Newark, Del.-based W.L. Gore & Associates Inc., manufacturer of GORE-TEX® fabric, and Switzerland-based technical textiles manufacturer Sefar AG have entered a strategic alliance under which Sefar will be the exclusive producer of W.L. Gore's Gore™ TENARA® Architectural Fabrics. Used for permanent textile structures such as the retractable roof over the Centre Court at Wimbledon, Gore Tenara fabrics are made with expanded polytetrafluoroethylene (EPTFE) fibers and provide complete ultraviolet protection while allowing high natural light transmission. The fabrics also are flexible and can fold or drape better than other building textiles, according to W.L. Gore.

"Extending our product range with Tenara Architectural Fabrics is a major step forward to realize Sefar's vision to be the worldwide leading and innovative partner of choice for uniquely aesthetic and functional textile architecture," said Ingo Thalhammer, business unit manager, Sefar Architecture Solutions.

February 16, 2010