Elevate Textiles Names Per-Olof Loof President And CEO

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — April 4, 2019 — Elevate Textiles, a global provider of advanced, high quality products and mission critical textile solutions, announced today the appointment of Per-Olof Loof as president and CEO.

Launched earlier this year, Elevate Textiles was born out of the integration of American & Efird (A&E) and International Textile Group under the leadership of Platinum Equity. Elevate Textiles and its distinguished collection of portfolio brands, including A&E, Burlington, Cone Denim, Gütermann and Safety Components, serve 25,000 customers in more than 100 countries and across six continents via a global footprint that includes 37 facilities and more than 15,000 employees, representing a textile company without parallel in the industry.

Brandon Crawley, principal at Platinum Equity who has been serving as Elevate’s interim Global CEO, has seen firsthand the tremendous opportunity ahead for the company and the importance of finding the right leader to fuel growth.

“Over the last several months we have been working to form the new Elevate Textiles and aggressively drive growth and synergies within our brands. We see tremendous opportunity to leverage the company’s expanded global footprint and advance as leaders in innovation and sustainability. Per brings the right passion and drive to Elevate with more than 30 years of demonstrating strategic leadership to quickly and successfully drive business growth.”

Loof has served as CEO across multiple industries and sectors, with a focus on technology, innovation and multinational operations. He most recently served 13 years as CEO of Kemet Electronics Corp., a leading manufacturer of electronic components. Additionally, he held prior CEO positions for Sensormatic Electronics Corp. and AT&T Istel and served as senior vice president for NCR and vice president of sales & marketing for Digital Equipment Corp.

“Elevate brands and operations have tremendous market credibility and the right offerings with leading innovations, sustainable solutions and unprecedented product and operational expertise to advance our industry leadership,” said Loof. “I am thrilled to join the Elevate team and look forward to working with our employees, customers and other partners worldwide to build on our strengths and drive the company to even greater levels of success.”

Elevate Textiles offers a new, innovative approach to the textiles sector, providing premium fabric and thread solutions globally. As a consolidated platform, Elevate Textiles focuses on operational excellence, innovation, and environmental sustainability, with an integrated approach to supply chain, R&D, and procurement. Elevate Textiles is committed to growth through customer collaboration, innovative product development, and delivery of premium, mission-critical textile solutions globally.

With a global array of premium fabric and thread solutions focused on innovation, sustainability and quality craftsmanship, Elevate Textiles provides products that surround us every day and in all facets of life. We offer advanced, high quality products and mission critical textile solutions across vast industries including fashion and functional apparel, footwear, military, fire, medical, athletic, automotive, aerospace, outdoor, and other specialty sectors. Elevate Textiles is committed to delivering solutions that protect and enhance our lives through its global manufacturing platform that includes 37 facilities and over 15,000 employees. Elevate Textiles, a portfolio company of Platinum Equity, offers distinguished global textile brands including American & Efird, Burlington, Cone Denim, Gütermann and Safety Components.

Posted April 5, 2019

Source: Elevate Textiles

INVISTA Shares Insights On Nylon 6,6 Value Chain Growth And Milestones For Its Key Adiponitrile Investments

WICHITA, Kan. — April 4, 2019 — At the Wood Mackenzie American Nylon Conference in Atlanta this week, INVISTA shared insights on the future growth of the nylon 6,6 value chain as well as updates on the company’s investments to bring additional adiponitrile (ADN) capacity to the market.

Eric Jones, managing director of commercial development for Invista, gave a presentation, “Supplying the Future of Nylon 6,6 Growth,” highlighting Invista’s perspective on the market and its strong commitment to the nylon 6,6 value chain. Jones also shared data on how the superior technical performance of nylon 6,6 will impact future growth in key sectors, including automotive, electrical and electronics applications.

