EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. — May 16, 2018 — Elkem Silicones has you covered, presenting its full range of Textile Coating Silicone (TCS) Solutions at the upcoming Techtextil North America, Atlanta, Ga., May 22-24.
Elkem Silicones will feature its Bluesil™ TCS high-performance protectives coatings solutions for automotive airbags and industrial fabrics. Products such as Bluesil TCS 7537 and TCS 7534 are specifically designed to deliver the best and most durable compatibility with nylon and polyester textile substrates. Bluesil TCS 7521 offers the added advantage of fire resistance. These TCS products bring added insulation and protection to industrial fabrics such as welding blankets, insulation panels, personal protective equipment and outdoor fabrics used in the industry.
The company also will feature its textile coating silicone solutions for non-slip in fashion, sports or medical applications. Silbione® TCS 7772 and the tin-free one-part Silbione TCS 7381 are specifically designed for skin contact applications, meeting Oeko-Tex standards, and exhibit unique anti-slip properties that enable intimate wear or prosthetics to stay in place comfortably.
Elkem Silicones also will showcase expansions to its TCS product line with a range of silicone bases for textile screen printing. The Bluesil TCS 7663 and 7612 Bases, and Bluesil TCS 7600 CATA are environmentally-friendly high-performance options for screen printing inks. The products are engineered to provide the viscosity and rheology required to screen print raised images without stringing, and can produce an image with very low profile and soft hand.
“Textile Coatings is our business. And, we are proud to have helped save lives over the last 20 years with our protective coating solutions for airbags,” said Ron Hanks, business director, North America. “Our focus is helping our customers achieve more than they thought possible with silicone to deliver the next generation of innovations to the markets they serve.”
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — May 16, 2018 — The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), a 160+ member, University of Tennessee, Knoxville and U.S. Department of Energy driven consortium committed to increasing domestic production capacity and manufacturing jobs across the U.S. composites industry, announces the Phase 1 completion of a project led by DuPont, with project partnership from Fibrtec and Purdue University. The conclusion of Phase I validates the creation of a new carbon fiber composite manufacturing process that exhibits improved fabric formability characteristics compared to traditional woven materials. The implications of the Phase I results are driving Phase II of the project, and can ultimately lead to a decrease in cost for carbon fiber composite structures, making them more amenable for adoption in the automotive and other high volume industries, reduce embodied energy, and can directly lead to a creation of jobs in the industry.
This new material created through this IACMI project combines Fibrtec’s flexible coated tow, FibrFlex™, with DuPont’s Rapid Fabric Formation (RFF) technology, and a proprietary DuPont polyamide resin, all supported by Purdue University’s extensive modeling and characterization capabilities. The coated tow material is a partially impregnated carbon fiber/polyamide composite tow where the carbon fiber is not fully wetted with the polyamide, yielding a more flexible tow material than one that is fully impregnated. The RFF process is an ultra-fast way of manufacturing fabrics with tows in varying orientations without the need to lift the tow during processing. Experiments, modeling, and simulations, all have shown that this process/materials combination is a potential method for producing lower cost continuous fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) thermoplastic materials that conform well during molding with outstanding physical properties.
“Fibrtec’s contribution of its globally differentiated thermoplastic composites to this IACMI Phase I joint project with DuPont and Purdue University has helped to deliver breakthrough results on the IACMI goals. Tapping into the innovation of small and medium sized organizations (SMEs), like Fibrtec, and the forging of public/private partnerships through IACMI’s framework is accelerating the insertion of structural composites in the automotive industry. It is a fantastic opportunity for companies like Fibrtec to have access to world-class resources not normally available to them and we look forward to continuing Phase II,” said Robert Davies, Fibrtec’s Chief Executive Officer.
The objective of this program is to reduce the cost of manufacture of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites by using a near net shape process such as automated fiber placement (AFP) on a relatively inexpensive carbon fiber/polymer tow-preg. The coated tows are easily manipulated, and the resulting pseudo-fabrics are readily draped and conform effortlessly during molding without shear locking. Project partners projected that with this strategy, the process would be able to use the expensive carbon fiber only where it is required, reducing the carbon fiber waste by up to 30 percent, and creating fiber preforms that predictably deform during compression prior to molding. The Phase I project conclusion resulted in better than expected outcomes with embodied energy being reduced by more than 40 percent using this processing scheme.
“This project addresses some of the most challenging aspects of composites manufacturing and commercial adoption in high volume market applications. Phase I completion signals a step forward in demonstrating a significant impact in the ability to make lower cost parts with the design freedom to meet performance requirements of challenging applications. This was one of the earliest projects launched by IACMI and it serves as a great example of collaboration and partnering to accelerate innovation. We look forward to continuing our progress in Phase II,” said Jan Sawgle, Program Manager DuPont Transportation and Advanced Polymers.
“The synergy between Purdue, Fibrtec, and DuPont on this project demonstrates the power of public-private partnerships in fostering innovation and delivering novel solutions to real-world problems. In this project, we focused on manufacturing informed performance, which is of critical importance in the design of composite components and structures,” said Michael Bogdanor, director of the Composites Design Studio in the Purdue Composites Manufacturing and Simulation Center. “Phase I of this project was instructive in developing new simulation tools to be able to predict the behavior of the RFF and FibrFlex technologies. This resulted in new methods to predict the behavior of the material system in manufacturing as well as the ultimate performance of parts.”
“We are pleased by the outcomes of Phase I and look forward to continued development of these advanced carbon fiber composite materials,” said IACMI Chief Executive Office, John A. Hopkins. “Through the second phase of this project we will more fully characterize these novel carbon fiber thermoplastic prepreg forms and validate their use in molding processes suitable for high-rate, cost-sensitive applications. This will showcase their suitability for large-scale deployment, especially in the automotive industry, which is an important part of our long-term goals to reduce energy use.”
This project offers a new CFRP manufacturing process when compared to the two other typically deployed processes which have significant drawbacks that limit their mainstream, high-volume use in the automotive and aerospace industries. One mainstream current technique weaves dry carbon fiber tows into a fabric, layers the fabrics with thermoplastic resin films, and subsequently heats and compresses them into a well-consolidated composite. While this method is ultimately effective in creating a carbon fiber fabric, the process has several drawbacks. One drawback is that the carbon fibers often break during the weaving process, releasing short, conductive carbon fiber strands into the local environment. Therefore, the surrounding looms and equipment must be electrically isolated. Another drawback is the relatively slow speed which is associated with this traditional process. Creating carbon fiber composites through this weaving method is roughly one-third the speed of that required to make glass fiber-based fabrics.
A second typical technique is the impregnation and flattening of carbon fiber tows with a thermoplastic resin to make a low-void, fully consolidated composite tape. These tapes are then woven or placed and tacked to form a fabric, which is then rapidly consolidated into the final composite part. A major issue with this process is the handling of the UD tapes because they are stiff and brittle, and therefore can fracture when bent to tight radii at room temperature. This stiffness property makes fabric formation from tapes a slow and expensive process.
The conclusion of Phase 1 of the DuPont, Fibrtec project validates the advancements that can be made in the carbon fiber composites production field, and reveals new opportunities for the application of carbon fiber composites into the automotive and aerospace industries as carbon fiber composites become easier and safer to produce making them more affordable, and viable for mass production.
Outgoing 2017-18 NCTO Chairman William V. “Bill” McCrary Jr. delivered the trade association’s 2018 State of the U.S. Textile Industry overview during the open general session
At the 15th annual NCTO meeting, outgoing Chairman William V. McCrary Jr. painted a picture of the U.S. textile industry and the association’s achievements and upcoming goals.
By William V. McCrary Jr.
It has been an amazing year for the U.S. textile industry and the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO). President Trump’s pro-manufacturing agenda is forcing Washington to do what NCTO has long sought — rethink policies on trade, taxation, regulatory reform and a host of other issues.
Let there be no doubt. The time for change is now and NCTO is committed to working with the Trump administration to achieve the best policy outcomes on these and other issues. But before laying out NCTO’s policy agenda, I want to recap how the industry fared in 2017.
Editor’s Note: The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is the standard used by Federal statistical agencies in classifying business establishments for the purpose of collecting, analyzing, and publishing statistical data related to the U.S. business economy. NAICS Subsector 313 covers Textile Mills, subsector 314 covers Textile Product Mills and subsector 315 covers Apparel.
