VF Corp., NC State Announce A Strategic, Multi-Year Partnership

RALEIGH, N.C. — January 11, 2018 — VF Corp. and North Carolina State University (NC State) today announced a collaborative, strategic partnership that will support student development at NC State and advance apparel and textiles innovation within VF.

“VF is proud to partner with NC State University, one of the world’s top universities and home to the only college in the United States devoted entirely to textiles,” said Steve Rendle, chairman, president and CEO, VF. “Through our shared expertise in research and consumer insights, we aim to stimulate apparel innovation while also developing a consistent pipeline of exceptional leaders for our company.”

The College of Textiles and VF have a long-standing relationship. Under this new multi-year agreement, the partnership is further strengthened by NC State’s Poole College of Management, which brings particular expertise in business analytics and supply chain management. The new partnership adds structure to existing collaborations and creates new opportunities for students in both Colleges. The partnership will:

  • Offer a variety of undergraduate and graduate education and training activities for students within the Colleges, including internships, student projects and competitions;
  • Facilitate industry-leading research that will elevate apparel and textile products and experiences;
  • Provide executive education opportunities for VF associates; and
  • Establish a VF presence on Centennial Campus, NC State’s nationally recognized research campus.

“With many College of Textiles alumni working and thriving at VF, we could not be more pleased to be building on our partnership,” said David Hinks, dean at the College of Textiles. “The addition of VF on campus and the ability of students and faculty from both the College of Textiles and Poole College of Management to work shoulder-to-shoulder with VF personnel will bring new avenues to advance textiles, apparel and footwear.”

“Together with the College of Textiles, we are uniquely positioned to partner with a market leader like VF to expand professional development and research in the world of textiles,” said Annette L. Ranft, dean and Stephen P. Zelnak Jr. Chair at Poole College. “We are also excited about the potential of this partnership to bring meaningful experiences to NC State students.”

“VF’s presence on Centennial Campus will create a collaboration space where students, faculty and VF employees can come together to solve challenges and accelerate innovation,” said Dennis Kekas, associate vice chancellor of partnerships and economic development at NC State.

Today’s announcement begins a long-term engagement between VF and NC State, with more initiatives to be announced.

Posted January 11, 2018

Source: NC State University

Beaulieu Yarns Introduces EqoBalance®, The First Biomass-Balance Polyamide Yarns For Carpets

WIELSBEKE, Belgium — January 11, 2018 — Beaulieu Yarns now offers sustainable versions of all its polyamide (PA6) yarns for carpets for residential and commercial use, including automotive. The EqoBalance® family of “biomass-balance” yarns is being launched at Domotex 2018, held January 12-15 in Hannover, Germany. Beaulieu Yarns is on Stand B56 in Hall 11.

A first for the carpet industry, new EqoBalance PA6 yarns follow the biomass balance approach, which ensures that at the very start of the supply chain, natural renewable raw materials can partially or even completely replace fossil resources in the production of polymers processed into yarns. By choosing these yarns, carpet tufters can contribute to a sustainable future through less use of fossil resources and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.

The sustainable yarns from Beaulieu Yarns are conform the TÜV SÜD certification standard CMS 71 “Certification of the use of renewable resources”, which confirms the saving in fossil resources. The potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as a result of the replacement of fossil use is calculated in a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). EqoBalance yarns hereby allow a reduction of up to 75 percent of CO2 eq/kg compared to our fossil based yarns.

EqoBalance yarns do not compromise on either quality or performance, as their formulation remains identical to their fossil-based equivalents. Since they are a drop-in alternative solution, tufters need to make no alterations to their manufacturing processes or final products. Beaulieu Yarns offers a wide variety of PA6 yarns for use in carpet tiles, carpet planks and broadloom carpets for commercial offices, hospitality & leisure, education & healthcare premises, automotive, and residential.

Karena Cancilleri, vice president of Engineered Products, Beaulieu International Group, commented: “Carpet tufters are requesting more environmentally-compatible yarns to support their overall commitment to greater sustainability and more efficient resource use. We see biomass balance as the fastest path forward and, through EqoBalance, are excited to pioneer this milestone for the contract market as part of our long-term strategy to give customers a fundamental new choice to step into sustainable products and contribute to a better world.”

