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WOOLRICH SHIFT: John Plummer has been named vice president of fabric sales at Woolrich Inc., Woolrich, Pa. He succeeds Jim Lawrence, who is retiring after 25 years with the company. Plummer joined the firm in 1981, has been a sales representative and has been responsible for coordinating sales, marketing and manufacturing in the fabric division.
He will continue to be based at the firm’s New York office and showrooms, and in his new post, he will hire his replacement, the firm said.
SILKY DEVELOPMENT: A new silk-like Shingosen or microfine polyester filament having numerous downy fluffs has been developed by Mitsubishi Rayon Co. of Japan. The company said the product will be on the Japanese market by spring under the name of Soluna-Way and eventually on export markets.
The base filament measures one to two deniers, but it has on its surface numerous down-like fluffs or fibrils as fine as 0.01 to 0.001 denier, said Atsushi Iwakami, director of Mitsubishi’s Soluna production and processing technology department, based in Osaka. Soluna is the trade name Mitsubishi uses for its polyester fiber.
The filament itself is a porous structure having numerous microfine flute-like or pipe-like pores, the executive said. He explained that the new fiber was made possible by new high-speed spinning and a specially developed chemical treatment. The downy filament can be woven into a fabric that has a texture close to natural silk. There is no need for raising the fabric after weaving, Iwakami said.
A new research emphasis in Japan is on “developing fibers whose structure or composition is not uniform but resembles natural fibers,” the executive said. He added that his firm is definitely interested in exporting fabrics of the new fiber after studying market acceptance in Japan.
Current plans are to produce approximately 3.5 million linear meters, or 3.83 million linear yards (44 inches wide), of fabric next year. Price for 44-inch fabric for the domestic market will range from 1,000 yen to 1,200 yen per linear meter, translating to about $9.50 to $11.40 at current exchange. Wider fabric will be priced higher at 1,400 yen to 1,600 yen per linear meter or about $13.30 to $15.20 a linear yard.
Export price is undecided at this time, but it will be higher than domestic price, Iwakami said.
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CHANGE AT CRANSTON: Lynne Jordan has been promoted to vice president of design, VIP Fabrics division of Cranston Print Works Co., Cranston, R.I. She takes over part of the duties that had been held by Joan Messmore, who has retired as president of consumer product design at Cranston and executive vice president of VIP. The VIP division serves the home sewing market.
Messmore will continue to be available to Cranston for design consultation, according to George Shuster, president of Cranston. Jordan has been a designer with Cranston for 12 years.
ECONOMIC TALK: Irwin L. Kellner, Chemical Bank economist, will address a luncheon meeting of the New York Textile Group on Jan. 30 at the Union League Club. Reservations can be made through Richard P. Phelan, Chemical Bank.