The 2009 Winners’ Circle: Eight Honored in Annual UNIVATOR Awards

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Univator Awards

Innovation is a key ingredient behind the success of most products or services. As the economy continues to struggle, customers are becoming even more budget-conscious, making innovation more important than ever before. In a recession, the smart business owner knows that the only way anxious customers will buy is to give them something they’re never seen before, a product that makes them say; “Oh my gosh, I have to have this!”

That sentiment captures the essence of the UNIVATOR Awards. Created five years ago by UniformMarket, the awards showcase the best programs, ideas and innovations that the uniform and promotional products industries have to offer. And while we recognize there are many awards programs out there, we know of no other that honors the manufacturers and distributors of uniforms and their contributions to further their companies’ bottom lines.

This year, UniformMarket has handed out eight awards, representing the creative works of seven different companies.

 

5.11 Tactical
Use of Technology in a Product

Powered by a sophisticated energy management system, the Light for Life UC3.400 Flashlight from 5.11 Tactical fully charges in 90 seconds and has a runtime of 90 minutes in standard mode (up to 23.5 hours total runtime per 24-hour period). This revolutionary performance compares with charge times ranging from four to 12 hours, and runtime rates ranging from 9 percent to 25 percent daily for duty flashlights currently on the market.

The UC3.400 contains no batteries but rather a sophisticated energy management system called FlashPoint Power Technology. This technology utilizes environmentally friendly ultracapacitors that work together with revolutionary computer circuitry to efficiently manage how energy is loaded into the flashlight and then optimizes how the energy is dispersed to maximize both performance and runtime.

Unlike costly batteries that need to be replaced, ultracapacitors quickly load and unload energy without a chemical reaction. The UC3.400 is rated for 50,000 charge/discharge cycles with virtually no degradation and no memory, even in severe temperature conditions. At one charge per day, that’s a whopping 135 years!

The high-performance Light for Life UC3.400 produces 270 peak lumens in bright mode, 90 lumens in standard mode, and has a 270-lumen tactical strobe. The three LED bulbs on the flashlight are rated for 50,000 hours and never have to be replaced. At about 16 oz., the flashlight weighs approximately half as much as competitors’ full-size duty flashlights.

The Light for Life UC3.400 is the first product of its kind in the world. The flashlight will be available in spring 2009.

www.511tactical.com

 

Perfection Uniforms
Use of Technology in a Product

A UNIVATOR winner for the third consecutive year, Brentwood, Tennessee-based manufacturer Perfection Uniforms continues to delight us with the originality, ideas and modern sensibility it brings to what is an undeniably traditional industry.

In its short existence as a company, Perfection has taken the best that technology has to offer and applied it successfully to a number of products in its law enforcement line. Its development of a permanent sleeve crease for Class A uniform shirts has caught our attention this year, resulting in another UNIVATOR for the company.

After significant trial and error, Perfection Uniforms created a unique permanent sleeve crease to complement the traditional military creases on the front and back of a Class A public safety uniform shirt. The crease utilizes a special “Super Creaset” for technologically advanced, nano-treated fabrics and is applied in a specially engineered method to ensure that the crease is in the middle, without variance.

The product has taken the law enforcement community by storm. In an industry where appearance matters, the revolutionary sleeve crease gives the wearer that “just pressed” professional look all day long. Moreover, the product gives those dealers distributing it an opportunity to perfectly center an emblem on any shirt sleeve.

In the process of being trademarked, the Perfection Sleeve Crease was initially introduced in the StratusSeries of performance poly/rayons and the SuperNaturalSeries of performance poly/wools, but will now be used in all Perfection Uniforms Class A shirts.

www.perfectionuniforms.com

 

Cintas Corporation
Eco-Friendly Concepts

Leading the way in the image apparel green movement, Cintas has partnered with Bagir Ltd. to develop an eco-friendly and trend-right suiting collection that offers style, comfort and functionality. This innovative, environmentally and socially conscious apparel caters to any business seeking a professional image, while also making green initiatives a top priority and demonstrating corporate responsibility. For this, Cintas is honored with a 2009 UNIVATOR, and deservedly so.

Cintas has introduced a washable, 100 percent recycled polyester suiting collection made from recycled plastic bottles. The textiles are produced from post-consumer products, which are processed into flakes. Filaments are extruded from the flakes, which are spun into yarn and ultimately woven into very soft fabrics.

Because these suit separates are washable, they do not require professional dry cleaning, thus minimizing the use of harmful chemicals and ultimately providing a cost savings to customers. Additionally, recycling polymers means more plastics are kept out of landfills, and fewer chemicals are emitted into the air and water.

