Rubberlite’s New SUR-fex® Series Of Functional Coatings Offer Flexibility, Breathability

Huntington, W.Va., — September 7, 2018 — More stretch, exceptional breathability, and guaranteed comfort make Rubberlite Inc.’s new SUR-fex® products ideal for use in medical, apparel, cosmetics, footwear, equestrian, padding or skin contact applications.

“Our SUR-fex SF series of water-based functional coatings allows us to enhance the surface of many substrates to improve functional characteristics for use in medical, apparel, cosmetic and general padding applications,” said Alan Fenno, market development manager for Technical Composites. “The open cell and ‘soft hand’ characteristics of these coatings are unique and offer comfort and breathability.”

The SUR-fex ® microcellular open-cell frothed coatings do not occlude airflow reducing heat build-up and ensuring comfort. SUR-fex SF100 is soft to the touch while maintaining flexibility which provides greater functional benefits, including outstanding wash durability, enhanced coefficient of friction, thermoformability, and no off-gassing. SUR-fex SF200 is cured at lower processing temperatures allowing coating to be directly cast on a broad range of flexible substrates, such as knits, foam, film, and foil.

“Our custom engineered equipment gives us the precision needed in application, material handling and curing to achieve unparalleled results in coating and performance,” said Keith Kerns, senior project engineer.

Rubberlite offers a unique portfolio of microcellular polyurethane foams to meet demanding requirements across a diverse range of applications. Under the trademarks of HyPUR-cel® high resilient foams and viscoelastic foams, Rubberlite engineers a broad range of polyurethane products and distributes products from several of the leading manufacturers of elastomeric and polyolefin foams in the world. With value-add

propositions in coatings and laminations, combined with best-in-class technologies, Rubberlite is well positioned to provide customer solutions in foam design, technical composites, and novel textile coating applications. Rubberlite, Inc. is headquartered in the United States and markets products throughout North and South America, Asia and Europe.

Posted September 21, 2018

Source: Rubberlite

Culp Announces Changes in Executive Management Structure

HIGH POINT, N.C. — September 20, 2018 — Culp Inc. today announced the company’s board of directors has approved changes in the executive management structure of the company, effective October 1, 2018.

Robert G. (Rob) Culp, III, one of the company’s founders, will remain as chairman of the board, but he will change his role to become less involved in the day to day management of the company. He will continue in his role as a strategic advisor and remain involved in customer and home furnishings industry relationships.

Franklin N. Saxon, president and CEO of Culp Inc., will assume the additional role of vice chairman of the board of directors. Saxon joined the company in 1983 and has been a member of the board since 1987. He has served as president and chief executive officer since 2007.

Robert G. (Iv) Culp, IV, president of Culp Home Fashions, the company’s mattress fabrics division, has been named chief operating officer of Culp Inc. He will assume expanded responsibilities for overseeing the operations of all the company’s businesses, in addition to his continued leadership of Culp Home Fashions. Iv Culp has been employed by the company since 1998 and has served in various capacities during his tenure, including as division president since 2004. Boyd B. Chumbley will continue to serve as president of Culp Upholstery Fabrics, and Paul Saunders will continue as chief executive officer of eLuxury, the company’s new e-commerce division. Both will report to Iv Culp in his new role.

“I have been very fortunate to serve this company since the day it opened,” Culp III said. “At the same time, I am happy to have the opportunity to turn more of the daily management of the firm over to others, and I have complete confidence in their ability to keep Culp Inc. on a successful trajectory. These changes are part of a natural evolution for the company’s leadership. The entire board is excited about the energy and vision of our leadership team. I look forward to participating with them in the company’s continued success.”

“We have a deep and talented management group that is functioning well together,” said Saxon. “I expect a smooth transition as we continue working to maintain Culp’s position as a premier provider of products for the home furnishings industry. Iv Culp is an excellent manager who has proven himself while leading the growth and success of the mattress fabrics division. He is very well suited by experience and talent to take on additional responsibilities as our chief operating officer. I know he will perform well in this expanded role.

“We are also very pleased that we will continue to have the leadership and guidance that Rob Culp has provided to the company since its founding. Rob has unparalleled relationships within our industry, and he is highly admired and respected both within our organization and throughout the markets we serve,” added Saxon.

