SMIT S.p.A., Italy, has accumulated more than 50 years of experience in application-oriented
research and development in the weaving sector, which has enabled the company to offer a range of
optimal technologies and solutions, as well as the expertise to support new developments. Several
thousand SMIT weaving machines currently are installed around the globe.

Since its inception, the company has seen many benchmarks in the weaving industry: In 1960,
SMIT designed and built the td shuttleless loom, the world’s first gripper weaving machine. The
technology behind that loom has evolved into modern textile innovations for the weaving industry.

High-Performance Weaving Machines


SMIT created the GS900 and JS900 weaving machines with a focus on optimal yarn load control,
superior fabric quality and high productivity. The machines are designed to obtain maximum
productivity in technical textiles in a range of product sectors. The compact construction of the
machines features a distortion-free frame that guarantees vibration-free running, even at high
speeds. All functional units are easily accessible and settable because of the machine’s ergonomic
design and user-friendliness. The modularity concept developed for these machines and their weft
transport technology permit working widths of 140 to 360 centimeters (cm). The GS900 and JS900 also
offer superior insertion rates, according to SMIT.

The G6300 and GS900 rapier weaving machines and the JS900 air-jet weaving machine can
produce glass, high-precision printing and bolting, aramid, airbag, and industrial and heavy
fabrics, among others.

Glass Fabrics


For glass fabrics, the G6300 and GS900 provide dynamic control of the flexible rapier inside
the shed. There are no guiding teeth, and thus no friction with the warp yarn. Reduced warp shed
opening also leads to reduced yarn stress. The warp path is designed to avoid any point of
friction. Special materials and coating on all warp friction points help to prevent yarn sticking.
Special grippers on the machines are designed to resist fiberglass wearing and to avoid contact
with the warp. An optimal insertion of unsized weft allows a yarn count that can reach more than
900 decitex. The machines also are equipped with a rotating weft cutter.

The high stiffness of the G6300 machine structure, as well as reed motion and warp motion
systems, ensure extreme weft density regularity, according to the company. A special solution for
leno binding has been designed to avoid distortion of the edges. The machine’s weft scissors have
been designed to reduce wearing of the blades. SMIT’s vacuum system aids in the elimination of
false selvages.The JS900 also may be used in the production of glass fabrics. It also features a
stiff machine structure and warp control system. The machine’s weft insertion systems ensure high
productivity and minimal air consumption for standard weft counts.

In addition to glass fabrics, the JS900 may be used to produce end-products for such sectors
as electronics, aerospace, composites, fire insulation, compounds and reinforcement.

Several hundred SMIT weaving machines are currently used in Europe, the United States and
Asia for the production of glass fabrics. Such companies as France-based Saint Gobain;
Polotsk-Steklovokno, Belarus; and the Germany-based Preiss-Daimler Group have installed SMIT
machines for this purpose.The company expects this field of application to continue to grow in
connection with the growth of composite technology.

Industrial And Heavy Fabrics


The high level of stiffness of the G6300 and GS900 also aids in the production of industrial
and heavy fabrics. The machines also are equipped with a number of features that aid in this type
of end-product manufacturing: sley bars; warp motion systems; and special systems to control high
warp draft.

The rapier weaving machines also are equipped with high-capacity beams; solutions to
interface the loom with external creels; and special take-up systems that help avoid cloth
slippage, ensuring regularity of weft density. Dynamic control of the flexible rapier inside the
shed ensures there are no guiding teeth interfering with warp yarns. As mentioned beforehand,
minimal shed opening aids in reducing yarn stress.

Thousands of SMIT machines have been installed in North and South America, Europe and Asia
for the production of such industrial and heavy fabrics as canvas, conveyor belts, awnings, heavy
tent cloth and sail cloth.

Goodyear, Akron, Ohio; Bridgestone Americas Holding Inc., Nashville, Tenn.; and The
Netherlands-based Fenner Dunlop BV use them in the production of conveyor belts. Technolen, a
member of the Mehler Haku Group, Germany, uses them to produce canvas and tarpaulin. Verseidag
Techfab GmbH, also based in Germany, manufactures heavy fabrics, while Germany-based Verseidag
Indutex makes tarpaulin. The Germany-based Aunde companies use them to produce car upholstery.

The GS900 rapier weaving machine features a distortion-free frame that enables
vibration-free running, even at high speeds.

Printing And Bolting Fabrics


The aforementioned features of the G6300 and GS900 also make them suitable for the
production of high-precision printing and bolting fabrics. The high warp density of the machines
enables up to 320 ends per cm to be threaded.There are several installations of SMIT equipment,
mainly in Europe, that currently are producing these types of fabrics, including an installation at
the Switzerland-based Sefar Group.

Aramid Fabrics


The G6300 and GS900 also are suitable for the production of aramid fabrics. Several lines
have been delivered in Europe; customers include the Italy-based SAATI Group. SMIT expects the
production of aramid fabrics to continue to grow as the popularity of protective and performance
apparel grows.

The JS900 air-jet weaving machine may be used to produce glass and airbag fabrics.

