picanol news sept09

PICANOL NEWSw

ww

.pic

an

ol.

be

Picanol NEWS SEPtEmbEr 2009

Picanol produces 50,000th Sumo main motor, p. 2

Picanol at Techtextil Mumbai 2009, p. 7

Advanced airjet technologies: the Adaptive Relay Valve Drive and the Airmaster, p. 8

Performance Partnership guarantees improved weaving results, p. 10

Picanol produces 50,000th Sumo main motor

2

Since 2000 all Picanol weaving machines have been fitted as standard with the Sumo main motor. The Sumo motor drives the machine directly, without belt transmission or clutch and brake. Its speed is variable and is electronically set and controlled. Automatic pickfinding and slow motion are also driven by the same motor. Picanol recently shipped its 50,000th weaving machine based on this extremely versatile SUper MOtor. To mark the occasion, here we take a closer look at its benefits.

All the advantages of a Switched Reluctance MotorThe Sumo motor is a Switched Reluctance Motor. This type of motor has wound field coils for the stator windings, as in a DC motor. The rotor however has no magnets or coils attached. The rotor of the motor aligns itself as soon as the opposite poles of the stator become energized. When the windings are energized in the correct sequence full rotation of the rotor is achieved. This sequence can also be reversed to achieve motion in the opposite direction.

Real technological breakthroughs are marked by substantial benefits for users and customers. Think of the introduction of reliable jet engines in civil aviation: this technology made it possible to reach far-away destinations faster, cheaper, more reliably and with more comfort. For the airliners, it greatly reduced operating costs and opened up a host of new opportunities. Today, air travel is unthinkable without jet aircraft.A similar kind of breakthrough was achieved with the introduction of the Sumo direct drive main motor back in 2000. At first there were many disbelievers, as people did not fully understand its impact on the field of weaving. Although it was introduced as an option by the end of 1998, Picanol soon decided to make the system standard.

ImagineThe Sumo direct drive technology swept away a whole lot of difficulties and costs related to the older technology it replaced, namely the asynchronous motor and clutch combination.

Imagine a greatly simplified drive train, reducing the number of gears, bearings and sealing rings by a factor of 40% and resulting in 25% lower energy consumption. Imagine eliminating all wearing parts in the drive train, reducing the maintenance cost by 20 to 40% as there are no more V belts, timing belts, chains, friction brakes, clutches, frequency converters, cooling fans or auxiliary motors for slow motion (a typical clutch-brake combination costs more than 1000 euros to overhaul every 5 years).

Simply set crossing times and speed changes from the displayImagine a machine where crossing timings are set from the display and where no more pulleys need to be changed in order to switch to another machine speed: with the Sumo the intermediate gear between motor shaft and harness drive can be disconnected while the Sumo motor slowly turns a couple of degrees forward, changing the crossing timing while engaging again. It takes

Resolver

Sumo

N R

Sley

Resolver

Sumo

N R

Sley


3

just 14 seconds, compared with

about 20 minutes or so with the

old technology. The same applies to

speed changes, which are carried out from

the display immediately, whereas changing speed pulleys takes more than 15 minutes at best. Furthermore, with the Sumo it is possible to program the speed according to the weave pattern, opening up a wide range of possibilities to improve weaving efficiency and productivity.

Save thousands of euros on partsImagine not having to keep parts for slow motion, slow motion chains, pickfinding motors on the dobby or expensive frequency converters, because they are all replaced by the Sumo direct drive, representing several thousand euros worth of stock items.

Sumo direct drive technology offers a whole range of new features and advantages, and the list is still growing as customers venture into new markets.

Take full advantage of electronicsImagine being able to let the machine determine its own optimum speed, depending on insertion parameters, thus increasing your production by at least 5% on average! Imagine being able to stop the machine always at the same preset position, regardless of pattern, thanks to the Sumo actively increasing or decreasing power during stopping. This makes starting marks easier to solve, since the stop and start behavior of the machine is not influenced by wearing parts such as brakes, clutches or V belts.

Cut down the costs of aircoImagine further reducing the heat load of the weaving room by connecting the oil circuit to a water cooling unit. Thanks to the fact that the lubrication oil passes through the unique double Sumo motor housing and through the dobby, up to 60% of the heat from the machine can be evacuated outside the weave room at low cost, making it possible to reuse the existing airco installations designed for older (and slower) machines, cutting airco costs by a factor of 2.

