NewslineVolume V, Issue 8 - April 16, 2004The Carpet and Rug Institute news for industry executives
In This Issue: Manufacturing Nominee Has Industry TiesPresident Bush has nominated Al Frink to serve as Assistant Secretary of Manufacturing and Services in the U.S. Department of Commerce. Mr. Frink is a co-founder of Fabrica International, an Orange County, California company that manufactures broadloom carpet and rugs. Fabrica is a member of the Dixie Group, a CRI manufacturing member. "Al knows firsthand the barriers that are challenging American manufacturers," Commerce Secretary Don Evans said in a statement. The Bush administration announced last year that this new U.S. Manufacturing Czar position would be created to address the heavy job losses in the manufacturing sector. Werner Braun has taken the opportunity to meet with Mr. Frink during this week's CRI West Annual Meeting. Mr. Frink's nomination is subject to Senate approval. CRI will use its efforts to encourage a swift approval of his nomination and will look forward to working closely with him in the future. Contact John Miller at 706.428.2109. Sino-U.S. Trade MeetingsSenior Chinese officials will travel to Washington next week for meetings with their U.S. counterparts in hopes of easing many of the two countries most troublesome trade disputes. The meetings are known as the Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) and have this year been elevated to a higher government level as trade frictions have increased. Bush Administration officials expect the outcome of the meetings to include important Chinese measures on issues such as the right of U.S. firms to export freely into China and the need for a crackdown on the rampant violation of intellectual property rights. The Administration plans to discuss an "action plan" on improving IPR enforcement that China has put forth and will include the ability to monitor China's progress and increase the number of consultations as the plan is implemented. Contact John Miller at 706.428.2109. Boston Public Health Commission Uses HUD Grants To Remove CarpetA disturbing report shows that the Boston Public Health Commission has been using $1.9 million in grants from the US Department of Housing and Development to make so-called improvements to houses for families who are being told multiple measures are needed to limit coughing and labored breathing. Carpets have been removed as part of the measure and tax money is being used to fund removal and replacement with hardwood floors. CRI is monitoring this new threat and the Governmental Issues Department is working to engage with the Health Commission to educate decision makers about carpet and indoor air quality. Contact James Beach at 706.428.2116. Meeting to be Held Regarding UCCnet and Bar Coding for Carpet Industry ProductsCRI is going to hold a meeting to discuss a retailer-initiated effort to get carpet mills to label their products with standardized bar codes containing company and product data. The bar coding would be compliant with the standards of the UCCnet global registry, the not-for-profit subsidiary of the Uniform Code Council, Inc. Home Depot, Lowes and Ace are in the forefront of a long list of retailers, all of whom could in the future demand standardized bar coding from the carpet industry. Home Depot "plans to start electronic collaboration with suppliers in the third quarter of 2004 and eliminate all manual processing of basic item master 'add/changes/deletes' with our product suppliers late 2005." CRI invites all carpet vendors (regardless of your customers) to join us at CRI for a discussion about issues related to the bar coding initiative. The meeting will take place at CRI on Monday, May 3, 10:30 until noon. Please contact Sally Fortenberry at 706.428.2108 if you would like to attend. New MembersCRI is pleased to recognize and welcome our newest associate members: Bissell Homecare, Inc. - primary business is floorcare products Contact information on these and all CRI members can be found on our website. See a list of CRI's Member Companies Beyond REACH: EU Health Initiative "SCALE" Impacts IndustryAs lobbying continues against the EU's proposed chemical regulatory policies, the European Environment and Health Strategy is also gaining the attention of U.S. government and business interests. The SCALE Initiative was adopted by the European Commission last summer, with a five-part mandate to identify and reduce the disease burden caused by environmental factors and strengthen related policymaking capacities. In a recent article for Chemical Processing Magazine, environmental lawyer Lynn Bergesom writes that the so-called SCALE initiative could have "important and enduring commercial and legal implications" in the United States, particularly in the areas of regulation and tort liability. The Initiative is expected to be a subject of discussion at the World Health Organization's Conference on Environment and Health to be held in Budapest in June. Contact Frank Hurd at 706.428.2136. Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) to Host its Second Annual ConferenceCARE will be holding its second annual conference on April 29-30, 2004 at the Hilton Garden Inn, in Pensacola, Florida. Registration is open to all interested parties. Agenda and registration information are available on the CARE website. Some of the issues on the agenda are government procurement activities to promote the development of markets for products containing post-consumer carpet, financing, entrepreneurial perspectives, carpet manufacturers' efforts, collection strategies, and updates about the 2003 CARE grant recipients. The keynote speaker will be environmentalist and best-selling author Paul Hawken. Also to be announced are the CARE Recycler of the Year Award, CARE Person of the Year Award, and 2004 CARE Grant Recipients. Contact Bob Peoples at 706.428.2115. Visit the CARE website for more information and registration Commercial Appearance Retention Rating Guidelines Now Posted on CRI WebsiteFor some time the Performance Standards Sub-Committee of CRI has worked toward developing guidelines for assessment of surface appearance change in commercial carpet. This effort was prompted by specifier's demands for industry recommendations for inclusion of more performance based testing applicable to commercial carpet specifications. The Guidelines may be found in the Specifying Commercial Carpet section of the CRI web site. Contact Carroll Turner at 706.428.2106. Georgia Tech Sponsors Recycling of Fibrous Textile and Carpet Waste ConferenceThe Ninth Annual Conference on Recycling of Fibrous Textile and Carpet Waste will take place at the NorthWest Georgia Trade & Convention Center, Dalton, Georgia on May 10 & 11, 2004. This conference provides a forum to exchange information on the latest developments in polymer and fibrous waste recycling technologies and applications, covering topics such as chemical processes, mechanical separation, extrusion, recycling logistics, life cycle analysis, waste characterization, and applications. For more information or to register, call 404.385.3500 or visit the Georgia Institute of Technology Professional Education site and browse by subject: Textile and Fiber Engineering. Clemson University & CRI Sponsor Carpet Manufacturing Technology ConferenceDiscover the latest advances in process applications during this two day information-packed conference to be held at the NorthWest Georgia Trade & Convention Center, Dalton, Georgia, on May 25 & 26, 2004. Attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of processes, technology and markets from 18 experts in business and education. For more information or to register call Kay James at 864.656.2200. View complete conference agenda CRI Meetings* Policy Committee, April 27, 2 p.m. - 4 p.m., CRI Boardroom CRI Participation in Upcoming Events* EnvironDesign8, April 21-23, Minneapolis, Minnesota If you are aware of other events that present significant opportunities to deliver our messages to our critical audiences, please contact Louise Dobbs at 706.428.2104. Check our website calendar for other industry related events |
 |
|
|