SAMPE And ACMA To Launch Joint Conference And Trade Show

ARLINGTON, Va. — November 2, 2012 — The American Composites Manufacturers Association (ACMA) and
Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE) Boards of Directors are
excited and pleased to announce the signing of a Letter of Intent regarding a new event to provide
a venue to serve the entire advanced materials and composites industry in North America and the
world. This conference and exhibition will launch in the Fall of 2014. Building on the success of
SAMPE and ACMA events, this will be the “go to event” for the composites and advanced materials
industry in the Americas.

“We are very excited about the scope of the show and the value it will bring to our
memberships and the composites and advanced materials industry,” said Kate Thorp, SAMPE president.
“SAMPE and ACMA are recognized as the leaders of the industry, serving the industry and helping it
grow. Bringing our two strong shows together will provide even greater value for our members and
the industry.”

Lori Luchak, president of ACMA, added, “We are thrilled to be working with SAMPE on such an
important project. The mission of our organizations is to serve the industry. This show will
certainly fulfill that mission and enable us to expand the rest of our programs to give the
industry the tools it needs to continue to innovate and move forward.”

The leadership of both organizations have been in lengthy discussions over the past six
months and will continue to meet as plans are refined. Additional information will be released in
the coming months.

Posted on November 27, 2012

Source: ACMA

Garmatex Technologies Inc. Announces The Expansion Of Its North American Operations

VANCOUVER, British Colombia — November 14, 2012 — Garmatex Technologies, Inc. (“Garmatex” or the
“Company”)  is an innovative leader in the research and development of scientifically
engineered, performance-inspired fabric technologies. After extensive field testing and
commercialization of the Company’s fiber and fabric technologies over the past seven years,
Garmatex is now ready to market these proven innovations to established global brands and
companies.  Garmatex has established operations in Vancouver, British Columbia and expanding
its North American reach through its presence in Los Angeles, California will allow Garmatex to tap
into the massive multi-billion apparel and textile market in the USA. Garmatex will deliver
unprecedented quality and value to major brands that are looking to secure their position as
leaders in offering innovative products.

Keith Gracey, Garmatex CEO and Chairman, states: “Our expansion in North America enhances our
capacity to develop and commercialize our products tailored to the specific needs of our clients,
as well as our strategic partners’ needs, while focusing on the branding of Garmatex through other
established and emerging brands.”

Garmatex will work directly with its strategic partners to establish additional revenue
streams based on their specific requirements. The Company will continue to identify and acquire
emerging apparel brands/partners and garment and performance wear technologies based on strong
intellectual properties and characteristics. This will enable Garmatex to expand the range of its
technologies and offerings worldwide.

Gracey says: “Our growth strategy includes partnering with like-minded companies who rely on
innovation in order to bring the world superior products which enhance the lives of the users. With
this expansion, we can now partner with some of the biggest name brands.”

Garmatex is currently selling its technologies and fabrics on three continents, with brands
marketing into the sports category (cycling, MMA, hockey and football), designer wear, military,
workwear (including police). The Company plans to expand soon into hospital wear.

The Company believes its newly introduced Kotinu® product could replace cotton and has the
potential to become the quintessential fabric for the textile industry due to its cotton-like
softness and super-fast wicking properties.



Posted on November 27, 2012

Source: Garmatex Technologies Inc./PRNewswire

AATCC Announces 2013 Materials Research Poster Competition

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. — November 20, 2012 — AATCC, the Association of Textile, Apparel,
& Materials Professionals, announces the 2013 Materials Poster Competition, and invites
students from around the globe studying materials science to participate. 

The competition, developed by AATCC’s Materials Interest Group, aims to promote innovative
product development from a material structures design perspective. Submissions are invited from
both graduate and undergraduate students. Entries will be evaluated on concept originality,
research quality, clarity, and results.

Students who wish to participate are required to file a notice of intent to participate by
February 11, 2013. Completed entries are due by March 29, 2013. Winners will be announced on June
7, 2013.