Biomass balance in practice

The principle of biomass balance in production of yarns is comparable to that of green electricity. The basic idea involves using renewable resources such as biogas or bio-naphtha, together with fossil resources, in production of the polyamide. The share of biobased resources is then arithmetically assigned to certain products using a method certified by the TÜV SÜD technical control board. Product characteristics are absolutely identical to those of the fossil-based equivalent.

Posted January 11, 2018

Source: Beaulieu International Group

DuPont Industrial Biosciences And Wools Of New Zealand Announce Materials Collaboration

WILMINGTON, Del. — January 11, 2018 — DuPont Industrial Biosciences (DuPont) is proud to announce a collaboration with Wools of New Zealand (WoNZ) to create a new platform of yarns for home textiles that will offer enduring performance characteristics with a more sustainable, eco-friendly profile.

Bringing together source traceability and patented technology from WoNZ with DuPont’s expertise in bio-sustainable, high-performance materials inspired this collaboration of expertise and products, scheduled for release in 2018.

“Wools of New Zealand is truly a leader in responsible wool supply,” said DuPont™ Sorona® Global Segment Leader John Sagrati. “This level of care, along with their devotion to innovation and quality control is exactly what we at DuPont seek in partners. They occupy a premium position in their market and have a proven track record of performance and sustainability with the unique capability to deliver consistent, tailored fibers.”

“We are genuinely excited to partner with DuPont Industrial Biosciences, a business that has been able to bring biomaterials to market on a commercial-scale,” said WoNZ Chief Executive Rosstan Mazey. “Like us, DuPont is committed to delivering added value innovation without compromising the planet or its inhabitants. The combined resources and know-how in order to create this exciting, brand-new yarn is a perfect fit with our mission to change the game through innovation and to connect the people who grow our fiber with the end consumer.”

DuPont’s industry-leading excellence in the biomaterials industry has received a number of accolades over the past year, including the Platts Global Energy “Breakthrough Solution of the Year” award for a partnership with ADM on a novel process to produce FDME from fructose; Frost & Sullivan’s award for 2017 European Company of the Year Award for bio-based materials; and, most recently, PLASTICS’ 2017 Innovation in Bioplastics Award.

Posted January 11, 2018

Source: DuPont Industrial Biosciences

Cotton Egypt Association Unveils New ‘Be Human’ Brand For Egyptian Cotton™ 

GIZA, Egypt — January 11, 2018 — Cotton Egypt Association has unveiled a new brand identity and digital platform to re-enforce Egyptian Cotton™ as the finest cotton in the world.

The fresh, modern look, revealed at Heimtextil, in Frankfurt, this week, is designed to convey the superior quality and natural beauty of Egyptian Cotton while engaging consumers, retailers and manufacturers with its heritage and values.

Developed with United Kingdom-based brand specialists Salesworxs, the new platform places the consumer at the centre of the Egyptian Cotton experience, with a strong emphasis on how the luxury hand-picked fabric feels against the skin.

Khaled Schuman, executive director of CEA, said: “We believe that everybody should experience the luxuriously soft touch of Egyptian Cotton. We want people of all ages, worldwide, to seek out its strength, softness and durability. It’s all about the personal human touch.

“Our sales & marketing partner Salesworxs created a powerful brand identity which reflects the brand’s heritage whilst educating our audience as to our core values.”

Salesworxs Managing Director Richard Newman said: “It’s a privilege working with Cotton Egypt Association on a global project to reinforce Egyptian Cotton as the finest cotton in the world, and to bring the brand up to date with a relevant story.

“We know that a brand is a story that is always being told, it’s what people say about you when you’re not around. Egyptian Cotton is without question the world’s finest cotton, our job is to ensure our global audience recognise this when making purchasing decisions on relevant products such as home textiles and clothing.”

