Out of this world inflatables
April 1st, 2023
NASA’s Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) demonstrated inflatable heat shield technology. After launch LOFTID inflated and deployed in space. It was released and re-entered Earth’s atmosphere, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. Photo: NASA When you hear the phrase “inflatable structure,” the first image that comes to mind is likely to […]
Striving for sustainability
December 1st, 2022
Glen Raven Inc. has increased the use of renewable energy in its facilities, but has also prioritized the use of more energy-efficient machinery. Photo: Glen Raven Inc. 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 […]
Wide format graphics rebound
August 1st, 2022
A Beaver Paper Group banner made from TexStyles® NatureSeries™ was used on the front of the New York Stock Exchange. Photo: Beaver Paper Group 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, […]
Finding balance
February 1st, 2022
When the pandemic hit, Camel Expeditionary was able to shift from a Department of Defense workload to a mobile hospital workload. Photo: Camel Expeditionary. There’s always challenges to running a successful business—keeping a step ahead of the competition, anticipating the changing needs of the customer, paying attention to the financials. But the past two years […]
Shade sails find a place in the sun
September 1st, 2021
It was only a few years ago that Amy Poe, owner of Wyckam Fabric Creations, in Portland, Ore., started hearing about shade sails. Now the company is doing elaborate shade sail projects like this shade cover for the Big Toy Playground at Keizer Rapids Park in Keizer, Ore. Photo: Wyckam Fabric Creations. For something that’s […]
A ‘mixed bag’ for U.S. textile manufacturing
April 1st, 2021
When supply chains from Asia were cut off in the spring of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic revealed the extent to which the U.S. was dependent on imports of personal protective equipment (PPE) including nonwoven surgical masks, according to U.S. trade representative Bill Jackson. Photo: © Kateryna Rykun, Dreamstime.com The year 2020 was not a particularly […]
Pandemic demand drives shade market
March 1st, 2021
While 2020 started as a disaster, pandemic-related business picked up substantially as the year went on. Fabric manufacturers such as Glen Raven Custom Fabrics LLC were among companies providing shade products, like the Sunbrella® fabric for these shade structures in Miami, Fla., as restaurants moved to outdoor dining. Photo: Glen Raven Custom Fabrics LLC. Pent-up […]
Shade around the world: custom canopy projects
February 1st, 2021
Ant Walk in Mexico City is a covered walkway by Ketan Membranas Arquitectónicas, intended to be analogous of the form of organization and work dynamics that ants use to provide themselves with resources. Photo: Ketan Membranas Arquitectónicas. Wherever the sun shines, people need shade. These recent canopy projects from around the world fulfill that mission […]
Staying agile in the time of COVID-19
September 1st, 2020
Agility has emerged as the essential defining attribute of organizations able to respond to this crisis and chart a new, resilient course for the future. by Jeff Moravec Agility has always been something of a prerequisite for owning a company, and that skill set is clearly more valuable now than it ever has been. We […]
Protecting structures with fabric
July 1st, 2020
When it comes to protecting structures from the elements, fabric has it covered. by Jeff Moravec Think Hawaii doesn’t get bad weather? Think again. Wind can be a problem, but protection can be found in the form of a rope and pulley system, like this one from Tropical J’s in Honolulu. Photo: Tropical J’s. Fabric […]