Below is a description of the focus areas for the contest: 

Industrial/Technical/Sports Materials

The research poster should pertain to materials for technical and engineering applications.

Examples include:

  • Composites
  • Aircraft or automotive components
  • Industrial and technical fabrics
  • Architectural or geo-synthetic materials
  • Industrial filters and advanced sporting equipment
  • Sports performance fabrics

Medical/Biomedical/Protective Materials and Devices

The research poster should pertain to materials for use in either hazardous or medical
environments. Posters submitted under this theme may involve active and/or reactive materials, such
as self-detoxifying materials or reactive barrier membranes, which protect the wearer against
chemical agents, biological agents, and projectiles/ improvised explosive devices.

Examples include:

  • Chemical/biological protection garments and protection forfirst responders or soldiers
  • Artificial internal body implants such as soft prostheticdevices (e.g., artificial
    arteries)
  • Hard materials for bone replacements
  • Externally protective medical gowns and masks

Functional/Smart/Nano-materials/Nanofibers

This poster should focus on the creation of structures that incorporate smart functionality
to polymers and fibers. These materials could be used for computing, sensing, monitoring, imaging
and/or broadcasting within the material to attain particular end uses.

Examples include:

  • Novel energy storage
  • Energy harvesting
  • Camouflage/electromagnetic management
  • Optical materials
  • Anti-counterfeit materials
  • Conducting polymers
  • Wearable electronic garments
  • Functional nano-materials and nanofibers
  • Integrated materials for multifunctional assemblies

Winning entries in each category receive cash awards of US$1,000 for First Place and US$500
for Second Place. Winners will also receive complimentary student registrations for the 2013 AATCC
International Conference.

Additional information is available at the AATCC website, at
www.aatcc.org/students/materials/guidelines.htm
<http://www.aatcc.org/students/materials/guidelines.htm> . 



Posted on November 27, 2012

Source: AATCC

Dyneema® Max Technology Setting New Performance Standards In Standing Rigging

HEERLEN, The Netherlands — November 19, 2012 — At METS 2012 (Marine Equipment Trade Show) in
Amsterdam RAI Convention Centre, DSM, producer of Dyneema®, the world’s strongest fiber™, has
introduced Dyneema® Max Technology DM20, a new fiber designed for the production of incredibly
strong ropes that provide unrivalled strength, and durability – ideal for standing rigging.

As the yachting world strives to gain the maximum performance from boats large and small,
saving weight is of paramount importance. Since the early days of sailing, rigging has
traditionally been made of rope. In more recent times standing rigging has become the domain of
steel wire.

Racing yachts however have stretched the levels of performance beyond the capabilities of
standard material. Dyneema® is already well established in high performance running rigging and
sailcloth applications based on the material’s high strength, low weight and excellent durability.
Now, with Dyneema® Max Technology DM20, the performance characteristics have been further enhanced,
thereby positioning the material for use in standing rigging for the first time.

Dyneema® Max Technology offers an excellent alternative that bridges the gap between SWR
(steel wire rope) and current performance polymer fiber ropes. SWR is heavy and can be influenced
by temperature, weather, and strain. Carbon, LCP and PBO fibres deliver improved performance but
are susceptible to chemical and UV attack, reducing their overall durability and life span.

Rigging made from Dyneema® Max Technology is a light weight alternative for all yachts,
meeting today’s yachting market needs where performance and safety are key demands of sailors and
influence yacht construction and design.

Dyneema® Max Technology DM20 sets new standards for durability in yacht rigging, withstanding
high static loads with limited permanent elongation, even in the most extreme environments and for
long periods of time. It also offers excellent UV and salt water resistance. Slim, lightweight and
with a smaller diameter means low windage, furthermore standing rigging made with Dyneema® Max
Technology is extremely resistant to abrasion, bending and overall mechanical fatigue.

