Agile City Announces Winners Of Innovation Grants: Renaissance Fiber Grant Winner

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. — January 10, 2022 — Agile City, Winston-Salem, N.C., a company in the field of business ecosystem building and entrepreneur innovation, announced nine winners of its Venture Winston Grants. Each company competed for a $50,000 non-dilutive and non-equity grant focusing on the future of nutrition and agriculture, health and wellbeing, and aviation and flight. Grantees will be partnered with mentors from Dairy Management Inc. (DMI), Novant Health and AeroX,

Winners have agreed to move 51 percent of operations and a co-founder to Winston-Salem for one year beginning on January 31, 2022. Grantees will have a personal mentor and consulting team throughout the program, free office space, accelerator education, and access to industry leaders and investors through Flywheel New Ventures Accelerator and Winston Starts Incubator. Other partners include Inmar Intelligence, Equilibrium, Greater Winston-Salem Inc. and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.

Future of Agriculture and Nutrition Winners

ALLPUR Nutrition, Mooresville, N.C.: ALLPUR Nutrition Inc is an innovator of more nutritious, chemical-free, consumer favorite beverages such as sodas, energy drinks, meal supplements and meal replacement drinks.

Renaissance Fiber, Winston-Salem/Wilmington, N.C.: Renaissance Fiber is a cleantech/agtech company that produces soft textile fiber from raw hemp fiber using a patented, low-cost, Ecologically Invisible™ degumming technology.

smoodi Inc., Boston, Mass.: smoodi empowers healthy habits at any type of retail store through its proprietary, self-cleaning blender that creates healthy, fresh, delicious, and customizable on-the-go smoothies.

Future of Aviation and Flight Winners

AI Technology & Systems, Milpitas, Calif.: This company is building world’s largest EDGE AI app-store and marketplace built with edge compiler tool-chain to produce cost-effective firmware for bare metal devices including 300 billion Edge and MCU devices.

Southern Drone Co., Douglasville, Ga.: SDC excels in providing unique drone, sensory, and analytical services within the agriculture and forestry industry through our precision agriculture, weed mapping, crop and forest health analysis, zone management, and orthomosaic and elevation mapping services.

Future of Health and Wellbeing Winners

ILLUMII Pathfinding Group, Winston-Salem, N.C.: ILLUMII (ill-OO-mee) is changing the game for students and families by combining services to support the journey through childhood and adolescence with educational testing, tutoring, counseling, speech therapy, ADHD coaching and medication consultation, special educational advocacy, parent coaching and more.

Parrots Inc., Washington, DC: Parrots Inc. is an assistive robotics and medical devices company that creates smart, inclusive companions for people with mobility and communication challenges by assisting its users with seeing, speaking, and interacting with their surroundings.

Point Motion, Winston-Salem, N.C: A replacement of traditional at-home physical therapy, Point Motion is a solution centered in embodied music cognition, allowing patients to engage in cognitive & motor function assessments, while empowering health specialists to automatically collect valuable data on their clients.

Salud Mental Health, Winston-Salem, N.C.: This mental health kit helps Latinx families overcome the stigma around mental health and talk openly about their feelings, emotions, and pain by bringing culturally sensitive materials in Spanish for individuals to learn more about mental health disorders and engage in treatment with a professional.

Posted: January 10, 2022

Source: Agile City

Beaver Paper Group Modernizes Production Floor With New Cutting-Edge Machinery

RM1

ATLANTA, Ga. — January 10, 2022 — Beaver Paper Group, a manufacturer of sublimation media and cut-and-sew paper. is pleased to announce the two new of state-of-the-art roll converting machines to its recently modernized production facility. The additions include The Lemu Master Roll 3500 and The Lemu BRA-3.

The Lemu Master Roll 3500, renamed RM1 by the Beaver Paper team, has semi-automatic capabilities allowing wider roll converting. This machine has been designed and manufactured to handle paper rolls up to a diameter of 685 millimeters (mm), a width of 3300 (mm), and thickness up to 140 grams-per-square-meter. The wide load capabilities of the RM1 will contribute greatly to Beaver Paper Group’s future growth, expanding into larger high-speed markets.

