SANITIZED TecCenter Receives IAC Certification — R&D Support For Textile Odor-Management According To International Testing Standards

BURGDORF, Switzerland — July 8, 2020 — To ensure responsible use of biocides and international comparability, test methods and test results for antimicrobial treated products must be transparent, useful and comparable. This is precisely why SANITIZED AG, the specialist for antimicrobial material protection and hygiene function in textiles and polymers, had its in-house Microbiology Laboratory in the SANITIZED TecCenter certified by IAC, the International Antimicrobial Council. This non-profit, U.S.-based institute aims to increase safety for antimicrobial treated products and for consumers.

Textile and polymer product manufacturers value the assistance that the in-house Sanitized TecCenter provides them with developing and optimizing their products. It supervises technical application aspects, and conducts microbiological tests and analytics — all from a single source. Sanitized provides specific assistance with the textile manufacturer’s R&D work, particularly for the demanding challenge of developing the best possible odor-management for textiles. Now the TecCenter has been certified by the IAC and is a designated “International Antimicrobial Council Certified Laboratory.”

Thanks to the IAC Certification, Sanitized AG now offers innovation expertise according to international standards that are also recognized and valued in the U.S. and Asia.

“In addition to assistance with product development and product optimization from our TecCenter, Sanitized customers receive certification of the antimicrobial treatment of their products from an independent organization, the IAC,” explains Erich Rohrbach, Head of Microbiology at Sanitized AG. “This is an important building block for production chain transparency in the textile industry, which is demanded by a growing number of manufacturers and brands that are driven by end customer requirements,” adds Erich Rohrbach. Many Sanitized customers particularly value the TecCenter for their development work in odor-management for textiles. Sanitized offers an innovative product portfolio to meet this demand also including non-biocide additives.

Posted July 8, 2020

Source: Sanitized AG

National Retail Federation (NRF): Retail Imports Improving Slightly, But Still Far Below Last Year

WASHINGTON — July 8, 2020 — Imports at major U.S. retail container ports are expected to remain significantly below last year’s levels into this fall as the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

“Economic indicators show that the recession brought on by the pandemic may be easing, but retailers are being conservative with the amount of merchandise they import this year,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “The outlook for imports is slowly improving, but these are still some of the lowest numbers we’ve seen in years.”

“U.S. imports are performing like a yo-yo, up one month and down the next with no apparent cause that can realistically point to either a crashing or booming economy,” Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said. “We’re starting to go out to eat and buy clothing again, but how sustainable is that? The danger is that the rising number of virus infections is leading to renewed restrictions, which may cause demand to weaken again.”

U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 1.53 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units in May, the latest month for which after-the-fact numbers are available. That was down 4.8 percent from April and down 17.2 percent year-over-year. A TEU is one 20-foot-long cargo container or its equivalent.

June was estimated at 1.69 million TEU, down 5.8 percent year-over-year. July is forecast at the same 1.69 million TEU, down 14.1 percent from last year; August at 1.69 million TEU again, down 13.3 percent; September at 1.64 million TEU, down 12.3 percent; October at 1.7 million TEU, down 9.9 percent, and November at 1.68 million TEU, down 0.6 percent.

With imports usually trailing off in November and December after the bulk of holiday merchandise has arrived, the 1.7 million TEU figure for October is likely to be the busiest month of the traditional July-to-October “peak season” for shipping. If so, it would be the lowest peak since 1.61 million in September 2014.

The outlook is about the same as a month ago, with some months higher and some lower. Imports for the six-month period from May through October are expected to total 9.94 million TEU, a 0.7 percent improvement from the amount forecast a month ago.

The first half of 2020 is forecast to total 9.5 million TEU, down 9.3 percent from the same period last year but better than the 10 percent decline expected last month. Before the extent of the pandemic was known, the first half of the year was forecast at 10.47 million TEU.

Imports during 2019 totaled 21.6 million TEU, a 0.8 percent decrease from 2018 amid the trade war with China but still the second-highest year on record.

Global Port Tracker, which is produced for NRF by the consulting firm Hackett Associates, provides historical data and forecasts for the U.S. ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Port of Virginia, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami and Jacksonville on the East Coast, and Houston on the Gulf Coast.

Posted July 8, 2020

Source: The National Retail Federation (NRF)

HanesBrands Leader Gerald Evans Recognized As 2020 Most Admired CEO

Gerald Evans

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — July 7, 2020 — HanesBrands today announced its CEO Gerald W. Evans Jr. has been recognized as a most-admired CEO in the Piedmont Triad, North Carolina, region with a 2020 C-Suite Award from the Triad Business Journal.

