Hudson-Sharp Welcomes Jason Beauleau As New Regional Sales Executive

Jason Beauleau

GREEN BAY, Wis. — July 8, 2021 —  Bag-converting equipment manufacturer Hudson-Sharp — part of Paper Converting Machine Company (PCMC) and Barry-Wehmiller’s converting equipment platform — is pleased to announce that Jason Beauleau has joined the company as Regional Sales Executive.

In his new role, Beauleau will be responsible for the Midwest region, as well as for serving multiple key customers. He will be replacing longtime Sales Executive John Krebsbach after he retires on October 1, 2021. Beauleau has more than 25 years of experience in the packaging and printing industry, including 20-plus years with PCMC.

“Jason has a proven background in creating and maintaining exceptional customer relationships that are built on trust and performance,” said Scott Romenesko, Regional Sales Director for Hudson-Sharp. “We believe his knowledge of our customer base and experience in the marketplace will be tremendous assets for our team.”

Posted July 8, 2021

Source: Hudson-Sharp

Tukatech And Sowtex Create Digital Platform For Design & Development

LOS ANGELES — July 7, 2021 —  Tukatech and Sowtex, two technology disruptors in the textile and apparel industry, will launch a collaboration to offer a 3D visualizer and design lab resource solution that will dramatically trim the designing and sampling process timelines. This is the world’s first digital platform where everyone in the supply chain collaborates with real data. The announcement comes amid Covid-19 complications and restrictions bearing down on textile, fashion and garment supply chains.

Set for an all-Asia online launch at 7 pm IST on July 8, the one-of-a-kind technology solution will “Reduce sampling turnaround time from weeks to hours,” according to Sowtex founder Sonil Jain. He said the process allows the use to design, develop, approve, show, sell and then make the product.

“The Sowtex Design Lab — comprising life-like digital swatches of 10,000+ global textile manufacturers — will combine Tukatech’s 3D Visualizer to enable designers, garment manufacturers, fashion brands, fabrics and trim manufacturers, and stockists to make design and sampling processes quick and easy,” Jain added.

“We are grateful to partner on disruptive technologists and innovative solutions with Sowtex for companies in the Asian region,” said Ram Sareen, the founder of Los Angeles-based Tukatech, a company spanning six continents and 42 countries.

Sareen, a long-time fashion waste crusader, also pointed out that the Sowtex-Tukatech alliance will lessen the enormous amounts of wastage during the sampling process. “Since the industry’s average adoption rate is around 15 percent, a large number of physical samples end up in the landfill,” he explained.

Sowtex’s material catalog provides textile suppliers access to thousands of online trims and fabrics and a wide array of Pantone colors at their fingertips, which will enhance and accelerate the design development process.

These high-quality images represent physical materials, so that after approval designers can order the same and achieve the exact same look in real life production.

Users can utilize Tukatech’s library of ready-made 3D garments, or find the model they want to design for, then shop styles made to fit that model.

TUKA3D Designer Edition users visualize fabrics and trims in 2D/3D garments before making a physical sample. Moreover, its true-to-life technology will enable easy design development, fit and growth, thereby reducing wastage during the sampling process. When ready to go to production, users can purchase the 2D CAD pattern for the style for only $5.

The pivot from physical to online sampling is set to change the rules of engagement in the textile industry. Early adopters of this technology would be able to sidestep manufacturing resources and infrastructure as design development, shipment risks, sampling and iterations between the buyer and the seller can all be done online.

Posted July 7, 2021

Source: Tukatech

Gredale Acquires A Majority Stake In Maskco Technologies Inc.

LOS ANGELES — July 7, 2021 — Gredale LLC announced today that it has entered into a definitive agreement with Maskco Technologies Inc. to acquire a majority interest in the Miami-based personal protective equipment manufacturer.

The companies have elected to not disclose the exact financial terms of the agreement however, Scott H. Weissman, CEO of Maskco Technologies, stated: “The enterprise valuation of Maskco Technologies was set at $4,400,000,000 based on an additional infrastructure investments and credit facilities totaling $400,000,000 and a performance based structured payout over the course of five years.”

