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Light-filtering awnings enhance a view
November 1st, 2018
It’s all about the view when your apartment is located in the town of Teramo on the slopes of Italy’s Gran Sasso, the highest mountain in the Apennines range. Panoramic ceiling-to-floor windows installed in each room take advantage of the landscape. There’s only one problem: All that spectacular scenery and light also comes with the […]
Fringe benefits benefit employers and employees
November 1st, 2018
Whether it’s a result of a booming economy, tighter immigration laws or an educational system gone astray, finding qualified job applicants has become increasingly more difficult for those in the specialty fabrics industry. How can small businesses compete for badly needed, qualified workers? Thanks to our unique tax laws, every business can afford to offer […]
A commitment to growth: Don Alhanati uses automation and lean manufacturing to ensure market diversity and growth for CustomFab USA
November 1st, 2018
One of the keys to our success is our investment in advanced automated equipment,” says Don Alhanati, founder and president of CustomFab USA in Garden Grove, Calif. “That, and the fact that we have a creative staff. We are always looking at ways to do things smarter.” Alhanati had worked 12 years at a manufacturing […]
A faster path to market through industry dialogue and profitable partnerships
November 1st, 2018
If innovation is a key to growth and profitability because of the differentiation it can offer in our broadly commoditized industrial fabrics industry—one that for decades has been under strong pricing pressure from low-cost imports—then R&D is an essential component of a company’s toolbox for financial success. My experience, however, coincides with the observation of […]
Tropical greenhouse housed under ETFE dome
November 1st, 2018
Imagine entering a tropical utopia where the weather is always a perfect 82 degrees and a beautiful setting of flowers, lush greenery, ponds, waterfalls, butterflies, birds and other creatures awaits. This environment isn’t just a dream. Plans are in development to build the world’s largest tropical greenhouse under a single dome in the Pas-de-Calais area […]
Mousetrap to market
November 1st, 2018
"It is the long history of humankind (and animal kind, too) that those who learned to collaborate and improvise most effectively have prevailed." ~Charles Darwin We’ve reached my annual time-travel episode, at least in terms of my message to you this issue, which will be written before IFAI Expo but read after the show. Sometimes […]
Ultra-sustainable electric car uses biological materials
November 1st, 2018
The mantra, “reduce, reuse, recycle” has been taken to a new level by students at Netherlands Eindhoven University of Technology. They developed an ultra-sustainable electric car that gets a remarkable 744 miles to the gallon. The students considered the environmental impact of every aspect of the automobile, including production, consumption and recycling, in order to […]
Fisher Textiles wins three awards
November 1st, 2018
The Specialty Graphic Imaging Association recognized three of Fisher Textiles’ fabric medias in the categories of Apparel, Banner and Flag for the Association’s 2018 Product of the Year competition. This year’s competition included 68 categories and a record setting field of 255 submissions. Fisher’s winning fabric medias include ET 3200 Hoodie, GF 4019 Nirvana B.O.B.® […]
Seeing is believing: make sure your website and social media strategies are smart, engaging, informative, and visually appealing
November 1st, 2018
Perhaps your company relies on good old-fashioned word-of-mouth publicity and steers clear of social media. Maybe your marketing efforts emphasize trade shows and real-world connections, quite successfully, rather than online communications. But you did just update your website … five years ago. Things have changed. Now your customers all have a phone in their hands, […]
Patch offers gear-repair on the go
November 1st, 2018
It happens when you least expect it. That new down vest or cozy sleeping bag catches on something and suddenly it’s ripped. Repairs can be costly and time consuming. The common “duct tape” patch doesn’t quite cut it. That was the thinking of Kelli Jones, an active outdoorswoman who wanted to find a better and […]