Heshan Blanke Ltd. - Successful Proximity To The Asian Market

Germany-based finisher opens a facility in China to get closer to its customers.

Textile World Asia Special Report

I n light of today’s global goods flows, market proximity is one of the most important prerequisites for business success — a fact clearly demonstrated by retail chains operating worldwide.  Nonetheless, a textile finisher that adopts such a strategy must possess a special blend of entrepreneurial courage and the right employees. These characteristics, and a classic example of how this approach can succeed, are illustrated by Heshan Blanke Textile Ltd., Heshan City, Guangdong Province, China.

The CEO of Heshan Blanke Textile Ltd. is Andreas Blanke, owner of Germany-based Fritz Blanke GmbH & Co. KG. The parent company was founded in Bielefeld, a traditional textile industry location, in 1948 by Fritz Blanke. The company was versatile, dyeing military greatcoats and upgrading sisal yarns for carpets and artificial silk knits for stockings. Knits were finished as required by the business situation. In 1949, the first wood winch vats went into operation at Blanke, and one of the first tiered tenters in West Germany was built in-house and used as a drying frame.   

Rapid Development

At the beginning of 1953, Blanke moved into the premises of a former dyeing shop in Bad Salzuflen, Germany. Five years later, these facilities were too small. Fritz Blanke decided to purchase a plot of land to use for a new facility, which opened in 1957. By 1959, two new tenters were in operation as knitted shirt materials had become fashionable and were in demand. This demand required high-temperature beam-dyeing systems, and soon five tenters were running. In 1962, following the death of Fritz Blanke, Friedrich Blanke assumed management of the company and was joined in the firm by Ernst-August Blanke. 

Today, a workforce of 200 people annually produces 1,600 tons, or 12 million meters, of material in an area of 30,000 square meters. The Blanke company upgrades, laminates, coats and prints virtually every type of fabric including wovens, knits and nonwovens used in the automotive, medical, underwear and corset, decorative and home, and technical textiles segments. Natural- and man-made-fiber woven and knitted fabrics, along with special weaves using technical yarns made of Kevlar® or Nomex® fibers are processed.

Production meets the requirements of the Oeko-Tex 100 standard. Blanke guarantees top quality and environmentally compatible production, which has been tested with regard to pollutant substances and meets the demands of the market. The company possesses DIN EN ISO 9001:2000 accreditation for the textile finishing, printing and laminating areas.

As far as environmental protection is concerned, a three-pronged strategy of prevention, preparation and disposal is pursued throughout every area of the company. Modern wastewater treatment technology ensures that water employed in the production processes is cleaned using a chemical-physical end process.


The Route To China

For Europeans, the ambition of establishing a company production facility in China represents a very special challenge. Johann Wilhelm Birkenhauer acts as an on-site, authorized project manager at Heshan Blanke Textile Ltd. A textile engineering graduate, he has been in the industry for the past 35 years and shares a long-term friendship with Andreas Blanke. This friendship formed the basis for their cooperation, which began with a part-time management appointment. Birkenhauer then headed the project in China, right up to the beginning of production.

“Blanke has been working for the German company Julius Boos Jr. GmbH & Co. KG in Goch and Wuppertal as a commission finisher for the past 20 years,” Birkenhauer said. “In particular, the high-quality products were then made up in Asia. The changed markets and the desire for customer proximity led to the idea of establishing a company production facility in China.”

Birkenhauer designates the cultural differences between China and Germany as constituting the greatest obstacle on the road to production in China. Moreover, the influence of the authorities is even greater in China than it is in Germany, and this is a colossal challenge. 

Once the decision had been taken to start manufacturing in China, the technology direction had to be established, and it was decided to opt for the highest possible degree of automation and first-class standards. In line with the Blanke philosophy, the greatest possible congruity had to be found among suppliers, products, machinery and technology. For Birkenhauer, the competence of the workforce was also of major significance.


High Degree Of Automation

 “The first container with machinery arrived on Sept. 26, 2005, when the production halls were still partly under construction,” said Birkenhauer. “However, by February 2006, we were already making the first test-dyeing runs.”

