Rich Williams Elected To Kontoor Brands Board Of Directors

GREENSBORO, N.C. — June 20, 2019 — The Board of Directors of Kontoor Brands, Inc., a global lifestyle apparel company with a portfolio of some of the world’s most iconic denim brands including Wrangler®, Lee® and Rock & Republic®, has named Rich Williams, CEO of Groupon, as a director, effective June 19, 2019.

“ no quote We’re pleased to welcome Rich to Kontoor’s Board of Directors,” said Bob Shearer, Chairman of the Board, at Kontoor Brands. “ no quote Rich’s extensive experience in technology and e-commerce, paired with his deep knowledge of consumer marketing, will be a strong addition to our Board as Kontoor continues to focus on accelerating our direct to consumer strategy and creating value for our shareholders.”

Mr. Williams will serve on the Talent and Compensation Committee of Kontoor’s Board of Directors.

Mr. Williams, 45, has served as Groupon’s Chief Executive Officer and a member of Groupon’s Board of Directors since November 2015. During his tenure at Groupon, he has served as Chief Operating Officer, President of North America and Senior Vice President of Marketing. Prior to joining Groupon, Mr. Williams held a variety of marketing leadership roles of increasing responsibility at Amazon and spent nearly seven years in leadership positions at Experian in both sales and marketing.

Posted June 21, 2019

Source: Kontoor Brands, Inc.


Hyosung Chairman Cho Hyun-Joon Meets With Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister To Discuss Business Cooperation

SEOUL — June 20, 2019 — Hyosung Chairman Cho Hyun-Joon met with Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Vuong Dinh Hue on June 19 during the latter’s visit to Seoul, and they promised to strengthen their cooperation.

Deputy Prime Minister Hue acts as an economic command center in charge of the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the State Bank of Vietnam.

Chairman Cho briefed Deputy Prime Minister Hue on Hyosung’s two plants under construction in Vietnam — a PP plant in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province and a tire cord plant in Quang Nam Province, and asked for the Vietnamese government’s support.

“Vietnam is critical to Hyosung as its global manufacturing base where all of its core products are being produced,” Chairman Cho said, “I hope we will keep up our friendly relationship and strengthen our cooperation.”

“Hyosung is one of the largest investors in Vietnam. I will actively support its projects to build a PP plant in the southern province of Ba Ria-Vung Tau and a tire cord plant in the central province of Quang Nam,” Deputy Prime Minister Hue said.

Chairman Cho has been meeting with top government officials of Vietnam to maintain his friendly relations with them. In 2016 and 2018, he met with Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc to discuss its business cooperation with the country.

Posted June 21, 2019

Source: Hyosung Corporation

ClockSpring|NRI Acquires Milliken Infrastructure Solutions

HOUSTON — June 21, 2019 — ClockSpring|NRI, a manufacturer of highly innovative and engineered products for the repair and rehabilitation of global critical infrastructure, today acquired Milliken Infrastructure Solutions, LLC, previously a subsidiary of Milliken & Company, expanding its line of superior composite solutions for industrial process and transmission pipelines and adding new, pioneering technologies for water and wastewater infrastructure restoration.

“This acquisition expands ClockSpring|NRI’s ability to address complex integrity issues,” says ClockSpring|NRI CEO Matthew Boucher. “Our combined engineering expertise and complementary product lines enable us to offer the most comprehensive suite of products and services for the safe and sustainable repair, maintenance, and construction of critical infrastructure.”

With this acquisition, the ClockSpring|NRI solutions portfolio now includes GeoSpray™, a high-performance spray-on geopolymer mortar lining that provides trenchless pipe rehabilitation and structural strengthening for sewer, water, and wastewater lines; Concrete Cloth, the “concrete on a roll” flexible concrete-impregnated fabric designed for berm and secondary containment and erosion control; the Atlas™ carbon fiber system for pipeline repairs that require strain reduction due to dynamic loading conditions; and the RenewWrap™ FRP strengthening systems for civil repair applications, as well as other complementary repair technologies.

