News for
October/November/December 2006

The International Apparel Federation Moves to Amsterdam (Zeist) and Adopts New Set of Rules
Zeist - The International Apparel Federation (IAF) has decided to move its headquarters from London to Amsterdam (Zeist) in The Netherlands. The move is part of an overall restructuring program, which included a review of the Federation’s Charter and Articles of Association. The IAF is the prestigious international association of national associations of apparel and textiles that was founded in 1972 at Williamsburg, USA by the trade federations of Europe, the US and Japan. IAF’s membership includes apparel associations from 33 countries representing over 150,000 apparel companies and over 5 million employees.
Under the new rules, which were unanimously approved at the meeting on November 30th in Zeist, the IAF will accept as corporate members with full voting rights individual companies, whose core business is the manufacturing and/or marketing of apparel or other sewn products. The new charter reflects the changes in the apparel business during the past decades and is expected to help the IAF grow further and work towards its mission to develop business contacts which foster dialogue and knowledge exchange between individuals active in the world apparel value chain for the betterment of business practices, the promotion of the international image of the apparel business, the advancement of technology and the promotion of its use, the encouragement of innovation and new ways of thinking the growth world-wide of apparel trade, the improvement of social, health and safety, and environmental conditions relating to the apparel chain world-wide, and for the advancement of apparel related education and training.
The members meeting appointed the first Executive Committee that will lead the Federation for the next two years. The committee includes the President Mr. Vassilis Masselos (Hellenic Clothing Association, Greece), two Vice Presidents: Mr. Roland Tsai, (TTF, Taiwan) and Mr. Harry van Dalfsen, (MODINT, Netherlands), Mr  Kevin Burke (AAFA, USA) who will continue to serve as Treasurer and four members: Mr. Alejandro Faes, as IAF Past President (CNIV-Mexico), Mr. William Lakin (Euratex-Belgium), Mr. Hasan Arat (TCMA-Turkey), Mr. Fred Jackson (American & Efird, USA) and Dr. Mike Fralix ([TC]², USA).
At the same meeting the IAF announced a new “IAF student award” that will be presented to a student in fashion design and or technology with an extraordinary academic record and course work. The award will include a six-month internship in an IAF member company. The Dutch Trade Association for Fashion and Interior Textiles MODINT will be hosting the IAF and its Director General, Mr. Han Bekke, will serve as IAF Secretary General (SG) in the interim until a new SG is appointed to manage the IAF secretariat. The 2007 – 23rd IAF Annual World Apparel Convention will be held in Taipei (Taiwan) followed by a study tour in Cambodia and Vietnam. Dates for the convention are October 24-26 and for the Study tour October 27th-30.
12/6/06

Lectra France Opens its New Office in Paris
Paris, France – Lectra, a leader in software, CAD/CAM equipment and related
services dedicated to large-scale users of textiles, leather and industrial fabrics, has opened a new office for Lectra France: 66, rue de la Chaussée d’Antin, 75009 Paris, France.  Lectra France also has offices in Cholet, Lyon, Toulouse and Villeneuve d'Ascq, as well as at the company’s industrial site in Bordeaux-Cestas. More than 60 Lectra consultants, solutions experts and training professionals enable the company’s French customers to integrate Lectra technologies to respond to their daily challenges.
Lectra France customers have access to a full line of services through the company’s Call Center and International Advanced Technology Center (IATC) in Bordeaux. The Call Center provides real-time online intervention by Lectra experts, who are able to take remote control of customers’ software and equipment to offer interactive assistance. Each day the Call Center helps customers to optimize their Lectra installation and reduce or eliminate the risk of downtime. The IATC enables customers to imagine
and realize their projects with the help of demonstrations and personalized technical tests.
12/1/06

AATCC Joins INDA, TAPPI and The Fiber Society to Publish the Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics
Cary, N.C. —Three leading trade associations and a prestigious professional society have entered into a partnership to publish the Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics (JEFF), an electronic publication of original research and advances in fibers, fibrous materials and their components.
The American Association of Textile Chemists & Colorists (AATCC) joined founding partners INDA, Association of the Nonwoven Fabrics Industry; TAPPI, Technical Association of the Pulp and Paper Industry; and The Fiber Society as a sponsor of the Journal of Engineered Fibers and Fabrics.
An international, peer-reviewed E-journal that publishes original research on all aspects of fabric technologies and their value chain from raw materials to end use products, JEFF earlier this year replaced the International Nonwovens Journal, the longtime technical publication sponsored by INDA and TAPPI.
The mission of JEFF is to publish a highly recognized and peer-reviewed research journal that fosters scientific efforts, across many disciplines, to enhance the performance of fibers, their converted forms and applications. JEFF is pleased and honored to have distinguished scientists from North America, Europe and Asia serving as co-editors and area editors. Reviewed and approved papers are beginning to be posted electronically at http://www.jeffjournal.org and more will be added soon. Two Journal issues are on tap for the later part of 2006, with four planned for 2007.
11/10/06

