Sunbrella Firesist is a flame retardant awning fabric made by Glen Raven from pigmented and inherently flame retardant modified acrylic fiber. Solutia was the only fiber manufacturer in the world to make this specialized fiber. Unfortunately, Solutia recently exited the acrylic fiber market, leaving Glen Raven without a source for Firesist fiber. We have a modest inventory of selected styles/colors, and our distribution partners still have inventory for most styles. However, we realize the overall supply is limited and that this inventory will eventually be depleted.
In response to this eventuality, Glen Raven is now in the final stages of qualifying a new version of Firesist. Because this new generation of Firesist will use new state-of-the-art fiber, coloration, and finishing technologies, we are naming this next generation fabric Firesist HUV (High UV resistance). Like the old Sunbrella Firesist, the new Firesist HUV will maintain the same rich color and low luster natural woven look, while offering improved strength, dimensional stability, and water resistance. Existing Firesist colors have been matched, and a few new colors will be added to update the color pallet.
Currently Firesist HUV is in the final qualification and testing stages before being released to the market. Fabric qualification should be completed by the end of July, with inventory of all qualified colors and sample materials available by the end of October 2006.
We apologize for any inconvenience this transition has caused... but we believe you and your customers will be very pleased with the look and performance of the new Firesist HUV. Updates will be posted as warranted.
