From the Sector

Pilatus is displaying the PC-24 at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition, taking place in Geneva on May 22-24. This highly versatile jet is able to take off and land on very short runways and unpaved strips due in part to the composite-intensive structure, which makes great use of Hexcel’s composite materials and adhesive.

Hexcel’s HexPly® 8552 woven prepreg in carbon and glass variants is used to manufacture a number of the aircraft components including the belly fairing, which is the largest composite structure on the aircraft. HexPly® 8552 is one of Hexcel’s most successful and widely used prepregs for aircraft programs including commercial aircraft and fighter jets. Hexcel’s Redux® 319 epoxy film adhesive is also used for bonding the composite structures. The PC-24 is in the final stages of its certification program following the first flight of the third and final test aircraft on March 6 2017. The aircraft is scheduled for certification and entry into service in the 4th quarter 2017. Pilatus has so far secured 84 orders for the PC-24, which equates to three years of production.

 TRSA’s Executive Management Institute (EMI) and Production Management Institute (PMI) will be held concurrently at the University of Maryland, Aug. 6-10. The combination provides unique opportunities for information-sharing and socializing among established and upcoming leaders in the linen, uniform and facility services industry as attendees will share free time, meals and evening outings.

As an incentive for companies to place staff in both programs, TRSA is offering a future TRSA event credit worth $500 for companies who register a first-time participant in both. An additional discount is available for enrolling three or more employees from a single company in either program. Learn more, view brochures and access registration at www.trsa.org/emi  or www.trsa.org/pmi.
 EMI has a 50-plus-year tradition of providing attendees with the latest in management techniques to aid them in tackling high-priority tasks and long-term workplace challenges specific to the industry. In classes led by academics and consultants experienced with the industry, participants complete EMI by returning for a 4-day program once a year for the next three years.

The sustainable wear2wear concept is synonymous with high-quality, responsible clothing. In Europe, textile fibres from used garments will be used to produce new functional fabrics. Depending on the area of intended use, they also meet strict waterproofing, breathability, protection and comfort requirements. To ensure that the raw material cycle comes full circle, these textiles can be recycled again when they reach the end of their service life. As a result, there is no waste, and they go on to be used in the production of additional garments. All wear2wear partner companies guarantee that – from the quality of the raw materials to the guaranteed recycling end process– these are 100 percent recyclable, functional fabrics made of recycled textile fibres. Water- and dirt-repelling technologies based on renewable raw materials, along with the most advanced membrane technology, will ensure that the textiles are developed and manufactured entirely without the use of PFC in the future too.

Lectra achieved record financial results in 2016: €260.2 million in revenues, rising 10%, and € 26.7 million in net income, an increase of 14%. The Group consolidated its positions in automotive, and fashion and apparel, as well as acquired strong positions in furniture. Lectra has entirely transformed itself and today benefits from its bolstered technological advance, the enhanced expertise of its teams, an extended global footprint, and a refurbished campus.

Looking ahead, Lectra is in a strong position to carry out its new strategy, carefully conceived to empower its customers to step into the Industry 4.0 era. In close collaboration with global customers, Lectra has identified four mega trends that will change the business: the Millennials generation, the digitalization of companies, the emergence of Industry 4.0, and profound changes in China’s economy. Their impact, set to intensify, represents considerable challenges. Lectra’s annual report analyses the implications of these mega trends, and outlines the company’s response.
Helping customers to tackle such challenges, Lectra is gearing up to commercialize Software as a Service (SaaS), leveraged by cloud technology. Its expert knowledge of business combined with ten years’ experience in the industrial Internet of Things and rising investments in R&D, means Lectra is in a formidable position to help its customers seize opportunities in the new industrial age.            

Earlier this year, the Pensacola-based operation achieved Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification in its Quitman, Ga. and Columbia, Miss. facilities.
In addition, the Crown Health Care Laundry facilities passed three rounds of outcome-based microbial testing, indicating that their processes are producing Hygienically Clean Healthcare linens and garments and zero presence of harmful bacteria. To maintain their certification, laundry plants must pass quarterly testing including yeast and mold detection to ensure that as laundry conditions change, such as water quality, textile fabric composition and wash chemistry, laundered product quality is consistently maintained.
This process eliminates subjectivity by focusing on outcomes and results that verify textiles cleaned in these facilities meet appropriate hygienically clean standards and BMPs for hospitals, surgery centers, medical offices, nursing homes and other medical facilities.

Hygienically Clean Healthcare certification acknowledges laundries’ effectiveness in protecting healthcare operations through testing and inspections that scrutinize quality control procedures in linen and uniform service operations. The Hygienically Clean standard provides for two inspections every three years. OSHA compliance is closely examined, particularly toxic and hazardous substance handling rules governing textiles containing blood and other potentially infectious materials.
Certified laundries use processes, chemicals and BMPs acknowledged by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, American National Standards Institute and others. Introduced in 2012, Hygienically Clean Healthcare brought to North America the international cleanliness standards for healthcare linens and garments used worldwide by the Certification Association for Professional Textile Services and the European Committee for Standardization.
Objective experts in epidemiology, infection control, nursing and other healthcare professions work with TRSA launderers to ensure the certification continues to enforce the highest standards for producing clean healthcare textiles. With 100+ years as the textile services industry's leading business association, TRSA's expertise in laundry BMP development is unmatched.