September/October 2017

PeopleGorgaJoseph L. Gorga (1952-2017)

Joseph L. “Joe” Gorga recently passed away at the age of 65. Gorga earned a B.S. degree in textile engineering from Philadelphia University and later an M.S. in textile engineering from the Institute of Textile Technology.

His long career in the industry began at Milliken & Company where he progressed from a management trainee to plant manager to director of manufacturing. After leaving Milliken, Gorga joined CMI Industries as president of its Elastic Fabrics of America and Finished Fabrics divisions. He later became chairman and CEO of CMI. In 2002, he joined Burlington Industries as executive vice president, North American Operations. Gorga was named president, CEO and member of the Board of Directors of the International Textile Group from its inception in 2004, where he remained until his retirement in 2014.

His contributions to the industry were many. During his career, Gorga was involved with the American Textile Manufacturing Institute, National Textile Association and National Council of Textile Organizations.

“Joe was a friend to us all and a great presence and leader in our industry worldwide,” said Kenneth Kunberger, president and CEO, ITG. “Joe’s leadership and integrity set a foundation in the company that continues today. He will be sorely missed, both personally and professionally.”

 

Greensboro, N.C.-based Unifi Inc. has named Richard E. Gerstein executive vice president, global branded Premium Value Added products and chief marketing officer. John Vegas was appointed executive vice president, global chief human resources officer.

France-based Lectra has named Rodrigo Siza regional director of Spain And Portugal.

Olivier Janin has joined the Netherlands-based DSM as vice president of marketing and sales, DSM Dyneema.

September/October 2017

Stäubli Is 125

Switzerland-based Stäubli is celebrating 125 years in business. The company has grown from its small beginnings back in 1892 into a company offering mechatronic solutions to the connectors, robotics and textile industrial sectors. Founded by Rudolph Schelling and Hermann Stäubli as Schelling & Stäubli in Horgen, Switzerland, the company introduced its first dobby in 1893. In 1900, the company launched the world’s first paper-card dobby, which was equipped with a warp-leasing system still in use today. After the death of Schelling in 1909, the company was renamed Stäubli.

“The spirit of innovation has defined our company from the beginning — it’s rooted deeply in the nature of Stäubli”, said Rolf Strebel, Stäubli CEO. “Our aspiration is to constantly improve — on a human, professional, and technical level — and to remain just as successful during the next 125 years.”

September/October 2017

Allertex Partners With Klieverik

Cornelius, N.C.-based Allertex of America Ltd. is now the exclusive representative for the Netherlands-based Klieverik Heli B.V. in the United States. Klieverik specializes in industrial rotary thermo processing equipment such as calenders and heat presses for technical textiles, nonwovens, carpet, digital dye sublimation transfer and direct printing applications. Its technology is suitable for laminating and coating a wide variety of substrates using a dry process with or without the use of thermoplastic adhesives; and also is used for thermobonding nonwovens.

September/October 2017

Fi-Tech Inc. Is New U.S. Representative For Mayer & Cie

Richmond, Va.-based Fi-Tech Inc. has replaced Mayer Industries as the sales, spare parts and service representative in the United States for Germany-based Mayer & Cie. Mayer Industries is now solely focused on manufacturing braiding machines.

“Today, Mayer Industries’ main focus lies in another area,” said Wolfgang Müller, sales director, Mayer & Cie. “So now is the right time, especially with several employees in the circular knitting department leaving the company as retirees, to hand over our U.S. representation to a well-established, professional agency.”

September/October 2017

Standard Textile To Market Vestagen’s VESTEX® Garments

Cincinnati-based Standard Textile Co. Inc. has entered into a strategic sales and marketing agreement with Vestagen Protective Technologies Inc. Orlando, Fla., to market its VESTEX® Active Barrier garments designed to protect healthcare workers and minimize risks associated with exposure to body fluids. The deal includes acute post-acute healthcare facilities in the United States and Canada.

“With VESTEX, we are offering breakthrough technology for healthcare workers that complements our existing specialty product lines designed to address the unique needs of healthcare institutions,” said said Norman Frankel, executive vice president/sales at Standard Textile. “The growing environmental risks to workers and patients in the healthcare setting are well-documented. Vestagen is a pioneer in the development of‘active barrier’ fabric that incorporates multiple technologies to help minimize these risks while being comfortable and durable for everyday use. We are delighted to partner with Vestagen to bring garments made with this outstanding product to our American and Canadian customers.”