Gerber Technology Announces General Availability of Fashion Lifecycle Management™
Connecticut, USA – Gerber Technology today announced the general availability of its Fashion Lifecycle Management™ (FLM™) suite. This product lifecycle management solution provides global, real-time visibility and control throughout the entire product development and lifecycle management processes. Fashion Lifecycle Management combines the power of WebPDM, Gerber’s leading product data management solution, with a robust, scaleable enterprise-wide workflow engine and collaboration tools.
Built with the unique requirements of fashion in mind, Gerber Fashion Lifecycle Management provides the collaborative framework for the fashion industry’s increasingly geographically dispersed operations and vendors. With it, users can identify and eliminate tasks that fail to add value, immediately see what part of the process needs attention, and streamline product lifecycles to reduce costs and increase speed to market.
“Consumer expectations drive design changes faster in fashion than in any other industry today,” said Holly Beum, director, software product management, Gerber Technology. “Gerber Fashion Lifecycle Management was developed specifically to meet the pressures that brands and retailers of apparel, footwear, accessories such as jewelry and handbags, home furnishings such as linens, floor coverings and furniture face everyday.”
11/6/06

Gerber Technology Assumes Direct Distribution in Spain
Connecticut, USA– Gerber Technology has announced that it has acquired selected assets of their distributor Rapida Sistemas Integrales enabling direct operations in Spain with the opening of a new head office in Barcelona.
“Customers in Spain have benefited from our product technology since 1978,” said José da Silva, regional director, Western Europe. “We are excited to offer existing and future customers the expanded level of support that this strategic change can provide.”
“Europe remains an important and growing market for Gerber Technology. Spain is a strategic market with strong apparel brands and a rapidly growing industrial segment,” added Sam Simpson, vice president, global sales. “By establishing direct operations in Spain, we can better meet the needs of this marketplace.”
11/6/06

New Industrial-Grade Label Applicator from Avery Dennison Printer Systems Offers Reliable Operation in Demanding Packaging Applications
Philidelphia, PA - A new robust, highly versatile label applicator that can be optionally equipped to withstand direct water washdowns is now available from Avery Dennison Printer Systems. The product, called the ALS 206, securely applies preprinted product ID labels in widths up to 6.4 inches (160 mm) to targeted items including cartons and boxes.
“The ALS 206 was designed to address the specific needs of industrial-grade product ID labeling operations,” says Dan Williams, marketing manager, Avery Dennison Printer Systems. “The result is a highly durable applicator that can also adapt to diverse labeling environments and requirements.”
The ALS 206 adapts easily to a wide range of labeling environments and conveyor setups. Depending on user requirements, for example, the applicator can be mounted in order to apply labels to the top, bottom or sides of targeted items. The ALS 206 is available in right- and left-hand versions, and its dispensing edge can be rotated 90 degrees for added flexibility.
11/1/06

Lectra Unveils New Design and Product Developments
Atlanta, GA – Lectra, a leader in software, CAD/CAM equipment and related services dedicated to the fashion and industrial fabric sectors, will unveil its new design and product development tools at the Megatex 2006 Conference and Exhibition Oct. 31-Nov. 3.
The conference, sponsored by the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI), the American Textile Machinery Exhibition International (ATME-I) and the American Association of Textile Chemist and Colorists International Conference and Exhibit (AATCC IC&E) held at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, Georgia will bring textile industry professionals from a variety of industries to discuss the latest innovations and technologies influencing product design and development. 
In conjunction with the ATME-I Exhibition, Lectra will showcase its newest design and product development offerings, including: Lectra Fashion PLM; Lectra’s new design offering, Kaledo, which will progressively replace Lectra’s U4ia and Prima solutions; and the Sapphire Digital Printer.
 “Megatex provides Lectra with the opportunity to clearly demonstrate the significance of our new Fashion PLM and Design offering to the fashion sector,” said David Rode, President of Lectra Americas. “Lectra solutions enable our customers to meet today’s strategic challenges of shortening time to market, reducing costs, improving productivity and dealing with globalization.”
10/26/06

