Tencel in Courtaulds Annual Reports (1991-92)

under "Chief Executives Review"
In pursuit of organic growth we have made good progress in Tencel, our new cellulosic fibre, and the first commercial plant, in Mobile, Alabama, is due to be completed and start operation in mid-1992.
under "Fibres and Films"
Tencel, the new solvent spun cellulosic fibre developed by Courtaulds Research, continued to make excellent progress, with favourable test marketing results in the USA, Japan and Europe.
under "Human Resources, Research and Technology"
...for over a decade now, many of the Group's R&D programmes have been devoted to the improvement of environmental performance...and the Tencel process ... with virtually no effluent [is a] current example.

Tencel in Courtaulds Annual Reports (1992-93)

In "Chairmans Statement"

...Best of all, Tencel came of age with the commissioning in Mobile Alabama of the first major plant.  The origins of Tencel go back to the late 1970's and over the years since then those responsible for its development have nurture it with a skill and confidence which have owed much to Courtaulds massive experience with cellulosic fibres and technology since the start of the century. Tencel is now a product with a very exciting potential...

In "Chief Executives Review"

However the most important event of the year has undoubtedly been the successful start-up of the Tencel plant in Mobile, formally opened on 2 December 1992. Initial market reception of the product matches, or even exceeds, expectations and a key decision in the coming year will be the timing and scope of investment in further capacity in this core area.  The credit due to all those who have made this success possible cannot be overstated.

In "Fibres and Films"

Tencel, the new solvent spun cellulosic fibre, was commissioned on schedule at the Courtaulds Fibers facility in Alabama.  By the end of the year it was running at 80% of nameplate capacity, and such was the interest in the fibre that demand outstripped supply.  Tencel is capable of producing effects which are not available in other fibres and this, combined with high processing efficiencies is stimulating great interest amongst innovative customers.  In the final quarter, 50% of Tencel fibre was exported, principally to Japan, and Tencel was operating profitably.  

In Japan a consortium of textile mills focussed the development of Tencel into fabrics for fashion apparel.  A key feature has been the wide use of finishing techniques to develop a variety of fabrics with unique aesthetic effects.  Market reaction has been excellent and Tencel is leading the 1993 Spring/Summer collections.

N.B There was no "Research and Technology" section in this report.

Innovation: Product Development with Tencel (1985-94)

Work with potential customers started in secret in October 1985 based on Coventry pilot plant Tencel.  All the developments to 1994 were organised by Courtaulds Research in conjunction with sales offices outside the UK and Tencel sales. 
There's a bias to nonwovens and technical textiles here because I have little information on the development of apparel textiles. Comments and additional information from those involved is welcome as always!

1985:

Products:  Hydroentangled dry-laid nonwovens, woven Tencel gauze

Markets:  Surgical Swabs (cotton gauze replacement)

Partners:  Chicopee USA,  Johnson and Johnson

Key Players:  Alton Bassett, Eric Attle (CNA)
Products:  Hydroentangled Coverstock (Topsheet)

Markets:  Diapers, Femcare

Partners:  Unicharm (Japan)

Key Players:  Migaku Suzuki,
1986:

Products: Hydroentangled Nonwovens

Markets:  Disposable Wipes

Partners:  Chicopee NV, Johnson and Johnson

Key Players:  Derek Rochford, John Elves

Products: Thermal bonded nonwovens

Markets:  Interlinings

Partner:  BFF Nonwovens

Key Players:  Taki Tyropolis, Bill Kennard
Products: Thermal bonded nonwovens

Markets:  Wipes

Partners:  J W Suominen

Key Players: Jorma Suominen, Esa Paltaala

Products:  Wet-laid nonwovens/Special Papers

Markets: Abaca replacement, tea-bags, food casings
Partners: JR Crompton (UK)
Key Players: Brian Tomkinson, Ivan Gbur
Products: Wet-laid nonwovens
Markets: Drapes/Gowns/Central Sterilising Room Wrap
Partners:  Dexter USA
Key Players: Alan Meierhofer
Products: Latex bonded nonwovens
Markets:  Disposable Wipes
Partners:  International Paper,
Key Players:  Zoltan Mate, Eric Attle (CNA)
Products: Thermal bonded (Powder Bonding)

