Ogiene™ eliminates toxic gases and odors on fabrics, while Ygiene™ has antimicrobial properties. Both are fabric treatment formulas developed by BioNeutral Group Inc., Newark, N.J. The company recently announced that a wholly owned subsidiary, Advanced Bio-Fiber Treatments Corp., will focus its attention on marketing these products to industries and customers at high risk for toxin [...]

{Pacific Domes} Ashland, Ore., U.S.A. Pacific Domes created a custom, 24-foot portable geodesic event dome tent for a five-city tour promoting Gatorade Tiger Thirst Quencher. The client wanted the dome to photo-realistically look like the moon to coordinate with the Tiger Woods commercial where Woods drives a golf ball off the moon. The client also [...]

Kenaf fibers work well for automotive interior door trim, seat backs and other parts, but cost 30 percent more than comparable polypropylene materials. Toyota Boshoku, Aichi, Japan, a manufacturer of auto interior materials, aims to lower the cost of kenaf within three years: in part because it absorbs tons of CO2, a greenhouse gas, and [...]

After 120 years of weaving, dyeing and finishing fabrics in Bloomsburg, Pa., and Monroe, N.C., the Bloomsburg Mills Inc. closed its plants and ceased operation May 31. The closing affects 226 employees at the two locations. President and CEO James P. Marion III cites an ongoing influx of low-cost imported textiles and the economic downturn [...]

Aspect Environmental Lining Ltd., Frankton, New Zealand, has seen a decline in demand for decorative pond liners and agricultural manure basins; at the same time, lining installations for heavy construction work and landfill cells remain a strong business. Possible reasons for the demand shifts: in tough economic times, decorative ponds may be expendable, and bio-gas [...]

A&R Tarpaulins Inc., and its divisions AR Tech and AR Industries, have received the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 2009 Family Owned Small Business of the Year Award, one of only two winners from the agency’s Region IX zone (California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii and Guam). “Recession is a challenge, and meeting that obstacle head-on with [...]

Diversified Systems Inc. (DSI), Greenville, S.C., added to its extensive product line of manufacturing machinery with the purchase of Alexander Machinery (Alexco), the largest designer and manufacturer of large roll-winding machinery in the world. Alexco’s many design patents will complement and extend DSI’s reach in machinery for textile, cut-and-sew, nonwoven and film industries.

When first responders suit up for a possible bioterrorism situation or unknown chemical release, a respirator may be a life-and-death decider. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) revised its recommendations for responders, incorporating two advances made since the previous 2001 guidelines. Respirators should be rated for chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear (CBRN) [...]

Golfers looking for a perfect drive need look no further than a golf cart with the Sun Topper® retractable top, a product from Mr. Otek Sign and Textile, Mishicot, Wisc. The Sun Topper fits various makes and models of carts. Constructed from 18-gauge stainless steel tubing, it has a patented hinge system and polypropylene adjustable [...]

Civic pride partners with art, architecture and landscape design in Chicago’s Millennium Park, a 24.5-acre public space featuring world-famous designs and designers. Zaha Hadid, the only woman to win the prestigious Pritzker Prize in architecture, joins their ranks with her temporary pavilion design for a June 19 centennial celebration of park planning in Chicago. Zaha [...]