Ahlstrom To Shutter Bellingham Facility

In an effort to become more
cost-competitive, Ahlstrom Corp., Finland, will close its manufacturing plant in Bellingham, Mass.,
and move some of the plant’s assets to the company’s operation in Darlington, S.C. Eighty employees
in Bellingham will be affected.

The closure and subsequent consolidation, which will begin early next year and finish by
July 2008, also will enable Ahlstrom to move its dust filtration operations closer to many of its
customers. The company does not anticipate that customer service will be disrupted.

“The consolidation allows us to improve our competitiveness by moving our most efficient
lines to our Darlington facility,” said Scott Murdock, vice president and general manager of
Ahlstrom’s Filtration North America unit. “Furthermore, the move will create some 50 to 60
positions at our Darlington, S.C., facility.”


July/August 2007

Supima® Commissions
APDN To Conduct Feasibility Study

Supima, the Phoenix-based marketing
organization supporting American Pima cotton growers, has commissioned Applied DNA Sciences Inc.
(APDN), Stony Brook, N.Y., to conduct a $250,000 feasibility study in order to develop
authentication processes to verify the content of Supima cotton in branded home fashion and apparel
products.

“Supima® cotton is the finest-quality cotton produced in the world, an invaluable status
that can only be protected if the consumer can be assured that top-quality fiber is being used in
Supima-branded products,” said Buxton Midyette, vice president, marketing and promotions, Supima.

“Having access to DNA-based identification technology would ensure continuity in the cotton
fiber identity and protect textiles and garments from counterfeiting and fraud,” said James A.
Hayward, CEO, APDN.

APDN hopes to complete the study in six months, and then to offer established authentication
services to Supima members for a fee.


July/August 2007

Foss Introduces Ecospun®/Fosshield® Blend

Foss Manufacturing Co., Hampton,
N.H., has introduced a fiber blend of its Fosshield® bicomponent polyester antimicrobial fiber and
Ecospun® polyester fiber made from 100-percent certified recycled plastic polyethylene
terephthalate (PET) bottles.

By combining Ecospun — which can be added to such textile products as carpets, wall
coverings, home furnishings, craft felt, auto interiors, blankets and apparel — with Fosshield —
which includes a built-in copper- and silver-based antimicrobial additive — a fiber blend is
produced that can be needlepunched or woven into environmentally friendly fabrics that inhibit
growth of bacteria, mold, mildew and fungus.

According to Foss, production of Ecospun potentially removes 3 billion PET bottles from
global waste streams per year, reducing oil consumption by more than 400,000 barrels and harmful
air emissions by 400,000 tons.


July/August 2007

Pooghe Laundry Selects
SmartSilver™ For Underwear

Milwaukee-based Pooghe Laundry, a
manufacturer of casual cotton apparel, has selected State College, Pa.-based NanoHorizons™ Inc.’s
SmartSilver™ anti-odor/antimicrobial nanotechnology for incorporation into its new line of casual
cotton underwear. SmartSilver is integrated into natural and man-made fibers and fabrics to provide
these properties without affecting comfort and hand.

“SmartSilver’s powerful antimicrobial performance simply makes Pooghe Laundry clothing more
comfortable,” said Steve Monte, president and CEO, Pooghe Laundry. “SmartSilver adds really cool
technology to a really hot line of new clothing.”


July/August 2007

Gildan To Close Two Mount Airy, N.C., Sock Facilities

Montreal-based Gildan Activewear Inc.
announced it will close two sock facilities in Mount Airy, N.C., and consolidate production from
those facilities at its new, large-scale facility in Honduras. The closure, which will affect
approximately 520 employees, is expected to be completed by the end of August 2007.

The company, which acquired Kentucky Derby Hosiery in July 2006, also will consolidate
certain administrative and retail sales activities at the Hopkinsville, Ky.-based Kentucky Derby
headquarters into other Gildan operations.

Gildan will continue to operate one remaining US sock facility in Hillsville, Va.

According to Gildan, the action, which is in line with its previously announced strategy to
integrate the Kentucky Derby operations and to consolidate all areas of production at Gildan’s
offshore facilities, is necessary in order for the company to remain competitive with imports from
Asia.


July/August 2007

World Fashion Exchange
Launches On-Demand Services

Princeton, N.J.-based World Fashion
Exchange Inc., a provider of Web-based solutions to the apparel industry, has introduced Web PDM
(product data management) and Web PLM (product lifecycle management) On-Demand services. The new
services are targeted to small and medium-sized businesses for which traditional enterprise
solutions are often cost-prohibitive and complicated.