Compared to most traditional materials, Dyneema® is exceptional in its UV, water and impact
resistance. Whether it’s sun, salt or varying temperatures, standing rigging made with Dyneema® Max
Technology can withstand whatever nature throws at them – long-term.



Posted on November 27, 2012

Source: DSM Dyneema

Global Cotton Executives Explore Factors Affecting Industry At Seventh Biennial Sourcing USA Summit

NEW YORK CITY — November 20, 2012 — Cotton Council International (CCI) and Cotton Incorporated, in
cooperation with USDA, jointly presented the seventh biennial Sourcing USA Summit in Rancho Palos
Verdes, California. The event, held on November 12-16, attracted 400 delegates from 23countries,
including representatives from the cotton industry’s top tier textile manufacturers, merchants
along with companies and organizations integral to the global cotton supply chain.

Opening remarks by National Cotton Council (NCC) Chairman Chuck Coley reiterated the
continuing commitment of U.S. growers to supply mill customers and the entire supply chain with
reliable, quality cotton, a pledge echoed by the U.S. cotton growers attending the event. The issue
of supply, and its partner demand, shaped the event program, which explored the myriad factors that
affect these business basics. Panel discussions and presentations by world class experts offered
perspectives and outlooks for the mitigating factors of weather; cotton’s competitors in the
commodity and textile fiber arenas; the global economy; and changing manufacturing, retail and
consumer landscapes.

The keynote presentation by Luke Williams, professor of innovation and design at New York
University Stern School of Business, challenged traditional business models of predictability,
advocating instead a model of provocation as a means of business survival in a disruptive age.

Relying more heavily on predictive models, Craig Solberg, a senior meteorologist at
Freese-Notis Weather, explained cyclical weather patterns and suggested that the current drought
conditions affecting the U.S. High Plains might continue for five to 10 years. This news was
tempered somewhat by Doug Rushing, director of global industry affairs at Monsanto, who cited
emerging developments by his company for cotton and corn varieties with enhanced drought tolerance
characteristics.

Corn, as explained by Richard Brock, president of Brock Associates, recently has been a key
challenger to cotton acreage, especially in the United States where ethanol fuel programs enabled
corn to fetch a higher price than cotton on the market. Looking forward, however, Brock anticipates
a collapse of the corn bubble, which could make cotton a more attractive commodity for farmers in
the United States and other countries.

The historic high price for raw cotton fiber, which exceeded US$2.00 a pound last year, has
returned to more traditional levels, currently hovering around US$.80 per pound. Dr. Gary Adams,
the NCC’s vice president of Economics & Policy Analysis, discussed the run-up aftermath and
recovery challenges. The Summit also featured an animated “Bull & Bear” panel of U.S. cotton
industry representatives who focused on prices and cotton availability.

John Baffes, a senior economist at the World Bank, provided a more macro perspective of the
relationships between commodity prices, in general. Baffes noted that relative to the 1997-2004
averages for commodity prices, cotton advanced modestly at under 40 percent, as compared to energy,
metals, grains and other commodities.

A candid presentation by Dr. John Cheh, vice chairman and CEO of Esquel Group, a leading
Chinese textile company,conjectured that the origins of the cotton price disruptions began with the
end of quotas ten years ago, and not with the run-up in pricing of two years ago. Cheh stated
further that other distortions, including those caused by China’s cotton reserve policy, continue
to complicate stable pricing.

Rounding out the economic perspectives was Ron Insana, senior analyst for CNBC and a
financial expert. Insana provided an optimistic outlook for the U.S. and global economies.

The industry, however, is still nursing the hangover of the run-up, most notably in the area
of fiber substitutions made to help the downstream end of the chain maintain margins when cotton
prices were high, and the difficulties of some companies to honor cotton contracts.

Addressing the former concern, Cotton Incorporated president and CEO J. Berrye Worsham urged
attendees to stick with cotton,citing currently price stabilization and additional cost-savings
that could be attained through efficiency opportunities in the chain’s manufacturing segments.
Worsham shared top line results conducted by his company that concluded mills and weavers could
achieve a 6 to 15 percent savings potential using current machinery and existing technologies.

