BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — March 11, 2021 — Motion Industries Inc. — a distributor of maintenance, repair, and operation replacement parts, and provider of industrial technology solutions — is pleased to announce the promotion of James Howe to executive vice president – eCommerce, Sales Excellence, Strategic Pricing and Corporate Accounts; and Joe Limbaugh to executive vice president – Supply Chain, Operations Support, Marketing and Enterprise Excellence, effective April 1, 2021.
James Howe most recently served as senior vice president – eCommerce, Sales Excellence and Strategic Pricing throughout 2020, and as of January 1, 2021, took on the additional responsibilities of our Corporate Accounts group. He has been with Motion since 2002 and has held numerous field roles including group executive for the West Group. In the last couple of years, Howe has led the strategy and development of all aspects of Motion’s digital strategy, including the new Motion.com website released last year. He has also transformed Motion’s pricing strategy, delivering immediate and consistent impact across all aspects of the company’s business. As executive vice president, Howe will continue to lead in his respective areas, while also assisting in other strategic areas of the business and customer development.
Joe Limbaugh began his career with Motion in 1983 in Bourbonnais, Ill. During his time with Motion, Limbaugh has held numerous field and corporate positions, giving him a unique perspective on Motion and its customers. He most recently served as senior vice president, responsible for Motion’s procurement and inventory, distribution center operations and productivity, branch support, facilities and lease management, and marketing strategy. In 2018, Limbaugh led the renovation of Motion’s corporate campus, finishing the project on time and under budget in late 2019. In 2020, under his leadership and guidance, Motion installed the first “goods-to-person” automated retrieval systems in the Birmingham distribution center, resulting in a 540 percent productivity improvement. As executive vice president, Limbaugh will continue to lead strategic initiatives throughout the company to improve customer service levels and increase Motion’s productivity in an effort to create additional stakeholder value.
“With their expertise and substantial achievements, James and Joe are both proven, integral leaders and key to Motion’s success,” said Motion President Randy Breaux. “Both promotions are well-deserved, and we look forward to seeing continued Company success under their guidance.”
GREENSBORO, N.C. — March 11, 2021 — Unifi Inc. today announced the winners of its REPREVE Champions of Sustainability awards, which recognize brand, textile and retail partners that have demonstrated a true commitment to supporting a sustainable world. In its fourth year, a total of 93 companies are being recognized as REPREVE Champions of Sustainability, the most ever in the program’s history. This year, Walmart and H&M have each transformed more than a half billion bottles through their use of REPREVE, while VF Corp. and Levi Strauss & Co. have both now transformed more than 200 million bottles.
“Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Unifi remains successful because of its customers,” said Unifi CEO Eddie Ingle. “With a nearly 20-percent increase in the number of winners from the previous year, our brand partners are demonstrating a steadfast commitment to sustainability. We want to thank them for their support for a more sustainable world during these unparalleled times.”
“The pandemic brought to light the fact that sustainability and taking steps towards a greener tomorrow are important now, more than ever,” said Jay Hertwig, senior vice president of Commercialization at Unifi.
REPREVE Champions of Sustainability will be awarded to 38 brand and retail partners that have transformed 10 million or more recycled plastic bottles and 55 textile partners that have transformed 50 million or more recycled plastic bottles through the use of REPREVE performance fibers. In addition to the 98 bottle-based awards, Unifi is also recognizing three special category award winners: REPREVE Newcomer, REPREVE Partners in Innovation and REPREVE Leading the Change.
“Odlo has shown a commitment to sustainability by switching to REPREVE within the last year and could not be more deserving of the Newcomer Award,” Hertwig added. “We chose Penti, a leading Turkish retailer as the recipient of the REPREVE Leading the Change award for its efforts to promote sustainability across its clothing line and stores. We hope these awards — and the program as a whole — inspire more brands and retailers to expand their sustainability goals by choosing REPREVE.”
PARIS — March 11, 2021 — JEC Group, dedicated to promoting composite materials, is introducing an all-new digital event series for the composites community — JEC Composites CONNECT. June 1-2, 2021, this first round-the-clock event will be the industry’s most significant event, hosting major industry players, enabling participants to discover the latest trends thanks to business conferences and get networking opportunities. This live-streamed event will also be the place to highlight innovation through competitions, awards ceremonies and keynote speeches.
JEC Composites CONNECT: A digital event to bring the composites community together
On June 1-2, JEC Composites CONNECT will be the meeting place for all things composites. Participants can access the free non-stop digital floor from 8:30 am on June 1 to 6 p.m. CEST on June 2. This first JEC Composites CONNECT will work as an online trade show, with digital stands for companies showcasing their latest products, from raw materials to composites parts manufacturers with various networking rooms, a meeting requests platform, and with a conference area to access live streaming content.
Composites innovation at the core
JEC Composites CONNECT will host outstanding keynote speakers and all the major JEC Composites competitions and awards promoting innovation, research teamwork, and entrepreneurship in the composites industry.
The JEC Composites Innovation Awards celebrate the most innovative composites projects and fruitful collaborations between different value chain players in 2021.
The 2021 JEC Composites Startup Booster competition, with live pitches and winners ceremony.
The JEC Composites Challenge, where Ph.Ds will present their research projects in front of the jury.
The Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, June 2, with an opening keynote speech from inventor and genius entrepreneur Franky Zapata, a.k.a. ‘the Flying Man.’ As the CEO and founder of the company that bears his name, he became well-known for his famed crossing of the English Channel in August 2019 on his Flyboard® Air. He will reveal a brand new flying machine this year. His keynote speech will undoubtedly be one of the highlights of the show
REMSCHEID, Germany — March 11, 2021 — Polyurethane (PUR) is conquering ever more areas of modern life — automobiles, furniture, shoes, medical technology and packaging. However, processing it is extremely complex and demands tailored solutions for the respective applications. Here, the Oerlikon Barmag precision metering pumps fulfill the very highest demands of the chemical industry — from highly accurate metering all the way through to greater durability and superior efficiency. Visitors to the Polyurethanex trade fair (Pavilion 1, Stand 1A03), being held in Moscow between March 30 and April 1, 2021, will now also be able to convince themselves.
As soft foams, PUR in car seats, furniture upholstery and footwear and, as rigid foams, in insulation materials for buildings and cooling units. Vehicle manufacturers use it to produce composite components, while virtually every industry deploys cast PUR elastomers to create cushioning elements, rollers and many other items. This flexible material harbors huge potential and industrial competition is correspondingly dynamic: in demand are tailored PUR processing solutions for highly-efficient, rapid-response and, above all, environmentally-friendly mass production.
GM and GA pumps series for challenging applications
Oerlikon Barmag has been catering to the growing requirements with its gear metering pumps for many decades now. At the Moscow trade fair, the Germany-based company will be presenting its GM and GA ranges, along with the corresponding components for the most diverse applications. These pumps also reliably master the most demanding processes in the chemicals, plastics and paints and lacquers industries. They are characterized by low-pulsation feeding of the conveying medium, which promotes more accurate metering.
High-speed pumping despite poor lubrication
One of the greatest challenges here is the highly-accurate metering of poorly-lubricating and abrasive media. The high-speed metering pump was developed especially for this: “It is beneficial above all in cases of chemical manufacturing processes that focus on aggressive acids”, emphasizes Thorsten Wagener, the sales expert responsible for industrial and chemical application pumps.
The main advantage of this high-speed pump is its sealed product space. The space that comes into contact with the media is therefore limited to the area around the gears. This extends the lifespan of the pump considerably.
TOKYO — March 11, 2021 — Teijin Frontier Co. Ltd., the Teijin Group’s fibers and products converting company, announced today that it will merge its subsidiary companies Teijin Modern Yarn Co. Ltd. and Shinwa Ltd. to develop, manufacture, sell and specially process yarns as Teijin Frontier Knitting Co. Ltd. on April 1.
The establishment of Teijin Frontier Knitting is meant to combine the variations of its two predecessors’ knitting machines with new development and quality-control capabilities for difficult products. It also is expected to strengthen global expansion of Teijin Frontier Group’s circular knitting business. In addition, Teijin Frontier Knitting will create next-generation materials in the special textured yarn field by integrating the unique technologies of its two predecessors while further strengthening development capabilities throughout Teijin Frontier Group. Furthermore, the new company will strengthen the launch of new products both in Japan and worldwide by leveraging its expertise in circular knitting that incorporate special textured yarn.
The Teijin Frontier Group, the world’s only business entity involved in the integrated manufacture and sales of fibers, has achieved steady performance in an uncertain global market thanks to its rich experience and the strengths of its comprehensive framework for producing yarns, fabrics and finished products. The group has continued to build up its business structure and basic technologies by strategically investing in five key fields: environment, infrastructure, healthcare, mobility and global apparel textiles, and also new businesses, as well as by steadily upgrading its operating efficiencies and market responsiveness.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — March 10, 2021 — As part of its broader investment plan to drive innovation and growth in its specialty product lines, Hexion Inc. intends to expand its Portland, Ore., manufacturing site. The company is beginning the permitting stages of a second automated manufacturing line to support its recently-launched ArmorBuilt fire-resistant wrap, a new product which greatly improves fire protection when applied to a substrate, such as wood utility poles. The first automated production line will come online at the end of the first quarter of 2021 and the second automated line is expected to start up around year-end 2021.
ArmorBuilt wrap is a proprietary wrap from Hexion that can be applied to either new or existing wood utility poles. Hexion has been providing high-performing adhesives for decades and has leveraged its expertise to develop a fire-retardant coating for more sustainable wooden utility poles that greatly improves their fire resistance. ArmorBuilt wrap has passed an industry approved wildfire simulation burn test for fire resistance.
“Our ArmorBuilt fire resistant wrap has been extremely well received by the utilities industry,” said Scott McIntyre, North American business director, Performance Adhesives. “The additional automated capacity will enable us to meet the strong demand for this fire-resistant mesh wrap that leverages Hexion’s innovative resin technology and ultimately helps mitigate the devastating impact of wildfires by protecting the critical utility infrastructure. Targeted investments like these, in partnership with our customers, are a key part of our global growth strategy that the company continues to execute against going forward.”
Hexion is working closely with one of the largest wood pole producers in North America to make ArmorBuilt wrap the specified solution for Pacific Gas & Electric Co. to protect its utility pole infrastructure in wildfire prone areas. Hexion also continues to strategically expand its manufacturing capabilities for other adhesive applications around the globe, such as the expansion of its Brimbank, Australia, site.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — March 10, 2021 — Elevate Textiles is pleased to announce that it has joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) SmartWay® Transport Partnership as part of the company’s continued efforts to promote and further sustainability throughout its supply chain operations and in support of its portfolio brands American & Efird (A&E), Burlington, Cone Denim, Gütermann and Safety Components.
The Smartway Transport Partnership is an innovative, market-based collaboration between the EPA and industry designed to reduce carbon emissions in the freight transportation sector. The Partnership includes more than 3,000 members including manufacturers, freight shippers and freight logistics companies that share a commitment to assessing and improving the environmental and energy efficiency of moving goods across the United States.
“We are very pleased to join the efforts of the Smartway Partnership and actively participate in identifying ways to reduce our carbon emissions in the transportation of our fabric and thread products,” said Jimmy Summers, chief sustainability officer for Elevate. “Across our brands, we are committed to being a market leader and responsible manufacturer, and that includes the transportation of our goods through our own private fleet and outsourced resources. The actions of the Smartway Partnership very much align to Elevate’s goal to achieve an annual trajectory of 2.5-percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2025.”
Developed jointly in early 2003 by the EPA and Charter Partners represented by industry stakeholders, environmental groups, American Trucking Associations, and Business for Social Responsibility, the Smartway innovative program was launched in 2004. Partners rely upon SmartWay tools and approaches to track and reduce emissions and fuel use from the movement of goods. Elevate is proud to be among the first textile manufacturers to join the Partnership and furthering its goals. The Partnership’s fuel savings to date are equivalent to eliminating annual energy use in over 20 million homes.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — March 10, 2021 — Kraig Biocraft Laboratories Inc. has doubled its planned production volumes of its recombinant spider silk for the month of March.
Following the successful delivery of its first sample production run from its factory in Vietnam, the company has further accelerated its expansion by doubling planned near-term silk output. To support this expansion, the company has outlined plans to more than double the staff at its Prodigy Textiles subsidiary.
The silk resulting from this month’s operations is expected to begin filling existing material requests and contract deliverables to M the Movement, PL Kings. The company is actively working now to develop the first line of apparel based on the unique properties of spider silk.
“Last month our team at Prodigy Textiles set the stage with the delivery of the first production samples of our recombinant spider silk. This month that team is delivering on the promise of a cost-effective and commercially scalable spider silk production system,” said COO Jon Rice. “I am very excited for the opportunities ahead for Kraig as we prepare to bring our spider silk to market.”
The company seized the opportunity to expand near-term production of its eco-friendly spider silk when it was able to secure additional production inputs.
BIELLA, Italy — March 10, 2021 — The recovery of the Italian textile-clothing system? In 2022 according to Gianfranco Di Natale, general manager of Sistema Moda Italia and director of Confindustria Moda, as reported in Episode 3 of “Con le mani”, the series of meetings organized by Filo with some important testimonials from the textile world.
In the interview, Filo has asked Gianfranco Di Natale about the economic situation of the Italian textile-clothing sector and the key-role played by the Made in Italy supply chain.
During his interview Di Natale says that, according to SMI and Confindustria Moda forecasts, it will be possible to speak of a real recovery starting from 2022.
As for sustainability and treacebility, Di Natale underlined: “Many of our companies are already sustainable. The path to sustainability started several years ago.”
The first two interviews of the cycle “Con le mani” hosted Franco Ferraris, CEO of Lanificio Ermenegildo Zegna, and Paolo Monfermoso, general manager of Filo.
The 56th edition of Filo will take place on the September 29-30, 2021 at MiCo – Milan.
In 2017, a prominent global apparel manufacturer began upgrading its double-pad chemical application system to Baldwin’s revolutionary TexCoat technology, which applies softener and antimicrobial chemicals to fabrics during the finishing process. The TexCoat system uses precision spray technology instead of padding or soaking/bath methods to evenly apply finishing chemicals.
Baldwin’s “non-contact” method of applying liquids to surfaces is highly efficient and eco-friendly because the minimum required amount of chemicals can be used. It also ensures zero contact between the fabric and the chemistry that is sprayed, eliminating contamination of finishing chemicals by the fabric. When the fabric color changes, the TexCoat system removes the need to drain the chemical pad/foulard, along with the associated downtime and environmental impact from finishing chemical waste.
Agion® Antimicrobial controlled-release zeolite.
In 2018, during its upgrade to Baldwin’s TexCoat, the apparel manufacturer made the decision to switch from its previous odor control chemical supplier to Sciessent’s Agion antimicrobial for improved odor-control performance of its finished garments. Agion is the “smartest” antimicrobial in the industry, only activating when it needs to defend against microbes. This innovative approach provides the longest lasting protection, combatting odor-causing bacteria for an unprecedented durability of up to 100 washes.
Sciessent’s Agion antimicrobial is customizable to meet performance and cost goals and can be applied via spray, padding, exhaust or package yarn. Agion’s safety has been demonstrated across its wide range on applications in everything from textiles and apparel to water devices, medical devices, surfaces, and more. The technology is Oeko-tex certified, bluesign® approved and listed on the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals (ZDHC) Foundation ZDHC Gateway.
Because this level of change — both antimicrobial solution and spray technology — had a significant impact on the manufacturing process, the Baldwin and Sciessent teams were tasked with verifying the successful application of Agion by TexCoat before the apparel manufacturer completed its transition from its legacy double-pad application technology.
Solution
Sciessent Technical Director Ken Johnson and Baldwin Head of Precision Spray R&D Wesley Clements traveled to the apparel manufacturer’s mill to conduct planned trials to verify that the Agion antimicrobial agent could be sprayed successfully by TexCoat and that, once proven, the results would be seamlessly replicated when rolled out to all 19 TexCoat systems in the manufacturer’s finishing department.
The apparel giant’s vertical mill in the Caribbean offered a prime opportunity to verify the stability of Agion running together with softener mixes on the lines upgraded by TexCoat. Production interruption was not an option so together with the mill technical leader, Sciessent and Baldwin carefully planned the validation trials.
The TexCoat system automates chemical changeover including the cleaning sequence between chemicals. The system is flushed with hot water and the new recipe is loaded. This all happens seamlessly with the new recipe selected by a barcode reader that scans the barcode on the work order.
Ken Johnson, Technical Director, Sciessent
A key part of the validation exercise was to verify the completeness of cleaning and refine chemical changeover sequences between chemical recipes, some of which are incompatible with one another.
The validation team perfected the chemical change sequences which reliably and automatically complete up to 40 chemical changes per line day after day.
The TexCoat system immediately demonstrated its consistent application rates of chemical finishing enabled by its metering valve technology. Agion and TexCoat performed stably and repeatably during the week-long ramp up, monitoring and training period.
“The application rate was extremely consistent from the first yard to the last yard and from batch to batch,” Johnson explained. “Agion enhances the value of the customer product, so with TexCoat we saw that very repeatable pickup ensures equal effectiveness of the antimicrobial yard after yard and batch to batch at 90 yds/min. Furthermore, the TexCoat system wasted no chemistry during color changes. This is an incredible benefit compared to either conventional padding or exhaust.”
“Sciessent was a very open and transparent partner and we were very pleased with the level of pretesting carried out by Sciessent ahead of the trials,” Clements commented. “Agion performs well in the TexCoat system, has zero issue with foaming and works with a wide range of softeners.”
Results
Converting to Baldwin’s TexCoat to apply Sciessent’s Agion antimicrobial odor control technology to tubular knitted Jersey fabric on a big scale at the high-volume mill in the Caribbean checked all the boxes for the manufacturer by providing an economical and sustainable process, which eliminated waste, while boosting quality, odor performance and productivity.
Wesley Clements, Head of Precision Spray R&D, Baldwin Technology
Clements and Johnson emphasized that gaining a deep understanding of the customer’s goals from the beginning, close collaboration, and Baldwin’s and Sciessent’s shared unwavering commitment to providing the highest level of service has ensured the enduring success of their first joint solution.
“Two years later, this combination continues to perform stably and applies 100 percent of the antimicrobial and softener mixes used by the mill,” Clements said. “It delivers to the manufacturer consistent quality with minimal chemical waste.”
As they celebrate the milestone marking the success of the first union of their respective leading-edge technology and chemistry, Baldwin and Sciessent plan to seek future opportunities to leverage their combined expertise to deliver turnkey, customized solutions to other textile manufacturers.
