News for
October/November/December 2007

WRAP Announces First Accredited Consultants
Arlington, VA - WRAP, the Worldwide Responsible Accredited Production organization, has announced that [TC]² has become the first firm, and that Ivan Viera, Esq. has become the first accredited individual consultant, to provide training and consulting services to factories seeking certification to WRAP’s Apparel Code of Conduct and the newly released Universal Code of Ethical Conduct under its new Accredited Consultant Program.
“We’ve seen a growing need at the factory level for training of management, supervisors and employees in the areas of human resources management, health and safety, legal compliance, efficiency improvements, environmental practices and all areas related to CSR management,” said Steve Jesseph, WRAP President and CEO.  “An increasing number of brands and retailers are asking factories to become certified to the WRAP standard.  At the same time, we were finding that some factories were having difficulty in meeting the expectations and not for lack of trying, but for lack of information and training.  While we provide orientation and basic training in the WRAP requirements, we also recognized that no one organization or group of consultants was helping factories to truly understand what was expected of them at an in-depth level and how compliance programs could improve the productivity and profitability of their business at the same time.  Ivan and the staff of the [TC]² organization have a unique set of skills that, coupled with the additional information and systems approach that WRAP utilizes, allows them to provide what we believe will speed the certification process and help the factory improve their operations at the same time,” added Jesseph.
“[TC]² has been providing research and consulting services to the global apparel, soft goods and sewn products industry since our founding in 1981,” said Will Duncan, [TC]² Vice President, Industry Services.  “We have been impressed with the growth and acceptance of WRAP by the sewn products industry, brands and retailers and saw our affiliation with WRAP in this area as a logical extension and value-added service of what we’re already doing at the facility level.  With our 25+ years of experience and knowledge in the global supply chain, we believe this service will be of great assistance to our client factories and further help improve their operations.  Our initial focus will be in the U.S., the Caribbean and Latin America, but we hope to grow this part of our practice aggressively over the next several years.”
Attorney Ivan Viera, former Vice President with Russell Corporation, Sara Lee Branded Apparel and counsel with Constangy, Brooks and Smith, also completed the consultant accreditation program and will be teaming with [TC]² to serve as an expert advisor on legal, human resources, employee and labor relations, and communication issues.  “I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to work throughout the Caribbean, Latin America and Asia for the past 30 years, and have developed a broad knowledge base of legal requirements and business practices in the apparel and manufacturing sectors,” said Viera.  “Ivan has such a strong background as a legal advisor and human resources professional that we’re very excited about the skills he brings to our affiliation,” added Duncan.
11/26/07

Plataine Introduces Total Production Optimization Solutions for Upholstery Furniture Manufacturers
Ball Ground, Georgia - Plataine, a leading provider of production optimization software, announced the availability of a new software solution that enables unprecedented levels of production optimization for upholstery furniture manufacturers.
Plataine's Total Production Optimization solution is unique in its ability to help manufacturers plan and execute production processes while simultaneously optimizing material utilization, machine productivity, and overall production schedules.
Based on the status of each order and every machine at any given time, the system can automatically generate real-time optimized production schedules combined with optimized nesting and machine tool paths for each order.
In addition, Plataine's Total Production Optimization provides real-time measurement of material utilization, employee and machine performance, and many other productivity metrics, going above and beyond the level of information provided by existing production systems. With this information readily available, production managers can make timely decisions that result in greater productivity and timelier product deliveries.
11/15/07

TUKATECH Delivers 3D Proto Sample Movies On iPhone™ For Faster Approvals
Los Angeles, CA - Digital communication takes another step forward in the fast moving fashion business with approvals of samples via mobile devices.  Many suppliers are opting to send digital samples via e-mail with motion video attachments, showing approvers the fit and look of proto and final samples.
“One of our major customers in New York really wanted to see the motion videos of her samples on her iPhone™ from our e-fit Simulator software. We were getting fit comments while shewas taking the train ride to office.  The interesting part is that we fix the digital sample and e-mail her generally before she reaches her office,” says Arshad Sattar, Managing Director of Timex Group in Sri Lanka.
e-fit Simulator by TUKA™ has a built-in motion simulator for fit development and fit verification, with color tension mapping, X-Ray vision, and many other features that simulate real fit sessions, with results that are identical to actual fit sessions – but without physical samples.  Many retailers have eliminated physical samples while approving digital samples to save time, as they did not find any variation between the two.
11/14/07

