Challenges and opportunities for the manmade fiber industry - Factory know-how from a single source
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the experts' magazine No. 34 | october 2020 Challenges and opportunities for the manmade fiber industry page 8 Factory know-how from a single source page 14
// editorial
Dear Customers,
dear Readers,
Do you also greet people with an elbow bump? This form of greeting has meanwhile become
a global symbol of our absolute determination to stay in contact with others and be active
despite the risk of infection. This resolve is reflected in our own measures for dealing with the
coronavirus pandemic as well as the unswerving, long-term master plans of major manmade
fiber manufacturers, which are also securing our commercial stability. More on this topic in the
interview on the following pages.
We are also trying to do an elbow bump greeting with our customer publication here. As we
are unable to meet up at our trade fair stand, this magazine provides a safe and socially-
distanced tour of our exhibition topics that we had planned to present at the now postponed
ITMA Asia. Needless to say, digitalization and automation technologies play important roles,
as they will help us through these difficult times – both now and in the future. In this edition,
you will also be able to read about sustainability and innovations focusing on clean
technologies and ‘zero waste’ for energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly
manufacturing. Because it is not just coronavirus that is tangibly changing
the world we live in, so too is climate change.
At the same time, we are leading the way towards our corporate
mission: From Melt to Yarn, Fibers and Nonwovens. Along this
stretch of the textile value chain, we have been striving for
superlative quality for decades now – for fibers, yarns and hence
all your textile products. For this, we offer our own technolo-
gies and comprehensive systems solutions, including project
planning – therefore ultimately offering the entire factory from
a single source. This concept is becoming increasingly
popular.
However, the situation is today very different for many
people. It is for this reason that I would like to reiterate
a traditional Oerlikon principle: we will not let any of
our customers down! Therefore, this issue of Fibers
& Filaments includes numerous statements and
examples of assistance by employees, experts
and, in part, also customers. Their joint mantra
is: we will find solutions – regardless of the situ-
ation! This necessitates interaction, informa-
tion, consultation.
For this reason, let us continue doing the
elbow bump. For the greatest possible
degree of contact.
Georg Stausberg
CEO Oerlikon Manmade Fibers Segment
2 no. 34 | october 2020
table of contents //
in focus
Challenges and opportunities for the manmade fiber industry
8
14
Talking to Georg Stausberg, CEO Oerlikon Manmade Fibers segment
Factory know-how from a single source
Attractive technology solutions for growth markets
innovation and technology
Digital solutions on the rise 20
21
VDMA experts name digitization as key element for future success
Less waste with Smart Factory
Oerlikon Manmade Fibers goes digital
Automation solutions for an efficient yarn production 22
30
From wiping robot to high bay storage systems
From waste to value
VacuFil recycles post-consumer and post-production polyester waste
First class wipes with Phantom technology
An exclusive license from Procter & Gamble offers the best for nonwovens 34
Logistical perfection over 150 meters
Large-scale pumps fulfill the highest standards
as core components in factory projects
36
on the markets
Facing the pandemic together 26
32
Global network for global customers
Tackling coronavirus with meltblown and spunbond technologies
Protective equipment demands high-end nonwovens products
Where to go, textile industry?
Market experts on the future of the textile industry
38
Webinar week in place of congress
Global Fiber Congress in Dornbirn 40
COVID-19 will not trigger de-globalization
The Fiber Year outlook
41
solution and services
Hybrid customer service - the present and the future
Oerlikon's global Service Network combined with digital solutions 24
in brief 4
imprint 7
no. 34 | october 2020 3
// in brief
Textile yarn manufacturer Fujian Billion kicks off IDY production in China
Largest single industrial yarn order
From the end of 2020, yarn manu- Barmag. As a result, the newcomer
facturer Fujian Billion Polymerization in the industrial yarn sector is now
Technology Industrial Co., Ltd. will be superbly equipped for the future.
producing industrial yarns using sys-
tems supplied by Oerlikon Barmag. The well-known company – located
With this, the company – consid- in the Chinese Fujian Province – will
ered to be the largest polyester yarn be predominantly manufacturing
manufacturer in southern China – is high-tenacity (HT) and low-shrinkage
now also entering the industrial yarn (LS) yarns from the end of this year.
market. These sophisticated yarns are de-
ployed both in the automotive, geo-
With 124 positions and a capacity of textiles and safety markets (HT yarns)
around 250,000 tons per annum, this and in the manufacture of coated
project is the largest single industrial The new Oerlikon Barmag systems at Fujian industrial textiles such as truck tar-
yarn order placed with Oerlikon Billion will also be used to manufacture yarns for paulins and tents (LS yarns). Fujian
the automotive sector.
Barmag to date. With this order, Billion was founded in Jinjiang, Quan-
Fujian Billion instantly positions itself as one of the ten zhou, in 2003 and is one of the top 500 privately-owned
largest Chinese industrial yarn producers. “The systems enterprises in China. Annually, the yarn manufacturer
come with our latest draw unit design, which has been produces around 2.8 million tons of filament yarn and
optimized for use with Oerlikon Barmag automation ethylene-propylene side-by-side (ES) fibers. » (bey)
solutions”, comments Roy Dolmans, Head of Devel-
opment for the Industrial Yarn Process at Oerlikon
Energy-efficient yarn manufacture
Door to cationic-dyeable yarns opens further
The to date largest system for cationic-dyeable yarns low energy
has been manufacturing in China with great success consumption
for over a year now. The Oerlikon Barmag installation, and considerably
with a capacity of 600 tons of POY filament yarn a day, reduced CO2
instantly catapulted the system operator into the van- emissions –
guard of cutting-edge producers: with its high-quality ensure a high
products, the well-known Chinese yarn manufacturer level of efficiency.
has secured itself a 30-percent market share in China.
