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.

Lenzing Lyocell Patent (1995)

In looking through the Courtaulds and Lenzing patents on lyocell, this is the first I've seen which covers a process for making fibres as opposed to different parts of a process.  It is also the first to mention the Buss Filmtruder as the thin-film evaporator, this being the evaporator installed at Mobile Tencel in 1992 and operating commercially when this was filed.

United States Patent	5,603,883
Zikeli	February 18, 1997

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Process of and apparatus for making celluose products

Abstract A plant for the production of cellulose films and fibers includes at least one pulping device for producing a first suspension of pulp in an aqueous amine-oxide solution and a first thin-film treatment apparatus for receiving the first pulp suspension and producing a concentrated pulp suspension. The plant also includes a second thin-film treatment apparatus wherein the concentrated pulp suspension is transformed into a mouldable solution of cellulose and a spinning device connected to the second thin-film treatment apparatus, wherein the mouldable cellulose solution is processed into cellulose films and fibers. A process for the production of cellulose films and fibers according to an amine-oxide process includes the steps of suspending pulp in an aqueous amine-oxide solution to produce a first suspension, concentrating the first suspension, producing a mouldable cellulose solution by heating, and processing the solution to form cellulose films and fibers.

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Inventors:	Zikeli; Stefan (Regau, AT)
Assignee:	Lenzing Aktiengesellschaft (AT)
Appl. No.:	08/465,321
Filed:	June 5, 1995 100 kg of humid pulp of the "Lenzing BKZ EM 9 feucht" type containing 50% of water was suspended for about 5 minutes in a pulper of the company Cellwood Grubbens AB (vertical pulper) in 600 kg of a commercially available solution of N-methylmorpholine-N-

PRODUCING CELLULOSIC FIBRE WITH NMMO SOLVENT UNDER LICENCE FROM AKZO (1994)

This unusual abstract contains another mention of Akzo's original invention of the lyocell fibre process and mentions the fact that Courtaulds operated lyocell under licence.   Lenzing had licenced the technology first in 1987 and Courtaulds followed, for reasons unclear in view of the ~5 year lead they had in the technology, in 1990.  Akzo had abandoned staple but were developing a filament version of the technology called "Newcell".  Courtaulds and Akzo collaborated in the further development of "Newcell" and maybe the licencing was part of this collaborative deal.

Courtaulds (USA and UK) is using N-methyl morpholine oxide (NMMO) as a solvent in the production of its cellulose-based Tencel staple fibre. This process is environmentally-friendly and creates virtually no pollution. This method was initially patented by Akzo and Courtaulds is using it under license. There have been some technical problems in applying this method on a commercial scale, but these have been largely overcome. Fabrics produced using NMMO have applications in clothing.

Anon., High Performance Text., Aug. 1994, pp 3-5

COURTAULDS OPTS TO SITE £90M PLANT IN BRITAIN (1994)

Susan Gilchrist of The Times was the first to report on SL2 expansion in 1993 and this announcement of SL3 is similary confusing.  (If the original text surfaces it will be posted. Unfortunately I don't have access to The Times archives at present.)

Chemical group Courtaulds have opened a £90m plant at Grimsby to produce the company's revolutionary Tencel fibre. This will create 120 jobs. Pioneered by Courtaulds, Tencel is used in clothing and industrial applications, and the plant is due to start production early in 1997. Eastern Germany was the front-runner in the choice site for the plant, but was narrowly beaten by Grimsby when the Department of Trade and Industry agreed to provide a £10m grant towards funding the plant. The Group expects Tencel to produce annual sales of £450m by the end of the 1990s. Profit and loss figures are listed.

Gilchrist S., The Times, no. 65,120, 24 Nov. 1994, p. 27

Sipko on the merger of Fibres with Hoechst and Tencel in US (1993)

Sipko Huismans, Courtaulds' chief executive, observed: 'If you want to be in Eastern Europe, you have to start by positioning yourself in Germany,' as he announced the group's decision to merge its European fibre interests with those of Hoechst. Courtaulds is scarcely about to storm the Urals in pursuit of profits, but Mr Huisman's point about the importance of geographical positioning is well made.

Size brings not only savings of scale but makes it easier to exploit new products. One of the main reasons Courtaulds concentrated on the US rather than Europe when it came to releasing Tencel, its latest fibre, was that its stronger base in the US made for a safer launch-pad.

So Courtaulds' neat alliance with its German competitor, in which it will clearly be the dominant force, strengthens its Continental hand considerably, catapulting it into near pole position - aptly enough for a company that sponsors Ayrton Senna's Marlboro McLaren racing team.