[TC]² Bi-Weekly Technology Communicator
Lean Manufacturing Workshop
May 7, 2007
Miami Beach Convention Center • Miami Beach, FL USA
By Karen Davis, [TC]²
SPESA Expo and [TC]² are offering a Lean Manufacturing Workshop during SPESA Expo (May 8-10, 2007 at the Miami Beach Convention Center, Miami Beach, FL USA)
Participants will learn how LEAN MANUFACTURING systems reduce work-in-process, increase quality, and shorten lead times, as well as an understanding of the commitment LEAN MANUFACTURING requires at all levels of the operation.
Click here to read more. (PDF file)
Going Green
By Kim Anderson, [TC]²
The green movement is once again upon us. Some say it’s here for the long haul, while others believe it is just a fleeting fad. Regardless of the longevity of the current green trend, it is posing some appealing opportunities for the textile and apparel industries. Whether a product is made from recycled yarns or processes that use little or no chemicals—it’s a good time to check out green products.
Instead of filling up the land fills, yarn manufacturers are spinning yarn from once discarded plastic bottles. Although it’s not a new process, it is taking on growing importance—the sale of water bottles alone jumped from 3.3 billion bottles in 1997 to 15 billion bottles in 2002. Yarn made from recycled plastic is more expensive than regular polyester, but the environmental story is a good one—and not just in theory.
Recycled silk yarns made from old saris and remnant fabrics that were once thrown away make for another appealing green story. The yarns are made by manually pulling and cutting the fabrics and then blending and spinning it. Chunky, rustic, brightly colored yarns that are ideal for knitting sweaters are produced. The yarns are totally random—making no two cones alike.
The outer shell of the coconut, once disposed of, is being transformed into a high performing yarn. The shell is combined with polyester during the extrusion process. A fabric constructed with the coconut/polyester yarns is multi-functional—having excellent wicking properties, the capability to trap and remove odor molecules and the ability to protect the wearer from harmful UV rays. The yarn can also be combined with cotton to produce a fabric with excellent moisture management properties—keeping the wearer cool even in the heat of summer.
Other byproducts from corn, banana, soy and bamboo that were once thrown away are now being utilized to make yarn. Fabrics made from these yarns are doing double duty, since they possess many of the attributes of a natural fiber such as softness and comfort, while also having the durability of a synthetic fiber.
Organic yarns are produced from fibers that use no herbicides or artificial fertilizers. The sale of organic yarns in the U.S. in 2003 was $85 million while global sales exceeded $240 million. Although organic cotton comprises the bulk of the industry, organic wool and silk are also available. Organic fibers are more expensive, but even blending as little as 6% with a less expensive fiber has proven to be a big seller in the outdoor apparel market.
Lyocell is a cellulose-based fiber. The process used to make Lyocell yarn is considered to be environmentally friendly. The process has low water consumption and the solvent is 99.6% recyclable. Fabric made from Lyocell yarns is super soft and lustrous with low shrinkage. Lyocell also inhibits bacterial growth and has excellent moisture management properties.
Flax is a great fiber for spring and warm weather apparel. What many people don’t realize about flax is that it also has a nice environmental slant—it thrives in poor soils and cold wet climates and requires virtually no chemicals.
Almost every industry is going green, including the apparel industry. It’s not cheap to be green, but what a great way to provide a little assistance to the environment while also offering your customer a unique product.
Academia Is Taking Digital Printing to New Heights
By Kim Anderson, [TC]²
Three professors have been investigating the opportunities of digital printing. Each shared not only their artistic masterpieces but also their insight into the pros and cons of this relatively new printing technology. To read what Susan Brandeis, Hitoshi Ujiie and J.R. Campbell are doing with digital printing go to the techexchange library and read the entire article.
[TC]² Activity
[TC]² Annual Meeting of Members and the Board of Directors
By Karen Davis, [TC]²
[TC]² welcomed over 40 individuals including members of its Board of Directors, [TC]² members, and invited guests to its March 13th Annual Meeting. Chairman Peter Butenhoff greeted the visitors and presented the slate of new Board members for approval, which are: Keith Crisco of Asheboro Elastics Corporation; Kevin Hall of Hanes Brands, Inc.; Kat Heffron of Limited Brands, Inc.; Susan Jessup of Wachovia Bank; Bob Levine of Liz Claiborne; Matt McCullen of Russell Corporation; David Moody of Milliken and Company; and Ed Thomas of Fruit of the Loom. Dr. Michael Fralix was elected [TC]²’s President and CEO in recognition of his outstanding leadership of [TC]² and in the industry. Peter Butenhoff remains Chairman of [TC]².
