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Awards
Enter now: IFAI’s International Achievement Awards
May 13, 2021
After a year away, the International Achievement Awards (IAA) return for the 75th anniversary of recognizing the best projects across the specialty fabrics industry. The awards are an opportunity for you to showcase your technical skills and talents to the entire industry. The International Achievement Awards is an annual competition that recognizes and promotes awareness …
Expo News
Registration is open for IFAI Expo 2021
May 10, 2021
Registration is open for IFAI Expo 2021. IFAI Expo celebrates the 100th anniversary of the show this November, and you won’t want to miss it! After a long hiatus of in-person events, this year’s show is the perfect place to reconnect with your industry. Register now to get the Early Bird rate! Early Bird rates end …
News
U.S. Embassy in London honored for efficient design
May 1, 2021
The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH), a leading international organization in the field of tall buildings and urban sustainability, honored the new U.S. Embassy in London as a 2020 Award of Excellence Winner in the Best Tall Building Under 100 Meters category. Recognized for its exceptional environmental leadership and energy-efficient design, the …
Markets
Keeping up the shade market momentum
May 1, 2021
Shade is on everyone’s mind, according to Margueritte Ramos, owner and sales manager of ShadeFLA. The Miami, Fla.-based company designs and installs shade products ranging from awnings and canopies to retractable roofs and tension sails. Lately, the phone hasn’t stopped ringing. Through the adversity and setbacks of the pandemic, silver linings continue to emerge. Requests …
Feature
Digital revolution transforms fabric structures
May 1, 2021
New software and computer-driven fabrication speed production and improve accuracy. by Bruce N. Wright, FAIA While CNC (computer numerical control) and 3D digitally driven fabrication have been trumpeted in the design and construction press over the past 10 to 15 years, another revolution has been quietly growing within the architectural fabrics industry. Using computer digital …
Business
Buying and selling in a world with less face time
May 1, 2021
COVID vaccine options are improving prospects for the economic climate in 2021; however, 2020 had a lasting impact on business practices in the specialty fabrics industry and beyond—particularly in buying and selling—prompting many companies to rethink processes. We have all heard about and discussed the “new normal.” As the months go by, digital interactions have …
Feature
Scott Sutherland: Ready for anything
May 1, 2021
In the summer of 2020, Scott Sutherland was elated with record-shattering sales, but he was also in a situation he had never imagined: out of aluminum, out of fabric, out of nearly every component used to make tents. The pandemic roller coaster had sent the event tent industry from a bust to a boom, with …
Case Studies
Rolling out the sidewalk
May 1, 2021
The Montana Brewing Co., located on the ground floor in the defunct Montana Power Co. building, was one of the first small-scale brewpubs to appear when such facilities sprung up across the country. As the first brewing company in Billings, Mont., it staked out a claim on the main thoroughfare in the historic district of …
Company News
Glen Raven emphasizes people and the planet in its first corporate sustainability report
April 26, 2021
Glen Raven Inc., a leading provider of innovative textiles including Sunbrella® brand fabrics and the parent company of Trivantage, has released its first ever corporate sustainability report, Continuing a Pattern of Good. The report establishes a baseline of metrics across two foundational pillars—“Supporting Our People and Communities” and “Sustaining Our Planet”—while outlining the company’s measurable …
Industry News
WVU Davis College unveils Amy A. Bircher Textiles Laboratory
April 19, 2021
A gift to the West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design will provide fashion, dress and merchandising students with enhanced educational opportunities in textile science. To strengthen textile science and curriculum, Amy Bircher, a WVU alumna and founder and CEO of MMI Textiles Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio, donated more than $200,000 …
Sponsored Content
Company Profiles
Case Studies
Rolling out the sidewalk
May 1, 2021
The Montana Brewing Co., located on the ground floor in the defunct Montana Power Co. building, was one of the first small-scale brewpubs to appear when such facilities sprung up across the country. As the first brewing company in Billings, Mont., it staked out a claim on the main thoroughfare in the historic district of …
Case Studies
Macon City Auditorium repair includes a roofing membrane system
April 1, 2021
A few years shy of its 100th birthday, the Macon City Auditorium in Macon, Ga., is getting a makeover, starting with a new roofing membrane system. The Classical-style structure, surrounded on three sides with limestone Doric columns, is on the National Register of Historic Places and has hosted the likes of the Allman Brothers and …
Case Studies
Opportunities in fabric graphics
April 1, 2021
The market for fabric graphics continues to evolve, with new challenges presented by everything from COVID-19 to the changing workplace. Innovative companies, though, can find opportunities as they work to position themselves for the post-pandemic rebound. There’s no question the economic downturn caused by the pandemic affected almost everyone working in the industry, says Geoff …
Case Studies
