Chattanooga, TN, December 21, 2005-- Tricycle, Inc., and Aquafil USA have announced a joint partnership to include Aquafil yarns in Tricycle's product development and prototyping system, Apso Jet Set.
The project launches early in 2006.
The agreement reflects the interiors market's growing desire to dematerialize its product development cycle. Tricycle, a sustainable design company whose SIM from Tricycle simulation has won NeoCon Golds for its ability to reduce unnecessary design waste in sampling, serves design teams at carpet mills through its Apso brand of product development tools. Now the Apso Jet Set will include simulation of Aquafil yarn colors as a standard offering, allowing Apso users to design carpets using the Aquafil color library.
As a further benefit to manufacturers, Aquafil is subsidizing its customers' set up for Tricycle's SIM+Factory services. The SIM+Factory is a bureau service which provides Tricycle simulation for manufacturers' use as strike offs, design prototypes, and product samples.
According to Franco Rossi, vice president of sales and marketing for Aquafil USA, the company was first drawn to Tricycle's sustainable practices.
"Aquafil is committed to being a zero-waste company," said Mr. Rossi. "We hope our relationship with Tricycle will help eliminate tons of carpet samples, which become useless only days--or even hours--after they have been produced. Aquafil has been sensible and proactive toward environmental issues for decades, long before they became a fashionable marketing tool."
"Aquafil's commitment to sustainability benefits not only the environment, but also their customers," said Tricycle president and COO Jonathan Bragdon. "They are serving the mills at multiple levels by providing great products and by progressive strategies, such as this partnership with Tricycle, that help the mills reduce wasted time, money, and post-production trips to the landfill."
Aquafil USA manufactures and distributes yarns to the North American carpet industry from Cartersville, Georgia. The Cartersville facility has twisting, heatsetting, and air-entangling yarn producing abilities and a large storing warehouse. All Aquafil products marketed in the USA are available from stock. Aquafil USA also provides technical, product-development, and quality control services. In 2006 Aquafil will inaugurate its first USA fiber extrusion plant.
Tricycle is an international company that enables sustainable design in the interiors industry. The company's trademarks include SIM from Tricyle, Apso, and the SIM+Factory.
