Lenzing : Celebrates the First Anniversary of the World’s Largest TENCEL® Fiber Production Plant

Friday, 09 October 2015

For this reason, the first anniversary celebration of this state-of-the-art TENCEL® plant was designed to thank all those participating in the successful realization of the project. The focus was also on the enormous potential of TENCEL® as a fiber of the future.

'The completion of the world's biggest TENCEL® fiber production facility comprised a milestone in the history of the Lenzing Group', said Stefan Doboczky, CEO of Lenzing AG. 'We would like to particularly thank our committed employees, the federal province of Upper Austria, the public authorities involved and the highly professional construction companies. This globally top-notch technology could be successfully ramped up thanks to their dedicated support.'

Among the guests attending the festivities were Michael Strugl, State Minister of Economic Affairs for Upper Austria, Axel Greiner, President of the Upper Austrian chapter of the Federation of Austrian Industries, numerous political representatives and public officials in Upper Austria, as well as the shareholder representative Wolfgang Hofer, Member of the Management Board of the B&C Private Foundation and Hanno Bästlein, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Lenzing AG.

The significance of sustainable fabrics made of fibers such as TENCEL® with top-class product properties for Austrian and international designers was demonstrated by a small but excellent fashion show entitled 'The Fascination of TENCEL®'. The designer Cloed Priscilla Baumgartner commented on the Lenzing product TENCEL®: 'It was a lot of fun to make use of my designer contacts to focus on the topic of TENCEL®. All the designs which were shown are living proof that the fashion world is calling for sustainability, regionality and top quality. As an innovation manager, the innovative fiber TENCEL® interests me at all levels of my professional life.'

It is not without reason that top international brands such as Abercrombie & Fitch, Levis, Gap and Victoria's Secret integrate the fiber into their garments. In a discussion held with experts in the field, Robert van de Kerkhof, Member of the Management Board of Lenzing AG and three international managers of the Lenzing Group focused on the demands of Lenzing customers and the reasons why TENCEL® more than fulfills these high requirements. Mr. van de Kerkhof pointed to the remarkable fact that Lenzing has developed extraordinarily strong brands for a raw material producer, including TENCEL®. 'Many customers have become enthusiastic ambassadors of our products', van de Kerkhof stated.

Tricia Carey, Lenzing Business Development Director Denim in New York, underlined the growing importance of TENCEL® for denim fabrics. 'The top brands work with us because we stand for quality, innovation and partnership.'

Suzanna Perez, Business Development Manager based in Spain, voiced the opinion that 'the sustainability of products is becoming increasingly crucial for global retail chains and thus suppliers as well. Accordingly, the commitment of Lenzing to sustainability is a major competitive advantage, for example with the Spanish textile giant Inditex.'

Judy Chen, Global Business Development Director Innerwear (e.g. lingerie) focusing on the Chinese market, emphasized the preference of Chinese consumers for silky fabrics.'When pronounced in Chinese, TENCEL® means 'silk of heaven'. Moreover, with TENCEL® we are also satisfying the growing environmental awareness of consumers in China', Chen says.

The conclusion of the expert talks was that TENCEL® scores points worldwide thanks to its unique combination of product features such as skin compatibility, tensile strength, elegant sheen and the fiber's inherent sustainability. Whether integrated in denim fabrics or as a fiber for hygiene products, TENCEL® enhances the quality of products and makes them more sustainable.

The facility which was successfully put on stream one year ago is the world's largest TENCEL® production plant with a nominal capacity of 67,000 tons annually. Following a construction time of 24 months and investments of about EUR 150 mn, the production of TENCEL® secures 140 jobs at the Lenzing site.

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Pictures:
https://mediadb.lenzing.com/pindownload/login.do?pin=85XBZ
http://www.lenzing.com/sites/TENCEL-Event

For more information please contact:
Angelika Guldt
Head of Corporate Communication
Phone: +43 (0) 7672 701-2713
E-mail: a.guldt@lenzing.com