The Santee Company LLC recently began operations at its Eden, N.C., headquarters. Santee will
concentrate its business on private-label manufacturing of finished products, marketing its own
line of Santee fleece and jersey products, and contract textile manufacturing including knitting,
dyeing, finishing and cutting.”The Santee Company is off to a fast start,” said Duke Ferrell,
president. “We have orders in hand, and production is underway. Approximately 40 experienced people
have already joined our team, and we expect that number to grow continuously through the end of the
year.”

June 2000

The U.S. House of Representatives recently passed a bill that will provide enhanced trade between
the United States and the Caribbean Basin. Beginning October 1, 2000, and lasting for eight years,
goods assembled in the Caribbean Basin from U.S. fabric and yarn, whether they are cut in the
region or not, will be eligible for duty-free and quota-free treatment in the United States.The
bill also contains provisions that expand trade with Africa as well as reversing a tariff inversion
on imported wool and correcting a marking rule relating to certain flat goods from Europe.”On
balance, we believe the outcome of the CBI trade bill is favorable for the majority of our
members,” said Roger Chastain, president, American Textile Manufacturers Institute (ATMI). “The
bill will provide American textile companies with significant new export opportunities, which we
have been seeking for years. Some of the changes made in conference will have an adverse effect
within our industry, but we recognize that the overall benefits of the bill will be helpful to the
U.S. textile industry, and we are therefore not opposed to its passage.”Although the Caribbean
measures of the bill are viewed generally as positive, the African portion presents some risks,
according to Chastain.”The potential loss of U.S. textile production and jobs as a result of these
provisions causes us concern and is indicative of the continued failure of U.S. trade policy to
treat the domestic textile industry equitably.”Moreover, the damaging aspects of the bill highlight
the need for Congress to reject permanent normal trade relations (PNtr) for China. Chinas entry
into the World Trade Organization (WTO), under the terms currently envisioned, could cost as many
as 150,000 U.S. textile and related jobs. The damaging provisions of the CBI/Sub-Saharan Africa
bill will only add to the damage that China will cause to our industry should it be granted PNtr.”

June 2000

The Dixie Group Inc., Chattanooga, Tenn., announced that it recently signed a letter of intent to
acquire privately held, high-end carpet and rug maker Fabrica International, Santa Ana, Calif., and
Fabricas interest in Chroma Systems Partners dyeing and finishing operations. The transaction is
subject to regulatory approval, due diligence review and execution of a definitive purchase
agreement.Fabrica has estimated its 2000 sales in excess of $50 million. It manufactures and sells
high-end luxury carpet and rugs to retailers, interior designers, luxury yachts, furniture stores
and other markets.

June 2000

Wal-Mart Chooses DatacolorFor Digital Color TechnologyWal-Mart Stores Inc. has selected Datacolor International, Lawrenceville, N.J., to communicate color electronically via the Internet throughout its worldwide vendor and manufacturing supply chain. Datacolors Color Information Management System (CIMS) includes the industry-leading ColorTools QC and Colorite software systems together with the Spectraflash® SF600 Plus CT spectrophotometer. According to Bob Connolly, Wal-Marts executive vice president, merchandising, it was a combination of technology and vision that led Wal-Mart to choose Datacolor International. “Its what Wal-Mart is all about,” he explained, “using technological edge to approach and fulfill customer needs in very unique ways.”The CIMS program will provide Wal-Mart, as well as its vendors and suppliers, with precise reproduction, analysis, manipulation and communication of color data and images.”Our mission and philosophy align with Wal-Marts,” said David Crozier, president and CEO, Datacolor International. “We developed CIMS to help retailers and manufacturers provide the marketplace with a higher level of quality product at a faster pace. Using a digital approach to color is the key.” May 2000

Twitchell Announces$2-Million Expansion ProjectTwitchell Corp., Dothan, Ala., recently announced an expansion project involving more than $2 million in equipment and technological improvements at its headquarters. The investment will expand four manufacturing departments extrusion, beaming, weaving and finishing boosting capacity and enhancing operations.Key improvements include new looms to expand the production of jacquard fabrics and a state-of-the-art range for the finishing department. Specialized extrusion additions will further improve the companys distinct vertical production capabilities.A new radio frequency system added to the management information systems department will improve efficiency in production and inventory control by producing and assigning bar codes to each unit in process or finished goods.The new additions will increase Twitchells ability to respond to customer delivery requirements and provide a more effective work environment for the companys employees as they respond to continued growth. May 2000

