SME News - Midland Enterprise Awards 2024/ 18 Best CleanTech Textile Dyeing Solutions Company 2024 Headquartered in Cambridge, Alchemie Technology Ltd is an industry leader in the field of cleantech digital textile dyeing and finishing, leveraging an overarching aim to revolutionise this industry by reducing its environmental impact. The textiles space is notorious for both its contributions to global CO2 emissions and its pollution of wastewater on an industrial scale, and whilst many businesses operating in this sphere simply sweep this statistic under the carpet, Alchemie Technology is not only acknowledging it, but is pioneering the very technologies to bring about lasting change. At the heart of Alchemie Technology’s service is a suite of highly advanced digital dyeing and finishing technologies that hit both of the company’s target areas in one go – reducing energy consumption and eliminating wastewater emissions. As Founder Dr Alan Hudd tells us, “our proprietary system employs large droplet sizes and high velocities to ensure precise dye application on textile fabrics. This clean, digital approach minimises chemical usage and reduces wastewater, which is crucial for lessening the environmental impact of traditional dyeing methods.” Leveraging the more than three decades of experience and over 250 patents that the visionary Dr Hudd has at his disposal, Alchemie Technology’s story can be traced back to a visit to the dye houses of China, where bearing first-hand witness to the devastating consequences of the industry on the planet lit a fire within Dr. Hudd, who strived from that day on to innovate in this space and unlock a more sustainable future for all. Luckily for Dr Hudd, his sustainable aims align perfectly with those of global consumers and fashion brands, both of which are proactively seeking pioneering solutions for reducing their environmental impact. This is something that Endeavour™, the company’s premier digital dyeing technology, can help both of these groups to achieve almost effortlessly. From cutting carbon footprints by up to 85% to eliminating a maximum of 95% of wastewater, decreasing chemical usage by approximately 30%, and reducing overall operating costs by as much as half, the comprehensive end-to-end process embodied here is taking digital dyeing to new heights, without sacrificing on quality at any stage of the manufacturing process. More traditional jet exhaust processes used in this sector usually operate at temperatures of around 135°C, as well as consuming an unfathomable amount of hot water for both dyeing and washing, requiring great amounts of energy from fossil fuels in the process. Using low energy and low water are just two of the advantages of Alchemie Technology’s solution, which also maintains a consistent velocity and momentum to guarantee a precise and controllable dyeing process that is certain to deeply embed the dye into textile fibres. Dr Hudd and his team also spent more than a decade on the company’s stellar nozzle technology, which innovatively uses a piezoceramic element in order to dispense nanolitre droplets of dye that are 10 microns (0.01mm) each. With an ability to apply up to a staggering 1.2 billion of these digitally defined drops per metre of fabric, Endeavour™ achieves accuracy like no other, all whilst holistically embodying the aforementioned environmental aims that the company and its team hold so dear. “Just one Endeavour™ production line can replace three to five traditional jet exhaust processes, positioning it at the forefront of digital textile dyeing advancements.” Since Cambridge more broadly is also a pioneering force when it comes to innovative and clean technology – this largely thanks to the region’s leading research institutions that include one of the world’s top-ranked universities – Alchemie Technology’s close proximity to these facilities and the vibrant technology community that exists as a result continues to benefit it immeasurably. As a small company with big ambitions, Cambridge is the perfect place for Dr Hudd and his team to bring their vision to life, all whilst accessing the necessary funding, network, and resources necessary to drive industry-wide success. Unsurprisingly, this excellent location lends itself to an internal culture that is built on the values of innovation, collaboration, and sustainability. This is a business that firmly believes in its people, and thus affords them a positive working environment where they are given all of the tools that they need to fully understand the technology, the business itself, its aims, its achievements, and so forth. Ongoing training is an essential part of this undertaking, with it being delivered transparently so as to empower staff to remain one step ahead of the rest. Besides this, it is vital that any recruitment drives held yield individuals who are wholly committed to sustainability and innovation in the same way that Dr Hudd and the rest of this team are. The former explains, “we value technical expertise, problem-solving skills, agility, and the ability to work collaboratively. By nurturing these qualities, we maintain a motivated and capable team dedicated to achieving our ambitious goals and delivering an exceptional service to our clients.” It is no surprise that Alchemie Technology has an incredibly exciting future ahead of it, especially given that it has recently taken an innovative leap forwards by opening a Digital Textile Dyeing Production and Demonstration Hub in the heart of Taiwan, focusing on woven polyester fabrics. This marked an important step in the company’s detailed roadmap for the next 12 months or so, which also includes like-minded in-market production solutions for both cotton woven and knitted fabrics, in addition to polyester fabrics made with elastane. Dr Hudd also tells us, “we are thrilled to announce that Alchemie Technology has secured a £750,000 grant in collaboration with
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