Driven to innovate and exceed customers’ expectations, A.B. Carter recently celebrated its centennial.

TW Special Report

Anniversaries are always special, but a 100-year anniversary is a significant milestone especially worth celebrating. Through innovation, quality production and exceptional customer service — all performed with a global outlook — A.B. Carter Inc., Gastonia, N.C., has reached that centennial. Established in 1922, the company has weathered the ups and downs of the U.S. textile industry and finds itself in a great position today and is ready to take on the next 100 years.

A.B. Carter bills itself as a company grounded in American heritage, yet driven to innovate. It aims to meet and exceed its customers’ expectations, and is committed to excellence in products and service.

History

A.B. Carter was founded in 1922 by Arthur Bynum Carter. A self-educated fellow, Carter began his career as a ring traveler sales representative working with spinning mills. It was during this time that Carter was introduced to the Boyce Weavers Knotter. Finding the technology interesting, Carter bought the patent and struck out on his own. He began manufacturing the knotter, modifying and tweaking the design until it was the finest weaver’s knotter sold all over the world — loved, in part, because of its simplicity.

Carter then began to expand his offerings and using his interest and prior expertise in ring spinning and ring travelers, began manufacturing metal travelers. Carter Traveler Co. soon began to supply high-quality ring travelers to customers in the United States and beyond. The company later added yarn spinning rings and nylon travelers to its portfolio.

“Our steel and nylon travelers have grown and evolved to be the global standard in all types of spinning and twisting applications,” said Henderson Wise, president and CEO, A.B. Carter.

“Mr. Carter worked his way up the ladder of success by the sweat of his brow,” Wise noted. “His passion and fortitude for the textile industry laid the foundation for our company.”

Product Portfolio, Vertical Production

Today, in addition to its travelers and rings the company’s diverse product portfolio includes bobbins, belts and accessories, splicing and knotting equipment, lab testing equipment, and some accessories for carpet yarn production.

The diversity of the business has been a positive for the company as the industry has changed over the years. “Through acquisitions and partnerships, we have added lines to complement our knowledge and work in all types of spinning and twisting applications,” Wise said. “We must continue to innovate as we move forward in this ever-changing industry.”

A.B. Carter operates a vertical manufacturing structure to ensure high-quality products with flexibility and customization in mind. The company maintains complete control over the manufacturing process for its steel travelers. The Carter Wire Co., a division of A.B. Carter, produces the highest-quality wire that is drawn to size, annealed and shaped. The formed travelers then are heat treated and finished to exact customer specifications. Quality is assured by the company’s advanced metallurgical lab and innovation center staff who conduct extensive tests on the company’s products.

Customer-Oriented Innovation

A company’s longevity and continued success is determined by many other factors, but long-standing relationships with valued customers undoubtedly plays a significant role.

“Mr. Carter believed then, as we still believe today, that our customers are our partners, and we should always go above and beyond to serve them,” Wise said.

Customers depend on A.B. Carter’s technical assistance in the spinning process. “Our technical engineers have many years of experience to help optimize the spinning process along with our rings and ring travelers in all types of applications,” Wise said. “We value this relationship as we work to make our customers successful.”

A.B. Carter also relies on its customers to be partners in innovation. “We have stuck to our roots with continued innovation,” Wise offered. “Our research and development and engineering teams have worked diligently as the demands of spinning mills increase. Innovations are paramount as we partner with our customers to optimize the spinning process, and our partnerships are valuable because they propel us to improve and innovate.” The company currently is excited about a new traveler series that is showing excellent improvements in traveler life and yarn quality parameters in production conditions.

Team Atmosphere

A company’s success surely also is aided by a team of knowledgeable and loyal employees. Henderson says one of A.B. Carter’s greatest strengths and assets is its employees. “Many of our employees have been here for many years,” Wise said. “We have always had an open-door policy as this extended communication and genuine interest in all our employees makes everyone feel like they are an important member of the team.”

Global Reach

Spinning is a global enterprise, and in order to grow and remain successful, A.B. Carter is committed to doing business on the international stage, keeping up what Mr. Carter started all those years ago. “Spinning optimization is critical to mill profitability, and spinning mills today compete in a global market,” Wise said.

To support the company’s positive and growing global demand, in 2006, A.B. Carter opened a subsidiary in India — A.B. Carter India Pvt. Ltd. — to supply travelers and ring products to customers in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. “The team at A.B. Carter India does a great job in covering the markets in India and Bangladesh,” Wise said. “The spinning mills in those areas are very technical and run some of the highest spindle speeds worldwide. We have seen our market share increase there as recent innovations have allowed our customers to improve their processes and yarn quality.”