The high Cationic-dyeable products stand out with their
An additive in the melt ensures easier and superior capacity and extremely shiny, lively colors.
uptake of dye, meaning that this special type of yarn the favorable
uses very little water during the dyeing process and production costs
hence generates less environmental pollution. As a associated with the direct spinning process make the
result of (chemically) modifying the polymer, the fibers or yarn considerably more attractive for further processing
filaments score points due to the lower temperatures re- compared to production methods to date. This opens
quired within the dyeing process, while producing con- up a new, broader application window for cationic-
sistently brilliant dyeing results. The product is visually dyeable yarns, which have been produced worldwide
striking with its extremely shiny, lively colors. Excellent using POY and FDY processes for 30 years on Oerlikon
processing properties – with simultaneously extremely Barmag machines and systems. » (bey)
4 no. 34 | october 2020
// dates & events in brief //
Innovate Textile & Apparel
(Virtual Trade Show) 2020
From Melt to Industrial Yarn
15. – 30. October 2020
Polycondensation system ready for
Online, United Kingdom use for industrial yarn production
Oerlikon Manmade Fibers The Oerlikon Barmag Huitong Engineering joint venture, part of
Webinar Series Oerlikon Manmade Fibers, recently commissioned a polyconden-
4., 11. November 2020, sation system in China. The future operator will be industrial yarn
2., 9. December 2020 manufacturer Jiangsu Solead New Material Group Co. Ltd., which
Online, Germany Scan me is placing its trust in the OMF ‘From Melt to Yarn’ total solution
philosophy.
ITMF Annual Conference 2020
20. – 22. October 2020 An Oerlikon Barmag industrial yarn spinning system with a capac-
Seoul, South Korea ity of 350 tons a day has been connected to the system, which
has a capacity of 600 tons a day. These are being predominantly
World Congress on Textile Coating used to manufacture high-tenacity (HT) yarns for deployment in the
19. – 20. November 2020 agricultural, infrastructure, transport, security and outdoor sec-
Berlin, Germany tors. Potential products are yarns with up to 3 x 6,600 dtex of high
yarn quality, low-shrinkage yarns for coating textiles, among other
The European Biopolymer Summit things, and so-called LDI yarns (high-tenacity, low-denier industrial
3. – 4. February 2021 yarns) for industrial sewing yarns. In addition to the polyconden-
London, Great Britain sation system, the extrusion equipment and spinning system,
solutions provider Oerlikon Manmade Fibers is also supplying the
Foam Expo 2021 complete engineering. The advantage for the customer: optimally
23. – 25. March 2021 harmonized process steps ensure high-quality yarn under economi-
Novi, Michigan, cal production conditions. » (bey)
United States of America
Polyurethanex 2021
30. March – 1. April 2021
Moscow, Russia
Saigontex
7. – 10. April 2021
Ho-Chi-Minh-City, Vietnam
Outlook
21. – 23. April 2021
Lisbon, Portugal The industrial yarn project at Jiangsu Solead has become a ‘From Melt to Yarn’ total
solution with the commissioning of the polycondensation system.
International Nonwovens
Symposium
9.– 10. June 2021
Lyon, Frankreich
ITMA ASIA and CITME,
12. – 16. June 2021
Shanghai, China
Filtrex Asia
19. – 20., July 2021
Industrial yarns have diverse applications. Jiangsu Solead predominantly produces
Shanghai, China high-tenacity (HT) yarns using Oerlikon Barmag systems
no. 34 | october 2020 5
// in brief
High-titer yarn for home textiles with
WINGS HD and eAFK Big V
Greater bulk, greater efficiency
Highly-bulky upholstery fabrics for 12 POY packages of up to
furniture, decorative fabrics, drapes 600d/576f (final) are produced in
and carpets provide the feel-good the spinning process using WINGS
factor in homes. And these kinds HD 1800. This is made possible as
of high-end high-titer yarns are also a result of an additional godet in
used in automobiles; for instance, the yarn inlet, which helps reduce
in seat upholstery, interior cladding the high yarn tensions. At the same
and floor coverings. time, a newly-developed suction
unit with yarn cutting device en-
For this, DTY yarns up to 1200 den sures reliable handling of the yarn
and with up to 784 filaments have, with an overall titer of 7,200 den
as standard, been plied from four (final) and 6,912 filaments. With Superbly suited to the efficient production of
POY 300d/192f bobbins using DTY this, the Oerlikon Barmag eAFK Big high-titer yarns: the Oerlikon Barmag concept
comprising WINGS HD and eAFK Big V
machines to date. However, half of V multispindle texturing machine
the texturing machine’s available uses all winder positions and hence
winder positions remain unused has the full production capacity at In this way, 576 texturing positions
with this process. Here, Oerlikon its disposal for manufacturing DTY can be efficiently utilized when
Barmag offers a considerably more yarns of 1200 den with up to 1152 manufacturing high-titer yarns,
efficient solution: the spinning con- filaments. which are then taken up using all
cept with WINGS HD winding unit in 288 positions. And the flexible ma-
conjunction with an automatic eAFK The high-performance multispindle chine is particularly efficient in the
Big V Multispindle texturing machine machine can texture high individual high titer range of between 900 and
is currently the only system on the titers of up to 600 den per single 1200 den. The eAFK Big V texturing
market for manufacturing excellent filament. The straight configuration concept is already being success-
quality high-titer yarns with maxi- of heater and cooling unit ensures fully deployed by numerous yarn
mum machine efficiency. particularly gentle yarn handling. manufacturers. » (wa)
The next six BCF S8 tricolor positions are ready
to be dispatched from the Neumünster-based
assembly facilities. This system enjoys an excel-
lent reputation across the globe and – in the
tricolor variant with the CPC-T system – has
BCF S8 created a new benchmark in terms of color
separation.
