Lufeng Co. Ltd. has expanded its dyeing and finishing production line by adding a newly-launched Monforts Thermex 6500 continuous dyeing range that offers substantial reduction in dyeing times and chemicals, energy and water consumption.
Part of Luthai Textile Co. Ltd., one of China’s biggest textiles and garments producers, Lufeng has invested in the Monforts Thermex 6500 continuous dyeing range for expansion of its dyeing and finishing production line.
The new Thermex 6500, introduced by Monforts only last year, can handle fabrics of up to 1.8 m, at which the machine capacity is 45 m; one of the deciding factors for Lufeng. Luthai and Lufeng together form one of the largest customers for Monforts in China, having taken delivery of some 45 Monforts machines during the past 20 years, including an earlier Thermex unit.
The General Manager of Lufeng, Mr. Wang Fangshui, who is also the General Engineering Manager at Luthai, says that the Thermex 6500 was needed when the company built its No.2 finishing mill late last year. “We are using this machine for almost 100% cotton fabrics. The cotton we use is grown and processed by ourselves. It has a reputation for extremely fine quality. We are continually innovating both for ourselves and our customers and are confident that the Thermex 6500 will help us to progress in significantly new directions.”
Vertical operation
Luthai Textile is vertically integrated, handling every aspect of production to retailing its own-brand garments through its own stores. It exports fabrics and garments overseas, its biggest market being the US which accounts for 35 per cent of production. Europe takes 30 per cent, Japan 20 per cent, Korea five per cent and mainland China five per cent.
Amongst the brand names Luthai supplies are Brooks Brothers, Marks & Spencer and Olymp, and it has an agreement with the Alain Delon fashion brand to manufacture all its production for China.
While most of the Monforts equipment installed at Luthai and Lufeng in recent years has been manufactured by Monforts Chinese joint venture, Monfongs, the Thermex 6500 is a newly produced continuous dyeing machine manufactured in Germany. It was delivered and commissioned by K & E Company Ltd., Monforts’ representative for China and Hong Kong.
Roney Kung of K & E’s Hong Kong office says that the continuous dyeing process offers reduced chemicals, energy and water consumption when compared with conventional pad-dry thermosol pad-steam processes, together with lower investment costs and excellent fabric fastness.
Mr. Wang says: “So you need less machinery, less space, less chemicals, less energy, and less labour. At the same time, you get better fabric quality, side to centre shading is prevented, and handling of the fabric is very sure, with no creasing.”
The Thermex 6500 at Lufeng is a three-chamber dyeing unit, with each chamber having a 46 m capacity and a total capacity of 135 m. Depending on the fabric weight, Lufeng can run at 40 to 50 m of fabric per minute.
“We took the decision to invest in the Thermex 6500 because we needed the wider widths that it can handle, and the speed it can complete the dyeing process,” says Mr. Wang. “Our need is for up to 1.7 m or wider, and the Thermex can handle this comfortably.”
The machine can handle fabric weights of between 120 gsm and 360 gsm.
Mr. Wang further observes that the Thermex is handling almost 100% cotton, with an important role being in the testing of samples and in short-run production. Luthai has the advantage of a good cotton-growing base covering 8,671 hectares at Akesu, whose organically grown cotton has many advantages, including soft and long fibre, pure white and lustrous colour, as well as adequate flexibility. Akesu is known for the quality of its cotton crops, the soil of the region being irrigated by snow run-off from the nearby Tian Shan Mountain.
“Technology is important too in controlling our labour costs, for under government initiative, salaries across the country are rising. Given the competition we face from other companies in China, we have always invested in quality. That is our policy”, he adds.
The quality of Luthai’s brand name products is reflected in the retail prices in the company’s own stores, where a gentleman’s short-sleeve shirt under the LT GRFF brand name typically retails at RMB 600 ($95).
Luthai is one of the largest manufacturers of top-grade yarn-dyed fabric shirt facing materials in the world, with an annual output of 75 million metres. Product varieties are mainly purified cotton, CVC and T/C, while new varieties, including cotton/cashmere and cotton/bamboo fibre, have also been developed. The company employs around 25,000 persons.
“Currently, our production capacity for yarn dyed fabric is 21.58 million metres per month and production capacity for shirts is 1.67 million pieces per month,” Mr. Wang concludes.