ATLANTA — January 28, 2021 — NexTex Innovations, an Atlanta-based textile technology developer that builds strategic partnerships with brands, entrepreneurs and manufacturers to bring textile innovations to market has won a 2021 Outdoor Retailer Innovation Award in the Function category for its TurboDry® technology.
NexTex’s TurboDry technology, which launched in January 2020, is a unique fabric that keeps users’ skin significantly drier than regular wicking materials. Its patent-pending, one-way moisture transport process mimics the same action used by trees to pull moisture from the roots into the tree — delivering comfort and drying speeds unlike any material on the market. The permanent technology built into the fabric creates garments that last longer and perform better.
“We are thrilled to have won this award just one year after we introduced our TurboDry technology at the 2020 Outdoor Retailer Winter Market,” said Chad Lawrence, NexTex CEO. “We’ve received an overwhelming response from the market since our launch, and we are grateful and proud to be recognized among a number of equally innovative finalists.”
The Outdoor Retailer Innovation Awards recognize the gear, brands, and retailers making an impact through innovation. A record total of 189 entries were received in the third year of the annual program. The 2021 winners were voted on by a 19-member judging panel and selected from this year’s 34 finalists. The winning products and programs cross all seasons and were scored by the judges for their design, functionality, and impact.
All finalists can be viewed in the online Innovation Gallery through the duration of Outdoor Retailer Winter Online, which runs until March 19, 2021.
NexTex invites you to learn more about its TurboDry technology by visiting its booth at Outdoor Retailer Online https://outdoorretailer.com/home-winter/ through March 29, 2021.
ATLANTA — January 28, 2021 — As the first major textile event since COVID-19 put the brakes on tradeshows in early 2020, Techtextil North America returns to Raleigh August 23-25, 2021, to reunite an industry hungry for in-person business interactions.
The show’s theme this year is “Accelerating Technology” and aims to highlight the textile industry’s high level of innovation and contribution to the global supply chain through advanced technology. North Carolina State University’s Wilson College of Textiles — internationally renowned as a leader in the field of textile education and innovation — will again serve as the Official Academic Partner, with several members of the college’s faculty also seated on the show’s Advisory Council.
Selected for their industry knowledge and expertise, the Advisory Council acts as a support to the management team in the planning and execution of the Techtextil North America Symposium and other educational content and show features, which, in line with the show’s theme, will heavily focus on advanced technology in textile design, development and end-to-end manufacturing.
This year’s advisory council will include:
Frank Henderson, president, Henderson Sewing;
Dr. Karen Leonas, professor of Textile Sciences, Department of Textile and Apparel, Technology and Management, Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University
Dr. Bryan Ormond, professor of Polymer and Color Chemistry, Department of Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science and the Textile Protection and Comfort Center, Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University;
Dr. Behnam Pourdeyhimi, associate dean for Industry Research and Extension, William A. Klopman Distinguished Professor of Materials, professor of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Biomedical Engineering, and executive director, The Nonwovens Institute, Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University; and
Melissa Sharp, associate director, Zeis Textiles Extension, Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University.
The Techtextil North America Symposium will provide the latest research and technology across verticals — with insights into textile industry trends, challenges brought on by emerging technology and how to keep stride in an ever-changing, global business landscape. The Symposium will include six paid educational sessions over the course of the three day event, and will be complimented by show floor mini-sessions.
Explore the Sewn Products Industry at Techtextil North America
This year, the event will include the first-ever Texprocess Americas pavilion, supported by SPESA — featuring machinery, equipment, and technology suppliers for the sewn products industry — designed to foster new business opportunities and strategic partnerships between exhibitors and attendees. Leaders from across the industry will be given the chance to meet, learn, and see equipment functionality firsthand.
In addition to the pavilion, SPESA will once again co-locate its Advancements in Manufacturing Technologies Conference with Techtextil North America in 2021. The conference features presentations and panel discussions from SPESA members about the products they make as well as the challenges they face as they aim to improve efficiency, speed, and accuracy in sewn products manufacturing. Co-locating the Advancements Conference with Techtextil North America allows attendees to make the most of their valuable time and resources by attending two events in one. Conference registration includes access to the show floor, and plenty of time to network with speakers, exhibitors, and attendees.
