BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — July20, 2017 — Motion Industries Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Genuine Parts Co., announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Numatic Engineering. Execution of the transaction will occur on August 1, 2017.

Founded in 1955, Numatic Engineering has over 60 years of experience selling and supporting automation components. Their vast product offering ranges from pneumatic automation to electrical motion controls, PLCs, VFDs, machine vision, sensors and industrial communication. For more than a decade, Numatic Engineering has been selling multiple lines of robotics, including end-of-arm tooling. Numatic Engineering is one of the leading companies in California selling and implementing revolutionary “collaborative robot technology.” Their sales and application support teams have the in-depth knowledge to help engineers, from both OEMs and end users, apply the right products to solve customers’ challenges. Their value-added solutions team, with UL508 listing, provides Numatic Engineering the ability to assemble the products they sell into engineered solutions to meet specific customer needs.

Numatic Engineering’s reputation is built on superior product knowledge and representing world-class suppliers. Headquartered in Los Angeles, California, Numatic Engineering has a proven and powerful reputation in the California and Nevada markets. The company’s success is a testament to their quality people and outstanding culture.

Steve Leach, Numatic Engineering’s President, commented about the acquisition, “After meeting with several potential buyers, we found a cultural fit with Motion Industries and are very pleased to become part of their team. Becoming part of Motion assures that our employees will be well-cared for in the future and that we will have the ability to continue to service our customers and represent our supplier partners in the way which they are accustomed. At the same time, we’ll now have access to even greater capabilities and resources, enabling us to accelerate the growth of our already successful business.”

Tim Breen, President and CEO of Motion Industries, said, “We are very pleased with the addition of this well-established company. The acquisition of Numatic Engineering continues to build upon and complement our growth strategy in the area of industrial plant floor automation. Numatic Engineering will be operated as part of Motion’s Automation Solutions group, which includes Braas Co., acquired in October 2016. We are happy to welcome all Numatic Engineering employees to the Motion family, and we look forward to the contributions they will make to our company in upcoming years.”

With annual sales of $4.6 billion, Motion Industries is a leading industrial parts distributor of bearings, mechanical power transmission, electrical and industrial automation, hydraulic and industrial hose, hydraulic and pneumatic components, industrial products, safety products, and material handling. Motion Industries has over 530 locations, including 13 distribution centers throughout North America and serves more than 300,000 customers from the food and beverage, pulp and paper, iron and steel, chemical, mining and aggregate, petrochemical, automotive, wood and lumber, and pharmaceutical industries.

Posted July20, 2017

Source: Motion Industries

TORONTO, Ontario — July 19, 2017 — If you want to know what’s on deck in the fashion world, you can take a clue from Mother Nature. The more erratic our weather patterns, the more we’re seeing clothing that transcends seasons, says fashion trend forecaster Emily Miller Palmquist, keynote speaker at the upcoming Apparel Textile Sourcing Canada (ATSC) show, to be held August 21-23, 2017, at the Toronto International Centre.

Presenting at ATSC 2017 on August 22 at 11:00 a.m., Palmquist — founder of EMP Creative — will give attendees a glimpse of what’s in store for 2018 and beyond when it comes to global design and consumer apparel trends. “Clothing brands are no longer thinking in terms of spring, summer, fall and winter lines, but are creating pieces that last in our wardrobe much longer than a single season,” Palmquist said. “It’s a direct reaction to climate change and we’re experiencing it all over the world.”

The biggest trend is the emergence of athleisure: casual, comfortable clothing designed for both everyday wear and exercise. The concept is permeating all levels of fashion, from children’s clothing through to women’s and men’s wear, as consumers are becoming more sensitive about how clothing feels and are gravitating towards performance-based textiles, she said.

“Because we spend so much time in the digital world — in front of computer screens and on our mobile phones — we’re drawn to things in our physical world that have more tactility,” Palmquist explained, adding that designers are putting as much emphasis on the fabric used for the interior lining of a garment as the exterior.

