February 2010 Issue

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Features

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Markets

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News

  • Give hemp a chance?

    The Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance (CHTA), based in Steinbach, Manitoba, held its 2009 National Hemp Convention Nov. 16–18 at the Victoria Inn in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

  • ASTM hosts virtual meeting on sustainability

    Sustainability in the textile industry brought together an international audience for a November 2009 virtual meeting hosted by ASTM Intl.

  • Junior engineers honored

    The Walter Reiners-Stiftung Foundation of the German Textile Machinery Industry has honored four successful junior engineers in Aachen.

  • Taiwan institute marks 50 years in textiles

    The Taiwan Textile Research Institute (TTRI) celebrated its 50th anniversary in its headquarters in Tucheng City, Taipei County, on Dec. 3, 2009.

  • NTA's Trumbull joins trade committee

    U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos M. Gutierrez and U.S. Trade Representative Susan C. Schwab have appointed David Trumbull to serve on the Industry Trade Advisory Committee on Textiles and Clothing.

  • Highland Industries expands S. C. plant

    The weft-insertion manufacturing facility in Cheraw, S.C., will expand and add jobs, says Highland Industries Inc.

  • Textiles REACH European markets

    Shirley Technologies Ltd., Leeds, England, offers new textile testing services to screen for substances of very high concern (SVHC) in garments, fabric, thread or other components of the textile product supply chain.

  • Funding carbon fiber research projects

    Lightweight, high-strength carbon fiber can potentially save energy by making vehicles lighter, which improves fuel efficiency.

  • Industrial protective clothing markets

    As risk managers put a higher priority on protecting workers from injury—including exposure to infections such as the H1N1 influenza and potential terror attacks—personal protective equipment sales continue to grow.

  • Understanding European REACH standards

    In June 2007, the European Union introduced the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation (and Restriction) of Chemicals (REACH) protocols, which have significant impacts for companies making, importing or supplying clothing and textile products in Europe.

  • ASTM product certification services

    ASTM International, originally known as the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), has established voluntary technical standards for materials, products, systems and services.

  • Production trends in the Americas

    Reportlinker.com has announced the availability of a new report, “World Textile and Apparel Trade and Production Trends: the U.S.A., Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, 2009 Edition” that describes market conditions in North and South America.

  • New guide to green textile labeling

    Eco Textile News, a business-to-business resource about environmentally sustainable fibers and fabrics, teams up with textile trade show giant Messe Frankfurt to publish The Eco-Textile Labelling Guide 2010.

  • Fiji encourages textile exports

    A Fiji government grant of $300,000 for marketing textiles, apparel and footwear internationally has encouraged the textile industry, which experienced a 25 percent reduction in exports during 2008.

  • Possible U.S. trade preference program expansion

    The U.S. House Trade Subcommittee has asked for comments on plans to assess the impacts and future course of the U.S. trade preference program.

  • India importing European textile machinery

    After a sluggish few years, India’s textile sector is again importing European high-end textile machinery in hopes that modernizing will help the country compete as the worldwide economy continues to improve.

  • Autoliv buys Delphi assets

    Delphi Automotive LLP, Troy, Mich., emerged from a four-year bankruptcy in October 2009 and divested a string of businesses, including its North American airbag, seatbelt and steering wheel manufacturing facilities.

  • Burlington Technologies brings 100 jobs

    Defying a depressed economy, Burlington Technologies, Burlington, N.C., will bring 100 new jobs to the city with its affiliate VitaFlex LLC, a manufacturing facility for nonwoven elastic fabric.

  • Organic flame retardant from Albemarle

    Environmental concerns about flame-retardant chemicals surfaced when compounds were discovered in soil and ground water at fire training sites.

  • Solar screening earns European design award

    ShadeLAB srl, an Italian designer and manufacturer of awnings, received an honorable mention in the small companies category at the 2009 Design Management Europe (DME) international competition in Eindhoven, The Netherlands.

