Effects of the Downturn
Dismal Holiday Pushes Domestic Mills over the Brink
 January 13, 2009 (WWD) - The dismal holiday season at retail has forced a slew of textile plant closings, dealing another blow to the viability of an already withering domestic textile and apparel industry.
Invista, Milliken & Co. and Gildan Activewear are among the companies that are cutting back.
The frequency of factory closings has gained momentum since late September. As economic conditions worsened through October and November and holiday orders failed to materialize, the pace of layoffs and plant shutdowns accelerated, with North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee particularly hard hit.
The recent spate of layoffs and closures hasn’t been limited to the few remaining independent mills, said Lloyd Wood, director of membership and media outreach at the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition.
“You’re seeing the most efficient people out there closing plants,” Wood said. “The weak sisters have long disappeared, and you’re seeing the best of the best either drastically reduce operations in some instances or shut down plants.”
Invista, which manufactures products such as Coolmax and Lycra, has made significant cutbacks. In October, the company said it would trim 400 of its 500 workers at a carpet fiber facility in Seaford, Del. This was followed in early December with the announcement that the company would lay off more than 200 out of 600 employees at a facility in Waynesboro, Va. Invista said a plunge in demand for home carpeting forced the company to halt nylon production at the plant. Soon after Christmas, Invista said it was shuttering a yarn processing plant in Athens, Ga., with 50 workers losing jobs.
Milliken & Co. and Gildan Activewear have also been forced to reduce costs. Milliken announced the closing of a textile plant in Barnwell, S.C., on Dec. 30 that employed 125 people. In releasing its year-end financial results on Dec. 11, Gildan said it would “phase out sock finishing operations in the U.S. by the end of June and consolidate operations in Honduras, in order to remain globally competitive in the current economic conditions.”
As a result, the company said it would eliminate 200 jobs at its facility in Fort Payne, Ala., and close a knitting factory in Virginia that employed 180 people. Gildan also plans to expand production capabilities in the Dominican Republic.
Smaller textile players that had been treading water in recent years reached the end of the line when holiday orders failed to materialize and the chance for future orders disappeared. Belmont, N.C.-based yarn manufacturer R.L. Stowe Mills Inc. said on Jan. 5 that it would close within 60 days, bringing the company’s 108-year run to an end.
“Business conditions in the fourth quarter deteriorated suddenly and dramatically,” said president and chief executive officer D. Harding Stowe. “Looking forward, management does not see sales returning to levels sufficient to sustain business.”
The coalition’s Wood said, “It’s not about competence. It really is about the economic conditions and the underlying [government trade] policy. Until one of those things is fixed, it’s going to be tough for anybody.”
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, a total of 2.6 million jobs were lost in 2008. More than half evaporated in the last four months of the year, and the unemployment rate rose to 7.2 percent last month from 6.7 percent in November. Textile mills manufacturing apparel fabric eliminated 2,900 positions last year to employ 138,800 workers. Home furnishing fabric manufacturers, known as textile product mills, cut 1,700 positions to 143,500. Apparel manufacturers eliminated 2,800 jobs to 185,300.
Since the push to manufacture abroad that began in the Seventies, domestic apparel manufacturing has steadily dwindled. In 1973, apparel manufacturing employment topped out at 1.5 million, while the textile industry peaked at 1.3 million in 1951.
The downward trend is expected to continue. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Career Guide to Industries, about 595,000 people were employed in the textile and apparel manufacturing industries in 2006. That number is expected to contract by more than 35 percent by 2016. California, Georgia and North Carolina employ more than 40 percent of all workers in the industry.
Will Current Economic Turmoil Scale Back Globalization?
 January 16, 2009 (RetailWire) - Amid the financial crisis and global economic slow down, some observers are betting that the powerful rush towards globalization will slow dramatically and perhaps even reverse itself.
Indeed, there were some indications this was happening even before the brewing financial crisis kicked into high gear.
Now, some companies are seeing their Chinese suppliers disappear, as tens of thousands of manufacturers in China shut their doors.
"There are some changes going on for sure, but not as dramatic as some of the reports would have you believe," said Gene Tyndall, executive vice president at Tompkins Associates and a SCDigest contributing editor.
"There is a lot of news - and rumors - about thousands of China factories closing and assertions that North American and European multi-nationals are bringing sourcing and production back, but that trend is being over exaggerated," Mr. Tyndall said.
The trend is both a matter of degree and Chinese Government policy, Mr. Tyndall said.
For example, while thousands of Chinese factories are closing, 98 percent are for low-end commodities that the government there wants to transition out of anyway, Mr. Tyndall said.
He also said more of those closings are related to the economic downturn and not due to the supply chain strategies of the multi-nationals.
"We continue to see a lot of activity in China for both sourcing and distribution," Tyndall. "The multi-nationals know that the only sales growth in the near-term will be in emerging markets."
He also notes that China continues to invest in infrastructure and new plants that make high-end components and products, and that the Chinese government has recently announced a series of stimulus plans to build out still more infrastructure and stoke export business, which is still positive but currently well down in terms of the growth it enjoyed over the past few years.
Mr. Tyndall said, however, he is seeing some trends towards greater sourcing diversification to low-cost countries outside of China. "We're seeing interest in Mexico, Eastern Europe, and Brazil, depending on the industry."
