Aurora Specialty Textiles Group

What Aurora Specialty Textiles Group does

Aurora Specialty Textiles Group, Inc. is a privately held US textile finisher founded in 1883 in Aurora, Illinois (relocated to Yorkville, Illinois in 2015) and owned since 1977 by Meridian Industries, a Milwaukee-based diversified manufacturing holding company. The company specializes in wide-width coating, dyeing, calendering, converting, and finishing of woven, non-woven, and knit fabrics up to 134 inches, using an ultra-wide automated line from EHWHA Glotech (Korea) and Matex (Italy). Its proprietary Expressions Coating technology anchors a portfolio of printable textiles (Expressions Canvas, Expressions Decor, Silver Metallic Oxford, Scenic Expressions wall coverings) optimized for HP, Epson, Roland, Mimaki, and swissQprint wide-format printers, alongside pressure-sensitive tape backings, military textiles (Berry Amendment compliant), industrial belting fabrics, healthcare & safety fabrics, abrasive backings, and outdoor protective coverings.

Aurora operates a single 120,000 sq ft ISO 9001/14001-certified facility with about 73 employees and sells directly to industrial manufacturers and converters via quote-based pricing, multi-year contracts, and contract/toll manufacturing services. Its go-to-market combines direct enterprise sales with trade-show presence (IFAI Expo, Techtextil North America, Print United), LinkedIn outreach, and co-marketing with printer OEMs and RIP vendors. Approximately half of the workforce has 25+ years of tenure, and the company has won three consecutive Valley Industrial Association Operational Excellence awards (2020-2022) plus regional sustainability and innovation recognitions. No revenue is publicly disclosed.

Name

Aurora Specialty Textiles Group

Legal name

Aurora Specialty Textiles Group, Inc.

Website

https://auroratextile.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1883

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Aurora Specialty Textiles Group is a privately held, US-based textile coater and finisher operating a 120,000 sq ft facility in Yorkville, Illinois, serving industrial manufacturers with wide-width coated fabrics for printable media, tape backings, military, healthcare, and industrial belting applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industrial Technical Textiles

NAICS

Textile and Fabric Finishing and Fabric Coating Mills (3133)

SIC

Coating, Engraving & Allied Services (3470)

akta.pro primary industry

Finishing & Dyeing Contract Services (Job Work/Toll Processing) (IMAOACAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coated & Laminated Industrial Fabrics (Tarpaulins/Awnings/Inflatables/Architectural Membranes) (IMAOADAI), Protective & Safety Textiles (FR/Arc/Heat/Cut/Chemical) (IMAOADAA)

Keywords

• Textile coating services
• Textile finishing services
• Printable canvas media
• Industrial textile manufacturing
• Tape backing fabrics

Headquarters

HQ city

Yorkville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Custom Textile Manufacturing: B2B contract manufacturing and toll manufacturing services where Aurora processes customers' fabric and/or applies customers' coating and finishes using Aurora's equipment. Revenue is generated through manufacturing fees for textile coating, dyeing, finishing, and converting services.
2. Proprietary Product Sales: Sale of proprietary textile products including Expressions Canvas line, tape backing fabrics, technical textiles, and specialty home products. Products are sold directly to manufacturers and converters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Aurora Specialty Textiles Group is a North American leader in textile coating and finishing, operating a state-of-the-art facility with capabilities up to 134 inches wide. The company manufactures coated and finished woven, non-woven, and knit fabrics including the Expressions Canvas line of printable textiles, pressure-sensitive tape backings, and technical textiles for military, healthcare, belting, abrasive, and outdoor applications. Aurora also offers contract and toll manufacturing services, including fabric preparation, dyeing, calendering, converting, and proprietary processes such as Angle Inducing for power transmission belting.

Product overview

Aurora Specialty Textiles Group is a North American leader in textile coating and finishing, offering a comprehensive portfolio of printable textiles, pressure-sensitive tape backings, and technical textiles. The Expressions Canvas product line forms the core printable textiles offering, including Matte, Satin, Semi Gloss, and Gloss canvas variants with poly-cotton and polyester compositions optimized for HP, Epson, Roland, and Mimaki wide-format printers. The Expressions Decor sub-brand includes natural, polyester satin, and cotton linen canvas products targeting retail and décor applications. The company also produces Accent knit fabrics (Soft Knit 5 FR, PowerStretch 8 FR) and specialty products like Silver Metallic Oxford and Scenic Expressions wall coverings. Beyond products, Aurora offers extensive manufacturing services including fabric preparation, coating and finishing, calendering, dyeing, converting, contract/toll manufacturing, angle inducing, and R&D-driven new product innovation. All services are backed by ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certifications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Expressions Canvas: Industry-leading digitally printable canvas product line including matte, satin, semi-gloss, and gloss finishes; poly-cotton and polyester options; optimized for latex, solvent/eco-solvent, and UV printers.
• Expressions Decor
• Scenic Expressions
• Accent
• Aurora Solutions

