Americhem Composes Its 2018–2019 Color Trends

CUYAHOGA FALLS, Ohio — September 21, 2017 — Americhem Inc. has released its 2018–19 Color Trends comprised of six color palettes united by a musical theme including: Motown, Techno, Festival, Bossa Nova, Lullaby and Concerto. The color families were announced on September 21, at Americhem’s annual color trends course as part of Americhem U, an ongoing educational series for professionals in the synthetic fibers and plastics industries. This is the company’s ninth annual color trends forecast.

The color families, developed by a committee of color trend specialists, are forecasted to be popular in the coming years based on global influences, pop culture, musical and design trends, technology, and fashion-forward color predictions. In conjunction with a well-known fashion design house in Milan, Italy, the groups of colors, in addition to textures, finishes and effects, are translated into seasonal design concepts, moods and lifestyles, each with a unique story to convey the emotions and context of the colors.

This year’s color families reveal the trending colors of tomorrow based on the sounds of the past and present:

  • Motown — deep tones of blue, with a green that is almost brown, are brightened with orange and rusty tones to provide a palette that is both edgy and mysterious.
  • Techno — bold shades of hi-tech blues and futuristic greens are highlighted by neon yellow and brought back to earth by a subtle, golden beige. Funky and daring, this palette speaks to our inner geek.
  • Festival — an airy taupe is contrasted by blazing shades of orange and red, and brightened by shadowy purples and violets in the vibrant palette, inspired by summer music festivals.
  • Bossa Nova — harmonies of calm, refined greens and fluid, soft beiges reflect on the beauty of nature and lend to a calm, tranquil mood. Like an enchanting bossa nova melody played on a nylon-string classical guitar, this collection of gorgeous hues reminds us to appreciate the magnificent world around us.
  • Lullaby — Reach-out-and-touch-me pastels are paired with cozy grays in this understated and comforting palette. Like a mother singing a lullaby to her precious child, this color assemblage wraps us in peacefulness and content.
  • Concerto — A sophisticated palette comprised of soft, pale pinks, romantic peach tones, subdued blues and extravagant greens.

“These color palettes offer a world of inspiration and harmony,” expressed Sydney Gardner, lead color trends specialist for Americhem. “By keeping up with the trends through Americhem’s forecast, designers and product development personnel alike can benefit from learning the colors and the palettes that are sure to drive consumer preference in the years to come.”

Posted September 21, 2017

Source: Americhem

Robert Young’s Face Of Canada EFI VUTEk-Printed Textile Artwork Installed At Royal Ontario Museum

FREMONT, Calif. — September 21, 2017 — The Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) in Toronto, Canada recently installed “FACE OF CANADA,” The Canada 150 Commemorative Edition, by Robert Young. This special textile artwork from his ”YOUNG WORLD FACES” collection was produced in Electronics For Imaging’s Meredith, N.H., inkjet technology facility using an EFI™ VUTEk® FabriVU® soft signage printer. The photograph, which features a Canadian citizen with the Nation’s flag painted on her face, was displayed last month in the ROM’s Hyacinth Gloria Chen Crystal Court as part of the museum’s Canada 150 festival programs.

The 14 foot by 10 foot wide portrait shows the vivid detail of Young’s photography, while featuring the striking color of Canada’s very recognizable flag. The artwork, which was produced using EFI aqueous dye sublimation inks, reflects many of the artistic themes and motivations that drive Young’s imagery.

“I’m a storyteller who uses literature, photography and film to create imagery that inspires and motivates people,” said Young. “I wanted to create a human experience with this print, especially on Canada’s 150th year as a nation.”

Previously produced on EFI soft signage printers for the Pan American Games in Toronto in 2015, this new print is one of more than 40 large-scale images in the Young World Faces collection. The spirit of that exhibition continues with the ROM installation, according to Young.

“When the installation went in, I was working on a project in Anguilla, and I’m a Canadian American with Jamaican roots, working with EFI, an American company with Italian textile printing technology that has printed this beautiful work that was originally captured in Canada. And then the work went back to Canada for display in one of Canada’s greatest museums. It’s a great example of how Young World Faces brings the world together,” said Young.

EFI printed the one-off installation, a unique special edition that is the only Young World Faces print produced with a white background instead of black, direct-to-substrate on A. Berger Lighttex, a single-sided polyester textile for backlit applications.

