Posted August 19, 2014

 

The Southern Textile Association’s annual Summer Marketing Forum last week in Belmont, N.C., was one of the most interesting, insightful and informative textile conferences I’ve ever attended. The speaker’s roster and the theme of the program, “Meeting the Challenges of Sourcing in the Americas,” piqued the interest of a good number of industry professionals, who turned out 135 strong for the event. It’s apparent that the re-shoring of America is top of mind to an industry that has been battered and tattered over the last few decades, but now sees glimmers of hope almost every day.

 

Three brand owners, in particular, spoke of the strategies, challenges and opportunities for sourcing in this hemisphere and their efforts to shift parts of their network of suppliers here. Which is encouraging, of course. All opined, in so many words, that shifting production here is sort of like turning around a cruise ship. The difficulties are numerous, starting with a supply chain that lacks all the parts necessary for full package. A synchronized supply chain for sourcing, production, logistics and replenishment activities that creates a responsive organization is needed. But the plusses are plentiful, too, particularly as it relates to speed to market, high technology and energy costs, they voiced.

 

Rising production costs in China continue to prompt U.S. retailers and brand owners to seek other regions to meet their sourcing needs. They face sped-up innovation and fashion-turn timelines, omni-channel demands and consumer demands for production and products that are both environmentally friendly and socially responsible. And fluctuating raw material and freight costs only exacerbate the struggle.

 

Attendees at the STA event heard some of this and more. And they were left with the task of trying to work with these brand owners to help come up with solutions. That assignment was given after  Bill McRaith, senior global sourcing director of global apparel giant PVH Corp., New York City, presented a stirring, 40-minute talk on the challenges his company and others are facing with a made in America initiative. He asked attendees to “help the retailers of the world see a clear, common face that creates some verticality so they can engage with you in a way that leads to response opportunities they wish they had but don’t have a way to pull together. And maybe don’t see each other as competitors. Consider how to bring consortiums together where you actively work together to build this verticality.”

 

During the Q&A segment afterward, forum moderator Jim Booterbaugh of National Spinning Co. asked attendees, “Where is that face? Where can you find it?” A chorus of “here’s” was heard from the audience, before Booterbaugh acknowledged that, “it’s very difficult to find that answer today. It would have to be something that’s specifically geared toward answering that question, where a brand would come in knowing that day there were going to be spinners and weavers and knitters and finishers in the room. We don’t have that today, but it’s something to consider. That’s our challenge today."

 

STA members have faced daunting challenges such as these many times over the group's 106-year history, and they’ve accepted them. Which is a major reason the association – and, to some degree, the U.S. textile complex – has remained viable for so many decades. They’ve overcome hurdles and figured out new and better ways to operate and stay in business.

 

Jim Ciccone of Unifi, Inc. and his committee should be commended for organizing such an extraordinary, pertinent forum for an industry seeking to push on, partner up and prosper.