US-based cotton research and marketing company Cotton Incorporated and Swiss supplier of integrated textile equipment Rieter, celebrated the two companies’ 25-year relationship at the inauguration of Rieter’s new complete spinning production line in the Research Laboratory of Cotton Incorporated in Cary NC on January 10.

Cotton Incorporated and Rieter have been collaborating on research efforts regarding fibre selection and process optimisation to produce high quality, 100% cotton and cotton-rich yarns since 1979. Over the last three years, Fibre Processing Research, a division of Textile Research and Implementation, has completed an intensive modernisation of its laboratory. One of the highlights of the modernisation was the addition of Rieter’s K 44 Com4 compact spinning system and its R 40 rotor spinning machine.

The collaborative initiative allows joint trials in which Rieter's technological components are tested to fit with Cotton Incorporated’s needs in spinning cotton fibres. The trials will give Cotton Incorporated an opportunity to elaborate on the running behaviour of US cotton on high speed spinning machines resulting in an advanced running performance on Rieter machinery.