Pvilion and Rensselaer developing robotics to manufacture rapidly deployable structures
April 1, 2021
When tents are needed immediately—for disaster response, a public health crisis or a military action—time is of the essence. A new research effort led by a robotics team from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy, N.Y., and Pvilion, a Brooklyn, N.Y.-based manufacturer of rapidly deployable structures, including solar fabric structures, aims to improve the manufacturing process …
Case Studies
Homework brand launches antiviral curtains with Amicor
April 1, 2021
Homework fabrics brand from Gold House Decor has launched a new collection of antiviral curtains with Amicor™ fiber. The collection for both residential and hospital curtains is available in a range of colors and designs. The fabrics have shown a high level of efficacy against the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus, tested as per ISO 18184:2019 test …
Case Studies
Eschenbach Group completes speedy construction of temporary structures over speed skating rink
March 1, 2021
Olympic speed skating hopefuls in Germany will enjoy a modernized training facility once reconstruction is complete on a track in the state of Saxony. To keep construction on schedule through the winter, the state government reached out to Eschenbach Group of Bad Königshofen to supply an oval-shaped temporary structure solution to cover the track. “In …
Case Studies
New Eisenhower Memorial features metal mesh tapestry
March 1, 2021
Despite delays, the new memorial makes a sweeping statement. by Bruce N. Wright, FAIA In May of 2020, the construction and installation of the memorial for General and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was finally finished. It was a process that took more than 15 years of internecine delays and objections put forth by pro- …
Case Studies
Playground prototype keeps kids cool and safe in Australia heat
March 1, 2021
Western Sydney University heat research has guided the refurbishmentof a playground in the Sydney, Australia, suburb of Cumberland, resultingin a first-of-its-kind UV Smart Cool Playground. The project brought together government, industry and research partners, including shade solutions manufacturer Alfresco Shade of Riverstone, Australia, and fabric supplier GALE Pacific, to address climate change and associated hotter …
Case Studies
Big Span Structures completes parking garage façade with eye-catching details
February 1, 2021
Capital Crescent Trail users in Bethesda, Md., are enjoying an aesthetically pleasing facade of digitally printed blue sky and bird silhouettes, designed and installed by Big Span Structures as part of a parking garage expansion project. In addition to the eye-catching view in place of an otherwise typical concrete parking garage system, the 11,000-square-foot facade …
Case Studies
Mesh structure evokes Atlanta’s tree canopy
January 1, 2021
Atlanta, Ga., is known as the “city in the forest” because of its abundance of trees. A mesh sculpture installed at the High Museum of Art in the summer of 2020 drew on Atlanta’s relationship with the natural world and bird migration with the goal of spurring conversations around biodiversity, extinction and cohabitation. The temporary …
Sponsored Content
Company Profiles
Expo News
Registration is open for IFAI Expo 2021
May 10, 2021
Registration is open for IFAI Expo 2021. IFAI Expo celebrates the 100th anniversary of the show this November, and you won’t want to miss it! After a long hiatus of in-person events, this year’s show is the perfect place to reconnect with your industry. Register now to get the Early Bird rate! Early Bird rates end …
Expo News
Get stand-out awnings with digital printing
December 1, 2020
With today’s digital printing options, there’s no reason for an awning client to be limited to colors and patterns in a book or traditional customization methods, according to Andrew Medley, regional sales manager for Trivantage. “Digital printing offers unlimited capabilities, and it is a solution to providing the customer exactly what they want—personalized messaging, the …
Expo News
Welding technology for your business
December 1, 2020
During IFAI Virtual Expo 2020, Jeff Sponseller, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Miller Weldmaster, led a campfire session titled “How to Select the Correct Welding Technology for Your Business.” “Essentially a good weld means that the fabric will tear before the weld does,” says Sponseller. Many types of different materials can be …
Expo News
Guidance offered in commercial insurance market
December 1, 2020
Wildfires, hurricanes, a pandemic and civil unrest have wreaked plenty of chaos on the commercial insurance market in 2020. Steve Christenson, with Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC, offered guidance to business owners Nov. 9 at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020. “The business insurance market has been going through several changes this year,” says Christenson, with U.S. …
Expo News
The inside scoop on shade, lighting and acoustics
December 1, 2020
In the 2020 IFAI Virtual Expo presentation, “The Inside Scoop on Shade, Lighting and Acoustics,” Cynthia Thompson, MFA, president and founder of Transformit in Gorham, Maine, wowed conference participants with a slideshow of her company’s projects that highlight the stunning possibilities of interior fabric architecture. Thompson said many different markets can make use of permanent …
Expo News
How to make your business attractive to a buyer
December 1, 2020