While globalization is here to stay, Mr. Tyndall said, the current dislocation does provide an opportunity to rethink global supply chain strategies.
"To me, the winners coming out of the recession will be those companies that have planned and established a new business model -- one that yields the lowest Total Delivered Cost to their customers, no matter where they are located," Mr. Tyndall said
VF Says Plan to Cut Costs in Effect: Details of 'Aggressive' Effort are not Disclosed
 January 15, 2009 (Winston-Salem Journal) - VF Corporation said yesterday that it has started "an aggressive cost-reduction" effort to help it weather a projected turbulent retail environment in 2009. It declined to give details.
The announcement came as part of an earnings warning for the fourth quarter in which VF, an apparel-marketing company, said it would take a $42 million restructuring charge.
It also comes about a month after VF said it was eliminating "a small number of positions" in its jeanswear and services groups as part of an overall effort to cut costs for 2009. VF said that the majority of those job cuts would be in Greensboro, where it has about 1,400 employees.
VF said it expects to save $100 million annually from the cost cuts, beginning this year.
"The cost reductions are extremely broad-based across all of our businesses," spokeswoman Cindy Knoebel said yesterday. "They include reductions in areas such as travel and entertainment, product cost, marketing/advertising, capacity, hiring, wages and select work-force adjustments.
"Each of our coalitions has identified areas of cost reduction, and in most cases this has included some work-force reductions. Although we are not providing specific details by business and location, the largest number of reductions has taken place in our jeanswear coalition."
VF's cost reductions are not only prudent, but necessary, said Peter Tourtellot, the managing director of Anderson Bauman Tourtellot Vos & Co., a turnaround-management company in Greensboro.
"This is what makes VF such an outstanding company, as it reacts swiftly when it sees opportunity, or in this case, trouble," he said. "The size of the cost-cutting means it will hit almost every division of the company. It appears they want to get this behind them so they can move forward without doing any more in 2009.
"Of course, this assumes the economy and retail will not get any worse than is presently forecasted."
VF's announcement came the day the U.S. Commerce Department reported that retail sales dropped 2.7 percent in December, representing a record sixth consecutive month of declines.
VF said it expects that fourth-quarter revenues will be down 2 percent, compared with a year ago. It will report its fourth-quarter and fiscal-year-2008 earnings on Feb. 10.
The restructuring charge will affect diluted earnings for the quarter by 30 cents a share, reducing earnings to a range of $1 to $1.05 a share. The company reported earnings of $1.46 a share in the fourth quarter of 2007.
For the full year, VF said, revenue would be flat when including the restructuring charges and up 6 percent excluding the charges.
"VF is well-positioned to weather this difficult environment due to our strong brands and our long history of disciplined financial and balance-sheet management," said Eric Wiseman, the chairman and chief executive officer of VF. "We have the flexibility to respond quickly to changing market conditions to protect our profitability and competitive position."
VF's share price rose $3.31 yesterday to finish at $54.05 a share. The share price is down 36 percent from a 52-week high of $84.60 on Sept. 4.
For fiscal 2009, VF said it expects to be significantly affected by two noncore financial challenges -- an increase in pension-expense levels and the effect of a stronger dollar in foreign-currency translation compared with 2008.
VF said that excluding the projected 70-cent decline in revenue from those two factors, it expects that 2009 earnings will meet or exceed its long-term growth target of up to 11 percent.
"We'll approach our retail-store opening and capital-spending plans cautiously and conservatively while we continue to aggressively manage expenses," Wellman said. "At the same time, our dividend remains a high priority for us in providing strong shareholder returns."
G&K Services cuts 460 Positions
 Washington, January 9, 2009 (AP) - G&K Services Inc., which provides uniforms and facility services, on Friday said it eliminated 460 jobs, including 340 employees and 120 open positions, from its work force as it aims to trim costs amid weak demand.
The 340 layoffs account for about 4 percent of the company's 9,500 employees. G&K said it expects the cuts to save $14 million per year starting in the fiscal third quarter of 2009. The company said the announcement does not affect the company's results for the second quarter of fiscal 2009 ended Dec. 27.
"While decisions to eliminate jobs are difficult, we've taken additional actions to further streamline our operating costs," Richard Marcantonio, chairman and chief executive, said in a statement.
A company spokesman said the cuts took place on Thursday. The cuts are the latest in several rounds of cost cutting at G&K. In October, the company announced an undisclosed number of job cuts. At that time, the company posted a 90 percent drop in its first-quarter profit.
G&K said it will release second-quarter results and provide more details on the latest cuts Jan. 27.
Shares of G&K fell 52 cents, or 2.5 percent, to $20.20 in morning trading.
Company Press Announcements
SanMar: Premium Products Good Brand Investment, Even in Economic Slowdown
 Seattle, WA, December 31, 2008 - SanMar Corporation, a leading supplier of imprintable apparel and accessories, has launched its 2009 Premium Collection catalog.
Showcasing an exclusive offering of the finest brands in the promotional products industry, this SanMar exclusive catalog offers products from Tiger Woods, Red House, Nike Golf and OGIO®.