Posted September 21, 2018

Source: Culp

Gap Inc. Announces Hill City, A Premium Performance Lifestyle Brand For Men

SAN FRANCISCO — September 20, 2018 — Gap Inc. today announced the upcoming launch of Hill City, a high performance men’s apparel brand offering technical clothing that transitions seamlessly through the day — from working out to work to weekend. The product line fuses a clean aesthetic with hidden technical innovation that is felt, rather than seen, allowing men to focus on purchasing fewer, more versatile pieces.

“Active is a key growth area for Gap Inc. and Hill City is our response to consistent feedback from customers looking for a premium men’s product that combines highly technical fabrications, performance and style,” said Art Peck, President and CEO, Gap Inc. “Hill City brings a new perspective to men’s apparel that is complementary to our iconic portfolio of brands and leverages the benefits of our uniquely scalable operating platform — from our supply chain, to e-commerce to customer relationships and data.”

Hill City is slated to launch mid-October available exclusively at hillcity.com, and pieces from the brand will also be displayed at 50 select Athleta locations.

“Men’s lives are evolving. We no longer want to dress as either an ‘athlete’ or ‘outdoorsman’ or a ‘businessman’ — we are all of those, and we’re also fathers, friends, and active members of our communities. We don’t want a different look for each aspect of our lives,” said Noah Palmer, general manager of Hill City. “That’s why our team set out to rethink men’s apparel with one brand that could fill a man’s entire closet with versatile, high performance pieces that can take him from a hike to a dinner out, without sacrificing a sense of style.”

Incubated alongside the highly successful Athleta business, Hill City has been designated a B Corp certified brand by integrating sustainability throughout many of its products, using high-quality renewable, recycled fibers to create performance fabrics.

Posted September 20, 2018

Source: Gap Inc.

Epson Launches All-New Print Academy YouTube Channel

LONG BEACH, Calif. — September 20, 2018 — Epson today announced the launch of the Epson Print Academy™ YouTube channel, featuring educational content designed for customers using Epson Professional Imaging products. Initially launching for the photography market, the Epson Print Academy channel will expand to include content for other professional imaging markets, such as signage, graphic design and textile.

“The importance of the print has remained paramount to our industry,” said Dan (Dano) Steinhardt, marketing manager, Epson America Inc. “The new Epson Print Academy YouTube channel is designed to help a new generation of photographers and printmakers create exhibition quality prints, in addition to helping all Epson Professional Imaging customers hone their skills and produce the highest-quality output.”

The Epson Print Academy YouTube channel will feature a variety of videos designed to both educate and inspire. Educational videos will take viewers through a detailed explanation of workflows, from monitor calibration, color management, and printing. Additional footage will focus on celebrating the craft of printing and will include visits to photographic festivals, events, workshops, and insider’s view of renowned studios, showcasing how the print continues to be an integral part of a variety of industries. The cumulation of videos aims to be a central resource for Epson Professional Imaging products.

The Epson Print Academy was first established in 2001 to help photographers better understand the then new world of digital photography and inkjet printing. Now, almost two decades later, Epson is expanding the Epson Print Academy to provide updated technical information and insight into advanced techniques catering to today’s creative professionals.

Posted September 20, 2018

Source: Epson America

Fashion Retailer Torrid Promotes Liz Muñoz To CEO

CITY OF INDUSTRY, Calif. — September 20, 2018 — Torrid Inc. announced today that Liz Muñoz has been promoted to CEO of the nation’s leading fashion retailer for women sizes 10 to 30. Muñoz, who served as president for Torrid, assumed her new role on Wednesday, August 29.

“Being chosen to lead Torrid as CEO is an opportunity that, as a first-generation American Latina, has surpassed my wildest dreams. At a time when being curvy, unique and comfortable in your own skin is finally cool, I can’t think of a more exciting time to be in this business when more than 80 percent of women in the U.S. wear our sizes,” said Muñoz. “I’m thrilled to build upon Torrid’s evolution and continue to create modern, well-fitting and fashionable clothes that help women change their lives in a positive way.”

Working her way up the ranks at Torrid for more than eight years, Muñoz has continuously broken all of the rules of fashion — from proportions to patterns to styling details. She’s driven Torrid to pioneer the notion of ‘First at Fit’ for the curvy, real American woman.

