[TC]² Bi-Weekly Technology Communicator
World’s Smallest 3D Body Scanner
[TC]² announces the release of its latest 3D body scanning technology – the NX-16. Measuring only 4X4.5 feet in dimension, this full body scanner is designed to be able to fit in the space of an existing retail changing room. “The #1 issue with the implementation of body scanners in retail or public settings is the cost and availability of space,” according to David Bruner, [TC]²’s VP of Technology Development. “Retailers generally will not give up
a single square foot of selling space for a body scanner, but many are excited about a unit that fits within an existing changing room.”
Like [TC]²’s previous model, the NX-12, the new scanner uses safe white light technology, offers a private self-scanning mode of operation, is highly accurate and easy to use. Apparel application opportunities include
made-to-measure clothing, size and style recommendation, creation of 3D avatars for virtual dressing, sizing surveys, and many more.
Adds Bruner, “With the body scanner in the changing area there is no extra burden on the consumer for changing clothes to get an accurate body scan – because they are already there trying on garments.”
The NX-16 is also being offered for new applications in the health, fitness, and medical industries. New application features include body composition measurement, measurement tracking over time, and 3D body shape measuring and monitoring.
Demonstrations of the NX-16 body scanner are available at [TC]²’s Cary, NC facility, and the scanner will be shown at upcoming trade shows, including the IHRSA 2007 Convention in San Francisco in March, and the SPESA Expo 2007 in Miami in May.
To schedule a visit to [TC]², click here.
Grading For Fit Seminar at [TC]²
March 28-30
Do you want to increase your skills in pattern making and fitting? This 3-day course provides basic principles of fit and grading. Proper grading ensures good fit of a manufactured garment. Hands-on projects include deriving grade rules and manual grading of basic garments.
Attendees should understand patternmaking, general grading principles, and basic CAD functions.
Intro to Apparel Manufacturing – April 23-27. An overview of processes and technologies, from fiber to finished product, is offered in this 4-1/2 day program.
To register, or for more details on these programs, visit http://www.tc2.com/what/seminars.html.
[TC]²’s NX-12 Body Scanner at the University of Arkansas
By Kim Anderson, [TC]²
One year after joining the Bumpers College faculty as an associate professor in the School of Human Environmental Sciences at the University of Arkansas, Dr. Lona Robertson has big plans for the [TC]² NX-12 body scanner. As area coordinator for the Apparel Studies major, Dr. Robertson is involving students and colleagues in a myriad of research projects.
According to Dr. Robertson, students are “just beginning to find out that we have the scanner and want to learn how to use it.” She says students are fascinated by the technology.
A team of students at the University of Arkansas has recently submitted a business proposal to the Global Social Venture Competition (GSVC). The GSVC is the first student-led business plan competition that supports and promotes social ventures. As defined on the GSVC website, “a social venture is an enterprise that has both financial and social goals integral to its purpose.” The competition is sponsored by the Yale School of Management, Columbia Business School, The Haas School of Business at Berkeley, London Business School, Indian School of Business, The International University in Geneva and SVC-Korea.
The team of students plans to use the NX-12 body scanner to investigate apparel for people with special needs. Dr. Robertson explains that “children with autism are very sensitive to the way clothing touches them, the way fabrics feels…there are a lot of tactile issues with autistic children.” The students also want to investigate the special needs of amputees and people of extreme stature—both small and large. The team has recently been notified that they have made the first cut in the regional competition.
Dr. Robertson has initiated a number of interdisciplinary projects. She is working with faculty members in the Food, Human Nutrition and Hospitality department. They plan to investigate obesity, and what a perfect place—Arkansas is the ‘7th heaviest’ state in the country and is one of 31 states where obesity rates continue to rise.
