Songwol Co Ltd - Korea’s leading producer of terry towelling products is planning to become a major international supplier with its newly created Terry Gallery brand and has built a new plant in Vietnam, equipped with Thies dyeing technology, as the major part of its expansion strategy.The dyeing equipment, manufactured by Thies GmbH & Co in Germany and ordered through the company’s distributor in Korea, C Illies & Co, was commissioned on 1st April 2009.

Songwol’s investment in Vietnam, known as Songwol Vina, represents an important part of the company’s strategy to expand beyond Korea and position itself as a major world supplier of the highest quality terry towelling, rebranding as Terry Gallery to enhance the international appeal of its products.

“We have four production plants in Korea, where we have 35% of the domestic market for terry towelling, and where our Songwol brand has very wide recognition,” says Mr Kim Woo Ram, President of Songwol Vina. “Terry Gallery is however a new name on the overseas markets, and it is our intention to become a world-famous brand name.”

Mr Kim Woo Ram also says that the company is targeting the US, Europe and Japan with Songwol Vina production. Located at the newly established Tan Duc Industrial Park in Long An Province, about 1.5 hours by road from the centre of Ho Chi Minh City, Songwol Vina is capitalised at US$50 million and is 100 percent Korean-owned.

There are five production units on the site, four of them for the sizing, weaving, dyeing and sewing of cotton towelling products, with the fifth for rayon.

Manager of the dyeing department, Mr Lee Byung Jin, says that the intention is to produce premium quality products - with 60 years experience in towel manufacturing,  consequently the plant has been equipped with technology that is recognized as the best in its field; including Benninger warp preparing machines, Sulzer weaving machines, TSR drier machines, Schmale Durate hemming machines, and Thies dyeing machines.

“The intention has been to automate the production process as far as possible for maximum quality, while reducing production time and minimising inferior goods and rejects,” he added, “Our company was founded 60 years ago, and this is the first time we have used Thies technology. Thies machines give us high temperature, high pressure and accurate colour, and by reducing the dyeing process time, we minimize damage and faulty production.”

The Thies equipment is for the dyeing of both yarn and fabrics, with an initial capacity for yarn dyeing of 3,500 kg/day, and for fabric dyeing 10,000 kg/day.

“When we are fully operational, the capacity for yarn dyeing will be 6,000 kg/day and for fabrics 30,000 kg/day,” says Mr Lee. “For fabrics, our ultimate target is 11,000 tonnes per year.”

For fabrics, there are five ecoMaster F short liquor fabric-dyeing machines with different capacities to cater for different production volumes: the 140/1–PL has a capacity of 250 kg, the two 140/2–PL units each have a capacity of 500 kg, and the two 140/3–PL units each have a capacity of 750 kg.

The ecoMaster, a development of Thies’s internationally successful eco-soft plus fabric dyeing machine, combines safe fabric transport and flexibility with innovations in liquor transfer, liquor penetration and process technology, reducing energy consumption and providing shorter process times.

Optimised configuration of the dyeing kier and liquor pump combined with a newly developed heat exchanger makes it possible to dye cotton articles at a liquor ratio of 1:5. Songwol Vina’s five eco-bloc X yarn-dyeing machines also provide a wide range of capacities: the 1400 D-KB can hold 600 kg, the 1400 KB holds 300 kg, the 1000 KB holds 150 kg, the 600 KB holds 50  kg, and the 450 KB holds 20   kg.

“This range of capacities means that we can handle big production runs and also smaller items, and also that we can test designs and products,” says Mr Lee.

The eco-bloc X is laid out for an ultimate liquor ratio; depending on the dyeing method, package form and substrate, a liquor ratio of 1:6 is gained. This short liquor process grants a gentle treatment of the yarn. Thread breakages in the later processes are minimised. High rates of passages provide fast and even dyes. By regulation of flow rates and the differential pressure, high rates of liquor circulation provide a gentle treatment of sensitive articles. The yarn dyeing production includes an RIII Type 1400 KB pressure dryer with satellite kier. This optimizes handling and reduces labour costs, as after dyeing the package carriers are lifted out of the kiers and placed directly into the dryer without any intermediate handling.

Automation of the chemical and auxiliaries supply is another important factor in quality and economic efficiency, and the Thies installation includes an automated MPS-L chemical supply system for liquids and an MPS-D dyestuff dissolving system, with 300-litre capacity.

  The MPS system (Multi Product Supply) uses a joint control management and data structure. A general control system ranging from the machine control to the overhead system serves for the coordination of all processes in the dye house.

Songwol personnel from Korea are training Songwol Vina employees, with specialists from Thies and Ilies Vietnam handling the training for the Thies technology.

Terry Gallery products include wash, hand, bath, beach and kitchen towelling, and towel bathrobes.