The company’s full global network also includes employees and offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and Istanbul, Turkey; as well as 45 agents located throughout the world.

Celebrating The Milestone Anniversary

A.B. Carter recently held a company-wide celebration at its Gastonia headquarters that included employees past and present, the board of directors, shareholders, and friends. “A.B. Carter Inc. has a long and storied past and a great future as a global supplier in the textile industry,” Wise remarked. “I am extremely proud of our company and all our employees for achieving this great accomplishment.

“Our customer service and continued innovation are commitments that began 100 years ago with Mr. Carter’s drive and passion,” Wise continued. “We look forward to continuing our next chapter as we move forward in the ever-changing textile industry.”

September/October 2022

From its beginnings as the TYAA in 1972, SYFA has adapted to weather downturns in the industry and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

By Alasdair Carmichael

The Synthetic Yarn & Fabric Association (SYFA) and its predecessor organization the Textured Yarn Association of America (TYAA) is celebrating 50 years of operation in 2022. The TYAA was first formed in 1971 and held its inaugural meeting in 1972.

This time period was the dawn of draw texturing and the commercial arrival of polyester textile filament as a feed yarn for draw texturing. Prior to the beginning of the 70s, nylon was the main textured fiber using fully drawn yarn as the supply.

Polyester was developed in the 1940s, and the initial focus was on producing a staple fiber to either complement cotton in blended yarn or to compete with cotton. Filament polyester remained a smaller volume than polyester staple globally until 1993, but by 2020 had grown to be more than double the size of staple.

The growth of texturing and particularly polyester brought a number of new producers into the U.S. market and resulted in industry leaders, led by Norman Cohen of Goulston Technologies Inc., Monroe, N.C., deciding that the sector was large enough, and unique enough, to warrant its own technical trade association. The author of this article joined the U.S. texturing industry in spring 1972 and had the privilege to attend the second full meeting of the TYAA in summer 1973.

The Growth Of Texturing

A major driver of the growth in texturing in the United States and elsewhere was the development of draw texturing which took four process steps and combined them into two steps, as well as increasing productivity and producing a larger, better package of yarn for direct knitting or weaving.

There was no shortage of technical developments to be discussed at the TYAA conferences!

In the mid to late 1970s, there were approximately 115 companies in the United States with texturing or draw texturing machines. At this time, the structure of the industry was driven by growth. There were a number of large fabric companies that diversified their production to include texturing. Additionally, some of the large polyester fiber producers also invested in texturing. There also were many specialized yarn companies with texturing operations. The double knit industry provided an apparently insatiable appetite for more and more textured polyester, until the inevitable happened and demand collapsed.

Figure 1 shows data from the American Fiber Manufacturing Association (AFMA) publication Fiber Organon. Polyester textile filament capacity in the United States grew from 316 million pounds in 1970 to 1.7 billion pounds by 1979, with the growth driven mainly by demand for textured polyester. The 1979 peak was the highest level the U.S. industry ever achieved. The 1980s were a time of consolidation and closures within the industry, as well as a time for product development and production technology improvements which resulted in a good recovery in the 1990s.

However, the good times for the domestic industry came to an end as the calendar turned into the 21st century and global supply chains became the prevalent business model. Many sectors of the textile industry were hit very hard by global sourcing and the textured yarn industry was no exception. The chart tracks the downturn very clearly.

The TYAA was faced with a rapidly declining pool of membership. From approximately 115 companies with texturing machines in the late 1970s, by 2006 there were only 17 companies remaining.

The association faced three options:

• Close down completely;
• Merge with another group; or
• Increase the scope of membership by rebranding and appeal to a wider range of membership.

Following tough discussions, the board decided to take the most difficult of the alternatives and rebranded in 2006 as the Synthetic Yarn and Fiber Association (SYFA), a name that was later changed to Synthetic Yarn and Fabric Association.

The rebranding has been a success with both membership and attendance at conferences seeing significant growth in the years following the decision.

Two association milestones stand out. The first is an awareness of the importance of sustainability to the industry and, from the beginning of the association’s rebranding process, it has made a conscious effort to include presentations on sustainability at all its meetings. The most successful meeting in association history was the 2008 Winter Conference when the entire program was devoted to sustainability under the theme “Sustainable is Attainable.” That meeting saw a record attendance of more than 300 people.

