Month: June 2023

No, IFG are not branching out into producing popular music, we’ll stick to fibres! However, our customer Veltex® have provided carpets for the stadium tours of many popular musicians, including those mentioned above.

Veltex®, IFG’s Catalan customer, produce display carpets and fabrics, amongst other applications. They provided the stadium floorcoverings of approximately 25,000m2 using IFG Exelto’s grey colour: a blend made from mixing 25% black and 75% white fibres.

The colour blend is delivered in each bale, so no need for colour mixing. It’s an eight denier 75mm polypropylene fibre. Interestingly, IFG Exelto can extrude this fibre on a line where up to 4 colours can be produced in one bale; in quarter parts. In this case it was 25% black and 75% white, but for example could be 25% red, 25% grey and 50% black.

By producing the fibres in this way, the customer saves the time and expense associated with blending the fibres in the production process, ensuring they have an absolutely accurate blend of the required colours in the correct proportions.

In addition, IFG Exelto are able to supply the required fibres in approximately one week. With decisions on colour requirements often being left to the very last minute, especially in the music industry, IFG Exelto are able to act quickly, and guarantee very fast delivery times.

“On June 8th we were delighted to see some areas of the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona (Estadi Olímpic de Montjuic Lluís Companys) being carpeted in Veltex® for Beyonce’s concert,” Sales Manager Frank Huygevelde commented. “VELTEX® is doing very well, and we look forward to continuing to support them with mixed bales.”

For more information contact Frank Huygevelde frank.huygevelde@ifgexelto.com

In 2023, IFG celebrates the ten year anniversary of the launch of PLA, which kick started the journey to a sustainable future.

The world has changed a lot in that time. At 2013’s TechTextil show, we presented IFG`s first fibres made from PLA (Polylactide), a renewable raw material.

Polylactide (PLA) is a polyester based on renewable raw materials such as sugar cane or corn. The material, which is made up of lactic acid molecules, is one of the few biodegradable plastics.

The feedback at the show was varied, ranging from ‘fantastic’ to ‘interesting’ and some less positive: ‘why do we need this?!’

At that time, admittedly, the price / performance ratio wasn’t optimal, as can often be the case with products that are ahead of their time. We were convinced that the market would catch up, especially when they realised the environmental benefits, so we continued to develop the range and research and improve the products’ features.

In the end, it was a further six years before we achieved the first major market success. This was mainly attributed to developing societal thoughts around sustainability: it became a growing requirement for both consumers and corporations, and customers were willing to pay a higher price for those products that had a lesser environmental impact.

In today’s market this trend continues and has gathered momentum. There are now numerous applications for PLA, including: yarns and textiles, fine and short-cut fibres for speciality papers, and nonwovens for landscaping and home gardening.

IFG have only scratched the surface of applications for PLA. We continue to expand the product range, and our team are constantly researching additional options for sustainable, compostable and biodegradable fibres as part of our ongoing commitment to a sustainable future.