Thinking about selling your business—either to an outside party or the next generation? Then it’s time to start considering how your equipment and processes fit into your succession plan. Jonathan Palmer, the second-generation owner and CEO of equipment supplier Autometrix, and Autometrix director of global sales Truy Pham, led an educational session at IFAI Virtual …
Expo News
Standard for active illumination developed in Europe
November 16, 2020
In a session at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020, “Smart Textiles Standardization, Active Illumination,” Dr. Jan Beringer, senior scientific expert Hohenstein Group, explained the new standard for active illumination that will soon be implemented in European Union countries. Organizations worked together to develop the standards. It is notable, he said that both textile and electronics industries …
Expo News
Rapid prototyping = faster market launch
November 16, 2020
A presentation at IFAI Virtual Expo 2020, titled, “Rapid Prototyping and Textile Product Development” urged attendees to use “sticks and glue … whatever method you have to get your idea out there.” The presenter, Dr. Andre West, director of the Zeis Textiles Extension (ZTE), Wilson College of Textiles, NC State University, may not have meant …
Expo News
The larger issues in respiratory protection
November 12, 2020
Dr. Bryran Ormond, assistant professor, Wilson College of Textiles, NC State explained respiratory protection in an “Ask an Expert” session with Jing Liang, Medical PPE Consulting LLC. Dr. Ormand has typically worked in the area of chemical and biological protective equipment, but with the onslaught of the pandemic, began to focus on respiratory protection generally, …
Expo News
Rodgers: Textiles are the “T” in STEM
November 11, 2020
How do you create a channel from research to application? How do you create a pathway toward understanding complex human problems across supply chains and market sectors? STEM—a curriculum based on teaching science, technology, engineering and math—has branched out from basic chemistry and biology and physics classes, into collaborative efforts, including textiles, according to Stephanie …
Sponsored Content
Company Profiles
Feature
Digital revolution transforms fabric structures
May 1, 2021
New software and computer-driven fabrication speed production and improve accuracy. by Bruce N. Wright, FAIA While CNC (computer numerical control) and 3D digitally driven fabrication have been trumpeted in the design and construction press over the past 10 to 15 years, another revolution has been quietly growing within the architectural fabrics industry. Using computer digital …
Feature
Scott Sutherland: Ready for anything
May 1, 2021
In the summer of 2020, Scott Sutherland was elated with record-shattering sales, but he was also in a situation he had never imagined: out of aluminum, out of fabric, out of nearly every component used to make tents. The pandemic roller coaster had sent the event tent industry from a bust to a boom, with …
Feature
Members only content
Fabricators pivot, persevere and prosper
April 1, 2021
COVID-19 made an abrupt entrance in 2020, catching almost everyone off guard. It quickly became clear that waiting it out wasn’t an option for most businesses. Many pivoted, looked for opportunities and took calculated risks to keep their employees working and the bottom line healthy during what has proved to be a challenging, unpredictable and, …
Feature
Members only content
A ‘mixed bag’ for U.S. textile manufacturing
April 1, 2021
The year 2020 was not a particularly good period to assess the health of the U.S. textile manufacturing industry—or, for that matter, many other types of industries. But industry participants report that the optimism manufacturers felt at the beginning of the year was still there at the end, despite the havoc wreaked by the pandemic. …
Feature
Members only content
The textile industry finds a path forward
April 1, 2021
by Pamela Mills-Senn California was the first U.S. state to issue a statewide stay-at-home order because of the spreading pandemic, and with that decision, Jonathan Palmer, CEO of Grass Valley, Calif.-based Autometrix Inc., became one of many business leaders navigating a company through uncharted waters. “We had several customers who were waiting for us to …
Feature
COVID-19 survey: Labor and supply chain challenges dominate pandemic struggles
April 1, 2021
More than a year after the declaration of a global pandemic, it’s no surprise that a majority of companies in the industrial fabrics industry were negatively affected by the events of 2020. But the struggles were uneven, with some companies pivoting to new markets and others experiencing a positive effect. Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) …
Feature
Members only content
Managing remote workers
March 1, 2021
Ways for both managers and employees to reap the benefits of remote work. by Lin Grensing-Pophal In 2020 the world suddenly changed for all of us. Impacted by COVID-19, companies around the country and around the world found themselves forced to consider an option that many had formally eschewed—remote work. While remote work, aka telecommuting, …
Feature
Members only content
Women on overcoming challenges and bringing innovation to the textile industry
March 1, 2021
Three noteworthy innovators drive the textile industry forward with imagination, tenacity and expertise. Innovation and creativity in the world of textiles are always worthy of attention. But because the textile industry—like so many others—has been dominated by men, the contributions of women have often gone unnoticed. Women have always participated in and led the textile …
Feature
Members only content
