LADSON, S.C. — September 14, 2020 — TIGHITCO Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Tawne Castorina to chief technical fellow and Terrence M. Maher as vice president and general manager – Aerostructures Division. This expansion of the Aerostructures Division demonstrates a commitment to the changing needs of the aerospace industry and its customers.
“The expansion of our Aerostructures Division comes at an exciting yet challenging time in the aviation industry,” said Kenneth P. Rusterholz, president and CEO. “Their technical knowledge and industry contributions will allow us to capitalize on the strength of the TIGHITCO brand as we continue to innovate and grow.”
Castorina will transition from his current vice president and general manager role to focus his technical knowledge, innovation and creative problem solving on fulfilling customers’ visions. He has a proven track record of engineering excellence and today’s market dynamics require someone who is expertly positioned to lead in this area. The engineering/quality departments within the Aerostructures Division will report to his office in the Berlin, Conn., facility.
Maher comes to TIGHITCO with a broad range of experience from Leonardo DRS Naval Power Systems, Lockheed Martin Corp., and Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. where he was chief procurement officer for Commercial Programs and Components. His experience operating procedures, program dynamics, and customer relationships complements our current Aerostructures leadership team and will be leveraged as the company moves into the 2021 planning cycle. Maher will be based at the Berlin facility.
UNION, N.J. — September 14, 2020 — Bed Bath & Beyond Inc. has appointed Juan Guerrero as senior vice president (SVP), chief supply chain officer, effective immediately. Guerrero will report directly to COO and President of buybuy BABY, John Hartmann, and be responsible for leading the transformation and optimization of the company’s global supply chain network.
Guerrero will lead Bed Bath & Beyond’s work to reconstruct and modernize supply chain operations as it further improves the omni-always shopping experience for customers. This will include supporting strategic sourcing and the introduction of an array of owned brands, securing faster, more efficient delivery through an optimized store fulfillment network, and driving profitability improvements through the supply chain. Guerrero will lead a cross-functional team to improve the company’s logistics proficiencies and rebuild supply chain infrastructure systems, while leveraging data and analytics to transform and optimize technology, procurement, expenses and network operations.
COO Hartmann said: “Our digital-first customers rely on us to deliver a faster, more convenient and omni-always shopping experience, with a strong assortment of customer-inspired products delivered with clear, compelling value. Juan’s experience implementing supply chain optimization and omni-channel distribution strategies at some of the world’s leading retailers will enable us to accelerate our work to rebuild our authority as we make it even easier to feel at home with Bed Bath & Beyond.”
Prior to joining Bed Bath & Beyond, Guerrero led the supply chain and merchandising teams at FleetPride, before which he was chief global supply chain officer at Bloomin’ Brands, where he managed a complete supply chain transformation to enhance productivity and cash flow for the global restaurant company. Guerrero also previously led the supply chain function at Office Depot and held senior global logistics and supply chain roles at Starbucks Coffee Co., where he oversaw a logistics network that supported more than 16,600 retail and licensed locations.
“I am thrilled to join Bed Bath & Beyond and play my part in accelerating this iconic company’s omni-always transformation,” Guerrero said. “Together with the leadership team, we expect to improve operational performance with strategic relationship management, responsible procurement, and targeted investment to deliver for our customers the truly differentiated array of products they want, when they want, where they want.”
FORT SMITH, Arkansas — September 14, 2020 — ABB’s Motors and Generators division has named Jesse Henson president of its U.S. business.
Henson, who has been with the company for 23 years, leads the team responsible for marketing, designing and manufacturing ABB and Baldor-Reliance® industrial electric motors in the United States. Henson will also continue to be the global head of the NEMA motors product group.
“I am honored to lead the US industrial motor business,” said Henson. “Taking care of customers is in our employees’ DNA, and we work hard every day to earn our customers’ business and their preference for our motors. I am committed to maintaining that focus and investing for the future.”
Henson started his career with the company — Baldor Electric Company at that time — in 1997 as part of the drives and motion control team. His customer-first approach has been critical to his success in roles in product management, marketing and sales. His broad experience across both motors and drives provides a strong level of understanding of customer and application needs as well as buying preferences in the U.S. market.
NEW YORK CITY — September 8, 2020 — Tiger Group will begin accepting bids on September 15 for an online auction of hundreds of pieces of equipment used for screen printing and manufacturing apparel and premium promotional products.
