ANDRITZ starts up high-speed spunlace line supplied to Novi

ANDRITZ offers high-performance spunlace lines combining high production capacity at the highest speed available on the market with top web quality in terms of appearance and MD:CD ratio.

International technology Group ANDRITZ has successfully started up a new neXline eXcelle spunlace line at Novita, based in Zielona Gora, Poland. The line is dedicated to the production of a wide range of spunlace fabrics from 30 to 100 gsm and even down to 25 gsm for ultralight products, allowing Novita to enter the hygiene and medical markets with a total installed capacity of nearly 3,000 kg/h.

ANDRITZ has supplied its high-performance web forming system with two TT cards, its well-known hydroentanglement unit JetlaceEssentiel including the neXecodry energy saving system, water filtration and retreatment systems, and one neXdry double-drum through-air dryer. The complete spunlace line was commissioned very quickly, and the line reached 250 m/min after only a few weeks. Training sessions with ANDRITZ experts then enabled the Novita technicians to operate the line at a stable pace of 300 m/min.

For Novita, this is the first spunlace line with in-line configuration, allowing the company to access new markets. Radoslaw Muziol, CEO of Novita, said: “With the new ANDRITZ spunlace line, Novita is able to offer first-class spunlace roll goods with high-quality fabric characteristics and a customised product perfectly suited to hygiene end-uses.”

ANDRITZ offers high-performance spunlace lines combining high production capacity at the highest speed available on the market with top web quality in terms of appearance and MD:CD ratio. With ANDRITZ solutions, there are no compromises between speed and quality of nonwoven fabric characteristics.

ANDRITZ to supply PowerFluid circulating fluidised bed boiler in Japan

ANDRITZ has received an order from a joint venture between Toyo Engineering Corporation and Nippon Steel Engineering, Japan, to deliver a PowerFluid circulating fluidised bed boiler with a flue gas cleaning system. The boiler will be part of a new biomass power plant to be built in Omaezaki in Shizuoka Prefecture, Honshu Island, some 200 km southwest of Tokyo, Japan, for the Omaezakikou Biomass Power Plant. Commercial operations are scheduled to begin in mid-2023.

The PowerFluid boiler to be supplied by ANDRITZ features low emissions, high efficiency and availability, as well as high fuel flexibility. It forms an essential part of a high-efficiency biomass power plant for supply of green energy to the national grid. The biomass power plant fired with wood pellets and palm kernel shells as main fuels will generate around 75 MWel of power.

This is now the seventh order in two and a half years for supply of an ANDRITZ PowerFluid circulating fluidised bed boiler to the Japanese market. This confirms ANDRITZ’s comprehensive expertise and acknowledged competence in the biomass-fired fluidised bed boiler sector. ANDRITZ is one of the leading global suppliers of power boiler technologies and systems for generating steam and electricity from renewable and fossil fuels, with a large number of very successful references worldwide.

ANDRITZ innovative nonwovens production at INDEX ANDRITZ will be presenting its innovative nonwovens production and textile solutions at INDEX 2020 in Geneva, Switzerland, from March 31 to April 3 (booth 2114). The broad ANDRITZ product portfolio covers state-of-the-art nonwovens and textile production technologies such as air-through bonding, needlepunch, spunlace, spunbond, wetlaid, converting and textile finishing.

With the acquisition of ANDRITZ Diatec, ANDRITZ enlarged its product portfolio to include state-of-the-art converting lines for the hygiene, lamination, medical and food pad sectors. A wide range of special machines and technologies for the production of baby diapers and pants, adult incontinence underpants, adult diapers and pants, adult light incontinence products, sanitary napkins, panty shields, food pads, medical and laminating applications extend the supply and value chain of ANDRITZ. The converting process for hygiene products requires premium quality standards, high capacities, and top-level production efficiency by reducing labour costs and machine downtime. Every detail is essential. This is why customers can develop and run trials on ANDRITZ pilot facilities to optimise raw materials, roll goods and final product applications.

At INDEX 2020, ANDRITZ Diatec will present its new adult pants line, which offers top-class components and an innovative technology process. The growing market for adult incontinence products has resulted in a state-of-the-art process with highest quality standards, such as the development of ultrasonic side seam solutions with excellent results in terms of bond strength and system reliability. The machine speed no longer limits quality bonds. As a result, operations and size changes are faster and easier. The modern forming system for higher SAP concentration and the turning and placing system guarantee maximum process stability and put customers’ adult pants at the top of the adult hygiene market. Learn more at INDEX.

