Sports & Outdoor

Perspectives by Bill Smith - a new regular column for Innovation in Textiles. When I began my consulting practice in 1986, I discovered a book called “Innovation – The Attackers Advantage” (Summit Books) by Richard Foster, then a Director of the major consulting firm McKinsey & Co. His message: ” . . . companies must return to the attack . . . the annals of business is filled with . . . companies that seemed profitable yet were in the midst of bankruptcy because they did not anticipate when their present products would become unprofitable and underestimated the strengths of their competitor’s attacks.”

Despite having only really emerged since the 1940s, the value of the worldwide composites market is now estimated to be worth an annual €77 billion and to account for around 550,000 jobs worldwide.

Invista’s Cordura Naturelle fabric from Chia Her Industrial Mill in Taiwan was named one of the Top 10 Second Layer Fabrics at ISPO Textrends Forum at ISPO MUNICH 2013 this year. Aimed at showcasing fabrics for the fall and winter seasons of 2014 and 2015, ISPO Textrends Forum brings the latest innovations in performance fabric technology to the attention of designers and product developers.

The Dornbirn-Man-Made Fibers Congress (MFC), the leading conference for the man-made fibres industry, will take place for the 52nd time in Dornbirn, Austria from 11-13 September 2013, where over 100 papers will address key industry issues under the banner - ‘Communicating the Future of Man-Made Fibers’.

Cesare Citterio, textiles entrepreneur and owner of Cifra SpA, a world leader in the field of seamlessly knitted garments, is a man on a mission – a warp knitting seamless mission - or as Citterio likes to call it a ‘WKS’ mission.

Teijin is to establish a specialized department to accelerate materials business incubation through technology acquisitions and alliances with immediate effect. The new Technology Alliance Development Department, established under Teijin’s New Business Development Group, will strategically grow materials related businesses by identifying promising partners and mergers and acquisitions opportunities. Alliances are envisioned for undertakings ranging from R&D to business model creation.

Leading golf club shaft manufacturer True Temper has recently released a new version of its Project X shaft series, the PXv 39 (v for velocity) - aided by the use of TeXtreme Spread Tow carbon fabrics, the PXv weighs just 39 grams and is said to be the lightest shaft introduced to the market.

Innovative German technical textiles producer Riedel Textil has introduced a new range of seamlessly knitted tights called KinesioTight, which have been scientifically developed to both improve sports performance and protect against injuries. Developed in cooperation with sports and medical experts, KinesioTight is said to integrate the effects of the well known Kinesio Tape Method of treatment into functional sportswear.

Statistics reveal that spinning line capacities are becoming increasingly large The majority of recent installations for polyester have been spinning lines directly connected to a common reactor. Lines of this kind are economically prudent, although flexibility is very limited compared to extruder spinning lines. Here, additive injection and mixing systems can help regain this lost flexibility.

Nominations are open for the 2013 World of Wipes Innovation Award, which recognizes and rewards innovation within the entire wipes value chain that utilizes nonwoven fabrics in a way that expands the usage of nonwovens.