Poly Labs

Self-healing footwear could be on the market before we know it, as domestic footwear manufacturers push the envelope on innovative technologies and manufacturing processes and develop more environmentally sustainable textile solutions. The University of Massachusetts Lowell is working with Poly Labs, BASF, and The Haartz Corporation on behalf of U.S. Army DEVCOM to develop self-healing outsoles for combat boots. USFMA played a leading role in funding the research, which is funded by a $1.1 million grant as part of the R&D initiative Harnessing Emerging Research Opportunities to Empower Soldiers, or HEROES. “Our research is specifically being applied to combat boots, but because of the way we designed this chemistry, it can be broadly applied to all footwear and beyond,” said James Reuther assistant professor of polymer chemistry at UMASS Lowell. Reuther and his lab team are looking to replace rubber outsoles with polyurethane, a lighter synthetic resin that is easier to break in and more comfortable. And newly created dynamic chemical bonds that are incorporated into the polyurethane offer the promise of self-healing properties to enable tear to self-mend. “That’s our secret sauce,” Reuther explained. “Because of this dynamic bond exchange, the outsole can heal itself spontaneously when we apply heat or pressure.” But it's not just about outfitting the troops with more comfortable or longer-lasting footwear. “Our goal is that you can introduce these chemical bonds to applications that pose the biggest sustainability problems, preventing them from entering landfills,” Reuther said. “We’re seeing how commercially viable this could be."

University of Massachusetts Lowell hosted its inaugural military footwear industry day May 31, 2024 in University Crossing to highlight projects spearheaded by the university to develop the next generation of footwear for U.S. military personnel. Poly Labs was thrilled to be a part of the showcase, and highlight its collaborative work and involvement in the military footwear research. Pictured in the article is VP of Business Development at Poly Labs - Dan Keeley and Director of Engineering at Poly Labs - Adina Muskat. #military • #footwear • #usmanufacturing

The University of Massachusetts Lowell on Friday hosted the first-ever military footwear industry day with U.S. Army DEVCOM and United States Footwear Manufacturers Association (USFMA) to showcase new footwear technologies and funding opportunities to improve military readiness and strengthen the domestic capacity to outfit with troop with state-of-the-art boots and other gear. The Supporting Warfighters through Innovative Footwear Technologies (SWIFT) program has been funded by Congress to enlist U.S. textile manufacturers, suppliers, and universities to pursue inventive solutions to the unique footwear challenges faced by military personnel. The funding for prototyping and piloting new technologies, including an additional $10 million appropriated this year, is also intended to strengthen the Berry Amendment, which restricts the use of federal funds for military clothing, fabrics, and other textiles “not grown, reprocessed, reused, or produced in the United States.” “I think we are all familiar with the expression that an army marches on its stomach, but here, UMass Lowell recognizes that what our men and women in uniform wear on their feet matters just as much,” said UML Vice Chancellor of Research and Innovation Anne Maglia. “We couldn’t be prouder to be playing a leading role in helping ensure they have the most innovative footwear in the world, developed and produced here in the United States.” “This is to build upon what we can do here in the U.S.,” said Anita Perkins, a footwear engineer at U.S. Army DEVCOM. “A lot of the technology over the years providing footwear has been transferred overseas.” The SWIFT initiative is a part of UMASS Lowell's Harnessing Emerging Research Opportunities to Empower Soldiers (HEROES) program, established in 2013, in which students and faculty research new materials and concepts to outfit the troops. “If you ask any soldier what is the most important piece of equipment they are getting...it is their boots,” said HEROES Co-Director Ramaswamy (Ram) Nagarajan. Specials thanks to participating industry and academic partners, including Polylabs; COMUNITYmade, INC; The Haartz Corporation; New Balance; Signet Mills, Northeastern University; Vibram Group; ORION PHOTONICS LTD; Flexcon; Aetrex, Inc.; Foundation Wellness; Mantel; and The University of Southern Mississippi. https://lnkd.in/ePPeggTd