Atlas™ and RenewWrap™ are among the products that will be integrated into the ClockSpring|NRI Composites Division. ClockSpring|NRI will create a new Concrete Solutions Division led by John Hepfinger, who previously served as Global Market Director for Milliken Infrastructure Solutions and brings nearly 30 years of experience to his new role. John will report directly to CEO Matthew Boucher as a member of the ClockSpring|NRI leadership team.

“Milliken Infrastructure Solutions has grown tremendously over the last few years as customers have increasingly adopted these differentiated products that solve relevant infrastructure rehabilitation challenges,” comments Alex Kim, executive vice president of corporate strategy and development for Milliken & Company. “With their global scale and focus on infrastructure, we believe that ClockSpring|NRI will be able to accelerate the growth and achieve the full potential of this business.”

ClockSpring|NRI’s financial sponsor, Wind Point Partners, was instrumental in helping to complete the transaction. Wind Point is an active investor in industrial products and services with relevant investments including Kleinfelder (a multi-disciplinary engineering firm with significant experience in critical infrastructure) and Interface Performance Materials (a manufacturer of fiber-reinforced and composite products).

Alex Washington, Wind Point Partners managing director, states, “This transaction enhances the breadth of ClockSpring|NRI’s comprehensive portfolio and highlights the capabilities we bring to help portfolio companies scale. In cooperation with management, Wind Point will seek to continue growing the platform through a combination of organic growth and accretive acquisitions.”

Clock Spring|NRI additionally was advised by Kirkland & Ellis and KPMG. Jones Day supported Milliken & Company during the transaction process.

Posted June 21, 2019

Source: ClockSpring|NRI


Sustainability: ACIMIT Rewards Excellence In Textile Machinery Manufacturing With The Italian Green Label Award

MILAN/BARCELONA — June 21, 2019 — At the press conference held by ACIMIT and the Italian Trade Agency at ITMA Barcelona, two ACIMIT associated textile machinery manufacturers, Loptex and Tonello, were awarded the Italian Green Label Award for their commitment to reducing their machinery’s carbon footprint.

The commitment of textile machinery manufacturers in researching and developing technology solutions capable of improving the energy consumption and/or environmental performance of their machinery is implemented through the Sustainable Technologies project. Promoted by ACIMIT since 2011, the project’s focus is on the Green Label, through which machinery manufacturers can communicate their engagement. The quantity of carbon dioxide equivalent emissions produced during the operation of the machinery (CFP) is the parameter chosen to give value to the environmental efficiency of the machinery subject to the special labelling.

Eight years after launching the Sustainable Technologies project, which occurred right here in Barcelona at the 2011 edition of ITMA, ACIMIT has now instituted the Italian Green Label Award, to reward companies that have shown the most commitment in pursuing the project’s aims. Loptex S.r.l., a company based in Montano Lucino (CO), specializing in quality control systems in textile fiber, both in the spinning and non-woven sectors, was awarded a prize as the company that achieved the best results, expressed in terms of percentage reduction in the value of CFP for its machinery. Tonello S.r.l., of Sarcedo (VI), which manufactures technologies for finishing garments, for its part received the award as the company that showed the most engagement in exploiting all the functionalities of the tool dedicated to generating the Green Label, producing numerous labels for a variety of different machinery and updating them over time, in an effort to communicate continuously up-to-date information on the path to sustainability undertaken.

“With the Italian Green Label, ACIMIT intends not just to reward those companies that have been most intensely engaged in our project, but also bears witness to what we have achieved as a sector on the issue of sustainability,” states ACIMIT’s President Alessandro Zucchi. “I believe that the search for sustainable technology solutions is an indispensable element for textile manufacturers who are intent of providing a response to the market’s needs. And Italian machinery manufacturers are leaders on this issue as well.”

The winning companies expressed their satisfaction. Renato Gerletti, owner of Loptex: “We’re obviously very pleased to have received this award. The Italian Green Label Award recognizes just how much we have achieved so far on the issue of sustainability. It will to motivate us to do even more, dedicating additional resources to researching and developing sustainable solutions for our customers.”

Flavio Tonello, CEO of Tonello: “We have joined the Green Label project since its start. Tonello has always focused on sustainability in building our machinery, and our Research and Development team have always endeavoured to provide innovative, sustainable solutions.”

