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N EWSLETTER OF THE SEWN
September 2009
www.spesa.org
PRODUCTS EQUIPMENT & SUPPLIERS OF THE AMERICAS
Textile & Sewn Products Industry Week 2010
Textile & Sewn Products Industry
Week 2010 has been selected by the
U.S. Commercial Services unit of the
Department of Commerce for its prestigious International Buyer Program.
Exhibitors and attendees of the events
will benefit from the opportunities to
meet, network, and develop
business partnerships with
international buyers, sales
representatives, and strategic partners.
Textile and Sewn Products Industry Week 2010;
which features three independent exhibitions –
SPESA EXPO, ATME-I/
MEGATEX, and TECHTEXTIL NORTH AMERICA – has been selected as
one of only thirty-five 2010
trade events for the coveted U.S. Commercial Service’s International Buyer
Program (IBP). Each year,
the IBP brings thousands
of international buyers to
meet with U.S. companies
at major trade shows representing leading industrial
sectors in the United States.
Exhibitors and attendees of
the three co-located shows
on May 18-20, 2010 at the
Georgia World Congress
Center in Atlanta, Georgia
will benefit from the expanded opportunities that the IBP creates to meet, network,
and develop relationships with international buyers, sales representatives, and
strategic partners.
As the trade promotion arm of the U.S.
Department of Commerce’s International
Trade Administration (ITA), the U.S.
Commercial Service operates the IBP
to help U.S. companies find new international business partners by recruiting
more than 125,000 foreign buyers, representatives and distributors from all over
the world.
In addition to the expanded international attendance that the IBP will bring,
exhibitors in the three Textile and Sewn
Certified By
Products Industry Week 2010 events will
also benefit from promotion of their products and services through an Export Interest Directory; access to hundreds of current international industry-specific trade
leads; and export counseling, marketing
analysis, and matchmaking services.
An onsite International Business Center
staffed by country and export specialists
from the U.S. Commercial Service will
arrange meetings for U.S. exporters and
international delegates. IBP will also provide valuable assistance to international
buyer delegations with the visa application process as well as hotel and travel
packages.
“We are honored to be selected for
the International Buyers
Program,” noted SPESA
Managing Director Dave
Gardner. “The program
will exponentially increase
business opportunities for
everyone at SPESA EXPO
through both increased international attendance and
the valuable services offered by the U.S. Commercial Service.”
“Being selected as the
only textile industry event
to receive the International
Buyers Program certification confirms the value that
is being created for exhibitors and attendees at the
Textile and Sewn Products
Industry Week tri-location
of the leading industry
shows,” added David Audrain, President of Messe
Frankfurt North America.
“This valuable Department of Commerce Program will result in increased attendance from
key countries around the world and create
new business opportunities for both exhibitors and attendees,” stated American
Textile Machinery Association (ATMA)
Chairman Jay White, Jr. “Anyone who
is in the textile business in the Americas
should recognize that this is a ‘must-attend’ event.”
Sewn Products Equipment & Suppliers of the Americas • 9650 Strickland Road • Suite 103-324 • Raleigh, NC 27615 USA
speaks
2009 Annual Meeting Address
group of Southern Baptist preachers at a
North Alabama retreat. He invited me to
go with him. After Uncle Henry was introduced, he took the podium and started
by telling the audience that “I have been
married for 45 years,” but before he could
finish his sentence … the audience gave
him a standing ovation that lasted almost
three minutes.
When they returned to their seats, Uncle Henry completed his sentence …. “to
seven different women.” …….. Have you
ever seen 1,500 Southern Baptist preachers trying to take back their applause?
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein, the great physicist was
traveling from Princeton on a train one
day when the conductor came down the
aisle, punching the tickets of every passenger. When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket to retrieve
his ticket. He couldn’t find the ticket in
his vest, so he reached into his trouser
pockets. It wasn’t there, so he looked in
his briefcase but couldn’t find it there.
Then he looked in the seat beside him.
He still couldn’t find it.
The conductor said, “Dr. Einstein, I
know who you are. We all know who you
are. I’m sure you bought a ticket. Don’t
worry about it.” Einstein nodded appreciatively. The conductor continued down
the aisle punching tickets. As he was
ready to move to the next car, he turned
around and saw the great physicist down
on his hands and knees looking under his
seat for his ticket.
The conductor rushed back and said,
“Dr. Einstein, don’t worry about the
ticket, I know who you are. I’m sure you
bought a ticket.”
Einstein looked at him and said,
“Young man, I too, know who I am. What
I don’t know is… where I’m going.”
Where are you going?
We at SPESA want you to know where
we are going in these difficult days. I
hope that you will leave these meetings
with a better understanding of… where
you are going.
When was the last time the United
States had a continuous 10-year period
without a recession? The answer is: never. A look at recent history bears this out.
In February 2000, the NASDAQ average
was at 4700 and by September 2002, it
was down to 1170, representing a decline
of 75%. In January 2000, the S&P 500
average was up to 1500 but, by July 2002
it was down to 815, a 46% drop. In the
current markets, the NASDAQ has fallen
54% from its 2007 high while the S&P
has also lost 54%.
