Magnetic TechnologiesOffers New Payoff Brake
Magnetic Technologies Ltd., Oxford, Mass., has developed a magnetic payoff brake for use in winding composite material, yarn, film and wire. The brake includes shaft, adaptor and locking system to hold the payoff material and has a torque range of 1/2 to 12 inch pounds. A new calibration system provides improved reading and adjustment.January 2002
Aprion DigitalEstablishes Ink Plant In IsraelIsrael-based Aprion Digital has opened its third plant. The newest plant in Be`er Tuvya, Israel, will produce ink for its patented MAGIC (Multiple Array Inkjet Color) drop-on-demand piezo ink-jet technology. An ink-jet-head production plant and an industrial digital press assembly line were opened previously.The new plant has the capacity to produce up to 3,000 metric tons of ink annually for application on packaging, outdoor signage and home furnishing applications, according to Eyal Ben-Amram, vice president of operations. This plant will enable Aprion to provide its advanced, environmentally friendly ink to its customers worldwide, Ben-Amram said.The ink plant will be operated in association with Israel-based Tzah, an ink manufacturer for the traditional printing industry.January 2002
National Spinning AcquiresTwo Glen Raven FacilitiesNational Spinning Co. Inc., Washington, N.C.,
has acquired the open-end spinning and package-dyeing business of Glen Raven, N.C.-based Glen Raven
Inc. The acquisition includes two plants located in Alamance County, N.C., which are now integrated
into Nationals operations as Alamance Spinning Plant and Alamance Dyeing Plant of National
Spinning. More than 200 associates at the plants are now among Nationals base of 1,600
owner-associates.Despite being in an environment that has not favored domestic textile producers,
National is fortunate to be in a position to expand its core business, said Jim Chestnutt,
president and CEO, National. This move will emphasize our commitment to U.S.-based manufacturing
and North American/Caribbean markets. We will continue to support our customers with the highest
quality products and service, to assure their success in difficult markets.
January 2002
Unifi Completes Refinancing, Enters Into New FacilityUnifi Inc., Greensboro, N.C., has completed
refinancing of its existing credit facilities and has entered into a new $150-million facility with
Bank of America N.A.Unifi has used the facility to refinance its existing $150-million revolving
credit facility and a $100-million accounts receivable securitization, as well as to finance
working capital and investment needs.From December 31, 2000, to the date of the refinancing, we
have reduced our borrowings by approximately $155 million, said Billy Moore, executive vice
president and CFO. We will remain focused on strengthening our balance sheet by maximizing cash
flows generated from sales growth, reducing operating costs, controlling capital expenditures and
lowering working capital levels.
January 2002
Bayer SignsAgreement For China InvestmentGermany-based Bayer has signed an agreement with the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park Co. Ltd. for a production site in China. Bayer plans to invest $3.1 billion in the site.Asia continues to show high long-term potential despite a possible short-term slowdown as a result of the economic weakness in the U.S., said Bayers CEO, Dr. Manfred Schneider. To expand business in the region, Bayer will therefore continue to commit substantial funds to establish facilities for production and product development in China.Construction began on the new production site which will combine several individual production facilities into a network-sharing infrastructure in November 2001.The three core projects include operations to manufacture colorants and coatings systems, thermoplastics (Bayers polycarbonate Makrolon®) and polyurethane raw materials.In addition to these primary projects, Bayer has further plans for high-performance plastics facilities, as well as plants for additional precursor products and basic chemicals.According to Schneider, the total value of Bayers investment program in Asia, initiated in 1994, will reach approximately $6 billion by the year 2010.January 2002
While a recovery is possible in the first quarter of this year, the speed is likely to be
modest at best. Adjustments in capital spending are difficult to justify in light of excess
capacity, and recovering losses from bad investments after 1996 is likely to take another year at
least. Strong rebounds in motor vehicle sales and production and new housing construction are
unlikely due to recent record sales of motor vehicles and a minor deceleration in housing
construction.
The jobless rate jumped to 5.7 percent in November. Nonfarm payrolls were slashed by 331,000
jobs. In the last three months, the economy lost nearly one million jobs, and losses are likely to
continue through early spring before reversing course.
The Producer Price Index for finished goods fell 0.6 percent in November, as energy prices
tumbled 3.8 percent. The core index, however, moved up 0.2 percent, following a 0.5 percent drop in
October.