September/October 2017

Tex Tech Acquired By Arlington Capital Partners

Portland, Maine-based Tex Tech Industries — a producer of specialty, high-performance materials for aerospace, defense, industrial and sporting applications — recently was acquired by the private equity company Washington-based Arlington Capital Partners.

“Tex Tech’s unique capabilities and approach to the design and manufacture of specialty materials made this an attractive investment for us,” said Peter Manos, a managing partner at Arlington Capital. “CEO Ciaran Lynch and his management team have built an R&D-focused specialty materials company with growth opportunities across many end markets and we are excited to partner with them in the company’s next phase of ownership. Tex Tech represents another investment for Arlington in aerospace and defense specialty manufacturing which aligns with our focused investment approach.”

“We look forward to continuing the strong partnership we have with our customers and serve their complex requirements for high performance textiles by continuing to expand our product offerings,” said Ciaran Lynch, CEO, Tex Tech.

September/October 2017

Mogul South Carolina Nonwovens To Host National Manufacturing Day

GRAY COURT, S.C. — September 21, 2017— On Friday, October 6, Mogul South Carolina Nonwovens will open its doors to students as part of National Manufacturing Day, sponsored by the National Association of Manufacturers. As a selected host company, Mogul will organize an educational open house and site tours for more than 100 local middle school and high school students.

Between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m., small groups of students will be led through Mogul’s state-of-the-art spunlace nonwoven production process, highlighting some of the unique challenges and opportunities in manufacturing. Mogul South Carolina’s products are used in wipes, hygiene, and automotive applications, among others.

Darryl Fournier, president of Mogul South Carolina Nonwovens, added: “We’re proud to host local students to show them first-hand the multitude of opportunities and careers in manufacturing. As a family-owned company we understand the value of engaging in the local community. Ensuring students know there are exciting careers in manufacturing is part of supporting economic sustainability.”

Mogul South Carolina Nonwovens Corp. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mogul Nonwovens.

Posted September 21, 2017

Source: Mogul South Carolina Nonwovens

ISA Completes New Technical Report On Capturing And Transmitting Knowledge In Continuous Process Automation

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — September 21, 2017 — The retirement of experienced engineers has long been of concern across the industrial sectors as companies have tried to find effective ways to capture and transmit vital knowledge to new generations of automation professionals.

The work of the ISA106 standards committee, Procedure Automation for Continuous Process Operations, is intended to provide a framework for building some of that knowledge into automated procedures. This is especially important for such plant procedures as startup, shutdown, product grade change and the like — as studies have shown that plants are particularly vulnerable to safety incidents caused by inexperienced operators performing unfamiliar manual functions during such key operations.

ISA106 has completed a new technical report that describes work processes involved with automating procedures that monitor and control continuous processes. ISA-TR106.00.02-2017, Procedure Automation for Continuous Process Operations — Work Processes, applies to new process facilities as well as to control upgrades to existing facilities.

The technical report is not intended to instruct organizations on how to identify and justify projects or to provide the details of work processes, but rather to set forth a generic set of work processes that provides guidance for procedure automation project execution phases.

“The work processes used by end users are critical for the successful completion of capital projects and projects funded out of operating expenses,” points out Dave Emerson of Yokogawa, who serves as ISA106 editor. “The new technical report provides a guide to how end users’ work processes can be designed to account for the automation of continuous process operations.

“The report reflects the combined knowledge and foresight of engineers from many different end users, automation suppliers, and consultants,” Emerson adds. “That knowledge can and should be used by owner-operators to improve their own work processes, by automation suppliers to improve products and services, and by consultants to help improve end users and automation suppliers to make the process industries safer and more efficient.”

To date, ISA106 has focused on the current state of the continuous process industries. The committee will now begin work on a requirements-based standard that will draw on the information developed it its earlier work.

Posted September 21, 2017

Source: International Society of Automation (ISA)

FiberVisions Celebrates Covington’s 50th Anniversary

COVINGTON, Ga. — September 21, 2017 — FiberVisions  will celebrate the 50th anniversary of its plant in Covington, Ga., October 6-7, 2017.

The Covington facility began life as part of the Hercules Powder Co., an entity acquired by DuPont in the 1880s, and spun off again in 1912.

Originally a manufacturer of cotton nitrocellulose for industrial end uses such as explosives, Hercules transitioned into the manufacture of polypropylene and polyester fibers in the 1960s. Herculon® branded fiber graced mid-century furniture and carpets, and at one point commanded 11 percent of the market for upholstery fabric.

Hercules began construction of its Covington Herculon® fibers plant near the heart of Georgia’s carpet manufacturing region in 1966; and the plant opened in 1967 with the goal of producing 25m pounds of polypropylene fiber annually.