Online bidding at SoldTiger.com will commence on Tuesday, September 15, at 10:30 a.m. (EDT) and will close on Tuesday, September 22, at 10:30 a.m. All bidders are required to register prior to the sale at SoldTiger.com.
On offer are assets surplus to the ongoing operations of Aprinta Group — a well-known textile and premium products manufacturing and embellishment company, said John Coelho, senior director at Tiger Group.
According to Coelho, highlights of the online auction include:
screen printers by M&R;
dryers and flash-cure units by M&R, BrownDigital FireFly and other brands;
commercial pad-printing equipment;
an Amscomatic shirt-folding machine;
an HP Indigo digital printer;
extrusion machinery by HPM;
Stamperia Emilina finishing equipment;
knitting machines by Protti, Steiger and Lamb, and
material handling equipment from Crown, Raymond and other manufacturers, including reach trucks, forklifts and walk behind pallet jacks.
“In addition, the assets on offer here include a vast trove of blank promotional product inventories,” Coelho noted. “It’s thousands of items such as flashlights, perfume bottles and nearly 1 million gel and ballpoint pens. Mostly all are clean case goods.”
The diversity of the sale owes to Aprinta’s multiple lines of business, Coelho said. “The company used these assets to knit, cut and sew, and fold garments, and others to fill and label promotional perfume bottles as part of its own production line,” he explained. “Aprinta even extruded parts it needed to make some items.”
Other categories include:
digital printing equipment;
sign-making and paper-cutting machines;
fabric cutters and inspection machines, and
other assembly and production assets.
Previews are available by appointment only on Monday, September 21, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. (EDT) at three locations:
12 Russell Rd. (2nd Way Extension) Alexander City, Ala., 35010
COPPELL, Texas — September 14, 2020 — Peak Nanosystems LLC, a nano-layered polymer film company, announced today the addition of Wendy Hoenig to Peak Nano Films, a wholly-owned subsidiary focused on packaging and capacitor applications, as the senior vice president of marketing and sales effective immediately.
“I have long considered Wendy as an incredibly valuable mentor and friend and she continues a trend at Peak Nano of finding and empowering the absolute highest performers in their respective field,” said president Chad Lewis. “She will drive engagement in commercial capacitors and film packaging leveraging her long history of success at Dow Chemical Company”.
Hoeing worked for The Dow Chemical Company for 25 years in both North America and Europe in executive leadership positions. Positions included global research & development director for new business development for the Performance Plastics & Chemical businesses, vice president of research & development for Dow Coating Solutions, and global business director of the Ventures & Business Development organization. In these roles she gained key expertise in flexible packaging and coatings development, market segmentation, and films processing while building customer relationships.
Hoenig obtained her B.A. in Materials Science from Rice University in Houston, and completed an Executive Education diploma in Entrepreneurial Studies at Babson College in Wellesley, Mass. She has also participated in continuing studies programs at IMD in Lausanne, Switzerland.
She currently serves on the External Advisory Board for the Rice University Brown School of Engineering and the Board of Governors for the Plastics Pioneers Association, and is a past member of the Association of Rice Alumni Board of Directors and past President of the Board of Directors for the Rice Engineering Alumni. She is a past member of the Georgia Institute of Technology external advisory board for the school of Polymers, Textiles and Fiber Engineering, and she is a past member of the National Paint & Coatings Association Science & Technology Committee.
Hoeing is the recipient of the 2018 Women Breaking the Mold award from Plastics News, the 2018 Rice University Outstanding Engineering Alumni Award, and four R&D 100 Awards from R&D Magazine for innovative product commercialization. Additionally, holds 15 US Patents. She is also active in the greater Houston community, serving as a volunteer for both B.I.G. Love Cancer Care and Texas Children’s Hospital.
SEATTLE — September 14, 2020 — Tricol-Everplush, creator and manufacturer of sustainable microfiber and innovative textile products, is celebrating September Textile Week with the launch of two new Everplush towel collections, the Twist Yarn Collection and Classic Hotel Collection, special pricing and more. The company will be commemorating the event throughout the week online.
Everplush is kicking off with the launch of its Classic Hotel Collection during the first week of September. Originally developed for hotel use, the towels are the heaviest weight, clocking in at 650 grams per square meter (gsm). The collection also includes Everplush’s first-ever premium white bath-mat towel featuring 1,200 gsm. The entire Classic Hotel Collection is designed to be not only shrink-resistant, but to also provide the same luxurious, drying technology patented by Everplush and used throughout the entire family of microfiber products.