OptiTex Introduces its Latest Solutions at Parsons
New York -- Israeli based OptiTex, a provider of software for the textile and fashion industry, recently introduced its latest software solutions at a special convention at Parsons The New School of Design, in New York City.
At the convention, OptiTex presented the company’s three-dimensional (3D) design and planning abilities for the textile and fashion industries. OptiTex solutions enable faster manufacturing and production processes as well as an increase in product quality, through a suite of cutting edge 2D and 3D applications.
"We were pleased by the turn out of students, faculty, alumni and other guests at the OptiTex event at Parsons. Through the dynamic presentations, everyone had a chance to learn about the future of the technology, and how to embrace it as a tool for greater creativity, and productivity,” commented Maura Jurgrau, Assistant chair of the fashion department at Parsons The New School of Design. “Working with OptiTex over the past several years has been a rewarding experience. They are visionaries in the way they are willing to work with education. They are generous and supportive, and we hope to maintain this excellent relationship well into the future."
10/25/06

TUKATECH to Release New Generation of TUKAforms for Intimate Apparel and Swimwear
Los Angeles, CA. USA - The new generation of ‘SOFT FLESH’ TUKAforms is specially designed for the Intimate apparel and swimwear industries where fit is the most crucial factor.
States Ram Sareen, founder and Chief Executive Officer of TUKAgroup, “Our objective is to reduce the product development time and cost. TUKAforms allow us to have a fit model at every manufacturing facility in the world. It is priced to compete with standard forms sold worldwide.”
TUKAforms are a reproduction of the human body with exact duplication of shape, size and texture, designed to facilitate manufacturing locations, enabling a company to test garments before sending sewn samples for fitting on live fit models. The same body is also available in digital format and can be used to electronically fit a virtual garment to see how the garment will fit before a sample is cut and sewn. TUKAcad and the e-fit simulator by TUKA are used to test the look and fit of any garment on the fit model’s digital body electronically. Once the look and fit is approved, the pattern files can be used to cut and sew the sample that will fit exactly the same as it showed electronically.
10/25/06

Universal Glossy Canvas wins prestigious DPI award 2006
Germany - Universal Glossy Canvas was awarded with the DPI (Digital Printing and Imaging Association) Product of the Year 2006 in the Fabric category. 3P InkJet Textiles Corp. introduced this brand new media at the recent SGIA Show held in Las Vegas and Photokina at Cologne.
Ergosoft Corp. printed the winning print with their RIP software TexPrint Version 12 on Canon's 60" Image PROGRAF iPF9000 with the new 12-color pigment system on 3P's Universal Glossy Canvas.
"We are delighted to win the Product of the Year award with our latest development" said Thomas Pötz, chairman of 3P InkJet Textiles Corp. "This innovative Universal coating simplifies printing for everyone. Universal Glossy Canvas offers cross platform ink and printer compatibility with optimal quality output. Every popular inkjet printer using pigment or dye-based ink, solvent, eco-solvent or UV curable inks can all be used. "
Universal Glossy Canvas fulfils professional demands in fine art and digital photographic printing. The bright-white fabric offers accurate color reproduction and maximum image quality with vivid colors. Highest resolution prints with finest tonal variations in color and grayscale are possible. 3P's micro-porous coating offers wide color gamut and unique UV-resistance. The raw canvas as well as the coating is free of optical brightener additives to maximize longevity of fine art prints and avoid yellowing. The Cotton/Polyester blend is particularly suitable for precise stretching over frames without any cracking, because ink and coating build a flexible and hard-wearing unit.
10/23/06

Yunique Launches srmOn™ Supplier Relationship Management Solution
New York, NY – Yunique Solutions Inc., a developer of product lifecycle management solutions for the fashion and related industries, announces the availability of srmOn™, a new web-based Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) solution that promises to bring an unprecedented level of visibility and control to the global fashion supply chain. srmOn will be publicly unveiled at Apparel’s 2006 Tech Conference on November 8-9 in New York. Integrated with Yunique’s popular plmOn solution, srmOn extends product lifecycle management capabilities to comprise the process tracking, sourcing relationship, issue management, and collaboration tools that fashion retailers, brands, manufacturers, and suppliers need to control and streamline their supply chain activities.
srmOn provides mills, agents, vendors and factories with clear and real-time visibility into shared product, material, and sample tracking information, enabling all internal and external parties to work off the same accurate and up-to-date information. Moreover, srmOn extends supply chain collaboration by providing advanced, web-based tools for managing tech packs, fabric/color approvals, sampling, RFQ and bids, process tracking, costing, activity and issue management, calendaring and more.
Borrowing from plmOn’s top-ranked performance and usability, srmOn’s user interface, ease of implementation, and user friendliness is already being acknowledged by early users from Yunique’s existing customer base. The product’s clean, well organized screens provide users with the precise tools necessary to manage their tasks without the complexity and unrelated functionality found in other general industry software systems. And like plmOn, srmOn is a 100% web-based solution built on the latest Microsoft .NET framework. This makes it readily available on both MAC and PC platforms, and provides instant and secure access to authorized users anywhere, anytime.
“srmOn was developed in close collaboration with our global customers”, stated Darioush Nikpour, Vice President of Business Development for Yunique Solutions. “Through these strong partnerships across multiple industry segments, we discovered important unmet needs for easy to use, visual tools for managing the supplier relationships that are critical to success in today’s global sourcing environment. With srmOn, we have extended PLM to include the connectivity and collaboration required between all companies and people that are responsible for designing, developing, sourcing, and producing the apparel, textile, and other fashion products that today’s consumers demand.
10/23/06

