Let 'er rip: Velcro celebrates 50th anniversary
MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) - May 13, 2008 The signature sound of Velcro hook-and-loop tape being torn
apart rippled along a parade route Tuesday to mark half a century
since the Velcro brand was trademarked in the United States. Former
and current employees of Manchester-based Velcro USA lined up for
more than a mile to rip apart 8-inch lengths of the company's
famous fasteners.
Lorraine Thiem, who retired after 27 years as a weaving
instructor, excitedly ripped and reattached her swatch in
anticipation as she waited for the wave to reach her under a tent
in the company's parking lot. She left the company 13 years ago but
still feels a pang of pride whenever she spots a Velcro product.
"I think, 'I had a hand in making that,"' she said. "It's
just wonderful."
The hook-and-loop tape has its roots in Mother Nature - Swiss
engineer George de Mestral came up with design in the 1940s after
studying burrs that stuck to his dog's fur and his wool pants
during a walk in the woods. He named his invention Velcro, a
combination of "velour" and "crotchet," the French words for
velvet and hook.
Production began in France, but by 1958, administrative and
manufacturing operations had moved to Manchester, where textile
mills had a long history. Since then, the product has been used in
applications ranging from the humble to the high-tech, on
everything from sneakers and diapers to astronaut equipment and
military body armor.
Though Velcro products are so pervasive that the company's name
is virtually synonymous with hook-and-loop tape, Velcro's patent
expired in 1978, allowing competitors such as 3M to move into the
market. But Velcro remains the industry leader, said company
President Joan Cullinane.
"Any place you look, our product is used," she said. "In a
day, you probably touch it 10 times in 10 different applications.
That's a pretty significant market we're driving."
Velcro USA has a work force of 600 in Manchester and
Somersworth, N.H., as well as a manufacturing plant in Mexico, a
warehouse and distribution center in Arizona and a marketing office
in Michigan.
In recent years, Velcro has expanded into the construction
industry, Cullinane said, with products aimed at making it easier
to put walls up and floors down. Her personal favorite is the
company's "wrap strap" product, which can be used to keep power
cords organized inside and plant stems upright outside.
In 1987, a company official told a reporter that Velcro was
working on a silent version of its hook-and-loop tape, but
Cullinane declined to comment on the status of that goal.
"I can't talk about that," she said. "Good question, and to
be determined."