FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Date: June 17, 1998

Contact: David Trumbull

Tel.: 617-542-8220

E-mail: TextileNTA@aol.com

THE SHORTAGE OF SKILLED TEXTILE WORKERS IN NEW ENGLAND was the topic when textile executives and educators met at the Northern Textile Association Spring Technical Seminar, June 4-7, in Portland, ME. Gerry Mauretti, President, Engineered Yarns Company of Fall River, MA lead the discussion which featured Hartley W. Eastwood, Corporate Director of Quality, Cranston Print Works of Cranston, RI and faculty members from the textile departments at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, the University of Rhode Island, and Philadelphia College of Textiles and Science.

The over 150 textile executives and technicians who attended the conference, which is jointly produced by the Northern Textile Association and the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, came from 16 states plus Canada, United Kingdom, and Italy.

New developments in textile technology were highlighted at sessions featuring Duncan Whitehead, Vice President for Yarn Development, Quaker Fabric Corporation of Fall River, MA; Scott Grey, Technical Sales Manager, Jagger Brothers of Springvale, ME; and Merritt W. Loring of Dorr Woolen Company, Guild, NH. Pankaj Panachmatia, of BF Goodrich Specialty Chemicals with facilities in Lawrence, MA and elsewhere, spoke on “Urethane Binders for Flock Printing,” a topic of interest to members of NTA's American Flock Association. Another new technology featured at the seminar was "Dryel," a system for home dry cleaning. Noël Geoffroy and Chris Macklin of Procter & Gamble demonstrated this product of interest to wool textile producers.

The Friday luncheon speaker Carlos Moore, Executive Vice President, American Textile Manufacturers Institute, presented a report on the latest developments in “Eco Labeling,” the movement to require statements of environmental considerations on finished textile products.