The 3.4-meter wide VUTEk FabriVU 340 printer used for the installed art piece prints in four colors in resolutions up 2,400 dpi, delivering deep color saturation for exceptional fabric display graphics. The production-class printer features technology from EFI Reggiani, the Italian innovation leader with 70 years’ worth of experience in advanced textile imaging.

In 2015, Mississauga, Ontario, textile graphics specialist McRae Imaging used the first EFI Reggiani printer installed in North America to produce the original “YOUNG WORLD FACES” as a textile series, consisting of 41 faces, each painted with professional makeup featuring the flag of a country that participated in the 2015 Pan American Games. The colorful FACES images of those 7-foot tall prints pop against black backgrounds. Robert Young’s acclaimed collection, which has had several exhibitions, was named the soft signage project of the year by Sign Media Canada in 2016.

The EFI VUTEk FabriVU 340 soft signage printer will be showcased next month in EFI’s exhibit at the 2017 SGIA Expo, Oct. 10-14 in New Orleans.

During and immediately after the ROM exhibition, Young was working on a photography project in British Caribbean territory of Anguilla, where he was caught in the devastation of Hurricane Irma. After safely evacuating to Miami, he is currently developing materials for an awareness campaign to help raise funds for relief and rebuilding efforts among the Caribbean islands affected by the storm.

Posted September 21, 2017

Source: EFI™

Engineered Floors Has Reached A Letter Of Intent To Acquire Beaulieu Group LLC

DALTON, Ga. — September 20, 2017 — Engineered Floors LLC. has reached a letter of intent agreement in principle to purchase substantially all of the operating assets of Beaulieu Group LLC. The transaction will be contingent upon approvals through the bankruptcy court and due diligence processes. Pending governmental approvals, the transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2017.

Posted September 21, 2017

Source: Engineered Floors

U.S. Textiles Stays On Track

BornemanBy James M. Borneman, Editor In Chief

The good news continues in U.S. manufacturing, and the recent Institute for Supply Management (ISM®) Manufacturing ISM Report On Business®, provides some great data that supports the trend. Prepared by the Tempe, Arizona-based organization, the report states, “Economic activity in the manufacturing sector expanded in August, and the overall economy grew for the 99th consecutive month.”

Timothy R. Fiore, CPSM, C.P.M., chair of the ISM Manufacturing Business Survey Committee said: “The August PMI® registered 58.8 percent, an increase of 2.5 percentage points from the July reading of 56.3 percent. A reading above 50 percent indicates that the manufacturing economy is generally expanding; below 50 percent indicates that it is generally contracting.”

That expansion is evident in the many news reports of plant openings in the United States. And it is good news for the economy in general.

Fiore said:“The past relationship between the PMI and the overall economy indicates that the average PMI for January through August (56.7 percent) corresponds to a 4.2 percent increase in real gross domestic product (GDP) on an annualized basis. In addition, if the PMI for August (58.8 percent) is annualized, it corresponds to a 4.9 percent increase in real GDP annually.”

Those are the headline numbers that represent total U.S. manufacturing and are a composite of the 18 manufacturing industries tracked by ISM.

Fourteen of the 18 manufacturing industries reported growth in August including Textile mills and General Machinery. Unfortunately, apparel contracted compared to the July report.

Looking at the elements of each industry, Textile mills and General Machinery fared well in the New Orders, Production, Employment and Increase in Backlog of Orders sections of the report.

There is also increasing interest in the U.S. textile industry — possibly spurred on by new plant and equipment trends.

The Germany-based Mechanical Engineering Industry Association (VDMA) for Textile Machinery will be hosting a one-day technology B2B Forum & Conference title “German Technology meets U.S. Textile” in Charlotte, November 6, 2017. Please see the preview in this issue for details on the program. Registered attendees will be admitted free of charge. The VDMA also will host a similar event in Mexico City, November 7-8.

The flow of news to TW’s inbox has been on the increase and generally positive. Not an exact science, but in looking at textile activity on a daily basis through TW’s daily posting, it is fairly easy to sense an optimistic trend.

Business is difficult at times and keeping up with dramatic changes in technology is challenging. But it is great to see this sense supported by the ISM data.

It is very rewarding to see the level of technology driving the industry and allowing for competition on a global scale. Today, the U.S. textile industry is safer, with better paying jobs, increased productivity and better quality products than ever before, and automation plays a significant role in the industry’s technical revolution and continuing good news.