6 no. 34 | october 2020
imprint //
A success – also against coronavirus imprint
Three staple fiber bicomponent ‘fibers and filaments’ is the exclusive Oerlikon
systems commissioned in China Manmade Fibers customer magazine. It is published two
times per year in English, Chinese and Turkish by
Oerlikon Neumag
Oerlikon Textile GmbH & Co. KG
has successfully
Leverkuser Straße 65, 42897 Remscheid, Germany
commissioned three
fibers.filaments@oerlikon.com
staple fiber bicom-
www.oerlikon.com/manmade-fibers
ponent systems in
China. With ca-
Total circulation
pacities of 50 tons 5,000 copies
per day each, the
systems are being Editorial staff
used to manufac- aw André Wissenberg
ture core-sheath ae Andreas Engelhardt
bi-component fibers bey Susanne Beyer (responsible)
made from PP/ che Claudia Henkel
PE or PET/PE at Oerlikon Neumag staple fiber plants stand for highest product tho Thilo Horvatitsch
two long-standing quality and absolute reliability. wa Ute Watermann
Oerlikon Manmade wca Will Cade
Fibers customers. These fibers are used to make hygiene products.
Concept and layout
A project not without obstacles: due to the coronavirus crisis, techni- Make and Do, Hella Hölzer
www.make-and-do.de
cians from Neumünster were – for the first time ever in the history of
the company – unable to travel to help Chinese colleagues on-site.
Print
The orders were completed without complication – not least as a re-
Köllen Druck + Verlag, Bonn
sult of the close, intensive collaboration and experience acquired over
www.koellen.de
the past few years. “We clarified smaller and larger issues by means
of video calls and remote services, allowing us to have the systems Photography
up and running perfectly within three or five months respectively. Ralf Buchholz, archive, Hella Hölzer
Since then, they have been manufacturing optimum fiber quality under iStockphoto.com/zorazhuang, iStockphoto.com/Ridofranz,
stable conditions. This has once again demonstrated that standardi- iStockphoto.com/paseven, iStockphoto.com/HRAUN,
zation and optimization measures in assembly and commissioning iStockphoto.com/Blackholy, iStockphoto.com/Olha Huro,
procedures bear fruit”, comments Ingo Lobinsky, Head of Start-up iStockphoto.com/lushik, iStockphoto.com/lukpedclub
Services at Oerlikon Neumag. iStockphoto.com/soulcld, iStockphoto.com/da-vooda,
iStockphoto.com/LueratSatichob
Oerlikon Neumag looks back on many years of experience in con- peterschreiber.media/Shutterstock.com,
structing bicomponent staple fiber systems. The first system for this majcot/Shutterstock.com
fiber type was commissioned as far back as 1995. Oerlikon Neumag
Disclaimer
offers solutions for the most varied cross-sections, ranging from
All indicated values and descriptions in this document are
sheath/core’, ‘side-by-side’, ‘island in the sea’, ‘orange type’ as well
for indicative purposes only and not to be understood as a
as ‘trilobal’. The applications are diverse: from self-crimping fibers,
guarantee. Please note that actual values may differ from
bonding fibers, super-microfibers all the way through to hollow fibers.
any data published in this document.
» (che)
Electronic Version (PDF)
no. 34 | october 2020 7
// in focus
Talking to Georg Stausberg, CEO Oerlikon Manmade Fibers segm
Challenges and op
the manmade fibe
The world has changed – at least since the outbreak of the corona pandemic
new rules apply. Rules, to which we all had to get used to quickly, rules that
Oerlikon had to set up itself for further successful market development.
We spoke to Georg Stausberg, Segment CEO Oerlikon Manmade Fibers,
about the time during the pandemic, the challenges to be mastered and the
alignment of the product portfolio for a more sustainable future.
Mr. Stausberg, what kind of Manmade Fibers. And this is paying
precautions did you take as a positive dividends at the moment.
company during the Covid-19 Because the production facilities of
pandemic? the major manmade fiber manufac-
Oerlikon actively began accompa- turers in China have been system-
nying the coronavirus situation from atically fired up again over the past
a very early stage, deploying crisis few months, with capacity utilization
teams at group and segment level. increasing consistently. And, new
Extreme transparency, a high level projects are still being discussed.
of decisiveness and swift, pragmatic
action were, and remain, the keys But why is it so? And why is
to successfully fighting the spread the manmade fiber industry
of coronavirus as well. The, in part currently practically going
radical, measures taken and the against the flow of the rest of
seriousness with which all employ- the textile machine industry?
ees have adjusted their personal The reason is very simple: Long
behavior have ensured that the virus before the corona virus situation
has had no chance to manifest itself developed, the major manmade
at the Oerlikon Manmade Fibers fiber manufacturers here in
sites to date. Maintaining the health China had decided to
of our employees worldwide was reverse-integrate their
and still is the top priority. production chains to
include petrochemicals in
How did your production, sales order to expand their portfo-
and order figures progress in lios with targeted investments,
the first half of 2020? How to reduce their dependence on a
much did the pandemic affect ,single product’, to optimize their
your goals? costs and ultimately to acquire
The sales markets for manmade greater control over margins in a
fiber systems and equipment have global volume business. Similar pro-
been primarily located in China, In- cesses and decisions – albeit not
dia and Turkey for many years now. on the same scale as here in China
Together, these markets – above all – have also been detected at the
China – make up the lion’s share of large manmade fiber manufacturers
the project landscape at Oerlikon in India and Turkey. While China is
8 no. 34 | october 2020
in focus //
ment
pportunities for
er industry
already pursuing and implement-
ing its ‘From Oil to Yarn’ business
model, the other market players are
currently still focusing on the ‘From
Melt to Yarn’ concept. Even though
businesses in India and Turkey
are presently still temporari-
ly severely impacted by the
coronavirus situation, their
long-term commitment can-
not however be questioned, as
the company-internally-agreed
master plans will be systematically
implemented moving forward.
no. 34 | october 2020 9
// in focus 10 no. 34 | october 2020
in focus //
What impact will this have on will ensure more sustainable Indus- design and ergonomic machine
the market and specifically on trie 4.0 production solutions for the design. This is part of our already in
Oerlikon's business? manufacture of manmade fibers the year 2004 successfully intro-
“All this has recently resulted in and their production machinery and duced e-save initiative. And, also
increased demand for spinning and equipment. part of this e-save sustainability
texturing systems – just like those program is, that we are offering an
supplied by us. The investments in At Oerlikon, we are already excel- energy-efficient and environmentally-
petrochemical systems are based lently positioned within the textile friendly production that is also in line
on long-term strategic consid- production value added chain. with your expectations.