Radiant Announces Further Gains in Airgroup Network With New Operations in Dallas
Bellevue, Wash.-- Radiant Logistics, Inc., a domestic and international freight forwarding and logistics company, today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, Airgroup Corporation ("Airgroup"), expanded its presence in North America by opening a new exclusive agent location in Dallas, Texas. The new "Airgroup-DFW" office will provide a wide range of domestic and international freight forwarding and logistics services and operate from a facility that features 40,000 square feet of warehouse space with 15 loading docks and cross docking capabilities.
Bob Berry, Airgroup's incumbent station manager and partner of 19 years, will continue to service the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex and operate as Airgroup-DAL. "We look forward to combining our resources in order to better service the entire Airgroup network," said Berry. "We are confident that our combined resources will add value for our clients, enhance our visibility in the Dallas/Fort Worth market, and ultimately allow us to be an integral part of Airgroup's exciting growth in the global logistics marketplace."
10/16/06

Gerber Technology’s 8th Annual Software Users Conference Experiences Continued Growth
Connecticut, USA– With more than 200 participants in attendance, Gerber Technology’s 8th annual Software Users Conference was held September 21-22 in Irving, Texas.  The conference featured new product and solution offerings and provided a wide-range of expert-led educational seminars on Fashion Lifecycle Management, WebPDM, and AccuMark software solutions, as well as best practices for their implementation and ongoing optimization.
Attendees chose from more than 30 compelling educational sessions designed to show how they can grow and succeed in today’s challenging business environment. Hands-on, “tips & tricks” and informational sessions highlighted the latest information on Fashion Lifecycle Management™, WebPDM, AccuMark, V-Stitcher, and 3D Direct, and provided attendees with the opportunity to learn from the experts. Customer case studies were presented by representatives from The adidas Group, Ash City, Cintas, Kellwood, Mervyns and Pacific Sunwear which provided insight into how these leading organizations are meeting the challenges of an increasingly competitive marketplace by using Gerber’s innovative technologies to suit their respective organization’s unique needs.
In the general session, Dr. Michael T. Fralix, president, [TC]², provided an industry perspective while Marie Davis, vice president of technical design and quality for Tween Brands provided a customer perspective speaking about Tween Brands’ growth and the information technology strategies for supporting future growth. A Technology Showcase gave participants the opportunity to investigate additional solutions provided by Gerber’s strategic partners.
“The continued growth of this conference in North America is testament to the high value it provides to our customers,” said Bob Rivera, executive director, global marketing and key accounts, Gerber Technology. “We are honored and pleased with such outstanding customer participation, and look forward to the continued growth of our software users conference in the future.”
10/5/06

Stork Prints Group and GSE B.V. Announce Management Buy-out of Stork Prints Group’s Ink / paste Dispensing Activities
The Netherlands - The Stork Prints Group announced a management buyout of its dispensing activities. The sale is in line with the group’s strategy of strengthening the focus in its activities.
The new company, GSE B.V., is taking over all existing Stork Prints sales, maintenance and work in progress agreements as well as all staff directly involved in the dispensing activities.  Stork Prints will act as agent for the GSE B.V. dispensing products in the textile printing market, making use of its global distribution network.
Dick Joustra, Managing Director of the Stork Prints Group added: “Stork Prints is accelerating its very focused move towards expansion of its leading position as consumable and related equipment supplier in the textile and graphics printing markets. As part of this strategy, we are exiting some areas of the business that fall outside of this focus. I know that GSE will continue to provide an excellent service to all its customers.”
10/3/06