Evans, a native of Florence, S.C, joined HanesBrands in 1983 after earning his MBA from the University of South Carolina. He served in a variety of roles, including international assignments and COO, before taking the helm as CEO in 2016.

“Gerald has been an invaluable member of the HanesBrands team during his 37 years of dedicated service,” said Ronald L. Nelson, the company’s chairman of the board. “Under his leadership, the company has expanded its geographic footprint; broadened its portfolio of premium brand offerings; and pioneered product, process and supply chain innovation to help transform Hanes into the world’s largest everyday basic apparel company.”

Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, Evans led the company’s effort to help fight the spread of the disease by converting production of apparel to production of more than 450 million washable and reusable all-cotton face masks. Evans also marshaled the company’s apparel design and manufacturing expertise to quickly fulfill the critical need of the U.S. government for more than 20 million medical gowns distributed to hospitals and healthcare facilities. HanesBrands is now manufacturing reusable fabric non-medical-grade fabric face masks, which are available to businesses and consumers.

“I am truly honored to be recognized with this award, but even more proud to represent HanesBrands’ 60,000-plus employees in North Carolina and around the globe,” Evans said. “What our amazing team has been able to accomplish through the years, even during some of the most challenging circumstances, has never ceased to impress me. That’s why this award is as much theirs as it is mine — and I couldn’t be more grateful.”

Under Evans’ leadership, the company has increased earnings per share, strengthened its balance sheet, generated organic sales growth, increased annual revenue to nearly $7 billion, and generated a record $2.1 billion in cumulative operating cash flow over the past three years. Evans has guided rapid growth of the company’s international commercial operations, overseen the doubling of annual global Champion brand sales to nearly $2 billion, and championed increased consumer-directed sales with 25 percent of total revenue now occurring online or through brand stores.

Evans is an active member of the CEO Roundtable, a business group of company presidents, owners, and CEOs. He sits on the Valvoline board of directors and is a member of the group’s compensation and governance and nominating committees. During his tenure at HanesBrands, Evans and his wife, Lee, have been key leaders in the community, giving both their time and resources to support many organizations and initiatives.

Evans has announced he will be stepping down as HanesBrands CEO effective August 3, 2020. Evans will oversee the leadership transition and remain as an advisor to the company through 2021. Stephen B. Bratspies, who most recently served as chief merchandising officer at Walmart Inc., will succeed Evans as HanesBrands CEO.

Posted July 7, 2020

Source: HanesBrands

Polartec And Myles Collaborate On “The World’s Most Comfortable Workout Tee”

ANDOVER, Mass. — July 7, 2020 — San Francisco-based athletic apparel brand, Myles, releases its all-new Momentum Tee embodying its tagline: “The world’s most comfortable workout tee is back and better than ever.”

Collaborating with pioneering fabric developer Polartec to create a new and improved version of Polartec® Power Dry® moisture management technology, the Tee features an unprecedented combination of technical performance and casual look and comfort, bridging the gap between traditional workout tee and everyday cotton tee.

Historically, performance fabrics have looked and felt technical. This particular version has the aesthetic and hand feel of cotton, though, thanks to its brushed matte finish and overdye heather appearance, imparting more sophistication than traditional athletic shirting. At its core is Polartec’s proprietary Power Dry construction, employing a bi-component knit which provides mechanical wicking action and high breathability for fast-drying performance that lasts the lifetime of the garment.

The Polartec Power Dry technology pulls any moisture away from the body and transfers it to the outer surface for insanely fast evaporation during activity, so the garment maintains a dry feel even during the toughest workouts. It’s treated with Polygiene to inhibit the growth of odor-causing bacteria, allowing users to focus on making moves versus doing laundry.

The product is made in the USA, cut and sewn right down the road from Myles headquarters. Complete with a refined fit and raglan sleeves with flatlock seams for greater range of motion, a shaped hem, and a minimalistic tonal reflective logo, the Myles Momentum Tee is the most versatile, easy-wearing and long-lasting shirt for a modern active lifestyle.

Posted July 7, 2020

Source: Polartec

Xaar Celebrates 30 Years As An Industrial Inkjet Innovator

Xaar Founder Mark Shepherd on the company’s first anniversary.

CAMBRIDGE — July 1, 2020 — Xaar is celebrating its 30th birthday in style with champagne sent to every member of the team to toast the business and its role in pioneering the use of industrial inkjet technologies around the world.

