This year’s winners in ATA’s global International Achievement Awards (IAA) competition, recognizing design excellence in specialty fabrics applications, were announced on Sept. 28 at the organization’s annual meeting at IFAI Expo 2017 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans. For more than 70 years, IAA has acknowledged innovation and excellence in design [...]

According to Barry Adams, President of Peach Tree Awnings in Norcross, Ga., “The reason people separate from their company is because they feel their contribution is not valued and they feel what they do isn’t making a difference.” Adams’ session, “How to Keep Talented Employees Engaged,” presented at IFAI Expo 2017, focused on ways to [...]

The Geosynthetic Institute (GSI) will offer an online course entitled “QA/QC of Geosynthetics in Waste Containment Facilities,” Oct. 3–5, 2017, from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EDT each day. This course focuses on the quality assurance/quality control (QA/QC) of geosynthetics placed in permanent or critical applications. The course will emphasize [...]

Derreck Kayongo calls himself a “disrupter” of the soap business. Kayongo, founder of the Global Soap Project and CEO of the Center for Civil and Human Rights, was the keynote speaker September 27 at IFAI Expo 2017 and his passion for his work was fully evident. Dressed in a dapper plaid suit and brimming with [...]

Jeff Rasmussen, ATA director of market research, says the future of the industrial textiles in North America will depend heavily on new technology applications to solve problems. Rasmussen spoke September 26 at IFAI Expo 2017, covering the worldwide specialty fabrics industry. The world markets included five regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern and Western Europe, [...]

What is an “oobleck”—and what does it have to do with smart textiles? According to children’s author Dr. Seuss, an oobleck is a mysterious sticky substance which threatened the kingdom in his 1949 book Bartholomew and the Oobleck. But as smart textile engineer, Connie Huffa of Fabdesigns told her audience at ATA’s Advanced Textiles Conference [...]

Medtextra technology can be used with both natural and synthetic yarns with as little as 5 percent bringing value to the fabric. Photo: Medtextra With much of the discussion of smart textiles focusing on e-textiles at present, it is good to be reminded that there are innovative developments emerging in non-digital yarns also. [...]

Want to do more business with architects? Mary Gilmore, AIA, NCIDQ, and Mark Shellshear, Structure Fabrics, Value Vinyls Inc., have many ideas. Gilmore and Shellshear shared those ideas Sept. 26 at IFAI Expo 2017. Gilmore noted, “Architects are very busy. Cold calls don’t work. They are very visual; they need pictures.” A good website with [...]

A panel of three successful company leaders illuminated the keynote luncheon September 26 at IFAI Expo 2017. The theme of the panel was “Path of Diversification,” featuring Meredith Boyd, Unifi Manufacturing Inc.; Ben Cooper, IoClothes; and John Neely, Berry Global. The panelists shared ideas on how their companies leverage regionalization in the U.S. Cooper mentioned [...]

If automating your cutting room seems either too expensive or too difficult, you may want to think again. Panelists of the IFAI EXPO session on “Optimizing Your Cutting Room” gave a long list of potential benefits for why you might want to consider using an automated cutter. “Everyone’s ROI is slightly different,” says Thomas Carlson, [...]