Environment/Ecosystem

Putting sustainability first while using creative solutions

Published: March 28, 2023
Author: DIGITAL MEDIA EXECUTIVE

AUTEFA Solutions is a leading global supplier of innovative and high-performance machines and systems.  The company operates in four business areas: Nonwovens Technology, Baling Technology,  Woollen/Worsted Technology and Automation Technology. Overall, AUTEFA Solutions is committed to  providing innovative and high-performance machines and systems that meet the evolving needs of its  customers around the world. With a focus on growth and expansion, the company continues to invest in  research and development, as well as the expansion of its worldwide manufacturing facilities to better  serve its customers and drive future success.  

Customers looking for a key supplier for their nonwoven technology needs. AUTEFA’s state-of-the-art  technology includes carded-crosslapped needle punch lines, aerodynamic web forming technology,  thermobonding lines and spunlace lines. As the market leader in staple fiber and tow baling presses, the  company offers everything from fiber transport to the baler to bale handling and storage. And if you’re in  the market for OCTIR woollen carding sets for high quality weaving and knitting yarns, we’ve got you  covered.  

Be sure to visit AUTEFA Solutions at ITMA 2023 in Milan from June 8-14, where we’ll be showcasing our  innovative solutions and expertise in advanced materials, digital future, innovative technologies, and  sustainability, and see how AUTEFA Solutions can help take your production to the next level. 

The textile industry faces many challenges and sustainability is one of the most pressing. Our industry  needs to reduce its carbon footprint, water consumption, recycling, circular economy, and energy savings  are key to achieving these goals and innovative solutions need to be developed to meet these challenges.  Another key challenge is the changing workforce. As the industry continues to grow, there is a need for  more skilled personnel and talent to operate and maintain the complex machinery used in the  manufacturing process. Digitalization and automation are also transforming the industry, and companies  need to invest in new technologies to keep up with the pace of change. With our innovations, however,  we can provide solutions to these challenges. As a result, the industry can continue to grow and prosper  while contributing to a more sustainable future. 

At ITMA, we are excited to showcase our latest innovations and technologies that cater to the needs of  our customers while also minimizing their impact on the environment. 

Our advanced Airlay technology delivers heavy and thick fibers mats by using natural or recycled fiber for  the growing acoustic and thermal insulation market. Our energy-saving Spunlace technology is designed  to maximize efficiency while minimizing energy consumption. Our Needle Exchanger technology reduces  downtime and increases productivity, making it a valuable addition to any production line. We also offer  automated bale warehousing solutions that optimize space and streamline operations. And with our  unmatched customer support, you can count on us to be there every step of the way. 

But it’s not just about business – we are also committed to reducing our carbon footprint. Our innovations  and technologies are designed to minimize waste and energy consumption, making them a sustainable  choice for businesses looking to reduce their environmental impact. Join us at ITMA to learn more about  our solutions and how they can benefit your business and the environment. 

As sustainability becomes an increasingly important consideration in the fashion industry, we are  witnessing a significant increase in the demand for textile circularity, with consumers and companies alike  seeking solutions to recycle fast fashion; in response to this trend, AUTEFA Solutions offers a range of  innovative solutions designed to process and reuse various types of fibers, including reclaimed, natural,  and man-made materials. Our Airlay KV12/K12 aerodynamic web forming machine in combination with  Stylus Needle Loom or HiPerTherm Oven meets all customer requirements for maximum productivity and  consistent high quality. 

The re-needling of needle boards in needle punching nonwovens production has to be simple, safe, and  efficient to avoid long downtimes and extend the service life of the needle boards. AUTEFA Solutions has  developed an innovative solution, the Needle Exchanger, to address these challenges. This machine  replaces the physically tiring and risky manual process of needle insertion, exchange, and removal with  an automated process that removes the risk of operator injury and minimizes the risk of board damage.  The Needle Exchanger provides a great return on investment and is the most economic service machine  for needle exchange in nonwovens production. 

With the Automatic Needle Exchanger AUTEFA Solutions offers a unique service machine. The machine is  efficient and equipped with an adapted software system, so that reproducibility and safety at every  needle exchange are of utmost importance. According to the customer’s requirements the re-needling of  the needle boards has to be simple, safe, and efficient, in order to avoid long downtimes and to extend  the service life of the needle boards. The Needle Exchanger is the most economical way to perform this  service in a nonwoven production line. Even if there is enough manpower for a service workshop, there  is a high risk of board damage due to manual needle exchange. The Needle Exchanger is our innovative  solution that replaces the manual process with a machine engineered to replace needles without  damaging the needle boards. The automated process also eliminates the risk of operator injury and  provides a high return on investment.  

