TW Special Report

Textile industry associations want the textile industry to know they are talking. With a desire to work more collaboratively on industry initiatives and events that are beneficial to all their respective members, 11 associations — Advanced Textiles Association (ATA), American Textile Machinery Association (ATMA), Americas Apparel Producers’ Network (AAPN), American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC), Association of the Nonwovens Fabrics Industry (INDA), the Nonwovens Institute (NWI), North American Linen Association (NALA), SEAMS – The Association & Voice of the U.S. Sewn Products Industry, Southern Textile Association (STA), Sewn Products Equipment and Suppliers of the Americas (SPESA), and Synthetic Yarn & Fabric Association (SYFA) — recently got together to discuss ways to benefit the industry.

“We all represent various segments of the textiles and sewn products industry,” said Maggie McDonald, vice president, Communications, SPESA. “But we all agree that collaboration and building on synergies is what will propel our industry into its next chapter.”

This “Alphabet Soup Collective,” as the group has affectionately named itself, was officially launched during Techtextil North America held in Raleigh August 20-22, 2024. One of the first ideas for the collective was to co-host a social event open to all members of the textile industry including current association members as well as non-members wanting to learn more. The result, the inaugural Alphabet Soup Shindig, was held at the Whiskey Kitchen in Raleigh, Wednesday, August 21, 2024. This first-of-its-kind, sold-out event gathered people from all aspects of the industry in one place at the same time to network, learn and collaborate. Attendance far exceeded expectations, illustrating a hunger for these types of cross-industry networking opportunities.

Twelve sponsors were instrumental in making the shindig happen, and the organizers are very grateful to these companies:

• American & Efird;
• Asheboro Elastics Corp. (AEC);
• Baxter Mill Archives;
• Better Than Found;
• Coker & Associates;
• Contempora Fabrics;
• Danbartex;
• Gribbin Strategic;
• Itema America Inc.;
• MajorSage Business Coaching;
• MMI Textiles; and
• North Carolina Textile Foundation at NC State University.

Ben Talbert, president and CEO of Greenville, S.C.-based Better Than Found Search Group, one of the event sponsors, said: “Better than Found Search Group (BTF) was proud to sponsor this event. A big thank you to Devin Steele with STA and Maggie McDonald with SPESA for putting together one of the best trade show social events I have attended. The textile community is a family, and this felt like our reunion.”

Organizers also shared the following event feedback posted on Linkedin by Graham Page, co-founder and president of iAtelier Corp. and principal at AlchemyX LLC. “That was hands down, the best industry networking event I have ever attended,” Page said. “Where else can you connect with the entire industry from start to finish, from fiber to retail? The energy was palpable. This sort of thinking is exactly what is needed in these difficult times in our broader industry. Innovation happens when you mix people and ideas to address big challenges. Kudos to the team that pulled this together.”

As McDonald noted: “Good people, good networking, good vibes, AND good weather. Doesn’t get much better.”

The Alphabet Soup Collective will continue its conversations as it looks for ways to collaborate, streamline events and gather the industry in productive, beneficial ways for all involved. Questions, suggestions, feedback and ideas all are welcomed.

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August 27, 2024

ATLANTA — January 30, 2024 — Lynsey Jones was recently named executive director of the Atlanta-based Americas Apparel Producers’ Network (AAPN). Jones is only the third person and second woman in 43 years to become executive director of AAPN.

AAPN is a network of sourcing and supply chain managers and executives in the apparel industry.

After graduating from NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles with a B.S. and M.S. in textiles,  Jones worked for Abercrombie & Fitch in Sourcing. Her next job took her to VF. Corp. where she held multiple positions over 10 years including director of VF Sourcing in Latin America, and director of Responsible Sourcing. Most recently, Jones was vice president of Global Sourcing Strategy & Transformation, Carters Inc.

“Few have walked her walk,” said Mike Todaro, AAPN emeritus. “Degrees in textiles. Incredible career progression. C-Suite promotions. Tons of high powered presentations. Thousands of sourcing and business decisions. Two stints overseas, Panama and Hong Kong. In short, Lynsey knows YOUR story, what you do, what you know, what you bring from your link to the chain within the AAPN. She was built to take on and lead the AAPN as her next career progression.

“As Kurt Cavano told Sue and me many years ago, we’re not in the apparel business, we’re in the people business,” Todaro added. “The truth is neither Sue nor I had that much ground level experience in either. Well, Lynsey has. That’s why she’s here.”

“I am so thrilled to be taking on this role and truly humbled that Sue and Mike would trust me with their life’s work,” Jones said. “This opportunity gives me a chance to do what I’ve always wanted — use my experience and connections to give back to an industry and a region I love so very much while doing it with people that I have known my entire career. Its like working with my family, and AAPN feels like home to me”

Posted February 6, 2024

Source: Americas Apparel Producers’ Network (AAPN)

AAPN recently announced Lynsey Jones as transition advisor to assist Executive Director Sue C. Strickland and Managing Director Mike Todaro chart a course forward.

TW Special Report

First established in 1981 as the the American Apparel Contractors Association (AACA) by Don Strickland in Atlanta, today’s Americas Apparel Producers’ Network (AAPN) has adapted and innovated to become a significant network of diverse members that make up the apparel supply chain. Throughout its history, AAPN’s leadership has acknowledged, adapted and led change initiatives facilitating the effectiveness of its members.