“Invista is investing billions of dollars to bring its latest ADN technology online as soon as possible at its existing facilities in addition to the new China ADN plant — all to help us meet both the short- and long-term needs of our customers and the value chains we support,” said Jones.

Invista’s latest ADN technology brings improved product yields, reduced energy consumption, lower greenhouse gas emissions, enhanced process stability and reduced capital intensity, compared to existing technologies.

“As I shared in my presentation, we see the recent market tightness as a short-term imbalance resulting from increased demand and unforeseeable disruptions in the nylon 6,6 value chain,” said Jones. “We expect it will correct itself quickly through debottleneck work that we’re performing at our sites to add more capacity. In fact, with strong production from our Texas facilities in 2018, we are already seeing improvements in supply to the market.”

Posted April 4, 2019

Source: INVISTA

Harley-Davidson Announces Neil Grimmer As Global Brand President

MILWAUKEE — April 4, 2019 — Harley-Davidson announced today that Neil Grimmer will join the company’s leadership team as president, Harley-Davidson brand.

As Harley’s first-ever brand president, Grimmer will evolve the brand to support the company’s strategy to  build the next generation of Harley-Davidson riders globally. As the company expands into new segments and new geographies and seeks to inspire diverse, new riders around the globe, he will be responsible for all aspects of the Harley-Davidson brand including product planning, marketing, retail, apparel and communications.

Reporting directly to Matt Levatich, president and CEO, Harley-Davidson Inc., Grimmer brings over 20 years of experience building brands and growing companies. Most recently, he was founder and CEO of Habit, the world’s first personalized nutrition life science company. Grimmer also served in a leadership role at Campbell Soup Co. and was co-founder & CEO of Plum Organics, which was acquired by Campbell’s in 2013. Grimmer also served as the vice president of Strategy and Innovation at Clif Bar & Co. and Senior Designer at IDEO. He earned an MFA in Product Design from Stanford University and a BFA from California College of the Arts. He is currently a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute.

Grimmer will bring together our consumer facing teams around the world who will together invigorate the Harley-Davidson consumer experience and deliver a global brand force that resonates with new riders and engages today’s riders to support our growth going forward.

“Neil’s creative instincts, innovation mindset, deep brand and consumer experience and bottom-line orientation is critically important as we lead and inspire our teams and riders,” said Matt Levatich. “He is joining us at a pivotal time, and his leadership qualities and affinity for who we are and what Harley-Davidson is all about will be a spark that ignites people to imagine what is possible for them from Harley-Davidson.”

“Harley-Davidson is an iconic American brand recognized around the world as a symbol of personal expression and individual freedom,” said Grimmer. “It is nothing short of an honor and a privilege to work with Matt and the amazing team at Harley to bring the strategy to life and excite the next generation of riders, ushering in the next chapter of the storied legacy of Harley-Davidson.”

In July 2018, Harley-Davidson announced its More Roads to Harley-Davidson plan to accelerate growth through 2022 and deliver its strategy to build the next generation of riders. The plan provides the products, access and channels to engage more, new consumers and drive growth.

“As we intensify our efforts and with this added leadership talent, the company will more fully engage the power of the brand as a catalyst to help reach the full potential of our strategy and meet our long-term objectives,” said Levatich.

“Our leadership team is positioned to intensify our ‘More Roads to Harley-Davidson’ journey,” said Levatich. “The addition of Neil Grimmer to our seasoned group of leaders, enhances our capabilities and will sharpen our focus on strategic and long-term growth opportunities to ensure our future success. We have a clear vision, and the leadership team and organization are aligned and energized around it.”

Posted April 4, 2019

Source: Harley-Davidson

Techtextil And Texprocess Look Ahead To The City Of The Future

FRANKFURT, Germany — April 4, 2019 — By 2050, almost 70 percent of the world’s population will be living in urban regions, metropolises and megacities, according to the United Nations. This poses new challenges for construction, mobility concepts and health services, as well as for smart fashion and functional clothing. With the special event “Urban Living – City of the Future” from May 14-17, 2019, Techtextil and Texprocess are dedicating a separate themed area to life in the city of the future.

