Staying true to its mandate to support the textile and garment industry’s endeavor to produce high-quality and skilled workforce, the Philippine Textile Research Institute (PTRI) spearheaded a textile technology training for the Quality Assurance team of Piplay Inc. last 29 to 30 of May 2014.  PiPlay, Inc. manufactures mainly Playtex and Wonderbra brands which are all exported to the DBA distribution centers in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and the UK. Piplay, Inc.’s world-class facilities are WRAP-certified, and are currently working to meet ISO standards. It boasts of a first-class raw materials quality control laboratory and extensive IT infrastructure.

Topics of the training included an overview of the textile production from the raw materials to the fabric manufacturing process and quality control of textiles from the physical testing to chemical testing. To further facilitate the understanding and appreciation of said topics, the participants also toured the Pilot Plant of PTRI where they observed the tedious and step by step process of manufacturing textiles from the fiber extraction to the finishing process. They were also able to visit and see for themselves how the technical services offered by PTRI, such as the abrasion resistance, dimensional change, fiber composition, colorfastness to laundering, perspiration, and color quality evaluation tests among others, are being conducted at the Physical and Chemical Laboratories through the use of high technology and topnotch equipment. To build up science and technology consciousness among the public and inspire the youth to take on science careers especially on the textile industry, the Institute accommodates tours of various textile-oriented schools, companies and other interested groups to its laboratories and pilot plant facilities.