Based at Cambridge Science Park, Xaar was initially founded in 1990 by a team of four including Mike Willis and Mark Shepherd. The goal was to commercialize the work done at Cambridge Consultants by Steve Temple and David Paton, the inventors of Xaar’s piezoelectric Drop-on-Demand technology; both of whom also joined the company shortly after Xaar began life.

The company signed its first commercial agreement in 1991 with Brother Industries who licensed the technology to develop home office printers and fax machines. By 1992 Xaar had reached a significant milestone, surpassing £1 million in sales achieved from license fees, the sale of evaluation kits and technical consultancy.

Alongside licensing its technology, the development and manufacture of inkjet printheads became an equally important part of Xaar’s success. The company’s early product range, which included the Xaar 128 and Xaar 500, was instrumental in the growth of the digital graphics and the coding and marking industries around the world.

The launch of the Xaar 1001 represented another significant advance in inkjet technology. The printhead’s unique architecture, Xaar’s Hybrid Side Shooter, enabled ink recirculation both behind the nozzle and throughout the entire channel (Xaar’s unique TF Technology). These delivered a step change in printing reliability and drove the digital transformation of the ceramic tile manufacturing market in the 2000s.

The company’s first printheads were manufactured in Järfälla, Sweden, and in 2007, Xaar opened its new state-of-the-art factory in Huntingdon, England, initially for the manufacture of the Xaar 1001 and where over £60 million has been invested since production first began.

Investment in R&D has always been central to Xaar’s progress as an independent business and now represents around 11 percent of business revenue. This focus on R&D has resulted in over 2000 patent applications being filed by the company during its 30-year history, and the development of ground-breaking inkjet printheads and technologies that have contributed to the global expansion of inkjet printing.

Recent innovations have included High Laydown Technology, which enables deposition of large quantities of fluid at high line speeds, and Ultra High Viscosity, which allows fluids with significantly higher viscosities — up to 100 centipoise at typical operating temperatures of around 40˚C to 50˚C — to be jetted. Such developments have increased the flexibility of the Xaar ceramics portfolio and opened growth in new cutting-edge sectors such as 3D Printing and Additive Manufacturing.

“Thirty years is a significant milestone for any business, and we were all extremely keen to mark the occasion and celebrate our accomplishments as a team — despite many of us still working in separate locations,” said John Mills, Xaar CEO.

As part of its celebrations Xaar has been delving into its archives and is sharing memories of major milestones on social media. A particular highlight was the company’s nomination for a Queen’s Award in 1995 and an appearance on the BBC’s ‘Tomorrow’s World’ TV program, introduced by Prince Charles. In 2005, Xaar went on to win a Queen’s Award for Enterprise in the Innovation category, one of many awards presented to the business over the years.

“It has been a real joy reviewing the many achievements from over the last 30 years and through this, acknowledging the unique heritage we have in the development and use of inkjet technology worldwide,” Mills said.

“While I have only recently joined Xaar as CEO, it is clear to me that the team at Xaar has always been fundamental to delivering our vision, and I have been extremely impressed with their expertise and commitment. Celebrating our 30th birthday recognizes all their efforts.

“We are proud to be a leader in inkjet technologies and very much look forward to achieving our next significant milestones.”

Posted July 7, 2020

Source: Xaar

Optitex Partners With Daz3D

TEL AVIVI, Israel — July 1, 2020 – Optitex®, a global provider of integrated end-to-end 2D & 3D CAD/CAM software solutions for the fashion and apparel industry, today announced its integration with Daz3D, a renowned 3D character and avatar software suite and digital marketplace. This partnership will provide Optitex 3D users access to Daz3D’s 5 million smart-content assets, including top-of-the-line 3D characters, enabling them to showcase and share visually appealing collections with teams, buyers, vendors, and marketers.

Daz3D’s digital marketplace offers hobbyists and professionals tens of thousands of 3D products with millions of inter-compatible 3D assets allowing users to make photo-realistic characters.

Optitex customers over the world benefit from a rich suite of avatars, including scanned avatars. Powered by a robust avatar editor, users can customize avatars to meet their needs, easily adjusting morphs, adding accessories, and visualizing garments in various sizes and poses.

Acknowledging the growing need for fashion and apparel companies to market and sell online, Optitex looked to expand its avatar range and creative freedom and sought after a strong avatar provider who would enable designers to showcase digital garments on advanced, high-end detailed avatars, to management, buyers, and online consumers.

