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Chemi Viscofibre Limited is the first Viscose Rayon Staple
fibre plant in Pakistan. It is part of Chemi Group of
Industries which comprises of Chemitex Industries, Jehlum
Silk Mills, Ittehad Chemicals Ltd, Chemivisco Fibre, Chemi
Dyestuffs Industries and Chemi Colour Trading, Mehran
Gums, Dye Chem Industries and Chemi Dansk.
Chemi Group has recently inaugurated the first Viscose
Rayon Staple Fibre (VRSF) manufacturing plant in Pakistan
situated in the Small Industrial Zone at Nawabshah in
the Sindh Province.
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Chemi Visco Lab |
The initial production capacity is 10,000 tonnes per annum,
which is being up graded to 15,000 tonnes per annum. The plant
is commissioned to meet the growing demand for Viscose Fibre
in Pakistan's textile industry. The fibre is being marketed
under the brand name of ChemiRayon which has been specifically
designed to meet the requirement of Pakistani Spinners. The
fibre plant, set up at Nawabshah is blend of Swiss and Chinese
technology with a cost of $45 million, including 3 million Swiss
Francs. Its production capacity of 15,000 tonnes a year can
be raised to 45,000 tonnes a year.
The basic technology is from Switzerland, while the main equipment
has been imported from China. The sophisticated and high-tech
equipment has been imported from world renowned viscose technology
supplier, ING.A. Maurer. S.A. Switzerland.
Definition
This cellulosic man-made fiber comes from wood pulp or cotton
linters. The chemical structure is constituted by approximately
100% of pure cellulose.
Characteristics
· Viscose Rayon has an excellent moisture absorbency,
about 13% as compared to 8.5% for cotton.
· Its chemical properties are similar to those of cotton
and, therefore, has similar affinity with dyes.
· It is less static compared to synthetic fibres.
· It handle is silky and soft and, therefore, it is also
known as Artificial Silk.
· It is highly resistant to sunlight, heat and alkali.
· It has specific gravity of 1.50 to 1.52.
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Chemi Visco plant at Nawabshah, Pakistan
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Applications
Clothing: shirts, underwear, blouses, coats, dresses,
jackets, lingerie, rainwear, slacks, sports shirts, sportswear,
suits, ties, work clothes, millinery.
Home furnishings: bedspreads, blankets, carpets, curtains,
draperies, sheets, slipcovers, tablecloths, upholstery,
linings. Technical textiles: industrial products, medical,
surgical products, non-woven products, tire cord.
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MAURER is a Swiss firm of engineering consultants specialised
in Cellulosic (viscose) staple fibers, filaments and films
(cellophane). They have already commissioned many plants
and equipments for Viscose preparation, Fiber- and filament
spinning and treatment and environmental treatment plants
in India, Indonesia, Thailand and Pakistan.
Chemi Viscofibre Ltd., Karachi plant has Viscose preparation
for staple fibre plant with Contidisk filter for 1st filtration
viscose, Contidisk for 2nd filtration viscose and Mini
Contidisk filter for reject filtration in staple fibre
production.
Currently, Indian viscose fibre is finding its way into
Pakistan, and cotton cloth from Pakistan is making its
way into India through informal trading. Pakistan can
export with advantage to vast SAFTA market, products such
as cotton yarn, textile fabrics, leather products, surgical
instruments, herbal products, processed foods, fruits
and vegetables and other agricultural products to meet
regional shortfalls.
ChemiRayon - a product of Chemi Viscofibre Limited, is
expected to fulfill the domestic market demands and would
save foreign exchange; generate jobs and offer quality
fibre suitable for Pakistani spinners.The plant is based
on technology transfer from China and the cost is US $15
million with automation of the plant by Swiss firm Maurer
costing 3 million francs.
The plant would utilize cotton linter, a waste product
of cotton, which would be put to productive use for the
first time in the history of Pakistan. There are number
of cotton linter producing units in Pakistan , which can
benefit from this plant. Linter is the basic raw material
for producing viscose fibre and Pakistan's textile sector
consumes over 45,000 tonnes of viscose fibre a year. Of
this almost 99% is imported. Once this plant achieves
45,000
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tonnes of production capacity
it will save country about $63 million foreign exchange.
Some 6,000 tonnes of linter per year is produced in the
country whereas the ratio for producing viscose fibre from
the linter is 1:1.
The Government of Pakistan should consider reviving some
of the linter producing units in Pakistan and should also
consider an increase in customs duty on imported viscose
rayon staple fibre, when the domestic plant is producing
enough viscose fibre to meet the demand. It may be pointed
out that in 1996 when the plant was conceived, the duty
on imported viscose fibre was more than 35% and now the
duty is 15%. |
Overview of the plant |
The three major man-made fibers imported into Pakistan are
polyester, acrylic and viscose staple fibers. Viscose is imported
mostly as a staple fiber, but also in stock lots in the form
of filament yarn and used for blending only. Visco fibre imports
increased from 22,405 tonnes worth Rs. 1,436 million in 1996-97
to 27,904 tonnes worth Rs. 2,713 million in 2002-03. The major
suppliers are Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia,
India, China and Austria.
by Amina Baqai. ED
Chemi Group to export Viscose
Rayon to Turkey
The Chemi Group of Industries has attained yet another milestone
of exporting its Viscose Rayon to Turkey.
The group said that the international buyers had reposed confidence
in Chemi Group's products quality and indigenious technology.
Addressing a gathering to mark such a glorious occasion, Usman
Ghani Khatri, Chairman Chemi Group of Industries thanked Pakistan's
textile manufacturers for consuming Chemi Viscofibre in bulk
quantities and making it an absolute import substitute with
significant cost saving advantages.
A couple of senior textile technicians present on the occasion
also congratulated Chemi group for going international and called
for establishment of its own spinning unit for further augment
its business and customizing quality parameters.
Abdul Shakoor Khatri and Abdul Hai Khatri, Directors, also
spoke about the role Chemi Group has been playing in country's
economy and the industrial development.
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