Using agents overseas

February 1, 2015  |  Marketing

Before your agent can sell for you, sell your company and your products to your agent. If you are a small or midsize company that sees opportunities in foreign markets, the first and in many ways the most important step will be to find an agent or representative who works in the part of the ……
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Saturation point

January 1, 2015  |  Business

PPE manufacturers are running at capacity to help in the fight against Ebola. Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), or Ebola hemorrhagic fever, is a potentially fatal disease that was first identified in 1976. Since then, outbreaks have happened every couple of years, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. However, …
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Habit forming

January 1, 2015  |  Awnings & Canopies, Business, Features

The secret to a sideline in cleaning and repair is convincing customers to do it regularly. Cleaning and repair of fabric products is a bit like pie-making: It’s an extremely useful skill, and there’s a sizable market for it, but it’s not everyone’s strong suit. Today’s high-performance fa…
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The world of your website

January 1, 2015  |  Business, Features

Why it’s important to give your website the careful attention it needs to support the success of your business. All industries experience their share of change. The fabrics industry is no different. From hemp to cotton to microfibers to “smart clothes” that gauge body temperature and GPS locat…
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Lease or buy?

January 1, 2015  |  Management

New rules may make a difference in your decision. Whether to buy or lease new equipment is a tough question for many specialty fabric professionals to answer, even as credit becomes more readily available. There is no one correct answer to fit every situation or business, but compared to the simplic…
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Rest stops on the road to success

January 1, 2015  |  Features, Management, Perspective

David Snoad implements systems and empowers employees so his business can flourish—and he can take a vacation. “I’ve been away six months of this calendar year and we’re about to have our most profitable year ever,” says David Snoad, managing director of Pinz Pty. Ltd., Seaton, Austral…
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Real solutions

December 1, 2014  |  Business

Medical and biomedical textile breakthroughs were presented at IFAI Advanced Textiles Expo. It might be a process that starts at the fiber level or one that uses a material in a new way, but there is no question that textiles are playing an important role in the treatment of many types of medical co…
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Create a self-sustaining business

December 1, 2014  |  Management

Stay on track with the Entrepreneurial Operating System®. Are you currently experiencing one or more of these common frustrations of owning a business? You feel your business is controlling you. If you didn’t need people (employees, vendors, partners…)— your business would run beautifully…
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Everything’s connected

December 1, 2014  |  Features, Management, Perspective

Mr. Sadao Izumi moves the tent industry forward—by keeping the big picture in mind. “There are two Japanese characters that make up the word ‘manage’—and these characters represent how interdependent the process of running a business is,” says Mr. Sadao Izumi, owner and president of …
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Makers on the move

November 1, 2014  |  Business, Industry News

The Makers Coalition and IFAI join forces to train— and place—a skilled workforce. Talk to just about any manufacturer of sewn products and you’ll hear the same thing: finding skilled sewers is one of the most difficult things about running this kind of business. Now, thanks to The Makers Coal…
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