Dickson-Constant has recently opened its second brand new plant in northern France in response to growing demand for its range of well-known technical fabrics. New technology installed at the plant includes a highly-customised Monforts Montex 8500 stenter, with the specific lay-out of the line the result of a long collaboration between the German machine builder and the French sun protection and outdoor upholstery fabrics specialist.
The oldest weaving operation in France, with roots dating back to 1836, Dickson-Constant specializes in woven acrylic fabrics and has been part of Glen Raven since 1998. Its Dickson-branded solar protection and flooring materials and Sunbrella home upholstery and market-leading marine industry fabrics are renowned for their quality and durability.
The seven-chamber Montex stenter for drying, heat-setting and polymerizing applied resins has a maximum working width of 2.2 metres. It is installed in line with the washing compartments and is equipped with special entrance and exit fabric accumulators to enable non-stop processing during batch changes, in addition to an integrated vertical infrared dryer and exhaust air cleaning. Two Mahlo weft straighteners also ensure maximum regularity of fabric batches at strategic points in the line.
“Sustainability is now paramount to our company and in addition to working towards ISO 50001 standards at both plants, our R&D team is currently focused on developing an oil repellency coating formulation that does not rely on flurocarbons, yet is as effective,” Masquelier said. “We have had a record year in 2022 but the energy situation in Europe is now causing some turbulence. The latest advanced technology, including the Montex stenter, have equipped us to maximise our resource savings and face the current market challenges with confidence. In addition, we have also invested in a water treatment plant allowing the plant to reuse 50% of its exhaust water.