Page 2
Yesterday
Frank Henderson, SPESA President
CEO, Henderson Sewing Machine Co.
When I became the SPESA President,
in 2007, I described what I believe to be
the “State of our Industry.” I don’t want
to take any of it back.
We have been here before
Today
As you can see, we have been here before with similar drops in market values
less than 10 years ago. In the five years
from the 2002 low to the 2007 high, we
survived and prospered with the NASDAQ up 139% and the S&P up 87%. And
yes, we will do it again.
I realize these are difficult times for
both people and companies, but they are
not really strange times. We have been
here before and survived and prospered
during the recovery, and we will do it
again, but we have to be prepared.
Let’s be optimistic about the future because, with history as our guide, we know
we will recover, so don’t stop your improvement efforts, research & development efforts and skills development…..
make sure you’re ready when it happens….
I know that you probably think that all
of us that were raised in the backwoods
of Alabama are all “rednecks,” but I want
you to know that one of my uncles is a
well-known motivational speaker.
Today… there is a new generation of
customers, consumers, and businesses.
There are cell phones, PDAs, computers,
the internet, and Apparel magazine’s Top
50 Retailers are all much different today,
and there are new, emerging markets
We MUST have forward-looking companies who are optimistic and willing to
evolve into the global economy. The US
excels in innovation, creativity, design,
styling, fashion, sales and promotion. Examples are Nike; Abercrombie & Fitch;
Under Armor; Bed, Bath & Beyond; out
centers; direct to the customers, and internet sales.
We MUST have “passion” for our jobs
and our industry. Passion is the catalyst
that transforms all the action-oriented information into a successful strategic plan.
We MUST be innovative and resourceful.
We MUST constantly find new ways to
evolve and to prosper.
We MUST find radical solutions in an
ever-changing world.
Uncle Henry
Uncle Henry was invited to speak to a
(continued on page 3)
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2009 Annual Meeting Address
We live in a global economy, where
companies seek low wages wherever
they can find them and sell their products
wherever they can get the highest prices.
Wal-Mart is an example of the global
market. Wal-Mart buys in excess of $15
billion of goods each year from China,
while just a few years ago they bought
nothing from China.
We MUST stay one step ahead of the
changing times by embracing change
while becoming more flexible.
We MUST be agile enough to recognize shifts in demand and respond to
them quickly.
We MUST quickly react to changes in
the marketplace.
We MUST have vision… the power to
see beyond the obvious.
I believe this still represents our industry today.
Reconsidering Offshore Sourcing
A new study by Archstone Consulting
shows that many companies are contemplating the re-establishment of domestic
manufacturing amid rising costs and other strategic challenges within the offshoring model. As companies reassess their
manufacturing and supply chain strategies for today’s global economic environment, the trend may create significant
job opportunities in the U.S., according
to their recent study.
“For years, the concept of off-shoring,
or moving production and/or sourcing
operations to a foreign country, has been
the mantra of any supply chain manager
looking to cut costs,” said John Ferreira,
Principal, Archstone Consulting. “Now,
amid volatile oil prices and an uncertain global economic future, this analysis no longer is a certainty. Furthermore,
companies that will commit to domestic
manufacturing can spur much-needed
improvements in customer service, innovation, and job creation – especially when
servicing the large domestic market.”
The study revealed that in the last three
years, manufacturers have seen a signifiPage 3
cant increase in costs related to off-shore
manufacturing for export purposes rather
than in-country demand, which include:
 Ocean freight costs have increased
135%, highlighting risks and cost volatility;
 The global commodity price index has
risen by 27%;
 The Chinese Yuan has gained 18% in
value compared to the U.S. dollar;
 Chinese manufacturing wages have
risen by 44%.
In addition to the rising costs of conducting business on a global basis, the
study found several soft cost issues,
which affect the true cost of off-shoring,
including:
 Slower cycle/delivery time (59% of respondents);
 Reduced supply chain flexibility and
responsiveness (56% of respondents);
 Lost visibility, coordination, and control over the supply chain including
quality (50% of respondents);
 Bottlenecks in logistics networks (e.g., ports,
transportation) (50% of respondents).
The study found that almost 90% of
the companies surveyed are considering
changing – or have begun changing –
their manufacturing and supply strategy
and are being more and more selective
in making off-shoring decisions. U.S.
manufacturers have become increasingly
aware of the need for a more sophisticated total cost model that considers factors
such as supplier price and terms, delivery costs, operations and quality costs,
customer-centric supply capabilities and
other situational costs that arise.
Uncle Roy
Uncle Roy Morris ran a country filling station/store on US#27, just on the
outskirts of Booger Holler. US#27 was
a main route for Northern Appalachians
(Yankees) to get to Florida. Uncle Roy’s
store was a hangout for local retired men.
Uncle Roy was thought to be a religious
man even though he was never known to
attend church. Every time Roy would
(continued)
make a sale he would look up and quote
a verse of scripture from the Bible’s New
Testament.
Two little boys got off the school bus
and bought some Moon Pies. As Roy was
ringing up the sale he looked up and said
“Suffer the little children to come unto
me.” Matthew 19:14
A short time later an elderly man came
into the store and bought some bread and
milk but didn’t have quite enough money.
