Features Archives

The economics of fabric structures

July 1, 2010 | Fabric Structures, Features, Management

Understanding the variables is the key to determining the cost of building a fabric structure. By Samuel J. Armijos, AIA The hardest part of designing and building a fabric structure is determining its cost. There are three major components to a fabric structure—steel, fabric and cables. Other…

Fabric-based safety solutions offer opportunities in sports and recreation

July 1, 2010 | Advanced Textiles, Features

Enthusiasts at all levels can focus on their sport with products that assure a safe environment for competition or recreation. By Holly O’Dell In athletic and recreational activities, safety is always an important factor—whether that’s landing properly on a pole-vaulting pit or pro…

Tent companies provide disaster relief shelters

July 1, 2010 | Features, Tents

The disaster relief tent market is unpredictable, but the rewards can be satisfying—professionally and personally. By Jill C. Lafferty The market for disaster relief shelters is a “good news–bad news’” scenario. A sudden demand for relief tents usually means that in som…

Ken Jacobs gets his company noticed

July 1, 2010 | Features, Marketing, Perspective

Ken Jacobs combines custom innovation and targeted advertising strategies to generate sales. By Sigrid Tornquist “That’s always the challenge—keeping the phones ringing and customers coming in the door,” says Ken Jacobs, owner of Raymond Brothers Ltd. in London, Ontario, Canada. “We get re…

3-D technology advances marine fabrication

June 1, 2010 | Business, Features, Marine

Simplify and standardize fabrication methods with cutting-edge software and hardware tools. By Maura Keller In the world of technology, change is a constant. For the marine fabrication industry, technological advancements in the area of three-dimensional (3–D) software and hardware engineering…

Fabric composites advances open new markets

June 1, 2010 | Business, Features, Markets

Technological advances in fabric composites lead companies into new markets, and new opportunities in old ones. By Janice Kleinschmidt America3’s victory over Stars and Stripes to capture the 1992 America’s Cup did more than fuel widespread enthusiasm for yacht racing in the United State…

Go green for the good of your business

June 1, 2010 | Business, Features

Recycling and repurposing fabric will bring the satisfaction of doing what’s right— and boost your bottom line. By Jan Brenny Being ‘green’ is becoming a necessary part of doing business today. Operations of all sizes and across all industries are adopting business models tha…

Jeff Viehmeyer takes a custom approach to business

June 1, 2010 | Features, Management, Marine, Perspective

Jeff Viehmeyer balances quality, cost and time in a customized approach to customer satisfaction. By Sigrid Tornquist “Excessive perfectionism can strangle success. Every project has a correct balance between quality, cost and time—and you have to find the balance between them,” says Jeff Vieh…

Vehicle graphics present marketing opportunities

May 1, 2010 | Features, Graphics

With the help of new products and technology, test-driving the vehicle wrap market can accelerate your business into the black. By Sigrid Tornquist When vehicle wraps exploded onto the market in the 1990s in all their mobile, colorful and visually enticing ways—we stood still. We stood and wat…

Color management for digital printing