“As a ‘big girl’ myself and a mother of two boys, focusing on fit for the Torrid woman isn’t just a trendy or business-oriented move, it’s deeply personal to me,” said Muñoz. “Long before other mainstream retailers jumped on board, fit has been part of our DNA.”

In three and a half years, Muñoz fit over 36,000 items of clothing at Torrid on professional size 18 models — along with herself and other “big girls” — refusing to cut corners. She moved jean pockets, waistbands and inseams to where manufacturers said they shouldn’t be. Even with intimates, she flew customers overseas so that engineers could see the diversity of bodies they were molding bras for — with sizes up to 50H.

The goal of it all is to create the ultimate fit for the majority of women, so that they could look and feel their best. To this day, Muñoz spends several hours a week fitting and tweaking the details of each design pattern to fit the Torrid woman. For her, fit is everything.

“After being forced to settle for the best of the worst for so many years, curvy women don’t really know how clothes should fit their bodies,” said Muñoz. “At Torrid, curvy women everywhere are now able to get the flawless, custom fit they deserve. I am thrilled that this is the first brand where I can finally wear the clothes that I design.”

Prior to joining Torrid in 2010 and being promoted to president of the company in January 2018, Muñoz was President of Lucky Brand Jeans.

Posted September 20, 2018

Source: Torrid

Codeveloped Fabric Utilizing Teijinconex Neo Adopted For New TAKIBI Series Of Outdoor Clothing

TOKYO, Japan — September 20, 2018 — Snow Peak and Teijin Ltd. announced today that they have co-developed a new material fabric for outdoor apparel, utilizing Teijin’s dyeable and flame-retardant meta-aramid fiber Teijinconex neo. The new fabric is used for a new product for TAKIBI series, Snow Peak’s high-performance outdoor clothing. The new TAKIBI Down Jacket will be introduced at Snow Peak stores on September 21, and pants, coveralls and vests have been released already via the company’s shop and its retail shops.

Since 2016, Teijin has been working with Snow Peak on the new TAKIBI Series utilizing its Teijinconex heatproof material. Teijinconex neo, which was modified for the TAKIBI series over the past two years, combines high mobility with fashionable comfort suitable for outdoor use in both the city and the countryside

Teijinconex neo is a heatproof and flame-retardant material similar to Teijinconex, but also boasts excellent dyeability. The TAKIBI series featuring Teijinconex neo offers both safety, including frame retardancy around campfires, and comfort.

Snow Peak creates high-quality camping and mountaineering products that inspire people to enjoy the outdoors and commune with nature. Since 2014, the company has been accelerating the development of outdoor clothing designed for both urban and country life.

The collaboration with Snow Peak illustrates Teijin’s technological capability to adapt original high-functional materials for solutions in diverse fields, such as special colors and textures for TAKIBI outdoor clothing.

Going forward, Snow Peak and Teijin expect to introduce additional outdoor wear offering enhanced performance and comfort.

Teijinconex neo lineup of Snow Peak includes the following items:

  • TAKIBI down jacket
  • TAKIBI pants
  • TAKIBI coveralls
  • TAKIBI vest

Posted September 20, 2018

Source: Teijin Ltd.

 

Cinte Techtextil China Succeeds As An Effective Business Platform Once Again

HONG KONG — September 20, 2018 — Quality buyers, new business opportunities and a still-growing domestic market: this was the consensus from participants as Cinte Techtextil China concluded on September 6. The exhibitor and visitor numbers may have remained roughly the same this edition, but exhibitors all agreed that quality over quantity matters, and at the 2018 edition, this was certainly in evidence throughout the September 4-6 show in Shanghai. These exhibitors totaled 480 from 22 countries and regions (2016: 480, 26 countries and regions), including an 8 percent rise in overseas participants. The number of visits recorded a slight increase, totaling 13,203 from 55 countries and regions (2016: 13,085, 67 countries and regions).