Markets:  High Loft absorbents

Partners:  Bonar Carelle

Key Players:  ?
1987:

Products: Wet-Laid Nonwovens

Markets:  Wet-Wipes (Viscose replacement - low odour)

Partners:  Stora Kopparberg

Key Players:  Stefan Fors, Peter Fredericks
Products:  Modified Apertured Fabrics

Markets:  "J-Cloths" (polyester replacement), Swabs

Partners:  Johnson and Johnson (Canada)

Key Players:  Errol Tan
Products:  Hydroentangled Nonwovens

Markets:  Surgical drapes and gowns (polyester replacement)

Partners:  Chicopee USA,  Johnson and Johnson

Key Players:  Alton Bassett, Eric Attle (CNA)
Products: Tampons

Markets:  Femcare

Partner:  Johnson and Johnson (Germany)

Key Players:  Fritz Weinstrauch, Rolf Altdorf
Products: Tampons

Markets:  Femcare
Partner:  Tambrands (USA)

Key Players:  Ken Merrill, Eric Attle (CNA)

Products: Dry-Laid Nonwovens - various bonding

Markets:  Interlinings

Partner:  Freudenberg (Germany)

Key Players:  Gerhard Schaut, Johannes Knocke
Products:  Hydroentangled Nonwovens

Markets:  Surgical Dressings (cotton and polynosic replacement)

Partners:  Unicharm (Japan)

Key Players:  Migaku Suzuki, Kunihiko Tozaki (CJL)
1988:

Products:  Flame Retardant Tencel
Markets:  Workwear

Partners:  Albright and Wilson(UK)

Key Player:  David Cole, Les Pearson

Products: Dry Laid Thermal Bonded

Markets:  Floppy Disc Liners

Partners:  Freudenberg

Key Players:  Holger Buchwald

Products: Dry-Laid Latex Bonded

Markets:  Battery Separators

Partners:  BFF

Key Players:  Andrew Kelly

Products: Hydroentangled Coverstock

Markets:  Diapers/Femcare

Partner:  Kendall/International Paper

Key Players:  Drew Horn
Partner: J&J Personal Products
Key Player:  Beth Stern
1989:
Products:  Paper

Markets:  Security Papers

Partners:  Portals (UK), Tumba Bruk (Sweden)

Key Player:  Paul Howland,

Products: Wet-Laid Hydroentangled

Markets:  Industrial Wipes

Partners:  Molnlycke (Holland)

Key Player: Bernt Johannsen

(1990's developments follow)

Geoffrey Owen's Tencel lyocell history extracts (part 4)

Geoffrey Owen of the Department of Management, London School of Economics presented a paper at SPRU in October this year entitled "Innovation in the man-made fibres industry: corporate strategy and national institutions." It is based on unpublished material made available to the author by Akzo Nobel, Lenzing and Courtaulds (amongst others) and is available in full here on the web as a PDF file. It contains excellent sections on Tencel lyocell development history, the fourth extract of which is reproduced below:

When the plant came on stream in 1992, much of the initial demand came, not from the US, but from Japan. The Japanese textile industry, looking for profitable niches in the market to offset the loss of commodity business to imports, found that the fibrillating characteristics of Tencel could be used to produce high-quality fabrics, principally denim, with an unusual peach-like texture, and customer reaction was enthusiastic. With the aid of an Osaka-based consulting firm, Courtaulds organised a club of spinning, weaving and finishing companies, chosen on the basis of their technical and commercial competence and their willingness to invest in the machinery needed to process Tencel efficiently.

