New Corporate Members - September 2011

The following became corporate members of AATCC in August and September 2011. The profiles appeared in the November/December 2011 issue of AATCC Review

Avery Dennison
Headquartered in Pasadena, Calif., USA, Avery Dennison develops innovative identification and decorative solutions for businesses and consumers worldwide. The company's products include pressure-sensitive labeling materials; graphics imaging media; retail apparel ticketing and branding systems; RFID inlays and tags; office products; specialty tapes; and a variety of specialized labels for automotive, industrial, and durable goods applications.

With its U.S. office located in Framingham, Mass., USA, Avery Dennison’s apparel solutions division specializes in retail tag, ticketing, brand, and product identification including brand embellishments, “ecofriendly” apparel trim, fasteners, packaging, and an assortment of clothing labels (woven, printed fabric, graphic hang tag, heat transfer, and barcoded).

Fruit of the Loom
Fruit of the Loom's main business is branded products for consumers. The company manufactures and markets underwear for men, women, and children, printable T-shirts, fleece, casualwear, women's jeans, and children’s clothing. Headquartered in Bowling Green, Ky., USA, the company sells its products to major discount chains, mass merchandisers, department, specialty, drug and variety stores, and sports specialty stores.

In addition to the Fruit of the Loom brand, the company also sells the BVD underwear brand, as well as Funpals, FunGals, Screen Stars, and Underoos. The Fruit of the Loom brand began in 1851 in Rhode Island, USA, when Robert Knight, a textile mill owner, visited his friend, Rufus Skeel. Skeel owned a small shop that sold cloth from Knight's mill. Skeel's daughter painted images of apples and applied them to bolts of cloth. Knight thought the labels would be the perfect symbol for his trade name, Fruit of the Loom.

GTM Sportswear Inc.
GTM Sportswear sells customized imprinted team apparel to cheer, dance, and gymnastic squads, athletic teams, booster clubs, corporations, outdoor enthusiasts, and other related markets throughout the United States and abroad. The company also offers a variety of customization processes including Flexi Print, screen print, embroidery, twill appliqué, sequins, and rhinestones.

In 1989, the company began with two college graduates selling Greek apparel to fraternities and sororities out of the back of a van across the Midwest (USA). First year sales exceeded US$500,000. In 1992, Dave Drelling, CEO, was named “Young Entrepreneur of the Year” by the Small Business Administration for the states of Kansas and Missouri. GTM is headquartered in Manhattan, Kansas, USA, with showrooms in Lawrence, Kansas, and Omaha, Nebraska, USA.

Just Normlicht
Just Normlicht is a supplier of visual color matching systems worldwide and offers state-of-the art German-made products at value prices to the graphic arts industry.

The company started in 1970 when the Just family, located in Stuttgart, Germany, decided to set up their own business for the production and distribution of color light displays. The basic idea was to manufacture an aluminum light box in a distinct profile. In 1987, the company’s U.S. operations began in New York, N.Y., USA, with just a single employee. Through the years, management and locations changed occasionally, but the quality and design strength from Just Normlicht remained. In 2004, a revolutionary new lighting system was introduced by Just Normlicht featuring LED technology.

Latitudes
Located in Portland, Oreg., USA, Latitudes produces screen printing and embroidery projects from concept to completion for its clients’ promotional product needs. The company’s services include custom screen, all-over T-shirt, high density T-shirt, reflective T-shirt, PVC- and phthalate-free printing; foil T-shirt and gem and stud T-shirt embellishment; and T-shirt tagging. State-of-the art screen printing and embroidery equipment allows a weekly production capacity of approximately 150,000 prints. With over 21 years of experience, the company specializes in complex designs and fast turnarounds.

Nanjing Tongrentang Maylin Co. Ltd.
Established in 1994, Nanjing Tongrentang Maylin Co. Ltd. is primarily a manufacturer of organic wild silk products, including yarns, quilts, bedding, and sleepwear. The company offers over 80 types of various textiles and products including tussah spun silk yarns and blends, spun silk reels, and water reeled standard tussah silks. All of Nanjing Togrentang Maylin’s products are manufactured in accordance to ISO 900 and ISO 14001 stipulations. Headquartered in Xifeng, China, the company offers its products in the U.S. through American Wild Silk Product Co. located in Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

SENATI–Laboratorio del Centro Tecnologico Textil y Confecciones
Located in Lima, Peru, SENATI (National Service for Industrial Labour Training), provides technical services for the textile and apparel industry through its Textile and Apparel Center (CTTC). Luis Tabacchi Bolivar, manager of CTTC’s lab, says CTTC provides three types of services: 1) laboratory, 2) research and development of textiles and clothing (through grant funds), and 3) technical consultancy specializing in textiles. CTTC’s laboratory is accredited by Peru’s National Organism Accreditation INDECOPI and is certified with ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and OHSAS 18001.

Started in 1961, SENATI is an institution committed to providing professional instruction and training for industrial and manufacturing activities. The CTTC opened in 2005 with the goal of promoting quality, productivity, and competitiveness that meets the needs of its customers.