Andre Wissenberg
VP, Head of Marketing, Corporate Communications & Public Affairs Oerlikon Polymer Processing Solutions Division
Technical textiles and their applications offer great potential for further growth
Oerlikon is a global innovation powerhouse for surface engineering, polymer processing and additive manufacturing. The Group’s solutions and comprehensive services, together with its advanced materials, improve and maximise the performance, function, design and sustainability of its customers’ products and manufacturing processes in key industries. Headquartered in Pfäffikon, Switzerland, the Group operates its business in two Divisions – Surface Solutions and Polymer Processing Solutions. André Wissenberg, Vice President, Head of Marketing, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Oerlikon Polymer Processing Solutions Division speaks to Fibre2Fashion about machinery for textiles, nonwovens and technical textiles.
What is the size of global market for textile machinery? What percentage share does Oerlikon have?
When we as Oerlikon talk about the textile machinery market, we focus on the market we can reach with our product, engineering and service portfolio. Here we currently see an achievable market size of around €3.5 billion. This covers our market solution approach ‘From Melt to Yarn, Fibers & Nonwovens’. Our share of this market is above 35 per cent. In individual product lines, such as BCF (Bulked Continuous Filament) carpet yarn systems, we also have market shares of more than 80 per cent worldwide. In the volume-driven spinning sector, we cover greater than 40 per cent.
What kinds of machines and plant lines does Oerlikon provide for nonwovens manufacturing?
Unique and highly sophisticated nonwovens for filtration, insulation and sorption applications can be simply and efficiently manufactured thanks to our Oerlikon Nonwoven’s meltblown technology. With our Phantom platform, we offer an alternative coform technology for manufacturing various wet wipes from pulp, fibres and spun filaments. For manufacturing hygiene and medical nonwovens, our QSR (Quality Sized Right) technology offers an attractive solution for producing these highly diverse spunbond and meltblown composites (SSMMS, SMMS, SSS, etc) in a customisable new way. For industrial nonwovens, our systems are capable of high production capacities and yields with simultaneously low production costs. Our well established airlaid process is the ideal solution for processing pulp and/or cellulose fibres into high-end products for a wide range of applications.
How do you envisage the future of technical textiles and nonwovens? In which countries/regions is it expected to grow the most? Why?
Technical textiles and their applications offer great potential for further growth. Especially in emerging markets with infrastructure projects such as India and Indonesia, as well as all countries with large population growth. Here, the demand is growing steadily. And we can fortunately also see this in increasing investments in our machines and plants.
Within the textiles and technical textile segment, which machinery is sold most? Why?
Since the market launch of our Oerlikon Barmag WINGS Technology for POY in 2007 and FDY in 2012, we have been one of the leading suppliers to all major international polyester spinning mills. Combined with our manual and automatic DTY machines of the eFK and eAFK series, we offer a comprehensive package as a plant solution provider including continuous polycondensation and extrusion. Our range is rounded off by automation and digital solutions. In the segments of industrial yarns and nonwovens, we are concentrating on plant solutions for airbags, seat belts, tire cord, geotextiles, filter nonwovens and their diverse applications. The reason why we are so successful in all our technology solutions is rooted in our company history of over 100 years. As a pioneer of the man-made fibre industry founded in 1922, Oerlikon Barmag was always oriented on the guiding stars of innovation and technology leadership within a global market environment. Our strong entrepreneurial spirit and boundless creativity have shaped us. We are proud of our entire global workforce. The creative utilisation of its experience and knowledge potential in close collaboration with high-performance partners, suppliers and services providers is the key to our sustained success. We focus on close cooperation with our customers, offering them market-oriented innovations and services. These are based on interdisciplinary, team-oriented development work and high-quality production procedures. In the future, we will continue to constantly question established processes and break down conventional procedures and ways of thinking, because innovation starts with creativity. Currently too, we actively promote these with our multicultural and open corporate culture.
Has the demand for nonwovens machinery increased post COVID-19? In which countries/regions is the growth majorly seen?
Yes, certainly. Since the outbreak of the corona pandemic at the beginning of 2020, we have been able to successfully sell more of our Oerlikon Nonwoven Meltblown lines worldwide and, above all, we are particularly proud of this, we have also been able to commission them in a timely manner. Due to travel restrictions, this was often done via remote installation and local service technicians on site. Worldwide, a certain production capacity has thus naturally been built up over the past two years, and in all major markets–Asia, Europe and the US–in fairly equal proportions. However, our Meltblown plants cannot only be used for the production of mask nonwoven but can also be used for other highly demanding applications, e.g., in the field of filtration.
Please tell us about tailor-made systems and all-round service offered by Oerlikon.
The demands for man-made fibre plants are high and our customers certainly have specific requirements time and again in order to produce new materials and add new properties to them. Of course, we accompany this with our many years of experience in engineering and our extensive process know-how. And this, of course, is throughout the entire life cycle of a plant solution installed by us.
What are the sustainability goals at Oerlikon?
Our role is to enable our customers, their customers and the industries they serve to achieve more with less. Specifically, we aim to help customers to achieve more in terms of savings, efficiency and productivity, while using fewer resources such as energy and materials. In doing so, we help them to reach their sustainability and economic goals. With our technologies, we enable less fuel consumption in airplanes, facilitate future mobility, extend the lifetime of tools, save energy and reduce waste in processing polymers, and beyond.
What is the USP of Oerlikon machinery?
We offer state-of-the-art technologies that have been developed and produced according to our e-save philosophy since 2004. In addition to product quality as such, the focus is primarily on energy-efficient and resource-saving processes. Ergonomic aspects and machine safety naturally also play an increasingly important role. Our incentive and recipe for success is to be able to operate such complex systems economically on each customer side.
What are the next plans at Oerlikon, especially for nonwovens and technical textiles machinery?
For our Oerlikon Nonwovens Meltblown technology, a new hydro-charging solution called hycuTec has just been launched on the market. This technology for charging nonwovens will increase filter efficiency to more than 99.99 per cent. For meltblown producers, this means material savings of 30 per cent with significantly superior filter performance. For end users, the consequence is noticeably improved comfort resulting from significantly reduced breathing resistance. With its considerably lower water and energy consumption, this new development is also a future-proof, sustainable technology. In the area of industrial yarn, we will offer with our unique, patented Single Filament Layer Technology, a sophisticated and simultaneously gentle high-tenacity (HT) yarn process for manufacturing airbags, seat belts, tire cord and geotextiles applications made from industrial yarn. And finally, for all polyester staple fibre interested customers, we have extended to around 2,100 m², the world’s largest staple fibre technology centre at our German site of Oerlikon Neumag in Neumünster. As of now, our state-of-the-art staple fibre technologies are available for customer-specific trials. I would ask everyone to make use of this opportunity.
Published on: 23/05/2022
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
