Posted May 11, 2016

 

By Devin Steele (DSteele@eTextileCommunications.com)

 

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – AATCC, the Association of Textile, Apparel & Materials Professionals, continues to grow and prosper, President Sandy Johnson reported to membership during the organization’s International Conference here last month.

 

Johnson, of Charlotte, N.C.-based Color Solutions International, touched on a number of those highlights at the annual Awards Luncheon, attended by members and guests from around the U.S. and the world.

 

“I’ve truly enjoyed being your president this and last year, and look forward to continuing to work with you to keep AATCC the best textile professional association in the world,” she said. “I can attest to the fact hat being president of this organization is hard work and challenging. It’s made easier with the combined wisdom of those who have preceded me, and we are fortunate to have a number of past AATCC presidents with us today.”

 

During proceedings, Johnson recognized American & Efird (A&E), which reached its 50th year as a corporate member. A&E’s Matt Nichols accepted a plaque on behalf of the company.

 

Several awards were also presented, including:

 

• the Olney Medal, the AATCC’s highest award, bestowed upon Fred L. Cook of Georgia Tech, who is known for his wide-ranging contributions to the fields of polymer/textile chemistry applied to sustainable developments in textile/carpet wet processes and novel fiber/materials innovations;

• the J. William Paper of the Year Award, which went to Mark Ackerman, Jane Batcheller and Stephen Paskaluk;

• the Henry E. Milson Award for invention, going to Kevin Plank and the Innovation Team at Under Armour;

• the Harold C. Chapin Award, received by Mike Tyndall of Cotton Incorporated for outstanding service to the association;

• the Young Entrepreneur Award, given to Patrick Whaley, founder and chief executive officer of TITIN, LLC; and

• the Herman & Myrtle Goldstein Student Paper Competition, named after the couple whose generous gift to the association provides monetary awards and other student awards.

 

The three-day event also featured three concurrent educational tracks reflecting the association’s three Interest Groups: Concept 2 Consumer® (C2C); Chemical Applications; and Materials.

 

AATCC achievements covered

 

In her “state of the association” address, Johnson noted that the organization’s AATCC Review was honored by Trade Association and Business Publications International for being included in its Big 95 list, highlighting the 95 most acclaimed B2B publications. She recognized Jiping Wang, chair of the Publications Committee, and Maria Thiry, who leads the publications staff.

 

She also congratulated Jiping, AATCC Past President Martin Bide of the University of Rhode Island and the publications staff for launching a new peer review tracking system. Ann Holland played a pivotal role in learning and training on the new system, which provides a much more professional interface to journal authors and reviewers, Johnson said.

 

In another milestone, the AATCC Journal of Research is now indexed by Science Citation Index Extended (SCIE) and discoverable in the Thomson Reuters Web of Science, she added.

 

Under Thiry’s direction, the Membership Department launched a new local group, the California Section, Johnson pointed out. Student chapters also were established at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona, Louisiana State University and the Government College University of Faisalabad, Pakistan, she noted, adding that more than 20 student chapters in the U.S., India and Pakistan are now established.

 

One of the key student programs launched last year was the C2C Student Merchandising Competition, developed by the C2C Interest Group with the help of Manisha Patel of the Membership Department, Johnson said. In its inaugural year, nearly 70 students participated, she said.

 

In the education arena, led by Peggy Pickett and supported by Kim Nicholson and other volunteers, the association last fall conducted a successful antibacterial and odor control conference, chaired by Steve Simonson. Additionally, arrangements were made with Gaston College’s Textile Technology Center in Belmont, N.C., for their trainees to attend AATCC’s Introduction to Textile Testing Workshop and to view various AATCC webinars and test method training videos.

 

Johnson also pointed out that Technical Director Diana Wyman has been working with ECR and a group of members to launch a new committee called RA111 Electronically Integrated Textiles. Wyman also taught AATCC and ASTM test methods at a well-known textile knitting plant in Honduras and a member company in Peru.

 

Also regarding technical activities, lab studies were completed for the subsequent approval of a new standard, High Efficiency Detergent, now available from AATCC, Johnson noted.

 

She also reported that collective contributions to the AATCC Foundation have now hit the $1 million milestone. This year, the foundation announced several new scholarship offerings, now totaling 11 named scholarships, she added. This year, the foundation plans to award more than $60,000 to eligible students, she said.

 

Under Armour keynoter: ‘Go big or go home’

 

Keith Hoover, vice president of Material Process & Color Innovation, Under Armour, provided the keynote presentation entitled, “Textiles in America: A Call To Arms.” In his very informative talk, he offered an overview of the ever-changing global manufacturing landscape.

 

Hoover called the offshoring movement “the Devil’s deal” that led to the end of the vertical model. Offshoring led to disengagement between supply and demand, creating fewer turns and less replenishment. “We lost the connection with manufacturing, and manufacturing drives innovation,” he said.

 

He went on to cover in detail those factors that led to the “future’s model,” which is helping to re-shore America. He also discussed the recently announced Revolutionary Fibers & Textiles Manufacturing Innovation Institute (RFT-MII), which he called the U.S. government’s solution to revitalizing the U.S. textile industry, then pointed out that “smart textiles” represent only a small piece of a large pie.

 

Under Amour, he said, has been looking at solutions to bring manufacturing back to the U.S.

 

“What is that black swan event that will change the industry?” Hoover asked. “We want to build the U.S. as a global sourcing solution. We want to build the U.S. to compete with the big boys.”

 

As such, the apparel brand has a renewed focus on what it calls “local for local” manufacturing. To that end, it has created a new manufacturing facility in Baltimore called the Lighthouse, the hub for its Project Glory initiative.

 

“We wanted to invest in a new model that adopts or develops technology, optimizes the use of direct labor and encompasses a new sourcing strategy,” Hoover said. “We’ll be looking at processes and advanced manufacturing techniques.”

 

For Under Armour and the industry at large, the challenge is to move from SLED (“suck less every day”) to BAT (“a badass tomorrow”), he said.

 

Hoover said the company’s design for manufacturing involves:

 

• Building virtual design capabilities to drive production;

• Considering the manufacturing process in product development;

• Automating to eliminate drudge labor and inefficiency (instead of exporting it);

• Making product where it is needed;

• Realizing that new manufacturing technology and processes create new business opportunities and new jobs; and

• Solving the “cut-and-sew problem,” meaning the lack of these operations in the U.S.

 

“If we can solve this cut and sew problem, then we can bring back growth,” he said.

 

If realized, he said, the prize will be the United States’ ability to compete for global market share of a large pie and devote a percentage of growing revenue to support innovation and “smart textiles” development. Recapturing 10 percent of the imports would translate into 300,000 new jobs, he added.

 

“The biggest challenge we face is thinking too small,” Hoover said. “I think we should go big or go home. We need to figure out how we are going to grab this problem by the throat, throw it down and put our foot to its throat.”