China remains at the forefront of global textile production and textile machinery investments, solidifying the significance of attending ITMA Asia + CITME in Shanghai from November 19-23 for Monforts.
“While remaining the world’s largest producer of clothing and footwear, China has also been the largest consumer of these products since 2021,” says Monforts Head of Denim Hans Wroblowski. The global clothing and footwear market is now dominated by China, holding a substantial 25% market share. In second place is the USA, accounting for 21% of the market, while Europe follows closely behind with a 20% share. Wroblowski further emphasized this noteworthy shift, highlighting that China’s market has become its largest consumer base. Despite this change, European machine builders, such as Monforts, have a significant role to play in ensuring the sustainable growth of all markets. Excitement is building for the fruitful discussions anticipated in Shanghai as these industry leaders collaborate to drive progress.
Efficiency
Wroblowski and other Monforts experts will be available at booth C07 in Hall 5 during the Shanghai exhibition. They will provide valuable insights into the benefits of Montex stenters when it comes to crucial drying procedures, focusing on their impact on production throughput, energy efficiency, and resource conservation.
Wroblowski explains that the finishing stage in the textile production chain requires a significant amount of energy. As a result, this is the stage where substantial progress can be made in terms of energy conservation. Wroblowski claims that an extensive array of energy-efficient strategies have been developed to address this issue. “This not only includes state-of-the-art machine chamber insulation but also heat recovery systems.”
The Monforts Universal Energy Tower is an innovative structure designed as a self-supporting air-to-air heat exchanger, enabling remarkable energy conservation of up to 25%.
The Montex stenter now comes with the advanced ECO Booster heat recovery system, which has an integrated automatic cleaning feature. This innovative system is seamlessly integrated into the chamber design, resulting in impressive energy savings of up to 35% (depending on the application). To achieve these savings, only one ECO Booster module is required for stenter ranges with up to eight chambers.
The ECO Booster and Energy Tower are designed to enhance the resource efficiency and cost-effectiveness of production. What’s great is that they can easily be added to your existing ranges, allowing you to optimize your operations without needing a completely new machine. Retrofitting these innovations enables you to make the most of your current setup, reducing wastage and maximizing productivity.
According to Wroblowski, the current surge in energy prices is driving more investment in the industry. This is because energy costs make up a significant portion, up to 70%, of production expenses for their customers. Consequently, there is a growing demand for cost-saving solutions. Not only does this benefit businesses financially, but it also contributes to addressing global warming and reducing carbon emissions. The energy crisis witnessed in recent years is seen as an advantageous occurrence, prompting the textile sector to reevaluate its energy consumption practices.
Denim
Two major areas of specialism for Monforts’ technologies are denim production and the finishing of a wide range of technical textiles.
Over 900 Monforts Thermex hot flue dyeing systems are now operational in the main textile-producing countries, with around 150 of them already reaping the benefits of the Econtrol® and Econtrol®T-CA processes.
Econtrol® offers a seamless technique for dyeing woven cotton and cellulosic fabrics, where reactive dyestuffs are effectively infused into the fabric using a single-step dyeing and drying process, guided by a regulated blend of steam and air. This innovative pad-dry process requires only a brief duration of two to three minutes, performed under a temperature range of 120-130°C, accompanied by a relative humidity volume of 25-30%.
The CYD yarn dyeing system is the most recent breakthrough in denim manufacturing. This cutting-edge technology revolutionizes the weaving preparatory processes, such as spinning, direct beaming, warping, and assembly beaming. It also incorporates additional functionalities and processes, including sizing and dyeing. The primary objective behind the development of this system is to enhance the overall quality, flexibility, economic feasibility, and productivity of denim production.
Wroblowski highlights that differentiation is crucial in the competitive denim fabrics industry. It is essential to incorporate innovative fibres, adapt to new fabric structures, and experiment with finishing treatments to gain a competitive advantage. The newest Monforts lines have been specifically designed to enhance flexibility and facilitate quick response to market needs, even for small-scale production.
Technical textiles
On the other hand, the Montex®Coat coater caters to a wide range of markets and facilitates various processes such as complete PVC coatings, pigment dyeing, minimal application surface, and low penetration treatments. Moreover, it also enables the application of solvent coatings. Key applications include tents, tarpaulins and awnings, black-out roller blinds and sailcloth, automotive interior fabrics and medical disposables.
Wroblowski emphasizes the pivotal role of technical textiles in Monforts’ production program, as they continuously seek new opportunities in partnership with their customers. Monforts eagerly aims to tap into the potential provided by the Asian market for expansion in this sector. In Shanghai, they are prepared to actively participate in discussions concerning the extensive possibilities offered by their remarkably versatile technology.
DyStar Colours Distribution GmbH, based in Germany, holds the official trademark registration for Econtrol®.