While some companies have dismissed eco-friendly programs as too costly, Cintas has been able to maintain pricing structures that are similar to the company’s traditional tailored lines. Life expectancy of the suiting is no different than any other suiting collection, provided care instructions are followed. There are also no limitations on the fabric treatments that can be used.

The increased demand for eco-friendly initiatives over the past decade has brought new development opportunities for Cintas in a multitude of product lines. Customers from diverse industries, from lodging and manufacturing to transportation and healthcare, are interested in pursuing such apparel programs.

www.cintas.com

 

T Caps International Ltd.
Product Innovation

The baseball cap has finally been reinvented. The T Cap, developed and patented by T Caps International, combines two highly popular products the baseball cap and sunglasses with the goal of bringing function and fashion together.

Users won’t forget, lose or drop their sunglasses anymore. The glasses can be used or stored with the flick of a finger, and use of both the cap and sunglasses provides much more protection from the sun than either one alone.

But whether or not the glasses are being used, the look is so cool that it provides the user with something unique and highly original. As a bonus, the sunglasses can be placed on the backside of the cap for a rebellious, youth-oriented look.

While the T Cap looks like a simple product, high technology along with numerous 3-D designs were used to find the proper frame and lens angles so the sunglasses could adapt to most faces. A hinge and sliding system also has been designed to allow the user to adjust the lenses to his face for vision, protection and comfort. As an added bonus, the eyewear provides 100 percent UV protection and is made of solid, scratch-resistant polycarbonate.

The product has many potential applications, including the sportswear, fashion and promotional products industries, and could have crossover appeal in the uniform market. T Caps International believes the cap is an ideal accessory for light-duty workers who need ready, reliable access to protection.

T Caps International recently made its T Caps available through a few golf pro shops in the Vancouver area. Initial sales confirm strong potential for the product. The company is looking for distributors to take the T Cap to the next level.

www.tcapsintl.com

 

Chef Works Inc.
Product Innovation

Always a leader in chefs’ apparel, Chef Works has again changed the face and look of the culinary uniform industry. Several years ago, the company was given a UNIVATOR for its creation of a line of chefs’ jackets and headwear utilizing a new moisture-wicking fabric it trademarked as Cool Vent. This year, it is being honored for the creation of its new Signature Series line, which we believe takes the chef coat, and the industry, to the next level.

Chef Works takes the innovation of the Cool Vent fabric and uses it as two vertical panels, one off each shoulder and under the arm, where most body heat is generated and trapped. The underarm panel releases much heat, and the gusset vertical panels complete the process and cool down the body. Sweatbands are added to line the inside of the collar, absorbing any additional moisture coming off the head and neck area of the body.

Previously, Cool Vents were offered in two fabrics: the industry standard 65/35 poly/cotton, and the executive version in 100 percent Egyptian cotton. The new series includes a 60/40 cotton-dominant fabric, the composition of choice in the restaurant industry. Although twill is still used for safety considerations, the cotton dominance keeps it feeling lighter and more comfortable.

Besides being innovative, the jackets are also quite stylish. A generous drop shoulder allows for much more freedom of movement. To make the contemporary styling work, the company has widened the top of the jacket’s crossover area and narrowed the body below the chest area, giving the wearer comfort without sacrificing styling and fit.

The jackets are offered in both three-quarter sleeve and the traditional long sleeve with fold-up cuffs. All jackets have left chest and thermometer sleeve pockets for complete functionality.

www.chefworks.com

 

Kingsbury Uniforms
Marketing & Public Relations

A first-time UNIVATOR recipient, Kingsbury Uniforms is a privately held certified Women’s Business Enterprise manufacturer of custom uniforms and a distributor of stock uniforms, marketing apparel and promotional items used by casinos, retail grocers, restaurants, hotels and transportation companies.

It is being honored for its efforts in providing new and cost-effective branding opportunities to its customers. Kingsbury incorporates the advertisements and marketing messages of its customers into detachable panels that are placed on the garments worn by employees. The concept, known as Eye Level Marketing, is a creative and innovative way to use uniforms to market events, menus, tournaments, promotions or perhaps even create revenue by promoting vendor products or services.

The patented interchangeable panel system allows for a variety of full-color campaign messages to be displayed, giving users and sponsors a chance to communicate with customers like never before. Eye Level Marketing uses digital images that are sublimated onto tear-away panels, which allows the message to change as often as desired.

Employees in effect become “walking billboards,” exposing the consumer to the message a company wants to convey while he is shopping or attending an event, but before the final purchasing decision is made.

