Posted October 21, 2014

 

With eTC’s tagline being, “Keeping You In The Loop,” I thought it would be apropos to provide a few random observations based on things I’m hearing and seeing:

 

1. Auggie Tantillo should go by the title “Ambassador.” I can’t think of a better face of the U.S. textile and apparel industry than Tantillo, president of the National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO). He knows this industry like the back of his hand and can impressively and equally articulate its messages to layperson and insider alike. Today, he appeared on MSNBC’s Morning Joe program and, in just three-and-a-half minutes, left the national TV crew with a different impression of our industry. “I heard all the plants were shutting down in the Carolinas and across the country,” host Joe Scarborough said, to which Tantillo quickly responded, “Reports of our death are greatly exaggerated.” Tantillo then went on to extol the virtues of the industry through eye-popping numbers most of you have heard: 500,000 U.S. employees, $70 billion in output per year, a record-high $23.7 billion in exports and $2 billion in new investment just in the past year. That clip alone could go far in helping change the public’s opinion of this industry. “Ambassador Auggie” has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it?
    

2. All of us should be industry ambassadors. Though most of us will never have a national TV platform, we all should evangelize about our great industry to anyone and everyone who will listen. We have a large curve to overcome in changing the general populace’s perception of the U.S. textile and apparel industry, but the more we spread good tidings about its positive aspects and the impact it has on our communities and economy, the better off we’ll be in getting the attention of lawmakers and attracting younger folks to our employment ranks. Preach on, brethren.
    

3. The proposed Fiber and Textile Innovative Manufacturing Institute (IMI) is perking up a lot of ears. As you probably know, the Department of Defense’s ManTech (Manufacturing Technology) office is in the process of creating 15 IMIs, each dedicated to advancing a manufacturing area that is considered critical to industry and the DoD. That it is strongly considering a Fiber and Textile institute is encouraging for our industry, and hardly speaks to our so-called "death." Lobbying efforts from our industry have been strong. I’m certainly getting a lot of follow-up requests from readers since publishing a review of a workshop dedicated to this effort recently. Keep up your terrific work in making this initiative a reality.
    

4. Good news is rampant. This is a far cry from much of my tenure as editor of Southern Textile News (1998-2009), when the industry appeared to be on life support. The percentage of positive stories I report these days is somewhere in the high 90s compared to what I would consider negative news, a reversal of fortune from the days when consolidations, closures, layoffs, bad trade pacts and import stress dominated the headlines. You folks, the survivors, are doing a lot of things right. Carry on, ya’ll.
    

5. Conferences are better than ever. I’ve covered my share of industry conferences and symposiums over the years, and none seem better than those being organized these days. In years past, many of them seemed too focused on the sector of the industry that was putting on the event. But as an industry, you’ve grown and expanded your view to the broader supply chain and the downstream/upstream effects of our specific viewpoints and actions. This spirit of togetherness and collaboration has improved your perspective, attracted larger audiences to these events and, no doubt, strengthened the industry. I would put the Synthetic Yarn and Fiber Association (SYFA) and the Southern Textile Association (STA) at the top of the list of those groups that are succeeding in organizing the most diverse conferences. Well done.