Blanke selected machinery from Fong’s National Engineering Co. Ltd., Hong Kong, and an integrated management system from Then Maschinen GmbH, Germany, for the new facility in China. “ Initial contacts regarding this purchase took place as early as February 2005, and following an extended evaluation phase, we decided to buy the Fong’s National equipment and the Then management systems,” Birkenhauer said. “Subsequently, two Fong’s National machines, consisting of an ECO 88-1T-T50 with one tube and an ECO 88-1T-T50 with four tubes, were brought to our plant in Germany and integrated into standard production. The aim was to find out if we could manufacture the products that we wanted with these machines. The answer was affirmative and together with Fong’s, we brought the equipment up to production maturity. As I mentioned previously, the objective was to achieve a high degree of automation. Therefore, in addition to the Fong’s machinery, we bought an automatic dispensing system from its German sister company, Then Maschinen GmbH. As a consequence, we can attain an excellent level of automation right up to the fully finished product.” 

The machine pool has a classic layout. Three ECO 88-1T-T50s operate in production, with two in tandem, along with four Allfit dyeing machines for medium-sized batches and two CBS beam-dyeing machines. The integrated Then Dyehouse System (TDS) management system undertakes the administration and organization of the dyehouse. The system integrates company and third-party products as well as PC control systems and hosts to form an integrated dyehouse system. Among the tasks handled are order supply, disposition, recipe systems and calculation programs for the optimization of dyeing processes. The entire software is fully object-oriented and programmed with the very latest development tools. 

The linkage of the individual components in the dyehouse guarantees an optimum data flow and a clearly structured and flexible production sequence. Below a uniform operator interface, the TDS communicates the process programs to the controls of the dyeing machines in accordance with the selected sequence. Accordingly, production recipes are sent to the weighing station, the ADS solvent station, or the CHD chemical dosing unit. Set and actual values, all types of statistics and faults are reported by the dyeing machines to the control system and then stored.

It was the declared aim of the management also to operate in China using the best possible, environmentally compatible technology. “We went to China to work in a serious manner and also to set a positive example with regard to the environment, which is a special concern of Andreas Blanke,” Birkenhauer said. “As a result, we have invested a considerable amount in this area in Heshan City. Wastewater is cleaned using advanced technology, and when it leaves the cleaning system, the water is considerably purer than during feeding. Indeed, the pretreatment of the water also requires considerable expense and effort.”


Market Position

Blanke is regarded as a leading finisher in the highly elastic knits and warp-knitted goods area. In order to market the company’s production in Asia, a joint venture between Blanke and the knits manufacturer Boos — BBF Boos Blanke Fabric Ltd. — was established. Birkenhauer said that as a result of the teamwork with the raw materials producer, everything from yarn to final finishing is on a one-stop-shopping basis, and this creates Blanke’s market position.

Within this context, product development is a focus of Heshan with advances constantly being made in the warp-knitting shop. Certain products are finished using nanotechnology such as silver ion treatments. 

“First and foremost, assured product quality and absolute reliability as a supplier,” said Birkenhauer when asked about current market demands. “Of equal importance are the use of physiologically harmless dyes and additives, as the products are often worn in direct contact with the skin.

The plant has been in operation since February 2006, and saleable products were manufactured from the outset. ”The human/machine/ technology interface is of special importance and in our case functions perfectly,” Birkenhauer said. “One needs the right people for this purpose, and we have them. Our experience up to now has been positive, and our expectations have been largely fulfilled.  Then and Fong’s have a clearly defined service orientation, which is exactly in line with our needs. Should we occasionally have a problem, competent service engineers are always on the spot immediately.”


Positive Outlook

Birkenhauer envisions challenges in the coming years. “All the partners in the production chain must work together,” he said. “We have reached a phase in which large markets are shrinking and small markets are growing. It is here that we have to make our presence felt. I would also like to see even closer cooperation between machinery producers and users in the development area, as this would help to achieve greater mastery of the problems of the future.”

Birkenhauer regards the current market situation as positive. The customers can see that the price/performance ratio is in order. “Today, quality has gained a different meaning that also applies in China,” Birkenhauer said. “The markets are slowly departing from the throwaway society, and one is ready to pay for a certain value added. This is seen as being a multiple in times of resource shortages. Naturally, the extreme price pressure causes us headaches, but with the right, top-quality products at the correct price, we are in line with customer needs. Moreover, the next season always comes around, and then we must and will hold our own.”