“This edition, Cinte Techtextil China has further solidified its position as Asia’s leading business platform for the technical textiles and nonwovens industry,” remarked Wendy Wen, senior general manager of Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd., at the conclusion of the fair. “The fair’s strong reputation in China ensures that the leading players in the industry return here to do business every two years, while it was pleasing to hear from many exhibitors that there was a steady flow of new, high-quality buyers visiting their booths with the intention to do business. Couple this with the synergy effect between exhibitors from having 12 product application areas under one roof, and you have the most effective business platform in the region.”

Exhibitor comments

“For Cinte Techtextil, we exhibit here specifically to find new clients for technical applications, and the fair is effective for this. For these applications, we need customers from the entire supply chain, and here the mix of buyers is good, so we can meet relevant potential partners for a range of applications. Sustainability is playing a more important role in China, and we’ve had more requests this edition for products with sustainable production. Chinese manufacturers are also looking for new possibilities, so there is strong potential here for us to grow,” said 
Dr. Marina Crnoja-Cosic, head of Business Management, Global Business Management Industrial Applications, Lenzing, Austria.

“China is one of the most important markets for technical fabrics and has been growing every year. The visitor flow has been strong, so we’ve met some new potential customers, while our existing buyers have also been to see us. The Chinese buyers here are very professional. When they come to our booth, they have specific questions and requirements for us. Being an overseas brand, we feel an advantage here as they are keen to source from European companies,”
 said Cristiano Capitanio, sales manager – Asia Pacific, Itema S.p.A., Italy.

“There is a lot of demand for our recycled fibers here in China. I am satisfied with the number of visitors to our booth, and we have collected many new contacts. This is our first participation here, so we have got to know what specific products the Chinese market is interested in. There is big potential from Chinese buyers for our products,”
 said Thomas Dumortier, CEO, Belrey Fibres NV, Belgium.

“We’re targeting Asian customers here, and we’re satisfied with the number and quality of buyers we’ve met. 40 percent have been new contacts, and they’ve shown strong interest in our products. The Chinese market has been very good this year, and is still growing fast. Environmental protection has become an important issue, so more customers are showing interest in filtration products. I am very convinced that the market for our products will continue to grow in the next 3 – 5 years,” said
 Florian Kisling, managing director, Perlon GmbH, Germany.

“This is our first time at the fair, and we’re here to build a customer base, seek distribution partners and find raw material suppliers. I can say already it’s been worthwhile for us to exhibit here. The buyers have been qualified, focused and know what they want, and we will be able to generate new business from the fair. The feeling I get here is the Chinese market is very open, especially to imports. People here are willing to do business and look for solutions, and even though we’re new to the market, they trust our overseas experience. There is a clear agenda here of environmental protection too, and strong demand for high-tech products,”
 said Gerhard Mangold, deputy general manager, FPC, Saudi Arabia.

“We are very satisfied as we’ve had many potential customers visit our booth. They are from around the world, including Sweden, France, Spain, Canada, India and Asia. About 95 percent of them are new to us as well. The fair has been a good opportunity for us to introduce our company and products to more buyers,”
 said Jacob Kye, sales & marketing representative, Easychem Co. Ltd., Korea.

“This edition we met many Chinese auto manufacturers with clear sourcing targets who wanted to learn about our new filtration products. This fair has a high reputation in China, so we can effectively promote our brand image here. Stricter environmental protection policies in China have led to a rise in the demand for filtration products, as well as advanced technology and solutions from overseas,”
 said Zhang Meng, technical support engineer, Johns Manville Shanghai Nonwovens Co. Ltd., China.

“The buyers here closely match our target, and have a strong intention to source. Negotiations on future cooperation have gone very well this week. Domestic producers are seeking greener and high-tech functional fabrics, so our products, which are based on European and American standards, have been quite popular recently, and there is more room for growth the future,”
 said Alan Hsiao, sales manager, Advance Hitech Textile Intl Corp., Taiwan.

Buyer feedback

“I came here to source nonwovens for various applications, and I have been able to find what I was looking for from both international and Chinese exhibitors. It is useful to have the big global brands here, as well as discover some medium-sized companies from China that I can source from,”
 said Ramia Bisset, Newway Fabrics Trading Ltd., France.