The Numbers
Thanks to its productivity, flexibility and innovation, the U.S. textile industry has cemented its position in the global market.
In 2017, the value of U.S. man-made fiber and filament, textile, and apparel shipments totaled an estimated $77.9 billion. this is an uptick from the $74.4 billion in output in 2016 and an increase of 16 percent since 2009.1
The breakdown of 2017 shipments by industry sector is:2
$31.5 billion for yarns and fabrics;
$26.6 billion for home furnishings, carpet & other non-apparel sewn products;
$12.5 billion for apparel; and
an estimated $7.3 billion for man-made fibers.
Capital expenditures also are healthy. Investment in fiber, yarn, fabric, and other non-apparel textile product manufacturing has more than doubled from $960 million in 2009 to $2.1 billion in 2016.3
The sector’s supply chain employs 550,500 workers.4 The 2017 figures include:
112,300 jobs in yarns and fabrics;
114,700 jobs in home furnishings, carpet, and other non-apparel sewn products;
119,300 jobs in apparel manufacturing;
25,100 jobs in man-made fibers;
126,600 jobs in cotton farming and related industry; and
52,500 jobs in wool growing and related industry.
As we examine these numbers, it is important to note that the heavy job losses incurred because of massive import surges in the 1995-2008 time frame, virtually have stopped.5 Today, like most other U.S. manufacturing sectors, fluctuations in employment figures are generally due to normal business cycles, new investment, or productivity increases.
U.S. exports of fiber, yarns, fabrics, made-ups, and apparel were $28.6 billion in 2017.6 This is nearly a nine percent increase in export performance over 2016. Shipments to NAFTA and CAFTA-DR countries accounted for 54 percent of all U.S. textile supply chain exports.
The breakdown of exports by sector is as follows:
$5.9 billion – cotton and wool;
$4.4 billion – yarns;
$8.9 billion – fabrics;
$3.7 billion – home furnishings, carpet & other non-apparel sewn products; and
$5.7 billion – apparel.
The United States is especially well-positioned globally in fiber, yarn, fabric, and non-apparel sewn products markets; it was the world’s 4th largest individual country exporter of those products in 2016.7
The most important U.S. export markets by region are:8
$11.85 billion – NAFTA;
$3.4 billion – CAFTA-DR;
$8.7 billion – Asia;
$2.8 billion – Europe; and
$2.0 billion – Rest of World.
Focusing solely on America’s $13 billion in man-made fiber, yarn and fabric exports, the countries buying the most product are9:
$4.4 billion – Mexico;
$1.7 billion – Canada;
$1.3 billion – Honduras;
$987 million – China; and
$473 million – Dominican Republic.
The numbers show the fundamentals for the U.S. textile industry are sound. This is true even though some markets for U.S. textiles and apparel were soft last year. For the most part, any sluggishness was due to factors beyond control, such as disruption in the retail sector caused by the shifting of sales from brick and mortar outlets to the internet. With that said, the U.S. textile industry’s commitment to capital reinvestment and a continued emphasis on quality and innovation make it well-positioned to adapt to market changes and take advantage of opportunities as 2018 moves along.
Policy Issues
For decades, U.S. policy systematically undervalued the importance of domestic manufacturing, and President Trump is right that this has hurt America.
As evidenced by the work done by NCTO’s government relations team, NCTO endorses President Trump’s macro policy objectives of reshoring industry, fighting for free, but fair trade, enforcing U.S. trade laws, making the U.S. tax code more competitive, buying American, cutting unnecessary regulation, revitalizing infrastructure, ensuring cheap energy, and fixing health care.
On trade, NCTO agrees with President Trump that U.S. trading relationships must be rooted in fairness and reciprocity to benefit a broad swath of American society.
America’s most important trading relationship is NAFTA, a pillar upon which the U.S.-Western Hemisphere textile supply chain is built. At almost $12 billion combined, Mexico and Canada are the U.S. textile industry’s largest export markets. Moreover, Mexico provides vital garment assembly capacity the United States lacks at this time.
Let me be clear, NCTO strongly supports NAFTA. That said, NCTO agrees with President Trump that NAFTA can and must be improved.
NAFTA’s yarn-forward rule of origin contains loopholes that benefit third-party countries, such as China. Closing them would boost U.S. and NAFTA partner textile and apparel production and jobs.
NCTO’s NAFTA objectives include:
Eliminating tariff preference levels (TPLs) on apparel, non-apparel sewn products, fabrics and yarn;
Requiring use of NAFTA-origin components beyond the “essential character” of the fabric – sewing thread, pocketing and narrow elastics, for example;
Strengthening buy American laws for Dept. of Homeland Security textiles and clothing by closing the Kissell Amendment loophole for Canada and Mexico; and
Strengthening customs enforcement.
NCTO further agrees with President Trump that all U.S. free trade agreements should be periodically reviewed on a performance basis.
As for any new trade deals, NCTO supports President Trump’s preference for individual bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs) over multilaterals. Moreover, any new FTA targets should be limited to countries that trade in a fair, reciprocal manner. NCTO would oppose any FTAs with non-market economy countries like China and Vietnam because of their demonstrated ability to disrupt the U.S. textile market.
NCTO welcomes President Trump’s view that U.S. has made a mistake by not prioritizing trade enforcement in recent years. NCTO intends to make this issue a point of emphasis in the coming months because curtailing customs fraud and enforcing trade laws incentivizes reshoring. Moreover, due to the extremely high volume of trade in our sector, the textile industry is especially susceptible to customs fraud.
For FY 2017, the U.S. International Trade Commission reports calculated duties for all imports for domestic consumption was $34.8 billion, including $13.5 billion in textile and apparel-related goods. With billions at stake, lax U.S. customs enforcement entices unscrupulous importers to avoid duty payments.
To reduce customs fraud, the United States must put a higher priority on enforcement. This means devoting more resources to investigate those who are avoiding duties by purposely undervaluing U.S. imports, illegally circumventing U.S. free trade agreement rules of origin via third-country transshipment, or other fraudulent means. In addition, penalties for customs fraud must be certain, swift, and sufficient to deter this harmful, illegal activity.
Stopping customs fraud has the added benefit of more than paying for itself. The U.S. Treasury will collect more duty revenue and more textile supply chain production and jobs will shift to the United States and the broader NAFTA and DR-CAFTA regions.
NCTO also supports tough U.S. action against countries that engage in predatory trade practices. Noting that this problem is pervasive among non-market economies, NCTO welcomes the Trump administration’s rejection of China’s demand to be recognized as a market economy under the World Trade Organization. This decision prevents China from arguing that their manufacturing cost structures are fair and transparent with respect to trade enforcement actions.
One final trade priority is the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill, a pro-jobs measure vital to U.S. competitiveness. NCTO urges swift enactment of the Miscellaneous Tariff Act, legislation providing duty relief on manufacturing inputs that are unavailable domestically and do not compete with other U.S.-made products.
Moving on to tax policy, NCTO welcomes the tax reforms enacted by President Trump and Congress. Lowering the corporate rate and providing for more favorable capital expensing will encourage more manufacturing investment in the United States.
President Trump’s initiatives to cut unnecessary regulation are pro-jobs too.
With respect to government procurement policy, NCTO steadfastly supports the Berry Amendment. This “buy American” provision for the military is an example of how the government and private sector can work together for mutual benefit. The U.S. military gets a secure U.S. supply line for thousands of superior, highly-advanced products. In return, the domestic textile sector receives $1.5 billion to $2 billion in annual Defense Department sales that boost U.S. investment and employment.
NCTO is deeply concerned by congressional attacks on the Berry Amendment in recent annual defense bills, including the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act. NCTO urges Congress to reject any proposals to weaken the Berry Amendment, and instead work to strengthen the law.
NCTO also encourages Congress to include textiles in any efforts to enact commonsense laws or regulations that would strengthen “buy American” requirements applying to infrastructure or other federal spending. As demonstrated by Berry, when the federal government buys “American,” it is good for the U.S. textile industry and even better for America.
NCTO urges Congress to follow President Trump’s lead by drafting and passing a comprehensive plan to rebuild America’s infrastructure. Besides boosting U.S. productivity and facilitating commerce, infrastructure is a key market for textile products such as workwear, geosynthetics and filtration systems. Infrastructure is a growing market for textile composites too.
