Building relationships with architects can improve fabric structure businesses
September 27, 2017 | Expo News
Want to do more business with architects? Mary Gilmore, AIA, NCIDQ, and Mark Shellshear, Structure Fabrics, Value Vinyls Inc., have many ideas. Gilmore and Shellshear shared those ideas Sept. 26 at IFAI Expo 2017. Gilmore noted, “Architects are very busy. Cold calls don’t work. They are very vis…
Expo panel discusses diversification
September 27, 2017 | Expo News
A panel of three successful company leaders illuminated the keynote luncheon September 26 at IFAI Expo 2017. The theme of the panel was “Path of Diversification,” featuring Meredith Boyd, Unifi Manufacturing Inc.; Ben Cooper, IoClothes; and John Neely, Berry Global. The panelists shared ideas on…
Cutting room automation makes sense for many
September 27, 2017 | Expo News
If automating your cutting room seems either too expensive or too difficult, you may want to think again. Panelists of the IFAI EXPO session on “Optimizing Your Cutting Room” gave a long list of potential benefits for why you might want to consider using an automated cutter. “Everyone’s ROI …
Outdoor graphics: bold statements and sustainability
September 27, 2017 | Expo News
During their joint presentation “Outdoor Graphics—Design to Installation” at IFAI Expo 2017, Valerie Cuchna, material resource liaison at Fabric Images Inc., and Mike VonWachenfeldt, technical service manager at Glen Raven Custom Fabrics, addressed the benefits of using outdoor graphics and of…
Choosing the right sewing machine
September 27, 2017 | Expo News
Among the many sewing machines options for your shop, how do you choose? The panelists at the EXPO presentation “Selecting a Sewing Machine for Your Application,” agree that nearly any project can at least be partially fabricated using a single-needle walking foot machine. “But for wide materi…
Business success across markets
September 26, 2017 | Expo News
Whether you’re a fabricator for the marine, automobile, commercial or residential markets, Steven Wayne, owner of Southern Stitch Canvas and Upholstery LLC in Gulfport, Mississippi, says many of the same rules apply. According to Wayne, business success comes down to four basic things: skills mast…
Sophisticated, simple succession strategies protect your business
September 26, 2017 | Expo News
Larry Oxenham, senior advisor with the American Society for Asset Protection, says small business owners should ask themselves one question: If something were to happen to me today, what would happen to my company? “Every small business will pass on eventually,” says Oxenham, “either voluntari…
Government contracts offer great opportunities for textile companies
September 26, 2017 | Expo News, Industry News, News
Business owners who want to pursue government contracts shouldn’t be discouraged, says Mary Linn Langraf, senior international trade specialist for the U.S. Department of Commerce/OTEXA. Langraf presented a detailed discussion Sept. 26 at IFAI Expo 2017, emphasizing that the textile industry is a …
Shade sails add usability to outdoor spaces
September 26, 2017 | Expo News, Industry News, News
“Shade Sails 2.0” was one of the opening presentations Sept. 26 at IFAI Expo 2017. The presentation featured Tim Koehler, Lawrence Fabric and Metal Structures Inc., and Tim Akes, MPanel Software Solutions, who discussed two projects that could handle wind and snow loads. The first project at Sou…