The worst drought in a century may lead Texas cotton growers to abandon a record number of acres full of damaged plants, according to reports by Bloomberg online news. Approximately 55 percent of Texas cotton fields were in poor or very poor condition as of June 26, following “exceptional” drought in the Panhandle and South [...]

In an effort to bolster U.S. textiles and apparels, the U.S. Congress will take up three measures introduced to solve pressing problems that hamper industry growth. The American Textile Technology Innovation and Research for Exportation (ATTIRE) Act (H.R. 2275) would create a $5 million competitive grant program at the U.S. Department of Commerce to fund [...]

Business is growing for American Cord and Webbing (ACW), Woonsocket, R.I., as well as its manufacturing capacity and management staff. By expanding and streamlining operations, ACW hopes to increase its custom design and manufacturing services—and its research and development team. Wendy Horowitz, textile engineer and business development specialist, is an expert on specialty fibers for [...]

The International Classification of Sleep Disorders identifies 80 distinct sleep problems, which affect an estimated 35-40 percent of the population. The Bekaert Textiles Group, Waregem, Belgium, manufactures mattress covers, but is moving into sleep research and solutions. Its latest product, Smart Wrap, is a mattress cover with built-in sensors that monitor a sleeper’s breathing. If [...]

Armin Elmendorf, a mechanical engineer working for Thwing-Albert Instrument Co. in West Berlin, N.J., invented a machine in 1921 that would test the tearing strength of paper. Ninety years later, Thwing-Albert celebrates the development of the Elmendorf Tear Tester into a worldwide standard for measuring tear-resistance of paper, textiles, roofing products, film, foils and more. [...]

North Georgia Technical College has nominated the TenCate Corp. Geosynthetics Cornelia Plant, Cornelia, Ga., as 2011 Manufacturer of the Year for riding “the peaks and valleys of the local economy and report[ing] increased production during the last several quarters,” according to college vice president Dr. Mark Ivester. The Cornelia Plant uses resin pellets to manufacture [...]

Steril Mfg., Atlas Awning and Tent Event are co-located in Omaha, Neb., and together this family of companies manufacture, sell, rent, repair and service commercial and residential tents, awnings, shade screens and related products. All three businesses recently revamped their websites to provide more product information, social media features for more customer interaction and, of [...]

Three event industry veterans, each with more than 20 years experience in tent and event rental, have formed a new ownership group to purchase Atlanta-based Tents Unlimited Inc., Event Rentals Unlimited Inc. and Event Flooring Unlimited Inc. The ownership group includes Dan Nolan III, who guided Tents Unlimited Inc. to success and helped establish Event [...]

Three research studies on Vestex™ VTT003 fabric treated with Semeltec™ antimicrobial were presented at the Society of Healthcare Epidemiology of America (SHEA 2011). Cornell University researcher Thomas Walsh, M.D., gave VTT003 five standard tests for healthcare products: water resistance, hydrostatic pressure, synthetic blood, dry bacterial penetration and wet bacterial penetration. The study suggests that “further [...]

The inner courtyard of Kufstein Castle in the Austrian Alps forms a natural amphitheater for music, theater and special events—when the unpredictable mountain weather isn’t a show-stopper. Restoration of the medieval Kufstein castle and grounds, begun in 1997, featured terraces and seating for an amphitheater audience of 4,500, but weather-related ticket cancellations crimped profits and [...]