Taking center stage this time are the Netherlands: supported by Creative Holland, an initiative of the Dutch creative industries, a special presentation area will examine the role that textiles and textile composites can play in the future of cities and highlight an array of outstanding examples of urban textile innovations from the Netherlands.

“With “Urban Living – City of the Future” as the guiding theme, Techtextil and Texprocess are creating a shared interaction space that brings the application areas of Techtextil and Texprocess even closer together. “After embarking on a journey into outer space and into the future for the previous edition of Techtextil and Texprocess, with Urban Living we’re now coming back down to earth and into the here and now,” explains Olaf Schmidt, vice president of Textiles & Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt. “And with the Dutch creative industries, we have been able to bring the ideal partner on board to do this: on the one hand, textiles are firmly anchored in the history and national DNA of the Netherlands. And on the other, the country is practically its own metropolitan region. The design orientation of the Dutch creative industries and the innovative, forward-looking and sustainable ingenuity that sets our neighboring country apart are perfectly in line with the positioning of Techtextil and Texprocess.”

On an area of more than 500 m2 in the foyer of Hall 4.2, which is being shared by Techtextil and Texprocess for the first time, selected examples will be showing how textile innovations can already improve the way people live together in urban surroundings today. They will refer in particular to Techtextil’s spectrum of textile solutions that are of great relevance within the context of the urbanisation megatrend: architecture & construction, mobility, medicine and clothing. Selected innovations will be shown in a disruptive architectonic landscape. The inspiring exhibition area will be accompanied by a Material Gallery showing related best-practice solutions from exhibitors and the presentation area of the Techtextil student competition, Textile Structures for New Building.

Curated by the Stijlinstituut Amsterdam and structurally implemented by Dutch architect firm Refunc, “Urban Living – City of the Future” is proving the Netherlands’ expertise in providing answers to current, social and global challenges associated with the urbanization megatrend. Awaiting the visitors are exhibits from, amongst others, the textile upcycling pioneers DenimX, research institutes like the Hyperloop team from Delft Technical University (TU Delft), contributions from the Next Nature Network as well as independent representatives of the Dutch creative scene like textile architect Samira Boon.

In a cross-sector, collaborative and innovative way, the representatives of the Dutch creative industries will be presenting pioneering solutions to global challenges. Along these lines, they will be showing how a future urban narrative can be told from a Dutch point of view that also reflects the country’s own identity: open and transparent, bold and original, inclusive, multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary.

In 2017, Techtextil and Texprocess attracted a total of 1,789 exhibitors from 66 countries and more than 47,500 visitors from 114 countries.

Posted April 4, 2019

Source: Messe Frankfurt

Techtextil 2019 Exhibitor Preview: Covestro

LEVERKUSEN, Germany — April 4, 2019 —  Techtextil, an international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens, will once again open its doors in Frankfurt from May 14-17, 2019. Covestro will be presenting new and sustainable developments with INSQIN® technology for aqueous textile coatings as well as a water-based polyurethane dispersion enabling biodegradable textile coatings at Booth D22 in Hall 3.0. Visitors can also obtain information on skin-friendly coatings for medical textiles, on a new thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) fiber as well as on film solutions for smart textiles, for example.

One of the highlights this time is breathable yet waterproof outdoor clothing. It is intended to protect joggers or hikers from rain, but at the same time let sweat escape from their skin. With the INSQIN technology, textiles are coated with water-based polyurethane (PU) dispersions without the use of solvents.

The breathable textiles impart a pleasantly comfortable feeling. This is ensured by an adhesive coating based on Impraperm® DL 5310 dispersion and a top coat based on Impraperm DL 5249. Both products also give backpacks, shoes and gloves their desired functionality.

