DTI's new name: Invista

By Carole Sloan -- Home Textiles Today, 9/8/2003 12:00:00 AM

WILMINGTON, DE —

DuPont Textiles & Interiors (DTI) has changed its name to Invista, a move designed to further distance the company from its corporate parent, DuPont, which is planning to divest itself from the business.

Invista will be the world's largest integrated fibers and intermediates company with more than $6.3 billion in revenues, 18,000 employees and a presence in 86 countries," said Steve McCracken, president of Invista.

The new name will have a linking line, "Built on DuPont Innovation" and a tagline, "Step Forward."

Both elements are designed to convey to customers that "the company will move faster in the future and be more flexible," said Dave Trerotola, vp, home and industrial textiles.

There has been an uncertainty regarding DTI during the separation process, and competitors have attempted to benefit from the situation, Trerotola said, so Invista will be leveraging its brands, which include Lycra, Teflon, Stainmaster, Antron, and Tactel.

Typical of the brand strategy, he said, is the Lycra with sheets program that creates a stretch/recovery scenario. The program was launched at Pillowtex, and now negotiations are in progress with several companies to take over the program. "We have two mills in Pakistan and one in China that we can marry up with U.S. suppliers for this process," he said.

Springs, he noted, will be expanding its Outlast mattress pads and pillows program and will introduce Plume Aire, a fiberfill bed program for pads and pillows.

Area rugs, in addition to broadloom, are targeted for expansion using the Stainmaster process after debuting a year and a half ago.

In addition, the developmental program using Lycra with leather for stretch and recovery features is planned for a market launch in spring 2004.

The Invista name primarily will be used to communicate with the company's customers, B2B trade and its employees, Trerotola noted.

Invista will continue to focus on partnering with its customers to transform the economics of their businesses, the performance of their products and drive demand through the power of brands," said Carol Gee, global director, brands.

This includes developing global relationships for U.S.-based suppliers for specific product applications.