In One Word, “Change”

The evolution of AAPN, was, and is, largely driven by emerging technology, the changing structure of the industry, and the needs of its members. Technology was an early driver of AAPN’s innovations.

“When I joined the association in 1987, there was a personal computer in the office without a hard drive, but we did have a really big floppy disk — about 8 inches square,” said AAPN Executive Director Sue C. Strickland. “When someone called needing to know if we could give them the names of factories that made T-shirts, we fired up the computer, put the floppy disk into the A drive, typed in a lot of undecipherable characters in code form and we had a list!

“It wasn’t too long before we could use another monumental breakthrough in technology — and actually fax this list to the caller.”

Later in 1994, AACA members were listed on a dial-up database established in cooperation with Clemson University. That spring, Strickland started the “Fax On Demand Sourcing Hotline.”

Enter Todaro

When AACA founder Don passed away unexpectedly in 1990, his wife Sue took over as the sole staff member. The organization was rapidly growing, and the demands quickly became more than one person could handle alone.

The future AAPN Managing Director Mike Todaro attended his first AACA meeting in 1994 in Perdido Beach, Ala. At the time, he worked for Manhattan Associates. In 1995, Todaro joined AACA staff in charge of marketing and technology.

The Emergence Of The Internet

AAPN’s ability to leverage the latest technology at a pinnacle of technological change — the advent of the internet was significant.

In 1996, all AACA Members were listed on an internet-based network, which was an industry first, according to AAPN. “It gave customers immediate access,” the association reported. “The internet was becoming as pervasive as the fax machine, at a much lower cost. E-mail began to gain acceptance, but it was a while before we could communicate with the entire membership using e-mail, but we made it clear that technology was a part of the AAPN.”

NAFTA And The “Network”

In 1997, AACA changed its name to the American Apparel Producers Network (AAPN). Membership had dropped from 350 to 150 in two years largely because of the implementation of the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). According to AAPN, the name change was driven by committing to the internet, and taking hold of the word “network.” It also felt the word “producer” was much stronger than “contractor.” It meant factories, mills, spinning, trim and much more, including both brands and private label.

“We dropped ‘contractors association’ replacing it with the much more accurate and exclusive phrase ‘producers‘ network,’” Todaro noted.

Continuing To Adapt And Change

AAPN needed to address the scope of change driven by evolving trade agreements and policy. In 2001, AAPN expanded its membership to include NAFTA, Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) and Americas producers.

According to AAPN: “We went regional. AAPN changed its mission from primarily ‘sourcing’ to ‘networking’ and extended full membership throughout the Americas to reshape the sourcing infrastructure of the hemisphere.”

The early 2000s were prime time for developing meetings, roundtables and trips abroad. AAPN was holding meetings in Central America and the United States.

According to AAPN, by 2005, “AAPN became the first true global supply chain network. AAPN reached critical mass with one or more global players in every step and stage in the apparel supply chain ‘from the dirt to the shirt.’”

Members’ Needs

In 2013, AAPN became Americas Apparel Producers’ Network, acknowledging the ties that had been built through the years throughout the Americas. Regional conferences, in addition to the annual meeting, grew in demand.

In 2018, the association launched the AAPN Carolina Mill Tour. Designed as a learning tour for brands and retailers, participants visit five Carolinas-based textile manufacturers over the course of a week to see the manufacturing processes up close and get some in-person education. “In April, we held our first ever AAPN Carolina Mill Tour in a packed bus,” Todaro said. “The tour started and spent the day at Contempora Fabrics. Other stops included UNIFI, Parkdale, CCW [Carolina Cotton Works] and A&E. It was a spectacular success. We had several dozen staffers from a dozen brands and retailers.”

The program continues to help demonstrate to brands and retailers a viable domestic apparel supply chain and the level of technology and investment domestic suppliers have made and continue to make.

Surviving COVID And Creating a Sourcing Center

The onset of the COVID impacted the industry tremendously. What was an essential worker, which businesses could stay open, and which needed to furlough workers? It was a confusing time. However, the country needed personal protective equipment (PPE) and textile companies wanted to help. AAPN wanted to help too, and launched an online Sourcing Center on March 22, 2020, available to its members. Within 10 minutes the center had its first post. By April 3, more than 10,000 users had viewed the center, with 3,500-plus registered users and almost 500 posts. AAPN opened its network to members and non-members alike to assist in sourcing PPE and PPE materials. Users were from every corner of the industry including members of other organizations serving the uniform, industrial fabric, nonwovens and equipment sectors, among other associations.

“In turn, word of mouth from AAPN members to their customers, articles posted in journals, and blogs and websites across the industry brought people into the exchange,” Todaro reported. “Fortunately, AAPN was able to share a network that was already active with 200 industry organizations and some 1,600 people.”

Todaro noted that the experience was one of the most ground-breaking validations of the power of trust-though-networking in the nearly 40-year history of the AAPN.

AAPN Looking Forward

AAPN adapted to the COVID and post-COVID environment — experimenting with virtual networking solutions and eventually organizing face-to-face meetings once again — and AAPN leaders Strickland and Todaro wondered what is next? They have decided this is an opportune time to chart a course forward for future AAPN leadership.

Finding the right person for the leadership role was no easy task. “AAPN is a unique ‘no rules, no hours, no supervisor’ radical business model,” Todaro said. “We [Sue and Mike] are the staff. During our 28 years together, every project/event/ meeting/execution fell fully into our laps. So, we had to find someone tough, flexible, independent, always ‘on’, driven and passionate.

