4M Carbon Fiber Corp. Hires Seasoned Industry Expert As CEO

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — May 1, 2018 — 4M Carbon Fiber Corp. (4M) announced today that Rob Klawonn has joined the Company as CEO to lead the commercialization of their industry-disruptive carbon fiber production technology to manufacture carbon fiber.

Klawonn assumes the role of CEO, succeeding Josh Kimmel, who has held the position for a year. Kimmel will continue to serve as the company’s president and will also be on the corporation’s board of directors. “Rob’s expertise, knowledge, and network in the carbon fiber industry is exactly what 4M needs at this stage to ensure the company maximizes the value of the technology,” said Kimmel.

For the past 10 years, Klawonn has been president of Teijin Carbon America (formerly Toho Tenax America) and since 2015, he has also been president of Diversified Structural Composites, a Teijin subsidiary producing various pultruded components for the Wind Energy and Industrial sectors. He served on the ACMA (American Composites Manufacturers Association) Board of Directors from 2015-2017.

Klawonn reflected: “The past 10 years have been extremely challenging for materials businesses, including carbon fiber. While glass fiber composites are relatively mature, carbon fiber is still an adolescent with a tremendous future. 4M’s plasma oxidation technology will position it to survive and thrive in a competitive landscape of incumbent materials such as steel, aluminum, and glass fiber composites.”

“Our goal is to stand up multiple carbon fiber production lines in the next five years,” said Rodney Grubb, Chairman and Chief Operating Officer of 4M. “With his extensive background and industry experience, Rob will be instrumental in helping us to do that.”

Posted May 1, 2018

Source: 4M Carbon Fiber Corp. (4M)

INDA Annual Report Benchmarks North American Nonwoven Supply And Trade

CARY, NC — May 1, 2018 — INDA, the Association of the Nonwovens Fabrics Industry, is pleased to publish the fifth edition of the annual North American Nonwovens Supply Report for its members. 

Based on extensive research, producer surveys and interviews with industry leaders, the report provides an overall view of North American supply, including the key metrics of capacity, production and operating rates, in addition to regional trade. New in this year’s report is the inclusion of production by end-use markets and regional trade figures in dollar value, in addition to the previously reported tonnage. The 64-page report offers 34 figures and 13 tables.

“This report is the benchmark for North American nonwovens supply information, including not only rolled goods information, but also material produced for internal consumption. It details the industry operating rate; an essential element for our members’ strategic planning and business investment decisions,” said Dave Rousse, INDA President.

The report — and the quarterly INDA Market Pulse and monthly Price Trends Summary — are provided to the 360-plus INDA member companies and associates as part of their membership.

New findings include:

In 2017, North American nonwoven capacity increased to 4.96 million tonnes, a net increase of 2.5% (122 thousand tonnes) over 2016. This growth figure accounts for not only the addition of new lines, but also machine productivity increases and line closures (11 in 2017) to arrive at a net increase growth figure. Through the last five years (2012-2017) an additional 663 thousand tonnes of net capacity have been added to the North American market, with the drylaid forming process accounting for 58% of those tonnes.

North American imports and exports, in tonnage, declined 2.9% and 2.3% respectively year-over-year. However, the trend downward of exports and upward in imports continue, as over the last five years exports have declined 7.9% annually and imports have increased 10.4% annually.  Even with the significant shifts in North American trade dynamics, nonwovens tend to stay where they are produced, with the net trade balance (imports less exports) accounting for only 4.1% of the region’s capacity.

“It is INDA’s objective to provide valuable data and actionable industry information. As always, the increasing participation of nonwoven producers – both members and non-members – providing their insights and results makes our success possible,” said Brad Kalil, Director of Market Research and Statistics, INDA.

Posted May 1, 2018

Source: INDA, the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry

Lands’ End Celebrates The 5th Anniversary Of Its UPF 50 Swim Tee

DODGEVILLE, Wis. — May 1, 2018 — May is Skin Cancer Awareness month. With Lands’ End UPF 50 rated sun protection items such as its Swim Tee, there’s a ray of hope in the battle to protect one’s skin. It has been five years since the five-star customer-rated Lands’ End Swim Tee made its debut as a stylish, sun-savvy must-have. To mark the occasion, Lands’ End is hosting a #LandsEndSunSavvy Swim Tee Sweepstakes, giving away 20 Swim Tees and $1,000 in Lands’ End gift cards during the month of May.