Fostering a national culture of innovation is also important. NCTO urges continued support for the Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA). This Defense Department-funded program is matched three-to-one with private dollars and tasked with making it easier to develop and commercialize the next generation of high-performance textiles.
NCTO also calls for the U.S. government to invest in improving automation for garment assembly because this technology shows promising potential to reshore U.S. textile and apparel production and jobs.
Another NCTO priority is ensuring that the U.S. textile industry has uninterrupted access to reasonably priced energy. Most man-made fibers are derivatives of petroleum products and many textile producers are reliant on natural gas to power manufacturing operations. Noting this, NCTO supports construction of expanded oil and gas pipeline capacity to keep energy prices low.
Finally, the U.S. textile industry must acknowledge its workforce is aging, making the recruitment of new talent a priority. U.S. companies must continue to forge links with local and state leaders, and educators to make sure government policy nurtures a labor pool both adequate in size and well prepared to succeed in a competitive global economy.
Other NCTO Activities
Effective April 1, NCTO merged with the American Fiber Manufacturers Association (AFMA), a fellow trade group representing domestic manufacturers of man-made fiber.
From NCTO’s perspective, the merger with AFMA adds new members, financial resources and extends NCTO’s political reach. It also enhances NCTO’s status as the voice of every facet of the U.S. textile production chain, a fact that will help NCTO more effectively influence policies made in Washington that impact U.S. textile investment, production and workers.
From AFMA’s perspective, as a multi-billion industry, it is critical that the U.S. man-made fiber sector remain engaged in Washington. Merging with NCTO allows U.S. fiber producers to keep its seat at the federal policy table.
As outlined, NCTO is involved in the policymaking process on all major matters affecting the textile production chain. This includes key international trade negotiations, congressional initiatives, federal procurement, and regulatory activity. This merger, will allow the domestic fiber sector to be fully aware of what is transpiring in these areas and to have an effective voice in influencing policy outcomes.
In other activities, NCTO’s American Textiles: We Make Amazing™ campaign is helping to rebrand the U.S. textile sector’s image because its manufacturers have a great story to tell. America’s textile industry is world-class thanks to leveraging the most cutting-edge production processes, investing in the best machinery, and leading in sustainability and innovation.
Campaign highlights include:
Launching a new website to promote the U.S. textile industry;
Textiles in the News (TIN), textilesinthenews.org, which debuted March 15. TIN is a sister website to NCTO’s trade association website, ncto.org. It is a platform to drive policymakers and opinion leaders to content that rebrands the U.S. textile industry along the American Textiles: We Make Amazing message;
Publishing a third edition of Textures, NCTO’s member magazine;
Emailing a weekly news blog, also called Textiles in the News;
Publishing the quarterly NCTO Newsletter;
Posting planned social media on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn;
Regular public relations outreach to selected media; and
Generating more than $3 million in earned media coverage.
Judging by the engagement generated by American Textiles: We Make Amazing marketing efforts, more and more people are getting an accurate, positive description of our sector, and as a result, are viewing the U.S. textile industry in a new light.
Conclusion
Although the U.S. textile industry is world-class, it cannot afford to rest on its laurels. There always will be intense and sometimes unfair competition from abroad, changing consumer demands and inevitable economic downturns.
Fortunately, the Trump administration wants to spur manufacturing output and jobs, and it is incumbent upon the U.S. textile industry to seize this generational opportunity to usher in a new era of growth. With so much at stake, I implore all members of NCTO to stay active in this indispensable association that is fighting to promote the interest of our industry here in Washington.
I also invite domestic textile manufacturers who have not been active in Washington but want to change textile policy for the better, to join NCTO. Good policy does not materialize from thin air, and NCTO must have the financial and political resources necessary to help build a stable and prosperous future for U.S. textile companies. In short, our workers and their families and communities are depending on your involvement and leadership.
Outgoing NCTO Chairman Bill McCrary (right) passed the gavel to incoming Chairman Marty Moran.
NCTO’s 15th Annual Meeting
The 2018 NCTO Annual Meeting recently wrapped at the Capital Hilton in Washington. A snowstorm cancelled many flights in and out of the regions’ airports, which left some NCTO members forced to cancel their travel, while others were delayed in their Washington arrival. The association noted meeting registrations have been on the rise over the past few years, and NCTO was looking forward to a record attendance in 2018 based on registrations until the weather intervened. However, participation was still solid and the final headcount of 140 was just under last year’s number. Attendees at the meeting represented more than 70 textile companies in addition to invited government and industry guests.
Day one of the event kicked off with meetings focused on the Berry Amendment and government contracting policies, as well as individual council meetings to organize policy for the year ahead. Day two featured speakers from AFFOA, a briefing on The United States’ budgetary outlook and a TextilePAC update. NCTO members then headed to Capitol Hill to discuss industry objectives with key members of congress. According to Lloyd Wood, NCTO’s director of public affairs, despite the snow-imposed government shut down, most of the congressional meetings lined up by NCTO took place as scheduled. Only a handful were cancelled.
During the open portion of the meeting held on the final day, outgoing NCTO Chairman William V. McCrary, president and CEO, William Barnet & Son, gave the annual State of the Textile Industry update. Following was a Cyber Security Panel comprised of Justin Zeefe, executive director and cofounder, NISOS Group; Ellen O’Day Sundra, regional vice president of System Engineering, Public Sector/Global Government, Forescout Technologies; and Jim Hemsley, IT manager, Techmer PM LLC.
The final presentations of the morning came from Robyn Boerstling, vice president of Infrastructure, Innovation and Human Resourcese Policy, National Association of Manufacturers; and Norm Orenstein, political scientist/resident scholar, American Enterprise Institute.
(left to right): Marty Moran; Bill McCrary; Don Bockoven, incoming NCTO vice chairman; and Auggie Tantillo, NCTO president and CEO.
Before the meeting ended, McCrary passed the gavel to Marty Moran, CEO, Jefferson, Ga.-based Buhler Quality Yarns Corp., who was sworn in as the 2018-19 NCTO chairman. Don Bockoven, president, Leigh Fibers Inc., Wellford, S.C., will serve as the association’s 2018-19 vice chairman.
“NCTO’s 2018 annual meeting was very productive,” Moran said.“ The event covered a lot of ground on policy issues, including trade, farm bill and government procurement matters. We also visited dozens of congressional offices to drive home NCTO’s pro-jobs message on NAFTA, the Berry Amendment and other important issues.”
“My goals as 2018-19 NCTO chairman are simple,” Moran continued. “I want make sure NCTO members are kept fully informed on key issues, something especially important as NCTO welcomes new members from its recent merger with the American Fiber Manufacturers Association. Expanding NCTO’s footprint and recruiting new members is also a priority because membership is the lifeblood of any organization.”
“From a policy standpoint, NCTO must stay well positioned to shape business-friendly policies under the Trump administration. NCTO strongly supports NAFTA, but we also agree with President Trump that the agreement can and must be improved. Eliminating third-country loopholes, covering pocketing, lining, and narrow elastics, fixing the Kissell Amendment, and strengthening customs enforcement will help reshore jobs and production both domestically and regionally.”
“Finally, NCTO must keeping pressing its ‘We Make Amazing’ public relations campaign. It is essential that policy makers and the media see accurate picture of the modern U.S. textile industry and the enormous contribution we make to the national economy.”
— By Rachael S. Davis, Executive Editor
Sources:
1 Source: U.S. Census Bureau Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM). Data covers NAICS categories 313 (Textile Mills), 314 (Textile Product Mills), 315 (Apparel), and 32522 (Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments). 2017 Data for NAICS 32522 is not yet available. Our 2017 estimate for the value of shipments in that category is $7.3 billion.
2 U.S. Census Bureau Annual Survey of Manufactures (ASM). Data covers NAICS categories 313 (Textile Mills), 314 (Textile Product Mills), 315 (Apparel), and 32522 (Artificial and Synthetic Fibers and Filaments). 2017 Data for NAICS 32522 is not yet available. Our estimate for the value of shipments in that category is based on data from 2016.
3 U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Capital Expenses Survey (ACES). Data covers NAICS categories 313 (Textile Mills), 314 (Textile Product Mills), and 315 (Apparel).
