Tukatech Adds to New Wares at FBI Center

Los Angeles–based CAD/CAM company Tukatech Inc. has installed a CAD (computer-aided design) station at the Fashion Business Inc. center in downtown Los Angeles. The nonprofit organization will use the donated station to train designers in automated patternmaking and marker making.

FBI will use the new equipment in a patternmaking class from 6 to 9 p.m. on Dec. 3 at its center, located on the second floor of The New Mart at Ninth and Los Angeles streets. The center will also conduct recurrent training sessions for advanced designers.

The Tukatech products will complement FBI’s growing list of tools donated by other local companies. FBI uses accounting software from Apparel Information Management Systems, a dress form from Shapely Shadow Inc., product data management software from PDMSoft, labeling equipment from Progressive Label Inc. and software from Gerber Technology Inc.

Tukatech has a nearby TukaCenter, at 1029 S. Broadway, that offers additional CAD rentals, training and use of plotters at low-cost rates.

The FBI center, funded by the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power Economic Development Group, opened in June. The center provides training and educational resources for start-up and young companies, as well as for older workers looking to get back into the workforce.

Aside from a technology room, which now includes computers with TukaCAD software and a digitizing table, the center contains Synergy, a showroom that features the lines of FBI members; a conference space; and production space for sponsored designers.

For more information, call (213) 892-1669. —Robert McAllister