RM2

The Lemu BRA-3, renamed RM2 by the Beaver Paper team, is a fully automatic, high-speed, three-shaft rewinder that allows for fold-less tucking for sublimation paper. The RM2 mass produces up to 650 meters per minute. This dynamic machine has been manufactured to handle paper rolls up to a diameter of 300 mm, a width of 2000 mm, and a basis weight of 300 grams per square meter.

Additional Equipment Added in 2021

In June, Beaver Paper Group installed The Dalmec Robotic Arm Manipulator and “The Perf 104” in mid-year of 2021. The Dalmec Manipulator is the largest robotic arm in the U.S. and works in conjunction with the RM1 by lifting and transporting the large-scale paper rolls with a maximum handling weight of 1060 kg and extracts them from the RM2 converting machine.

In addition, The Perf 104, Precision Perforator is one of the widest perforating machines in the world, measured at 104-inches, and has impeccable precision while producing micro-perf and one-perf kraft papers. These two new machines work exceptionally well with the recently acquired modern lineup of roll converting machines.

“Investing in the new wide-range, and high-speed roll converting machinery is vital to keeping up with the growth that Beaver Paper Group is experiencing and is beneficial to the larger markets, giving our customers more options. This will lead to the highest quality products at some of the fastest lead times in the paper industry,” explained Tobias Sternbeck, CEO of Beaver Paper.” In addition, the new equipment will allow us to reduce our carbon footprint by reducing waste, which is ideal for the environment.”

Posted: January 10, 2022

Source: Beaver Paper Group

Indorama Ventures To Expand Packaging Business Into Vietnam Strengthening Market Position In Asia-Pacific

BANGKOK, Thailand — January 10, 2022 — Indorama Ventures Public Co. Ltd. (IVL), a global sustainable chemical company, announces that it is in the process of acquiring shares in Ngoc Nghia Industry – Service – Trading Joint Stock Company (NN).

NN is a leading PET converter in Vietnam with long-standing relationships with major brands. It has four manufacturing sites in both the North and South of Vietnam. It has a total production capacity of approximately 5.5 billion units of PET preforms, bottles and closures, or equivalent to a PET conversion of 76,000 tons per annum.

Operating with high quality standards, NN is a trusted provider of PET packaging products to major multinational and Vietnamese brands in the beverage and non-beverage industries. Its business operations are run by an experienced management team with strong industry knowledge as well as local market exposure and understanding. These competitive advantages are strategic fits for IVL and would complement the company’s long-term growth after integration. This proposed acquisition will strengthen IVL’s market position in the packaging business in high growth markets of the Asia-Pacific region.

D K Agarwal, CEO of Combined PET, IOD and Fibers Business at Indorama Ventures, said: “This investment opportunity is in line with IVL’s business strategy of expanding our footprint in rising economies like Vietnam. The country is positioned to be the ASEAN production hub for the Asia-Pacific region. Moreover, Vietnam’s PET packaging market is expected to grow continuously due to strong growth in consumption and improving living standards. The proposed acquisition would foster sustainable growth in our largest business segment, Combined PET, which has been growing constantly to serve increasing demands globally.”

The acquisition process is required to follow the Law on Securities, its guiding decrees and circulars as required by the State Securities Commission of Vietnam and regulations of the Hanoi Stock Exchange. Through its affiliate, Indorama Netherlands B.V., IVL would be required to do the tender offer of all of NN’s shares. The transaction is expected to be completed by the first half of 2022.

Posted: January 10, 2022

Source: Indorama Ventures Public Company Limited (IVL)

OEKO-TEX® New Regulations 2022

ZURICH — January 10, 2022 — At the 2021 World Climate Conference in Glasgow, representatives of the textile industry presented a more ambitious version of the UN Fashion Industry Charter for Climate Action. In the updated charter, more than 130 participating companies pledged their commitment to limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius — a goal of the Paris Climate Agreement. In turn, the textile industry has set the target of reducing carbon emissions by minimum 30 percent by 2030. The carbon- and water-intensive manufacturing processes in the textile industry hold great potential for improvement but the large-scale challenge requires action beyond voluntary initiatives.