The cooperation between AUTEFA Solutions and PAMA Paper Machinery offers the best of two worlds – the nonwovens world based on fiber-based web forming, consolidation and drying technology combined  with the Wetlaid technology commonly used in the paper industry. Wetlaid – Spunlace is the technology  of choice to produce sustainable and cost-effective nonwovens from 100% cellulosic raw material such as  cellulose pulp, viscose or Lyocell fibers. This collaboration provides the machine technology to produce  sustainable and biodegradable products for a world with less plastic. With the enormous challenge of  rising raw material and energy costs, producing sustainable products with energy saving and innovative  Wetlaid technology is the answer. The process improves the bulkiness and feel of the final product  through AUTEFA carding and spunlace technology. Compared to the classic Wetlaid inclined wire 

technology, we are focusing on innovative paper machine solutions with even better performance,  especially for CP products. The use of this technology reduces the amount of pulp fibers and energy  required. Further savings in power and water consumption are achieved with AUTEFA Solutions’ V-Jet  technology for hydroentanglement, our most effective dewatering with V-shaped suction slots, and the  highly efficient SQ-V square drum dryer technology. Our technology is designed to create a uniform pulp  layer for optimal fiber distribution with the lowest fiber consumption. We are proud to offer our  customers the technology to produce the highest quality and quantity of Wetlaid – spunlace product.  

Automated warehousing can provide a wide range of benefits, from space savings, lower building costs,  improved productivity, more efficient material flow, fewer people, and safer operations, to reduced  inventory, lower operating costs, better ROI, and lower life cycle costs. As the market leader in fiber baling  presses for man-made fibers, we have expanded our service offering to include all production steps,  including warehousing. We are pleased to announce that our latest project with a customer in Turkey is  about to start. During the ITMA, you will have a sneak preview of one of the largest PET fiber bale logistics  centers in the world. The warehouse and logistics center of AUTEFA Solutions will organize, press, form,  package, strap, identify, label, stack, sort and prepare the enormous fiber output of six new polyester  staple fiber lines with specific fiber know-how for storage and further logistical actions.  

Over the last ten years, AUTEFA Solution has become an expert in special fiber properties, with fully  automated baling systems with enormous capacities, covered and sealed short cut balers, hygienic fiber  baling systems, silicon and conjugated fiber baling systems, bale transport with additional strapping,  weighing, automated labeling, stacking, and sorting, and storage as a block or rack system. 

Our focus is not only on classical mechanical engineering, which aims for higher, faster, further. Instead,  through our service offerings, we aim to promote a stable and sustainable production. One example of  this is our assessments for thermal systems, where our experts develop individual solutions for our  customers and identify high potential energy savings. 

When we perform conversions and install new drives and controls for our customers, we consider this to  be a sustainable approach. We offer conversions, modifications, and electrification for existing machines,  which are updated to be resource-efficient, cost-effective, and compliant with current safety standards  for future use. Because most machines worldwide function mechanically flawlessly, we recommend that  our customers take advantage of the “low-hanging fruit” potential and invest in upgrades to secure their  production for the coming years. We place great emphasis on sustainability and want to help our  customers achieve efficient and environmentally friendly production. 

Our new AUTFA Loyalty programs convey our commitment to sustainability and your focus on extending  the lifespan of older machines, which aligns with the goals of many environmentally conscious companies. To promote our program, we highlight the benefits of keeping older machines in operation, such as  reducing waste, preserving valuable equipment, and saving money on replacement costs.  

AUTEFA Solutions has set itself the goal of becoming CO2-neutral by 2035 and being perceived as a  sustainable company in the industry. To achieve this goal, we are focusing on renewable energies and  resource-saving production. Since August 2022, our plant in Friedberg, Bavaria, has been producing  electricity from solar cells installed on the roof of the plant. In August 2023, the plant in Linz, Austria, will  commission a biomass heating plant and a photovoltaic system. This will enable AUTEFA Solutions to  produce in a CO2-neutral manner, making an important contribution to the decarbonization of supply  chains. We are proud to make our contribution to climate protection and offer our customers sustainable  production. We will continue to invest in renewable energies and innovative technologies to improve our  environmental performance and achieve our sustainability goals.

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