During a panel discussion, Antonio Esteve, representing the International Cotton Association,
explained how his organization is exploring disciplinary options to address contract sanctity
issues, including downstream contracting.

Chris Callieri, principal for the consumer and retail practice of A.T. Kearney; and Marshal
Cohen, chief industry analyst for the NPD Group, Inc., each addressed consumer-related
opportunities for cotton in separate presentations. Callieri identified consumer markets on the
rise, including Peru, Mongolia and the Mid-East, in addition to the BRIC countries: Brazil, Russia,
India and China. Callieri also suggested that there were immediate and significant opportunities
for collaboration and cooperation across the textile supply chain.

The always-entertaining Cohen informed attendees that products that adapt to consumer needs
— rather than products to which consumers would have to adapt — were on the rise. He further
suggested that the “era of more” for consumers held great promise for cotton, alongside revitalized
communications about cotton’s benefits.

The leadership of the U.S. cotton industry, Cotton Council International and Cotton
Incorporated, in cooperation with the USDA,have hosted the Sourcing USA Summit on a biennial basis
since 1999 in an effort to increase cotton fiber exports and further develop that export market.

The U.S. cotton industry and its allied industries are integral supporters of the Sourcing
USA Summit. The 2012 Summit Exporter Sponsors include: Jess Smith & Sons Cotton, Plains Cotton
Cooperative Association, San Joaquin Valley Quality Cotton Growers Association, Toyoshima,
Omnicotton, ECOM Cotton, J.G. Boswell Company, Staplcotn, Calcot, Allenberg Cotton Co., ACG Cotton
Marketing LLC, Cargill Cotton, White Gold Cotton LLC, Olam, Cotton Growers Coop, Toyo Cotton
Company, Noble Cotton, Baco Trading, Glencore Trading and Supima. The 2012 Summit Allied Industry
Sponsors include:Wakefield Inspection Services, Steadfast Futures & Options / LOGIC Advisors,
Monsanto, Cotton Market and Risk Management Consulting, Cargo Control Group, CoBank ACB, Uster
Technologies, Rieter Textile Systems, Bayer CropScience/FiberMax &Stoneville, ICE Futures U.S.,
Intertek and Cotton Outlook.



Posted on November 26, 2012

Source: Cotton Council International

The Rupp Report: Speaking The Same Language

Along the textile supply chain, there are always some misunderstandings, as not all parties among
the market participants speak the same language. In contradiction to this is the spinning sector:
here, Uster Technologies Ltd., Switzerland, succeeded over decades of work in seeing that the
global yarn production industry speaks the same language. Factors in this success are Uster
instruments as well as the Uster® Statistics.

Uster Statistics

For decades, the Uster Statistics have set the quality parameters for production from raw
fiber through yarn. They cover all preparation and spinning steps for cotton, other cellulosics,
polyester, polyamide, polyacrylic and blends; as well as the main spinning systems including carded
and combed ring, carded open-end and air-jet.

The Uster Statistics manual consists of several sections, organized according to spinning
system and raw material composition or yarn style, with each section listing specific quality
attributes. A measurement may include several individual parameters.

How It All Began

How did it happen that a single company has been able to implement this standard in the
global market? The answers were given to the Rupp Report in an exclusive interview with Thomas
Nasiou, head of Textile Technology, and Richard Furter, emeritus head of Textile Technology, Uster
Technologies.


RR: The Uster Statistics are known worldwide. In how many countries have they been
sold?

Furter: In virtually all countries where the Uster instruments are already in use
– especially in spinning mills worldwide, but also in universities, to teach the students how to
qualify a spinning mill.


RR: How many users are there in the different regions of the world?

Nasiou: There are 750 customers in 47 countries. They are virtually all spinning
mills that have an importance to the global or, at least, the regional markets.