OEKO-TEX® supports action

To achieve the industry’s 2030 goal, companies need reliable data. To promote progress and data exchange along the global supply chain, OEKO-TEX® has launched the Impact Calculator. The tool measures the carbon and water footprint of each process step, the overall process and one kilogram of material/product.“Transparency is the decisive factor to measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions and water consumption in supply chains“ explains Secretary General Georg Dieners. “Providing tangible solutions for industry’s challenges is the guiding principle behind OEKO-TEX’s 30 years of commitment to companies and consumers. OEKO-TEX continues to develop scientific solutions and digital systems for our customers to manage processes in terms of environmental and social impact. Embedding criteria for CO2 emissions and water consumption is a logical step toward even more transparency.”

Lifecycle assessment solution

OEKO-TEX recognized the need for action and started development of a life cycle assessment tool in 2020. Now, both carbon and water footprint calculations are integrated into the STeP by OEKO-TEX facility certification. Thus, the certification enables individual facilities to:

  • Identify the largest carbon and water impacts by materials used or produced, as well as by production processes.
  • Take action to improve operations and meet reduction targets.-Share carbon and water footprint data with customers, investors, business partners and other stakeholders.

The STeP certification is a pre-requisite for earning the MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX® product label. Implementation of footprint calculation data for consumer communication is planned for a future step toward transparency.

New certific ation for brands and retaile rs: RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS by OEKO-TEX®

In mid-2022, the association will introduce RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS by OEKO-TEX®, a new certification for brands and retailers committed to international agreements for human rights and environmental protection. OEKO-TEX aims to support companies in fulfilling due diligence obligations within their own operations and their global supply chains. RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS by OEKO-TEX was developed in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the relevant OECD Guidelines on Responsible Business Conduct.

MADE IN GREEN by OEKO-TEX®

The traceable sustainability label for textiles and leather goods again recorded the strongest growth within the OEKO-TEX portfolio. Compared to the previous year, the number of MADE IN GREEN label holders increased by 55 percent (as of 31/12/2021). While home textiles continue to occupy the top spot as the strongest category (bedding with an increase of 80 percent compared to the previous year), there is currently movement particularly in the apparel category. With a year-on-year increase of 156 percent, workwear and protective clothing recorded the biggest growth. This makes it clear how quickly demand for sustainably manufactured products is developing in all textile product areas.

New and updated limited values

OEKO-TEX has added bisphenol B (BPB) in the STANDARD 100, LEATHER STANDARD and ECO PASSPORT by OEKO-TEX certifications and to the STeP by OEKO-TEX MRSL. The same applies to two additional colourants based on Michler’s ketone/base.

New substances under observation

In 2022, OEKO-TEX will continue to monitor various substances based on the latest scientific findings and conformity with relevant specifications. This primarily concerns some process preservative agents and the bisphenols F, S and AF. The 2022 new regulations are available in detail for all OEKO-TEX products on the website www.oeko-tex.com/news. In addition, a webinar with detailed information on all OEKO-TEX new regulations will be available to all interested parties on January 18, 2022, via the website http://www.oeko-tex.com/.

Posted: January 10, 2022

Source: OEKO-TEX®

Former Chairman Of VDMA Textile Care, Fabric And Leather Technologies Reinhardt Veit Has Passed Away

FRANKFURT — January 10, 2022 — It is with great sadness that VDMA Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies says farewell to Reinhardt Veit, who died on December 30 at the age of 96. Reinhardt Veit founded the company Veit GmbH in 1956 and became known worldwide as a pioneer of professional ironing technology. In 1990, he handed over the management to Günter Veit. Since 2019, his son Christopher Veit, the grandson of the company founder, has been the group’s main managing director.