Biodegradable textile coating

When assessing the sustainability of textiles, it is becoming increasingly important to consider the entire product cycle — including the behavior at the end of its useful life. With Impranil® DLN-SD, Covestro offers a water-based PU dispersion that is biologically degradable by microorganisms at the end of the product life cycle. The initial internal tests performed on pure polymer films without additives confirm this. The raw materials enable biodegradable coatings and composite solutions, which in turn contribute to a modern recycling economy. Under the conditions of OECD Standard 301, more than half of the dispersion is degraded within 28 days. The percentage is significantly higher than with acrylate film formers.

The aliphatic PU dispersion Impranil DLN-SD can be used to formulate very light-resistant coatings for adhesive, intermediate and top coats. They are also suitable for other product applications, such as latex gloves and packaging.

New TPU fiber for fabrics

At Techtextil 2019, Covestro will also showcase a new fiber made from TPU. Compared to conventional polyethylene terephthalate fibers, it is characterized by an improved abrasion resistance and can be heat pressed at lower temperatures. Tear resistance and a good haptic feeling are further advantages.The fiber can be used in footwear, functional textiles, sports accessories and casual wear.

Innovative film solutions for smart textiles

The use of printed electronics is becoming increasingly important in the course of increasing digitalization in the medical and health sector and also in leisure time. Covestro has developed a range of skin-friendly film solutions to meet the requirements for lightweight and very comfortable smart textile design. Smart textiles are an important application, for example for biomonitoring, diagnostics and drug administration.

Platilon® TPU films are used, for example, in the continuous monitoring of vital functions and exact performance measurement. A conductive ink can be safely applied to the films to achieve this. Housed inside a shoe sole, patient data can be directly recorded and evaluated in real time by electronic devices.

Sustainable textile coatings for medicine

Recently, Covestro has also been developing textile coatings for medical applications. These include surgical clothing, bed pads for hospitals, coatings for medical furniture and even bandages. At Techtextil 2019, the company will present raw materials for sustainable, water-based textile coatings with good haptics and resistance to disinfectants, as well as cohesive bandages without latex for compression therapy and secondary fixation.

Posted April 4, 2019

Source: Covestro Deutschland AG

ITMA 2019 Exhibitor Preview: Benninger

UZWIL, Switzerland — April 4, 2019 — In this 2019 ITMA year, Benninger is celebrating its 160th anniversary. This anniversary stands primarily for 160 years of commitment to textiles, but also for 160 years of responsibility towards sustainable textile production. Thanks to consistent innovation and the continuous improvement and further development of our products, processes and services, for the past 160 years the name Benninger has stood for textile finishing plants that are particularly resource-efficient.

At this year’s ITMA Barcelona Benninger will be presenting its latest developments:

  • The Benninger-Küsters CPB dyeing center for knitwear and woven fabrics — the only salt-free cold dyeing process;
  • The TEMPACTA washing steamer for knitted fabrics with freshwater supply that is controlled by the degree of contamination;
  • The TRIKOFLEX drum washing machine that is available up to a working width of 5400 mm. In addition, a specially developed expander roller for sensitive fabrics will be exhibited; and
  • Benninger–Küsters Multipad — the new development for complex impregnation tasks on woven fabrics and knitwear with electronically monitored, automatic lubrication 
Salt-free dyeing of woven fabrics and knitwear.

Salt-free dyeing without the use of energy is only possible using the cold pad batch (CPB) dyeing process. This process is also becoming increasingly popular in tropical and subtropical regions, which is reason enough for Benninger-Küsters to adapt the CPB systems even more effectively to the climatic conditions. The heart of our CPB system is the Benninger KÜSTERS DYPAD, which we will also be presenting again this year at the ITMA Barcelona. Benninger is the only textile machine manufacturer with the know-how of the original S-roller technology, which is synonymous with an even dyeing result across the entire fabric width.

