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<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nCDL KNITS \/ TROPIC KNITS in Mauritius strike a new path in textile finishing<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n The TROPIC KNITS Group located in Mauritius is with 3.000 employees one of the biggest producers of <\/span>high-quality fine knit garments in the Indian Ocean. Well-known international brands from Europe, U.S. <\/span>and South Africa are among the company’s most important customers since many years.<\/span> Pic 1: Main entrance at TROPIC KNITS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n The textile industry has changed very much particularly in the past years, not least caused by a changed <\/span>consumer behavior: increased online shopping, shorter production lead-times, fast fashion cycles and <\/span>quick turnaround for new collections coupled with high quality customer demands at the right price.<\/span> Since quite a long time the operations and finishing team of CDL KNITS has been looking for leaner production <\/span>processes that would lead to further savings in terms of resources and energy for the company.<\/span> Pic 2: New BR\u00dcCKNER line for knitted fabric at CDL KNITS, Mauritius<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n At the end of the stentering zone a selvedge cutting device is installed. With minimum tension the fabric <\/span>is then fed on to a specially coated transport belt leading into the 4-zone relaxation dryer. The fabric is <\/span>dried with an optimized air control concept and it is relaxed due to the tumble-like movement so that <\/span>the residual shrinkage is reduced to a minimum. The individually adjustable air flow in the dryer and the <\/span>wet spreading and shrinkage in the stentering zone allows to influence the quality features such as <\/span>shrinkage, fabric width and fabric surface to the optimum. The curling of edges in the dryer is prevented <\/span>by a systematic and selective arrangement of the circulating air. This new technology allows to save <\/span>previously required expensive process steps.<\/span><\/p>\n Pic 3: View of the stentering zone in front of the relaxation dryer<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n BR\u00dcCKNER\u2019s Technical Director for Mechanical Design, who is an expert for the finishing of knitted fabric <\/span>at the same time, wanted to assure himself that the recently developed concept is performing perfectly.<\/span> Pic 4: 4-zone relaxation dryer in the new line for knitted fabric of CDL KNITS<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n But there are some more aspects which made CDL KNITS<\/strong> invest in a BR\u00dcCKNER<\/strong> line. The state-of-the-art <\/span>lines of the German machinery producer are very robust and durable. Spare parts and support are available <\/span>for all machines, even if they are 20 or 30 years old. In addition the machines are produced 100% <\/span>in BR\u00dcCKNER’s<\/strong> own plant in Tittmoning \/ Bavaria, in Germany and they are always tailor-made to the<\/span> The TROPIC KNITS Group<\/strong> is part of the FINE KNITS cluster of CIEL TEXTILES<\/strong> which is also located in Mauritius.<\/span> and organise different activities such as free medical check-ups, planting of trees, cleaning of the <\/span>environment, awareness on drugs and diseases and also distribute food and school materials to the <\/span>needy. In September 2017, CDL KNITS was also awarded the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) Award <\/span>among the capital intensive units of CIEL TEXTILES.<\/span><\/p>\n
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\nAnd, in addition to that, the focus has been on sustainable production meaning compliance to environmental <\/span>standards and social compliance. These are the great challenges for TROPIC KNITS, the garment <\/span>division of the Group. The company achieves this among other things thanks to their excellent targetoriented, <\/span>customer focused and flexible team. CDL KNITS, a fully integrated knitting, dyeing and finishing <\/span>plant is the Fabric Mill division of the TROPIC KNITS Group. There, they have the ability to control the <\/span>complete production chain which allows rapid optimization of processes to improve fabric quality as per <\/span>customer demand.<\/span>
\nAt Forest Side in Mauritius, CDL KNITS is producing every day approximately 17 tons of knitted fabric out <\/span>of which 80% is assigned for TROPIC KNITS which converts them into garments. The rest is exported to <\/span>South Africa in open-width fabric form.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nDuring ITMA 2015 in Milan the first ideas were discussed with different textile machine manufacturers <\/span>and very soon their thoughts became a mature and solid concept. CDL KNITS manufactures a variety of <\/span>cotton fabric, cotton blends and viscose. The finishing line they operated at that time comprised a relaxation <\/span>dryer, a stenter and a compactor. The intention was to replace these three finishing machines by <\/span>only one line without compromises regarding quality. In the beginning this seemed to be rather unrealistic <\/span>on a technical point of view.<\/span>