Each year, Mount Vernons Consumer Products Division consisting of the Johnston, McCormick
and Arkwright plants ships 10 million packages of infant bedding products throughout America. Crib
blankets, sheets, bumpers, comforters, ruffles, towels and receiving blankets are sold under the
most popular names in the business Carter, Babycare, Martha Stewart, Riegel, Honors and Sesame
Street.Our customers place special priority in at least four areas safety, design, delivery and
partnerships, said John Graham, vice president, marketing, Consumer Products Division. To be the
vendor of choice, we must know our customer, their particular profile and what they are saying, in
order to earn and keep their business. We do this through continual customer-driven ideas and
needs.As a vertical producer, Mount Vernon controls all aspects of fabric manufacturing, from the
original bale of cotton or synthetic fiber through the finished, packaged product. Knowing the
exact end use of each baby product is a big advantage as far as engineering the fabric to fit the
products end application, said Graham.Controlling the recipe by testing and knowing fiber length,
strength, color and uniformity results in the ultimate comfort, appearance and long life, according
to the company. In Mount Vernons fabrication facilities, 650 associates employ the latest
technology to cut, sew, finish and package superior quality products for the babys bedroom. Meeting
safety demands is a priority for Mount Vernon. The companys staff of designers creates customized
designs, utilizing a variety of in-house CAD capabilities. Moving fast in design often gives our
customers the competitive edge, continued Graham. Our aim is to make the product better, not
cheaper.Innovation At Johnston
In 1991, K-Mart came to Mount Vernon requesting individual store order fulfillment. This
meant handling orders by store, by product and by replenishment. After extensive investigation,
Mount Vernon partnered with Pinnacle Automation and developed, designed, manufactured and installed
its Direct Store Replenishing System (DSRS).The DSRS consists of three zones that cover an area of
90,000 square feet. The first zone, Rear Storage, is the area designed to maintain the inventory of
Mount Vernon products that move out of the manufacturing (fabrication-cutting, sewing, finishing)
area onto racks. The next area, the Forward Pick zone, is where the individual store order is made
up. A system of lights directs one operator to select every item in the order by correct quantity,
color and size. At this stage, the system also has the ability to automatically replenish the
product inventory before it ever runs out of stock. The operator places the ordered items in
bar-coded totes on an automated conveyor where they move onto the Customization and Packing zone.
Here, packing and assembly of the total order is completed and the cases are routed to the
appropriate shipping doors or temporary storage. Depending on customers requirements, orders are
shipped within 48 to 72 hours from receipt of order.In addition to the obvious savings in handling
and distribution costs, the DSRS allows stores to order smaller quantities than standard case
packs. The system also handles pre-pricing and calculates order size into cubic feet and weight,
which reduces customers shipping costs and corrugated disposal responsibilities.Jim Spinner,
president of this growing division, sums up whats behind this success: Its partnering, partnering.
More and more we are working from the consumer back, not from technology forward. Thats what
motivates us.The Investment Continues
In
1999, the Arkwright plant was brought into the Consumer Products Division, which enhanced the
consistency of fabric quality for Johnstons basic raw material. Being able to monitor and control
every phase, from bale opening through the finished, packaged product, gives our baby products,
napery products and institutional products customers a major advantage, said Spinner. Deficiencies
and inconsistencies in quality of service can occur anywhere in the long road from cotton bale to
delivery in the store. With our vertical capabilities, we eliminate or greatly reduce the risk of
not maintaining purity in our quality.Arkwright introduces a whole new set of customer benefits.
The plant is a single floor, flow-through, total system environment bale opening through rotor
spinning, warping, slashing, weaving, napping and pad dyeing. Technical and key staff have operated
the facilities for many years, and they know the business from start to finish. And now with Mount
Vernons company commitment to continuous capital improvement, they have the best of everything to
produce the best product ever, continued Spinner.A modernization and improvement program was put
into place immediately after the facility was acquired. Today, a total of 140 Picanol rapiers and
Sulzer projectiles turn out 100-percent cotton and 100-percent acrylic fabrics in widths ranging
from 153 inches on projectiles and 190, 220 and 240 inches on rapiers. According to Spinner,
automated sizing capabilities are currently being added to further control warp preparation
quality.
May 2000