At ATSC 2017, Palmquist will uncover trending silhouettes, colours and textiles, including which fabrics, finishes, washes and patterns will dominate the apparel market. In general, the colour palette is “going to be lit up with warmer hues,” she divulged, and textures are going to reflect handmade craftsmanship.

Debuting last year as Canada’s premier international apparel and textile sourcing event, ATSC 2017 returns on a larger scale, with 300 local and international exhibits, three full days of seminars, panels and sessions, and a fashion runway event showcasing Canadian student and international exhibitor designs. Additional ATSC 2017 sessions include:

Insight from the newest source in the international apparel production market: the Chinese city of Changshu, which was approved as a national trial market for procurement trade in 2016. Deng Yunhua, Vice Chairman of Changshu Garments Town Management Committee and Vice General Manager of Changshu Garments Town Ltd. Co., explains how the city is embracing its new role.

Global apparel industry leader Jeff Streader and a panel of Canadian Apparel Executives discuss the modern supply chain best practices and responding to the ever-changing consumer trends and shifts that today’s e-commerce world demands.

An update on the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Least Developed Countries Program from CBSA representative Germain LeBlanc, outlining how CBSA continues to audit the program, used by apparel importers to import duty-free from countries such as Bangladesh and Cambodia.

A summary of key issues and developments in Canada’s trade policy — including the important topic of NAFTA re-negotiation and new agreements (CETA) set to come into force — presented by Canadian Apparel Federation Executive Director Bob Kirke.

Tech Meets Textile, a panel discussion showcasing members of the Canadian Smart Textile movement and faculty from Toronto’s George Brown College and OCAD University as they look at how technology is changing the face of the textile industry and what it means for both businesses and consumers.

Avedis Seferian, President and CEO of Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production (WRAP), examines why social compliance is more important than ever in today’s world of instant communication and what companies need to do in order to ensure business continuity and competitive success.

“Pre-registration is up exponentially for the show’s second year,” said Jason Prescott, CEO of JP Communications, ATSC producer and North America’s leading publisher of B2B trade platforms TopTenWholesale.com and Manufacturer.com. “Significant early registration numbers and strong exhibitor interest — both internationally and locally — indicate a renewed strength in the Canadian apparel and textile industry,” Prescott said.

Exhibits at ATSC 2017 include top apparel and textile manufacturers from more than 20 countries, including Canada, China, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, the United States, the United Kingdom, Turkey, Switzerland, Spain, Nepal, as well as a delegation of 30 artisanal companies from eight Least Developed Countries (LDC) sponsored by Ottawa-based TFO Canada.

ATSC is supported by many international governments and associations, headed by the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textile and Apparel (CCCT) and the Bangladesh High Commission on behalf of the Export Promotion Bureau and the Bangladesh Garment and Manufacturers Export Association.

Posted July 19, 2017

Source: Apparel Textile Sourcing Canada (ATSC)

BRUSSELS — July 18, 2017 — Following the announcement made earlier this month by the European Union and Japan about the political agreement on the main elements of an Economic Partnership Agreement between those two partners, the Japan Textile Federation (JTF) and the European Apparel and Textile Confederation (EURATEX) welcomed wholeheartedly those results and urged their respective authorities to implement as soon as possible the agreement for the benefit of their companies.

On 10th July 2017, the EU and Japan Textile and Clothing industries met in Brussels to exchange views about their respective industries’ status, their relationships and the political conclusions of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between

Japan and Europe. During that meeting, both JTF and EURATEX reiterated their support to the agreement reached that should increase the opportunities for their companies to grab market openings with their innovations.

“Since the start of the discussions the EU and Japanese textile and clothing industries worked together on tariffs and rules to ensure that the negotiators deliver the right framework for our products. Though, we still need to see the details of the text of the agreement, we are confident that such ambitious and industry driven deal will allow our companies to reap rapidly the benefits of this agreement”, said Klaus Huneke, President of EURATEX.

