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The 2017 State of the Industry: Part 2

March 1st, 2017

The slow economic recovery after the Great Recession has made kick-starting growth in the specialty fabrics industry a continuing challenge. Five of the six key markets covered in Part 2 of this report showed growth in 2016, which is expected to continue in 2017. (The military market was down 6 percent, and is expected to […]

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Part 1: State of the Industry 2017

February 1st, 2017

Despite some slowing of global GDP in 2016, growth of the U.S. and Canadian specialty fabrics industry is slow but steady, and markets like fabric structures, tent rental and manufacturing, fabric graphics and marine fabrication are outpacing national averages. The pace is expected to continue, but can also be somewhat constrained by changes in unemployment […]

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Part 2: State of the Industry 2016

March 1st, 2016

As consumer confidence slowly increases, buoyed by improvements in the U.S. economy and employment figures, respondents in 10 of the 11 markets surveyed by IFAI predict single-digit increases in sales in 2016. Innovation in products and processes will help manufacturers anticipate customer needs and stay competitive in a global economy. Part I of IFAI’s 2016 […]

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Part 1: State of the Industry 2016

February 1st, 2016

With the U.S. economy continuing a slow but steady recovery, more job growth, more consumer confidence and increasing sales are anticipated for 2016. The world economy in review Six years after the world economy emerged from the Great Recession of 2009, a return to a strong global expansion remains elusive. The downside risks to the […]

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