LOPTEX

Loptex, a company serving the textile industry for more than 25 years, offers state of the art technologies for the fibres quality improvement in cotton and non-woven industries. Its assembly facility is in Northern Italy, Como Area. Loptex stands out for its pioneering vision and innovative spirit. Loptex guarantees excellent service and support to its customers.

TONELLO

Tonello is the global supplier of garment finishing technologies that, since 1981, has been contributing to the success that made in Italy has enjoyed all over the world. Thanks to its cutting-edge machines and its one-of-a-kind service, it acts side by side with its customers creating a link between the stylists and the companies working, dyeing and finishing the garments. With more than 8000 machines sold worldwide, Tonello is considered the reference point for the garment finishing industry.

Posted June 21, 2019

Source: ACIMIT


NRF Warns USTR To Avoid Additional Tariffs, Releases Study On Consumer Impact

WASHINGTON — June 21, 2019 — The National Retail Federation today urged the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative to avoid 25 percent tariffs on $300 billion in Chinese goods and released a new study examining key product categories and the negative impact on American consumers.

“We support efforts to achieve better trade deals, but American consumers shouldn’t be caught in the crosshairs,” NRF Senior Vice President of Government Relations David French said during testimony prepared for a USTR hearing this afternoon. “It’s time to reevaluate a strategy based solely on tariffs and work with our allies to put international pressure on China.”

“For most of the consumer products on this list, there are very few alternative sources of supply,” French added. “It would be impossible for all market participants in our industry to simultaneously move sourcing to other countries. The capacity does not exist … In the short term, retailers would be forced to continue to use Chinese suppliers and pass on higher costs to their customers – just in time for the holiday shopping season.”

French cited a new report commissioned by NRF and prepared by the Trade Partnership Worldwide projecting that American consumers would pay $4.4 billion more each year for apparel, $2.5 billion more for footwear, $3.7 billion more for toys, and $1.6 billion more for household appliances if the administration proceeds with the additional tariffs. NRF previously released research that found a TV made in China that costs $250 today would cost $308 after tariffs are applied, and that 25 percent tariffs on furniture and travel goods would cost American consumers nearly $6 billion a year.

As part of monthly consumer surveys conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, NRF has been tracking the public’s growing concern over the trade war. The June survey found 81 percent of consumers are “concerned the ongoing trade war will cause prices to increase,” a 12 percent increase since November 2018.

In addition to French’s oral testimony, NRF submitted comments to USTR detailing the negative economic impact of the proposed tariffs on American businesses, workers and consumers.

Posted June 21, 2019

Source: The National Retail Federation (NRF)


JEC Forum Chicago 2019:
A Great Success For This New Format

PARIS — June 21, 2019 — JEC Forum Chicago 2019, with its new format combining business meetings and conference sessions was a great success. In fact, with 201 delegates and 490 business meetings organized on site, it reveals that North American composites industrials value this new format.

JEC Forum Chicago 2019 Key Figures:

  • 201 delegates
  • 400 professional visits
  • 490 Business Meetings
  • 29 Speakers
  • 10 Startups
  • Innovation awards

Business and Knowledge all at once

The forum was the occasion for sponsors to showcase their solutions, industry buyers from all the composites value-chain to easily meet during pre-arranged business, without mentioning a great participation of Top buyers from Arevo, Bollinger Motors, Bouygues – CBNA: Civil & Building North America, and Florida Department of Transportation and John Deere. All confirmed that their meetings were very successful and would be leading to prolific cooperation in the future.

“Our experience has been fantastic, being able to utilize interview schedule system has paid off tremendously. Our booth has been well occupied with several industry leaders coming and looking for unique and dedicated solutions”, quoted David Shippee from Composite Fabrics of America.

Not to mention the official visit of the French Deputy Consul General, Frédéric Cholé, along with a delegation of Business France in North America (the organization fostering French businesses abroad), who were very enthusiastic about the dynamism of the composites industry and the startup competition.

