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

Final Day Of The Symposium

The final day of Symposium sessions at #TTNA24 continued to deliver a wealth of knowledge and ingenuity. Thursday’s schedule commenced with an insightful session on Talent Recruitment and Retention — exploring essential strategies for fostering talent through skill development programs, established career paths, and creating partnerships with educational institutions. We concluded this year’s sessions with the PPE and workwear equity gap, offering critical awareness into achieving greater fairness and inclusivity in this area for women in the field.

Tech Talks Come To A Close

This edition’s Tech Talks wrapped up with thought-provoking sessions that included a deeper understanding into the future of apparel manufacturing. Notably, we featured Julie Rader from Walmart and Beth Esponnette from unspun, who shared their expertise on advancing more mindful approaches to apparel production. They explored ways to manufacture apparel with greater consideration for both environmental impact and local economies.

Celebrating 125 Years Of Textile History

Over the entirety of the event, Techtextil North America has honored the remarkable 125 years of textiles at NC State University’s Wilson College of Textiles. This notable milestone was commemorated through an exceptional exhibition, the History of Textiles Museum. This special showcase on the show floor provided a captivating journey through the evolution of textiles, featuring a diverse array of artifacts that spanned from early machinery to the latest advancements in technologies and automation. Exhibitors and visitors were given a comprehensive look at how the textile industry has transformed over more than a century, highlighting both its historical foundations and its future innovations.

Save The Date For Techtextil North America And Texprocess Americas 2025!

We are proud to announce that the next edition of Techtextil North America will be held NEXT YEAR in Atlanta, GA, May 6 – 8, 2025 at the Georgia World Congress Center. The show will once again be co-located with Texprocess Americas.

So, mark your calendars, make sure to bookmark the shows’ websites, and follow us on social media for the latest updates and information regarding our upcoming shows. We look forward to seeing you again soon!

Posted: August 22, 2024

Source: Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH

The tour provided a fascinating glimpse into the cutting-edge technology and innovation that has been driving the industry forward and continues to shape its future. From there, festivities began at the Dorothy and Roy Park Alumni Center, where everyone enjoyed a lively night filled with entertainment, food, drinks, and even some spirited karaoke.

Celebrating The Industry: Innovation Awards and Ceremony

During the second day of Tech Talks at #TTNA24, the Innovation Awards were presented. The Techtextil North America Innovation Award is designed to honor exceptional performance in various fields and recognize those that have pushed the boundaries of innovation. The ceremony offers the unique opportunity for exhibiting companies to highlight their latest advancements and enhance their visibility to the industry. These Innovation Awards were presented to:

• New Product Winner: emtec Electronic GmbH for the development of the “TSA Tactile Sensation Analyzer & Virtual Haptic Library”
• New Technology Winner: Microban for the development of “Akotech: A New Antimicrobial Technology for Filtration Media”

Congratulations to emtec Electronic GmbH and Microban! Don’t miss your chance to connect with these exhibitors in booths 1110 and 1321, respectively.

Sustainability-Centric Education: Tech Talks

Beyond the Innovation Awards Ceremony, Tech Talks continued to deliver a wealth of knowledge and ingenuity. The day’s schedule featured a series of insightful sessions, each offering valuable perspectives on sustainability and remediation. A few highlights from the day came with James Rapley from Microban, one of this year’s sponsors, sharing his expertise on how antimicrobials have historically played a part in filtration and advancing filtration methods for better protection and sustainability. The discussions continued with Advances in Post Consumer Textile Recycling and an overview of PFAS, making it a day rich in learning and meaningful dialogue.

Textile Connections: Global Hub

Today at the Global Hub we had the pleasure of hosting an afternoon reception to provide a place to further build new business relationships.

A space for information on the many textile events worldwide, the Global Hub connected exhibitors and visitors in a relaxing environment. It is here where all can discover a comprehensive overview of our global textile exhibitions where you will have other opportunities to explore advancements and innovative solutions in the industry!

Posted: August 22, 2024

Source: Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH

Opening day began with a dynamic line-up in the Symposium, where visitors eagerly participated in the insightful discussion covering a host of topics including wearable technology and trends in the defense textiles. We are excited to continue tomorrow with education beginning at 8:00 AM and the show floor opening at 10:00 AM. We can’t wait to see you tomorrow for more business networking and education.