Techtextil North America first landed in Raleigh February 26-28, 2019, a decision made in order to bring the event back to the heart of the textile industry. Moving the show from its 2017 location in Chicago to the Southeast proved popular among the industry, making the 2019 edition the highest attended odd-year show to date.
For more information on the upcoming edition of Techtextil North America, August 23-25 in Raleigh, please visit www.techtextilna.com.
REMSCHEID, Germany/YANGZHOU, China — January 28, 2021 — A polybutylene succinate (PBS) polycondensation system was commissioned at Yingkou Kanghui Petrochemical Co. Ltd. in Dalian in the Chinese Liaoning Province at the beginning of January 2021. The PBS system, for which Oerlikon Barmag Huitong Engineering supplied both equipment and engineering, has a daily production capacity of 100 tons
It is used to manufacture high-viscosity chips for biodegradable films. Consequently, Yingkou Kanghui, a subsidiary of the Hengli Group, is catering to rising demand for biodegradable polymer products — demand that is increasing not just in China, but across the globe. Yingkou Kanghui Petrochemical Co. Ltd., founded in 2011, predominantly produces polyester chips and films. By expanding its portfolio to include the manufacture of PBS products, the enterprise is positioning itself as a pioneer of biopolymer production: In view of the large quantities of plastic waste not just in the oceans, biopolymers are considered the materials of the future.
The new plant at Yingkou Kanghui Petrochemical Co, Ltd. was production-ready with the support of Oerlikon Barmag Huitong Engineering within less than 14 months following contract signing.
DOWNERS GROVE, Ill. — January 27, 2021 — Flexco and MLT Minet Lacing Technology announced today that they have signed an agreement in which Flexco will be the exclusive source for MLT products in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. As part of the agreement, MLT will continue to manufacture the products for North America as Flexco integrates MLT North American business into its organization.
MLT will continue to manufacture and distribute its products through its six subsidiaries and its distribution partners throughout the rest of the world.
The terms and financial details of the agreement were not disclosed.
Flexco is headquartered in Downers Grove, Ill., and operates subsidiary locations in nine other countries, partnering with its distributor network to provide superior knowledge and products that make belt conveyor operations as productive as possible for its global customers.
MLT is headquartered in Saint-Chamond, France. With three factories located in France, six subsidiaries, and two R&D centers, MLT is distributed in more than 120 countries around the world. The company produces high quality solutions that are quick and easy to install and reduce the downtime of conveyor belts with definitive splice and repair solutions.
“Flexco has long respected Minet Lacing Technology’s innovative and productivity-enhancing products and we are looking forward to growing our business with our North American customers through this agreement,” Flexco President and COO Thomas S. Wujek said.
“We pride ourselves on providing our North American customers with the peace of mind of knowing that we are available to help them choose the right solution for their application, and that service and support will continue to grow with Flexco,” said Shawn Godfrey, director of MLT U.S.A.
MLT CEO Group — Operations and Innovations Frédéric Guillemet and MLT CEO Group Business and Development Patrick Vericel are very happy with their strategic partnership with Flexco in North America.
“Our company is widely known for our innovation and technical developments and we look forward to working with Flexco to increase the productivity and efficiency of the conveyor belts of customers in North America now and into the future,” Guillemet and Vericel said in a joint statement.
PORTLAND, Ore. — January 27, 2021 — Columbia Sportswear Co. today announced the appointment of Skip Potter to the role of executive vice president, chief digital information officer, effective April 1, 2021.
In this newly created role, reporting directly to Chairman, CEO and President Tim Boyle, Potter will be responsible for leading Columbia’s global technology organization, where he will play a pivotal role in evolving the company’s digital footprint and omni-channel and supply chain capabilities across the enterprise. As a veteran tech leader, Potter brings extensive experience to Columbia. Most recently, he spent four years as Nike’s chief technology officer, where he led a global organization of 2,000 digital and ecommerce technology team members. Prior to his time with Nike, he served as managing vice president of Engineering and vice president of Technology Innovation at Capital One. Before joining Capital One, Potter was the CIO/CTO for British Telecommunication’s Enterprise Group. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado at Boulder.
“Elevating our information technology and digital capabilities will continue to be a critical component to the success of our business,” Boyle said. “I’m thrilled to have Skip’s leadership on board to drive and enable the growth and continued transformation of our business.”