Everplush will also be holding a sale on their 6 PC Diamond Jacquard Bath Towel Sets. These towels are designed with a unique modern pattern and utilize the Microfiber Technology that the company is famous for. With Everplush Technology®, these towels absorb more water, dry faster, and last longer than regular cotton towels. The set will be on sale for $48.99 during the week of September 14.
Everplush will also be releasing a Twist Yarn Collection, the most affordable collection yet, later this year in time for the holiday season. The Twist Yarn towel is also the company’s lightest towel and will be available in single or double dye and fabric bound edges for an athletic aesthetic that’s functional and fashionable. The Twist Yarn towels will be available for a starting price of $14.99.
“We are so excited to be celebrating September Textile Week this year,” said Hongwei Duan, CEO of Everplush. “Not only do we have great new products to share this month, but we are also excited to be a part of this year’s Virtual New York Home Fashions Market Week, where we will be presenting our latest collections created with our Everplush Technology.”
As with Tricol-Everplush entire roster of products, the new launches are a perfect balance between soft and functional, and the patented microfiber technology incorporated not only retains plushness after every wash, but also maintains the ability to dry and stays more absorbent than the average towel.
New York Home Fashions Virtual Market Week, an online trade show for home textiles directed at wholesalers, will take place September 14-17.
WORCESTER, Mass. — September 14, 2020 — Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) has received a $4 million award from the Department of Energy and Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to support innovative advanced manufacturing research and development with a special focus on energy efficiency in industrial drying.
WPI will act as project lead and expand its “smart drying” work with colleagues at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign to develop cutting-edge, energy-saving drying technologies, mainly in the food and forestry product industries.
This research is part of WPI’s work as the lead institution on the Center for Advanced Research in Drying (CARD), a research center focused on industrial drying that also includes the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (co-site). WPI announced its lead role with CARD in 2016.
Project lead Jamal Yagoobi, the head of WPI’s mechanical engineering department and director of CARD, said 1.2 percent of the United States’ total energy is consumed in the drying process.
“That’s a lot of energy,” he said. “People don’t realize how much energy is consumed inefficiently in these industry sectors and how much that negatively impacts the environment and global warming. Our goal is to develop novel energy-efficient drying technologies for food, pulp and paper, and other energy intensive manufacturing industries.”
The largest project task is to develop state-of-the-art test beds to increase product quality of various food and forest products while decreasing the energy required to dry them. The innovative research could have large-scale future impact in the chemical industry as well, Yagoobi says, while also furthering the development of the next generation drying process and workforce.
Yagoobi notes this research includes the specific challenge of building multidrying mechanisms — essentially “smart dryers” — and adapting them to work in sync, research to which both graduate and undergraduate students will contribute. The three-year project will yield test beds at WPI and in Illinois that will eventually be available for industry use.
The bulk of the funding — $3.5 million — is part of approximately $187 million awarded by the Department of Energy to support innovative advanced manufacturing research and development. Of the $187 million, $10 million was allocated — including WPI’s — to conduct novel research on industrial drying technologies to increase energy efficiency and product quality. Yagoobi noted that Oak Ridge National Laboratory is also serving in an advisory role on the WPI project.
The remainder of WPI’s funding — $450,000 over three years — came from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.
U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern, (D-Mass.), an advocate of the project, in past years has urged the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development to help fund energy efficiency research.
“Smart investments in energy efficiency research like this are exactly how America can solve the climate crisis,” said Congressman McGovern. “When I wrote to the appropriations committee last year, I told them that the cutting-edge ‘smart drying’ work happening at WPI is a tremendous opportunity to create innovative manufacturing processes that reduce energy consumption and lower emissions. Through our advocacy, we were able to help secure a $10 million investment, and I’m thrilled that much of this groundbreaking work will be going on right here in Worcester.”
On the Monforts TwinAir system, the airflows above and below the fabric being dried can be regulated completely independently of each other.
MÖNCHENGLADBACH, Germany — September 14, 2020 — At a total length of over 71 meters, the Montex finishing line that has just been installed by Monforts for Acafintex at its plant in Puebla, Mexico, is one of the highest capacity tenters the German technology company has delivered to date.