March/April 2008

 

Heshan Blanke Ltd.－成功贴近亚洲市场

在现今全球商品流向的大势下，贴近市场是企业争取成功不可或缺的要素--对这说法，全球零售链运作的情况足以证明。然而，对一所纺织业后整理企业来说，实行这策略的首要条件，是必须同时具备企业家的勇气，以 及合适的员工。位于中国广东省鹤山市的Heshan Blanke Textile Ltd.，便具备了以上特点；其取得的杰出成绩，更成为这营运模式的典范。

Heshan Blanke Textile Ltd.的首席执行官，由德国Fritz Blanke GmbH & Co. KG.东主Andreas Blanke 亲自出任。集 团总公司于1948年，由Fritz Blanke于传统的纺织业重地Bielefeld创立。企业在成立之初，可谓多才多艺，业务包括军用大衣印染，以 及提升生产地毯用的西沙尔麻纱线与生产长袜用的人造织绢原丝的素质。公司的针织产品均按商业形势进行后整理加工。1949年，Blanke首次采用木制的绳状染色缸，同时在厂房内设置西德首见的分层拉幅机，以 作风干之用。

高速增长

1953年初，Blanke 迁入德国Bad Salzuflen一所前染色店的旧址。5 年后，厂房已不敷应用，Fritz Blanke 于是决定购地兴建新厂房。新厂房卒于1957 年落成；a a / a a a a / a a / a 两 年后，公司又在针织衬衣大行其道的形势下，应市场所需，添置两部新的拉幅机。由于生产针织衬衣原料必须具备高温的经轴染色设备，公司因而又再安装5部拉幅机。1 962 年，F ritz Blanke 逝世，/ F riedrich Blanke 接手管理企业的业务，而同时加入的，还有Ernst-August Blanke。

时至今日，企业聘有200名员工，每年的产量达1600吨 (或1200万米) 原料，若以面积计则达30000 平方米。Blanke 处理、层压、 涂层及印染的原料包罗万有，包括织造布、针 织料及非织造布等，适用行业包括汽车、医疗、内衣与胸衣、家居及布艺，以及产业用纺织品等。此外，企业亦处理天然及人造的织造及针织布料，以及以Kevlar或Nomex纤维制造，专 供以产业用纱线进行的特别织造程序。

企业的生产程序合乎Oeko-Tex 100 标准的要求。Blanke 确保产质量素卓越，采用的生产程序均通过污染物料的测试，亦能满足市埸的要求。企业亦在织后整理、印 花及层压加工方面取得DIN EN ISO 9001:2000认证。

环保方面，企业在各个生产程序上贯彻3点政策：预防、及早准备、妥善弃置。此外，厂房内亦设有先进的污水处理技术，确保生产过程所用的水，均经化学处理系统净化。




进军中国之路

对欧洲业者来说，要实现在中国成立生产厂房的野心，便如同面对极大的挑战。Johann Wilhelm Birkenhauer 是Heshan Blanke Textile Ltd. 的授权驻厂项目经理，出身工程学士，拥有35 年业内经验，亦是Andreas Blanke的多年好友。缔成双方合作的深厚友谊基础，由以往一次聘请兼职管理职位开始。Birkenhauer 之后出任中国项目的主管，一直管理厂房的投产准备。

"Blanke 过去20 年，一直与位于Goch 及Wuppertal 的德国企业Julius Boos Jr. GmbH & Co. KG 合作，担任其后整理代办商。" Birkenhauer 表示："值得留意的是，优质的产品均在亚洲制造。市场形势的改变，加上贴近客户的意欲，促成了企业在中国兴建生产厂房的意念。"

Birkenhauer 认为中国及德国的文化差异，是企业在中国进行生产的最大障碍。至于另一项巨大的挑战，是中国政府对商业发展的影响，较德国更为强大。

一旦决定在中国成立厂房后，企业便必须策划生产的科技路向。最后，他们决定运用最大程度的自主权，以达至最高的质量水平。秉承Blanke 的企业理念，是厂房的路向必须在供货商、产品、机 械及科技各方面取得最高的调和。Birkenhauer认为工人的才能，亦是其中一项重要的元素。




高度自动化设备

"我们首个运载设备的集装箱于2005 年9月26 日到达，当时厂房仍未完工。"Birkenhauer 说："不过，我们于2006年2月，已进行第一次染色测试。"

