Technology

Kyocera Corporation (President: Hideo Tanimoto) announced FOREARTH, a new inkjet textile printer that aims to eliminate virtually all water usage from fabric printing. We expect this printer to contribute to eliminating printing-related water pollution, which has long been an issue in the textile and apparel industries.

Development Background: Traditional analog textile printing consumes a large amount of water, especially in the washing and steaming processes, and wastewater pollution due to fabric printing is a long-standing issue around the world. In addition, waste resulting from the mass disposal of overstocked clothing is also an environmental concern, and the textile and apparel industries are under pressure to take immediate action toward alleviating this issue. Kyocera developed our new inkjet textile printer, FOREARTH, that combines patented inkjet, ink, and printing equipment technology to contribute to solving these environmental problems.

Key features include:
Water-Free Concept: In general, textile printing uses dye ink*1 and requires a large amount of water for the pre and post-treatment processes, such as steaming and washing. FOREARTH is an All-in-One printing system that uses new proprietary pigment ink*2, pre-treatment liquid, and finishing agent, which are constantly discharged in the same sequence from the inkjet head. This system eliminates the pre-and post-processes required of conventional dye printing and reduces the water consumption of textile printing by 99%*3. Also, this new printing solution contributes to reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions because it does not need large-scale equipment used for the pre and post-treatment processes of textile printing.

Creative Free: Conventional dye digital printing generally requires different types of dyes for various fabrics made from different fibers. FOREARTH solves the typical problems of pigment printing, such as less color development, fastness, and hard hand-feel, by using Kyocera’s proprietary ink technology and knowledge in a new, All-in-One printing system. This enables highly detailed printing on diverse fabrics ranging from cotton, silk, and polyester to nylon and blended fabrics with a single machine. Also, it is adaptable to a wide range of categories too, from ladies’ fashion and sportswear to baby wear and home textiles.

Location Free: In general, textile dyeing factories are operated in areas with abundant water resources since the printing process uses a large amount of water. On the other hand, FOREARTH needs only a small amount of water for printing, so the production site can be located anywhere, such as on-shore, near-shore, or in more suitable areas, like places close to consumers. Plus, FOREARTH’s simple two-step printing and drying system drastically shortens the number of steps from design to production. As a result of this streamlined processing, FOREARTH supports optimized production and location setting and therefore can handle small-lot printing and shorten delivery times, helping reduce logistic costs and surplus inventories. Moreover, FOREARTH can complete print production within a small area footprint compared to conventional textile printing, which requires many more printing processes with separate equipment, as you can see in the picture below.

Kyocera will unveil FOREARTH for the first time outside of Japan at ITMA 2023, the world’s largest international textile and garment technology equipment exhibition, opening in Milan, Italy, from June 8-14.

*1Dye ink: Dye with fine paint particles dissolved in water, which is printed by impregnating fabric with color, *2Pigment ink: Dye with large paint particles that do not dissolve in water, which is printed by sticking to the surface of the textile, *3Based on KYOCERA research (2022).

The adoption of FastReactPlan helped VT Garment secure the prestigious ‘Golden Award’ at the ‘Thailand Lean Award 2017 in recognition of its outstanding LEAN manufacturing and management processes.

About the customer: Founded in 1981, VT Garment Co. Ltd., is an award winning global manufacturer of outerwear, sportswear and protective equipment, such as: ski jackets and pants, boardshorts, polyester padded jackets, woven jackets and pants, knitted jackets and bulletproof armour-plated materials. Around 20 percent of VT Garment’s electricity usage comes from solar energy and it has ISO 9001 certified facilities in Thailand and Myanmar which produce over 136,000 pieces per month. The company boasts an annual turnover of 50 million USD and its customers include: Patagonia, Jack Wolfskin, Montbell, O’Neill and other big and small brands in the United States and Europe. VT Garment supports a workforce of 2,000 and has one of the largest Original Equipment/Original Design Manufacturing (OEM/ODM) factories in the world with Fair Trade certification. The company’s dedication to innovation, local sustainability, environmental protection, fair wages, and advanced digitisation has secured it a raft of awards including: Thailand Lean Award (Golden), Thailand Quality Award (Golden) and the Thailand Kaizen Award (Golden).

