WASHINGTON, D.C. — June 5, 2019 — Today, the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) and American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) sent a letter to President Donald J. Trump, opposing the proposed escalation in tariffs for all U.S. imports from Mexico. As the representatives of the apparel and textile supply chain, the organizations represent hundreds of thousands of American jobs dependent on duty-free trade in the North American region.
Signed by the heads of both organizations, the letter states: “Raising tariffs on U.S. imports from Mexico will hurt U.S. workers. Currently, hundreds of thousands of American workers are deployed in production and other key value chains that depend on the North American trade partnership with Mexico, which is the market for half of all U.S. textile exports.”
“NCTO is joining with AAFA today in urging President Trump to refrain from imposing tariffs on U.S. imports from Mexico, an issue that is critically important to our integrated Western Hemisphere supply chains,” said NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas. “Mexico is the top export market for U.S. fiber, yarns, and fabrics and adding tariffs on Mexican imports of apparel and home furnishings will only hurt the U.S. textile industry’s growth and competitiveness and jeopardize jobs in both countries.”
“Further, these planned tariffs disrupt and distract congressional passage of the pending U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), a key administration priority, which not only strengthens the textile industry’s existing supply chain and our free trade partnership with Mexico, but also helps to expand it,” Glas added. “We urge the administration to support American workers by not imposing tariffs on U.S. imports from Mexico and helping get USMCA over the finish line.”
“AAFA and NCTO often have different ideas when it comes to trade policy, however we are totally united in opposition to the proposal to add tariffs on our products,” said Rick Helfenbein, president and CEO of the American Apparel & Footwear Association. “Potential tariffs on Mexico are an unwelcome and unnecessary tax on American workers and consumers at a time when we should be focusing on the ratification of the USMCA. Mexico is the eighth largest supplier of apparel and seventh largest supplier of footwear to the U.S. market, with 35 percent of men’s and boy’s jeans and 15 percent of work boots coming from south of the border. This move threatens our trade relationship with Mexico and the competitive advantage that supports hundreds of thousands of American jobs in the apparel, footwear, travel goods, and textile industries. We do not believe that immigration policy and trade policy should be cut from the same cloth.”
Posted June 5, 2019
Source: The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO)
MELVILLE, N.Y — June 4, 2019 — Park Electrochemical Corp. announced the appointment of Steven L. Peake as vice president of technology. Peake will report to Mark A. Esquivel, Park’s executive vice president and COO.
Peake previously held various senior technical, product development and technical marketing positions at Park between 2001 and 2010. Prior to rejoining Park, he was director of research & development for Magnolia Advanced Materials Inc., a manufacturer of composite adhesive and other products, since 2015. From 2010 until 2015, Peake served as technical director – Composites at SAATI S.p.A., a manufacturer of fabrics and chemicals for industrial use. Between 1979 and 2001, he held various technical and research and development positions at Cytec Industries Inc., which has since been acquired by Solvay S.A., a large advanced materials and specialty chemicals company. Peake received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Texas and a Doctorate degree in Organic Chemistry from the University of Wisconsin.
LOS ANGELES — June 5, 2019 — True Religion’s Chairman Gene Davis and Interim CEO Chelsea Grayson today announced that Farla Efros, a consultant to the company, will assume the role of interim CEO. Efros succeeds Grayson, who is resigning to pursue other opportunities.
As president of HRC Retail Advisory, a North American retail consulting firm, Efros has worked closely with True Religion’s leadership team in recent months. Efros has more than 20 years of experience working with retailers and CPG companies, including almost 10 years at HRC Retail Advisory and its predecessor firms. She will continue in her capacity as resident at HRC Retail Advisory while serving as True Religion’s interim CEO.
“On behalf of True Religion, I thank Chelsea Grayson for her vision and significant contributions and wish her the very best as she moves on to new endeavors,” Davis said. “At the same time, we are pleased to have Farla stepping in as interim CEO to enhance our strong team,” Davis said. “Her proven operational and financial expertise are valuable assets and advantages that complement our iconic brand.”