Puebla is known as the epicentre of Mexico’s textile and clothing industry and is ideally placed for supplying both the United States and Europe, being three hours from the Gulf of Mexico for shipping via the Atlantic, and five hours from the Pacific coast as well.
Mexico’s textile and clothing industry spans the entire production chain — from cotton growing and man-made fiber production to the manufacture of yarn, fabric, finished clothing and accessories. The industry is estimated to directly employ around 640,000 workers and to provide livelihoods for many more people indirectly. The country is a key supplier of textiles and clothing to the USA, but has faced fierce competition from China, which has until recently been the largest supplier of textiles and clothing to the US market.
However, the position of Mexico in the US import market has become more stable following the signing of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which came into force in July this year. The country has also been a key beneficiary of the current trade war that is raging between China and the United States.
In addition, there is scope for higher sales in Mexico’s domestic market. The country has a population of 129 million people who are becoming increasingly prosperous, with a large proportion of younger people who are spending more on clothing.
Acafintex father and son ownership team Don Francisco and Lic Francisco Moyano at the new Monforts installation.
Flexible operation
Founded in 1986, family-owned Acafintex operates as a commission dyehouse, finishing both knitted and woven fabrics for local companies in Mexico, in widths of between 100cm to 3.6 meters. The company is run by father and son team Don Francisco and Lic Francisco Moyano.
“We have very flexible operations for fabric finishing and also produce and sell our own fabrics for both the fashion industry and for the uniforms market,” said Don Francisco. “These days, we are increasingly finishing materials for technical textiles and for the automotive industry too. We have both local and international suppliers of both yarns and base fabrics and make sure we choose the best and most reliable sources. Exports now account for over 40 percent of our sales.”
European contract
With a width of 3.8 meters, the new Monforts Montex line at Acafintex is equipped with no less than 12 double TwinAir drying chambers to meet the requirements of specific technical textiles to a European customer, in a contract secured following the company’s ISO 9001 certification in 2019. The line is equipped with an integrated heat recovery system and also benefits from an exhaust air cleaning system to ensure the most resource-efficient processing available on the market.
On the Monforts TwinAir system, the airflows above and below the fabric being dried can be regulated completely independently of each other, with Optiscan Auto-Balance fully controlling the distance between the fabric and the dryer nozzles via variable-frequency fan motors and CCD chip evaluation. As a result, the evaporation rate of the stenter and its energy utilization are always fully optimized. Contact-free drying eliminates the possibility of fabric marking or stitch draft.
Highly-intuitive Monforts Qualitex visualization software allows all machine functions and process parameters to be assessed and controlled easily, and thousands of article specific settings and formulations to be called up at any time — with 100-percent reproducible results.
In combination with an existing Montex tenter, the new line has expanded finishing capacity at Acafintex to an annual 20 million linear meters.
Modifications
“From the installation to the start-up, we were supported by a team of Monforts technicians and local representative Arnulf Thaler at Sattex here in Mexico,” said Lic Francisco. “Of course, every installation has its challenges and with such big machines we needed to modify several things inside the factory and also required certain modifications from Monforts which were all carried out successfully.”
Forced, like much of the textile industry globally, to temporarily suspend operations at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, Acafintex is now back to full production, having installed the necessary safety measures for its employees, and is anticipating a bright future.
“We are passionate about developing new materials in search of mutual benefit for both our clients and suppliers, as well as our own workforce and the environment,” Don Francisco Moyano concluded. “Investment in the latest technology like this new Monforts line plays a key role in helping us achieve our long-term goals.”
SEOUL, South Korea — September 14, 2020 — To address consumer desire for more color variety in comfort apparel made with natural fibers, Hyosung has developed new creora® Color+ spandex for natural blended materials, which it will introduce at Interfilière Connect taking place online September 2-30, 2020.
creora Color+ has the same performance stretch characteristics as Hyosung’s flagship fiber, creora Power Fit, with the added benefit of providing richer colors in natural and cellulose yarns — an attractive fiber blend for leading intimate, activewear and ready-to-wear brands.
“As regular spandex does not take color well, it is a challenge to achieve all-over, rich color when dyeing it with natural fibers such as cotton, rayon, and modal,” said Simon Whitmarsh-Knight, Hyosung EMEA marketing director. “With new creora Color+, brands can now offer consumers fashionable, colorful apparel made with natural fibers without ever having to worry about the dreaded grin-through.”