You may ask, how does this technological marvel function, and how exactly are these breakthroughs achieved? More than 1,400 customers have already discovered the benefits and use them to their advantage every day. They also realize that their installed base of weaving machines has a higher re-sale value thanks to the Sumo direct drive at the heart of their investment. Even more versatility and higher productivityThe Picanol weaving machines are very versatile in that many different yarn types and yarn counts can be used. The Sumo motor further extends this versatility, making it possible to continually adapt the machine speed pick by pick to match the strength of the filling yarn. Thanks to this system it is no longer necessary to keep the machine speed continuously low if there is one weaker filling yarn in the fabric. On an ordinary rapier weaving machine, for instance, if a 6-color pattern contains one weaker yarn, this determines the machine speed and the other five wefts run at the speed of the weaker yarn. With the Sumo on the other hand, this single weft is treated gently at a lower speed, and after its insertion the machine returns to full speed production. All this takes place in just a few milliseconds. Or in terms of degrees, during the 60° that the gripper is outside the shed the machine speed can jump up or down by 300 rpm! In most cases the speed variations don’t have to be so big, so even with 25° of turn the machine is able to reach standard speed with 100% accuracy, digitally controlled. Furthermore, the tedious job of changing pulleys is now a thing of the past. The motor runs from slow motion to top speed by simple electronic control: no more pulleys needed! With a frequency inverter, the speed variations are limited to about 20%.

4

No separate motors for slow motion or pickfindingSeparate hydraulic or electric motors are no longer required for slow motion or pickfinding. Slow motion now simply means that the main motor runs at a slow speed. There is no need to disengage clutches or gears. For pickfinding the motor is simply moved so the gear on the motor shaft runs freely in the gear that drives sley and gripper, and engages only with the gear on the cam, dobby or jacquard shaft. There is no reed movement, which significantly reduces the number of marks in the fabrics. Higher fabric qualityWith the Sumo motor, a speed change is not spread over several picks, as is the case when using a conventional motor with frequency inverter. So there is no unwanted variation in pick density anymore. With the Sumo, a speed increase within a pick will never affect the appearance of the fabric. No more starting marksThe Sumo also brings the era of starting marks to an end. The electronic control makes it possible to manage the characteristics of the motor during start and stop. The conventional clutch/brake system causes a rather drastic transition to standard speed, due to opening and closing of the clutch or engaging the brake. With the Sumo, there is no more clutch, no more brake, no more transient peaks. The stop and start are nice and smooth.

Less electronics maintenance Picanol is a leader in weaving machinery electronics. We made sure that the Sumo drive was designed for industrial use. The Sumo easily withstands fluctuations in supply voltage and frequency. In fact the design itself has nothing to do with voltage or frequency, so these cannot have any effect on the working of the motor. A conventional motor with frequency inverter is controlled by the continuous opening and closing of two switches in series. If the moment of switching is disturbed even slightly, the switches close at the same time, causing a short circuit and making the control box burn out. Unfortunately this is a common problem with frequency inverters. The Sumo on the other hand controls the speed by opening and closing just one switch and is protected by a passive element, a 100% short circuit-proof control. The stator and rotor construction of the motor is also quite different from conventional systems, and furthermore results in safer operation. The windings of the stator coils on the Sumo are parallel, not overlapping as with conventional motors. With a conventional motor, the mechanical vibrations caused by the running of the motor make the windings rub against each other. This wears out the insulation and leads to breakthrough. Or in other words, a conventional motor is liable to burn out. Even more cost savingsInverters are slow compared to the Sumo, and relatively expensive to use. An inverter consumes about 10% more energy while it is activated! By using the Sumo you save 10% energy, and another 10% when comparing to a conventional motor with frequency inverter. In all, you gain up to 20%! With the Sumo, it is possible to vary the speed for every pick, continuously. This doesn’t cause overheating. We tested this: an OptiMax with Sumo motor running at 400 rpm with amplitude constantly varying between -200 and +200 rpm every 4 picks took more than 5 hours before its oil temperature increased by 1°C! The Sumo motor is oil cooled, so there is no fan causing dust to accumulate or disturbing insertion with its airflow.


5

A year and a half after being set up in January 2008, Picanol India is now well established with three branches offering a comprehensive range of services to the Indian textile industry. “I am very happy that we have managed to build such a solid organization and get up to full speed in the space of a year,” says Mr. P. Kasiviswanathan, Head of Indian Operations.