Finally, the conference sessions were the playground of world class speakers from MIT and Stanford University speaking mainly about the latest developments and researches on composite materials in Ground Transportation and Construction. Experts from Bloomberg, Chomarat, Hennecke, IACMI McKinsey, Lanxess, and Shell also took the stage to host compelling conferences on the future of composites.

“The conversation between looking forward academics, researchers, pioneering companies and just the broad industry is critical in our sector, and JEC Forum Chicago is an incredible platform for that,” said Mark Goulthorpe, Chairman of the construction sessions, from the MIT Architecture Department.

Celebrating innovation: JEC Innovation Awards and Startup Booster winners

For the past 15 years, JEC Innovation Awards have rewarded the best cutting-edge and ingenious projects using composites to their full potential in different categories. For this edition of JEC Forum Chicago, the winners of the 4 categories were rewarded on Wednesday right after a very inspiring speech given by Dirk Ahlborn, CEO of Hyperloop TT.
“Events like JEC ones are amazing because you meet the guys that actually know what they are doing, that are the experts. Mingling with people and exchanging ideas is the secret recipe to success,” said Dirk Ahlborn after his speech.

The JEC Innovation awards winners by categories are: Mobility: KTM-TECHNOLOGIES GmbH – Austria Building: GAZECHIM COMPOSITES IBERICA – Spain Automotive: Surface Generation – United Kingdom Infrastructure: Carbo-Link AG – Switzerland

The ceremony of the first round of the Startup Booster World Tour ended the 2-day event by recognizing 3 of the most promising startups in North America developing new composites solutions; the Gold Winneris Continuous Composites (Continuous Fiber 3D Printing Technology): the Silver Winner is Vartega (Recycler of Advanced Material) and the Bronze winner, Visolis (Carbon Negative Materials). All of them won the chance to showcase their work at JEC World 2020 in March 2020 with the Gold winner competing for the finals.

“JEC Forum Chicago is a unique event in the world of composites bringing together all the value chain in the US. This edition was great in terms of content, exchange and innovative solutions. We thank all our participants for their enthusiasm and collaboration” says Nicolas Baudry, JEC Group Events Director for North America.

Posted June 21, 2019 

Source: JEC Group


 

Neenah Coldenhove To Launch Digital Transfer Paper For Natural Fibers At ITMA 2019

EERBEEK, Netherlands — June 20, 2019 — Neenah Coldenhove is pleased to announce that they will unveil their highly anticipated Texcol® digital pigment transfer paper at this year’s edition of ITMA in Barcelona, Spain, from 20-26 June. The newly developed Neenah Coldenhove digital transfer paper allows users to print on a wide range of natural fibre textiles, like cotton, using a waterless process. Texcol® digital transfer paper eliminates complex pre- or post-treatments of textiles, and reduces the user’s cost and carbon footprint.

A revolution for the home textiles industry 
Texcol® guarantees a wider colour gamut with deeper, more brilliant colours in comparison to digital direct pigment printing. The light fastness of the product is outstanding, and the paper’s special coating makes it highly resistant to crocking. It’s this coating that also allows users to generate ink savings of up to 25% on their current jobs!

Easy transition

Excellent for use on textiles, Texcol® is designed to run on most plotter printers and allows for easy transfer when using the currently available technologies. Users can transition to this new way of printing without having to make large investments. And for those who want to try out the product before they invest in it, they can become a Neenah Coldenhove test customer. Contact us at +31 6 21809223 or marketing@neenah.com for more information.

Live at ITMA 2019

Come visit Neenah Coldenhove from 20-26 June at ITMA 2019 in Barcelona, Spain: Hall 3, booth number B104. The Neenah Coldenhove team look forward to welcoming visitors, and to unveiling the Texcol® digital transfer paper.

About Neenah Coldenhove
Founded in 1661, Neenah Coldenhove is a state-of-the-art paper mill that is known for its innovative paper solutions. A company that serves customers all over the world. The product portfolio ranges from traditional paper grades of high quality to patented high-tech digital sublimation transfer paper. Thanks to their continuous focus on the development of new paper applications, Neenah Coldenhove remains a leading company in the digital transfer paper industry.