The rebrand is designed to increase consumer demand and retailer confidence and will support the CEA’s drive to rid the supply chain of falsely labelled Egyptian Cotton goods.

Posted January 11, 2018

Source: Cotton Egypt Association

EFI Launches Fiery Textile Bundle To Deliver Superior Quality And Streamline Reggiani Textile Printing Workflows

FREMONT, Calif. — January 11, 2018 — Businesses looking to grow with digital industrial textile production for apparel and décor can advance their operations with the new EFI™ Fiery® Textile Bundle — a set of design and production workflow innovations from Electronics For Imaging Inc. The bundle — used with EFI Reggiani digital inkjet printers — includes new Fiery DesignPro Adobe® Illustrator® and Photoshop® plug-ins to create professional textile designs efficiently, and the newest Fiery proServer digital front end (DFE) for high quality textile production.

With the launch of Fiery DesignPro, EFI provides the ability to accurately match colors to the printed result, share color palettes across the design team in real time, design professional repeat patterns and create multiple colorways from one design. The plug-ins work as part of designers’ familiar environment within Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, resulting in reduced learning curves and shorter design time.

The bundle also includes the new version 6.5 of the EFI Fiery proServer DFE, an advanced offering for wide- and superwide-format inkjet printers that brings superior EFI Fiery performance and color technology to the EFI Reggiani family of industrial textile printers. Used by major textile brands for sampling, Fiery proServer provides color consistency in the production workflow with color profiles that can be used across the design and production process.

“The Fiery Textile Bundle brings valuable new tools to further automate and streamline the design and prep process for EFI Reggiani customers looking to stay on the leading edge of innovation,” said EFI Reggiani Vice President and General Manager Adele Genoni. “Now, with this bundle, including the newest Fiery proServer, Reggiani customers get the proven, high-end advantages Fiery technology offers so they can be more efficient, more productive and more profitable.”

Quality, productivity and usability

Version 6.5 of the Fiery proServer includes textile-specific capabilities such as support for multiple ink types and color technology to ensure the highest print quality with saturated black, fine details and smooth gradients. Superior halftoning technology keeps pastels and light tones clean, and reduces graininess in highlights and large solid areas. The new version supports digital production operations in both direct-to-textile and transfer printing, plus it provides the production tools to handle step and repeat, changes in fabric dimensions during production, and brand color accuracy.

The Fiery Textile Bundle was introduced at the recent ShanghaiTex tradeshow in China. The new products are part of a comprehensive EFI ecosystem that includes EFI Optitex 2D/3D design software, and EFI Reggiani digital printers such as the new Reggiani VOGUE direct-to-textile printer, which also made its debut at ShanghaiTex.

Posted January 11, 2018

Source: EFI

Starlinger’s rPET PP*STAR: A Real World Star

VIENNA, Austria — January 11, 2017 — For many years, the PP*STAR, a pinch bottom bag produced on Starlinger machinery, has been known as a robust and attractive packaging solution for products such as dry pet food, fertilizer, sugar, flour, or rice. Since early 2017, the PP*STAR can be manufactured directly from PET bottle flakes, turning it into the rPET PP*STAR. This sustainable concept has recently been awarded two prizes.

A pinch bottom bag made of woven tape fabric is currently making headlines. It turns out that the rPET PP*STAR, which has been designed for dry bulk goods, is a real world star. At national level, it was first awarded the national Green Packaging Star Award in September 2017. At the international level, the rPET PP*STAR is among the winners of the prestigious international WorldStar Award in the category “Packaging Materials and Components” and on the shortlist for the Sustainability Award. The WorldStar award ceremony will take place on May 2, 2018 in Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. Bag manufacturing in a fully closed loop: This is the concept that impressed the jury. While other types of packaging are made from recyclable virgin material, the rPET PP*STAR already consists of 100 % recycled material. To be more precise, the bag is made from rPET bottle flakes, without the use of virgin material. Used bottles are turned into bags that are in turn recyclable: a maximum of waste reduction!