erations and are resulting – even Technology solutions “From Melt
during the coronavirus pandemic –
neither in short- and medium-term
economic dips, nor in changed cus-
tomer behavior. For these reasons, “With our Oerlikon technologies we
we are currently continuing to look define the quality of each consumer
positively towards the future at Oer-
likon Manmade Fibers. With orders product within the whole textile value
on our books until 2023, we have
created a very good cushion
added chain. Because each high
for ourselves. We have to quality fabric is built on excellent yarns
thank all our customers,
who have consistently and fibers.”
placed their trust in us
despite the challeng-
ing times we are to Yarn, Fibers and Nonwovens” Could you briefly tell us some-
currently in. are our promise to you. With our thing about the technological
Oerlikon technologies we define the innovations of your company,
What challenges quality of each consumer product please?
and opportunities do within the whole textile value added I'd love to. But I have to concen-
you see for the future in chain. Because each high quality trate on a few topics. Our product
the manmade fiber industry? fabric is built on excellent yarns and portfolio is so extensive that I can
As machine and plant manufactur- fibers. only point out a few things in the
ers, there is always one thing that short time available. Let's start at
will drive us all forward: sustain- We are currently realizing our vision the beginning of the production
able technologies. We all strive for together with our long-term cus- process. It all starts with polycon-
innovative industrial solutions for tomers. We are looking forward to densation.
a better world. And how could we an “Zero Waste” fully automated
achieve this? We in Europe should and digitized production plant. We Our Joint Venture Oerlikon Barmag
all consistently follow the goals are working of several projects in Huitong Engineering developed a
of the announced Green Deal of China and other countries to real- lot of new features for the polycon-
the European Union and produce ize our mission: Clean Technology. densation and has been successful
climate-neutrally by 2050 – or better Smart Factory. within the last years. I just like to
still much earlier. The whole textile mention some new developments:
industry should work close together We engineer those comprehensive
on a global circular economy that plant solutions and offer them as a 1. The unique designed process
recycles valuable materials. Digitali- one-stop service to you. All quality tower adopts mixed packing, the
zation with all its innovative pos- influencing technologies are develop glycol content of esterified water at
sibilities, for example through the and controlled by Oerlikon. For sure, the top of the tower ≤0.1%, which
use of artificial intelligence, can and at the end in your production facili- has obvious effect on saving heat
will help us in this. And last but not ties, it’s your stuff that is operating energy, and the heat consump-
least, automation. The interaction the machine equipment very easily tion is in the leading position in the
of automation and digital processes thanks to an intelligent software industry.
no. 34 | october 2020 11// in focus
2. The centrifuge type HTM pump avoid vapor phase pipeline block- The product has excellent flexibil-
has been promoted in the industry age. In addition, reducing the use of ity and biodegradability. It can be
for a long time, with proper head power steam has obvious effect on used in injection molding, extrusion,
and flow selection, which has obvi- saving heat energy. blow molding and other processing
ous effect on energy saving, and 5. The equipment layout of the methods. It can be widely used in
power consumption is in a leading whole plant is reasonable, consid- sheet, packaging, plastic film, foam-
position in the industry. ering the production practice and ing, adhesive and other places.
3. The cooling tower is close to us- aesthetics comprehensively, ac- 2. PPT (Poly Trimethylene Tere-
ers. For example, the cooling tower cepting the opinions of customers phthalate) fiber has good usability
is set on the top of the CP building modestly, and getting close to the and processability. Compare with
and the spinning building respec- real needs of customers, the quality PET,PBT and Spandex, PTT is high
tively, which makes full use of po- is our first consideration. in elasticity, good in continuous
tential energy, saves investment and printing and dyeing ability, uviore-
energy compared with the planning What does this mean for new sistant, internal stress resistance,
of centralized cooling water station materials? low water absorption and static,
in the public utilities station. In the 21st century, countries have good in biodegradability and cyclic
4. Perfect design of vacuum sys- put forward higher requirements for utilization, etc.
tem, such as the heating method of environmental protection, synthetic
vacuum vapor phase pipeline and resin has become the third most It is widely used in carpet industry,
jet pump, by use of HTM pump, important material after metal and clothing material, engineering plastic
to strengthen the heating and heat cement, and plastic waste has be- and many other fields. With the
preservation effect for key users, to come an important source of white breakthrough of 1,3 propanediol
pollution. (PDO) technology in China, PTT
fiber will be one of the hot new fiber
Convenient, non-toxic, inexpensive materials in the future.”
and aesthetically pleasing plastics
have become the preferred choice. What is the situation for the
Biodegradable materials and their filament and staple fiber
derivatives have become the focus spinning mill technologies?
and direction of research on biode- Any news?
gradable materials. In the spinning mill itself, we offer
1. PBAT (polyglycol terephthalate) is our globally established spinning
a copolymer product with good film plant systems with energy-efficient
properties developed on the basis technology solutions such as
of PBS (polybutylene glycol EvoQuench and WINGS. Technolo-
succinate). gies that are now used by almost
all market participants worldwide. A
success story for us and all involved.
With regard to texturing, I would like
to mention again the new eAFK EVO
introduced last year at the ITMA
Barcelona and highlight the three
technologies EvoCooler, EvoHeater
and EvoTake-up. This new genera-
tion of automatic texturing machines
offers high flexibility in the configu-
ration of the core components. It
achieves 20 percent higher pro-
duction speeds with 25 percent
less energy consumption. We can
demonstrate extremely high doffing
efficiency and produce excellent yarn
quality on the eAFK Evo.