“Just as importantly, we needed a proven, respected, high profile industry veteran, with C-Suite experience, industry connections, a global perspective, supply chain savvy and street smarts  — in other words, someone smarter than us. We made a dream sheet list of potential candidates — all AAPN members of course — and began vetting them. We knew that the ‘sum of the parts’ of the two of us was unique, but we were also acutely aware neither of us had ever worked in the industry, had never ‘walked the walk’ of sourcing and production.”

After this extensive search, AAPN was proud to announce that Lynsey Jones is AAPN’s new transition advisor. She eventually will become the executive director of AAPN. “As Lynsey wound down her career at Carter’s, taking time to transition out of Hong Kong and back on staff at Carter’s with big plans and projects, we began to discuss her eventually replacing Sue and me,” Todaro said. “The details quickly fell into place.”

Lynsey Jones

Jones has had an extensive apparel career building on a formal education in textiles achieving a Bachelor of Science in Textile Technology & Apparel Management from NC State University. Jones also achieved a Master of Science in Textiles and became an ITT fellow.

Her career began at Abercrombie & Fitch, followed by 10 years in various positions at VF Corp. Jones’ most recent assignment was as vice president, Global Sourcing Strategy & Transformation at Atlanta-based Carters Inc.

The Transition

A planned transition of two years will be supported by Strickland and Todaro who are excited to explore Jones’ vision of membership growth, new unique value-add services, innovative programs, potential acquisitions and so much more.

“I am so humbled that Sue and Mike chose me to hand over the reins of their 30 years of hard work and dedication,” Jones said. “Ever since I lived in Panama and concentrated on Western Hemisphere sourcing, I knew that it was a passion of mine to make the region a success. As a long-term member, I know that AAPN is the group that can make it happen because I’ve seen it time and time again! I am excited to blend my passion and vast experience to drive value for our membership.”

“AAPN is not a job. It has been my life’s mission for the past 32 years and I have been constantly amazed by our members’ ability to roll with the punches and think about the good of the industry above all else,” Strickland said. “Mike and I are beyond excited to have Lynsey coming behind us to continue our work. She brings new energy, expertise and some pretty exciting ideas with her. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!”

September/October 2022

During its recent annual pro:Americas Annual Conference, the Atlanta-based Americas Apparel Producers’ Network (AAPN) honored Ed Gribbin and Dr. Lynne Sprugel with the newly-renamed AAPN Walter T. Wilhelm Industry Achievement Award. Previously known as the AAPN Industry Acheivement Award, the name change recognizes Wilhelm’s decades of contributions to the organization as well as his leadership. The puzzle globe trophy conferred to the recipient also was renamed “The Walter” in his honor.

Gribbin was selected as a recipient of the award this year for his work when the COVID-19
pandemic began. According to AAPN: “In March 2020, when the virus hit, Ed created a database of over 1,000 producers and literally ran production of billions of masks and millions of gowns across the U.S. Ed was alone in this brilliant initiative and kept many thousands of people working.”

Dr. Sprugel also was chosen to receive the award in 2022. AAPN cited her contributions to the AAPN Future Forums in its reasons for the honor: “In 2020, with all AAPN events canceled, Lynne organized a survey that created the AAPN Future Forums, generating 28 sessions with over 50 people creating over 7 hours of original content. These future-looking insights were an industry exclusive.”

May/June 2022

The name change acknowledges the literal decades of leadership and wisdom from Wilhelm’s commitment to AAPN. In fact, in 2009, when AAPN’s meetings lost direction, Wilhelm convened a high level member conference to discuss the issue. The outcome was a decision to make the 2010 conference on sustainability. That meeting more than doubled the 2009 attendance, and every meeting since has grown or been near record setting.

On Monday, May 2, AAPN presented the achievement award to Ed Gribbin. He was president of AAPN when COVID-19 hit. As a consultant, Gribbin’s work came to a dead stop and when many AAPN members began making masks and gowns, Gribbin took charge.

The citation reads: In March 2020, when the virus hit, Ed created a database of over 1,000 producers 
and literally ran production of billions of masks and millions of gowns across the U.S. 
Ed was alone in this brilliant initiative and kept many thousands of people working. 

On Tuesday, May 3, at the 2022 AAPN pro:Americas Annual Conference AAPN also presented the newly-named AAPN Walter T. Wilhelm Industry Achievement Award to Dr. Lynne Sprugel.

Her citation reads: In 2020, with all AAPN events canceled, Lynne organized a survey that created the 
AAPN Future Forums, generating 28 sessions with over 50 people creating over
 7 hours of original content. These future-looking insights were an industry exclusive. 

The award comes with a puzzle globe that was renamed “The Walter.”

Posted May 10, 2022

Source: AAPN

Adapting to the COVID environment, AAPN brings new technology to the Network’s mission.

TW Special Report

The Americas Apparel Producers’ Network’s (AAPN) Executive Director Sue Strickland and Managing Director Mike Todaro have a long history of dedication to the members of the apparel supply chain in the Americas.

