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Advanced Textiles Expo returned to Anaheim, Calif., this year, highlighting the unique West Coast textile industry and plenty of recent innovations.
A bevy of new events helped bring energy to the show. LEGO® networking events, part of the new NextGen Takeover Day, brought together industry veterans and the next generation of textile professionals. The Women’s Leadership Empowerment Session offered programming aimed at helping women in the textile industry thrive in their personal and professional lives.
The Textiles Challenge brought out the competitive instinct in many participants.
An improved and expanded Emerging Technologies Conference had attendees buzzing about the latest developments in aerospace, medical textiles, artificial intelligence and more. The reimagined show floor education experience gave more people than ever a chance to learn while at the show.
And, of course, the always popular Industry Night party, the puppy booth and the freshly baked cookies at the Hub kept people excited all week long.
Next year, Advanced Textiles Expo brings the show to the Midwest, coming to Indianapolis, Ind., Nov. 5–7.
Highlights and special events
Targeted NextGen content, networking
This year’s Advanced Textiles Expo featured a variety of new events, including a fun NextGen networking session where attendees had the opportunity to foster new connections while building LEGO® models to represent key elements of the textile industry. There was also a speed networking session where attendees created their own LEGO avatars to represent their personalities and styles and shared them with each other throughout several speed networking rounds. Folks showed off their creative skills and swapped stories and advice.
The campfire session “Sowing the Seeds of Change: Young Professionals in the Textile Industry in the Post-Pandemic Era,” was led by Apurba Banerjee, Ph.D., a textile research scientist at Standard Textile, headquartered in Cincinnati, Ohio. She focused on how to get young people involved in the industry while considering the changes the pandemic created in the workplace. For example, she talked about how young people’s work preferences have changed since the pandemic, noting that most young workers prefer a hybrid or remote work setting rather than a traditional in-person office setting because of burnout. She cited a survey from Korn Ferry that reported 89% of professionals are suffering from burnout, with more than a third (38%) saying they are burned out to a great extent.
Banerjee also shared ways to promote motivation and team building with young professionals in the industry, including creating perks for development and growth, exploring flexibility in work-life balance, and putting an emphasis on employee mental and physical wellness.
Textile education pathways for high school students
Apurba Banerjee, a textile research scientist with Standard Textile Corporation, moderated the discussion “Education Pathways to Promote Textile Career Paths to High School Students,” which featured panelists who have created training programs that successfully introduce high school students to the textile industry.
Chris Semonelli, owner of Coated Textile Solutions, says, “We received a grant to look at manufacturing training programs throughout Rhode Island and realized they didn’t exist. However, what we did find was a high school principal who was really excited to help us develop advanced manufacturing programs. She identified the equipment needed to develop this program and was instrumental in writing the grant to obtain it.”
Jennifer Guarino, president and CEO of the Industrial Sewing and Innovation Center, explained that she believes that part of people’s basic duties as adults is to expose the next generation to new things and ideas. But, she says, “You also need to reach the parents because a lot of times, they have a stigma or preconceived notion of what these jobs are.”
Netia McCray, founder and executive director of Mbadika Lab, agreed that targeting parents is a critical but often overlooked component of recruiting the next generation. “We have to get that crucial information to parents, teachers and the community to help them understand that this is a tech job, not the type of job where you’re going to lose a few fingers. It’s not seen as a certifiable career path. Fashion and design are, but not manufacturing,” McCray says. “You need to get the students and parents excited about it.”
Empowering women in the textile industry
Women were spotlighted at Advanced Textiles Expo during several events, including a Women’s Networking Walk in the morning before the show floor opened.
In the Women’s Leadership Empowerment session “Balancing Priorities for Success,” Connie Huffa, CEO of Fabdesigns Inc., and Michelle Lea, chief marketing and sustainability officer of NILT Ltd., gave presentations about their work lives, followed by a Q&A session.
After the Q&A, a development session focused on setting boundaries and establishing habits that promote work-life balance, personal well-being and professional growth. It was led by Krissy Zegers, a coach and consultant. The session explored how to manage priorities, including how to know when it’s time to delegate a task rather than add to your to-do list. Zegers also discussed time blocking, a time management strategy to dedicate specific time for tasks—and breaks.
Highlights and special events
A taste of Marine Fabricators Conference activities
The Marine Fabricators Roadshow programming during Advanced Textiles Expo included several sessions: background information on various types of fabrics and their best uses; a demonstration of installing a zipper around a tight curve; and a Tools, Tricks and Tips roundup.