Contamination-dependent washing

The TEMPACTA washing steamer has been especially developed for all low-tension washing processes and is mainly used for diffusion washing (fastness washing). The unit has a consistent counterflow water supply. Online measurement of the degree of contamination regulates the necessary amount of fresh water in order to a.) guarantee the lowest possible water and energy consumption and b.) ensure a high reproducibility of the washing result.

Nothing is impossible: Tension-free and crease-free washing of textiles up to 5400mm

The TRIKOFLEX drum washing compartment has the highest mechanical washing efficiency thanks to the double drum technology and the front and back washing technology. Crease-free fabric transport is guaranteed, even with sensitive fabric. In addition, Benninger has developed a cylindrical expanding roller for particularly sensitive textiles for wet and steam applications. The washing compartment is rounded off with the HYDROVAC vacuum-water extraction system. Since each reaction process is followed by a washing process in wet finishing, 70% of the energy consumption is incurred during washing. For this reason, Benninger washing compartments are insulated so that up to 50% of the radiated energy can be saved here.

Benninger Küsters MULITPAD – there’s nothing that can’t be impregnated

The newly-developed Benninger Küsters Multipad is an absolute highlight with regard to flexible impregnation tasks. The unit is equipped with an optional double impregnation feature and is suitable both for heavy denim articles and for very light knitwear. One of the special applications is over-dyeing and mercerizing of denim. The Multipad is also used for cold bleaching and pre-treatment of knitwear.

IoT – networked and informed at all times

The topic of the “internet of things” (IoT) is also becoming increasingly important in the textile machinery industry. True to the principle “trust is good, control is better”, the important operating parameters of the Benninger systems are continuously monitored in a closed control circuit. Deviations are detected and corrected immediately.

Particularly quality-critical parameters are forwarded to those responsible by means of modern IoT technologies and an alarm is sounded in the event of limit value violations. A good example of this is the central bearing lubrication on the Benninger Küsers Dyepad: The critical lever bearings of the padder are permanently lubricated, malfunctions are reported and the lubricant is automatically replenished. Another example is online monitoring of the air-conditioned electrical circuit cabinets.

A newly revised maintenance manager provides information about the maintenance status of the system at any time and generates a recommendation as well as a schedule for the next maintenance cycle. Another example of modern process monitoring is the newly- developed online measurement of the degree of contamination of the washing water and the resulting optimization of water consumption.

To give our customers an overview of their production facility at all times, we have further developed the established management information system BEN-iDATA. This allows the customer to query all important machine data, the maintenance status and the ecological footprint of the current production batch at any time and from any place. Last but not least, Benninger has developed an electronic ticket system for service assistance, which transmits diagnostic data at the time of the event to the Teleservice team in our main facility at the customer’s request. This enables us to offer our customers efficient and timely support.

Visit us at the ITMA Barcelona, join us in celebrating 160 years of textile competence and connect with us.

Posted April 4, 2019

Source: BENNINGER AG


Champion Thread Company Marks 40 Years Of Industry Service

GASTONIA, N.C. — April 4, 2019 — Champion Thread Co. (CTC) — a provider of industrial sewing threads, engineered yarns, and other trim & findings — is celebrating its 40 Years of service to the textile and sewn products industries.

Thanks to a loyal and fast-growing customer base, CTC has expanded from its roots as a small thread broker into a developer, manufacturer, and marketer of a wide range of products and solutions that are sold on four continents.

Some of CTC’s major milestones include:

  • 1979 – Founded by current CEO Bob Poovey;
  • 1999 – Moved/expanded corporate office;
  • 2007 – Strategic thread manufacturer acquisition;
  • 2009 – Started engineered yarn business;
  • 2011 – Opened state-of-the-art flexible mfg facility;
  • 2014 – Expanded and opened current HQ location;
  • 2016 – Matt Poovey promoted to President; and
  • 2018 – Opened new warehouse/distribution facility.

