Problem: Elegant, luxury fabrics don’t necessarily have performance qualities that match their good looks. Solution: Chella Textiles’ line of luxury fabrics can take the punishment, too. Ready-to-wear boucle befits a barstool just as well; tweeds, satins, velvets and chenilles withstand spilled drinks, the family dog’s dirty paws, bright sunlight or pounding rain, as well as [...]

Problem: Efficient laser equipment can also be prohibitively expensive for a small fabricator. Solution: The Preco Golden Laser (PGL) line offers affordable, entry-level laser equipment alternatives for cutting and marking of signage, filtration products, promotional items, advertising specialties, apparel, photos, toys, sports equipment, and other products using composites, card stock, wood, plastic, and industrial fabrics. [...]

Problem: Traditional die cutting doesn’t offer enough flexibility, speed and efficiency for today’s market demands. Solution: With an eye to giving worldwide textile manufacturers full operational versatility, Spartanics Finecut Combination Model laser die-cutting machine has multiple flexibility-focused design features. Sheet-fed or coil-fed jobs can be quickly interchanged, with jobs loaded and setup completed in minutes. [...]

Pete McKernan makes a commitment to action for the specialty fabrics industry. By Sigrid Tornquist “Be trustworthy. Be proactive. Do right. Respect others. Conduct yourself in such a way that when those you do business with think of integrity, quality and excellence—they think of you,” says Pete McKernan, IFM, newly elected chair of the Advanced [...]

[Harnois Industries] St-Thomas de Joliette, Quebec, Canada A fabric barn shelters the herd for a dairy business in Tradewell, Ontario, Canada. The 60-foot by 168-foot building includes ventilation, side curtains and a peak vent. A pre-fabricated steel structure, the MegaDome® from Harnois Industries is designed by engineers to meet building code standards and provide reliable [...]

[GSE Lining Technology Inc.] Houston, Texas, U.S.A. Although traditional shrimp farming first practiced in small, brackish coastal ponds is still used, farmers in Indonesia have also succeeded with semi-intensive and intensive methods. A 30-million-square-meter shrimp farm in Indonesia uses high density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes from GSE Lining Technology to line the aquaculture ponds, providing a [...]

[FarmTek] Dyersville, Iowa, U.S.A. The owner of Zen Horsemanship in Hatfield, Ark. specializes in clicker training, which focuses on the best possible relationship between horses and humans. Riding and training lessons, held in an outdoor pen, had too frequently been delayed or cancelled due to rain, or wet and muddy conditions. A 60-foot ClearSpan™ High [...]

In Suzhou, China, Harmony Times Square, next to Suzhou Industrial Park Jinji Lake, is a new landmark for the city, including office buildings, retail streets, riverfront cafes and a state-of-the-art shopping mall. Its urban design and open canal-side streetscape create a cultural center for the city, and also serve broader needs by integrating expansion and [...]

Living downwind of a wastewater treatment plant or settling pond can be a fragrant experience. Natural bacteria break down sewage, but before they finish the job, neighbors often cry “Foul!” Geomembrane Technologies Inc. (GTI), a Canadian company that custom designs and fabricates cover systems, recently installed covers for two 65-foot-diameter wastewater settling tanks near Columbus, [...]

The Toyota Prius leads the pack in eco-friendly hybrid vehicles. The new third-generation Prius has the world’s best fuel consumption, solar-powered ventilation system, plant-derived plastics in its moulded interiors and deluxe floor mats made of Ingeo™ fibers. Ingeo, a family of plant-derived biopolymers from 100-percent-renewable resources, is produced by NatureWorks LLC, Minnetonka, Minn. Traditional floor [...]