The Origin Of The Statistics


RR: How and when did the story of the Uster Statistics start?

Furter: It was basically the effect of major problems in the spinning mills, where
the users of the already existing Uster instruments were facing problems. The inventor of the Uster
evenness tester came and said that the customers were not able to read the evenness diagrams
properly. Another reason was the CV coefficient. That was the start in the industry to know that
benchmarks in production are something important.


RR: And what happened next?

Furter: That was the impetus and the start for the story of the Uster Statistics,
which were eventually established and created. That was in 1949 with a single page. In 1957, the
first Uster Statistics were published in the German magazine “Melliand.”


RR: Was it difficult to convince the industry of the benefits? How did the idea
catch on in the markets?

Furter: Well, it was extremely difficult to convince the spinners. We knew it
needed a common language, but that was a very long process. However, with this tool, the spinners
could convince their customers with comparable data for their yarns. And as the idea was once
established in the market, and the obvious benefits, too, it became easy and a fast self-runner.

Collecting Market And Product Intelligence


RR: How do you compile the Uster Statistics? Who delivers the inputs?

Furter: We get data from 47 countries. We want to examine all possible fiber
materials. There are more than 6,500 samples collected around the world. All Chinese samples are
collected in Suzhou; and in Uster, the samples from the rest of the world. Then more than 2,200
graphics and diagrams are produced. The result is an impressive work of around 2.5 kilograms. The
current issue is that of 2007, because it takes about five years for a new issue to be ready for
production.


RR: And when can the industry expect a new edition?

Nasiou: We want to publish a new edition every five to six years. We simply need
this time in order to collect the material and also to produce the differences and the resulting
data.


RR: Will the next issue be any different?

Furter: Yes, that is a part of the further development. The scope of the coverage
will be extended; there are new fibers and new blends. Then we want to add a new parameter: the
hairiness length classification (S3). This is a new set of parameters, relating to Classimat
developments. Then both results of the Classimat are incorporated.


RR: Is there any need for a company to fulfill certain requirements in order to
work with the Uster Statistics?

Nasiou: No, not really. We just specify the minimum requirements. The invited
customer then gets his samples back with the test results. There are benchmarks for 40 yarn
qualities, so it needs more and more participants. But of course, we have to do a certain
preselection.


RR: What are the requirements for a spinning mill to get the data of the Uster
Statistics?

Nasiou: He should contact our website and request the online tool or the CD, which
is free of charge. There are all 2,200 graphics on the CD; he can also tell us his specific targets
to achieve.

Global Tool

After reviewing the data about his yarn quality, the spinner can see where improvements can
be made and new targets can be set in terms of his yarn quality. With this, he has achieved the
most important goal: Uster Statistics can help to produce an overall consistent yarn quality. And
as mentioned, there are no costs for the spinner at all.

Today, the whole world is working with the Uster Statistics. To avoid having any delivery
sent back due to second quality, the yarn quality must be top. Nobody wants to lose money from
returned consignments. The Uster Statistics can help to save money if the statistics are
interpreted correctly.


RR: And that was the worldwide breakthrough?

Furter: Yes, today, quality is a prerequisite for successful spinning, and the
global market also helped to convince the spinning world about the value of the statistics.


RR: How was this done in the era of slide rules and without computers?

Furter: Oh, that was a big effort to do. Today, of course, we need a lot less
staff. Above all, it requires the right software engineers to develop the right processes.


RR: Were the spinners the first industry that was interested in the Uster
Statistics?

Nasiou: Yes, but really, it is of paramount importance that all stages of the process know
what is going on upstream and downstream.

Economic Advantages


RR: Do you have historic data from the past? What is the benefit of working with
the statistics? Is it even possible to quantify all that?

Furter: Well, productivity drives the business. With the Uster Statistics, one can
test his real and true productivity. And, as mentioned above, it can set new targets. The Uster
Statistics show many answers to a lot of possible questions. They are widely used as a basis for
yarn contracts and product specifications in buying and selling. With this tool, one can sell
quality and not just wishful thinking.