The World Comes To Techtextil North America

With more than 20 countries represented across the show floor, the 2024 edition showcases exhibits from China, Colombia, Egypt, India, Italy, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and many more. “Techtextil North America has allowed us the opportunity to reconnect with existing customers and find new leads. Being a part of the German Pavilion helps strengthen our relationship with both the industry and the US market,” stated Stephanie Baruk, American Truetzschler. Bringing several diverse product categories to the forefront, Germany also held a strong presence on the show floor with a pavilion of 10+ companies featuring textile advancements in various equipment, products, and services.

The Future Of The Industry Shares The Path Forward

The first day of educational sessions at #TTNA24 began with a presentation from a select group of students presenting projects that left the audience inspired and hopeful of what the future could hold in the hands of these minds.

In addition to the Symposium program, Techtextil North America Student Research Poster Program returned to Raleigh with a strong showing of posters displayed with topics ranging from sustainability, to personal protection, to smart textiles and beyond! Don’t miss the opportunity to speak with these future innovators.

Tech Talks

There was quite a buzz today at Tech Talks as textile experts and industry leaders took center stage. Held on the show floor in Booth #1033, Tech Talks featured thought-provoking topics like policy and trade updates affecting the US textile industry presented by Amy Bircher Bruyn, CEO & Founder of MMI Textiles, Inc. The engagement continued as Testing and Standards, as well as The State of the Industry for Nonwovens was discussed. Day two of the event will serve even more compelling sessions from sustainability and remediation to antimicrobial technology and more.

Get Social With The Official Show Mobile App

The mobile app serves as your #1 digital resource to navigate the show floor, easily locate exhibitors, receive real-time updates, and stay on schedule in-between Symposium sessions and Tech Talks. Make the most of #TTNA24 by downloading it today and setting up your profile! With the #TTNA24 mobile app, you can:

• Instantly Find Exhibitors | Search by keyword or browse using product categories and application areas to curate your personalized “must-see” exhibitor list, with detailed company descriptions.
• Navigate the Floorplan | Plan ahead and map your route on the show floor. Easily find special feature areas and must-see exhibitors by using the interactive floorplan to guide your visit.
• Manage Your Session Schedule | Explore educational opportunities in the Symposium and Tech Talks to create your personal agenda, then use the “My Show Planner” function to keep track of the sessions you plan to attend.
• Stay Informed with Live Updates | Enable notifications to receive important messages and event reminders from Show Management.

What To Expect Wednesday

There are 2 more days left to enjoy business networking, product discovery, analysis, and education. If you haven’t registered yet, there’s still time. We look forward to seeing you.

Posted: August 21, 2024

Source: Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH

Creating machinery for the production of fabrics that are essential to global innovation is what motivates and inspires our teams. Flexibility and support are prerequisites for weaving technical fabrics, especially with new materials and 3D forms. Partnering with customers, universities, and industries, and applying our decades of experience in R&D, we are constantly advancing our range of solutions and services.

TF30 weaving system – a new solution for 3D fabrics

This new Stäubli weaving machine boasts innovative, unique, and obvious benefits. With variable-height rapier weft insertion, it provides never-before-seen flexibility in shed programming and thus in weave structure. The weft-insertion concept ensures gentle yarn treatment, so the system can handle carbon and aramid yarns as well as ultra-sensitive ceramic yarns. Mills can choose from a wide range of Jacquard machines and customized harnesses perfectly suited to their weaving application.

What do printed circuit boards, airbags, lightweight carpets, and paper production filters have in common?

These and many more technical fabric applications are woven with the support of Stäubli machinery.

• The SAFIR S32 automation solution for drawing in is used by weaving mills around the world to produce PCB boards and glass applications.

• 

  The LXL PRO Jacquard machine provides all the necessary features for one-piece woven (OPW) applications, including top-quality airbags in any format. Featuring NOEMI electronics architecture, this machine ensures a continuous Jacquard weaving process at the highest speeds and top energy efficiency. OPW weaving mills also use our TIEPRO warp-tying machine to achieve perfect knots with short ends that are easily passed through the reed, ensuring the proper order.

• The Stäubli ALPHA 500 LEANTEC weaving system provides ingenious features for extremely uniform and precise loops, as required for lightweight carpets for the transportation sector.
• Our heavy-duty dobbies for very large frame weaving machines are renowned for their robust construction and ability to withstand vibration encountered e.g. in the production of paper machine filters.

