Kraig Labs, Vietnam enter silk-production pact

June 30, 2015  |  Industry News

Lansing, Mich.-based spider-silk fabrics developer Kraig Biocraft Laboratories and central and regional governments in Vietnam have signed a memorandum of understanding outlining the creation and rearing of transgenic silkworms in Vietnam. According to the agreement, Kraig Labs and the Vietnamese wi…
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“Wearables for Good” challenge accepting applications

June 29, 2015  |  Industry News

UNICEF Innovation, New York, N.Y., has partnered with San Francisco, Calif.-based product strategy and design firm frog and Cambridge, England-based technology company Arm Holdings PLC to launch the “Wearables for Good” challenge. Open to anyone from students to engineers, the challenge invites …
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3M to acquire Capital Safety

June 25, 2015  |  Industry News

Maplewood, Minn.-based 3M has agreed to acquire Capital Safety from investment firm KKR for a total value of $2.5 billion. Capital Safety of Bloomington, Minn., provides fall-protection equipment. Personal protective equipment is a strategic priority for 3M, with demand for such equipment growing wo…
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BeBop Sensors that measure physicality wins award

June 19, 2015  |  Industry News

“Smart fabric” developer BeBop Sensors Inc. of Berkeley, Calif., has won a 2015 Frost & Sullivan North American Technology Innovation Award for its fabric sensor technology. The company uses a proprietary Monolithic Fabric Sensor Technology that integrates sensors, traces and electronics int…
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Serge Ferrari names new general manager for North America

June 18, 2015  |  Industry News

Ilse Beterams has been promoted to general manager of Pompano Beach, Fla.-based Serge Ferrari North America, effective July 1, 2015. Beterams has been with Serge Ferrari for 23 years, most recently as sales manager for northern Europe, managing sales teams in Belgium, Holland, Luxemburg, Scandinavia…
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Call for submissions: Disaster mitigation and response display

June 18, 2015  |  Industry News

Companies that have contributed to the disaster mitigation and response industry are invited to showcase products highlighting their contribution for a disaster response display at IFAI Expo 2015. All items must include textiles or composite materials with a fabric scrim. Examples include chemical, …
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CRAiLAR panel to study strategic moves

June 17, 2015  |  Industry News

CRAiLAR Technologies Inc., a Victoria, British Columbia-based company that develops bast fiber-based products, has announced its board of directors has appointed a committee to identify, examine and consider strategic and financial alternatives. The company said it seeks to reduce operating overhead…
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Former IFAI Board chair Don Williams dies at 74

June 15, 2015  |  Industry News

Don Williams, southwest sales representative for BondCote Corp., passed away June 9 at his home in Amarillo, Texas. He was 74. Williams served on the Industrial Fabrics Association International (IFAI) board of directors from 1985–2001 and as chair from 1997–1999. An IFAI Honored Life Member and…
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Intel security chief to address wearable tech vulnerability

June 11, 2015  |  Industry News

Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC) has announced that Intel Security Chief Consumer Security Evangelist Gary Davis will be the keynote speaker at the Wearable Tech Conference & Expo July 13-15, 2015, at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City, N.Y. The event provides attendees with new pers…
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Partnerships eyed as innovation spur

June 5, 2015  |  Industry News

As funding is more difficult to obtain and lending is tighter, companies are looking into collaborating with suppliers to lower financial risk, speed up the pace of innovation and open new markets, according to a survey conducted by Sweden-based Trelleborg AB. The survey by Trelleborg’s engineered…
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