Courtaulds and Akzo Nobel cooperate on the development of lyocell filament (1997)

Courtaulds and Akzo Nobel are working together in the development of lyocell (solvent spun) cellulosic filament yarn. A market evaluation and test marketing programme has been conducted with Asahi in Japan over the past two years and it is expected that a final investment decision will be taken by Courtaulds and Akzo Nobel by the end of this year.

The two companies have also agreed to undertake a detailed study for construction of a 5000 tonne/year facility to be located in Europe. Akzo Nobel is producing lyocell filament yarn at its pilot plant in Oberburg, Germany, with Courtaulds contributing process and product know-how derived from the manufacture ofTencel, its branded lyocell staple fibre.

In 1990, Courtaulds opened its $100m Tencel facility adjacent to the rayon plant at Mobile, Alabama, US. It is the only location where this revolutionary new fibre is currently being produced in industrial-scale quantities in the world.

Tencel is biodegradable and can be used for many industrial applications, as well as fine yams and fabrics. The advanced material features many environmental benefits, from the raw material which goes into its manufacture to the process that forms it. This process converts wood pulp harvested in managed forests to fibre by a method which recycles almost 100% of the solvent, virtually eliminating the need for effluent discharges.

This year Courtaulds completed a $134m expansion at the plant, one which doubled its capacity and raised employment to 200.

Tencel demand remains strong, particularly in Europe, but with Japan a major market and all production still in the US, the current weakness of the yen against the dollar is a negative factor on margins, according to Gordon Campbell, chief executive of Courtaulds.

In viscose, Campbell said there is some evidence of recovery in demand, but

Parties in Tencel patent row to settle out of court (1997)

The Lenzing Filmtruder process patent was summarily dismissed in the USA but now the Appeal Court overturn that ruling.

Fibre manufacturers Lenzing and Courtaulds have begun discussions to resolve their differences without further recourse to the American courts.

Lenzing and Courtaulds are to settle out of court over the Tencel patent row - despite a US court decision in Lenzing's favour. Lenzing fought the action over alleged infringement of a patent for production of what it calls lyocell fibres.

The Federal Court of Appeal in Washington DC reversed an earlier summary decision of the New York court in November 1995, which held the patent invalid for failure to disclose the 'best mode' of the invention. Lenzing claimed infringement of the patent by Courtaulds at its lyocell plant in Mobile, Alabama, and the infringement suit in the New York court is now set to continue.

Lenzing, which produces lyocell under the brand name Lenzing Lyocell, sought damages and an injunction against Courtaulds in the New York district court action. Courtaulds denied infringements and called the patent invalid. Lenzing said the decision accentuated the importance of the Lenzing patent and emphasised its contribution to commercialise the lyocell process.

A Lenzing spokeswoman said negotiations had taken place between Lenzing and Courtaulds. 'We still want to continue discussions, but we must review the court decision,' she said. 'No firm date has been set for a resumption of the New York district court case, but we intend to get the issue resolved.'

David Wilkinson, Courtaulds' director responsible for fibres, said discussion at an advanced stage would enable both companies to get on without the fear of invoking patents against each other. He said Courtaulds and Lenzing companies could then defend actions against third parties if they infringed patent agreements for the manufacture of lyocell.

Wilkinson added: 'I am confident the discussions will produce an amicable solution. I have no reason to believe that Lenzing does not have the same objective.'

Lyocell, a fibre used in clothing, is spun from a solution of cellulose in an organic solvent and water. The Lenzing patent relates to the preparation of the spinning solution.

28 July 1997 [Source: ICB]

More Here.

“Jobs Through Innovation”: Lenzing Third in the Nationwide Rankings (2012)

The following news from Austria encourages us to print a short version of the history for those who have not followed the Tencel development (or this blog) from the start:

• The first lyocell fibre (later called Tencel) was spun from an NMMO solution on a lab. scale by Akzo in North America in the late 70's.
• Akzo balked at scale-up difficulties and costs, but Courtaulds Research (UK) developed an improved version of the process and moved on to a 1000 tpy scale 25 years ago.  The first commercial worldwide sales of Tencel were made from this pilot line at the Courtaulds Grimsby factory.
• by 1997 Courtaulds capacity for Tencel was being expanded to 85,000 tpy by the construction of their 4th line, while Lenzing were starting their first 10,000 tpy semi-commercial line using the same "Filmtruder" dissolution technique operated by Courtaulds since 1990.
• Courtaulds developed the US, European and Japanese Tencel markets in both fashion apparel and technical textiles before running into financial difficulties and being bought by Akzo Nobel in 1998.
• Akzo sold the Courtaulds Fibres business to CVC Partners in 1999.  CVC agreed to buy an 80% stake in Lenzing from the Bank of Austria in 2001.  (EU competition authorities intervened)
• In 2004  CVC Partners sold Tencel to Lenzing, who have done an excellent "patient management" job to keep the technology alive and expand the market through difficult times.
• This year Lenzing started building their second commercial scale plant.

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Monday, 03. December 2012

Additional award following top spot in Upper Austria

Doris Bures, the Federal Minister for Transport, Innovation and Technology, Reinhold Mitterlehner, the Federal Minister of Economic Affairs, Austrian Chamber of Labor President Herbert Tumpel, Dwora Stein, Managing Director of the Union of Salaried Private Sector Employees, and the two managing directors of the Austrian Research Promotion Agency, Henrietta Egerth and Klaus Pseiner, honored the winners of the nationwide competition “Jobs Through Innovation 2012” at a gala award ceremony held in the Museumsquartier in Vienna. Lenzing AG placed third in the national competition thanks to its project featuring the new man-made cellulose fiber “TENCEL®“.

Dieter Eichinger, Head of the Business Unit Textile Fibers, said that “TENCEL® represents a new, innovative fiber generation which Lenzing has been working on for close to 30 years with great success. After reaching the industrial scale production of TENCEL®, our priority is now to continually develop other applications and market them globally. These innovations arise at our research center in Lenzing, which employs 161 people. After winning the award for the province of Upper Austria, we are very pleased that our achievements have also been recognized and honored on a national level.”

Why was Lenzing honored?

The Lenzing Group was able to convince the jury for several reasons on 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

Akzo/Courtaulds move to make NewCell (1997)

The commercialisation of lyocell (solvent spun) cellulosic filament yarn has taken a step forward with Akzo Nobel and Courtaulds' decision to carry out an engineering study for the construction of a 5000 tonne/year plant in Europe.

According to Fritz Fröhlich, a board member of Akzo Nobel, the location of the plant will depend on final government support. An investment decision will be made by the Akzo Nobel and Courtaulds boards later this year.

The firms decided to proceed with the study following progress in the process development at Akzo Nobel's Obernburg pilot plant in Germany. Akzo Nobel has been producing 100 tonne/year of lyocell filament yarns, called NewCell, at the unit. Courtaulds provided process and product know-how from Tencel, its lyocell staple fibre.

Market test programmes conducted over the past two years have been positive. The Japanese market was studied with Asahi.

Courtaulds produces Tencel lyocell staple fibre in two plants with a combined capacity of 55 000 tonne/year in Alabama, US. It is now building a £120m ($180m) 42 000 tonne/year facility in Grimsby, UK, due onstream in early 1998.

14 April 1997 [Source: ICB]