Even with all the industry changes over these years, CTC remains a family-owned and operated business committed to providing the highest quality products, competitive prices, unmatched industry expertise, and superior customer support and relationships.

Since 1979, CTC has focused its innovative sewing threads, engineered yarn products, and unmatched industry expertise to help global textile, protective apparel, home furnishings, automotive, agricultural, industrial and other manufacturers solve their product, production, and supply chain challenges. Based in Gastonia, N.C., the family-owned and operated business is dedicated to providing high-quality products at competitive prices and differentiates itself by delivering unparalleled customer support and partnerships.

Posted April 4, 2019

Source: Champion Thread Company (CTC)

Royal DSM Announces John Witkowski’s Appointment As President Of DSM Biomedical

LIMBURG, Netherlands — April 4, 2019 — Royal DSM, a global science-based company in Nutrition, Health and Sustainable Living, today announced John Witkowski’s appointment as president of DSM Biomedical, effective April 1. Witkowski succeeds Tim Shannon, who has served as interim president since December 2018.

As president, Witkowski will oversee the strategic development and execution of DSM Biomedical’s global activities.

“I am honored to be appointed President of DSM Biomedical,” Wikowski said. “I am excited to have the opportunity to continue to strengthen DSM’s existing technology platforms and continue to grow our strategic partnerships in the medical device market.”

Witkowski brings extensive experience in orthopaedic implants and instruments, and holds a broad skill set in operations, R&D, supply chain and business development. Most recently, he served as president for the Contract Molding Services business of Bemis Manufacturing Co., a plastic manufacturing conglomerate. Prior to that, Witkowski held various senior leadership positions in start-ups and multinational companies. He holds an MBA from Iona College, New Rochelle, N.Y, as well as a degree in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech, Atlanta.

“I am pleased to welcome Mr. Witkowski to DSM and am confident he will continue to solidify our position as a market leader in biomedical sciences,” said Rob van Leen, chief innovation officer, DSM. “We are very grateful to Mr. Shannon for his valuable contributions to DSM Biomedical, while filling the role of president ad interim. Mr. Shannon will now lead all commercial and marketing efforts for DSM Biomedical in his new broader position as vice president, sales & marketing.”

Posted April 4, 2019

Source: Royal DSM

Techtextil 2019 Exhibitor Preview: A. Monforts Textilmaschinen Gmbh & Co. KG

MÖNCHENGLADBACH, Germany — April 4, 2019 — At next month’s Techtextil 2019 in Frankfurt, Germany, A. Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG will be highlighting all of the innovative features that have made the Montex tenter the undisputed leader in the field of technical fabric finishing.

“Techtextil is a very important show for us, because technical textiles are a key pillar of our production program and many of our existing customers will be exhibiting or attending, as well as those we have yet to meet,” says Jürgen Hanel, head of Technical Textiles at Monforts. “The show provides us with an opportunity to explain the diverse end-products that can be successfully finished on our stenters, as well as with our coating units.”

A number of successful recent Monforts Montex tenter installations in Europe, for example, are dedicated to the production of wide-width digital printing substrates, to high volume automotive fabrics and to heavy duty filter media, to name just three advanced technical materials.

Digital print

Three Montex tenters have just been installed at the plant of a leading finisher of substrates for digital printing substrates in Germany — two of them in extra-wide widths of 5.4 metres — for drying after both washing and coating processes.

A new standard in pure white, 100 percent clean and fault-free textile substrates has been demanded in recent years by the rapid growth in digitally-printed banners and hoardings — often referred to as soft signage.

“The substrates of choice for digital printing are 100-percent polyester warp knits which have extremely smooth surfaces,” says Hanel. “This is becoming increasingly critical due to the general move away from PVC coatings which were the standard in the past. Quality inspection and control systems analyze every square meter of fabric to ensure completely uniform and blemish-free production.”

