Laxtons Limited, a textile yarn spinner in the UK, has extended its manufacturing capability into specialist yarn dyeing after a GB£250k (US$328.9k) investment and a collaboration with Park Valley Dyers.
The company, based in Yorkshire, UK, will utilise the investment by launching an ‘environmentally pioneering’ yarn hank dyeing facility this month (September 2020), following the installation of a ‘state-of-the-art’ plant and machinery at Huddersfield, UK-based Park Valley Dyers, which will operate the equipment.
Yorkshire-based Laxtons, whose products are used by some of the world’s ‘top high street brands’, is perhaps best known for its worsted spun and fancy yarns within a range of global markets. The investment marks an opportunity to expand, the company says.
“The investment will enable Laxtons to provide vertical spinning and dyeing of its own products as well as commission dyeing services of natural fibre yarns such as wool, cashmere, silk, mohair, alpaca and blends destined not just for premium knitwear and fashion brands but also the growing hand knitting and craft markets,” adds the company.
Bucking the trend of downsizing during lockdown, Laxtons has invested in a complete hank dyeing production line, from small batch sampling, to flexible batch production of up to 120kg per lot, and the latest drying technology to ‘ensure a premium end product’, the company explains.
James Laxton, CEO at the company, comments: “Despite the economic challenges of these unprecedented times, we have pressed ahead with expanding our manufacturing business to enable us to offer an all-encompassing dye service which preserves and even enhances the quality of the high value spun yarns we cater for.
“It was crucial to have a first-class partner and Park Valley Dyers are experts in what they do, following their own GB£2m (US$2.6m) investment in setting up a brand new package dye house back in 2012.”
According to the company, hank dyeing is significantly more sophisticated than traditional package dyeing because the yarn is not wound and compressed onto cones, but is simply reeled and suspended under its own weight on perforated rotating arms in smaller batch dye cabinets to achieve a softer and more voluminous finished product.
“This results in a much higher-end finish, which will undoubtedly appeal to customers looking for a more refined product,” explains Brian Duckett, director of Park Valley Dyers.
Hank dyeing is also said to benefit from eco-friendly dyeing technologies, which use 80% less water than conventional hank dye methods and ‘ensure 100% dye exhaustion’.
Laxtons has been accepting commission orders for hank dyeing since 1 September 2020.
