Hook and Loop Manufacturer
Hook and loop tapes and fastening solutions for professional markets
Our markets
APLIX has developed hook and loop fasteners adapted to the specific needs of technical markets such as personal care, automotive, aircraft, packaging, cleaning, healthcare, construction, security and construction.
Our products
APLIX offers a wide range of high-quality hook and loop tapes that can meet many application criteria such as strong fastening strength, high cycle life, resistance to fire-retardant, UV or high temperature.
Our fasteners products are easy to attach by sewing, welding or adhesive, and offer very high grip performance.
Textile hook and loop
High cycle life hook and loop closure with texturized loop. Attachement by sewing or adhesive. Offering very high grip performance. Resistance to high temperature, UV and humidity. Fire retardant and anti infrared versions.
Plastic hooks
Miniaturized extruded hook for a very low profile. A discrete closure offering high grip performance. Attachment by sewing or adhesive. Available in tapes or wide widths.
Light weight loops
Knitted or nonwoven soft loop. Lamination ability on various substrates : film, nonwoven, paper, foam and others. Printed or unprinted.
Injected plastic hooks
intermold® technology. Creation of hook fields directly molded into your plastic parts. No adhesive. Design improved.
Converting
A full range of converting capabilities to customize your products : back-to-back tapes, straps, cable ties, mold-in products, cut to shape, dots...
APLIX, a global presence
APLIX is an international group, with headquarters in France. The company operates six production plants in the United States, France, Brazil and China as well as sales offices and agents around the world. APLIX employs 880 associates worldwide.
N°2
worldwide
193M€
annual turnover
6
production sites
880
associates worldwide
APLIX, a family business
APLIX is a family business founded in France in 1958, which has grown and established a strong international presence. For more than 65 years of experience, APLIX conceives, manufactures and commercializes value-added hook and loop tapes for professionals.
We are specialists when it comes to attaching, tying, assembling, affixing, closing. Our products are an alternative to traditional fastening and closing methods. We are present everywhere and our range of applications is unlimited.
For three generations, APLIX has continuously focused on innovation which is at the heart of our strategy. Our customers recognize us as a major partner, which can bring them, through our technological expertise, innovative solutions adapted to their specific needs. Today, APLIX is amongst the hook & loop fastener world leaders.
Our CSR approach
CSR is a key component of APLIX Corporate Strategy, our operations worldwide act in their respective communities to build a sustainable future for the people and the planet.
APLIX CSR commitments
Do you have any questions about our hook & loop solutions ?
Our APLIX team is available to help you, send you a sample or advise you concerning your specific application.
APLIX, the Hook and Loop Fastener Specialist
As a global leader, APLIX manufactures and commercializes innovative hook and loop tapes since 1958. Assembling, fixing, joining... these are the functions of APLIX self-gripping fasteners. Our products are an alternative to traditional fastening and closing methods.
APLIX has developed a wide range of high-quality and value-added hook and loop fasteners. In addition to traditional textile hook and loop, APLIX offers extruded plastic hook products, soft non-woven products and elastic stretch products.
Our products can meet a wide range of application criteria for technical markets, such as easy closure, high grip closure, fastening heavy or light objects, high cycle life (untl 10000 cycles), fire-retardant resistance, high temperature resistance, U.V resistance…
Our hook and loop velcro tapes are easy to attach by sewing, welding or adhesive, and offer very high grip performance strength.
APLIX, our hook and loop expertise
Our know-how rests on our technological expertise in textile, plastics and converting. APLIX masters multiple technologies: weaving, knitting, yarn texturing, dyeing, coating, converting, extrusion and plastic injection.
Thanks to this expertise, APLIX offers a wide range of fastening products: sew-on fasteners, adhesive fasteners, fire-retardant fasteners, back-to-back fasteners, mold-in fasteners, molded fasteners, elastic fasteners, converting fasteners…
In addition, APLIX has a full range of fabrication and converting capabilities to customize and complete the design of your products, including: coating, adhesive lamination and ultrasonic welding.
APLIX, a worldwide leader
APLIX is an international group, with head offices in France.
We operate six production plants in the United States, France, Brazil and China as well as sales offices and agents around the world. We sell our hook and loop tapes worldwide and are number two in the global market for hook and loop fasteners and closures.
Our manufacturing sites:
APLIX S.A – France
APLIX Inc – United States
APLIX Shanghai – China
PARAFIX - Brazil
Our sales offices :
APLIX Fasteners Ltd. – United Kingdom
ALAUS Italy
APLIX GmbH - Germany
APLIX Hong-Kong - China
APLIX Canada
Who invented Velcro hook and loop?
The Swiss engineer, Georges de Mestral, is the inventor of the hook and loop tape, better known as "velcro". During a hunting trip, he noticed that cockleburs had clung to his velvet pants and to his dog's hair. This inspired him to create Velcro®, composed of two strips of fabric, one with hooks, the other with loops. The name Velcro® comes from the French words for velvet (“velours”) and hook (“crochet”).
Originally, the velcro hook and loop closure was inspired by nature. It is a perfect example of biomimicry, a science that copies nature to design new technologies! Burdock is a plant that propagates its seeds through burs that cling to everything they touch.
In 1958, Jean Billarant, founder of APLIX, establishes Velcro France to produce and sell Velcro® brand hook and loop fasteners under a license from the Swiss Company Velcro S.A. created by George de Mestral. He was one of the first to produce and market this new fastening system in the world.
In 1976, after patent expiration, Velcro France ceases affiliation with Velcro S.A., changes its name to APLIX, and adopts the aplix® trademark to identify its hook and loop fasteners.
What is hook and loop?
The hook-and-loop system is made up of 2 elements that work together to form an adjustable fastener. Today, hook & loop fasteners are manufactured using traditional technologies such as weaving and knitting, as well as more recent technologies such as extrusion and plastic injection.
The closure performance in terms of longevity, grip, and resistance to opening varies
according to the shape of the gripping element and the construction of the loop.
Depending on the requirements of your application, APLIX can offer a hook & loop combination which will give you the best results.