So Roy gave him a quarter. As Roy was
ringing up the sale he looked up and said,
“Blessed are the poor in spirit for their’s
is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 5:3
Around noon a brand new 2009 Chevy
truck with a new horse trailer pulled up
to the gas pump. Uncle Roy went out to
fill the tank, check the oil, and wash the
windshield. The man went in the store
and was drinking an RC Cola and eating
a Moon Pie.
Roy said, “That’s a good looking horse
you’ve got there.” And the man said,
“Yea, that is a Tennessee Walking Horse
that I’m carrying to a horse show in Tallahassee.” The man asked Roy if he sold
horse blankets, and Roy said, “As a matter of fact I do.” Roy went to the back of
the store and returned with a green horse
blanket and said, “This one is $25.” The
man said, “You don’t understand. That is
a champion horse, I wouldn’t put a $25
blanket on him, do you have anything
better?” Roy heads to the back of the
store and returns with a blue blanket.
Now… everyone in the store knows
that Roy only has one kind of horse
blanket but does have them in different
colors. Roy said, “This one is $75.” And
the man replied, “This one is not good
enough.” Again Roy went to the back of
the store, brought out a red blanket, and
said, “Now, this one is $175.” The man
said, “That’s more like it.”
As he rang up the sale everyone was
wondering what he was going to quote.
Uncle Roy looked up and said, “Seek and
ye shall find.”
Yes, you and I MUST “seek in other
places to find business today.”
speaks
Strategies for Rescuing Your Retirement
Peter J. Jackowitz is a Chartered Retirement Plan Counselor and Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley Smith
Barney. He serves as advisor to SPESA’s Investment Committee.
There are many do-it-yourself investment resources available to investors today, but none of them can
replace the experienced, personal service we provide. We have the expertise and resources to offer an understanding of your complete financial
picture, not just your investments.
Additionally, in periods of market
volatility, when you need the most
support, we also can provide:
 Access to important decision-making research and information
 Ongoing monitoring of your investment portfolio, while anticipating
your changing needs
 A comprehensive plan for retirement that takes into consideration
your other goals—education funding and estate planning, for instance—and includes real responses to market volatility and what the
changing markets mean for you.
Have A Plan
Developing a financial plan is one
of the best ways to meet your longterm goals. Your plan should also include a market volatility action plan
to help you set realistic goals and
manage return expectations in “what
if” situations. We can create a new
plan for you or refine an existing one.
Importantly, we will also follow up at
set intervals or whenever changes in
your life warrant a financial review.
Invest Regularly
If you are still working, saving part
of your salary for your retirement is an
Page 4
By Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC
help control the uncertainties of financial markets by providing a cushion of income to fund retirement.
Check Your Cash Flow
Keeping track of where your money
goes can give you a better picture of
how long your retirement funds might
last, or how much you need to save.
We can perform a cash-flow analysis
to eliminate the guesswork.
Peter J. Jackowitz
excellent way to rebuild savings that
were depressed by market conditions.
Your investment could buy more
shares of lower-prices equities and
other securities that are “on sale” due
to market conditions but show good
potential. If you don’t feel comfortable investing in more equities, you
can choose investments with less risk
for your new contributions. We can
generate an asset allocation analysis
to ensure that your financial holdings,
both inside and outside of your retirement accounts, are working together
to provide you with a well-diversified
portfolio that meets your needs and
risk parameters.
Consider Working Longer
As the unemployment rate continues to rise, holding onto a good-paying job that brings in a regular income
can be your lifeline prior to – and
even during – retirement. According
to a 2007 Urban Institute study, the
combination of working longer, continuing to save, reducing spending,
and delaying Social Security benefits
could significantly increase your retirement income. Just as part-time
work allows many people to find a
balance between their work and personal lives, part-time retirement can
Consolidate Plans
for Easier Management
Bringing all your financial assets
together into one retirement account
and/or one spending account can help
clarify exactly what you have, where
you are spending it and how you
might invest your funds to manage
them better. We can provide more information on the accounts offered by
Smith Barney. Part of the consolidation process will be a comprehensive
assessment of your financial holdings and how they might be managed
more efficiently to provide you with
the current lifestyle and the future retirement you envision.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney and
its affiliates do not provide tax or legal advice. To the extent that this material or any attachment concerns tax
matters, it is not intended to be used
and cannot be used by a taxpayer for
the purpose of avoiding penalties that
may be imposed by law. Taxpayers
should seek advice based on the taxpayer’s particular circumstances from
an independent tax advisor. 2009
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC.
Member SIPC.
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney,
150 J.F. Kennedy Pkwy, Short
Hills, NJ 07078. Tel. 973-912-7772.
http://fa.smithbarney.com/jackowitz.
speaks
SPESA EXPO to Highlight “Supply Chain of the Americas”
SPESA EXPO plans to expand its
exhibitor and attendee footprint by
adding a special “Supply Chain of
the Americas” exhibit at its May 1820, 2010 event in Atlanta, Georgia.
