STRYKÓW, Poland — November 10, 2017 — LPP and Arvato have officially launched a new Distribution Centre in Stryków, which will significantly accelerate order processing in the area of LPP’s online sales. This investment is consistent with the strategy of further dynamic development both of LPP and Arvato in the e-commerce segment in the upcoming years.

The new Distribution Centre dedicated to LPP is located in the SEGRO Logistics Park in Stryków near Łódź covers the area of 30,000 square meters (m2) — approximately 322,900 square feet — with a possibility of doubling this surface area to a total of 60,000 m2 — 645,800 square feet — within the next 3 years. Its launch will allow 500 new workplaces to be created in the first year of its operation. Shipments will be made from the warehouse to the area of Poland and abroad (to Germany, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Romania, Hungary, the Baltic countries as well as to the UK market).

The New Distribution Centre will be responsible for handling e-commerce brands: Reserved, Mohito, House and Sinsay, which gives a volume of more than ten million shipped product pieces annually. Owing to the convenient location in Central Poland, at the crossing of major motorways, the online order processing time will get significantly shorter, declares Jacek Kujawa, LPP Vice President responsible, among others, for logistics and e-commerce operations in this company.

Arvato SCM Solutions in Poland will be responsible for the Centre’s logistic services, taking care, among others, of the following: storage, assembly and packing, courier shipment, handling of returns and complaints as well as specialist services — re-packing, labelling, foil replacement, quality control — of such product assortment as: clothing, shoes, bags and accessories. Cooperation with an experienced international partner will provide LPP with access to valuable expert knowledge from the area of e-commerce logistics.

“We are glad that only within a few months we have managed to open a new site dedicated to e-commerce services for the customers of LPP, the biggest clothing company in Poland. It is very important for us that LPP company maintains the highest standards of customer service quality in online sales, particularly taking into account the plans of its further dynamic development. We are sure that our cooperation will be satisfying for both parties and that, as a result of our commitment, online order handling will be efficient and meet high customer requirements”, comments Lidia Ratajczak-Kluck, director of Arvato SCM Solutions in Poland, Member of the Management Board of Arvato in Poland .

In the press conference organized to celebrate the opening ceremony of the distribution center, the following guest have taken part: representatives of the Management Board of Arvato SCM Solutions, representatives of the Client LPP S.A., representatives of local authorities such us City of Lodz, City of Zgierz and City of Strykow, as well as representatives of SEGRO company.

Posted November 10, 2017

Source: LPP S.A. and Arvato SCM Solutions

LONDON — October 24, 2017 — Based on its recent analysis of the blue workwear market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Mascot International A/S with the 2017 European Frost & Sullivan Award for Product Leadership. Mascot’s strong emphasis on quality, design, and customer-centric services has earned it the honor of being the blue workwear supplier of choice to companies across Europe.

Acknowledging workers’ preference for clothing that is light, flexible, and comfortable, Mascot has developed blue workwear that weighs 205 grams per square meter with a 50/50 cotton/polyester blend. Its latest offering is a full range of workwear with stretch, named MASCOT® ADVANCED. The trousers in this range are made from a specially developed four-way stretch material that is elastic in all directions, highly durable, has a low weight, is ergonomic, and boasts an integrated pocket design.

Mascot has varied product ranges for specific requirements. The key product ranges include:

• Mascot UNIQUE is one of Europe’s best-selling ranges for craftsmen and industrial users. It is made of sustainable TENCEL® fabric, derived from lyocell, to ensure breathability and moisture wicking properties, in addition to softness and the ability to withstand industrial laundering.
• The award-winning Mascot FREESTYLE range and the Mascot Advanced ranges are available in a variety of styles and customization options, which is attractive to a younger generation of workers.
• The Mascot CROSSOVER range is a range that delivers high customizability to users with an assortment of T-shirts, polo shirts, sweatshirts, and shirts in up to 24 colors.
• The Mascot HARDWEAR range includes the Mascot Adra and Mascot Madrid craftsmen’s trousers. These have stretch panels that offer extended freedom of movement and multiple pockets and belt loops to secure tools and mobile phones.

To guarantee that its blue workwear is very high quality and reliable, Mascot follows stringent guidelines from the initial procurement of raw materials and through the production process. The fabrics are tested for tensile and tear strength, abrasion, shrinkage, appearance, pilling, weight, and color, including the impact of sweat on the color of the workwear. The quality of the fabric is assessed using light-based techniques such as microscopy or infrared technology, which helps the manufacturer easily identify fabrics with defects and effectively address the issues. The majority of Mascot’s workwear is produced at Mascot’s own SA 8000-certified factories in Vietnam and Laos. SA 8000 is a recognized international standard for social responsibility and a documented proof of a safe and secure working environment.

