Sewn Products Equipment & Suppliers of the Americas (SPESA) organized its first virtual executive conference on October 29-30, 2020. It discussed on the new future of sewn product industry post-COVID-19, while also highlighted the industry’s past as well as present developments. The key topic were: the role of technology in manufacturing, products, retail and entire supply chain; and the expectations out of it as the industry moves forward after pandemic.

The speakers also discussed the global economic outlook and its impact from 2021 onwards. Eminent stakeholders including Nina McCormack, Chairwoman, SPESA and VP & CFO, DAP America, Inc; Roger Tutterow, Henssler Financial Endowed Chair and Director (Econometric Center) & Professor of Economics, Kennesaw State University; Nicole Bivens Collinson, President, Sandler, Travis & Rosenberg, PA; and Sheng Lu, Associate Professor, Fashion & Apparel Studies, University of Delaware held sessions on the first day of the conference.

While Lloyd Wood, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles, Consumer Goods, and Materials, US Department of Commerce, ITA; Eric Spackey, CEO, Bluewater Defense, Inc., Arnie Kravitz, CTO, Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM); Natasha Spackey, Senior Director of Business Development, Advanced Functional Fabrics of America (AFFOA) and Jeff Streader, MD, Go Global Retail spoke on the closing day.