Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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U.S. Textile Industry: An Innovator Of High Tech Products American Textile Industry Bicentennial 1790-1990 Why The U.S. Textile Industry Is The World's Most Productive Today’s modern textile mill produces a vast array of household furnishings and industrial fabrics and other pro ducts that touch virtually every aspect of our lives. The industry is on the leading edge of high tech products. It produces ar tificial hearts and arteries for medical uses, grass catcher bags for lawn mowers, bullet-proof vest for police of ficers, protective clothing for firefighters and products for the airline and automotive industries, such as seatbelts, headliners and seating fabric. It also produces the artificial turf for use in stadiums and the fabric domes that cover them. Dental floss, tea bag strings and even the underlinings of the nation’s highways and reservoirs are all textile products. The textile industry also produces thousands of essential items needed to support the nation’s military defense complex. These include parachutes and helmets, camouflage material, specially woven chemical resistant fabrics used during chemical warfare, and lightweight mesh-net tenting im- (Continued from page 10) beginning of the development of man made fibers. The textile industry grew and developed rapidly because of this new resource. A variety of new products in the tex tile industry has been invented in this century, including nylon in 1931, acrylic in 1950 and polyester, today’s most widely used synthetic fiber, in 1953. Air-jet spinning, a much faster pregnated with insect repellant. Important innovations in fibers and finishes have been made in many areas. In addition to significant ad vances in finished, such as wrinkle- resistant, stain-resistant and mildew- resistant fabric, important strides have been made in the area of fibers used in protective clothing. Today, fabric for these purposes is being produced with outstanding qualities. Kevlar, a man-made aramid fiber with extremely high-strength characteristics, is used in tires and hoses, cables and other industrial applications. Nomex, also an aramid fiber, has ex cellent flame-retardant qualities such that a fabric made of this fiber will not melt or drip when exposed to flames. It allows firefighters wearing this fiber to withstand flames of up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit. In an effort to remain competitive, to day’s manufacturer must constantly look for ways to improve the comfort and performance of the clothing we wear and the household products we use. method than ring spinning, was in troduced in 1981. The U.S. textile industry has come a long way since Slater’s time. Today more than 700,000 people work in the in dustry, which has become the most productive and efficient in the world. This high-tech, modern manufacturing segment is largely automated and computer-driven with a wide range of state-of-the-art equipment. For many years, the U.S. textile in dustry has been ranked the most pro ductive and efficient in the world. This distinction did not come by accident. The industry’s firm commitment to ad vancement in new technology has led it to become a highly diverse and sophisticated giant in the industrial world, making it second in size only to the aerospace industry among what are considered basic manufacturing industries. A tour through a modern U.S. textile mill reveals an industry that has evolv ed from a labor-intensive base to a capital intensive one. Today’s modern mill is largely automated and computer-driven, employing a wide range of state-of-the art equipment. The textile mill of the ’90s has made a huge investment in modernizing its operations. The U.S. government is pro jecting the U.S. textile industry will spend $2.12 billion on new equipment during 1990. This has resulted in a 4 percent per year improvement in pro ductivity, compared with a 3 percent average for other U.S. manufacturing industries. In addition, the U.S. Department of Commerce recently conducted a ben chmark revision of historical data on industry capital expenditures resulting in an upward adjustment of the amount of capital the textile industry has reinvested in its plants. The new figures show that first-quarter textile capital expenditures in 1990 were $2.21 billion (annual rate), rather than the $2.08 billion that was previously reported. On the other hand, most other major industries have shown lower capital ex penditures following the revision. The machinery industry’s first-quarter ex penditures in 1990 were revised down to $14.56 billion from $126.89 billion and the chemical industry’s expenditures to $19.87 billion from $21.42 billion. The sizeable textile investment is spent on innovative technologies such as the high speed weaving methods of air-jet, water-jet, rapier, circular and projectile looms, computer-controlled dyeing machines and computer- directed robots capable of lifting and transporting tons of materials. The industry has also made exten sive use of computer-aided design. This sophisticated tool, on the leading edge of new technology, produces design drafts with greater efficiency and flex ibility than when designs were rendered by hand, shaving weeks off of the creative process. In addition to automation, the textile mill of the ’90s is relying on Quick Response programs which streamline the manufacturing cycle in the U.S. tex tile, apparel and retail industries through a sophisticated computer linkage system. This has allowed businesses to transmit their production needs quickly and efficiently, providing the right products at the right price and at the right time. Outstanding quality control and cleanliness are also vital to the in dustry’s productivity. Most textile mills include special stations designed specifically for the inspection of finish ed fabric where strict guidelines are maintained regarding strength, color, weight and other qualities to ensure that customer’s specifications are met. Textile companies also have been able to provide a high degree of flex ibility for their workforce, offering pro duction schedules with three shifts per day and rotating shifts for workers who require more flexibility. The industry’s continuing effort to re tain its world-class status in the ’90s will be aided by increased emphasis on strong marketing strategies that target and serve new markets, continued in novation of new textile products and the constant modification and improve ment of equipment. - r 7 . ... Cloth Maker ■ page i i THE TEXTILE COMPLEX IS A MAJOR PRODUCER 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 AEROSPACE TEXTILE AUTO PAPER PRIMARY PETROLEUM INDUSTRY COMPLEX INDUSTRY INDUSTRY METALS REFINING Source: U.S. Department of Commerce, 1987 G.N.P. Billion Dollars BLUEPRINTS