UK-Based SRG Apparel Selects Visual 2000 ERP And PLM Software

MANCHESTER, U.K. — April 11, 2011 — Visual 2000 International Inc. announces that UK fashion
menswear company SRG Apparel PLC has selected Visual IIS™ ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) and
Visual PLM.net® Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software solutions for use at its Manchester
headquarters. The new Visual 2000 End-2-End solutions will replace existing business software
systems to provide an updated technology platform that will more effectively support the company’s
continued growth.   

According to SRG Apparel Director Mahesh Patel, “After careful consideration we chose Visual
2000 because they can provide and support us with a genuine end-to-end fashion solution. They
uniquely demonstrated the flexibility and user friendliness that we were looking for in our new
system. We also appreciate the fact that their system interfaces perfectly with the Adobe®
Illustrator® software that we already have in place.”

When fully implemented later this year, the new system will be used by more than 200 SRG
design, product development, production, supply chain management, and business partner team
members.   

“We are pleased with the opportunity to work with SRG Apparel”, stated Tony Walker, European
Sales Director for Visual 2000. “We applaud their commitment to supporting their teams with an
advanced business solution that will seamlessly integrate key areas of their business. We look
forward to helping them achieve the process and efficiency improvements needed to support current
and future growth.”

Posted on April 15, 2011

Source: Visual 2000 International Inc.

Manufacturers, Importers Project 10-15 Percent Rise In The Price Of Retail Goods This Summer

NEW YORK CITY — April 13, 2010 — According to a new survey of retail goods manufacturers and
importers, consumer goods at retail are likely to rise by 10-15 percent later this spring and into
the summer, particularly in the apparel and home furnishings segments.

The increases are due to spikes in commodities and logistics costs. 94.4 percent of those
surveyed believe that the increased cost of cotton will affect the cost of high cotton content
products such as sheets, t-shirts and socks, this spring and summer with almost half (44.4 percent)
expecting prices of high cotton content products to increase by 10 percent or more.

The survey polled over 70 manufacturers and importers, and was conducted throughout the week
of March 14, 2011.

Additional key findings in the survey included: more than half (62 percent) of respondents
said that their logistics costs have increased by more than 5 percent in the past year. Of those
who identified an increase in logistics costs, almost two-thirds (64.1 percent) are passing at
least some portion of the increased cost along to the retailer and consumer, causing retail prices
to escalate even more. For manufacturers and importers the rise in oil prices (89.6 percent) as
well as the conflicts in Egypt and Libya (62.5 percent) is the driving force behind this increase.

The Global Retail Manufacturers and Importers Survey, conducted by Capital Business Credit
LLC (CBC), a global integrated financial products and services company with an emphasis in the
retail sector, surveyed manufacturers and importers in the apparel, housewares, home furnishings,
fashion accessories and furniture industries, who manufacture some, if not all, of their products
in China, India, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Pakistan.

“Speculation of inflation has haunted the global economy since the recovery began. This fear
has been due in part, to the rising cost of raw materials. We now have concrete proof that the cost
of raw materials correlates to higher consumer prices. At CBC, we believe this is a sustained
change that will continue into the fall season and beyond,” said Andrew Tananbaum, executive
chairman of Capital Business Credit.

Cotton

94.5 percent of respondents have seen an increase in the cost of raw materials over the last
12 months. To combat the increased cost of raw materials, 88.9 percent will be replacing some of
the cotton content in their products with rayon and others with Lycra (11 percent). More than a
quarter (27.8 percent) of those who have high-cotton content products will vary the cut or design
of their products to use less raw material. The increased cost of raw materials will effect all
points of the retail supply chain as more than half (57.1 percent) of those surveyed said that
manufacturers, importers, retailers and consumers will all be absorbing the price increases.

Logistics

The CBC survey also identified that the skyrocketing cost of logistics — due in large part to
the rising cost of oil — is a major cost concern (80 percent) for importers and manufacturers. 62
percent of respondents said that logistics costs have increased by more than 5 percent in the last
12 months and over half (54.2 percent) cited oil as the cause of increased logistics costs of 5
percent or more.

To deal with the increased cost of logistics, 35.9 percent of manufacturers and importers are
absorbing the cost, 28.2 percent are passing along this cost to the retailer/customer and 35.9
percent are absorbing some of the cost as well as passing some of the cost along.

