Intertek expands textile testing capabilities in Arlington Heights

29 Jan '10

2 min read

While consumers have always looked for safety, quality and performance in apparel and soft home products, impending regulatory changes can pose confusion for textile manufacturers, distributors and retailers. Intertek, a leading global quality and solutions provider for a wide range of industries, has invested in moving its textile testing capabilities from its Springfield, NJ operation to its Arlington Heights, IL facility for this very reason – to more efficiently serve the changing business climate through increased capacity to cater to changing customer needs for compliance.

The way to explain the world of textile testing can be best begun with a fabric label. From guarantees like '100% Cotton', 'hypo-allergenic' to instructions such as 'dry clean only' and a variety of accompanying symbols – textile testing has long been done to ensure the quality in products manufactured. However, with the increase of global trade and overseas manufacturing, regulatory bodies have responded by requiring evidence of rigorous testing for areas such as color fastness, fiber integrity, material performance, flammability, accurate labeling as well as tightening standards for chemical and component safety.

Most recently, focuses on chemical restrictions by the European Union, along with U.S. worries such as Proposition 65 and the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA), raised the bar for textile regulation. Working closely with regulatory bodies as a knowledge source, Intertek continues to assist customers to understand and comply with these and other regional requirements. With expanded testing capabilities for fabric, garment, and soft home products, the Arlington Heights textile lab now completes Intertek's Retailer Center of Excellence (which had previously contained its toys, hard lines, chemical, and electrical labs).

“The enhanced resources at our Arlington Heights lab will help textile clients effectively tackle the laundry list of standards they're facing today,” said Gene Rider, President of Intertek Consumer Goods North America. “With combined expertise available from other areas such as toy and electrical testing the lab will truly be a one-stop-shop for brands to address today's continuously changing requirements.”

Intertek Group plc

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