RICHMOND, Va. — June 5, 2017 — For any stage curtain company, landing a job for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Any follow-up project goes down as an honorary mark of achievement. In May 2017, Richmond, Va.-based LuXout Stage Curtains was bestowed with such an honor, when the company was contracted to produce 23 curtains for a $125-million renovation.

“It’s rare that we get to work on any venue more than once, due to the longevity of our stage curtains,” says Tony Lovette, LuXout’s president. “In this case, we previously provided expert cleaning services. To step foot into the Kennedy Center once is an honor. Twice is a testament to the expertise of our employees.”

In 2010, while replacing the center’s 60-ft.-tall windows, Davis Construction Corp. called on LuXout to provide expert cleaning services for draperies—a project so grand in scale that any minor misstep could have been catastrophic. Following a flawless performance, in 2017, the company was awarded an “encore,” this time manufacturing acoustic curtains. The company’s curtains are part of a revamping that adds increased flexibility of spaces, facilitating collaboration among artists and audiences. Comprised of multiple layers of hand-selected fabrics and produced from a unique combination of materials, the up to 24-ft.-tall and 66-ft.-wide, highly durable curtain panels will add world-class acoustic control for decades to come. Meanwhile, concealed track systems placed inside of decorative piping and a uniquely reflective textured curtain add to the center’s aesthetics.

Lovette admits that the Kennedy Center will no doubt receive LuXout’s royal treatment, but he also says that his company provides the same quality nationwide to everything from elementary schools to local theaters.

“Yes, it’s the Kennedy Center,” says Ned Dunford, the salesperson who landed the project. “But this is also just how we do business.”

Posted June 5, 2017

Source: LuXout Stage Curtains

ATLANTA — June 5, 2017 — Interface was recognized for the 20th consecutive year in GlobeScan and SustainAbility’s annual Sustainability Leaders Survey. Earning third place in the 20th anniversary of the survey, Interface is the only company to appear on the list each year since the study began in 1997. Additionally, Interface has held its place in the top four amidst an evolving set of companies represented in the report since 1998.

“This year’s survey respondents used words like ‘visionary,’ ‘pioneer,’ and ‘change agent’ to describe Interface and its sustainability efforts. We’ve tracked the trends in this space now for two decades; Interface is unique for evolving its own approach to drive industry and the practice of sustainability forward,” stated GlobeScan Director Eric Whan. “With Interface’s bold new Climate Take Back mission to address global warming, the company is demonstrating how integrated sustainability strategy and vision, innovation, and transparency can and will define leading organizations over the next 10 years.”

Since 1997, the Sustainability Leaders Survey has tracked expert opinions on corporate sustainability, along with views about organizations leading the movement. It has become one of the most highly respected sustainability surveys and is used to track trends and provide industry insights to leaders in non-government organizations and the public and private sectors.

This year, GlobeScan and SustainAbility asked more than 1,000 experts in 79 countries, unprompted, “what specific companies do you think are leaders in integrating sustainability into their business strategy?” Eleven percent mentioned Interface, making it the third most mentioned company behind Unilever and Patagonia, the companies ranked as first and second, respectively.

Recognition For Climate Take Back Efforts

This year’s respondents ranked leading companies highly in the survey based on perceived vision, goals and brand. Interface specifically was recognized for its long-term commitment to sustainability through its Mission Zero® goal to eliminate any negative environmental impact, and closing the technical loop with ReEntry®, which reclaims and recycles used carpet. Most notably, respondents named Interface’s next 20-year sustainability mission, Climate Take Back™, which aims to address global warming, as reason for recognition as a leader.

Interface continues to strive toward creating a positive impact on the environment, not only through its efforts surrounding Climate Take Back, but also through the continuation of programs such as ReEntry and Net-Works®. Net-Works empowers people in coastal communities in the developing world to collect and sell discarded nylon fishing nets. The program has collected 142 metric tons of waste fishing nets since its 2012 inception, removing harmful waste from the ocean and providing 1,500 families with access to finance.

