Management group from major Chinese dyeing industry companies visiting Japan pay attention to Japan’s technology integrated management system.

The management group from major Chinese private dyeing industry companies visiting Japan headed by Mr. Xing Huilu, vice-director of the China Dyeing & Printing Association, arrived at Kansai Airport on August 20. The group visited each Japanese company according to the schedule made by IS Co., Ltd. (Senshoku Keizai), the host company. They visited Asahi Kako Hanwa Factory of Senshu, Hiyoshi-Sengyo in Wakayama, Hisaka Works in Osaka, Toshin Kogyo, Seiren Electronics and Takisada-Nagoya, and they deepened mutual exchanges with many Japanese manufactures at the Hotel New Otani Osaka. (See the August 30 issue of Senshoku Keizai Shimbun for details.)

Meeting with group visiting Japan from China held by IS They met with Japanese manufactures (Hotel New Otani Osaka)

Group visiting Japan from major Chinese dyeing industry visited
Hiyoshi-Sengyo to see how to cut down on color paste.

The group of management members from major Chinese private dyeing industry companies visiting Japan (headed by Mr. Xing Huilu) visited the dyeing firm of Hiyoshi-Sengyo in Wakayama.

During the tour, they were amazed that the residual amount of color paste was extremely small while the printing effect was excellent.

Many members paid attention to the squeegeeing speed which was more than double a conventional auto flat bed screen printing machine, and the number of workers required for one machine was less than half of that in China.

The group was surprised at high-speed printing, which was more than double that of a conventional printing machine.	Residual amount of color paste is extremely small after printing at Hiyoshi-Sengyo.

Asahi Kasei Fibers places new nonwoven PES on market.
Introducing equipment with production capacity of 2000 tons per year in 2007 autumn.

Asahi Kasei Fibers will place "Precisé," nonwoven polyester which has high uniformity and a superimposed structure of a few filaments with different grade of fineness on the market, and will introduce production equipment with a capacity of 2000 tons per year (width: 1.3m, weight: 12~150g/m²) in their Moriyama factory (Shiga prefecture) for Phase Ⅰ. They are making plans to establish more equipment in Phase Ⅱ and later, depending on expansion of demand.

According to Asahi Kasei Fibers, "Precisé" has polyester-specific heat resistance/high intensity/high rigidity, and can provide unprecedented performance and function for non woven fabric by enabling barrier controls with tiny fibers. In particular, it shows good effects in (1) fluid/powder barrier properties, (2) fine grain trap properties and (3) low pressure loss. Depending on use, they will produce one with heat-sealing characteristics.

It is suitable for industrial material areas (separation membrane support, various filter elements, acoustic material etc.), home material areas (food packing materials and dry packing materials) and medical areas (medical tape base material and highly-functional mask), utilizing those characteristics.

Toray to establish new PP spunbond company in Nantong, in China
from October 2006 and start operation from February 2008.

Toray will establish a new company in Nantong, China, which produces and sells highly-functional polypropylene filament nonwoven fabric (PP spunbond) and its higher-order processed products. The new company's name is "Toray Polytech (Nantong) Co., Ltd." (tentative name), and it will be established in the Economic and Technological Development Zone in Nantong city, Jiangsu, China in October 2006 and its operation is planned to start from February 2008.

This new company will introduce a state-of-the-art machine (production capacity: 18,000 ton/year) from a German nonwoven equipment manufacturer, and produce multilayered nonwoven fabric combineing spunbond and melt blown. Promoted uses will be mainly for hygienic goods such as papers diapers and sanitary napkins, medical uses such as surgical gowns and covers, industrial materials and agricultural materials.

Toyobo closes down UTI due to cost rises in Indonesia.

Toyobo has decided to halt operations at Indonesian textile affiliate P.T. UNILON TEXTILE INDUSTRIES　(UTI), and notified all local employees of its closedown and that they are being dismissed on August 23. UTI was established in 1970 as a joint venture with Toyobo, Itochu Corp. and a local company, and has carried out spinning, weaving and finishing of cotton and synthetic fiber blends. Since its establishment, business had been growing steadily, but in recent years, price competition intensified with the rise of China on the export market. Labor charges in Indonesia have been climbing remarkably since the Asian currency crisis in 1997, and energy costs have also been skyrocketing for several years, causing business performance to deteriorate in a severe situation.

Cost rises in Indonesia are expected to continue, and there is no good prospect for a turnaround of UTI which mainly manufactures standard textile goods, that led to the decision to closedown.

Hayashi Tricot Senko of Ashikaga files for bankruptcy on August 24.

Hayashi Tricot Senko of Ashikaga (President: Mr. Kunitoshi Hayashi) filed for bankruptcy at Tokyo District Court on August 24. Because of the rise in imports of overseas textile products, the amount of dyeing carried out has decreased significantly which has made it difficult to continue the business.

Mitsubishi Rayon raises price of plastic modifiers.

Mitsubishi Rayon will raise the price of "METABLEN," a MBS (methyl methacrylate butadiene styrene) resin-based plastic modifiers from September 1 shipments. The range of the price hike is 30 yen/kg for "METABLEN C type" and 20 yen/kg for acrylic monomer-based plastic modifiers, "METABLEN P, W, S types" and others.