A Mexico-based fabric printer, Acabados y Estmapados Plus Ultra, has recently installed two Montex
5000 stenters from Germany-based Monforts.According to plant director Bernardo Lew Leff, the
company is undergoing a complete upgrade with further new machines to come. “We are not expanding
our building, but we are becoming a more compact and high-production facility with the aid of
Monforts machinery,” Lew says.
October 2000
France-based Lectra and Datacolor, Lawrenceville, N.J., have signed a Letter of Intent to enter
into an exclusive worldwide strategic partnership whereby the two companies will jointly develop
and market integrated computer-aided design and color-management solutions for the apparel- and
fashion-related industries, from design through manufacturing, and from merchandising to
e-commerce. The two companies share a common vision that reproducing color quickly and accurately
from design to production to retail, in addition to online shipping, will greatly reduce time to
market, improve customer satisfaction and expand business opportunities for retailers, brands and
manufacturers.True Color In, True Color Out technology will provide everyone in the supply chain
with the ability to communicate accurate color electronically for design, for physical products and
for virtual products.
October 2000
New York City-based Covington Industries Inc. formed a new division that will focus on developing
and merchandising product specifically for the residential furniture market.Based in High Point,
N.C., the new division, Covington Upholstery Fabrics, will combine the product and resources of the
Covington Fabrics and Rapier-Cambridge Mills/Fame Fabrics units of the Covington Industries group.
The new division will also be merchandising upholstery product from Johnston Industries Fabrics,
formerly sold under the names Wellington Sears and Southern Phenix.We truly believe this new
division will be a real powerhouse, said Roger Gilmartin, executive vice president and COO,
Covington Industries. Our individual companies have always been significant players in the
furniture sector, each in its own right, but combined together and with the added strength of
product from our friends at Johnston they will really create industry-wide excitement.Additionally,
the decorative fabric business of the former Fame Fabrics division has been combined with Spectrum
Fabrics. The manufacturing sector of Rapier-Cambridge Mills will continue to weave product for all
divisions of Covington Industries.
September 2000
Burlington Industries Inc., Greensboro, N.C., announced that its subsidiary, Nano-Tex LLC,
Emeryville, Calif., has made progress in the development of nanotechnology for textiles.Nano-Tex
scientists are applying nanotechnology to textiles by developing unique polymer chemistry, said
George W. Henderson III, chairman and CEO, Burlington Industries. The goal is to permanently impart
highly desireable features to fibers and fabrics, without losing softness, durability or
breathability. We are currently testing some of the processes in Burlingtons manufacturing plants
and seeking marketing feedback on initial trials. We believe nanotechnology may have broad
potential for apparel, interior furnishings, automotive, industrial and medical uses.
September 2000
Barmag AG, Germany, part of the Switzerland-based Saurer Group, has signed a contract with Babcock
Borsig Group, Germany, to take over 100 percent of Neumag, Germany.By extending its product range
to include staple fiber technology, the Saurer Group has completed the range of machines processing
man-made fibers within Barmag AG.
September 2000
The ItalianModa Marketplace (www.italianmoda.com), Como, Italy, is a
one-stop site where fashion and textile retailers, wholesalers and buyers can find the largest
selection of suppliers of authentic Italian products.The site includes industry-standard
directories, a quick search engine, business-to-business catalogs and ordering systems, surplus
auctions and free and fee-based consulting.The Internet is a great tool to help traditional
business work better and more efficiently, said Maurizio Verga, CEO and founder. This is a real
win-win situation, where all players buyers, sellers and consumers amass huge benefits from a smart
example of the new economy.
September 2000
North American companies will soon be able to sell surplus industrial assets and inventory in the
Latin American market through a direct electronic pipeline to established auctioneers and sales
agents in Latin America and Spain, thanks to agreements signed by Miami-based Active
AssetsandAssociates Inc. and several Spanish and Latin American partners in Argentina, Brazil,
Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela.The hands-on, personalized service we provide customers
through our network will be invaluable, said Richard Clark, president, Active Assets. Our research
has clearly demonstrated that buyers and sellers of big ticket corporate assets want to talk to
real people during the course of their on-line transactions.Provided services will include product
assurances, third-party appraisal and inspection services, freight calculation and forwarding,
customs regulations assistance, financing and escrow.
September 2000
Mount Vernon Mills, Trion, Ga., was recently accepted as a second-year Model level company in
Pollution Prevention Partners (P3), the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Pollution
Prevention Assistance Divisions (P2AD) three-level certification program that honors Georgia
manufacturing, service, governmental and agricultural facilities for continuous pollution
prevention performance and environmental improvement.By reaching the Model level in the P3 program,
Mount Vernon has demonstrated that they are an industry leader in preventing pollution at the
source, said G. Robert Kerr, director, P2AD. Model level P3 facilities such as Mount Vernon have
incorporated pollution prevention into daily business activities, and have promoted pollution
prevention within the industry, with vendors and customers, and within the community.Mount Vernon
Mills has consistently striven to exceed minimum compliance levels in pollution prevention. The
companys efforts include finding environmentally friendly alternatives to hazardous chemicals and
reducing fresh water usage and wastewater discharge by water recycling and reuse. The facilitys
water conservation efforts have reduced its wastewater treatment and fresh-water costs by over
$250,000 a year.
September 2000
EcomTextile Inc., Fullerton, Calif., recently established an alliance between EcomTextile.com, the
companys Internet global marketplace, and Escrow.com, an affiliate of Fidelity National Financial
Corp. and Micro General Corp., Irvine, California.The site will include Escrow.coms transaction
management and escrow services, including its trust accounting technology, and will allow buyers
and sellers of textile-related activities to transact business electronically.Having secured our
alliance with Escrow.com, we are pleased with the high degree of cooperation, said John C. Adams,
CEO, EcomTextile.com. Our strategic alliance with Escrow.com allows us to offer the trust and
security our users demand as well as on-line protection to avoid fraud.As the business-to-business
market continues to expand with new buyers and sellers, secure transaction management is essential,
said Brian Mulford, chief technology officer (CTO), Escrow.com. Our alliance with EcomTextile.com
provides buyers and sellers with secure and reliable escrow solutions and validates the important
role Escrow.com will play in the future of Internet commerce.
September 2000
New York City-based Celanese AG and Teijin Ltd., Japan, announced that they have signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to set up a joint venture that combines both companies Asian
businesses in acetate filament.The joint venture will be both a marketing and manufacturing
company. Acetate filament will be produced at Teijins Matsuyama site in Japan, while Celanese will
supply the venture with acetate-flake raw material and additional acetate filament.Celanese is
excited to join forces with a strong partner like Teijin, said Claudio Sonder, chairman and CEO,
Celanese AG. We see this joint venture as an excellent way to strengthen our position in the very
critical Asian textile market.The joint venture will be equally managed by Celanese and Teijin. The
two companies have set the first quarter of 2001 as the target date for completing the definitive
agreements and beginning operations.By combining Teijin and Celaneses marketing and production
capabilities, we will be able to serve the needs of our customers in Japan and Asia more
effectively, said Shosaku Yasui, president and CEO, Teijin.
September 2000
