New Year, new reasons to know your supply chain

April 1, 2022  |  Markets

On December 23, 2021, President Biden signed into law the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) which will significantly raise the stakes for any company importing from or doing business with China. Most significantly, once the statute fully comes into effect in 2022, importers of a wide range …
Read More
Environmentally speaking

March 1, 2022  |  Markets

We are standing at an inflection point in world history. We can create an environment that raises the standard of living around the world,” President Joseph Biden said in his speech at COP26, the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference. “This is a moral imperative, and it is also an econom…
Read More
Textiles that support energy conservation fill a growing need.

December 1, 2021  |  Markets

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 w…
Read More
New solutions in solar shade

November 1, 2021  |  Markets

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 groundbre…
Read More
How are industry codes and standards developed?

October 1, 2021  |  Markets

When tent, awning and fabric structure installers think of codes and standards, they often envision the building and fire departments of local and state jurisdictions that enforce such regulations on their projects. Enforcement is the very end of the process—the result of many years of code develo…
Read More
Scaling your business

September 1, 2021  |  Markets

The concept of scaling a business is not interchangeable with growing a business.  Consider this scenario: You are experiencing exponential growth, revenues are up, work is pouring in the door and you decide to hire more people. You and your team work longer hours, but it is still not enough. D…
Read More
Top trade challenges and opportunities in 2021

August 1, 2021  |  Markets

The list of trade issues facing Washington policy makers in 2021 is long and complex. How these issues will be addressed affects a range of industries, and the textile industry is no exception. With member companies driving innovation in materials essential to health care, advanced technologies and …
Read More
A winning canopy in Atlantic City

July 1, 2021  |  Markets

What started as a photo contest in 1946 among canvas goods manufacturers has become a prestigious international awards competition honoring excellence in awnings and canopies, shade sails, marine fabrication, geosynthetic projects, tent rental and manufacturing, tensile structures, fabric graphics, …
Read More
Portico shade structure opens up new possibilities

June 1, 2021  |  Markets

When a client requested a cover for the entry of a workshop/studio, Schafbock Design Workshop of Gujarat, India, took on several challenges, according to Schafbock’s Shehzad Irani. These included the timeline, which was just 45 days from concept design to installation, and the site, a fully functi…
Read More
Keeping up the shade market momentum

May 1, 2021  |  Markets

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 th…
Read More