“It is an honor to be recognized for our sustainability approach by global sustainability experts across a variety of sectors, including academia, corporations, and government,” said Jay Gould, CEO of Interface. “We are building on the leadership of our founder, Ray Anderson, who set a course for Interface more than two decades ago. Though we have made significant progress to achieve our Mission Zero goal, we acknowledge there is still more work to be done. But, we are incredibly optimistic that with the help of industry and our sustainability peers, together we can create a climate fit for life.”

Posted June 5, 2017

Source: Interface

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — June 2, 2017 — Angelica Textile Services Inc.’s laundry facility in Henderson, N.V., is the company’s newest recipient of Hygienically Clean (HC) Healthcare certification, reflecting their commitment to best management practices (BMPs) in laundering as verified by on-site inspection and their capability to produce hygienically clean textiles as quantified by ongoing microbial testing.

The certification confirms Angelica’s dedication to infection prevention, compliance with recognized industry standards and processing healthcare textiles using BMPs as described in its quality assurance documentation, a focal point for Hygienically Clean inspectors’ evaluation. The independent, third-party inspection must also confirm essential evidence that:

• Employees are properly trained and protected
• Managers understand regulatory requirements
• OSHA-compliant
• Physical plant operates effectively

Angelica now has 16 TRSA Hygienically Clean Healthcare certified facilities, which is the most in United States. In addition to the two newest designees, Angelica has secured the certification at various other facilities including Austin, Texas; Batavia, N.Y.; Chicago, Ill.; Colton, Calif.; Columbia, S.C.; Durham, N.C.; Fresno, Calif.; Lorain, Ohio; Memphis and Ooltewah, Tenn.; Phoenix, Ariz.; Pittsburg, Calif.; Rockmart, Ga.; Safety Harbor, Fla.; and Worcester, Mass. Angelica is in the process of certifying its remaining facilities by the end of 2017.

Certified facilities pass three rounds of outcome-based microbial testing, indicating that their processes are producing Hygienically Clean Healthcare textiles and zero presence of yeast, mold and harmful bacteria. To maintain their certification, laundry plants must pass quarterly testing to ensure that as laundry conditions change, such as water quality, textile fabric composition and wash chemistry, laundered product quality is consistently maintained.

This process eliminates subjectivity by focusing on outcomes and results that verify textiles cleaned in these facilities meet appropriate hygienically clean standards and BMPs for hospitals, surgery centers, medical offices, nursing homes and other medical facilities.

Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification acknowledges laundries’ effectiveness in protecting healthcare operations through testing and inspections that scrutinize quality control procedures in textile services operations related to the handling of textiles containing blood and other potentially infectious materials.

Certified laundries use processes, chemicals and BMPs acknowledged by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, American National Standards Institute and others. Introduced in 2012, Hygienically Clean Healthcare brought to North America the international cleanliness standards for healthcare linens and garments used worldwide by the Certification Association for Professional Textile Services and the European Committee for Standardization.

Objective experts in epidemiology, infection control, nursing and other healthcare professions work with Hygienically Clean launderers to ensure the certification continues to enforce the highest standards for producing clean healthcare textiles.

“Congratulations to Angelica on their certifications,” said Joseph Ricci, TRSA president and CEO. “This achievement proves their ongoing commitment to infection prevention and that their laundry facilities take every step possible to prevent human illness.”

Posted June 2, 2017

Source: TRSA

LOWELL, Mass. — May 31, 2017 — Today the Baker-Polito Administration announced awards totaling $11.3 million to UMass Lowell to fund the creation of future technologies that will revolutionize the way fabrics are made and reinvent the textile industry in Lowell.

A $10 million grant will allow UMass Lowell to create a new Fabric Discovery Center, a unique, testing and development facility that will usher in the nation’s first collaborative investment between two Manufacturing Innovation Institutes. The facility will serve Massachusetts and the region to rapidly transform textile product concepts into functional prototypes, serving as an end-to-end innovation ecosystem for researchers and private sector partners as they work towards commercialization of revolutionary technologies.