Pandemic demand drives shade market
March 1, 2021
Pent-up pandemic demand drives surprising economic growth and environmental innovation in the shade market. by Jeff Moravec For many businesses, just keeping the doors open was a challenge in 2020. But for many shade fabricators and manufacturers, as the year progressed, the shade market heated up, and business became surprisingly good. Pandemic-related projects—including those related …
Feature
Matthew Dickerson: Daring to succeed
February 1, 2021
Matthew Dickerson took a chance on shade sails and succeeded—by welcoming failure and hard work while chasing goals. by Holly Eamon A 6-by-4-inch yellow paint chip sits in a shadow box on the office wall of Matthew Dickerson, president and CEO of Tenshon, a shade sail manufacturer in Mesa, Ariz. More than a conversation …
Sponsored Content
Company Profiles
Industry News
WVU Davis College unveils Amy A. Bircher Textiles Laboratory
April 19, 2021
A gift to the West Virginia University Davis College of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Design will provide fashion, dress and merchandising students with enhanced educational opportunities in textile science. To strengthen textile science and curriculum, Amy Bircher, a WVU alumna and founder and CEO of MMI Textiles Inc. of Cleveland, Ohio, donated more than $200,000 …
Industry News
Alpha Tubular Motors to host free motorization solutions webinar March 3
February 24, 2021
Alpha Tubular Motors will host a free webinar on Wednesday, March 3, that will focus on the advantages and offerings of intuitive motorization solutions for awnings, roller shutters and roller shades. The webinar “Alpha 101: The Alpha Advantage,” set for 4:30 p.m. EST, will be led by Alpha Tubular Motors CEO David Fezer, who will …
Industry News
Brown and Manning call for Biden to prioritize American manufacturers and bolster domestic PPE
January 29, 2021
U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and U.S. Representative Kathy Manning (D-NC) wrote to President Biden calling on the Administration to prioritize purchasing fully made in America Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), according to Textile World in a January 24 article. The lawmakers outline four steps the Administration can take now to ensure our frontline workers have products needed …
Industry News
Industry and union coalition outlines PPE recommendations to Biden and Congress
January 29, 2021
A broad coalition of industry organizations and labor unions, representing a broad spectrum of manufacturers and workers who stepped up to make essential PPE and other products throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, sent a letter today to President Biden and congressional leaders outlining recommendations on specific policy initiatives that must be adopted to re-establish a permanent …
Industry News
A primer on Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs)
January 1, 2021
An Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) offers lots of attractive benefits: studies have shown that ESOPs improve productivity, increase sales and improve return on assets, plus they offer great tax advantages. But more than any of these attributes, an ESOP offers the owner of a company peace of mind and an enduring legacy. “Many times, …
Industry News
Meet the Newly Elected and Re-elected 2021 IFAI Board of Directors
January 1, 2021
Each year, Industrial Fabrics Association International’s (IFAI) Leadership Development Committee follows a detailed process outlined in our bylaws for electing board members. It is IFAI’s pleasure to announce the newly elected and re-elected individuals who were chosen to serve on the 2021 IFAI Board of Directors. Newly Elected Directors Jennifer Fennell, Polo Custom ProductsJennifer Fennell …
Industry News
Sign up now for the 2021 Fabric Architecture Specifier’s Guide
January 1, 2021
The 2021 Fabric Architecture Specifier’s Guide is a one-stop guide for architects, designers and fabricators. This guide features the versatility and reliability of fabric, whether your focus is on awnings and canopies or air, tent and tensile structures. The guide highlights products, services, supplier directories and detailed specifier guides. Make sure you are part of the 2021 …
Industry News
Take IFAI’s survey: COVID-19’s Business Impact in 2020
December 22, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic will be remembered as one of the most challenging and unprecedented periods ever for the specialty, technical and engineered textile industries. As 2020 comes to a close, Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) would like your help in understanding how businesses in our industries were affected by the events of this year and …
Awards
2020 Outstanding Volunteer Award Recipients announced
November 12, 2020
Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) is very fortunate to have so many volunteers who give of themselves selflessly, helping every day by serving on different boards, task forces and committees. These volunteers judge competitions, provide education and impassioned leadership to others day-in and day-out. To acknowledge their service, IFAI developed a program in 2012 called …
Awards
2020 Honored Life Member Award Recipient announced
November 12, 2020
Honored Life Member status for Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) is designed for individuals who have shown a commitment to the association. Honored Life Membership is bestowed by special request only, and at the discretion of the IFAI Board of Directors to candidates based on the following criteria: Meritorious or outstanding work accomplished for the …