Marine Fabricators Association board member Julie Tinsman prefaced the Tools, Tricks and Tips presentation with a little background. At each Marine Fabricators Conference, registrants submit photos or videos with explanations of their favorite gadgets and strategies, and all attendees vote on the winners.
The entries shown were from the 2023 conference and included various organizational and instructional aids, handy drill and staple gun storage units fashioned from PVC pipe, a reverse foot pedal, a color-coding system to aid inventory and a simple marketing tip. The video of the reverse foot pedal elicited a collective eureka-type “Ahhh” from the attendees.
Tinsman also plugged the upcoming Marine Fabricators Conference happening Jan. 9-11, 2025, in Corpus Christi, Texas, to which all registrants can submit their Tools, Tricks and Tips for consideration.
Fun run/walk
Special events included an early morning networking fun run/walk through Anaheim, Calif., with proceeds benefiting Mbadika Lab, a STEM nonprofit whose work includes developing educational experiences involving materials science.
Pet a puppy
Attendees could take an adorableness break by visiting the Pet a Puppy booth. Donations aided the I.C.A.R.E. Dog Rescue nonprofit headquartered in Corona, Calif.
Industry night
Industry Night, hosted at the House of Blues in Anaheim, Calif., featured a barbecue dinner and the highly anticipated annual performance by textile pros Hangin’by a Thread.
ATA award winners and board updates
Several ATA members were recognized at this year’s annual meeting and at the Advanced Textiles Expo.
Three long-tenured members of the industry were given the title of Honored Life Member:
- Mike Gatti, general manager of Weblon Products at Herculite Products Inc.
- Bob Rosania, CEO, Ehmke Manufacturing Co.
- Jeff Sponseller, executive vice president, Miller Weldmaster
Honored Life Membership is given by special request only and at the discretion of the ATA Board of Directors, recognizing meritorious or outstanding work accomplished for the association and/or exceptional accomplishments or extraordinary achievements while serving as an officer of the association.
Five ATA members were also honored with Outstanding Volunteer Awards this year. The award is designed to recognize volunteers that go above and beyond in their service to the association.
- Glenn Aust, president, Ehmke Manufacturing
- Julie Couture, sales and marketing, Fiesta Tents
- Bryan Gee, director of education and training, Tensar, a division of CMC
- Mar Ricketts, principal, Guildworks, LLC
- Julie Tinsman, director of business development, Herculite Products
There was also a new addition to the ATA Board of Directors, with Rachal McCarthy of NTI Global elected to a three-year term. David Segal of Edward Segal Inc. is retiring from the board after eight years as a director.
International Achievement Awards announced
The winners of the 2024 International Achievement Awards (IAA) were announced at Advanced Textiles Expo 2024. These winners represent the best in specialty fabrics and technical textiles from around the world and showcase the innovation and excellence driving this dynamic industry.
This year’s awards drew more than 202 entries across 46 categories, with winners handpicked for their complexity, design, workmanship, uniqueness and function. The judging panel included industry experts, editors, architects, educators and design professionals.
To explore all the entries, go to iaa.textiles.org. Specialty Fabrics Review will feature select winners throughout 2025.
ATA Textiles Challenge
Emerging technologies
Could hemp fill the “cellulose gap”?
According to Lelia Lawson, a researcher at the University of Alberta, Canada, who is associated with Davey Textile Solutions Inc., the demand for cellulosic fibers will grow so substantially by 2030 that there will be a “cellulose gap” not met by other natural or synthetic fibers. “Can hemp be the answer?” Lawson asks.
In her presentation, Lawson pointed out that hemp has been cultivated for thousands of years. Hemp “grows like a weed almost anywhere,” she says; requires less water, fertilizers, herbicides and pesticides than other agricultural crops; and can improve soil health. Hemp is also strong, breathable, antimicrobial and biodegradable, and all parts of the plant can be used. “So, why are we not wearing it?” she also asks.
Part of it is education and new regulations. But another challenge is that the coarse fiber requires multiple-stage processing. “It may require ‘cottonization’ to make it comfortable by breaking down lignins, which can be expensive,” she says.
The U.S. and Canada have turned to synthetic cellulosic fibers, such as lyocell. “Imagine blending hemp bast fibers with lyocell from hemp!” she says. “[Hemp] produces upwards of 250% the biomass of cotton and 600% the biomass of flax on the same land mass.”