The head office is located in Delhi, with two other branches in Mumbai and Coimbatore respectively. In addition there is a residential service engineer covering Gujarat, with three people available around the clock stationed in Ahmedabad. Sales in Gujarat are handled from Delhi. The total strength of Picanol India is 30 people, all of them very experienced. Hence it is a small but highly efficient organization.

Each office is staffed by sales and service people catering to the respective region and also ready to move all over India if need be to deal with any service calls. Picanol India additionally supplies GTP accessories such as heddles, droppers, reeds etc. for all types of weaving machine.

Having a dedicated organization to serve the Indian market offers many advantages for customers in terms of speed and quality of service. Offers for spare parts are made the same day from the Delhi office for all customers in India. Also, offers for the machines are issued from India now, thus ensuring greater responsiveness to market demand.

The head office has a full electronic repair station. Electronic prints sent for repair are taken based on priority so that no machines are idle due to prints.

The basic approach of the Picanol India team is to act as a solution provider for customers, not just selling machines. Customers for their part are appreciative of Picanol being present

permanently in India. Indeed, this initiative by Picanol indicates its intention to stay in India for ever! In today’s uncertain climate, customers are reassured by having a local partner they can rely on.

In the meantime, market penetration has improved dramatically as the Picanol India team is dedicated solely to Picanol products. India became a top market for Picanol in 2008, thanks to the unwavering faith shown by Indian weavers despite the difficult economic climate.

Technological evaluation of Picanol’s latest OMNIplus 800 and OptiMax airjet and rapier machines has shown beyond doubt that they are versatile and flexible to meet the ever-changing demand. Faced with an uncertain future in which we must expect the unexpected, this flexibility and responsiveness are all-important.

In 2008 Picanol took orders from India for about 700 machines in spite of the recession that started in the middle of 2008 and continued into 2009. The Picanol India team continued its efforts with major groups in getting orders in 2009 as well. P. Kasiviswanathan emphasizes: “The major positive point is that Picanol's market share has improved dramatically in India, both in airjet and in rapier looms. This shows continued acceptance of our brand name in the Indian textile industry, and I am very happy with the team effort delivered by my Picanol India members within such a short span of time.”

Picanol India builds up market share

The electronic print repair team

Picanol will present its latest weaving solutions for technical fabrics at Techtextil in Mumbai, from 10 to 12 October 2009. Certainly for weavers who want to get the most out of technical fabrics, Picanol weaving machines provide the platform for staying ahead. Techtextil Mumbai is a good opportunity to discover what Picanol has to offer specifically for this niche market.

In 1995 Picanol re-entered the specialty markets with a tire cord airjet weaving machine built at Günne, Germany. This development came after a 10-year period of redefining Picanol's strategy based on two new technologies: airjet and fast rapier. Between 1975 and 1985, Picanol slowly abandoned the highly successful flying shuttle technology.

In an established market dominated by a small number of players, a new entrant has to formulate its own strategy. Picanol decided to use its proven strengths to be successful in the demanding field of technical textiles.

Technologically, the OMNIplus 800 airjet and the OptiMax rapier platforms are both state-of-the-art and very recent in comparison with competitors’ machines. Picanol also has a much more extensive customer base, as it produces about five times more units per year than its closest competitor and has been in business for over 70 years. Weavers venturing into new markets particularly appreciate the excellent price/performance ratio for their upcoming investments when choosing Picanol.

As for services, our local staff too are continously trained on new developments, so that technical

advice and installation of machines for more demanding fabrics do not pose any difficulties.

As a frontrunner in innovation when it comes to textile machinery, Picanol dedicates 30% of its product management capacity to technical textiles. An equal part of the R&D effort is devoted to novelty applications. New developments that serve real customer requirements can be brought to market very rapidly.

In the last couple of years, Picanol has developed technically advanced solutions in fields such as tire cord, conveyor belts, canvas, industrial glass, monofilaments, decatizing cloth, one-piece-woven airbags, awnings, spinnaker, medical textiles, coating fabrics, high-speed leno weaving, car seats etc.

Picanol always pays attention to user-friendliness and modularity, and indeed it pioneered the Quick-Style-Change system.

With the present OMNIplus 800 and OptiMax platforms, customers are not left floundering when market requirements change. These platforms are highly modular, so that when e.g. jacquards are needed instead of dobbies, this and similar retrofits can be done without much effort. In the latest development, a rapier machine weaving leno fabrics can be converted to standard harness movements in a matter of hours.