The Consumer Price Index was unchanged in November. Energy prices dropped 4.4 percent, due
to curtailed demand for energy products. The core inflation rose 0.4 percent as tobacco prices
surged and prices for shelter and new motor vehicles posted large gains. From a year ago, overall
consumer prices were up only 1.9 percent, due to a 10.1 percent drop in energy prices.
Business Sales Up, Inventories Down
Industrial production fell 0.3 percent in November following sharp declines of 0.9 percent
in October and 0.8 percent in September. With temperatures above normal levels, utility output fell
2.0 percent. On the bright side, the slide in factory output was only 0.2 percent, after falling
0.9 percent in each of the previous two months.
The operating rate eased to 74.7 percent of capacity in November from 75.0 percent in
October. This is sharply down from a revised average of 82.1 percent in 1967-2000.
Construction on new homes soared 8.2 percent in November to 1.645 million, at annual rate,
more than offsetting the 4.0-percent decline in October. Single-family units rose 3.2 percent to
1.261 million, while multi-family units shot up 28.4 percent.
The nation’s trade deficit widened to $29.43 billion in October from just $19.02 billion in
September in the aftermath of September 11. Exports increased 0.7 percent to $77.32 billion, while
imports jumped to $106.75 billion from just $95.79 billion in September.
Business sales rebounded 2.7 percent in October, while inventories declined 1.4 percent. The
inventory-to-sales ratio fell to 1.39 — a positive development for future growth as production will
be geared up for inventory replenishment.
Textile Output, Shipments Rise
Textile output was in the plus column by 0.4 percent, following a 2.1 percent decline in
October. The operating rate for textiles rose to 74.3 percent from 72.9 percent in October,
according to revised data. The industry’s output fell 4.8 percent in 2000.
Shipments by textile manufacturers rose 0.6 percent in October, after dropping 1.7 percent
the previous month. With inventories down 0.6 percent in October, the inventory-to-sales ratio
improved to 1.65 from 1.67 in September.
Industry payrolls declined 1.3 percent in November. Average weekly hours worked increased
0.8 percent, following a decline of 0.4 percent in October. The jobless rate for textile mill
workers, not adjusted for seasonal variation, shot up to 12.8 percent.
Consumer spending came down 3.7 percent, as sales of motor vehicles and parts retreated 11.9
percent in November following a stellar gain of 24.0 percent in October. General merchandise sales
edged down 0.1 percent. Spending on building materials eased 0.2 percent. Furniture, home
furnishings, and equipment sales surged 2.6 percent. Apparel and accessory sales slipped 0.6
percent.
Producer prices of textiles and apparel edged down 0.1 percent in November. Prices jumped
1.0 percent for carpets, rose 0.7 percent for home furnishings and inched up 0.1 percent for
finished fabrics. Prices, however, fell 0.5 percent for synthetic fibers, declined 0.9 percent for
greige fabrics and dropped 1.2 percent for processed yarns and threads.
January 2002
By Virginia S. Borland, New York Correspondent The OldandThe NewItalian knitwear and French laces represent divergent technologies for 21st-century fabrics.
As modern technology creates faster, more efficient machinery that eliminates production steps and labor in the manufacture of fabrics and apparel, there still are some industries that rely on old methods and hands-on craftsmanship. In this report,Textile World looks at two successful companies; one committed to the best of the 21st century, the other relying on 19th century looms and hand labor.Looking toward the future, the Italian company Marioboselli Jersey S.p.A. is using the latest computerized equipment to knit and produce apparel selling under the labels of leading names in the fashion industry. Complex combinations of yarns and patterns can be knitted into a single garment.A holdover from a prior era is French lace producer Solstiss, which maintains nineteenth-century looms and employs highly skilled workers to create laces sold in 70 countries. Eighty-five percent of the cost of the companys fabrics is in labor.Both companies are medium-sized, family-run and diversified. Marioboselli produces yarns, fabrics and garments. Solstiss is a combine of four separate lace producers. Forerunner Of The CenturyMarioboselli Jersey was founded by Mario Boselli in 1973 as an adjunct to the yarn company Torcitura Carlo Boselli, which his father, Carlo Boselli, started in 1956. The family history in the silk business dates back to 1573. Today the Boselli family owns three companies: Marioboselli Holding; Marioboselli Yarns; and Marioboselli Jersey. Mario Boselli is president of the holding company. His other involvements in Italian textiles and fashion are so vast he is considered to be the dean of Italian fashions. Mario Boselli is president of Camera Nazionale della Moda (the organization that handles everything concerning Italian fashion). He is on the Board of Directors of two major Italian banks, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Italian textile company Ratti, and serves on the Board of DMC of France.Annual sales from all Marioboselli divisions amount to about $60 million. Yarns account for 60 percent, of which about 30 percent are exported, mainly to other European countries.Today, Marioboselli Yarns is headed by Carlo Boselli, a son of Mario Boselli and grandson of the founder. There are four mills in Italy and one in Slovakia. For apparel, the company spins silk, cellulosic, man-made and blended yarns. There are natural and dyed yarns, twisted yarns, air-jet textured continuous yarns and a lot of stretch yarns. In the home furnishings area, there are cellulosic and man-made twisted, up-twisted, textured and fancy yarns. Some are flame-retardant. Yarns for technical end-uses include Kevlar® and carbon fibers.