Gredale and Maskco Technologies began a partnership in June of 2020 as a joint venture distribution agreement for the distribution of Maskco Technologies MTech 95 Respirators which was followed by a strategic manufacturing partnership, investment and credit facility totaling $100,000,000 by Gredale in November of 2020.

In addition to the acquisition of the majority interest of common stock, Gredale will now oversee all manufacturing and packaging of the MTech 95 Respirator in various production facilities throughout the United States, and will also oversee all distribution of the MTech 95 Respirator in North America, South America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

“The acquisition of Maskco Technologies furthers our strategic vision of becoming the largest manufacturer of personal protective equipment in the United States,” said Greg Lorber, CEO of Gredale.  “Since beginning our partnership with Maskco Technologies, we have seen a huge demand for high quality, Berry Compliant protective respirators which Maskco Technologies has proven they can produce at a cost that can compete with products produced overseas. More importantly, we are proud to be able to domestically produce the MTech-95 in quantities sufficient to ensure our country is never left dependent on protective respirators from overseas, especially in the event of a future pandemic,” Lorber added.

Upon the completion of the transaction, Scott H. Weissman shall continue as CEO of Maskco Technologies and will also be appointed to the Board of Directors of Gredale.

Posted July 7, 2021

Source: Gredale, LLC

Moira Murray Joins Textile Division At Milliken & Company 

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — July 7, 2021 — Milliken & Company is pleased to announce that Moira Murray has been hired as the residential sales and market director for the specialty interiors business within the Textile Division. Joining the company from UltraFabrics, Murray will be working closely across departments to assist in accelerating the Specialty Interiors business’s position in the residential marketplace.

“As an organization, we are committed to growing our residential business and having Moira join our team is an exciting step in that journey. Her customer-focused philosophy and vast product exposure brings a unique skill set to our team and her experience in the residential and commercial industries is invaluable,” said Benji Bagwell, vice president of Specialty Interiors.

With more than 15 years of sales experience across the architectural and design, furniture and fabrics verticals, Murray brings intimate knowledge and understanding of the challenges facing industry decision makers.

Murray received her B.S. in Finance from the University of South Carolina and started her career at Milliken more than 35 years ago.

Posted July 7, 2021

Source: Milliken & Company

U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol Announces Levi Strauss & Co And Their Legacy Brands As New Members

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — July 7, 2021 — The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol welcomes new members Levi Strauss & Co, one of the most recognizable denim companies worldwide, and its legacy brands Levi’s®, Dockers®, Denizen® by Levi’s®, and Signature by Levi Strauss & Co.™

More than 90 percent of Levi Strauss & Co’s products are cotton-based. The company has committed to sourcing 100-percent more sustainably grown cotton focusing on decreasing water use, cutting carbon emissions, and reducing fertilizer and pesticide use. This corporate commitment to more sustainable and resilient cotton sourcing is part of a broader internal initiative designed to move the company toward a more sustainable and circular product strategy.

“At Levi Strauss & Co., the quality and sustainability of the cotton we use is critical to our business and important to our customers,” said Jeffrey Hogue, chief sustainability officer, Levi Strauss & Co. “Membership in the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol will be an important step and a key partnership in our efforts to source 100 percent more sustainably grown cotton.”

The Trust Protocol will aid Levi Strauss & Co.’s efforts by providing verified data on sustainability practices from U.S. cotton growers and access to aggregate year-over-year data on critical metrics including water use, greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, soil carbon, soil loss and land use efficiency. Levi Strauss & Co will also participate in the pilot phase of the Protocol Credit Management System which provides its members with complete supply chain transparency through use of TextileGenesis’ blockchain technology.

“Levi Strauss & Co. is a globally recognized and respected brand and we are proud to welcome them as members,” said Dr. Gary Adams, president of the U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol. “During the past 35 years, the U.S. cotton industry has made significant progress in reducing our environmental impact and the Trust Protocol is aligned with the 2025 national goals to further those improvements. As a member, Levi Strauss & Co. will receive farm level data which will help them progress their sustainability efforts and achieve their cotton sourcing goals.”