The second milestone is more recent, and that was the ability to come through the COVID-19 pandemic and be in position to look ahead to a bright future.

The association is celebrating 34 years as TYAA and 16 years as SYFA for a total of 50 years of serving the U.S. synthetic textiles industry. Please join SYFA in celebrating this milestone at the fall conference to be held November 3-4, 2022, in Charlotte, N.C. For more information about this special event, please see, “50 Years Of SYFA,” TW, this issue.

Editor’s Note: Alasdair Carmichael is vice president of the Synthetic Yarn
and Fabrics Association (SYFA)

September/October 2022

Philippa Grogan, a consultant with Eco-Age, discusses greenwashing and best practices for communicating sustainability claims.

TW Special Report

London-based Eco-Age helps brands develop sustainable business strategies beginning with responsible practices that lower a company’s impact on people and the planet. Eco-Age’s team — comprised of technical, strategy, communications and digital media content specialists and consultants — also helps its clients effectively communicate their journey in a transparent and tangible manner. The end-to-end agency reports it has collaborated with non-governmental organizations, governments and changemakers across industries over the past 10 years working to effect change in corporate responsibility.

Current and past clients related to the textile industry include The Woolmark Company; fiber producer Aquafil; denim manufacturer Candiani; British retailer Marks & Spencer; and fashion brands Diesel, UGG and Stella McCartney, to name just a few companies. Eco-Age also has established the Green Carpet Challenge® and the Green Carpet Fashion Awards to bring attention to sustainable fashion brands while pairing “glamour with ethics.”

In the age of sustainable manufacturing, the term greenwashing is heard more often than ever before. A take on the term “whitewash,” greenwashing is defined by Merriam-Webster dictionary as “the act or practice of making a product, policy, activity, etc. appear to be more environmentally friendly or less environmentally damaging than it really is.”

Textile World recently had the chance to speak with Philippa Grogan, a sustainability consultant in Policy, Fashion and Textiles at Eco-Age, about greenwashing and sustainability in the fashion industry. She has two Masters degrees in fashion sustainability and enjoys working with her clients to help “mitigate their environmental impact through innovative, alternative and regenerative material selection.”

Textile World: Current news suggests some brands have been greenwashing. What does the fashion industry need to do to mitigate continued greenwashing?

Grogan: The fashion industry should share focus between outward-facing sustainability narratives and inward-facing better business strategies. So many brands are determined to appear sustainable in the public eye that meaningful sustainability strategies are falling by the wayside. Sustainability communications should evolve against a backdrop of continual and holistic sustainability progress. The industry needs to acknowledge imperfection and be ready to communicate about learnings as well as wins. Nobody is perfect, and we are all navigating this space together. Companies should be more forthcoming with the things they are working on, rather than the things they have already achieved.

TW: From an Eco-Age perspective, what do you view as the dangers of brands utilizing incorrect data to verify sustainability claims?

Grogan: Brands need to think twice about using generalized lifecycle assessment (LCA) data to communicate sustainability to consumers. Generalized data can be aggregated and reworked from industry, global, or national databases and is often not as accurate as primary data — first-hand data collected from a company’s own operations. LCA data can be useful for guiding business decisions behind the scenes, but there is a risk of greenwash if this data crosses the threshold to the consumer and used as a marketing tool in sustainability claims.

Incomplete, unrepresentative, or inaccurate sustainability data can do more damage than good. Company or consumer, when faced with weak sustainability data, you cannot make an informed choice. This means that brands and designers could inadvertently create products with more impactful materials and consumers could be misinformed at point of purchase. The proliferation of shaky sustainability data in marketing and communications stands to exacerbate consumer confusion, jeopardize responsible purchasing, and derail public trust of overall sustainability performance.

TW: How do you think brands can better communicate a product’s total impact without greenwashing?

Grogan: Many brands are, inadvertently or otherwise, misleading consumers when sustainability claims focus only on the upstream phases of a product. Of course, the production and manufacturing phases have an impact, but so do other touchpoints in a lifecycle — such as the active-use phase and the end-of-use phase. Product-level sustainability communications and claims should, as best possible, focus on the whole lifecycle of the product, otherwise they should be called “production-level” claims.

Instead of relying on tenuous terms and meaningless buzzwords, sustainability communications should detail why the product might have a lower impact and disclose how it has been produced.

