Content about Garment industry

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany — Sustainability will be the dominant theme of Texcare International — World Market for Modern Textile Care when it returns here in two weeks.

Show organizer Messe Frankfurt says all international market leaders—including the Alliance International brands, Barbanti, Beirholms Vaeverier, Ecolab, Girbau, Heprotex, Jensen, Kannegiesser, Kreussler, LG Electronics, Lavatec Laundry Technology, Macpi, Miele, Multimatic, Pellerin Milnor, Renzacci and Veit—have registered to exhibit during the May 5-9 show.

Altogether, Messe Frankfurt expects to welcome around 250 exhibitors and 15,000 trade visitors. As in previous shows (the event is staged every four years), the proportion of manufacturers from outside Germany will exceed 60%; the most important exhibitor nations besides Germany are Italy and the United States, Messe Frankfurt says.

“Texcare International is the leading meeting place for the sector,” says Wolfgang Marzin, president and CEO of Messe Frankfurt. “Only in Frankfurt do the top companies from all around the world launch so many new products. Only here is it possible to make so many business contacts. And only at the world’s leading trade fair for the sector can visitors gather so much detailed information.”

MECHANICAL ENGINEERING AND BUSINESS SUCCESS

One of the main objectives of industrial textile care is sustainable economic development because business success depends greatly on efficient machinery and plant coupled with effective processes and durable textiles.

As an information platform, Texcare International plays a key role by offering a comprehensive overview of the latest trends in the mechanical engineering sector, as well as in the fields of detergents and textiles, Messe Frankfurt says.

Plant and control systems that provide energy at the right time and in the right quantity are the key to the future. Thus, steam-on-demand is the starting point for highly efficient, low-loss heating processes. But other developments in the field of consumption-dependent control technologies are also expected at Texcare.

Recycling is another key issue and includes highly efficient recovery systems for the optimum use of heat energy, as well as the best possible circulation system and practical, economical process-water treatment processes. Additionally, existing technologies, such as solar energy and bioenergy, are generating new impulses in the world of industrial textile care.

IT’S IN THE WASH

Sustainability is also of great importance to manufacturers of detergents and washing additives. With the development of effective low-temperature processes, the chemical industry is making a significant contribution to the reduction of energy consumption.

New, customized concentrations of active agents improve washing results while cutting the need for post-treatment or rewashing. Other important issues at Texcare will include ecologically harmless “green” detergents, washing and impregnating agents. Discussion will be offered on a variety of topics, including nonhalogen solvents that are not marked as hazardous, as well as alternatives to hydrophobizing agents.

Moreover, increased attention is being given to the ecological balance of a product and the sector will pay increased attention to systems such as carbon footprint, cradle-to-cradle and life-cycle assessment.

MODERN COLORS, DESIGNS

Instead of the monotone royal blue and standard twill fabric of the traditional boiler suit, modern colors and designs, as well as multi-faceted materials and surfaces, now characterize the image of trade and industry. Elegance and style have conquered large sections of the workwear sector. Even protective clothing is oriented more than ever before to fashion.

Exhibitors from the textile and apparel industry, as well as the accessories and finishing sectors, will present the latest trends for a modern, functional and professional appearance. Concepts for corporate fashions will also play an important role.

Designs and colors are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Fabric manufacturers are taking up decorative elements from the 1970s, using striped patterns in herringbone and satin weaves, creating new Panama looks, reinventing the cavalry style and interpreting denim for workwear applications.

In addition to vintage-look hues, the current color spectrums are supplemented by fashionable natural and earth shades. Other highlights are classics from the world of suits and costumes, such as black, graphite, anthracite and night blue, which are now playing a leading role on the workwear stage.

Streetwear trends mainly influence the collections. The outfits are more robust in appearance, the pockets bigger, the cut more casual although practical, the material combinations and color mix less conventional, and the details more stylish.

INTEGRATING PROTECTION, COMFORT

In the past, the focus was on providing comprehensive protection against as many possible dangers at work as possible. Now, aspects such as moisture management, breathability, climate comfort and freedom of movement are growing in importance.

The latest developments in the fiber, yarn and textile industry diminish the symptoms of physical stress by minimizing the effects caused by perspiration and an increased core-body temperature. Special mixtures make it possible to produce fabrics for modern protective clothing that combines quality protection with a comfortable wearing climate. Additionally, the industry is working on further improvements to the elasticity of protective and professional clothing.

TEXCARE FORUM

Apart from the activities surrounding what is sure to be a busy exhibition floor, the international Texcare Forum will give the sector an opportunity to find out about the latest developments in the fields of science and research, as well as to exchange ideas and opinions with colleagues from home and abroad.

The Association of the Textile Service Industry (Industrieverband Textil Service – intex) and the German Dry Cleaning Association (Deutscher Textilreinigungsverband – DTV), in cooperation with Messe Frankfurt, will treat attendees to a free educational program for two hours each afternoon.

For the first time, each day of the Forum is individually themed. The conference will be of particular interest to dry cleaners and laundries on May 5-6 and to textile service companies and laundries on May 7-8. Here are some of the topics (tentative):

• May 5, Future Day — Professional textile care in 2012; E-DryClean: online instruction for European dry cleaners; experiential marketing of dry cleaning; how textile service providers can face the challenges of the future.
• May 6, Innovation Day — Teamwork between research and practice; recycling of personal protective equipment from the standards and certification perspective; innovative control options for laundry and finishing processes using test fabrics; antimicrobial textiles from laboratory to practical usage.
• May 7, Sustainable Day — Holistic view of sustainability; ISO 26000 standard; energy efficiency; efficiency management in commercial laundries; water and energy savings for laundries.
• May 8, Market Day — Regulatory and market trends for European textile services; the U.S. textile services market; HORECA (hotel/restaurant/café) market and the potential for textile services; professional textile services and the market demand in 2030; workwear developments.