MINNEAPOLIS — January 26, 2021 — Target Corp. today announced a limited-edition collection with Levi Strauss & Co., featuring an assortment of home and lifestyle items and marking Levi’s® first Home partnership. Reinventing what a retailer’s relationship with a national brand can represent, the Levi’s for Target limited-edition Home collection builds on the decade-long partnership between the two iconic companies, which began with the introduction of the DENIZEN® from Levi’s value denim brand, and expanded in 2019 with the introduction of Levi’s Red Tab brand at Target. As part of the Red Tab expansion, Target is rolling out curated in-store displays to be set in 500 stores by Fall 2021.
The new Levi’s for Target limited-edition collection launches February 28, 2021. Available at Target.com and in most Target stores, the collection features thoughtfully-designed, durable pieces meant to inspire a more sustainable home and life.
“Strategic partnerships like our work with Levi’s have long been a key part of Target’s success, allowing us to offer our guests the very best national brands alongside our incredible assortment of owned brands,” said Jill Sando, chief merchandising officer, Target. “Through this partnership, we’re able to offer a collection of items guests can’t find anywhere else, with pieces that exemplify the values and design prowess of both the Target and Levi’s® brands.”
“We’re thrilled to be introducing our one-of-a-kind home collection with Target,” said Karyn Hillman, chief product officer, Levi’s. “We immediately connected on our mutual passion for purposeful and timeless design, with sustainability and quality at the core of everything we do. We dialed up the best elements of our two iconic brands and discovered fresh new ways to create truly unique products to be enjoyed for years to come.”
Target and Levi’s worked hand-in-hand to create a collection of durably-made items for the entire family across home, pets, and apparel and accessories. As Levi’s first Home partnership, the assortment features items like tableware, quilts, pillows and more, allowing guests to feel cozy and comfortable during a time when they are spending more time at home than ever before. In addition to home, the collection includes the iconic Levi’s trucker jacket and sleepwear, along with pet apparel and accessories.
Given Target and Levi’s commitments to sustainability and timeless design, the individual materials that make up each item focus on durability and offer more sustainable certifications and claims than any past Target limited-time-only design collaboration. For example, items within the collection feature recycled glass, Fair Trade USA, GOODWEAVE and FSC Wood certifications.
Levi’s for Target includes more than 100 items and ranges in price from $3-$150, with most items under $25. Apparel in the collection ranges in size from XXS-3X for women, S-4X for men, XS-XL for kids, 0-3M-3T for babies and toddlers and XS-XL for pets. The collection will be available at most Target stores and Target.com beginning Sunday, February 28, while supplies last. In addition, the collection will be available via Target’s contactless same-day services, including Drive Up and Order Pickup.
GREENSBORO, N.C. — January 26, 2021 — Unifi Inc., innovators in recycled and man-made yarns, today announced the election of Emma Battle to the board of directors as of January 25, 2021.
Battle is currently president and CEO of MarketVigor, a business services company she founded in 2003, and is the president and CEO of Higher Ed Works, a nonpartisan public charity supporting public higher education in North Carolina. She has spent the past 20 years as a leader in B2B, B2C, digital and e-commerce marketing, and she has over 30 years of business experience in marketing, operations and strategy at various companies, including Hanesbrands Inc., PepsiCo. Inc., and Red Hat Inc. Battle received her B.A. degree in Economics and Spanish from Duke University and obtained her MBA from Harvard School of Business.
Executive Chairman Al Carey stated: “We are very excited to welcome Emma to Unifi’s Board of Directors. She brings over two decades of highly relevant business and strategy experience, and her impressive track record in marketing will be a great asset to Unifi. We believe she will provide a complementary set of perspectives to help steward our leaders and growing portfolio.”
Battle stated: “I am honored to be elected to the Board of Directors of Unifi and believe the company has a tremendous opportunity to drive long-term growth through its innovative sustainability platform. I look forward to leveraging my past experiences to share insights with the team as they continue to execute on Unifi’s vision and operational initiatives.”
MORENO VALLEY, Calif. — January 27, 2021 — TSC Apparel, a 2020 Top 40 Supplier, is expanding to a larger distribution center in Moreno Valley, Calif.
In an announcement made this month, the Cincinnati-headquartered company said it plans to relocate its Fullerton location to a state-of-the-art, 125,000-square-foot distribution center in Moreno Valley, Calif. —the facility will be the largest and only Southern California local distributor. TSC expects the center to open by the end of February 2021.