“Coming to this fair you can always find new products. It’s a good opportunity to meet our existing suppliers, as well as discover new ones. I’m looking for European suppliers as well as Chinese, and the local producers’ quality is impressive. As we are representing Indian fibre manufacturers in different sectors, it’s very useful at this fair to have such a wide range of suppliers in the one place,”
 said Viraj Roongta, Director – sales & marketing, Stuti Exports Pvt. Ltd., India.

“Cinte Techtextil is a comprehensive international trade fair, with many leading global brands present which I find beneficial. As there is a lot of development happening in the US and Europe, I can find many new products from the international exhibitors at this fair that meet my needs. The fair is also a good platform to discover new technologies and solutions,”
 said Tony Liu, director of sales, Sinty Sci-Tech Co. Ltd., China.

The next Cinte Techtextil China will take place in autumn 2020. The next Messe Frankfurt fair in the technical textiles sector in China is the China International Nonwovens Expo & Forum (CINE, supported by Techtextil) which will be held in June 2019, also in Shanghai. Cinte Techtextil China is organised by Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd; the Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT; and the China Nonwovens & Industrial Textiles Association (CNITA).

Posted September 20, 2018

Source: Messe Frankfurt (HK) Ltd

ITMA Asia + CITME 2018 Exhibitor Preview: Picanol

IEPER, Belgium — September 20, 2018 — A world premiere: the new rapier GTMax-i 3.0

Picanol’s newest rapier, the GTMax-i 3.0, will be shown for the first time to the textile world. The GTMax-i 3.0 is building further on the success of GT-Max and GTMax-i. The combination of a redesigned gripper drive and extra reinforced sley drive as well as the integration of the future-oriented BlueBox electronic platform allow for even higher production speeds. Moreover, the look of the machine has been reworked completely, with a special focus on ergonomy and user friendliness.

In total 4 machines of this type will be on display at the show. On the Picanol booth, a GTMax-i 3.0 will be weaving a denim fabric, another one will be weaving a zebra style curtain fabric. On the Bonas booth a decoration fabric is running on a GTMax-i 3.0 with jacquard, whereas on the Tongxiang booth a GTMax-i 3.0 will be weaving label.

Product portfolio at ITMA Asia + CITME

Next to the all new GTMax-i 3.0, four more machines will be present, completing the Picanol weaving machine range on display.

On the Picanol booth two OptiMax-i 190 cm weaving para-aramide and shirting are being presented. As for the airjet machines, two OMNIplus Summum will be shown, one weaving a bottomweight fabric and the other weaving sheeting. On the Stäubli booth a TERRYplus Summum with jacquard is weaving a high quality terry fabric.

So in total 9 Picanol machines will be on display, of which six on its own booth (Hall H3, booth F01). One Picanol TERRYplus Summum with jacquard will be on display at the Stäubli booth and one GTMax-i 3.0 on the Bonas booth. On the booth of Tongxiang a GTMax-i 3.0 will be weaving label.

Picanol in China

As one of the world’s leading weaving machine manufacturers, Picanol has always had a very close relationship with the Chinese textile industry.

Picanol sent its first pioneers to explore the possibilities in the Far East, already in the early 1950s. Picanol took part in one of the first international exhibitions held in Beijing.

The growing installed base of Picanol machines in China, as well as the increasing demand for a higher level of service and support resulted in the establishment of the Picanol Service Centre, which was set up in Shanghai in 1987.

The next step, in 1994, was the start of PST, Picanol Suzhou Textile Machinery Works, being Picanol’s first production line outside Belgium. The technology and organisation were based entirely on the assembly concept and quality standards applied at the company’s headquarters in Ieper.

Today PST houses a complete production unit with assembly lines, a mechatronics division, and a sales, service and spare parts organization. The the Chinese management, engineers and technicians have been trained in Belgium .

Headquarters in Belgium

One of the big assets of this cross border entrepreneurship is the mixture of drawing upon the know-how and quality standards from the Picanol Group, combined with good understanding of its local customers’ needs.

With more than 100 engineers headquartered in Belgium, Picanol invests heavily in R&D activities every year, resulting in the most advanced and performing weaving machines program available in the market. Picanol’s airjet and rapier technology covers the full spectrum of textiles including apparel, household and technical fabrics. The high degree of digitization of all these machines, together with their Sumo main drive, ensures a lower weaving cost, higher quality of the fabrics produced, greater flexibility and exceptional ease of operation in comparison with other weaving machines.

