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R+T 2022 postponed
December 1, 2021
Messe Stuttgart is postponing R+T, a leading trade fair for roller shutters, doors/gates and sun shading systems, which was scheduled to take place in February 2022. “R+T is the most international event in Stuttgart. Three quarters of the exhibitors at the last edition of the world’s leading trade fair in 2018 came from abroad,” says …
Feature
Hoover Architectural Products blends fabric, metal
December 1, 2021
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” contains a lot of truth, but there’s also a risk of stagnation if a company doesn’t adapt to changing times. When the global financial crisis erupted in 2008, Matt Carroll knew it was time for his family’s fabric-awning business to stretch its capabilities. “We had served residential customers …
Case Studies
Paris debuts a ‘grand’ temporary venue
December 1, 2021
While the Grand Palais, Paris’ historic exhibition hall and museum complex, is closed for a multi-year restoration project, a membrane-wrapped temporary venue installed on the Champ de Mars in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower is taking its place. Designed by architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte of Wilmotte & Associates, the temporary structure dubbed “Grand Palais Ephémère” …
Feature
The exhibit experience
December 1, 2021
It remains a fact that it’s still too soon to know when life and work will truly get back to normal. An optimistic spring and summer in 2021 turned into an uncertain fall as the COVID-19 pandemic moved into its fourth phase. Nowhere is this more evident than the trade show sector. With the industry …
Feature
Decoding standards, regulation and certification
December 1, 2021
With sustainability increasingly on consumers’ minds, textile end product manufacturers (EPMs) are tasked with ensuring that the eco-friendly claims they make about their products and production processes are valid. This can prove challenging, as can staying on top of industry-changing regulations and standards, especially for EPMs that sell their products globally. But standards-development organizations and …
Markets
Textiles that support energy conservation fill a growing need.
December 1, 2021
Although many people are not aware of it, textile materials are important components of the energy and sustainability equation. Not long ago, the public, generally, knew little about the textile materials in products such as layered fabric face masks. That all changed as the entire world turned to wearing them in response to the danger …
Projects
Spotlight on St. Louis Sound
December 1, 2021
The Missouri History Museum was looking to highlight and promote its upcoming “St. Louis Sound” when it turned to Lawrence Fabric & Metal Structures, Inc. The St. Louis Sound exhibit, which debuted in August and runs through January, tells the story of the region’s role in popular music. Nearly 200 artifacts are on display from …
Awards
International Achievement Award winners announced at IFAI Expo 2021
November 12, 2021
The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) announced the winners of the 2021 International Achievement Awards (IAA) at the Awards and Networking Breakfast at IFAI Expo 2021 on Nov. 3 at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tenn. These awards recognize design excellence in specialty fabrics applications in seven major categories and 44 subcategories. This year marked …
News
IFAI Expo celebrates its 100th anniversary with a successful show in Nashville
November 11, 2021
The Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) wrapped up IFAI Expo 2021, North America’s largest specialty, industrial and advanced textiles event, on Nov. 4 at the Music City Center in Nashville, Tenn. IFAI Expo 2021 included 218 exhibiting companies and a total of 3,173 participants. This year was the 100th anniversary of IFAI Expo’s in-person show. IFAI …
Markets
New solutions in solar shade
November 1, 2021
From the earliest tents to contemporary athletic stadiums, textiles have played a central role in offering protection from the elements and drawing energy from the sun. As locations worldwide struggle with record-shattering temperatures, researchers and architects are utilizing textiles in groundbreaking innovations including a state-of-the-art sports and entertainment stadium, a biomimicry-inspired pavilion and a research …
Sponsored Content
Company Profiles 2021
Case Studies
Paris debuts a ‘grand’ temporary venue
December 1, 2021
While the Grand Palais, Paris’ historic exhibition hall and museum complex, is closed for a multi-year restoration project, a membrane-wrapped temporary venue installed on the Champ de Mars in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower is taking its place. Designed by architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte of Wilmotte & Associates, the temporary structure dubbed “Grand Palais Ephémère” …
Case Studies
Michigan dining outdoors, under cover
October 1, 2021