Products and services

• Expressions Matte Canvas High quality poly-cotton canvas with matte finish, optimized for latex, solvent/eco-solvent and UV printers. Weight: 10.0 osy/339 GSM, Material: 65% Polyester/35% Cotton, Weave: Oxford, Thickness: 21 Mil.
• Expressions Satin Canvas High quality poly-cotton canvas with satin finish, optimized for latex, solvent/eco-solvent and UV printers. Weight: 11.5 osy/390 GSM, Material: 65% Polyester/35% Cotton, Weave: Oxford, Thickness: 22 Mil.
• Expressions Semi Gloss Canvas High quality poly-cotton canvas with semi-gloss finish, optimized for latex, solvent/eco-solvent and UV printers. Weight: 11.7 osy/397 GSM, Material: 65% Polyester/35% Cotton, Weave: Oxford, Thickness: 22 Mil.
• Expressions Gloss Canvas Premium quality poly-cotton canvas with gloss finish, optimized for latex, solvent/eco-solvent and UV printers. Weight: 11.6 osy/393 GSM, Material: 65% Polyester/35% Cotton, Thickness: 22 Mil.
• Expressions Decor Polyester Satin Canvas High quality 100% Polyester canvas with satin finish, optimized for latex, solvent/eco-solvent and UV printers. Weight: 8.3 osy/281 GSM, Thickness: 14 Mil. PVC & OBA Free.
• Expressions Decor Plus Choice Canvas Economic lightweight poly-rich poly-cotton canvas with satin finish, optimized for latest latex, solvent/eco-solvent and UV printers. Weight: 8.7 osy/295 GSM, Material: 65% Polyester/35% Cotton, Thickness: 18 Mil. OBA Free.
• Expressions Decor Natural Canvas Natural economic light-weight cotton-poly canvas with clear ink receptive coating. Optimized for latex, solvent/eco-solvent and UV printers. Weight: 6.6 osy/224 GSM, Thickness: 17 Mil.
• Expressions Cotton Linen Canvas Unbleached cotton-linen fabric treated with Expressions clear ink receptive coating. Optimized for latex, solvent/eco-solvent and UV printers. Weight: 9.7 osy/329 GSM, Material: 80% cotton/20% Linen, Thickness: 23 Mil.
• Expressions Silver Metallic Oxford 100% woven polyester fabric with silver metallic Expressions Coating, combining fabric texture with metallic finish. Optimized for latex, solvent/eco-solvent and UV printers. Weight: 10.0 osy/339 GSM, Weave: 1:1 Plain, Thickness: 15 mil. ASTM E84 Class 1/A Fire Rating, PVC & Phthalates Free.
• Expressions Poly Banner Plus Heavyweight woven 100% polyester oxford fabric with proprietary Expressions coating. Optimized for latex, solvent/eco-solvent and UV printers. Weight: 10 osy / 339 gsm, Thickness: 15 Mil. Backside coated for enhanced opacity. Non-PVC.
• Scenic Expressions Oxford Paste Heavyweight 100% woven polyester fabric with Expressions Coating, backside treated for paste installation. Optimized for latex, solvent/eco-solvent and UV printers. Weight: 10 osy / 339 gsm, Thickness: 15 Mil. Class 1/A Fire Rating, PVC and Phthalates Free.
• VC Poly Woven 8oz Rugged 100% polyester base fabric with printable polymer coating creating uniform canvas-like surface for indoor/outdoor use. Weight: 8oz / sq.yd., Material: 100% Woven Polyester, Weave: Plain, Thickness: 14 mil.
• Accent Soft Knit 5 FR Medium weight 100% polyester warp knit fabric (celtic cloth) with bright white shade, wrinkle resistance and printability. NFPA 701 flammability standard. UV & Dye Sub Transfer Printable. Weight: 5oz / sq.yd., Thickness: 19 Mil.
• Accent PowerStretch 8 FR Heavy weight stretch fabric (94% polyester & 6% spandex) with excellent stretch/rebound and wrinkle resistance. NFPA 701 flammability standard. Dye Sub Transfer Printable. Weight: 8oz / sq.yd., Thickness: 23 Mil.
• Twill FR Ring spun yarns in twill weave creating cotton denim look/feel with polyester durability. NFPA 701 flammability standard. Latex, UV & Dye Sub Transfer Printable. Weave: Twill, Thickness: 20 mil.
• Pressure-Sensitive Tape Backing Fabric backings for pressure-sensitive tape applications including gaffer's tape, medical tape, athletic tape, automotive tape, hockey tape, and printable tape.
• Technical Textiles Technical textiles including belting fabric, abrasive products, healthcare and safety fabrics, military textiles, and outdoor protective coverings.
• Contract Manufacturing Contract manufacturing with global fabric sourcing including Berry compliant domestic options. Woven and nonwoven fabrics sourced from domestic and foreign markets.
• Toll Manufacturing Toll manufacturing processing customer fabrics and applying customer coatings/finishes using Aurora equipment.