Featuring over 130 products ranging in tone from performance apparel and tech-driven gear bags to lush fabrications from Red House, the 2009 Premium Collection is about targeting the brand-cued client from across the buying spectrum, including businesses, golfers and anyone who appreciates well crafted wearables and accessories.
But in an economic downturn, the natural inclination is to wonder about the role of premium products. In my opinion, the time to build your brand equity is during an economic downturn, says Lee Strom, senior marketing manager at SanMar. Premium products are a way of setting your brand apart, and you want that message to remain loud and clear.
The 2009 Premium Collection debuts over 20 new designs this year, including seven new gear and tote offerings from OGIO, who will be offering their entire line exclusively through SanMar. This complete offering debuts in an exclusive OGIO catalog, featuring all 54 OGIO bags and totes for 2009.
Both catalogs become available in late January and will debut at the 2009 PPAI Expo. The catalogs can be custom imprinted on the front and back cover and are offered in a suggested retail price version.
To order the 2009 Premium Collection catalog or the OGIO catalog, call 800.426.6399 or visit www.sanmar.com.
New DuPont™ Capstone™ Products Provide Dual Benefit for Fabric Finishes;
Minimal Environmental Footprint
 Wilmington, DE, January 12, 2009 – DuPont Chemical Solutions Enterprise announces the availability of new products for repellent and soil release finishes for the textile industry that deliver maximum performance with a minimal environmental footprint.
Based on short-chain chemistry, DuPont™ Capstone™ products for textile finishes provide a step-change reduction in trace impurities below the limit of detection*, offering the same or better performance than their predecessors without compromising fluorine efficiency. Capstone™ products also meet the goals of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency 2010/15 PFOA Stewardship Program.
DuPont™ Capstone™ products are the key ingredient in fabric finishes for apparel, home furnishings and other textiles that will be sold to mills by Huntsman under the Huntsman trade name Oleophobol® CP. For consumers, these products may be identified as DuPont™Teflon® fabric protector once performance specifications are met by a DuPont licensed fabric mill. The DuPont chemistry for Teflon® fabric protector complies with Oeko-Tex® standard 100 and is a Bluesign®-approved finish. Fabrics treated with Teflon® fabric protector look newer longer and allow consumers to save money and energy due to the need for less frequent laundering and the ability to wash and dry at lower temperatures.
Capstone™ products reflect the DuPont commitment to provide the high-performance sustainable alternatives the industry demands.
“Our customers that have converted to Capstone™ products in other market segments tell us that we have met their performance requirements,” said Thomas H. Samples, Surface Protection Solutions global business manager, DuPont Chemical Solutions Enterprise. “The introduction of Capstone™ products for textiles furthers the DuPont mission of sustainable growth – creating shareholder and societal value while reducing the environmental footprint along the value chains in which our customers operate.”
DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in 1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere. Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and food; building and construction; communications; and transportation.
More information about Capstone™ products can be obtained at www.capstone.dupont.com. Information about Teflon® fabric protector can be obtained at www.teflon.com/fabricprotector.
* Below the limit of detection for PFOA based on the published analytical method found in the Journal of Chromatography A (2006) 117-124.
Regarding marketing claims, DuPont believes that no one can substantiate statements that fluorotelomer products are “PFOA Free” or have “Zero PFOA” even if test results are below the limit of detection. DuPont feels such a claim must be made with scientific accuracy, and analytical methods continue to advance to ever-lower detection limits.
3M Launches 360° Enhanced Visibility Program
 Salt Lake City, UT, January 22, 2009 – 3M, a leader in research and technology that has helped drive improvements in visibility with the development of 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material, announces the launch of 360° Enhanced Visibility to help design specifiers increase visibility levels for consumers active in low-light and night time conditions.
The 360° Enhanced Visibility program with 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material is a great way to help people be seen from nearly every angle – front, back and sideways. Each year, nearly 5,000 pedestrians – or one every 109 minutes – are killed in traffic crashes and 71,000 – or one every seven minutes – are injured in traffic crashes. Of the total accidents and injuries, 65 percent of pedestrian fatalities occur between 6:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. Designing high-visibility outdoor athletic apparel helps enhance the visibility and safety of wearers while elevating brand profile.
To meet 360° Enhanced Visibility requirements and qualify for hang tags and in-store marketing support, activewear must meet specific 3M design guidelines. One such qualifier is Fila’s trendy new Special Edition Melrose women’s shoe featuring highly reflective custom print and color panels made of 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material in teal, silver and blues.
At the consumer level, 360° Enhanced Visibility will provide increased visibility to the wearer in low-light, conditions, because it requires that 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material be visible on all sides of the garment or footwear in specific areas and amounts.
“Reflective material in high-performance apparel and footwear that is placed and designed appropriately doesn’t just enhance the visibility of the active person, it also increases the awareness of the specifier’s brand,” said Paul Amos, global marketing manager for 3M’s Visibility and Insulation Solutions business.
Amos continued, "As more and more consumers have less free time, many are doing their work-outs early morning or late evening. These enthusiasts are looking for ways to help get noticed when on the road and to increase their level of safety while doing what they love, whether running, biking or walking."
3M design standards for 360° Enhanced Visibility offer specifiers high flexibility in a range of options, including Transfer Films, Fabrics, High Gloss Materials, Pressure-Sensitive Adhesive Films and Graphic Transfers. Because 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material is available in a variety of forms, design and application possibilities are countless. To help meet 360° Enhanced Visibility requirements, 3M provides specifiers with extensive support, education and training.
