Sponsored Content
Products
Digitally knitted structure shelters an outdoor space
December 1, 2022
Jenny Sabin Studios, Ithaca, N.Y., is known for using knitting technologies to create structural and architectural applications. Sabin’s “exoKnit” at Neue House in New York City is a recent example of the designer pushing knitting beyond its traditional boundaries. The exoKnit project is a community-centered, public pavilion pergola designed for an urban street experience generated …
Features
Emerging Leaders 40 and under
December 1, 2022
John Veith [ age 36 ] Director of Project Management Birdair, Inc., Buffalo, N.Y. 8 years in the industry How did you get involved with this industry and at what age? I was hired by Birdair at 22, as a project engineer. It was my first job out of college. I knew of Birdair from …
Features
Striving for sustainability
December 1, 2022
As public awareness of the importance of sustainability grows, there’s no doubt that fabricators are becoming greener. But it’s also becoming obvious that there are many different routes to the same destination. Take the cases of two companies—Dimension-Polyant Inc. and Glen Raven Inc. Glen Raven Inc., a major manufacturer of textiles for a variety of …
Features
Fabric shades create comfort, protection
December 1, 2022
Cool, comfortable shade is easy to underestimate and hard to ignore when it’s not available. Bill Moore saw an opportunity in the fabric shade business when he moved from New England to California in the early 2000s. “I was struck by how much good space was going unused, due to the sun.” Moore started researching …
Company News
Renegade Plastics wins 2022 Cleantech Open
November 2, 2022
More than 90 companies joined Cleantech Open’s 2022 accelerator program, 77 participated in regional competitions across the US, and 18 finalists progressed to compete at the national level at the Global Forum, hosted at VERGE22 in San Jose, Calif., on October 25-27, 2022. Renegade Plastics was named the US National Winner of Cleantech Open’s 2022 …
Projects
Outside the box
November 1, 2022
Back in the day, ordering a tent for a special event meant you could pretty much expect one thing: a basic, boxy structure that did its job to temporarily shelter inhabitants from the weather. Call it a canvas coup, but these days tents come in a multitude of shapes, sizes and materials and are commonly …
Projects
The Sullivan House Bakery
November 1, 2022
After more than 30 years in the insurance industry, a few years baking in a small Vermont bakery on the side, and a two-year stint as a Vermont inn owner, Nancy Ames was ready for her next adventure—opening a bakery. Ames always knew that something food/baking-related was her passion, but it wasn’t until she lost …
Business
Developing your team
November 1, 2022
All the business owners I work with want to surround themselves with better people. Having a solid team of highly skilled individuals with differing strengths will ultimately make running a business easier. It’s really satisfying when you don’t have to worry about every aspect of your operation. Having confidence in your team allows you time …
Features
Members only content
Fabric structures that withstand extreme environments
November 1, 2022
Visitors to the Hawaiian Islands are drawn by the chance to vacation in surroundings renowned for their beauty and serenity. While locals share the tourists’ appreciation for what their paradise offers, they are also mindful of the environmental challenges Mother Nature often throws at them. This is especially true for local manufacturers and suppliers of …
News
EURATEX and partners launch New Horizon Europe Innovation project
November 1, 2022
The new Horizon Europe project CISUTAC will support the transition to a circular and sustainable textile sector. As part of a consortium of 27 partners working on the project, EURATEX will work towards facilitating the Circular Economy transition. While the production and consumption of textile products continue to grow, so does the impact on the …
Sponsored Content
Company Profiles 2021
Case Studies
Members only content
Your ship has come in
November 1, 2022
Along-awaited waterfront ferry terminal is up and running on Seaplane Lagoon, Alameda, Calif. Against a backdrop of the decommissioned USS Hornet aircraft carrier and the Alameda Naval Air Museum, the Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal provides regular weekday commuter services from Alameda, Oakland and other areas east and across the Bay from San Francisco. While helping …
Case Studies
Time, time again
October 1, 2022
Shigeru Ban’s corporate campus in Biel/Bienne for the Swiss watch company Swatch Omega Group is a study in contrast. Expanding on a motif the international architect first developed for the Centre Pompidou-Metz, France, Ban created a massive load-bearing timber diagrid shell that encloses and forms the main building. As with the Metz project, the Swatch …
Case Studies
The Feeling: We’re in Kansas now!
