|   NEWS

NEWS

2018 International Achievement Award Winners Announced

The Advanced Textiles Association (ATA) has awarded this year’s International Achievement Awards (IAA) for design excellence in specialty fabrics applications, announced at the awards breakfast on Wednesday, Oct. 17 at IFAI Expo 2018. IFAI Expo is the largest specialty fabrics trade show in North America, held this year at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center [...]

By |2018-10-17T07:23:10-05:00October 17, 2018|

Sharpen your competitive edge

Asking yourself one simple question can help make your business a magnet for new customers, says marketing professional Madeleine MacRae, owner of MM MacRae Coaching & Consulting. “That question is ‘Who is your ideal client?’” In her Oct. 16 Expo session on distinguishing yourself in the marketplace, MacRae says answering this question is the key [...]

By |2018-10-17T08:55:31-05:00October 17, 2018|

Investing in green practices in the industrial fabrics industry

On October 15 during IFAI Expo 2018’s Pre-Expo Conference in Dallas, Texas, a panel of three speakers presented an educational session on green practices in the industrial fabrics industry. Panel presenters included Ryan Derrick, business unit manager at Rainier Industries; Vince Hankins, director of industrial markets for Sunbrella; and Bimal Kad, president and CEO of [...]

By |2018-10-16T13:58:44-05:00October 16, 2018|

Graphics for the small to medium fabricator

Bill McSpadden, owner of Capitol Awning, Richmond, Va., presented the education session “Graphics for the Small to Medium Fabricator—What I Wish I Knew” on October 15 at IFAI Expo 2018’s Pre-Expo Conference in Dallas, Texas. Sign permits and allowances are important factors to consider when it comes to graphics. While many businesses may want as [...]

By |2018-10-16T13:55:10-05:00October 16, 2018|

Ideas in need of tools—capitalizing on the Maker Movement

On October 15 at IFAI Expo 2018’s Pre-Conference in Dallas, Texas, Jonathan Palmer, president and CEO of Autometrix Inc., Grass Valley, Calif., presented an educational session that explored the Maker Movement and how cut-and-sew companies can capitalize on the movement. According to Palmer, alternative crowd-funding platforms that are available today, such as Kickstarter, combined with [...]

By |2018-10-16T13:52:07-05:00October 16, 2018|

GlideWear finds new applications in reducing friction

A variety of advanced textile products were discussed in sessions during ATA’s Pre-Expo Conference Oct. 15. Caroline Portoghese explained how her company’s product, called GlideWear, offers innovative skin protection by reducing friction and shear to prevent skin tears and blisters. The product has been used by athletes, burn patients wearing compression garments, in wheelchair components [...]

By |2018-10-16T13:49:06-05:00October 16, 2018|

Digital presence is key to acquiring new customers in 2019

It’s no surprise the digital world means a company’s ability to attract and keep customers requires a dramatic shift in strategy, tools and resources. Ed Keough, vice president of sales for FutureGuard Building Products Inc. in Auburn, Maine, told business owners they need to embrace digital advertising or be “left in the dust” during his [...]

By |2018-10-16T13:45:40-05:00October 16, 2018|

IFAI Expo keynote speaker Mark Scharenbroich: “acknowledge, honor and connect” with employees and customers

Keynote speaker Mark Scharenbroich has straightforward advice for growing a business: Make a true connection with employees and customers and positive results will follow. Scharenbroich shared his humor and motivational wisdom with a packed room at ATA’s 2018 Expo annual meeting October 16. Rain, wind and cold outside the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in [...]

By |2018-10-16T12:04:14-05:00October 16, 2018|

Textile testing for comfort

ATA’s Pre-Expo Conference Oct. 15 in Dallas offered a range of presentations—many of them focused on topics of particular interest in the advanced textiles area. Textile testing is one topic that will be addressed in more than one session. At the beginning of his talk yesterday on testing and evaluating fabrics’ human comfort, performance and [...]

By |2018-10-16T10:14:42-05:00October 16, 2018|

Digital manufacturing transforms flat knitting

Connie Huffa, president of Fabdesigns Inc., doesn’t see the 4.0 Industrial Revolution as a factor that hurts jobs. Rather, she explains, “Jobs are changing but not being eliminated.” Huffa, a textile engineer, discussed the how the textile industry, like other manufacturing businesses, is experiencing the fourth Industrial Revolution. Her presentation was part of the ATA’s [...]

By |2018-10-16T09:49:08-05:00October 16, 2018|
Go to Top