AATCC Review Article Archive Now in Chinese and Spanish
Research Triangle Park, N.C.—The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) is providing Chinese- and Spanish-language versions of important articles and features from its monthly magazine and scientific journal, AATCC Review, in an online archive.
In an agreement with China Textile Leader (CTL), AATCC Review articles and features are translated and republished in CTL. Similarly, the Argentinean Association of Textile Chemists & Colorists (AAQCT) is translating and republishing select AATCC Review articles in its magazine Galaxia. The translated articles from both publications are then added to the AATCC Article Archive.
With the rapid growth of the international textile industry and AATCC's increased presence worldwide as a technical and educational resource, the availability of translated AATCC materials benefits both textile researchers and the industry at large.
The Chinese language articles have been reproduced in their original format—including tables, graphs, illustrations, and photos—and are optimized as PDF documents for fast loading. The Spanish language articles are currently text documents in PDF format.
11/13/07

Artlandia SymmetryShop 2 Delivers New Capabilities for Professional Pattern Design
Champaign, IL - Artlandia, Inc., maker of award-winning pattern design software, has released Artlandia SymmetryShop 2, a major new version of its Adobe Photoshop plug-in.
SymmetryShop is a companion of Artlandia SymmetryWorks, which provides a similar functionality in Adobe Illustrator. The new version significantly streamlines the workflow for creating sophisticated surface designs and automates the creation of new classes of patterns in Photoshop.
Artlandia SymmetryShop 2 for Macintosh and Windows runs on all major operating systems and is available immediately. The plug-in requires Photoshop 7 or later version. Photoshop CS2 is recommended for using smart objects and Photoshop CS3 for autorun.
11/1/07

Browzwear Presents the World's First Fabric Testing Kit
Tel Aviv, Israel – Browzwear International, a pioneer in 3D fashion design and communication software, today presents the world's first Fabric Testing Kit (FTK) for 3D apparel visualization. The Fabric Testing Kit enables fashion designers and pattern-makers to easily and accurately measure all fabric properties required for true-to-life garment simulation using Browzwear’s V-Stitcher software.
To make the most of Browzwear's software and its unique fabric simulation/draping capabilities, the new, suitcase shaped Fabric Testing Kit measures the fabric's stretch, bend, and shear properties and tests the results for verification. The Fabric Testing Kit is specially designed for simplicity and user-friendliness. Alongside the V-Stitcher design and communication solution, the FTK will serve to shorten the production process and reduce costs while enhancing the accuracy and realism of fabric simulation.
"Browzwear's Fabric Testing Kit is a true innovation for the fashion and textile industries as they advance to the 3D-generation of comprehensive design and communication solutions ", says Aviela Sherbu-Cohen, Browzwear's CEO. "While accelerating the production process, the FTK also allows for a more true-to-life representation of the garment, enabling designers, pattern makers, buyers and decision-makers to envision the final product with great accuracy."
10/23/07

And OptiTex Created Adam – in 3D
Petach-Tikva, Israel – OptiTex continues to advance the textile design industry with the creation of Adam, the newest version of its 3D male avatar. Adam further simplifies the virtual sampling process, allowing designers and clothing manufacturers to see their designs before initiating production.
Beginning in November, Adam will appear within OptiTex’s 3D new Version 10 3D modules and related applications, serving as a complement to Jasmine, the female 3D supermodel and a large family of boy, girl and baby avatars. Adam’s feature set significantly expands on the previous versions of OptiTex’s 3D male models. Enter thirty key measurements, dozens of body morphs such as muscle tone definition, belly shape and a wide range of postures and you can create an Adam, who will model what clothing will look like on a wide variety of body types before a single pattern is cut.
“Our 3D avatars, Adam and Jasmine, provide our customers with critical competitive advantages,” says Ran Machtinger, CEO of OptiTex, Ltd. “Virtually every parameter of the avatars is customizable, allowing designers to see their creations come to life on the screen, virtually eliminating the expense of models and fabric waste and significantly reducing production time.”
10/18/07

Wasatch SoftRIP Releases Support for New Devices from Epson, d.gen, DGI, Mimaki, Mutoh, and Roland
Salt Lake City, UT - Wasatch Computer Technology has released 17 new drivers for popular inkjet printers and cutting devices.  This SoftRIP release includes drivers for Epson’s new Stylus Pro x880 and x450 printer models, as well as devices from d.gen, DGI, Mimaki, Mutoh, and Roland.
“When Epson’s new Stylus Pro devices begin shipping, Wasatch will be ready,” says Wasatch Vice President Jay Griffin.  “SoftRIP was the first inkjet RIP to introduce 16-bit rendering for high-definition output.  Demanding users with premium devices will appreciate the difference 16-bit color makes in their output quality.”
Internal testing in the Wasatch labs has produced excellent quality color separations for screen and flexo printing using the new Epson printers.  The Epson inks released for these devices block UV light better than the previous formulation, making these printers particularly well suited for the separations market. 
10/2/07