Retech: Expert At Drawing Your Fibres And Monitoring Your Yarn Tension

Retech, simple production of heaters and heating elements as well as electronic parts for the textile industry in a small, leased plant in Boniswil, Switzerland in 1976. Cooperation with Zinser Synthetic, Ebersbach (Germany) as exclusive supplier for heated godet rolls, plate heaters and temperature control systems for draw-wind and draw-twist machines in 1994.

Retech products are used not only in the established synthetic fibre production industry. More and more Retech products, innovations and solutions can be found in other industries. All are based on the core Retech know-how which is heating and where heat has to be applied.

We interviewed with Ralph von Arx, Managing Director of Retech for the ‘Swiss Special Section’ of our Tekstil Teknoloji magazine.

As Retech, you are one of the specialized brands as an independent heated godet roll producer for OEM. What is the secret of this long-term success? How do you explain your philosophy?

Retech is indeed the leading manufacturer of heated godets for almost most OEMs who do not manufacture the godets themselves or rely on quality products. Our “secret” is based on the fact that we are able to produce the customer-specific requirements quickly, with high quality and at reasonable costs. This is because we have built up an efficient modular system for our products over the years and then we “only” have to select the right “ingredients” in order to be able to build the desired and perfect product. Our philosophy is also based on the fact that every OEM and customer, regardless of whether they are large or small is equally important to us. In addition, everything is strictly separated and we take great care to ensure that no information/secrets are disclosed. Only in this way can we guarantee our responsibility towards our customers and proof/confirm the trust placed in us.

Could you tell us about your product portfolio and usage areas? Which products of yours are the most demanded?

Our godets from small to large, from slow to fast and from cold to very hot are used in a wide range of areas. For example with conventional PP / PA or PET processes, with technical yarn applications or with high performance yarns, such as e.g. Aramid or also for new and future-oriented biopolymers.
The godets for high performance yarns (aramid) are clearly exposed to the highest requirements. Very hot temperatures (up to 400 ° C) and very high forces (up to 35 Nm torque) are required here. These are not easy tasks – but Retech can solve them successfully thanks to many years of experience.

What are the features that distinguish the yarn tension sensor you have recently developed from its competitors?

Our yarn tension sensor is based on a proven Hall sensor technology that we have been using for many years. This technology completely separates the electronics from the thread-touching measuring elements and there is no risk that spinfinish can damage the electronics. In addition, the sensor is long-term stable and shows practically no drift over the years, which is why complex recalibration is no longer necessary.

What trends are you currently witnessing in the yarn tension sensor, godet rollers, temperature controllers?

On one hand, we see a trend towards higher requirements – higher temperatures, higher speeds and higher forces. On the other hand there is also a trend towards exactly the opposite direction – for certain processes and new materials, the speeds are in a very low range. Sometimes only a few meters per minute or in extreme cases even per hour. This poses other challenges, especially with regard to suitable engine technology and speed control. The production of carbon fibers is a very demanding area.

What do you pay attention to while making technology investments in order to increase your competitiveness and maintain your quality, what are your criteria?

We have been trying to concentrate on our core competence for many years and to push ahead with new and further development in these areas. With this strategy, we are convinced that we are always one step ahead and thus increase our competitiveness.

At the ITM, we will show our latest generation of godets

Could you give information about your representatives around the world and the countries you mainly export to?

We are represented in all major markets with local representatives and have our own service centers in the USA and China, which can perform the most important work on site and support our customers promptly. Due to our close connection to the OEM, our main export markets are still Europe, but India, Turkey and the USA are also important OEM countries for us. The US, China, Taiwan, Korea and Turkey are currently our major markets for end-user businesses.

Which machines will you highlight at the ITM 2020? Do you mind sharing its features with us?

We are convinced that there is great interest in Turkey in the long term to stand out from mainstream products and producers are increasingly focusing on high quality products. For this reason, our products are specifically interesting for the Turkish market and Retech can provide important support as a partner accordingly. At the ITM, we will show our latest generation of godets to the Turkish and international audience and thus demonstrate that there are interesting solutions to generate added value for your products.

Interview: Dilek HAYIRLI