12 no. 34 | october 2020in focus //
We are similarly innovative in staple process chains with a key position in
fiber spinning. Whether cotton-type promoting sustainable solutions.
or fibers for technical applications –
we have the right solution for every Our current Oerlikon machinery
material with production capacities are producing yarns based on
of up to 300 tons per day. With Oer- fossil-based resources. We are
likon Neumag we just recently suc- offering sustainable technol-
cessfully commissioned three staple ogy solutions potentially
fiber bicomponent systems here in substituting current
China. With capacities of 50 tons polycondensa-
per day each, the systems are be- tion technol-
ing used to manufacture coresheath ogy. The
bicomponent fibers made from PP/ process-
PE or PET/PE at two long-standing ability and
Oerlikon Manmade Fibers custom- spinnability
ers. These fibers are used to make of recycled
hygiene products. polymers
on Oerlikon
Can you tell us something Manmade Fibers
about Oerlikon's recycling and machinery has to be
green technologies activities, assured.
please?
Of course. Recycling is on every- In the near future we at
one's lips these days. But the way Oerlikon Manmade Fiber are
to a functioning recycling economy, assuring to be a front runner in
nationally or even internationally, is the development of sustainable
still very long. However, the efforts technologies. We will focus on the
everywhere are great. Ours is no ex- development of green technolo-
ception. That is why I am confident gies, such as recycling or biopoly-
that we can all make it together. mer processing as we see a good
Step by step. For the textile indus- opportunity to generate revenues
try, there are numerous challenges as innovator in newly developing
just for the top topic "recycling" markets.
alone: competing markets and
technologies, political framework I wish you all and all market
conditions, the collection, separa- participants one thing above
tion and sorting of the used but still all: health. We hope that the
very valuable raw materials, and last economic situation will recover
but not least the question of a new, quickly for all concerned and that
sustainable textile design. This is an we all can look forward together to a
area where the industry must reach positive future for the manmade fiber
a consensus. industry.
Mechanical recycling from bottle to Thank you, Mr. Stausberg.
bottle, bottle to textile, but also from Stay healthy! » (aw)
textile to textile is already feasible to-
day. In the field of chemical recycling
the last step is still missing – and
textile to textile is simply the supreme
discipline. Today, Oerlikon Manmade
Fibers acts as gateway to polymer
no. 34 | october 2020 13// in focus
Attractive technology solutions for growth markets
Factory know-
how from a
single source
From Melt to Yarn, Fibers and Nonwovens. From the poly
condensation and the processing of PTA and MEG as well
as the extrusion of, for example, recycled polyester chips all
the way through to hundreds of thousands of packaged and
stored or directly-delivered textured bobbins for a market
within the textile industry worth billions. From the planning
and construction of highly-complex production plants to
the engineering of large-scale plant projects and competent
customer services.
This business model runs like a red thread through the self-
conception of the Manmade Fibers segment of the Swiss
Oerlikon Group. The right partner, especially – but not
exclusively – for newcomers to the textile industry. Because
– at Oerlikon – they get everything they need for a successful
business from a single source.
14 no. 34 | october 2020in focus // no. 34 | october 2020 15
// in focus
T
he manmade fiber market Good opportunities for due to the ongoing population
is in a continuous process long-term growth increase and the associated sales
of change and currently In addition to this, new market par- of attractive products”, comments
shows clear character- ticipants are entering the manmade Wissenberg.
istics of other comparable volume fiber market. On the one hand,
markets. “On the one hand, we are these are oil producers looking for Other potential entrants into the
seeing a trend towards consolida- a way to refine their basic prod- world of manmade fiber produc-
tion of market participants, espe- uct oil and thus increase its value. tion are ‘old acquaintances’: cot-
cially in Asia, and – on the other Hardly surprising, considering the ton spinners, who recognize that
hand – we are again and again classic sales markets for oil in the growth in the natural fiber sector is
seeing niche suppliers with special automotive and aircraft industries nearing its end, and has perhaps
products, not least in the area of are shrinking. E-mobility is becom- already reached it. “Cotton spinners
recycling materials” explains André ing a competitor here. “In the textile today have to face major challeng-
Wissenberg, Head of Marketing, industry – especially in the area of es, because the issue of sustainabil-
Corporate Communications and high-volume polyester production – ity is increasingly becoming a focus
Public Affairs at the Oerlikon however, we continue to see great in all societies. The immense water
Manmade Fibers segment. opportunities for long-term growth consumption in cotton production
Polymer processing in the textile value production chain*
Px/PTA PTA
reactors
BTX
Refinery/ Steam- MEG reactor MEG
Cruide Oil Hydrocracker Naphta cracker Ethylene
Chips
Propylene
>C4
Various
reaction
Legend
steps
Material
Technologies
End products
Material flow
*Graphic shows important process and material flows in the production of manmade fibers; alternatives are also possible
16 no. 34 | october 2020in focus //
is an obvious point of criticism. In tant to have competent and experi- know-how along the entire textile
addition to this, agricultural land enced partners. Oerlikon Manmade value chain – From Melt to Yarn,
increasingly needs to also be used Fibers was the first total solutions Fibers and Nonwovens. As one of
to produce food. Thus, the produc- provider in the market to acquire the leading companies in the world
tion efficiency of cotton on ever- the know-how to offer a complete that has always specialized in tech-
shrinking farmland must be clearly factory from a single source. This nologies for POY, DTY, FDY, BCF
increased, not least also by growing commitment and expertise are carpet yarn and polyester staple
genetically modified cotton, which based on decades of experience in fibers (PSF), it also has, in addition
leads again to criticism and resist- large-scale spinning plant projects to its traditional activities in spinning
ance from consumers”, explains and comprehensive know-how in fibers and yarn, extensive exper-
Wissenberg. manmade fiber production. tise in melt production – whether
for plant solutions for the continu-
Competence for over With roots dating back to the year ous polycondensation (CP) for the
35 million tons of 1922 and intensive research and production of fiber grade and bottle
manmade fibers per year development activities, Oerlikon is grade polyester melt and granulates
Especially for newcomers to the the only company in the world with – or in extrusion, e.g. for recycled
manmade fiber business, it is impor- its own technologies and process polyester chips.