The fight against obesity is not a new one for Arkansonians. While Governor of Arkansas, Mike Huckabee had a health scare. He made a decision to change his lifestyle. Over a year, he lost 105 pounds. He also established the Body Mass Index (BMI) Report Card—making it mandatory for students who attend public schools to have their BMI checked annually. The effectiveness of the strategy has been debated—many parents threw the report cards away because they didn’t want their kids to see it. Dr. Robertson and another faculty member began to ponder—how are they measuring BMI and is it really the best measurement?
Dr. Robertson and her colleagues will evaluate how the body changes over time by looking at weight, percent body fat, body shape as well as BMI. Although they haven’t zeroed in on all the specifics, they know they want to investigate girls from pre-puberty through puberty, scanning them yearly. They also want to investigate how comfortable these children are with their bodies. After collecting and evaluating the data, they plan to educate kids, parents and heath agencies about diet and exercise.
Dr. Robertson is also working with faculty members who specialize in the study of geriatrics. Using the NX-12 scanner, they plan to design and develop clothing for women with severe osteoporosis.
Having had the scanner for just shy of six months, Dr. Robertson says we already have lots of ideas and irons in the fire…right now we’re really excited and busy.
[TC]² Activity
COLOMBIATEX de las Americas 2007
Medellin, Colombia
January 23 – 25, 2007
By Arturo Rodriguez, [TC]² Contract Services, Latin America
Medellin, Colombia was the site for the XIX edition of Colombiatex. [TC]² shared booth space with SPESA in the machinery section of the show.
The Republic of Colombia, Latin America’s 4th largest country, is definitely a key player in the apparel industry in the Americas. With its 15,000 plants (formal and informal) and some 600,000 direct and indirect textile and sewing related jobs, this sector certainly packs a big punch.
INEXMODA, the show organizer since 1987, has combined passion with business, giving the show its motto: “Where business meets passion.” Truly an international event, the strong presence of international buyers (some 1,600) as well as suppliers made headlines when the organizers announced that during the 3 day event sales of some 28.1 million US dollars were reached……expecting to raise to over USD $35 million in the coming days. This past edition, 2007, boasted over 7,000 sq. meters of show space with over 450 exhibitors from Colombia as well as from the US, Mexico, Brazil, Ecuador, Chile, Peru, and Venezuela. During its 3 days over 8,000 attendees flocked to the fairgrounds to the slogan “Made in Colombia.”
Last year the global environment of the apparel industry certainly caught on in Colombia, since the main topic was how the FTA negotiations with the USA were proceeding. The FTA with the USA is still not ratified by the US Congress, so the existing treaty, FTPDEA, was extended for
6 + 6 months, thus giving the Colombian apparel exports to the USA some much needed oxygen. Colombian apparel is a leader with regard to quality, price, its proximity to the market place, and with the business practices (such as Lean Manufacturing) that are being put into place, it is a powerful contender.
Don Alvaro Uribe, President of Columbia, was elected for a second term. He visited the show on the third day and held a meeting with the key players of Colombia. He faces several obstacles, including the actual exchange rate in which a strong Colombian peso has hurt the industry making their exports less competitive. President Uribe has seen the benefit of a strong textile/apparel supply chain in Colombia as a resource to create employment for its 40 million plus inhabitants, so it is expected that he will address these issues.
So what does Colombia produce in terms of apparel? Thirty percent of its exports are infant wear, men’s suits, sportswear and jeans. Torreon, Mexico was believed to be the jeans capital several years ago; nowadays, Medellin has developed a strong market share. And, most of the exports find a place in the USA economy. Not only does Colombia have a strong apparel manufacturing base, it has what many countries envy…a strong textile manufacturing sector. More than 350 textile plants–mostly around Bogota and Medellin-try to satisfy the internal consumption, but even so, Colombia had to import some 750 million dollars worth of textiles during 2006, not only in cotton but also in manmade fabrics, such as some textile specialties like coconut fiber based.