The fabrics produced are resilient and allow excellent take-up of inks for vibrant colors and clear and precise images to be achieved with digital printing techniques. The knitted construction also has the advantage of elasticity, which is a plus in terms of flexibility for soft signage installers.

These fabrics are being supplied fully finished, in weights of between 50-350 gsm and in rolls of up to 600 kg or 1,800 meters.

Automotive

Polyester warp knits, as well as woven materials, are also continuously pre-treated and finished on Montex tenters by leading Tier 1 suppliers of seating materials to the automotive industry.

As part of the just-in-time’operations of integrated automotive supply chains, the emphasis for these manufacturers is not just on 100 percent quality standards, but also on precise control and guaranteed reproducibility.

Here, the Monforts Qualitex 800 visualization system — representing the latest Monforts response to the demand for instant connectivity and the easy distribution of know-how among production teams and management — has an essential role to play in the meticulous orchestration of such operations.

Filter media

The ability to thermally-set PTFE fabrics without oil greasing in the tenter chain and in the width adjustment is meanwhile particularly appreciated by manufacturers of filter media using Montex tenters.

“This protects workers and the environment from harmful oil vapours and keeps the filter material clean,” explains Hanel. “The guarantee of reaching 320°C with a very low temperature tolerance and with an excellent housing insulation is a major advantage, so that an outside temperature over 60°C is never reached at any point.”

Montex tenters in special executions are ideal for the preparation of filter materials for the drying and finishing of both wovens and nonwovens and characterized by high stretching devices in both length and width of up to 10,000N, with the ability to accommodate the higher operating temperatures required.

“The European-built Montex range of stenters has earned its leading position in the technical textiles market due to the overall robustness, reliability and economy of these machines,” Jürgen Hanel concludes. “Whatever the intended end-product — and at each successive Techtextil we discover potentially new areas in which technical textiles can be utilised — we have the machine specification and know-how to turn your ideas into reality.”

Monforts is at stand F01 in Hall 3 at Techtextil from May 14-17.

Posted April 4, 2019

Source: A. Monforts Textilmaschinen GmbH & Co. KG

Retailers Warn Border Closure Would Be “Self-Inflicted Wound To The American Economy”

WASHINGTON — April 4, 2019 — The National Retail Federation today sent a letter to Trump administration officials expressing concerns over ongoing threats to close the United States-Mexico border and outlining how a closure would hurt U.S. retailers, workers and consumers.

“We share the administration’s goal of fixing the nation’s broken immigration system and enhancing border security,” NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay said. “However, there is no way to close the U.S-Mexico border without inflicting serious damage to the American economy.”

U.S. trade with Mexico exceeds $1.7 billion each day. American retailers and consumers rely on Mexico as a source of fruits and vegetables, electronics, appliances, auto parts, apparel and more.

“Closing the border for any length of time would result in significant supply chain disruptions for U.S. retailers,” Shay said. “These disruptions would reverberate throughout the supply chain, impacting everyone from truckers to warehouse workers whose jobs depend on the two-way trade with Mexico. The end result would be job losses, factory shutdowns, increased consumer costs and reduced product availability across the country.”

Shay warned that retailers large and small in border communities would see a significant reduction in daily sales from a border shutdown.

“Thousands of people who rely on legal border crossings every day would no longer be able to get to work or shop in nearby stores,” Shay said. “For retailers in U.S. border communities, this would ultimately mean workforce disruptions and reduced sales. American small businesses in those communities would face a disproportionate burden, as many smaller stores depend on legitimate travel across borders for up to half of their daily sales.”

“We do not believe any type of border closure would address the ongoing immigration issues facing both Mexico and the U.S.,” Shay said. “Congress and the administration, as well as the U.S. and Mexico, must continue to work together to resolve this challenging issue. Resorting to a border closure would merely be a self-inflicted wound to the American economy.”

Posted April 4, 2019

Source: The National Retail Federation (NRF)

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