Picanol at techtextil mumbai 10-12 October 2009Bombay Exhibition Center, Hall 1, booth E14

6

The Picanol India team on the occasion of the ITMA Bangalore exhibition


7

Airmaster saves costs on OMNIplus and OMNIplus 800 airjets

Compressed air accounts for a significant share of the fabric cost on airjet machines. AirMaster enables weavers to keep this cost under control, with real-time measurement and monitoring of air consumption. AirMaster makes it possible to fine-tune machine performance, for optimum economy.

Working principleAirMaster is a software module which allows air consumption measurement as well as leakage and clogging detection. AirMaster processes the information from an electronic air consumption meter. This meter is available in either an integrated version or a stand-alone tool version.

Besides real-time air consumption measurement, AirMaster can also carry out a testing procedure during which all insertion elements are checked.

Advantages- Monitoring and managing of the air

consumption- Maximum air consumption for a specific style

can be set- Possibility to fine-tune the air consumption- Detection of leakages or clogging, allowing

the user to carry out timely repair and avoid unnecessary costs.

AirMaster is avaible for all OMNIplus and OMNIplus 800 airjet weaving machines.

PATENT

PENDING

0,5 Nm3/h

1,6 Nm3/h

2,55 Nm3/h

6 Nm3/h

8

Adaptive relay Valve Drive (ARVD): another energy saving feature on OMNIplus 800 airjets

Adaptive Relay Valve Drive (ARVD) automatically adapts the closing timing of the relay nozzle valves to the behavior of the filling yarn. Instead of applying one setting for all the different picks, ARVD applies the best relay valve timing for each individual pick, thus reducing the overall air consumption.

At each insertion cycle, the winding timings from the prewinder are compared with a reference value by the machine's microprocessor. Since the filling insertion speed varies from one pick to another, it is not necessary for the relay nozzles to blow for the same amount of time at each pick. Consequently, the machine adapts the closing timings for the relay nozzle valves automatically. For a fast pick, the relay nozzle valves do not stay open very long (yellow blocks on the insertion graph). For a slow pick, the relay nozzles stay open longer (yellow + black blocks on the graph). This is done from the second relay nozzle valve onwards. The black area on the insertion graph shows the saving on air consumption.

The decrease in air consumption reduces the energy cost. The example shows the savings per machine per year, depending on the reduction gained by ARVD. Below is a graph that shows the savings based on the following data:- 0.0655 EUR/kWh- 95% Overall efficiency- 7800 working hours per year

On this graph different lines are given. Each line represents a percentage saving on air consumption: 8, 10, 12% etc. If we draw a vertical line from an air consumption on the X-axis (e.g. at 80 Nm³/h) we get an indication of the yearly saving in euros at the point where this vertical crosses the lines of different ARVD percentage savings. The value of the yearly saving in euros can be read on the Y-axis. For example, a vertical through the 80 Nm³/h value on the X-axis crosses the blue line (10% saving) at the value corresponding to savings of approx. 4400 euros.

Fewer filling stops Because of less blowing on the filling yarn, there are less broken picks.An additional advantage is that the type of filling stops changes, so that Pick Repair Automation (PRA) has a higher success rate!


9

Various weavers have recently joined us in a Performance Partnership. They achieved a significant improvement in weaving performance right from the start, with a big increase in A-grade quality cloth and improved machine efficiency. Picanol is on the lookout for more partners.

The new partnership concept guarantees a win-win situation for both sides. The customer and Picanol share common goals: the customer wants to improve his output, while Picanol wants to ensure that the customer obtains maximum benefit from Picanol's high quality of design and manufacture, in order to secure investments in Picanol machinery. To this end, both parties take initiatives to increase the total first-quality output of the customer's weaving mill. A key aspect of the program is that the results have to be measurable: the improved performance is defined in terms of average machine efficiency and output of A-grade fabric per unit of time.

The new Performance Partnership concept takes the form of a service level agreement between a weaving mill and Picanol. The desired outcome of the agreement is clearly defined beforehand, and the performance-based terms of the agreement reflect the willingness of both customer and Picanol to meet those targets. The agreement typically runs from one to three months, and is supported by up to three Picanol technicians.