These are just a few examples of what weavers can achieve with the support of Stäubli solutions. With a broad range of equipment for producing technical fabrics, from flat to 3D, Stäubli answers the needs of the weaving industry.

Posted: July 9, 2024

Source: Stäubli AG

“This year, we were excited to bring together a variety of exhibitors and attendees from across the industry spectrum. We were able to provide a space where they could not only showcase their innovations and learn about industry trends, but also develop new business relationships and find opportunities for growth in the market,” says Kristy Meade, Vice President of Technical Textiles & Technology Shows for Messe Frankfurt, Inc.

The three-day co-located exhibitions highlighted advancements and industry trends in textile design and manufacturing, supply chain optimization, workforce development, and more. Throughout the three days, visitors were able to see products up close, watch live demonstrations, attend over 40 educational sessions, and meet with exhibitors providing the latest solutions across the supply chain. Exhibitors were also able to take advantage of the shared exhibit hall, sourcing suppliers and strategic partners for their own businesses.

“The reason that we are here is to interact with new clientele,” says Justin Hershoran of Aptean. “We actually see great results from this show. Every time we have done it, it leads to solid sales for us. It’s not just the marketing, it’s the real dollars that come in as a result.”

This sentiment was echoed by other exhibitors as well. “Exhibiting at Texprocess Americas provides us a great place to showcase A&E’s broad line of thread products, as well as our latest innovations, with textile professionals from around the world,” says Jacob Blackburn of American and Efird. “From staying up to date with the latest trends to learning about new innovations within the textile industry, Texprocess Americas supplies a great platform to network and promote our business.”

“This is one of the nicest shows I’ve been to in years,” says Alan Brant, an attendee representing Himiesa. “It has a very professional air to it, and its displays are nicely done. This is an A+ show for sure. They should have it every year.”

Symposium

Hosted off the show floor in a classroom setting, these sessions were a cornerstone of the educational track. Featuring subject matter experts from across the industry, the Symposium provided attendees an opportunity to dive deep into industry-critical topics that spanned a wide range of application areas, including aerospace and defense, supply chain evolution, manufacturing innovation, and sustainability.

“More than ever, these conversations are about real solutions,” says Jennifer Guarino of the Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center (ISAIC). “We’re talking vertically with big and small retailers and big and small manufacturers at the table. So I thought [the discussions] were very inspiring and very challenging, which is exactly what we need at Texprocess Americas.”

When asked about his experience at the Symposium, Rick Fowler of Youngone Corporation, who attended every session, had this to say: “In general, I’m very impressed and very gratified that our industry is embracing the concerns of sustainability with a phenomenal number of actions and factual, considered, careful planning.”

Tech Talks

Located on the show floor, these complimentary presentations, demonstrations, and discussions revolved around groundbreaking technical advancements and highlighted the latest in textile and sewn product applications. Topics included sustainability, empowering and growing workforces with technology, the next generation of technical designers, and more.

This year, Casey Strauch of Hohenstein Institute America and Melissa Sharp of Zeis Textiles Extension curated and hosted the Techtextil North America Tech Talks. “With such interesting conversations at our booth and the TechTalks, this year’s show flew by,” says Strauch. “Already looking forward to Raleigh!”

Texprocess Americas Tech Talks were coordinated and moderated by Xochil Herrera Scheer of The Chicago Pattern Maker. She neatly sums up the session experience saying, “I had an awesome week of insightful conversations with industry leaders at Texprocess Americas. I am so proud of this series. All the planning and preparation really paid off when I looked out into the full audiences – even standing room overflow – and seeing interest flow into side chats with speakers afterwards, moving into the exhibitors booths. What a successful show!”

Career and Training

The Career and Training Center, a new feature at the exhibitions this year, combined professional development with practical training. Representatives from the Textile Technology Center at Gaston College were on site to share valuable resources related to the industry’s career landscape, networking tips, and much more.

Simultaneously, hands-on training was conducted by Sewn Products Equipment and Suppliers of the Americas (SPESA) association members Merrow Sewing Machine Company (of the Merrow Group Companies) and the Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center (ISAIC), and included machine repair/maintenance training as well as utilizing augmented reality tools to facilitate scalable growth in the industry.