Mike Fralix reviewed [TC]²’s financial performance for 2006 and presented a final budget for fiscal year 2007. It was approved. David Bruner discussed the research agenda, and the latest generation scanner, the NX-16, a changing room-size scanner, which expands the opportunity for made-to-measure custom clothing and opens the door for size and style prediction for retailers. [TC]²’s product development activities will be focused on enhancing and mining the SizeUSA data to develop a size reference guideline in a number of categories for the industry. New research will focus on nano-coloring, which provides a new range of capabilities for digital printing. Integrating the consumer into the product development process using virtual communities will also be addressed. Garments can be created in virtual worlds, and avatars created from SizeUSA data for virtual try-on.
With the introduction of the NX-16 scanner, [TC]² has developed health/fitness applications which provide body composition and measurement tracking capabilities. The new scanner will be unveiled at a fitness industry trade show in San Francisco at the end of March. The imagetwin.com web site is online, and is designed to be a body measurement data sharing network focusing on apparel, health/fitness, and medical applications.
Will Duncan announced a name change for [TC]²’s consulting services from Contract Services to Industry Services. Its new mission is to “Help companies create more value for their customers by maximizing the effectiveness of their people and processes.” Duncan discussed the primary services offered, which include: implementation of lean manufacturing; training; business process analysis; and factory assessments. A variety of industrial engineering services are available, such as product costing, methods engineering, line balancing, plant layout and workflow analysis.
Jim Lovejoy identified the six summer student interns selected by the AAFA Human Resources Leadership Council. The 8-week study program will focus on supply chain strategies, product development, and business planning. Lovejoy also highlighted [TC]²’s seminar offerings, both regularly scheduled programs and some customized seminars that have been presented. A new Sewability-Sewing Quality Management course is under development.
Jud Early is [TC]²’s Chief Technology Officer, among other roles he fills, and in this capacity, he writes a column for the techexchange.com web site. His “Ask Jud” resource can result in interesting inquiries, some not remotely related to the sewn products industry. He tries to research and answer, or provide referrals, to address the issues of his correspondents.
Special guest speakers included Dr. Joe Cunning, former Director of the NTC, who discussed how technology innovations occur. Mike Fralix followed with a presentation on the Cool Zone exhibit [TC]² is coordinating for SPESA Expo. Gus Whalen, of the Warren Featherbone Foundation, described the “Communiversity” that has been developed in his company’s 130,000 sq. ft. factory in Gainesville, GA which formerly manufactured Alexis baby clothes. The facility incorporates a manufacturing development center for Lanier Technical College, the department of nursing for Brenau University, and Ink, an interactive neighborhood for kids, which is a kid-sized 20,000 sq. ft. museum of everyday business enterprises that children can visit. The Warren Featherbone organization has been in existence for 125 years, and has continually re-invented itself to meet the needs of the community.
Cool Zone Profile
Audaces and The “Cool Zone” at SPESA Expo 2007
Hot Technologies Transforming the Industry
By Karen Davis, [TC]²
Can you imagine digitizing patterns using only a digital camera? In the Cool Zone, Audaces will demonstrate Digiflash, its software product that digitizes patterns using digital photographs, making a camera support, digitizing table or any other equipment unnecessary.
Possible problems such as distance, framing, perspective or photo distortion can be corrected by the system. Using artificial intelligence, the software generates a digital reproduction by automatically detecting the contours and control points.
The principal advantage of Audaces Digiflash is the precision and time savings, since it is possible to digitize a set of patterns all at once, increasing productivity.
Claudio Vasques de Souza, Regional Manager of Audaces, comments, “We are pleased to present Audaces Digiflash in the Cool Zone because we know that the state-of-the-art in technology for the Garment industry will be focused there.”
Audaces Automação, located in Florianópolis, Brazil, is a company that develops technology solutions for automation of productive processes. Operating in the market since 1992, the company exports its products around the world and has clients in all of Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia.
In addition to undertaking technology solutions for the creation and production sectors of companies and for product management, the company also operates in the hardware segment. Audaces is the only Latin American producer of large format ink jet printers (plotters) for the apparel industry. Visit Booth 814 to view hardware and software products offered by Audaces.
Cool Zone Profile
Alvanon and The “Cool Zone” at SPESA Expo 2007
Hot Technologies Transforming the Industry
By Karen Davis, [TC]²
Can you imagine creating a fit assistant from scan data? Alvanon will exhibit a mannequin created from a model’s 3D image, and demonstrate AlvaForm, its 3D method for generating dress forms.
Through the use of a body scanner or by precise specification acquisition techniques, a subject’s exact body measurements are extracted. After the data has been adjusted and approved, the information is used to create a mold that produces durable and long lasting dress forms for product development and quality assurance in the field.