The Moreno Valley location will allow for a broader SKU offering as well as a deeper inventory position and expand regional service capabilities. Moreno Valley is strategically located to maintain same-day and will-call service to existing customers while broadening coverage in California and the Southwest region.
“Our priority is to fulfill the needs of our customers and it was important to us to stay in the Southern CA region,” said CEO Dave Klotter. “Our new state-of-the-art facility will initially provide 25 percent+ more inventory to meet our customer’s growing demands.”
The facility will simplify order loading for customers and features a large showroom and an enhanced will-call experience. TSC is also taking special measures to decrease packing materials, energy waste and provide an eco-friendly center to reduce their carbon footprint on the environment.
“From the showroom to the pick-up counter, our goal is for our customers to have a great experience from the time they arrive at the building until the moment they leave,” said Dan Kessler, vice president of operations for TSC Apparel. “Moving to a new facility will allow us to expand our brand selection and stock deeper inventory, putting us in a better position to get our customers the product they want.”
The new facility is the latest development in an expansion effort, which began in 2017 with a 100,000-square-foot distribution center in Houston and 135,000-square-foot DC in Philadelphia.” The supplier has continued to establish new and expanded facilities across the country. In 2018, TSC added a 200,000-square-foot distribution center in Cincinnati.
“Our goal is to provide excellent local service by meeting our customers where they are, we can do this by providing excellent customer service, fast shipping and deeper stock in a broad array of products,” said Dave Klotter. “It’s our relationships with community businesses that have been our foundation since day one.”
LOS ANGELES — January 27, 2021 — Barco® Uniforms announced today the completion of a new COVID-19 mural that honors “Healthcare Heroes.” The mural, located at 2010 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica and commissioned through a partnership with Beautify Earth, delivers an uplifting message: You Bring Hope.
Barco selected LA street artist Samir Arghandwall for his renowned ability to capture human emotions with an added dimension of realism. Arghandwall, who goes by Evol, has painted murals for more than two decades. Using a 12’ x 20’ wall as his canvas, he created a stunningly powerful depiction of four Healthcare workers that honors them as true superheroes battling COVID-19 and treating patients. Evol’s remarkable talent is on full display as he captures the intense emotions that come with working on the frontlines of a hospital during the pandemic. The project took him approximately three weeks to complete.
“This mural pays tribute to all Healthcare professionals for the incredible work they are doing during this unprecedented time,” said David Murphy, president and CEO of Barco Uniforms. “There has never been a more meaningful year to honor medical workers with a message of positivity, as they are the real heroes who serve others. We believe it is of utmost importance to bring awareness to those who risk their lives every day, and this mural is a small way to honor them and pay our respects.”
Beautify Earth is a nonprofit that connects artists, landlords and funding sources to convert our world’s outdoor wall spaces into public art galleries, which have proven economic and social benefits for businesses and communities.
“Beautify started almost a decade ago in Santa Monica, and our gratitude for our local community is also what inspired us to get involved and make things better,” explained Evan Meyer, CEO of Beautify Earth. “Allowing local artists and cultures to shine on the millions of blank walls means immense impact for communities through visual experience, wellbeing, economics, and smiles. Beautify and Barco are now honoring those putting their health and safety at risk to serve us, and we couldn’t be more proud to reflect our gratitude, and give back to our local communities in this way.”
“We are grateful to have partnered with Beautify Earth and the opportunity to collaborate with a local LA artist on this exceptionally heartfelt project,” said Peggy Schulz, VP of Corporate Marketing at Barco Uniforms. “We wanted a meaningful way to visually express our feelings of gratitude and pay tribute to all Healthcare Heroes. Partnering with Beautify Earth gave us the opportunity to bring our vision to life in the most beautiful way imaginable. It is truly a gift to be shared by millions, or in this case-billions around the globe.”
The mural is located at SportsFit Physical Therapy & Fitness at 2010 Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica.
LUBBOCK, Texas — January 27, 2021 — Anyone with a dog knows what happens when the animal gets wet: the big shake that throws water all over everyone and everything nearby. But what happens if the dog is covered in something more hazardous than water?
It also gets thrown all over everyone and everything nearby.