Sustainability is more than just a trend in the nonwovens industry. It is a serious responsibility for the entire world for the years and decades to come. The strong demand to reduce the use of plastics, save energy and increase efficiency is a clear innovation factor for the nonwoven industry and has led to newly developed production processes. ANDRITZ has always invested in future-oriented technologies that reduce the use of the various substances and raw materials required as well as cutting energy consumption. For the hygiene business, ANDRITZ provides first-class air-through bonding, spunlaid, spunjet, spunlace and WetlaceTM machines, as well as converting technologies and corresponding services to meet these demands for years to come.

One great highlight of ANDRITZ at INDEX will be the introduction of innovative technologies for the production of “green”/biodegradable products. Such processes for the production of biodegradable wipes are achieving high performance entirely with natural and/or renewable raw materials. The added benefit of using a blend of fibers, like wood pulp, short-cut cellulosic staple fibres, viscose, cotton, hemp, bamboo or linen, without chemical additives or binders results in a 100 per cent biodegradable fabric, thus meeting customers’ needs exactly as well as supporting the strong tendency to move away from plastics and synthetics.

In response to the demand to save raw materials, ANDRITZ will be presenting its neXline spunlace for lightweight fabrics. Decreasing weight per square meter while maintaining high MD and CD tensile strength is the main challenge. Indeed, fibers account for a substantial part of the production costs. Very high productivity is needed for the lighter fabrics required with perfect uniformity. ANDRITZ provides the well-known TT card web forming and the high-performance Jetlace hydroentanglement units that can more than fulfill these challenges. The spunlace roll goods may achieve weights of 25 gsm and even less for ultralight spunlace fabrics, and web uniformity is excellent.

Another highlight at INDEX will be the latest technology developments in the spunlaid sector. Besides the well-known calender technologies, ANDRITZ also delivers Spunjet technologies, finishing solutions, and state-of-the-art dryers. Customers can produce the exact fabric characteristics they need with superior ANDRITZ technologies. The patented nonwovens process called Spunjet is the in-line hydroentanglement of continuous filaments, creating a new generation of spunlaid nonwovens with unrivalled bulkiness and softness compared to standard spunbond fabrics. Spunjet offers customers the best properties ever achieved in existing and new nonwovens applications.

Total buy-back volume-160,000 shares

Percentage of capital stock-0.15 per cent

Highest amount per share- 37.00 EUR

Lowest amount per share- 31.90 EUR

Weighted average value of shares bought back-34.71 EUR

Total value of shares bought back-5,553,759 EUR

Termination of buy-back programme-Feb 3, 2020

In order to optimise processes and gain a faster return on investment, ANDRITZ is continuously developing innovative products, for example in the needlepunch segment with the brand new ProWin technology for profile weight correction. This unit combines the well-known technologies ProWid and ProDyn, enabling even better performance. By uniting these processes, customers have an even more homogeneous web and can reduce the input of raw materials. ProWin minimises the level of instantaneous acceleration as well as the maximum internal speeds. As a consequence, the same machine can run faster with less mechanical stress. ProWin can also be retrofitted to recent ProDyn installations.

ANDRITZ always has the customers’ needs in focus. With new development of the unique PA3000 pre-needleloom, ANDRITZ is responding to customer demands for higher capacities and lighter products. The PA3000 is an optimised cylinder pre-needleloom, which offers greater speeds and widths and has been specially developed for lighter webs. There is no friction between the web and the rolls, and there are no issues with the visual appearance.

In addition to further technological development of its machinery and equipment, ANDRITZ relies strongly on smart IIoT products and solutions developed in-house by ANDRITZ and marketed under its technology brand Metris. Metris products are specifically tailored to the needs of ANDRITZ’s customers and help them to achieve their goals in terms of productivity and sustainability. Metris products offer effective and intelligent methods to successfully digitalise industrial production processes, data are continuously analysed, and the machines, plants and their production operations are networked and optimised. At INDEX, ANDRITZ will highlight the benefits of the first industrial Metris installation.

Running complete lines calls for in-depth expertise in nonwovens technology, excellent service and prompt support. Most recently, ANDRITZ introduced the new 24/7 remote diagnostic service. Customers save time and money by obtaining fast support through this service. ANDRITZ remote assistance is based on three pillars: 24/7 service hotline, online diagnostics and augmented reality support. The dedicated teams of ANDRITZ experts supervised by customer care specialists are ready to assist customers with any mechanical, electrical, process and fully remote connection service – any time.

The resolution states that up to 1,000,000 shares – equal to 0.96 per cent of the company’s voting share capital – shall be purchased between August 2, 2019 and February 3, 2020. Lowest amount: proportional amount of the capital stock per share. Highest amount: The highest amount per share must not exceed 10 per cent of the average, unweighted closing price on the preceding 10 trading days.