Specialty Fabrics Review December 2020 - 37

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Shade sail design: How to get it right

T

imothy Akes, a software expert for MPanel Software Solutions, told
participants that design is by far the most important, misunderstood
and underestimated aspect of delivering a great and long-lasting shade sail
project. " The shade sail shape and how you design it is far more important
than colors or other considerations, " said Akes.
In a session on " Shade Sail Design: How to Get It Right, " Akes, along
with Alan Stewart, vice president of MPanel Software Solutions, walked
participants through the technical aspects of why carefully designed shade
sails will prevent wind, rain, snow and other forces from deforming the sails,
which creates sagging, movement, stretching and shorter lifespans.
" Properly designed and patterned shade sails will last longer, look better
and produce happy customers, " Akes said. " Low cost software now allows all
fabricators to design and pattern shade sails and other 3D forms and produce
reliable and reproducible results without trial and error or failed attempts. "

Produce stand-out awnings with digital printing

W

ith today's digital printing options, there's no reason for an awning
client to be limited to colors and patterns in a book or traditional
customization methods, according to Andrew Medley, regional sales
manager for Trivantage.
" Digital printing offers unlimited capabilities, and it is a solution to
providing the customer exactly what they want-personalized messaging,
the ability to purchase small lots and avoid high minimum order quantities,
and completely customizable fabrics, " he said in a session titled, " Digital
Printing: Unique Solution Offering that Differentiates. "
Medley provided an overview of how awning manufacturers can
communicate with clients about digitally printed awnings, how to correctly
fabricate a digitally printed
awning, how to determine
the right product and
materials, and the options
for completing a digitally
printed awning if it can't be
printed in-house.
Digital printing allows
awning manufacturers
to customize quickly on a
large scale, he said, and the
quality is better than ever.
" You can easily recreate
Photo: Trivantage.
designs, time and time
again, " he said. " If [your client] is a national chain, you can do the same
design, and the one in California can be exactly the same as the one in
North Carolina. "
Medley recommended finding a good print partner and getting to know
what's in their toolbox-the options for fabrics, different print techniques,
colors and services available-in order to communicate those options to
the customer.

WASHINGTON UPDATE

Policy challenges and opportunities
for U.S. textile manufacturing

T

he U.S. textile industry worked " swiftly and
impressively " to pivot to produce personal
protective equipment (PPE) this spring, leveraging
existing manufacturing know-how and equipment
and making new investments to shift production,
according to Sara Beatty, president of Whitehaven
Trade Advisors.
" However, clearly the U.S. would have been
in a much better position had we had the right
procurement and trade policies going into this
crisis that supported domestic PPE manufacturing
instead of allowing it to overconcentrate in a
few countries in such a dangerous way, " she told
attendees of a Washington Policy update session.
Beatty and Auggie Tantillo, SRG & Associates,
represent the Narrow Fabrics Institute (NFI) and the
U.S. Industrial Fabrics Institute (USIFI) of IFAI in
their Washington advocacy work. The pair addressed
efforts around PPE, the FY2021 National Defense
Authorization Act (NDAA), the Miscellaneous
Tariff Bill, how the outcome of the presidential race
might affect trade policies and how members can get
involved in advocacy efforts.
The crisis now presents the industry with a
unique opportunity, she added. The pandemic
" opened eyes " in Washington for the need to
reshape U.S. policy with regard to reshoring and
safeguarding U.S. domestic PPE manufacturing.
Numerous proposals are circulating on Capitol Hill
that incorporate many of the principles outlined in
a joint statement put forth by a coalition of trade
associations and related organizations in July.
" There is a concern that memories will be short
when things return to normal, and it's critical that
we use this window to achieve a policy response that
will support U.S. manufacturers and ensure that we
don't find ourselves back in this position
in the future, " she said.
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Specialty Fabrics Review December 2020

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