Teijin is investing $600 million in a carbon fiber manufacturing facility in Greenwood, S.C.

TW Special Report

The U.S. textile industry is innovative and resilient. It has persevered through economic downturns, changing global market conditions and offshore pressures. The industry, as one of the most significant sectors of the U.S. manufacturing base, fuels the economy, sustains communities and supports some 1.5 million jobs across the United States.

From 2006 to 2016, the U.S. textile industry invested $20 billion in new plants and equipment, with $2.4 billion invested in 2016 alone. In recent years, U.S. manufacturers have opened new facilities throughout the textile production chain. But American textile manufacturing and its highly efficient supply chain — one long associated with quality and performance — is also attracting foreign investment.

“Not so long ago, headlines were replete with news of textile and apparel manufacturers offshoring their production,” said former National Council of Textile Organizations President and CEO Auggie Tantillo. “Today, the reverse is true. The United States has become a popular destination for large scale textile investment on the part of foreign companies, and in many cases from Asian companies.”

One such foreign company investing in the American textile industry is Tokyo-based Teijin Limited — a global technology-driven company operating in the areas of advanced fibers, plastics and films, composites, healthcare and IT businesses. Teijin Carbon Fibers Inc. (TCF), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Teijin Limited, recently broke ground on a new $600 million carbon fiber facility in Greenwood, S.C.

Carbon Fiber — An Advanced Material

Carbon is a very versatile element that can exist in a variety of natural forms from graphite to diamonds. State-of-the-art, man-made carbon fibers possess a variety of properties, but are especially prized for their high strength and low weight. In fact, carbon fiber is 10 times stronger than steel, which makes it an ideal engineering material to replace metals in high-tech applications. Some of the most common uses of carbon fiber today include airplane and automobile components, where reduced weight and high strength can translate into fuel savings. Other applications include wind turbine blades, pressure vessels, medical devices bicycle frames and tennis racquets (see box on page 39). In theory, the possibilities for carbon fiber are limited only by the imagination.

Carbon fibers can be manufactured using a variety of starting materials. Teijin uses a specifically engineered high-quality polyacrylonitrile (PAN) as a precursor in its Tenax® carbon fiber production process. According to the company, Tenax fibers consist of 1,000 to 48,000 filaments each featuring a micro graphite crystal structure. The small diameter — between 5 and 7 micrometers — of these carbon fibers makes them flexible enough to be processed using traditional textile manufacturing methods such as knitting, weaving or braiding. When combined with a resin, carbon fibers can be turned into composite materials.

“Carbon fiber is a next-generation fiber,” said Wayne Trotter, director of government relations, Teijin Holdings USA Inc. “We have only scratched the surface with the applications and we see endless possibilities. Every industry I can think of is going to benefit from the textile composites industry. It’s very interesting and very dynamic.

Significant Investment Puts TCF On High-Tech Growth Path

Teijin’s decision to invest in carbon manufacturing in the United States was a result of demand from the aerospace and automotive industries, as well as Teijin’s desire to manufacture carbon globally.

“There is demand for carbon fiber here in the United States,” said Shukei “Daniel” Inui, Teijin Group corporate officer, and general manager, Carbon Fibers Business Unit at Teijin Limited. “We have a carbon fiber plant in Japan, and also in Europe based in Germany, but [we] were missing capacity in the United States. Carbon fiber demand is global, and we have been eager to have a plant in the United States for many years.”

Teijin considered several locations for its U.S.-based carbon fiber plant, but ultimately decided on Greenwood. “People here in South Carolina always are very supportive of our business. Not only with the incentives and the infrastructure, but also with support of the people, we decided on South Carolina,” Inui said.

The $600 million investment will occur in stages. By the end of the fiscal year 2020, one carbon production line will be in operation and the facility will employ approximately 70 people. TCF will import its precursor material, PAN, from Japan initially, but may invest in equipment to produce PAN in Greenwood, if the demand is there. By 2030, the company hopes to have several carbon fiber production lines running with 220 associates in place.

“We have enough land so it’s not necessary to limit to the three lines,” said Inui. “If necessary we can invest more.”

Different grades of carbon fiber can be manufactured depending on the end use and required properties, and the lines at TCF will have the flexibility to produce various grades of fiber depending on demand. Capacity at the plant will be determined by the product mix because of process variations for the different grades. Teijin hopes to have its highest-grade fiber qualified by the aerospace industry, but this process can take several years. In the meantime, TCF will focus on producing grades of fiber used by other industries and expand sales to other markets.

“I think the United States’ demand for carbon fiber increases more and mainly for aerospace and automotive, so we have to follow this demand,” Inui said. “But we are not limited to just these applications, and will manufacture for other industries including pressure vessels, wind energy and any other applications we are open to also.”

