Students visiting the Munday Library and Learning Commons, a classroom and technology hub for St. Edwards University in Austin, Texas, thrive on the renovated building’s indirect sunlight, muted acoustics and clean, elegant design. Architects Sasaki Associates created the right frame for study and scholarship using LightFrame® from SEFAR® Architecture, a Depew, N.Y., manufacturer of fabric [...]

In October, SMI-ITS, a throwing corporation that leads the Canadian market with high-tenacity thread products, officially opened its U.S. operations under the Technithread name, offering direct-to-manufacturer purchasing for the entire product line. This follows the company’s purchase of machinery that dramatically increases its winding and spinning capacities. Technithread can now meet the demands of its [...]

For 20 years, Crypton Inc., Bloomfield Hills, Mich., has manufactured environmentally friendly performance fabrics with stain resistance, moisture management and antimicrobial properties for health care, hospitality, commercial and residential applications. The company has become well- known for its strategic and innovative new product developments, branding techniques and strategies. In a strategic move to expand into [...]

As a leading textile converter for the U.S. military, Brand & Oppenheimer (B&O) Co. Inc., Red Bank, N.J., sought to diversify its product line into sports, recreational, work-wear and commercial markets. It recently acquired Performance Textiles Inc., Greensboro, N.C., a supplier of engineered and high-performance fabrics for a variety of markets, including military applications. The [...]

Orafol Americas Inc., Black Creek, Ga., has expanded its presence in North America by opening a new Canadian distribution center for its pressure-sensitive films and industrial tapes for sign, screen print and digital imaging applications. The 24,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art warehouse in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, will provide fast and effective service to Canadian distributors.

The U.S. Department of Labor has released its fiscal year 2015 budget request, which focuses on preparing workers for ready-to-fill job markets and industries projected to grow in the future. The budget supports reforms to improve training and employment programs to help workers gain skills and return to work quickly. The Department of Labor plans [...]

Ultra-Silent, an innovative fiber under-floor and under-engine shield manufactured by Autoneum Management Ltd., Winterthur, Switzerland, has only been available to European car manufacturers—until now. Autoneum will enter the North American market starting in 2015. The Ultra-Silent systems, consisting of glass-free PET fibers, are water resistant, heat resistant, recyclable and 50 percent lighter than standard plastic [...]

In all of the hoopla around Super Bowl XLVIII, news trended from the weather in New Jersey to Bruno Mars’ performance to whether the defensive Seahawks would triumph over the offensive Broncos, but very few tweets and tidbits focused on the footballs. Wilson Sporting Goods Co. quietly produced 150 official game footballs and 800 official [...]

StarBelt Collections, manufactured by WeatherTech®, Bollingbrook, Ill., assures all potential customers that the colorful thermoplastic polyolefin and elastomer StarBelts are completely recyclable and “vegan.” These may not be the biggest market advantages StarBelt offers in its competition with leather belts for keeping up the slacks, shorts and knickers of customers. The company insists that it [...]