Key Facts
Customer: VT Garment Co. Ltd.
Location: Bangkok, Thailand
Challenge
• Manual processes meant planning was inaccurate & laborious
• Capacity was often over-booked or under-booked
• Lack of visibility caused late delivery and overtime costs
• Poor planning resulted in material waste and loss of business
Key Benefits
• Productivity improved by 95%
• OTDP improved by 50%
• Plan accuracy improved by 92%
• Planning time reduced from 3 days to 2 hours
• Reduction in time spent loading orders by 67%

The Challenge – Inaccurate Planning Processes negatively impacted the whole business and restricted business growth
Prior to implementing FastReactPlan, VT Garment found that the lack of automation and real-time visibility in the production planning process not only meant there was limited information sharing between different departments, but also that manually produced capacity plans based on unreliable historical data were time consuming and cumbersome to produce and not accurate enough to make informed production decisions. As a result, VT Garment’s management and planning teams found that capacity was often over-booked or under-booked, causing late deliveries and unnecessary staff overtime costs.

Insufficient tools and resources for monitoring and optimising production efficiency, lengthy reporting times and limited information sharing and coordination between departments also meant that VT Garment was unable to respond to customer demands for quicker order confirmations, resulting in lost business and poor customer satisfaction levels. This led to increased pressure on staff, wasted resources and decreased profitability. The inability to make informed business decisions consequently not only negatively impacted overall company performance, but also its potential for growth.

The Solution – Accurate, Highly Visual Capacity Plans have significantly increased productivity, optimised on time deliveries and enabled staff to work on other business improvements
Following the implementation of FastReactPlan, VT Garment now has the ability to view capacity plans from multiple perspectives, resulting in a comprehensive understanding of its production capabilities and limitations. The solution has enabled VT Garment to easily compare different plans and select the most optimal option based on factors such as cost, efficiency and delivery time. The automation of planning processes has also freed up time for staff to focus on other important tasks, such as improving customer satisfaction and supporting new innovations and business growth.

A significant reduction in errors and a more accurate representation of its production capabilities has also led to an unprecedented 92% improvement in plan accuracy which has improved VT Garment’s ability to meet customer delivery expectations. The ability to quickly review and revise plans immediately by monitoring late order requests and on-time items has also increased its OTDP performance by 50%.

Since the implementation of FastReactPlan, VT Garment is now able to quickly evaluate the efficiency of each plan variation, which has reduced the time spent on planning from four hours to 10 minutes. This has helped the company reduce planning time by 57%, reduce order plan loading by 67% and improved its overall productivity efficiency by 95% across the whole business.

The Solution – FastReactPlan has eliminated overtime hours, improved staff morale and enabled the company to take on more complex orders
The solution has enabled VT Garment to save significant staff hours by streamlining the planning process, from order placement and checking delivery dates to tracking production activities, which has meant that extra time can be dedicated to delivering an enhanced customer experience.

VT Garment found that the FastReactPlan implementation had a positive impact on staff morale by simplifying the challenging task of planning and reducing unnecessary and unplanned overtime hours, so that staff had a more consistent, stress-free working environment.

With the ability to anticipate future plans and understand available capacity, VT Garment can now accurately calculate working hours effectively to take on additional business orders that it would have previously shied away from. FastReactPlan has also enabled the company to handle a wider range of orders, including shorter and more complex order requests, as it has the visibility and agility needed to make informed decisions based on accurate plan variation assessments.

