Making fabric the medium for the message By Janice Kleinschmidt A stone tablet may have served the early Viking explorers well, but the 21st century demands more flexibility—and certainly more mobility. That’s why soft signage continues to evolve. “You are seeing people’s needs for messaging change,” says Jason Amidon, 3M product marketing supervisor, noting a [...]

The Himalaya mountain range touches six countries, boasts the world’s highest peaks and drains into lands housing 1.3 billion people—many of them living in poverty and herding domestic animals for sustenance. One Earth Designs (OED), Cambridge, Mass., was formed by two college students to assist Himalayan communities with science/technology education and sustainable infrastructure. OED honed [...]

Shop owners share their secrets for selling, upselling, expanding, and finding and retaining customers. By Shelby Gonzalez Collapsing financial system got you worried? Now is the time to focus on making your marine fabrication business strong. Thriving shop owners from around the country share insights and tips for selling, upselling, expanding, retaining customers and getting [...]

Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacterial infections, usually acquired in hospitals, kill an estimated 50,000 people in Europe each year. A trans-European project team led by the University of Limerick, Ireland, received a three-year research grant to develop MRSA-resistant textiles for hospital gowns, bedding, curtains and pillow covers with antimicrobial properties instilled with nanotechnology. The MRSA-resistant [...]

British fabric structures manufacturer Tectoniks is all set to help—bring on the disasters. By David Littlefield Post-disaster accommodation has changed little over the years, and it is easy to bring to mind row upon row of tented structures that spring up to provide quick, temporary and low-cost shelters for people with nowhere else to go. [...]

Seat belts save childrens’ lives, but the impact of a severe frontal collision can place huge restraint pressure on a child’s chest. Researchers at the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC), Barcelona, Spain, working with Applus + Technologies Inc., Chicago, Ill., have designed a textile load limiter that reduces the length of time a child sustains [...]

According to Stephen M. Warner, president and CEO of the Advanced Textiles Association (ATA), “The rate of change and innovation in the technical textiles industry is outpacing the consumer awareness of applications, as well as the current standards and text procedures. There is a critical need for more substantive information exchange platforms that discuss the [...]

Miller Heiman has launched the 2010 Sales Best Practices Study, an annual research project comparing complex, business-to-business selling and sales management best practices. This study marks the firm’s seventh year of gathering the data, which has drawn from the responses of more than 21,000 sales professionals to date. The study results help identify sales activities [...]

Tent renters benefit the environment—and their own profitability—when they get the most use possible out of their tents. By Peder Engebretson Hybrid cars, compost piles and recycling bins are signs of the times. But what does sustainability mean in regard to event tents? On the one hand, the rental industry is the perfect example of [...]

Dr. Liz Mallen, Impact Protection Business Development Manager for Dow Corning Corporation, will present information on the company’s Active Protection System at the How to Enter Technical Textiles Markets symposium this month. The Dow Corning Active Protection System is a patented impact protection textile that aims to address the drawbacks of traditional hard-armor systems by [...]