Velcro

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the company. For the type of fastener originally patented by Velcro, see hook-and-loop fastener . For other uses, see Velcro (disambiguation) .

Velcro IP Holdings LLC [1]
Velcro Companies [1]
Formerly Velcro SA. [2]
Company type Private
Industry Manufacturing: fastening systems
Founder George de Mestral
Headquarters United Kingdom
Number of locations
Manufacturing: 7 countries [1]
Area served
Worldwide [1]
Key people
  • Bob Woodruff ( CEO )
  • Dick Foreman ( president , Velcro N. America)
  • Norbert Nieleck (president, Velcro EMEA )
  • Paulo Garutti (president, Velcro Latin America)
  • Frank Liao (president, Velcro APAC)
[1]
Products Hook-and-loop fasteners , and other products [1]
Brands VELCRO [1]
Number of employees
2,500 [1]
Subsidiaries Alfatex Group [3]
Website www .velcro .co .uk

Velcro IP Holdings LLC , [2] [4] [5] doing business as Velcro Companies and commonly referred to as Velcro , [1] is a British privately held company, founded by Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral in the 1950s. It is the original manufacturer of hook-and-loop fasteners , which de Mestral invented. [2]

History [ edit ]

Hook-and-loop fastener , invented by de Mestral

Swiss electrical engineer George de Mestral who studied at EPFL invented his first touch fastener when, in 1941, he went for a walk in the Alps , and wondered why burdock seeds clung to his woolen socks and coat, and also his dog Milka. [2] [6] He discovered it could be turned into something useful. [5] He patented it in 1955, [2] [5] and subsequently refined and developed its practical manufacture until its commercial introduction in the late 1950s.

The fastener consisted of two components: a lineal fabric strip with tiny hooks that could 'mate' with another fabric strip with smaller loops, attaching temporarily, until pulled apart. [7] Initially made of cotton, which proved impractical, [8] the fastener was eventually constructed with nylon and polyester . [5] [9]

De Mestral gave the name Velcro , [2] [4] a portmanteau of the French words velours ('velvet') and crochet ('hook'), [2] [5] to his invention, as well as to the Swiss company he founded; Velcro SA. [2]

The company continues to manufacture and market the fastening system. Originally envisioned as a fastener for clothing, today, Velcro is used across a wide array of industries and applications; including healthcare, the military, land vehicles, aircraft, and even spacecraft. [6]

"Velcro" is used by some as a genericized trademark , [10] and is additionally sometimes used as a verb. [4] In 2017, Velcro released a "Don't Say Velcro" campaign in an attempt to keep their brand name distinctive from other hook-and-loop fasteners to help keep their trademark protection. [11]

References [ edit ]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Company Information" . www.Velcro.co.uk . Velcro IP Holdings LLC. Archived from the original on 25 January 2022 . Retrieved 29 April 2021 .
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Stephens, Thomas (4 January 2007). "How a Swiss invention hooked the world" . www.SwissInfo.ch . Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR . Archived from the original on 8 February 2012 . Retrieved 9 May 2008 .
  3. ^ "Alfatex Group history" . www.Velcro.co.uk . Velcro IP Holdings LLC . Retrieved 29 April 2021 .
  4. ^ a b c "Velcro - Meaning of Velcro in English" . www.Lexico.com . Oxford English Dictionary online. Archived from the original on 13 January 2022 . Retrieved 29 April 2021 .
  5. ^ a b c d e Suddath, Claire (15 June 2010). "A brief history of: Velcro" . content.Time.com . TIME USA, LLC . Retrieved 29 April 2021 .
  6. ^ a b "Who Invented VELCRO® | History of VELCRO® brand and George de Mestral" . www.Velcro.co.uk . Velcro IP Holdings LLC . Retrieved 29 April 2021 .
  7. ^ Definition of Velcro . Merriam-Webster Dictionary . Retrieved 29 April 2021 .
  8. ^ Strauss, Steven D. (December 2001). The Big Idea: How Business Innovators Get Great Ideas to Market . Kaplan Business. pp. 15?18. ISBN   978-0-7931-4837-0 . Retrieved 9 May 2008 .
  9. ^ Schwarcz, Joseph A. (October 2003). Dr. Joe & What You Didn't Know: 99 Fascinating Questions About the Chemistry of Everyday Life . ECW Press . p. 178. ISBN   978-1-55022-577-8 . Retrieved 9 May 2008 . But not every Velcro application has worked ... a strap-on device for impotent men also flopped.
  10. ^ Freeman, Allyn; Bob Golden (September 1997). Why Didn't I Think of That: Bizarre Origins of Ingenious Inventions We Couldn't Live Without . Wiley. pp. 99?104. ISBN   978-0-471-16511-8 . Retrieved 9 May 2008 .
  11. ^ Ramer, Holly. "Velcro's video implores consumers to say 'hook and loop' " . USA TODAY . Retrieved 3 January 2024 .

External links [ edit ]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Velcro .
Look up velcro in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
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