China “grows a lot of hemp for textiles,” she says, so it can be done on a larger scale. With a deficit of 20 million metric tons (22 million U.S. tons) in cellulose expected, she says there is the potential for a $50–$70 million industry by 2030.
Technology transfer lacking in textile R&D
Erin Tillery, a doctoral student and graduate research assistant at North Carolina State University’s Wilson College of Textiles, presented her research into technology transfer in the U.S. textiles industry, confirming that, unfortunately, many institutions don’t have the resources to provide the connection with patent offices or Technology Transfer Offices (TTOs) or to establish a TTO of their own.
Although universities have unique positioning and perspective, “textile literature doesn’t talk about technology transfer, and technology transfer literature doesn’t talk about textiles,” she says. Textiles have been seen as a “low R&D intensive” field and
left out of the research.
Tillery sought to understand the textile innovation environment from the perspective of all actors, which includes academia, where much of the R&D begins; industry, which licenses or buys an invention; government, which provides funding for specific projects; the public—usually the ones using the product; and nonprofit organizations that are rarely included in the literature, she says, but may collaborate with academia. Nonprofits also develop safety standards and regulations for the textiles industry.
Comments regarding barriers to textile innovation, gathered from interviews, were revealing. Because innovations must be novel and not disclosed to the public in order to get a patent, a former student said, “As a Ph.D. student, the primary goal was publishing. … We never got a patent on it, because we wanted to publish the work.”
A faculty member shared, “They [nonprofits] want it [patented technology] given away at no charge because that’s part of their mission. [If you’re a TTO] that’s just $10,000–$12,000 you’re never going to get back.”
Textiles in space: ensuring safety and functionality
At the Emerging Technologies Conference, Mary Walker, project manager of the crew and systems division at NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, discussed uses of textiles in space. Scientists must consider two types of environments when creating in-space textiles: extravehicular activity (EVA), or anything outside the spacecraft, and intravehicular activity (IVA), or anything inside the spacecraft.
IVA materials must be durable, reusable, have low toxicity, and be comfortable and dust-resistant to avoid contaminating the cabin and equipment. These could be acoustic panels or sleeping bags; next-to-skin shirts, outer jackets and pants; containers and bags; and tie-down straps and bungee cords.
Walker says there is an immediate need for improved nonflammable textiles for oxygen-enriched environments or environments with a concentration of more than 30% O2. It’s challenging for IVA soft goods to pass flammability testing because all textile components, such as zippers, threads, hook-and-loop tape, etc., must have good flame resistance, not just the outermost layer. If one layer does not pass the test, then none pass. However, hope isn’t lost for textiles that fail the flammability test, as they could be blended into higher-performing fibers to balance flammability and other functions.
AI’s potential in the advanced textiles industry
Technology attracts the young talent, says consultant Paige Mullis, who moderated a lively panel discussion on artificial intelligence (AI).
Jim Joyce, chairman of the board, Pleneri Inc., predicts, “[AI] will be of use in every stage of the data stream. It won’t displace anything; it’s going to be very additive.”
Manu Venkataramu, COO, InfoPine, says AI can be a big help. “With better data, demand planning can more accurately identify and plan for market pricing as well as a better understanding of seasonal demand variations.”
“Industrialized economies are in trouble if AI doesn’t take over some of the work,” Joyce says. With low birth rates, there are just simply more older people. “If you play this out, there aren’t enough people to get jobs done,” he says.
Anirudh Sharma, a researcher in the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, expects that sensors will be embodied into everyday fabrics. “AI will be able to monitor your speech, and biomarkers … can be analyzed in real time,” Sharma says. However, “these models are not for large companies” but individuals directly.
“Human touch is very important,” Venkataramu says, “but AI will make humans more efficient.”
DIY biomaterials workshop
Eldy Lázaro, doctoral candidate at the University of Colorado Boulder, has devised a way to make e-textiles more recyclable by using a water-soluble biomaterial. She presented her research and guided a workshop called “Crafting Biomaterials for Interactive Interfaces.”
Bio-based materials come from renewable biological matter, such as plants, animals, bacteria and fungi. Lázaro’s workshop focused on the use of agar-agar, a jelly-like biopolymer made of polysaccharides that are extracted from the cell walls of some red algae species.