And
WorkwearOn A Grand Scale
Mount Vernons massive Trion complex invests in customer service. The first thing that
strikes a visitor at Mount Vernons Trion Complex is its daunting physical size. Uniformly the first
thought to flash through a visitors mind seems to be Wow, these plants really are bigger than the
town. The complex is made up of the Trion Denim plant, Trion Finishing plant and the new
88-feet-tall distribution center.Lets look at the denim plant first. Trion Denim is huge. And so
are its production capability and appetite for cotton. The plant produces about 2.5 million square
yards of denim per week and consumes about 5,000 bales of cotton per week.The plant dates back to
1845. It became a denim operation in the early 1970s. Prior to that time, the plant produced cotton
work clothing. Interesting enough, most of the adjacent Trion Finishing plants production is
polyester/cotton work clothing. The Grand Tour: DenimThe plants production processes go from
the cotton bale to finished fabric. Trion Denim has seven Hollingsworth Optomix opening lines. In
carding, there are 53 Hollingsworth 2000 cards and 145 Saco Lowell cards.The older Saco Lowell
cards run at about half the speed of the newer Hollingsworth cards 70 pounds per hour versus 130
pounds per hour. Plant management hopes to replace the older Saco Lowell cards in the next round of
capital programs.The plant has Rieter drawframes and 62 Schlafhorst Autocoro open-end spinning
machines. The spinning machines are equipped with Zellweger Usters Polyguard monitoring system
linked to a central monitoring system. All of the plants spinning capacity is made up of open-end
machines. Trion relies on Mount Vernons Alto Yarn plant and outside vendors for ring-spun yarns.The
warping department is equipped with nine McCoy Ellison warpers and warper creels. All of these
machines are brand new.The Trion plant has one of the largest indigo dye houses in the world
containing two 36-strand Kleinewefers dye ranges and one older 24-strand re-manufactured dye range.
All three ranges can dye the full range of Trion denim products but the 24-strand range is
generally used for sulfur blacks.A sophisticated dyehouse monitoring and control system by
Rosemount a well-known pulp and paper control system vendor controls all three dye ranges. In
addition, all three ranges have Hunterlab on-line shade monitoring systems.Next on ATIs tour was
the rebeaming area where 29 Reed-Chatwood beamers with accumulators prepare warps for slashing. The
plant has six West Point slashers. These machines have been modified to accept larger
1,100-millimeter (mm) beams.The weave room is equipped with 214 Picanol Omni air-jet weaving
machines and 130 Sulzer doublewide projectile weaving machines. At one time, the plant had 440
Sulzer projectile machines.Looking back at changes in the weave room over the last eight years
tells an interesting story. In 1992, the plant added 40 new Sulzer P7100 projectile machines to
increase production capability. In 1993-94, the oldest 130 Sulzer projectile machines were replaced
with 91 new Sulzer P7200 machines.Then in 1997, the Picanol air-jet machines replaced 300
projectile machines. The projectile machines run at about 300 rpm and the air-jets at about 800
rpm. The looms are equipped with a Barco monitoring system and Alexander Machinery off-loom
take-ups.A Luwa Bahnson LoomSphere loom conditioning system is also in place here.The driving force
behind these moves was cost reduction. Warp beam size played a key roll in these decisions. The new
1,100-mm beams used by the air-jet machines can hold more than twice the yardage of the 800-mm
beams used by the projectile machines. This translates to big savings in both weaving and
slashing.Plant management estimates that they have reduced yarn waste by as much as 200,000 pounds
per month since 1992. This reduction also takes into account improvements made in the yarn mill as
well.In finishing, Trion Denim has two denim finishing ranges, a combination overdye and washing
range, and six Morrison sanforizers. In the inspection area, the plant uses a Barco system for
mapping defects and optimizing yardages. 
Don
henderson, vice president, Denim Manufacturing Staying State Of The ArtATI editors visited
Trion Denim just four years ago
(See Making Denim On A Grand Scale, ATI
, March 1996), and there have been many capital improvements over that short time frame.
The weave room was modernized with the addition of Picanol air-jet machines at a cost of about $15
million.The plant has upgraded four of its six slashers to accept larger loom beams for the new
