A Good Year For German Machinery


B
 uoyed by a 7-percent increase in export deliveries in 1997, German textile machinery
makers are optimistic that overall results for 1998 will prove similarly satisfactory. VDMA, the
German machinery association, says that this growth comes even after a slowdown in the first
quarter of this year.

They consider that ITMA in Paris in June could hardly be timed better, since it would allow
manufacturers to take advantage of a revival in Asian manufacturing. Even if the crisis continued
throughout the year, ITMA could at least mitigate the worst effects, according to VDMA.

Despite all the obstacles, including a high-cost manufacturing base, problems in Asia and
industry disruptions in various areas and individual countries, Germany consistently manages to
maintain its position as the world’s leading producer of textile machinery. Equipment valued at
nearly $5 billion was shipped worldwide in 1998.

At a little more than $2 billion, deliveries to Europe were about the same as last year. The
figure of just at $1.4 billion for Asia was 4-percent more. North America again was a star
performer with exports rising by nearly 26 percent. Shipments to Latin America showed the biggest
gains, rising nearly 54 percent.

Turkey, the single most important market for German textile machinery, showed signs of
cutting back somewhat on investment, in line with a slower pace of expansion that has continued
this year. Despite a 15-percent decline in shipments, Turkey managed to maintain its number-one
spot, although the gap with the United States at number two has narrowed. The next four positions
in the export league are held by Italy, China, Taiwan and Brazil. Mexico, previously 12th, rose to
seventh place. India takes the eighth spot.

Somewhat surprisingly, knitting and hosiery machines, finishing machines, and parts and
accessories form the bulk of German textile machinery and equipment exports, with spinning machines
at 27 percent and weaving machines at 14 percent. However, weaving machines showed a 17-percent
increase; hosiery/knitting machines 16 percent; parts/accessories 12 percent; and textile finishing
machines 7 percent.


Report Charts International Labor Costs And Hours Worked

The latest figures of comparative labor costs in the spinning and weaving industries continue to
illustrate the enormous disparities between the highest paid workers ($24.08 per hour in
Switzerland) and the lowest (24 cents per hour in Indonesia).

Despite the continuing application of robotics, automation and increased lifestyle
expectancies, such differences will continue to play a major role in the economics of textile
production for a good while yet. These extremes are spelled out in an annual survey of labor costs
by Werner International.

Within the European Union, the cheapest labor is in Portugal, with earnings averaging an
hourly $4.51, while one of the most expensive is in Denmark at $23.00. Workers in the United
Kingdom earn an average $13.58 an hour for a yearly workload of 5,210 hours.

In the NAFTA region, Mexico’s hourly rate of $2.33 is dwarfed by U.S. costs of $12.97, and
those in Canada of $13.93. Surprisingly, however, Mexican mills operate fewer hours than U.S. and
Canadian counterparts, with 6,267 hours annually. The United States operates at an average of 8,250
hours and Canada 7,997.

Costs in Asia and the Pacific are low, with the exception of Australia ($11.39) and Japan
($20.70). South Korean cost is $3.63, and mills operate 8,304 hours a year. Hong Kong and Taiwan
show costs of $5.65 and $5.85 respectively, with similar operating times for their mills.


CEMATEX And JTMA Reach Agreement For Expos In Asia

In order to avoid a head-on clash with CEMATEX’s ITMA Asia event in Singapore, OTEMAS will be
held October 8-13, 2001 in Osaka, Japan, instead of October 17-23. ITMA Asia retains its October
15-19 slot.

While OTEMAS, hosted by the Japan Textile Machinery Association (JTMA), is an established
event, started in 1976, ITMA Asia is a new venture, which, according to CEMATEX is designed to
limit the proliferation of textile exhibitions globally.

It would seem, however, that on this occasion, the Japanese are sticking to their guns and
that ITMA Asia will mean an additional show in the area in 2001. Evidently, JTMA spurned a CEMATEX
offer to participate in Singapore as a partner to the eight European components of CEMATEX.

JTMA said it would continue to support OTEMAS and would recommend its members to exhibit at
the Osaka show. Despite Asia’s economic difficulties, JTMA says the region’s main textile
industries remain vibrant and on a solid growth track.

