[TC]² Bi-Weekly Technology Communicator |
April 19, 2006 |
[TC]²'s NX-12 Scans Swim Participants for Speedo
 Speedo, the world’s leading swim brand, selected [TC]²’s NX-12 3D body scanning system to scan swimmers at the March 28-31st 2006 USA Swimming Spring Championships in Federal Way, Washington, and the British Swimming Championships in Sheffield, England April 5-8th.
A goal was set to scan 100 swimmers at each event, with the data to be used to assist Speedo in the development of its world class performance swimwear. At the USA Championships, 155 swimmers were scanned in 16 hours of operation and in the UK 204 swimmers were scanned, greatly exceeding expectations. U.S. competitive swimmers were scanned in Speedo suits after swimming their respective heats. Kate Ziegler and Katie Hoff (pictured below) were two of the featured Olympic-class swimmers in the survey, shown in the process of being scanned in [TC]²’s safe structured white light NX-12 body scanner.
Speedo representatives on site were pleasantly surprised by the athlete’s enthusiasm, noting, "The buzz on the pool deck from the athletes to the scanning was very apparent - nearly half of all the competitors took place in the scanning process - a great turn out."
For more information on Speedo and its product offerings, visit www.speedo.com.
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Fit: The Final Frontier in Apparel
By Kim Anderson, Ph.D., writer/reporter for [TC]²
Certainly most of us strive to look our best, but when it comes to apparel, most of us are unwilling to sacrifice comfort for appearance—and that means it has to fit. Body scanning technology is now allowing researchers to crack the conundrums of fit. Armed with a [TC]² NX-12 scanner, Professors Pamela Ulrich and Lenda Jo Connell, of Auburn University, are zeroing in on a nearly forgotten segment of the population, those for whom appearance and fit are hardly an insouciant matter—plus size girls ages 9-14.
Ulrich and Connell’s research concerning plus size girls ages 9-14 is three-fold—investigate their physical and psychological characteristics; determine the market potential; and decide how to develop a sizing category.
By using the Body Mass Index (BMI), an indicator of body fat developed by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, scanned subjects have been categorized into either a normal or plus size range. Ulrich and Connell have collected 150 scans, creating an anthropometric data base that is unique in the research literature.
Examples of Scans taken with [TC]²’s NX-12 Scanner
Courtesy of Auburn University
Initial focus group sessions conducted by the researchers at Auburn University and [TC]² have turned up some valuable social and psychological findings. Research shows that plus size girls are more dissatisfied with their bodies than normal size girls, although both groups have similar body size ideals. All girls that were scanned rank fit, comfort and appearance as playing a bigger role when deciding what to wear than color, fashion, brand name or what their friends are wearing.
The market potential appears to be explosive. One estimate puts expenditures on girls’ apparel at 14 billion dollars a year. It has also been discovered that mothers of plus size girls are willing to spend more time and money on apparel for their daughters but find it difficult to find age-appropriate clothing that is in line with their daughter’s normal sized peers clothing. Out of the plus size girls interviewed so far, 40% feel deprived in terms of clothing choices for school; and 35% in terms of clothing choices for doing things with friends. Findings show that normal size girls do not feel nearly as deprived as plus size girls.
Plus size girls and their mothers find the shopping experience unpleasant and sometimes even painful. Given these initial findings one can confidently conclude that the apparel industry could definitely do some revamping in this neglected niche market.
Ulrich and Connell already have more questionnaire results to analyze and plan to conduct a national survey that will provide much more data. They have begun to analyze shape, sizing and grading to make recommendations for how best to devise a sizing category specifically for pants.
Given a society obsessed on body types nothing short of whippet thin, bringing a sense of well deserved confidence and a broader range of apparel offerings to the sometimes fragile existence of plus size girls is not only a project that can have commercial benefits to apparel manufacturers--but also a commendable endeavor.
For more information, visit www.humsci.auburn.edu.
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Expocostura 2006
EXPOCOSTURA 2006, Mexico’s Premier Supply Show for the Apparel Industry
By Arturo Rodriguez, [TC]² Latin America
Back in the days of the Mexican boom in terms of apparel production, one show typified what it was all about: EXPOCOSTURA. And thus in 1996, this show (first ever in Mexico to have its own magazine called MEXCOSTURA) was born, thanks to the vision and support from AMPIV (the equivalent of SPESA) and the guiding hand of Graciela Reyes of PROVEST.
Ten years later, Expocostura 2006 “private exposition” was again held in the same location as in its origins…the Mexico World Trade Center, and [TC]² was again present. [TC]² staff members engaged attendees at a booth at this three day show and co-hosted a two hour conference, titled “Value Added, The Only Alternative for Existence.” This joint conference (together with Alejandro Faes of Lectra) presented the dilemma of the Mexican apparel producers….Innovate, do value added activities, embrace change or cease to exist! In an informal way, the audience was taken on a journey that had several detours but only one path to success exists: invest in technology so that you may do value added activities that will permit a company to increase its level of service to the customer.
This year’s show was decidedly smaller than in the past, which reflects the state of the Mexican apparel industry after having peaked at about 800,000 direct jobs in year 2000 has since undergone a “downsizing” to roughly 500,000 direct jobs in 2005. While smaller in size, the exhibitors were world class. During the 3 days, some 3,000 guests walked the aisles, mainly from Mexico and some attendees from Central America.
Several new contacts were made with companies who are interested in 3D body scanning, or seeking improvement in plant efficiencies. [TC]² conducted plant surveys in the morning prior to the show opening to gain a better understanding of local capabilities and needs for improvement.
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Material World - Spring 2006
There were over 300 exhibitors including [TC]² in the Miami Beach Convention Center during the first week in April, as well as a selection of seminars covering trade, technology, logistics and trend forecasts. It was two shows in one - Material World and Technology Solutions. It was hard to see all the exhibits and attend all the seminars, but many tried.
