High-tech tradition

Investment in high-tech innovation has ensured Hilden’s success and survival in the face of a declining domestic textiles industry.

The company claims that manufacturing gives it a distinct competitive edge over its rivals. Where other suppliers import table and bed linen, Hilden both imports and manufactures the products it sells. It has five mills producing Jacquard-woven table linen, bed linen and kitchen lines. It is now the largest independent Jacquard-weaver in Europe managing weaving operations in England, Scotland and Wales.

Owned, and still run by the Hargreaves family, the business has survived and thrived through six generations over 125 years.

“Our strength,” says Moira O’Brien, managing director for the table linen and international-contract textile division, “is that we continue to invest in the latest weaving and dyeing machinery and in the latest technology for cutting, sewing and design.” In a five-year rolling programme of restructure, the company has made major investments in the looms and electronic Jacquard-weaving systems. The intensive investment also takes in the jet-dyeing technology, ensuring consistent quality and allowing the company to offer an a-la-carte dyeing service with massive colour choices and the ability to match colours to precise requirements, even in small batches.

The company has the expertise to produce intricate weaves on all widths of fabric. “We can offer customers the chance to be individual. We have five fully-equipped CAD stations and a design-team willing to work with the customer to develop any design, complex or simple,” says Moira O’Brien. “As a “vertical” manufacturer with control over the whole operation from yarn preparation, weaving and dyeing through to finishing and make-up of the end product, we can respond to trends quickly, within a 5–6 week lead time, if needed.” The UK customer base is primarily textile rental, hotel groups, restaurant chains, and institutions. There is also a strong export arm which deals directly with international hotels.

Hilden has subsidiaries in France, Scandinavia and the US. A German operation in the namesake town of Hilden, near Dusseldorf, opened this year to give the company a base at the heart of Europe.

The company’s relationship with the UK textile rental business is longstanding and also a fond one. It provides two mainstream products, a cotton ivyleaf and a 100 per-cent polyester.

“Overall” says Moira O Brien, “the market splits 70/30 cotton/polyester.” However, she sees a major switch into polyester for its benefits of durability, high colour-retention, low-shrinkage rate, good stain-release and its ability to repel mildew. All these benefits are offered in Hilden’s Apollo range.

Feel the difference

Until now though, cotton has had the edge in terms of feel. However, polyester is moving onto the next stage with Apollo Alpha. This uses a high-tech spun-polyester yarn and offers a finish that is dramatically different from that of other man-made fibres, soft and cotton-like .”You really do have to feel it to appreciate the difference” says Moira O’Brien.

While believing in and offering innovation, the company is still realistic about the markets it serves.

“A section of the market would love to move away from standard products” says marketing and sales manager Boyd Hargreaves. “We’ve had a lot of comment from customers wanting to differentiate themselves from the competition.” But as he points out, there can be problems achieving individuality while operating within a pool-stock system. Additions have to be in-line with existing stock. So the company offers the ivyleaf design, the most globally recognised and used, in cotton, polycotton and 100 per cent polyester. It offers a wide range of colours in polyester, plus 14 colours in cotton and dyed to order ranges in polycotton.

This ability to offer choice adds to the company’s strengths and where customers do need a touch of individuality, Hilden can meet the need.

Headaches

Restaurant designers face the headaches of meeting budgets and schedules, preparing sites and functions and deciding on themes.

A good linen manufacturer can assist by offering futuristic colours and the design expertise to make the job easier. They can help design-conscious restaurateurs to develop their individuality. As Boyd Hargreaves says, “People make their own choices about which linens they feel are important. It is our job to offer a collection of designs and colours for these choices to be effective” That choice extends beyond standard table linen. Early last year the company began producing a range of accessories including table runners and chair covers. These allow its customers a further chance to display an individual touch, but also have a practical role in catering to those who need to provide for special functions such as banquets and events that may need to be themed in terms of design. These could prove to be an attractive line for textile-rental companies to market.

Hilden’s scope includes a bed-linen collection. Here again, the available range is expanding beyond the basic contract sheet. Jacquard-woven sheeting has proved successful in the retail sector, says Boyd Hargreaves, and is now driving through into the commercial sector.

The company’s textile specialists are developing a range for rental companies wanting to target the more upmarket sectors.

Rented duvets

A recent trend noted by Hilden has been the emergence of the duvet as a rental line. Here, Hilden worked with a large Scandinavian textile rental company to develop a duvet that would stand up to industrial laundering.

On a practical note, launderability is an aspect that Hilden explores thoroughly as part of its development programme. A laundry technologist and laundry training centre are part of the company’s resources. These come into play not just in product development, but as a service to rental customers.

“We’re not trying to teach customers to do their job, but there are times when we need to work together to resolve a particular problem.” says Moira O’Brien.

With its extensive manufacturing facilities, including overseas sites, and the belief in investment to meet customer needs, Hilden’s future as one of Europe’s market leading textile suppliers is assured.