Give it a rip: At 50, Velcro still has stick-to-itiveness

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Plenty of products last for 50 years, but few have the staying power of Velcro fasteners.

The signature sound of Velcro hook-and-loop tape being torn apart rippled along a parade route last week to mark half a century since the Velcro brand was trademarked in the United States. Former and current employees of Manchester, N.H.-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 the 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."