This innovative exhibit is designed to
deliver greater value to attendees by
complementing the show’s traditional
equipment, technology, and educational focus with exhibits of textiles
and components, design and development services, production and logistics providers, country and industry association pavilions, and other
related products and services that
support the entire concept-to-delivery
sewn products lifecycle in the Western Hemisphere.
SPESA plans to expand its May 1820, 2010 SPESA EXPO event in Atlanta,
Georgia through the addition of a special
“Supply Chain of the Americas” exhibit
that will highlight the unique opportunities and wide-ranging resources available
to sewn products manufacturers, brand
marketers, and vertical retailers in the
region. Comprising textiles and compo-
nents, design and development services,
production and logistics providers, country and industry association pavilions and
more, the new exhibit will complement
what is already the largest and most comprehensive exhibition of sewn products
equipment, technology, and education in
the Western Hemisphere. Supply Chain
of the Americas will expand the event’s
coverage to the entire concept-to-delivery
sewn products lifecycle and provide value to design, development, engineering,
sourcing, production, logistics, distribution and other industry professionals.
The new exhibit is also expected to attract a significantly broader audience to
the triennial event, which has historically
focused primarily on equipment and machinery exhibits. “Interest in producing
in close proximity to the U.S. market is
growing,” noted SPESA managing director Dave Gardner. “By expanding the
scope of SPESA EXPO, we are working
to fill the need that sewn products manufacturers, brands, and retailers have to
better understand the opportunities and
identify the resources available to them in
the Western Hemisphere. We believe that,
as the largest sewn products technology
and educational event in the region, SPESA EXPO is the perfect venue to bring
together the complete range of products,
services, and resources available to companies that consider the Americas as part
of their supply chain strategy.”
For the first time ever at SPESA EXPO,
the Supply Chain of the Americas exhibit
will welcome the full range of product
and service resources that serve sewn
products manufacturers, brands, and retailers; including fabrics and textiles,
trims and components, textile and screen
printing, trend and design, product development and engineering, CAD/CAM,
spreading and cutting, contract and package providers, laundry and garment dying, logistics and distribution, product
identification and labeling, testing and
compliance, sourcing and supply chain,
fit and sizing, consulting and education,
and other related products and services.
SPESA EXPO will also co-locate with
Techtextil North America and ATME-I/
Megatex to form the first-ever Textile and
Sewn Products Industry Week in Atlanta,
Georgia on May 18-20, 2010.
SEAMS Association to Host “Supply Chain of the USA”
The Columbia, South Carolina–based
SEAMS association will host the
“Supply Chain of the USA” pavilion in
the SPESA Expo.
Remembering the success of past industry trade shows at the Georgia World
Congress Center in Atlanta where the
whole industry showed up, the SEAMS
association will host the “Supply Chain
of the USA.”
SEAMS expects a large draw from
retailers, brand owners, and large companies looking for “Made in USA” products.
No matter where SEAMS members are
positioned within the fashion and sewn
products supply chain, they are invited
to participate in the pavilion. SEAMS
has already reserved space for the first 20
Page 5
members to each take a 10' X 10' space in
the Supply Chain pavilion. SEAMS will
offer its pavilion participants all-inclu-
sive, fixed-price booth packages.
SEAMS is a not-for-profit organization comprised of manufacturing and
contract manufacturing companies in the
sewn products industry. SEAMS supplier
member companies provide valuable
products and services to the sewn products industry. Membership in SEAMS
is one way to enhance your company's
continued growth and success. The sewn
products industry faces many challenges,
and one of the best ways to promote our
industry's interests is to join forces with
your business colleagues in SEAMS.
SEAMS supports the resurging U.S.
sewn products industry through educational programs that improve the quality
and productivity of the sewn products industry collectively, and of their member
firms individually.
Companies interested in exhibiting can
contact Sarah Friedman, Executive Director, at SEAMS, 4921-C Broad River
Road, Columbia, South Carolina 29212
Telephone: 803-772-5861.
speaks
Speaker and
Meeting Reviews.
2009 Annual Meeting Speakers
SPESA President Frank Henderson
Henderson Sewing Machine Co.
Auggie Tantillo, American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition
and Nate Herman, American Apparel & Footwear Association
The SPESA annual meeting is a must
attend event for me every year. The
speakers always share timely information that I can use in our business. The
main reason I attend the SPESA annual
meeting, however, is to take advantage
of the opportunity to network with leaders from various companies in our industry.
Mike Land, Dunlap Sunbrand Int'l.
My congratulations go out to Frank, Benton, Dave, and the entire SPESA team for
an excellent, exciting, and highly relevant Annual Meeting. The speaker lineup was
really on point and delivered a message appropriate to the times we face today in the
marketplace today. Those that were not there missed alot. Thanks for all you do!
Al Irvine, American & Efird
Steve Jesseph, WRAP
Page 6
This was one of the best annual SPESA meetings I have attended so far. The
networking opportunities, excellent speaker quality and wealth of timely industry
information made it a very productive meeting.
Nina McCormack, Dürkopp-Adler
Aaron Ledet, VF Corporation
Mary O'Rourke, Jassin-O'Rourke
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Speaker and
Meeting Reviews.