The Trust Protocol has welcomed more than 450 brand, retailer, mill and manufacturer members since its launch in 2020. This includes Gap Inc. and its collection of purpose-led lifestyle brands Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta as well as global apparel manufacturer Gildan. The Trust Protocol has also welcomed UK retailers Tesco, Byford and Next Plc. Other Trust Protocol member announcements include the first 10 U.S. mills to join and the first members in Latin America.

The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol is aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, recognized by Textile Exchange and Forum for the Future, and part of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition, Cotton 2025 Sustainable Cotton Challenge, Cotton 2040 and Cotton Up initiatives.

Posted July 7, 2021

Source: The U.S. Cotton Trust Protocol

Coloreel Secures 70 Million Swedish Krona In Private Placement

JÖNKÖPING, Sweden — July 7, 2021 — Coloreel, with its unique well-patented technology for digital dyeing of textile thread on-demand, has raised 70 million Swedish krona ($8.1 million) in a private placement to existing and new shareholders. The funding will be used to support the company’s market expansion and growth and to initiate expansion into new application areas such as sewing.

“In this private placement, we bring in a number of exciting and strong investors alongside the existing major shareholders, Robur Ny Teknik, SEB Stiftelsen, Svea Ekonomi and Ilija Batljan, who also participated in this placement. In parallel to this, we now receive more and more new expressions of interest from additional investors which feels very exciting,” said the company’s founder and main owner Joakim Staberg.

“We are noticing a sharp increase in activity as more and more markets open up. Larger orders such as the one recently announced from Tryckhuset AB is great proof that we are on the right track in our ambition to modernize the use of embroidery in the textile industry,” said Mattias Nordin, CEO of Coloreel

Product and customer benefits

Coloreel’s technology for digital dyeing of textile thread on-demand gives embroidery manufacturers and fashion designers a number of significant competitive advantages. The technology maximizes the users’ creative potential while minimizing the environmental impact. Higher embroidery quality, no thread waste, no wastewater, creative color changes and above all a complete freedom in the use of colors.

Market and deliveries

The interest from the market is great, from the smallest to the very largest brands in everything from lifestyle and sports to exclusive fashion apparel. Coloreel has chosen to initially enter into close collaborations with some of the world’s most famous brands and leading embroidery manufacturers.

The embroidery market is large and includes about 8 million installed embroidery heads worldwide. Each of these embroidery heads can be equipped with Coloreel’s technology. Despite the ongoing pandemic, Coloreel, with the help of existing distributors, has delivered its ground-breaking technology to eleven countries in Europe, the United States and Asia, albeit in limited volumes. It has also started business with the world’s largest distributor of embroidery machines, U.S. based Hirsch Solutions, which has already installed the technology with several reputable end-customers in the United States.

Posted July 7, 2021

Source: Coloreel

Hexcel Showcases Carbon Fiber Prepreg Capability For UAV Applications With Sponsorship Of Austrian University Camera Drone

STAMFORD, Conn. — July 7, 2021 — Hexcel has announced the successful maiden flight of a lightweight camera drone, developed using Hexcel HexPly® carbon fiber prepregs. The composite drone was developed by a team of students from the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria in Wels with composite materials supplied by Hexcel Neumarkt in Austria.

A team of six students in the university’s lightweight construction and composite materials course was responsible for the complete design, engineering, and manufacture of the camera drone over a period of 18 months. Hexcel materials and optimization of the composite engineering enabled the team to reduce the composite structural mass by 42 percent compared to similar drones.

Hexcel Neumarkt was one of eight industrial partners supporting the university team throughout the project, providing all carbon fiber prepreg materials used for the drone’s landing gear as well as the fuselage. The ultra-lightweight 32 gram landing gear was laid up and cured in the press, whereas the fuselage was autoclave cured by the student team using Hexcel HexPly M901 and HexPly M78.1 prepreg resin systems with a combination of woven and unidirectional carbon fiber reinforcements.