Beyond this, products are company output. A “sustainable” product sold by a wholly irresponsible company can never be truly “sustainable.” Sustainability claims and company performance should look beyond the commodity and holistically assess all factors of the business.

TW: Moving forward, what recommendations can you offer to brands?

Grogan: For sustainability communications to be free from greenwash, they should not rely on vague, ambiguous buzzwords such as “eco,” “green,” or “planet-friendly” — these terms largely are meaningless without scientific substantiation.

Another common greenwashing tactic the industry should avoid, is cherry picking favorable sustainability elements without detailing overall sustainability performance. For example, championing the use of recycled materials whilst being unable to trace supply chains, pay a living wage or reduce emissions.

It’s ok to be imperfect, but not ok to pretend something is perfect. Be humble about sustainability performance and be brave enough to share learnings as well as wins. This level of transparency is commendable and can demonstrate an ongoing journey rather than a light switch moment of “boom, now we’re sustainable.”

TW: How important is it to consider socio-economic impact when addressing sustainability?

Grogan: Sustainability is about so much more than the environment. The social impact of a product, company or service is a crucial and inextricable metric for sustainability. This notion is a core focus of the amazing work of Donut Economics and Future Fit Business Benchmark. To approach sustainability, brands need to apply a future-focused and systemic lens. It is vital they think beyond existing sources and materials and also focus on innovations that can reduce the world’s over-reliance on existing materials in the markets such as cotton.

TW: What challenges and opportunities have you encountered when dealing with LCAs, products and brands?

Grogan: The idea of LCAs and LCA-based systems is to crystallize complex concepts into digestible, consumer-facing information that can demystify the science for the average member of the public. However, the methodology, the boundaries, and the input data must be sound in order for the results to have a hope of being accurate.

LCAs can be really useful for guiding business decisions behind the scenes. However, once they cross the consumer threshold and make their way into public-facing sustainability claims, we should exercise extreme caution, even more so if it is from aggregated data from industry averages.

Best practice sustainability communications are accurate, substantiated, measurable, demonstrable, and above all, transparent. Issues arise when initiatives are used as a transparency exercise, but the methodology, boundaries, and input data are behind a paywall.

TW: What are some key issues with the fashion industry’s overall sustainability performance?

Grogan: Some of the most concerning issues linked to the fashion industry largely stem from overproduction, overextraction, and overconsumption of resources and materials. The fashion industry as a whole must seriously rethink its relationship with the natural world, specifically its resource overuse which is not only leading to natural capital depletion, but also exponential volumes of unmanageable and polluting waste. Most fast fashion clothing is produced with planned and perceived obsolescence in mind, meaning that thanks to fleeting trends and poor-quality materials, they are prematurely disposed of to make way for new trendy garments. Many of today’s production and consumption patterns have become detached from earth’s natural systems. If we are to secure a sustainable future, we need to depart form linear take-make-dispose models to technically and biologically circular models where materials can biodegrade or be recycled at the end of use.

Another key issue faced by the fashion industry is the human rights and remuneration of those working in upstream supply chains, such as manufacturers and producers. Fashion’s long, complex, and globalized supply chains result in traceability issues, and it is challenging to monitor conditions, let alone ensure everyone is treated fairly and paid a living wage. This needs to be put firmly on fashion’s agenda.

TW: What is the role of market regulators and policymakers in the fight against greenwash?

Grogan: Greenwashing is everywhere. We have seen a recent shift in market regulator scrutiny of sustainability claims, with many nations’ advertising watchdogs screening brand’s sustainability claims and outlining proposed sanctions for those found greenwashing. It is now so widespread and wields such damaging potential, the only way of combatting it, sadly, is through legislation and regulation on claims.

TW: Is there a need for standardized rules for using sustainable terms in the fashion industry?

Grogan: We can no longer rely on company’s self-improvement initiatives. Government-led sustainability claim regulations are instrumental for unifying global sustainability language and driving real industry change. If earth’s declining ecological health is not incentive enough for our industry to produce sustainably and communicate ethically, then we must involve legal and financial incentives.

September/October 2022

Digital color management programs simplify the color approval process and ensure accuracy in the supply chain.

By Lisa Beck

Brands must continue to keep up with production and react to trends despite ongoing global events causing shifts in the textile industry. Disruptions to the supply chain, material shortages, changing sourcing strategies, evolving job roles, shifting government policy, and public demand for sustainable practices are causing uncertainty across all industries, but color professionals can rely on digital color management technology to minimize at least some of the impact.