Although Tencel was sold in Japan as a premium fibre, its success there suggested that the textile qualities of the new fibre would be more important than had been predicted when the Mobile plant was approved The McKinsey study had forecast that the main demand would be industrial, with apparel acting to some extent as a filler. The change of emphasis was expected to work to Courtaulds’ advantage, since the apparel market offered higher margins and should be quicker to develop than the industrial market; extensive testing would be necessary before Tencel could be used, for example, in medical applications.

Looking further ahead, senior executives in Courtaulds believed that, as the

Lenzing's Patent on Filmtruder use for Lyocell (1992)

This is the lyocell patent Lenzing claimed Courtaulds infringed in building the US Tencel plant.  They sued Courtaulds in 1993 and the case was summarily dismissed in the USA in 1995.   Courtaulds was awarded costs.  Lenzing later appealed.

The 1995 Judgement appears here.

United States Patent	5,094,690
Zikeli ,   et al.	March 10, 1992

**Please see images for: ( Certificate of Correction ) **

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Process and arrangement for preparing a solution of cellulose

Abstract There is disclosed a process for preparing solutions of cellulose in aqueous tertiary amine oxides from a suspension of cellulose in an aqueous solution of the tertiary amine oxide by supplying heat at a reduced pressure. The suspension is transported over a heating surface, spread in layers or coats, until a homogenous solution of the cellulose has formed, which has a viscosity of between 50 and 15,000 Pas.s. Feeding of the suspension and drawing-off of the homogenous solution are carried out continuously. The solutions are prepared in an indirectly heated evacuatable vessel provided with a stirring device. The vessel is designed as a cylindrical container including a centrically mounted stirring shaft having agitators joined thereto, the radial distance of the agitators from the internal wall of the container being 20 mm at the most. There are provided an intake for the cellulose suspension in the upper part of the container and an outlet for the homogenous collulose solution in its lower end.

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Inventors:	Zikeli; Stefan (Regau, AT), Wolschner; Bernd (Vocklabruck, AT), Eichinger; Dieter (Vocklabruck, AT), Jurkovic; Raimund (Lenzing, AT), Firgo; Heinrich (Vocklabruck, AT)
Assignee:	Lenzing Aktiengesellschaft (Lenzing, AT)
Family ID:	25597486
Appl. No.:	07/742,093
Filed:	August 2, 1991

Always a dedicated follower of fashion (1992)

Here's a comprehensive review of the Tencel project as of December 92 from Robin Davison at ICB.  Not sure about the title though - is it ironic?

"Courtaulds' opportunity to re-dedicate itself to a business in which it has been a world leader throughout most of this century - the chemical manipulation of cellulose."

"Courtaulds' strategy has been to re-position its own cellulosics business while maintaining lowest cost production. It has increased the proportion of higher-value added segments such as nonwovens, absorbent wipes and sanitary products, which have more predictable and stable demand patterns and reduce the sensitivity to the whims of the fashion world". (Ed. referring to pre-Tencel cellulosics strategy)

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With the launch of Tencel - the first new textile fibre in 30 years - Courtaulds could re-dedicate itself to the cellulosic fibres business. Setting a new trend, Tencel is cost-efficient to produce and boasts remarkable mechanical properties - it also bears the fashionable environmentally friendly tag.

By Robin Davison

THE FORMAL opening of Courtaulds first commercial-scale plant for the new manmade cellulosic fibre Tencel provided a wider platform than just to launch the first new textile fibre in 30 years. The opening ceremony also represented Courtaulds' opportunity to re-dedicate itself to a business in which it has been a world leader throughout most of this century - the chemical manipulation of cellulose - and allay any fears that cellulosic fibres may not feature in the company's long-term strategy. As chief executive Sipko Huismans observes, Courtaulds was in cellulosic fibres at the beginning of this century and Tencel assures its position at the end of the century - 'and there are not many companies which can say that'.