January 1999

H And S And AlliedSignal Introduce New Spectra Fiber

H and S Manufacturing and AlliedSignal Performance Fibers have introduced a coated fabric woven
from Spectra® fiber for industrial uses.

H and S is targeting the fabric for use in the safety, airlines, food processing and
transportation industries. According to the company, the new fabric is waterproof and resistant to
abrasion, chemicals, flames and dirt. It is flexible, easy to sew and can be colored without
permeation.

AlliedSignal’s Spectra fiber is one of the world’s strongest and lightest man-made fibers,
offering excellent cut and tear resistance.

January 1999

Mayer Opens New Facility In South Carolina

Mayer and Cie., Germany, recently held a dedication ceremony to mark the opening of Mayer Circular
Knitting Machinery Inc. (MCK) in Columbia, S.C.

Rainer Mayer, owner and president, said MCK is the newest member of the Mayer Group of
companies, servicing the textile industry with sales, services and spare parts of
Mayer-manufactured-circular-knitting machines, both from the United States and Germany.

Jack King, vice president of Marketing, joined Mayer to cut the ribbon on the new facility.
He said that he and his staff were looking forward to working in the Columbia area.

Visitors at the grand opening were shown a variety of Mayer’s machines, including the Invovit
2.0 II double knit machine, with the new quick change; OVJA 1.6 E double knit jacquard with
individual needle selection; MV4-3.2 single-jersey four-needle structures; and the FV 2.0 rib, with
structure capability.

These machines were demonstrated in the showroom for customers during an open house held a
few weeks after the opening. King said the showroom will always be open to Mayers customers.

January 1999

Freudenberg And Milliken Announce Partnership

Freudenberg, Durham, N.C., and Milliken and Co. recently combined resources to revolutionize the
development, production and marketing of weft inserted, woven and knitted interlinings, marketed
under the trade name Vilene®. Vilene is a Freudenberg brand name.

“We discovered our companies had similar histories and shared commitment to service the
apparel industry,” said Tom Turco, director of Marketing, Engineered Performance Products, Milliken
and Co. “Milliken is delighted to work with Freudenberg on the development of a new range of
products. Combining Milliken weaving and knitting expertise with Freudenbergs interlining and
fusible technology leadership is the best way to insure quality and consistency.”

According to the agreement, the base fabrics are produced by Milliken to Freudenberg
specifications. Adhesive systems are applied in Freudenbergs Durham manufacturing facility.

The first combined effort was designed for the tailored clothing market. Freudenberg is
introducing one woven and three weft insertion styles.

January 1999

People

Harrison Technologies has announced the appointment of Gary Becker as a vice president. He joins
the company as an investing partner and will be in charge of marketing and sales for the
Windhibitor and Triad® segments of the business.

Jim Overwyk recently took over as plant manager of Ridgeview’s Ladies Hosiery Division. He
comes to the company with more than 21 years experience in the hosiery industry. The Ladies
Division includes the company’s Ellen Tracy program and the various ladies hosiery private label
programs.

January 1999

TECS Provides Students With Many Options


T
 he College of Textiles’ Textile Engineering, Chemistry and Science (TECS) department was
formed about 10 years ago, when the department of Textile Chemistry and the department of Textile
Engineering and Science merged.

Of the 77 1997-98 bachelor’s of science graduates, 34 (44 percent) graduated with honors.
Demand for these graduates is high, as indicated by the greater than 90-percent placement rate at
the time of graduation.

It offers three undergraduate degree programs: Textile Chemistry, Textile Engineering and
Textile Materials Science. The focus for all three programs is that the students receive a strong
fundamental science and engineering education, to which the technical textile education is added.

girl34_1160
Hands-on research and development allows students

to gain insight into the professional world of textiles.


Program Options

Textile chemistry students may choose to emphasize polymer chemistry, three different
options in dyeing and finishing, or a general textile chemistry option that is certified by the
American Chemical Society.

“Our textile chemistry program is by far the largest in the United States; it may be the
largest in the free world,” said Keith Beck, professor and head of textile engineering, chemistry
and science department. “We supply the majority of the people for the wet processing side of the
industry.”

In the textile engineering program, the focus is on machine design and process improvement.

“One of the unique features of the engineering program is that it is one of only two
Accrediting Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) accredited programs in the United States,”
Beck said.

Georgia Tech was the first textile engineering program to be ABET accredited and Auburn
University’s program is currently under consideration for accreditation.