• Coating & Finishing Services Textile coating and finishing with water-based compounds (PVC, PVA, Urethane, Acrylic, RFL, Tacky Rubber, Starches). Finishing widths up to 130 inches with knife over air and reverse roll coating methods.
• Fabric Preparation Services Fabric preparation capabilities including open-width bleaching, scouring, de-sizing, singeing, and heat-setting. Widths up to 132 inches.
• Fabric Dyeing Services Continuous dyeing for light to medium shades with pigment coloring and direct dyes. Finish widths up to 130 inches.
• Angle Inducing Services Angle inducing process increasing angle between Warp and Fill yarns to 102-118 degrees for greater elongation control and breaking strength. Used for power transmission belts.
• New Product Innovation Services R&D department with extensive coating lab and pilot coating operation for prototype development and product commercialization. Stage-gate product development process.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced CO2 emissions equivalent to 465,178 gallons of gasoline per year from facility move to Yorkville
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• EHWHA GlotechcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2015Equipment supplier of the ultra-wide automated coating and finishing line installed at the Yorkville facility in 2015. The line is capable of handling materials up to 3.4m (134 inches) in width.
• MatexcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2015Equipment supplier providing coating heads for the ultra-wide coating line at the Yorkville facility.
• Meridian Industries, Inc.coreOthers · 1 January 2015Privately held manufacturing holding company based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Owns Aurora Specialty Textiles Group since 1977. Comprised of five operating entities including Majilite, Meridian Specialty Yarn Group, Kleen Test Products Corporation, and Kent Elastomer Products Inc.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Cooley Group: Cooley Group manufactures coated and laminated fabrics for industrial, military, environmental, and commercial applications. Direct overlap with Aurora in coated technical textiles, including products serving DoD and protective covering segments.
• BondCote Corporation: BondCote produces coated, laminated, and finished fabrics for industrial, military, agricultural, and architectural end uses. It competes with Aurora in narrow and mid-width coated industrial textiles and in tarpaulin/covering applications.
• Spradling International: Spradling is a global coated fabric producer serving marine, automotive, healthcare, and upholstery markets. Its custom coating and finishing operations compete with Aurora for converter and OEM relationships in performance fabric finishing.
• Herculite Products: Herculite is a US manufacturer of coated and laminated fabrics serving industrial, military, healthcare, and awning markets. It directly competes with Aurora in Berry-compliant military textiles and finished coated fabrics, and operates with comparable custom coating and finishing capabilities.
• Seaman Corporation: Seaman Corporation produces coated fabrics (Shelter-Rite, XR-Felt, FiberTite) for architectural, military, industrial, and geomembrane applications. Overlap with Aurora is particularly strong in coated technical textiles for defense and industrial protective covering end-uses.

Broad incumbents

• Trelleborg (Engineered Coated Fabrics): Trelleborg's engineered coated fabrics operation produces high-performance coated textiles for marine, aerospace, and industrial applications globally. It is a broader incumbent with deep technical capability overlapping with Aurora's coated-fabric value proposition.
• Glen Raven: Glen Raven is a large US textile incumbent best known for Sunbrella solution-dyed acrylic fabrics and a broad portfolio of industrial and protective textiles. It overlaps with Aurora in technical coated fabrics but operates at significantly greater scale and brand breadth.
• Uniroyal Engineered Construction Products: Uniroyal (formerly U.S. Rubber/Coated Fabrics) manufactures coated nylon and polyester fabrics for inflatable, military, and industrial markets. It competes with Aurora's pressure-sensitive tape backings and industrial coated fabrics at a larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/Aurora_Textiles
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• Instagraminstagram.com/aurora_textiles

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aurora Specialty Textiles Group