Strickland has run the organization since 1990 when it was known as the American Apparel Contractors Association. Todaro joined her in 1995. Membership numbers dropped drastically following the passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement, but through hard work and a willingness to embrace change — opening membership to the Americas in 2001, later the world; changing the name first to the American Apparel Producers’ Network, then in 2013 to the Americas Apparel Producers’ Network to reflect the changing nature of the organization; hosting conferences in Central and South America; adding regional conferences across the United States to allow less-senior personnel the opportunity to participate in the network; and establishing the Carolinas Mill tour to help educate brands and retailers on steps in the garment production chain with a focus on the supply chain available in the Carolinas — AAPN is thriving and growing today and adapting to meet the challenges of the Covid and post-Covid environments.

AAPN’s annual meeting, traditionally held in May in Miami, has grown through the years both in attendance and reputation. As Todaro commented at the close of the 2019 event, “This is my 25th year in the AAPN,” Todaro said. “Every year, EVERY year, these conferences get bigger, better and more important. Meeting as a supply chain is unique. Meeting as the Americas is unique. Meeting with so many key industry leaders is unique. We’re a one-of-a-kind network that learns from ourselves. We featured eight agenda events, six speakers and two panels — a total of 17 people, excluding me and our president Tony Anzovino — and only four of them were men! Lots of networking, lots of business transacted, lots of relationships formed, lots of trust. AAPN put the Americas on the map, and in May the Americas met at the AAPN.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in March of 2020, it became clear that the 2020 in person event could not take place. Soon, travel restrictions, a growing understand of Covid and new demands on the apparel supply chain were in full swing.

AAPN’s responses was to open up the Network’s online Sourcing Center to produce for the medical community. Strickland noted at the time: “Within 10 minutes of launching on March 22, the center had its first post. As of April 3, more than 10,000 have viewed the center, with 3,500-plus registered users and nearly 500 posts. Users have come from every corner of the industry including members of NAUMD (uniforms), IFAI (fabric), INDA (nonwovens), SPESA (equipment), SEAMS (regional) and AAFA (lobby).”

The response was swift and potent. “This experience has been one of the most ground-breaking validations of the power of trust-through-networking in the nearly 40 year history at AAPN, which has been under Sue Strickland’s leadership for 30 years,” commented Todaro at the time.

As the response to the shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) stabilized, AAPN sought to use technology to fill the networking gap created by member’s inability to travel or meet in person. AAPN offered a series of “Fireside Chats” — virtual meetings with topics ranging from “The Swift Response – Activation Of Our Industry To Confront An Existential Crisis” to “Industry Insights From a Former Fortune 50 CEO” and “Traceability & Transparency”.

Now, the Annual pro:Americas Conference 2021 is on the calendar May 4, 2021, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. with registration now open and closing April 27. As Strickland explained: “There is one new and exciting twist to the 2020 meeting. The event will be virtual, held in a massive multi-floor ‘convention center’ with attendees seated at eight person tables and moving table-to-table as seats open, sending notes agreeing to meet others privately, or one-on-one at a table for two. This is a bit of a learning curve but we are putting in place some tutorials and resources to enhance member’s experiences.”

The AAPN 2021 Annual Conference Agenda

• Laura Phillips, senior vice president, Walmart, on its $350 billion Made in USA investment;
• Dr. Juan Jose Daboub, president, ThinkHUGE, on its project top invest billions in apparel in Central America;
• Steve Lamar, CEO of AAFA, on apparel industry legislation and sourcing post-pandemic;
• Dr. Lynne Sprugel, CEO, abuzz global LLC, on her four Future Forum Innovation tams and their June report; and
• Jesus Canahuati, CEO, Elcatex, on how Honduras is emerging from the virus and ramping up production.

Strickland and Todaro sat down — virtually — with Textile World editors to elaborate on the new technology and expectations of the May 2021 conference that will notably go beyond zoom.

TW: AAPN adapted quickly to going virtual, first with the sourcing center, then the Fireside chats, how did members respond?

Strickland: Enthusiastically. We were all in the same boat, trapped at home. With the Sourcing Center, our first response was actually from a non-member, so it wasn’t just members, it was the entire industry, sitting there shell shocked until a “call to arms’” activated our industry’s sense of urgency.

TW: In trying to enhance the networking aspect of the annual meeting which has become so popular, what solutions did you investigate?

Strickland: We knew that people were overloaded with virtual events so we had to be respectful of their time while still giving them access to networking, for which we are known. We knew we could recruit terrific speakers. The challenge was literally face-to-face networking. A Board member referred a small firm to us that would manage our event on a proven conferencing platform.

TW: How does the multi-floor convention center with attendees seated at eight-person-tables work?

Strickland: Every registered attendee creates a profile including name, contact, linkedin and more. The screen for our conference shows a large number of tables for eight. If you roll over that table you can see who is sitting there. If there is an empty seat, you double click on it. As you sit, you can see the other seven people on a typical zoom screen.

TW: What can attendees expect from the experience? 

Todaro: Great, topical, useful, actionable content. WAY overdue face-to-face networking with long lost friends. Random break out sessions. Perhaps even a panel pulled from the audience. In other words, a high energy, no politics, deeply trusting AAPN event.

TW: The apparel supply chain has a heavily traveling membership. Do you think this will change? And what are your expectations for future in person events??

Todaro: Walmart told us they are going back to their offices on July 5. THAT will be a tipping point! We expect serious travel to be more frequent in the fourth quarter. The question of how one gets into or out of any country is going to be challenging.

TW: Is your Annual Conference the only major virtual event left for this year?.

Todaro: No. Last year, we hosted a virtual Future Form with over three dozen senior members. From that two hours came so much visionary forecasting we created an industry survey. From THAT came so many potential outcomes we created four Innovation Teams of three dozen members. Each team will present their conclusions, one virtual event per week, in June.

As vaccinations for COVID rise and the economy opens, the future of all industry events are coming into focus. Will the pandemic change the landscape of event offerings and expectations? No doubt, but if you’ve ever experienced an AAPN annual meeting, the environment where everyone in the room is accessible and welcoming of new relationships, will be craved by members and non-members alike.

April 6, 2021

Chris Alt
Alt is senior vice president of Elevate Textiles, which, in turn, now owns American & Efird. Chris graduated from The University of Kansas with a BS Business Administration – Finance and Marketing. He has spent virtually his entire career at A&E. Chris is a strong supporter of the AAPN Carolina Mill Tour. He also graduated from the University of Virginia Darden School of Business, Executive Program, Financial Management

Keith Dartley
Dartley is the president and cofounder of Swisstex based in Los Angeles with 165 employees and 70 knitting machines in El Salvador. Dartley has been highly active in AAPN’s Regional Conferences and many other events. He made an extraordinary commitment to fight the virus reporting to AAPN, “We produced enough mask fabric from March through June to produce about 180 million masks and enough gown fabric to produce about 1.5 million surgical gowns”.  He graduated from Colorado State University with a BS in Marketing.

Jennifer Knight
Knight graduated from Brown University with a B.A. in Religious Studies, and after a stint writing scripts for TV shows joined the family business of Georgia Narrow Fabrics. She has had numerous progressive steps in her industry career most recently as president & COO of the American Woolen Company. Jennifer is a long time member and close confidant of AAPN. She also holds an MBA from the Columbia Business School.

Pam Peale
Peale holds a BS degree in Fashion/Apparel Design from Baylor University. She began her degree in technology at Gerber and has remained in technology including time at a major producer of uniforms. She is currently vice president of DeSL. Pam has anchored several panels at AAPN Regional Conferences and on AAPN virtual events. She is leading several AAPN projects in new industry technology.

Posted December 8, 2020

Source: AAPN

The global pandemic has the textile industry cooperating in ways not typically seen as it works to meet the need for medical PPE.

By Rachael S. Davis, Executive Editor

As the globe grapples with a pandemic the likes of which hasn’t been seen in more than a century, the textile industry is stepping up and banding together in truly inspiring ways.

The U.S. textile industry — a much maligned industry in recent decades that many observers long ago wrote off — has been energized by the call to help provide personal protective equipment (PPE) as the country is faced with a dire shortage of disposable PPE for its front-line medical personnel.

From the largest to the smallest companies and from the history-rich, legacy companies to businesses relatively new in the textile landscape — all are pitching in during this time of need. Raw material suppliers and machinery companies, yarn spinners, fabric producers, finished goods manufacturers, apparel companies and brands are working alone or collaborating to make a difference.

Industry associations also are lending a hand by helping match companies in the supply chain who are looking for ways to help, but need assistance — either materials, servies or advice — to get started. One such organization, the Atlanta-based Americas Apparel Producers’ Network (AAPN), established an online bulletin board named the “Sourcing Center” back in March. “Anyone interested in participating could login to the Sourcing Center and post their needs and capabilities for others to read and respond to,” said Mike Todaro, AAPN’s managing director.

Facilitated by AAPN President Ed Gribbin, the online message center enabled AAPN to identify producers, qualify prospects, learn about U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards, assemble supply chains, build a resource check list and deliver product.

It was a great resource for AAPN members, but the association knew more could be done. According to Todaro, AAPN recognized it had the ability to connect people throughout the supply chain and across a variety of geographies, links in the supply chain and products, which led the association to open the Sourcing Center to non-members for a time.

“Without hesitation and with no motive other than to do the right thing, we wrote every organization we knew in this industry inviting their members into our network,” Todaro said. Members of the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), the Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry (INDA) and SEAMS – the Association and Voice of the U.S. Sewn Products Industry, among others, jumped at the opportunity. In the space of eight weeks, the board amassed more than 50,000 pageviews with countless posts on a huge number of threads. AAPN also was able to deliver 100,000 gowns to Emory Healthcare in Atlanta.

“The support we received from other association managers and their senior members was instant and spectacular” Todaro noted. “We were united by one cause — to create compliant spec packs, find fabric, identify cut/sew factories, and get masks and gowns into hospitals and onto healthcare workers.”

The network is now back “in-house” for AAPN members only, but the association has created a new level of AAPN membership it calls the Cloud Member — a low-cost membership option that grants participants access to the sourcing discussions, AAPN member emails and virtual events.

What To Make?

There is no one-size-fits-all approach to PPE. While during the pandemic, the term PPE has become a household name now in everyday use, from a regulatory standpoint, there is a clear difference between PPE used in a healthcare or occupational setting versus face coverings used by the general public (See “Textiles & The Coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2),” TW, this issue). However, non-regulated face masks and gowns that may not quite meet the occupational definitions still have their place and are making a difference during the pandemic. The current Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidelines suggest that everyone wear a mask to protect themselves when outside, but more importantly, protect people around them who may be more vulnerable.

Whether wovens or knits, sewn or laser-cut one-piece masks, masks with value-added finishes or without, the industry is coming up with many creative ways to use the available fabrics, machinery and technology to solve the problem and meet a need.

Perhaps the most prominent and largest effort is led by Gastonia, N.C.-based Parkdale Inc. Dr. Peter Navarro, assistant to the president and director of the White House Office of Trade and Manufacturing Policy, called Parkdale’s Chairman and CEO Anderson D. “Andy” Warlick to ask how the textile industry could help with PPE production. “I told him we can actually make masks if we can get a machine over here from Asia, but that could take up to six months for delivery,” Warlick said. With an immediate need for PPE, the conversation turned to what could the industry do with the available manufacturing capacity, materials and resources on hand to make a face mask. Immediately following the conversation, Warlick picked up the phone and began calling Parkdale’s customers to enlist their help.

“That’s how we built the coalition,” Warlick said. “Hanes was already working on a face mask and other companies were cutting and sewing items. So, we banded together and developed one design to get started.” The resulting coalition, put together in about two-and-a-half days, comprises textile companies and apparel brands from throughout the supply chain who are working together to produce face masks and also gowns.

Companies who joined the coalition in the early stages includes Hanesbrands, Fruit of the Loom, American Giant, Los Angeles Apparel, AST Sportswear, Sanmar, America Knits, Beverly Knits and Riegel Linen. But as the initial members reach out to companies in their networks to collaborate, the coalition is growing. Parkdale is working directly with more than 20 companies currently, and Warlick said the extended network totals approximately 50 companies.

“As you can imagine, bringing together a group of competitors wasn’t going to be an easy thing, except for the fact that Parkdale wasn’t a competitor to any other coalition member,” Warlick noted. “This made it easier for me to bring people together and lead and organize the effort.”

The mask is a 3-ply cotton construction made using a 4-ounce knit jersey fabric that is finished with an antimicrobial silver and copper-based chemistry. Warlick is quick to point out however, that the mask is not intended for medical environments and the companies involved do not make any claims about antiviral protection or infection prevention or reduction, among other claims. “If we could have made N95 masks, we would have made N95 masks,” Warlick said. “But that wasn’t possible. So, we’ve done the next best thing we could do, which is to offer another level of protection.

“The great thing about this coalition the number of companies that are involved,” Warlick added. “It’s thousands of workers in the United States alone, and then when you expand out the supply chain to Central America to customers and factories there who are working with adjacent factories, it really strengthens the customer base. It’s helping companies not lose money or go out of business at a critical time when retail is virtually shut down. There’s thousands of people that have been mobilized for this cause, and it’s a great story that I’m proud to be a part of.”

“I do think after the immediate needs are met there are going to be opportunities that I hope the coalition can take advantage of,” Warlick said. “Not just in working together, but also in the PPE business, which would be good for the textile industry.”

Keeping Plants Running

Contempora Fabrics, Lumberton, N.C., joined the growing list of coalition companies when it received a call from Beverly Knits, Gastonia, N.C., who was looking for jersey knit fabrics for the masks. Contempora’s President Ronald Roach said for the first time in his career, the company had just furloughed most of its employees on a Friday because business had basically come to a halt, when the opportunity to make masks materialized. “Our quality control manager made a few masks that we started to present to the market,” Roach reported. “Over the next two days, we were able to secure enough business to bring 70 percent of our furloughed people back to work that Tuesday.” The company quickly set about making fabric for masks and gowns, as well as actually making masks — a completely new endeavor.

Contempora is an employee stock ownership company where its employees own shares in the business. Roach said: “The catalyst to make the change quickly was to not only help out with what we could provide in the way of PPE, but was also protecting the franchise of the company along with our employee owners. Getting them back to work was a priority, but only if we could do it safely. We had to put in a lot of new procedures to be able to work safely while social distancing.”

As a producer of fabric for team sports, athletic apparel, military and other apparel categories, Roach reported there was a huge learning curve as the company learned about PPE. “There was an even bigger learning curve as we started producing our own masks, especially since we own no sewing equipment!”

Contempora relied on the expertise of other companies in the textile supply chain to ensure its finished products were produced using the right materials and met testing requirements. Carolina Cotton Works and Deep River Dyeing assisted with antimicrobial treatments and durable water repellents; and ImagineKnit Global made sure Contempora was adhering to proper labeling and product claims from a testing and regulatory standpoint. Clothier Design Source, OnPoint Manufacturing and Apparel USA all played a role in getting Contempora set up and running with mask-making capabilities.

“Two organizations that played a vital role for so many of us was AAPN and SEAMS,” Roach noted. “The AAPN Sourcing Center was able to provide everyone in the supply chain a contact for any service or component in real time. Then when the center opened up to SEAMS members, it exploded with helpful information.

“I have watched our company completely transform from a fabric supplier for sports to running fabrics for PPE,” Roach continued. “We also set up mask manufacturing at six different U.S. locations, and then brought on mask production out of Nicaragua and Mexico when we couldn’t keep up with demand here in the United States.”

Retooling To Make Testing Swabs

When swabs for COVID-19 testing became critically low, another Parkdale-owned company U.S. Cotton retooled equipment at a facility in Cleveland running cotton fiber for cotton swabs to run polyester for test swabs. “If we could have used cotton for the test swabs, then overnight we would have been able to cover the country and the world up in cotton swabs,” Warlick said. “But cotton has its own DNA, and that can lead to false negatives in testing.” U.S. Cotton worked with the White House and the Gates Foundation on the project, and now is shipping the test swabs to sites where they are needed.

Reusable Instead Of Disposable

Some companies are offering an alternative to disposable products with their reusable medical fabric options. Spartanburg, S.C.-based Milliken & Company has pivoted its textile manufacturing to focus on advanced medical textiles. Milliken Perimeter fabrics and barriers are available in Level 1, 2 and 3 options for different medical environments and products including gowns, scrubs, lab coats and hospital privacy curtains. Each product is tested to the ANSI/AAMI PB70 Standards. Milliken fabrics are complemented by its BioSmart antimicrobial technology, which harnesses the power of bleach to kill up to 99.9-percent of common bacteria on contact, according to the company. Milliken reports it also is researching and developing materials for incorporation in N95 masks.“We have focused our development and manufacturing processes to help fight the battle against COVID-19,” said Halsey M. Cook, Milliken & Company’s president and CEO. “We began by engineering our existing textiles into medical-grade fabrics for PPE, and we will continue to seek critical solutions as we navigate this uncharted territory as a company, a nation and a world.”

Burlington, Greensboro, N.C., also has increased production of its reusable medical fabrics (See, “Quality Fabric of the Month: Time-Honored Protection,” TW, this issue).

Instead of making PPE to combat the shortage, Battelle — a Columbus, Ohio-based global research and development organization committed to science and technology for the greater good — has brought to the industry a way to extend the life of disposable PPE through its Critical Care Decontamination System (CCDS). The system is capable of rapidly decontaminating N95 respirator masks by exposing the used respirators to a concentrated vapor phase hydrogen peroxide (VPHP) for two-and-a-half hours to remove biological contaminates including SARS-CoV-2. CCDS was the result of a 2016 research project conducted by Battelle on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This year, further testing showed the CCDS rendered SARS-CoV-2 and other pathogens non-infectious on N95 respirators.

The FDA recently granted Battelle an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) to decontaminate used N95 respirators up to 20 times — a number of cleanings through which the filter material has been shown to remain intact, exhibiting no degradation and therefore remaining safe for reuse.

The EUA allowed Battelle to begin a collection process whereby the company collects worn masks from enrolled healthcare systems, transports them to an active Battelle CCDS site, decontaminates the masks and returns them. A barcoded serial number tracks the mask through the process ensuring it is returned to the same hospital system. Each mask is also marked to denote the number of times it has been cleaned for reuse. According to Battelle, including shipping times and depending on the number of masks received for processing, hospitals can expect to receive their cleaned masks back in 7 to 10 days.

“The response has been overwhelmingly good, and now Battelle has been awarded a $415 million contract by the Defense Logistics Agency on behalf of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to support development, deployment and operation of some 100 systems across the United States,” said Dr. Vicki A. Barbur, senior director, Partnerships and Technology Commercialization, Battelle.

A Need For Meltblown, Spunbond Nonwovens

Nonwovens are the optimal material for the N95 masks that are most needed by the front-line medical workers who are treating patients with COVID-19. However, prior to the pandemic, the United States relied on Asia for some 80 percent of its nonwovens-based N95 masks, according to INDA President Dave Rousse.

“There are now several key policy makers and administrators in our military and our government who have a new knowledge and appreciation for the role that nonwovens play in personal protective equipment,” Rousse said. “We have worked with folks at FEMA, the Department of Defense, the White House, EPA, FDA, NIOSH, and more, to connect producers of various nonwovens with converters of PPE.” Rousse reports INDA has also been able to connect some nonwovens producers with sources of funding for new meltblown equipment to make the filter media required for N95 respirators.

Rousse’s big concern for the future is will the nonwovens supply chain for masks revert back to Asia with its low pricing as soon as the situation abates? “Or will policy makers develop some kind of ‘Buy American’ plan or National Stockpile or both to provide some continuity of demand for the new investments?” Rousse questioned. He also mentioned that liability protection concerns need to be addressed so the country can be better prepared for possible future pandemics.

The Nonwovens Institute (NWI) is a global partnership among industry, government and academia dedicated to the development of engineered fabrics located on the Centennial Campus of NC State University in Raleigh, N.C. With full support of the university, “NWI is dedicating its meltblown and spunbond nonwoven making facilities and expertise” to manufacture both of these nonwoven materials commonly used to make N95 respirator and surgical face masks.

“NWI was eager to help join the fight against the novel coronavirus and given that NWI has been working in the field of filtration and separation for many years and using that know-how, very quickly developed several alternative facemask materials,” said NWI’s Executive Director Dr. Behnam Pourdeyhimi, who is also the NC State Wilson College of Textiles’ associate dean for industry research and extension, and William A. Klopman distinguished professor.

However, running production-level amounts of nonwovens requires raw materials that the institute did not have on hand. Enter NatureWorks and ExxonMobil — both long-time partners of the Nonwovens Institute (NWI) that are contributing to the institute’s PPE efforts by donating raw materials.

Minnetonka, Minn.-based NatureWorks donated Ingeo resin, a polylactic acid biopolymer, that NWI is using to produce spunbond nonwovens for N95 surgical masks. “… We took the spunbond technology and created a new generation of unique filters that have excellent filtering capability without needing to be charged, meaning they can potentially be reused after cleaning with peroxide, or an alcohol solution,” Dr. Pourdeyhimi said. “Because these materials are also strong, they can be cut and sewn by traditional techniques.”

