New Textile Technologies

Hold-True, a manufacturer of sewn fabric products, visited Techtextil North America to connect with companies across the supply chain. Along the way, we learned about several Industry 4.0 technologies that could change the way textiles are made. From shop floor software to advanced sewing systems, Industry 4.0 or Factory 4.0 is turning the Internet of Things (IoT) into something you won’t want to miss.

BlueCherry Shop Floor Control   

BlueCherry Shop Floor Control (SFC) from CGS Inc. automates the collection and reporting of production activities as they occur. An actionable intelligence dashboard and wireless operator app provide managers with aggregated data for proactive instead of reactive decision making. According to the company’s website, BlueCherry SFC provides up to 200% in piece-work operator performance.

Qondac Networks and the Commander CSP Operating Panel

Qondac Networks manages sewing machines in real-time and digitizes a manufacturer’s service and maintenance processes. This production monitoring system also allows manufacturers to compare plants, lines, and operator performance using a personalized dashboard. The digitized sewing system integrates with the Commander CSP smart operating panel, where operators can watch tutorials or call a technician.

The JUKI DDL-9000C Series

The JUKI DDL-9000 CFMS is a direct-drive, high-speed sewing system with an automatic thread trimmer. Digitized feed mechanisms let operators make necessary adjustments from a control panel and store their settings. In factories that sew different types of materials, the use of stored settings can help promote consistent seam quality.

Industry 4.0 Beyond Techtextil

Techtextil North America provided members of the technical textiles and non-wovens industry with a glimpse of things to come. Shop floor data collection systems aren’t new, of course, but Industry 4.0 is applying the power of computing in ways that will support real-time decision making. With sewing machines, IoT connections and digitization will replace analog settings for greater ease and accuracy.

Sewn Fabric Dunnage

As a leading manufacturer of sewn fabric dunnage, Hold-True will continue to monitor Industry 4.0 and its effects on the technical textile and non-wovens industry. In the meantime, we invite you to request our white paper, “The Future of Packaging”, for an analysis by a pair of packaging experts.

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For Immediate Release
April 16, 2018
CONTACT:
Name: Todd Ramsier
Email: hello@nullhold-true.com
Phone: (888) 852-4101

Hold-True Becomes Certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE), Provides Sewn Fabric Dunnage That Strengthens Diversity Programs    

Mansfield, Ohio (USA)—April 16, 2018—Hold-True, a manufacturer of sewn fabric products for industrial packaging and assembly, is proud to announce national certification as a Women’s Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Ohio River Valley Women’s Business Council (ORV-WBC), a regional certifying partner of the Women’s Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC).

“Hold-True specializes in sewn fabric dunnage that works harder and lasts longer,” said Carol Browne, Hold-True’s co-founder and president. “With our WBE designation, companies in the automotive, heavy truck, aerospace, and power sports industries can strengthen their diversity efforts while getting the rack bags that they really need.”

WBENC’s national standard of certification implemented by the ORV-WBC is a meticulous process that includes an in-depth review of the business and an on-site inspection. The certification process is designed to confirm that the business is at least 51% owned, operated, and controlled by a woman or women.

By including women-owned businesses among their suppliers, corporations and government agencies demonstrate their commitment to fostering diversity and the continued development of their supplier diversity programs. WBEs that are certified by WBENC have the capacity to deliver quality products on large contracts and have access to business development resources.

To learn more about Hold-True, visit www.holdtrue.com.

About Hold-True

Founded in 1980, Hold-True designs and manufactures sewn fabric products for the automotive, heavy truck, aerospace, and power sports industries. The company specializes in sewn fabric dunnage (rack bags), but also makes protective tarps, Gaylord covers, and webbing assemblies. Hold-True’s co-founder, Carol Browne, is both the lead designer and company president. In addition to Made in the USA manufacturing, Hold-True provides design and prototyping, pattern making, and material and fabric sourcing. For more information, visit www.hold-true.com.

About WBENC

Founded in 1997, WBENC is the nation’s leader in women’s business development and the leading third-party certifier of businesses owned and operated by women, with more than 13,000 certified Women’s Business Enterprises, 14 national Regional Partner Organizations, and over 300 Corporate Members. More than 1,000 corporations representing America’s most prestigious brands as well as many states, cities, and other entities accept WBENC Certification. For more information, visit www.wbenc.org.

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Packaging engineers, capital planners, buyers, quality managers, and C-Suite personnel will all benefit from these insights. Enjoy the excerpt below, and email hello@nullhold-true.com to request this packaging white paper in its entirety.