Reinhardt Veit was Chairman of VDMA TFL — then called Garment and Leather Technology Association — from 1999 to 2002 and steered the Association very successfully into the new millennium. He was held in high esteem by the board, our members and our business partners around the world due to his positive, warm, compassionate and helpful manner. He was a man of firm principles and values and was known as a reliable business partner. We will always cherish Reinhardt Veit’s memory.

Posted: January 10, 2022

Source: VDMA

Muratec Provides State-Of-The-Art Machinery To Gaston College Textile Technology Center

BELMONT, N.C. — January 7, 2022 — Muratec–Murata Machinery USA Inc. has generously provided a Vortex 870 to Gaston College’s Textile Technology Center. Muratec has provided training to TTC staff on how to use the Vortex 870 and will service the machine at no cost. The Vortex 870 produces a variety of yarn from various synthetic fibers, 100-percent cotton, various flame retardant products, and core yarn.

Muratec creates world-class automated solutions for material handling , machining and fabrication, giving today’s manufacturers and companies a competitive edge. There are currently only 156 Vortex 870 machines in the United States and Canada, and one is now being housed at the College’s Textile Technology Center. It provides companies with more production speed per hour compared to similar machines. Vortex Spun Yarn is in high demand given the high quality yarn it produces, and the Textile Technology Center can now fulfill that need.

“Bringing the newest Vortex 870 advancements to Gaston College will keep the Textile Technology Center in the technology forefront for both commodity and engineered staple yarns. The Textile Technology Center is fortunate to have such substantial support from a technology leader like Muratec,” said Don Rusch, director of the Textile Technology Center.

For nearly 78 years, the Textile Technology Center has given North Carolina a competitive edge in the textile industry, and this machinery will help the TTC stay on top on industry standards. The Vortex 870 produces yarn that is production and performance ready and many customers have already requested its use. This partnership will bring more business to the TTC and provide exposure for Muratec’s latest machinery.

“We know the volume of traffic that TTC has and we want our machine to be at TTC and be part of that visibility,” said David Stalvey, director of the Textile Division, and Chuck Butts, sales manager.

Posted: January 7, 2022

Source: Gaston College

National Retail Federation: Retail Import Growth Levels Out But Volume Remains High

WASHINGTON — January 7, 2022 — After a year of unprecedented increases, imports at the nation’s major retail container ports are expected to return to normal growth rates in 2022 but volumes will remain high, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released today by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates.

“Even with the holiday season behind us, supply chain challenges continue,” NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold said. “The huge increases in imports we’ve seen have leveled out, but volume is still at high levels. We hope the system will find a way to catch up, but there is much that remains to be done to clear out port backlogs and increase capacity throughout the supply chain. Amid all of this, the omicron variant is a wild card that could not only impact the supply chain workforce but once again drive more imports if consumers stay home and spend their money on retail goods rather than going out.”

“Economic indicators are giving us a paradoxical view of the direction of the U.S. and global economies,” Hackett Associates Founder Ben Hackett said. “The atmosphere of uncertainty is likely to have an impact on demand going forward. We are already seeing short-term growth rates declining, and we believe trade growth is returning to normal levels reflective of economic factors. We do not expect that double-digit expansion of import volumes will continue in 2022.”

Imports saw year-over-year growth as high as 65 percent in some months during 2021. That was the result of increased consumer demand, retailers’ efforts to stock up to mitigate supply chain challenges, and comparisons against periods early in 2020 when many stores were closed because of the pandemic. But increases returned to single digits by last fall and should remain there this year. Nonetheless, volumes of about 2.2 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units or more expected during most months in the first half of 2022 will be near-records.

U.S. ports covered by Global Port Tracker handled 2.11 million TEU in November, the latest month for which final numbers are available. That was down 4.5 percent from October but up 0.5 percent year-over-year. Ports have not reported December numbers yet, but Global Port Tracker projected the month at 2.18 million TEU, up 3.7 percent year-over-year. A TEU is one 20-foot container or its equivalent.

Those numbers would bring 2021 to a total of 25.9 million TEU, a 17.9 percent increase over 2020’s record high of 22 million TEU that was set despite the pandemic.

