The forthcoming Igatex textile machinery exhibition which takes place from December 1-4 at the Lahore Expo Centre is a must-attend event for Monforts, which already has many existing customers in Pakistan relying on its trusted finishing technologies.

Record exports

In the year to June 2022, Pakistan’s textile exports climbed by 25% to a record value of $19.3 billion according to the country’s Bureau of Statistics, as security of deliveries – especially to Europe and the USA – worked in the country’s favour, in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent supply chain issues.

“Pakistan’s textile exports were predicted to surge by a further 40% in the next year, but then came this summer’s terrible floods, which have been catastrophic for the country,” said Monforts Area Sales Manager Manfred Havenith. “Our hearts go out to all of those affected. In addition to the tragic loss of life, many hundreds of thousands of homes have been damaged or destroyed, while many public health facilities, water systems and schools have been destroyed or damaged. Businesses too, have been impacted, and in our limited capacity we will be doing all we can to help our customers who may be experiencing problems.”

The importance of the textile industry to Pakistan’s economy cannot be overstated – it accounts for 60% of the country’s overall exports and some of its industry’s players are very major employers – so it ihas a key role to play in quickly getting the country back on its feet after the devastation.

Monforts customers in the regions around the country’s three biggest cities of Karachi, Lahore and Faisalbad include all of the main players in the fields of home textiles and denim production, including Afroze, , Al Karam Artistic Milliners, Azgard-9, Crestex, , Gul Ahmed, Interloop, Liberty Mills, Lucky Textile Mills, Mustaqim, Naveena (NDL), Rajby Industries, Sapphire Finishing, Soorty, Style Textile and US Denim.

These companies rely on established Monforts technologies including Montex stentering equipment, Monfortex sanforizing units and  Thermex dyeing ranges. The company’s Matex Eco Applicator minimum application system has also proved a big hit in recent years.

Versatility

“During Igatex we will be emphasising the robustness and versatility of the Montex stenter for essential processes such as drying, stretching, heatsetting and coating,” said Havenith. “The Montex has become the industry standard for the fabric finishing industry, providing many advantages in terms of production throughput and especially in energy efficiency and savings.

“With energy prices rising steeply everywhere, features such as the MonforClean system, or the EcoBooster, in which waste heat from the drying process is used to pre-heat the drying air, are proving more invaluable than ever. Monforts can provide a range of further resource-saving and energy recovery options tailored to each individual line installation. We look forward to fruitful discussions on how we can meet the needs of our many mill partners during Igatex.”

Monforts has also achieved considerable success in Pakistan with its Econtrol®* dyeing system  – a most effective and established dyeing process. More than 40 Thermex continuous dyeing ranges have been installed in Pakistan in recent years and operator training on the Econtrol® process by sophisticated technologists is an additional service.

The Econtrol® pad-dry process has a number of immediate benefits. Compared to the common pad-dry-pad-steam process, no salt is used and no steamer is required for a separate fixation step. Compared to the pad-dry-thermofix process, no urea is used and no smoke or deposits are generated, and unlike with the cold pad batch process, direct feedback of the dyeing results ensures no batching time is necessary and guarantees good reproducibility from the lab to bulk production.

An immediate wash off is also unnecessary, allowing for flexible production planning. The process is suitable for pale to dark shades with very good fastness properties. Also waste water treatment is improved by this technology.

Anniversary

“There is no substitute for face-to-face conversations and our exhibitions team is greatly looking forward to meeting with customers old and new at Igatex,” said Monforts Marketing Manager Nicole Croonenbroek. “The occasion will be special, because we will be celebrating the 75th anniversary of our partner in Pakistan, Al Ameen, as well as the 40th anniversary of the cooperation between our two companies. Despite the heartbreaking hardship caused by the floods in Pakistan this summer, we will be doing all we can together to work towards a successful textile sector and hopefully a brighter 2023.”

* Econtrol is a registered mark of Dystar Colours Distribution GmbH.

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