With the development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) as a key emerging market and innovation space in the transportation sector, Hexcel’s collaboration with the University of Applied Sciences Upper Austria team not only creates an important link with the next generation of lightweight composite engineers but also highlights the weight saving and structural benefits of Hexcel composite material solutions.

“The massive weight saving achieved with their updated version of the camera drone is a fantastic achievement by the student team,” said Michael Rabl, dean of FH Wels of the Upper Austria University of Applied Sciences. “The joint study not only illustrates the wide range of complex and innovative composite techniques present in the drone sector but also presents the opportunities that exist for further development in the wider Urban Air Mobility (UAM) and aerospace composites markets.”

Hexcel congratulates the project team which includes Lukas Weninger, Karl-Heinz Schneider, Jakob Schlosser, Matthias Thon, Marla Unter, and Simone Hartl on an exceptional piece of lightweight composite design and thanks them for showcasing the contribution of Hexcel materials with a presentation and drone flight.

Johanna Arndt, research and technology group leader at Hexcel Neumarkt, said: “It was a great pleasure to work with the team who were very cooperative and self-motivated to succeed. Watching the drone just fly around the Neumarkt plant was just great.”

Posted July 7, 2021

Source: Hexcel Corp.

An Alternative For Leather And Synthetic Leather: VTT Succeeded In Demonstrating Continuous Production Of Mycelium Leather

ESPOO, Finland — July 7, 2021 — Leather and synthetic leather production have a large negative environmental impact due to resource-intensive processes and hazardous chemicals used during production. VTT’s research team demonstrated that VTT’s technology enables the continuous manufacturing of mycelium leather sheets by the meter. The approach is applicable to industrial roll-to-roll production. The first product applications for the material could be accessories, footwear, and garments, for example.

“The material has a leathery look and feel and can be as strong as animal leather. It also offers the possibility to be colored and patterned, and it does not contain any backing or supporting materials,” said VTT’s Senior Scientist Géza Szilvay.

Fungal mycelium is a bio-based raw material that can be sustainably processed into leather-like materials. Until now, increasing the production volume with current methods has been challenging due to mycelium cultivation taking place in a planar two-dimensional form limited in size. “Our process makes it possible to overcome these size limitations,” says VTT’s Research Scientist Manuel Arias Barrantes.

VTT’s patent-pending technology for producing mycelium leather alternative materials is based on growing mycelium in common bioreactors. The benefits of this approach are that liquid fermentation in bioreactors is easily scalable to commercial scales and similar fermentation technology is already widely used in the food, chemical, and pharma industries.

The film-making process developed by VTT enables continuous mycelium leather alternative production using VTT’s pilot equipment. The benefits of this manufacturing method are consistent quality, competitive production price, and reduced amounts of offcuts.

At the moment, the VTT team is exploring applications in the accessory, footwear, and garment segments. The researchers are now turning to improve tear strength and abrasion resistance by bio-based approaches.

The work done at VTT will contribute to an accelerated availability of mycelium leather alternatives in the market.

Business Finland has funded the development work.

Posted July 7, 2021

Source: VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd.

Messe Stuttgart’s Sun Shading Expo North America Move Collocation Debut With IFAI Expo To 2022

ROSEVILLE, Minn. — July 6, 2021 — Messe Stuttgart announced that its new U.S.-based show Sun Shading Expo North America will not be held in 2021 as a separate trade show but will instead contribute its expertise in internal and external sun shading systems at IFAI Expo 2021 in the form of expert talks, open discussions and more.

IFAI Expo 2021 will still take place November 2–4, 2021, with education on November 1–4, in Nashville, Tenn., at the Music City Convention Center.

IFAI Expo, the leading trade fair for specialty fabrics and technical textiles will celebrate its 100th in-person anniversary November 2–4, 2021. The concept for cooperation with Messe Stuttgart will also be presented live at IFAI Expo in November.