RR: And how about the textile machinery industry?

Nasiou: Well, leading textile machinery and accessory manufacturers depend on
Uster Statistics too to evaluate the quality impact of new developments in machine technology,
monitoring or control systems.


RR: Are the Uster Statistics now standard in all areas of the textile
industry?

Nasiou: This is what we assume. It thus has a matrix to produce exactly the
quality that the user wants to get. It’s in many areas like this: Today, for each activity, you
need certain tools and structures, according to which one can work, because some of the knowledge
has already been lost.


RR: How about the retailers? Can they benefit too from the data?

Furter: Yes, of course. There are also enormous benefits for retailers. For
example, the Uster Statistics are the basis for clearly-defined yarn quality profiles. The
retailers can specify exactly what is needed to ensure the requested consistent quality of the
end-product.


RR: In conclusion, one could say that the creation of the Uster Statistics is an
enormous task. How do you get all this done?



Furter and Nasiou: Well, it takes a very large number of people to bring it all
together to a common level. It is unique and tremendous teamwork for all internal and external
people.


RR: And are we to suppose that the results are only possible if you use the Uster
instruments?

Nasiou: Yes. It needs consistent and compatible tools and systems, which lead to
meaningful and comparable results. It is clear; all market participants must speak the same
language, so that everybody understands all results in the same language.

What a dream for the other sectors of the textile industry!

November 20, 2012

Prilla 2000 Receives Oerlikon Schlafhorst Belcoro® Certification

Germany-based Oerlikon Schlafhorst, a business unit of Oerlikon Textile GmbH & Co. KG, has
awarded Belcoro® certification to Prilla 2000 (PTY) Ltd., a South Africa-based spinning mill. The
certification is presented to textile companies that have installed Oerlikon Schlafhorst
rotor-spinning machines equipped with original Belcoro spinning components for the production of
Belcoro quality yarns. Prilla 2000 operates five Autocoro 8 rotor-spinning machines that produce
Belcoro yarns for the domestic and European markets.

Prilla 2000 employs 280 people in a three-shift system at its spinning mill, and produces
9,000 tons of yarn annually &mdash; mainly 100-percent cotton rotor and ring-spun yarns ranging from Ne
16 to Ne 24 for use in terry goods, flat woven fabric and knitted fabric. The company is certified
to the ISO 9000 and Organic Exchange OE 100 standards.

November 20, 2012

Schoeller Spinning Group Wins Vorarlberg Innovation Award

Austria-based spinning and dyeing company Schoeller GmbH & Co. KG’s Spinning Group has received
the 2012 Vorarlberg Innovation Award for its sustainable EXP 3.0 wool finishing process.

Unlike traditional wool finishing methods, Schoeller’s the process does not require the use
of chlorine; and it also uses less water, according to the company. In addition, the finish allows
wool garments to be fully machine washed, and does not affect a garment’s positive wearing
properties, Schoeller reports. The process has been certified to the bluesign® standard and the
Global Organic Textile Standard.

November 20, 2012

Indorama To Expand U.S. PET Capacity

Indorama Ventures PCL, Thailand, has announced plans to expand its U.S. polyethylene terephthalate
(PET) annual production capacity by 540,000 metric tons at an undisclosed brownfield location. The
expansion is expected to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2015 and will bring the company’s
total North American PET capacity to 2.1 million metric tons per year.

Indorama’s PET, polyester and monoethylene glycol businesses in North America have been
performing well of late, representing some 40 percent of the company’s total $5.1 billion in
consolidated sales for the first nine months of 2012.

The company also has expanded elsewhere and will start up a 200,000-metric tons-per year PET
plant in the Netherlands in the fourth quarter of 2012. Other planned developments include a
purified terephthalic acid (PTA) debottleneck to 600,000 metric tons at its Netherlands site by
2015, a PTA debottleneck of its site in Poland, and the startup of a 300,000-metric-ton flagship
polyester plant in Indonesia in 2013.