Col. Kurt Wilson, U.S. Department of Defense
I want to thank you again for the tremendous job you did in putting together an
absolutely fantastic annual meeting. The
venue was wonderful, the speakers were
fantastic and the content was extremely
meaningful in these turbulent times.
What I learned in the two days will pay
for the cost of attending many times
over. Kudos to all.
Lonny Schwartz
Superior Sewing Mch. & Supply
The 2009 SPESA Annual Meeting was
one of the most complete meetings we
have ever had. The location – I thought
we were in Italy. The food was the best.
The hotel and meeting rooms were great.
The speakers and topics were “right on”
for our current economic climate. It was
the best balance between self improvement topics and topics that are of interest
to our customers. There was plenty of
time for the always important networking. In conclusion… price, location, and
content all helped to set the new standard to beat!
John Stern
Methods Workshop
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2009 Annual Meeting Speakers
I want to congratulate you and the
SPESA leadership for organizing one of
the best annual meetings in the last 16
years that I’ve attended. The speakers
were all knowledgeable, interesting, and
very relevant to the state of our industry
today. I’ve come away not only with a
sobering and realistic appraisal of our
industry and our national economy, but
also with a renewed sense of optimism
for the medium and long-term prospects
for the industry. We all know that we
have to adopt to changes; now we know
how to do it a little better. I also want to
compliment you and the staff for creating a relaxed atmosphere at the meeting that encouraged social interaction,
free-flowing exchange of ideas, and felt
like a party with old friends in beautiful
surroundings. Congratulations on a job
well done!
Martin Gopman
Universal Sewing Mch.
Carlos Eduardo Botero, Inexmoda (Colombia)
Once again the SPESA Annual Meeting which took place this past week in
Orlando offered me an opportunity to
reconnect with old friends and to make
new introductions for growing my business. Morgan Stanley Smith Barney is
proud to be an on going sponsor and a
part of this meaningful event.
Peter J. Jackowitz CPRC
Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
Bill Smith, International Textile Associates
Thank you again for the opportunity to
speak at the SPESA Conference. I also
really enjoyed meeting everyone at dinner on Friday night. SPESA has a great
group of people.
Nate Herman,
AAFA
John Manley, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney
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2009 Annual Meeting Gallery
Sam Simpson, Gerber Technology; Eric Schlossman, Consew;
Mel Berzack, Sewn Products Equipment Co.,
Kathryn Doggett, SPESA; Al Irvine, American & Efird
Patti Fralix; Mike Fralix, [TC]2; Benton Gardner, SPESA
Frank Henderson, Henderson Sewing Machine Co.; Lonny
Schwartz, Superior Sewing Machine & Supply; Dave Gardner,
SPESA; Al Irvine, American & Efird; Mike Fralix, [TC]2
SPESA’s Annual
Meeting offered
an outstanding opportunity to learn
about important
economic, governmental, and industry trends. The
highly focused
presentations and
industry networking opportunities
helped me identify
a number of new
business opportunities and better
equipped me to
compete in the
future. The knowledge and contacts
that I gained at
this meeting are of
great value to me
and my business.
Frank Henderson, Henderson Sewing Machine Co.; Melissa
Henderson; Lonny Schwartz, Superior Sewing Machine & Supply
Rick Ludolph
Productive
Solutions
John Stern, Methods Workshop; Eric Schlossman, Consew;
Jerry Inman, Lectra Americas
Page 8
Mike Fralix, [TC]2; Jerry Inman, Lectra Americas; Reed Catlett;
John Stern, Methods Workshop; Patti Fralix
speaks
2009 Annual Meeting Gallery
Mike Land, Dunlap Sunbrand Int'l.; Lonny Schwartz, Superior
Sewing Machine & Supply; Martin Gopman, Universal Sewing
Machine Co.; Peter Jackowitz, Morgan Stanley Smith Barney;
Nina McCormack, Dürkopp-Adler
Dave Gardner, SPESA; Steve Jesseph, WRAP;
Carlos Eduardo Botero, Inexmoda; Cristina Botero
The 2009 SPESA Annual Meeting was excellent as usual. The conference was well organized with wonderful speakers and topics of discussion. As well, the ability to meet and speak on a personal basis with
many industry leaders is always invaluable. It’s quite easy to justify the
entire trip when you make one good contact. On this occasion we had
several. I highly recommend participation in SPESA and this event in
particular.
Eric Schlossman
Consew
Lonny Schwartz, Superior Sewing Machine & Supply;
Chris Godek, Efka America; Sandy Godek
Benton Gardner, SPESA; Frank Henderson, Henderson Sewing
Machine Co., Melissa Henderson; Wendy Smith;
Dave Gardner, SPESA; Ron Smith, National Machine Products
As you know Groz-Beckert USA belongs to other industry organizations
because of the various businesses that we are involved in. However, I
can safely say that SPESA always has the best speakers, with the most
relevant topics of the day. This year was once again no exception.
