Joe Glovier on TenCate’s experience in specialized protection fabrics

Source: Manufacturing Digital

Date :12/17/2007 3:38:01 AM

Demand for its world-leading fire resistant fabrics is powering TenCate Southern Mills to record levels of output – and to boost its production capacity and develop strategic partnerships.

Written by Ruari McCallion and Produced by Glen White

The TenCate Southern Mills name has been trusted by fire service personnel for years but the company is facing a new challenge – and gaining new fans. US Soldiers on active service are benefiting from the company’s expertise and years of experience in specialized protection fabrics.

“We’ve always had a Nomex fire-resistant product for the military, which has been used by fighter pilots, by personnel refuelling jet planes and others in potential flash-fire environments,” said Joe Glovier, VP of operations of TenCate Southern Mills. “With the military deployment in Iraq and Afghanistan, soldiers are facing serious risk of death and burns injury from roadside bombs and the government has been under a lot of pressure to provide all military personnel with fire-retardant clothing.” Because of the global shortage Nomex wasn’t the answer, and TenCate came up with the solution.

“We developed a new product that goes by the name of Defender M,” Glovier said. “It’s an all-synthetic fabric, primarily made from fire resistant (FR) rayon, which we source from Lenzing, a company in Austria. We had to compete for the business against all the other major product suppliers in the FR market and won the award as the fabric of choice to equip the soldiers in the field. We began supplies in May 2007 and, through five months, have provided 1.5 million yards of materials for battledress uniforms.”

Protect and serve

It’s a reassurance to America’s soldiers as they go about their business on the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan. For TenCate, the challenge is to ensure that…

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