Federico Boselli, another son of Mario Boselli, is president of Marioboselli Jersey, a company that has four divisions. In addition to knitting, the Albate Division dyes knitted and woven fabrics. The Area Division produces knitted garments. The Linea X Division was launched in September 2001 to produce seamless garments.Marioboselli Jersey is a major knitter of crepe and matte jersey, both in silk and in cellulosic fibers. Novelty and innovative knitted fabrics are developed each season for high fashion, activewear and the youth market. Sales are worldwide, with half of the companys total production exported to other European countries, the United States and Japan (See Comfort, TraditionandProtection, TI, December 2001).Federico Boselli describes the concept behind the new Linea X Division as the ready garment concept. Apparel is created directly from the yarn, avoiding the cut-and-manufacture process, thus saving all of the production costs and reducing delivery time.Garments are produced on new Santoni machines. Marioboselli is the first to have this equipment. According to Federico Boselli, the new Santoni machines can do more than previous ones. They are able to create complex fabrics and garments that have no lateral seams or final hems. All is computerized.The software is the same as with other Santoni machinery, said Federico Boselli. The difference is in the way the yarn goes into the machine and how it is used. Linea X is making apparel knitted in silk, cashmere, wool, and other natural and man-made fibers and blends. Currently the company is using Meryl®, Elitand Bemberg® cupro yarns.The Santoni equipment is able to turn out garments using a combination of yarns and patterns, from double knits to jacquards, all in a single garment. It can produce a single, separate garment or make continuous, connecting garments. Linea X is making dresses, skirts and tops.Marioboselli has one single and one double Santoni machine, each with three cylinders of differing sizes. The machines are producing apparel designed by Hugo Boss and other leading fashion names, and for Area, Mariobosellis own fashion apparel division. French Lace The Old Way
Since the middle of the 19th century, Caudry, in northern France, has been the production center of fine machine-made lace. Prior to the first mechanical production, lace was a highly skilled, labor-intensive product that could be afforded only by the very rich. It was so valuable it became a form of currency and was included in noble families lists of valuables, along with jewels.In 1812, when John Leavers invented a machine in England that could produce lace, not only did the cost of lace fabrics drop tenfold, but the demand for his machine well exceeded the supply. Because export of this equipment to France was illegal, it was smuggled part-by-part into Calais. Some of it was reassembled in Lyon, the silk center of France; some found its way to Caudry, then a textile center for linen and cotton. Leavers machines were set up individually in homes and barns. In 1867, there were 147 machines in Caudry; by 1914, there were 600. Until World War I, the lace industry in France was a cottage industry, with weavers bringing their cloth to market to be sold. Lace stayed in fashion until the 1960s, when styles changed to simple, unadorned silhouettes. Lace mills shut down, and Leavers machines were no longer produced.Today lace is back in fashion. The French lace industry is centered in Caudry; narrow lace is produced in Calais; none is made in Lyon. There are only a handful of mills still in operation that have Leavers machines. Of those remaining, 95 percent are located in Caudry.
