Product News: Dickies, American Fibers & Yarns and Blackinton

This month’s product offerings focus on a new line of women’s workwear from Dickies, a fabric for active lifestyles from American Fibers and Yarns, and the long-anticipated announcement regarding V.H. Blackinton’s RFID-embedded police badges.

V.H. Blackinton & Co. Inc. has developed a badge for law enforcement and government agencies with an embedded radio frequency identification (RFID) chip it plans to launch in August, according to a company press statement.

Counterfeit badges have been a concern in law enforcement for quite some time, but the issue was brought to a boil after 9/11. On May 9, 2005, Sergio Khorosh, a Russian and permanent U.S. resident, was arrested in New York by federal agents. The charge? Possession and sale of more than 1,300 high quality, counterfeit law enforcement badges that included shields from 35 different federal, state and local agencies.

In another incident just two years ago, federal undercover investigators used the Internet to purchase more than 900 black-market law enforcement badges, some real, some counterfeit, including FBI and Secret Service shields. “For someone to have that in their possession and utilize it to identify themselves as law enforcement could be devastating to security, particularly homeland security,” commented U.S. Immigrations and Customs Special Agent in Charge Martin Ficke.

The SmartShield system, as the Blackinton product is known, addresses security issues by validating badges and verifying the wearer. The package comprises Blackinton metal badges equipped with RFID chips, and Enforcement Identification (Eid) software that tracks information on each badge in a department’s inventory.

Eid Software drives the SmartShield badge and system, enabling a wide range of security applications—from very simple to highly sophisticated. It also allows quick, simple badge-control programming. The user’s database may contain information such as a badge ID or location (i.e., issued or in inventory), or specifics about the badge wearer—name, photo, badge number, or issuance history. The information is only available to authorized system users; Eid Software also supports existing access-control security infrastructures.

Blackinton has worked on the application since 2003. Research began in 2004, and development and manufacturing commenced last year.

South Carolina Highway Patrol, Brookline Massachusetts Police Department, and the Louisiana State Capitol Police are testing SmartShield, said John Domurad, director of research and development at Blackinton. Furthest along on deployment, the South Carolina Highway Patrol began testing badges in the field last September. The agency deployed the software earlier this year.

Blackinton's application uses 125 kilohertz or a 13.56 megahertz RFID chip, each encoded with an identification number and law enforcement agency number specific to the division and embedded into the badge made from ferrous metals. "The chip is embedded into the badge, not attached," Domurad said. "The chip becomes inoperable if someone tries to remove it."

Getting the chip to transmit through metal hasn't been easy. Metal reflects radio frequency signals. Consumer goods companies adhering to supply-chain mandates from Best Buy to Wal-Mart to Target Corp. have struggled to get radio frequency signals to transmit through aluminum and metal, such as cans filled with vegetables.

Domurad declined to provide details on how the embedded chip transmits the signal. "Telling you the specifics would be a bit like giving you the formula for Coca Cola," he said. "All I can tell you is it works. But the same configuration doesn't necessarily work in all badge styles."

To learn more, visit www.blackinton.com

The stereotypical working woman with a briefcase, hose and heels may be a thing of the past. According to the latest data, more than 50 percent of working women are in non-office jobs in fields like transportation, construction, farming, emergency response, food service, shipping and manufacturing.

That’s why global workwear manufacturer Dickies is introducing a new line of professional quality workwear specially designed for women who need tough, durable workpants, shirts, shorts and carpenter jeans to wear on the job. Features include industrial-laundry strength fabric and trim (including an RFID pocket for convenience of chip placement), racheting zipper sliders and reinforced pockets, waistbands and seams.

"This is not sportswear with a Dickies label slapped on – our women’s line is as durable, functional and easy-care as what we make for men, ” said Jon Ragsdale, vice president, marketing, at Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co. “We’ve combined the qualities women want in their apparel, such as style, fit and comfort, along with the practical features they need to do their jobs."

The new women’s line includes :

Flat-front and pleated work pants and shorts in a Scotchgard stain release-treated 7-oz. mechanical stretch twill that is wrinkle- and fade-resistant in black, navy and khaki with a more modern relaxed fit and lower rise.

Women’s cell phone pants, cargo pocket cell phone pants and cell phone shorts have specially placed pockets designed to be more comfortable for women—for example, with the cell phone pocket in the front rather in the back (where it is in the men’s line) . All three are in a Scotchgard stain release-treated stretch twill with a stretch interlining in the waistband for greater comfort while bending, lifting or stooping.

A basic five-pocket denim jean in 13-oz. mechanical stretch fabric that also features the stretch waist interlining.

A stretch carpenter jean has a relaxed fit with a slightly flared leg, plus double belt loops, a cargo pocket with hidden snap plus patch pockets, and cell phone, watch and rule pockets. Women’s jeans and workpants are offered in a variety of inseam lengths and in sizes 4 – 24.

Three stretch tops in wrinkle- and stain-resistant poplin and oxford feature moisture management for all day comfort. The tops have princess seams for a neater, more tailored fit, plus longer tails so they stay tucked in throughout an active day.

Since its beginnings in Fort Worth, Texas in 1922, the Williamson-Dickie Mfg. Co. has grown from a manufacturer of bib overalls into a global brand powerhouse, with Dickies work pants, shirts, denim, outerwear, school uniforms, outdoor gear, medical and chefs apparel and an extensive licensing program offering sturdy head-to-toe clothing options. Williamson-Dickie operates through subsidiaries in North America, Canada and Europe as well as exclusive distributorship around the world.

Learn more by visiting www.dickies.com

Finally this month, American Fibers and Yarns Company (AF&Y) has teamed with Avondale Mills to develop a new high-performance denim targeted for active lifestyles. Featuring a 24 percent blend of AF&Y’s Innova® yarns, the denim is lightweight, durable and moisture-wicking.

“For active lifestyles, consumers will find this denim much more comfortable than traditional cotton denim,” said Mike Brown, director of denim product development at Avondale Mills. “During warm weather or vigorous activity, traditional cotton denim can feel heavy and uncomfortable under the weight of absorbed perspiration. The Innova yarns eliminate the problem by wicking moisture away from the body, making this denim ideal for active youth and adults, for sports and other outdoor activities, and for work.”

Brown added the new denim is also stronger and more durable than traditional cotton fabric, with cotton/Innova® tensile and tear strengths are approximately 50% greater when comparing the same fabric construction.

Innova yarns are manufactured exclusively by AF&Y and can be engineered to have the look and feel of virtually any natural or man-made fiber. Inherent performance characteristics include stain and fade resistance, durability, moisture control, and bacteria and odor resistance.

American Fibers and Yarns Company is the world’s leading supplier of solution dyed filament yarns. AF&Y has a growing presence in the hospitality, apparel, automotive and industrial markets. Headquartered in Chapel Hill, NC, AF&Y maintains a Technology Center that specializes in engineering filament yarn with innovative combinations not available from other suppliers. The company also operates two U.S. production facilities totaling a million square feet of manufacturing space.

For more information on AF&Y, please visit www.afyarns.com or call 919-969-4300.

Editor’s note: Would you like to see your new products featured in a future installment of Product Round-up? Send an email to Jackie@uniformmarket.com