A well-implemented color management program not only reduces waste, but saves time on color submissions, assists with efficient communication across the supply chain, and keeps business moving while meeting the color quality expectations of consumers.

Ensuring Accurate Color

Because the apparel industry is, by nature, constantly in flux from the ebb and flow of trends — regardless of world events — designers and color managers will sometimes say a color is visually “close enough” to get a collection to market quickly. The downside of this tactic? Quality and color accuracy may be sacrificed and that can end up damaging the brand’s reputation.

Color can be tough when you don’t have the right tools. Human color perception is subjective — meaning we all see color differently — and therefore, relying on our eyes alone to assess color is a fallible process. Although using a lightbox to evaluate fabric can certainly be part of a color control program, a more objective means of color evaluation is needed to avoid the effects of colorimetric phenomena like metamerism.

For example, lab dips for a matching separates collection looked perfectly matched when compared to the fabrics in the lightbox, but when the finished collection arrives at the retail store — where the lighting differs from what was used to evaluate the samples — consumers may notice those “matching” separates are different by a shade or two.

Digital color management tools, like spectrophotometers paired with the right software, help bring objectivity to the color assessment and approval process. When color can be communicated digitally across the supply chain in seconds, consistently accurate color measurement is ensured, and that reduces instances of miscommunication and minimizes the occurrence of potentially avoidable — and costly — color mistakes.

Streamlining More Efficient Production

With a digital color management program in place, the process for color managers becomes simpler and more efficient. After the design or trend team chooses their color palette and fabric choices, it becomes the color manager’s job to decide if those choices are feasible in the desired combinations and to communicate the information to the textile mills, dye houses and other vendors.

Knowing that color is subjective, how does a color manager make sure suppliers are seeing, interpreting and understanding colors correctly?

To avoid miscommunication and delays caused by subjective color assessment and to speed up approval times, color should be communicated via QTX files containing reflectance measurements of the colors in a palette. Every color has its own unique reflectance curve so the chances of receiving the wrong color from a mill are extremely low if the staff is properly trained.

A color program assessment service can verify supplier color capabilities and their ability to meet quality expectations, as well as test the knowledgeability of staff. Such an assessment can expose areas where suppliers have room for improvement when it comes to color. Knowing what a supply chain is — or is not — capable of, allows color managers to make strategic partnership decisions, build trust with suppliers, and eventually empower their vendors, further streamlining movement through the supply chain.

In addition to better supplier relations and a higher percentage of first-shot matches, the use of digital color communication diminishes the need to ship physical lab dips — sometimes across the world — to gain approval, therefore saving companies time, money, and resources. For brands using only visual assessment, color approval could take months, but with digital color communication, the turn-around time for color approvals can be reduced to just a few weeks. If it turns out that adjustments do need to be made, that can be quickly achieved with very little back and forth.

Overall, digital color management creates a smoother color approval process that allows brands not only the agility to keep up with demand and evolving trends, but also stay ahead of their production cycle. Now, color managers can spend less time going in circles with color approvals and perhaps focus more on the new responsibilities that are starting to fall into their hands.

The Changing Role Of Color Managers

Demand from consumers and government bodies for higher sustainability standards and more sourcing transparency in the textile and apparel industry is a drum that is steadily beating louder. Generation Z tends to have strong preferences for brands that are outspoken and honest about their commitment to reducing waste, recycling, lowering their impact on the environment, and refusing to work with suppliers known for or suspected of using forced labor. In addition, bills have been introduced in the United States and Europe that would force some companies to map their supply chains and install verifiable sustainability measures.

For example, a state senator in New York recently introduced the Fashion Sustainability and Social Accountability Act that is pending in the state Senate, and brands are watching closely. This bill would require retailers and manufacturers who sell their products in New York state and do more than $100 million in business globally to disclose the environmental and social impact of their business activities. These companies would also have to provide supply chain mapping proving their use of ethically sourced labor and materials. If passed, this legislation would affect thousands of brands.

What new responsibilities will color managers potentially take on as a result of policies like this? Some are being tasked with sustainability targets in their departments, such as reducing overall waste, reducing the number of color approvals, and making sure the suppliers they contract with are using sustainable and ethical practices.

With a solid digital color management program in place and by working with suppliers that have been verified via an assessment service, color managers can easily work towards these goals.

The Future Of Textiles

It is undeniable that the future of apparel production is increasingly moving towards digitalization. World events, fashion trends, and government policy will continue to reshape the industry, and brands need to be agile enough to react and pivot. When you have a robust digital color management program in place to streamline the production cycle, you can insulate your brand from some of these disruptions and keep product moving from designer concept to final consumer.