4 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Cotton Council, and the American Sheep Industry Association.
5 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
6 Data for textiles and apparel is from The Export Market Report produced by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA). U.S. export data for cotton, wool, and fine animal hair is calculated from the U.S. International Trade Commission Interactive Tariff and Trade DataWeb using HTS Codes 5101, 5102, 5103 (wool), 5201, 5202, and 5203 (cotton).
8 Source: U.S. Commerce Department and U.S. International Trade Commission
9 Id.
Editor’s Note: William “Bill” V. McCrary Jr. is chairman and CEO of Spartanburg- based William Barnet & Son LLC. He served as the 2017-2018 NCTO chairman. At the recent annual meeting in Washington, Marty Moran, CEO of Jefferson, Ga.-based Buhler Quality Yarns Corp. succeeded McCrary as NCTO chairman for 2018-19.
American Woolen Company recently introduced its first apparel line, which features 13 pieces of luxury menswear made in the USA from start to finish.
Wool textile makers find success with premium-branded apparel made in USA
TW Special Report
Apparel manufacturers are a scarce breed in today’s U.S. textile landscape. Low-cost imports and high labor costs forced much of the domestic apparel manufacturing sector offshore in recent decades.
But in certain product areas, this trend can be reversed, as Kentwool Inc. and American Woolen Company have found by using a vertically-integrated business model. By controlling the production process from yarn spinning to finished product, Kentwool and American Woolen are finding success with premium apparel brands focused on wool, a natural fiber known for its thermal comfort, breathability and ability to be worn across seasons.
Kentwool and American Woolen both have histories going back more than a century. While their products and end markets may be very different, the commitment to quality, craftsmanship and heritage are equally important to both forward-looking, modern manufacturers.
Kentwool is a family-owned and -operated company that more recently applied its expertise in wool yarn spinning to launch an apparel business known as Kentwool Performance Apparel. Established in 1843 in Pennsylvania by Thomas Kent and now headquartered in Greenville, South Carolina, Kentwool owns a 135,000-square-foot state-of-the-art wool-based yarn spinning facility in nearby Pickens, which houses approximately 20,000 spindles and produces yarn from 100-percent wool or wool/man-made blends. In addition to its generations-old, high-quality wool yarn operation, the company boasts a thriving consumer-facing, ultra-premium performance sock business.
American Woolen Company recently gained new life thanks to the dedication and vision of Jacob Harrison Long. Established in 1899, the company grew to become the world’s largest wool manufacturer in the early 20th century. But years after its heyday, the company had diminished and become primarily an importer and wholesaler of woolen blankets. Long purchased the brand in 2013, and later had the opportunity to invest in a manufacturing location in the form of historic Stafford Springs, Connecticut-based Warren Mill — a cashmere and camel hair woolen fabrics plant with more than 150 years of history. Under the leadership of CEO Long and President and COO Jennifer Knight, American Woolen Company is reestablishing itself as a premiere, luxury brand name, and is finding success once again as a fine worsted and woolen textile manufacturer.
Kentwool Inc. prides itself on producing some of the finest wool yarns in the world in Upstate South Carolina.
Kentwool’s Story
All Kentwool products are made in the United States, and the company prides itself on producing some of the highest-quality wool yarns in the world.
“We just achieved our 10th consecutive year of being Usterized,” said Keith Horn, president, Kentwool. “Usterized is a certification that says what you get from us is going to be the same every time with continuous improvement in product. We are very pleased to be a part of that program, and it says a lot about the quality of Kentwool’s employees and the Kentwool brand,” Horn said.
Kentwool is one of only a select few companies worldwide to receive the Usterized Quality Certification from Switzerland-based Uster Technologies AG. The company also is very proud to be the only company in the United States to hold the certification, which states that the yarns Kentwool produces are of the highest quality.
Kentwool leveraged its knowledge in wool yarn manufacturing to launch Kentwool Performance Apparel, a consumer-facing ultra-premium performance sock business.
Branching Out Through Branding
In 2008, Mark Kent — the fifth-generation family member to lead Kentwool — participated in a charity golf pro-am. After three days of rainy, less-than-ideal golfing weather wearing under-performing socks, Kent found himself with badly blistered feet. The story goes that after complaining to his caddy about the lack of a performance golf sock, the caddy suggested that Mark, as someone who ran a wool yarn manufacturing company, should go make a great golf sock.
“That comment stuck with Mark, and he set out on an endeavor of about a year and a half of research and design to create a product that he felt met his requirements to go to market,” said Lauren Hubbard, director of sales and marketing, Kentwool Performance Apparel. “It was an ultra-premium, super-performance sock, of course made using wool.” The “World’s Best Golf Sock” — which fittingly carries a Blister-Free Guarantee — has developed a following and is worn by more than 70 tour professionals and caddies. The socks feature a proprietary blend of super fine Merino wool and other premium and high-tech fibers to offer wicking ability, comfort, as well as reduced friction, abrasion and muscle fatigue.
“We positioned our launch into the market as a golf sock, and that remains a large and important piece of our business,” Hubbard said. “But over the past decade, we have organically grown into being a versatile performance sock for our customer.”
Customers now comprise people seeking comfort for luxury — such as the golfer and traveler — and those seeking comfort for necessity — such as manufacturing and food service industry employees who may be on their feet for long shifts each day.
According to Hubbard, much of the sock division’s growth has been through word of mouth. She said the company has developed a very loyal customer base because “once people know the product, they love it!” The fact that the socks are made in the United States has helped build the reputation of the brand nationally, but especially in the Southeast. “Here in Upstate South Carolina, people are so proud to wear a product that originates where they live. It makes the textile industry very tangible for customers that might otherwise not realize how close it is to them, or how much they are impacted by it, even though we all encounter textile products every day.”
“Some of our most loyal customers are actually our employees,” Horn added. “That’s how much the yarn manufacturing team believes in what they do and the finished product. That in itself is a testament to what kind of product is put out there.”
Lauren Hubbard, director of sales and marketing, Kentwool Performance Apparel
Heritage Combined With Modern Ideas
Hubbard said the company’s long, rich history provides a lot of credibility with its customers. “In the world of socks, our price point is on the higher end and when we’re asking people to consider spending $20 to $40 on a pair of socks, Kentwool’s history gives us a great deal of validation,” she said. “I think it gives us instant trust with the customer that we do know wool and that we know it well. We are very grateful for that as Kentwool’s youngest division because that trust is so important and valuable, but often takes significant time to build.
“It is really critical to us that we embrace our history and heritage, and that shapes our identity as a company,” Hubbard said. “Our heritage is built in to everything that we do every day, but we also need to give our customer the type of product they are looking for now. We constantly consider the marriage of heritage and innovation.”
“We have a strong tradition in regard to yarn, and the whole mindset of the sock business is really how do you marry the quality of what you have done for years in yarn manufacturing, and apply that to new a product based on the quality you’ve produced for years,” Horn said. “Mark built an incredible team here. We know how to make yarn. We know how to make really good yarn. Now, how do you apply that to a product and carry those characteristics into our own brand for the benefit of the customer?”
Keith Horn, president, Kentwool
Legacy
Mark Kent passed away unexpectedly in 2017. His significant contributions to Kentwool, the textile industry and his community will be greatly missed.
But Mark’s strong leadership of Kentwool and the growth and changes that occurred during his tenure set the company on a course for prosperity and longevity. “The Kent family, and especially Mark, believe in being on the cutting edge,” said Horn. “Mark believed in investing in the future and his people. We have some of the latest technology available in the world at our facility, but by far, our greatest asset is our people and the team Mark built. What sets Kentwool apart is our quality, our service, and our commitment to our customers. That’s something that we strive for on a daily basis.”
“Obviously where we sit today, we have a lot of discussions around the table about what the future looks like,” said Kim Kent, CEO. “What we can say for sure is that Mark, and those before him, successfully built this company on delivering a high-quality product, being innovative and responsive and nimble in the marketplace and that’s what we’ll continue to do. Both with yarn and with socks and whatever else is on the horizon for us.”
