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Events
Answers to your Supply Chain questions!
August 8, 2022
CONNECT by ATA will be hosting an Ask Me Anything on Supply Chain Challenges event with Bill Rooney of Kuehne + Nagel Inc. on August 30! Get the answers to your supply chain questions from an expert at this live session on August 30 from 1-2pm EDT. Can’t make it to the live session? Email …
Markets
Wide format graphics rebound
August 1, 2022
To get a handle on how the wide format fabrics graphics industry is faring these days, as the worst of the pandemic fades, a good source to ask is Bill Farquharson, a well-known sales coach, author and print sales veteran who keeps his finger on the pulse of the field. For comparison’s sake, Farquharson, who …
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 …
Markets
Color by nanocrystal
August 1, 2022
Colorful fabrics are beautiful, but creating them is one of the world’s largest sources of water pollution. Textile mills have been known to dump residual dyes and hazardous chemicals into canals, streams and rivers. Researchers from North Carolina State University’s College of Natural Resources and the Wilson College of Textiles have developed a process that …
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 …
Markets
Weaving in Wi-Fi
August 1, 2022
For most of us technology becomes part of our day almost from the moment we wake up. At the Simon Fraser University School of Interactive Art and Technology (SIAT), researchers are weaving “threads” of Wi-Fi into fabric as a way of pushing boundaries to further understand how technology impacts our lives. Doenja Oogjes, who recently …
Features
Urban-Air Port builds vertiport
August 1, 2022
With the increasing use of drone aircraft in everything from surveying and photography to package delivery, it makes sense that there should one day be a drone airport. Well, that time has come. London-based Urban-Air Port has built the first dedicated drone “vertiport” in Coventry, U.K., with plans to expand to cities around the world …
IFAI news
Advanced Textiles Association debuts new logo
July 28, 2022
Advanced Textiles Association (ATA), recently launched their new logo. ATA became the official new name of the association formerly known as Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), on June 1 and have now released their new look. The goal was to find a name and acronym that was more inclusive of the textiles, fabrics, materials that …
Features
Members only content
The Four Crucial Habits of Successful Salespeople Part Two
July 2, 2022
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is Part 2 of a two-part series by the author. You can find Part 1 here. The R-S-P-F Sales Formula™ focuses on four measurable and repeatable habits, traits and processes that all salespeople must be proficient in, and that all sales leaders must monitor closely. Part One of this series outlined the …
Projects
An Olympian Task
July 2, 2022
It would have been a tall order for a less adept company. After all, the job wasn’t only extremely high-profile—the Beijing Winter Olympics—it involved providing and setting up more than 30 structures under extreme conditions and on some less-than-ideal terrain, all while adhering to strict COVID protocols. But as one of the largest installers in …
Sponsored Content
Company Profiles 2021
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 …
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 …
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
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 …
Features
Urban-Air Port builds vertiport
August 1, 2022
With the increasing use of drone aircraft in everything from surveying and photography to package delivery, it makes sense that there should one day be a drone airport. Well, that time has come. London-based Urban-Air Port has built the first dedicated drone “vertiport” in Coventry, U.K., with plans to expand to cities around the world …
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 …
Features
Celina Tent grows internationally
July 2, 2022
For Janice Grieshop, vice president of Celina Tent in Celina, Ohio, it all began in 1996 when a local hardware store went out of business after 74 years. “My husband, Herb, and I purchased its small inventory of tables, chairs and three tents and started Celina Tent Rental out of our rural home,” she says. …
Features
Members only content
The Four Crucial Habits of Successful Salespeople Part Two
July 2, 2022
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is Part 2 of a two-part series by the author. You can find Part 1 here. The R-S-P-F Sales Formula™ focuses on four measurable and repeatable habits, traits and processes that all salespeople must be proficient in, and that all sales leaders must monitor closely. Part One of this series outlined the …
Features
Members only content
LED fabric provides both shade and light
July 1, 2022
The Israeli city of Tel Aviv-Jaffa is piloting a new street fabric that provides both daytime shade and light at night without the need for electricity. The eco-friendly system, called Lumiweave, is an outdoor fabric embedded with solar and organic photovoltaic (PV) cells that store solar energy during daytime hours for off-grid lighting in the …
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 …
Features
The greening of outdoor fabrics
June 1, 2022
Green. Sustainable. Environmentally friendly. These issues are top of mind for manufacturers of all kinds, and outdoor fabric manufacturers and end product manufacturers are no different. But what does it all mean? How does one measure immediate impact against long-term impact? How do businesses meet the needs of consumers and do their part for 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 …
Features
An alternative to brick and mortar
May 1, 2022
Successful businesses know that eco-friendly practices are part of sustainability, but creating long-term value is also key. More companies are choosing durable fabric structures to manage operating costs and reduce their impact on the environment, without sacrificing functionality. Covering corn to fertilizer In rural areas, fabric-covered structures are also becoming more common to house …
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 …