“A large number of international R+T exhibitors have already shown their interest in the North American market. In our capacity as a professional trade fair organizer, our objective is to offer all participants planning security in particular along with a high-quality and successful presentation platform. After analyzing the currently valid general conditions and in view of the long-term success of the new trade fair brand, we decided to stage Sun Shading Expo North America as a co-location to IFAI Expo 2022,” said Roland Bleinroth, president of Messe Stuttgart.

The premiere of Sun Shading Expo North America will be held October 12–14, 2022, collocating with IFAI Expo 2022 in Charlotte, N.C. IFAI President and CEO Steve Schiffman added: “We are looking forward to long-term collaboration between IFAI Expo and Sun Shading Expo North America. Our 100th anniversary of IFAI Expo is the ideal framework to celebrate this partnership and start the development of a strong cross-industry network between the customers of both events.”

The planned conference program of Sun Shading Expo North America during IFAI Expo 2021 will be announced shortly.

Posted July 6, 2021

Source: Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI)

Esquel Group Sues Department Of Commerce Over Erroneous Inclusion On U.S. Entity List

WASHINGTON — July 6, 2021 — Today, Esquel Group, the Hong Kong-based textile and apparel manufacturer, has filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia seeking relief from the economic and reputational harms caused by the placement of its subsidiary, Changji Esquel Textile Co. Ltd., on the U.S. Entity List. Esquel is a recognized leader in responsible labor, sustainability and ethical business practices. The company categorically denies the false allegations that have been made by the Department of Commerce — allegations that are antithetical to everything for which Esquel stands.

Under the prior U.S. administration, Changji Esquel was added to the Entity List without notice and with no supporting evidence, causing incalculable reputational and economic harms. Despite continued outreach and the sharing of numerous business documents with the Department of Commerce’s End-User Review Committee since September 2020, Esquel has received no meaningful response or evidence from the U.S. government that would support its inclusion on the List.  Accordingly, Esquel has had no choice but to take legal action to end the devastating ongoing reputational and commercial damage resulting from this erroneous designation.

“The Department of Commerce provided no evidence to support its erroneous decision and acted far beyond its limited legal authority,” said James Tysse, a partner at Akin Gump LLP about the lawsuit filed today. “Esquel is a globally recognized leader in corporate social responsibility.  This action is completely contrary to Esquel’s proven track-record of ethical labor practices.”

The listing falsely implicated Changji Esquel in using forced labor in China’s Xinjiang region, a conclusion that contradicts the facts, including audits by multiple world-class, third-party independent auditors using internationally recognized industry standards such as the SMETA standard, a widely respected social audit format. These audits involved site visits to facilities in the region and independent interviews with randomly selected Uyghur workers. In every instance, the audits found no evidence of forced labor or coercion. Further, the Changji Esquel facility is highly automated and technologically advanced, and it requires highly skilled workers – the inverse of a business model reliant on underpaid labor.

“The use of forced labor or coercive practices is completely contrary to our founding principles and the business we have operated for more than 40 years,” said Esquel Chairman and CEO Marjorie Yang. “Esquel values and respects the dignity of all our people in Xinjiang and actively works to create an inclusive environment free from any kind of discrimination or intimidation. Esquel has never used forced or coerced labor.”

For the past 10 months, Esquel has provided extensive corporate information to the End-User Review Committee in an effort to secure a just resolution of the erroneous listing. Esquel also offered to undertake additional independent audits and to facilitate site visits by relevant officials and representatives. In response, the End-User Review Committee provided no evidence to justify its listing of Changji Esquel.

In addition to pointing out the lack of any factual basis for the listing, the lawsuit shows that there was no lawful basis for the Department of Commerce to list Esquel in the first place and seeks access to the administrative record the Commerce Department relied on in making the erroneous listing.

“It is our continued hope that the Department of Commerce will voluntarily address what is clearly an error,” said Yang.  “But so far, the ERC has given no meaningful response to the comprehensive materials we have submitted and taken no step to rectify its mistaken inclusion of Changji Esquel on the Entity List. Accordingly, we have been forced to take legal action in order to protect our business interests and mitigate the devastating harm that is accruing daily to our business, employees and business partners.”

Posted July 6, 2021

Source: Esquel Group

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