“From the sock perspective, we see huge future opportunity,” Hubbard said. “I think the appetite for fast fashion is waning. The same interest in craftsmanship people have in micro-brewed beer, locally-made furniture and other products, they’re now seeking in apparel as well. Delivering a product that’s made in America of the highest craftsmanship and quality will serve Kentwool well as consumer behavior trends more towards highly crafted items.”
The majority of American Woolen Company’s fabric customers use cobranding and incorporate American Woolen’s label in their garments.
American Woolen Company’s Story
True luxury goods are made in Paris, Milan and London — think Chanel, Ferragamo and Burberry — so why not in the United States? That was Jacob Long’s thinking when he acquired the American Woolen Company brand. He had a background in investment banking and precision machining, but during a 23 year-stint working in Europe, Long developed an interest in the textile industry and apparel manufacturing.
“What I really learned in Europe was this aspect of craft manufacturing,” said Long. “That focus that the Europeans have — they have the ability to run flexible operations, focusing really on the product — I felt if American Woolen could pull it off, we could pull it off because we had a mill that would adhere to those European standards.”
History And Craftsmanship
After Long met Jennifer Knight, a businesswoman with a background and family history in the textile industry, the opportunity to own a textile factory appeared in the form of a Loro Piana mill in Stafford Springs. The Warren Corp. was acquired by Italy-based Loro Piana in 1988, who invested heavily in upgrades, added worsted capability and continued to train a talented workforce. After Loro Piana was acquired by Paris-based LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (LVMH), LVMH decided to sell the Warren factory. “From their point of view, they were interested in the Loro Piana brand, and it was all about made in Italy,” Knight said. “They no longer needed this little mill in Connecticut. We think it’s a really unique asset in the United States in terms of textiles.”
With the 2014 acquisition of Warren Mill, American Woolen was in the business of manufacturing fine worsted and woolen cloth, and had the means necessary to control every aspect of production as Long had envisioned.
At Warren Mill, wool fiber enters the plant and goes through no fewer than 13 steps on its way to becoming a finished garment. Fiber is dyed, blended, carded and spun into yarn that is wound on cones ready for weaving. The yarns are dressed and warped, drawn-in and woven before the greige fabric goes through a mending process. The greige fabric is then finished, before fine mending and exhaustive inspection steps are performed to prepare the fabric for the cut-and-sew process. It’s a meticulous process that takes highly-skilled technicians. The finishing stage alone comprises 12 different processes involving heat, steam, chemical and water treatments to add texture and body to the fabric and bring it to life. During fine mending, every inch of the fabric is examined to look for previously unnoticed flaws and impurities in the cloth. Every yard of fabric is then inspected four times before it is packaged for shipping.
Jacob Harrison Long, CEO, American Woolen Company
“I think what’s unique about American Woolen is we’re really trying to turn out a fine product, and we’re turning out that fine product in Stafford Springs, Connecticut,” Long said. According to the company, they are defining a new American luxury by preserving centuries old craftsmanship and carving out an authentic American style. “I tell people we are not trying to go head-to-head with the Italian fine worsted mills,” Long continued. “We’re actually trying to carve out a unique niche which we believe is more an American style of fabric and an American-style aesthetic — a different color palette, a different texture. We’re trying to find the key attributes that will make a Made in America product different from Made in Italy.”
“Our main customers are J. Crew, Hart Schaffner Marx, Timberland, The North Face, and Hickey Freeman,” Knight noted. “We sell to higher end men’s suiting makers, and then we sell to more sportswear and fashion brands. I would say 85 to 90 percent of the fabrics we make here, our customers then use our label as cobranding in their garment.”
American Woolen’s second biggest market is Japan. “The reason Japan loves our brand is because Japan loves American heritage brands,” Knight said. “They wanted an alternative to high-end Italian fabrics. They are loving that they can make suits, open it up and see that it’s American Woolen-made fabrics right from Connecticut.”
Craftsmen-Made In Connecticut
Long and Knight were able to rehire many of Warren Mill’s former employees and thus harness the skills and knowledge of 3rd and 4th generation employees who have passed down their craft.
“Machines don’t make fine textiles, the employees who operate those machines make fine textiles,” Long said. “You can throw as much capital as you want at the problem, but it’s not about throwing capital at the problem, it’s about getting the operators to try to find the solution.”
Long and Knight want to engage the employees — give them more responsibility and make them feel like they are on the cutting-edge of making Made in America fashion.
“We don’t want our colleagues to feel like mill employees or mill workers — what would it feel like to be fashion technologists?” Long said. “I think for us, the big thing has been trying to engage our workforce and encourage them to think more about what they are doing, because at the end of the day, we’re really trying to turn out a fine product.”
Jennifer Knight, COO, American Woolen Company
Launching A Garment Line
With Warren Mill up and running, the next step for Long and Knight was to develop American Woolen’s own line of apparel. The company recently introduced its first garment line, which features 13 pieces of luxury menswear. “Our idea was to position ourselves as a company making these garments on the level of a European luxury brand,” Knight said. “We control what we do here even with our garment line. We’re making all of the fabrics, and all the garments are sewn in small factories all over New York city. We’re completely overseeing every aspect of production, and I think that’s true luxury,” Knight said. She hopes a womenswear line also will be developed in the future.
The company certainly gains respect from the legacy and heritage of the American Woolen and Warren Mill names. But Long and Knight have a clear focus on provenance. They believe consumers want to know more about where products, including clothing, are produced. Especially on the luxury end, there is a desire to know a skilled craftsman produced the fabric and the garment in the United States.
“It’s actually not so much the heritage, but the provenance, and it’s the expertise and craftsmanship,” Knight said. “And that’s not all about looking at the past, it’s also about preserving the craft in the present and the future. We see ourselves as trying to be a true American luxury brand and the way we will do that is because we control the whole supply chain. It’s partly history, but it’s also provenance and craftsmanship and control over your supply chain.”
Knight was first introduced to Long through family friends. “Jacob said I’ve bought this trademark and now I want to back it into developing a supply chain, potentially owning our own means of production and ultimately want to launch a fashion brand,” Knight recalled. “And he said, ‘do you think I’m crazy?’
“I think what we decided to do here was a little bit crazy, but in the greatest way,” Knight said. “I think we’ve got a great opportunity to build a good, solid textile business, which will be in the suiting, outdoor and sportswear markets at the higher end. We’re going to do some government and military business too. But I think our ultimate opportunity is to build a true American luxury brand.”
Editor’s Note: This article appears in Textile World courtesy of the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) as part of the “American Textiles: We Make Amazing™” campaign. NCTO is a trade association representing U.S. textile manufacturing. Please visit ncto.org to learn more about NCTO, the industry and the campaign.
The Ultra-Lightweight Camouflage Screen (ULCAS) is an advanced multispectral camouflage net that provides signature protection for military vehicles and other objects while in static positions. Copyright Saab AB, Hans Berggren
Part II of a two-part feature on the outlook for the technical textiles market.
By Steve Warner, Contributing Editor
In the last issue of Textile World, Part 1 of “2018 State Of The U.S. Technical Textiles Industry,” looked at economic and trade factors impacting the sector. Part 2 focuses on specific segments of the industry including automotive, military and law enforcement applications for technical textiles.
Automotive/Light Vehicle Market
The largest user of technical textiles is the vehicle manufacturing industry. After a decade of steady, impressive growth, North America experienced a small contraction in the number of passenger vehicles made in 2017. About 17.25 million cars and light trucks were sold, a decline of 1.8 percent from 2016. The United States made 11.56 million or 67 percent of these vehicles. Canada produced 2.3 million, and Mexico accounted for another 3.4 million.
The average amount of material going into a vehicle is 28 square yards (yd2), which means about 323.7 million yd2 went into domestic-made vehicles in 2017.
There are five primary applications for textiles in vehicles — passenger restraint systems such as airbags and seatbelts, headliners and seating, trunk liners, flooring, and tires — plus smaller applications like hoses and acoustic/vibration insulation. The major interior vehicle applications are in seating and flooring.
The domestic vehicle production base has been moving from Detroit over the past decade, in part because Asian and European automakers have developed manufacturing operations in the southern United States. The automotive industry tends to operate with a cluster supplier base — meaning prime parts suppliers are located nearby. The recent announcement of a new $1.6 billion Toyota/Mazda manufacturing plant in Alabama, plus expansions of the Volvo plant in South Carolina and the Daimler plant in Alabama, spells good news for the domestic automotive textile industry. Further, Stamford, Conn.-based Hexcel Corp., Tokyo-based Toray Industries Inc. and Tokyo-based Teijin Ltd. recently have announced more than $2 billion in carbon-fiber related production expansions in the United States, targeted mostly for the automotive industry.