All Alvaforms are made at the company’s manufacturing facility from fiberglass and are covered with 2 layers of rib and a covering of durable, high quality linen. Alvaforms also come fully-equipped with standard features including collapsible shoulders, detachable shoulder caps, detachable arms, a detachable leg, a collapsible hip and a metal stand. The company has a complete line of standard forms, including forms for infants, toddlers and children.
Dr. Kenneth Wang founded Alvanon in 2001 to supply fit solutions for the apparel industry. Alvanon maintains offices in New York, London, and Hong Kong with a staff of fit experts, 3D developers, IT professionals and pattern makers with years of experience in apparel manufacturing and supply chain management.
In addition to the Cool Zone, Alvanon will have a dedicated space at Booth 1215 in the Convention Center to exhibit its full line of services.
Cool Zone Profile
Paxar Demonstrates RFID magicmirror in The “Cool Zone” at SPESA Expo 2007
Companies Showcase the Latest Ground-Breaking Technologies Transforming the Industry
By Karen Davis, [TC]²
Can you imagine looking in a mirror to identify coordinating accessories for a garment or to determine item size and color availability, or simply touching the mirror to page a sales associate without the trouble of leaving the fitting room? SPESA Expo attendees in Miami, May 8-10, will be able to experience this firsthand at Paxar’s magicmirror showcase in the Cool Zone, Pavilion 670.
When a customer places an RFID-tagged item in front of the magicmirror, it automatically displays rich personalized content including brand messaging and product proposition; description of the garment including size and color; item location and stock information; and mix-and-match style guides that suggest other items such as accessories to enhance the consumer’s shopping experience. From the dressing room, the shopper can touch the mirror which alerts a sales associate to obtain another size or the other recommended ensembles or accessory items.
The magicmirror enables retailers and brand owners to preserve brand premium and enhance consumers’ perceived value of apparel products by reaching them on an emotional level and positively influencing their purchase decisions at the moment of choice. In addition to helping the customer, the system assists retailers in tracking their merchandise and improving inventory management.
“Paxar is pleased to present the magicmirror to Cool Zone visitors at SPESA. We continually look for ways to differentiate ourselves in the marketplace by developing and delivering the most innovative, cutting-edge technology solutions. magicmirror is at the center of this innovation we speak about,” said Chris Robins, vice president of trade marketing and member of the global RFID team at Paxar. “By putting RFID into the shopping experience, magicmirror brings consumers in direct contact with all the positive features and benefits of what RFID delivers. We find it important for the adoption of item-level RFID that consumers “touch” the technology, getting a sense for how their shopping experiences can be exponentially enhanced. magicmirror opens up a unique opportunity to communicate the story behind a tagged item, to foster an emotional attachment to a purchase and to expand customer service to an audience already used to highly innovative and personal ways of discovering products.”
Paxar will be part of the Merchandising/Sales area of The Cool Zone, a 4,000 sq. ft. pavilion that [TC]² is coordinating. The pavilion is the largest exhibit of 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 participating in the Cool Zone, Paxar will be featuring its solutions at Booth 1700 in the Technology Solutions area of the Convention Center.
Cool Zone exhibits will be accompanied by live presentations during show hours, describing the various technologies and pavilion activities in depth. Plan to visit the Cool Zone, Pavilion 670, at SPESA Expo 2007, May 8-10, at the Miami Beach Convention Center to view these technologies firsthand. For free registration or more information, go to www.spesaexpo.com.
About Paxar Corporation
Paxar Corporation is a global leader in providing identification and tracking solutions to the retail and apparel industries. It delivers solutions and services that help its customers sell more products and reduce their cost of doing business.
Paxar has 92 facilities in 42 countries with 12,000 employees worldwide. It turns out the most complete spectrum of apparel labels and tags, and manufactures printers with scanners that display and track data across the supply chain. Its web-based information services drive the exchange of vital customer information throughout the world. Paxar designs eye-catching brand identification labels for apparel and its comprehensive bar code and RFID solutions help wring more efficiency from inventory and supply-chain management. Paxar's security solutions help retailers and brand owners protect their merchandise from theft and counterfeit. And it makes the systems that enable manufacturers to print their own labels.
Important Dates
March
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. |
17-19 |
Apparel Sourcing Show, Guatemala. For details, visit www.apparelexpo.com. |
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
SEAMS Spring Meeting
SPESA Expo 2007
View previous editions of this newsletter
[TC]²
211 Gregson Drive
Cary , NC 27511
www.tc2.com
Phone: 919-380-2156
Fax: 919-380-2181
Email our editor:
If you are not on our mailing list and wish to receive this bi-weekly newsletter, via email:
To subscribe to the newsfeed, copy and paste the following URL into your newsreader:
http://www.tc2.com/newsletter/newsfeed.xml
If you would prefer not to receive this free bi-weekly newsletter, and wish to be removed from our mailing list:
