Textile Insight

12 • Textile Insight ~ March/April 2018 textileinsight.com IN THE MARKET | COMPANY NEWS Industry Acquisitions, Products Launches & Personnel Updates New Owners for Sympatex Technologies A focus on sustainability and social responsibility makes for a good fit between Sympatex Technologies and the corporate culture defined by its new owners, the OTTO Group. After having successfully restruc- tured the Smart Solutions Holding (parent company of Sympatex Technologies GmbH) at the begin- ning of December 2017, and having evaluated the available purchase offers, the Munich manufacturer of functional textiles will be owned by members of the OTTO family, a statement by the company explained. Sympatex will operate as an independent company. No struc- tural or personnel changes are planned; the Sympatex company headquarters will still be located in Unterföhring near Munich. The U.S. office will remain in tact, con- firmed Derek Spingler, VP/director sales & marketing, is based in Massachusetts, who believes the new ownership should benefit Sympatex greatly. After the conclusion of a legally challenging period of bond restructuring, the company looks towards a promising future. "In Germany, no other name rep- resents credibility in terms of social and ecological corporate responsibility better than the OTTO family," explained Dr. Rüdiger Fox, CEO of Sympatex Technologies. "With our consis- tent alignment towards innovation for sustainable functional textiles, we cannot image a better choice. We are already looking forward to continue to enhance the rela- tions with the growing number of customers taking their ecological responsibility and the apparent future market requirements seri- ously," Fox added. O Coolcore introduces Fibr-X & Fuze Technology Coolcore has introduced a new single strand yarn that possesses the same thermal regulating per- formance as Coolcore's original multi-fiber technology. Called Fibr-X, the new product features proprietary cross section designs that wick and transport moisture while promoting a superior evapo- rative process without chemical additives or treatments. Greater design flexibility and speed to market are also key features. "While Fibr-X performs on par with Coolcore, as a single extruded fiber it reduces manufac- turing time and materials," states Dennis Ackroyd, Coolcore founder and chief technology officer. David Ludd, VP global marketing, adds, "The evolution of Coolcore's single yarn innovation gives our manufac- turing partners more flexibility to create garments, accessories and fabrics with all the Coolcore tech- nology benefits." Fibr-X yarn can be woven with other natural and synthetic fibers to create fabrics with additional performance characteristics or used alone to create high perfor- mance thermo-regulating items. In other news from NH-based company, Coolcore introduces Fuze silver and gold alloy technol- ogy, a water based topical fabric treatment, that permanently binds to fabrics providing odor control while enhancing UVA/ UVB protection, hyper-evapora- tion and cooling. Fuze is chemical-free and is comprised of all natural compo- nents with zero-waste during the manufacturing and application processes. The gold and silver alloys adhere permanently to the fabrics without altering their appearance or impeding their performance attributes. "Fuze works at a nano level, attacking bacteria as soon as it comes in contact with the fabric, killing odors," said Andrew Peterson, president of Fuze BioTech, LLC based in Salt Lake City, UT. Color Director Joins e.dye Management Team E.dye Waterless Color System has hired Simon Thayil as color director for the Portland, OR company. Previously Thayil served as director of color at Under Armour, and had color management responsibilities at JC Penney and Target. The e.dye Waterless Color System uses solution dyeing to achieve color that is inherent in the yarn. By adding the color before the polymer is extruded, the color is inside the yarn and remains permanent, there is no fading or bleeding out. The 160,000 square-foot e.dye Innovation Center is located in Kushan, China about 90 minutes from Shanghai. The three-story building houses management offices, test lab and pilot factory and has created detailed formulas for more than 3,800 vibrant colors using sophisticated mathematical formulas to define colors, and color consistency season after season. O Hornwood Welcomes New VP Operations Hornwood, Inc., Lilesville, NC, has tapped industry veteran Phillip Murrell as its new VP operations. Murrell's responsibilities include leading manufacturing operations, purchasing, planning, quality control, machinery and plant safety. Prior to his new post with Hornwood, Murrell spent the past two decades at Polartec, where he had responsibility for all global manufacturing operations. Murrell's textile experience looks to assist with continued growth and development of established and new Hornwood business segments. Hornwood specializes in American-made knit performance products for the apparel, military, automotive and medical market, for a range of cus- tomers including Under Armour, Nike, Adidas, General Electric, the Department of Defense, General Motors and Chrysler. O Unifi Names Sustainability Exec Unifi, Inc. has appointed Eddie Ingle to VP global corporate sus- tainability, in an effort to drive the company's eco-initiatives and establish a singular sustainability mission for the Greensboro, NC firm. In addition to these duties, Ingle takes on the role of GM for the Recycled Flake and Chip busi- ness, and continues as the VP of Supply Chain. Ingle started with Unifi in 1986 in Letterkenny, Ireland, moved to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, in 1991 to work for Unifi in the U.S., and over the years has held numer- ous leadership positions. O Dartex Coatings Acquired Dartex Coatings, Inc. has been acquired by Trelleborg Coated Systems, a business area of Trelleborg AB, Sweden. The Rhode Island transfer coater and custom laminator will continue to operate from existing premises and retaining its existing manage- ment team there. "This is a very exciting time in the development of the company, and as a management team we see this as a tremendous oppor- tunity to further consolidate the company's position as the world's leading specialist producer of tech- nical medical coated fabrics," said David Ripley, managing director of Dartex. "Dartex Coatings Inc. has been based in Rhode Island since the 1990s, and we remain com- mitted to maintaining this legacy of manufacturing and investment here." Trelleborg Coated Systems is based in Milan, Italy with the Trelleborg Group head office located in Sweden. O Simon Thayil, e.dye's new color director Sympatex Chiemsee Jacket

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