“We have 440 members as of today,” he said. “Wow. When I joined the group – and I’m probably one of the newer members – I never dreamed we might reach 500 members. Wouldn’t that be awesome? I think it’s doable.

 

“I hope you tell teammates, friends and colleagues the value of being a member of STA.” (Watch Rada expound on the conference and STA membership here.)

 

STA members and guests heard from five speakers during the half-day program, including Dr. Karen Leonas, professor and head, Textile and Apparel in the Technology and Management at North Carolina State University’s College of Textiles. She spoke about the university, its partnerships, the changing textile production and supply chain landscape and how the school is preparing future members of the industry.

 

“There has been a paradigm shift in the textile complex,” she said. “It has moved from a regional based, industrial, manual labor-intensive industry to a globalized, vertically integrated, high-tech and high-skilled, dynamic and fast-paced, number-driven, integral part of the knowledge economy.”

 

She attributed the recent revitalization in the U.S. textile industry to several factors, including:

 

• Diversity in manufacturing – companies are better prepared for problems if they have only one or two main sources in their supply chain;

• consumer buying patterns;

• offshore manufacturing issues such as poor factory and working conditions;

• business costs, which are rising abroad for such things as energy, labor and transportation;

• improved automation, which requires fewer employees and lower overall labor costs and increases productivity; and

• the “Made in America” movement, which has strengthened in recent years due in part to social media and the 24-hour news cycle.

 

Additional influencers include the commitment being made by U.S. companies to increase manufacturing; a move to establish a Western Hemisphere supply chain; innovation; effective adoption and use of technology; political challenges; the rising cost of raw materials; and a better prepared workforce.

 

“Today’s challenges are complex and require integrated solutions,” Leonas said, before speaking to NCSU’s educational goals in training future leaders of the industry.

 

Trends and technologies

Also presenting was Dr. Michael T. Fralix, president and CEO of [TC]2, a textile and clothing technology corporation based in Cary, N.C.

 

He focused on technology and process changes of the Digital Age that have dramatically affected the textile and apparel industry along with the rest of the world. Specifically, among things that are changing are the rising cost of labor and transportation in Asia and other areas; “fast fashion” trends; online shopping patterns; and digital supply chains. Meanwhile, sourcing strategies have moved from re-shoring to near-shoring to back-shoring.

 

Oh, and the consumer is changing, of course, Fralix said. Online shopping is becoming more and more prevalent, and smart devices have precipitated this trend. In that area, “virtual dressing sites” have grown in popularity, he added.

 

“[TC]2 was the first organization to make a 3D scanner for the apparel industry,” he said. “And we now have the ability to create avatars who look realistic and similar to your body type and facial features.”

 

He went on to explain several other technological trends, including digital product conversion, additive manufacturing and 3D knitting and printing.

 

In closing, he asked where apparel is heading in the future.

 

“In my opinion, we will see nano-particle fibrous substances that have the characteristics of traditional fabrics and will be processed through ink-jet heads and 3D garments and accessories,” he said. “We may see 3D garment printers in the home.”

 

Other speakers

 

The program included two technical presentations. Olivier Demangeat, intellectual property manager and product manager at N. Schlumberger/NSC USA, discussed the benefits of long-staple manufacturing.

 

Wayne Bucholz, vice president of engineering for Kusters Zima, spoke on new developments for process improvements and energy/water/chemical utility. He was accompanied by Craig Newsome, the company’s international sales manager.

 

Rounding out the speakers was Mike Pereyo, co-founder and co-CEO of Oobe, Inc., who provided a history of his apparel and uniform company and current marketing trends.