The Russian Federation hosts its first ever Winter Olympic Games in 2014, and intensive preparations for a worldwide audience are underway in Sochi, a coastal city along the Black Sea. Business sponsors of the Sochi Winter Games are gearing up for the mega-marketing opportunity, and German automaker Volkswagen (VW) recently unveiled a mega-inflatable structure in [...]

Google Hangouts enable improved features in real-time, online collaborations. By Tyler Olson and Janet Preus Editor’s note: With the unprecedented success of Facebook as both a social networking site and a business tool, additional interactive sites were sure to follow. Google launched Google+ (also called Google Plus or G+) mid-year 2011 and is already retiring [...]

Halina drapery fabric, a 2011 Best of NeoCon Gold winner, is luxurious yet livable, woven, pleated, and cross-embossed to create a design that looks three-dimensional. Available in a variety of solids and stripes, translucent and semi-translucent, and a wide range of colorways, including complex colored neutrals, for use as window treatments or room dividers. Edge [...]

Gore® Pyrad™ Flame Retardant is a new laminate technology that offers an optimal combination of thermal/flashover burn protection, environmental protection and comfort. The durably bonded laminate solution allows manufacturers to integrate FR performance into protective outerwear in which traditional (non-FR) textiles are used, such as nylon and polyester. Pyrad Flame Retardant, when used in conjunction [...]

Primarily designed for high heat applications, 20 new Fireloc products from American Cord and Webbing have been UL-certified for use in the U.S. and Canada. The rigorous testing, certification and follow-up audit process ensure quality and safety for industry use. The highly engineered buckles, slides and hooks are made from the highest quality materials; ACW [...]

Phifer’s new SunTex® 90 Design fabric was created with the exterior roller shade market in mind, combining a rich, design-oriented look with the same weave and performance of traditional SunTex 90. Made of strong, vinyl-coated polyester, it provides protection from the sun’s heat and glare while also offering exceptional visibility and airflow. All SunTex fabrics [...]

The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) thanked the 52 members of Congress who voted “NO” on the Korea FTA. Two-thirds of the House Textile Caucus voted against the bill and were joined by eight other members with textile interests. “The resounding ‘NO’ vote from representatives with textile workers in their districts is greatly appreciated [...]

The 2011 Research, Innovation & Science for Engineered Fabrics (RISE) Conference was held Oct. 3–6 in Raleigh, N.C., attended by product managers, technical salespeople, product engineers, purchasing managers, research engineers and executives from both the durable and disposable segments of the nonwovens industry. The conference is sponsored by INDA, Association for the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry. [...]

The American Rental Association (ARA) has announced the publication of “ARA Rental Market Metrics™,” a white paper outlining industry standards for calculating and reporting equipment rental company performance metrics. The publication provides equipment rental companies a consistent way of calculating and reporting critical performance measures. It develops industry standards for the definition of a day, [...]

By Frank Edgerton Martin Opened in 2011, Te Wao Nui exhibit at Auckland Zoo in New Zealand offers an immersive and intimate experience of some of the Southern Hemisphere’s most beautiful and rare ecologies. Like many other new zoo exhibits around the world, woven metal mesh plays a leading role in building large spatial enclosures [...]