Unifi's Barnhardt to be keynote speaker at SEAMS

26 Sep '17

3 min read

SEAMS’ upcoming fall conference, themed around “Empowering the Made in America Movement”, will explore trends and opportunities through featured presentations, a panel discussion, and networking opportunities with industry leaders and peers. The conference during October 18-20, 2017 will have Jimmy Barnhardt of Unifi Manufacturing as keynote speaker.

SEAMS is the National Association and has been the voice for the US Sewn Products Industry for over 50 years.

Barnhardt is an industry renowned authority for helping retailers and brands create a sustainability story and a sustainable lifestyle. He will discuss “Green Growth and the Expansion of Sustainability in the US Apparel Industry" and will outline how going “green” makes business sense in America, now more than ever. He will explore new ideas, innovations and technologies that can reduce companies’ environmental footprint right now and set the stage for the future.

Chunlian (Lian) Yang of Alston & Bird will present a timely talk entitled “Trump & Trade – What You Need to Know Now.” She will speak about recent developments in the renegotiation of NAFTA and potential impact that NAFTA reform may have on other free trade agreements such as CAFTA and KORUS.

Ron Houle of Pivot Step Consultants will share his insights in “Making Sense of the DoD 2018 Budget.” In this session, attendees will learn about the Defence Budget for FY 2018 and the new procurement and development priorities, with a degree of focus on the US Army budget.

Jerry Inman of Demand Worldwide will deliver “What's Your Brand's Digital & Door Index?” as this session explores a 12 Step Retail Readiness for the Connected Consumer, a New Generation and the Digital-to-Physical Mix. With the customer in charge for the first time, once can discover how to get the right marketing mix and mashup of stores, eCommerce and product offerings to produce right now.

A new addition to the annual SEAMS fall conference is the Technology Forum, which highlights American manufacturing innovation. Topics include “Advancements in Digital Textile Printing – The MicroFactory” from Andy Arkin of Nextwave. He will talk about the latest advancements in digital textile printing technology, where it is today and how quickly it is impacting the entire textile industry in the US and worldwide. “Intelligence Inspires Innovation in Sewing Technology” will be delivered by Frank Henderson of Henderson Sewing Machine Company. He will demonstrate how leading the charge of using intelligent, collaborative robots are paving the way for fully autonomous custom industrial sewing systems. “MADE IN AMERICA with Smart Cutting Room 4.0” will be presented by Rick Vizziello of Lectra. He will show how a Smart Cutting Room 4.0 can enable American manufacturing to increase operational efficiency onshore.

The conference will be moderated by Will Duncan, executive director, SEAMS and CEO of Will Duncan and Associates. SEAMS Conference attendees will have the opportunity to introduce their company to all attendees, meet industry-focused benefits providers, and visit special products/services displays throughout the conference. (SV)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk – India

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