Newsletter No. 13 12 April 2019
Click on any ad to go to the advertisers website… MBCC signs MOU with Mandela Bay Development Agency Mandela Bay Development Agency (MBDA) and Mandela Bay Composites Cluster (MBCC) have entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU). Under the MOU, the MBDA has resolved to prioritise the use of advanced materials including composites in selected products falling within its mandated area and to attempt to collaborate with the composites cluster. The parties have entered into MoU with the purpose of adding value to MBCC’s membership base and to assist the MBDA with its objectives by development of the composites industry, said a press release from MBCC. The MBCC, formed with the support of the department of trade and industry of South Africa, has an objective to support the mobilisation and advancement of the South African composites manufacturing ecosystem through research and development, skills development and industrialisation efforts. MBCC aims to make use of non-corrosive and lightweight composites technology that covers all non-metallic polymetric technologies including composites, plastics, elastomers, specialty coating and the likes. The MBDA is an active and highly effective special purpose development company operating within the jurisdiction of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole aimed at project management and urban regeneration. It is managing redevelopment of a range of landmarks including Bayworld, Happy Valley and the Old Boet Erasmus Stadium. F2F Kvadrat’s ecological outdoor fabrics With Kvadrat, the Danish designer Karina Nielsen Rios is launching a new concept for outdoor upholstery fabrics that are both resistant and environmentally friendly. Here’s the story. Outdoor fabrics that are water-resistant while having a manufacturing process that meets ecological standards? This is what Karina Nielsen Rios, a Danish textile designer, is offering with her brand Kvadrat. Technical and aesthetic outdoor textiles Christened Patio, her first fabrics line is designed using three colours of a Trevira CS yarn, a highly resistant yarn specially developed for the occasion to obtain a fire-retardant polyester. This technical feat has been paired with aesthetic properties, as the range offers an endless variety of colours. With two colours used in the warp and one in the weft, the fabrics may actually appear monochromatic or more textured depending on the level of contrast between the shades used. Patio fabrics are therefore available in natural and neutral tones, as well as daring light tones to create a palette that the brand describes as “fresh” and “sporty”. “It also stands out with a soft touch compared to other outdoor fabrics and offers exceptional colour vibrancy,” stated the Copenhagen-based designer. Environmentally friendly outdoor textiles In addition, Kvadrat offers an ecological coating that contains no traces of fluorocarbon, a chemical finish that is generally applied to high-performance textiles to make them water-, dirt- and oil-repellent. Composed of fluorine and carbon, they are known for generating toxic by-products that pollute the air as well as groundwater tables. On the contrary, the product developed by Kvadrat also offers resistance to chlorine and seawater and dries rapidly without harming the environment. The result? This high-performance fabric can be used in all outdoor spaces, as well as spas and indoor pools. In addition to furniture, it can be also be adapted to produce screens, parasols and umbrellas. A truly multi-purpose fabric! Promostyl India’s Vagmi Cottons to build ginning unit in Zambia India’s Vagmi Cottons Limited will invest $7 million this year to build a factory in the Mwembeshi area of Zambia’s Chiombo district in the Central Province to process 8,000 metric tonnes of cotton lint annually. The company has already acquired 26 acres for that purpose. The factory will evolve from cotton ginning to a full textile unit in 2020. Vagmi is also discussing with Indo-Zambia Bank Ltd to study possibilities of a joint venture or leasing the defunct Kafue Textiles Company, an English-language daily in Zambia quoted company chief executive officer Amit Dwivedi as saying. The company will engage 23, 000 cotton farmers from Mumbwa, Shibuyunji, Chipata, Petauke, Lundazi and Katete in the next two years, Dwivedi said. Zambia’s High Commissioner to India Judith Japijimpanga had visited Vagmi’s cotton factory in Indore some time back. The company will supply farmers with seed, chemicals, wool packs and will collect cotton from farming areas. Vagmi will also build houses for some Zambian staff running the factory. F2F Indian investors urged to partner with Kenyan counterparts Indian high commissioner to Kenya Rahul Chhabra recently urged Indian investors to partner with Kenyan counterparts, especially in pharmaceutical textile sectors that have huge potential, to create more start-ups in Kenya and bridge the trade deficit between the two countries. He was speaking at an annual trade and investment promotion event in Nairobi. India is total trade volume with Kenya was Sh200 billion in 2018. Though the trade volume reflects growth of more than 9 per cent from 2017, there still exists a huge potential to raise it, Chhabra said. To bridge the deficit, the high commissioner urged Kenyan investors to take advantage of direct trips to Mumbai and create partnership, according to Kenyan media reports. Betty Maina, principal secretary in Kenya’s department of investment and industry said Indian companies have invested in cotton, textile and apparel sector in Kenya. F2F Did you know…….. Barbie, the most popular doll in the Western World, was first seen wearing a black and white striped swimsuit. There is a company called Little Miss Matched that sells packs of mismatched socks |
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