Avilon Ltd, part of Neo Industrial's Viscose Fibers business, has today signed a letter of intent with Finnish SilverPhasE, concerning the product development, marketing and manufacture of antimicrobial and antiviral viscose fiber. This concerns a new technology, more cost-effective and efficient technology than existing ones, enabling a vast new product family.
Carbatec Ltd, also part of Neo Industrial's Viscose Fibers business, and SilverPhasE are planning to start a joint venture, to which the relevant patent rights will be given.
Antimicrobial fibers are used in the manufacture of textiles, wipes, filters and other fiber product that are bacteria, fungus, alga and virus resistant. They are used in, for example, sports and military clothing and various healthcare applications. The best and user-friendliest way of making fiber antimicrobial is adding silver that kills microbes.
The use of silver in antimicrobial fibers has long traditions. What makes the silver polymer technology, developed by SilverPhasE, revolutionary, is the extremely cost-effective use of silver. In turn, viscose fiber is an ideal fiber for applying this technology to different uses.
- Avilon's antimicrobial viscose fiber will be significantly more cost-effective and of higher performance than any antimicrobial fiber on the market. The cost benefit extends from us all the way to the end-user of the textile, says Avilon's Managing Director Heikki Hassi.
Antimicrobial fiber is currently manufactured by an estimated 100,000 tonnes per year, and its market grows by some 15 percent per annum. There is demand for antimicrobial viscose fiber within Avilon's clientele, where antimicrobial textiles are already being manufactured.
- Our customers welcome cost-effectiveness adding innovations with great interest. Also, new applications and customers will surely start emerging once we revolutionize the cost-structure of the market, adds Hassi.
The need for bacteria and virus resistant textiles is greatest in the medical and healthcare industry. The largest demand growing factor is the prevention of MRSA. Tests run by external research institutes have shown, that Avilon's new product is capable of destroying, for example, the MRSA bacteria by 99.99 percent.
- In the fight against MRSA, it is important to transform a maximum amount of surfaces into pathogenic inhibiting. A hospital cannot, for example, use sheets starched with antibiotics or dress patients and staff in antibiotic clothing, characterizes Jyri Nieminen, Development Director of SilverPhasE.
The technology developed together by SilverPhasE and Avilonin, has been laboratory tested and samples have already been delivered to customers. Avilon's Valkeakoski factory is capable of manufacturing antimicrobial viscose fiber as soon as it is restarted after the current shutdown.
- Despite Avilon's current difficulties that derive from the basic viscose fiber markets, significant ventures are underway in the company's technology
sales and product development, reminds Neo Industrial plc's Managing Director Markku E. Rentto.
Avilon's technology and specialty product portfolio is managed and developed by the technology company Carbated Ltd, a part of Neo Industrial's Viscose Fibers business.