The revolution in soft signage
April 1st, 2022
Soft signage has commonly been used for trade shows, but the use of fabric in a wide variety of signage is growing by leaps and bounds. Photo: Image Options You may say tomato and I may say to-MAH-toe, but at places like the International Sign Association, a trade group based in Alexandria, Va., Craig Campbell, […]
Finding balance
January 1st, 2022
When the pandemic hit, Camel Expeditionary was able to shift from a Department of Defense workload to a mobile hospital workload. Photo: Camel Expeditionary. There’re always challenges to running a successful business—keeping a step ahead of the competition, anticipating the changing needs of the customer, paying attention to the financials. But the past two years […]
No one way to break into the military market
November 1st, 2021
One of the keys to success in the military market is keeping up with the methods and technology being used by warfighters. Photo: Stratus Support Industries. There is a lot of competition out there—and if your products aren’t solving problems or saving the customer money, it can be very difficult, says Nate Smith, founder of […]
Industry and academia: Partners in innovation
September 1st, 2021
UMass Lowell engineering technician Patrick Casey prepares a mask to be tested for penetration by aerosolized particles, while Cheryl Gomes, Fabric Discovery Center technical program manager, looks on. During the pandemic, the center acquired testing equipment and worked with for-profit companies to improve their personal protective equipment (PPE) products before trying to obtain government certification. […]
Shade sails find a place in the sun
August 1st, 2021
It was only a few years ago that Amy Poe, owner of Wyckam Fabric Creations, in Portland, Ore., started hearing about shade sails. Now the company is doing elaborate shade sail projects like this shade cover for the Big Toy Playground at Keizer Rapids Park in Keizer, Ore. Photo: Wyckam Fabric Creations. For something that’s […]
A ‘mixed bag’ for U.S. textile manufacturing
March 1st, 2021
When supply chains from Asia were cut off in the spring of 2020, the coronavirus pandemic revealed the extent to which the U.S. was dependent on imports of personal protective equipment (PPE) including nonwoven surgical masks, according to U.S. trade representative Bill Jackson. Photo: © Kateryna Rykun, Dreamstime.com The year 2020 was not a particularly […]
Pandemic demand drives shade market
February 1st, 2021
While 2020 started as a disaster, pandemic-related business picked up substantially as the year went on. Fabric manufacturers such as Glen Raven Custom Fabrics LLC were among companies providing shade products, like the Sunbrella® fabric for these shade structures in Miami, Fla., as restaurants moved to outdoor dining. Photo: Glen Raven Custom Fabrics LLC. For […]
Shade around the world: custom canopy projects
January 1st, 2021
Ant Walk in Mexico City is a covered walkway by Ketan Membranas Arquitectónicas, intended to be analogous of the form of organization and work dynamics that ants use to provide themselves with resources. Photo: Ketan Membranas Arquitectónicas. Wherever the sun shines, people need shade. These recent canopy projects from around the world fulfill that mission […]
Tenting for the pandemic
December 1st, 2020
Restaurants have turned to companies like Everything Entertainment to help with outside seating. But without the need for walls or flooring, profit can be hard to come by. Photo: Everything Entertainment. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the tent industry finds new ways to survive. by Jeff Moravec There are all manner of seasonal ebbs and flows […]
Hardware and accessory suppliers keep essential components moving through the supply chain during COVID-19
September 1st, 2020
by Jeff Moravec Shipping department staff members at Batz Corporation, Prattsville, Ark., have continued working with the addition of face masks since the beginning of the pandemic. The metal hardware manufacturer and supplier has experienced unusual shifts in the market, including an increase in demand for buckles for pet products. Photo: Batz Corporation. The COVID-19 […]