An Interview with Rana Zafar Iqbal about his experience with the with the latest German technology. Ibrahim Fibres Limited is a well-known Yarn & PSF manufacturing company that holds passion for sustainable growth via continuous learning. With devotion and commitment to performance as well as drive for change, IFL has stood out as a symbol of excellence within the Pakistani market as the primary manufacturer of PSF and prominent yarn producer. As a market leader in PC, CVC and PV yarns, firmly believes in producing excellent quality and keeps customer satisfaction at the forefront. With a vision to become sustainable, growth-oriented and to remain competitive in the textile market, IFL always invests in state-of-the-art European, especially German technologies like Trützschler.
The Trützschler Group SE is a German textile machinery manufacturer headquartered in Mönchengladbach, Germany. The company is divided into four business units: Spinning, Nonwovens, Man-Made Fibers, and Card Clothing. Trützschler machines, installations and accessories are produced and developed in ten locations worldwide. This includes four factories in Germany (Dülmen, Egelsbach, Mönchengladbach, Neubulach), as well as sites in China (Jiaxing and Shanghai), India (Ahmedabad), the USA (Charlotte), Brazil (Curitiba) and Switzerland (Winterthur). Service companies in Türkiye, Mexico, Uzbekistan and Vietnam and service centers in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia provide customer proximity in key regions for the textile processing industry.
Building on their decades-old relationship of trust and confidence, IFL’s new plant, located near Faisalabad, incorporated Trützschler’s latest machines for the finest yarn production. TEXtalks International interviewed Zafar Iqbal (GM- R&D|New Projects), Ibrahim Fibres Limited, Pakistan. The following interview is insightful and illuminating, as it provides details about the high performing Trützschler machinery installed in the plant to get the product excellence.
TEXtalks: Would you like to give a brief introduction to Ibrahim Fibres?
Zafar Iqbal: IFL engages in the production of Spun Yarn for Knitting / Weaving industry & Polyester Staple Fibre (PSF) for Spinning industry. IFL manufactures a diverse range of yarn intended for both woven and knitted fabrics, encompassing various blends of Cotton, Viscose, and Polyester in different proportions and combinations. Additionally, the product line includes fancy yarn such as multi-count and slub yarn, as well as compact yarn. The count range of the yarn extends from Ne 8 to Ne 50. IFL believes in producing the excellent quality yarn.
TEXtalks: When was Trützschler TC 19i intelligent card installed and what was the main reason for choosing this high-productivity system?
Zafar Iqbal: TC 19i carding machines were installed at IFL in 2021. IFL believes in maintaining consistent quality alongside productivity, emphasizing the efficiencies of the equipment rather than solely focusing on the machine throughput.TC 19i is a good addition in IFL with many new features, e.g. T-GO Gap Optimizer causing 30% IPI improvement or the electronic gap control T-CON, which displays the distances between cylinder and working elements, provides good safety to the assets, resulting in up to 20-30% more production.
WASTE CONTROL OPTIMIZER provides 2% raw material saving. This system consistently observes the dropping waste, which increases recovery of process materials.
TC NCT nep control system is a direct check on the quality of the sliver, which shows neps in the output of the card.
TEXtalks: It is known that the highest number of Trützschler cards in Pakistan are within the boundaries of Ibrahim Fibres. Can you please highlight the number of cards operating at your mills?
Zafar Iqbal: At present, IFL has a total of 187 carding machines installed, comprising of 36 TC 03, 18 TC 07, 14 TC 11, 88 TC 15, 31 TC 19i. Further, an order for 18 TC 30Si is in pipeline.
TEXtalks: What benefits has the TC 19i brought to your mill in terms of cost-effectiveness and user-friendliness?
Zafar Iqbal: As we know that productivity is inversely proportional to electricity consumption per unit KGs of production. Improved efficiencies, productivity, and longer carding surfaces contribute to optimizing the cost of production. Furthermore, the reduced number
of wearing parts and consumables, along with longer service life of the wire are the added advantages. TC19i reducing the dependency of individual skill set and individual hand on working procedure due to its auto gap adjustment mechanism.
TEXtalks: How does this high-performance card improve the product quality at Ibrahim Fibres?
Zafar Iqbal: T-GO Gap Optimizer is the competitive advantage of TC 19i card machine that automatically maintains the carding gap resulting in high quality yarn up to 30 % improvement in IPI.
TEXtalks: How would you differentiate TC 19i intelligent card from the other options you have used regarding waste control and optimization?
Zafar Iqbal: T-GO Gap Optimizer,T-CON distance control feeler system, WASTE CONTROL system and NEP CONTROL system are the key features of TC19i that differentiate it from the competitors.
TEXtalks: Can you describe the benefits of the digital mill monitoring system “My Mill”?
Zafar Iqbal: With the increasing plant sizes, dependency and effectiveness of centralized data gathering is increasing day by day. With My Mill, one can easily track the production records, alarm history, shift reports and important sensor data on the control system. With the manual systems, it becomes almost impossible to have deep insights into the plant. The digital mill monitoring is really helpful.
TEXtalks: How much increase in productivity was witnessed while using Trützschler TCO 21 Comber?
Zafar Iqbal: The TCO 21 Comber is equipped with Trützschler electronics including a sophisticated cooling system. Auto Greasing is a very good feature added to this machine. Stories Up to 50% productivity is enhanced in comparison with competitors, while requiring 25% less space. Online Noil Monitoring system is very impressive.
TEXtalks: What are the key benefits of using Autoleveller Draw Frame COMPACT TD 10C?
Zafar Iqbal: The Autoleveller Draw Frame TD10C is the compact solution that takes up minimal space and provides excellent sliver quality, thanks to prompt control by the Autoleveller.
TEXtalks: What other Trützschler technologies are operating at Ibrahim Fibres and are you planning to invest in any new technologies by them in the future?
Zafar Iqbal: A complete Trützschler set-up is available at IFL, facilitating both cotton processing or synthetic operations. IFL is committed to continuous improvement and upgrading of equipment at all times.
TEXtalks: How was the after-sales service to Trützschler’s new installations?
Zafar Iqbal: Trützschler’s after-sales service is excellent with on-call visits and courtesy visits as well. The availability of local technicians further enhances the support network.