New Performance Partnership guarantees improved weaving results

10

Case studySituation: a Central American customer, running more than 100 OMNI and OMNIplus machines, weaving denim at 700 rpm. In close cooperation with the customer, we were able to raise the efficiency by 5% and the amount of A-grade by 22%. This was achieved by first carrying out an extensive audit on a limited number of machines, which took two weeks. Armed with the results of this audit, we starting working on a limited number of machines over a period of one month, proving our ability to raise the quality and quantity of the output. Once this was successful, in close cooperation with the customer we drew up an action plan for applying the program to the entire mill.

We then started an extensive training program for all people in the mill, in which the mill personnel learned to implement the Picanol improvements on all the machines. This took about another month.

This all-in approach resulted in a weekly benefit for the customer of more than USD160,000. The payback period was less than one month!

How we do it Capturing the needs of the customerDuring the first phase, the Picanol people set out to capture the needs of the customer, in order to focus on the areas that bring the most benefit. The most crucial step in the service partnership is to estimate the possible improvements. This is done by an experienced Picanol technician, based on data collected during an audit and on the experience of the auditor. The result of the audit is a brief report covering the condition of the mill and of the machines, an overview of the parameters measured, an estimate of the possibilities for improvement (which are the base for the performance-based terms of the agreement) and a proposal for an action plan.

Improving a small group of machinesOnce the technician has audited the condition of the machines and captured the situation in clear data, he can make the first improvements on a small group of machines. After two weeks the new situation is evaluated and the results are compared with the target figures. Adjustments may be necessary at this stage to ensure that all subsequent targets are met according to schedule.

Extending the improvements to all machines Upgrading the overall situation in the weaving mill starts with a roll-out of improvement actions on all machines. In this phase the Picanol technicians focus on training the operators: the Picanol support for weaving mill personnel is vital, to ensure that the improved results are sustainable. At a later stage, improvements can be made to the organization of the mill.

Final evaluation and follow-upAfter implementing all improvements over the whole mill, the final situation is evaluated and compared with the targets. To ensure that the improvements are sustained over time a concluding visit is planned two months after the final evaluation. A report is submitted to the customer, including the final figures, the conclusions of the performance partnership and an overview of further improvements that may be possible.


11

P@rtsLine The streamlined e-solution for your spare parts business

The P@rtsLine internet application lets you check details and order the latest spare parts and Weave Up products with just a few clicks. It shows you all the current promotions and enables you to look at spare parts details, manage your own parts lists, request quotations and place orders. Never before has managing your spare parts business been so user-friendly.

Search functionThe search function enables you to search for any spare part using the part number or its description. Our database contains more than 40,000 different spare part items. For any selected part, you can request a detailed breakdown indicating whether a certain part is a stock or a discrete part, which gives an idea of its availability. The detailed view can also contain a picture for easy reference, which helps to avoid ordering wrong parts.

Managing parts listsWith the parts lists management tool you can create new parts lists and edit existing ones. You can upload your own MS Excel parts lists directly into P@rtsLine. Your list is instantly converted into a P@rtsLine list with the corresponding part numbers and quantities and is ready for further editing or saving.

Requesting quotations and placing ordersP@rtsLine automatically guides you through the different steps of quotation and order creation. The ‘Check price & availability’ button immediately gives you the correct price of your selected parts, together with availability information.

www.picanol.com

History Busy managing parts lists and sending orders, and no time to keep track of all your activities? Don’t worry! P@rtsLine keeps track for you. Clicking the ‘History’ link gives you a clear overview of your sales orders. All details such as the date of request, origin and status are indicated.

RepairDo you have an item that needs to be repaired? With P@rtsLine you can create your own repair order. Just look up the part numbers in our database and add them to your list. After sending the order, you are instantly informed of your sales order number and the RMA number (Return Material Authorization). By including this RMA number on your shipment to Picanol, we have all the information needed and your parts are directly transferred for repair.

P@rtsLine is an essential tool for the modern weaving mill, enabling you to organize your spare parts business more efficiently. Ask your local agent or sales manager for more information, or write to [email protected] to request your personal ID and password.

12


13

OptiMax, the most advanced flexible rapier machine, is built to a modular design. This means that functional groups on the machine are strictly separate, electrically and mechanically. One functional group can be swapped for another without having to drill holes or rewire the machine. For the weaver this makes it easy to change functional groups, for example from dobby to jacquard or from single beam to split beam. Such changes may be necessary to cope with sudden changes in demand.