If there is a possible breakout new market segment for smart textiles, it is in vehicles. Heating and cooling seat technology already is in use. Now, assembly manufacturers are exploring seating material that can detect an occupant’s size and weight to provide a more comfortable ride and prevent driver fatigue. Potential applications may soon also include interior materials that change color, allowing driver customization.
Airbags
The airbag sector unfortunately is best known right now for recalls. However, recalls aside, the sector has experienced phenomenal growth over the past 20 years, which is expected to continue. Its fate, too, is not necessarily tied to the number of vehicles manufactured. There is an increasing number of airbags placed in each vehicle; and developing nations with a growing appetite for vehicles, including India and Brazil, are demanding mandatory airbag safety requirements.
The development of driverless cars will present unique new opportunities too, because present designs are intended only for forward-facing occupants.
Thus, airbags are estimated to be the fastest growing market segment in automotive textiles at 8.1 percent. The most common fabric used is nylon 6,6. Because of the heat generated by a quickly inflated bag, silicone-coated fabrics are used for airbags that encounter a vehicle occupant’s face.
The three major U.S. airbag manufacturers are:
ZF TRW Automotive Holdings Corp.;
Autoliv Inc.; and
Joyson Safety Systems (JSS).
Industry consolidation continued for the airbag industry in 2017. JSS purchased the assets of bankrupt Takata Corp. for $1.6 billion, instantly vaulting the U.S.-headquartered company into the number two spot on the global list of airbag suppliers behind Autoliv.
While the number of airbag suppliers is shrinking, plant capacity and global locations of the remaining manufacturers increases. Toray Advanced Textile recently announced its first foray into North America, building a new plant in Mexico to make nylon fiber and fabric for airbags to supply the growing U.S. and Mexican automotive manufacturing industry.
Alaska Structures, Anchorage, Alaska, manufactures military shelter systems including tactical operations centers.
Military/Law Enforcement
For military applications, there are three critical criteria — concealment, mobility and operating in extreme weather conditions.
The key point to be made about the military’s technical textile needs is that sequestering all aspects of the military’s competitive warfighting edge have eroded, and that money now will be spent to fix shortcomings. After more than a decade of fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, the U.S. military now is switching back to building a force that can deter both established — Russia — and emerging military powers — China.
The Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011 dramatically reduced funding for the Department of Defense (DoD) for the last 6 years. The BCA contains a threat that binds the spending limits/caps and, if spending exceeds budget, sequestration takes place with the draconian result of automatic cuts across the DoD budget.
However, things are about to change. The Trump administration and Congress has dramatically increased military spending in the fiscal year 19 and fiscal year 20 budgets, jumping from $594.9 billion actual in fiscal year 17 to $686 billion in the new fiscal year 19 budget. Further, in his State of the Union address this year, President Trump called on Congress to end sequestering. The passage of much higher military budgets for fiscal year 19 and fiscal year 20 has circumvented sequestering restrictions but it is still law for fiscal year 20 and fiscal year 21.
Although sequestration’s threatened cuts have been somewhat mitigated by Overseas Contingency Operations funding and short-term budget agreements such as in 2013 and 2015, appropriations have been unpredictable and inconsistent. The five-year decline of military contracts because of BCA has resulted in about a 50-percent drop in the industry for needs such as shelters, ballistic vests, ammunition pouches and other products made from technical textiles. With only sporadic contracts, it has been difficult for military contractors to maintain a trained and ready workforce. The military branches have, in turn, been forced to stretch out the shelf life of products which are increasingly needed to be replaced, resulting in what the DoD has called strategic atrophy.
It is too soon to tell though how much this new higher budget will impact the industry for specific products such as shelters and personal equipment. Most of the increases will go to big ticket items like planes, missile defense systems and ships. The technical textiles industry, however, should see a significant bump through the peripheral support items such as aircraft shelters. Plus, the budget calls for an increase in the troop level by 25,000 which should increase the need for more personal protection equipment and shelters, among other items.
Brought on by the conflict in Ukraine and possibly in Korea, one common theme you will find in looking at pending procurement is the emphasis on equipment for extreme wintry conditions. The Marine Corps has created a new small expeditionary Rotational Force-Europe, which is testing equipment in Norway. A couple of the problems that have been revealed include operating touch screens with gloves, and the performance of zippers and hook-and-loop closures under harsh temperatures.
Alaska Structures also produces small shelter systems
Berry Amendment Protection
One of the most irritating issues revolving around the law to protect domestic sourcing is the ignorance of military procurement officers of the Berry Amendment’s requirements. In July 2017, the DoD’s inspector issued its Defense Logistics Agency Compliance with the Berry Amendment and the Buy American Act report. The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) oversees procurement, including more than 8,000 textile items, most of them covered by the Berry Amendment. In a sample audit, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found that DLA contracting personnel complied with the Berry Amendment for only 13 of the 32 contracts reviewed. The remaining 19 contracts were not in compliance, and were valued at $453.2 million. Further, 12 of 56 contracts reviewed did not comply with the Buy American Act.
Shelters
The key trends in military shelters are mobility and operating in harsh climates. The Army is rethinking its command post applications, and this may have a serious impact on the shelter industry. Under a directive called Command Post Integrated Infrastructure (CPI2), the Army is looking at the next generation of command post shelters to support a more agile, expeditionary force. Speed and mobility have become more critical components. The thinking is a command post must be able to transport and be operationally ready within 30 minutes. What this means, is more of the hard-shell structures for housing that emerged in 2016 at the expense of fabric shelters. Hard-shell structures may be put on wheels to become mobile, and come ready-to-go with wiring, air conditioning and communications. The move towards hard-shell styles may have impact on the currently accepted Deployable Rapid-Assembly Shelter (DRASH). These fabric structure modules may lose out as the hard-shell modules can offer more quick-start amenities.
On the positive side, shelter manufacturers are reporting more orders for accommodating 600-, 150- and 25-man camps. There also is an expressed demand for cold-weather shelters and clothing, which is probably driven by the conflict in Ukraine.
The following list contains most of the military shelter manufacturers:
Outdoor Venture Corp., Stearns, Ky.;
Camel Manufacturing Co., La Follette, Tenn.;
Hunter Defense Technology (HDT), Solon, Ohio;
Alaska Structures, Anchorage, Alaska;
Diamond Brand Canvas Products, Asheville, N.C.;
Johnson Outdoors Gear Inc. (Eureka), Binghamton, N.Y.;
CAMSS Shelters, Kirkland, Wash.;
Anchor Industries Inc., Evansville, Ind.;
Cilena Tent, Celina, Ohio;
Western Shelter, Eugene, Ore.; and
UTS Systems, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.
Technical textiles are used by many law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI’s) SWAT agents. Photograph courtesy of the Department of Justice, FBI Media
Ballistic Vests/Personal Protection Equipment
The military continually is working to develop the next-generation soldier protection systems, seeking a balance of protection and comfort to protect the warfighter from chemical, biological, environmental and impact issues.
For individual ballistic protection, the first factor is always improving projectile impact kinetic energy disbursement. After protection, there is a weight race. How can the load be lightened? Other factors are the fit of the system as well as self-reporting features such as health sensors and self-healing abilities.
The Soldier Protection System (SPS) is a suite of personal protection subsystems intended to provide equal or increased levels of protection against small-arms or fragmenting threats. The major component subsystem for the industry is the soft armor Torso and Extremity Protection (TEP). TEP is divided into 4 main tiers of protection:
Tier 1: Concealable;
Tier 2: Low Visibility;
Tier 3: Tactical; and
Tier 4: Full Spectrum.
