*Originally published August 9, 2021 in the University of Alberta Folio
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By BEV BETKOWSKI

Firefighters risk their lives battling blazes, but the aging of their suits also poses a hazard that a University of Alberta researcher, partnering with industry, is working to eliminate.

An end-of-life sensor that detects gradual breakdown in garments from exposure to heat, moisture and ultraviolet (UV) light has…

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A new online training program created to solve an immediate problem during the pandemic ended up solving a longer term business goal for Davey Textile Solutions and helped increased sales in new markets.

Gail Burak, an account manager for the manufacturer of high-quality safety trim for workwear, couldn’t travel to see her customers during the COVID-19 outbreak and was feeling…

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Digital transformation at Davey makes the entire team more efficient, more effective, more productive

When a thread breaks on a loom, a tweet over Twitter is sent to alert staff in the weaving room. 

It’s an innovative first step in the digital transformation of Edmonton-based Davey Textile Solutions in its efforts to increase productivity and create a competitive advantage in the…

Anywhere, anytime. Cloud journey for a data driven business
WatServ managed services enable the team at Davey Textile Solutions to focus on business imperatives, innovation, and customer value

DAVEY TEXTILE SOLUTIONS INC. HAS BEEN OFFERING SOLUTIONS TO THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY IN CANADA SINCE 1986
Operating out of a manufacturing facility in Edmonton, Alberta, and a distribution warehouse in Houston, Texas, Davey Textile Solutions has been offering…

Challenges 
Davey Textile was experiencing various data automation issues such as: 

Manual data collection, inaccurate detection and recording of downtime events 
Limited data availability, access, analysis visibility and collaboration 
Arbitrary targets in production capacity and equipment utilization 
Issues with decision making – they were relying on past experience and “gut feel” rather than data and information 
Capacity was a clear bottleneck 

The Downtime Tracker was…

The majority of runners like to get their exercise in the evenings during the week, which is in the dark for much of the year here. On weekends, its early morning.

That can be dangerous for joggers, and for cyclists on the road for fun or for the daily commute.

Or for those of us who are just out for a leisurely stroll with the…

U of A researcher developing e-textiles to transform medical and safety fields
Imagine a wound dressing that changes colour to let you know if your cut is infected. Imagine a T-shirt that tells athletes they’re dehydrated or one that monitors blood sugar levels for diabetes patients.

Imagine a coverall that would alert workers to contamination levels and danger levels in real-time.

“There is a lot of…

Kelly Drennan looked past the bright lights and the runways of Toronto Fashion Week and was troubled by what she found.

Thousands of chairs wrapped in decorative paper. Plastic water bottles. Hairspray. And under it all, the message that it was time to clear out last season’s clothing and make way for something new.

It was 2006 and Drennan, who spent years doing…

It all starts with the customer.

“Providing value for our customers is a huge thing,” says Veronica Krylova, operations supervisor at Davey Textile Solutions (DTS), a manufacturer of safety trim for workwear. “Maximizing customer value while minimizing waste is what Lean theory is all about.”

Krylova is a certified black belt in Lean Six Sigma and works hard each day to bring that systematic approach…

When Andrea Mandel-Campbell speaks to business leaders about thinking globally and challenging the corporate status quo, her message is authentic, down to the soles of her travelling shoes.

Her own willingness to take chances allowed Mandel-Campbell to realize her dream of working as a newspaper foreign correspondent. Her belief in seizing opportunity helped her transition from journalist to author to television anchor, then on…

Gender. Age. Weight. Emotion. Personality.

All of these factors affect how we move.

Dr. Nikolaus Troje has spent large parts of his career studying biological motion and how little visual information we actually need to recognize activity.

“Biological motion is fascinating,” says Troje, a professor in the Department of Biology and the Centre for Vision Research at York University.

“There’s an ease by which the visual…

Hydro Carbon Flash Fire – Sudden burst of intense heat. 550 degrees to 1,050 degrees Celsius 

Flash fire typically last 3 seconds or less

Garments worn in the oil and gas industry are tailored towards flame resistance.

Flash fires are characterized by high temperature, short duration, and a rapidly moving flame front.

Due to the short duration (typically 3 seconds), exposure to heat levels sufficient to ignite…

This Seminar is the perfect opportunity for manufacturers to educate and entertain their customers.  While the primary focus is for end users in the Oil and Gas sectors, any industry with a focus on protective clothing will find this session very informative and provide good ideas that can be implemented very quickly. 

To register for the Seminar, please visit the Davey Seminar Website.

 …

It’s a new way of looking at colour and safety.

“Sometimes the colour you have on makes a big difference,” says Dionne Murray Lemer, senior product manager for National Safety Apparel, a U.S. manufacturer of industrial safety workwear.

“It isn’t just how bright the colour, it’s also driver or operator recognition so they can divert their course.”

Generally, yellow has been the first choice for the…

Do you have a design problem? Technical issue? Training requirements?

Bringing in a trusted consultant is often the best and quickest way to solve challenges in today’s complex workplace.

When IFR Workwear wanted to review all their protective clothing to make sure it met Canadian and U.S. safety standards they turned to Davey Textile Solutions (DTS).

“It’s important to make the whole machine turn efficiently,” says…

Furry mascot costumes.

Islet transplants for diabetes treatment.

Yellow cloth with a silver reflective stripe down the middle.

What do these items have in common?

All were invented in Edmonton.

“We were pioneers,” says Grant Davey, president of Davey Textile Solutions (DTS), the manufacturer of the familiar high-visibility trim that you find on all types of workwear, including flame-resistant (FR) garments worn in the utilities, mining, and oil…

Looking for a way to expand your business? Exports are a powerful driver for the Canadian economy — we exported $502 billion in 2017. They are also a strong tool for multiplying a company’s profits. “It’s helped us grow,” says Dan King, vice-president production R&D at Davey Textile Solutions, Inc (DTS), located in Edmonton, Alberta. “Exports are at least one-third of Davey’s business now.”

DTS…

For decades, protective clothing that is no longer wearable has been trucked to landfills where, for the most part, it remains for all eternity.

But thanks to a bit of out-of-the-box thinking and a whole lot of research and testing, a Vancouver company has developed a process to turn non-biodegradable aramid coveralls into new fabric. It’s not just a potential solution to the waste…

Dave Fennell embarked on a decade-plus long journey to help protect workers from steam and hot fluid injuries after one of his employees, Ron, who sustained injuries in a steam-related accident, asked “why did this happen to me?”. “Ron did exactly what I said about wearing protective clothing.” But while changing a filter on a hot water system in 2005, the valve gave…

7th Davey Textile Solutions Seminar, held on November 7th
This year’s seminar is jam-packed with information on the latest, greatest and What’s coming next in Protective Clothing systems for the Oil & Gas Industry, and beyond. Join us on November 7th to learn about new innovations for PPE in Heat and Flame protection, Thermal considerations for Cold Weather environments, as well as, updates on…

Your Destination for 3M™ Scotchlite™ Reflective Materials and Converted Trim Products
Our new website has landed! We’ve redesigned our website to help you find the information and products you’re most interested in.  We’ve added industry specific pages, loads of information about our products, a gallery of photos showcasing our products “at work” and most importantly, we’ve made it really easy for you to connect…