This point is also emphasized by Stéphane Soudais, Head of Consumer Bags at Starlinger: “Whereas others only talk about the theoretical recyclability of their product, our product is actually made from recycled material. We are proud that our efforts for an environmentally friendly and cost-efficient bag production are rewarded with such prestigious awards.”
The recycling in a closed loop is favored by the use of the plastic PET. Through a process known as polycondensation, the original properties of the material can be restored, meaning that a bag can theoretically be recycled indefinitely. The quality of the material remains the same, and with it the proven break resistance and the bag’s suitability for use in food contact.

Well in advance of receiving any prizes, the PP*STAR was known as distinctly environmentally friendly, given that it is a real lightweight. While a 3-layer paper bag for 50 kg fertilizer weighs about 140-160 g, the weight of a one-layer rPET PP*STAR is a mere 117 g. And that does not only save material, but also transport cost and carbon dioxide because a great number of unfilled bags can be transported on one pallet.

An environmentally friendly, recycled and recyclable packaging: the rPET PP*STAR has the whole package!

PP*STAR® is a registered trademark. PP*STAR® bags are manufactured exclusively on Starlinger machinery.

Posted January 11, 2018

Source: Starlinger

SEAMS Announces 2018 Board Of Directors

WAKE FOREST, N.C. — January 10, 2018 — SEAMS, the National Association and voice for the U.S. Sewn Products Industry for more than 50 years, announced today the SEAMS membership election of four new Officers to serve on its executive board. SEAMS also announced six Manufacturer/Contractor Directors and three Specialty Directors.

“SEAMS 2018 Board of Directors reflects our dedication to promoting sound economic growth for our members and leading the resurgence of “Made in America” on the world stage,” said Matt Poovey, newly elected President of SEAMS. “Our board includes leaders from some of America’s foremost brands, manufacturers and suppliers in the sewn products industry. These top executives will serve our membership well through progressive and timely educational programs, dissemination of information on government regulations/legislation impacting the industry, and adding increased value to control costs and achieve business improvements that were never available before in the U.S.”

Four Executive Directors were confirmed by a member vote to a two-year term on the board:

  • President – Matt Poovey, Champion Thread Co.;
  • Vice President – Jeoff Bodenhorst Jr, Lebanon Apparel Corp.;
  • Secretary/Treasurer – Patrick Hickey, Minnesota Knitting Mills; and
  • Ex-Officio Officer – Jeremy Wootten, HomTex Inc.

One Education Director serving a three-year term by appointment:

  • Geoff Senko, MMI Textiles.

Two Supplier Directors serving a three-year term by appointment:

  • Cameron Hamrick, Hamrick Mills; and
  • Ron Roach, Contempora Fabrics.

Six Manufacturing/Contractor Directors serving a one-year term by appointment:

  • Gloria Barbee, Grand Forest Inc.;
  • Jackson Burnett, Vapor Apparel;
  • Tim Shirley, Mt. Vernon Mills;
  • Wayne Wilson, Prime Medical;
  • Chris Marsh, Hemmingway Apparel Mfg.; and
  • Dennis Jackson, Venus Group.

Posted January 10, 2018

Source: SEAMS

NGC Software Named A Leader In 25 Categories In The 2017 RIS Software Leaderboard

MIAMI — January 10, 2018 — NGC® Software, a provider of cloud-based Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and Supply Chain Management (SCM) applications, today announced that it was named a leader in 25 categories in the 2017 RIS Software LeaderBoard.

The RIS Software LeaderBoard ranks technology vendors based on customer satisfaction surveys across a wide range of criteria, serving as an objective guide to help retailers find the vendors and solutions they need. It is widely recognized as one of the retail industry’s most authoritative rankings of retail technology software vendors.

NGC was named a leader in 25 software categories, placing NGC in an elite group of leading retail software providers. NGC earned high rankings in Overall Customer Satisfaction, Technology Innovation, Customer Support and Service, Overall Performance, Total Cost of Operation, Return on Investment, Software Reliability, and Ease of Administration and Maintenance. NGC was also named a top Apparel Vendor in Customer Satisfaction.