Following her formula, workshop participants learned how to make bioplastics from agar-agar, adding glycerin, water and food-safe dye. The theory is to create a fabric woven from a plant-based material, such as cotton, for the warp, with her agar-based material as the weft. Among the bioplastic strips are conductive threads to make a woven sensor. As the agar-based material dissolves in warm water, the woven sensor comes apart, the cotton can be recycled and the conductive threads retrieved, creating the possibility for single-use, sustainable woven sensors.
Specialty fabrics
PFAS education takes center stage
Education surrounding new regulatory requirements for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) was a major theme at this year’s Advanced Textiles Expo and Emerging Technologies Conference (ETC). At the ETC, Frank Keohan, senior technology manager at Bolger & O’Hearn Inc., which was recently acquired by Organic Dyes & Pigments LLC, led the session “Textile Finishing Options Amid Tightening PFAS Regulations.” He discussed PFAS detection methods, differing state and federal PFAS laws and regulations, repellency test methods, and potential ways to reduce hazards from PFAS. He detailed current alternatives to PFAS-based repellents and gave an overview of the characteristics of fluorochemicals (FC) and FC-free materials.
At the campfire session “PFAS and the Textile Industry,” Elizabeth Denly, PFAS initiative leader and chemistry director at TRC Companies Inc., spoke about the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) reporting requirements for PFAS and taught attendees how to create a PFAS risk management plan to make the most out of the time companies have before next July, the start of the EPA reporting period for PFAS-related products and activities from Jan. 1, 2011, to Dec. 31, 2022.
Jad Davis, an environmental lawyer at Shook, Hardy and Bacon, also spoke at the campfire, focusing on why companies should comply with EPA reporting requirements to avoid legal complications. He advised those in the industry to be thorough when they are filling out their toxic release inventory (TRI) to avoid noncompliance fines.
“Complying with TRI saves you money,” says Davis. “Don’t pay money for a clerical or reporting error.”
Maximizing the value of your business at exit
Terry Kelm, president of Sunbelt Franchise Re-Sales, offered time-tested tips and strategies to maximize value for business sellers. He explained what items will be valued by potential buyers, the various valuation methodologies that can be used to establish the true value of a business, and the pros and cons of each. “‘Comparison-based’ is the one you hear most often,” he says. “People will say, ‘Joe sold his business for X and my business is the same as his, so my business is worth X.’ But your business is almost certainly not the same, and also, there’s a good chance Joe is lying about how much he sold for.”
He explained that a typical business takes six to nine months to sell when priced and packaged correctly but warns, “Buyers are going to look under the hood of your business, inside and out.”
Banks will also want to see at least three years of growth, he said, and having clean, organized books that you can present to both potential buyers and banks will make that process much simpler. “You want to try and sell when your business is at peak efficiency and peak cash flow,” he advises. “Banks will not typically finance declining trend businesses.”
Awning Safety Act update
A topic on the minds of many in the awning industry is the Awning Safety Act, HR 6132, which is currently in a Senate committee. John Loyer, head of North American government and public affairs for Somfy Systems Inc., updated Advanced Textiles Expo attendees on this bill, which directs the Consumer Product Safety Commission to establish a safety standard for retractable awnings. The bill stems from a fatal accident when a man fell off a ladder and over a balcony after being bumped by his awning cover while removing its tie-downs.
Loyer notes that retractable awnings are already covered by UL safety standard 325 and says revisions should go through that organization’s committee process. He says that requiring a warning or alarm would do nothing to solve the problem but would affect the manufacturers and installers of related components and “drastically change how awnings are installed.”
The Professional Awnings Manufacturers Association membership has been active in writing letters to committee members supporting the UL’s process, he says.
If the bill does not move further this year, it still could be reintroduced.
New group studies sustainable membrane structures
Bruce Danziger, a structural engineer at Danziger Engineering Collaborative Inc. in Los Angeles, Calif., discussed the recent formation of Lightweight Footprint, a group dedicated to gathering data to demonstrate the sustainable attributes of membrane structures. Lightweight Footprint includes Danziger, engineer Björn Beckert, architect Beatriz Ferreyra, and entrepreneur Robert Roithmayr. Danziger detailed their Embodied Carbon Action Plan, which includes education, tracking and reporting, reduction strategies, advocacy, and implementation, with an ultimate goal of reducing the embodied carbon of lightweight structures.
He also gave attendees insight into the case studies the group has conducted so far and gave an outline of plans for the rest of the year, including launching a website, collaborating with industry colleagues and collecting more data. In 2025, they plan to promote the website, solicit more industry partners and publish embodied carbon tracking comparison studies.