November 20, 2012

Near-term Trends

It’s beginning to look like a tolerably good Christmas season. For one, employment has begun to
pick up — though some isolated setbacks can’t entirely be ruled out. Also calculated to loosen
consumer purse strings: Improving family finances. Some of this improvement, of course, is due to
the brightening job situation and modest new hikes. But an even more important factor has been the
rather impressive decline in consumer debt over the past year or two. At last report, for example,
household debt came to 108.5-percent of after-tax income. That’s well under the 129.3-percent peak
noted just before the recent business downturn. Nor does the servicing of this debt seem to present
that much of a problem — with the percent of after-tax income used to pay down loans slipping from
a 2007 peak of 14.1 percent to a relatively low 10.7 percent. Growing household net worth —
currently put at $62.7 trillion — up 17 percent from recession lows — is still another indication
of more spending. Citing all these positives, virtually all forecasters are now predicting a
sizable fourth-quarter sales gain — with the prestigious National Retail Federation calling for a
strong 4.1-percent jump over comparable 2011 levels. Moreover, there’s increasing evidence that the
U.S. textile and apparel industries will be prime beneficiaries. Note, for example: The Institute
for Supply Management’s latest purchasing executive survey, which notes new demand gains at the
grass roots level; and the latest retail sales figures, which are running a solid 5-percent ahead
of last year.


The Employment Impact


Given all the above, it’s not surprising that textile mill workforce declines have slowed
down substantially. More importantly, this trend should persist — into next year and probably well
beyond that point. At least that’s what is suggested in the recently released 2012-13 U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook — a government study providing industry
projections going out through the end of the current decade. To be sure, the numbers for basic mill
products like fibers and fabrics indicate about a 13-percent reduction in labor requirements over
the current 2010-20 decade. But remember, that’s over a relatively long 10-year period. Convert to
an annual rate of change, and that comes to only a small 1-percent-per-year attrition. And this
relatively modest slippage is virtually the same for more highly fabricated mill products like
carpets, home furnishings, and industrial applications. Point to keep in mind: These projected
drops pale in comparison to the much heftier tumbles recorded over the previous 15-20 years. To be
sure, the numbers aren’t quite as encouraging in the downstream apparel sector, where domestic
employment is expected to fall at about a 4-percent annual rate over this extended period. But
here, too, the falloff marks an improvement over some of the previous precipitous declines. In
short, the U.S. textile and apparel industries are expected to continue as major players in U.S.
manufacturing employment through the foreseeable future — with their combined demand expected to
provide a significant 275,000 domestic factory jobs as far out as 2020.


Other Upbeat Signs


This same government report also shows U.S. mills holding their own vis-à-vis the rest of
the economy. Thus, the 1-percent annual rate of decline in mill employment projected for the
2010-20 period is pretty much duplicated by expectations of a similar slippage in the aggregate
U.S. manufacturing workforce. Meantime, another aspect of labor -productivity, or output per worker
— also indicates that textiles are doing well compared to the rest of the economy. Most industry
analysts, for example, believe that the 3-percent annual gains in the U.S. industry’s efficiency
over recent years will continue through the remainder of the decade. That’s actually a full
percentage point above new government estimates for overall U.S. manufacturing productivity. A few
words are also in order on some other positive implications of these expected efficiency gains. For
one, it suggests that mill unit labor costs won’t be rising, since these efficiency advances should
easily offset projected pay boosts of almost the same magnitude. Put another way, it means that
mill unit labor costs should remain basically unchanged. Another upbeat inference can be drawn by
comparing textile’s expected 3-percent annual productivity gains to the considerably smaller
1-percent annual slippage in the industry’s employment noted earlier. The implication here: an
actual increase in mill output over the next few years. While Textile World feels this could be a
bit optimistic, it’s still another indication of a continuing viable U.S. industry.

November 20, 2012

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