“When you consider the growing statistics about skin cancer, it makes sense for us to design sun savvy solutions for our customers to wear while they are in the sun,” said Chieh Tsai, senior vice president of design, Lands’ End, Inc. “We introduced the legendary women’s Swim Tee five years ago and the original long-sleeve tee has quickly grown into a collection of styles. The tee is a lightweight, easy fitting layer that can be worn in and out of the water that our customers have grown to love not only for functionality, but for style and comfort.”

#LandsEndSunSavvy Swim Tee Sweepstakes on Facebook and Twitter

Beginning on May 1 and each Tuesday through May 29, Lands’ End will share a customer photo in a Swim Tee on Facebook and Twitter while asking a sun savvy question that participants can answer for a chance to win. Lands’ End will randomly select five respondents each week to receive a Swim Tee and a $50 Lands’ End gift card. Winners will be announced the following day for each week with a total of 20 winners and $1,000 in gift cards awarded. Follow and participate in the sweeps at Facebook.com/LandsEnd and Twitter.com/LandsEnd for the chance to win.

Won’t Wash Off: Swim Tee Recommended by The Skin Cancer Foundation 
According to The Skin Cancer Foundation, more people are diagnosed with skin cancer each year in the United States than all other cancers combined. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer by the age of 70.

While sunscreen is a must while in the sun, The Skin Cancer Foundation also recommends the Lands’ End Swim Tee fabric as an effective UV protectant. It provides the same level of protection, whether in the water or on land, that won’t wash off.

Designed with comfort in mind, the lightweight, breathable fabric of the Swim Tee features four-way stretch and moisture wicking properties so it is an easy option to wear by the pool or at a summer party. It is available in solids, stripes, tropical and Mediterranean inspired prints in a host of sizes including regular, petite, long, plus and plus long. Swim Tees and other rash guard styles featuring UPF 50 sun protection are also available for the entire family.

Posted May 1, 2018

Source: Lands’ End

Threadsol To Launch Intellocut V2 For Boosting Topline Of Sri Lankan Apparel Industry

UTTAR PRADESH, India — May 1, 2018 — ThreadSol, the technology leader in material management solutions for the apparel industry has announced the launch of their flagship product IntelloCut, Version 2.0 for Sri Lanka. It will be available for live demonstration at the Apparel Industry Suppliers Exhibition, running from May 8-10 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. ThreadSol’s exhibit will be located at Stall 3, Hall A, of the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall, Colombo.

IntelloCut Version 2.0 is world’s first artificial intelligence based system in the apparel industry that automates fabric planning, tracks fabric usag, improves utilization and helps manufacturers ship more garments in the available fabric resulting in direct topline benefit.

This thriving need of the industry for a credible and intelligent product which reduces the biggest costs in manufacturing: labor and fabric cost. It is very smartly accomplished by intelloCut which uses AI and IoT based Mobility for a dynamic planning solution.

“Advent of diversification in global apparel sourcing has brought renewed focus into skill based manufacturing. This is alongside the requirement from brands for vendors to handle more styles in short lead times. Automation and dynamism is the next stop for the garment manufacturing industry and with version 2 we aim to achieve just that,” added Manasij Ganguli, founder CEO, ThreadSol.

ThreadSol has partnered with the large manufacturers including, Crystal Martin Brandix, MAS, Hirdaramani in SriLanka, HS Fashions, Jiaxing New Rimei, Tomwell in China, Urmi, Bimexco, Fakri, Epic in Bangladesh, PAN Brothers, Metro Group in Indonesia, Luenthai, Saitex, Dewhirst in Vietnam, and many more from these regions. The solutions have helped them boost their topline by up to 1%. Keeping up with the evolving times of technology,

ThreadSol’s outlook is to create innovative solutions powered by AI, Big Data and IoT based Mobility to drive topline and bottomline benefit for the apparel industry. The garment business is extremely competitive, but manufacturers can position themselves for breakthrough profits and improved customer service by focusing on managing material cost.

Posted May 1, 2018

Source: ThreadSol

Americhem Engineered Compounds To Showcase Durable Compounds For Outdoor Applications At NPE2018

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — May 1, 2018 — Americhem — a designer and manufacturer ­­of custom color masterbatch, functional additives, engineered compounds and performance technologies — has expanded its portfolio of durable compounds for outdoor applications. These solutions answer a demand in the injection-molding community for materials that are less viscous and flow easily to fill larger, thinner-walled parts while still providing visual appeal. A collection of these products will be on display at Americhem’s Booth S17031 at NPE2018, taking place from May 7-11 in Orlando, Florida.

