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#Dyeing, Drying, Finishing

SL Smart Weft-Straightener success at Harris Tweed Hebrides, UK

High quality fabric is essential for any finisher who wants to ensure consistent quality and resource efficiency. A particularly important quality criterion is straight weft and straight course fabric. The Scottish tweed manufacturer Harris Tweed Hebrides finishes 100% woolen, handwoven cloth and stands as a world class leader in British luxury cloth with an extensive, high quality product range. The company was looking for a weft-straightening system which, in contrast to the previously used pinwheel system, could not damage the wool.
SuccessStory at Harris Tweed Hebrides, UK © 2025 PLEVA
SuccessStory at Harris Tweed Hebrides, UK © 2025 PLEVA


They finish 100% woollen, handwoven cloth with fabric weights from 260 to 353 g/m² and fabric widths from 750mm up to 1500mm. Each individual tweed is approximately 50m in length.

Precise weft correction without pin wheels for high-quality, straightened fabrics

The customer's aim and requirement is a precise correction of the weft without usage of pin wheels to produce high quality, straightened fabrics without distortion as well as automatic adaptation on a wide range of weaves and the variations that occur with handwoven fabrics, while maintaining easy, intuitive operation.

Pleva's SL smart weft-straightener: advanced technology for precise and efficient fabric straightening

Fitted to these needs the well-known German manufacturer PLEVA gives with the automatic weft-straightener SL smart including the unique high-tech traversing camera technology the optimum solution and offers the finisher several advantages.

The user-friendly, self-explanatory interface displays all important information at one glance. This enables to work with maximum efficiency and to react to the complex portfolio with the integrated recipe management for sophisticated straightening. The well-established advanced traversing camera with many measuring points across the fabric width ensures the most accurate straightening. In combination with the fast reaction time of the rollers, it allows best straightening results. Furtheron the machine design is fitted to even the harshest working conditions and optimized for easy cleaning and low maintenance.

PLEVA SL smart weft-straightener © 2025 PLEVA
PLEVA SL smart weft-straightener © 2025 PLEVA


Harris Tweed Hebrides praises SL smart weft-straightener for precision and efficiency

David Stewart, Harris Tweed Hebrides Ltd is very satisfied and states: „The SL smart weft-straightener performs very well with our product. The traversing camera is exceptionally accurate and automatically adapts to a wide range of weaves. The system of skew and bow rollers allow precise alteration of the weft without the possibility of damage to the fabric. It requires very little input from the operator and minimal maintenance, resulting in increased productive times. The addition of the touch screen control panel allows the operator to view the current weft position in real-time, ensuring that the fabric is within the accepted parameters. Excellent support from PLEVA team.”

Besides those advantages, also a positive ecological impact is achieved: Due to the first-time-right-principle, only one round through the production line with the fabric is needed to produce directly the aimed result. This saves energy and valuable resources. In addition, due to the higher quality of the goods, there are no more costly readjustments or wasted fabrics and complaints can be reduced drastically. This is not only good for textile finishing companies and customers, but also for the environment. 

Learn more about sustainability with PLEVA Sensors and Controls on www.pleva.org



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#ITMA Asia + CITME Singapore 2025

Smart automation to fix gaps of skilled staff

Advanced technology for high quality and efficiency at textile finishing - ITMA Asia 2025, Singapore As customer expectations rise and skilled labor becomes increasingly scarce, smart sensor technology and automated control systems have become essential in modern textile finishing. PLEVA meets these challenges with its renowned, robust and reliable sensors, specifically designed for the demanding conditions of textile production.

#Dyeing, Drying, Finishing

Generation change at Pleva: Kathrin and Stephan Pleva join the Management Team

PLEVA GmbH, a leading manufacturer of sensors, measurement and control technology for various industries, announces that Kathrin Pleva and Stephan Pleva have been appointed as Managing Directors of the family-owned company. Together with their father, Dr. Ralf Pleva, they will shape the future of the company.

#Dyeing, Drying, Finishing

New PLEVA representation in North America

As of August 2024 WEKO is the official sales & service partner in North America for PLEVA Sensors and Controls. Mr. Terence McGee (General Manager WEKO North America) and his team represent PLEVA in the USA and Canada.

#Techtextil 2024

Pleva will showcase advanced technology for energy-efficiency and sophisticated processes at Techtextil 2024

Making processes more cost-effective, sustainable, transparent, and above all more efficient, is exactly the aim of using sensors and controls at textile processes. By this, textile producers are enabled to save large amounts of energy, improve product quality and make even complex processes more traceable and reproducible. Pleva is looking forward to discuss those important aspects is the Techtextil 2024 in Frankfurt.

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#Associations

AATCC announces 2025 Herman & Myrtle Goldstein Graduate Student Paper Competition winners

The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) recognized the winners of the 2025 Herman & Myrtle Goldstein Graduate Student Paper Competition. Founded in 1982 to give student members the chance to conduct and present original research, the competition was renamed in 1994 in honor of Herman and Myrtle Goldstein, following their US$60,000 endowment. Their gift is a lasting remembrance of their dedication to young people in the textile industry.

#Dyeing, Drying, Finishing

Stefan Moll becomes new CEO of the machinery manufacturer

Starting January 1, 2026, Stefan Moll will take over the management of Mahlo GmbH + Co. KG, the world’s leading provider of measurement and control technology for web-shaped materials. With this move, Mahlo is focusing on the long-term safeguarding of its market position and technological leadership. The current CEO, Rainer Mestermann, will leave the company after 14 years as part of a planned succession arrangement.

#Textile chemistry

PIGMENTURA by CHT wins the German Sustainability Award in the Products category

On Thursday, December 4, 2025, the German Sustainability Award was granted in Düsseldorf for the CHT Group's state-of-the-art pigment dyeing process PIGMENTURA.

#Textile chemistry

Archroma and Lilienweiss join forces to deliver faster and localized color management services in Europe

Archroma, a global leader in specialty chemicals focused on sustainable solutions, today announced its partnership with Lilienweiss, who will begin offering Archroma Color Management solutions across Europe starting January 2026.

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#Research & Development

Innovation center for textile circular economy inaugurated

Just over eight months after the foundation stone was laid, the new Innovation Center for Textile Circular Economy was officially inaugurated today at TITK Rudolstadt. Thuringia's Minister President Mario Voigt, TITK Director Benjamin Redlingshöfer, and other guests of honor cut the ribbon to the modern building complex and viewed the premises, which are now ready for occupancy. The “DICE – Demonstration and Innovation Center for Textile Circular Economy” is TITK's largest single investment to date. The Free State of Thuringia supported the total cost of €11.5 million with €8 million in GRW and FTI funding.

#Research & Development

Sustainable design of Geosynthetics and roof underlayments made from recyclates

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#Associations

Waste2Fashion: FTTH Committed to advancing Circular Fashion in the Mediterranean

As an official partner of the Waste2Fashion project, the Tunisian Federation of Textile and Apparel (FTTH) participated in the Kick-off Meeting held on 10–11 December in Spain. The event brought together project partners from across the Mediterranean, including Spain, Italy, Egypt, Lebanon, and Tunisia, to align on a shared vision and initiate the first implementation steps.

#Nonwoven machines

Yanpai expands nonwovens capacity with two new ANDRITZ needlepunch lines

Zhejiang Yanpai Filter Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Yanpai”) has placed an order with international technology group ANDRITZ for two high-performance needlepunch lines. The equipment will be installed at Yanpai’s headquarters facility in Tiantai County, China. Commissioning is scheduled for the third quarter of 2026.

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