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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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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What Are Your True Costs?

By evaluating the true costs of returnable packaging, capital planners can save their organizations money over the long haul. Better packaging designs can be more expense, but that isn’t always the case. A longer-lasting rack bag may cost more up-front, but reductions in cleaning and maintenance costs can reduce total expenses. Returnable packaging lasts longer – often twice as long. By budgeting for dunnage that’s more reliable, you can reduce the number of spare rack bags you’ll need to carry.

If you’re a capital planner, make sure to ask the engineer who submits the budget request how long the returnable dunnage is expected to last. Then, question the assumption that reusable packaging can’t last longer to provide greater value. If the engineer expects the dunnage to last for 24 months, ask about the possibility of a 72 or 80-month period instead. In other words, question the assumption that a two-year lifespan is as good as it gets.

Hold a Different Viewpoint

Focusing on total costs instead of purchase price requires a different way of thinking, but organizations that take the long view see greater benefits. For example, let’s say that you invest in better-quality dunnage over a multi-year period. You pay 20% more up-front, but your rack bags last 100% longer. Eventually, you cut your capital expense in half. At a large organization like a heavy truck manufacturer, capital planning like this could reduce expenses from $4 million to $2 million.

Every organization is different, of course, but even smaller companies can realize a cost savings by looking at more than just purchase price. You may not save a ton of amount of money right away, but proper planning isn’t about taking a short-term view. Over time, however, you’ll benefit from the “multiplier effect” of budgeting for rack bags that last significantly longer. By partnering with the right vendor, your entire organization can benefit from your insistence on taking a longer view.

Ask Hold-True about Capital Planning for Returnable Dunnage

Hold-True is a Made in the USA manufacturable of sewn fabric dunnage, a type of returnable packaging that’s especially cost-effective. From analog design to help with material selection, we back every product with quality manufacturing. To learn more about our Mansfield, Ohio company and how we support the automotive, aerospace, heavy truck, and power sports industries, contact us on-line.

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For packaging engineers, the challenges are four-fold:

• The seams tear and the bags fail.
• The packaging isn’t puncture-resistant.
• The bags get dirty and are hard-to-clean.
• There’s no design help or follow-up support.

Packaging managers face three challenges of their own.

• The bags don’t last long enough.
• Vendors don’t deliver on their promises.
• The total cost of ownership is too high.

Let’s take a closer look at the seven challenges that these packaging professionals face.

Packaging Engineers

Without strong seams, sewn fabric dunnage will fail in the field. In addition to thread type and thread weight, packaging engineers need to consider stitch count and stitch weight. Depending on the application, puncture-resistance may be required. To prevent sharp parts from tearing sewn bags, rack bags can incorporate protective panels and structural members. Proper fabric selection for the application environment is important, too.

Some liner materials (like brushed tricot) that protect Class A surfaces become dirty easily, but are hard-to-clean. Rack bag cleaning and maintenance adds to total costs, but the challenges don’t end there. Packaging engineers often have questions about product design and prototyping. Suppliers of sewn fabric dunnage who don’t offer expert services during design and manufacturing are unlikely to provide the type of follow-up support that packaging engineers need. That’s why vendor selection is so important.

Packaging Managers

Packaging managers face some challenges, too. If sewn fabric dunnage doesn’t last long enough, the solution usually requires better materials and superior manufacturing. Rack bag suppliers who don’t deliver on their promises are problematic, however, so vendor quality and responsiveness are critical. Finally, packaging engineers aren’t the only ones concerned about costs. To reduce the total cost of ownership, packaging managers can work with vendors to reduce rack bag replacements.

Sewn Fabric Dunnage from Hold-True

Packaging engineers and packaging managers face their share of design and manufacturing challenges. These problems aren’t insurmountable, however. For sewn fabric dunnage that solves the seven common challenges faced by packaging professionals, ask Hold-True. To learn more about our Made in the USA manufacturing company and how we can help you, contact us.

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Meet Patrick

Patrick the packaging engineer designed an automotive rack bag for a new line of vehicles. He took pride in his work, so he asked Sarah the Sourcing Manager to help him identify some potential manufacturers. She gave him a list of automotive dunnage suppliers and suggested some Internet research.