For high-speed leno weaving the OptiMax weaving machine can be equipped with an Optileno module. To convert it to e.g. cambox operation, the module as a whole is removed and can be stored for later use. The conversion takes about 4 hours. The same time is needed to put the Optileno module back into operation.

This comes in very handy as many weavers do not use the high-speed leno system all the year round. The older leno system, based on leno heddles, is also very easy to change, but lacks the high-speed potential of the Optileno. In the past, some weavers have refused leno orders because the production speed was less than half that of their other style. Not any longer with Optileno! Optileno is mainly used to produce open fabrics made of multifilament, PP tape, monofilament or glass fiber.

Picanol delivered the first modular Optileno installation for fine E-glass styling, ranging from 34 to 300 Tex. The module can be stored with the warp ends still drawn in the module for faster start-ups.

More modular systems on OptiMax flexible rapier machines

Technical fabrics

‘Conversion to light rapiers’ is a WeaveUp Value Pack for GTM, GTXplus, Gamma and GamMax rapier weaving machines. It allows problem-free conversion from existing to light grippers. The light rapiers can be used for practically all types of filling. The Conversion to light rapiers kit is complete: it contains a set of grippers and tapes, drive wheels, openers and slide.

Advantages•Thankstotheirsimplicityinconstruction

and operation these grippers require no settings, fewer parts and are less expensive than the previous ones.

•Lessweight(15%),resultinginlesswearandtear on all the drive components.

•Smallerinsizethanthepreviousgrippers,allowing smaller shed size.

•Duetotheuniqueconstructionofthelefthand gripper, the filling entry is smooth and simple, requiring less filling tension.

•Thefillingclampingzoneissmall,super-polished and thus very effective for the majority of filling types.

•Excellentprovenperformance.

14

Conversion to light rapiers

New, light rapier head: new design, smaller, lighter, special surface treatment

Standard rapier head

New, light rapier head: new design, smaller, lighter, special surface treatment

Standard rapier head


15

Customer focus

The Nile Linen Group - EgyptHousehold textiles

Nile Linen is a fully vertically integrated textile mill, from yarn to finished shop-ready product, specialized in household textiles. As such it is a leading exporter of bed and table linen fabrics. This relatively young company was founded in 1996 by Said Ahmed, who started as a trader in textile goods. He was very successful and decided to start producing his own fabrics instead of buying them in.

Nile Linen is located in the Ameriyah Free Zone, near Alexandria, which means that its activities are 100% export-oriented. It has more than 80,000 square meters of production facilities including weaving preparation, weaving, finishing and dyeing, confection and packing. About 1200 employees ensure an output of more than 100,000 running meters daily which go directly to the customers’ shelves. Under the company’s expansion plans the annual production will be increased from the current 24 million running meters to 30 million.

The new generation of Mr. Said’s family is set to assure a successful and sustainable future for Nile Linen: with his son Ashraf Said Ahmed in charge of sales the company is gaining market share, and helped by a young and aggressive team it is enjoying year-on-year growth of 20-25%.

A wide range of counts is used, from coarse to fine threads up to Ne 100/1, both in warp and in weft. Egyptian long staple cotton, sometimes in combination with polyester, delivers the kinds of fabrics preferred by luxury and up-market brands around the world. Nile Linen

supplies two main market segments, namely the hospitality market, where its products go to 5-star hotels, and the retail market, where it supplies major department stores.

In the weave shed there are 230 weaving machines (all Picanol) producing top quality household fabrics. Nile Linen and Picanol go back a long way, and the company now has a large variety of Picanol weaving machines, ranging from Gamma to GamMax. It recently re-confirmed a new order for 18 Optimax rapier weaving machines equipped with electronic jacquard. The airjet weaving section is equipped with the latest OMNIplus 800 machines.

Picanol is honored to be the preferred supplier of Nile Linen, the largest private producer of household fabrics in Africa and Europe.

16

High-tech Steel Heddle® harness frames

For high-speed weaving and weaving without center support!

Yarns of all varieties, fine and coarse, natural and synthetic, run through your frame. With blinding speed the frame weaves your fabric, a thousand picks per minute, in consistent quality. The stress and vibration it endures is enormous. Yet, if it is a Steel Heddle® frame, long-lasting, perfect weaving performance is guaranteed. Meter after meter. Saving your time, your investment and your profit.

