ANDRITZ to build new production line for geotextiles for Manifattura Fontana/Sioen

On March 1, 2018, ANDRITZ Group of Graz, Austria, announced it will build a neXline needlepunch eXcelle line for the production of geotextiles for Manifattura Fontana of Valstagna, Italy, part of the Belgian technical textile company Sioen Industries.

Start-up of the line is scheduled for October 2018.

The scope of supply includes all of the machines from opening and blending to an automatic packaging system. The line incorporates cutting-edge ANDRITZ technologies and equipment, including:

• A TCF-X high-capacity chute feed capable of processing long staple fibers
• An eXcelle card with 11.5 foot (3.5 m) working width
• ProDyn and Isolayer systems for weight evenness
• High-speed needlelooms with Zeta drafters to fine-tune tensile strength parameters and boost the production capacity for lightweight fabrics

For the first time in Italy, the line will feature air-through bonding capabilities in combination with calendaring.

Manifattura Fontana joined Sioen Industries, a publicly listed Belgian company specializing in technical textile solutions, in 2016. It has been manufacturing nonwoven geotextiles from synthetic fibers for 50 years. Manifattura Fontana provides geotextiles for many applications, including the construction of roads, railways, reservoirs, dams and tunnels, as well as for earthworks, foundations, erosion control, drainage, waste disposal and containment.