Comprised of materials including Nylon, ASA, PC/PBT, PMMA, modified PA and modified PE, Americhem’s durable compounds for outdoor applications include:

The Surlyn Reflection Series® thermoplastic alloys, featuring a high-gloss resin that enables manufacturing of tough, durable parts that require no painting and have excellent appearance

Proprietary ColorFast® engineered resin products, which are comprised of a variety of polymers and copolymers that provide visual appeal and advanced impact strength even at low temperatures

Americhem’s durable compounds for outdoor applications are designed to provide ideal large part molding capabilities, longer flow length in injection-molded applications, weatherability, scratch and chemical resistance, UV stability, mold-in-color visual appeal, and overall toughness. Finished parts maintain superior low-temperature impact strength and resist breakage when exposed to extreme low-temperature conditions. Products in this family also have lower specific gravity, resulting in more parts made per pound, products that weigh less than competing materials and savings throughout the supply chain.

“Whether you’re designing parts for automotive, marine, power sports or other outdoor applications, our durable outdoor compounds offer high-gloss, Class A part appearance, injection-molding or extrusion process flexibility and outstanding physical properties for long-lasting performance in your application,” said Don Hone, business manager, Americhem.

These durable compounds are available globally with no minimum order quantity restrictions and short lead times, are available in a wide variety of custom colors (both opaque and transparent), and can be custom formulated to meet all brand owners’ requirements.

Surlyn Reflection Series is a registered trademark of E.I. duPont de Nemours and Co. and is used under license by LTL Color Compounders LLC.

Posted May 1, 2018

Source: Americhem

Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Granted Long Sought License For Business Operations In Vietnam; Prepares For Grand Opening

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — May 1, 2018 — Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Inc., a developer of spider silk based fibers, is very happy to announce today the positive result of its five years of working with the Vietnamese government at both the central and provincial levels: The company has been issued its long awaited Enterprise Registration Certificate (ERC) required to begin its operations in Vietnam.

“These licenses to operate in a traditional silk producing region are the most substantial milestones for Kraig labs commercial development since the creation of our first spider silk transgenics,” said Kraig Labs Founder and CEO Kim Thompson.  “Our teams in the U.S.A. and in Vietnam have been working closely with officials in Quang Nam province and with central government ministries to bring this long standing vision to reality.”

The company’s advanced silk production platform was designed specifically to fit within and utilize existing silk industry infrastructure. The company’s systems were designed that way in order to provide what the company believes to be a significant and nearly insurmountable competitive advantage. “Our work to obtain these approvals has been driven by our goal of producing recombinant spider silk on a large scale, which can only be achieved by harnessing the opportunities presented by existing large scale silk production infrastructure,” stated Thompson.

The company has already proven through its contract with the U.S. Army that its spider silk technology can be scaled quickly and efficiently, moving from the laboratories of the University of Notre Dame and into its own research and production facilities. We are now on a path to scale our product to much greater levels by harnessing existing silk production infrastructure with the capacity to match the demand for our spider silk materials.

“Today’s announcement is more than just a major milestone for the company, it’s a revolutionary step in the commercialization of spider silk,” said Jon Rice, Kraig Labs’ COO.  “More than five years of hard work, meetings, and extensive legal and regulatory paperwork, have gone into securing these approvals and licenses. We now stand ready to change an entire industry.”

“This is a historic moment for Kraig Labs and for all of our shareholders who have taken part in this journey with us.  Our shareholders know how much time, effort and resources have been expended to reach this goal and for the company to walk through this exciting threshold,” Thompson concluded.

This announcement follows closely on the heels of last week’s announcement of the formation of the company’s Vietnamese subsidiary Prodigy Textiles Co. Ltd. and the receipt of that subsidiary’s Investment Registration Certificate (IRC). Having been issued both its IRC and with today’s announcement, its Enterprise Registration Certificate (ERC), Prodigy Textiles Co. Ltd is preparing to begin operation. The issuance of these critical licenses mark a major milestone for Kraig Biocraft Laboratories and the commercialization of spider silk.

Kraig views its new wholly owned subsidiary, Prodigy Textiles Co. Ltd, as its spider silk production arm. Vietnam has been the focus of the company’s efforts to launch commercial scale production of recombinant spider silk, due to the country’s existing silk production infrastructure. Kraig estimates that it can produce its recombinant spider silk at prices similar to mundane silk, giving the company a tremendous competitive advantage.

The company is now preparing for the grand opening of its subsidiary operations in Quang Nam province, Vietnam. Management is preparing to hire staff for the new facilities and is prepping the first allotment of transgenic silkworms to ship from its U.S. research headquarters.