\nThe German textile machinery producer BR\u00dcCKNER TEXTILE TECHNOLOGIES kept their ears open to the <\/span>concept. An intense exchange of insights began, new ideas were discussed and several fabric trials were <\/span>performed in the BR\u00dcCKNER Technology Centre in Leonberg\/Germany. Together, a completely new machine <\/span>concept has been developed which CDL bought for their production site in Mauritius. Most important <\/span>was the mutual trust which has developed during the phase of conceptual design between <\/span>BR\u00dcCKNER and CDL KNITS. The excellent assistance by the complete BR\u00dcCKNER team, the technological <\/span>advice and the positive results of the trials in Leonberg were in the end convincing and crucial for the <\/span>purchase decision.<\/span>
\nThe new BR\u00dcCKNER line for knitted fabric which will in future replace CDL’s three finishing machines is <\/span>a special design: a relaxation dryer with pre-arranged stentering zone. Scroll rollers in the entry of the <\/span>line provide for the spreading of the fabric and skew straightening rollers for the reduction of spirality.<\/span>
\nAfter that the fabric is pinned on precisely directly behind a special selvedge spreading unit, so that the <\/span>selvedge waste is later reduced to a minimum. A non-lub vertical transport chain, developed particularly <\/span>for knitted fabric, transports the fabric through a ten-meter-long stentering zone. It is provided with a <\/span>selvedge gumming unit, comprising several IR dryers and further hot air dryers for a complete drying of<\/span>
\nthe gummed selvedges. Depending on the process and the fabric quality it is possible to operate with up <\/span>to 60% overfeed and a wet overstretching of 40% and more.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blutec.com.mx\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/BRUCK2.jpg\")
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\nHe visited CDL KNITS in Mauritius directly after commissioning of the new line. Together with the customer <\/span>he made tests with different fabrics and determined the optimum process parameters for each <\/span>fabric quality. The operators were directly involved and correspondingly trained.<\/span>
\nAfter a short time CDL could start the production and the results speak for themselves. The fabric quality <\/span>is better than expected and the residual shrinkage as well as the spirality are for all fabric types less than <\/span>5%. CDL is already now saving about 40% of electrical and thermal energy compared to their previous <\/span>process. But the biggest saving is definitely the significant reduced process time. Where previously 90 <\/span>hours were required, is today 20 hours to achieve the same productivity. This gives enormous benefits <\/span>regarding the delivery time.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/blutec.com.mx\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/11\/BRUCK4.jpg\")
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\ncustomer’s needs. Furthermore BR\u00dcCKNER attaches particular importance on an energy-efficient technology <\/span>to save costs for their customers when operating the lines and to reduce simultaneously the <\/span>consumption of resources.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nThe complete Group has more than 20.000 employees with an annual turnover of about 300 million <\/span>USD. Once a year CIEL TEXTILES hosts the CIEL Textile Chairman\u2019s Manufacturing Excellence Award <\/span>for its capital intensive companies. This is a good occasion to bring together the employees of the individual <\/span>business units and to emphasize the team spirit and the solidarity of the whole team. Because<\/span>
\nonly together it is possible to master challenges. The Knitting Division of CDL KNITS won the award for <\/span>Manufacturing Excellence twice in 2015 and 2016. This year, in September 2017, CDL won the World <\/span>Class Innovation & Creativity Award. The installation of the new BR\u00dcCKNER line at CDL KNITS and the <\/span>corresponding benefits for the company played a small but nevertheless important role in winning the <\/span>award.<\/span>
\nThe group and each individual business unit attach great importance on sustainability. This includes the <\/span>saving of resources (water, oil, electricity, etc.), but also social responsibility with a vision for the future.<\/span>
\nCDL KNITS came up with the initiative \u201cStairway to Hope\u201d. The objective is to help underprivileged people <\/span>in the community. Selvedge waste from production is provided to socially disadvantaged persons <\/span>who knit these into rug mats which they sell and earn a living. The required equipment (for example <\/span>wooden frames or needles) is made available by CDL KNITS who also supports the people in the sales of <\/span>their products. The project is also known as \u201cWASTE to GOLD\u201d. Since last year, CDL KNITS is engaged on <\/span>a yearly basis on a D-Day, also known as Love Day, with a community close to its production facility. This <\/span>is an opportunity where all the employees of the company would gel with the people living in the community <\/span><\/p>\n