Some of the major ballistic vest military contractors include KDH Defense Systems Inc., Eden, N.C.; Point Blank Enterprises Inc. and Protective Products Enterprises, Pompano Beach, Fla.; Hawk Protection Inc., Pembroke Pines, Fla.; Shortbark Industries Inc., Vonore, Tenn.; and Carter Enterprises LLC dba Mil-Spec Enterprises, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Gradually, the weight for the Outer Tactical Vest (OTV) has been reduced. In 2008, a typical OTV weighed about 33 pounds. A Generation II OTV ballistic protection system is now down to less than 30 pounds. The new vital torso protection system (VTPS) is scalable and can now shed up to an additional 14 percent of the weight through change-out modular components depending upon the tactical situation. But the Army isn’t satisfied — new directives call for increased weight reduction with the goal of losing another 20 percent.
The U.S. Army Research Laboratory (ARL) is exploring bioenabled and protective materials that combine protection against multiple environmental, detection and ballistic threats. It also is looking at signature management technologies to decrease the probability of a soldier being seen or heard by dampening the soldier’s thermal, electromagnetic or visual characteristics signature. Finally, ARL is looking at improved body armor ballistics and blast threats.
The new soft armor vest and tactical vests entered full-rate production in fiscal year 2017. The sensor systems — which include an integrated sensor system that can measure heart rate, temperature and hydration levels — are still in the development phase. New protective coverage for the pelvic, groin, side and neck are being introduced.
Soft body armor is made using either woven aramid fibers or nonwoven ultra-high-molecular-weight-polyethylene.
In addition to the military, mass shootings and attacks on law enforcement officials have created a high civilian and law enforcement demand for body armor. In 2016, the global market was estimated to be about $4 billion with a U.S. share of $465 million. In the United States, the growth is not only for law enforcement officials, but also for other types of first responders such as emergency medical technicians and firefighters.
While the military regulates standards for body armor, the only nationally accepted standard for body armor worn by law enforcement and corrections officials is the standard issued by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), an agency of the U.S. Department of Justice. NIJ has developed different classifications for body armor as follows:
Type I — Designed to protect against lower velocity rounds. This is the lightest and most comfortable vest to wear.
Type II-A — Protects against slightly higher velocity and is considered the bare minimum requirement for law enforcement vests.
Type II — Armor is protection is heavier.
Type III-A — Used for protection of high velocity handguns, considered the highest protection available for most handguns. Weight and bulk eliminates concealment of the vest.
Type III — Used in tactical situations for protection against rifles.
Type IV — Protection against armor piercing rifles and often uses ceramic plate inserts.
Helping drive market growth, is the Bulletproof Vest Partnership (BVP) program, a U.S. Department of Justice initiative designed to provide state and local jurisdictions with financial help in purchasing bullet-resistant body armor. Under the program, local governments are reimbursed up to 50 percent of the cost of each unit. Priority for the grants are given to jurisdictions under 100,000 in population. Since 1999, BVP has award more than 13,000 jurisdictions a total of $430 million in federal funds for the purchase of 1.3 million vests as of July 2017.
The increased interest in civilian purchases has created a crowded manufacturing industry with now more than 50 companies listed by the Justice Department as meeting its standards requirements. As expected in an emerging market, there seems to be the beginnings of industry consolidation through mergers and acquisitions. In 2017, Safariland Group, Jacksonville, Fla., made a series of acquisitions of smaller manufacturers; and already in 2018, a merger between KDH Defense Systems and Central Lake, Mich.-based Armor Express Inc. was announced.
As covered earlier, the domestic procurement for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security presents unique problems because of existing trade agreements. However, in the case of ballistic vests for its agents, the GAO found that DHS had contracted for $6.8 million worth of body armor and found all vests were produced in the United States.
The average life span for a ballistic vest is five years, so the growing demand for vests plus a replaceable market every five years means this will continue to be a growing product for technical textiles.
Camouflage
The transition from the Universal Camouflage Pattern (UCP) for uniforms that began in 2015 to the Operational Camouflage Pattern (OCP) will be complete in October 2019. It is estimated the switch and a consolidation of patterns for the four military branches will save at least $80 million.
The current Ultra-Lightweight Camouflage Net Systems (ULCANS) was introduced 17 years ago and expired in 2016. It was supplied under a $1.7 billion contract with Saab Barracuda. The net systems are designed to protect our forward bases of operations from visual imaging in a counter-insurgency scenario.
Camouflage is no longer just about visual hiding. The effective use of unmanned aerial systems — drones — and improved sensors has created an urgent need to prevent all types of detection. Besides visual, multi-spectral tactical camouflage also tries to simultaneously hide objects from infrared, radar, thermal and electro-magnetic millimeter-wave imaging.
In August 2017, the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Systems Center issued a solicitation for a new generation ULCANS netting system. In addition to recognizing detection sensor technology advances, there also is recognition of the changing environmental landscape for operations. The new ULCANS program will include variants for operating in arctic and urban environments, adding to the existing woodland and desert ULCANS variants. This is an Army program, but it is expected to also be used by the Marine Corps.
In late March, the Army announced the ULCANS netting system contract was awarded to three companies — HDT Expeditionary Systems Inc., Solon, Ohio; Saab Barracuda LLC, Lillington, N.C.; and Fibrotex USA Inc., Washington. The new contract is for 10 years and is worth $480 million. Ultimately, the contractors will provide between 300 and 600 systems per month.
Editor’s Note: Steve Warner is the publisher of BeaverLake6 Report, a web-based newsletter reporting on trends, data and issues that influence the global technical textiles industry. He can be reached at beaverlake6@hotmail.com. All trade information was current as of TW’s press time. Part one of this article appeared in the March/April 2018 issue of TW.
SCHRAMBERG, Germany — May 16, 2018 — The textile market is in continual change. The technical standards of the machines and the know-how of all persons involved become higher and higher. In addition to the need of high speed machines also the specifications of the knitted fabric require increased standards with regard to the strength and mesh structure. In pursuit of this trend, the adjustment of all equipped elements for the knitting process is indispensable. Only then the highest quality standard can be achieved in order to assure the customer satisfaction at the maximum level.
Obviously this development also takes place for the Relanit machines of Mayer & Cie. The demand for high-quality knitted fabrics increases continuously in many markets. As a result of this, the machine settings and the tolerances need to be constantly improved which also leads to higher and changed specifications for the Relanit Sinkers.
KERN – LIEBERS Textile developed a new generation of Relanit Sinkers which fully meets the latest requirements of the market. This new generation enables the production of all kinds of knitted fabrics. A uniform pattern can be ensured even for highly advanced knitted fabrics. Due to the new development the range of strength of knitted fabrics can be considerably extended.
Based on our long experience as a OEM supplier of Mayer & Cie, we have managed the perfect adjustments to reach the latest demands of the markets. This new „High End“ product at the highest quality level is a further completion of the worldwide biggest sinker program made by KERN-LIEBERS Textile
We recommend for high class knitting machines KERN-LIEBERS original sinkers only. Have the benefit from the highest requirements fixed and controlled by the circular machine manufacturer. KERN –LIEBERS Textile represents the original always without any compromise.
DALTON, Ga. — May 16, 2018 — Shaw Industries Group Inc. (Shaw) has achieved carbon neutrality in its commercial carpet manufacturing operations. The achievement encompasses all commercial carpet manufacturing facilities that Shaw owns and operates globally, including those for Patcraft, Philadelphia Commercial, Shaw Contract and STS.
“At Shaw, we believe in creating a better future. We understand the challenges of climate change are global in scale and require a global response. No one company can solve problems at this scale by itself, but we can each contribute to an effort that enables all of us to create a wave of change for the better,” noted Tim Conway, vice president of sustainability for Shaw’s commercial division. “What we manufacture and the spaces our clients design make an impact. By reducing Shaw’s carbon footprint, we reduce the impact of what we create together.”
Shaw achieved carbon neutrality across its commercial carpet operations by first reducing its energy consumption, then switching to cleaner fuels; producing renewable energy at its own facilities; and incentivizing additional renewable energy development and usage through the purchase of renewable energy credits. These efforts include installing a 1 MW solar array atop its carpet tile manufacturing facility in Cartersville, Ga., in 2013.
Companywide, Shaw’s greenhouse gas emissions have improved approximately 25 percent compared to 2010 and the company has a target of reducing both the amount of energy it uses and the amount of GHG emissions it produces by 40 percent by 2030 (per pound of finished product).
“This is just one of a series of actions we have taken and will continue to take in line with our overall sustainability strategy and corporate vision,” stated Troy Virgo, director of sustainability and product stewardship at Shaw. “We all have an important role in creating a better future, and with every decision, every thought and every action, we’re working toward even better solutions. The steps we take matter for people and the planet.”
