Textile Insight

IN THE MARKET | COMPANY NEWS 14 • Textile Insight ~ January/February 2018 textileinsight.com A Round-Up of the Latest Industry Developments. Tech Designed to Spark Smart Apparel Development Stoll, Germany's leading 3D knitting machine company, and Myant, Inc., Canada's leading textile computing company, recently announced a strategic and exclusive collaboration to advance functional computing textile manufacturing in Canada and the U.S., with 500 state-of-the-art knitting machines from Stoll. Myant and Stoll share enthusiasm for what is known as "Industry 4.0," material science and technical applications for high quality products made in North America. Stoll and Myant will use this collaboration for all inquiry of the research, development and engineering of this new domain of functional computing textiles. Andreas Schellhammer, CEO, Stoll, says, "Our collaboration with Myant represents a completely new approach to smart textiles. The demand for smart fabrics has never been higher as companies race to create garments, wearables, industrial, defense, healthcare and household items to connect humans to the Internet of Things. Myant is leading the creation of a new economy in functional computing textiles with Stoll machines. They have the vision and the right interdisciplinary team to make this a global revolution." Tony Chahine, CEO Myant, says, "Myant and Stoll are taking a big step to democratize manufacturing and resuscitate a 'making' culture in Canada and the U.S." Chahine adds, "Our goal is to reduce the barriers to entry in textile innovation and production and promote collaboration between scientists, doctors, engineers, designers, students, and anyone with a creative idea. The Stoll machines will have a massive impact on commercialization in the smart textile industry, which is in need of disruption, and will help to speed up the prototyping to production cycle." The collaboration coincides with Myant's plans for expansion into the Canadian and American university- affiliated textile technology centers, featuring Stoll machines. Last Fall, Myant began manufacturing its own in-house brand, SKIIN, at a Toronto facility. SKIIN is a line of smart textile and apparel which includes underwear, bras, base layers, socks, mattress covers, seat covers, etc., that provide a direct conduit to the human body. SKIIN is described as comfortable, washable, seamless clothing that collects multiple data points from a single garment. The underwear prototype is currently being beta tested and will go to market next year. JRC-Reflex Advances Reflective with 3D Expanding its range of fancy light- reflecting materials, JRC-Reflex has developed new embossed motifs with three-dimensional effects. These also come with a wider array of colors for backing materials, including shades that match the season's trends. "We see these new references as useful to add a new twist to yoga wear and urban wear," says company CEO Céline Cugerone. To address the specific demands of bags and packs, JRC-Reflex has been working on improving the durability of its light-reflecting materials with a new reference in which the light reflecting coating is applied to a mechanical stretch fabric whose abrasion resistance has been improved. Compared to the French- Italian company's former range, this new reference is much more flexible, lighter and softer to the touch, properties that will enhance the performance and comfort of running and cycling bags. Coats Acquires Patrick Yarn Mill Global thread manufacturer, UK-based Coats has acquired Patrick Yarn Mill, maker of high-performance engineered yarns known for FR yarns and yarns made with recycled fibers under the earthspun label. Annual sales for Patrick Yarn Mill were reported $36.5M for 2016. Patrick Yarn Mill's unique spinning competencies in engineered performance yarns offer an opportunity to expand Coats' existing Performance Materials portfolio as well as to extend its innovation capability. Coats will support Patrick Yarn Mill's expansion into high-growth markets by leveraging Coats' geographic footprint, breadth of global customer relationships and strong corporate brand. Rajiv Sharma, group chief executive, Coats, said, "Patrick Yarn Mill is an exciting acquisition that supports a key aspect of our growth strategy: to identify innovation synergies that build scale in high technology sectors. We will be able to draw upon our demonstrable track record of successfully integrating bolt-on companies following our acquisitions in 2016, particularly that of Gotex, another company in this space, which is performing well under our ownership." Gilbert Patrick, president, Patrick Yarn Mill, said, "'Patrick Yarn Mill becoming part of the Coats family creates many opportunities for both companies as there is a lot of synergy between our product offerings and technology." O "Our collaboration with Myant represents a completely new approach to smart textiles." Andreas Schellhammer, CEO, Stoll "Patrick Yarn Mill is an exciting acquisition that supports a key aspect of our growth strategy: to identify innovation synergies that build scale in high technology sectors." Rajiv Sharma, group chief executive, Coats

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