Mechanic Falls, ME — (January 15, 2008) — Auburn Manufacturing, Inc., (AMI), the leading U.S. manufacturer of extreme temperature textiles for use in hot work/welding operations, will focus its efforts at the upcoming GAWDA 2008 Spring Management Conference, March 9-11 in Chicago, on communicating the benefits of ANSI/FM 4950 rated welding fabrics.

“We will use our presence at the booth to meet with distributors and discuss the importance of the ANSI/FM 4950 Standard — a highly respected performance-based standard for welding fabrics — and the fact NFPA is no talking about incorporating it into NFPA 51B, the most comprehensive fire safety standard in the industry,” said Kathie Leonard, AMI President and CEO.

Leonard explained that the ANSI/FM 4950 Standard — combined with the third-party certification of FM Approvals — allows end-users to distinguish superior products from those that might not stand up to exposures created by actual hot work events. “Under the ANSI/FM Standard,” she said, “Hot work fabrics are rated based on severity of use, which helps those involved in risk management and operations to determine and to specify which of the three levels of fire protection is needed for a specific hot work operation. By matching the properly rated hot work fabric to the job, the working life of the product can be extended dramatically — up to 10 times longer in some cases — resulting in huge material cost savings while properly managing risk.”

AMI was the first manufacturer to have its welding pads, blankets and curtains tested and rated to ANSI/FM 4950 and currently offers 17 approved fabrics, many of which will be showcased in the exhibit booth. AMI’s U.S. plants and processes have been successfully audited by FM Approvals several times over the past three years, providing AMI the express permission to imprint the FM Approval mark on its certified fabrics as well as its packaging materials.