On-Demand software applications are hosted by a service provider and are available to
customers via the Web, eliminating the need to install, maintain or upgrade software or hardware.

“The beauty of this pay-as-you-go, subscription-based model is that we know if you stop
receiving value from our solutions, we lose your business,” said Drish Paul, CEO, World Fashion
Exchange. “This is why we focus on assuring you simplicity, end-user experience and end-user
value.”


July/August 2007

Hexion To Acquire Huntsman

Differentiated chemicals manufacturer
Huntsman Corp., Salt Lake City, has agreed to be acquired by Columbus, Ohio-based Hexion Specialty
Chemicals Inc., a supplier of thermoset resins, for $28 per share in cash or approximately $10.6
billion including the assumption of debt.

Hexion, a portfolio company of Apollo Management LP, emerged as the winning suitor during a
two-week contest that began with Huntsman’s agreement to merge with Basell AF — a Netherlands-based
manufacturer of polypropylene and advanced polyolefin products — for $25.25 per share or $9.6
billion including debt. One week later, Hexion submitted an offer of $27.25 per share or $10.4
billion and subsequently raised it to $28 per share. Huntsman’s Board of Directors approved the
higher offer and terminated the agreement with Basell.

“This is a very favorable outcome for our shareholders and one that reflects a confidence in
our company of which our associates can be very proud,” said Peter R. Huntsman, president and CEO,
Huntsman. “[Hexion and Huntsman] have complementary businesses and, together, will have an even
stronger technology platform from which to serve our customers.”

“This transaction provides Hexion and Huntsman with a great opportunity to create a
world-class company with leading-edge products and technologies, a greatly expanded global reach
particularly in the high-growth Asia-Pacific region, and an outstanding team of people,” said Craig
O. Morrison, chairman and CEO, Hexion.


July/August 2007

Tavex Completes Acquisition
Of Acabados Y Cortex Textiles

The Tavex Group — a Spain-based
sportswear, home textile fabrics and technical textiles manufacturer that has an installed capacity
of 200 million meters per year of denim fabrics and twills for workwear and sportswear — has
completed its acquisition of Mexico-based apparel manufacturer Acabados y Cortes Textiles S.A. de
C.V. The purchase includes two manufacturing facilities in Mexico. Acabados y Cortes assets and
management are now the sole responsibility of Tavex and its Board of Directors.

The acquisition will increase Tavex’s manufacturing capacity in Mexico to 30 million meters,
including workwear and denim fabrics. The purchase is in line with Tavex’s goal of consolidating
global denim fabric production and definitively positioning the company in the US market.

“Our objective with this investment is to increase denim production in the differentiated
product segments [Authentic and Premium lines] in North America,” said Herbert Schmid, CEO, Tavex
Group.

“As part of this strategy, in July, Tavex will open a service center in New York to meet the
demand of current and future clients.”


July/August 2007

Emerson Group Installs DuPont™ Artistri™ Printer

The Emerson Group Inc., a
family-owned company that digitally produces display elements such as building wraps, banners,
signage and trade-show booth displays, recently installed a DuPont™ Artistri™ 3320 grand-format
digital textile printer at its manufacturing facility in Toronto.

“We purchased the Artistri system to enhance our capabilities in producing grand format
advertising where we can utilize the system’s 3.2-meter-wide format,” said Michael Hawke,
president, Emerson Group. “This direct-to-print system is the first of its kind to be installed in
North America and it allows us to produce beautiful, 130-inch-wide textiles.”


July/August 2007

SETeMa Introduces Portafix Universal Wide Fixation Unit

The new Portafix Universal 3400
fixation unit from the Netherlands-based SETeMa BV accommodates the wide-format textile printing
market with a 3,400-millimeter width, and is suitable for fabrics such as polyester and nylon
printed with water-based dyes. The new unit can be tuned for steam and hot air fixation for
temperatures ranging from 100°C to 180°C, and dwell times from two to 30 minutes.


setema

SETeMa’s new Portafix



Universal wide fixation unit



Other features include modular infeed and outfeed frame for increased flexibility in fabric
handling; higher fabric contents for increased production speeds; Autostart and Autostop programs;
built-in steam generator; fixed connections for water supply, steam/air exhaust and condensate
waste water; and maintenance-free chains; among others.


July/August 2007

1...2,2022,2032,204...2,521Page 2,203 of 2,521

Sponsors

Breaking News

Load more

Digital Issue

2025 Quarterly Issue Number II

View Latest Digital Issue

FEATURED ARTICLES

© Copyright 2017 Textile Industries Media Group, LLC.