The panel system can be put into any employee uniform including aprons, vests, T-shirts, polo shirts and camp shirts. Most companies keep the front of the uniform for their own branding and install the panel system on the back of the garment.

www.kingsburyuniforms.com

 

5.11 Tactical
Web Design & E-Commerce

With the redesign of its website, 5.11 Tactical continues to be at the forefront of the public safety sector. The new site is informative, interesting and, best of all, keeps users returning.

5.11’s original website platform was built internally from the ground up. Its contemporary law enforcement look and feel broke new ground and made it “cool” to buy and own clothing and gear from 5.11 Tactical. Through the website, users could see, read about and order products, although the site’s capabilities were limited.

To significantly enhance the user experience, 5.11’s e-commerce and technology teams met with users to obtain feedback regarding what individuals wanted in an updated website. Two years later, in August 2008, the new www.511tactical.com website was unveiled.

The site allows users to view products more easily, see multiple angles, rotate items 360 degrees, zoom in on intricate details like buttons and bartacks, and utilize color swatching to instantly obtain alternate hues. Product descriptions are much more comprehensive, with detailed features and benefits. Navigation has been streamlined for greater ease of use. Other helpful elements include product-specific sizing charts, a real-time inventory checker and official National Tactical Officers Association reviews.

In an unusual move, 5.11 also added user reviews; all products can now be reviewed by customers and ranked accordingly. While the majority of reviews on the website are positive, the less-than-positive comments are also included. Reviews offer a built-in social media component where users can read feedback from officers, operators, military personnel, firefighters, paramedics or EMTs like themselves.

Additionally, users can rapidly customize products on-screen and see them in a real-time interactive viewer. They can add embroidery, heat press or screen-print lettering and embellishments, patches and custom graphics to many 5.11 products. User-provided graphics can be uploaded in about five seconds, and the image wraps to the contour of the garment. With this state-of-the-art technology, what users see is what they get, even down to the lighting, shadows, lines, textures and folds of the fabric. Importantly, there is a security feature that keeps a person’s artwork secure so that only he can see it.

As one of 5.11’s most important marketing tools, the website makes a dramatic branding statement, which is why it is being recognized with a UNIVATOR.

www.511tactical.com

 

HPI Direct
Program Design and Service

What started as a kiosk in a mall has turned into a multi-million-dollar manufacturing company known as HPI Direct. Headquartered in Georgia, this full-service business serves both the uniform and professional products industries and has created quite a buzz for bringing creative business solutions and fresh design options to many market segments, including the restaurant and entertainment industries.

A first-time UNIVATOR honoree, HPI is being recognized for the apparel program it designed for the Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit roller coaster, housed at Universal Orlando Resort in Florida. Scheduled to officially open in spring 2009, Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit will stake its claim as the most technologically advanced roller coaster in the world and bills itself as the attraction that puts riders in the director’s seat. Ride vehicles feature the brightest and most innovative color changing LEDs in the world, and guests can customize their experience by choosing what song will play while they’re on the roller coaster. When the ride is over, guests will be able to customize footage from their experience and compile it into a take-home music video.

An idea this bold demanded a uniform program equally dynamic. Universal had a clear vision of what it wanted: youthful, fun outfits that captured the excitement and freshness of the ride and that left guests feeling that employees were an actual extension of the coaster itself. But it couldn’t find a vendor to execute its vision. Enter HPI. Through sublimation, a process which uses heat to transfer dye to a fabric, the company was able to achieve the desired look.

When launched, the program will be worn by approximately 200 employees, and pieces in the ensemble include tunics, camp shirts, hats and jackets. Colored in vibrant shades of red, orange and yellow, garments appear to be splattered with musical notes, evoking the importance of that element in the overall experience.

www.hpidirect.net

 


Any company doing business in the industry was eligible to win a UNIVATOR, whether national or international. A call for entries went out in summer, and the staff at UniformMarket also studied company websites to determine if any program or ideas might be award-worthy and thus included in the judging process.

What types of work are awarded a UNIVATOR? One of the more interesting features of UNIVATOR is that it isn’t governed by stringent entry rules or requirements. Categories evolve, and new divisions are added to better reflect the type of programs under consideration. This is, after all, a competition that honors creativity. Out-of-the-box thinking is strongly encouraged.

It’s never too early to start thinking about programs or products to enter in next year’s competition. Contact [email protected] for more information.

 

EDITOR’S NOTE: What’s your opinion on this year’s UNIVATOR picks? Want to make sure your company is considered as a recipient next year? Send an email to [email protected] to share your views or to find out how to enter next year’s contest.

 
Above story first appeared in MADE TO MEASURE Magazine, Spring & Summer 2009 issue. All rights reserved. Photos appear by special permission.
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