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Crafting shade at Auvents Ombrasole Awning
April 1st, 2019
Ombrasole designs, manufactures and installs awnings of all types for North American climates—many of which feature Emilio Petrongolo’s custom and patented motors. Emilio Petrongolo can trace his fascination with canvas and sewing back to his childhood in Italy, where his grandmother made jute bags for storing wheat. Petrongolo, director of R&D and marketing at Auvents […]
Women in Textiles Summit 2019
March 27th, 2019
Women leaders in textile industry share expertise—and encouragement More women than ever now own textile companies, and IFAI’s recent Women in Textiles Summit brought together many of these business leaders to share their unique expertise within a highly specialized industry. This year’s inaugural summit, held March 6–8 in Savannah, Ga., facilitated what IFAI President and […]
Shade market basics that deliver
October 15th, 2018
The shade market keeps growing, according to Marc Shellshear, general manager of Value Vinyls Inc., and customers are more concerned than ever about preventing skin cancer. Shellshear was among the first presenters October 15 at IFAI’s 2018 Pre-Expo Conference in Dallas, Texas. Shellshear explained that there are three types of HDPE fabrics for shadecloth: tape/tape, […]
Medical textiles keep evolving
October 15th, 2018
Fitzroy Brown, product manager of Bard Peripheral Vascular, discussed the evolution of medical textiles for vascular surgical applications on October 15 at IFAI’s 2018 Expo Pre-Conference in Dallas, Texas. Attendees at the presentation learned that implantable fabrics were first experimented with in World War II and the Korean War. According to Brown, the first applications […]
IFAI Expo 2017: Report from New Orleans
November 1st, 2017
Despite the hurricanes and wildfires of late summer, IFAI Expo 2017 attracted many new first-time attendees to New Orleans in late September. And exhibitors reported that attendees were more likely than previous years to purchase their products, services and equipment. Aside from exhibitor-attendee interaction, the show floor was a hive of lively “campfire” educational sessions […]
IFAI Expo 2016: advanced textiles
December 1st, 2016
Today’s textile testing is challenged with evaluating varied performance qualities for multiple environments. The Advanced Textiles Testing Track at IFAI Expo examined textile testing in light of a new wave of textile developments. Dr. Emiel Den Hartog, North Carolina State University (NCSU) Center for Research on Textile Protection & Comfort (TPACC), focused on a “multi-level” […]
IFAI Expo 2016: shade and weather protection
December 1st, 2016
The special shade section on the show flow featured end products ranging from retractable awning systems, shade structures and canopies to motorized shade and weather solutions of all types. Programming and events included “Super Tuesday” seminars, tours of local shops and a keynote lunch, plus Wednesday evening’s opening reception at the NASCAR Hall of Fame. […]
IFAI Expo 2016: specialty fabrics programming
December 1st, 2016
A variety of educational choices drove the Specialty Fabrics Program schedule Oct. 18-21 at the IFAI 2016 Expo. Attendees enjoyed dozens of presentations and “campfire” sessions featuring experts on topics as diverse as training the next generation of skilled workers, understanding functional fabric design and beating offshore manufacturers. The exhibit hall showcased the latest in fabrics, […]
IFAI Expo 2016: high points and highlights
December 1st, 2016
Thousands of industry professionals joined the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) in the heart of the U.S. textile industry Oct. 18–21 to acquire a working education in the areas of specialty fabrics, shade and weather protection products and advanced textiles: seminars, exhibits, workshops, market roundtables and four days of concentrated networking. From business basics to […]
IFAI Expo 2016: industry leadership, IFAI style
December 1st, 2016
At IFAI’s annual meeting, Kevin Yonce, MFC, IFM, CPP, past chairman of the IFAI Board of Directors and chairman of the 2016 Leadership Development Committee, announced this year’s election results. • Dennis Bueker, Keyston Bros., has been elected to his second three-year term as director. • Brian Rowinski, Rainier Industries LLC, has been elected […]