The $85m Tencel plant, with a capacity of 20 000 tonne/year, is located beside Courtaulds' existing viscose rayon plant at Axis, outside Mobile, Alabama. Commissioning took place during the summer, and Courtaulds' cellulosics ceo David Duthie expects it to be operating at 100% capacity before the end of the year.

The project's second phase - an expansion of 20 000-25 000 tonne/year at Axis

Tencel remains one of Courtaulds chief hopes (1992)

Sipko in the smart new office at George Street. The Dual track strategy for growth:  exploit Tencel technology and go for growth mainly in the Far East: no more diversification.  "Tencel should make every existing plant for cellulosic fibres obsolete."

(click on the photo to enlarge it)

From the Financial Times, May 21st 1992

Tencel: not cotton, rayon, synthetic, silk, wool or linen (1992)

This is the Q&A handout from the information pack provided to the attendees of the Tencel plant commissioning party in June 1992.

Tencel Ads: They'll buy Fashions of Tencel (1992)

This was the second page of a series of 2-page spreads in Womans Wear Daily and Daily News Record in the USA coinciding with the start of SL1.  

The first page had the heading "For the same reason people prefer..." followed by a photo of a Cadillac or gold jewellery... 

Tencel: The Skunk that Smells Sweet (1992)

I'd filed the article which follows without labelling it.  It looks like a Financial Times font and is probably based on an interview given by Sipko Huismans shortly before SL1 started up in 1992. It contains several memorable quotes:

"God really is a viscose man and he'll look after his own"

Tencel uses a process that isn't secret at all: "Every chemistry student knows cellulose dissolves in amine oxide"

" Ultimately, the capital cost of [Tencel] will be less than making viscose environmentally friendly"

Origin - Began as  a skunk works in Viscose Research in the mid '70's.

Why Mobile? - Customers. Once the Japanese start using it the US will follow.

The Market - "It's for Ferrari drivers" and then at the end of the article "perhaps Britain has too few Ferrari Drivers" 

Profitability - Break even next year, then revenues of £45m pa, but one analyst said "It could be a white elephant".

Helen Storey Tencel: The Cashmere of Denim (1992)

Shame about the attribution of fibre development to Courtaulds Textiles, but this mention of Tencel is from the height of the peachskin fashion period.

Helen Storey, who skipped the catwalk for a season, is in touch with her customers. Her nod to the Seventies comprised tongue-in-chic patchwork stripe and paisley high-buttoned jackets, ankle-length waistcoats, and slim, long skirts. Button-front long skirts in an antique flower print contrasted amusingly with 'feminist dresses' with bras sewn into the garments.

The most covetable pieces, however, are her leather and denim classics, including black leather waistcoats decorated with cuff-links and super-soft denim shirts. The latter use Tencel, a new fibre developed by Courtaulds Textiles which has already been dubbed the 'cashmere of denim'.

Roger Tredre, The Independent, 15th Oct 1992

The ads below were the first to appear in a Tencel garments search and are - what a coincidence - from Ron Hill, an ex Courtaulds (Droylesden?) man and famous marathon runner.  His company now uses Tencel in sportswear.  Click on the photos to read more.

STATISTICS: US FIBRE PRODUCTION AND INDUSTRIAL MARKETS (1992)

US synthetic fibre production reached a peak in 1988-89 and then declined with the current recession. Cellulosic production slumped between 1981-91 in the face of competition from synthetic fibres. Courtaulds' new Tencel rayon plant will be onstream later in 1992, but BASF are leaving the rayon business. Polyester production remained slow between 1981-91; there was a moderate increase in nylon production levels, while olefin production more than doubled. Of the 2,971m lb of fibre consumed for industrial production in 1990, 1,300m lb was synthetic yarn, and most of the rest synthetic staple. The main markets for synthetic staple are fibrefill, stuffing and flock, and for synthetic yarn the largest application is in tyres and also increasingly in medical uses. Statistics of US fibre production between 1981-91 are presented. 

