Albarrie’s newest piece of technology is ready to power up. Spanning 2,400 square feet, the new stenter frame at Albarrie is scheduled to replace an aged machine on the factory floor. The new stenter frame’s state-of-the-art capability will allow Albarrie to heat set and dry materials to produce denser, higher quality fabrics than its predecessor. Fabrics can also be finished and sent on their way to consumers in a shorter amount of time.

“This is an exciting time here at Albarrie. Pressing the on switch of this new technology means that we can continue to produce industry leading fabrics and have them out the door, on their way to customers, in a shorter amount of time, which will ultimately open new doors for this business.” says Kevin Horner, director of operations.

Albarrie is a global manufacturer of industrial textiles, used in a variety of applications across industries. Many of the fabrics produced in the Morrow Road facility need to be heat set and dried before they can be used for their intended purpose. The stenter frame does just that, it operates at heats up to 232°C (450°F), finishing fabric to specifications required by end users.

While finishing fabrics with a high heat process is not new for Albarrie, the stenter frame replaces a machine that is more than 50 years old, providing a much-needed upgrade for this established business.

“This was a big investment for Albarrie, but it was an investment for the future, one that will ensure we have the capability to remain competitive in the fabricated textile market for years to come,” says executive director Margaret Driscoll.

It took a crew of 12 skilled mill rights, electricians and product specialists to build the 11 shipping containers worth of machine in Albarrie’s production facility. The new stenter frame was originally scheduled to be fully operational in the Spring of 2020, but the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic meant that there were several delays during the start-up and commissioning process. Through the challenges of the pandemic, the team of German and American technologists, product specialists and Albarrie staff worked remotely across time zones in order to access and configure the machine to run it through a rigorous testing schedule prior to launch.

The stenter frame doesn’t just bring improved quality and faster capabilities to Albarrie’s production line; it also brings training and development opportunities for seasoned employees to learn new skills in the operation of this technology. Albarrie values continued education and personal development, and this technology investment is just one of many examples of how the organization strives to build an environment dedicated to developing its workforce.

Today, the stenter frame has had its maiden voyage and is fully up and running, moving fabric through its high heat finishing process, solidifying Albarrie as one of the major players in the North American nonwoven textile manufacturing industry.