New Tech Centre, a major customer-care initiative
When Fongs Group acquired Monforts in mid-2012, one of the main areas of future business that both companies emphasised was that of technical textiles, which offers even more specialised and tailor-made machinery solutions for its customers. It was also agreed that the German headquarters of Monforts will continue to lead the developments in the field of technical textiles. Even the machines for technical textile applications will be manufactured at its plant in Europe (Austria).
It was around the same time that Monforts appointed Mr. Jürgen Hanel to head the Technical Textiles business development. This underlines the company’s commitment to technical textile applications. Mr. Hanel is a specialist in textile coating and has been Senior Sales Manager at Coatema Coating Machinery GmbH and was previously responsible for developing the textile coating department at DyStar Textile Colorants in Frankfurt.
Monforts, is a world leader in manufacturing textile finishing machinery, having developed cutting-edge technology in finishing machine engineering for more than 125 years. Monforts sees a great potential in technical textiles because of high demand. Applications are in the area of fire protection such as glassfibre fabrics with intumescent coatings, protective work wear such as foundry protective clothing or protection as well as against chemical agents and special textiles for automotive applications. For this purpose Monforts offers a modified stenter already proven in coating processes of airbags.
Mr. Hanel stated: “Technical textiles do have a specific demand profile during the finishing process, e.g., the strong reaction to moisture or differences in temperature. We are developing new techniques specifically tailored to technical textiles”.
He added: “We see tremendous growth opportunities in technical textiles, particularly in segments like Mobiltech – cars and aeroplane – where there is lot of carbon fiber being used. In the future Monforts will also supply carbon fiber treatment lines. We are working together with a German supplier for this. We see Indian companies investing in technical textiles. We also see customers from the US and Europe investing in India and setting up manufacturing facility due to the growing domestic demand”.
In India, Monforts is represented by A.T.E. Enterprises which has successfully executed many projects in the Indian market and is confident of exciting growth opportunities in the future.
Mr. S. Rajendran, Vice President (TEG), A.T.E. Enterprises Ltd., says: “We have a long association with Monforts and successfully executed many projects in India. We could establish the brand of Monforts by honoring our commitment on performance and after-sales services. It is a very happy situation that we have retained many satisfied customers in our fold. Now, Monforts is becoming strong in technical textiles too. They have a separate division which will focus on the business of technical textiles. Their concept is to provide a complete package solution for producing technical textiles. Monforts is the leader in introducing new technology, in the past, they have successfully established technologies like E-Control, MxL, etc. We are sure that Monforts will create their own space for technical textiles too. We at A.T.E. are excited with the initiatives from Monforts, and we are in the process of aligning our approach with Monforts for establishing technical textiles business in India.”
Monforts is currently working on a revolutionary new concept. “In 2014 we will launch a new stenter machine with a special entrance which is patented. We will have a standard set-up which is a normal stenter with a short inlet. The machine will have a removable entrance where we can enter dye coating, slub dye coating, printing, powder scattering or any other application as per the customer requirement. This makes the entire line extremely flexible, which is very useful for new approaches in technical textiles”, says Mr. Hanel.
Customers have invested in expensive machines and are looking for flexibility in their operations. If these machines can be used in multiple different ways, it offers them more opportunities and flexibility to cater to market demands. “I see this is a big step further in offering more flexibility to the customer”, he adds.
New Technological Centre
To further enhance its capabilities and as an expression of the company’s commitment to its customers in the field of technical textiles, Monforts has recently invested more than Euro 2 million in a massive new Advanced Technological Centre (ATC). Occupying a 1,500 m2 area, the centre is located in a complete hall at the company’s headquarters in Mönchengladbach. It will allow customers in-house opportunities to undertake trials on Monforts dyeing and finishing machines under fully confidential, real production conditions.
The ATC includes comprehensive test facilities where dyeing and finishing trials can be performed with the customers’ own woven, knitted or nonwoven fabrics or technical textiles, under full working conditions. Using the results from these trials, Monforts will also be able to make recommendations for improving fabric finishes.
The hall accommodates a full Thermex continuous dyeing range suitable for the E-Control process, a Montex 6500 stenter with a vertical chain return and equipped with Eco Applicator, and a Montex 8000 stenter for technical textiles, incorporating Eco Applicator, high temperature and an explosion-proof execution for treating fabrics with solvents.
The new facility represents a more than €2 million investment, including the installation of a steam generator and complete utilities, including a colour kitchen and fabric laboratory testing equipment.
Monforts technologists are available for comprehensive customer advice on all aspects of dyeing and finishing for classical and technical textiles providing full assistance for economic and ecologic processes. Training courses are also available for machine operators to run the machines with minimum use of dyestuff and energy input for best value-added finishing results.
The new hi-tech, world class facility is another example of how Monforts policy fully supports its customers in achieving the best possible solutions in finishing its fabrics efficiently under ecological and economical conditions.
Eco-Applicator
At TechTextil in Frankfurt earlier this year, Monforts launched its latest second generation Eco-Applicator, which offers significant energy savings for a wide range of technical textile applications. The new system for application of liquors or functional chemicals has been designed for a wide range of technical textiles applications: complying with VDMA’s Blue Competence sustainability initiative.
The Eco-Applicator soft coating process offers significant energy savings with reduced liquor for a wide range of applications such as felt finishes, coated materials and medical textiles, as well as Nano coating, water repellancy, softeners, flame retardency and insect repellancy.
It has been designed to apply a liquor to one side of the fabric, to apply a liquor to both sides of the fabric, to apply different liquors to either side of the fabric, or to apply two different liquors consecutively to a single side of the fabric. The system is also suitable for finishing narrow fabrics such as bands and ribbons.
According to Mr. Hanel, the Eco Applicator has become even more multi-functional and multi-purpose with the lowest energy input for consecutive drying, due to its minimal liquor application.
Monforts has also introduced the latest Twin Therm chamber of the Montex 8000 stenter, designed with a number of features and options that are particularly suited for nonwoven and technical textiles applications. These include a heat recovery module incorporating a fully automatic cleaning system for its integrated heat recovery system; new rotating disc type ‘fluff-sieves’ and a vacuum system for efficient cleaning; and two parallel integrated exhaust ducts in each chamber.
A new heat recovery module ‘Eco booster HRC’ with a fully automatic cleaning system has been introduced, replacing the earlier modules, manually cleaned, tubes system. Featuring a ‘honey-combed’ design the new system cleans itself fully automatically during machine operation and ensures continuous uninterrupted high availability.
Designed for special coating processes and technical and nonwovens applications, the new Twin Therm system allows different finishing temperatures in both the upper and lower nozzle systems. This is ideal for applications such as automobile carpets where different temperatures are required on both sides of the product. Especially for technical textiles, a new parallel, integrated, twin exhaust channel arrangement is available also for alternate chamber arrangements to offer a staggered ‘counter type’ operation.