Summary of Rieter’s investors’ day and innovations presented at ITMA 2015
During “investors’ day” at the ITMA in Milan, Rieter described the progress made in the focusing on the strategic priorities. These are concerned with the enhancement of innovativeness, the expansion of services and the increase in the profitability of the group. In order to achieve the mid-term targets, the STEP UP improvement programme announced in October last year is being implemented
The Machines & Systems business group have displaying the new E 36 / E 86 combing set, which offers a significant increase in productivity. The enlarged R 66 rotor spinning machine with improved S 66 spin box and the optimized air-jet spinning machine with the Polyester option P 26 was also presented. The extended SPIDERweb Mill Control System is another highlight here; this represents the first step towards using the “Internet of Things” for optimizing the spinning mill. The business group Components were presenting components such as the EliteAdvanced compacting system, the new X-Comb and the LENA high speed spindle, which allow spinning mills to gain a technological advantage and, as a result, achieve higher profitability.
For the first time ever, the business group After Sales has been presenting its own service and product range. The goal is to enable Rieter customers to make optimal use of the spinning mill over the entire lifecycle. The business development dynamics indicate market acceptance of this range. Consequently the business group is aiming to grow by more than 30% overall in the next three years, based on sales amounting to 127.5 million CHF in 2014.
Rieter has been consistently implementing the STEP UP programme (drawn up in October 2014) for achieving its mid-term targets, i.e. an operative profitability (EBIT margin) of 10%, in conjunction with a return on net assets (RONA) of 14 %.
While the order intake trend for both business groups Components and After Sales is pleasing, the market for new machinery at the business group Machines & Systems is at a low level. This trend is due to spinning mills’ low margins as well as uncertainty in the individual sales markets.
Owing to the positive dynamics in the business groups Components and After Sales and a scheduled order book delivery in the business group Machines & Systems, Rieter is expecting for the whole of 2015 sales of around CHF one billion, operative profitability (EBIT) around 7 % and a net profit of between 4 % and 5 % of sales.
An overview of the presentations at ITMA
SPIDERweb was offered in a live demonstration: the complete spinning mill on the smartphone
SPIDERweb is the only mill control system that collects, displays and analyses all relevant data from the spinning preparation through to all four spinning systems. The functional scope of the new Energy and Climate module is shown and explained by means of a live connection to a large modern rotor spinning mill. With the new Rieter App, the Cockpit module and the new Alert module can also be tested. The Cockpit module displays the entire spinning mill on a mobile smartphone. The Alert module sends brief information to smartphones when alarm limits are exceeded. The spinning mill is therefore constantly under control.
SPIDERweb now is also available with Murata winder data
Rieter and Murata Machinery, Ltd. will intensify their collaboration for the control systems SPIDERweb and Visual Manager+. Also with ring yarn, SPIDERweb thus presents the entire value chain from the fibre to the finished yarn. The process optimisation between ring spinning machine and winder is now possible.
The new Graf EasyTop for the C 70 card is a system for a rapid and cost-efficient replacement of flat clothings. The innovative mounting of the flat clothings with high-energy magnets significantly reduces the working time required for replacement. Assembly of the Graf EasyTop is carried out manually in the shortest time without using a machine or special tools. The simple exchange greatly reduces the operating and service costs.
At the ITMA, Rieter was exhibiting the new R 66 rotor spinning machine. Core of the R 66 is the S 66 spin box with a new technology element, the replaceable CHANNELpass. This allows an additional adjustment to the raw material and therefore a further optimisation of the yarn tenacity and nep rate. Rieter was showing the variants for spinning cotton and viscose as well as a prototype for spinning polyester. The market launch of the version for polyester will take place in 2016 in collaboration with customers, so that the effect of the new technology part on various polyester fibres can be thoroughly tested.
VARIOspin seamlessly links the ring and compact spinning technology of Rieter with the experience of Amslertex in the manufacture of fancy yarns. All functions are synchronised and enable the cost-efficient spinning of fancy yarns with the accustomed Rieter and Amsler quality. A variety of effect designs can easily be programmed and produced, regardless of whether for coarse or fine yarn. With the VARIOspin, the manufacture of negative effects is also possible. Intentional long thin places are created that are finer than the basic yarn count. The optical appearance of this effect is particularly attractive with knitted garments.