“The rising cost of logistics will have a significant effect on manufacturers, importers,
retailers and consumers. Margins will be cut and prices will increase, causing stresses and cracks
along the entire supply chain. Current events will only amplify these already existing problems,”
commented Tananbaum. “The findings of the CBC survey reveal that there has been a fundamental shift
in the marketplace and that this will have a direct impact on the everyday consumer. The increased
costs of logistics and raw materials have created the perfect storm whose elements will be visible
this spring and summer.”

Posted on April 15, 2011

Source: Capital Business Credit LLC

PrintLat Appointed Master Distributor Of Onyx For Latin America

MIRAMAR, Fla. — April 5, 2011 — PrintLat LLC has signed an agreement with Onyx to become their
Master Distributor for Latin America. With this addition PrintLat will expand their offering
options to their dealers, complementing their portfolio of medias, equipment, inks and finishing
solutions. Onyx will get better penetration to the region, according to Franklin Fuentes, Manager
for Latin America, Onyx.

Posted on April 15, 2011

Source: PrintLat LLC

Polartec Partners With Big Bill To Produce Line Of Flame Resistant Garments

LAWRENCE, Mass. — April 6, 2011 — Codet’s Big Bill® brand, a leading manufacturer of work wear for
the oil, gas, petrochemical, electrical utility, power generation, mining and industrial markets,
has partnered with Polartec® to produce a full layering system of high performance garments using
Polartec’s Flame Resistant (FR) fabric technology.

Big Bill® is launching the “Big Bill Active FR” line of full Polartec® Flame Resistant
layering solutions in the US and Canada. This layering system includes baselayer shirts made using
Polartec® Power Dry® FR, the industry’s best moisture-managing next-to-skin fabric. Midlayer
jackets and hoodies are made using highly breathable and lightweight Polartec® Thermal® FR
insulation. Big Bill Active FR outerwear and weather protection garments are made using Polartec®
Wind Pro® FR, which is four times more wind resistant than regular fleece, and Polartec® Power
Shield® FR. The launch of Polartec® Power Shield® revolutionized outerwear, providing a unique
combination of real weather resistance and breathability. Big Bill® has become the first
manufacturer to offer this soft shell technology in a flame resistant garment with Polartec® Power
Shield® FR.

“Big Bill understands quality, performance, and the need to be on the cutting edge of
innovation both in fabric selection and garment design”, says Michael Batson, Polartec’s Global FR
Business Manager. “Polartec has become the first high performance fabric technology company in the
world to offer everything from lightweight high performance FR baselayers to extreme weather
protection layering choices. We’ve worked with Codet to provide FR layering solutions that maximize
comfort and performance.”

Polartec FR fabrics are inherently flame resistant, tested in both in-house and independent
state-of-the-art laboratories, and pass relevant industry certifications.

Posted on April 15, 2011

Source: Polartec LLC

Tatham Ltd. Introduces TSX Control System

United Kingdom-based Tatham Ltd. — a global supplier of drive and control equipment for woolen and
nonwovens processing — has developed a system that provides higher production speeds and improved
product weight distribution for crosslapper control while offering substantial energy savings.

The TSX control system, which can be retrofitted to all makes of crosslappers, uses ABB
high-performance machinery drives and servomotors. Depending on the existing crosslapper
configuration, several panel combinations are available. The system is linked to the master process
control using Profibus, an ABB AC500 programmable logic controller (PLC) that provides positioning
data to the drives, which then convert the data into control signals to maintain servomotor speed.

According to Tatham, when the TSX system was retrofitted to an existing crosslapper, the
energy usage dropped from 60 Amps to 15 Amps. The company reports the software offers precise,
repeatable positioning to provide complete control of the batt profile. The ABB PLC, drives and
servomotors are used to vary the speed at which the batt is laid down, offering a more accurate and
controllable buildup of the layers. The TSX system can adjust carriage speed at the edges of the
batt to avoid distortions and maintain the required density across the entire width. The parameters
may be adjusted using the touchscreen operator interface, and the batt density may be adjusted
across its width to suit the product requirements with coefficient of variation values of around 1
percent.