Fashion, versatility and performance come together with 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material. Designers can easily incorporate it into all kinds of high-performance gear, from running and bike wear, to apparel for ski instructors or garments for kids, with fashionable design that gets noticed, day or night.
3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material celebrates 70 years after researchers at 3M first made road signs with Scotchlite Reflective sheeting material that was much brighter than paint. Years later, the reflective technology migrated to fabrics.
To learn more about 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Material, contact your 3M sales representative or visit our website at www.Scotchlite.com.
Penn Emblem Introduces Online Quoting; PennDimension™
 Philadelphia, PA, December 31, 2008 - What used to take days, was reduced to hours, and finally seconds, thanks to Penn Emblem’s online quoting system.
With Penn Emblem’s new online quoting website, customers will simply go to the website and enter their emblem details: height and width, the type of emblem, the thread coverage and the quantities they wish to have quoted. After attaching the artwork and clicking to send, an e-mail quote is immediately delivered to the customer’s email address. No more waiting – the quickest response possible increases your speed to market.
To learn more, contact sales@pennemblem.com.
In another move, the company has launched PennDimension™, a patented product combining the fine detail of woven technology and the luster of embroidery to produce an unparalleled identification product. PennDimension is the latest example of Penn Emblem’s leadership and innovation in the garment decoration arena.
The Penn Emblem Company has specialized in identification and image solutions for over 65 years. Penn Emblem offers the highest quality identification products in almost any style you can imagine, from patches and emblems to mending material, thermal ID tapes and printers and sublimation systems.
For more information on this product, contact Phil Pogue at 800-390-7366 or phil@pennemblem.com.
Management Changes at Leading Workplace Uniforms Provider
 Boston, January 16, 2009 - UniFirst is pleased to announce that its Corporate Controller, Steven Sintros, has been promoted to the position of vice president and chief financial officer. Mr. Sintros is a certified public accountant and has been with UniFirst since February 2004.
He was previously a manager with Ernst & Young LLP and Arthur Andersen LLP in their Boston offices. Mr. Sintros attended the College of the Holy Cross where he received an undergraduate degree in economics and Northeastern University where he earned a masters degree in accounting and business administration.
In conjunction with this promotion, John Bartlett will be retiring as senior vice president and chief financial officer. Mr. Bartlett has been with UniFirst for over 30 years and has served as the chief financial officer since the company went public in 1983. Mr. Bartlett is going to be continuing on with the company in a more limited role as a senior business advisor.
UniFirst is also pleased to announce the addition of David Katz as vice president of sales and marketing. Mr. Katz joins UniFirst from DHL Express where he ran a complex, billion dollar business unit. As a proven senior executive with management, sales and operations expertise, Mr. Katz brings a diverse set of strategic and leadership skills to further enhance UniFirst's growth in national accounts and field sales.
The board of directors of UniFirst Corporation also declared regular quarterly cash dividends of $0.0375 per share (3.75 cents) on the Company's Common Stock and $0.03 per share (3.0 cents) on the Company's Class B Common Stock. Both dividends are payable on April 3, 2009, to shareholders of record on March 13, 2009.
UniFirst Corporation is one of the largest providers of workplace uniforms, protective clothing and facility services products in North America.
Transprint Launches new Global Corporate Identity
 New York, January 20, 2009 - Transprint™, an international design leader recently acquired by Colorep®, has launched a new corporate identity, including a new logo and a new website (we will continue to use our current domain for the transition – www.transprintusa.com) to emphasize its global leadership in fashion, architectural products, industrial finishes and other items requiring the best in design.
Formerly known as Transprint USA, Transprint remains the largest producer and supplier of top quality heat-transfer paper in the United States, for design, fabric, and finished goods. Now, with the power of Colorep, Transprint is expanding its reach to become a stronger global presence. At a time when some competitors in the industry are struggling, Transprint is growing.
The company’s new corporate identity package, featuring new signs, marketing communications, and other materials, uses blue and green to communicate Transprint’s commitment to sustainability and improving the environment. “The new identity reflects the quality, beauty and flexibility that have been hallmarks of our business for 25 years,” says Bonnie Julian, vice president of design and marketing for Transprint. “We also intend for our look to reflect our passion for this business.”
The union of Colorep and Transprint has yielded new technologies and innovations, including:
AirDye® - A new sustainable alternative to traditional dyeing and decorating processes. AirDye technology doesn’t pollute or use water, helps keep the air clean, and requires 50 to 80% less energy than standard methods of dyeing. The new technology has huge environmental benefits, while at the same time offering new and enhanced design opportunities. Products made with AirDye technology are vivid, stylish, and good for the planet. For more, visit www.airdye.com.
Over the years, Transprint has developed a collection of more than 15,000 designs, from realistic dimensional textures to the newest catwalk trends to rich four-color process designs. New collections are introduced every season. The company also offers forecasting of color, fashion-forward designs and trends, wide width solids, and greater customization through digital upgrades.
Customers will continue to enjoy the impeccable customer service that’s been a hallmark of Transprint. The company will also host a series of webinars to introduce its new line.