Solstiss, a major name in quality lace, was formed in 1974 by four separate lace weavers in Caudry. Each company has its own production facilities; they share administrative offices in Caudry and sales offices and agents in major cities around the world. Total annual sales volume is around $20 million. Ninety percent of its sales are outside of France. Italy is the major export nation. Twenty-five percent comes into the United States.The Solstiss combine has more than 80 Leavers machines. Ninety-eight percent of production goes into apparel, and a small portion is sold for home products, primarily for table top. With the unavailability of new Leavers machines, the Solstiss group is purchasing derelict lace factories, enabling it to have replacement parts for its old equipment.Lace weaving is done the same way it was 150 years ago, with a few modern improvements. If a thread breaks, the machine stops automatically. Leavers machines weave jacquard lace, using a double warp. Each machine produces about 20 yards of fabric per hour. Lace is sold by the piece, which is 4.5 to 5.5 meters, depending upon the length of the machine. Standard width is 36 inches.Because the machines are old, they are treated with graphite to keep them in working order. This turns the lace a gray color, so it is generally washed before dyeing. All Solstiss lace is sent to Calais to be washed, bleached, dyed and framed. It comes back to Caudry to be very carefully examined. Any flaws are corrected by hand. Threads of dyed lace are carefully taken from the selvage of each piece for repairs.A lot of Solstiss lace is embellished. Embroidery is applied in Caudry, and most of the bead work is hand-sewn in India. Designs are created in Caudry. More than 60 new beaded patterns have been designed for Fall 2002. Each can take as long as one month to create.Each member of the Solstiss group has a specialty. All are third- and fourth-generation mill owners. Henri Beauvillain, who heads Ets. Edouard Beauvillain S.A., weaves 9- and 10-point lace, some of which is embellished. He has 10 Saurer embroidery machines.The finest lace, 12-point, is produced by Ets. Ledieu Beauvillain. Roger Ledieu is managing director. His firm owns 20 Leavers machines. Ets. Victor MachuandCie. produces less intricate designs using 30 Leavers machines. Joel Machu is managing director. At Ets. Robert BelotandFils, there are 10 Leavers machines, four Tashima computer-guided embroidery machines and six Cornelli machines that are hand-guided to stitch ribbons and sequins onto lace.According to Frans Damide, president, Solstiss Inc., New York City, the price of a piece of lace goes from $20 to $800 in the United States, depending on the embellishment. In addition to fabrics, Solstiss produces trimming lace. There is an enormous inventory, so deliveries of trimming lace are fast. Sample orders of new designs are completed in from six to eight weeks. In the United States, Solstiss maintains offices in New York City and in Los Angeles.
Joel Machu, managing director, Ets. Victor MachuandCie. (left) with Frans Damide, president, Solstiss Inc.Janurary 2002
By John E. Luke Stretch ChallengeBattered but resilient, the spandex industry looks ahead. Several years ago, Textile World (then called ATI) looked at domestic spandex markets under the punned title, The Silent Spring, with appropriate approbation and deference to Rachel Carson (See The Textile Industrys Silent Spring, ATI, June 1998). Last year, TW (as Textile Industries) published an investigation and quantification of the current spandex market (See Spandex Revisited, TI, May 2001).In light of several recent developments in the U.S. market, i.e., strategic changes by several domestic producers, it seems appropriate to revisit spandex and explore the status of several of the major players. It probably is appropriate, also, to comment on growth opportunities for spandex producers and their textile mill customers.The domestic spandex industry is battered by global competition, hammered by inexpensive (read: cheap) imports of fibers, fabrics and garments and has had to suffer the bankruptcy and sale of one domestic competitor and the open-secret availability for sale of another. Despite these travails, the industry looks to better days and is investing in products and people to support increased fiber distribution.The MarketTable I details the history of world spandex distribution and the latest estimate of the current size and shape of the world spandex market. Upwards of 35 multi-plant participants in near and far-flung areas of the globe make up the global spandex industry. It should come as no surprise to even casual textile watchers that announced capacity additions virtually have doubled Asian capacity in the past five years.From the introduction of spandex fibers in the late 1950s, 30 years passed before world consumption exceeded 50 million pounds. By 1985, DuPont Lycra® controlled 80 percent of spandex distribution, and marketing focused on replacing scarce and expensive rubber yarns in lingerie fabrics, girdles and the cuffs of mens over-the-calf dress hosiery. Utility equaled use. In a first address to fashion, spandex was added to womens designer full-length support hosiery. Since the mid-1980s, profound changes have rocked world textile and apparel markets Third World labor costs, the Asian currency flu and forces unleashed by the Baby Boomer social revolution. Aging Baby Boomers, the oldest of whom turned 40 in the mid-80s, sought casual lifestyles supplemented by exercise to tone bodies confined to the office in a relentless pursuit of wealth. Exercise begat tights, T-shirts, biking shorts, sweatshirts and leotards, all of which were demanded in the latest styles and colors. Spandex/nylon combinations fit the bill, and previously utilitarian garments moved onto the fashion stage. Casual included exercise clothes in the supermarket, adding fashion to utility. Spandex usage rose at an 11-percent compounded growth rate to more than 150 million pounds in 1995, sliding to a 7-percent rate and 211 million pounds by 2000. Utility was overwhelmed by bright-fashion body-hugging tights, bike shorts, leotards, swimsuits or opaque/textured stockings under a short skirt designed to display well toned/exercised legs. Toddlers were clad in disposable diapers that included spandex leg and waist bands to eliminate/minimize leakage.