Recognized over the world for its cutting-edge avatars and complementary assets, Daz3D was the perfect fit. With the latest Optitex version O/19.5 released at end of March 2020, Optitex customers are able to use Daz3D avatars directly within Optitex pattern making solution. This enables them to deliver exceptional high-quality, high-precision digital garments to all stakeholders in the supply chain, strengthening their commitment to the 3D ecosystem, and further supporting sustainability by creating true-to-life models and garments.

“We are pleased to be the solution of choice for Optitex customers, giving them the content they need to impressively exhibit their digital garment designs,” said Daz3D Chief Revenue Officer Steve Spencer. “We believe that our 3D avatars — real-life-like models, matched with our rich library of associated content, will give Optitex customers measurable added-value, helping to make their design process fast, easy, and even more realistic.”

Amit Ben-Sheffer, vice president, products, at Optitex, commented: “We believe in giving our customers a real competitive edge, to help them achieve and maintain their leading positions in the fashion industry. With Daz3D avatars as part of the design process, we’re putting our customers one step ahead of the competition, so they can easily mix, match, blend and transform their designs into attractive, true-to-life garments. Daz3D has helped enhanced our solutions offering today, and we’re excited to see what the future will bring to our customers.”

Posted July 7, 2020

Source: Optitex

Australia-Based Company OZ Health Plus Invests In Oerlikon Meltblown Technology

NEUMÜNSTER, Germany/BRISBANE & QUEENSLAND, Australia — OZ Health Plus will establish Australia’s first manufacturing plant to make the critical fine plastic material used in most protective face masks. OZ Health Plus has purchased a plant from Switzerland-based technology company Oerlikon to establish a Queensland-based production plant for spunbond and meltblown nonwovens. These fabrics are essential for Australia’s face mask manufacturers, who currently produce about 500 million medical and industrial masks per year. However the fabrics have to be imported from overseas and access to these materials has been severely disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Oerlikon’s Germany-based business unit Oerlikon Nonwoven has now executed legal and commercial arrangements to supply the specialized machinery which can manufacture the nonwoven material locally. The same machinery is used to make almost all face masks material manufactured in Europe. The Oz Health meltblown plant will commence operations in April next year, with a second stage planned for late 2021.

The Oerlikon Nonwoven plant can produce meltblown fabrics for 500 million masks per year, along with other medical and non-medical grade products, filtration products, sanitary items, antiseptic wipes and more. Rainer Straub, head of Oerlikon Nonwoven said: “We are very proud that we can now for the first time supply our Oerlikon Nonwoven meltblown technology to Australia. Due to the short delivery time, we hope to make our contribution to the Australian population and their safe sup-ply of high-quality protective masks as soon as possible.”

OZ Health Plus director Darren Fooks said: “Australia has access to raw polypropylene feedstock but lacks the plant to convert that raw material to specialized spunbond and meltblown fabrics. These fabrics are essential for local mask manufacturing. The Australian-based Oerlikon Nonwoven plant will fill the production chain gap for Australia by producing the fabrics we need for mask production and many other products — it will reduce Australia’s protective mask supply chain from thousands of kilometers, to tens of kilometers.”

“Our decision in favor of Oerlikon Nonwoven was a given once we had analyzed the material samples. It was a matter of course for us that the Business Unit of the Oerlikon Manmade Fibers segment could supply high-quality machines and systems,” Fooks added.

OZ Health Plus’ new facilities will take up 15,000 square meters of manufacturing space and will employ 100 full-time roles once the second stage of the project is complete. OZ Health Plus continues to work with both Queensland and Federal Government stakeholders and values their support in bringing this vital capability to Queensland.

Posted July 7, 2020

Source: Oerlikon Nonwoven

New BRÜCKNER Agency In Brazil

Fabrício Rampani (left) and Frank Bernhard

LEONBURG, Germany — July 3, 2020 — As of July 1, 2020 the German textile machinery and technology supplier BRÜCKNER will be represented in Brazil by a new agency. MBR Máquinas Têxteis Bernhard e Rampani in Brazil will from now on also give Brückner customers competent advice and support. Frank Bernhard and Fabrício Rampani, the two owners of MBR, have already familiarized themselves with Brückner’s product portfolio and are thus well prepared for their future tasks.