air-jets. All of the plant ball warpers were replaced last year. The power infrastructure was also
revamped.If you go back seven or eight years, the number explodes from $70 million to $100 million,
said Don Henderson, vice president, Denim Manufacturing. Add in improvements to the nearby Trion
Finishing plant and the new distribution center and the number mushrooms to about $125
million. The Distribution Center
The next
stop for ATI editors was the distribution center. Much of Mount Vernons capital spending at this
site went to control costs. At the same time, the modernizations and improvements also addressed
important quality issues. However the $25-million distribution center was built to provide more
intangible benefits including customer service and product perception.Prior to the distribution
center, Trion Finishing was storing its fabric in a warehouse built in the 1940s, and Trion Denim
was handling its fabric four or five times prior to shipping it.The process includes transporting
fabric via an elevator to the loading dock, trucking it to a warehouse, storing the fabric on racks
and finally sequencing the fabric rolls for shipment. Sequencing the fabric involved stacking the
rolls on the floor so they could be placed on the truck in the exact order that the customer needed
at the cut-and-sew plant.Now the fabric rolls ride a conveyor to the distribution center where
seven telescoping ASRVs (automated storage retrieval vehicles) store the fabric. These ASRVs can
move at speeds up to 600 feet per minute and move rolls and cartons of fabric with precision that
has to be seen to be believed. When it comes time to ship a roll of fabric, it exits the
distribution center via elevator and a forklift places the roll on the truck.Before we were doing
about as good a job of tearing up those rolls as we were making them to begin with, Don Henderson
said. We realized that we needed to do something different with our distribution. The beauty of the
distribution center is that our customers use our shipments now as the model for everyone else. It
was not a cost issue. It was a customer satisfaction issue. Its been one of the most positive
things that weve done. The Grand Tour: Finishing
The final
stop of ATIs tour was the Trion Finishing plant. This plant receives greige fabrics from Mount
Vernons Alto and Cleveland, Ga., plants and the companys Fresno, Calif., plant. About two million
yards of fabric are finished here per week. Trion Finishing is an open-width continuous operation.
Production processes start with two four-stage preparation lines, which desize, scour, mercerize
and bleach the fabric. The dyehouse has four continuous dye ranges. Of these, three have thermosol
capability for dyeing polyester. The plant has three tenter frames and five sanforizers. Trion
Finishing has equipped its sanforizers with the Elbit automated inspection system, so fabric can be
inspected while being processed. There are four sanders for surface finishing. The plant has a
Rosemount process control system similar to the one at Trion Denim controlling approximately 2,500
set points.While this system has a central control center, Mount Vernon associates are still
allowed to make changes in the processes from the production floor without seeking permission from
the control center. It allows our associates to be more in control of the process, said Lee Bryan,
general manager, Trion Finishing. We want them to have the authority to do the things that they
need to do. You cannot separate responsibility from authority. Thats the philosophy of the company
to me.Most of the fabric processed here goes into workwear. Mount Vernon is a player with every
major uniform manufacturer. Another big segment is bottomweight fabric for
sportswear. Innovation On DemandRecently, one of Mount Vernons biggest workwear customers came
to the company with a request. It wanted a softer, more comfortable uniform fabric. But the fabric
had to have the same wear-like-iron performance as the current product. Mount Vernon took the
challenge to heart. After a grueling year-long examination of the fabric, Mount Vernons
manufacturing team knew it better than ever before.We proved everything that we believed about that
fabric again, Bryan said. Some of the things that we always believed about that fabric what had to
go into that fabric to make it successful we actually proved wrong.In the end, they developed a
fabric with hand that the customer wanted without sacrificing performance. The details of this
innovation are proprietary and could not be shared with ATI.
May 2000