Airbag Fabrics


For the production of airbag fabrics, the JS900 offers the same specialized solutions as the
G6300 and GS900 rapier models, including the same stiff machine structure and warp control systems.
Dedicated weft insertion systems ensure high productivity, optimal weft stretching and minimal air
consumption for standard weft counts. Several of these machines have been installed in Europe and
Asia. The company also has delivered a line to a facility in the United Kingdom that is owned and
operated by Wichita, Kan.-based INVISTA Inc. SMIT expects development in the airbag sector to
continue to progress in connection with the development of the automotive industry, specifically in
Asia.

March 2005

L
ike other professionals, marketers have certain personality traits that help determine
their level of success. While traits themselves are not tactics, developing the personality of a
good marketer is a powerful tactic.

Patience

The guru of guerrilla marketing, Jay Conrad Levinson, talks about the eight personality traits
that are common in all successful marketing professionals, with the first and most important being
patience.

Successful companies know marketing is an investment and make it a permanent line item in the
budget. One of the biggest obstacles to successful marketing is the process of continually changing
the marketing strategy. Many well-developed marketing campaigns are abandoned before they have a
chance to produce results.

The first to tire of your marketing message typically are your employees, family and friends.
They will advise you to change your ads, direct mail campaign or overall message because they’re
bored with them. This is when the second personality trait of a successful marketer kicks in.

Confidence

Remember, your prospects are not bored with your marketing because they’ve likely still not
heard of you. They are not exposed to your marketing message every day. Develop the confidence to
tell those closest to you that you intend to stay the course despite their concerns.

Confidence can be a little tougher at the office. Oftentimes, companies develop an effective
marketing message that is used in advertising, but the public relations department heads off in
another direction, the sales department in another and the operations people in still another.

The only person who can keep everyone headed in the same direction is the CEO, and successful
marketers have the confidence and ability to assist the CEO in keeping everyone focused on the same
message for the necessary period of time. Companies that survive in a highly competitive
marketplace are patient and stay the course. They know a consistent, repetitive message is their
prime ally.

Imagination

The third personality trait necessary for good marketers is imagination. This doesn’t mean you
have to be the best headline writer or graphic artist. It has more to do with offering ideas that
are unique. For example, one savvy marketer saw a way to assist a local charity and approach
clients the company had not worked with in a few years.

The company bought several books of raffle tickets being sold by a local nonprofit
organization to raise funds for a new facility. They sent the books of tickets to former customers
and asked them to distribute them to their employees for a chance to win a big-screen television.
The result was an effective platform to talk with former customers who called to say thank you and
express their excitement about the chance to win. It gave the company an opportunity to talk about
new products and recapture old business.

Sensitivity

The fourth trait of successful marketers is sensitivity. Good marketers are keenly aware of the
economy, market conditions within their industry, the competition and their customers. They are
sensitive to the time of year, current events and especially what is on the minds of their
customers at any given moment.

Aggressiveness

The fifth trait is aggressiveness. Successful marketers are aggressive in their thinking and
their spending. They insist on doing more than the status quo. For example, when the US average is
4 percent of gross revenues spent on marketing, successful marketers invest 6, 8 or 10 percent.
They also know there are many free weapons in the marketing arsenal, and they vigorously pursue
them. They get involved in their community, join trade organizations to get to know their customers
in a different setting and network. They also read books on marketing, and scour the Internet and
magazines for new marketing ideas and techniques. Their thirst for knowledge is endless, and they
know they must stay abreast of the ever-changing world of communications.

Energy

The sixth trait of a successful marketing professional is energy. It was Benjamin Franklin who
said, “Energy and persistence alter all things.” It takes tremendous energy to turn new ideas and
techniques you constantly read about into action programs for your company.

People have one-way brains or two-way brains. Those that have one-way brains read books,
attend seminars, listen to tapes and take continuing education courses. They learn a great deal,
but it remains inside. People with two-way brains immediately turn their newly acquired knowledge
and wisdom into action, and action requires constant energy. Thinking but not doing prevents many
businesses from realizing profitability.

Generosity

The seventh trait is generosity. Traditional salespeople consider what they can get from their
prospects; successful marketers think of what they can give. They know that they succeed when their
prospects and clients succeed. They don’t mind sharing valuable information in the form of
brochures, websites or trade articles.

Most successful marketers subscribe to the Law of Karma, or “what goes around comes around.”
You get what you give, and you attract what you resist.

Action

The eighth trait of a successful marketer is action. In marketing, action is the purpose of the
exercise, not a spectator sport. Strategy meetings and marketing plans are a good and necessary
part of any marketing campaign, but a plan gathering dust on the shelf accomplishes nothing. The
act of doing something is the hallmark of successful marketers, but they do not confuse activity
with accomplishment. Their actions are well executed and in accordance with the established
branding strategy. They don’t stray from the message, and they don’t abandon the plan until its
scheduled conclusion.

Editor’s Note: Kathy Vass is the owner of Vass Markets Inc., a marketing and public relations
firm in Greenville.

March 2005