Keeping Textiles Fresh – BASF & Arch Team Up
Ludwigshafen, Germany - BASF’s Performance Chemicals for Textiles business unit and Arch Chemicals, Inc. have formed a global alliance to market Arch’s Reputex™ 20 freshness-enhancing finish and its associated Purista® brand label, which is used on treated consumer products. The companies will work together to enter new application sectors in everyday clothing and home textiles, such as shirts, fashion tops and bed linens.
With the rise in consumer demand for comfort enhancing and easy care textiles, textile manufacturers as well as retailers and brands are looking for new ways to add value. As an expert in textile finishing, BASF can support manufacturers in smoothly implementing the new product into their existing processes.
Reputex is an antimicrobial treatment for cellulosic textiles such as cotton and cotton blends. It makes textiles stay fresher for longer by controlling the growth of micro-organisms, which would cause odour and fabric deterioration during today’s lower temperature wash and wear cycles.
BASF’s global textile network and technical know-how, and Arch Chemicals’ superior treatment technology and Purista branding activities, complement each other. “We wanted to join forces with a company that would strengthen our existing operations making Purista treatment available throughout the global textiles chain and at the same time offering technical development potential. BASF was the natural choice for us,“ states Peter Cowey, International Business Manager - Textiles from Arch.
Dr. Michael Schmitt, Head of Innovation Textiles from BASF comments: “The freshness-enhancing treatment fits perfectly into our overall finishing product portfolio for the textiles industry. We can now offer customers additional functions together with our existing comfort enhancing finish. The benefits and strong position of the Purista brand opens up new market sectors, and brings BASF closer to the retailer and brand, as well as consumers.”
10/3/06

Apparel Magazine to Honor 10 All-Star Award Winners
Columbia, SC —Apparel magazine, the leading b-to-b publication for apparel and apparel retail executives, will present its 2006 All-Star Awards to 10 outstanding apparel businesses at a ceremony Wednesday, Nov. 8 at the Katie Murphy Amphitheater of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT) in New York, NY.
The 10 winners are: Chardan Ltd., Cutter & Buck, Danskin, Goodwill Industries of South Florida, Hirdaramani Industries, Lori Coulter, The Marena Group, Dr. Deborah Meyer-Brosdahl of Kansas State University, Spyder Active Sports and Trina Turk.
One of the 10 winners will be named the 2006 Grand All-Star Award winner at the ceremony. The Grand All-Star Award winner is the firm the Apparel editorial staff determines to be the strongest in meeting the All-Star Award criteria, which are: (1) Innovation; (2) Excellence in Management; (3) A Strong Track Record of Growth; and (4) Corporate Goodwill that Reflects Positively on the Industry. Each All-Star Award winner will be profiled in the December issue of Apparel. Winners are selected by Apparel Magazine’s editorial staff based on nominations from industry executives, All-Star Award partner associations and others.
“This year’s All-Star Award winners are very diverse businesses, but they all have a common drive to innovate,” said Kathleen DesMarteau, editor in chief of Apparel. “We look forward to recognizing each of them next month in New York and to featuring their stories in our December issue’s All-Star Salute.”
The All-Star Awards presentation ceremony will follow the day one keynote address of the 2006 Apparel Tech Conference, which will run Wednesday Nov. 8 to Thursday, Nov. 9 at FIT and will feature presentations by technology and other solutions suppliers to the apparel industry, plus tabletop displays of sponsoring firms’ solutions.
On Nov. 8, the conference hours will be 12:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., followed by a networking reception at FIT open to all attendees and All-Star Award winners from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. The conference will continue on Nov. 9, running from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Apparel Tech Conference is produced by Apparel Magazine and hosted by FIT.
Leading vendors will exhibit on both days of the Conference, previewing new solutions, products and services designed to drive apparel and retail companies’ competitiveness. These include Platinum Sponsors Cognis Corp., Datacolor, Lectra and TUKAweb; Gold Sponsors AlvaProducts, Assyst-Bullmer Inc., Blue Fox Porini, Business Management Systems, Computer Generated Solutions, Fashionware, Gerber Technology, Infor (formerly Geac), New Generation Computing, OptiTex USA Inc., Polygon Software, PTC, Shapely Shadow, TXT e-solutions and UGS Corp.; and Silver Sponsors Cotton Incorporated, ecVision, Freeborders, QuestaWeb and Yunique Solutions. [TC]² is an official endorser of the Apparel Tech Conference.
Registration for the Conference is free to apparel, retail and soft goods executives and professionals. A portion of the proceeds from the event’s sponsorships will benefit the scholarship initiatives of FIT’s Production Management program. To register, visit www.apparelmag.com.
10/3/06