ExxonMobil, Irving, Texas, has donated a total of 146,000 pounds of its ExxonMobil PP3155, Achieve Advanced PP6926G2 and Vistamaxx 8880 performance polymers to NWI through LINC, a non-profit NWI affiliate. Channel Prime Alliance handled delivery of the product. NWI is using the polymers to produce spunbond and meltblown nonwovens, which are being used as the outer and inner layers of the face masks respectively.

“There is a global shortage of materials and securing supply is a key factor in NWI’s ability to create nonwoven filter media,” Dr. Pourdeyhimi noted. “Natureworks and ExxonMobil are long time partners of NWI and not only secured the supply for NWI, they also donated significant amounts of the polymer to help NWI in its fight against the novel coronavirus. Without their partnership, we would not be able to do what we are doing today.”

According to Dr. Pourdeyhimi, there are two critical shortages in the United States for nonwovens manufacturing. “The first is capacity for base nonwoven materials — especially meltblown filters; and the second is converting machinery to form masks.”

NWI also has invested in mask-making equipment that will soon arrive at the institute. Dr. Pourdeyhimi observed that the ability to make masks also gives the institute the opportunity to develop new structures not previously used for masks. “Our machines will be used to manufacture classical masks,” he said. “However, NWI also will create new structures that will serve as a platform to redefine the future of how masks are made.

“It will take several years before we see the impact of the current crisis on new, innovative solutions,” Dr. Pourdeyhimi said. “I am certain we will see a surge in patents being filed on various forms of masks from the classical styles, to 3D printed, and beyond!”

The Future For The Industry And U.S.-Made PPE

No-one yet knows the full impact of the virus on the supply chain and what the textile industry looks like when the immediate need for massive quantities of PPE abates. But the general outlook seems positive.

“I do think the U.S. textile industry has proven that we have some of the most creative minds in the world,” Contempora’s Roach said. “The collaboration between companies, competitors and organizations has been incredible. It is also apparent to all of us that the reliance on Asia is not a good position to be in. The role that NCTO [National Council of Textile Organizations] has played in securing business here in the United States has been outstanding.”

Parkdale’s Warlick said he thinks the government’s understanding of the relevance of the U.S. textile industry has changed as a result of the pandemic. Speaking of NCTO he said: “I think NCTO’s President and CEO Kim Glas has done a good job of making sure that Washington sees what the textile industry is doing. And I do think there’s more interest and more talk on the Hill about legislation that quite frankly wouldn’t be happening if the industry hadn’t stepped up. I do believe the industry’s recent collective efforts have helped the textile industry.

“Individually, I hope a lot of textile companies go into the PPE business because it’s good for the textile industry,” Warlick added. “It’s just another way companies can survive, and I hope we thrive!”

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May/June 2020

It is offering this service in partnership with industry executive search veteran Stephanie Wilhelm  of the industry consulting firm of WWA Advisors LLC.

Through June 30, 2020, to show support for the community, AAPN is offering the ability to post jobs to the board at no charge using the code TOGETHER2020.

When this offer expires, AAPN members may submit job postings for a nominal charge of $50 for 30 days, $100 for 60 days or $150 for 90 days. Listings can be turned into a “Featured Listing” for an additional $50, which will move a listing to the top of the page for the length of the job posting

Note: Employers who are members can view all resumés as long as they have an active job posting. As soon as a job post expires, they will no longer be able to view resumés.

https://www.aapnetwork.net/job-board

Posted May 21, 2020

Source: AAPN

Within 10 minutes of launching on March 22, the center had its first post. Today, April 3, more than 10,000 have viewed the center, with 3,500-plus registered users and nearly 500 posts.

Users have come from every corner of the industry including members of NAUMD (uniforms), IFAI (fabric), INDA (nonwovens), SPESA (equipment), SEAMS (regional) and AAFA (lobby).

In turn, word of mouth from AAPN members to their customers; articles posted in journals; and blogs and websites across the industry have brought people into the exchange.

Making sense of all of these producers has fallen on the shoulders of AAPN President Ed Gribbin, CEO of Gribbin Strategic. Gribbin has created a spreadsheet detailing who offered what, which is posted in the Sourcing Center.

Gribbin has also worked tirelessly to connect the dots required to make 50,000 medical gowns for a large hospital chain. He found the requisite fabric early but locating cut/sew capability in the Unted States has been challenging.

One factory committed to help Gribbin had to back out because upon calling their 140 sewing operators back to work, the vast majority declined. Their reasons were health concerns and childcare primarily, plus realizing they’d make more from stimulus payments and unemployment.

On the other hand, one AAPN member wrote: “Hard to understand how any right minded person in our government would incentivize people not to work. I was able to bring back most of my team. They knew that they could make substantially more money by not coming back but they made a choice to support the company right now. Some of those conversations were ones that I won’t ever forget.”

Clearly the industry, up and down the supply chain, has risen to the crisis. Fortunately, AAPN was able to share a network that was already active with 200 industry organizations and some 1,600 people.

This experience has been one of the most ground-breaking validations of the power of trust-through-networking in the nearly 40 year history at AAPN, which has been under Sue Strickland’s leadership for 30 years.

Posted April 3, 2020

Source: Americas Apparel Producers’ Network (AAPN) aapnetwork.net