second half of 2022
• EBIT of CHF -10.2 million, net result of CHF -25.2 million due to significant cost increases, additional costs, and acquisition-related expenses
• Action plan to increase sales and profitability
• Rieter site Winterthur
• Outlook
Rieter continued to be successful in the market in the first half of 2022. Based on the company’s technology leadership, innovative product portfolio and the completion of the ring- and compact-spinning system, a high order intake and a significant increase in sales were generated. The increase in sales was achieved even though preproduced deliveries in the three-digit million range had to be postponed until the second half of 2022. The order backlog is at a record level. Despite higher sales, the significant increase in material and logistics costs, additional costs for compensation of the material shortages and the expenditure incurred for the acquisition in the years 2021/2022 resulted in a loss. Rieter is implementing an action plan to increase sales and profitability. The sales process for the remaining land owned by Rieter was initiated.
Order Intake and Order Backlog
Rieter posted an order intake of CHF 869.4 million, which included CHF 176.6 million from the businesses acquired in the years 2021/2022. As expected, demand has thus returned to normal compared with the exceptionally high figure for the prior-year period, but remains well above the average figure for the last five years of around CHF 570 million (first half 2021: CHF 975.3 million, first half 2022 excluding acquisition effect CHF 692.8 million).
The regional shift in demand with investments in additional spinning capacity outside China along with investments in the competitiveness of Chinese spinning mills continues. Rieter benefits from its technology leadership, the innovative product portfolio and the completion of the ring- and compact-spinning system through the acquisition of the automatic winding machine business. The largest order intakes came from India, Turkey, China, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan.
On June 30, 2022, the company had an order backlog of more than CHF 2 100 million (June 30, 2021: CHF 1 135 million). Cancellations in the reporting period amounted to around 5% of the order backlog.
Sales
The Rieter Group posted sales of CHF 620.6 million, which included CHF 68.9 million from the businesses acquired in the years 2021/2022 (first half 2021: CHF 400.5 million).
As a result, sales were significantly higher than in the prior-year period, although preproduced deliveries, which mainly affected the Business Group Machines & Systems, in the three-digit million range had to be postponed until the second half of 2022. The reasons for the postponements were the COVID lockdown in China and supply chain bottlenecks.
EBIT, Net Result and Free Cash Flow
Rieter posted a loss of CHF -10.2 million at the EBIT level in the first half of 2022.
Earnings were impacted by significantly higher material and logistics costs. The price increases already implemented are having a delayed effect, mainly in the Business Group Machines & Systems, and were therefore unable to compensate for the high increase in costs. In addition, costs in connection with material shortages negatively impacted profitability. The result also includes acquisition-related expenses of CHF -11.2 million.
The loss at the net result level was CHF -25.2 million, of which CHF -17.6 million was due to the acquisition.
Free cash flow was CHF -57.1 million, attributable to the build-up of inventories in connection with the high order backlog and postponed deliveries.
Action Plan to Increase Sales and Profitability
Rieter is implementing a comprehensive package of measures with the aim of increasing sales and profitability in the second half of 2022.
The package focuses on two main priorities: Firstly, Rieter is continuing to systematically implement price increases while working to improve the quality of margins of the order backlog, so as to compensate for cost increases in materials and logistics.
Secondly, Rieter is working closely with key suppliers and is developing alternative solutions to eliminate material bottlenecks, as far as possible, in order to safeguard deliveries.
Rieter Site Winterthur
The Board of Directors has decided to begin the process for the sale of the remaining land at the Rieter site in Winterthur (Switzerland). In total, around 75 000 m2 of land will be sold. The Rieter CAMPUS is not part of this transaction; the construction project is progressing according to plan.
Outlook
As already reported, Rieter expects demand for new systems to normalize further in the coming months. Due to the capacity utilization at spinning mills, the company anticipates that demand for consumables, wear & tear and spare parts will remain at a good level.
For the full year 2022, due to the high order backlog and the consolidation of the businesses acquired from Saurer, Rieter expects sales of around CHF 1 400 million (2021: CHF 969.2 million). The reduced sales forecast compared to early 2022 (March 2022: CHF 1 500 million) reflects the impact of global supply bottlenecks. The realization of sales revenue from the order backlog continues to be associated with risks in relation to the well-known challenges.
Despite significantly higher sales, Rieter expects EBIT and net result for 2022 to be below the previous year’s level. This is due to the considerable increases in the cost of materials and logistics, additional costs for compensation of material shortages as well expenses in connection with the acquisition in the years 2021/2022. Despite the price increases already implemented, global cost increases continue to pose a risk to the growth of profitability.
As market and technology leader, Rieter will benefit from the exceptionally high order backlog and the continuation of the regional shift of demand.