Arlon announces social media contest
April 6th, 2015
Arlon Graphics LLC has launched #PrintItWrapIt, a social media photo contest focusing on Arlon’s digital films for applications including exterior and interior wall wraps and full and partial vehicle wraps. The company invites its social media followers and customers to submit high-resolution photos of their work featuring one of the above applications for a chance […]
IFAI seeking candidates for board of directors
April 3rd, 2015
Applications due May 25 The IFAI Leadership Development Committee is seeking candidates for the following positions on the IFAI Board of Directors: first vice chairman (two-year term); second vice chairman (two-year term); and two director positions (three-year terms). Contact Cherie Schmit at +1 651 225 6985 or 800 225 4324 to obtain an application. Candidates […]
An awning of a different color
April 2nd, 2015
Carrying the load: Framed awnings and tensile awnings must meet different engineering and code standards. Erik Jarvie, structural engineer and sales manager for TensionStructures (a division of Eide Industries Inc., Cerritos, Calif.) lays it out straight on the curvy business of tensile awnings: “Tensile awnings typically have fabric that is under a significant amount of […]
IFF Innovation Award entries due June 6
April 2nd, 2015
Winners will be featured at IFAI Expo 2015 Presented annually by the Industrial Fabrics Foundation (IFF), the Innovation Award aims to encourage companies around the globe to not only develop fresh, creative ideas, but to make them happen. Companies within every market segment of the specialty fabrics industry are invited to submit their stories of […]
SBA to offer free webinar on supply chain disaster preparedness
April 2nd, 2015
Strategies and best practices for engaging suppliers, vendors and partners. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), along with co-sponsor Agility Recovery, will host a free webinar titled “Disaster Preparedness & Your Supply Chain” on April 7 from 2 to 3 p.m. EST. The discussion will focus on proactive steps companies can take to mitigate the […]
Forethought: The division of labor
April 1st, 2015
The recent “Manufacturing and Distribution Outlook” report from CliftonLarsonAllen LLP includes the results of a national survey of manufacturers about the goal of “continuous improvement” over the next 12 months. Forty percent listed cost reduction; 20 percent chose increasing capacity; 19 percent listed quality; followed by 8 percent for ontime delivery, 3 percent for inventory […]
Path to success
April 1st, 2015
FiberTect® illustrates a successful strategy for commercializing a new technology. By Seshadri Ramkumar, Ph.D. “Applied research deserves Nobel prizes,” proclaimed the editorial of Nature Materials in January 2010. Although the Nobels are known to be rewarded only to basic discoveries, there are plenty of examples to showcase rewarding research of applied nature—for example, the 2014 […]
Capturing philanthropy
April 1st, 2015
Janet Echelman’s large-scale, aerial creations of thread have captured attention worldwide, so when the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle, Wash., wanted a sculpture that expressed the spirit of the foundation and established the center of its new global campus, Echelman got the commission. Her permanent installation, “Impatient-Optimist,” delicately floats between two buildings, changing […]
Keeping on top of trucking
April 1st, 2015
Tarp manufacturers stay up to date with the needs of the transportation industry. By Janice Kleinschmidt Some folks see a semitrailer and think of it as nothing more than an object to pass before the next exit. Tyler Birden sees an object of curiosity. “We are always climbing up on trucks and trailers to see […]
Stretching colorful options
April 1st, 2015
Here is a winning formula for wide-format print shops: Produce vibrant, high-quality graphics quickly and easily on a variety of materials and in a more environmentally friendly manner. What’s the catch? There doesn’t appear to be one, which is why latex printing is increasingly becoming the choice for many commercial and industrial printing applications. The […]