High-tech production process … for the most reliable weaving performanceSteel Heddle® is the leading supplier of long-lasting high-performance frames. Through our sophisticated and unique production process, maximum precision and most accurate dimensions of the harness frames are guaranteed. The result is a high-quality and reliable Steel Heddle® harness frame, giving 100% satisfaction, meter after meter.

High level performance … at blinding speedsSteel Heddle® airjet and rapier frames are well-known for their distinctive features. These include the patent-pending glued heddle rod and the patented flexible corner connection system (R-flex) for less frame breakage, as well as the unique and patented integrated heddle damper for less heddle vibration. These features allow highest weaving speeds on narrow widths - over 1200 rpm - as well as the best weaving performance on wide widths, even without center support, up to 540 cm!

Take your profit! You too can achieve successful weaving by choosing the right and reliable accessories. Higher fabric quality, productivity and cost savings are possible on any airjet or rapier weaving machine with GTP – Steel Heddle® accessories.

GTP … the true Textile Partner With over 110 years of expertise in developing innovative weaving accessories for technical textiles and other textile segments such as leno and narrow fabric, GTP can help you to get best performance out of your loom in a cost-efficient matter. With more than 2000 valued customers around the globe and sales & service offices in the biggest textile markets worldwide, GTP proves to be a true partner. You can find the GTP representative near you on www.globaltextilepartner.com or contact us at [email protected].


17

When Europe was on the verge of the first world war, in 1914, a textile mill called Cia. Agro Fabril Mercantil was founded at the other side of the Ocean. It was located in the first industrial zone of the Brazilian Northeast, in the arid region of Alagoas. The company’s first spools came from Finland and its raw material - cotton - from Egypt. Later on, the plant started to use locally produced Seridó cotton.

With the expansion of the company, the small and quiet village of Pedra became more prosperous. Telegraph stations were installed, runways built, and the first cars appeared. During its first year, the company employed over 800 men and women and produced a daily output of over 2,000 bobbins of threads for sewing, lacework and embroidery. Gradually it increased its production and started supplying the Latin American markets, including Argentina, Chile and Peru.

In 1992, the Carlos Lyra Group became the major shareholder of this textile plant facility. Dr. Carlos Lyra renamed the company FÁBRICA DA PEDRA S/A Fiação e Tecelagem, in homage to Vila da Pedra. Today it can look back on almost one century of being the Brazilian benchmark in household textiles. Where in the beginning the activities were mainly in the field of spinning, da Pedra

expanded over the years and now disposes of one of the most performing vertically integrated textile chains in Brazil: from bale opening to finishing and confection.

Today some 22.800.000 m² of high end fabric is produced each year – a line of products totally adapted to the needs of the bed linen, tablecloth and shirts manufacturing industry. The finished products find their way to luxury home deco stores, not only in Brazil but also all over Mercosur and Europe.

One of the secrets for this success is the constant quest of da Pedra for quality on all levels and stages. As such, the company holds the ISO 9002 certificate and has a quality audit team continuously working on opportunities for improvement: personnel training, qualification & motivation, certification of suppliers, cost evaluation of non-conformity, process control, etc.

Picanol is proud to take the weaving part in this textile production chain for its account. 55 Picanol OMNIplus 800 airjets in weaving widths of 280 and 340 cm produce fine percale at an efficiency of 96% and above.

Customer focus

Fabrica da Pedra S/A - Brazil

Da Pedra’s Executive Director, Mr. Joaquim Lyra

18

Please keep me on the mailing list for the paper version of Picanol News.

Please put me on the e-mailing list for the electronic version of Picanol News.

If you want to receive the following issue of Picanol News, please fill in this form and return it to us.Mr./Mrs.:

Company:

Job title:

E-mail address:

Postal address:

Please fill in and return by mail to Picanol News, Ter Waarde 50, 8900 Ieper, Belgium or by fax to +32 57 222 001, or send your request and contact details by e-mail to [email protected].


19

Picanol News is the newsletter

of

Picanol nvTer Waarde 50

BE-8900 Ieper

Belgium

Tel. + 32 57 222 111

Fax + 32 57 222 001

www.picanol.be

www.picanolgroup.com

[email protected]

Chief editor: Erwin Devloo

Subscriptions: Picanol News is free; if you

want to be added to our mailing list, please

fill in the subscription form and return it to

us, or subscribe on-line at www.picanol.be.

picanol news sept09

Business

sumo motor slowlyturns

motor shaft

asynchronous motor

type of motor

dc motor

display main motor

sumo direct drive changes

weaving machine