Excerpt: Packaging Design

Packaging design is also changing from new ways of thinking. At Package InSight, the Hurleys are using eye tracking to monitor how shoppers and line associates handle packaging. In addition to seeing how quickly parts and packages are picked, the company gleans ergonomic and biometric information. If associates are performing an excessive amount of bending, back injuries could occur. The solution could be as simple as adjusting the height of a racking and rolling dunnage system, but designers need data to make the right decisions.

If eye tracking glasses are part of packaging’s future, it’s because these technologies make good business sense. “At BMW”,” Bianca Hurley explains, “things that aren’t ergonomic won’t get approved.” To avoid worker injury, packaging designs must avoid requiring repetitive movements such as the loading and unloading of steel racks. Ergonomics also makes it easier for workers to do their jobs. Greater efficiency means reduced labor costs, but quality improves, too.

The packaging designs of the future will be developed with the user in mind. By combining data such as eye movements with information about which part of the brain is active, “you can get a big-picture view of the subconscious”, Andrew Hurley says. Part of the business benefit is that the human is the centerpiece of the design, which will lead to more efficient material use, handling, and consumer satisfaction.

Finally, the designs of the future will favor collapsible packaging. “If you’re going to ship it back empty,” Andrew Hurley says, “you want it to nest or collapse.” Collapsible packaging supports more efficient handling, too. As Bianca Hurley relates from her experience at BMW, some cardboard boxes that are stapled to pallets can be difficult to collapse and expensive to discard.

Get The Future of Packaging White Paper

Hold-True is offering “The Future of Packaging” white paper free-of-charge to packaging professionals. To get your copy, email  hello@nullhold-true.com or complete the form below.

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Meet the Experts

In a series of interviews with Hold-True, R. Andrew Hurley, PhD and Bianca Hurley, MA shared their vision about the future of packaging. Dr. Andrew Hurley is the founder of Package Insight, The Packaging School, and the Automotive Packaging Summit. He’s also a professor of Packaging Science at Clemson University. Bianca Hurley is the Director of Automotive Services at Package Insight. Previously, she worked with a network of 300+ parts suppliers at BMW Manufacturing.

What You’ll Learn

Readers who request Hold-True’s new white paper will gain insights in four key areas:

• Packaging materials
• Packaging design
• Process management
• “The Amazon Effect”

The topics that Andrew Hurley and Bianca Hurley cover include packaging sustainability, ergonomics, automation, simulation, cost control, consumer satisfaction, and product protection. In a fast-paced, global marketplace that demands the perfect package every time, optimal packaging is more important than ever. Hold-True’s white paper offers a competitive advantage to savvy packaging professionals.

First in a Series

Hold-True is offering its new white paper free-of-charge and is planning to interview packaging experts from other universities and industries as part of an ongoing series. The Mansfield, Ohio company also publishes regular blog content and is active on LinkedIn, the world’s largest professional network site. Since 1980, Hold-True has manufactured sewn fabric products from quality materials with American know-how.

Get the Future of Packaging White Paper

Email hello@nullhold-true.com to request your copy of the “Future of Packaging” white paper. Hold-True also welcomes your ideas for future white papers along with the names of packaging experts you’d like us to interview. Websites, print magazines, and other content distribution channels are welcome to inquire about sharing Hold-True’s content.

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For packaging engineers, puncture resistant packaging starts with analog design. You don’t need a vendor who just looks at your digital files. You need a design and manufacturing partner who loads and unloads sample parts into rack bags. Part drawings contain important information, but going hands-on and off-line will reveal problems like point loading.

Hold-True, a Made in the USA manufacturer of sewn fabric dunnage, specializes in analog design. For puncture resistant packaging, we know that choosing the right base material is important. As this article explains, however, you’ll also need to follow four key design guidelines for protective panels, structural members, bonding, and fabrics.

Protective Panels

Protective panels that are made of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) provide protection against point loading and abrasion. Hold-True sews HDPE panels onto parts bags and can recommend the right sheet thickness to use for your application. With steel sun visors and other parts that have sharp metal corners, it’s important to avoid using HDPE sheets that are too light. Otherwise, the plastic can crinkle or bend. If additional support is required, structural members offer a solution.

Structural Members

CON-Pearl® is a structural plastic that’s both strong and lightweight. Unlike Pcorr, a type of corrugated plastic sheeting that’s used with sewn fabric dunnage, CON-Pearl® provides strength in every direction. Depending on the application, Hold-True may recommend using sheets of CON-Pearl® in thicknesses of 3/8” or 1/16”. Thicker sheets aren’t necessarily better, however. If a plastic sheet is too thick, parts like a cabinet with attachment points may dig through.

