New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is requesting a critical need for personal protective equipment (PPE) including gloves, gowns & masks to aid in the COVID-19 battle. He writes via a Twitter post, “We need companies to be creative to supply the crucial gear our healthcare workers need. NY will pay a premium and offer funding.” His post [...]

The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) is working with federal and state banking agencies, as well as financial institutions to consider all reasonable and prudent steps to assist customers in communities affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). In addition, FDIC is monitoring information issued by international and U.S. health organizations. Regulatory agencies have encouraged financial institutions [...]

A coalition of iconic American apparel brands and textile companies, responding to the urgent call of the White House for medical supplies, has come together to build a supply chain virtually overnight and fast-track the manufacturing of medical face masks to help hospitals, health care workers and citizens battling the spread of the COVID-19 disease. [...]

Industrial Fabrics International Association (IFAI) and two other U.S. textile and nonwoven associations issued a joint statement March 19 urging federal, state and local governments to deem textile and nonwoven manufacturing facilities as “essential” when drafting “Shelter in Place” orders in response to the COVID-19 crisis. The statement notes, “We associations recognize the serious challenges [...]

During the 2019 boating season, IFAI member Tecsew, located in Gosport, United Kingdom, took on a challenging project for a customer located in the United States. Due to the distance between fabricator and customer, questions and answers were exchanged via emails and a few long-distance telephone calls. The customer provided the fabricator with access to [...]

On Wednesday, March 18, U.S. President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Product Act (DPA) to speed up and expand the supply of resources from the country's industrial base, particularly to increase the production of medical supplies and equipment.  "We will be invoking the Defense Production Act," the president announced during Wednesday's Coronavirus Task Force briefing. [...]

As concern over the Coronavirus (COVID-19) grows, I want all IFAI members to know we are closely monitoring developments and following recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). We will follow their recommendations to keep our employees, their families and our members healthy and safe. With this in [...]

Following Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s decision to call for a moratorium on events with more than 250 people, the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) has canceled the Progressive® Insurance Northwest Sportshow® in Minneapolis, Minn., on April 2-5, 2020. "While we remained hopeful that the show would proceed amid the evolving coronavirus situation, we agree with [...]

As a result of the evolving coronavirus outbreak in the tri-state region and new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Marine Manufacturers Association (NMMA) has canceled the Progressive® Insurance Saltwater Fishing Expo in Edison, New Jersey on March 13-15, 2020. However, at this time, NMMA is still moving forward with [...]

Bipartisan legislation was introduced in the Minnesota House of Representatives (HF 3770) and State Senate (SF 3624) to establish a 200-foot setback from shoreline and structures for all wakesurfing activities in Minnesota. Representatives from the recreational boating community support the legislation because it is "clear, consistent, and effective": Clear: 200 feet is the length of [...]