True Religion also is conducting a search for a permanent CEO to lead it in pursuing its significant opportunities in streetwear, as the True Religion brand continues to celebrate the values of diversity, freedom, and authenticity. The company noted that it has experienced positive comps and trends this year in direct-to-consumer and ecommerce sales, and that it is seeing continued growth in international markets, including the United Kingdom, Middle East, Eastern Europe, and Asia.
“I am honored to assume this new role,” said Ms. Efros. “I look forward to working closely with the Board and the rest of the management team as we continue to drive performance and enhance True Religion’s brand and value.”
Born and raised in Los Angeles, True Religion has been a leader in streetwear and premium denim since 2002. Over its seventeen-year history, the brand has been adopted by many subcultures — each genre leaving its unique imprint on the brand as it exists today. As a lifestyle brand with a worldwide view, True Religion continues to embrace those individuals who are shaping the culture of today.
MARLBOROUGH, Mass./YOKNEAM ILIT, Israel — June 4, 2019 — ReWalk Robotics Ltd., a manufacturer of robotic medical devices for individuals with lower limb disabilities, announced today that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared the company’s ReStore soft exo-suit system for sale to rehabilitation centers across the United States. ReStore is the only soft exo-suit with FDA clearance, and is intended for use in the treatment of stroke survivors with mobility challenges. Stroke is a leading cause of disability, which affects approximately 17 million people worldwide each year1, and as many as 80% of people who have had a stroke will suffer from gait impairments.2
“The exo-suit achieves our commercial goal to offer a functional and affordable system that can be utilized in the ‘Main Street’ clinics in every community,” said ReWalk CEO Larry Jasinski. “With a launch price of $28,900 as well as leasing options, ReStore offers cutting edge innovation with features that redefine therapy at a price that is accessible for a broader range of clinics than existing robotic technologies. The current gait training reimbursement codes enable immediate penetration and sales growth as part of our pathway to become a break even and profitable company.”
In 2018, ReWalk launched a multi-center clinical study of the ReStore system across five of the country’s leading rehabilitation centers. This data was submitted to the FDA in ReStore’s 510(k) submission, and ReWalk expects to publish the results of the clinical study later this year.
“We are very encouraged by our initial experience and positive impact of ReStore in gait training for persons with stroke residual disabilities,” said Moss Rehab’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Alberto Esquenazi, who was one of the investigators in the multi-center trial. “By training the patient walking pattern in a more correct way, the expectation is that the brain will re-learn and better restore the walking function lost after a stroke.”
The patented soft exo-suit technology was originally developed at Harvard University’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering where it also underwent initial clinical testing that demonstrated its potential to improve walking for stroke survivors. ReWalk and the Wyss Institute entered into a multi-year research collaboration agreement in 2016 which provides ReWalk access to future innovations that emerge from this collaboration and may be relevant to additional stroke products or other therapies.
“The idea of anchoring the body with textiles and flexible soft components is a fundamentally new way of applying assistance with a wearable robot,” said Conor Walsh, a Professor of Engineering and Applied Sciences at the John A. Paulson Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and a Core Faculty member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, who led a multi-disciplinary team to develop the soft exo-suit technology that has the ability to apply force to the body, but not restrict how a person moves. “This technology has broad potential, and we are currently testing additional concepts which can be applied to provide therapy and/ or mobility assistance for individuals with other diseases, such as multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease, and also potentially be used by a person at home and in their community,” Walsh continued.
How it works: The ReStore system is comprised of a soft, garment-like design which connects to a lightweight waist pack and mechanical cables that help lift the patient’s affected leg in synchronized timing with their natural walking pattern. The system provides targeted assistance to the patient during forward propulsion (plantarflexion) and ground clearance (dorsiflexion), two key phases of the gait cycle. The device also provides the physical therapists with extensive data during gait training with ReStore to inform strategies to optimize a patient’s treatment and progress using real-time analytics.
