Posted December 23, 2015

 

‘Twas the night before the night before … but before The Jolly One clears out his bag, I think I’ll use this festive opportunity to lighten mine by dispensing a few holiday headlines:

 

This caught my eye yesterday: “Vietnam garment exports to U.S. increase to nearly $10 billion.” The article stated that that number represented an 11.7 percent increase in 11 months (January-November). And this is before the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) is signed, peeps.

 

Then I read this: “Vietnam companies show little interest in TPP.” Huh? According to the story, most Vietnamese companies are not making plans to capitalize on the deal because they have little information about it. Reading down, you’ll find the rub: “Many foreign firms plan to expand in Vietnam to capitalize on export opportunities offered by the trade pact.” Then it stated that Jiangsu Yulun Textile Group of China recently procured a license for a $68 million textile, dyeing and yarn plant in an industrial zone near Hanoi.” Vietnam may be ambivalent at the moment, but do not think China isn’t making plans to try to overrun the U.S. with textiles and apparel. …

 

If you’re as confused as I am about TPP, you might want to consider participating in two free webinars in January. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) is hosting TPP Rules of Origin on Tuesday, January 19 and TPP Market Access on Tuesday, January 26. Could be worth a listen – or a question. …

 

As you know, digital fabric printing has taken off. And the Triangle area of North Carolina is on the forefront of this trend, especially at N.C. State’s College of Textiles, according to a piece in The News & Observer. Technological improvement in this area has helped spur advances in digital printing, providing advantages such as speed, control over production and reduced costs. As an industry game-changer, it’s something we all need to keep our eyes on. …

 

And speaking of N.C. State, hat’s off to Dr. David Hinks, who this week had the word “interim” removed from his title when he was named dean of N.C. State’s College of Textiles. He had served in that position on a pro tem basis since July 2014. Having spent some time with Hinks and seen his enthusiasm on display – along with the natural camaraderie and rapport he seems to have with his faculty and students – he’s a great choice to oversee the College, a global leader in education, research and service. Kudos, Dr. Hinks. …

 

Also in that Wolfpack vein, a longtime friend, Ken Sigmon, former executive director of the North Carolina Textile Foundation and former vice chancellor at N.C. State, sent me a link last week to a crowdfunding campaign being run by my wife, Alison, to assist U.S. natural fibers. It's a great effort to build an industry around such natural fibers as alpaca, bison, mohair, etc., which offer many advantages over other fibers. I liked the idea enough to share it with you here. …

 

No one I’ve talked with lately seems to have heard much about the Revolutionary Fibers and Textile Manufacturing Innovation Institute (RFT-MII), an initiative organized and approved this year by the U.S. Department of Defense’s ManTech (Manufacturing Technology) office. Last week, however, The Boston Globe wrote about two Bay State universities involved in trying to procure the RFT-IMI. The University of Massachusetts-Lowell and MIT are members of opposing proposer groups and were featured under the headline “Massachusetts could play lead role in revitalizing textile industry.” The institute is designed to accelerate innovation by investing in manufacturing technologies with broad technical applications, and ManTech requires that it be industry driven. Let’s hope ManTech ends its silence on the project soon. I’m ready to see this thing kick off, regardless which group is chosen …

 

Well, that’s all the heavy reading for me for a few days. I’m off to spend some quality time with the family. Before I go, let me add that it’s been a year of growth and personal reward for me. Thanks to all of you for helping make it so through your readership, advocacy and support. I look forward seeing you in cyberspace – and in person – next year. Happy ho-ho-holidays.