IAA submissions due June 30

May 1, 2018  |  News

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 excell…
Read More
IFAI reboots industrial sewing to bolster manufacturing

May 1, 2018  |  News

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. …
Read More
Academia and textile businesses forge fruitful alliances

May 1, 2018  |  News

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 c…
Read More
Savvy cash management can boost bottom lines

May 1, 2018  |  News

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…
Read More
OSHA-compliant programs can improve employee engagement

May 1, 2018  |  News

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…
Read More
Manufacturers find new ways to enhance product performance with textiles

May 1, 2018  |  Features

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 ad…
Read More
Call for candidates: IFAI Board of Directors

May 1, 2018  |  News

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 announce…
Read More
Tensile fabrics make a cultural statement in Mexican structure

May 1, 2018  |  Features

The power of suggestion is one of an architect’s most eloquent tools. With a meaningful combination of shape and material, a design can meet physical expectations as well as create the suggestion of ideas, symbols and traditions. With the strategic use of high-tensile fabric panels, the structure …
Read More
Serge Ferrari acquires Plastitex, offers custom textile service

May 1, 2018  |  News

Serge Ferrari Group has completed the acquisition of Plastitex, an Italian manufacturer of specialty composite materials for indoor and outdoor furniture. This acquisition strengthens Serge Ferrari’s positioning in the indoor and outdoor furniture market through the addition of complementary p…
Read More