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany — May 16, 2018 — The prospects for exhibitors and visitors at Techtextil 2019 are good: some twelve months before the start of the leading international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens (14 to 17 May 2019), the number of registrations is already significantly higher than the figure for a comparable stage in the run-up to the last show.
“Every two years, Techtextil in Frankfurt becomes the focal point of all the pioneering thinkers, manufacturers and users in the field of high-tech textile products. Our trade mark is the sheer variety of textile solutions that find uses way beyond sector boundaries. The outstanding figures for registrations underscores the value that the international community places on Techtextil,” says Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles and Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt.
Currently, exhibitors from 44 different countries have opted to take part in Techtextil. Twelve countries have already registered joint / national stands: Belgium, China, Czech Republic, France, Great Britain, Italy, Portugal, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and USA. The manufacturers represent the entire spectrum of technical textiles and nonwovens. There is particularly strong representation in fields relating to fibre-based products for industry, architecture and construction, apparel, vehicles and transport, medicine, sport and hazard protection. Exhibitors already include, amongst others, AG Cilander, Freudenberg, Hyosung, Ibena Textilwerke, Kordsa, Lenzing, Olbo & Mehler Tex, Porcher, Peppermint Holding, PHP Fibres, Sandler, Sattler Pro-Tex, Schoeller, Sioen and Tenowo.
Visitors will also be offered a broad product range in the field of textile machinery, where all international market leaders such as Dilo, Groz-Beckert, Huntsman, Karl Mayer, Lindauer Dornier, Monforts and Trützschler, will be present. Additionally, the joint stands organised by the professional associations ACIMIT (Italy) and the BTMA (Great Britain), will again be showcasing an extensive spectrum of technologies, processes and accessories.
Held in parallel to Techtextil, Texprocess, the leading trade fair for the processing of technical textiles and apparel fabrics, will provide in-depth insights into all stages of textile processing. Texprocess, too, continues to grow and also reports outstanding registration figures. Techtextil 2017 was visited by 33,670 trade visitors from 104 countries. In addition, at least another 7,091 such visitors came across from the concurrently held Texprocess.
Changed Exhibition Centre Layout
Because of the building work being undertaken at Messe Frankfurt’s Trade Fair and Exhibition Centre, there will be a slight change to the exhibition layout of Techtextil and Texprocess. Related to this is the fact that there will, for the first time, be a shared hall that includes Techtextil exhibitors with a focus on functional apparel fabrics and exhibitors at Texprocess involved in fabric treatment and finishing. This hall will also house the ‘Digital Textile Micro Factory’, which will showcase a completely integrated and networked production line for apparel, as well as – for the first time – for technical textiles in other applications, too. In this hall, then, visitors will have an insight into the entire production process, from material to finished product.
It is still possible to register for Techtextil and Texprocess.
REINACH, Switzerland — May 16, 2018 — Archroma, a global leader in color and specialty chemicals, has entered a partnership with the House of Denim Foundation (“House of Denim”). Archroma will support House of Denim with a yearly financial contribution to the Foundation’s Denim City and will share its expertise and network with House of Denim.
House of Denim is a non-profit organization that conceives and initiates collaborative projects to make this denim industry cleaner, dryer and smarter, through education, research & innovation, enterprise and networking, under the moto “Towards a Brighter Blue”. House of Denim has established the Denim City in Amsterdam, an innovation campus for the denim industry with facilities such as the Blue Lab, the Academy and the Jean School.
Archroma has made remarked contributions to the denim industry with cutting-edge dyeing technologies and products that bring together creativity, performance and sustainability.
In particular, Archroma today is in the unique and envied position to offer a complete solution package combining eco-advanced colors, auxiliaries and finishes, such as its ADVANCED DENIM, a sulfur dyes based concept allowing massive water and resource savings, used by brands such as Patagonia.
The company also introduced an award-winning, patented range of “biosynthetic” dyes, EarthColors, which are made from waste left over by the agricultural and herbal industry after extraction, such as almond shells, saw palmetto, or rosemary leaves. The gorgeous EarthColors can already be seen in the collections of denim brands such G-Star.
For designers and brands who long for authentic indigo inspiration, Archroma designed Denisol® Indigo 30, a pre-reduced indigo solution manufactured in Archroma’s “zero water discharge” production facility in Pakistan, a GOTS and bluesign® certified option.
With this partnership, Archroma and House of Denim aim to implement safety, health & environmental best practices in the Denim City’s Blue Lab; work together in the activities of the Denim City’s Academy and Jean School, bring new skills and knowledge to the participants, as well as some of Archroma’s exclusive tools such as the Color Atlas color library especially developed for designers.
“We are very excited to become an active contributor and partner of House of Denim,” comments Miguel Sanchez, Head Global Business Development Denim & Casual Wear, at Archroma. “House of Denim and Archroma share the same vision that we can allow denim brands and manufacturers to create denim with a soul: Beautiful, innovative and resource-preserving collections – for denim beyond denim.”
“Collaborations with recognized industry experts, such as Archroma, are crucial if we want to make a real contribution towards making the denim industry cleaner, dryer and smarter,” comments Harm Magis, of House of Denim. “Archroma will bring House of Denim’s participants and designers invaluable expertise on how to create denim excellence with a conscience.”
FRANKFURT AM MAIN, Germany — May 16, 2018 — There is huge demand amongst both German and international exhibitors; manufacturers of textile-processing machinery from 25 countries have already confirmed that they will be attending Texprocess, the leading international trade fair for the processing of textiles and flexible materials (14 to 17 May 2019). That means more companies, more floor space and, in addition, higher levels of international participation compared to an equivalent stage in the run-up to the previous show.
“The dynamism in the sector continues unabated. We could already feel that at the last Texprocess show. For Texprocess 2019, we expect further growth in terms of both exhibitor and visitor numbers. At the same time, we shall be able to see ever more extensively digitalised solutions,” says Olaf Schmidt, Vice President Textiles and Textile Technologies at Messe Frankfurt.
Among the exhibitors that have already signed up are all international market leaders, including Amann, Brother, Dürkopp Adler, Human Solutions, Juki Central Europe, Morgan Tecnica, Pfaff, Tajima, Veit and Vetron. After a period of absence, Lectra and Sunstar will again be represented at Texprocess. Amongst others attending for the first time will be Browzwear Solutions, INL International Technology and Siruba Latin America. China, Japan and Taiwan have all registered national pavilions.
Once again, the exhibitors represent all the stages in the textile-processing chain, from IT-supported design, through cutting, seaming and finishing technologies, to textile-product logistics and recycling. As a result, they are also of relevance, not only to the apparel industry, but also to the leather goods industry, furniture manufacturers and the automotive sector. Particularly strongly represented are exhibitors in the fields of CAD/CAM, Cutting, Making, Trimming (CMT), Sewing, Seaming, and Fixing, as well as those working in Automation and Information Technology. Strong growth is reported, too, in Finishing.
Techtextil, the leading international trade fair for technical textiles and nonwovens (14 to 17 May 2019), is, once again, being held in parallel with Texprocess. Techtextil, too, shows huge demand, with exhibitors from 44 countries currently signed up, also significantly exceeding the registration figures at the same stage in the run-up to the last event. In all, 1,789 exhibitors from 66 countries, together with a total of 47,500 trade and professional visitors attended Texprocess and Techtextil in 2017. Over 13,718 trade visitors came to Texprocess. On top of that, there were some 11,399 visitors who came across from the concurrently held Techtextil.
Changed Exhibition Centre Layout
Because of the building work being undertaken at Messe Frankfurt’s Trade Fair and Exhibition Centre, there will be a slight change to the exhibition layout of Techtextil and Texprocess. Related to this is the fact that there will, for the first time, be a shared hall that includes Techtextil exhibitors with a focus on functional apparel fabrics and exhibitors at Texprocess involved in fabric treatment and finishing. This hall will also house the ‘Digital Textile Micro Factory’, which will showcase a completely integrated and networked production line for apparel, as well as – for the first time – for technical textiles in other applications, too. In this hall, then, visitors will have an insight into the entire production process, from material to finished product.
It is still possible to register for Texprocess and Techtextil.