“We are thrilled with the outcome of the inaugural ‘Training Takes Time’ sessions during Texprocess Americas 2023,” says Michael McDonald, President of SPESA. “Numerous attendees from across the sewn products value chain participated, whether digging their screwdrivers into a Merrow machine, experiencing the innovative augmented-reality demonstration from ISAIC, asking questions of our expert mechanics, or simply taking it all in from the sidelines in the show’s new Career & Training Center. The consensus from participants: this is a necessary programmatic effort to improve workforce development in the U.S. We’re looking forward to seeing how this training program will evolve for future editions of Texprocess Americas.”

Innovation Awards

The Innovation Awards 2023 celebrated cutting-edge advancements and thought-leaders in textile technologies from across the industry. The award-winners represent a broad range of application areas such as new technologies, concepts, and innovative sustainability approaches.

“We were thrilled to introduce the Innovation Awards to the American market this year and acknowledge the hard work each of our award winners has made to develop and implement new products, technologies, growth strategies and other remarkable contributions to this industry,” says Kristy Meade, Vice President of Technical Textiles & Technology Shows for Messe Frankfurt, Inc.

Dürkopp Adler was one of the 2023 award recipients. Its Vice President and CFO, DurNina-Daniela McCormack of DAP America, Inc., had this to say regarding their winning solution. “At Dürkopp Adler, we are dedicated to inventing solutions that add real value to our industry. The DELTA e-con is a prime example of this. The machine combines the highest quality and performance standards with sustainable production. We are honored to receive this award, as it reaffirms our belief in contributing to a more sustainable world through our products and services.”

The next edition Techtextil North America will be in Raleigh, North Carolina, August 20 – 22, 2024. Texprocess Americas will return to Atlanta in May 6 – 8, 2025 once again co-located with Techtextil North America.

Posted: May 23, 2023

Source: Messe Frankfurt Inc.

The collocated exhibitions with robust education offerings brings key themes of advanced functional fabrics, reshoring, circularity, biocatalytic textiles, and bridging the skills gap and more through 40+ sessions. Alongside Industry’s leading brands such as Apex Mills, Fi-Tech Inc. Groz-Beckert, Juki America Inc. Kornit, McCoy Machinery Co. Inc, Mimaki, Milliken & Company MorganTecnica, Shima Seiki USA Inc and more, grabbing the spotlight this year are exhibitors in the Tech & Start-Up Zone which feature companies with innovative technologies, ideas, practical solutions, processes, and products that are revolutionary to the global technical textile and sewn product industries.

Innovation Award winners announced!

Shining light on the industry’s cutting-edge advancements many of which might go on to be revolutionary solutions that shape the future of sewn product industry, the Innovation Awards 2023 revealed the front-runners of innovative textile technologies. “We are happy to bring the Innovation Awards to the US editions of Techtextil North America & Texprocess Americas which will enable and encourage new market developments and is a testament to the ingenuity and vision of the brands participating at these shows.” says Kristy Meade, Vice President of Technical Textiles & Technology Shows for Messe Frankfurt, Inc.

The award-winning developments represented in areas such as new technology, concept or applications and innovative sustainability approaches were presented to:

1. New Concept Winner: Henderson Sewing Machine Co. Inc. and Matsuya R & D For the development of “The Intelligent Robot Sewing Machine with Digital Image Processing System”.
2. New Technology Winner: SPEC and Svegea of Sweden for the development of “SVEGEA EC-450XF”
3. New Application Winner: Pathfinder Cutting Technology for the Development of “FabricPro: Revolutionizing Fabric Spreading with Innovative Safety Features and Improved Operator Ergonomics”
4. New Product Winner: Stratasys for the development of “Stratasys J850 TechStyle direct-to-textile 3D printer”
5. New Approaches on Sustainability & Circular Economy Winner: Henderson Sewing Machine Co. Inc. & Twine Solutions Ltd for the development of “Thread Digital Dyeing System TS-1800”
6. New Technologies on Sustainability & Recycling Winner: Dürkopp Adler GmbH for the development of “M-TYPE DELTA e-con”
7. New Technology & Digitalization winner: SEDDI For the development of “SEDDI Textura: Real Fabrics Digitized Brilliantly with AI”

“Through the Innovation Awards, our efforts are aligned towards bringing revolutionary solutions to the forefront of the industry and creating a market for new developments.” said Michael McDonald, President of SPESA “While the award-winning technologies will create market opportunities and boost business, the commitment to product excellence and market innovation that the award winners and everyone who submitted entries have shown is what will drive market impulses.” The winners of the Innovation Awards were officially announced at a Press Conference on the first day of the event.