Philip Champagne
Groz-Beckert USA
Frank Henderson, Henderson Sewing Machine; Carey Friedman,
Aiken Industries; Dave Gardner, SPESA;
Sarah Friedman, SEAMS; Nina McCormack, Dürkopp-Adler
Page 9
Rick Ludolph, Productive Solutions;
Dorothy Fullam, Juki America; Marcia Ludolph
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SPESA Elects New Officers and Board
Frank Henderson, Chairman
Mike Fralix, Vice Chairman
Al Irvine, Secretary/Treasurer
Benton Gardner, President
Per Bringle, New Board Member
Nina McCormack, New Board Member
At June's Annual Meeting in Orlando,
the Board of Directors elected the following members as officers.
The following members were elected
to serve on the Board of Directors.
Chairman of the Board
Frank Henderson
President
Henderson Sewing Machine Co.
Vice Chairman of the Board
Dr. Mike Fralix
President
[TC]2
President
Benton Gardner
Secretary/Treasurer
Al Irvine
Group V.P. Sales
American & Efird
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 Frank Henderson
President
Henderson Sewing Mch.
 Dr. Mike Fralix
President
[TC]2
 Al Irvine
Group V.P. Sales
American & Efird
 Nina McCormack
Chief Financial Officer
Dürkopp-Adler America
 Per Bringle
Vice President North America
Eton Systems
 Eric Schlossman
Vice President
Consew
 Martin Gopman
President
Universal Sewing Machine Co.
 John Stern
President
Methods Workshop
 Lonny Schwartz
President
Superior Sewing Machine & Supply
 Rolando Bohlemann
President
Schmetz Needle Corp.
 Mike Land
President
Dunlap Sunbrand International
 Mel Berzack
President
Sewn Products Equipment Co.
 Sam Simpson
Vice President Global Sales
Gerber Technology
 Jerry Inman
Vice President Marketing
Lectra Americas
speaks
New Member - JustEnough Software
JustEnough helps companies accurately forecast their demand so they can
smartly order inventory without overinvesting. While JustEnough’s customers range from large to small and from
industry to industry, some of their apparel and textile customers include
Levi Strauss, Chanel, Strandbags (Australian bag retailer) and Ackermans
(South African clothing manufacturer).
JustEnough was founded in 1994, seeking to help customers meet demand with
the right level of inventory. Many times,
JustEnough sees companies that struggle
with knowing when to take ownership
of the inventory (fabric, parts, finished
goods) that they ordered. If a company
takes on too much inventory, then they
risk incurring additional costs from owning it too soon. There’s also the risk that
trends change before the inventory is
needed, leading to poor sales and markdowns.
JustEnough guides companies through
this dilemma by giving them a solution
that starts with forecasting demand in an
accurate and timely manner. With an accurate forecast, it’s then easier to move
through inventory planning, assortment
planning and replenishment. Through
this process, JustEnough has seen many
successes such as Ackermans, a retailer
with over 540 stores.
Ackermans used JustEnough to standardize its demand forecasting, driving
down excess inventory by 10 percent and
increased sales by five percent. JustEnough is now recommending inventory
adjusted for seasonal trends and based on
accurate forecasts. Neil Muller, Head of
Project Management, said, “JustEnough
has taken us to the next level without
overtaxing us.”
Another success story involves speciality retailer Strandbags. With 350 stores,
Strandbags lacked store-by-store buying
pattern data and other tools to ensure accurate, prompt inventory replenishment.
Using JustEnough, each item’s stocked
stores are now ranked so that limited
items are sent to stores most likely to sell
them. In addition, faster-selling SKUs are
proactively restocked and slower moving items are reactively replenished. As
Nathan Toussaint, Business Analyst,
put it: “JustEnough has a unique way of
forecasting and replenishing Strandbags’
stocks accurately at the store SKU level.
This would be very labor-intensive otherwise.”
To learn more about JustEnough’s
solutions and platforms as well as read
more customer success stories, visit their
website.
JustEnough Software
610 W. Main Street, Suite 102
Durham, NC 27701
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.justenough.com
Malcolm Buxton, President & CEO
Todd Kolber, VP Sales, North America
Melissa Culbertson, Director Marketing
Member - Material Concepts
Material Concepts, Inc. is a premier
converter and master supplier of consumables for sewn products manufacturers,
importers & distribution centers in North
America. They are also master Distributors of DuPont™ Tyvek® carrying over
20 styles of hard and soft structure Tyvek.
MCI also distributes recyclable wide format sign and banner media made with
Tyvek that replaces PVC. MCI can supply your company with any of the following materials.
 Tyvek®
 Valéron®
 Rug Wrap / Carpet Wrap
 CAD/CAM Supplies
 Sewn Products Supplies
 Die Cutting Pads
 Template Paper
 Packaging and Shipping Supplies
 Poly Bags
 Hangers
Page 11
MCI supports CAD/CAM with supplies for sewn products manufacturers and their design, marking, cutting,
finishing, trim, laminating, packaging,
shipping, and quality control departments in the Northern and Southern
Hemispheres.
tissue, pattern papers and design papers.
MCI’s Dealer Direct™ Private Label
Program customers enjoy the benefit of
drop ship inventory with no order minimums. Custom packaging and shipping
makes inventory sources transparent and
fulfills customer needs as quickly as possible. Discounted pricing is available for
Private Label Program customers as well
as competitive pricing on LTL shipments.
