Where the flammability players were
By Carole Sloan -- Furniture Today, March 17, 2002
There was a big gathering in Greensboro, N.C., earlier this month, and it had nothing to do with premarket or the April market, at least directly.
What it did have to do with is the way fabrics for home furnishings, including upholstery, and home textiles products would be made in the future.
The occasion was the American Furniture Manufacturers Assn.'s annual Upholstered Furniture Flammability Workshop. The gathering this year brought together nearly 250 deeply interested members of the furniture and related industries.
What they heard were updates from a number of parties on the status of various flammability studies. These studies almost certainly will lead to new and probably more stringent regulations from the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the California Bureau of Home Furnishings and Thermal Insulation.
Ed Gerken presented the Upholstered Furniture Action Council's perspective on flammability, Kurt Reimann of BASF reviewed and analyzed the flammability test results on upholstered furniture composite mockups, and Herman Stone of the Polyurethane Foam Assn. discussed combustion-modifying additives for polyurethane foam.
One interesting aspect of all this was who attended and who didn't. Only 20 fabric companies were on hand, with two of the big three absent. A significant number of other previously active players also were conspicuous no-shows.
The fiber segment turned out nine strong, but missing one company that is deeply involved in the fire-resistant fiber business and is one of the world's largest players.
Another interesting aspect of this meeting was that, while it focused on the upholstered furniture segment and was sponsored by AFMA, there appeared to be an awareness that other products and their production specs could have a significant impact on the upholstered furniture market.
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