The Picanol Service Team is offering on site technical support in every corner of the world. Our local service teams are being trained on a permanent basis in our training centers in Ieper (Belgium) and Suzhou (China).

Original Picanol Parts to ensure a high performance throughout the whole lifetime of your machines. The Picanol Aftermarket Sales Team is ready to advise you on how to optimize the preventive maintenance of your machines, proposing spare parts packages tailored to your specific needs.

Flexibility is more than a buzz word at Picanol: more than ever, we realize that it is a bare necessity to adjust to the changing market needs at any moment and to be ever more successful. So Picanol also offers “Weave Up” upgrade kits, maximizing the performance and widening the weaving range of your Picanol machines during their entire lifetime.

Let’s grow together!

Posted September 20, 2018

Source: Picanol

RISE® Conference Accelerates New Thinking And New Opportunities In Nonwovens & Engineered Materials

CARY, N.C. — September 20, 2018 — Technology scouts and product developers attending INDA’s eighth edition Research, Innovation & Science for Engineered Fabrics (RISE®) Conference gave high praise to new technologies, new ideas and valuable connections discovered at the event held September 11-12 in Raleigh, N.C.

The program included presentations on Bio-innovation in Nonwovens, Market Dynamics and Trends, E-textiles and Standards, Medical Nonwoven Developments, Web Formation and Technologies, Material Science Developments and Microfibers in the Marine Environment.

“RISE is a valuable eye-opener for new applications and market segments. It makes the neurons make new connections,” said Paul Latten, director, R&D, SENW Southwest Nonwovens Inc.

Dr. Antonietta Splendiani, product development advisor, Tredegar Corp., said RISE: “is an excellent source for new designs and new ideas. It offers scientists inspiration for new technologies that apply beyond nonwoven markets.”

Highlights of the event included keynote presentations on Biomimicry and Nonwovens: Taking Great Ideas from Nature and Making Them a Commercial Reality by Marie O’Mahony, consultant, O’Mahony Consultancy, and The U.S. Economic Outlook, by Mark Vitner, managing director and Senior Economist, Wells Fargo.

“The presentations on biomimicry provided concepts we will definitely consider in LOLA’s new processes,” said Monica Belisito, brand and product strategy lead, LOLA.

Other highlights included a poster exhibition of 15 research projects from Ph.D. students at North Carolina State University’s College of Textiles. The display presented a diversity of topics ranging from Process-Structure-Property Relationships of Melt-Blown PVDF for Battery Separators … to Superhydrophilic and Superoleophobic Materials for Oil/Water Separation … and Counteracting Antimicrobial Resistance with Photoactive Polymers, among other topics.

Billy McFarland, senior material developer, and other colleagues from Nike Inc., commented they “enjoyed the diversity of new technical ideas presented at RISE”.

RISE® Innovation Award Presentation
The RISE® Innovation Award was presented to DiviDiaper for its innovative design helping to prevent and reduce both infant and incontinence-associated dermatitis in adults, urinary tract infections, catheter-associated urinary tract infections and other infections and pressure sores. “We are delighted to win the award,” said Tivon Jeffers, inventor and CEO, DiviDiaper Inc.

The next and ninth edition of the Research, Innovation & Science for Engineered Fabrics (RISE®) conference will be in September 2019.

Posted September 20, 2018

Source: INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry

Drylock And P&G Sign Global Cross-License Agreement On Channel Technologies

ZELE, Belgium — September 20, 2018 — The Procter & Gamble Co. (P&G) and Drylock Technologies NV have entered into a global cross-license agreement to expand their intellectual property rights into the so called “Channel” and ‘Channel’ with associated wetness indicator strips technology. The “Channel” technology is used to enhance performance of absorbent hygiene products such as baby care taped diapers and pants as well as adult incontinence diapers and pants. Drylock and P&G each offer their own kind of channel technology: Drylock is offering and selling this patent protected innovation under the brand name “Magical Tubes®”while P&G commercializes its patent protected innovation under the brand name “Air Channels™”. The terms and conditions of this cross-license agreement in between P&G and Drylock are confidential.

Posted September 19, 2018

Source: Drylock Technologies NV

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