Over the five show days, [TC]² had many productive and insightful meetings, mostly with Colombian entities, and some Peruvian contacts. Because of the existence of a strong textile/apparel cluster in the state of Antioquia (Medellin is the capital) we were able to meet with a very important Medellin university, EAFIT, as well as other Colombian institutions regarding an exciting new initiative that could impact the entire Colombian apparel supply chain.
Member Profile
Gerber Technology and The “Cool Zone” at SPESA Expo 2007
Hot Technologies Transforming the Industry
By Karen Davis, [TC]²
Can you imagine developing and selling a product without ever making a physical sample? SPESA Expo attendees in Miami May 8-10 will be able to learn how by following a high-fashion t-shirt being designed, printed, cut and sewn, all while visiting the Cool Zone in Pavilion 670. Gerber Technology will supply the cutting equipment to produce the garment on the show floor.
Gerber’s DCS 3500 conveyorized cutting system is designed for low- or single-ply cutting, which does not require spreaders or paper or plastic underlays. Multiple tool mounts provide greater flexibility, and the cutter’s small footprint reduces floor space requirements.
Gerber Technology, one of four business units of Gerber Scientific, Inc., provides design, product lifecycle management, and automated production solutions for the sewn and flexible goods industries. In addition to its line of cutters and spreaders, other product offerings include the AccuMark™ pattern design suite; AccuNest™ marker making software, and Fashion Lifecycle Management.
Hal Osthus, executive director, product management, Gerber Technology, comments, “Gerber looks forward to partnering with Yuhan-Kimberly to produce nano-colorant t-shirts in the Cool Zone. With its high speed operation and matching capabilities, the DCS 3500 is an ideal tool for custom products.” In addition to participating in the Cool Zone, Gerber Technology will be located at Booth 914 in the Convention Center.
Gerber will also be demonstrating its AccuMark V-Stitcher 3D pattern visualization software as part of the 4,000 sq. ft. pavilion that [TC]² is coordinating. The Cool Zone is the largest exhibit combining multiple suppliers, and will showcase leading edge technologies that are in support of a totally digital supply chain. The space will be divided into four areas of concentration: Product Development, Merchandising/Sales, Product Conversion, and Distribution.
In addition to the exhibits by more than ten different companies, there will be live presentations during show hours, describing the various technologies and pavilion activities in depth.
Plan to visit the Cool Zone, Pavilion 670, at the SPESA Expo, May 8-10, at the Miami Beach Convention Center to view these products firsthand. For more information on SPESA Expo 2007, go to www.spesaexpo.com.
Important Dates
February
13-16 |
MAGIC Show, Las Vegas, www.magiconline.com. |
25-27 |
NTC Forum, Hilton Head, SC. To register or for information visit www.ntcresearch.org. |
28-3/2 |
AAAFA Annual Executive Summit, St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort. For details visit www.apparelandfootwear.org. |
March
13 |
Annual Meeting of Members and the Board of Directors at [TC]² |
28-30 |
Grading for Fit Seminar at [TC]², for information or to register click here. |
29 |
Quality & Systems Improvement for Sewn Products, Seminar at [TC]². For details, click here. |
April
13-14 |
SEAMS Spring Meeting, Myrtle Beach, for more information, www.seams.org. |
18-20 |
Pattern Development Seminar at [TC]², for information or to register click here. |
23-24 |
Two Fast Fashion Workshops, Mexico City, for more information click here. |
23-27 |
Intro to Apparel Manufacturing Seminar, at [TC]² , for information or to register click here |
26-29 |
AAFA Supply Chain and Enterprise Competitiveness Committees, Key Largo, for more information www.apparelandfootwear.org. |
May
8-10 |
Material World/SPESA Expo, Miami Beach, for more information, click here. |
For detailed information about industry events, visit www.techexchange.com
Thanks to the techexchange site sponsors
Apparel Magazine, Gerber Technology, Intentia, Lectra, Methods Workshop and Reach Technologies.
A Look Ahead in the Newsletter
MAGIC
View previous editions of this newsletter
[TC]²
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