ADVENTUM TECHNOLOGIES EXPANDS THE PRODUCTION

In Russia, modern textile production has begun to work, which can give a new impuls to the market of domestic manufacturers of clothing and equipment for tourism

 

What do you need to produce modern tourist and sportswear? Quality materials, high technologies and smart heads. We have always had a lot of clever goals, but as far as technology is concerned …

Ultramodern production, as a rule, take root with us with difficulty. There are not many Russian companies that use high technologies in outdoor, and the more interesting to find out how they work. Looking ahead, we say that we managed to get acquainted with the specialists of one of such companies – Adventum Technologies. In this article we will tell about this in many ways a unique enterprise, but first we will make a short historical digression and recall how it all began.

About thirty years ago a large part of the “modern” tourist equipment was made by the tourists themselves. Tired of canvas, wool and cotton, amateur masters with all the truths and crooks extracted nylon for tents and backpacks, experimented with “parachute silk” and bragged to each other with their own sewn down jackets made of calendered capron.

As time went on, and as a result of these experiments, an understanding was gradually formed of the direction in which clothes for tourism should be developed. Moreover, in the West, the production of outdoor clothing and synthetic materials for it has already been put on stream.

Of course, at the disposal of enthusiasts such as Hamish Hamilton, who worked on the creation of Pertex®, the was the technology of Perseverance Mills company, and Russian romantics of great roads could only dream of such opportunities. However, Russian physicists and lyricists also did not lose heart – they drew templates, cut the raw material they had extracted and spent long winter evenings at sewing machines.

A little later, talented constructors began to gather in collectives, organize “firms”, sew and, as far as possible, to promote their equipment in the emerging Russian outdoor market.

In the exhibition hall of the company RedFox, a mountaineering down jacket is displayed in honorable place, with which, according to the RedFox owners themselves, the history of their enterprise began. It can be said that RedFox is a typical example of the emergence and market formation of a Russian manufacturing outdoor company.

The volumes of products produced by young Russian firms grew, and with them the problems of supplying production with modern materials multiplied. At that time Soviet light industry almost disappeared, and talking about the organization of new factories in the mid-nineties in Russia was akin to writing utopian novels. Therefore, Russian equipment was mainly made from materials produced abroad.

Since that time many years have passed. Some Russian outdoor brands have managed to occupy a worthy place in the market for this time, others are just beginning their journey, but the raw materials and materials that both use in production almost completely remain imported. The share of Russian materials averages not more than 5% and is provided mainly by heaters, mostly down, which, with all the desire, it is difficult to call high-tech material.

It was unlikely that the situation on the Russian market would change for the better in the near future. It’s not just to reopen once-closed factories. Over the past decades, a qualitative technological leap took place abroad and a whole category of materials appeared that had no analogues in the past. The most striking example is materials based on climatic membranes, which require fundamentally new technologies, equipment and specially trained personnel to create them. The task of putting all this together, and even in difficult economic conditions, seemed almost impossible, but … Preparing for the interview with Alexei Grebtsov, we heard from him (we admit, for the first time) about the company mentioned at the very beginning of the article. It turned out that the company “Adventum Technologies” (adventum from Latin can be translated as “coming”, that is, in our case – “technological advent”) not only has modern equipment for the production of high-tech materials, but already produces them on the territory of the Russian Federation. High Kitchen, or How to Cook the Right Outdoor Sandwich

Before turning to the story about the production of Adventum Technologies, a few words about the specifics of the production of outdoor materials.

Modern high-tech materials are often designed according to the principle of a sandwich – a multi-layered structure, the role of “bread” performs a woven or knitted fabric. The characteristics of the future material, such as strength, wear resistance, elasticity and weight, largely depend on the basic properties of the fabric, the types and characteristics of the yarn or fiber.

However, for different purposes, different fabrics are required, sometimes with a unique set of characteristics, so it is important to control the entire production process – from weaving, that is, the preparation of the substrate, to coating the material with certain coatings.

The aesthetic side is of great importance. Great Henry Ford said that his customers can choose a model of any color, provided that this color will be black. Well, the creator of the first automobile conveyor had no competitors, and he could afford to dictate any conditions to the consumer.

