How Gelvenor Textiles stays on top
Man has always been fascinated with the idea of conquering the skies. The idea of air resistance allowing a brief flight of sorts has been around for over 4000 years, first seen in a fictitious account of Chinese Emperor Shun using a makeshift parachute made from two bamboo hats to escape from a high building.
Aeronautical fabrics have come a long way since then, and if you are looking for high-quality textiles in this field, then Gelvenor Textiles have a solution for you.
Overcoming the fear of the unknown and daring to fly through virgin skies, they have spent the last half-century developing the continent’s top range of technologically advanced high quality aeronautical textiles. They have since become one of the world’s most trusted suppliers of parachute fabrics, as well as fabrics for hot-air balloons, paragliders, kites, parasails and aircraft coverings.
Gelvenor is the only aeronautical fabric manufacturer in the world to develop their products in-house from start to finish. This means that they can ensure their products meet international standards, as well as their own high expectations, at every step of the development process.
The manufacturing process can be a long one, but it needs to be in order to ensure that all Gelvenor products are of the highest quality. It all starts with an idea, a way of doing something better. Once the idea has been refined, it moves to production. Here Gelvenor starts with only the best raw materials carefully designed to deliver the exact properties needed for the final product.
The testing process is one of the longest and most important parts of the development process. Gelvenor leaves nothing to chance, with product testing often taking a number of years to complete a single product. Initial testing takes place at an independent laboratory run by Advanced Textile Services and accredited by SANAS. ATS tests for a variety of standards, including tensile strength, air permeability and mass. Once the fabric has passed these stringent tests, it is sent to a parachute manufacturer and tested using a dummy on a static line. Lastly, a professional skydiver takes the parachute for a live test before it gets officially certified for commercial use.
The result of this extensive testing process is a tough, safe and lightweight fabric that can be relied upon to keep you in the air. Gelvenor’s tireless insistence on high standards is evidenced by the fact that two of the world’s biggest sports parachute manufacturers rely on them exclusively for all their aeronautical fabrics. These partnerships help keep Gelvenor at the cutting edge of the industry, as they work with the manufacturers to develop innovative solutions in the field.
For more information on our product range, contact enquiries@gelvenor.co.za.