00 ItMa 2011 (exclusive Feature) - Textile Magazine

itMA 2011 [exclusive feature]
Mr. REInE wASnER,
Executive Vice President, Marketing and Business Development
3 yarn clearer, 100 per cent of the
produced yarn can be tested for key
quality parameters. On the one hand,
this identifies production problems
for further machine setting optimization,
while on the other hand it
prevents faults in the final product
by removing any remaining disturbing
defects. In addition, it allows for
constant monitoring of production
to ensure that the final product is
of consistent quality within defined
limits – any ‘outliers’ from these
limits caused by defective bobbins
are identified, and corrective action
can be taken.
The root causes of problems identified
during clearing (process step
/ machine / individual spindle) can
only be found through additional
laboratory tests. Thus the Total
Testing loop is completed.
From varying to consistent quality
Another feature of Total Testing
82 | ThE TEXTILE MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2011
is its ability to progress from varying
and random quality to consistent
quality. The required quality can
occasionally be achieved through a
combination of experience and luck,
but such an approach never leads
to consistent success. Natural cotton
variations and differing production
conditions mean that even the
best raw material and machinery are
not a guarantee of consistent quality.
Consistent quality depends on
managing the available resources
in accordance with quality and cost
parameters and making decisions
based on facts, data and know-how.
Uster Technologies Ltd. is the
only company to provide both the
application know-how and the complete
range of laboratory testing and
process monitoring instruments to
minimize waste and cost, while at
the same time reproducing an article
to a specified quality, time after
time. Quality parameters based on
tests conducted in the lab, together
with the results from clearing (Uster
QUANTUM 3) give clear indications
of how to choose the right mix
of raw material and set the machine
for consistent quality. Any quality
exceptions, such as uneven yarn
or wrong counts or contaminants,
are monitored all the while and removed
at the winding machine, assuring
stable quality for customers.
Built-in know-how and smart software
(e.g., Uster QUANTUM EX-
PERT 3) enable further optimization
opportunities across machines (ideal
settings / machine performance
comparisons), between production
sites and incrementally over time for
an entire mill.
From subjective to objective quality
Among the biggest and most costly
problems in textiles are claims for
below-par quality – and the adverse
effect they have on the trust between
buyers and sellers. Indications are
that quality-related costs in the textile
value chain can amount to as
much as 6% of a retailer’s total revenue
(based on retailer statements).
The issue is two-faceted: the actual
quality and the perceived quality.
And unless a common reference or
benchmark is used, agreement will
never be achieved and the producer
will always get the rough end of the
stick.
More than 50 years ago Uster
Technologies established the first
quality standard specifically for textiles,
Uster STATISTICS, providing
quality references that enable
the classification of fibers, slivers,
roving, and all kinds of yarns (cotton,
synthetic and cellulosic) based
on data from producers around the