Bonding

As some packaging engineers have learned the hard way, it’s difficult to bond HDPE to CON-Pearl® with regular glues. Most bonding agents that adhere to one substrate won’t stick to the other. Even plastic glues don’t work well because the two substrate materials are so dissimilar on a molecular level. That’s why Hold-True uses a specialized glue to achieve strong, reliable bonds. This bonding agent costs more than regular glues, but provides a strong return on investment (ROI).

Fabric

Finally, Hold-True can incorporate thin pieces of fabric into your fabric dunnage design to support parts loading and unloading. Design houses that only look at digital files can tell you how much a part weighs, but they lack the application knowledge to support ease-of-use for assembly line workers.

Puncture Resistant Packaging from Hold-True

Would you like to learn more about puncture resistant packaging? Do you have questions about reusable packaging materials or costs? To learn more about how Hold-True uses analog design to create sewn fabric solutions that are puncture-resistant, contact us.

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Brushed Tricot Basics

Brushing is a finishing process raises the fibers in fabrics. When tricot fabric is brushed, the material acquires a distinctive look and feel. The front of the fabric has vertical ribs, but the back has horizontal ribs. This appearance is a function of how the manufacturing processes stretches long parallel threads and then loops the adjacent threads around these parallel threads.

Brushed fabrics have a softer feel because raising a nap produces a fuzzy or down surface. Tricot fabrics that are brushed are also easy-to-produce and relatively inexpensive. These reusable packaging materials offer good elasticity and resist creasing, too. Typically, brushed tricot fabrics are made of synthetic fibers such as nylon or polyester. Natural fibers such as cotton can be used, but they’re usually blended with synthetic fibers that impart material properties.

Brushed Tricot Costs

Brushed tricot fabrics are soft and cost-effective, but these reusable packaging materials may also require frequent cleaning. Ultimately, the same finishing process that imparts their softer feel also makes them a “dirt magnet”. During the brushing process, hair-like fibers are pulled so that they stick out. In turn, these hairs tend to pick up more dirt. Brushed tricot fabrics are permeable and support cleaning, but packaging engineers should include cleaning costs in their total cost of ownership (TCO) calculations.

Learn More About Reusable Packaging Materials

Do you have questions about brushed tricot and other reusable packaging materials? Hold-True provides sewn fabric solutions for the automotive, heavy truck, power sports, and aerospace industries. In addition to expert sewing, we offer design assistance and help with material selection. To learn how we can help you, contact us.

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For example, threads that won’t withstand water or sunlight aren’t a good choice for sewn fabric dunnage that’s stored outdoors. Threads that don’t support cleaning can muddy your true costs, too. Choosing the right rack bag thread is just one of many design considerations, but packaging engineers need to pay close attention to material selection to avoid problems like pockets that sag and seams that tear.

Thread Types and Coatings

Threads for sewn fabric dunnage can be made of Kevlar, nylon, polyester, or cotton.

• Kevlar thread is significantly stronger than nylon or polyester.
• Nylon thread is fine for general-purpose use, but it can’t withstand prolonged exposure to ultraviolet (UV) light from the sun.
• Polyester thread looks like nylon, but has better sunlight and moisture resistance.
• Cotton thread is soft and durable, but it’s not as strong as polyester. Plus, cotton thread will rot in the elements.

Thread coatings can increase your reusable packaging costs, but these substances impart properties that can improve thread life and performance. For example, polyester and nylon threads that are bonded have a smooth, protective coating that strengthens the thread and makes it less abrasive. To reduce friction during winding, polyester threads can be treated with a lubricant.

Thread Colors and Age

Most rack back threads are either white or black in color. These colors tend to differ in age.

• White threads tend to be newer because they’re sold as they are, or dyed different colors to meet customer demand.
• Black threads tend to be older because some thread manufacturers re-dye their old, unsold colored thread so that it’s black.

Dying older threads black saves the thread supplier money, but may cost the packaging user in the long run. Unlike wine, rack bag threads don’t improve with age. Rather, older threads tend to be weaker.

Reusable Packaging Costs and Quality Sewn Fabric Dunnage

Hold-True, a Made in the USA manufacturer of reusable packaging, can help you to select the right threads for sewn fabric dunnage. For example, the threads we recommend are treated with a UV inhibitor to reduce damage from sunlight and prevent fading or spotting in the thread color. Importantly, we only buy thread from supplier who don’t re-dye old, colored thread. High-quality thread may cost more, but rack bags that last save you money in the long run.

To learn more about us and how we can help you, contact Hold-True.

