Loepfe, an expert in yarn measurement systems and located in Switzerland, has been offering quality solutions to yarn for more than 50 years. The company, presenting the colored measurement sensors to the market first in 1991, is still a leader in this field. Producing optical-based electronic yarn clearers for winding machines, Loepfe attracted huge attention at the ITM fair. We interviewed about the company’ s works with Elvio de Sarto, Loepfe sales manager.
While calling attention to the fact that there is a very little time period between ITMA Barcelona and ITM İstanbul fairs, Sarto said they brought the innovations exhibited on ITMA to İstanbul. He explained: “Zenit electronic yarn clearer system shows the real structure of the yarn analytically to the user, so it attracts great attention in the market, we present a tough system. Apart from this, our new generation P2 sensor is here, too. P2 sensor especially removes the polypropylene (PP) problem which causes great pressure on the yarn companies recently. Undefinable cuttings are being reduced, crearing performance is increasing vastly.
Sales Hit Record High in 2011
Elvio Sarto stated 2011 to be one of the best years for Loepfe; he explained that all the the records of the past years were beaten in 2011 in terms of production, sales and profit. He impied 250.000 clearer machines were produced last year and said: “this amount of production a really a record for us. We are happy about this performance. We were so lucky on the point of the rapidly increasing demand in the market, too. We saw the increase in many regions in the global market”.
Sarto, emphasizing that after the last year’ s market exlargement, market demands have gone too low, attracted attention to the decreases in China and India. Informing that they sell 75-80 percent of their products to these markets, Sarto continued: “these markets are very important to us. Regarding in terms of sales volumes, Turkey is one of our biggest 5 markets. Hence, we are very happy to be at the fair in İstanbul. Generally speaking, 2012 will be a harsh year as we are expecting a narrowing in market. Very low prices and less gain might be acquired in comparison to the last year. But we don’ t complain about the situation. We will continue our normal production period. I can say that we are satisfied of 2011 and the first quarter of 2012”.
Sarto acknowledged that he believes Turkish market to be better in 2012 and talked about the incentive and tax eases Turkish government presents to special districts. He stated the discounts on tax and energy prices in the Southeeast region are examples for these supports and implied: “these endeavors by the government directs the yarn producers to investment and this reflects positively upon us. I believe we will reach to the numbers of the last year in total 2012.
Zenit, Yarn Master 3N1 and P-Sensor
Elvio ReSarto, who states the product they produce have a variety of innovations, defined YarnMaster Zenit as the most integrated control system for the applicable yarn in the market. Enabling thier customers the opportunity to control quality and production, Sarto told that the producers control the whole process by watching from the monitor. He underlined the other product, Yarnmaster 3N1provides digital online quality control in rotor spinning. He spoke: “This project was developed with 20 years Barco experience. But this technology is a totally new development, it attracts attention especially in polypropylene. Due to its special sensor, our open-end customers regarded our product as positive. This technology, with conventional net functions, F-sensor for foreign material analysis , P-sensor for synthetic foreign materials, has online detection feature. So, moire effect (Moiré effects), yarn number faults, fibre tape faults, detection of thick and thin places, visibility of the faults and controlling hairiness can be controlled. There is not a cleaner system that can satisfy yarn producers as much as this technology”.
P2 Sensor Developed against Polypropylene
Elvio Sarto informed that they provided the chance to see the innovations they introduced last year to visitors coming from Turkish market and region countries, they told the advantages they handle with this well-founded technology and they are in the leader position on their own segment. Reminding that the products they developed presents different solutions than the competitors in the market, Sarto continued: “For instance, our P2 sensor is very different from our competitors’ products. Others use software to take place in this independent industry, but software can create a very limited area. These were not working stabile as quality cuttings like thick, thin and foreign fiber. Namely, companies had cuttings they called as visionary cutting. As Loepfe, we are an optical expert. We have a past and a study lasting 20 years in polypropylene. With these studies, we increased efficiency in special yarns to 90 percentages. Our competitors, on the other hand, are new on this road and they just make signal analysis. In markets where cotton is prominent and there is a fight against cotton contamination such as Turkey, Pakistan, India and Egypt, our customers appreciate our studies, because we present big advantages to them.
Explaining that there are two basic technologies in the market today, Elvio Sarto implied that one of these is Capacitive technology, which measures the mass of the yarn, and the other one is Optic technology, which handles appearance and shape of the yarn. Sarto emphasized that new yarns have come to the market today and are largely demanded; he added: “For example, compact yarns have important share in the market. Optical technology has great advantages in this context. If you want to produce compact yarn with mixtures, mass measuring technologies just cannot reply to you. As the capacity system is at the same rate with the mass, it cannot see the foreign materials and cannot compensate the faults. But our optical technology is beyong mass, it is about the appearance and content of the yarn. Foreign yarns and materials can only be separated by optical technology. I can openly say that optical technologies are more extraordinary in comparison with capacity technologies.
