#Textile chemistry

2025-01-30

Americhem expands research and development capabilities with new laboratory facility in Silvassa, India

Americhem, Inc. has announced the opening of a new research and development center in Silvassa, India. This new facility, located at Olive Industrial Park, will enhance Americhem's ability to provide faster and more localized service to customers throughout India and Southeast Asia. The 4000-sf center will offer specialized testing services for masterbatch color development, particularly for melt spinning and textile manufacturing customers. Additionally, it will provide field and technical services to support customer-specific requirements.

S. Mani, Managing Director for India and Southeast Asia (Photo: Business Wire)

The new laboratory aims to help Americhem expand into new markets and areas of business by offering enhanced capabilities for custom color matching and faster response times. This will attract new customers and industries that prioritize speed and efficiency in their supply chain.

S. Mani, Managing Director for India and Southeast Asia, emphasized the company's long-term commitment to the region. “This investment demonstrates Americhem's dedication to fostering innovation, expanding capabilities, and supporting customers as they grow alongside these dynamic markets,” said Mani.

Toshan Simaiya, Americhem's Operations Director for India, highlighted the benefits of the new center, noting that it will allow the company to be closer to customers, provide nimble support, faster color development, and enable real-time communication and approvals. The center will be led by Sandeep Bhamare, Head of R&D – Fibers for Americhem’s India, who will ensure smooth collaboration between Americhem’s Pune site and the new facility. Krunal Bodne, Head of Sales and Marketing Textiles/Fibers, emphasized the benefits for customers, stating that they are welcome to the lab to get the match done on the same day, enabling speed to market.

The research and development center began operations in late 2024 and is strategically situated just 5 km from Bhilad Highway NH-48, with future access to the Mumbai-Delhi Expressway.

Americhem Custom Fiber Color Matching (Photo: Business Wire)

GenuTrace client advisory: Is your cotton supply chain UFLPA ready?

U.S. Customs and Border Protection has released updated operational guidance (CBP Publication No. 5560-0526) expanding its forced labor enforcement framework. The guidance supersedes the original 2022 UFLPA Operational Guidance and now covers all forced labor enforcement authorities — UFLPA, CAATSA, and WROs/Findings — in a single unified document. For cotton importers, the enforcement posture has not softened. It has become more structured, more documented, and more demanding. Learn more about UFLPA.

STOLL: Agreement signed for the divestiture of selected assets

In early 2025, KARL MAYER announced its strategic decision to focus on its core business areas of WARP KNITTING, WARP PREPARATION, and TECHNICAL TEXTILES. As part of this move, the flat knitting machine business under the STOLL brand was discontinued and the production site in Reutlingen was closed in October 2025.

TERNAfil wins first place at PitchMiUp Night 2026 in Minden

The RWTH spin-off TERNAfil has developed MAXCarbon, a new high-performance hybrid fibre that combines the mechanical performance of carbon with the temperature and corrosion resistance of ceramic materials. For this development, TERNAfil was awarded first prize at the PitchMiUp Night in Minden on 21 May 2026.

SOKO presents low-impact denim finishing innovations at Denim PV Milan

SOKO will present a range of sustainable denim finishing technologies and collaborative projects at the upcoming Denim Première Vision Milan on 20–21 May in Milan. At booth G27 in Superstudio Più, the company will showcase new chemical solutions designed to combine fashionable denim effects with reduced environmental impact.

Carbon-ceramic hybrid fibre proves its worth – NRW Minister for Science Mona Neubaur congratulates ITA start-up TERNAfil

MAXCarbon technology, a novel carbon-ceramic hybrid fibre developed by ITA spin-off TERNAfil, secured third place at the HIGH-TECH.NRW Demo Day on the TÜV NORD campus in Essen. The technology combines the strength of carbon fibres with the temperature and corrosion resistance of ceramic materials. Mona Neubaur, Minister for Science in North Rhine-Westphalia, congratulated the team on their success and on winning prize money of 4,000 euros.

DTF vs DTG Printing - The technologies shaping today’s custom merchandise market

From sportswear to branded tote bags, custom merchandise continues to grow in popularity across sectors, driving print shops to cater to short runs, personalisation, and rapid turnaround. As print providers look to this market, two printing technologies often stand out: Direct‑to‑Film (DTF) and Direct‑to‑Garment (DTG). Each offers its own benefits, and understanding these differences helps determine the most suitable production method for print service providers.

Towards pragmatic and harmonised labelling in the EU

EDANA, alongside 14 European associations, urges the European Commission and Member States to adopt a pragmatic approach for the future harmonised packaging labels, in line with the EU’s agenda for the EU Single Market, simplification and competitiveness. The system should rely on text-free pictograms, available in achromatic or monochromatic versions matching the packaging palette, with the possibility of using digital labelling as a core element. Our associations represent manufacturers of consumer goods across Europe.