中国厂房的设备方面，Blanke 选用香港 Fong's National Engineering Co. Ltd. 的器材，以及德国Then Maschinen GmbH 制造的综合管理系统。"订购设备的初步接触，始于2005年2月，经过深入的评估后，我们决定购入Fong's National的设备及Then 的管理系统。"Birkenhauer 表示："最后，我 们于德国厂房购置了两部Fong's National的机器，包括一管的 ECO 88-1T-T50 及四管的ECO 88-1T-T50，并将两部机器加进标准的生产程序中。此举的目的，是 试验我们能否以这些机路生产满意的产品。最后，结果让我们大为满意，于是我们与Fong's 合作，尽量运用机器的效能。如前所说，我们的目标是高度自动化，因此我们除了购入Fong's 的设备外，又 向其德国姊妹公司Then Maschinen GmbH 购买了一部全自动的分配系统。正因如此，我们从生产之初．至生产的最后步骤，均达至最理想的自动化水平。"

上述设施十分典范，包括3 部ECO 88-1T-T50 型号，其中两部联挂；另外尚有4部专为中型产品而设的ALLFIT 染色机，以及两部CBS 经轴染机。至于Then 制造的全面Then Dyehouse System (TDS)管理系统则负责染房的行政及统筹工作。系统功能全面，可以同时处理公司及第三方的产品，亦具有个人计算机控制功能，专为管理染房而设；系 统可以透过供货、安排、配 货系统及计算功能等，尽量提升染色程序的效益。整个软件系统的设计均以目标为本，程序内具备最先进的发展工具。

染房内各项设备均已联挂，确保数据的流向畅通无阻、生产程序清晰灵活。TDS 系统置于规格一致的操作接口之下，可以按选定的生产次序，将适用的处理程序传递至各染色机的控制器。同样地，设 备亦会将生产程序逐一传送至量重站、ADS 溶解站或CHD 化学品注入机。此外，染色机亦可以将各项实际生产的量值、各类数据及故障数据等，提交控制系统，以作储存。

另一方面，管理层亦明确声明，中国厂房的营运，将采用最可行、最理想的环保科技。"我们以认真的态度发展中国业务，亦希望在环保的层面，积极树立业内典范。这也是Andreas Blanke 甚为关注的层面。"Birkenhauer 表示："因此，我们已为鹤山市的环保工作投入一定的资金。我们以先进的科技净化污水；污水经过净化后，水质可以较食水更为纯正。事实上，进行水质处理，企 业必须投入一定的资金及努力。"



市场定位

Blanke 是高弹性针织及经编针织行业方面，领先的后整理企业。为了更理想地向亚洲市场推广产品，Blanke 及针织品制造商Boos 合作，联合组成 BBF Boos Blanke Fabric Ltd.。Birkenhauer 表示与原材料生产商合作，让企业可以向客户提供由纱线至成品的一站式选购平台，如此便缔造了Blanke 的市场定位。

此外，鹤山的另一重点是致力发展商品，经常在经编针织方面提供创新的产品。现时，企业部分产品已采用纳米科技加工，例子之一是银离子处理。

问及现时市场的需求，Birkenhauer 表示："我们的首要任务是保证产品素质，成为绝对可靠的供应商。同样重要的，是必须运用对人体无害的染料及附加剂，因 为我们的产品经常与人类的皮肤直接接触。"

厂房自2006年2 月开始投产，企业便实时制造可供销售的商品。"因此人体/机械/科技接口于我们来说，显得尤为重要；而我们的系统运作得甚为理想。"Birkenhauer说：" 我们具有达至目标所必须的合适人才。至现时为止，我们对设备的运作感到十分满意，而企业的目标亦已大致达成。Then 及Fong's 具有明确的服务取向，其意念与我们的需求一致。如果设备间中出现问题，他 们的服务工程师亦会第一时间到场处理。"




前景乐观

Birkenhauer 预期来年的挑战时，表示说："生产链内的所有伙伴必须合作无间。我们现时面对的，是大市场收缩、小市场增长的阶段，故必需在这局势下打响名声。我 期望设备制造商及用户可以在发展的层面更紧密地合作，这应有助业界进一步解决生产问题。

Birkenhauer认为现时的市场形势相当正面，客户可以看到价格/表现比率甚具秩序。"今日，质量的意义已大不如前，这在中国亦无两样。"Birkenhauer表示：" 市场已逐渐脱离以往的扔掉社会模式，人们现时愿意为增值多付出一点，这也是在资源不足时代下的多用途模式。当然，售价差异的压力让我们十分头痛，不过，我们相信以合适的价格出售合用、优质的产品．能 满足顾客的需要。而且下一季节也总会来临，我们必须贯彻企业的宗旨。"

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