Earlier this month, the Norwegian government placed a ban on our line of fire retardant tapes (and any products currently at market) that contained a component known as Deca-BDA.  This item has been commonly used in the textile industry for years, and was an added flame resistant component in the internal layers of our line of fire retardant reflective tape.

We always strive to improve the quality of our products and seek to remain in compliance with government and industry regulations on safe products – after all we can’t keep professionals and consumers safe if the materials we use are deemed unsafe.

“We were already in the process of changing over our flame resistant tapes, because while we’re always conscious about the safety of professional workers, we’re also conscious of the environment.” Said Håvard Spaniland, Quality Assurance Manager of Sto-Nor Industri. “Sto-Nor has initiated a phase-out of the existing version, which contains traces of Deca-BDE as an active FR substance in the adhesive layer of the tape.”

Understanding Deca-BDA in Flame Resistant Reflective Tape & Textiles

Deca-BDE is permitted to be used in work wear and professional clothing in Europe and the United States, but some studies show that it does have a potential to harm the environment.  It has been confirmed that the component poses no health risks to those who wear textiles utilizing this component because the substance is used within the internal adhesive layer.

Still – we care about the environment as much as we care about the people we protect with our flame resistant reflective tape.  As such, we’ve updated the product to meet the standards set forth by the Norwegian government.  Our flame resistant reflective tape (product ID 9801) now contains no traces of Deca-BDA.

Updating our Flame Resistant Reflective Tape – Same Great Performance, Same Look

The ban placed on previous versions of our 9801 flame resistant reflective tape did not affect the certificates held for those products, and the update in no way changes the physical appearance or performance of our line of reflective tapes.

Any products in stock with Loxy or with our customers has been deemed safe to use, and will be replaced with the updated 9801 reflective tape once stocks are depleted.

If you have questions about our line of flame resistant reflective tape, you’re welcome to contact us at your leisure, and one of our account representatives can answer any questions or concerns you may have.

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New branding campaign

In 2011 Loxy began moving forward with a new branding campaign to bring consistency to our products.  That consistency is important; we want our partners, vendors and manufacturers around the world to be able to easily recognize Loxy products and our brand image.  This lets them know they’re working with quality, long-lasting, durable textiles and products that will help them provide value to their customers.

Our branding has focused on a number of areas:

The Website:  Creating a consistent approach to sharing and displaying content, with a site design that falls in line with company colors, logo and brand identity.  Right down to the chosen font, our customers know when they’re engaging with Loxy content on the web

An emphasis on Loxy Reflective Tape and The Loxy Name

Sto-Nor is a long-standing name.  We’ve been around for more than 40 years.  To put more emphasis on our branded products, we continue now to focus on the name Loxy.  This name has come to be used to represent our organization, our products, our mission and our focus on quality.

Presentation of Reflective Tape Information and More

To ensure that vendor and partners, customers and manufacturers are able to easily recognize the information we share, all of our technical data sheets, information files, articles, etc. have all been updated to match our brand, colors and logos included.  In addition, we’ve launched colored hangtags that match up to the color of our reflective tapes.

The Importance of Branding for Loxy Reflective Tape Lines

As Loxy continues to expand and add agents around the world, we want our partners, vendors and manufacturers to know that no matter who sells the product, that product and the experience is always the same.  Consistency is as important to us as the quality of our reflective tapes and seam sealing tapes, and we strive to make sure that every agent around the world is on the same page.

Our branding campaign is going well; we’ve seen an increase in interest from the far corners of the world, and a definite increase in interest and leads from the digital web thanks to our branding and marketing.  We’re looking forward to future phases of our branding campaign, and appreciate the opportunity to grow together with our customers.

Read more Reflective Tape Blogs here…..

Learn more about Loxy Reflective Tape here…

Loxy launched a new agent program

One of the ways Loxy is reaching out to more vendors and manufacturers than ever before is through our agent program.  We’re a long-standing company with more than 40 years in the textiles industry, and have been providing reflective tape and seam sealing tape for a long time.

But that doesn’t mean we have the largest reach in the world.  Even in our digital age, we cannot be everywhere at all times.  That’s where our agents come in to play for us.

So what exactly is the agent program with Loxy?

In 2011 we launched a new agent program that made it easy for industry pundits and leaders in textiles including manufacturers and suppliers to represent our products in the textile market as well as our brand.  This program makes it easy for others to add the Loxy line of products to their existing business model.  They gain the benefit of increasing their product offering to their existing client base, and we gain the benefit of increased reach and visibility.

Going Beyond Visibility with Reflective Tape

It’s not just about spreading our brand name.  We could do that with digital campaigns and dominate search results for targeted keyword.  It’s more than that, because visibility won’t sustain us.  Our representatives help us get our product into the hands of more manufacturers and consumers around the world.