September 1, 2022
Overland Park, Kan., is the second largest city in its state, as well as within the Kansas City metro area. The city’s website claims it is “America’s largest inhabited park,” and it feels like it if you stand in any open field and look northeast toward downtown Kansas City where the green-glass iconic towers of …
Case Studies
Sails that sign: Enter here!
August 1, 2022
The Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indigenous community in Scottsdale, Ariz., has a dedicated space that is surrounded by a high-end commercial plaza on its land. Located at the crossroads of two major roads, the shopping complex is composed of numerous brick-faced masses that have tribal art affixed to the curved walls. One corner of the complex …
Case Studies
Members only content
Right of passage
July 1, 2022
Vicinity Centres at Chadstone, located in Melbourne, Australia, is considered by some as the Fashion Capital of Down Under. Chadstone’s high-end fashion shopping precinct includes retail, commercial and leisure zones and recently was grafted to a new five-star hotel, the Hotel Chadstone Melbourne MGallery by Sofitel, via a fabric tensile canopy dubbed “The Link.” “The …
Case Studies
Opening up The Shell
June 1, 2022
Fans of the San Diego Symphony have been singing praises for the new outdoor performance venue featuring The Rady Shell, inaugurated August 6, 2021, with a full-orchestra concert and a packed audience. As any musician will tell you, acoustics at outdoor performances are often a disappointing aural experience due to wind, intrusive noises and other …
Case Studies
Fabric structures reduce environmental impact
May 1, 2022
More than ever before, architects are being called upon to dramatically improve the performance of their buildings, and fabric can help with this mandate. The key to implementing this is to reduce the embodied carbon in buildings. It’s a given that 40 percent of global resources goes to the built environment, so our construction industry …
Case Studies
Upholstered pods offer spot for creative immersion
January 1, 2022
With commissioned work coming to a halt last year because of the pandemic, artist Liam Hopkins set out to design his own project—a venue that would inspire and evolve. The result is Lazerian Space, a combination art gallery and cafe on King Street in Manchester, England. Inside the space, guests lounge and nosh within one …
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 …
Sponsored Content
Company Profiles 2021
Expo News
IFAI Expo 2022 call for presentations
December 20, 2021
The Industrial Fabrics Association International is now accepting proposals for presentations at IFAI Expo 2022. IFAI Expo will take place Oct. 12-14, 2022, at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, N.C., with education Oct. 11-14. IFAI is accepting proposals for 50-minute classroom sessions in several categories: Advanced Textiles Shade & Weather Protection Specialty Fabrics Marine …
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 …
Sponsored Content
Company Profiles 2021
Features
Striving for sustainability
December 1, 2022
As public awareness of the importance of sustainability grows, there’s no doubt that fabricators are becoming greener. But it’s also becoming obvious that there are many different routes to the same destination. Take the cases of two companies—Dimension-Polyant Inc. and Glen Raven Inc. Glen Raven Inc., a major manufacturer of textiles for a variety of …
Features
Emerging Leaders 40 and under
December 1, 2022
John Veith [ age 36 ] Director of Project Management Birdair, Inc., Buffalo, N.Y. 8 years in the industry How did you get involved with this industry and at what age? I was hired by Birdair at 22, as a project engineer. It was my first job out of college. I knew of Birdair from …
Features
Fabric shades create comfort, protection
December 1, 2022
Cool, comfortable shade is easy to underestimate and hard to ignore when it’s not available. Bill Moore saw an opportunity in the fabric shade business when he moved from New England to California in the early 2000s. “I was struck by how much good space was going unused, due to the sun.” Moore started researching …
Case Studies
Members only content
Your ship has come in
November 1, 2022
Along-awaited waterfront ferry terminal is up and running on Seaplane Lagoon, Alameda, Calif. Against a backdrop of the decommissioned USS Hornet aircraft carrier and the Alameda Naval Air Museum, the Seaplane Lagoon Ferry Terminal provides regular weekday commuter services from Alameda, Oakland and other areas east and across the Bay from San Francisco. While helping …
Features
Members only content
Fabric structures that withstand extreme environments
November 1, 2022
Visitors to the Hawaiian Islands are drawn by the chance to vacation in surroundings renowned for their beauty and serenity. While locals share the tourists’ appreciation for what their paradise offers, they are also mindful of the environmental challenges Mother Nature often throws at them. This is especially true for local manufacturers and suppliers of …
Case Studies
Time, time again
October 1, 2022
Shigeru Ban’s corporate campus in Biel/Bienne for the Swiss watch company Swatch Omega Group is a study in contrast. Expanding on a motif the international architect first developed for the Centre Pompidou-Metz, France, Ban created a massive load-bearing timber diagrid shell that encloses and forms the main building. As with the Metz project, the Swatch …
Case Studies
The Feeling: We’re in Kansas now!
