Melvin “Mel” E. Green – (1921 – 2012) – The co-founder, with his brother Sheldon Green, of Advance Process Supply, American Screen Printing Company, A.W.T. World Trade Group of Chicago, Illinois. Green held over 100 patents in the industry.

Mel was born in the Bronx in New York City and moved to Chicago as a teen. He served for three years in the Army during World War II in the Pacific theater.

He and his brother, Sheldon Green, founded Advance Process Supply in the 1949. The company, which manufactured screen printing inks, equipment and supplies, quickly became known throughout the industry as “Screen Print University,” and was the place many people in the industry today learned and honed their craft.

A self-taught inventor, Mel held more than 100 patents related to screen printing equipment and supplies. His many innovations include puff ink, colored inks for screen printing, scratch-and-sniff printing and many advances in screen printing equipment, such as the multi-color T-shirt printer.

Advance Process Supply operated for more than 50 years, expanded to some sixteen branch locations, and grew to be one of the largest screen print manufacturers in the world. In 1987, Mel sold the Advance ink and supplies business. In 1990 he started Sias America. Sias manufactured screen printing equipment, and was later sold to M&R. In 1993, Mel sold the ink and supplies division of Advance Process Supply Company to Naz-dar.  This acquisition was a significant event in Nazdar’s history, after which the company simplified its identity to “Nazdar” from its previous “Naz-Dar” name. The move helped expand Nazdar’s R&D and distribution capabilities within the printing industry. 

Alumni of “Screen Print University” – the many people Mel taught, fostered, and helped to build businesses of their own – will no doubt remember him for his innovation, his constant quest for improvements, and the personal interest he took in their advancement. His son Cary continues to work in the field his father influenced so much, as founder and president of LRi in Skokie, Ill., a dye sublimation supplier and coating company.

After retirement, Mel and his wife, Jean, traveled and enjoyed time with their family.

Melvin E. Green died May 14 2014. He was 91. He left behind his children Marsha, Carol (Tom), Cary (Carol), and Robert (Valery), six grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and his sister, Barbara. His brother, Sheldon Green, passed away in 2003.

A.W.T. World Trade Group

Today, everything is under one name, A.W.T. World Trade Group (comprised of A.W.T. World Trade, Inc., American M&M Screen Printing Equipment Co., and Graphic Parts International, Inc.) Michael Green, the nephew of Mel Green, is the current President of A.W.T. World Trade, Inc. The company is the global leader in the screen printing equipment industry.

A.W.T.’s roots can be traced back to American Screen Printing Equipment Co., founded in 1949 by Sheldon and Melvin Green, father and uncle, respectively, of A.W.T. president Michael Green, who also became part owner of the company. American Screen Printing Equipment Co. soon became the major industry leader as it grew into the largest screen printing equipment and supply manufacturer in the world. The company revolutionized textile screen printing with the Rototex, Arrow Multiprinter, Centurion presses and Texair dryers. The graphics sector of screen printing experienced a giant leap in print quality with such heavy duty, high quality, and reliable presses like the Cameo, Daytona, Hercules, and Viking. American M&M resulted when American Screen Printing Equipment Company merged with M&M Research in 1993.

The A.W.T. World Trade Group has a worldwide network of dealers and distributors. Additional sales and distribution offices are in Miami, Fla., serving the Central and South American countries; and in Holland, Netherlands, serving the European market. The A.W.T. Group has an office in Oshkosh, Wisc. Their corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities are located in Chicago, Illinois.

The A.W.T. World Trade Group
4321 N. Knox Ave.
Chicago, IL, 60641 USA

Website: www.awt-gpi.com
Email: sales@awt-gpi.com
Phone: 773-777-7100

Graphic Parts International (G.P.I.)

Graphic Parts International is a division of the A.W.T. World Trade Group, is a premier manufacturer of replacement parts and remanufacturing services for the screen printing industry.

G.P.I. offers hundreds of screen print products, such as:

• Squeegees & Floodbars
• Replacement Blankets
• Vacuum Beds
• Pallets
• Quiet Vacuum Motors
• Air Hoses & Tubing
• Hose Clamps
• Blowing & Exhaust Hoses
• Fuses, Fuse Holders & Blocks
• Micro Switches
• Wire & Cord
• Cable Ties, Conduit, Connectors & Pliers
• Screws, Chains, Bolts
• Gears, Sprockets & Bearings
• Indicator Lights
• Fans, Belts & Bushings
• Gas Springs, Exhaust Vents, Mounts
• Infrared Panels
. . . and much more!