Automatic upholstery

March 1, 2015  |  Upholstery

Giving cars a winning look. The best meals are cooked from scratch, the wildest adventures take place off the map, and some of the most impressive auto upholstery restoration projects are done without a template. Two entries in the upholstery category of the 2014 International Achievement Awards wer…
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Your taxes at work

March 1, 2015  |  Management

The Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014. The passage of the Tax Increase Prevention Act of 2014 late last year retroactively extended 54 tax breaks—but only for the 2014 tax year. The so-called “tax extenders” law opens the door for specialty fabric professionals to claim many of these popular…
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Expansion in layers

March 1, 2015  |  Advanced Textiles

Flexible composites are finding practical application in a growing number of industries. The world of composites covers a range of materials and applications. Flexible composites have long been manufactured to perform specific functions in generally demanding environments. Their tremendous strength-…
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State of the Industry 2015: Part 2

March 1, 2015  |  Features, Management

It was a year of respectable growth in the specialty fabrics industry and hope for an even better future, grounded in promising statistics. IFAI surveys specialty fabrics industry end product manufacturers (EPMs) once a year to learn how they are doing and what they anticipate for the future. All bu…
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Shade sales: Just add water

March 1, 2015  |  Features, Marine

The resurgence in boating and the concern over sun safety have been a boon for marine fabricators offering products that protect and beautify without spoiling the fun, or the view. People are taking to the water in record numbers, encouraged in part by plummeting gas prices. According to the Nationa…
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Energy for the future

March 1, 2015  |  Advanced Textiles, Features

Flexible and durable power-generating textiles are poised to make a difference in meeting tomorrow’s energy requirements. Looking forward, before imagination meets prototype, the next generation of energy-producing products seems unattainable. Looking backward, after such innovations are readily a…
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Good better best

March 1, 2015  |  Features, Management, Perspective

Charles Webster uses lean techniques to continuously improve production and efficiency. What we try to do better than other companies is give our customers more than they ask for, sooner than they expect it, in higher quality than they’re used to,” says Charles Webster, president and CEO of DOWC…
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A seasonal solution

March 1, 2015  |  Projects

Recently opened in Edina, Minn., through a project coordinated by the Edina City Council, Braemar Field is one of the largest seasonal multi-sports domes in North America. The 100,000-square-foot inflatable dome measures 400 feet long by 250 feet wide by 75 feet high and was manufactured by Minneapo…
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Ship wrap bedazzles U.K.

March 1, 2015  |  Projects

The HMS President, one of three surviving Royal Navy warships from World War I, wore camouflage to mark the 100-year commemoration of the “Great War,” in which the United Kingdom lost an estimated 1.2 million soldiers, sailors and civilians. The 14-18 NOW Centenary Art Commissions, publi…
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To the rescue

March 1, 2015  |  Projects

The Haaglanden Safety Region challenged Spark Design & Innovation, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, with finding a solution guaranteeing the Dutch fire service a raft that would allow a safe water rescue up to 650 feet from shore. Spark went to work, developing the Rescue TIP-Board® inflatable sa…
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