Utilizing partnerships with academic programs, research institutions and industry associations, Techtextil North America & Texprocess Americas have built an environment that encourages innovation through the sharing of ideas and collaboration among industry leaders with several features on the floor this year. Among the special features is the Career & Training Center that is witnessing high interest on the show floor. New technological advancements and evolving fashion trends demand constant skill training and for the very first time, SPESA launched a show-floor training that provides teaching methods for machine repair/maintenance to address the growing need for skilled workers in the sewn products industry. Curated by Merrow Sewing Machine Company and the Industrial Sewing and Innovation Centre (ISAIC), the training utilizes augmented reality (AR) tools to illustrate how these training methods can help scale the industry and support growth in the Americas and is witnessing a packed hall.

Also drawing industry professionals, new entrants and students to this center are new job openings posted by representatives from the Textile Technology Center at Gaston College that provide professional headshots and valuable resources for career development.

The 2023 edition also presents latest scientific developments and student insights on topics such as Textile-Infused 3D Printing, Enzymatic Separation of Textile Blends, Direct-to-Textile 3D Printing, Anti-bacterial coatings, Textile EMG Sensors and Controlled Drawing of Polycaprolactone-Based Nanofibers for Tissue Engineering Applications as part of The Student Research Poster Program.

Designed in collaboration with thought leaders and industry strategists from the Chicago Pattern Maker, Colorkarma, the NC State University, and the Hohenstein Institute, the TechTalks area is another highlight where presentations, demonstrations, and discussions covering groundbreaking technical advancements attracted attendees to join the discussion on the business of textiles and textile technologies and the future of manufacturing.

The buzz on the show floor confirmed that the exhibitions are a not to be missed event in the textile industry’s event calendar with networking continuing even after hours at the Opening Night Reception at the Mercedes Benz Stadium hosted by SPESA and Messe Frankfurt. The co-located exhibitions are open for two more days and allow industry professionals to view technological innovations live until May 12 at the Georgia World Congress Center. On-site registration is available.

Posted: May 12, 2023

Source: Messe Frankfurt Inc.

CGS’s existing BlueCherry Shop Floor Control Enterprise is the most widely adopted fashion-focused Production Management System (PMS) in the world. With the addition of SFC Essential, manufacturers and brands from all over the world can leverage the flexibility and lighter infrastructure to immediately transform their operations, improve productivity and efficiency, reduce costs, and improve quality while meeting process transparency, sustainability, and compliance requirements – all at their fingertips, anytime, anywhere.

“We are thrilled to be exhibiting again at TexProcess – and leveraging one of the industry’s most important events as a stage to demonstrate the power and ease-of-use of BlueCherry Shop Floor Control Essential,” said Paul Magel, President of Business Applications and Technology Outsourcing division at CGS. “Since our soft launch last year, we’ve seen incredible adoption of Essential throughout North, Central and South America as well as the Asia-Pacific markets. We expect this strong demand to continue as customers clamor for deep insights into their supply chain, production optimization and management.”

The company also announced it will be joined by strategic partners Inspectorio and Juki to further demonstrate the power of its connected, best-of-breed solution. BlueCherry Shop Floor Control Essential integrates seamlessly with the new Inspectorio Tracking Platform to provide deep insights and analytics, preventing supply chain delays and improving on-time delivery performance. Juki’s JaNets Pro, powered by BlueCherry Shop Floor Control, will also be on display at both the CGS and Juki booths during the event.

CGS at TexProcess
Attendees are invited to visit Booth 1623 to learn more about how the BlueCherry Shop Floor Control Essential solution is helping businesses across the globe manage their shop floor and optimize their production processes. The company will host live demonstrations at the top of every hour, to showcase its latest innovations as well as a private networking event for industry leaders.

Organized by Messe Frankfurt and co-produced by SPESA, TexProcess is one of the largest international trade fairs for the textile and garment industries. The event is expected to attract over 12,000 visitors from around the world, providing a platform for businesses to network and explore the latest innovations in sewn goods manufacturing.