As a world innovator, Colorep is passionate about creating new printing and dyeing technologies that help to sustain the planet while offering excellence in quality, value and accessibility. Colorep’s revolutionary technologies – AirDye and ecobanner™ - come to life in its subsidiaries, Transprint and BetaColor™, each making those sustainable technologies available around the world. Colorep is headquartered in Rancho Cucamonga, CA. For details, see www.colorep.com.
SanMar is Exclusive Promotional Products Supplier of OGIO
 Seattle, WA, Jan. 14, 2009, SanMar® Corporation, a leading supplier of imprintable apparel and accessories, has been named the sole supplier of OGIO®, the revolutionary name in gear bags, and will gain exclusive distribution of all 54 OGIO products available in the promotional products industry.
“OGIO sets trends, makes savvy color choices and delivers unfailing quality,” says Jeremy Lott, SanMar vice president. “We’re happy to be supplying these innovative products to the industry.”
While SanMar previously carried select OGIO styles, beginning in January, SanMar will carry every OGIO gear bag, pack and golf bag available in the promotional products industry.
As OGIO’s vice president of global promotional products division Nick Wright explains, “We see this partnership as a win-win for both companies. We will continue to do what we do best - design top quality and innovative products. SanMar, with their industry recognized customer service and nationwide inventory, will make it easier and more efficient for customers to order and receive OGIO products.”
For more information or to order OGIO, visit www.sanmar.com or call SanMar customer service at 800.426.6399.
Online Retailer of Scrubs and Medical Supplies Announces Debut of New Blog
 Orrville, OH, January 11, 2009 (PRWEB) - Launched in June 2008, NursingHearts.com is a website dedicated to the sale of nursing scrubs and other medical apparel. Branching into additional arenas, the site also has information on the nursing profession in general.
Furthering the information aspect of the site, they have also recently launched www.NursingHeartsInfo.com, a company blog focusing on issues within the nursing profession.
Site founder and operator Karen Hartzler is uniquely suited to run such a site, seeing as she herself is a nurse.
"As a nurse, I know what interests people in the medical profession, which is why I wanted to offer more than just medical supplies," said Hartzler. "I also wanted to offer my customers information about the nursing profession in general."
To that end, the site features several categories from nursing career information to nursing courses online. The site also covers topics such as the increasing trend toward nursing shortages.
"You have to give so much of yourself in the nursing profession, and there is an increasing shortage in the industry," said Hartzler. "This is why the site is geared toward apparel as well as information. For anyone who is interested in becoming a nurse, I wanted to make a convenient and trustworthy place for them to shop."
Undergoing numerous changes, the site has recently added the blog NursingHeartsInfo.com. Launched in December 2008, the new venue will contain information on everything from medical apparel to issues within the nursing profession.
"The blog will be a great resource for customers who are interested in what's happening with nursing in general," said Hartzler. "And the site, of course, will be updated with information about the medical field as well."
Launching the blog in order to benefit her clientele, NursingHearts.com also has the distinct benefit of providing comparison shopping.
"We carry a great variety on the site, so my customers can always compare prices and styles of scrubs," said Hartzler. "I wanted to give back to the nursing community, because I know from firsthand experience how hard nurses work. This site is a small thank-you to those men and women."
For more information, please visit www.NursingHearts.com.
Fruhauf Keeps its Focus on Quality
 Wichita, KS, December 31, 2008 (The Eagle) - When Herman Fruhauf opened Fruhauf Uniforms in 1910, he made costumes and uniforms for town bands and fraternal organizations.
Nearly 99 years later, the sewing machines at Fruhauf Uniforms are still humming, but now they're mostly stitching band uniforms for schools.
The company, at 800 E. Gilbert, has stayed in the family for four generations and is now owned and operated by brothers Richard and Kenneth Fruhauf, Herman's great-grandsons.
As the company prepares for its 100-year anniversary in 2010, Richard Fruhauf said there's a possibility of a fifth generation of Fruhaufs taking over someday because Richard's two sons have started to help out around the business.
Richard Fruhauf said the company began focusing on manufacturing band uniforms for schools after World War II and has retained that focus ever since.
The company manufactures uniforms for high school and college marching bands across the state and country. It has even made uniforms for a Broadway production of "The Music Man" -- which earned a Tony Award nomination for costume design -- and a feature film.
The company now employs 150 in Wichita and has another 37 sales representatives scattered across the United States.
Richard Fruhauf, 47, said he and his brother were always interested in the family business, working for their father and grandfather since they were young.
"We would work after school and on weekends," he said.
Fruhauf and his brother worked in a variety of departments, learning the ins and outs of the whole business.
The variety of orders the company receives has helped keep the job enjoyable over the years, Fruhauf said.
"You get to use your creativity on a daily basis," he said.
Fruhauf said he thinks the company has been able to stay in business so long because of its focus on quality, something previous generations always emphasized.
"My grandfather told me and my brother that if we ever cut the quality, to just sell the business," Fruhauf said.
He said the company gets lots of repeat business, with band directors often buying new uniforms from them five or six times.
"We have never strived to be the biggest," Fruhauf said, "we only want to be the best."