The Solution – FastReactPlan helped company become award winners in lean manufacturing
The adoption of FastReactPlan was instrumental in helping VT Garment secure the coveted ‘Golden Award’ at the ‘Thailand Lean Award 2017,’ an influential government-subsidised nationwide awards ceremony covering all manufacturing industries. The annual Thailand Lean Award recognises companies that have undertaken strategic changes to their businesses to adhere to lean management principle. Award winners serve as exemplary leaders to others who are looking at adopting lean management for quality, savings, delivery and speed.

Testimonials – “Hyperinflation leads to softening market conditions leaving large amounts of excess stock for brands and retailers. This, in turn, adversely impacts order volumes for manufacturers. Against this backdrop, apparel manufacturers need to rethink and overhaul their operations. To combat the current ‘fluid’ fashion environment, it is inevitable that we needed to be more lean, digital and agile. We, consequently, chose Coats Digital as our transformation partner because of their experience in delivering innovative solutions that support our journey towards operational excellence. One of the defining reasons for our selection of Coats Digital was to support our entry at the ‘Thailand Lean Awards 2017’. We were subsequently delighted to win the prestigious ‘Golden Award’ for recognition of our adoption of FastReactPlan. The award is a testament to the effectiveness of how the FastReactPlan system has been instrumental in supporting our Lean Manufacturing objectives to help us achieve significant improvements in our production processes” said Chalumpon Lotharukpong, Managing Director, VT Garment.

We are exceptionally pleased with FastReactPlan. It allows us to plan better because we can choose the plan based on different factors, such as Capacity, Efficiency and OTD percentages, which has eliminated the need for manual calculations altogether. The customer experience has also greatly improved as a result of our ability to provide timely and accurate information, which is crucial for customers to make informed commissioning decisions. With the implementation of FastReactPlan, we are now able to send accurate plans and information to customers in less than two hours, rather than the usual 3 days it took before the implementation.

He further added that FastReactPlan has effectively eliminated the need for overtime work. Prior to its implementation, our planner often had to work four to six additional hours of overtime to meet delivery deadlines. Since implementation, our planner now has much more time for other tasks that can greatly enhance the business. Because all are plans are now based on accurate data, we are also benefiting from a significant reduction in overtime hours on the factory floor, as well as greatly reduced levels of firefighting, since we can now anticipate potential issues with future orders – such as delayed raw materials or late orders – and address them proactively.

With its many functions, FastReactPlan has enabled us to cope with all situations, whether large or small orders. In a nutshell – it is awesome. Each order is now identified by different colour codes, which makes it much easier for executives or planners to differentiate tasks, assess work in progress and act immediately if there are any issues. We can also plan activities super effectively, such as communicating the date to send a pattern file, since everyone involved in that job receives an alert when the file needs to be sent. This makes the whole production process run seamlessly and smoothly. And as an old industry saying goes, ‘if you have a good capacity plan, then half of the victory has already been achieved’. Greater resilience and agility will undoubtedly enable us to navigate through and respond quickly to supply chain shocks, and future proofing for agile manufacturing will undoubtedly be the key to our success in 2023 and beyond.

“We are absolutely thrilled that VT Garment has experienced such unprecedented results since its adoption of FastReactPlan. The solution has positively impacted all areas of the business and proves just how vital, accurate and highly visual capacity plans are to the future growth of a fashion apparel manufacturer. We are also extremely proud that Coats Digital has played such a pivotal role in helping VT Garment secure its much-deserved recognition as one of the most innovative manufacturing companies in Thailand. With its strong commitment to sustainable practices, fair wages, great working conditions and technological innovation, we are honoured to be continuing to play an important part on VT Garment’s journey towards increased award-winning digitisation and further global success” said Pakawan Veerarote, Customer Success Manager, Coats Digital.