January is forecast at 2.23 million TEU, up 8.6 percent year-over-year; February at 1.95 million TEU, up 4.2 percent year-over-year; March at 2.19 million, down 3.3 percent; April at 2.2 million TEU, up 2.5 percent, and May at 2.32 million TEU, down 0.5 percent.

How to build a stronger and more sustainable supply chain will be addressed as retailers, industry experts and technology innovators meet at the NRF Supply Chain 360 conference in Cleveland in June.

Global Port Tracker, which is produced for NRF by Hackett Associates, provides historical data and forecasts for the U.S. ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach, Oakland, Seattle and Tacoma on the West Coast; New York/New Jersey, Port of Virginia, Charleston, Savannah, Port Everglades, Miami and Jacksonville on the East Coast, and Houston on the Gulf Coast. The report is free to NRF retail members, and subscription information is available at NRF.com/PortTracker

Posted: January 7, 2022

Source: National Retail Federation (NRF)

Pantone Launches Pantone SkinTone Validated, World’s First Validation Program For Skin Tones For Technology

CARLSTADT, N.J. — January 6, 2022 — Pantone LLC today announced the launch of Pantone SkinTone Validated, a new patent-pending technology program that allows display, TV, mobile device and printer manufacturers to have their devices tested for authentically reproducing Pantone SkinTones, derived from the Pantone SkinTone Guide. The new program will help provide confidence to companies and consumers that the colors they are seeing on the tested devices can authentically reproduce skin tones as defined by the Pantone SkinTone guide.

With virtually every generation demanding that brands truly represent equality and inclusivity, the Pantone SkinTone Validated program provides another level of product trust that each skin tone represents an individual’s authentic self. The program is the world’s first testing and validation program with a US patent pending for testing methodology. Pantone SkinTone Validated is an extension of Pantone Validated, a certification program that highlights whether an electronic display or print device can authentically reproduce the color standards from the Pantone Matching System.

For technology companies, achieving Pantone SkinTone Validated status helps display and print technology companies appeal to consumers who appreciate products that realize authenticity in the display of real-world colors, and that accurately represent the world’s palette of skin tones, as validated by Pantone, the world’s leading color authority. Additionally, it advances the goal for technological products to be more inclusive than ever. Pantone SkinTone Validated leverages the already existing Pantone SkinTone guide, the first scientifically based guide for matching and reproducing lifelike skin tones. Based on thousands of human skin measurements from a diverse range of ethnicities and age groups, the PANTONE SkinTone Guide catalogs 110 discrete and unique skin tone colors.

“We are extremely proud to be on the cutting edge of inclusivity in technology with our Pantone SkinTone Validated program,” said Iain Pike, director of Licensing & Business Development at Pantone. “We look forward to working with companies across industries to realize skin tone color accuracy in their products and services for a better and more accurate experience with their technology.”

One of the first clients that has partnered with the Pantone SkinTone Validated program is BenQ Displays, becoming one of the world’s first companies to have the Validated certification for Skin tones for desktop displays. BenQ has achieved Pantone Validated for PMS Colors on select DesignVue PD and PhotoVue SW Models and Pantone SkinTone Validated for DesignVue PD3205U and PD2705U models, with select PhotoVue SW models anticipated to follow. Please visit www.pantone.com/validated for details.

“Pantone SkinTone Validated, an extension of Pantone Validated, provides designers and photographers with products that realize authenticity in displaying real-world colors and accurately representing the world’s palette of skin tones,” said Conway Lee, president of BenQ Corp. “BenQ has forged AQCOLOR Technology and is proud to join the global community of color professionals who trust the Pantone system to deliver accurate colors.”

BenQ will be displaying their Pantone SkinTone Validated displays at CES in Las Vegas between January 5-8, 2022. They will be located at Five Spot Room.

More partnership announcements for Pantone SkinTone Validated are coming soon.

Posted: January 6, 2022

Source: Pantone LLC

Vasu Kuraparthy Receives 2021 Cotton Genetics Research Award

Vasu Kuraparthy

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — January 6, 2022 — Dr. Vasu Kuraparthy, noted scientist and professor in North Carolina State University’s Crop & Soil Sciences Department, is the 2021 Cotton Genetics Research Award recipient.