September/October 2017

Robert H. Chapman, III, Longtime Industry Leader

ChapmanRobert “Rob” H. Chapman, III, recently passed away unexpectedly. The Chairman, CEO and treasurer of Inman Mills, Inman, S.C., was 66 years old. He was the fourth generation family member to run Inman Mills joining the company in 1976.

During his lifetime, Chapman served in many leadership roles within the textile industry as well as within his community. Last year, he was recognized for his contributions and inducted into the South Carolina Business Hall of Fame.

Chapman also was the immediate past chairman of the Washington-based National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO).

“On behalf of the U.S. textile industry, NCTO extends its deepest sympathies to the Chapman family and everyone at Inman Mills,” said NCTO President and CEO Auggie Tantillo.

“Rob’s legacy is immense. In the last two decades, globalization, particularly the entry of China into the World Trade Organization, triggered the most disruptive change ever experienced by the U.S. textile industry. When other companies were going out of business, Inman Mills responded with a strategy of innovation, reinvestment and a willingness to adapt. Today, thanks to Rob’s dedication and foresight, Inman Mills is one of the shining lights in the renaissance of the U.S. textile industry,” Tantillo continued.

“Rob was also leader in crafting the U.S. textile industry’s Washington, D.C.-based policy response to globalization.  It speaks volumes that Rob’s peers chose him to lead NCTO in 2016-2017 when debate on the now failed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), the biggest challenge to the U.S. textile industry since China’s 2001 entry into the WTO, was coming to a climax,” Tantillo added.

“Finally, on a personal note, Rob was a close friend. He was a true gentleman, unfailingly courteous, loyal and generous. Soft spoken and quick to deflect credit to others, Rob was a fierce competitor, driven by the desire to help his community and industry. Most of all, Rob loved his family and his many associates at Inman Mills. He dedicated his life to their well-being.

If there ever was any doubt that builders can build faster than destroyers can destroy, Rob was living proof. He will be greatly missed, but his legacy will long endure,” Tantillo finished.

September/October 2017

Fibertex To Establish Plant In Asheboro

Denmark-based Fibertex Personal Care has announced plans to establish its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Asheboro, N.C. The company will invest $60 million by the end of 2021 and anticipates creating jobs for 145 people.

Fibertex focuses on materials for personal care items including diapers, feminine hygiene and incontinence care products. Fibertex also offers printed nonwovens and the Innowo Print band. The new state-of-the-art U.S. facility will focus on printing on nonwovens.

“The coming factory in Asheboro will cover the markets of North and South America, which are very important for our expansion,” said Mikael Staal Axelsen, Group CEO, Fibertex Personal Care. “We expect fine growth rates within our niche, and therefore, the factory will need to be operational by the end of 2018. We are very pleased with the cooperation with North Carolina and Randolph County about this project, and look forward to being a part the community in Asheboro.”

September/October 2017

Glen Raven Inks Agreement To Acquire Sunbury Textile Mills

Glen Raven Inc., Glen Raven, N.C., recently signed a letter of intent to purchase Sunbury, Pa.-based Sunbury Textile Mills Inc. Sunbury, a designer and producer of decorative jacquard fabrics, will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Glen Raven and will operate as a part of Glen Raven Custom Fabrics LLC.

“Sunbury has been a close strategic business partner for more than 20 years,” said Allen E. Gant, Jr., chairman and CEO of Glen Raven, Inc. “Sunbury’s leadership in serving the designer, decorative jobber and furniture manufacturers with premium jacquard fabrics is unparalleled. Every Sunbury customer is important to us and represents an opportunity to combine resources and be better suppliers and business partners.”

“We have long considered Sunbury to be part of the extended Glen Raven family, and we are excited about working with them to further service all of their markets and customers,” Gant added.

September/October 2017

September/October 2017: Textile Activity At A Glance

BFBarometersSO17

September/October 2017

Third-Quarter Orders Stay Steady

Jim-Phillips-colorBy Jim Phillips, Yarn Market Editor

A number of spinners reported stable business conditions throughout the third quarter and expect orders to continue to be relatively strong until the typical end-of-the-year slowdown.

