TEXTILES.ORG
Everything’s connected
December 1st, 2014
Mr. Sadao Izumi moves the tent industry forward—by keeping the big picture in mind. "There are two Japanese characters that make up the word ‘manage’—and these characters represent how interdependent the process of running a business is,” says Mr. Sadao Izumi, owner and president of Izumi Co. Ltd., Toyoma, Japan, and chairman of the Japan […]
The human factors
November 1st, 2014
Dr. Aris Makris and his team keep their sights on the end user when developing personal protective equipment for Soldiers. "A lot of the necessary skills for this job grow from being in contact with the end user community,” says Aris Makris, Ph.D., vice president of research and development (R&D) and CTO for Med-Eng in […]
Makers on the move
November 1st, 2014
The Makers Coalition and IFAI join forces to train— and place—a skilled workforce. Talk to just about any manufacturer of sewn products and you’ll hear the same thing: finding skilled sewers is one of the most difficult things about running this kind of business. Now, thanks to The Makers Coalition (TMC), Minneapolis, Minn., and its […]
Boldly genuine
October 1st, 2014
Bob Jacquart uses the “power of pluck” to expand his company and build a strong brand identity. “If you’re going to really ramp up your business you have to have that world of brand strategy experts look you over,” says Bob Jacquart, CEO of Jacquart Fabric Products Inc. (JFP) in Ironwood, Mich. “You have to […]
Reclaiming the industry
October 1st, 2014
Overall trends in the once-again growing specialty fabrics industry. After years of struggles, there’s optimism in the U.S. textile industry. The recent recession took its toll, but growth was already flagging from increased off-shore production and a shrinking skilled workforce, among other things. While the textile industry is many faceted and complex, it’s safe to […]
Entrepreneur in action
September 1st, 2014
Steve Frost advances his company by standardizing processes—and being willing to change. We try to develop best practices and focus on repeating them, which includes making lists and standardizing problems,” says Steve Frost, president of Stamford Tent & Event Services, Stamford, Conn. “But you can write all the forms you want—they’re not going to cover […]
The next steps
June 1st, 2014
Carol Racine takes on one challenge after another as she and her husband build a business and make plans for a sewing school. "I know my limitations—but I’m always challenging those limits,” says Carol Racine, president of Racine Design in Jacksonville, Fla. “I don’t let the fact that I haven’t done a certain type of […]
Sharp focus, broad impact
April 1st, 2014
Hal Lapping tightens his company’s focus to make quality products affordable. We remain focused on our core products, and because we stay focused we offer the best quality products at the most competitive prices,” says Hal Lapping, president of Economy Tent Intl. (an Anchor company), Miami. Fla. “And part of that mind set is that […]
The healing textiles
March 1st, 2014
Advancements in fiber development result in new and better applications for biomedical textiles. Biomedical textiles are one of the fastest growing segments in the textile industry, according to Dr. Martin King, professor of textiles at North Carolina State University (NCSU), and an expert in biotextiles. But what exactly are biomedical textiles? What’s driving development? And […]
Military e-textiles
March 1st, 2014
Creating textiles that harvest energy lighten the warfighter’s load. "Lightweight, wearable power is very desirable since it will replace some batteries, which add weight to the Soldier’s load,” says Dr. Eugene Wilusz, senior nuclear, biological, chemical scientist in the Warfighter Directorate, U.S. Army Natick Soldier RDE Center. “The key to future advancements is the development […]