Unfortunately nowadays such marketing will not work. The color of the fabric is one of the most important characteristics that influences both the stylistic attractiveness of the product and its purpose to ensure safety.

Therefore, modern production facilities should have dyeing equipment that allows to use a wide range of colors and shades to be used to color different types of synthetic fabrics.

Since we have started talking about sandwiches, we will continue the gastronomic line. The climatic membrane in the membrane sandwich can be safely called the main delicacy – cheese or sausage — everyone to his taste. It is the membrane that gives the final product the main “taste” – characteristics that are expressed in terms of moisture resistance, vapor permeability and wind protection. One way to apply the membrane to the fabric is lamination.

The basis of most methods for creating a laminate is the principle of adhesive bonding of the base fabric and membrane film. This means that the membrane is attached to the tissue with the help of glue. Unfortunately, the adhesive does not have a vapor permeability, so, on the one hand, the area of ​​application of the adhesive should be minimal, and on the other hand, a reliable connection is required to avoid delamination – the membrane is detached from the fabric due to mechanical influence or operation of the product. “Recipes” of sandwiches are not limited to the use of exclusively climatic membranes. Insulation can pasted on the main fabric, natural or synthetic materials. The joining of two or more layers into one material is called bonding.

The final “taste bouquet” product is acquired through a variety of “seasonings” – coatings applied to the fabric to ensure compliance with the requirements of clothing developers.

Antibacterial and anti-slip coatings, DWR impregnations, protective layers, graphics – all these are additional options that provide the product with the required characteristics and attractive appearance.

Technological perfection, wide assortment and individual work with the client – three whales of Adventum Technologies

It is difficult to imagine that a high-tech production can be built from scratch. Perhaps the only way, if not to overtake, then at least keep pace with world leaders is the acquisition of modern technologies and equipment abroad with their subsequent “engrafting” in the domestic market.

Adventum Technologies did exactly this. Their main idea is the transfer of Western technologies to Russia, and the way they chose is the organization of a joint venture with European partners – Concordia Textiles and Carrington Career & Workwear Ltd. Regalia of the partners cause respect: Concordia Textiles – a Belgian company that has more than 80 years of history and is the leading European manufacturer of synthetic multifunctional fabrics, including outdoor. No less known is the second partner of Adventum Technologies, British Carrington Career & Workwear Ltd. – one of the largest and most modern manufactures of high-tech fabrics in the world.

What does Adventum Technologies do? In short, it produces modern high-tech fabrics with an eye to the individual needs of a wide range of manufacturing customers. In the company’s assortment, there are not only materials for outdoor, but also fabrics for workwear, including fireproof, made with the use of technology Proban®. In addition, Adventum Technologies produces tent and awning, as well as fully hermetic materials. There are proposals for footwear manufacturers.

To date, the company has at its disposal equipment and technology for weaving, dyeing, laminating and applying a variety of coatings on fabric. In total, this makes it possible to close a large part of the needs of Russian manufacturers of equipment. Weaving

Picanol equipment, which Adventum Technologies uses, can work on different types of raw materials, guarantees high quality of the cloth and a wide range of types and articles of fabrics. The ability to create a variety of texture interlaces, high speed of adjustment and stability of instrumentally controlled parameters allow you to flexibly respond to the requests of customers – manufacturers of outdoor clothing.

Jigger – apparatus for dyeing fabrics with a density of 130 to 700 g / m2 Equipment for dyeing of light and delicate fabrics Dyeing At the disposal of the company there is a modern Jigger apparatus designed for dyeing aramid and dense fabrics of synthetic and blended fibers with a density of 130 to 700 g / m2. Machines like Overflow Jet and Aero Jet, in contrast, are used for dyeing light and delicate fabrics with a density of 30 g / m2. Thus, the existing park of equipment makes it possible to dye a variety of fabrics in any technologically acceptable shades. Lamination The equipment possessed by Adventum Technologies allows laminating the fabric using Hot Melt technology (hot glue) with different types of membranes, depending on the characteristics of the vapor permeability and moisture protection required from the final product. In addition to a variety of membranes (PU, PTFE), fleece, knitted or netted fabrics, heaters, artificial leather and fur can be glued to the base fabric, which makes it possible to create four-layer structures, among others.