The Textile Materials Science program focuses on product development.

Capstone courses in all three programs prepare students to be immediately productive when
they enter the workforce.

“Our capstone courses are senior-year courses that integrate the concepts from all of the
major courses in a very realistic, industrial setting,” Beck said.

For Textile Chemistry students, these courses involve actual wet processing or polymer
processing in a pilot plant. Textile engineers go through a two-semester course, where they design
a solution to an industrial problem and build it.

Textile Materials Science students design a new textile product to solve a particular
problem or meet a particular need.

graph35_1170


Integrated Sheeting

This fall, in an attempt to integrate students from the five College of Textiles bachelor’s
of science degree programs and to increase student awareness to the rapidly changing face of the
global textile industry, an experimental course was created.

Taught by Dr. Joel Williams, a recently retired industry executive, this class divided
students into teams, each containing a chemist, an engineer, a textile materials scientist, a
technologist and a management student.

Each team was asked to prepare a plan to put a sheeting plant in either the United States or
in a country of their choice. Once their plans — including a plant layout for taking fibers to
finished sheets — were complete, the class determined the best location for the plant.

Their final exercise was a presentation of each case and their final recommendations to a
corporate board of review (the dean, department head, and an associate dean). As a result of this
experience the students learned the benefit of teamwork and discovered that large-scale decisions,
such as plant locations, require significant outside-of-the-classroom information.

“The course was certainly a success,” Beck said. “We think that there are things that we can
take from this course and either integrate into our current curricula or develop a stand-alone
course. Developing a three-hour, stand-alone is difficult because we would have to integrate in
into the curricula which is already very tight hour-wise.”


Graduate Programs

Graduate degree programs available to students in the TECS department include master’s of
science degrees in Textile Chemistry and Textile Engineering; master’s of textiles; and Ph.D.
degrees in fiber and polymer science or textile technology management.

In addition to these programs, a five-year bachlor’s of science, textile engineering or
master’s of science in management and a five-year bachelor’s of science or master’s of science in
textile chemistry are available for exceptional students.

Major research projects are funded by the National Textile Center, the Army Research Office,
the Environmental Protection Agency, and many industrial contracts. In 1997-98 the TECS faculty was
awarded $3.32 million in research funding, 54 percent of which was industry-sponsored.

In the same period, the TECS faculty and their graduate students generated a total of 48
separate publications in scientific and professional journals, made 41 presentations to national
meetings, 27 presentations at international meetings, were issued four patents and had four patents
allowed.

Specialized facilities and capabilities in the department include the Thermal Protection and
Clothing Comfort Center, high-speed melt extrusion, a supercritical fluid dyeing machine, and a
real-time dyebath monitoring and control laboratory.

January 1999

Conitex Paper Cones Forms Joint Venture With Sonoco

Texpack USA announced a joint venture between its Conitex textile paper cone division and Sonoco
Products Co. The venture will be named Conitex Sonoco LLC, and will combine textile cone operations
in Gastonia, N.C.; Hartsville, S.C.; England; Spain; Indonesia; Taiwan; Mexico; Colombia and
Greece, and open-end tube operations in Cherryville and Long Shoals, N.C.

Conitex will also contribute its three paper mills located in Contoocook, N.H., Spain and
Indonesia. Texpack will own 70 percent of the joint venture. Joseph Artiga, CEO of Texpack USA,
will serve as chairman and CEO of Conitex Sonoco.

January 1999

Technology Drives Business

 As keynote speaker John R. Thompson of Liz Claiborne put it: Technology is no longer simply an enabler. It must drive business improvements and demonstrate appropriate levels of return on investment. Integration is where the power comes in.Thompson, Claiborne’s chief information officer, was addressing over 500 attendees at the annual Computer Integrated Textile Design Association (CItdA) Conference in High Point, N.C.

He shared a candid look at Transformation 2000, a company-wide information technology (IT) initiative that encompasses product development, warehouse management, retail management, decision support, logistics tracking, business planning, EDI and more.

A $2.5-billion company with annual earnings growth of 18.6 percent, Liz has been developing its new IT strategy for the past four years with the realization that customer service and logistics sophistication have replaced brand equity as the differentiators of the 90s. Rejecting ERP systems because they lack a heritage in the apparel industry and are too inflexible, Liz has opted for a best-of-breed computing approach that marries process-specific applications via centralized servers running web-based technology.