WORTH THE PRICE OF ADMISSION

Texcare will be open 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. May 5-8 and from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 9. Admission tickets can be purchased quickly and easily online at Texcare.com. Cost in advance is 15 euros (roughly $20) for a one-day ticket, 35 euros (roughly $46) for the entire show. If purchasing at the box office, cost will be 22 euros (roughly $30) for a one-day ticket, 48 euros (roughly $63) for the entire show.

For additional show information and updates, visit Texcare.com.

American Laundry News will be attending the show — Watch for updates beginning May 7!

ALBANY, Ga. — Equinox Chemicals has announced that it has acquired Adco Cleaning Products, based in Sedalia, Mo. Terms of the acquisition were not announced.

Equinox will move Adco’s manufacturing operations to its state-of-the-art manufacturing plant in Albany, according to Yalda Harris, Equinox’s executive vice president for Global Product Management.

Dr. Jim Schreiner, Adco’s chief product technology officer, will also be relocating, she says.

Customer-service and order-taking staff will remain in Sedalia, and there will be no changes to the way customers or distributors order from Adco, Harris adds. The national sales team will remain the same.

Equinox is a specialty chemical manufacturer with specialty research, innovation, product development and commercialization capabilities that reach markets spanning the globe, the company says.

Adco manufactures a comprehensive line of specialty cleaning chemicals and detergents used in dry cleaning, commercial laundry, and janitorial and institutional cleaning applications. It offers more than 300 proprietary products through the Adco and Laidlaw brands.

“This latest acquisition will continue our aggressive strategy to revolutionize and revitalize the laundry, dry cleaning and cleaning chemical industry,” says Mark Grimaldi, CEO of Equinox Chemicals.

Mentor Partners had owned Adco since 2007.

“Cotton prices are incredibly high, and our textile suppliers are warning that they’ll continue to go up. Can you suggest some ways we can extend the life expectancy of the textiles that we process without completely sacrificing quality?”

Equipment/Supplies Distribution: Russ Arbuckle, Wholesale Commercial Laundry Equipment SE, Southside, Ala. — A Web-Exclusive

As the cost of cotton rises, premature linen replacement becomes a larger and more expensive issue.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When laundry and linen distribution managers are faced with quality issues regarding their linen products, the root cause could be their equipment, the ways the textiles are being processed, or even the textiles themselves.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Sailstar USA Inc., which offered laundry washer-extractors, drycleaning machines and finishing equipment in the United States, has ceased business operations, American Laundry News confirmed today.

“How can we tell if we’re getting our money’s worth from the textiles we’re using? What are the characteristics of a high-quality textile after it has been processed a dozen times, 50 times, or more? And can item type — flatwork or garment — actually influence textile durability?”

Long-Term-Care Laundry — Gary Clifford, Pines of Sarasota, Sarasota, Fla.

The global marketplace has made quality control a more difficult item to manage.

During the past six months, raw-material costs have gone up more quickly than expected and some foreign manufacturers have cheapened their products in an effort to improve the bottom line. Many of these changes don’t become readily apparent until the product is washed and put into service.

FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany — Messe Frankfurt will premiere Texcare Forum Russia, the International Forum for Modern Textile Care, in Moscow Sept. 30-Oct. 1. The event will include a conference and exhibition area for Russian and international providers of laundry and textile-cleaning technology to show their products.

After the premiere, Messe Frankfurt, the German trade-fair company, along with the Crocus Expo International Exhibition Centre IEC Moscow, will organize Texcare Forum Russia once a year.

BEIJING — Following a successful Texcare International, the next Texcare Asia has been scheduled for Oct. 28-30, 2009, here at the China International Exhibition Center. The trade fair aims to build on the success of Texcare Asia 2007, which attracted more than 5,700 visitors from 55 countries and regions, according to show manager Messe Frankfurt.

DALLAS — Just as the sun was coming up, the first bus pulled out of the parking lot of the Hilton DFW Lakes, host site of the 2008 Textile Rental Services Association (TRSA) Tech/Plant Summit.

You have to get an early start, you see, if you plan on visiting four plants in one morning.

Since the Tech/Plant Summit began five years ago, plant tours have been a staple. The events have featured trips to industrial, linen supply, healthcare and dust control operations but never all in one.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Barton Solvents, a supplier of drycleaning solvents, surfactants and other chemicals, suffered a massive explosion and fire at its plant outside Des Moines on Monday. The explosion is the company’s second this year.

Reported at 1:15 p.m., the fire continued for several hours as 55-gallon drums and 300-gallon tanks exploded to feed the flames. Fire departments throughout the Des Moines metro area responded to the fire, but often had to keep their distance due to successive blasts. The fire was mostly contained by 10 p.m.

Steam tunnel finishers are simple pieces of equipment that provide extremely reliable production throughout each processing day, but the process of tunnel finishing your garment production is not as simple as one might think.

Just as preventative maintenance is an important part of garment quality, consistency, energy consumption and the reliability of your tunnel finisher, the proper handling of garments and wash-floor etiquette play significant roles in finished quality.

Effective finishing begins with proper sorting, washing and handling.