For lamination, a special technology is used, which involves applying hot glue not with a continuous layer, but with a fine regular pattern, which allows the laminate to breathe. This is achieved using a special gravity shaft Gravure roll, the surface of which is not smooth, but covered with a huge number of small depressions – furrows. The glue is applied only by the projecting parts of the surface of the shaft, which, on the one hand, ensures an even distribution of the glue mass, and on the other hand, equally distributes the zones with high vapor permeability.

The use of ZERO-Tension technology makes it possible to create membrane softls – elastic waterproof and breathable materials.

Coatings

Besides the lamination, various coatings are applied to the fabric – PU, acrylate, silicone, ceramic and point anti-slip. It is possible to draw graphics (drawings and logos), Splashgard, Splashgard Nafta finishes, antibacterial and mosquito coatings, as well as DWR.

A solid fleet of equipment and a large set of applied technologies allow the company to produce a wide range of high-tech fabrics – from membrane materials for modern functional clothing to tent and even completely impervious fabrics for heavy awnings or light balloons.

Own laboratory of quality of produced materials

Modern high-tech fabrics are, first of all, their characteristics. Today it is impossible to produce clothes for outdoor, without stating its water resistance or breathing properties. Thousands of buyers peer into the “water poles” and study the results of tests with one single purpose – to choose the best and not to overpay.

Respecting themselves and their customers production must not only have excellent equipment, but also advanced laboratory tools for monitoring the parameters of the products. Apparently, such tools are available from Adventum Technologies, because it is necessary to guarantee not only the declared characteristics, but also their stability, regardless of the volume of the lot.

Laboratory equipment of Adventum Technologies

The characteristics of membrane materials Adventum Technologies according to the company:

• permeability – from 5000 to 80 000 g / m2 / 24 h according to the JISL test 1099 B1;

• waterresistance – no less than 10 000 mm of water column for membranes and more than 30 000 mm for completely waterproof materials.

Summary

After the publication of articles on nylon and eVent technologies, we began to receive letters from readers asking them to help find Russian sellers or manufacturers of modern high-tech outdoor fabrics. From the correspondence it followed that people were looking for opportunities to organize small-scale productions, but faced difficulties in finding materials. We always responded that we do not know anything about Russian fabric manufacturers. Now we have the opportunity to respond in a different way, and it is possible that modern and accessible materials will help many start-ups to succeed with time, and already established leaders – to enter into full-fledged competition with eminent Western brands.

Obviously, the main target audience of Adventum Technologies at this stage is Russian sewing companies of various sizes, producing clothes, footwear and equipment for outdoor activities and outdoor clothing, as well as overalls.

The production facilities located at Tula occupy 7,500 m2 and are designed for an annual output of 6 million running meters of bonded fabric, dyeing 2.5 million running meters and finishing at 15 million running meters of fabric. At the same time the production period will be from 7 to 14 days.

One of the main advantages of Adventum Technologies’ materials for Russian producers should be their price – much less than for materials of similar quality and quality from Asia. Considering the range and characteristics of the fabrics produced, their cost, terms of production and delivery, it can be assumed that the company in the long term will be able to make a significant contribution to the revival and growth of the market of Russian manufacturers of outdoor clothing, equipment and outfit.

Of course, in order to gain a foothold in the market, any company must demonstrate its real potential, because equipment and production lines are one thing, and quite another is stable and reliable customer-oriented product deliveries and full localization with the transition to domestic raw materials and chemicals. Never the less, Adventum Technologies is a young company with an excellent, it is possible to say unique, starting level and rich development potential.

It is possible that in order to understand the details, we will need to visit the factory near Tula and see the factory’s production departments and laboratories with our own eyes. Let’s hope that this will happen in the near future, and then we will be able to share with the readers other interesting details concerning this innovative project.