The Players: RadiciSpandexRadiciSpandex is practically a new player in the market. The turbulent history of Globe Manufacturing has been replaced by a lean, structured approach by the Radici Group, a major Italian fiber, fabric, chemical and machinery manufacturer. Among its diverse product offerings, Radici produces warp-drawn nylon for warp knits. The company considers spandex a natural addition to its current product mix. The former Globe dry-spinning plant in Fall River, Mass., has been closed and all products successfully transferred to either Gastonia, N.C., or Tuscaloosa, Ala. The company has installed a new management structure designed to be responsive to customer requirements. The new organization is fueled by two new operational groups. Product managers for fashion and performance uses are supported by a series of product performance groups that empower line employees. Performance groups include representatives from technical service, process engineering, maintenance, research and development, and product development, all of whom acquire external (customer) responsibilities in addition to daily in-house duties. The company feels this structure offers line managers accountability for product/customer performance and opportunities to learn the details of customer development and service.
Several new products and services have been brought to market. In products, S-45 is a high-temperature-resistant yarn designed especially for use in polyester blends, particularly microdenier polyester, where the need for high-temperature dyeing has limited industry access to bright and/or deep shades. The company feels that S-45s 265°F stability will help make it the elastomeric of choice in active- and outerwear.Radici also is exploring expansion of its Supplier Managed Inventory (SMI) program, which assists customers in managing raw-material inventory. In this program, Radici and customer-coordinated just-in-time efforts ensure the customer never experiences a stock-out and Radici makes to schedule and delivers to the customer mill as needed. Scarce capital resources are saved at Radici and by the customer. DuPontWilmington, Del.-based DuPont still is the largest spandex producer in the world. It maintains a branded philosophy but with a new market-directed twist. In October 2000, DuPont recombined five decentralized fiber divisions into DuPont ApparelandTextile Sciences (ATS), putting apparel, home and related businesses into a single unit providing integrated marketing and technology platforms. New brand structures are replacing traditional brand strategies focusing on molecules. For example, no longer is Lycra® limited to elastane. In its new incarnation, Lycra sets standards of comfort, fit and freedom for customers. As DuPont said in announcing the new branding strategies, With this new model, DuPont brands [can] be sourced from a variety of fiber choices as long as the final product delivers on the brand promise and meets newly modified quality certification standards. The brands all registered trademarks of DuPont and their roles in the revised brand portfolio are:Lycra comfort, fit and freedom;Coolmax cool, dry comfort;Tactel fashion and style in ready-to-wear;Supplex cottony-soft and quick drying comfort;Cordura durability and resistance to wear;Thermolite lightweight warmth and comfort;Home Products Quality Seal customer home fashions assurance.DuPonts brand strategy is built on close relationships with direct customers to provide the proper material at the right time. To enhance the product side of the new brand model, ATS recently announced fiber T-400, a material combining stretch and recovery properties superior to textured yarns and adding dimensional stability, easy care and chlorine resistance. (See FW News, TI, November 2001). Companies using the new material and meeting performance standards for Lycra will be eligible to label the fabrics as containing the new generic designation, LycraDP0002.Products are in development and introduction at mills such as Burlington CasualWear, Burlington PerformanceWear, SAIC and Milliken.