Peaches Uniforms Wants a Bite Out Of Peaches.com
 Austin, TX, December 31, 2008 - Peaches.com would be sweeter. Peaches Uniforms, a seller of fashion uniforms and scrubs to women in the medical industry, has filed an arbitration request with National Arbitration Forum to gain control of the domain name Peaches.com.
Peaches Uniforms, founded in 1987, filed for a trademark on the term Peaches for medical uniforms in 2006. The trademark was granted in April 2007.
Peaches.com was originally registered in 1995. The current owner, 24-7 Outdoors, Inc., has owned the domain since at least 2003, the earliest date historical records are available on DomainTools. At the time, the domain was registered to The Peach Connection and 24-7 Outdoors.
Earlier this year, Peaches.com forwarded to a parking page with ads for medical uniforms. Since at least October it has forwarded to web pages not related to medical uniforms.
Peaches Uniforms will have to jump two big hurdles if it has any hopes of winning this battle.
First, the domain was registered several years prior to Peaches Uniforms even registering its current domain PeachesUniforms.com and more than a decade before the company filed for a trademark on “Peaches”. Proving a bad faith registration will be challenging. At the time the domain was registered, is it likely that the registrant knew of Peaches Uniforms and bought the domain with the company in mind? With such a generic term and the company being in a small niche, this will be a tough sell to the panel.
Second, Peaches Uniforms has had a web presence for a long time. Why wait until the last month of 2008 to file a UDRP to get the domain Peaches.com? Surely the company has been aware of the existence of peaches.com for a long time. A UDRP arbitration panel will sometimes find against a complainant’s claim that there was confusion between the domain and its brand if it takes too long to file a UDRP. For example, in a case about CapitolCorridor.com, the panel wrote “Complainant also contends that it only recently learned of the existence of capitolcorridor.com as a reason for its six-year delay in asserting its rights. The Panel gives this unsupported assertion little weight, as it is difficult to believe that the owners of capitolcorridor.org could reasonably remain unaware of the existence of capitolcorridor.com for over six years.”
I don’t have more details about the ins and outs of the case, but I’ll anxiously await the decision and post a follow up when it is handed down.
Lydia’s Professional Uniforms Launches Online Plus Size Scrub Store
 Grand Rapids-Muskegon-Holland, MI, January 07, 2009 - A new plus size scrub store from Lydia’s Uniforms gives medical professionals the opportunity to shop more than 300 styles of medical uniforms, sizes XL-5X in an online store. The store was designed to make uniform shopping simple for those searching for extended sizes.
In the online store, customers will find plus size scrubs from popular medical uniform brands including: Barco, Cherokee, Dickies, Iguana Med, Katherine Heigl, Koi, L.A. Rose, Landau, Nu Dimension, Peaches Urbane and White Cross. They will also find the newest styles and trends in medical wear like the eco-friendly bamboo hospital scrubs from White Cross and the ultra professional lab coats by Med Couture. With over 300 items and 10 brands customers are offered a wide variety in everything from style to fabric to color.
In addition to carrying all these brands, the plus size scrub store also offers collections that are uniquely designed for plus size individuals, like Dickies W. The Dickies W collection is made up of scrubs that flatter curvy and full figures and includes everything from basic to trendy style scrubs.
Customers interested in shopping Lydia’s new plus size scrub store can head to LydiasUniforms.com today. Feedback on the products in the store is encouraged and customers can leave their comments and rating of each product.
Awards
FiberLok Wins SGIA Golden Image / Andre Schellenberg Award
 Fort Collins, CO, January 5, 2009 – When the best specialty printers in the world competed in the Specialty Graphic Imaging Association’s Golden Image / Andre Schellenberg competition last fall, FiberLok, Fort Collins, Colorado stood out, leaving with seven awards for Flocked Products (Gold Bronze and Honorable Mention), Heat Transfers – Textile Products (Silver, Bronze and Honorable Mention), and Heat Transfers – Non-Textile Products (Bronze).
“I am very proud of the FiberLok team,” said Brown Abrams, founding CEO. “Our work compared to the best in the world – and we came out on top. That’s quite an accomplishment!”
More than 90 companies from around the world entered the competition, submitting a total of nearly 600 prints in 41 product categories. Conducted during the SGIA ’08 Convention & Exposition (Atlanta, Georgia USA, October 15-18, 2008), this year’s event was one of the most challenging in recent history.
“The judges had a very difficult time this year. Not because of the sheer volume of entries, but because of the overall quality of the work. Judges in virtually every category told me the entries were so good that choosing winners was a real challenge,” said Johnny Shell, vice president, technical services.
Shell added that the Golden Image / Andre Schellenberg is a technical competition, excluding aesthetic issues from the judging process. Prints are judged on the level of difficulty and quality of execution.
“Winning the seven awards in these categories puts FiberLok among the top specialty printers in the world in terms of quality and capability. The ability to consistently print such high quality products indicates that FiberLok is expert at controlling the many variables involved in specialty printing,” Shell said. In the previous ’07 year competition, FiberLok won nine Golden Image Awards.
A recap of SGIA ’08, including the complete list of Golden Image / Andre Schellenberg winners, is available online at SGIA.org .
For more information about FiberLok, visit web sites www.fiberlok.com and www.mouserug.com.