During the 1970s and 1980s, Hercules turned its focus to the development of fibers for the fast-growing nonwovens market. As the carpet and upholstery businesses changed, Hercules fibers found their way into baby diapers, feminine care products, geotextiles, tea bags, filters, and wipes.

Posted September 21, 2017

Source: FiberVisions

ITMA 2019 Garment Sector Zooms In On Automation To Help Manufacturers Accelerate Productivity And Efficiency

BRUSSELS —September 21, 2017 — The world’s largest textile and garment technology exhibition, ITMA 2019, is spotlighting smart garment technologies as robots and artificial intelligence are set to revolutionize the industry.

Automation, especially in an integrated textile and garment manufacturing chain, will help address the fashion and clothing industry’s current concerns of short production cycles and sustainable business practices, according to CEMATEX, the European Committee of Textile Machinery Manufacturers.

Fritz P. Mayer, president, CEMATEX – ITMA exhibition owner, said: “The garment making industry is labor intensive and associated with low productivity. Things are set to change. Recently, there has been much publicity about sewbots, considered as a major breakthrough in garment automation. Manufacturers fast enough to ride the digital wave will find new opportunities and gain an edge over their competitors.”

Vu Duc Giang, chairman of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), concurred: “The garment industry is very competitive and production cycles are now even shorter. Therefore, we need to think out of the box and leverage on new technologies to help us to be more productive and efficient. Many innovative solutions are being introduced, from processes to materials.”

A.E. Roberts, managing director of ITMA Services, organizer of ITMA 2019, elaborated: “The digitization of the fashion industry means that their suppliers will need to seamlessly integrate their design, material supply and production of the finished products. With integrated solutions, garment manufacturers will be able to respond well to fast and flexible production turnarounds, and cut costs by increasing productivity and reducing wastes.”

With greater automation on the cards, industry players are seeing the resurgence of garment manufacturing activities in Europe and other developed economies. 
Paulo Vaz, General Director of the Textile and Apparel Association of Portugal (ATP) is upbeat about prospects for Portuguese manufacturers. He said, “We are glad that there is a resurgence of textile and garment making in Europe as this benefits the Portuguese textile and apparel industry. Our manufacturers can be more competitive by improving competencies through branding, innovation and R&D.

“By incorporating technological and creative innovation to differentiate our products, we can expand our markets. As such, it is critical for us to continually evaluate and invest in new technologies. ITMA 2019, which will be held in neighboring Spain, will be an excellent platform for our manufacturers to explore integrated solutions, ranging from textile and garment technologies to fibers, yarns and fabrics.”

Innovative garment technology showcase

To help garment manufacturers exploit technologies that optimise the manufacturing process for productivity gains, ITMA 2019 is expected to feature a wide array of innovative solutions. They range from garment making machinery to other textile processing machinery, auxiliary machinery and accessories, such as:

  • Software and systems for product planning, design and related automation technology for garment making;
  • Equipment for product development;
  • Machinery for shrinking, fusing, cutting preparation, cutting and related automation technology;
  • Machinery for sewing, quilting and linking;
  • Sewing supplies and consumables;
  • Machinery and equipment for product finishing; and
  • Auxiliary machinery for the garment making industry.

“An exhibition such as ITMA 2019, where we can explore all the solutions, from textile to garment making, and even materials, in one location is ideal for our members. We will be organizing a delegation of top garment manufacturers to study the latest trends and source new technologies that we can implement in our factories,” said Giang of VITAS.

Besides a big display of technologies, fibers, yarns and fabrics, ITMA 2019 will be complemented by conferences and meetings that will add value to the visits of garment technology buyers, as well as brands and retailers.

ITMA Services’ Roberts explained: “The global textile and apparel supply chain is expected to see more integration and collaboration, both vertically and horizontally. There is a lot of ongoing dialogues among stakeholders in the fashion, textile and garment industry. ITMA can be a useful focal point for discussions on the entire manufacturing value chain so that concerns can be addressed in an integrated and meaningful way.”

ITMA 2019 will be held from June 20-26, 2019 at Fira de Barcelona, Gran Via venue. Application for exhibition space has been brisk since booking started in May. Close to 50 percent of the space has been booked. The exhibition will showcase an integrated textile and garment manufacturing value chain. In addition to machinery, exhibits will also include yarns, fibers and fabrics, and solutions for technical textiles and nonwovens, and garment making.

Posted September 21, 2017

Source: ITMA Services

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