“What do you look for in a great pair of jeans” Dupont’s new advertising campaign promoting Lycra® – includes this image featuring THEORY jeans made with 2-percent Lycra. Other PlayersCompetition in the United States is not among domestic producers. It is between the investment demands of industrialized economies and those of cash-hungry, surplus-labor-driven developing economies of Asia. As seen during the Asian currency crisis, once a developing economy decides to compete, market logic appears to evaporate. It is important not to lose sight of quality and service, but some prices are so low as to overpower standard defenses. No evidence points to reduced import pressure in the immediate future. It is obvious that several countries in Southeast Asia have embarked on a building binge apparently aimed at controlling world fiber/fabric/garment industries. Whether by accident or design, either scenario leads to the same conclusion. The gamble is so large and so demanding of cash that turning off the international spigot is virtually impossible.In the interest of broad market coverage, several offshore manufacturers were interviewed to gain a perspective on their plans for U.S. competition. Frankly, the last thing the domestic spandex market needs is another source, but given the choice, a programmed competitor is preferred to some of the opportunists that have demolished domestic price and product strategies. Fillattice, Italy, is a relatively new player in merchant yarn sales in the United States. Represented by an ex-Globe employee, the company announced it intends to become a permanent supplier in the United States. Historically, Fillattice among the top six world suppliers, according to the company sold merchant yarns into Europe and penetrated the United States with tricot fabric aimed at swimwear. The companys denier mix is quite broad, although it is much larger than the company needs to satisfy its primary target of apparel.Korea-based Hyosung, also represented by an ex-Glober, is interested in the U.S. market to expand distribution and gain entry into North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) preferences. This comment is not intended to be critical but, rather, to point out an aberration in trade law. Under the NAFTA rules of origin, de minimis quantities (less than 7 percent by weight) of imported spandex in a fabric produced in a NAFTA country qualify for NAFTA preferences among NAFTA participants. This di minimis exemption does not exist in the legislation establishing the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) (H.R. 434), thanks to serious objections by DuPont before passage of the bill. The CBI appears to be off-limits, but NAFTA is not for those fabrics that feature comfort properties with less than 7-percent spandex. Looks like the NAFTA door is open to Hyosung and other Asian importers. ConclusionSpandex presents opportunities for more than the producers of the fiber. Specifically, there are opportunities for the production of fabrics that address the new style/living paradigms of the aging Baby Boomer and his following generations, X and Y. Casual is in, comfortable and casual are style and utility cousins. Full-length hosiery and pantyhose are out, bare legs and half hose are in, T-shirts are the province of Asian production, sweats are out, dress-up casual is in. And so it goes. Casual Fridays are expanding to casual weeks but with a difference: it is a dressy/dress-down casual attitude lending itself perfectly to spandex-containing comfort fabrics and garments made on new wide looms by U.S. weavers, finished in U.S. plants and cut and sewn in NAFTA or CBI facilities for distribution in the largest market in the world. Editor’s Note: John E. Luke is owner of Five Twenty Six Associates Inc., Bryn Mawr, Pa., a consulting firm specializing in strategic marketing and operations facing textile fiber and fabric manufacturers. He is also a professor of textile marketing at Philadelphia University, Philadelphia.January 2002
Micro Air Presents TM 1000 TaskmasterWichita, Kan.-based Micro Air Clean Air Systems offers a new, portable TM 1000 TaskMaster for maintenance and air pollution control in shops and plants. The base unit includes a lift-off attachment connection. No tools are required, and attachments can be changed rapidly, according to Micro Air. Among the attachments are: articulated source capture arms in assorted sizes; dual articulated arms for use by two operators; a downdraft table; a backdraft hood; and a long-reach flexible hose with hood. Applicable activities include gluing, painting, cutting, grinding and welding, and others.The TaskMaster can be plugged into a 120-volt (V) single-phase outlet. Optional plug-ins to 208/230V and 460V three-phase outlets are available. An efficient high-capacity motor blower assembly provides flows of 1,000 cubic feet per minute.Dual cartridge filters are cleaned by the companys Roto-Pulse high-efficiency cartridge-cleaning system. Filter options include HO Spunbond cartridges, HEPA 99.97-percent afterfilters to control minute particulate and activated charcoal modules to control odor.January 2002
VF AnnouncesJob Cuts, Plant ClosingsVF Corp., Greensboro, N.C., is cutting its U.S. work force by
13,000 people and closing more than 30 plants as part of a restructuring plan that aims to
eliminate low-margin operations and improve the companys earnings by $115 million annually.The job
reductions represent 18 percent of VFs work force. Approximately 9,000 of the eliminated jobs will
be replaced by production offshore.The plant closings represent cut-and-sew operations for Wrangler
jeans, Vanity Fair underwear and other apparel items. These items will be manufactured in Mexico,
Central America and the Far East. In addition, the company will cease manufacturing Jantzen
swimsuits, private-label sweat shirts and T-shirts, and uniforms for the high-tech industry. Moving
forward, VF will focus on its core businesses of underwear, jeans, outdoor apparel and licensed
apparel; and on acquisition of new businesses.
January 2002