Continous
Polyconden- PET-
Chips
sation Packaging
Filament Apparel
Extrusion yarn Filament
systems PET
production yarn
plants Technical textiles
Home textiles
PA
Staple fiber Staple
Polymerisation production fibers
plants
PP
BCF
production Carpet
plants yarn Protective
equipment (PP)
Filtration (PE)
PE
Geotextiles (PE)
Automotive (TPU)
Nonwoven
production Nonwovens
TPU plants
no. 34 | october 2020 17// in focus
The extensive range of customer solutions is also This practiced view for the whole promotes technologi-
reflected in market figures: Oerlikon Manmade Fibers’ cal solutions with economic and ecological advantages
technical solutions produce more than 35 million tons (e-save philosophy), not only with regard to individual
of manmade fibers per year. Over 20 of the 25 lead- machines, but also to the entire plant. In this way, the
ing PET manufacturers, representing almost half of the company optimizes all necessary utilities for the opera-
global capacity in this market, are customers of the tion of the entire factory. Energy management is con-
Oerlikon Manmade Fibers segment. sidered and designed across the whole production pro-
cess and waste heat energy is used for other processes
Comprehensive range of solutions with and machines within the plant. Oerlikon is also able to
leading-edge technologies supply a plant with virtually all media, from raw water
“These successes would probably never have come and waste water to media such as nitrogen.
about if our customers had not repeatedly benefited
from our wide range of technology solutions”, explains Avoid frictional losses
CTO Jochen Adler. He adds that the market has mean- Oerlikon’s know-how is meeting the needs of a growing
while opened very positively to the ‘From Melt to Yarn, number of e.g. polyester producers who are increas-
Fibers and Nonwovens’ concept and to offering manu- ingly focusing on their core business and therefore do
facturing processes from a single source. “Many of our not want to carry out the engineering for plants them-
customers are becoming increasingly interested in our selves. “Our engineering competence provides many
all-inclusive range of solutions with leading-edge tech- advantages, starting with shorter project planning times,
nologies, and the economic benefits of this are definitely greater planning reliability and smooth, on-schedule
being recognized”, says the CTO, who has been in completion”, assures Michael Maechtig, responsible for
charge at the Oerlikon Manmade Fibers segment since product management for so-called ‘factory projects’.
2017. “We can see a clear trend here, for example in
China. There, companies are joining forces and setting Ultimately, Oerlikon’s customers save themselves many
up research and development pools or investing in new individual inquiries for the commissioning of differ-
smart factories. Many want to be more independent of ent trades, they barely need their own personnel and
material procurement and integrate a CP plant. This is engineering know-how for project handling. “When
more economical in the long-term and ensures success involving many different service providers who are not
in a volume business”, Adler continues. well attuned to each other, there can be great frictional
losses”, explains Achim Debener, who has success-
The advantages are obvious: with the integration of the fully managed such complex projects for many years. If
upstream process stage, the yarn producer gains com- everything comes from a single source, project imple-
plete control over the entire yarn production processes mentation is more pleasant for the customers – and the
and develops advantages such as direct influence on ROI (return on investment) is also faster. The Oerlikon
the quality of the raw material, optimum mutual coordi- Manmade Fibers project management team has dec-
nation of the individual production steps and plant com- ades of experience in this area.
ponents, independence from the imponderables of the
granulates market, and the fact of achieving additional Global customer services
value creation, including increased profit margins. “Last but not least, our customers with such compre-
hensive plant solutions also benefit from the global
Practiced view of the whole presence of Oerlikon Manmade Fibers with its own
“With our decades of experience and the knowledge of locations in almost every textile center on the planet and
hundreds of engineers along the entire process chain a network of agents and service stations operating in
and across a wide range of applications, we at Oerlikon more than 120 countries. Especially in the age of coro-
can design all machines from melt to yarn for maximum navirus, with often far-reaching travel restrictions, this
flexibility in the production and processing of a wide gives us better and faster options for action with local
variety of products and adapt them to changing mate- personnel, who can partially eliminate the need to travel
rial requirements, coordinate them with each other and across national borders and support customers locally”,
thus develop customized solutions for individual cus- elaborates Wolfgang Ernst, Head of Customer Services
tomer projects”, explains Adler. This is also significant and Services Sales.
and advantageous with regard to all interfaces between
systems and machines up to the end products.
18 no. 34 | october 2020in focus // Smart Factory – the supreme discipline Nowadays, anyone thinking of building a complete factory can no longer avoid integrated automation and digitalization solutions. Here too, Oerlikon has already proven that the Manmade Fibers segment can offer attractive solutions. “For our current smart factories projects for various yarn manufacturers worldwide, we have implemented digitalized systems for 100% product tracking over the entire polymer process chain – from the spinning plant to the finished, tested and packaged bobbins”, explains Jochen Adler proudly. The fully- networked factories, which are due to go into operation shortly, will not only enable the digitalization and net- working of production and quality processes, but also the entire plant management based on an innovative IT infrastructure and provide a complete overview of the ongoing production as well as its costs at all times. The concept also includes digital service solutions such as remote support. This also underlines Oerlikon’s claim to currently being the world’s only supplier of automation and digitalization solutions with corresponding processes from a single source. “We not only have, or are developing, these technologies; we also know exactly what data we need to collect and how to create automated analyses. This is part of our new DNA”, says the CTO, who knows something that is even more important: the competitive advantage that ultimately counts most is knowledge of the entire textile value chain – From Melt to Yarn, Fibers and Nonwovens. » (tho) no. 34 | october 2020 19
// innovation & technology
VDMA experts name digitization as key element for future success
Digital solutions on the rise
Just how important it is to address the issues of digitization and automation
in large-scale plant construction and to be able to offer attractive solutions
here is also confirmed by two experts from the VDMA.
