WASHINGTON, DC—National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) Chairman David Poston, who was elected for the 2022-2023 term, delivered the trade association’s State of the U.S. textile industry overview at NCTO’s 18th Annual Meeting on May 11.
WASHINGTON, DC—National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) Chairman David Poston, who was elected for the 2022-2023 term, delivered the trade association’s State of the U.S. textile industry overview at NCTO’s 18th Annual Meeting on May 11.
Poston’s speech outlined (1) the U.S. textile industry’s resilience and significant rebound in 2021 (2) U.S. textile supply chain, economic, trade data, and (3) NCTO’s policy achievements and priorities for domestic textile manufacturers.
A link of his remarks as prepared for delivery are included in this press statement along with a link to a data infographic prepared by NCTO illustrating the current economic status of the U.S. textile industry.
Poston is president of Palmetto Synthetics, a specialty synthetic fiber producer based in Kingstree, South Carolina.
NCTO’s annual meeting was held May 10-11 in Washington, D.C.
###
NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers.
U.S. employment in the textile supply chain was 530,000 in 2020.
The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $64.4 billion in 2020.
U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $25.4 billion in 2020.
Capital expenditures for textiles and apparel production totaled $2.38 billion in 2019, the last year for which data is available.
WASHINGTON—The National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO), representing the full spectrum of U.S. textiles from fiber through finished sewn products, issued a statement today welcoming House passage of the America COMPETES Act, a legislative package that will help close the de minimis loophole on duty-free imports from China and also renew the Miscellaneous Tariff Bill (MTB), both important provisions to U.S. textile manufacturers.
“We commend the House for passing this sweeping legislation, which contains several critical trade provisions beneficial to American manufacturers,” said NCTO President and CEO Kim Glas. “This legislation contains a provision that would effectively prohibit China from exploiting the Section 321 de minimis mechanism in U.S. trade law, a win for U.S. textile producers and workers.”
“We sincerely thank Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.) for working diligently to include and preserve his Import Security Fairness Act in the underlying U.S. competitiveness bill. This bill would help close the de minimis loophole, which allows imports valued under $800 to come into the United States without paying duties and taxes, bypassing inspections by U.S. Customs and providing a backdoor to Chinese goods produced with forced labor. The loophole has not only fueled the rise of imports from foreign e-commerce companies and mass distributors, but it has also put our domestic manufacturers and workers at a competitive disadvantage.”
Another important provision in the legislation renews the MTB for two years, which would extend limited tariff relief on a range of manufacturing inputs used by U.S. textile producers.
In closing, NCTO’s Glas stated: “NCTO worked closely with our allies in the House on these provisions in the underlying bill and we commend their hard work and support. We will continue to push for these critical provisions that benefit the U.S. textile industry in Senate-House conference negotiations in the coming days.”
###
NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers.
U.S. employment in the textile supply chain was 530,000 in 2020.
The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $64.4 billion in 2020.
U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $25.4 billion in 2020.
Capital expenditures for textiles and apparel production totaled $2.38 billion in 2019, the last year for which data is available.
WASHINGTON—Vice
President Kamala Harris announced significant multimillion-dollar investments
by Parkdale Mills and six other companies today, as part of the
Administration’s Call to Action to the private sector to promote economic
opportunity in the region, as her office works to address the root causes of
migration.
Vice
President Harris, who is overseeing diplomatic efforts with El Salvador,
Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, announced several private sector
commitments
to strengthen economic opportunities in the Northern Triangle and will make
remarks later today at a White House roundtable, which will include Anderson
Warlick, Chairman and CEO of Parkdale Mills. The textile and apparel co-production
chain is one of the most essential supply chains for employment and economic
development in both the United States and the Northern Triangle region,
currently supporting over 1 million jobs in the United States and the Central
American region. The Dominican Republic-Central America Free Trade Agreement
(CAFTA-DR) and its strong rules of origin are the primary reasons this co-production
chain exists, which is seeing significant growth this year.
North Carolina-headquartered Parkdale Mills, one of the
largest manufacturers of spun yarn and cotton consumer products in the world, will
make a multimillion-dollar investment in a new yarn spinning facility in
Honduras and make an additional substantial investment to support existing
operations in Hillsville, Virginia. This investment will help customers shift 1
million pounds of yarn per week away from supply chains in Asia and China and
enhance U.S. and CAFTA-DR co-production resilience and increase regional product
offerings. Parkdale’s announced investment will create hundreds of jobs in
Honduras and further support hundreds of employees in Parkdale’s Hillsville
operations.
Recently, administration officials from the U.S. Trade
Representative’s office and the Vice President’s office met
with the U.S. textile industry to reaffirm the importance of rules of origin in
nearshoring production chains, helping address labor and environmental
challenges and mitigating supply chain risk.
