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The Cutting Room
May 9th, 2018
June 12, 2018 | Noon EST Free to IFAI Members/$79.00 for Nonmembers The presenters will cover four components used in a cutting room: digitizing, cutting, material handling and ROI. Learn what applications are best suited for full automation and how to implement them and increase your product volumes. Presenters Truy Pham Autometrix Inc. Truy “Tree” […]
Webinar: Selling quality over price
May 9th, 2018
June 20, 2018 | Noon EST Free to IFAI Members/$75.00 for Nonmembers Learn about increasing your bottom line and how to encourage your clients to upgrade to better quality materials. Find out how upselling reflects company image, leads to future referrals and produces long-lasting products. Presenter Dave Callahan Granite State Cover & Canvas Inc. […]
IFAI’S Student Design Competition: Deadline is May 15, 2018
May 4th, 2018
Each year, the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) sponsors a Student Design Competition for students enrolled in a post-secondary college or university program studying textiles, apparel, engineering or design. The annual competition offers students a valuable opportunity to build their portfolios and advance their career opportunities—and first-place winners also receive a $6,000+ Prize Pack with […]
IAA submissions due June 30
May 1st, 2018
The International Achievement Awards (IAA) are an annual competition with a goal to promote awareness of the specialty fabrics used in thousands of products and applications ranging in size and shape. For more than six decades, the awards have recognized innovation, technical skill and design excellence. Entries are judged by industry experts, editors, architects, educators […]
IFAI reboots industrial sewing to bolster manufacturing
May 1st, 2018
Reprinted with permission from insidefashiondesign.net Industrial sewing has reached a critical point. An aging workforce combined with a lack of incoming talent has created a worker shortage that threatens to shutter long-standing American businesses and stifle growth in a billion-dollar industry. We spoke with someone on the front lines of the battle to save industrial […]
Academia and textile businesses forge fruitful alliances
May 1st, 2018
Early in 2018, Greensboro, N.C.-based VF Corp. and North Carolina State University (NC State) announced a strategic, multi-year partnership to “support student development at NC State and advance apparel and textiles innovation within VF,” the company says. It will also bring $1 million to the campus in the form of a gift from the VF […]
Savvy cash management can boost bottom lines
May 1st, 2018
Cash flow—the amount of money flowing into and out of your shop—is an easy concept to understand, yet not always well managed. Not every owner is aware of the impact skillful cash management has on net income, probably because the importance of managing revenue is far easier to recognize in some types of businesses than […]
OSHA-compliant programs can improve employee engagement
May 1st, 2018
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics recorded that 2.9 million workplace injuries occurred in 2016, more than half of which resulted in time away from the job. The cost to business? According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), workplace injuries and subsequent absenteeism amount to well over $200 billion per year. One […]
Manufacturers find new ways to enhance product performance with textiles
May 1st, 2018
As the demands made on textiles have increased, the nature of what is defined as “textile” has greatly expanded, often including non-textiles or treating them in a textile manner. Hybrids that bring together different materials and processes can offer the benefit of conventional textiles with additional characteristics of materials such as glass, ceramic, wood or […]
Call for candidates: IFAI Board of Directors
May 1st, 2018
The Leadership Development Committee of the Industrial Fabrics Association International is now accepting applications to fill two (2) Director positions on the IFAI Board of Directors. Both of these positions are for three-year terms. All of IFAI’s volunteer leadership openings are being announced at this time, as well, in an effort to highlight the range […]