April 3rd, 2020
The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza launched the Paycheck Protection Program on April 3, 2020, a $349 billion emergency loan program created last week with the President’s signing of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES). The program provides forgivable loans of up to $10 million to small businesses left...
Read MoreApril 3rd, 2020
Any patterns or other information will be added to IFAI’s COVID-19 Resources Center page with credit given to the source. Please reach out to Janelle Buerkley at IFAI to submit patterns by emailing her here. For further COVID-19 related questions or support, please email IFAI by clicking here. IFAI continues to work with our partners at NCTO, INDA,...
Read MoreApril 3rd, 2020
The special events industry stands poised to address surging capacity needs of the U.S. health care infrastructure. Ten of the major U.S. tent and structure manufacturers have joined together in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. The principal strategy of the group is to align needs for disaster resources including field hospitals, emergency temporary shelters,...
Read MoreApril 3rd, 2020
The Trump administration is recommending that many Americans wear face mask to slow COVID-19 infection rates. And, Dr. Anthony Fauci has emphasized the goal is not to “take away from the availability of masks that are needed for the health care providers who are in real and present danger of getting infected from the people...
Read MoreApril 3rd, 2020
Strataglass and Herculite are offering designs for PPE products. The designs are for face shields and protector shields. Strataglass is not FDA approved for use, but the companies have created two designs that use Strataglass as a protective barrier. They are providing these patterns as design guides and are not manufacturing or selling these products....
Read MoreApril 2nd, 2020
Eastman Machine Co. announced today that its exclusive Matchmaker program is connecting facilities manufacturing personal protective equipment (PPE) with more than a dozen customers who offer automatic, CNC (computer-controlled) cutting services. The Matchmaker program has successfully linked organizations throughout the U.S. and U.K. for several decades from Eastman’s website. Thousands of manufacturers use automatic and...
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Harvard Business Review takes a look at how COVID-19 is impacting companies’ supply chains. Business experts recommend that managers invest in mapping their supply networks before crisis happens. More information is available at https://hbr.org/2020/03/coronavirus-is-a-wake-up-call-for-supply-chain-management
Read MoreApril 2nd, 2020
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) wrote to the Trump Administration asking that it drop reported plans to defer duties on products unrelated to critical medical supplies that are subject to the Most-Favored Nation (MFN) tariff rate. Deferring duties on textile, fabric, and apparel items, in particular, will undermine American manufacturers’ efforts...
Read MoreApril 2nd, 2020
Global textile manufacturer Milliken & Company is leveraging its materials science expertise to manufacture much needed personal protective equipment (PPE) for the health care industry amid the current COVID-19 global pandemic, focusing on engineering textiles into medical-grade fabrics using antimicrobial and fabric barrier coatings. Milliken’s new advanced medical fabrics and barriers are currently available, and...
Read MoreApril 2nd, 2020
The organizers of the successful and long-running conference series Textile Coating and Laminating (TCL) have announced its expansion and refocus as the World Congress on Textile Coating (WCTC20). The event will debut in Berlin on November 19-20, 2020. The venue hotel is the Novotel Berlin Am Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany, which has excellent conference facilities. Tegel...
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