At the heart of their pioneering success story is Liz Link, their business-to-business extranet Website and order-tracking system. Liz Link has dramatically reduced the 1,500 to 2,000 calls they receive per day from buyers calling to check on the status of their orders. “This retail management component has enough functionality that, If we needed to, we could run the entire Federated Department Store organization off of this one system,” Thompson said. The system includes data mining, forecasting and trend information that can track and predict sales results that can be analyzed down to individual style components and fiber content.

The system, which supports product data management using Animated Image’s Style Manager software, links offices, mills and factories around the world. It has resulted in a 50-percent reduction in strike-offs and a 50-percent improvement in the design cycle time.

“IT can actually alter your corporate culture, which is something we did not anticipate at first,” Thompson said. “Be sensitive to what IT can mean to your business, and take advantage of it, but dont just go spending blind. IT can also bring you down.”

  Studying CAD/CAM Adoption

The integration of CAD/CAM technology into the overall business processes and IT infrastructure has not only brought about sweeping changes in how the industry conducts business, but presented some unique challenges in its implementation.

At the conference, Yan He, assistant professor at Western Illinois University, presented the results of a research study conducted as collaboration between her university and Florida State University. The study was designed to examine the determinants of the adoption, diffusion and infusion of CAD/CAM technology in the American textile and apparel industries. The objectives were to determine the relationship between CAD/CAM adoption and external pressure, the relationship between CAD/CAM adoption and internal pressures, as well as to compare CAD/CAM adoption in companies with different sales volumes.

The results identified external pressure (i.e. reducing throughput time for product assembly, improving product quality and the need to meet retailer standards) and sales volume as being the key determinants of CAD/CAM adoption. External pressure and the size of the company were identified as being the key determinants relating to CAD/CAM diffusion to company employees and projects. The expense of the systems appears to be the major reason against adoption.

The results suggested that CAD/CAM vendors need to put more effort into communicating with their customers and in developing more customized products designed specifically for the small and medium-size companies that represent the majority of the industry.

EAT www.eat-kempen.de
Fiber Arts www.fiberarts.com
Info Design www.idvision.com
JacqCAD International www.jacquad.com
Monarch www.monarchcad.com
Nedgraphics www.nedgraphics.nl
ScotWeave www.scotweave.com
Sophis www.sophis.com
Stli Corp. www.staubli.com

CAD/CAM Integration

Integration was the operative term at this year’s conference, with an increasing number of seminars and vendors offering CAD solutions designed to integrate with an extended range of business processes. These solutions included 3-D virtual reality, sales and marketing systems and computer-aided-manufacturing (CAM) technology for both weave and print technology.CItdA offered its usual fare of seminars and educational programs that highlighted some of the key challenges in the implementation and integration of CAD/CAM technology. Presented by users who work the trenches each day, topics for the seminars included: The Dollars and Sense Side of CAD; Designer to Dobby Loom; The New Role of Technology in Marketing; CAD/CAMs Impact on the Contract Fabric Industry; Exploring Multimedia for Presentations and Instruction; Design Effects in Home Furnishings Design; Business-to-Business Web Commerce; Digital Fabric Printing; a roundtable discussion on Improving the Process from Design to Production; and CAD for Engraving.

The consensus among a panel of freelance designers was that design systems are getting easier to use. Not only is the training easier, but companies are becoming more and more willing to hire and train contract work, as cross-training on multiple systems is relatively easy once a designer understands the basic mechanics of CAD.

Fiber Arts of Roswell, Ga., presented its powerful new CAD driven sales and marketing tool targeted to the home furnishings market. FA 4.0, an in-store sales system, allows the consumer to create her dream room on the fly. A combination database, web application and 3-D rendering technology allows the consumer to visualize a broad range of design options, while supporting an automated sales process for the retailer.

Logikos LLC, New York, presented its 3-D visual merchandising and store planning system called ShopMaker, a sales tool that links an ODBC-compliant visual database of products (illustrations or photography) to a 3-D model of the branded sales floor. The technology allows each fixture and product image to carry its own SKU number, pricing and capacity, and will produce detailed reports that facilitate the buying and store planning processes. Designed for use in both the manufacturing and retail sectors, the Logikos systems are cross-platform and can run on Windows NT, Windows 95 or Macintosh systems.  Weave CAD/CAMThis years show offered an expanded presence in weave manufacturing technology and success stories.