Trade policy updates; advocacy urged
Shortly before Advanced Textiles Expo, the White House announced an executive order to reduce de minimis import volumes, so the presentations on trade and advocacy and policy issues couldn’t have been more timely.
Auggie Tantillo, a government-relations representative for the Advanced Textiles Association, explained that the order excludes packages from coming in duty-free if a country’s imports fall under certain trade laws. This includes Section 301, which applies to “70% of textile and apparel imports from China,” the release about the order says. The order also applies penalty tariffs to those Section 301 goods on top of existing tariffs.
De minimis packages avoid tariffs and customs inspections when valued at less than $800, raised from $200 in 2016. The law originally was passed in the 1930s so overseas vacationers could bring back souvenirs. Tantillo says the next goal of industry advocacy efforts around this rule is to decouple it from online commerce so shipments can’t just be diverted to other countries to get around a Chinese return address. He cites that an estimated 1.4 billion packages will come into the country in 2024 without customs scrutiny or tariff collection, up from 600 million just a few years earlier.
“No one can argue that we’re not being damaged by that,” he says.
Members who spoke on the trade and advocacy panel advised the audience that members of Congress want to hear the opinions of small businesses and how laws affect them. Chad Twombly, vice president of direct sales at Herculite Products Inc., says that Amazon and FedEx have a loud voice in favor of the de minimis rules as they are. “We are an industry that needs a voice. … If we’re not going to do it, then shame on us.”
Visit usinfi.textiles.org/government-relations for more information on becoming involved in the 2025 advocacy efforts.
Advanced Textiles Expo Show Stoppers Winners
All the best from Anaheim: The 13th annual Show Stopper competition was created to showcase the best of the best in the industry, from coatings, fabrics and equipment, to hardware, services and end products.
Designed to recognize the most popular new products each year from exhibitors, the Show Stopper Awards acknowledge the newest, most innovative, useful, exciting, effective, efficient and economical entries as well as the most environmentally sound products at the show. Entries were submitted by exhibitors and displayed on the show floor, with winners selected by a committee
of industry experts.
A list of all the 2024 Show Stopper participants can be viewed online at AdvancedTextilesExpo.com/show-stoppers.
Chemicals, Coatings and Compounds
TX711 laminating adhesive
H.B. Fuller | hbfuller.com
Built with the latest flame-retardancy technology, the TX711 laminating adhesive has many applications, particularly those needing flame retardancy and heat resistance, such as garments and industrial textiles. Halogen-free.
End Products
Aura Panels
Corradi USA | corradiusa.com
Designed to be installed on existing structures for added privacy, shading and ventilation control, Aura Panels are easy to install and operate manually. The panels can increase or decrease sun exposure and create different closed and open outdoor spaces. Available in various textures and colors.
Equipment and Tools
CP9 high-frequency welding machine
Forsstrom High Frequency AB | forsstrom.com
The CP9 is an advanced high-frequency welding machine that streamlines the production process by integrating setting, punching and welding into a single operation. It can be used for various production needs for efficiency and accuracy.
Fabrics, Fibers and Films
Power Net Style 90201
Apex Mills | apexmills.com
The high-power, high-modulus Power Net Style 90201 breathable fabric with two-way stretch works well for medical, orthopedic, military, compression and apparel market applications. Offers comfortable compression textiles for compression therapy applications.
Hardware, Findings and Accessories
Airtight Waterproof Zipper and Stainless Zipper
Keen Ching Industrial Co. Ltd. | kcc-zip.com
The Airtight Waterproof Zipper is used to isolate the air pressure inside and outside of bags. When used on cooler bags, it can have a good heat insulation effect. The Stainless Zipper is designed for oxidation resistance and is especially suitable for clothes and bags made of genuine leather.
Services
Hot and cold textile slitting services
Bainbridge International Inc. | bainbridgeintusa.com
Bainbridge International offers hot and cold textile-slitting services using advanced slitters for materials like spinnakers and vinyl up to 64 inches wide. These services can handle up to 25 slits per roll and up to 35 rolls for thinner materials.
REPORT COMPILED BY Cathy Jones, Jesse Madden, Megan Phillips, Janet Preus and Marie O’Mahony
SHOW PHOTOGRAPHY © Mark Skalny Photography (except where noted) All rights reserved.