#Dyeing, Drying, Finishing
Peru's Textil Only Star invests in Toptex
Textil Only Star, one of Peru's top knitting producers and which has this year added a major dyeshop, has newly installed a Monforts Toptex 8000 Twin Shrink at its factory in Lima as part of a strategy to turn the company into a vertically integrated producer. The Toptex was ordered through Monforts' Peruvian representative Macontex sac, who along with a Monforts engineer from Germany has commissioned the machine and supervised training.
Textil Only Star, along with its sister company Precotex, has been one of the fastest developing companies in the Peruvian textiles and garments industry. The company was launched as Precotex in 1996 by Dante Villalva Munive, who was then a student in his early 20s. Initially Precotex focused on simple textile printing work, using a carousel print system, but it soon grew to become Peru's largest print specialist.
In 2005 Precotex moved into the manufacture of garments, establishing Textil Only Star with knitting and sewing facilities to manufacture and export collections for brands that include Armani Exchange, John Varvatos, Donna Claire, and '47 Brand.
"Once we had established Only Star, we realised that we needed to progress yet further and become an integrated vertical producer," says Mr Villalva, who is now 40. "We opened our dyehouse production in the first half of 2012 with five dyeing units, and are now adding a further six. At the same time we have invested in the Monforts Toptex. The machine adds value to our production. The finish it gives to our cotton produce is finer, softer and better looking than any shrinking machine that we have seen. "
Mr Villalva says that Peru is not one of the world's leading garment makers in terms of volume or low cost, and could never compete with China or other Far East producers, or even the Central American producers.
"Peru does however have an outstanding reputation for quality," he says. "We can compete on equal terms, and better, with the world's leading quality producers. This is what drives Only Star, and this is where our future lies. We have become a vertical producer from the ground up, always testing ourselves before moving onto the next stage, and all the time investing in the best technology."
The Toptex is achieving a residual shrinkage of 5 % and in the first couple of months of operation has been handling 4 tonnes per day, working on a 24-hour, three-shift basis. The factory, which employs 1200 people, works seven days a week.
Mr Villalva says that the projection is the Toptex will be processing 8 tonnes per day by the end of 2012, and 14 tonnes by March 2013. Average width of the material is 1.8 m, and weights range from 110 to 135 gsm. There are plans to move further into blended fabrics, and Mr Villalva says this was an important consideration when negotiating with Monforts.
"The Toptex changes everything for us," he says. "We can go out to the export markets with even greater confidence."