UniFirst Receives Awards for Helping Keep Environment ‘Green’
Wilmington, MA, January 8, 2009 – Long recognized for providing attractive uniform services and keeping work apparel clean, UniFirst Corporation is now being saluted by many cities and towns for the laundering processes it has in place that help keep local environments appealing and similarly spotless.
Recently, for example, UniFirst was given a top “Gold” award for “outstanding achievement” in water safety by the Missouri Water Environment Association, an organization dedicated to improving the quality of water resources throughout the “Show Me” state.
But with 167 customer servicing facilities serving more than 200,000 customers throughout North America, the UniFirst environmental accolades have not stopped there.
In Austin, Texas, the Water & Wastewater Utility Special Service Division presented UniFirst with its “Excellence in Pretreatment” award for maintaining “a properly designed, operated and maintained pretreatment system” that continually passes unannounced sampling inspections with flying colors. Deeper in the heart of Texas, Houston’s Industrial Wastewater Service gave UniFirst similar kudos during 2008 by awarding the company one of its coveted Gold Awards for enviro-friendly water treatment processes.
Outside the Lone Star state, UniFirst received another half-dozen similar “green” awards from the Hampton Roads Sanitation District in Virginia, the Kansas Water Environment Association in Topeka, and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Utilities in North Carolina.
UniFirst has even won praise for its environmental sensitivity within the specialized field of laundering and decontaminating apparel worn by nuclear power employees. In 2008, Exelon Corporation, one of the nation’s largest nuclear power providers, presented UniFirst with its Environmental Leadership Award for its “lengthy record of…(processes and) services that are environmentally responsible, safe and of superior quality.”
Meanwhile, as a member of the Laundry Environment Stewardship Program (LaundryESP®), UniFirst has contributed for more than 30 years to an industry-wide initiative aimed at the “greening” of the overall environment. Established in cooperation with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, LaundryESP is credited with reducing overall industry pollutants by 40 percent, water usage by 13 percent, and energy usage by 12 percent.
In a recently published brochure, UniFirst notes that “being ‘green’ goes way beyond the color of our logo.” Apparently so.
For more information, contact UniFirst at (800) 225-3364 or www.unifirst.com.
End User News
House Committee Urges Probe of Uniforms Posing Health Problems
 Washington, DC, January 15, 2009 (Washington Post) - Complaints that new uniforms are causing rashes and other irritations for Transportation Security Administration officers who screen passengers at airports have triggered an inquiry by the House Committee on Homeland Security.
In a letter to TSA Administrator Kip Hawley, the committee chairman, Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) called the complaints "very troublesome" and requested that the agency fully investigate the issue and report back with proposed solutions to any problems found.
According to unions representing federal workers, hundreds of transportation security officers, or TSOs, have complained about the uniforms, most reporting skin rashes but others complaining of runny or bloody noses, lightheadedness, red eyes and swollen and cracked lips.
The TSA says the problem is not widespread and that fewer than 60 of the 45,000 employees issued the uniforms have requested alternative, all-cotton versions. "Although the numbers are very small, we are taking the issue very seriously," Christopher White, a TSA spokesman, said Wednesday.
The new, blue uniforms were introduced last year in an effort to give TSOs a more professional look than the white uniforms they replaced. Thompson noted in his letter that employees have given the new uniforms good reviews from the standpoint of appearance and ease of care, but that the TSA must ensure the uniforms are not causing health problems.
"To do anything less is troubling and must be remedied," Thompson wrote. "Therefore, I am writing to request that you fully examine and report on the physical reactions by TSOs to the new uniforms and your plans for resolving problems revealed in this examination in a timely, fair and effective manner."
"There is a potentially serious issue here for TSOs, and it is important to gather as much detailed information as we can about the possible impact, the production of the uniforms and other relevant matters," National Treasury Employees Union President Colleen M. Kelley said in a statement Wednesday.
The TSA and the manufacturer of the uniforms, VF Solutions of Nashville, dispute the unions' claims that formaldehyde is responsible for the rashes. Formaldehdye is a chemical byproduct of the permanent-press finish applied by clothing manufacturers to prevent mildew and stains. Tests conducted by an independent laboratory showed negligible amounts of the chemical in the TSA uniforms.
In his letter to Hawley, Thompson requested that the TSA provide more data about the test results as well as its efforts to conduct an independent government assessment of the results.
Thompson also asked why TSA has encouraged affected employees to file workers' compensation claims rather than allowing them to use administrative leave or other internal remedies.
Kelley said employees should be allowed to use administrative leave for medical appointments and treatment related to the uniforms. "For those who are affected, this is, of course, an issue not of their own making, so the responsibility for seeing that all necessary and proper steps are taken is fully in the hands of the agency," she said.
In a press released, the NTEU noted that employee morale "remains distressingly low" at TSA and that the agency has one of the highest turnover rates in government.
The complaints regarding skin irritations follow concerns that metal badges issued with the new uniforms were triggering the metal detectors at airports, something the embroidered versions on the old uniforms did not do. "It's been one thing after another," said a congressional staffer. "It was kind of silly - you're supposed to know that metal triggers metal detectors."
White said the TSA knew this. "A metal badge is going to set off a metal detector, he said. "You don't have to be an expert to know that."
The TSA has adjusted its procedures in response, White said. "We've had no operational problems since going to the new procedures," he added.