ATMI Announces Officers;Ellis Addresses ChallengesIn his keynote address at the 51st Annual Meeting of the American Textile Manufacturers Institute (ATMI) in Bermuda, ATMI President Doug Ellis addressed recent industry challenges and made some personal predictions about the future of the U.S. textile industry.Ellis acknowledged that the past year and a half has been a difficult one speaking specifically of the Asian financial crisis, the industry battle for the Sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) trade package and Chinas entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO).Despite these challenges, Ellis said he is pleased with what the industry has accomplished during the last year. For example, the American Textile Alliance (ATA) was formed to represent the entire textile manufacturing complex in the U.S. and could be expanded to include the Canadian and Mexican textile manufacturers.Ellis concluded his address with some personal predictions for the next decade, saying: “it will end up being a very good one for the U.S. textile industry, and history is on my side.”At the meeting, Roger W. Chastain, chief operating officer and director, Mount Vernon Mills Inc., Greenville, S.C., was named president of ATMI. Also elected were Charles A. Hayes, chairman of the board, Guilford Mills Inc., Greensboro, N.C., as first vice president and Van May, president and CEO, Plains Cotton Cooperative Association, Lubbock, Texas, as second vice president. May 2000

2000 Award For InnovationBy Chuck Norton,Assistant Editor Taking Care Of Number One
Through diversification, new technology and flexibility, Brenham keeps its customers
happy. 
It is
about the little things, the details that make an above-average textile operation an extraordinary
one. The Brenham, Texas, operation of Mount Vernon has taken innovative steps to improve efficiency
and to further satisfy its customers needs for fewer defects and lowered lead-time by focusing on
details that other manufacturers may overlook. All the while setting a standard in waste handling
and recycling.In 1992, Mount Vernon Mills acquired Brentex Inc., which included the Brenham and
Cuero, Texas, operations. Ironically enough, both the Brenham and Cuero plants were built in 1901,
and both have seen many renovations over the years. These two plants, along with the recently
acquired Columbus, Miss., facility, currently make up the Brentex Division of Mount Vernon.Brenham
has evolved into a plant consisting of a greige mill, a wet-processing facility and a die-cutting
division for pocketing. The plant produces pocketing and also dyes and finishes boat cover fabric
and other greige fabrics. The facility is vertically integrated, a fact that Kent Snow, president
of the Brentex division, says is key to maintaining Mount Vernons competitive edge.Having a
vertically integrated facility something our competitors dont have allows our customers to be
better served while reducing their lead-time, Snow said. New TechnologySince 1994, the company
has installed new spinning frames, looms, cards, drawframes and opening and cleaning lines. The
Brenham operation uses Rieter machines exclusively with three Uniclean opening, blending and
cleaning lines, 20 C4 cards and eight drawframes. The operation also has 13 Schlafhorst spinning
frames, two Reed Chatwood warpers and 146 air-jet looms all of which are Sulzer Textil 5100 or 5200
looms.In the dyeing and finishing area, a recently purchased Griffin slasher is being used as a
beta tester for Mount Vernon Mills to run prewetting trails. The plants finishing operation, which
is maintained to maximize flexibility, has a 79-inch Morrison tenter frame and an 84-inch Monforts
tenter frame using Kuster pads. The company invested in weft strengtheners for the tenter frames to
further improve quality. Also in place is a 90-inch Sanforizer for wide goods, which adds to the
divisions ability to meet market demands. To further improve defect detection, Mount Vernon expects
to have a new Elbit Systems EBX 2000 inspection system in place by the end of the
year. Vertical Die-Cutting
One of the plants largest undertakings was the 1996 addition of an Eastman die-cutting
line for pocketing. Mount Vernon wanted to add this line in order to shorten the lead-time for its
customers and also improve its own competitive advantage by becoming a vertically integrated
die-cutting operation. The process was a slow and arduous one, as many of those who worked on the
design and installation, including Keith Soechting, Brenham dyeing and finishing plant manager, had
not worked on this type of operation before. However, upon completion of the project, Mount Vernon
immediately began to see rewards.Having a die-cutting department in-house allows us to address many
customer spreading issues, Soechting said. We can make corrections in an attempt to resolve their
problem and then evaluate a spread in-house before shipping the goods to their plant.Soechting went
on to say that this operation can cut down on shipping costs, production time lost, and it can
shorten the overall response time. Having a vertical die-cutting operation in-house also creates an
advantage in product development by shortening its lead-time. Mount Vernon also finds it to be
crucial to visit and maintain a presence in large customers facilities.We will go to see customers
as much as possible, said Snow. We want to see what the customer sees.According to Mount Vernon,