Anon., Tech. Text. Mark., no. 10, July 1992, pp 95-99

The BASF Lowland rayon plant mentioned here was eventually bought by Lenzing.

All the Glitterati came out for Tencel's debut (1992)

Womens Wear Daily, June 24th 1992:  The Tencel Launch 

Pictures of Gordon Campbell and Bob Feil with Alberto Zanre, David Duthie with Byron Lars and Alan Jones with Zandra Rhodes follow...

VISCOSE HOLDS ITS OWN (1992 & 2012)

Courtaulds and Lenzing are developing new processing systems to circumvent the environmental drawbacks of the traditional viscose process. Courtaulds' Tencel fibre is to be produced commercially at a new plant being built in Alabama, USA. Lenzing's NMMO solvent-spinning process has reached the pilot plant stage. 

Although the use of viscose rayon fell in percentage terms in the 1980s, industry's increased output means that as much viscose rayon is used now as in the late 1970s. The three main West European suppliers are Lenzing, Courtaulds and Kemira Fibres with Hoechst AG, Svenska Rayon and Sniace of Spain also in production. Kemira Fibres and Lenzing are both marketing chlorine-free viscose rayon fibres which have been welcomed by nonwovens manufacturers. 

Anon: Nonwovens Rep. Int., no. 2151, Feb. 1992, pp 11-12

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N.B. 2012: Viscose began a revival at the turn of the century and more than a million tonnes/year of new capacity were added between Courtaulds construction of their last Grimsby Tencel Line (SL3 - 1998) and the construction of the new 60,000 tonner in Lenzing.  

Furthermore an extra 1 million tonnes per year of dissolving pulp capacity started just in the final quarter of 2011 and another 400,000 tonnes per year started in the first quarter of this year. A further million tonnes per year of new viscose pulp capacity will start up in 2013, half of this coming from the largest producer, Sappi - i.e. from what used to be the SAICCOR division of Courtaulds, which used a uniquely economical pulping process developed in Courtaulds Research in Coventry.

COURTAULDS STARTS COMMERCIAL PRODUCTION OF TENCEL IN MOBILE (1992)

This seems to be the first announcement of the actual start up of Mobile SL1...

Courtaulds Tencel cellulosic pulp mill in Axis (Alabama, USA) is now operational. It has a capacity of 20,000tpy, and will be supplying the US and South eastern Asia. The fibre can be used in clothing and industrial fabrics. Courtaulds has been operating a 1,500tpy Tencel pilot plant in Grimsby (UK) for the past few years.

 Anon., PPI This Week, vol. 7, no. 29, 3-7 Aug. 1992, p. 4

...while this is the same news a few months later.

Courtaulds plc, UK, is the first company to offer a commercial fibre based on the solvent spinning process. The cellulosic staple Tencel is based on renewable cellulose raw materials and, as its manufacturing process produces virtually no effluent, also finds approval from the environmentally concerned. £100m has been invested in the development of the fibre which has now gone into commercial production at the company's site in Mobile, USA, at an initial annual rate of 20,000 tonnes. Tencel is said to be stronger than rayon and is easy to process and dye.

Anon., High Performance Text., Jan. 1993, pp 1-2

It's probably worth adding that the first commercial production of "Tencel" was in the UK on the Grimsby S25 plant, which, while only ~1500 tonnes/year maximum output, fed the first commercial end-uses in fashion apparel in Japan.

Tencel 1978-92: Early problems and a decade to scale up (1993)

This is from Textile Month Feb 1993, written by Andrew Thornton. Pat's comments provide interesting insight into the problems of the early years of experimentation in Coventry.