UMass Lowell will also receive a total of $1.3 million to support three projects with private industry partners, SI2 Technologies in Billerica and Raytheon in Waltham. Funding will allow UMass Lowell to acquire new equipment to develop new materials and polymers that can be used in flexible, hybrid electronics. Combined with over $2 million in federal and industry funds for these projects, these investments will create the foundation for future technological advancements, providing necessary resources to bring technology from research prototype to pilot scale for commercialization with industry partners.

“Massachusetts is a competitive player in the global innovation economy because of our leadership in technology, strong workforce and educational institutions,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “This investment will ensure we continue to see that success and growth outside of Greater Boston, and that Lowell will have an opportunity to return to the center of the textile industry and its future. We look forward to bringing these manufacturing innovation institutes together for this first-of-its-kind collaboration that will deliver new advancements in textile manufacturing, economic investment and job growth.”

“This investment is an important statement about our efforts to support the future of manufacturing here in Massachusetts,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “There is no limit to the potential impact the technologies tested and delivered here will have on the advanced manufacturing sector in Lowell and the Commonwealth.”

These two grants will benefit two Manufacturing Innovation Institutes in Massachusetts: the Revolutionary Fiber and Textile Manufacturing Innovation Institute and the Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Flexible Hybrid Electronics. These institutes are both members of the Manufacturing USA network, previously known as the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation, a network of competitively awarded public-private innovation institutes focused on advanced manufacturing. Manufacturing USA funds private-public partnerships to increase American manufacturing competitiveness and catalyze new advanced manufacturing technologies.

In April 2016, US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter announced that Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA), in Massachusetts, was selected to serve as the national lead for the Revolutionary Fiber and Textile Manufacturing Innovation Institute, a $317 million public-private partnership. The institute also includes several other key public and private sector partners from across the nation, focused on a common goal of revolutionary fiber and textile manufacturing.

In August 2015, the Baker-Polito Administration announced that UMass Amherst was selected to serve as the New England regional lead in the Manufacturing Innovation Institute for Flexible Hybrid Elextronics, led by NextFlex. The Innovation Institute in Massachusetts was created in partnership with UMass Lowell, MIT, Harvard, Northeastern University and private industry. Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) focuses on using sensors printed into thin ribbons of plastic to replicate functions performed by semi-conductor chips found in computers and other electronic devices.

“We know that Massachusetts brings together the unique elements necessary for this type of collaboration: academic institutes, private industry and the commitment to innovation,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash. “This discovery center will allow for collaboration across initiatives, and this revolutionary research will further reinvigorate Lowell, the birthplace of the textile industry.”

“Massachusetts is already on the cutting edge of advanced manufacturing, and by bringing together two Manufacturing Innovation Institutes, the Fabric Discovery Center will put us on the cutting edge of the cutting edge,” said Senator Eileen Donoghue. “The investments the state is making will bring tremendous economic benefits to Greater Lowell and to the entire commonwealth.”

“Manufacturing and the textile industry have a long and proud history in Lowell, so I am very pleased that Governor Baker and his economic team are making this announcement here in the heart of our city,” said Representative David Nangle. “In collaboration with the University of Massachusetts Lowell, I am certain that these grants will provide the institutes with the funding and expertise they will need to expand this industry, create jobs, and further enhance the city’s reputation as an eager partner in moving our local and state economy forward.”

Governor Baker made the announcement at 110 Canal Street, the Innovation Hub (iHub) at UMass Lowell, which has received significant state funding from the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development, MassDevelopment and the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center. The iHub is located in Lowell’s Hamilton Canal District, which received $4.7 million in funding from the Baker-Polito Administration under the MassWorks program for redevelopment efforts.