Tatham also offers a closed loop control system to automatically adjust the batt profile to
the preset requirements. The system can be extended to link with Tatham’s own TS weight control
system if required.

Tatham has installed TSX systems at a geotextile manufacturer in Malaysia, papermaker felt
producer in China, and an automotive textile producer in the United States, among numerous other
installations globally.

April 11, 2011

Universal Textile Technologies Partners With Yellowstone National Park

Universal Textile Technologies Inc. — a Dalton, Ga.-based manufacturer of high-performance backing
systems for carpet and synthetic turf — and Yellowstone National Park have entered into a recycling
partnership intended to reduce the amount of plastic bottles sent to landfills and help Yellowstone
meet its recycling goals while protecting and creating U.S. jobs.

The company will buy the plastic bottles collected by Yellowstone and convert them into a
nonwoven fleece material used to manufacture BioCel™ and EnviroCel™ sustainable backings for carpet
and synthetic turf. Most plastics collected in Yellowstone previously have been sold overseas,
where they have been used as raw material for the production of plastic products eventually sold in
the United States.

BioCel and EnviroCel utilize Celceram™, a highly refined material recovered from coal
combustion in electric utility power plants and then combined with soybean-based polyols derived
from domestically grown soybeans. The backings are certified under the U.S. Green Building
Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED®) program; and are
moisture-resistant, insulate against energy loss, reduce ambient noise and strengthen the
structural integrity of carpet and synthetic turf, according to Universal Textile Technologies.

“Yellowstone was created as the world’s first national park in 1872,” said Jim Evanoff, an
Environmental Protection Specialist with Yellowstone National Park. “We have an obligation to set
the example for promoting sound environmental stewardship practices that will serve as a model for
future generations. This new partnership not only diverts plastics from landfills, it dramatically
decreases the fuel and other resources used to transport materials around the planet.”

The Georgia Tech Research Institute has provided third-party verification for the recycling
project.

April 12, 2011

Sigma Life Science, Kraig Biocraft To Develop Silkworms For Spider Silk Production

Sigma Life Science — the biological products and services research business of St. Louis-based life
science and high technology company Sigma-Aldrich Corp. — and Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Inc. — a
Lansing, Mich.-based developer of recombinant technologies and fibers — have signed a licensing
agreement under which Kraig will use Sigma’s proprietary CompoZr® Zinc Finger Nuclease (ZFN)
technology to transfer spider silk genes to silkworms with the goal of commercializing production
of spider silk. Silk from spiders has been shown to have greater tensile strength and elasticity
than silk from silkworms, and potential applications include biomedical products such as sutures
and materials for tendon and ligament repair, ballistic textiles such as bulletproof vests, and
automobile airbags.

“Sigma-Aldrich’s proprietary zinc finger technologies are extremely powerful tools which
enable very precise genetic targeting,” said Kim Thompson, CEO, Kraig Biocraft. “We are convinced
that this technology is the key to creating advanced new products and materials. We believe that
when these customized tools are delivered by Sigma in the coming weeks, the technology will enable
us to rapidly and precisely target specific gene sequences for the creation of stronger fibers,
advanced textiles and new bio-materials.”

“ZFN technology has been revolutionary in genome engineering for various applications,
including animal models of disease, engineering of biopharmaceutical production systems, academic
research and therapeutics,” said Dr. Joseph Bedell, director, Commercial Animal Technologies Group,
Sigma Life Science. “Spider silk production is just the first example of a potential commercial
animal application for this exciting technology.”  

April 12, 2011

IFAI Expo Asia 2011 Successfully Debuts In Singapore

The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), Roseville, Minn., organizer of IFAI Expo
Asia 2011, reports the inaugural edition of the expo surpassed its expectations, providing a new,
much-needed technical textiles forum for the Asia Pacific region. The combined trade exhibition and
educational symposiums — held in Singapore, the lion city, at the Marina Bay Sands Convention
Center, March 22-25 — covered the spectrum of the cutting-edge developments occurring in the
industry.

The event attracted more than 1,400 registered participants from 39 countries. Large buyer
delegations came from Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Australia and Japan, as well as a
surprising number of visitors from North America, Africa, Middle East and Europe. The visitor
survey overwhelmingly showed that participants were looking for matchmaking
opportunities.   