Patrick wanted to work with the best vendor, but what did “best” really mean? As he looked at websites, he felt overwhelmed. All those phone calls from salespeople didn’t help either. Every rack bag manufacturer wanted his business, but Patrick wanted a partner who really understood his requirements.

Is a vendor with the lowest purchase price always the best? “Not necessarily”, Patrick told himself. Maintenance and repair costs can really add up. If the total cost of ownership got too high, the Finance Department would blame him for making a poor choice – and that wouldn’t be good for Patrick’s career.

How Hold-True Helped

That’s when Patrick contacted Hold-True and described the automotive rack bags that he wanted. Hold-True asked him about his requirements, and that led to a discussion about what the packaging engineer really needed. Patrick had never heard of analog design before, but Hold-True explained how there’s more to designing a rack back than what’s on a computer screen.

Based on Patrick’s requirements, Hold-True suggested a rack bag that was puncture-resistant and easy-to-clean. The pockets wouldn’t sag, the seams wouldn’t fail, and the materials would resist both rain and sunlight. Hold-True also helped the packaging engineer think about return on investment (ROI), quality, and sustainability. In short, Patrick received clear direction about details he hadn’t even considered.

Hold-True then asked Patrick to send them his CAD files and some sample auto parts with Class A surfaces. In return, Patrick got a prototype rack bag that he could show to his company – and that would prove the soundness of his design. Hold-True worked with Patrick on several iterations, and the packaging engineer eventually approved a final design.

The Best Automotive Dunnage

Patrick’s company paid more for rack bags up-front, but ultimately saved money because sewn fabric dunnage from Hold-True lasts longer and is easier-to-clean and maintain. The Finance Department approved of Patrick’s decision, but he’s also an Engineering hero on the shop floor. Instead of replacing worn bags or searching for replacement parts that aren’t scratched, assemblers work more efficiently.

Are you a packaging engineer who’s looking for a design and manufacturing partner? The solution you need is available right here in the real-world. Hold-True is a Made in the USA manufacturer that can supply the automotive dunnage you need. If you’re ready to talk to a member of our team, please contact us.

Update: Hold-True will be at the Automotive Packaging Summit in Greenville, South Carolina in October.

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For example, automotive racks bags are recyclable, collapsible, and stackable. By contrast, other types of automotive dunnage generate significant waste, take longer to setup, and require more space for fewer parts. Automotive rack bags also reduce inbound product damage while lowering the number of strapped parts. Sewn fabric dunnage weighs less than all-steel racks and some types of corrugated cardboard, too. In addition to saving you time and money, reusable rack bags reduce the size of your carbon footprint.

Automotive Rack Bags vs. Other Automotive Dunnage

Cardboard packaging consists of corrugated boxes and plastic dividers. Because these materials are expensive and the packaging is custom-made, companis are reluctant to discard this dunnage even when it’s damaged. When cardboard packaging reaches the end of its useful life, however, workers need to separate the cardboard boxes from the plastic dividers. Disposal is a messy, labor-intensive process that generates significant waste. Corrugated cardboard takes time to setup and can be heavy, too.

Plastic tubs and totes are relatively expensive. Some products collapse to save space, but other plastic dunnage does not. Plus, plastic tubs can require more room for the same number of parts. Some plastics are susceptible to cracking, too. Plastic totes are often used with smaller-sized parts, but putting a large number of totes on a pallet requires careful tracking. Disposing of plastic totes generates waste, and the foam inserts need to be separated from the tote itself.

All-steel racks are used with doors, windshields, engines, and other large parts. To protect surfaces such as windshield glass, custom-molded foam blocks are used. Other types of surfaces can be wrapped in plastic, but all of this expendable dunnage won’t help your sustainability initiatives. Automotive rack bags can integrate with metal racks and provide a reusable, recyclable alternative. With proper design and testing, sewn fabric dunnage can even accommodate large parts such as the crowns on heavy trucks.

Made in the USA Rack Bags

Would you like to learn more about automotive rack bags for your shipping, packaging, and assembly application? Hold-True, a Made in the USA manufacturer of sewn fabric dunnage, is ready to help. To get started, contact us.

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