Posted July 7, 2020

Source: Brückner

 

London Tech Company Rheon Labs Wins Share of $60 Million NFL Head Health Grant

LONDON — July 6, 2020 — London tech start up, RHEON LABS, has secured a share of a $60 million grant from the National Football League (NFL) to improve head health in the sport. The NFL program drives innovation to advance head protection and material science to improve the understanding of the biomechanics of head injuries in professional football, protect the players and make the game safer. Rheon Labs has partnered with NFL brand Xenith to develop a unique energy control cell that cushions low-speed impacts, but intelligently strengthens for high-speed impacts. The grant will allow Rheon Labs and Xenith develop this technology further, creating something monumental in moving safety in the game forward.

The NFL announced that they will grant a proposal by Xenith and Rheon Labs for $412,000 towards their submission, Project Orbit.

The grant is part of a comprehensive $60 million effort funded by the NFL to stimulate the development of a new helmet for NFL players that outperforms all helmet models currently worn by NFL players.

Each year, experts, innovators, and helmet manufacturers from around the world compete for grant funding to support the creation of their helmet prototypes. The challenge will culminate in July 2021 with the applicants submitting helmet prototypes for testing in laboratory conditions that represent potentially concussive impacts in the NFL, with an additional award of up to a $1 million.

“This grant marks a significant next step in Rheon’s partnership with Xenith to redefine performance in American Football through energy control,” said Dr. Dan Plant, founder and CTO of Rheon Labs.

Project Orbit aims to build upon the core foundations of the Shadow XR to create something monumental in moving the game of football forward.

About the Partnership

In 2019, Xenith entered a partnership with Rheon Labs to release the Xenith Shadow XR. Together the partnership created a unique energy control cell that cushions low-speed impacts, but intelligently strengthens for high-speed impacts. These RHEON™ cells compress to absorb linear impact and shear to optimally control rotational impact energy, reducing the resulting acceleration of the head.

“Protection in American Football has been in the spotlight for the last few years. Collaborating with Xenith’s team gave us the opportunity to bring our technology to an area that is ready for ground-breaking innovation,” Plant said. “It has been an exciting start to our partnership with Xenith, combining our technology with their expertise in performance and protective gear for the football athlete. This marks the start of our collaboration to truly transform products through energy control over the coming years.”

Rheon is an ingredient technology that can control energy of any amplitude or frequency — from small vibrations to life-threatening single impacts. At the core of the technology is an active polymer that intelligently strengthens in response to changes in movement. The novel technology has the potential to make truly game changing advancements in helmet performance through energy control.

Posted July 7, 2020

Source: Rheon Labs

The Nonwovens Institute To Extend Nonwoven Technology Webinar Series

RALEIGH, N.C. — May 6, 2020 — Based on the very positive response to its recent series of webinars entitled “Nonwovens Technology: On the Frontlines of a Global Pandemic” as well as continuing demand for technical information on facemask performance, The Nonwovens Institute (NWI) at North Carolina State University is pleased to announce two supplemental webinars beginning July 22.

These webinars, presented by NWI’s Executive Director Dr. Behnam Pourdeyhimi, will take a more comprehensive look at facemask testing, efficacy, and performance relative to existing test protocols.

Each seminar will be recorded and available to registrants for two weeks following the live webinar. Webinars 7 and 8 are $50 for NWI Consortium Members  and $100 for non-members.

Webinar #7, titled “Facemasks II – N95 Testing,” will take place July 22  from 11 a.m. to noon EDT. This webinar will focus on standard test protocols for N95 respirators and will fully discuss the procedures used by NIOSH – TEB-APR-STP-0058 and 42 CRFR Part 84.  Real examples of how respirators behave during the test method will be provided.  Guidance on how to test flat sheets of filtration materials to estimate performance in a respirator will be given.  Ample time will be provided for Q&A and discussion. Register for webinar #7 here.

Webinar #8, titled “Facemasks III Surgical Mask Testing,” will take place July 29  from 11 a.m. to noon EDT.  This webinar will focus on standard test protocols for surgical masks including the relevant ASTM standards as well as FDA guidelines. These include ASTM F2299/F2299M-03 (2017), ASTM F2101-19, ASTM F1862/F1862M-17, ASTM F1494-14, ASTM F3387-19 as well as FDA Guidelines.  Ample time will be provided for Q&A and discussion. Register for webinar #8 here.

Posted July 7, 2020

Source: The Nonwovens Institute

1...1,0521,0531,054...2,668Page 1,053 of 2,668

Sponsors

Breaking News

Load more

Digital Issue

2026 Quarterly Issue III

View Latest Digital Issue

FEATURED ARTICLES

© Copyright 2017 Textile Industries Media Group, LLC.