“The UMass Lowell Fabric Discovery Center is a first-of-its-kind in the Department of Defense (DoD) portfolio of manufacturing innovation institutes, providing a unique joint usage capability for collaborative work in flexible electronics and smart fibers and textiles,” said Tracy Frost, Director, DoD Manufacturing USA Institutes & Acting Director, DoD ManTech. “The commitment of funding by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and UMass Lowell are essential elements to realizing the DoD goals of creating a robust manufacturing ecosystem that leverages these regional strengths, but also acts as a critical node in a national network of DoD-led institutes.”

“We thank the Baker-Polito Administration for recognizing and investing in UMass’s Lowell’s significant research, economic development and public-private partnership capabilities,” said UMass President Marty Meehan. “UMass Lowell’s historic expertise in fibers and textiles underpins its current innovation leadership in advanced fibers and flexible electronics. There is truly no better place to leverage these M2I2 matching funds for the benefit of the Commonwealth.”

“With our ongoing leadership in the development of advanced fibers and textiles, medical textiles and flexible electronics, today’s announcement continues UMass Lowell’s strong partnership with Advanced Functional Fabrics of America, NextFlex, the U.S. Army and the Commonwealth to build the future of high-tech manufacturing in Lowell and across the nation,” said UMass Lowell Chancellor Jacquie Moloney.

“This grant positions UMass Lowell as a national leader in the development, prototyping and testing of advanced fibers and textiles, fabrication techniques and integrated technologies,” said Julie Chen, vice chancellor for research and innovation at UMass Lowell. “It demonstrates our support of startups and companies, large and small, in accelerating technology translation and workforce development in partnership with the public sector.”

“The Lowell Fabric Discovery Center represents a first step in implementing AFFOA’s nationwide strategy of centers designed to encourage entrepreneurship in advanced fabrics,” said Dr. Yoel Fink AFFOA CEO. “We are particularly excited to work hand-in-hand with UMass Lowell and local manufacturers, educational institutions and state governments to facilitate the creation of these centers which will serve to accelerate startups, provide workforce development and house advanced fabric prototyping facilities. We are particularly grateful to the Governor and State Legislators for delivering on this significant commitment to manufacturing and product innovation.”

“NextFlex congratulates UMass Lowell and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on the launch of the Fabric Design Center. We enthusiastically support this innovation and look forward to partnering on development of manufacturing processes for integrating Flexible Hybrid Electronics (FHE) into textiles,” said Malcolm J. Thompson, Executive Director of NextFlex. “The opportunity to work together marks an important milestone in the advancement of FHE and ‘smart fabrics,’ and we will all benefit greatly from our collaboration.  We are very enthusiastic of contributing to creating ROI to our members and achieving increased Economic Development in Massachusetts.”

“We are excited to have received this NextFlex award. The state’s support in helping the team to meet the cost share requirements made the proposed effort possible,” said Dr. Joseph Kunze, SI2 Technologies’ President and CEO. “I believe that the approach the state is taking in supporting the Manufacturing USA institutes is an excellent model for partnering between the state, small businesses, and academia.  It is positioning Massachusetts as the leader in the advanced manufacturing economy.  The NextFlex award to the SI2 team is an excellent example of that.”

Manufacturing USA seeks to spur research into cutting-edge technologies that can be applied to advanced manufacturing processes. Bidders frequently form teams of universities, companies and non-profits across different states, with regional nodes supporting the lead bidder. The federal awards are leveraged several times over through a series of state and industry matches.

The Baker-Polito Administration’s Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative (M2I2) provides a vehicle for matching federal Manufacturing USA awards, and help Massachusetts manufacturers adopt innovative new technologies. The Baker-Polito Administration has committed $100 million in funding over five years to initiatives in Massachusetts. Under M2I2, Massachusetts is convening a national effort to develop revolutionary fibers and textiles, and the state is a participant in regional manufacturing innovation institute nodes in robotics, photonics, flexible hybrid electronics, biopharma manufacturing, smart manufacturing, and rapid process intensification.

Posted June 1, 2017

Source: The Official Website of the Governor of Massachusetts