Exhibition

Exhibitors came from 18 countries and included the largest U.S. contingent ever to
participant in a technical textile show in the Asia Pacific region. IFAI Expo Asia 2011 was
supported by the Singapore Tourism Board and the U.S. Department of Commerce, and was awarded the
prestigious U.S. Trade Fair certification designation.

IFAI President Steve Warner acknowledged their contribution. “The work done by U.S.
Commercial Service offices and Singapore Tourism Board in bringing buyers to the show was
outstanding.”

U.S. exhibitor Jeff Sponseller, executive vice president, sales, Miller Weldmaster Corp.,
agreed: “This show has taken a lot of our leads and quotes to that next level. I was impressed with
the diversity of the audience we’ve seen here from all over Asia. Also with the number and quality
of the people who came to our booth. These were qualified buyers. It exceeded my expectations.”

In addition to his IFAI leadership role, Peter McKernan was an exhibitor. His company,
Herculite Products Inc., is a producer of high-performance laminated and coated fabrics. He summed
up the new show saying, “I thought IFAI Expo Asia 2011 was the best first-time show we’ve ever
participated in. Attendance was good, the quality of the symposiums was extraordinary, and there
was a buzz about this that was unexpected. I’ve been to other international shows, but this one
really blew me away.”

Technical Symposiums

Organized concurrently with the exhibition were state-of-the-industry technical symposiums
drawing large attendance. Under the leadership of Professor Roshan Shishoo, an international
advisory team comprised of the industry’s leading experts organized symposiums that included
applications for geosynthetics, nonwoven, automotive and e-textiles. All of the sessions were
designed to address emerging manufacturing opportunities in the Asia Pacific region.

The advisory members were: Henk Stijweg, BVZ, Thailand; Martin King, North Carolina State
University, United States; Samir Gupta, Business Co-ordination House, India; Junko Takai, Hivix,
Japan;  Amie Wang, ACE Geosynthetics, Taiwan.

Summary

The event was all about making connections throughout the value chain. Companies exhibiting
were on many different levels within the Asia Pacific market. Some were at an entry level looking
for help in connecting with partners. Others had already been marketing within China, for example,
but wanted to expand in Southeast Asia. One visitor interviewed was part of a division that was new
to Asia, even though other divisions in the company had been there for years. Others were
introducing new products and looking for distributors. 

They all had one goal in common — access to new buyers — and this show accomplished that.

The Industrial Fabrics Association International expects to announce the dates and location
of the next IFAI Expo Asia in the very near future. There is already keen interest and many
exhibitors have expressed their intention to exhibit again.

Says Herculite CEO McKernan, “I think that there will be more people from the States who will
want to be a part of it. There is a tremendous interest in the region in high-performance fabrics,
and it’s really important to be a part of that for our company, and for IFAI to be a part of that.
IFAI Expo Asia 2011 was well done all the way around. We will be coming back.”

Compiled from information provided by the Industrial Fabrics Association International and
edited by
Textile World.

April 12, 2011

New Smithsonian Exhibition Explores How Materials Helped Put Man On The Moon

WILMINGTON, Del. — April 6, 2011 — “Suited for Space,” a new Smithsonian traveling exhibition
sponsored by DuPont, celebrates the innovation and critical role that materials have played in
space exploration. Products developed by DuPont, such as Nomex®, Kevlar®, Neoprene® and Kapton® are
just some of the materials that have helped Americans travel to the moon and explore beyond.

To commemorate the upcoming 50th anniversary of President John F. Kennedy’s Man on the Moon
Address to Congress, this week “Suited for Space” will begin a five-year U.S. tour at the Museum of
Science and Industry in Chicago. The exhibition, created by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling
Exhibition Service (SITES) and the National Air and Space Museum, chronicles the history of space
suits and highlights how they made space flight possible. “Suited for Space” tells the story of
innovations, technical achievements and challenges in the development of protective garments that
have allowed astronauts to live and work in space for decades.