ReStore is ReWalk’s second major market segment, joining the ReWalk Personal 6.0—a robotic exoskeleton for home use by individuals with paralysis from a spinal cord injury—and the ReWalk Rehabilitation system, which allows for multiple patient uses through height and weight adjustments. “We believe the expansion to soft exo-suits gives ReWalk a diverse offering of innovative technologies and expands the Company’s impact to millions of patients worldwide,” added Jasinski. ReWalk intends to leverage its existing sales, training and service teams to commercialize the ReStore system. To date, ReWalk has placed nearly 550 exoskeletons in 26 countries and trained more than 270 rehabilitation clinics to conduct exoskeleton training worldwide.
SOUTHINGTON, Conn. — June 5, 2019 — Clear Automation announced the appointment of Mark Cloutier as director of project management, effective April 8, 2019. Mark will be responsible for improving the organization’s ability to execute large projects, driving process standardization initiatives, and coordinating resource allocation efforts. Mark is also involved in strategic planning as part of the Management Team and leverages his experience in KPI development and teambuilding to improve communication across departments.
Mark has 28 years of manufacturing experience, including 11 years developing automated workcells for a major golf ball manufacturer. He also managed large projects with companies in the energy industry. His professional background evolved from mechanical engineer, to project and program management, to managing teams at the director level. Mark earned his MBA from Western New England University, and a Bachelors of Mechanical Engineering degree from Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Clear Automation CEO John DeBlasio said: “I’m very excited to have Mark as an asset on the Clear Automation team. Project Management is our core operational functional area and his leadership will be critical to helping drive Clear Automation’s strategy to become a leader in custom automation for the cosmetic and life sciences industries.”
MADRID — June 5, 2019 — Tukatech has expanded its global presence, opening a European headquarters in Madrid, Spain. Tukatech Europe is located in the heart of Madrid on Calle De San Bernardo, and led by José A. Jiménez, director – Europe; and Antonio González Quirós, director – Spain.
“I’m excited to expand Tukatech throughout Europe. There is no other solution provider in the industry offering this caliber of software, machinery, and support. Tukatech is now more accessible to European apparel companies who are interested in end-to-end fashion technology,” González Quirós said.
Tukatech Europe’s multi-lingual team consists of experts in the fields of fashion design, product development and garment manufacturing. The team will implement, install, support, and train with Tukatech systems within Spain and throughout Europe.
“The Tukatech European Headquarters team is a wealth of industry experience. José and Antonio understand our vision of providing powerful solutions and unlimited support,” said Chris Walia, COO, Tukatech.
“Antonio and Jose are seasoned apparel industry veterans. Each has decades of experience using and implementing a broad range of fashion CAD systems. They know the difference between these systems and what Tukatech offers. By establishing a European headquarters, we will better serve our current partners. We will also provide solutions to European companies who are seeking disruptive fashion technology,” said Ram Sareen, chairman and CEO, Tukatech.
Sareen continued: “Hundreds of European fashion companies have other CAD systems, yet pattern-makers are still working with paper. This is an opportunity for us to introduce true end-to-end solutions. We were the first to bring digital pattern-making to many countries. We will do the same for the apparel industry in Europe by providing valuable, user-friendly fashion technology in their native languages.”
OBERTSHAUSEN, Germany — June 5, 2019 — KARL MAYER is continuing along its path of digitization, and is focusing on expansion and globalization. From June 2019 onwards, KM.ON will be present in key markets with subsidiaries in China and Hong Kong.
This software startup offers a broad portfolio of digital solutions under the KM.ON brand. The company was set up in Frankfurt in 2017 as the KARL MAYER Digital Factory, and now operates under the uniform name of KM.ON GmbH.
In addition to Warp Knitting, Warp Preparation and Technical Textiles, KMO.ON is also one of KARL MAYER’s business units and has a corresponding focus. “With this international setup, we are following KARL MAYER’s strategy of being close to our customers. Our local presences enable us to focus our solutions for important sales regions even more specifically on the particular requirements of our customers there,” said Antonia Gottschalk, who heads KM.ON GmbH together with Maximilian Kürig.