About BlueCherry & Shop Floor Control
The award-winning CGS BlueCherry Enterprise Suite provides clients with comprehensive digital supply chain management solutions, available both in the cloud and on-premises, to drive their fundamental business processes. BlueCherry Shop Floor Control is the most widely adopted fashion-focused solution in the world. It provides a comprehensive view of factory activity by digitizing, in real-time, the collection and reporting of production activities, such as order tracking, line balancing, absenteeism and productivity via tablets on the factory floor. This real-time visibility equips companies with the ability to make faster, better-informed business decisions and address potential delays and challenges before they escalate.

Shop Floor Control Essential is the newest addition to the company’s award- winning BlueCherry® suite. The cloud-based solution enables manufacturers, subcontractors brands and retailers, real-time visibility, control, and insights quickly and easily into their complete supply chain and factory floor operations from any mobile device or browser.

Posted: May 9, 2023

Source: CGS

We will also showcase Shell-Tech Dual Action, an innovative Repel & Release finish that offers oil repellency, water repellency AND soil release. Shell-Tech Dual Action was developed for military and medical applications.

Techtextil NA 2023 takes place May 10-12 at the Georgia World Conference Center in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Visitors are welcome to stop by our booth on the show floor (2506) to learn more about our latest innovations. To set up an appointment, contact Shaun O’Hearn.

Shell-Tech Free is ideal for brands making the transition to fluorine-free durable water repellents. Shell-Tech Free provides the same repellency, wash durability and runnability as a quality C-6 and has been engineered for both sustainability and easy application at the mill. Shell-Tech Free can be used on a vast array of end products.

Shell-Tech Dual Action is unique from other protective finishes available to the US textile industry in that it offers high oil repellency, stain release, oily soil release and spray resistance. Also designed for easy application at the mill, Shell-Tech Dual Action is ideal for the uniform market, work wear, linens, military textiles and other textiles that are exposed to the elements, gasoline, oil, soil and rain.

“Our high performance finishes are manufactured in the USA and have been developed to meet the textile industry’s growing demand for high performance finishes that offer new levels of protection and sustainability,” said Shaun O’Hearn, president of Bolger & O’Hearn. “Consumers are asking for both and we are committed to helping our customers meet that demand.”

Posted: May 8, 2023

Source: Bolger & O’Hearn

Fire retardants usually contain harmful chemicals, which according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences can cause damaging health effects such as endocrine and thyroid disruption, immunotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, cancer, and disruptions to fetal and child development and neurobehavioral function.[1] As researchers shed more light on the impact of fire retardants on human health, consumers are more concerned with the materials that they touch in their everyday lives, and are often willing to pay a premium for safer products.

To meet this demand, Renegade Plastics has introduced a zero-PVC flame retardant coated fabric that uses a proprietary flame retardant formula that does not require brominated or halogenated additives. This evolutionary fabric meets California Title 19 fire retardant standard as well as European Toy Safety Standard EN71-3:2019. Renegade’s PVC-free fabrics can be recycled by most plastics recyclers and can be cleaned with strong cleansers like bleach and acetone without degrading the fabric’s coating. The material’s recyclability has been verified by third-party labs.

Renegade Plastics evolutionary fabrics are ideal for product manufacturers looking to meet sustainability goals. They are an eco-friendly alternative for applications such as play mats, gym mats, mattresses, and other products where humans come in contact with coated fabric surfaces. All of Renegade’s proprietary polypropylene-based fabrics are free from free from forever chemicals like lead, phthalates, dioxins and PFAS.

“We are proud to debut the world’s first zero-PVC, fire retardant coated fabrics at Techtextil,” says Renegade Plastics Co-Founder, Curran Hughes. “This show attracts leading decision makers from the global textile industry that are looking for innovative, game-changing fabrics. Our goal is not only to introduce safer, more sustainable fabrics to the marketplace, but build a circular economy for industrial fabrics and plastics that will eliminate toxic chemicals, reduce carbon emissions, and pave the way to a healthier people and planet one yard of fabric at a time.”

Renegade Plastics was named Quality Fabric of the Month by Textile World in August 2022 and won the Cleantech Open 2022 U.S. National Grand Prize in October 2022.

[1] U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (n.d.). Flame retardants. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Retrieved April 28, 2023, from https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/agents/flame_retardants/index.cfm 

Posted: May 3, 2023

Source: Renegade Plastics