“DuPont is proud to partner with the Smithsonian, and salutes the Chicago Museum of Science
and Industry as the first stop for this important national exhibition,” said DuPont Executive Vice
President Mark P. Vergnano. “For over 200 years, DuPont scientists and engineers have pioneered
materials for out-of-this-world missions and down-to-earth applications for protection — pushing
boundaries and making the impossible possible. This exhibit showcases the unprecedented collective
efforts of hundreds of companies and agencies to protect lives in space — the net effect of which
could only have been achieved when innovative science and collaboration were put to the service of
an important goal.”

Twenty of the 21 layers of the Apollo moon suits either contained or were made entirely of
science-based innovations invented by DuPont, such as:

  • The spacesuits for the early Earth and lunar orbit missions of the Apollo program used nylon,
    invented by DuPont as a major component.   
  • The first U.S. flag on the moon was also made of nylon.
  • Today’s astronauts wear suits made with DuPont™ Nomex® and DuPont™ Kevlar® fibers.
  • Back on Earth, Nomex® is used to protect garments for firefighters and first responders, while
    Kevlar® is the leading brand in ballistic protection for law enforcement and the military.

DuPont™ Kapton® polyimide film, DuPont™ Krytox® performance lubricants, DuPont™ Teflon®
fluoropolymer and Mylar® polyester film are just a few of the products that were used in the
original space suits. These materials continue to be used today in space and on Earth, and DuPont
continues to support new innovations in space. Most recently, a NASA team tested a new space suit,
the NDX-1, in a setting with extreme conditions similar to some of those found on Mars. The
prototype suit is made out of more than 350 materials, including tough honeycomb Kevlar® and carbon
fibers.

Posted on April 12, 2011

Source: DuPont

INDEX 11 Exhibitor Preview: FiberVisions/ES FiberVisions

VARDE, Denmark — April 12, 2011 — FiberVisions will unveil its trilobal thermal bonding PP fibers
as well as its fine fibers at INDEX 11, and ES FiberVisions will launch its PTC Bounce fiber at
INDEX 11.


Trilobal Thermal Bonding PP Fibers


FiberVisions® presents the nonwovens industry with new opportunities to make hygiene fabrics
more versatile without sacrificing strength and barrier properties, with the launch of its new
trilobal thermal bonding staple polypropylene (PP) fibers at INDEX 2011.

HY-Light / T-194 fibers offer customers a cost-effective solution for achieving nonwovens
with dramatically improved coverage and uniformity, even in lightweight fabrics, while maintaining
fabric strength and softness.

The trilobal staple PP fibers are based on a proprietary new technology from FiberVisions,
the world’s leading polyolefin fiber specialist. They are optimized for dry laid nonwoven formation
systems and are specifically designed to be converted into carded thermal bonded (CTB) fabrics.

Key advantages of the new fibers include:

•   
High nonwoven tensile strength: the new trilobal fibers are engineered to provide
equivalent nonwoven fabric strength as FiberVisions’ current market-leading PP fibers for CTB
nonwovens.

•   
Improved opacity: nonwovens’ producers can achieve up to 33% opacity with the
standard trilobal PP fiber and 41% opacity with the high opacity version, compared to 19% with a
traditional round PP fiber at the same basis weight. The increased surface area of the fibers
results in higher light scattering and therefore higher opacity.

•   
Comfort and softness: the fiber provides improved loft and hand feel for
all-around comfort and softness, and good drapeability. It has excellent resistance to static
build-up.

•   
Tailored specifications: fiber cut length, crimp and lubrication are tailored to
the needs of the application and the customer to assure excellent processability and product
quality.

As with all FiberVisions PP fibers, HY-Light / T-194 are low density fibers of 0.91 g/cm³.
This is 50% lower than polyester and 25% lower than polyamide. As a result, they support the
production of lightweight fabrics with excellent bulk and cover from lower density yarns. The
fibers offer resistance to alkalis, acids, and most organic chemicals, and have very low moisture
absorption.

“Our cost-effective trilobal staple polypropylene fibers are an exciting new addition to the
FiberVisions® portfolio, reinforcing our commitment to provide customized solutions to the
continuous challenge for cost-efficiency and performance facing nonwovens’ producers,” comments
Karena Cancilleri, Business Director Hygiene, FiberVisions.


Fine Fibers


FiberVisions® unveils its unique line of fine fibers at INDEX 2011 in support of the
industry’s evolution towards high-performance lightweight and soft nonwovens.