Posted June 21, 2019

Source: Neenah Coldenhove

Unifi To Upgrade Its Texturing Capabilities With Exclusive Use Of The Unique New Technology Of Oerlikon’s New eAFK Evo Texturing Machine

REMSCHEID, Germany/ BARCELONA, Spain — June 21, 2019 — Oerlikon’s new eAFK Evo texturing machine, which was unveiled to selected clients at the ITMA trade fair in Barcelona, has proven to be a breakthrough in the manufacture of yarns. This is evidenced by leading global yarn producer, Unifi Manufacturing, Inc., who placed a significant order for these revolutionary machines yesterday, the first day of the trade fair.

Unifi collaborated with Oerlikon to develop a specially-designed eAFK Evo pilot machine that has been operating for the last eight months, using it to manufacture various Unifiber virgin and REPREVE®-branded recycled polyester and polyamide yarns. Unifi has obtained exclusive rights in the Americas to their unique design, which enables the new machine to operate at considerably higher texturing speeds, delivers consistently high-quality yarn across a broad range of products, and enables new, innovative performance yarns.

“Unifi is proud to collaborate with Oerlikon Barmag on its innovative new texturing technology that is positioned to revolutionize yarn manufacturing,” said Tom Caudle, president and chief operating officer of Unifi. “True innovation starts in the fiber, and the new eAFK Evo texturing machine will allow us to continue our history of manufacturing excellence and provide our customers with an expanded portfolio of performance products with broad market appeal.”

Cost-efficient production, reduced energy consumption

Additionally, Oerlikon will be exhibiting a configuration of the eAFK Evo texturing machine at ITMA designed for the cost-efficient production of commodity yarns. At just 4.7 meters in height, this compact machine still comes with a four-deck winding system. The most important foundation for both machines is the 300-millimeter-long EvoCooler with its active cooling technology. The EvoCooler’s controllable cooling unit opens a huge production window, with titers ranging from around 30 to 300 denier and including microfilaments; combining it with the EvoHeater increases texturing speed by about 20 percent. The EvoCooler also enables extremely even yarn dyeing and provides significant benefits using no additional energy compared to current offerings. With the optimized, extremely energy-efficient EvoHeater and its connected peripherals, the machine offers up to 25 percent energy savings.

Unifi yarns deployed worldwide

Unifi, Inc. is a global textile solutions provider and one of the world’s leading innovators in manufacturing synthetic virgin and recycled performance fibers. Through REPREVE®, one of Unifi’s proprietary technologies and the global leader in branded recycled performance fibers, Unifi has transformed more than 16 billion plastic bottles into recycled fiber for new apparel, footwear, home goods and other consumer products with the help of Oerlikon Barmag texturing machines. The company’s proprietary PROFIBER™ technologies offer increased functional performance, comfort and style advantages, enabling customers to develop products that perform, look and feel better. Unifi continually innovates technologies to meet consumer needs in moisture management, thermal regulation, antimicrobial, UV protection, stretch, water resistance and enhanced softness. Unifi collaborates with many of the world’s most influential brands in the performance apparel, footwear, outdoor, fashion, home, automotive and other industries. Since launching REPREVE®, Unifi and its partners have recycled more than 16 billion bottles, with a goal of recycling 20 billion bottles by 2020 and 30 billion by 2022.

Oerlikon will be exhibiting REPREVE® yarns produced on the eAFK Evo pilot machine, along with fabrics made from the yarn, at the Oerlikon stand at the ITMA trade show in Barcelona. Among other areas, these sustainable yarns are used in the products of numerous companies operating in the apparel, outdoor, home textiles and automotive sectors.

Posted June 21, 2019

Source: Oerlikon Manmade Fibers

Wayfair To Invest More Than $8 Million And Create More Than 500 Jobs In Athens-Clarke County, Ga.

ATLANTA, GA— June 19, 2019 — Governor Brian P. Kemp announced today that Wayfair, one of the world’s largest online destinations for the home, will create 500 jobs and invest more than $8 million in a customer support facility in Athens.

