A new Milliken website helps clients access the depth and breadth of Milliken’s technology trove of innovative, amazing textiles.
TW Special Report
In many ways innovation in the textile industry is synonymous with Spartanburg, S.C.-based Milliken & Company. Founded in 1865, the company’s history in textiles stretches back more than 150 years.
Milliken & Company’s strong culture of innovation, which was shaped personally by the late CEO Roger Milliken, began in 1945, when the company formally established its research group. Milliken bet the company’s future on continuous product development — making a corporate commitment to conceptualize and create cutting edge textiles. To do so, Roger Milliken personally involved himself in reviewing research and invited preeminent minds in engineering and chemistry to help guide future projects. Milliken also challenged his research associates to look for the very best brains in the world. He commissioned his scientists to contact schools that were prominent in chemistry, chemical engineering and mechanical engineering to find the best students of the previous 10 years. This recruitment effort was at the core of a serious research commitment that continues to this day.
The Roger Milliken Center (RMC) recently celebrated its 60th anniversary. RMC is home to the company’s global headquarters and corporate innovation center — one of the world’s largest privately-held textile research facilities.
Today, Milliken operates three divisions — Performance and Protective Textiles, Floor Covering, and Chemicals. With innovation firmly woven into Millken’s DNA, staying on the forefront of technological advances is a priority. When challenged to solve a problem, Milliken’s team of researchers, chemists, engineers and developers work together to create best-in-class technical solutions, while investments in innovative technologies ensure the company remains cutting-edge.
Improving Access To Milliken’s Technologies
Through its Performance and Protective Textiles division, Milliken serves a range of industries including apparel, automotive and transportation, building and infrastructure, hospitality, industrial, military, interiors, and protective markets.
The company’s new website, launched under the tagline “Textiles from a Different Perspective” and located at textiles.milliken.com, unifies the diverse portfolio of the Performance and Protective Textiles division, showcasing its breadth of capabilities and highlighting the company’s expertise and next-generation products. The website also illustrates the successful history of Milliken textiles, its legacy and ability to collaborate with customers to solve complex problems.
“Milliken is synonymous with credibility within textiles,” said Jeff Price, president of the Milliken Performance and Protective Textiles Division. “Milliken innovations speak for themselves, and this website helps convey our story and fortify our reputation in a cohesive online platform.”
Taming Complexity
Previously, exploring the vast array of textiles available through the division presented challenges because of the sheer number of textiles available. Now, using the new website, customers can navigate through the portfolio by choosing market or by searching key performance characteristics to find solutions that best fit their needs. The advanced search page lists the eight markets served by Milliken’s Performance and Protective Textiles division and 28 key fabric properties.
As an example, if a customer were searching for fabrics with moisture wicking or antimicrobial characteristics, 10 search results are returned. Among the results are Biosmart® Technology — a patented technology engineered to bind chlorine in wash water to the surface of a fabric to inhibit the growth and spread of bacteria — and ResQ™ DH — a National Fire Protection Association certified fabric enhanced with moisture wicking properties and high breathability to keep firefighters cool and comfortable.
“Milliken’s Performance and Protective Textiles website displays the value of Milliken front and center,” Price said. “We are enhancing our world through well-thought-out products, crafted to fill a need and manufactured responsibly.”
“Our keen attention to detail and unsurpassed quality result in superior textiles that add value to people’s lives.” — Jeff Price President, Performance and Protective Textiles Division, Milliken
Responsible Manufacturing
Milliken designs fabrics for performance, but also takes environmental responsibility into consideration intentionally incorporating sustainable measures from product conception to production. The company continually assesses its net impacts, seeks greater efficiencies and develops new technologies to avoid using harmful materials. Many of Milliken’s manufacturing facilities also have obtained ISO 14001 certification — the highest global standard for environmental responsibility. Company records also document its first recycling policy and the fact that it was reusing packaging and textile materials in its operations in the early 1900s. With one of the most ambitious environmental policies in the industry today, sustainability truly is and always has been an important part of the company and everything it does.
In addition, Milliken has the honor of being named one of the “World’s Most Ethical Companies” for 12 years running. The list, published by Ethisphere Magazine, is compiled by the Ethisphere Institute, a leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practice. Milliken is one of only 12 companies to receive the honor every year since its inception.
With new tools in hand, Milliken’s diverse textiles portfolio, built on more than 150-years of industry experience and award-winning research and development, has never been more accessible to customers looking to solve challenges using innovative fabrics. “Our keen attention to detail and unsurpassed quality result in superior textiles that add value to people’s lives,” Price said.
Editor’s Note: This article appears in Textile World courtesy of the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) as part of the “American Textiles: We Make Amazing™” campaign. NCTO is a trade association representing U.S. textile manufacturing. Please visit ncto.org to learn more about NCTO, the industry and the campaign.
March/April 2109