Digital Weaving Norway AS, a division of Tronrud Engineering presented their new jacquard weaving system, which creates designs that normally require a loom.The system is able to change the number of shafts, the threading and the weaving techniques instantly.

Staübli Corporation, the 100-year-old Swiss maker of jacquard weaving machines, introduced its LX 3200, a new electronically controlled machine designed specifically for use on high-speed weaving machines and large patterns. Its revolutionary drive concept is based on a single complementary cam drive and is controlled by a high-resolution touch screen display.

AVL of Chico, Calif., showed its new Studio Dobby Loom (SDL), designed for use in universities and design studios. The loom provides the punch of the companys Compu-Dobby® II system in an extremely small and economical package. Available with either 16 or 24 harnesses, its footprint is a mere 30 x 44 inches (112 x 76 cm), and it stands a diminutive 48 inches (122 cm), yet weaving width on the SDL is a full 20 inches (50 cm), which is perfect for sampling and weaving instruction.

JacqCAD International of Millis, Mass., featured its JacqCAD MASTER® textile design software, a Macintosh driven weave application with unparalleled support of industry file formats to drive any weave CAM equipment.

Weave CAD or CAD/CAM solutions were also offered by CADTEX, Sophis, ScotWeave, Monarch, Nedgraphics, EAT, Colour Matters, CIS Graphics and Info Design.

The acquisition of a well-rounded CAD/CAM blanket program for Warren Corporation has been a favorable and successful integration of design and technology.

Rene Koszerowski, senior designer for Warren Corporation, shared her company’s experience in implementing a weave CAD/CAM system. Warren is a high-end, men’s wear worsted suiting fabric manufacturer with design and sales offices in New York City and a mill in Stafford Springs, Conn. They needed a CAD/CAM system that would streamline the blanket designing and production processes (a blanket being defined as a full width warp of 59 inches and usually 48 meters long that is divided into many small warp sections).The company researched CAD/CAM systems for two to three years before they purchased the IN Srl system from Bulciago, Italy. According to Koszerowski, their first season using the system resulted in 85 blankets, which Warren viewed as a great success. In order to achieve this success, they first had to spend four months inputting all of their colors, creating visual yarn structures and connecting them to the yarn ranges in the CAD system.

The design team in New York first had to create the blankets by selecting swatches, assigning them to particular style ranges and choosing colors to create the many color ways desired. The color information was entered in to the system and then sent to the mill design office via e-mail. At the same time, the physical blanket swatches were sent to the mill for analysis. Once the designers at the mill had completed their technical analysis, the information was entered into the system along with the colors that the New York design office had input, e-mailed to the mill and then imported into the blanket program.

The completed blanket was then printed on a laser printer and distributed to the departments involved in making the blankets. These departments include planning, dressing, drawing-in and weaving.Koszerowski claims that her company realized a return on their investment almost immediately. She estimates that they have saved approximately 75 percent of their time in both reduced redundancy of information input and production time by tying their CAD system into their mainframe.As this story and the messages delivered throughout the conference have confirmed, the future of CAD/CAM technology is about leveraging connectivity.

Editors Note: Teri Ross is president of Imagine That! Consulting Group Inc., which offers computer-technology-related products and services to the industry. She is publisher of the award-winning Technology Exchange at www.techexchange.com. She can be reached via e-mail at tekguru@techexchange.com or by phone at (612) 593-0776.

January 1999

WestPoint Stevens Moves To Enhance Supply Chain

WestPoint Stevens Inc., West Point, Ga., announced an enhancement of all supply chain functions in
the company, effective at the beginning of the month. Included in the expanded organization will be
customer service, planning, replenishment, sourcing and logistics.

According to the company, each area will have an operating head who will lead that particular
function on a company-wide basis.

“The need for ever-closer alliances with our customers, as well as our stated commitment to
be a world-class logistics provider, are the driving forces behind these changes,” said Thomas J.
Ward, company president and chief operating officer.

Donnie Hodge has been named senior vice president of Supply Chain and Logistics, and will
head up the expanded group.

January 1999

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