[TC]²’s booth with Peter Butenhoff |
One of the highlights was an AAFA sponsored Executive Sourcing Summit with a panel moderated by Kevin Burke, AAFA President and CEO. With Kevin’s guidance, the panel discussed the global sourcing landscape over next five years.
Gary Ross from Liz Claiborne noted that his company was sourcing in 40 countries with 250 vendors. They are currently setting their sourcing strategy for the next five years. They have studied other industries such as food and automotive to see how speed to market is accomplished. Along with speed, consistent on-time delivery is the most important criteria for Liz Claiborne.
Wilbur Ross, Chairman of International Textile Group, discussed ITG’s expansion in Mexico, Turkey and China. They are forming a joint venture in Vietnam where wages are half that of China’s. He added that CAFTA not being implemented so far is a disappointment.
Rick Helfembein from Luen Thai Holdings talked about their supply chain city with complete services in design, product development, fabric production, finishing, cut and sew and distribution all in one location. He said that the global apparel business was over $400 billion and there is plenty of business for everybody. He added that in his view apparel prices were not going any lower and quality, design and speed were more important.
Tom Travis, from Sandler, Travis and Rosenberg echoed the view that successful manufacturers will take over design and development. With globalization, businesses are moving from country to country to follow the free trade agreements, safeguards and special deals. It becomes more complex with short supply fabrics and accumulation rules.
A few other seminars included Columbia Sportswear’s success in moving the money around the global supply chain with a TradeCard solution and Datacolor’s solution for managing digital color along with the product lifecycle management process. Ram Sareen from Tuka Group talked about apparel companies transitioning from old world assets such as inventory, factories, real estate and equipment to new world assets such as brands, people, customer relationships and information.
Jim Lovejoy with Andres Yidi of Finotex
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Jim Lovejoy and Karen Davis made a short visit after the show closed to Finotex, a woven and printed manufacturer of labels, tapes, and tags. The company has been in existence for over
ten years, with headquarters in Miami, four other manufacturing locations, and six international sales offices.
Visit www.finotex.com for more details.
More information can be found at www.material-world.com.
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Member Profile - Bemis
Over 100 years of excellence in people and product.
Bemis Associates, a major manufacturer of thermoplastic adhesives, coatings, tapes and specialty film products that serve various markets throughout the world, offer products that are specifically made available for use in a number of industries, for many different applications. From textile to industrial and apparel to building panels, Bemis provides cost effective solutions that often solve complex technical challenges within a manufacturing process.
The company’s ability to develop strategically important products in a timely fashion, gather the best and brightest talent, and put the customer first have been the building blocks of a long and successful history that has made Bemis what it is today. For nearly 100 years, Bemis has built upon its adhesive technology and industry expertise to provide its customers with advanced thermo sensitive adhesive films, solutions that are designed to meet the demanding requirements of unique applications. From the beginning the company has looked to the future with an eagerness that exemplifies the family-owned, entrepreneurial spirit of what has become one of the most respected leaders in the industry.
The Bemis product line utilizes thermoplastics and involves an in-depth knowledge about how they behave when manufactured, as well their performance in the final application. Bemis has perfected the extrusion process to provide the most advanced multi-layered films and tapes as well as being able to efficiently produce single-layer adhesive coatings. Its product offerings include a wide range of adhesive formulas to serve a diverse customer base. From polyurethanes, polyesters, polyolefins to nylons and vinyl coatings, Bemis films can satisfy many different requirements.
In the apparel market, Bemis adhesive films are used to bond various fabrics in many diverse applications from intimate apparel to technical outerwear garments and accessories. Bemis thermoplastic films are used in automotive industry to adhere an assortment of coated textiles to different plastics, foams or foils. In the composite market, the films are extensively used to bond plastics to metal and other unique combinations. All the adhesive films, coatings and tapes are an environmentally safe, cost effective alternative to solvent, powder, spray and web based adhesives.
Bemis participates in many exhibits to build and foster relationships within the industries it serves. “As a member of [TC]², we are able to better educate the industry on the latest bonding/welding technologies. Fabrics and equipment used in manufacturing bonded apparel are constantly evolving and it is imperative that designers and contractors understand this new technology and how to successfully employ it. We see [TC]² as a valued partner in our efforts to share this technology's benefits and features with the industry,” remarks Steve Howard, President of Bemis Associates.
For more information, please visit www.bemisheatseal.com.
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Important Dates
April
May
5-6 |
SEAMS Spring Networking Conference, Myrtle Beach, SC. For information visit www.seams.org. |
10-13 |
IMB 2006 Trade Fair, Cologne, Germany. Details at www.imb2006.com. |
16-18 |
Apparel Sourcing Show , Guatemala City, more info at www.apparelexpo.com. |
23-25 |
Grading for Fit Seminar at [TC]² . To register or for more information, visit http://www.tc2.com/what/seminars.html. |
31 |
Zara- Fast Fashion Seminar, Mexico City, more information to follow. |
June
2 |
Zara Fast Fashion Seminar, Los Angeles. For more information, click here. |
5-7 |
Apparel Conference of the Americas, Managua, Nicaragua. For more information or to register, visit www.aapnetwork.net. |
18-20 |
IAF 22nd World Apparel Convention, Thessaloniki, Greece. For more information or to register, visit www.iaf2006.com. |
For detailed information about industry events, visit www.techexchange.com
Thanks to the techexchange site sponsors Apparel Magazine, Gerber Technology, Intentia, Lectra and Methods Workshop.
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A Look Ahead in the Newsletter
Body Scanning Research
Novaptus Systems, Inc.
Centre for Advanced Textiles
View previous editions of this newsletter
[TC]²
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