Two years ago, Brett Huff, an animal decontamination specialist, was looking for a better solution than the diluted-dish-soap-and-water method he was using to clean animals. It was messy, distressing to the animals — even in warm weather, let alone the freezing temperatures of winter — and, when it was all over, he had a huge amount of contaminated water to dispose of, which had to be done safely.
That’s when a member of the U.S. Army’s Special Forces asked if he’d heard of FiberTect™.
Invented by Texas Tech University professor Seshadri Ramkumar, FiberTect was conceived in 2005 as a low-cost decontamination wipe for the U.S. military that could absorb and neutralize the gases and liquids used in chemical warfare. Then, after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, the material was re-engineered to safely clean up the oil.
That was an eye-opener for Huff, because oil is one of the products he often sees in his work. An Army veteran as well as a 30-year veteran of the security, environmental, training and rescue fields, Huff is a technical rescue specialist and instructor for Code 3, a leader in emergency response product design, and Animal Search and Rescue, a technical rescue team that specializes in animals. He’s also the owner of Animal Decon, a training, planning and disaster response resource for working and service animals as well as household pets, zoo or exotic animals, wildlife and livestock.
“Anytime there’s a flood, or any major rain event, anything in a household can be put into the storm drains,” Huff explained. “Animals are constantly getting themselves in a situation in flooded waters and industrial agricultural chemicals, sewage ponds — there’s a lot of things they can get into. So, a FiberTect wipe would be really good to keep with you to wipe them down.
“The problem is, especially in a mass casualty event, we’re looking at the possibility of secondary contamination, because they can spread that hazardous material. So, anything we can do to reduce that contaminant on the animal as the owner brings it in, or before we get to the decontamination station – where there are other people and animals — would be huge and a great benefit to anybody doing a decontamination operation.”
Of course, a sufficiently quick response to reduce secondary contamination requires having FiberTect on hand before you need it.
“As with all decontamination, speed is key,” said Corey Collings, a training, research and development specialist with First Line Technology, which markets the product. “FiberTect can be immediately deployed to animal owners to easily decontaminate their own service animals, working dogs or companion pets. Because FiberTect is intrinsically safe and intuitive to use, it requires no prior training to effectively perform bulk decontamination. Most critically, this frees up valuable trained personnel to set up and operate follow-on technical decontamination lines.”
Since his introduction to FiberTect two years ago, Huff has become one of its most ardent advocates. He gives training presentations across the country to various disaster response groups and, by his estimates, he taught about 5,000 people in the last two years. Not only does he include FiberTect in his presentations, he carries it in his decontamination bag at all times.
That’s because the options for its uses abound. Huff has personally used FiberTect on horses, goats and even a 100-pound tortoise.
He has been working with Louisiana and Mississippi’s state governments to develop response and training plans for decontaminating people after a mass casualty event, be it the fallout from a power plant, a dirty bomb or a full nuclear strike. Animals, he emphasized, must be part of those plans.
Huff is even looking at applications to decontaminate police dogs after Fentanyl raids.
“The use of FiberTect has expanded from just being a wipe designed for the decontamination of chemical warfare agents,” said Amit Kapoor, president and CEO of First Line Technology. “With its flexible design, FiberTect is made in large format pads, perforated rolls and sewn into mitts allowing for a growing list of uses. We continue to find new uses with additional testing and research conducted by First Line Technology as well as end users in the first responder and military community.”
While there are other products available for decontamination, Huff said FiberTect has clear advantages.
“There are a lot of products out there — cotton towels, fiber towels, other industrial, absorbent wipes — but not with the ability this product has,” he said. “They do not catch the off gasses and do not have the ability to hold chemicals into the product. So that’s why I went to FiberTect — for the containment, because it’s easier to dispose of, it was more compact and it was a known, proven product.”
Its longevity adds to that proven quality, its inventor said. After being commercialized through Texas Tech, FiberTect has been manufactured since 2005 by Hobbs Bonded Fibers, a Waco-based company founded by Carey Hobbs, a university alumnus and regent for the Texas Tech University System.
“FiberTect is an innovation story, showing that this platform technology can lend itself to multiple applications, be it saving the lives of warfighters and first responders, protecting the environment from toxic chemical and vapors, and now protecting and taking care of pets and animals,” Ramkumar said. “With COVID-19, there is renewed importance in manufacturing, and fields like nonwovens and technical textiles that have lent themselves to products like FiberTect will play a key role in next phase of research and manufacturing.”