The announcement was made today during the 2022 Beltwide Cotton Improvement Conference, which convened as part of the National Cotton Council-coordinated 2022 Beltwide Cotton Conferences in San Antonio, Texas. Kuraparthy, who was selected by the Joint Cotton Breeding Committee, received a plaque and a monetary award.

Joshua Udall, research leader at the USDA-ARS Crop Germplasm Research Unit in College Station, Texas, and who served as this year’s Improvement Conference chair, said Dr. Kuraparthy has 1) led innovative research projects in cotton genetics including leaf shape, photoperiod sensitivity, and bacterial blight and 2) released improved breeding material for regional producers.

“Dr. Kuraparthy developed a NAM population for cotton that “will provide the genetic resources required to uncover the genetic basis of several key traits of cotton production. This population will be used for basic genetic research in cotton for the next decade and beyond.”

Dr. Don Jones, director Breeding, Genetics, and Biotechnology for Cotton Incorporated, said in his nomination letter that Dr. Kuraparthy has established a first-class cotton genetics program using a combination of traditional breeding and modern genomic tools at North Carolina State.

Jones noted that Kuraparthy has “released improved cotton germplasm, broadened its narrow genetic base, and published his results at a prolific pace. He has developed numerous genomic resources used by cotton researchers for basic as well as applied cotton research.”

Kuraparthy earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Agriculture and Plant Breeding from India’s ANGR Agricultural University and Punjab Agriculture University, respectively. He received his Ph.D. in Genetics from Kansas State University in Manhattan.
He was a research assistant and research associate at Kansas State before joining North Carolina State in 2008 where he served as both an assistant and associate professor in its Crop & Soil Sciences Department before becoming a department professor in 2020.

Dr. Kuraparthy has mentored numerous undergraduate/graduate students as well as visiting scientists, in advanced genetic and genomic technologies. For the past four years, he has served as associate editor for Crop Science, a bimonthly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering agronomy, and The Plant Genome, a triannual peer-reviewed scientific journal covering all aspects of plant genomics. He also is a journal article reviewer for multiple scientific publications.

The annual Cotton Genetics Research Award was established in 1961 by U.S. commercial cotton breeders to recognize and encourage basic research in cotton genetics, cytogenetics and breeding. It is administered by the Joint Cotton Breeding Committee consisting of representatives of the NCC, the USDA, state experiment stations, Cotton Incorporated and commercial breeders.

Posted: January 6, 2022

Source: National Cotton Council

American Floorcovering Alliance (AFA) Announces Its Pavilion For SURFACES 2022

DALTON, Ga. — January 6, 2022 — Stephanie Manis, executive director of the American Floorcovering Alliance (AFA), announced that AFA will host four exhibiting brands at The International Surface Event (TISE) February 1-3 in Las Vegas, Booth 821/918. “At major flooring shows, both here and abroad, the AFA promotes American and international flooring-related manufacturers, products and services that are positioned to make their mark in the industry,” Manis said. “If you want to see the next big idea, stop by the AFA Pavilion.”

Who you will meet at the AFA SURFACES 2022 Pavilion:

  • DeZign, NA is a family-owned residential and commercial waterproof and hardwood floor covering distributor. The company is located in Georgia and Florida and serves Canada through direct container and truckload programs.
  • FloorZap is a flooring and remodeling cloud-based software company with over 20 years of experience. Organize and streamline quotes, invoicing, contracts, materials ordering, scheduling, and much more.
  • Piedmont Commercial Carpets has offered highly styled, custom patterned carpets for over 35 years. Clients include hotels, offices, retail, restaurants, movie theaters, fitness centers, and other commercial environments.
  • SNAPTECH manufactures SnapCaps, an ingenious way that converts luxury vinyl planks into stair noses, creating an easy to install, durable, affordable, and attractive stair covering. It’s the perfect maintenance-free, long-term solution for any stair project.

Posted: January 6, 2022

Source: American Floorcovering Alliance (AFA)

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