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Rack Bag Design for Sewn, Reusable Fabric Dunnage

Rack bag design isn’t just about pocket size or material selection. It’s not just about computer aided design (CAD) software either.

Fabric Dunnage: How Dirty Rack Bags Muddy Your Costs

Fabric dunnage that’s cheaper may seem like a bargain, but there’s more to consider than just the purchase price. Dirty rack bags can muddy your true costs.

Work-in-Process Bags: Why the Pockets Sag on WIP Bags

Work-in-process bags are used for kitting and sequencing parts for assembly-line production. Learn how to design better pockets for WIP bags.

Three Ways to Cut Your Sewn Fabric Dunnage Costs

Sewn fabric dunnage costs are about more than just the purchase price of rack bags. Learn how to reduce your packaging costs and ensure rack bag ROI.

Fabric Dunnage Suppliers: Cost Isn’t the Only Consideration

Cost isn’t the only consideration with fabric dunnage suppliers. Hold-True explains what sourcing managers need to look for in reusable packaging partner.

Made in USA Fabric Dunnage

Made in USA fabric dunnage from Hold-True is about American know-how and a commitment to meeting your needs.

Sewn Fabric Dunnage: Four Reasons Why Rack Bag Seams Fail

Sewn fabric dunnage that fails can cost you time and money. Rack bag seams tear for many reasons, but there are four that relate to threads and stitching.

Fabric Dunnage Costs and Thread Selection

Fabric dunnage costs and thread selection are related. Lower-cost threads may seem like a bargain, but using a thread that’s too thin (and too weak) can cause rack bag seams to fail.

How to Design Fabric-Resistant Fabric Dunnage

Designing puncture-resistant fabric dunnage means following some basic guidelines for protective panels, structural members, bonding, and fabric. Learn what they are.

Fabric Dunnage Materials: Laminated Fabrics vs. Coated Fabrics

Laminated fabrics for sewn fabric dunnage are composite materials with a layered structure. Two of more materials are bonded together to impart benefits.

Fabric Dunnage Materials: Coated Fabrics vs. Laminated Fabrics

Coated fabrics are fabric dunnage materials that consist of a woven or non-woven cloth with a specialized coating. Woven coated fabrics are in rack bags.

Brushed Tricot Fabric for Reusable Packaging

Brushed tricot fabric for reusable packaging is a soft liner-material that can be used with Class A surfaces such as chrome parts or faux wood panels.

How to Choose Plastic Doors for Fabric Dunnage

Plastic doors for fabric dunnage need to protect parts and withstand the environment. Here’s what packaging engineers need to consider.

Custom Tyvek for Reusable Packaging Strengthens Fabric Dunnage

Custom Tyvek for reusable packaging (sewn fabric dunnage) combines the advantages of Tyvek with a reinforcing scrim and easy-to-clean surface.

Rack Bag ROI: Calculate Your True Dunnage Costs

What are your dunnage costs? If you don’t know what you’re really paying for sewn fabric dunnage, you might be spending too much on packaging.

Automotive Rack Bags: Advantages and Applications

Automotive rack bags provide important advantages over automated dunnage that’s made of corrugated cardboard, plastic, and all metal.

How to Get the Automotive Dunnage That You Need

Do you enjoy a good story? Then kick back, relax, and learn how Patrick the packaging engineer got the automotive dunnage that he needed.

Velcro Straps for Sewn Fabric Dunnage

Velcro straps are used to secure loads in sewn fabric dunnage. Velcro is easier to open and close than cams, buckles, zippers, or other hardware.

Sewn Fabric Dunnage: Seven Solutions to Packaging Problems

The benefits of sewn fabric dunnage are clear. Yet there are also seven challenges that require expert packaging solutions.

Reusable Packaging Design: Seven Common Challenges

With reusable packaging design, there are seven common challenges to avoid. Do you know they are? Read this article to find out.

Capital Planning for Returnable Dunnage

Capital planning for returnable dunnage can help you reduce your packaging costs over the long haul. Hold-True explains what capital planners need to know.

Reusable Packaging: A Buyer’s Guide for Capital Planners

Get the buyer’s guide that capital planners need for reusable packaging. Learn which questions to ask and which assumptions to question.

Reusable Packaging: How CFOs Make Better Budget Decisions

With reusable packaging, chief financial officers (CFOs) need to meet three challenges: changing the mindset, filling the vacuum, finding the right partner.

Returnable Packaging Basics: Digital vs. Analog Design

For packaging engineers, a sound knowledge of returnable packaging basics begins with digital vs. analog design. How well do you understand the difference?

Class A Surfaces and Reusable Packaging Materials

Class A surfaces need to be handled with care. To prevent scratching, a reusable packaging material like brushed tricot fabric is used.