“I would like to sincerely thank Vice President Harris for
making this announcement and leading the effort with private industry to create
more economic opportunities in northern Central America and the United States,”
said Anderson Warlick, Chairman and CEO of Parkdale Mills. “Parkdale’s investments
will support good paying jobs in the United States and in the Central American
region and significantly increase our extensive product offering and capacity,
including the production of sustainable specialty yarns.
Parkdale
sees an enormous opportunity for brands and retailers to re-shore and nearshore
production supply chains and double the size of U.S.-CAFTA-DR trade, because of
the rules of origin in our trade agreement and a shift in sourcing by brands
and retailers mitigating their supply chain sourcing risks. We are excited about what this opportunity
means for jobs in the U.S. and the region for this critical production chain
and couldn’t be more thrilled to be part of this effort. We look forward to working with the Vice
President and her team on strengthening the textile and apparel production
chains in the U.S. and region.”
National
Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas, said, “This
is an exciting and important announcement by Parkdale and Vice President Harris.
Our industry has invested billions of dollars in the U.S. and in the region as
a result of the investment-based rules of origin in the CAFTA-DR agreement,
which ensures the job benefits of the agreement are reserved for the parties to
the agreement. Additional substantial announcements
on further investment in textile and apparel production are expected soon.
As
brands and retailers are seeking more environmentally sustainable, vertically
integrated, transparent, and quick turnaround supply chains, our collective
industries stand ready to work with companies that are seeking to mitigate
sourcing strategies as Asian supply chains have faced enormous production constraints. Further verticalization in the industry, like
Parkdale’s announcement today, allows broader product diversification and grows
jobs across the textile and apparel production chain.
We are thrilled with today’s announcement because it is a win-win for American and Central American workers and our environment and a huge opportunity to further recalibrate supply chains out of China and Asia. This valuable co-production chain between the U.S. and the CAFTA-DR region accounts for $12 billion in two-way trade and billions of dollars of investment. Significant growth is occurring in our sector and is expected to continue as supply chains continue to recalibrate. We are delighted about this today’s announcement and appreciate the Administration’s strong support.”
###
NCTO
is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers.
U.S. employment in the textile supply chain was 530,000 in 2020.
The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $64.4 billion in 2020.
U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $25.4 billion in 2020.
Capital expenditures for textiles and apparel production totaled $2.38 billion in 2019, the last year for which data is available.
WASHINGTON – Milliken & Company and American
& Efird (A&E) hosted United States Trade Representative (USTR)
Ambassador Katherine Tai in two separate visits to the companies’
state-of-the-art textile manufacturing facilities today, marking an
unprecedented visit to the heart of the U.S. textile industry in the Carolinas
by the nation’s top trade chief.
Ambassador Tai’s visit comes at a pivotal time for
the U.S. textile supply chain, which produced $64 billion in output in 2020 and
employed nearly 530,000 workers. The industry has been at the forefront of a
domestic production chain manufacturing over a billion personal protective
equipment (PPE) items during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Ambassador’s visit to Milliken included a tour
of the company’s Magnolia plant in Blacksburg, S.C., and a roundtable
discussion highlighting the important role women contribute to textiles, the
critical need for policies supporting a domestic supply chain, and the
significant impact of the sector to the U.S. economy. Milliken is one of the
largest textile companies in the U.S., employing more than 6,000 associates
domestically and an additional 1,350 associates globally. Milliken’s Textile Business
alone employs 2,500 people across eight counties in South Carolina and is the fourth
largest manufacturing employer in the Upstate.
“Milliken is
honored to host Ambassador Tai at our Magnolia plant to discuss not only the
invaluable contributions we make every day to our community and our nation, but
also the importance of sound trade policies that bolster domestic production
and the co-production chains we have built, in particular with our Western
Hemisphere trading partners,” said Chad McAllister, executive vice president of
Milliken & Company and president, Textile Business. “To have Ambassador Tai
on-site at one of our U.S. facilities is an opportunity to showcase our breadth
of innovation in the industry and our passionate team of American workers who help
our business succeed. We are fortunate and thankful for Ambassador Tai’s
leadership as well as her commitment to understanding the challenges and
opportunities of our industry.”
U.S. Trade
Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai said, “I want to thank NCTO for
organizing this event. As United States Trade Representative, I am committed to
helping all of your companies build on the success by finding market
opportunities and helping reach new customers. I want to ensure that our trade
policy matches the innovation and changes happening in the textiles industry.
With your help, we can continue addressing critical issues. In doing so, we
will help the textiles industry maintain its competitive edge and ensure it
remains a global standard-bearer in the years to come.”
On the second leg of
her trip, Ambassador Tai visited American & Efird’s manufacturing facility
in Mount Holly, N.C. American & Efird operates as part of Elevate Textiles
and its global portfolio of advanced products and distinguished textile brands,
including A&E, Burlington, Cone Denim, Gütermann and Safety Components, and
representing more than 500 years of textile manufacturing knowledge.