Indeed, both industries did issue two joint statements in support of those negotiations (November 2013 and November 2016) providing suggestions of possible area of agreement for their products both for tariffs and rules of origin. Both industries are greeting their authorities for having taken duly into account their proposals made during the negotiations to reach an agreement that should foster the textile and clothing bilateral relations.

Mr. Masanao Kambara, JTF President concluded that “The immediate abolishment of customs duties with full reciprocity and no exceptions as well as the rules of origin prone to promote industrial relations should be concluded and put into effect as soon as possible in order to allow this future-oriented agreement to deliver the expected benefits to our companies”.

Posted July 18, 2017-07-18

Source: European Apparel and Textile Confederation (EURATEX)

LONDON — July 18, 2017 — Based on its recent analysis of the automotive leather-cutting equipment market, Frost & Sullivan has conferred Lectra with the 2017 Global Frost & Sullivan Award for Product Leadership.

Lectra has leveraged more than 10 years
of experience in connected manufacturing 
to offer Versalis®, an innovative digital
solution designed to cut leather without
 compromise on quality. Featuring a 
powerful automatic nesting system for
 overall improvements in efficiency, the fully automated solution enables automotive leather suppliers to cut costs, improve productivity and minimize waste while also establishing a pathway to value-added Industry 4.0 processes.

Currently, almost 90 percent of leather used for automotive applications is cut using manual die presses, which require designers to build a physical prototype and finalize the design through trial and error. Lectra offers a fully digitalized leather solution from prototyping to cut parts — when used in combination with Lectra’s 3D prototyping and pattern-making software, Versalis digital leather cutting solution enables a 12-16 week reduction in development and launch cycles for vehicle seating models.

During the leather-cutting phase, the latest release of Versalis LeatherSuite allows automotive leather suppliers to achieve up to 15-percent greater productivity. Lectra’s end-to-end automotive leather offering furthermore guarantees optimal uptime through an extensive worldwide support network of field engineers and technical experts.

“Lectra focuses on a consultative approach that allows it to fully understand the customer’s needs before building a solution comprising software, hardware, consulting, training, and after-sales support,” said Frost & Sullivan Industry Analyst Kamalesh Mohanarangam. “Lectra’s equipment is fitted with more than 200 sensors that predict failure and immediately report issues to its call centers. This product feature and service has resulted in 98 percent uptime and very fast mean time to repair.”

Although digital leather cutting solutions are an investment, leather cutters and Tier-1 suppliers have begun to recognize the value of these products. On average, Lectra’s solutions help customers achieve up to 7-percent savings on leather compared to manual die-press methods by minimizing human error and variability in the cutting room. A benchmark test of leather trim cutting for door panels demonstrated a 3.5-percent gain in material made possible by Versalis’ superior nesting capabilities compared to the customer’s yield using manual nesting with die press machines, representing potential savings of 9 million euros per year.

Versalis is the fruit of significant R&D investment for the company, which has always made reinvestment of capital a priority. As part of a transformational plan, Lectra spent more than 50 million euros in investments between 2011 and 2015. With Lectra’s new strategy focusing on supporting their customers’ transition to Industry 4.0 standards, Lectra will increase the share of revenues dedicated to R&D to 10 percent for the period from 2017 to 2019, representing a rise of about 50 percent between 2016 and 2019.

“Digitalization opens up a range of opportunities, from improving operations to building new business models. The emergence of Industry 4.0 and better capabilities for mass production has enabled large-scale personalization and a more profitable manufacturing set-up,” noted Kamlaesh Mohanarangam. “More than 10 years of experience in IoT connectivity for industry gives Lectra a tremendous competitive advantage as increasing numbers of suppliers adopt digitalized processes and transition to Industry 4.0 standards.”

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has developed a product with innovative features and functionality and is gaining rapid market acceptance. 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 July 18, 2017

Source: Lectra