MCI is also known for their product
consultation, responsive customer service, and CAD/CAM supply specialists.
Apparel, upholstered furniture, luggage, nautical, automotive, and aerospace companies are among the industries that use these products and
services. MCI manufactures and stocks
for immediate shipment perforated
papers up to 120″ wide, polyoverlay,
plotter papers, plotter pens, separating
Material Concepts, Inc.
Geoffrey Kohn
President and CEO
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.materialconcepts.com
Office (215) 338-6515 x 104
Fax (215) 338-0199
Cell (267) 784-6820
speaks
ISMACS
ISMACS Convention
The International Sewing Machine
Collectors’ Society will stage its Third
American Convention on October 23-25,
2009 at the Marriott Executive Park Hotel in Charlotte, North Carolina.
More than 200 visitors attended each
of the previous American Conventions.
They came from England, Australia, Japan, Hungary, Germany, Holland, Canada, Norway, and the USA.
Convention activities will include
a tour of the Harry Berzack Museum
(SPESA member) of sewing machines in
Charlotte and a visit to the Carter Bays
Collection – America’s first serious sewing machine collector and author in Columbia, South Carolina.
Machine auctions, machine sales, and
social activities are planned.
About ISMACS
ISMACS was formed in 1985 by a
small group of English sewing machine
collectors. Since then it has grown into a
strong international group with members
in every continent and branches in America and Australia.
ISMACS is recognized as the leading
authority on early sewing machine history and is regularly consulted by the
media, museums and other institutions.
The Society maintains the world's finest
archive with copies of manuals, early advertisements, and patents. All are available to members.
For more information: visit www.ismacs.net or contact Harry Berzack at
John E. Fox, Inc. (The Fox Company),
2909 Interstate Street, Charlotte, NC
28208 USA Telephone: (704) 399-4581.
Page 12
New Member - FastFit360.com
FastFit360.com is a web-based tool
that speeds up the garment design process by allowing retailers and suppliers
to view samples and communicate style
and fit changes visually over the Internet.
In the same way that social networking
sites Twitter, Facebook and MySpace
allow users to share information, FastFit360.com allows garment information
and images, in either photographic or in
360° format (using FastFit® studio), to
360.com
be viewed online by retailers and their
suppliers from anywhere in the world.
This means that as long as users have Internet access - which can even be through
an iPhone or Blackberry - they can view
samples, compare them and make fit
comments online.
FastFit360.com launched in 2008, as a
product of Shapely Shadow, Inc. to face
the biggest challenge in the Apparel business: the lack of visual tools. Not only
is it difficult to produce a consistent fit
from location to location, but even more
difficult, is getting this done in a timely
fashion. By sending an e-sample™ your
calendar time is shortened and the idea of
a shipment getting lost or stuck in customs disappears.
Adapting to a social technology provides a business-to-business network
that allows you to collaborate effectively.
Networks are the key to success these
days. The FastFit360.com network not
only slashes the time and cost of shipping
garment samples around the world, but
also cuts down the number of physical
samples that are required and accelerates
the approval process.
FastFit360.com
1218 S. Santa Fe Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90021
Tel: 1-310-578-8579
Fax: 1-310-577-1817
[email protected]
www.fastfit360.com
FastFit™ and FastFit360.com™ are
products of Shapely Shadow, Inc.
Ilona Foyer, President
[email protected]
Roxy Starr, Chief Technology Officer
[email protected]
Ben Silver, VP of Sales
[email protected]
www.spesa.org
Attention SPESA members ... If
you haven’t done so recently, be
sure to check out the new and
improved SPESA website.
www.spesa.org
speaks
New Member - Kereon Solutions
Kereon Solutions S.A. was established
to provide leading edge RFID, GPS, and
Biometric solutions to businesses, organizations, and industry to help overcome
problems associated with logistics, access control, and tracking of equipment
and inventory. Founded by veterans of
the RFID, logistic and automation sectors, the company is focused on providing complete solutions using their own
knowledge and their exclusive partners’
support.
Kereon’s engineering staff, composed
of highly experienced hardware and software engineers has developed a RFID
technology that can keep track of any activity associated with RFID, GPS, or Biometrically tagged equipment and inventory in real time. Kereon solutions will
identify and keep track of goods located
in any place within an entire production
chain or any other part of a manufacturing
complex where the system is installed.
Kereon has also developed RFID-GPS
solutions to the security issues that most
concern end users.
Social Media
Which social media tools do some organizations currently use in connection
with their business?
 Do not use any social media tools
(24%)
 Blog (20%)
 Discussion forums (46%)
 Microblogging tools
(e.g. Twitter 28%)
 Photosharing sites (e.g. Flickr 8%)
 Podcasts (32%)
 Private social networking sites (only
approved users can join 32%)
 Publicly available social networking
sites (anyone can register 46%)
 Slidesharing sites (Slideshare.net 2%)
 Social bookmarking tools
(e.g. Deliciious or Diigo 4%)
 Virtual worlds (e.g. Second Life 0%)
 Web video sites
(e.g. YouTube or Blip.tv 8%)
 Wiki (2%)
Page 13
KEREON SOLUTIONS S.A.