customers are happier with the lower defects and the reduced lead-time. These fewer defects
translate into fewer irregularities and fewer irregularities save the customers money. A one- to
two-week inventory is maintained for all cut-product customers, and the plant can usually ship the
product within 24 hours of receiving the companys request.We didnt want cut pockets to be an issue
in shipping a late shipment, Snow said. We have inventory on-site so if changes occur, supply is
still a worry-free situation for the customer.The company has an EDI system in place to transfer
information to and from its customers. This has allowed the plant and its customers to be more
informed and has provided a drastic improvement in efficiency.At Brenham, there is continual
capital investment to upgrade equipment throughout the plant. In the material handling area, there
have been several recent improvements. New clips for handling greige rolls have been added, as has
automated handling of cut pockets pallets to reduce damage.There has been a conversion from batcher
to A-frames. The Brehnam facility contains one of two certified testing labs for physical testing
within the company. Improving All Aspects
Many
of the non-technical innovations seen in the Brenham facility are related to the companys focus on
customer satisfaction, safety, the environment and reduction of waste. Mount Vernon uses what it
calls an offensive position on quality, safety and production, which has garnered the plant Mount
Vernons corporate safety award four years in a row.If you dont change, youre out of business, said
Michael Grunder, Brenham greige mill plant manager. Not sitting back being complacent is the key,
and having the right people in place is very important.Employees have input into the safety
program. There is an open-door policy with the workers about products, safety or any other subject
for that matter. The company finds it very important to generate new ideas and questions about how
improvements can be made. While this has become more difficult as the labor force has changed there
is a higher turnover rate due to the current economic climate the company feels it is still
imperative to gain knowledge from those associates that are on the production floor. It has also
caused the company to start documenting training procedures and sharing information more openly.The
turnover rate has caused Mount Vernon to create what it calls CBT (computer-based training). The
CBT system will reduce the time required to train new employees, especially in entry-level
positions. Waste ReductionThe recent years have seen Brenham make several changes to reduce
its waste, or waste for the customer. The company now ships its pallets with shrink-wrap rather
than strapping. Not only does this create less waste, but it also allows for easier access to the
pallet and causes less damage to the product.The use of the shrink-wrap also allows the pallet to
retain more structural integrity when only a partial shipment is used.The use of heat-shrunk pocket
bundles rather than boxes reduce Brenhams customers landfill costs a cost that is substantially
growing. The plant also requires that purchased yarn must come in a traypack to further improve the
companys recycling effort. Brenham has followed Mount Vernons company-wide movement from what we
call the old ways to a new environmental strategy, Snow said. All the chemicals that we buy are in
recycled material or the containers are returned to the supplier.Grunder continued: We have tried
to reduce hazardous chemicals as much as possible. We will reject chemicals if there is a negative
environmental effect, even if the chemical might be exactly what we are looking for. We try and
find another chemical that will do the job while being safe for the environment even if it means it
is a little more expensive. Trucking Right AlongThe Brentex division also maintains its own
trucking line, allowing for a reduction of lead-time and also valuable feedback about the condition
of its products at the time of delivery.We run our own trucks to our customers in order to ensure
our customers receive their products in a timely manner, Soechting said. This gives us the
flexibility to make more reliable emergency shipments and reduce handling of the goods at a freight
terminal for a better overall control of the shipping process.We receive direct feedback from our
drivers about what condition our goods arrive in and make note of the deficiencies before we get a
complaint from the customer and provide feedback to the warehouse personnel about ways to improve
loading trailers to make sure we reduce damage due to load shifting.  Maintaining ExcellenceAs
the company looks to the future, it knows that continued information sharing and open communication
will be important in maintaining the satisfaction of its customers and employees. One way to
accomplished this is through e-mail.The plant has seen an increase in contact with its sales force
and has been able to stay more informed by customers through e-mail.It has allowed us to expand our
knowledge base, Snow said. And it allows us to work more efficiently.As Brenham has shown, it takes
much more than new machines to make a mill.By focusing on the details, the plant has created a
climate not only conducive to high productivity, but also one of customer and employee
satisfaction.
May 2000