Posted May 1, 2018

Source: Kraig Biocraft Laboratories

Bearings Specialists Association (BSA) Presents Motion Industries’ Ellen Holladay With Lifetime Achievement Award

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — April 30, 2018 — Motion Industries — a distributor of industrial maintenance, repair, and operation replacement parts — is pleased to announce that Ellen Holladay, the company’s senior vice president, Chief Information Officer and Operational Excellence Officer, is the 2018 recipient of the Bearings Specialists Association (BSA) Lifetime Achievement Award. The presentation was made at the association’s 2018 Annual Convention April 28-May 1 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort & Spa in Bonita Springs, Fla.

Holladay joined Motion Industries in 1990 as Manager of Systems Planning and has since led the development of Motion’s highly refined supply chain capabilities, including a comprehensive integration platform designed to address the complex requirements associated with business-to-business transactions among North America’s leading manufacturers and suppliers. In addition to CIO responsibilities, Holladay leads the eBusiness and Operational Excellence groups within Motion.

Holladay has been a BSA member since 2000 and immediately stepped into a leadership position the following year as Information Technology & Logistics, Chair. She has continually held a BSA leadership position since, including First Vice President in 2010 and President in 2011. Holladay has continued to support the organization as an active committee chair and has contributed to the annual convention programs by participating in panel discussions and presenting reports.

According to the BSA, a recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award must have been a member or participating manufacturer of BSA for at least 25 years, attended BSA events, been actively involved in the affairs of the association and demonstrated a leadership role within the industry.

Posted April 30, 2018

Source: Motion Industries

Texprocess Americas 2018 Exhibitor Preview: Champion Thread

GASTONIA, N.C. — May 1, 2018 — Champion Thread Company — a producer and provider of industrial sewing threads, engineered yarns, narrow fabrics, product packaging and identification solutions — will exhibit its latest innovations at the Texprocess Americas 2018 trade show on May 22-24 in Atlanta. Located within the largest-ever Supply Chain USA Pavilion in Booth #1606, the company will feature several new and most popular products, sponsor a special evening industry event, and hold an in-booth promotion to welcome its customers and visitors.

“Based on our record setting results at the last show, we are anticipating another robust event this year,” explained CTC President Matt Poovey. “We are ready to welcome a broad range of domestic brands and manufacturers, as well as those from across Latin America and other textile producing regions. Our many existing clients will be pleased to discover the new and updated products that we will have on display. We invite all attendees to visit our booth to learn how we can help solve their toughest thread, production, and supply chain challenges.”

Among the products that CTC will feature at Texprocess Americas 2018 is the new Champion SoftStitch™ ultra-soft thread. This specialty purpose thread is designed to meet the requirements of stretch garments that are worn close to the skin and require extreme seam elasticity. Champion Poly ChampCore™ is a very popular staple polyester-wrapped thread that is ideal where high seam strength and high sewing productivity is required. The company will also have industry experts on hand to advise clients on the growing demand for high quality sewing threads for automated stitching applications.

CTC is elevating its visitor experience for 2018 by sponsoring the SEAMS Gala Event on the evening of May 23 and offering all booth visitors the chance to enter a drawing for a high-end YETI cooler.

Posted April 30, 2018

Source: Champion Thread

“Fashion Goes Digital” Takes The Lead In Fashion Technology

PARIS — April 30, 2018 — Lectra, the technological partner for companies using fabrics and leather, put theory into practice at its recent fashion event by unveiling its latest 4.0 Cutting Room to more than 100 privileged industry professionals. “Fashion Goes Digital” drew industry stakeholders and market experts from 20 countries, who gathered at Lectra’s International Advanced Technology Center (IATC) in Bordeaux-Cestas, France, to examine the real-life application of digitalization in fashion.

While the topic of digitalization served as a backdrop for the
 event, there was a recurring theme at the forefront: fashion companies need Industry 4.0 technology and support in order to be more precise in meeting the evolving needs of their digitally savvy consumers. Nick Chiarelli, Client Partner of Foresight Factory, shed light on new business opportunities for fashion, Nora Kühner, founder of Nora Kühner Fashion Design Consulting, used her designer perspective to decode the digital future of product development, and Fabrizio Fantini, founder of Evo Pricing, showed participants how machine learning could help fashion companies predict consumer demand and avoid waste. “While speaking about the future challenges and trends in fashion and luxury, the trend now is to use analytics to drive the entire production process,” highlighted Stephen Taylor, principal director of Kurt Salmon.

