ROSEVILLE , Minn. — April 26, 2018 — The second edition of Smart Fabrics Summit, co-hosted by the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) and the U.S. Department of Commerce, demonstrated the advancements happening in this fast-growing segment of the textile industry. A capacity crowd of public and private experts and innovators filled the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center for the day-long event on April 24, 2018, which included talks and panel discussions on:
- Solar-powered fabrics;
- Trends in public/private R&D partnerships;
- Intellectual property protection and licensing;
- Data security and privacy issues; and
- Smart fabric requirements for first responders.
Speakers included the current U.S. Secretary of Commerce, Wilbur Ross, as well as CEO of the Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) Yoel Fink, and many academic researchers, industry experts and legal professionals.
Amit Kapoor, president of First Line Technology and IFAI Advanced Textiles Products Division Chair joined Secretary Ross for a fireside chat to discuss the challenges, opportunities and top of mind issues surrounding the Smart Fabrics industry.
The following IFAI members were presenters at the Smart Fabrics Summit:
- Dr. Qaizar Hassonjee, president, Hass Tech Associates;
- Chris Semonelli, president, Coated Technical Solutions;
- Stephanie Rodgers, director, Advanced Product Developments, Apex Mills Corp.; and
- Colin Touhey, CEO, Pvilion.
“The second Smart Fabrics Summit built upon the first one we co-sponsored with the Department of Commerce in 2016,” said IFAI President and CEO Mary Hennessy. “There have been many, many products introduced since then. The industry is exploring the myriad of ways we can use textiles with smart functions such as connectivity, phase changing, bio-microbial and self-cleaning to improve healthcare, public safety, building design, performance apparel — and more.”
Consumer Technology Association served as the Gold Sponsor for this year’s Summit. Followed by Eeonyx, NAMICS Corporation, IQ Textile Ind. Inc. and Schoeller who all sponsored the Summit as well.
If you’re looking for more Smart Fabrics events, IFAI Expo 2018 is October 15-18 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas. IFAI Expo will have numerous education sessions on E-Textiles along with a 3 day E-Textiles workshop on the exhibit show floor, a wealth of Advanced Textiles content spanning 4 days and many exhibitors within the Smart Fabrics arena.
Posted April 26, 2018
Source: Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI)