The Future of Carbon Fiber

“I see synergies between the carbon fiber industry and the traditional textile industry,” Trotter commented. “Carbon fiber is in fact the next-generation fiber, and I think there are multitudes of yet-to-be-identified opportunities to work in conjunction with textile companies particularly here in the Southeast. The folks in the textile industry are very proud of their craft, their workmanship. That’s something we were looking for as well, and we saw that in the rich heritage, the textile heritage that exists here in this part of the country.”

Inui added: “As a supplier, we have been expecting new applications for carbon fiber for many years, and we want to create new applications and new demand with our customers. While it’s very difficult, together with our customers, we can develop these new applications. Our customers and partnerships are very important — people here in South Carolina can support us, and we will grow together here in the United States.”

Teijin’s goal is to become a leader in the composites industry in the United States according to Inui. The company’s commitment and $600 million investment undoubtedly set them on a path to achieve this goal.

Editor’s Note: This article appears in Textile World courtesy of the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) as part of the “American Textiles: We Make Amazing™” campaign. NCTO is a trade association representing U.S. textile manufacturing. Please visit ncto.org to learn more about NCTO, the industry and the campaign.

July/August 2019

SoftWear Automation hopes to disrupt the traditional sewing model and bring apparel manufacturing back to the United States — creating jobs in the process.

TW Special Report

Within the textile supply chain, fabrics are cut and turned into finished products during what is known as the sewn products stage. During this stage, materials are transformed into various products such as high-fashion apparel, home goods, military dress uniforms, life-saving medical supplies and airbags, and more.

As technology has evolved, the steps in this cut-and-sew process have become increasingly automated. Designers now use computer-aided design software to visualize new products that are then cut by computer-controlled technologies capable of making precision cuts to fabrics ranging from lightweight silks, to heavy denims, to technical air-bag fabrics.

Still, the one stage in the production chain that has continued to evade automation is is the labor intensive and costly process of sewing. Consequently, in order to “chase the cheapest needle,” sewn goods manufacturers have relocated operations to countries paying the lowest wages to reduce their overhead.

However, Atlanta-based SoftWear Automation Inc. hopes its fully autonomous SEWBOT® can disrupt the traditional sewing model and revolutionize the $100-billion sewing industry. Formally established in 2012, the machine vision and robotics startup launched out of the Georgia Institute of Technology after seven years of research and development with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Walmart Foundation. From the beginning, Sewbots were developed as an advanced, automated sewing technology that could help regrow the cut-and-sew industry in the United States.

All Sewbots feature revolutionary Threadvision and Qualisight machine vision technology that tracks stitching at the needle level and helps coordinate precise movement of the fabric. SoftWear Automation has engineered a family of Sewbots, each with a distinct set of skills and capabilities to address fabric handling and construction. Sewn goods worklines are constructed using a Sewbot or combination of Sewbots to create optimal single-piece workflows for various product types.

The LOWRY SEWBOT®, for example, is based on a gantry system, and is well-suited for home goods such as bath mats, towels, area rugs, pillow covers and mattress covers as well as some medical and automotive products, and flags and banners.

“When you eliminate the sewing problem, and automate that facet of the production chain with our Sewbots, your equation of what’s possible in regard to manufacturing and scale is endless,” said Palaniswamy “Raj” Rajan, chairman and CEO, SoftWear Automation. “Everything else in the fabric construction chain is automated. Fabric construction is automated, yarn making is automated, cutting is automated … Automating the sewing process unlocks enormous potential.”

Amazing Advances In Productivity

The advances in productivity the Sewbots represent are nothing short of amazing. SoftWear Automation reports that for most sewing processes, its Lowry Sewbot can increase output by 150 percent. For example, it takes the Lowry Sewbot just 20 seconds to serge the outer edges of a bath mat, a process that takes a human operator 30 seconds to complete. Over an eight-hour shift, the Lowry Sewbot can serge 1,440 mats, compared to a human operator’s 960. Furthermore, SoftWear Automation reports that one operator can supervise up to six Lowry Sewbots at a time.

In the case of microfiber towels, the Lowry Sewbot reduces the time it takes to serge the outer edge of cut pieces to 45 seconds, a 285-percent reduction compared to the 129 seconds that it normally takes a human operator to perform the same task.

In addition to greater productivity, the Sewbots also offer increased quality. The Sewbot’s complex machine vision systems can place a needle with extreme precision, ensuring consistency and quality in every product.

“Once you deploy the Sewbot, there is no training,” Rajan said. “There is no ramp up with sewing operators getting up to speed. Quality, reproducibility — it’s all consistent. Today, in the same factory from operator to operator over different shifts, you get stitch length and stitch density variation. But you have a higher value, more consistent product with a Sewbot. Those are the benefits of moving to Sewbot production — reliability, consistency, efficiency.”