Waruna Tennakoon, general manager of Group Cutting, Brandix, and Ajith Perera, general manager of Mathliya Plant, MAS Kreeda, also shared their Lectra customer experience. Based in Sri Lanka, both companies have established themselves as the country’s largest apparel exporters, with Brandix specializing in producing intimate and activewear, and MAS Kreeda in sportswear. “Thanks to the digital revolution, consumers are now more specific in their demands. This will cause a shift in mass manufacturing where there will be smaller-volume orders coming in at a faster rate. As a result, manufacturing models have to be more agile in the immediate future,” explained Ajith Perera, “I am happy to see that Lectra is already spearheading this change by providing us with the necessary technology to help us meet market demand.”

There was no better time to put digitalization into context than during “Fashion Goes Digital”. VIP guests got a sneak preview of the brand new, fully automated cutting room solution for fashion and apparel. Lectra’s Cutting Room 4.0 is an embodiment of Lectra’s commitment to empowering its customers with the best solutions to thrive in this new digital era. This avant-garde technology leverages industry 4.0 principles to provide greater agility, throughput, cost efficiency and in particular scalability in order to respond seamlessly to small batches orders and shorter lead times.

Jean-Yves Collet, CEO of Treize Roches Couture, a high-end French womenswear manufacturer, provided a testimonial on why his company chose to be one of the first to adopt this new solution. He explained how Lectra’s latest technology would help Treize Roches speed up their artisanal production process to bring products faster to market. “When we discussed the possibility of a made-to-order production project, we could really foresee the benefits both in terms of quality and productivity. Industry 4.0 solutions do not yet exist in garment manufacturing. This is why we have decided to develop an Industry 4.0 cutting room. This will allow us, in the preparatory stages to automate the processes as much as possible and improve quality, productivity and training time.”

“We have unveiled our strategy last year where we have identified Industry 4.0 and digitalization as our key drivers. Our goal for this event is to show that we are, indeed, living and breathing Industry 4.0 and we do have what it takes to help our customers succeed in this era. Our latest cutting room 4.0 shows that we are not just talking about the future of fashion anymore, we are living in it right now as we speak,” concluded Céline Choussy Bedouet, chief marketing and communications officer, Lectra.

Posted April 30, 2018

Source: Lectra

Lenzing And Country Road Make It Easy To Feel Good About Fashion

NEW YORK CITY —  April 30, 2018 — The Lenzing Group is pleased to announce a collaboration with Country Road, an iconic Australian lifestyle brand. Under the collaboration Country Road will be the first major Australian retailer to introduce denim garments made from TENCEL™ Lyocell fibers with Lenzing’s innovative REFIBRA™ technology.

Feel Good Innovation

Country Road’s top selling Sateen Jean is now made from Tencel Lyocell using Refibra technology by Lenzing.  The fabrication created by Spanish mill Tejidos Royo is smooth and gentle on the skin, while being strong and durable for everyday wear.

Says Darren Todd, managing director, Country Road; “We actively look to partner with manufacturers who are driving innovation in this space. Lenzing continues to demonstrate how we can reduce our ecological footprint and reassess waste as a resource.”

The Sateen Jean will be available online and at 80 store locations across Australia and New Zealand.

Sustainable Partnerships

“Our partnership with Country Road is a key milestone to the development of the newly launched Tencel Lyocell fibers using Refibra technology, as well as a major step forward in sustainable fashion,” said Tricia Carey, global business development director of Denim, Lenzing Group. “While retail brands pay more attention to supply chain transparency, about choosing high quality products made with sustainable materials and green production process. Guided by the Tencel brand promise of ‘Feels so right’, we will continue to innovate and identify ways to reduce the fashion industry’s ecological footprint while ensuring natural comfort. Refibra technology marks another step forward in our journey, and we’re grateful to work alongside Country Road to bring high quality and sustainable denim products to the market.”

A testament to Lenzing’s commitment to driving sustainability, Refibra technology transforms a supplemental proportion of cotton scraps collected from garment production and wood pulp from responsibly managed forests into new virgin Tencel Lyocell fibers. The fibers are produced via a closed-loop production process using bioenergy and can be used for fabric and garment production. Denim garments made with Refibra technology are smooth and gentle on skin, yet versatile, strong and durable for everyday wear. Tencel Lyocell fibers produced by Refibra technology recently achieved the Recycled Claim Standard, which certifies that production processes in its entire supply chain having undergone proper steps to ensure integrity of the final product.

Posted April 30, 2018

Source: The Lenzing Group

1...1,3751,3761,377...2,520Page 1,376 of 2,520

Sponsors

Breaking News

Load more

Digital Issue

2025 Quarterly Issue Number II

View Latest Digital Issue

FEATURED ARTICLES

© Copyright 2017 Textile Industries Media Group, LLC.