#Dyeing, Drying, Finishing

2020-05-07

Future Leaders Award presented at International Conference

The AATCC Future Leaders Award was presented to Ashley Handley, Heather Johnson, Katelyn Lee, Bryan Ormond, Tyler Pickett, and Morgan Schanski on March 12, 2020 at the International Conference held in Greenville, SC, USA.

The Future Leaders Award recognizes promising young professionals in the fields of textiles, apparel, and related material sciences. These young professionals are the future of our industry and the future leaders of AATCC. Award recipients are determined by each AATCC Interest Group.

Ashley Handley has been a member of AATCC since 2017. She is project specialist, UL Retail and Industry in Arkansas, USA. Prior to this, she served as production supervisor with Consumer Testing Laboratories where she was promoted to a textile engineer role under the Regulatory Compliance and Technical Support team. Handley attended the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA. She has served as the AATCC Ozark Section Treasurer since 2019.

Heather Johnson has been a member of AATCC since 2016 and has been involved in the AATCC Student Chapter at North Carolina State University since 2014. Johnson currently is a colorist with American & Efird, an Elevate Textiles company, in North Carolina, USA. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Polymer and Color Chemistry in 2016 from NCSU. She currently serves on the Executive Committee on Research as well.

Katelyn Lee has been a member of AATCC since 2008. She is textile chemist at Cotton Incorporated in North Carolina, USA. Lee previously served as research assistant and later specialty applications chemist at Cotton Incorporated. She graduated from North Carolina State University with a BS in Polymer and Color Chemistry. Lee has held the role of Committee Chair for AATCC RA80 as of 2016.

Bryan Ormond has been a member of AATCC since 2006. He is assistant professor at the Wilson College of Textiles, North Carolina State University, where he earned a Ph.D. in Fiber and Polymer Science, and a BS in Polymer and Color Chemistry (ACS certified). Ormond has been a voting member of CS75, Young Professionals Committee and RA31 Antimicrobial Activity Test Methods, since 2019. He also has served as AATCC faculty advisor for the NCSU Student Chapter since 2018. Currently he serves as an Associate Editor for the AATCC Journal of Research.

Tyler Pickett has been a member of AATCC since 2010. He is senior laboratory specialist at adidas in Oregon, USA. Pickett holds a Master of Science in Textile Chemistry and a BS in Polymer & Color Chemistry from NCSU. He was a graduate research assistant within the Textile Protection & Comfort Center at NCSU prior to joining adidas. Pickett has served as Committee Chair of RA75 since 2018

Morgan Schanski has been a member of AATCC since 2015. She is project manager, consumer innovation at adidas in Oregon, USA. Previously, Schanski was material engineer at adidas. She holds a Master of Science in Apparel Product Development & Merchandising Technology and a BA in Apparel Merchandising, both from Central Michigan University. She was recently nominated for the adidas Creator’s Choice Award in Leadership & Collaboration.

The Future Leaders Award

Nominees for the AATCC Future Leaders Award must be AATCC members who are 39 years old or younger and actively engaged in the greater textile or related industries. They must display leadership skills and have a history of service to AATCC or the greater textile and related industries. A key quality of successful candidates is a desire to become more involved with the objectives of AATCC: to increase expertise, encourage research, and establish channels for the interchange of professional knowledge. Nominees must agree to join the AATCC Young Professionals Committee and must participate, as their professional commitments allow, in the work of the committee.

The award includes a framed certificate signed by the AATCC president and the Interest Group (IG) chairs and a special pin.

“Production is a product”

From technical textiles and AI-driven robotics to the limitations of textile circularity: Professor Dr Thomas Gries looks back on more than two decades of development at ITA Aachen. In the interview, he explains why production technology remains a decisive success factor, discusses international collaborations and innovation ecosystems, and shares his views on the transformation of production landscapes and the challenges facing an increasingly regulated industry.

“We need to move away from the price trap and return to a value-driven mindset.”

With its new Textile Innovation Center, KARL MAYER is sending a strong signal for innovation, collaboration, and the future of textile applications. In this interview, Karl Josef Mayer discusses new opportunities in warp knitting, the processing of staple fibres, recycling, the changing role of machinery manufacturers, and why the textile industry must once again focus more strongly on the value of textiles. by Oliver Schmidt

“Innovation, resilience and international experience remain the great strengths of the Swiss textile machinery industry”

Geopolitical uncertainty, growing competitive pressure from China, new free trade agreements and the shift towards a circular economy are currently reshaping the global textile industry. In this interview, Cornelia Buchwalder discusses the current mood within the Swiss textile machinery sector, the industry’s distinctive innovative strength, new market opportunities in India and Asia, and the technological trends that could shape the upcoming trade fair cycle leading up to ITMA 2027.

SETEX turns dyeing and finishing data into daily production control

At ITM 2026, SETEX will show how textile mills can use machine, recipe, quality and energy data for more reliable daily production decisions — not as another reporting layer, but as part of the running dyeing and finishing process. With OrgaTEX X3 MES, E390x/C390x controllers, CamCOUNT and FabricInspector Portable, SETEX connects planning, machine execution and fabric-related quality insight within existing mill structures.

Tradition and Innovation – Phoenox Textiles Ltd. relies on state-of-the-art carpet back-coating line from Brückner

For more than 70 years, Phoenox Textiles Ltd. has been synonymous with quality, reliability, and inno-vation in the textile industry. Founded in 1954 in Huddersfield (Yorkshire, UK), a region with a long tradition in textiles, this family-owned business has continued to evolve without losing sight of its roots. Today, in its fourth generation under the leadership of the Mosley family, Phoenox successfully combines decades of experience with a clear, forward-looking corporate strategy.

Monforts sees growing potential for technical textiles in Türkiye

For many years now, Türkiye has been one of the most important markets for textile finishing, coating and continuous dyeing equipment, making ITM 2026 from June 9-13 a key event for Germany’s Monforts. At the Istanbul exhibition at stand 1117D in Hall 11, the company will put the emphasis on its machines which continue to lead the field in conventional dyeing and finishing, and also highlight the strong opportunities for Turkish textile manufacturers in the growing field of technical textiles.

KARL MAYER presents a textile TEXTRONIC® innovation at ITM 2026

With highly efficient machines and continuous textile innovations, KARL MAYER underscores its role as a reliable partner for discerning top-tier customers. Just in time for ITM 2026 in Istanbul, the industry leader is introducing a true innovation: an eyelash lace with its characteristic fringed look – combined with a previously unattainable 4-way stretch. While the established fabric could until now only be produced as rigid version or with one-dimensional stretch, the new elasticity in both dimensions expands the possibilities for cross-band panel fabrics.

DYNEEMA® and NP Aerospace advance personal protection for military servicewomen

Dyneema®, owned by Avient Corporation, an innovator of materials solutions, is supplying its high-performance unidirectional (UD) materials to world-leading armor manufacturer NP Aerospace, enabling the production of armor systems designed specifically to fit the female body. With 2,000 new armor systems, including 4,000 plates, made in the United Kingdom (UK) and delivered in June 2026, this collaboration addresses a long-standing lack of high-quality personal protection specially built for female defense and security personnel.

Textile Exchange publishes comprehensive polyester LCA study

Textile Exchange has released a new Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study on polyester, providing detailed data on the environmental impacts of both virgin and recycled polyester production. The study aims to strengthen understanding across the fashion, textile and apparel industries and support more informed decision-making regarding polyester sourcing and production.