New worklines are also on the horizon, such as a digital T-shirt workline that SoftWear Automation plans to release soon. According to the company, one T-shirt workline with one operator can sew all 13 steps required to complete a collared shirt in 162 seconds compared to 10 operators on a sewing line, who take 350 seconds to complete the same tasks. That increase in productivity equates to 1,142 shirts sewn using the automation technology in an eight-hour shift versus 669 shirts sewed by humans.

“The big reveal will change everyone’s perception of what’s coming,” Rajan said. “If you look at T-shirts, there are some astounding statistics — U.S. consumers buy 3.5 billion T-shirts each year and 98-percent of them are imported. Theoretically, based on our technology and calculations, with less than 15,000 Sewbots, we can produce the world’s T-shirts. If you want to produce a billion T-shirts in this country, we can integrate here and keep $5 billion in the economy, which creates jobs — farming jobs, jobs in the textile sector, retail jobs, and distribution jobs.

“SoftWear Automation has set a public goal to have the capacity to make 100 million T-shirts within the next five years in the United States,” Rajan continued. “Within the next 10 years, we’ll have capacity for 1 billion T-shirts here in the United States.”

Solving Problems: On-Demand, Made-To-Measure

SoftWear Automation envisions an industry that makes clothing based on demand and made-to-measure. “Our plans are to go beyond T-shirts to dress shirts, to shorts, into jeans — essentially high-volume basics. If you are buying high-volume apparel, we want to try and manufacture most of that in the United States because we want to bring mass personalization with our on demand, made-to-measure initiative.”

On-demand manufacturing reduces the need for warehouses to maintain high levels of inventory for products that a consumer may, or may not, want. Made-to-measure business models address issues with standardized sizing by allowing consumers to purchase clothing that fits and works with their body type. Solving fit issues also helps to reduce the likelihood of apparel item returns and increases profitability for retailers.

“There are many advantages for moving to an on-demand, made-to-measure business model,” Rajan said. “But it can only be accomplished if you are local. As a U.S. company, you cannot do on-demand manufacturing if you are not making products in the United States.” SoftWear Automation’s SEWLOCAL™ concept combines on demand and made-to- measure ideas with a local production location. “Our technology offers high-speed industrial manufacturing that can be located in the middle of cities, close to the consumer” Rajan said. “Or, manufacturing could be very close to a distribution hub so products can be made and shipped to a customer within 48 hours.”

The company also sees tremendous advantages of moving to hyper-local manufacturing when it makes sense. For example, championship team shirts, which must be made immediately available following the completion of a championship game, are printed for both participating teams prior to the event. Following the game, the winning team’s shirts are sent to retail, while the losing team’s shirts are destroyed. “But if you are located close to the population as a manufacturer, you can start production as soon as you get the results and have the shirts delivered on the same day,” Rajan said.

U.S.-Focused Business Model

For SoftWear Automation, production is optimized when the distances from raw material to factory to consumer are minimized. The United States offers tremendous opportunities in that respect.

“The United States is the third largest producer of cotton, so you can make your shirt using local resources,” Rajan said. “The United States also has a thriving man-made fiber and yarn industry, so finished goods do not have to be limited to cotton products. For SoftWear Automation to focus on the U.S. market and bring cut-and-sew manufacturing back to the textile sector is just a no brainer. When you look at our vision of on demand, made-to-measure using a local supply chain, this is ground zero as a country.”

Future Outlook: Robots Need Humans

The mental image of robots joining the existing automation technologies used in the sewn products industry may suggest significant job losses as human employees are replaced by robots. But this stark vision could not be further from the truth. Automated production will create new jobs, especially in high-cost labor markets, as segments of the industry return to the United States, according to SoftWear Automation. People are needed to program and maintain the machines, and often workers take an interest in learning about new technologies so they can progress from lower-wage, less-skilled jobs into high-paying positions.

According to the report, “Humans Wanted: Robots Need You,” published by Milwaukee-based ManpowerGroup “… more employers than ever — 87 percent — plan to increase or maintain headcount as a result of automation for the third consecutive year.” The company surveyed 19,000 employers in 44 countries to gain a clearer picture on the impact of automation on job growth. The survey found that companies investing in digital technologies and shifting tasks to robots are the companies creating the most jobs.

“The focus on robots eliminating jobs is distracting us from the real issue,” said Jonas Prising, ManpowerGroup chairman and CEO. “More and more robots are being added to the workforce, but humans are too. Tech is here to stay and it’s our responsibility as leaders to become chief learning officers and work out how we integrate humans with machines. Learning today cannot be done as it was in the past.”

“SoftWear Automation is here to transform this industry,” Rajan stated. “And we are giving the industry practically no reasons not to join us on this journey.”

Editor’s Note: This article appears in Textile World courtesy of the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) as part of the “American Textiles: We Make Amazing™” campaign. NCTO is a trade association representing U.S. textile manufacturing. Please visit ncto.org to learn more about NCTO, the industry and the campaign.

July/August 2019