TEXTILES.ORG
Industrial Fabrics Foundation (IFF) has announced the beginning of the competition for the 2012 IFF Innovation Award. The specialty fabrics industry encompasses some of the most innovative companies in the world, and the IFF Innovation Award honors the achievements of the manufacturers whose innovative ideas have made or will make a difference in today’s competitive marketplace.
According to IFF director Ruth Stephens, “Innovation is at the heart of a dynamic specialty fabrics industry, and the IFF Innovation Award encourages invention.” The IFF Innovation Award was designed to inspire and reward companies from all over the world, large and small, to create great ideas and bring them to life.
TenCate Geosynthetics of Pendergrass, Ga., won the 2011 IFF Innovation Award for a product called Mirafi®H2i—the most highly engineered geotextile on the market—which offers a unique combination of high particle retention and exceptional coefficient of interaction. As the U.S. Administration focuses on restoring the national transportation infrastructure, the super textile can significantly minimize the costs of highway repairs, especially in locations of moisture management concern.
The award competition is open to any company that has developed and manufactured an innovative product or process related to the specialty fabrics industry. The IFF Innovation Award and $5,000 prize will be presented at IFAI Expo Americas 2012 (Nov. 7–9, Boston Convention Center, Boston, Mass.).
Entries must meet several criteria: innovation distinctive from other products currently manufactured or processes currently in use; benefit to the specialty fabrics industry or consumer; practicality and cost-effectiveness. To qualify, entries must be a product or process that is available for the market; the final development of the product or process must have been after 2010; and the product or process must not have been entered in any previous IFF Innovation Award contest (or any other competition).
For details on how to enter, visit www.indfabfnd.com, or contact IFF managing director Ruth Stephens at +1 651 225 6545 or rastephens@ifai.com. There is a fee of $250 per entry. To be considered, all entries must be received on or before July 12, 2012.
The Industrial Fabrics Foundation is committed to a well-educated workforce, with the knowledge and skills to bring quality, innovation and growth to the specialty textile industry. To support this vision, IFF (a 501(c)3 organization), underwrites research and study regarding specialty fabrics, provides information and educates the public about specialty textiles, and engages in other philanthropic activities as approved by its board of directors.