“ “
The status of digitization in international large- Artificial intelligence
scale plant engineering and construction, and (AI) enables techni-
the market requirements in 2025 were the focal cal systems to do
points of a cooperation of the VDMA’s Large what was previously
Industrial Plant Manufacturers´ Group and the audit- only possible for natural
ing and consulting firm PwC. One key finding of their organisms: learning from
joint study: the market share of digital, data-controlled experience. IT tools estab-
services will have tripled by then and will change busi- lished on the market help
ness models. The study identifies specific capabilities to to analyze machine and
enable large-scale plant construction companies to fully process data, recognize
exploit the market potential in 2025. These include, for patterns and structures,
example, knowledge of change management, mastery and find the appropriate
of agile methods in project management, the promotion algorithms. The use of Prof. Claus Oetter, VDMA Software
of a founder mentality and the development of intelligent machine learning solutions and Digitization, on the role artificial
intelligence (AI) will play in large-scale
logistics concepts that can be used to optimize con- is becoming increasingly
plant projects in the future, and the
struction site processes in particular. interesting for mechani- importance of data availability in this
cal engineering. These context.
Against the background approaches are not only
of radical technological important with regard to the further development of
upheavals and rapidly existing products and services, but also with regard to
changing customer require- the design of new business models, the optimization
ments, it is important that of own company processes and further automation in
companies continue to manufacturing.
consistently drive forward
their digital transformation. High-quality data, which depict problems and errors
Transparency of processes that have occurred in the process, form the basis for
and close cooperation every (AI) project. However, without the combination
with partners within the of the domain knowledge of the participants regarding
value chain, for example material or process dependencies with the expertise in
within the framework of data evaluation and software implementation, AI-based
integrated platforms, are Thomas Waldmann, Managing solutions will not be successful in industry. Since the
becoming key success Director VDMA Large Industrial selected data is used to "train" algorithms, correspond-
Plants Engineering Association,
factors. As a network- on the biggest challenges of
ing data must be collected and processed in a targeted
oriented association, the internationally executed large-scale manner. According to expert estimates, this requires
VDMA already offers many plant projects. about 60 to 80 percent of the time needed for such
formats – such as the a project. To get started, it is useful to have manage-
Engineering Summit – which provide scope for dialogue able fields of application with good data availability and
with partners from the value chain.” corresponding domain knowledge, so that the use of
machine learning approaches can be practiced and
faster successes can be achieved.”
20 no. 34 | october 2020innovation & technology //
Oerlikon Manmade Fibers goes digital
Less waste with the Smart Factory
A typical manmade fiber system produces well over 600 tons of yarn a day.
This equals in around 700 winders in filament yarn production or 3 systems
in staple fiber production. These figures show just how important smooth
production processes are.
I
f an error creeps into the Manmade Fiber. In this way, the “Digitalization has long been
process at any point, the Smart Factory ensures process part of our everyday lives. Here,
daily waste increases dramati- reliability, above all. The data are COVID-19 has merely acted
cally. It is obvious that all yarn automatically entered into the as an accelerator. Particularly
manufacturers want to prevent this system and the product assessed over the last few months, we
happening to ensure their produc- at each stage of yarn production at have tried out so many things,
tion facilities operate efficiently. which values and data are recorded learned a lot from our mistakes
Here, digitalization provides in- – such as during visual inspection and have taken a giant step
valuable support. A Smart Factory and when weighing. In the event forward. The intelligent factory
that networks all steps within the of anomalies in the intermediate is no longer a vision, it has long
production chain – including all laboratory and quality checks, this become reality. Digital solutions
auxiliary pro- allows yarn have become fixed elements
cesses – identi- “At the end of producers to of our products and services
fies and reports intervene in the – and everything is inextrica-
quality deviations
the process, yarn production pro- bly linked. But we have not
at an early stage. manufacturers are cess and correct reached the end of this exciting
Yarn manufactur- able to track at which these anomalies. development by a long way yet:
ers can quickly position its finished Information on new technologies and solutions
intervene in the textured yarn packages the chip feeding, require new methods and new
production pro- on the drying and knowledge. In other words, we
cess and hence
were spun and even on the master- have to remain ‘agile’, con-
avoid generating have information on the batch are avail- stantly adapting to the changing
waste. processed granulate able, as are data situations and tasks at hand.”
and the specific on the climate
And the Smart production conditions” control, on the
Factory is also Ivan Gallo, Productmanager Digital compressed air
the focus of Oerlikon Manmade Fibers supply and on
Oerlikon Man- further auxiliary
made Fibers. Here, it comprises systems. With this, yarn manufac-
considerably more than the Plant turers have at all times a complete
Operation Center, a system that overview of the ongoing production
has been well-established within process, including comprehensive
the market for many years now. information on quality and produc-
“This is about absolute transpar- tion costs.
ency and traceability. At the end of
the process, yarn manufacturers As a total solution provider, the
are able to track at which position Manmade Fibers segment of the Jochen Adler,
its finished textured yarn packages Oerlikon Group rounds off its Smart CTO Manmade Fibers
segment
were spun and even have informa- Factory concept with the associ-
tion on the processed granulate and ated services: Operation, updates,
the specific production conditions”, further development of the software
comments Ivan Gallo, responsible and services are part of the scope
for digital products at Oerlikon of services. » (bey)
no. 34 | october 2020 21// innovation & technology
Highly sophisticated robotized handling, packing, transportation and
warehouse systems for the chemical fiber industry – the range of automation
products supplies perfectly integrated production and logistic solutions.
Automation
solutions
for an efficient
yarn Wiping robot for spinpacks
production
The wiping robot guarantees outstanding yarn
quality with a high degree of efficiency and
optimized systems management. As a result,
yarn manufacturers can minimize costs and
maximize profits.
High bay storage sytems Pallet finishing
In order to simplify warehousing and to The pre-packaged/built pallet is ready for
integrate the storage management into the dispatch in the end line i.e. closed, weighed,
automatic product flow the delivery range is labeled and finally supplied to the commis-
completed by fully automatic high bay storage sioning via a delivery buffer.
systems including all functionality for commis-
sioning, route planning and truck loading.