Both managing directors expect that globalization will also provide impulses for the entire product portfolio. “The adaptation rate of software and digital solutions is enormous here. The heart of digitisation is beating strongly in China. With these new locations, we have our finger firmly on the pulse of a period of great change,” said Kürig.
TOKYO — June 5, 2019 — Toray Industries Inc. announced that using a proprietary composite spinning technology called NANODESIGN®, Toray Industries has created a new nylon textile, one that delivers high water repellency despite using a DWR treatment with a lower environmental cost.
The textile’s structure has microscopic slits running lengthwise on the yarn. Water repelling treatments fill these slits below the outside diameter of the yarn, also making the treatment more abrasion-resistant. This results in two benefits:
The construction enables the textile to use C6 water repellents, which are normally insufficient for outdoor sports; and
The textile provides more resistance to abrasion, which is a leading contributor to diminishing DWR performance.
Despite the slits, the textile has the strength and abrasion-resistance of other yarns and is processed the same way.
Fluorine-based water repellents used in the past do not easily decompose naturally because of its stable chemical structure. It also contains perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) — also known as C8 — which could accumulate in the human body and remain in the natural environment. Recent years have witnessed increasing environmental consciousness and there are growing needs for materials using water repellents with low environmental burden such as C6 water repellents do not contain PFOA.
Toray plans to market the textile in fall 2020, as a material variation of the existing textile brands Airtastic®, ENTRANT® and Dermizax®. Leveraging the textile’s high water repellant properties, Toray will target the active outdoor sports and skiing markets, as well as athleisure.
In North America, Toray International America Inc. will provide the new textile.
SLINFOLD, England — June 5, 2019 — Mecmesin, a leading global manufacturer of force, materials and torque testing equipment, has appointed a new Materials Testing Product Manager.
Carl Bramley has been appointed to the role, which has been created as a result of the development of Mecmesin’ s new range of OmniTest materials testers and cutting-edge VectorPro MT materials testing software.
After spending 12 years in the RAF as an Avionics Engineer Carl moved into industry where he worked for Lloyd Instruments for 19 years in various roles. Starting as a service engineer, he was promoted to technical support manager and moved to the USA to support the American distributor network. Bramley returned to the United Kingdom in the role of export sales manager, with responsibility for managing Lloyd’s Asian distribution network.
Bramley has also worked for Shimadzu and most recently as senior sales manager for the Micro-Measurements Group, a manufacturer of foil strain gauges and instruments, with responsibility for the management of their distribution network plus a team of sales engineers.
“The opportunity to work for Mecmesin, to help develop the move into the Material Testing market is an exciting one,” Bramley said. “The product mix with Force Testing will give us a competitive edge, offering a complete solution, with scope to expand into interesting applications in the future. I look forward to working with everyone.”
The Managing Director of Mecmesin John Page said: “As a company we took the decision to expand our ‘product’ testing roots and develop a range of ‘material testing’ products, based around what we feel is the most intuitive software package on the market VectorPro MT. After a period of development and test Mecmesin is now ready to launch these products into this new and exciting market. The recruitment of Carl as product manager for MT products has been the final piece of this jigsaw bringing as he does so much knowledge and experience of the Materials Testing market gained over many years in the industry.”
He added: “A key part of Carl’s role will be to develop Mecmesin’ s existing sales infrastructure to sell and support MT products setting the company up for ongoing future expansion into this new market.”
Alfredo Di Palma, Cluster Top Central America, Sealand
TW Special Report
The changing apparel and textile industry landscape, fast fashion, e-commerce, more direct to consumer brands, sustainability, new technology, and omnichannel distribution are requiring fresh ideas, as well as greater flexibility, agility, and speed to market than ever before.
Let’s look at how a fictitious U.S. apparel company, eCottonjeans, an eco-friendly start-up with its headquarters in Atlanta, established its production and logistics network in order to compete in this changing landscape, meet compelling brand goals and exceed customer expectations.
