PSP Marketing, which represents Monforts in North America from its base in Charlotte, North Carolina, reports that there is currently a push for the replacement of existing Montex stenter frames in the USA.
“At ITMA 2019 in Barcelona there was a lot of interest in the latest features of the Montex stenter and the advantages it can bring,” says PSP vice-president Alex Franco. “Other US companies in sectors such as furnishings and mattress tickings were particularly interested in the flexibility offered by the texCoat coating system, with its multi-head capability and the potential for the added value it can provide.
“The Montex stenters have always been very robust machines and some have been fully operational in the plants of our customers for nearly forty years and are only now finally ready to be replaced. In addition to a number of confirmed sales, we’ve had a lot of further requests for new trials after ITMA.”
He adds that a lot of attention was being paid specifically by US manufacturers to the energy and heat recovery that can be achieved with the latest Montex stenter, as well as substantial water savings, with features such as the new integrated MonforClean system.
With MonforClean, the waste heat from the drying process is used to pre-heat the drying air, resulting in a radical reduction in the conventional heat supply required.
“The further integration of an exhaust air filter washing system which automatically cleans the module elements also impressed many visitors we spoke to,” Alex says. “In the US that’s a serious benefit because the cost of water is so high. There’s a lot of economic turmoil at the moment, but our customers are generally optimistic, although I think many are waiting to see what’s going to happen at the next US election. There’s also a move by a number of our customers to bring more manufacturing back to the USA, especially the southern states, which is definitely a benefit to us. And the trend to smaller lot sizes and speed to market is something at which the latest Monforts technologies excel.”