Key Benefits and ROI
• Overall productivity improvement of 95%
• Plan accuracy increased by 92%
• OTDP improvement of 50%
• Overall planning time optimised by 57%
• Reduction in time spent loading orders by 67%
• Overall planning time reduced from 3 days to just 2 hours
• Quicker response in accepting or changing customer orders
• Ability to confidently take on new business
• Elimination of costly overtime hours
• Significant reduction in errors
• Reduction in last-minute firefighting
• Plan-based capacity monitoring in minutes
• Standardised PO, Colour & delivery level visibility across all departments
• Increased productivity across all departments
• Improved staff morale
• Automated data capture and consolidation
• Reduced shipping freight costs
• Quicker response in accepting or changing customer orders
• Reduced report generation time saving of 67% – from 3 days to 1 day
• Reports on Shipment & Plan Vs Actual generated within less than 10 minutes

Outro
FastReactPlan is the market-leading apparel production planning software solution, supporting a faster, more reliable order confirmation process and production plan which is optimised for delivery, speed and efficiency.

Colorjet Group launched METRO NXT, High Quality, and High Speed digital Textile printer on the third day of India ITME 2022.

Madhu Sudan Dadu – Chairman, Arun Varshney – Vice President and Business Head Textiles Business and Smarth Bansal – GM – Product/Brand Management, ColorJet Group along with their print head partner Hironobu Fujihashi – General Manager and Anshul Prashar – Deputy Senior Marketing Manager, Kyocera Asia unveiled the High Speed, High Quality Direct to Fabric Digital Textile Printer – METRO NXT at India ITME 2022.

METRO NXT is an industrial textile printer that combines digital advantages of high speed incorporating 32 industrial grade Kyocera print heads with high quality print using ColorJet recommended inks. Available in configuration of 8 Color options with speeds reaching up to 9,000 sqm/day.

Madhu Sudan Dadu – Chairman, ColorJet Group said, “The new Metro NXT will bring a new dimension to the existing portfolio of machine providing a high productive solution to big Textile mills, processing houses, exporters who are looking for high production along with High precision printing.

Hironobu Fujihashi – General Manager Kyocera Asia said, “I am expecting the future of the digital printing for textile. Digital printing, which uses less ink and water, is a promising technology not only for the textile industry but also for humanity as a whole, from the perspective of reducing the environmental pollution and from the perspective of sustainable development Goals, which are to reduce unsold and discarded textiles and produce what is needed when needed. We are very excited that the company has emerged in India that can make such a high performance Digital inkjet printer for textile application.”

METRO NXT addresses various market segments such as fashion apparels (Women’s, Men’s, and Kids clothing), home furnishings (Curtains, Bedsheets, and Sofa Covers), etc. and use to print Shirts, Skirts, Scarves, and Sarees. METRO NXT prints on Cotton, Viscose, Polyester, Polyamide, Silk, and Wool and is suited for the production of high-quality products as well as home decoration fabrics. See the live Demo of this product at India ITME, Hall No. 5, and Booth No. H5F3G4.

Germany-based Emtec Electronic GmbH will present its TSA Tactile Sensation Analyzer at the India International Textile Machinery (ITME) Expo from December 8-13, 2022, at the India Exposition Mart in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. The TSA measures softness, smoothness, in-plane stiffness, as well as the deformation and recovery characteristics of a material sample.

The TSA Tactile Sensation Analyzer delivers precise data on how fabrics feel to the touch, according to a report. As a portable, innovative lab device it provides a quick return-on-investment, proving especially useful for on-the-go troubleshooting and quality assurance. Weighing less than 20 kg, the TSA allows textile manufactures to evaluate the haptic feel of their products in a fraction of the time needed for hand-panel testing or other factory equipment.

Traditional hand-panel testing has long been held as the standard for evaluating fabric comfort. The drawbacks of this method include the time and cost factors. Also, because the results are subjective, many tests are often needed to arrive at a reproducible value. In addition, human testers are unable to reliably distinguish between haptic traits such as softness and smoothness and can only arrive at an overall impression of the material’s haptic quality.

The TSA, on the other hand, provides a numerical value for a material’s hand-feel, also known as its handle, along the distinct haptic parameters. This makes it easier for textile manufacturers to pinpoint why one product is preferred over another: Is it because it is softer, smoother, or more flexible? Without concrete data, the answer is anyone’s guess.