With a vision to be a leading ecofriendly jeans producer, one that’s good for the planet and good for people, eCottonjeans began by aligning with a producer of a breathable, natural organic cotton fiber located near Savannah, Ga. Proximity to the Port of Savannah, a major sea gateway, would enable the company to seamlessly ship to its future textile mill. Having secured the gateway and the ecoquality product, the jeans producer now would need to find the production resources, infrastructure, and logistics support to meet the launch of its new business.
Central America Sourcing
eCottonjeans reviewed many sourcing opportunities and found that near-sourcing from Central America would be most beneficial as all aspects of quality and production operations could be met, and it would support its speed to market strategy. The company would be able to deliver finished goods to consumers in the United States at a fast pace and shorten its lead times. In addition, near-sourcing would reduce its supply chain carbon footprint since less transportation results in fewer emissions for a more environmentally friendly choice.
Integrated Logistics
ECottonJeans could select Sealand, an intra-Americas regional ocean carrier and Maersk company, to streamline its container logistics and benefit from the company’s local experience and footprint. Alfredo Di Palma, cluster top Central America at Sealand, said: “Over the last two years, we’ve seen the apparel/textile industry in Central America grow approximately 2 percent across the region. We would be a natural partner for a company like eCottonjeans with local country offices throughout Latin America and the U.S. and a team of knowledgeable Sealanders on the ground that know the local markets to skillfully assist companies in navigating their end-to-end, integrated logistics service needs.”
U.S. Gateway Coverage
By sourcing finished goods from Central America and now working with Sealand, eCottonjeans would be able to expand its reach to key consumer markets throughout the U.S via gateways on the U.S. East, Gulf and West Coasts. Sealand is the only ocean carrier that offers consistent direct, weekly coverage to all three U.S. coasts.
In recent years, there’s been a need for greater distribution diversity for U.S.-Central American apparel and textile supply chains. Traditionally much of the apparel and textile goods moved between the U.S. East and Gulf Coasts, but with changes in consumer expectations, the need to reach consumers quickly has increased demand for services to all coasts. This comprehensive range of services also provides service alternatives in case weather, or geopolitical conditions arise that impact supply chains. Further supporting the need to reach consumers quickly, apparel companies are expanding their distribution center network to achieve broader coverage throughout the region to accommodate speed-to-market. Direct services expedite the movement of freight to these locations.
End-To-End Value Chain
The full sourcing and supply chain network for the ecofriendly jean start-up was in play. From the United States, quality organic cotton fiber would be shipped from the Port of Savannah on Sealand’s SAE service, a five-day transit to Puerto Cortes in Honduras on the east coast of Central America. The jean fabric would be woven and dyed at a textile mill on the west coast of Nicaragua, requiring an intermodal trucking leg.
Sealand would coordinate this land-side container move assisting with infrastructure challenges that could slow a supply chain down if not handled effectively, such as customs house brokerage and cross border shipping. At the request of the jeans importer, Sealand could institute its SkyAngel GPS tracking service to ensure a reliable, secure flow of goods on land.
Di Palma commented: “SkyAngel is mounted on trucks and chassis carrying the container. It provides full visibility to the shipment in transit so the location of the container can be determined at any point of the intermodal leg and it is a fully customizable system based on the customers’ needs. With SkyAngel, Sealand has maintained a theft level under 1 percent. Whether it’s ocean transport or landside, we establish routings that optimize transit times and bypass any infrastructure challenges that can disrupt supply chains.”
Integrated logistics management helps apparel customers, like eCottonjeans, with its production flow demands and management of its sourcing to aid its business success and ability to deliver a great experience to customers. Timely delivery of shipments and knowledgeable, local transportation and distribution support is critical to importers’ and exporters’ logistics and distribution needs.
Editor’s Note: Sealand – A Maersk Company is a regional container logistics company that combines passionate local teams and agile-thinking with an unrivalled global network powered by the larger Maersk family. Sealand moves customers’ cargo quickly and efficiently across the Americas, Asia, Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. Through the close connection to Maersk it ensures customers the benefits of industry-leading logistics expertise and cutting-edge technology. A.P. Moller Maersk operates in 130 countries, employs roughly 76,000 people and works to connect and simplify its customers’ supply chains.