“Our business has been solid,” said one spinner. “You couldn’t say it’s been great, but it’s been relatively steady throughout the third quarter.” Added another spinner: “This is just a funny business. You never really know what to expect. Overall, our orders have been fine. We don’t have a huge backlog, but that has been the case for most of the year. But just when we expect business to fall off some, it picks up. And just the opposite happens. We see the signs that say expect big things and then nothing happens. As I said, it is just a funny business.”

Some spinners noted that orders for cotton yarns picked up significantly in early September. “Over the course of the summer, we had a lot of orders for blends,” said one spinner. “In fact, that has been the bulk of our business for a few months. But now, heading into the end of the year, we are seeing a lot more orders for cotton yarns.” Another spinner commented: “We’ve seen definite increase in orders for cotton yarns in the last few weeks. We’ve got a steady stream of orders coming in that we hope will keep us busy until everyone starts shutting down and cleaning up for the holidays.”

A multi-national spinner said: “Orders across the board have been strong. We are moving a lot of specialty yarns and a lot of cotton. In fact, at the moment, it seems the only things that aren’t moving very well are OE yarns and some commodity products. And that’s because the market is already flooded with inventory of these products.”

Hurricanes Top The News In Early September

Weather dominated much of the discussion among yarn spinners in late August and early September. Hurricane Harvey ripped through the Texas coast, accounting for numerous personal tragedies and record amounts of property destruction. Yarn spinners were affected as well, as spot market cotton prices temporarily spiked to a season high of more than 70 cents per pound on August 31.

As of this writing, Hurricane Irma is poised to hit the Florida coast. Its track is uncertain and could affect a significant portion of the southeast and south central United States. Irma has a number of spinners concerned about its impact on the U.S. cotton crop. Note: By the time of publication, a lot will be known about how Irma affected the U.S. industry. A review of Irma’s impact on the U.S. yarn business will be published in the next “Yarn Market.”

“It is not likely to destroy a lot of the cotton crop in the southeast,” said one spinner, “but it could have a significant impact on the overall quality of the crop.” Said another spinner in early September: “With a storm so powerful, it is just going to be wait and see. We still don’t even know where it is going — how much of the country it is going to affect. The bad news is that it is very strong. The good news is that it is moving rapidly, so it is unlikely that we will see the devastating flooding associated with Harvey.”

Cotton Prices Inch Up As Yarn Demand Improves

Average quotations for the base quality of cotton (color 41, leaf 4, staple 34, mike 35-36 and 43-49, strength 27.0-28.9, uniformity 81.0-81.9) in the seven designated markets measured by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) averaged 69.05 cents per pound for the week ending August 31, 2017. The weekly average was up from 67.01 the
previous week, and 65.30 cents reported the corresponding period a year ago. Daily average quotations ranged from a low of 67.15 cents Friday, August 25 to a season high of 70.06 cents Thursday, August 31. Spot transactions reported in the Daily Spot Cotton Quotations for the week ended August 31 totaled 2,566 bales.

The USDA also reported that demand was good for color 41, leaf 4, and staple 34 and longer for second and third quarter 2018 delivery. Some mills anticipated increased cotton consumption during the fourth quarter of 2017 as yarn demand improved. Most mills were operating on five-to-seven day schedules.

YarnChartSO17

September/October 2017

What Do We Do When All The Old Guys And Girls Are Gone?

KaufmannHeadshotBy Jim Kaufmann, Contributing Editor

There’s an old adage suggesting that “Inside every old person is a young person wondering what happened?” I mention this, because when I first started in the textile industry circa 1983, there always were older guys and gals around for the young ‘uns to learn from. Many of you know whom I’m referring to. There was the wizened fixer who not only named but talked to his machines, yet knew just how to coax them into running smoothly no matter what we did to them; guys like Bubba, Harold and Big Jim who told fantastic stories that constantly made you laugh until you cried; Ms. Sue in purchasing, all four feet ten and 105 pounds soaking wet who would stand toe to toe with literally anyone, even Mr. Milliken himself, to get you the best pricing; or the crazy mad scientist with his little black book who could create the most vibrant of colors from a bunch of pixie dust. Everyone knows folks like this, and went to them for help and guidance. They’re the real-world teachers and mentors that drive the textile industry. Fortunately, I still know and am proud to call many of these now “older folks” friends.