“Wayfair’s decision to locate their new customer support facility in Athens-Clarke County is a testament to the economic development assets available in Athens-Clarke County and this region,” said Governor Brian P. Kemp. “Our world-class logistics network has become a magnet for e-commerce companies looking to grow and reach new markets, and we are thrilled that Wayfair chose Georgia.”

Founded in 2002 and headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts, Wayfair has operations throughout North America and Europe. The e-commerce retailer currently employs more than 13,300 people.

“We are pleased to bring 500 jobs to the city of Athens as we expand our Sales & Service operations to support the rapid growth of the business,” said Tom Svitil, Head of Sales and Service, Wayfair. “At Wayfair, exceptional service is a core tenet of our business and our expanded operations will allow us to even better serve our customers across the country.”

The Wayfair family of sites includes: Wayfair, Joss & Main, AllModern, Birch Lane and Perigold.

“We are excited that Wayfair has selected Athens as their new home,” said Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz. “The high quality of life in Athens is greatly enhanced by strong employment opportunities, such as those represented by this announcement. This project will become part of a significant area of vitality and redevelopment that will continue in the months and years to come.”

Wayfair currently operates warehouse and distribution center facilities in McDonough and Savannah.

“We are excited that Wayfair is continuing to expand their footprint here in Georgia,” said GDEcD Commissioner Pat Wilson. “Congratulations to our economic development partners who were involved in this project. I am confident that Wayfair will find much success in Athens-Clarke County.”

Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) Project Manager Sunny Anderson represented the Global Commerce Division in partnership with Athens-Clarke County DA, Georgia EMC, and Georgia Power.

Wayfair believes everyone should live in a home they love. Through technology and innovation, Wayfair makes it possible for shoppers to quickly and easily find exactly what they want from a selection of more than 14 million items across home furnishings, décor, home improvement, housewares, and more. Committed to delighting its customers every step of the way, Wayfair is reinventing the way people shop for their homes – from product discovery to final delivery.

Posted June 20, 2019

Source: State of Georgia Office of the Governor

Premium Outdoor Apparel Outfitter For Men And Women, Mountain Khakis, Grows Product Team

CHARLOTTE, NC — June 20, 2019 — Mountain Khakis®, a premium outdoor apparel outfitter for Men and Women, is pleased to announce two more additions to the Product Team: Jennifer Fernandez and Lisa Reinhart.  Both based out of Charlotte, North Carolina, Fernandez will take on the role of Product Line Manager and Reinhart as Senior Development Manager.

Fernandez, a graduate of North Carolina A&T State University, comes from Belk where she was employed for the past seven years. At Belk, she had many areas of focus including, global sourcing: private label, product management and merchandising; prior, she worked for TJX Companies in operations. Fernandez also has retail and teaching experience. An athlete at heart, a D1 softball player in college, she enjoys helping her kids explore and try new sports; as well as, painting, writing and DIY projects.

“Joining the Mountain Khakis team for me was about growth. I see the brand’s opportunity and I believe in its vision. It’s exciting to be a part of something with so much potential, a killer work environment and fantastic people,” said Fernandez.

Reinhart also comes from Belk where she was a Global Sourcing Manager for three years; prior, she worked for Ralph Lauren for five years in global merchandising and sourcing as a Senior Manager. Reinhart, a graduate of West Virginia Universities’ Textiles, Apparel and Merchandising program, also has merchandising and product development experience. In her free time, she enjoys family fun with her husband and children.

“I’m super excited to be a part of the Mountain Khakis family,” says Reinhart.

Fernandez and Reinhart join the Design Team along with Lauren Reinzuch, Director of Merchandising, Design and Development, and Brooke Hornbeck, Senior Designer, who were announced earlier this month.

“Lisa & Jennifer both come with years of experience, talent and a skill set that brings our Product Team to a whole new level. These women are not only incredibly skilled, but beautiful human beings. We chose very carefully while filling these roles, and both Lisa and Jennifer have already exceeded expectations. I can only imagine what they’ll bring to the table in the future,” stated Reinzuch. “I’m beyond thrilled to welcome these women to our Mountain Khakis family.”

Posted June 20, 2019

Source: Mountain Khakis

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