From the Expo Floor: New FR Fabric Makes Debut
Work apparel of all varieties is on display down virtually every aisle of this year's NSC Expo. Many of the garments look like old friends not seen since the previous show; others look like updated versions of those friends. Less conspicuous are the fibers and fabrics that have gone into the construction of these garments, but if you're looking for it, even these materials are part of the pageantry.
Such is the case at two booths--2138 and 2142--where Glen Raven Inc. and Kermel North America have respectively set up shop to showcase the new GlenGuard FR, a flame-resistant fabric for the industrial protective market. According to the companies, the product was more than two years in the making and was a direct result of the partnership they developed to fill a need in the industry.
"We know from our protective apparel experience in Europe that if it isn't comfortable, workers won't wear it properly," says Richard Ridewood of Kermel. "That puts the worker at higher risk of injury. We saw evidence of this in the North American market."
Responding to that evidence, the France-based Kermel, which manufactures aramid fibers and has a U.S. facility in Greensboro, N.C., partnered with the Glen Raven, N.C.-based Glen Raven, a maker of specialty fabrics, and jointly they created what became the new FR fabric, which they say exceeds the NFPA 70E standard for thermal and body-burn protection while maintaining its soft, supple, lightweight, color-fast, and abrasion-resistant properties. More information about it is available at www.glenguard.com.