Mascot’s uncompromising attitude to quality is linked to its strategic decision to not only produce and deliver the best workwear, but also the best workwear solutions that makes it easy to find and purchase the right product — both for the distributors and end-users. As one of the early adopters of eCommerce, Mascot has increased its brand visibility and widened its customer base by rolling out strategic initiatives such as the E-Partner and Mascot® SmartStore.

“Mascot’s E-Partner initiative endows small- and mid-size distributors with the infrastructure to set up a webshop, eliminating the need to stock inventory. The E-Partner also empowers end users by including various modes of payment and arranging for pickup at local distributor warehouses,” said Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Sanjana Prabhakar. “Another key eCommerce solution, the is Mascot SmartStore platform,” a web-based ordering system for workwear and personal protective equipment that makes ordering of new workwear quick, easy and error free. “It efficiently manages purchases with an intuitive feature that remembers preferred sizes and provides suggestions based on a buyer’s budget.”

“Mascot has a pan-European presence, is among the top three workwear manufacturers in Scandinavia, Benelux, Alpine, and Ireland, and is the market leader in its home base of Denmark,” noted Sanjana Prabhakar.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has developed a product with innovative features and functionality that is gaining rapid acceptance in the market. The award recognizes the quality of the solution and the customer value enhancements it supports.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

Posted November 9, 2017

Source: Frost & Sullivan

SOUTHFIELD, Mich. — November 9, 2017 — Building upon the successful launch of the Champion® Motorsports Collection at BuyFMGear.com, Federal-Mogul Motorparts has recently expanded its merchandise offerings to include more of its popular brands. Men’s and women’s apparel, hats, drinkware, and accessories for home and garage are now available from MOOG®, Fel-Pro® and Wagner®.

“We know that our brands inspire a great deal of loyalty from DIYers and technicians, so we wanted to give them the chance to show off their brand allegiance by integrating these items into their daily lives,” said Jessica Wynn, global director, digital marketing and strategy, Federal-Mogul Motorparts. “Our brands carry a long, rich history behind their nameplates, and we are excited to be able to share these products with our customers.”

Posted November 9, 2017

Source: Federal-Mogul Motorparts

BOULDER, Colo. — November 9, 2017 —  After various procedural delays related to motions filed by Columbia Sportswear, the United States District Court for the District of Colorado issued a series of orders that will allow the lawsuit filed by Cocona Inc. against Columbia Sportswear and The North Face for violating U.S. Patent No. 8,945,287 B2 to proceed in Colorado. The patent, issued to Cocona Inc. in 2015, teaches a revolutionary method for making a membrane enhanced with active particles. It replaces the inside layer of a hardshell fabric with a functional print. In the outdoor industry, this technology has been incorporated into products with a 2.5 (or two-and-a-half) layer fabric where the third fabric layer is replaced by a print layer. 2.5 layer fabrics are lighter, quieter, more compact and more comfortable than traditional three-layer hardshell fabric, so 2.5-layer material has become increasingly popular in recent years.

The 2.5-layer print technology has been around for decades. However, the traditional print layer reduced moisture vapor transmission, creating a trade-off between membrane protection and membrane performance. The use of Cocona’s patented technology changes the print layer to a truly functional print that eliminates the trade-off, drying out the microclimate and increasing the effective moisture vapor transmission rate while adding protection and dry touch to the membrane.

In November 2016, Cocona filed a lawsuit in the United State District Court for the District of Colorado, asserting the ‘287 Patent against Columbia Sportswear and The North Face (VF Outdoor LLC) for selling products enhanced with active particles in violation of Cocona’s patent rights. Cocona is aggressively pursuing litigation against both companies, and will pursue infringement cases against any other companies that violate the laws that protect Cocona’s intellectual property in the future.

Cocona’s claims of infringement have been thoroughly examined and documented by one of the worlds’ foremost forensic laboratories: Analytical Answers Inc., located in Woburn, Mass..

“Cocona is pleased, of course, that all arguments to separate, transfer, and dismiss failed to persuade the court. We prefer to create mutually beneficial business relationships with partners interested in using our proprietary technology. However, when a company is using our patented technology without permission, Cocona has no choice but to take the matter to a court of law regardless of how powerful their legal departments are.” said Jeff Bowman, CEO. “As a technology company with dozens of issued patents, we fiercely defend our intellectual property against companies that seek to exploit Cocona’s patented technologies without permission.”

Cocona had previously worked with The North Face to help them develop higher performance fabrics containing active particles. In fact, Cocona registered and owned the Flashdry® name and transferred ownership of it to The North Face when they were a customer.

Cocona licenses its proprietary technology to numerous partners throughout the apparel industry, allowing them to create and sell superior, higher-performing products. Customers who legally license this specific functional print technology include Carhartt, First Lite, Trek, Mavic, Ride, Sun Mountain and Rip Curl among others.

Posted November 9, 2017

Source: Cocona Inc.