Milwaukee Officials Seek New Police Uniform Bids
 Milwaukee, WI, January 8, 2009 (Journal Sentinel) - City Hall is starting over on the long, big-bucks competition to hire a supplier of uniforms to Milwaukee police.
Purchasing officials are rejecting all bids after the sole qualifying vendor's price came in $340,000 higher than one of its main competitors - a 33% premium, as the Journal Sentinel reported last month.
Goldfish Uniforms, the high bidder, had emerged as the favorite because other potential vendors did not propose a subcontract with a disadvantaged business, as the city required. The lower bidders said they could not, because only Goldfish is certified as a disadvantaged company.
The disadvantaged-business requirement will be dropped from the new bid specifications to increase competition, said Rhonda Kelsey, city purchasing director.
Police Chief Edward Flynn recommended the rebidding to Kelsey over cost concerns. Kelsey said she agreed and decided to rebid.
Even Goldfish co-owner Debbie O'Brien lauded the move. "Our intention was never to take advantage of Milwaukee taxpayers," she said.
O'Brien has suggested the big price difference resulted from manufacturer discounts offered to suppliers that have done a heavy volume of business with the manufacturer - Spiewak of New York - that Milwaukee police favor.
Goldfish had offered an alternate and lower bid that substituted duty pants and shirts made by Elbeco of Pennsylvania. But that bid was disqualified as well because Elbeco could not modify its apparel in time for the bid opening last month. Elbeco has its sample ready now.
Union activists and anti-sweatshop advocates are pushing for Elbeco-made uniforms. Unlike Spiewak, Elbeco has unionized plants in the United States, although it, too, has overseas plants that make apparel for many agencies, including police jackets for Milwaukee.
The current supplier of replacement uniforms is Badger Uniforms. Since 2004, the city has paid Badger more than $900,000.
Badger and Lark Uniform are vying with Goldfish for the contract, which runs through at least 2012.
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: Mart Visser to Design New KLM ladies' Uniform
 Los Angeles, CA, January 23, 2009 (Presswire via Comtex) - KLM Royal Dutch Airlines will introduce a new ladies' uniform for its 11,000-plus cabin and ground personnel, as well as for female pilots serving KLM and KLM Cityhopper. As of April 2010, they will wear uniforms created by Dutch fashion designer Mart Visser.
KLM feels the time is ripe for a new ladies' uniform that reflects current trends in couture. The uniform will retain the KLM blue color introduced in 1971. "We are proud of the staff that brought the blue of our airline to life," said Peter Hartman, KLM President & CEO. "By making this investment under the prevailing economic circumstances, we underscore our faith in the future and in the KLM brand."
The selected designer's philosophy closely matches that of KLM. Mart Visser: "I see corporate uniforms as a company's statement to the outside world. The wearer should feel comfortable in my creation, further strengthening the KLM image." Mart Visser's designs are functional and timeless, displaying his signature style, which may be characterized as fresh, open and confident. "The great thing about my design is that it will contribute to the wearer's sense of pride and pleasure. This will have a positive effect on passengers travelling with KLM, which is exactly what we hope to achieve."
The current planning is to present the entire collection in October 2009. The new uniform will become visible on the ground and on board in April 2010. The existing ladies' uniform was presented in 1990. Mart Visser's design will be KLM's 10th ladies uniform since the first was introduced in 1935. The new men's uniform, introduced in 2000, was designed by Oger.
Spirit Flight Attendants not Happy with Airline's Proposed Uniforms
 Detroit, January 28, 2009 (The Detroit News) - Spirit Airlines flight attendants are saying, "This Bud's not for us," after glimpsing a proposed new uniform that includes aprons sporting logos for Budweiser and other alcoholic beverages.
According to the Association of Flight Attendants chapter at Spirit Airlines, the apron that would go with new uniforms is unacceptable attire that sends customers the wrong message.
"Turning flight attendants into walking billboards is unacceptable," Deborah Crowley, president of Spirit's flight attendants union chapter, said in a statement. "The proposed aprons diminish the primary and federally mandated role of flight attendants as safety professionals."
Besides the high-altitude booze-and-cruise implication of the new uniform aprons, attendants say they also are rankled by sexism in the off-color ad campaigns of the Miramar Fla.-based airline.
Spirit, like most airlines, sells alcoholic beverages to customers of legal age on board, but flight attendants are required to stop serving customers who are already intoxicated. The union says the uniforms would hurt a flight attendant's ability to enforce such regulations, as well as be taken seriously in the event of an emergency.
Spirit, which traces its corporate roots back to Eastpointe, used to operate its primary hub at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Spirit moved its headquarters to Florida in 1999 to cut costs, but has maintained pilot, flight attendant and maintenance bases at Metro.
A Spirit spokeswoman didn't immediately return phone messages left Tuesday evening seeking comment.
Union officials also complained about Spirit's recent fare promotions, some that have featured randy innuendoes. Some -- such as the "Threesome Sale," which invited customers to "come join in the fun," and the exclamation "We're Proud of our DDs," which touted deep discounts -- have been more explicit than others.
Patricia Friend, president of the flight attendants union, said she thinks the sales promotions went too far.
"I feel as though I have entered a time warp and am reliving the battles for respect and justice for women that we fought for 40 years ago," Friend said in a statement.
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