Unfortunately, looking at all the folks in the textile industry today, the old ones regrettably are getting older, and there appears to be significantly fewer and fewer young ones hoping to take their place. “Textiles are growing worldwide and expanding into new and fascinating areas, but the talent pool is shrinking and continues to shrink,” lamented James Wang, CEO of Pailung Machinery Co. “The impression of textiles is that the industry is in the sunset, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Many others in the textile industry are sounding alarms with similar concerns about the lack of young people showing an interest in textiles. Dan St. Louis, director of the Manufacturing Solutions Center established to assist and grow industry in North Carolina, proclaimed: “Man it’s tough! Everyone thinks textiles are dead. Do a Google search for textiles and you still see pictures of the old dirty, nasty factory mills from days gone by. Those old images couldn’t be further from the truth given the advanced factories of today or the unbelievable breadth of applications where textiles are used. But how do we get kids interested in textiles? They think stuff like robotics and artificial intelligence are the cool jobs, not textiles. How do we manufacture anything if they’re all playing on their smart phones and immersed in virtual reality? We’re at less than 4-percent unemployment in this area now. We already can’t find people, so where’s the future hands-on work going to come from? Where do we find the fixers? Where do we find the craftsmen? That’s really the huge concern!”

“The textile industry was never sexy,” said Lee Berry, sales manager at SAERTEX USA. “It’s always had an image problem. The media consistently portrays the textile industry as old school, not the highly technical growth industry which it really is. There truly needs to be an effort to change that image and get young people interested again.”

Wang is equally concerned. “The new generation doesn’t see textiles as interesting globally,” Wang said. “They don’t realize that today’s textile industry is as advanced or even more advanced than many other industries. We have to change the global image of textiles and get more young people involved and we have to do it soon. How can we continue to realize growth and find new opportunities without the talent pool to drive it?”

“It seems like the textile industry created its own self-fulfilling prophecy when many of the traditional textile schools started dropping or greatly reducing their textile programs,” said Berry. “Georgia Tech maybe has some classes. Philadelphia Textile is now Jefferson University. It still has textile programs, I think? Does Clemson or Texas Tech still offer textile courses? I don’t know,” Berry opined. “People imply that textiles aren’t around anymore and all the jobs are going to Asia, yet the textile industry in the United States keeps evolving into new and interesting directions that most don’t realize. Somehow we need to change that.”

On the bright side, there is a lot of good going on in textiles and several efforts are increasing the textile industry’s visibility to bright young people. Raleigh, N.C.-based North Carolina State University (NC State) still maintains an active textiles program. The Nonwoven’s Institute at NC State, led by Behnam Pourdeyhimi, is a world-class organization benefitting the nonwovens industry. There are a growing number of composites programs using textiles for reinforcements at universities around the country expanding the understanding and use of composite technologies in a variety of industries.

And speaking of technologies, while most people still think of textiles as only being the stuff that clothing and bed sheets are made from, it is a progressive industry filled with technology and literally untold numbers of applications. Some fun facts:

  • The global textile industry, when categorized properly, remains one of the largest, if not the largest, in terms of manufacturing dollars and number of employees.
  • Machine manufacturers like Pailung continue to push the limits of machinery and resulting fabric technologies. It’s estimated that more than 20 percent of the human body can now be replaced or improved using some form of textiles.
  • Performance and high-tech fabrics are everywhere. Several new running shoe uppers are actually complex one-piece knit fabrics while near net-shape 3-D woven preforms are being used in ultra-high performance composite applications.
  • The Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) organization — initially funded with a Department of Defense grant and based at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — is investigating truly advanced uses for textiles in the military, electronics and beyond.

No, it’s definitely not my father’s textile industry any longer, and we need to inspire more young people from all education levels and disciplines to get immersed in the textile industry in order to keep

it advancing. “We have to engage youth early in order to service industry needs of the future,” St. Louis suggested. “We have to help them understand that knowing how to make stuff is a worthy and valuable skill. Textiles are a large part of our history in this area and they are still a significant part of our future.”

Personally, I remain bullish about the future of the textile industry, but share all the concerns that textiles needs to improve its image. It’s one of the oldest industries known to man and has continually progressed through the cumulative efforts of young and old guys and gals alike.

Textiles are used virtually everywhere in applications that amaze and inspire, but regrettably many people harbor that old, dirty image of a dying industry. And that’s the image that needs to change in order to get young people excited about textiles. Otherwise, the concern is that when all the old guys are gone, the textile industry is going to look back and wonder what happened?

September/October 2017

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