System Integrator and Industrial RFID developer
Kereon’s management team consists
of veterans in software, hardware, RF
technology, GPS technology, industrial
automation, corporate development, and
marketing. They have worked in important product development roles for major
organizations worldwide.
Kereon Solutions S.A. has positioned
itself as a leader in creating a total RFID
solution specifically targeted toward their
customers’ needs.
Kereon’s Competitive Advantages
 Tailor made technology scouting
 Tailor made turn-key project
management
 100% real-time detection of equipment and assets
 Low cost, reliable RFID special tag
 Low cost, reliable RFID/GPS
solutions
 Exclusive, tailored security solutions
 Unique approaches in the tag design
with a very long read range (combining several frequencies in one product)
 Low cost RFID reader and system
 Portable database with flexible
memory size
 Flexible, user-friendly software
 Overall inventory cost reduction for
customers
Kereon’s Motto
 Protect the environment
 Customer always at first place
 Innovation always as a base to our
solutions
 Partners always at our side
Roberto Rossetti, CEO
Kereon Solutions SA
P. Marques de Casa Riera 10
08394 San Vicente de Montalt
BARCELONA
Phone +39 3348031298
[email protected]
SPESA Bylaws
SPESA members have overwhelmingly voted to adopt new Bylaws for
the organization.
The newly adopted Bylaws provide
updated guidelines for the governance of
SPESA.
The original Bylaws, while
having been amended several
times over the past 20 years,
did not reflect the changing
nature of SPESA and of notfor-profit organizations in
general. In certain areas the
old Bylaws were even counter-intuitive
to how the organization needs to operate.
Bylaws need to be flexible, up-to-date,
representative of the organization, general in nature, and cover the broad spectrum
of how the organization operates.
Many of the changes are more reflec-
tive of how associations such as SPESA
operate, allowing for more efficient and
effective management.
One of the most public and obvious
changes is the title of the elected leadership and the chief staff person. The elected leaders will now carry
the titles of Chairman, Vice
Chairman, and Secretary/
Treasurer. The chief staff
person will be the President.
These changes do not alter
the practical day-to-day activities of SPESA, but comport to most other similar organizations
and allows for better recognition in the
marketplace.
Congratulations to SPESA members
for bringing their association up-to-date
with the adoption of the new, improved,
and updated Bylaws.
speaks
Calendar of Events
Imprinted Sportswear Show
September 10-12, 2009
Atlanta, Georgia
CISMA
China Int'l. Sewing
Machine & Accessories Show
September 22-25, 2009
Shanghai, China
IFAI Expo
September 23-25, 2009
San Diego, California
Imprinted Sportswear Show
September 25-27, 2009
Ft. Worth, Texas
ISMACS
October 23-25, 2009
Charlotte, North Carolina
IAF
International Apparel Federation
& World Apparel Convention
November 18-20, 2009
New Delhi, India
SPESA Board of Directors Meeting
December 8, 2010
Miami, Florida
Garment Technology Expo
January 8-11, 2010
New Delhi, India
Perumoda
April 28-30, 2010
Lima, Peru
IAF
International Apparel Federation
Spring Meeting
May 16-17, 2010
Georgia World Congress Center
Atlanta, Georgia
TaSPIW (Textile and Sewn Products Industry Week)
• SPESA EXPO
• Techtextil North America
• ATME-I/Megatex
May 18-20, 2010
Georgia World Congress Center
Atlanta, Georgia USA
Material World West
September 30-October 2, 2009
Los Angeles, California
Garmentech
January 13-16, 2010
Bangladesh China Friendship Center
Dhaka, Bangladesh
SPESA “Business After Hours”
October 13, 2009
Los Angeles, California
Imprinted Sportswear Show
January 22-24, 2010
Long Beach, California
SEAMS Fall Conference
October 15-16, 2009
N.C. State University School of Textiles
Raleigh, North Carolina
Colombiatex
January 26-28, 2010
Plaza Mayor
Medellín, Colombia
SPESA “Business After Hours”
October 20, 2009
New York / New Jersey
ITCE
February 17-20, 2010
Cairo International Fair Ground
Cairo, Egypt
FEBRATEX
Brazil Textile Industry Fair
August 10-13, 2010
Parque Vila Germânica
Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil
Sewing and Stitchery Expo
Feb 25-28, 2010
Puyallup, WA
Texprocess / Techtextil
May 24-27, 2011
Frankfurt, Germany
ExpoTextil
October 22-25, 2009
Lima, Peru
CNIV
Congreso Nacional de la Industria
del Vestido
October 22-25, 2009
Hotel Grand Velas All Suites & Spa
Riviera Maya
Quintana Roo, México
Page 14
Imprinted Sportswear Show
February 26-28, 2010
Orlando, Florida
SPESA Annual Meeting
March, 2010
Atlanta, Georgia
AATCC International Conference
May 18-20, 2009
Georgia World Congress Center
Atlanta, Georgia
SEAMS Spring Conference
May 21-22, 2010
Georgia World Congress Center
Atlanta, Georgia