Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions for industries that use soft materials -- textiles, leather, industrial fabrics and composites -- today announced that the College of Textiles at North Carolina State University (NCSU), one of the premier textile programs in the world, has implemented Lectra's Vector@ automated cutting solution. This new advanced cutting solution will prepare their textile students for careers in the apparel industry and will bring industry professionals to the University Lab, enhancing NC State's leadership position in textile education.
NC State University College of Textiles is the largest institution of its type in the United States. The programs of study range from traditional design and manufacturing to color science, medical textiles, nonwovens, marketing and supply chain management. More than half of the textile graduates in the U.S. come from NC State University. Many of these students are placed in management level or higher positions within companies.
"Most recently, our Fashion and Textile Management program has continued to grow in student numbers at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, which increases the pressure for our faculty members to train and better prepare those students on the latest technology solutions," stated Nancy Cassill, Professor and Department Head of Textile and Apparel Technology and Management, College of Textiles. "Throughout all our courses, students are required to create, develop and produce a portion of their fashion creations. As a result, there's been an increased demand for an accurate and high-speed cutting system to handle a wide range of fabrics to complete the process."
The implementation of the Lectra Vector advanced cutting solution will bring the whole process to life by allowing collaboration among students. Fashion design students will be able to team up with textile designers, who understand fabric architecture. Together, they will be able to develop more complex patterns and interface with Kaledo@, Modaris@, Diamino@ and Gallery, Lectra's added-value design, pattern-making, marker-making and collaborative product development management solutions already in place at the College, to learn and implement the entire fashion product development process.
Working in real-life professional conditions will allow College of Textiles students to be fully ready and more efficient when they start their careers. They will learn how to accelerate and optimize the process throughout the entire fashion development and production cycle. These are the two main issues currently facing fashion companies.
"Already, there is a lot of interest from both students and the fashion community in conducting projects to take advantage of our new Lectra Vector cutter," explains Trevor Little, Professor with the Textile and Apparel Technology and Management Department. "We are very excited to have our students begin working with the cutter during the upcoming Fall Semester, and offer them an end-to-end training program that will prepare them for their future careers."
"We are pleased to partner with the College of Textiles at NC State," commented Roy Shurling, President of Lectra North America. "It's programs like those at NC State along with the faculty and staff who are committed to integrating the latest in technology that help educate and train the next generation of Textile and Fashion professionals. Implementing a flexible cutter like the Vector, which can cut a large variety of materials ranging from cotton jersey and twill to Kevlar and Fiberglass, with unmatched quality will offer NC State the capacity needed to bring to life innovative and collaborative projects between textile and engineering students, and continue to elevate the College's programs."
Both Lectra and the College are very happy to strengthen their relationship thanks to the integration of advanced production tools. This new step will also enable the College to organize demonstration and test sessions within the university facilities, and show the Vector's performance and impact to various players in the fashion industry.
For more information on the Lectra Education Program, please visit www.lectra.com/en/education (http://www.lectra.com/en/education) or contact Hari Kenkare on +1 212-730-4444, ext: 236.
About North Carolina State University-College of TextilesNC State University College of Textiles with over 110 years of teaching, research, and extension, has proven to be the leading textile college in the world and is located on Centennial Campus in Raleigh, NC. The College offers four bachelor degrees in Fashion and Textile Management, Textile Technology, Polymer and Color Chemistry, and Textile Engineering along with four masters degrees and two doctoral degrees. Currently the College enrolls 912 undergraduate students and 155 graduate students, the largest total enrollment in history. These students are taught by nationally and internally recognized faculty. In addition, the College of Textiles is also home to The Nonwovens Institute and the Textile Protection and Comfort Center.
For more information, please visit www.tx.ncsu.edu (http://www.tx.ncsu.edu)
About LectraLectra is the world leader in integrated technology solutions that automate, streamline and accelerate product design, development and manufacturing processes for industries using soft materials. Lectra develops the most advanced specialized software and cutting systems and provides associated services to a broad array of markets including fashion (apparel, accessories, footwear), automotive (car seats and interiors, airbags), furniture, as well as a wide variety of other market sectors, such as aeronautical and marine industries, wind power and personal protective equipment. Lectra serves 23,000 customers in more than 100 countries with 1,400 employees and $214 million in 2009 revenues. The company is listed on Euronext Paris.
For more information, please visit www.lectra.com (http://www.lectra.com/)
@: Vector, Kaledo, Modaris and Diamino are registered trademarks of Lectra.