Editor’s Note: Lisa Beck is product manager, Datacolor, Lawrenceville, N.J.

September/October 2022

Sustainable, on-demand production provides an opportunity for reshoring operations

By Jecka Glasman

A recent Bloomberg article, “American Factories Are Making Stuff Again as CEOs Take Production Out of China,” observes the trend of bringing major manufacturing operations back to the United States, briefly seen as a stopgap measure to mitigate complications arising from the pandemic economy. This now appears to be part of a broader strategy for long-term operational viability, resiliency and value.

Per the article, “… the construction of new manufacturing facilities in the U.S. has soared 116 percent over the past year,” while a survey suggests many U.S.-based corporate executives see fit to move production out of China, with many such operations expected to return to the United States or Mexico. While high labor costs have long been used to justify offshore production, volatile supply chains, shipping complications and costs, tariffs, perceived sociopolitical instability, and other factors — including the proliferation of automation technologies that necessitate fewer laborers to operate in general — have made reshoring to North America a practical, profitable, and safer proposition.

While this development may come as news to some, here in the fashion and textile worlds this trend has been witnessed up close and personal. Indeed, the economics of bringing production closer to the end consumer — immediately delivery that negates the need for vast and vulnerable supply chains, the ability to react to demand in real time, the eco-friendly aspect of a streamlined process, and the mitigation of troublesome external factors in general — underlies the KornitX Global Fulfillment Network, which effectively nearshores production for every market.

Localized Operations Using On Demand Technologies

Many of Kornit’s partners and customers are founding or adapting their businesses on the basis of localizing their operations, even in highly regulated and high-cost regions that would not, on their face, appear to be logical production sites. Yet, efficient, on-demand production technologies make these models highly profitable.

Consider Charlotte, N.C.-based Printful, a successful practitioner of on-demand digital direct-to-garment (DTG) fulfillment this past decade, which has thrived by localizing its operations across many regions, including several locations within the United States — including high-cost Los Angeles.

Also consider FABRIC, a so-called “fashion incubator” based in Tempe, Ariz., created to empower independent fashion designers to bring their creations to life, without significant up-front investment or commitment. Using Kornit’s sustainable, versatile, on-demand direct-to-fabric production capabilities, it is working to make Arizona a hotbed of fashion production.

Consider countless small businesses like Little Cocalico, Reinholds, Pa., where proprietor Jon Boll invested in Kornit’s sustainable, on-demand Kornit Presto S direct-to-fabric system because “people are realizing it’s not more expensive, and you can get better quality giving fellow Americans jobs and bringing production back to the United States, and bring sustainability and quality to their businesses.”

Modular Strategy

One of the greatest attributes of localized, on-demand fashion and textile production models is that the strategy is entirely modular; it can be replicated to mitigate risk, foster operational agility and versatility, and deliver profitability anywhere. Perhaps no Kornit partner exemplifies this proposition better than London-based Fashion-Enter, which employs both Kornit DTG and direct-to-fabric production systems to educate, empower, and fulfill the needs of aspiring fashion designers in the United Kingdom. That it can successfully do so within the city of London, the high-cost cradle of the Industrial Revolution itself, demonstrates how “Make It British” can also mean “make it sustainably, make it with superior quality, make it in any quantity, make it without limitations, make it brilliant — and make it cost-effectively every time.”

Regardless of the challenges we face, game-changing technologies have provided a solution in times of need. In the past 40 years, technological advancements have made considerable gains in areas of alleviating poverty, improving healthcare and wellness, revolutionizing the ways we communicate and shop, increasing our quality of life, and far more. Where simple economics once drove manufacturers to solve problems by simply moving operations to far-flung locations where both labor and space were cheap and plentiful, those committed to developing sustainable, efficient, highly automated, and versatile production technologies have made it more profitable than ever to bring those operations back home. What’s more, unpredictable global market dynamics, like any number of risks and complications we’ve seen these past few years, have compelled business leaders to embrace the wisdom of doing so.

In the Bloomberg piece, GE Appliances CEO Kevin Nolan summed up the situation succinctly: “I’ve always said, this is just economics, people are going to realize that the savings they thought they had (from offshoring operations) aren’t real, and it’s going to be better and cheaper to make them here.”

Editor’s Note: Jecka Glasman is chief commercial officer at Kornit Digital.

September/October 2022