According to Hyosung, new creora Color+ for natural fibers will be a nice addition to its successful creora Color+ for stretch fabrics made with nylon, a well-established yarn used in activewear for its ability to produce deep and exclusive colors without grin-through.
As demand for sustainable materials continues to rise, Hyosung will also present its expanded multi-function regen collection of GRS-certified recycled spandex, nylon and polyester fibers made with 100-percent reclaimed waste at Interfilière Connect.
On Thursday, September 17th at 11-11:30 a.m. CET, Hyosung European marketing manager, Julia Nam, and EMEA marketing director, Simon Whitmarsh-Knight will join Dominique Demoinet of DLD Consulting in an Innovation Encounters Meet Up to discuss how the company is overcoming COVID-19, its move to digital, and the importance of consistent innovation. The conversation can be viewed on the Interfilière Connect site by clicking on the event schedule in the menu.
NEW YORK CITY— September 14, 2020 — The largest sourcing event on the east coast returns to the Javits Center in January 2021 with new dates, a new name, and three ways to participate.
After the successful premiere of a virtual edition in July, Messe Frankfurt North America is bridging the gap between physical and virtual events by introducing a Pop-Up Sourcing Showcase at its New York Textile shows. The announcement comes with even greater changes for these shows. Along with earlier dates for the Winter edition, Texworld and Apparel Sourcing USA are now Texworld New York City and Apparel Sourcing New York City. The virtual platform will take place January 12-14, 2021, along with the Pop-Up Sourcing Showcase that will join the traditional trade show floor presentation at the Javits Center to collectively create the largest sourcing event of the season.
New concept brings new opportunities
The newest concept, “Pop-up Sourcing Showcase” is a dedicated area on the show floor that will feature a unique display of the highest quality fabrics and garments provided by mills from around the globe who cannot be present at the event. Suppliers will submit the best of their collections to be curated by New York-based trend agency, The Doneger Group. The “Pop-up Sourcing Showcase” is streamlined and integrated with the Virtual Platform giving visitors a unique and interactive sourcing experience. Guided by textile and apparel experts on-site, visitors will be able to touch and feel the fabrics, receive detailed product information through the virtual platform and communicate with participating exhibitors virtually.
“We are eager to introduce the Pop-up Sourcing Showcase to the textile community. The show has evolved tremendously since its inception. From the quality of the suppliers to the educational offerings, Texworld and Apparel Sourcing have become a staple in the market,” shared Jennifer Bacon, Show Director.
“As the world faces economic, trade, and political crisis, our events have consistently adapted to the ever-changing industry for over 15 years now,” Bacon continued. “The current sourcing environment has only accelerated the execution of our vision to reimagine the future of our events and we are thrilled to see it come to fruition.”
As we open businesses to a new normal, global manufacturers will be welcomed to exhibit face-to-face. The “Traditional Exhibition” will operate in a typical trade show setting enabling local visitors to meet and source fabrics with exhibiting companies in-person, while adhering to all safety regulations set forth by the show organizer, the Javits Center as well as the state of New York.
“In consideration of our current global business climate and travel restrictions we look forward to increased participation from domestic suppliers and with the safety of our exhibitors, visitors and staff as a key focus, we are confident that the procedures put in place will support a strong health strategy for face-to-face interaction,” stated President and CEO Konstantin von Vieregge.
The mainstay features such as the Lenzing Seminar Series, Textile Talks and the Texworld Trend will remain in place for the Traditional Exhibition as anchors of the event.
The third sourcing opportunity available to the attendees of the Winter Edition is the Virtual Platform. Following the success of the first-ever virtual edition this July, the well-received “Virtual Platform” will be reintroduced for those who are not able to attend the physical event. With features like AI-powered matchmaking, video calling, chat functions an advanced scheduling tool and access to the full complimentary educational program, the virtual platform provides an additional option to stay relevant and connected in the industry.
Summing up the introduction of new concepts, von Vieregge continued, “Messe Frankfurt has a long tradition in being open to innovation and agile during challenging times and it is in this same spirit that we are excited to present a multitude of opportunities for our New York events to continue serving the textile sourcing community.”
Registration for the Winter 2021 edition opens in the coming weeks. For more detailed information on either of these events, please visit us online.