Once they experience the quality of Loxy reflective tapes and other products we offer, they will see the benefit (quite literally with reflective tape), and that’s where everyone wins. As we expand our reach the agent program, we’re making the world a safer place.  That’s what matters to us, that’s what is important, and that’s why we never compromise on the integrity of products or let our quality standards slip.

Read about our drive to improve reflective tape in order to meet stricter Oeko-Tex standards.

The Benefits of Being a Loxy Agent for Reflective Tape & Seam Sealing Tape

There are a number of benefits when you add the Loxy product line to your own product or service offering:

•    Enhance service offerings to improve your market share on a global, regional or local level

•    Improve customer/client relations by offering a quality product

•    Improve image by partnering with a globally recognized and respected manufacturer

•    Enhance your product portfolio

•    Expand your opportunity for profit

•    Direct shipping to clients for simple order processing

Help us expand our reach, offer better quality products to your customers, and grow our business together.  Contact us today to learn about how you can gain from a unique partnership with Loxy.

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Learn more about Loxy Reflective Tape here…

Loxy rock A+A fair on reflective and seam sealing tape

There are a lot of vendors, attendees and companies who attended the A+A fair in recent months that went home empty handed, failing to secure connections that lead to sustainable growth.  Not so for Loxy.

One of our focuses at the event was to ensure that we could provide some measure of value and information to the people we met.  We did not attend the event to hard sell anyone one utilizing our products.  We came to present a solution, and show manufacturers that where visibility and safety is concerned, we had a path to best solution.

Because we focused on sharing benefits, tips, how they could incorporate products and benefit from improving safety and visibility, we stood out among the others who were hard selling like used-vehicle salespeople.

Seeing Amazing Growth in Reflective Tape

Our representation in Germany has seen amazing increases not only in leads, but closed contacts among manufacturers.  It’s not because of silver tongues salesmen who know how to push reflective tape as well as they push snake oil.  The growth and interest is because we provided real valuable and helped to educate all those who showed interest in growing their own product lines.  In essence, we gave away the kitchen sink.

Educating the industry on reflective and seam sealing tape

The representatives we have in Germany are doing an amazing job educating the industry on the many uses of reflective and seam sealing tape, and how our products stand above the rest – but beyond that they’re showing people that Loxy is a trusted provider of more than reflective tape.  We’re available for training, to answer questions, and for information.

A Source and Solution for Reflective Tape and More

Our partners know that they can reach out to us at any time to ask industry related questions, for information in textiles, with issues relating to similar products or our own reflective tape – heck, they don’t even need to be an active customer and they can talk with us about helping them find solutions to issues they face in production and manufacturing.

We’ve seen stunning growth across the board, from Shanghai to Germany and into Vietnam – we’re looking forward to seeing how we can better serve vendors and manufacturers around the world.

Looking for more information on reflective tape, seam sealing tape or a bonding film issue?  Contact us today and let us help you.

Because Loxy is leading the way.

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Loxy ran into some snags with Oeko-Tex

Last fall, Loxy ran into some snags with Oeko-Tex and our line of reflective tapes.  The standardized testing agency has established guidelines for the amount of contaminants or materials in textiles that could be considered harmful.

One of the updated Oeko-Tex made in 2011 was in their testing policy for the organic tin compound TOB (Dioctyltin) in textiles like reflective tape.  Instead of ‘extractable’ amounts, the total content was tested. Reflective tape manufacturer Sto-Nor Industry, based in Halden, Norway, was found to exceed the acceptable amounts in their reflective tape products.

Received the new confirmed Class 1 certificate per Oeko-Tex regulation

Because we are always concerned about the safety of those who wear our garments, or those who wear textiles that utilize our products such as reflective tape, we immediately set out to find a viable substitute.  After months of extensive research and testing, we were able to find a suitable substitute without sacrificing the quality of our reflective tape lines.

The source of the TOB was a cure in the resin used to reduce dwell time.As of October 2, 2011 Sto-Nor received the new confirmed Class 1 certificate. This certificate remains throughout 2012 per Oeko-Tex regulation, and due to recent testing Sto-Nor’s certification will be automatically renewed at the end of 2012 to carry over into 2013.

Unfortunately, many of the companies manufacturing similar products to our reflective tape are having a difficult time finding substitutes and meeting Oeko-Tex compliance standards.  3M is one such company that has yet to modify their products to obtain recertification.

Standing out Among Competitors with our Reflective Tape

According to Håvard Spaniland, our Quality Assurance Manager, “Our ability to certify over a number of our competitors is proof that Sto-Nor can achieve a higher quality, certifiable product in our reflective tape lines.  We are continuing our growth as a leader in the industry, and provides us with a distinct edge over our competition.”

This is proof to all of our vendors and partners that Loxy strives for only the best.  We will continue to offer only the best in reflective tape and seam sealing products, and we look forward to a product 2012 where we can get back to business serving you.

Read more Reflective Tape Blogs here…..

Learn more about Loxy Reflective Tape here…