Last week, Poly Labs was pleased to host and welcome representatives from U.S. Army DEVCOM Soldier Center, University of Massachusetts Lowell - HEROES Program, and Senator Susan Collins (R-ME) office to our facility. During the visit, Poly Labs showcased its efforts to date with regards to the Military Footwear Research program it has been diligently working on for the past 9 months. #usfma • #domesticmanufacturing • #footwear • #madeinusa • #berrycompliant • #berryamendment • #footwearmanufacturing

👋 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝘀 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘄 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗲𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻, 𝗠𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲! 📋𝗖𝘂𝗿𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝘁 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝘆 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝘀: 📄 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿 📄 𝗤𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗹 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗜𝗜 📄 𝗥&𝗗 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗻 To learn more, contact our HR & Talent Acquisition team today! #nowhiring • #mainejobs • #lewistonmaine

🎄Yesterday, Poly Labs celebrated the holiday season and the end of a successful year with a luncheon for all employees. The team spread holiday cheer while celebrating individual and collective accomplishments in 2023 - with great food, gift bag raffles, an ugly sweater contest, and service awards for its employees. 👏 Several team members were commemorated for service awards of 1 year, 5 years, 15 years, and even 40 years of service! Please join us in congratulating the team as a whole. We have so much to be grateful for this holiday season. 🎉 As 2023 comes to a close, we have our sights on another great year ahead! 🚀 Onwards and upwards! #polylabs | #holidayparty | #employeeappreciation

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Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at Poly Labs!

USFMA's fall meeting was a major success thanks to Unifi Manufacturing, Inc. (makers of REPREVE® ) in North Carolina, which hosted more than three-dozen reps from leading domestic footwear manufacturers and suppliers to advance our ambitious policy agenda in Washington. A special shout out to Jon Bosworth, chief of staff for Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR), the top Democrat and former chair of a member of the U.S. House Committee on Ways & Means Trade Subcommittee, who provided an insider update on legislative priorities on Capitol Hill, and Nicholas Halmrast, regional representative for Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), for also joining the meeting. Attendees also got to tour new member KARL MAYER's Stoll Showroom in Greensboro and Unifi’s state-of-the-art REPREVE Manufacturing Facility in Yadkinville. The two-day gathering drew reps from USFMA members BASF; New Balance; Bixby International; Dela; The Haartz Corporation; Kamik Canada Inc.; Meramec Group, Inc.; Okabashi Brands, Inc.; Polylabs; Precision Testing Labs; Rogers Foam Corporation.; Rubberlite, Inc.; Signet Mills; and University of Massachusetts Lowell. USFMA also welcomed new members KX Inc.; ORISOL.GLOBAL; Drexel University; Worthen Industries; COMUNITYmade, INC. and Draper Knitting Company. The association is advocating for the Import and Security Fairness Act to prevent businesses from exploiting import loopholes – the de minimis threshold – that could harm domestic industries, and tracking The Americas Act intended to increase supply chain investments in the Western Hemisphere to ensure it doesn’t harm domestic manufacturing. USFMA has also joined a broad coalition of businesses and trade associations calling on Congress to pass The American Innovation and R&D Competitiveness Act that would restore the ability to deduct research and development expenses in the year they are incurred. Member companies also discussed efforts to ensure proposed language in the fiscal 2024 National Defense Authorization Act is adopted seeking an assessment of current policy that allows military servicemembers to wear foreign-made boots on duty – a major loophole to the Berry Amendment that mandated US-made footwear. USFMA is also advocating that the U.S. Army test whether it should make dedicated boots for female soldiers, rather than rely on unisex form, fit and function. Next year, USFMA is planning a full-scale push to ensure that the United States Department of Defense and U.S. Coast Guard require Berry Amendment-compliant boots and dress shoes for servicemembers on duty. USFMA membership offers an active forum for information exchange, innovation, collaboration, and networking. It is also the epicenter for military footwear R&D, pursuing appropriations from Congress, and leading industry-wide campaigns to grow domestic manufacturing of footwear through fair trade, strong manufacturing policies, and programs that strengthen the supplier base.