FiberVisions has developed cost effective polypropylene (PP) fine fiber in response to the
continuing need to make carded nonwoven fabrics more cost effective. Finer fibers allow the
nonwoven fabric manufacturers to produce lightweight fabrics maintaining fabric strength and fabric
coverage while improving fabric uniformity and softness.

Developed for drylaid, wetlaid and airlaid fiber formation, the new range of fine dtex
polypropylene (PP) staple fibers offers unmatched softness and coverage, high nonwoven tensile
strength and low density (ca. 0.9 g/cm³) for uniform, thinner and lighter nonwoven fabrics. They
also provide higher efficiency for filtration products. This creates new opportunities for
customers to source fibers from as low as 1.0 dtex to 1.7 dtex for their nonwoven applications.

Lighter products: FiberVisions fine staple fibers save on material use through the
creation of lighter-weight fabrics. For example, a 13g/m² fabric made with 1.0 dtex FiberVisions
fine fibers provides the same coverage and uniformity as a 15 g/m² fabric with a 1.2 dtex fiber and
a 20g/m² with a 2.2 dtex fiber. Commercial-scale pilot line trials confirm the excellent machine
directional and cross directional strengths in carded thermally bonded nonwoven products. The
resulting nonwovens are also much softer due to the fine fibers.

More efficient filtration: the increased surface area of the finer fibers can be
used to ensure filtration products with higher efficiency.

Flexible processing: the fibers can be thermally bonded, spunlaced, or
needlepunched or spun into a yarn. Fiber diameter, cut length, fiber cohesion and fiber surface
characteristics are tailored to customers’ needs.

FiberVisions fine staple fibers are suited to a wide range of applications including soft
coverstock, wipes, filtration, and similar applications.

“FiberVisions® fine fibers create lower basis weight fabrics and materials with enhanced
hand-feel. They have been developed in response to the continuing challenge to make fabrics thinner
and lighter without sacrificing strength and barrier properties,” comments Karena Cancilleri,
Business Director Hygiene, FiberVisions. “We are looking forward to exploring their benefits with
the nonwovens market.”


PTC Bounce Fiber


Nonwovens’ producers looking to reach new heights in resilience, bulk and softness can turn
to the new PTC Bounce fiber from ES FIBERVISIONS launched at INDEX 2011.

The bicomponent PTC polypropylene (PP) fiber with a polyester (PET) core was specifically
developed by the world-leading bicomponent fiber specialist for customers who use ultrasonic
welding to bond nonwovens.

The PET core gives PTC Bounce-based nonwovens excellent bulkiness and resilience, while the
PP sheath provides excellent bonding capabilities to the fiber. The design of the PP sheath, made
possible with FiberVisions’ expertise in PP monocomponent fibers, offers a broad bonding window.
The high melting point of PET compared to the melting point of the PP sheath further increases the
bonding temperature range and provides high heat sealing performance. The high bond strength and
ultrasonic bonding from the PP sheath allows the elimination of chemical binders in nonwovens and
consumer products.

The performance of the nonwovens is further enhanced by ES FIBERVISIONS’ advanced finish
technology suited to the end application. For example, a PTC fiber with an appropriate finish has
outstanding liquid acquisition performance.

PTC Bounce fibers are currently available in 2.2 – 6.7 dtex. Various aspects of the fibers
are customizable to the needs of the application and customer processes.

The benefits of PTC Bounce open up new performance possibilities for hygiene acquisition
distribution layers, filters, household products, medical products, and other air-through (oven)
bonded products, as well as in carded thermal bonded products.

“A key benefit of polyester bicomponent fiber is its high resiliency versus other core types.
PTC Bounce is therefore an exciting development which thanks to its processing flexibility and
performance gives nonwovens’ producers new opportunities to boost the bulkiness and resilience of
their products and achieve that all-important softness,” comments Flemming Bynge, Commercial
Director ES FIBERVISIONS EMEA.

Posted on April 12, 2011

Source: FiberVisions/ES FiberVisions

1...2,1002,1012,102...2,629Page 2,101 of 2,629

Sponsors

Breaking News

Load more

Digital Issue

2026 Quarterly Issue Number I

View Latest Digital Issue

FEATURED ARTICLES

© Copyright 2017 Textile Industries Media Group, LLC.