In the autumn of 2020, while Michigan was experiencing a sharp rise in COVID-19 cases, the governor and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services put in place a three-week ban on indoor dining in restaurants. To keep their doors open, many Detroit restaurants turned to tents, heaters and other ways to extend their …
Case Studies
Tasting the great outdoors
September 1, 2021
Across the country, the coronavirus pandemic has forced many food service businesses to offer outdoor dining, and sometimes that means reimagining how to use their parking lots. The city of San Marcos, Calif., revamped its outdoor dining permit process for restaurants to offer outdoor dining. Rip Current Brewing was one of those businesses that quickly …
Case Studies
SLO Architecture’s ‘Turntable’ contemplates Camden’s history and future
August 1, 2021
One of the many enduring reminders of the coronavirus pandemic is the sight of used, discarded masks littering public spaces. Amanda Schachter and Alexander Levi of New York City’s SLO Architecture have taken on the idea of unearthing the discarded in “Turntable,” a public installation at Cooper’s Poynt Waterfront Park in Camden, N.J., that turns …
Case Studies
Opening up the classroom
August 1, 2021
For schools, the challenge of delivering quality learning experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic has generated numerous approaches to creating safe environments. Transformit Inc. was asked by the Portland, Maine, school district to provide quotes for dozens of outdoor classrooms. “The CARES Act had provided the township with a budget to work with, and they needed …
Case Studies
Portable solar ‘clouds’ designed for remote locations
July 1, 2021
An architecture and planning studio based in the U.K. has proposed an “ephemeral station” that could provide remote communities and other locations with energy, water and shelter. The project by OF. Studio, designed for the state of Nevada, takes its inspiration from the banyan tree and hot air balloons. Under the “clouds,” a steel frame …
Case Studies
Food for life
July 1, 2021
As with many food-related companies, the North County Food Bank in Vista, Calif., has had a need to utilize its parking lot due to COVID-19 restrictions. The food bank serves between 200–300 families per day, and the operation was forced out of the building. Volunteers serve a constant line of cars from 9 a.m. to …
Case Studies
Creating ‘The Canyon’
June 1, 2021
EDITOR’S NOTE: For the new terminal complex at the Salt Lake City International Airport, a specially commissioned public art installation involved architectural fabric. The visually stunning fabric sculpture “The Canyon” by public artist Gordon Huether was accomplished by a dedicated team of fabric engineers and fabricators who interpreted the artist’s vision. The scope of the …
Case Studies
Finding the great pumpkin
June 1, 2021
Carlsbad Strawberry Co., located along the Pacific Coast south of Los Angeles, Calif., has been growing strawberries for four generations. Since the 1950s, the “pick-your-own” produce company has prospered as it actively engaged with local schools, churches and nonprofits. One tradition enjoyed by the locals for decades stems from a secondary crop that brings people …
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 …
Sponsored Content
Company Profiles 2021
Events
Messe Stuttgart’s Sun Shading Expo North America moves co-location debut with IFAI Expo to 2022
July 7, 2021
Messe Stuttgart announced that its new U.S.-based show Sun Shading Expo North America will not be held in 2021 as a separate trade show but will instead contribute its expertise in internal and external sun shading systems at IFAI Expo 2021 in the form of expert talks, open discussions and more. IFAI Expo 2021 will still take place …
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, …
Sponsored Content
Company Profiles 2021
Feature
The exhibit experience
December 1, 2021
It remains a fact that it’s still too soon to know when life and work will truly get back to normal. An optimistic spring and summer in 2021 turned into an uncertain fall as the COVID-19 pandemic moved into its fourth phase. Nowhere is this more evident than the trade show sector. With the industry …
Feature
Hoover Architectural Products blends fabric, metal
December 1, 2021
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” contains a lot of truth, but there’s also a risk of stagnation if a company doesn’t adapt to changing times. When the global financial crisis erupted in 2008, Matt Carroll knew it was time for his family’s fabric-awning business to stretch its capabilities. “We had served residential customers …
Feature
Decoding standards, regulation and certification
December 1, 2021
With sustainability increasingly on consumers’ minds, textile end product manufacturers (EPMs) are tasked with ensuring that the eco-friendly claims they make about their products and production processes are valid. This can prove challenging, as can staying on top of industry-changing regulations and standards, especially for EPMs that sell their products globally. But standards-development organizations and …