What Will Be the Top Reusable Packaging Posts of 2018?

The new year isn’t even here yet, but you’ll find the top reusable packaging posts of 2018 here at Hold-True. In the meantime, contact us for more information about sewn fabric dunnage for the automotive, heavy truck, power sports, and aerospace industries.

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Evaluating Reusable Packaging Materials

Typically, brushed tricot fabrics are made of synthetic fibers such as nylon or polyester. Natural fibers such as cotton can be used, but they’re usually blended with synthetic fibers that impart specific properties. For sewn fabric dunnage, tricot or napped fabrics can be laminated to vinyl for reinforcement. Laminated fabrics can provide greater tensile strength than plain fabric alone, but they tend to act as separate materials and can de-laminate. Coated fabrics made of tricot materials are available.

Brushed tricot fabrics are soft and cost-effective, but these reusable packaging materials may also require frequent cleaning. Ultimately, the same finishing process that imparts their softer feel also makes them a “dirt magnet”. During the brushing process, hair-like fibers are pulled so that they stick out. In turn, these hairs tend to pick up more dirt. Brushed tricot fabrics are permeable and support cleaning, but packaging designers should include cleaning costs in their total cost of ownership (TCO) calculations.

Brushed Tricot Fabric and Class A Surfaces

Tricot fabrics that are brushed are easy-to-produce and relatively inexpensive. These reusable packaging materials also offer good elasticity and resist creasing. When tricot fabric is brushed, the material acquires a distinctive look and feel. The front of the fabric has vertical ribs, but the back has horizontal ribs. This novel appearance is a function of how the manufacturing processes stretches long parallel threads and then loops the adjacent threads around these parallel threads.

Brushing is a finishing process that uses brushes or other abrading devices to raise the fibers in fabrics like tricot. Raising a nap produces a fuzzy or downy surface, which is why brushed fabrics have a softer feel. This novelty texture is a good choice for Class A surfaces, a term that’s used in automotive design to describe high-quality surfaces that fit together. If parts with Class A surfaces become scratched, assemblers may reject them because even shallow grooves can affect part fit and function.

How to Protect Class A Surfaces

Do you have questions about brushed tricot materials for reusable packaging? Are you looking for a Made in the USA dunnage from a company that provides design assistance, help with material selection, and expert sewing capabilities? Hold-True offers sewn solutions that add value to the supply chain in industries like automotive, heavy truck, power sports, and aerospace. To learn how we can help you, contact us at our facility in Mansfield, Ohio (USA).

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Digital Designs and Returnable Packaging Basics

With rack bags, CAD programs can help you to determine which parts lay down and which parts stand up. CAD software is great for determining pocket sizes, too. Yet there are limitations to what digital technology can deliver. For example, a digital drawing won’t tell you if a part will tip one way or the other. You can’t tell how hard it will be load or unload a parts bag, and you won’t know if parts will cause the bag to tear.

That’s why Hold-True, an innovative supplier of returnable packaging, doesn’t just look at your design files. Rather, we ask questions, analyze your answers, and apply what we’ve learned.

With our hands-on approach, we’ll sketch rack bag designs on a white board and then cut and sew prototype bags that fit the racks you’ll use them with. At Hold-True, that’s what we call “analog design”. Compare our rigorous approach to sending your schematics to a design house that’s never loaded a fabric rack bag or used a sewing machine.

Analog Designs and Returnable Packaging Basics

Analog design is both creative and iterative. At Hold-True, we examine every aspect of returnable packaging design and make adjustments as necessary. If you ship us a sample part like the grill of a heavy truck, we’ll load it into your prototype bag to make sure the part’s weight doesn’t cause the fabric bag to lean. We’ll also look for ways to reduce material usage and speed production. If there’s a way to use a single piece of fabric instead of cutting the sides and roof, we’ll find it. Hold-True considers all the design tradeoffs, too.

For example, reducing the height of a fabric rack bag may keep it from leaning, but returnable packaging that’s too short won’t help your assemblers. Plastic shelves can provide stiffness, but a better polymer can add stability. Hold-True can also reduce rack bag weight and replace buckles with lightweight supports. By designing sewn fabric dunnage that used steel pipes instead of sequential buckles, we reduced weight and cost while increasing labor efficiency. This reusable packaging design reduced part damage, too.

Learn More About Returnable Packaging Basics

Do you need to design reusable packaging? Are you searching for a better supplier of sewn, reusable fabric dunnage? Hold-True is ready to answer your questions about returnable packaging basics. Contact us on-line to get started, and let us know you found this blog entry.

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