22 no. 34 | october 2020innovation & technology //
Doffing systems for spinning machines Transport
Since the doffing system is directly connected The step after doffing is the transportation of
to the production machines, its design must the bobbins to the intermediate storage or
perfectly adapt to the operating surrounding in some applications directly to the packing
conditions. system.
Automatic packing Doffing systems for texturing machines
The packing line is typically the next step Floor based AGV (Automated Guided Vehicle)
of an automatic filament handling system. systems use state-of-the-art laser navigation.
Here the highest degree of customization is Thus these units do not require any mechani-
required. cal rails or guiding, which would interfere with
the remaining manual work in this area.
no. 34 | october 2020 23// solutions & services
Oerlikon’s global Service Network combined with digital solutions
Hybrid customer se
the present and the
In order to continue providing the best-possible agers from Germany were involved
customer service throughout the manmade fiber by mean of videoconferencing, for
example. “A particular challenge for
industry during the coronavirus pandemic, the all parties – but well-mastered by our
Manmade Fibers segment of the Oerlikon Group team together with our customers in
has comprehensively adapted its offerings to the accordance with the circumstances”,
requirements of all its customers across the globe. explains Wolfgang Ernst, Head of
In doing so, it has developed – both for the present Customer Services and Service
Sales at Oerlikon Manmade Fibers.
and for the future – a practicable, sustainable and
attractive solution: hybrid customer service. Additional temporary staff
on site
T
he range of customer “Our local representatives provide
services for the machines support in those countries without
and systems of the own Oerlikon Service Station”, adds
Oerlikon Barmag, Oerlikon Ernst. Collaboration during these
Neumag and Oerlikon Nonwoven weeks and months has been even
competence brands is broad and more important and has been going
covers all customer require-ments extremely well. And the locations in
throughout the world. The ‘Start-up Germany have been providing
Services’, such as assembly and Oerlikon Manmade Fibers online
commissioning for the products training seminars and intensive
that are continuing to be delivered customer care using Microsoft
during the coronavirus pandemic, Teams and Skype. “Currently,
are presently the greatest challenge. we are recruiting additional local
However, Oerlikon has excellent temporary staff on site from our
local service set-ups in its core extended Service Network, training
markets of China, India, the USA them – extensively online as well
and Turkey. Customers in Europe – and then bringing them together
are looked after by staff at the Ger- with local Oerlikon employees at
man sites. As a result, virtually all the construction sites”, explains
projects have been successfully car- Wolfgang Ernst. To this end, ‘Start-
ried out over the past few months up Services’ would continue to be
despite the difficulties. This was the complemented by ‘Service Lifecycle
case above all in China. Due to the Management’ services such as
travel restrictions relating to China, upgrades, modernizations, mainte-
experienced construction site man- nance, servicing and repairs.
Oerlikon’s local Service Stations are also at-
tending to customers during the coronavirus
pandemic.
24 no. 34 | october 2020solutions & services //
service -
e future
‘You have to be able to roll up Supply chain up and running
your sleeves and touch the There currently continues to be a
machines’ reliable supply of Oerlikon
To the extent it is possible, Oerlikon Barmag, Oerlikon Neumag and
is currently providing ‘Technical Oerlikon Nonwoven original parts.
Services’ and ‘Advanced Services’ “At the start of the coronavirus
– where it is actually necessary pandemic, the supply chain was
to be present at the system with stable – and it continues to be
experts – using videoconferencing. so. The logistics with all our part-
“Here, there are of course limita- ners across the globe are running
tions. You have to see, listen to and smoothly”, comments the experi-
feel a machine. You often have to enced Service Manager. Of course,
roll up your sleeves and touch the Oerlikon’s customers can also place
machines to make improvements orders online using the ‘myoerlikon. Online consulta-
and increase efficiency”, states com’ e-commerce shop. Items are tion and training are
currently the order of
the German engineer. However, then swiftly dispatched depending the day.
customers are currently only rarely on the availability at our worldwide
requesting so-called ‘performance warehouses. » (aw)
checks’. Local concerns have,
understandably, shifted elsewhere.
But Oerlikon can carry out analyses
and optimizations of the processes,
hardware and software to a certain
extent by means of remote access.
Even before the coronavirus pan-
demic, the majority of the Manmade
Fibers segment’s customer services
were being provided – in collabora-
tion with customers – in a digital,
hybrid form. “Because, generally,
The Oerlikon
we additionally deploy experienced Manmade Fibers seg-
engineers and technologists from ment experts can also
the international Oerlikon network be virtually ‘on site’
during the corona-
on site in order to provide the
virus pandemic by
necessary services for all customers means of remote
directly”, continues Ernst. access.
no. 34 | october 2020 25// on the markets
Global network for global customers
Facing the ARCTIC
pandemic
together
Coronavirus has a firm hold on all of
us. The close and personal contact
to the customers so important to
us has become considerably more
difficult. How do the members of NORTH
our sales staff nonetheless look after ATLANTIC
their projects well and intensively OCEAN
from home and within the markets?
We asked our market experts how
they are supporting our customers in
the daily challenges they face in an Chip Hartzog and Michael Rübenhagen
age characterized by restricted travel look after our clients in the US.
possibilities.
USA / Middle- and South America
“We have transitioned our efforts to remain connected with customers
in a virtual way. Very quickly after our in-person visits to customers in
early March, we transitioned into scheduling via Zoom & GoToMeeting,
and also polished our Skype and TEAMS skills in order to communi-
cate effectively. It has been a tremendous advantage to have Service
and Support staff in the USA, which helped during pending machine
start-ups and allowed support with emergency and essential visits to
keep our customer’s machines up and running. We have also recog-
nized some limitations in virtual networking – for instance management
changes at key customers have only been introduced virtually – there-
fore, we eagerly anticipate some kind of face-to-face visitation in the
coming months!”
SOUTHERN
Chip Hartzog Michael Rübenhagen
26 no. 34 | october 2020You can also read
