#Associations

2021-11-25

AATCC announces the TCR Service Award Recipient

AATCC is pleased to recognize Louann Spirito as the recipient of the AATCC Technical Committee on Research (TCR) Service Award for 2021! She is being recognized for her leadership and support on the M14 Face Covering Monograph.

Spirito joined AATCC in 2001. She is a voting member Appearance Retention Test Methods Committee since 2003, Evaluation of Materials & Products for End Use Performance since 2011, and UV Protective Textiles Test Methods Committee since 2015. She was appointed to serve on the Joint AATCC/ASTM D13 in 2017 and will serve through 2021.

Spirito was appointed to the Executive Committee on Research in 2005 and served through 2007, and again from 2017 through 2020. From 2017 through 2018, she was elected to serve as the chair of the Concept 2 Consumer® (C2C) Interest Group; she was reappointed to this position in 2019 and served through 2020. As chair of the C2C Interest Group, she served on the AATCC Board of Directors. She also served on the Membership Committee, Publications Committee, Committee on Conferences, the Education Advisory Board, and the Technical Committee on Research from 2017 through 2018.

Spirito received a BS in Textile Science from the University of Rhode Island in 1976. She has been with SGS North America Inc. since 2001 and currently serves as US & Canada Softlines Business Head. Prior to this, she worked from 1981 through 1997 at Associated Merchandising Corporation as a Product Evaluation Specialist, and from 1997 through 2001 at Frederick Atkins Inc., where she advanced from Manager of Quality Assurance to Divisional Vice President of Quality Assurance.

Spirito is a frequent presenter at industry seminars and conducts training workshops for apparel and footwear testing. She has contributed a chapter on Textile Testing to Birnbaum’s Global Guide to Material Sourcing by David Birnbaum, as well as various articles on textiles and testing. In 2008, Spirito was named to the University of Rhode Island Textiles Fashion, Merchandising and Design Wall of Fame.

The Award

The Technical Committee on Research (TCR) Service Award was established in 2008 to recognize those members who have contributed greatly to the AATCC organization in a technical capacity. Senior members of the Association with at least five years of continuous membership in AATCC, who have contributed outstanding technical service to the Association through activity in a research committee, are eligible. Selection is by unanimous choice of the TCR Service Award Committee composed of the current chair, vice chair, and secretary of the Technical Committee on Research (TCR), as well as the chair of the Executive Committee on Research (ECR). The Award consists of a plaque and an honorarium. This award was presented to Louann during the Textile Discovery Summit Awards Luncheon at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel Raleigh-Durham Airport at Research Triangle Park, North Carolina on November 18, 2021.

To see a full list of past recipients, visit:

https://aatcc.org/tcr/

AATCC announces 2025 Herman & Myrtle Goldstein Graduate Student Paper Competition winners

The American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) recognized the winners of the 2025 Herman & Myrtle Goldstein Graduate Student Paper Competition. Founded in 1982 to give student members the chance to conduct and present original research, the competition was renamed in 1994 in honor of Herman and Myrtle Goldstein, following their US$60,000 endowment. Their gift is a lasting remembrance of their dedication to young people in the textile industry.

New funding available for textile research

The AATCC Foundation Student Research Support Grant Program provides financial assistance for undergraduate and graduate students pursuing textile-related projects. Students may submit proposals now for funding to be awarded January 2026. Applications must be submitted by October 1, 2025, to be considered.

Business situation weakens slightly, but the industry stays cautiously optimistic

The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) has published the results of its 39th Global Textile Industry Survey (GTIS), conducted from 14 to 22 July 2026 among companies along the entire global textile value chain. Worldwide, 10% of participants rated their business situation as good, 53% as satisfactory and 37% as bad — a balance of -26pp, down from -17pp in May but still well above the 2023 lows. All regions are now in negative territory, from South Asia at -3pp to North & Central America at -58pp.

Italian textile machinery orders show quarterly recovery in Q2 2026

In the period between April and June 2026, order intake for Italian textile machinery manufacturers showed mixed but encouraging signals for the second half of the year. The order index at constant prices stood at 46.6 points (taking 2021=100 as the base year), showing a slight decrease of 3% compared to the same quarter of 2025. This trend was largely due to the contraction recorded in the domestic market, which fell by 25% compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.

SHIMA SEIKI brings new flat knitting technologies to FEBRATEX 2026

Leading flat knitting solutions provider SHIMA SEIKI MFG., LTD. of Wakayama, Japan, together with its Brazilian representative BRASTEMA TECNOLOGIA TEXTIL LTDA., will exhibit at the Brazilian Textile Industry Fair (FEBRATEX 2026) this month. On display will be a roundup of SHIMA SEIKI computerized flat knitting technology, represented by WHOLEGARMENT® knitting machines, computerized flat knitting machines featuring a brand-new model with high productivity and excellent cost performance, a glove knitting machine and the latest digital solutions.

Lenzing reports improved half-year results and advances strategic transformation

Despite a persistently challenging market environment in the first half of 2026, characterized by volatile energy and raw material prices, subdued global consumer demand and intensified competition from Asia, the Lenzing Group significantly improved its financial performance. Net result after tax more than doubled to EUR 35.6 million, compared with EUR 15.2 million in the first half of 2025. Free cash flow increased to EUR 45.8 million, while EBITDA amounted to EUR 239.2 million. Revenue totaled EUR 1.27 billion, compared with EUR 1.34 billion in the previous year.

Trützschler’s latest spinning and card clothing innovations at CAITME 2026

From September 8 to 10, 2026, Trützschler will present its latest innovations in spinning and card clothing for state-of-the-art fiber processing at CAITME in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. Visitors are invited to meet the experts at Pavilion 2, Booth D50 and explore solutions designed to increase productivity, streamline processes, and ensure consistently high yarn quality. Key topics include the next-generation card TC 30i, the integrated draw frame IDF 3, the high-performance comber TCO 21XL as well as Trützschler Card Clothing’s new flat top series STEELTOP®.