Emtec Electronic will be attending the International Textile Machinery Expo at Booth number H7AA10 in the Processing Hall to demonstrate the operation and explain the measuring principle behind the device.

High-quality jackets, blazers and ladies’ jackets can be recognized by the quality of the sleeve setting. The “sleeve setting“operation therefore plays a key role in the branch. The perfect sleeve setting will be ideally achieved with the new PFAFF 3834, Made by PFAFF in Germany“. Thanks to the revised feeding system with selectable roller pressers and the new, automatic thread tension regulation, the machine can be operated with even greater process reliability and simplicity. Sewing in of un-gathered sleeves has never been easier and more flexible.

Extreme wide range of applications – from lining up to heavy outer fabric
For the new PFAFF 3834 a thread tension control has been developed that automatically adjusts the thread tension to the material thickness currently being handled. The material thickness detection and real-time adjustment (360° monitoring) feature ensures optimum stitch formation, even when sewing over cross-seams and interlinings. By using the roller presser (running close to the needle), the material can be worked in with pinpoint accuracy. Optimal work with a clear view of the sewing material is assured. The new machine guarantees smooth seams and even stitches formation, especially when sewing sensitive and difficult fabrics.

New concept for the roller pressers – From lining up to heavy outer fabric
The coated roller presser comes as standard with the machine. Optionally, a cross-toothed roller presser is available, which significantly expands the machine’s range of applications. This means that the machine can be switched from fine, delicate fabrics to coarse/heavy, hard fabrics in seconds. Enclosed you see how simple it is to switch from coated to cross-toothed roller presser.

Further Features of the PFAFF 3834
• Stitch-length and fullness amounts in increments of 1/10 mm (within the seam areas the stitch length can be changed)
• Teach in seam programming – size is free selectable
• Mirrored seam for alternating left or right sleeve
• By entering the grading values the sewing programs for all sizes are called up automatically
• Select starting point of seam is possible

Maximum functionality – The touch control panel BDF-P1 of the PFAFF 3834
When sewing in sleeves, the dexterity of the operator plays an important role. The new PFAFF 3834 provides programmed and sensor-supported features that significantly reduce the workload of the user and lead to a better, more reliable sewing performance. These functions can be called up or changed via the control panel:
• Program number input (97 programs)
• Manual correction of the fullness
• Current thread tension value
• New: autom. thread tension regulation
• Manual alteration of the active thread tension value
• Basic stitch length
• Current seam segment length (in millimetre)
• Select garment size
• Automatic change from right to left sleeve is activated
• Display of the current segment

Working methods of sleeve setting ungathered sleeves with the PFAFF 3834:
Manual method: The operator activates the required fullness by a second pedal, and the fullness is indicated by a bar diagramm on touch-screen control panel. This is recommended for training on the machine and for small batches.

Programmed sleeve setting: The seams are programmed by the teach-in method while sewing in the right sleeve of a basic size. The fullness amounts and grading values are input by the operator. When the grading values are input, all sizes of a style are automatically saved. The same applies to programming the seam for the left sleeve. An automatic change switches from the right to left sleeve or vice versa.

The machine has an attractive price/performance ratio. It will delight producers of jackets, coats, uniforms. An output of approx. 170 jackets in 480 min. (ungathered sleeves, left/right) can be achieved with that new workplace.

The textile and apparel industries have become a vital contributor to the Indian economy over the years. According to IMARC Group, the market will reach $344.1 bn by 2027, growing at a CAGR of 14.8 percent between 2022 and 2027. Now to boost the industry’s growth, technologies play a very important role. This is the reason, why all major apparel manufactures have acknowledged the role of applying innovative techniques to help them remain ahead in today’s competitive markets. As a result, technology suppliers are striving hard to innovate and develop new technologies keeping with demands of the industry. In its continuous endeavour to provide the industry informative content, in the next few pages we are covering some of latest technologies introduced for apparel manufacturing…

Read More