Mobile Tencel Plant Commissioning Party - Courtaulds list. (1992)

The following list is scanned/OCR'd from the original with the non-Courtaulds names removed. (If anyone wants the full list I'd be happy to post it)
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COURTAULDS FIBERS INC. - TENCEL•

PLANT COMMISSIONING

STOUFFER RIVER VIEW PLAZA HOTEL

GUESTS LIST (Courtaulds Only)

Mike Ward-COURTAULDS ITALIA SRL

N. Kobayashi-COURTAULDS JAPAN

Frank Jones-COURTAULDS NEWS

David Wilkinson-COURTAULDS PERFORMANCE FILMS

Jim James-COURTAULDS

Calvin Woodings-COURTAULDS RESEARCH

Sipko Huismans -COURTAULDS FIBRES,

Gordon Campbell -COURTAULDS FIBRES,

Pat White-COURTAULDS TENCEL, Coventry

David Duthie-COURTAULDS TENCEL, Mobile

David Giarchardi-COURTAULDS FIBRES, London

Alan Jones-COURTAULDS TENCEL, Grimsby

Barrie March-COURTAULDS

Ellen Flynn-COURTAULDS TENCEL, New York

Gina Graham -COURTAULDS TENCEL, New York

Sandy Welford-COURTAULDS FIBERS, Mobile

Neil Foster (now sadly deceased)COURTAULDS GmbH, Düsseldorf

Helen Atkins - COURTAULDS TENCEL, Coventry

John Bragg-COURTUALDS FIBERS, Mobile

Robert Feil-COURTAULDS FIBERS, TENCEL

David Watson-COURTAULDS ENGINEERING, Coventry

Donald Anderson-COURTAULDS plc, London

Rod Chaney-COURTAULDS

Chapell Harris-COURTAULDS

Warren Shiner-COURTAULDS

Melvin Poolle-COURTAULDS

Tony Lang (now sadly deceased)-COURTAULDS CANADA

Mobile Tencel Plant Commissioning Party (1992)

158 invitees were on the Tencel launch party guest list at Mobile's Stouffer Riverside Plaza Hotel in December 92.  Of these,  27 were Courtaulds employees and the rest were mainly from the apparel industry, mainly US but with 12 Japanese and 7 Europeans. There were 7 from the US nonwoven industry.  Here's the introductory statement from Bob Feil.  Names of the Courtaulds people on the list will be posted later.

Mobile Tencel Plant Starts: Ad in Mobile Press Register (1992)

LENZING ACQUIRES BASF VISCOSE PLANT (1992)

The Austrian viscose rayon and modal fibre producer Lenzing AG has acquired a US viscose staple plant from BASF. The plant has a capacity of 60,000tpy of viscose and modal items. Under BASF control, its output was marketed in the US as Zantrel. Lenzing now has control of viscose rayon and modal production capacity of 180,000tpy, together with that of an Indonesian joint venture plant. The company is at the pilot-plant stage of developing a solvent-spun rayon fibre. Its competitor Courtaulds is opening a solvent-spinning plant in Alabama for the production of Tencel. 

Anon, Nonwovens Rep. Int., no. 253, Apr. 1992, pp 7-8

This BASF Lowland plant was formerly American Enka, then Akzona. It was a small viscose plant with a reputation for the best quality viscose fibres for textiles in the USA.  The first ever lyocell fibres were spun by Akzona at their Asheville labs in the mid '70's. (McCorsley, Franks, Varga et al)

American Enka decided not to commercialise the lyocell process and stopped the research in 1981, probably because at that time engineering issues associated with the difficulty of avoiding exothermic reactions looked too hard to resolve economically. However when Courtaulds had demonstrated practical solutions to the many problems discovered during American Enka's early work, they (Enka that is, now part of Akzo-Nobel) re-entered the field with the continuous filament version of the lyocell process under their brand name "Newcell". The Akzo deal with Courtaulds involved their gaining access to Courtaulds technology in exchange for granting Courtaulds rights to use some of the key steps in the early patents mentioned above.