September 1, 2022
Overland Park, Kan., is the second largest city in its state, as well as within the Kansas City metro area. The city’s website claims it is “America’s largest inhabited park,” and it feels like it if you stand in any open field and look northeast toward downtown Kansas City where the green-glass iconic towers of …
Features
Tricky shade projects
September 1, 2022
Each year, fabricators across the globe set the bar higher by achieving more beauty, functionality and innovation in their shade projects. And each year, the Advanced Textiles Association (formerly IFAI) strives to recognize these industry leaders through its International Achievement Awards (IAA) program. Here, we interview four of last year’s winners about the rewards and …
Features
Technotense leader takes DIY approach
September 1, 2022
When Cesar Eloy Pérez founded Technotense in 2019, he wanted to create a company that would professionalize the industry of designing, building and installing lightweight tensile structures. “I wanted to change the way structures were made in Mexico,” he says. “There were a lot of people who weren’t very professional and were making things how …
Features
State of the Industry 2022
August 1, 2022
How did textile and fabric manufacturers survive the global pandemic? How do supply chain issues and labor shortages continue to be a problem? What markets are manufacturers looking to expand into, and how do they plan to get there? Which trends will have the biggest impact on the industry in the next two years? The …
Sponsored Content
Company Profiles 2021
Industry News
OSHA administers $11.7 million in training grants
June 22, 2022
The U.S. Department of Labor will provide a funding opportunity for $11.7 million in Susan Harwood Training Grants to support the delivery of training and education to help workers and employers identify and prevent workplace safety and health hazards. Administered by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the grants will target disadvantaged, underserved, low-income, and other hard-to-reach, …
Industry News
Oeko-Tex Association releases annual updates
January 10, 2022
Oeko-Tex Association has released its annual updates to test criteria, limit values and requirements. In addition, its new Impact Calculator is now available for STeP by Oeko-Tex customers. The industry-specific tool will provide carbon and water footprint data essential to meeting climate goals. Later in 2022, Oeko-Tex will also introduce a new certification for corporate …
Industry News
Steve Fredrickson joins Rainier Industries
December 21, 2021
Industry veteran Steve Fredrickson is joining Rainier Industries as the National Sales Director for Rainier Shade. Frederickson has more than 25 years of experience in the textile industry, with several different companies. Most recently, he was sales director at Sattler Corp. “I started working with Rainier Industries in 1997; loved my time here and am …
Expo News
IFAI Expo 2022 call for presentations
December 20, 2021
The Industrial Fabrics Association International is now accepting proposals for presentations at IFAI Expo 2022. IFAI Expo will take place Oct. 12-14, 2022, at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, N.C., with education Oct. 11-14. IFAI is accepting proposals for 50-minute classroom sessions in several categories: Advanced Textiles Shade & Weather Protection Specialty Fabrics Marine …
Industry News
Pantone announces Color of the Year for 2022
December 17, 2021
Pantone, the global color authority and provider of professional color language standards and digital solutions for the design community, has introduced a new blue shade, PANTONE 17-3938 Very Peri, a dynamic periwinkle blue hue with a vivifying violet red undertone as the Pantone Color of the Year selection for 2022. Blending the faithfulness and constancy …
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 …
