#Dyeing, Drying, Finishing

2025-02-27

SL Smart Weft-Straightener success at Harris Tweed Hebrides, UK

High quality fabric is essential for any finisher who wants to ensure consistent quality and resource efficiency. A particularly important quality criterion is straight weft and straight course fabric. The Scottish tweed manufacturer Harris Tweed Hebrides finishes 100% woolen, handwoven cloth and stands as a world class leader in British luxury cloth with an extensive, high quality product range. The company was looking for a weft-straightening system which, in contrast to the previously used pinwheel system, could not damage the wool.

SuccessStory at Harris Tweed Hebrides, UK © 2025 PLEVA

They finish 100% woollen, handwoven cloth with fabric weights from 260 to 353 g/m² and fabric widths from 750mm up to 1500mm. Each individual tweed is approximately 50m in length.

Precise weft correction without pin wheels for high-quality, straightened fabrics

The customer's aim and requirement is a precise correction of the weft without usage of pin wheels to produce high quality, straightened fabrics without distortion as well as automatic adaptation on a wide range of weaves and the variations that occur with handwoven fabrics, while maintaining easy, intuitive operation.

Pleva's SL smart weft-straightener: advanced technology for precise and efficient fabric straightening

Fitted to these needs the well-known German manufacturer PLEVA gives with the automatic weft-straightener SL smart including the unique high-tech traversing camera technology the optimum solution and offers the finisher several advantages.

The user-friendly, self-explanatory interface displays all important information at one glance. This enables to work with maximum efficiency and to react to the complex portfolio with the integrated recipe management for sophisticated straightening. The well-established advanced traversing camera with many measuring points across the fabric width ensures the most accurate straightening. In combination with the fast reaction time of the rollers, it allows best straightening results. Furtheron the machine design is fitted to even the harshest working conditions and optimized for easy cleaning and low maintenance.

PLEVA SL smart weft-straightener © 2025 PLEVA

Harris Tweed Hebrides praises SL smart weft-straightener for precision and efficiency

David Stewart, Harris Tweed Hebrides Ltd is very satisfied and states: „The SL smart weft-straightener performs very well with our product. The traversing camera is exceptionally accurate and automatically adapts to a wide range of weaves. The system of skew and bow rollers allow precise alteration of the weft without the possibility of damage to the fabric. It requires very little input from the operator and minimal maintenance, resulting in increased productive times. The addition of the touch screen control panel allows the operator to view the current weft position in real-time, ensuring that the fabric is within the accepted parameters. Excellent support from PLEVA team.”

Besides those advantages, also a positive ecological impact is achieved: Due to the first-time-right-principle, only one round through the production line with the fabric is needed to produce directly the aimed result. This saves energy and valuable resources. In addition, due to the higher quality of the goods, there are no more costly readjustments or wasted fabrics and complaints can be reduced drastically. This is not only good for textile finishing companies and customers, but also for the environment.

Learn more about sustainability with PLEVA Sensors and Controls on www.pleva.org

Smart automation to fix gaps of skilled staff

Advanced technology for high quality and efficiency at textile finishing - ITMA Asia 2025, Singapore As customer expectations rise and skilled labor becomes increasingly scarce, smart sensor technology and automated control systems have become essential in modern textile finishing. PLEVA meets these challenges with its renowned, robust and reliable sensors, specifically designed for the demanding conditions of textile production.

Generation change at Pleva: Kathrin and Stephan Pleva join the Management Team

PLEVA GmbH, a leading manufacturer of sensors, measurement and control technology for various industries, announces that Kathrin Pleva and Stephan Pleva have been appointed as Managing Directors of the family-owned company. Together with their father, Dr. Ralf Pleva, they will shape the future of the company.

Pleva will showcase advanced technology for energy-efficiency and sophisticated processes at Techtextil 2024

Making processes more cost-effective, sustainable, transparent, and above all more efficient, is exactly the aim of using sensors and controls at textile processes. By this, textile producers are enabled to save large amounts of energy, improve product quality and make even complex processes more traceable and reproducible. Pleva is looking forward to discuss those important aspects is the Techtextil 2024 in Frankfurt.

Precision jet dyeing moves towards industrial scale as Alchemie partners with Acatel

BTMA member Alchemie Technology, the pioneer of precision jet dyeing solutions based in Cambridge, UK, is partnering with Acatel, the Portuguese leader in sustainable textile manufacturing. The two companies will work together to validate and optimise Alchemie’s Endeavour system for knitted cellulosic fabrics.

AATCC announces 2025 Herman & Myrtle Goldstein Graduate Student Paper Competition winners

The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) recognized the winners of the 2025 Herman & Myrtle Goldstein Graduate Student Paper Competition. Founded in 1982 to give student members the chance to conduct and present original research, the competition was renamed in 1994 in honor of Herman and Myrtle Goldstein, following their US$60,000 endowment. Their gift is a lasting remembrance of their dedication to young people in the textile industry.

ISKO’s denim language at Bluezone

ISKO returns to Bluezone to showcase its latest advancements in denim innovation, presenting a comprehensive overview of its SS27 collection alongside key creative and technological collaborations. At booth C02, ISKO offers visitors an immersive look into how performance, design, and circular thinking are shaping the future of denim.

Modern testing methods for raw cotton

The 38th International Cotton Conference Bremen will take place from 25 to 27 March 2026 at the Bremen Parliament. This conference has traditionally stood for in-depth expertise and international exchange. The program will focus on technical innovations, market trends, and regulatory frameworks across the entire value chain – from agriculture to the circular economy. With high-profile speakers, the conference is regarded as the key meeting point for the global cotton industry. Today’s focus: Cotton quality and testing methods.

Exchange data between textile companies openly, securely and cost-effectively without a central platform – ITA makes it possible

The Institut für Textiltechnik (ITA) of RWTH Aachen University has launched a new demonstrator for an open and secure data space in the textile industry at the Digital Innovation Centre Europe (DICE). For the first time, the demonstrator shows directly and clearly how companies can share their data securely with each other without the need for a central platform. Data exchange is based on shared, freely usable technical foundations.

Kelheim Fibres GmbH informs about the closure of operations

The management of Kelheim Fibres GmbH informs that business operations will be terminated as of 31 March 2026. A continuation of the company beyond this date is not possible. The investor and sales process conducted within the framework of the self-administration did not lead to a positive outcome. The potential strategic investor who most recently entered the process has withdrawn from a potential investment at short notice.