  • 'Upstart' MMI Textiles honored

    The Weatherhead School of Management, Cleveland, Ohio, and the Council of Small Enterprises recognize the fastest growing companies in Northeast Ohio each year with the Weatherhead 100 Awards.

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Products

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Business

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Projects

  • Tarps keep trees cool during transport

    The transport of live trees comes with a unique set of challenges.

  • Side curtains allow easy access on the job

    Side curtains allow crews easy access to tools, to help boost efficiency by streamlining the installation process at a job site.

  • Cover protects historic wagon

    This fully restored 19th century Gypsy wagon needed a cover to protect it from the elements during transit and storage.

  • Alexium holds proprietary patent applications for a process developed initially in a U.S. laboratory, which allows for the surface modification and attachment of nanoparticles or multiple functional groups to surfaces or substrates. Photo: Alexium Ltd.

    Trends in technical textiles

    Global technical textile leaders converge to discuss the industry’s future and some recent innovations.

  • The boat wrap showing two blue marlins chasing mahi-mahi across the sides of the QuadZeus was the right bait to catch sports fishermen considering a boat purchase. Photos: Image Monster, Cummins MerCruiser Diesel.

    World’s biggest boat wrap debuted

    Clay Gaillard, public relations manager for Cummins MerCruiser Diesel, wondered how to attract attention at the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show to the QuadZeus, a 60-foot convertible power sportfishing boat.

  • The Zendome geodesic projection cupola allows users to surround visitors with images. The Zendome 1000, with 1,000 square meters of area, was created for Grand Prix Formula 1 racing in Abu Dhabi. Photos: Zendome GmbH.

    Geodesic projection dome showcased

    Visitors to Paris’s Grand Palais for the October 2009 premier of “From Byzantine to Istanbul” stepped inside famous Ottoman Empire mosques and churches to view the art within the domes.

  • Henri Lloyd’s Blue Eco recycled fiber jacket for demanding marine environments won a Marine Equipment Trade Show 2009 DAME Award for best clothing and crew accessories and “Most ECO Friendly Product.” Photos: Henri Lloyd.

    Used marine apparel gets recycled

    Teijin Fibers Ltd., Osaka, Japan, now employs its closed-loop polyester fiber recycling system, ECO CIRCLE™, to convert worn marine clothing to new marine apparel.

  • The 3D solar cells developed by researchers at Georgia Tech should reach an efficiency of 7–8 percent after surface modifications take place, lower than silicon-based solar cells but potentially practical for energy harvesting. Photos: Georgia Tech.

    Concealable solar cells offer new power possibilites

    Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Ga., have developed a new type of photovoltaic system that would allow solar collectors to be embedded in walls or located anywhere, hidden from view.

  • LEAD Inc. (Laboratory for Environments, Architecture and Design) created this “Dar Luz” performance piece for the GLOW 2008 International Forum of Light in Art and Architecture. Photo: LEAD Inc.

    Tensioned fabric structure brings performance and sculpture together

    Architect Ali Heshmati, LEAD Inc., Minneapolis, Minn., and light architect Dr. Lars Meess-Olsohn pulled together an installation at the GLOW 2008 International Forum of Light in Art and Architecture that enticed 150,000 participants to walk through their “Dar Luz” performance piece.

  • The Opera mobile holiday home comes with a guidebook featuring exclusive camping sites and nearby restaurants and tourist destinations. Photos: Enthoven Associates.

    Camper offers luxury on the road

    Award-winning designer Axel Enthoven’s new mobile holiday home looks like a pop-up camper when compressed and traveling sedately behind a car, but when deployed it becomes a luxury hotel suite.

  • Mermet’s Sunscreen Satiné 5500 helps to keep office employees at Ireland’s Lapps Quay comfortable and productive. Photos: 3G Mermet Corp.

    Shades reduce office window glare

    Employees the world over squabble and scheme to get offices with windows, so modern office architecture lets the sunshine in with floor-to-ceiling glass—and sometimes wall-to-wall glare.

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Resources

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