Feature
Members only content
Relocating your business
November 1, 2021
Growing the business is an objective for nearly every owner, but with this comes a sometimes unanticipated consequence—outgrowing the facility’s space, making a move the only logical recourse. Consider American Tent LLC. Currently housed in Green Bay, Wis., the commercial and party tent manufacturer has been operating in a 35,000-square-foot space since opening in 2014, …
Feature
Members only content
In the market for new markets
November 1, 2021
The advantages of diversification are well-known. Serving multiple markets can help a business grow, and when one market experiences a downturn, other markets can help prop up a company. According to the 2021 State of the Industry report published by Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), more than half (56 percent) of specialty fabrics businesses plan …
Feature
Glenn Russell & Wayne Heflin: Strength in Simplicity
November 1, 2021
In 1984, Wayne Heflin and Glenn Russell met in a hallway of a U.S. handbag manufacturer. A seasoned professional within the fashion industry, Russell was the company’s financial controller. Heflin, a Vietnam veteran who entered the leather goods and fashion arena after his service ended, had recently established a fashion belt line for the company, …
Feature
Avenue of opportunity: Streetscapes
October 1, 2021
The COVID-19 pandemic has opened up tens of thousands of public gathering spaces by forcing proprietors to move their services outdoors and onto sidewalks and street fronts. While it is unclear how long these outdoor public sheltered spaces will remain in place, reports across the U.S. indicate that people (and businesses that have expanded outside) …
Feature
Parking structure punctuates Miami skyline
October 1, 2021
Big Span Structures LLC, a provider of concept-to-completion solutions for signature lightweight tensile membrane structures, has completed a new tensile membrane shading structure on the top deck of the parking garage of the Care Resource Community Health Centers facility in Midtown Miami, Fla. The tensioned membrane structure features approximately 13,500 square feet of PTFE-coated mesh …
Feature
Members only content
Shade sails find a place in the sun
September 1, 2021
For something that’s been around for thousands of years—as far back as the Roman Colosseum, if not longer—shade sails in North America have a reputation as “the new kid on the block.” While using tensioned sails to provide shade for both commercial and residential structures has been a function of fabrication shops in North America …
Feature
Members only content
Birdair installs tensile roof retrofit
September 1, 2021
Custom membrane provider Birdair Inc. has brought a modern look to a shopping mall in Lancaster, Pa., with the installation of a retrofitted Tensotherm™ translucent insulated tensioned membrane system. The three-layer Tensotherm roof replaced a single-layer tensile membrane roof Birdair installed at the Park City Center mall in 1988. Tensotherm’s three layers include an outer …
Sponsored Content
Company Profiles 2021
Industry News
R+T 2022 postponed
December 1, 2021
Messe Stuttgart is postponing R+T, a leading trade fair for roller shutters, doors/gates and sun shading systems, which was scheduled to take place in February 2022. “R+T is the most international event in Stuttgart. Three quarters of the exhibitors at the last edition of the world’s leading trade fair in 2018 came from abroad,” says …
Industry News
Global textile market outlook
October 21, 2021
According to the report “Global Textile Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report by Raw Material (Wool, Chemical, Silk), by Product (Natural Fibers, Polyester), by Application (Household, Technical), by Region, and Segment Forecasts, 2021-2028” by ResearchAndMarkets.com, the global textile market size is anticipated to reach USD 1412.5 billion by 2028. The market is expected to …
Industry News
Herculite Products promotes two employees to new roles
October 14, 2021
Herculite Products Inc., an innovator and manufacturer of high performance and custom fabrics, has announced that Paul Flaherty and Marco Angelone have received leadership promotions. Flaherty has been promoted to the newly created position of chief strategy officer. In the new role, he will be responsible for the development and implementation of the company’s long …
Industry News
Global technical textile market outlook
July 9, 2021
According to a report by ResearchAndMarkets.com, the global technical textile market is expected to grow at CAGR of 8.0% within the forecast period of 2021 to 2029. The demand for textiles is increasing and consumers are expecting higher quality textiles with sustainable properties. These textiles are known for their superior characteristics over their traditional equivalents …
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 …