2017 marks the sixth consecutive year that NGC has appeared in the LeaderBoard, underscoring the company’s continued focus on customer satisfaction, technical superiority, and support.

“The RIS Software LeaderBoard puts software vendors through a very rigorous evaluation process, and it’s a mark of excellence for a software vendor to receive high scores year after year,” said Joe Skorupa, editorial director, RIS News. “NGC is to be congratulated for another strong showing in the 2017 RIS Software LeaderBoard.”

“NGC is proud to receive this level of validation from our end-user customers,” said Mark Burstein, president, NGC Software. “This is a reflection of the tremendous investments that NGC has made in our technology with the Andromeda™ Cloud Platform, as well as customer service and support.”

Posted January 10, 2018

Source: NGC® Software

Blue Sage Invests In Americo Manufacturing Company

AUSTIN, Texas, — January 10, 2018 — Blue Sage Capital, an Austin, Texas-based private investment firm, is pleased to announce its recently completed majority investment in Americo Manufacturing Co. Headquartered in Acworth, Ga., with additional facilities in Cartersville, Ga., and Los Angeles, Calif., Americo is a globally-recognized, leading manufacturer of floor maintenance pads as well as one of the top manufacturers of commercial and retail floor matting products in the U.S. Americo produces a diverse range of high-loft, nonwoven products, which include floor maintenance pads as well as specialty fabrics used in a variety of industries. Aside from nonwovens, Americo also designs and manufactures a complete line of vinyl-backed, walk-off floor mats for use in industrial, promotional, retail, custom and specialty market applications.

Americo’s CEO, Lenny Shutzberg, commented, “We are delighted to be partnering with Blue Sage as we continue to grow our business from the solid foundation established nearly 50 years ago. Blue Sage’s expertise of investing in family-owned businesses, along with their vast strategic and financial resources, will provide us the ability to significantly increase the growth trajectory for our company.”

Americo’s products are currently sold in all 50 states and in over 70 countries around the world.

Jim McBride, cofounder and managing member of Blue Sage, stated, “Americo is the quintessential investment for Blue Sage Capital. We look for partnerships with market-leading, family-owned and managed businesses, which have demonstrated a long-term defensible competitive advantage and established significant barriers of entry in their respective industries. Americo has a proven business model and an extremely capable management team. Highlighted by the receipt of the only Green Seal Certification issued to any floor pad manufacturer in the world, the Company continues to demonstrate innovative leadership in the cleaning industry. We are excited about our new partnership with Americo and look forward to working with their entire management team.”

Posted January 10, 2018

Source: Blue Sage Capital

Gerber To Highlight Tools To Improve Speed To Market And Online Conversion At NRF Retail’s BIG Show

TOLLAND, Conn., — January 10, 2018 — Buzz words of improved quality, shortened cycle times, greater visibility and better online conversions will come to life at Gerber Technology’s booth at NRF 2018 Retail’s Big Show. Gerber will present its integrated Digital Solutions to help companies embrace the future of fashion, showing how digitalization can improve design, development, sourcing, corporate social responsibility and the overall consumer experience.

“We have been working diligently on digital integration and advances in our YuniquePLM®, AccuMark® and our AccuMark 3D software to address our customers’ need for speed,” said Karsten Newbury, senior vice president and general manager of software solutions group. “The enhancements over the last year, along with strategic partnerships with companies like Avametric to improve our fabric simulation and enable consumer facing virtual try-on, have allowed us to leap our competition.”

Highlights inside the booth include:

  • Decrease time to market – see how digitally integrating your design and supply chain management process ensures your business addresses the need for speed. Convert “data to speed” and shift from today’s model of planning to the future of purchase activated manufacturing.
  • Cut sample costs by up to 50 percent – see the investments made to advance the industry leading AccuMark 3D software to help customers address the production of samples, making development faster and more efficient.
  • Increase online conversion to reduce returns – see how partnerships with Avametric, the industry leader in fabric simulation and 3D consumer applications, allows the first end-to-end 3D platform to be offered, from design and development to consumer-facing virtual try-on applications.

Posted January 10, 2018

Source: Gerber Technology

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