During the
visit, U.S. textile executives spanning the fiber, yarn, fabric, and finished
product textile and apparel industry participated in a roundtable with the
Ambassador at which they discussed the competitiveness of the domestic
industry, outlined priority issues in Washington, such as the importance of the
Western Hemisphere co-production chain and ways to jointly support domestic
supply chains through Buy American and Berry Amendment policies that help
onshore production, spur investment, maintain the safety and security of our
armed forces and generate new jobs.
“It was an honor hosting Ambassador Tai at our
manufacturing facility in Mount Holly, employing 380 valued associates and just
2 miles from where the company started 130 years ago,” said Sim Skinner, CEO of
Elevate Textiles. “A&E maintains a significant manufacturing footprint in
the Carolinas with 1,200 total associates, and we contribute significantly to
our local community and the entire manufacturing base in the United States,
touching every aspect of life, from the threads in Superbowl footballs to flags
on the moon and most recently, to the very PPE products protecting our
frontline heroes and fellow Americans against COVID-19 and the Space X suits
that are orbiting Earth right now. We had an engaging discussion with the
Ambassador on our company’s and industry’s innovation and competitiveness, and
on the policy priorities that we believe will help ensure our competitiveness
and long-term investment in the domestic textile industry.”
National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO)
President and CEO Kim Glas said, “We want to sincerely thank Ambassador Tai for
visiting Milliken and American & Efird today. Her leadership in the
international trade policy arena and her understanding of the unique challenges
confronting domestic manufacturers and U.S. workers under the international
trade system is unparalleled. The U.S. textile industry is one of the most dynamic,
innovative industries in the U.S. economy and our co-production chain with our
Western Hemisphere trade partners is essential.
Trade policies are essential to this manufacturing sector and workforce.
We look forward to working closely with the Ambassador and her office to
advance policies that bolster domestic production.
“We are grateful to Ambassador Tai for participating
in an engaging and substantive discussion with industry leaders today on a
whole host of policies, ranging from the importance of Buy American and Berry
Amendment government procurement policies to maintaining strong rules of
origins in free trade agreements to the need to address larger systemic trade
issues with China.”
About American & Efird (A&E)
A&E,
a portfolio company of Elevate Textiles, is the foremost manufacturer and
distributor of premium quality industrial and consumer sewing thread,
embroidery thread and technical textiles. Producers of apparel,
automotive components, home furnishings, medical supplies, footwear and a
diverse range of industrial products rely on A&E industrial sewing thread
to manufacture their products. Customers select A&E as the preferred
choice because of A&E’s dedication to providing its customers with the
finest products and services, at the highest quality, delivered globally.
In addition to A&E’s steadfast commitment to superior quality and
customer service, A&E is a recognized industry leader in environmental
sustainability and corporate social responsibility, and operates its global
facilities with the utmost regard for the safety and health of its associates
employed worldwide.
About Milliken & Company
Materials science expert Milliken
& Company knows that a single molecule has the
potential to change the world. With innovative solutions across the textile,
flooring, specialty chemical, and healthcare industries, Milliken answers some
of the world’s greatest challenges. Named to the World’s Most Ethical Companies
list by Ethisphere Institute for 15 straight years, the company meets the
moment with an unwavering commitment to delivering sustainable solutions for
its customers and communities. Eight thousand associates across 46 locations
globally rally behind a common purpose: to positively impact the world for
generations. Discover more about Milliken’s curious minds and inspired
solutions at milliken.com
and on Facebook,
Instagram,
LinkedIn
and Twitter.
###
NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade
association that represents domestic textile manufacturers.
U.S. employment in the textile supply chain was 530,000 in 2020.
The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $64.4 billion in 2020.
U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $25.4 billion in 2020.
Capital expenditures for textiles and apparel production totaled $2.38 billion in 2019, the last year for which data is available.
WASHINGTON, DC – The National Council
of Textile Organization’s (NCTO) Fiber Council announces Rachel Crouse of
Reidsville, NC as the recipient of the 2021 Paul T. O’Day Scholarship
Award. She is the daughter of Sandra and Martin Crouse, who is employed
by Unifi, Inc.
Ms. Crouse graduated in June with high
academic honors and achievements from Rockingham County High School. She
will attend North Carolina State University in the fall. She plans to
pursue a career as an engineer working to reduce the environmental impacts of
the textile industry. She expressed, “I am extremely grateful to be the
recipient of the NCTO Paul T. O’Day
Scholarship as it will help enable me to fully focus on academics through
college. With the help of this scholarship, I hope to graduate early and begin
making an impact either through research within a graduate studies program or
through my career.”
NCTO Fiber Council Chairman David
Poston, President of Palmetto Synthetics LLC, commented, “We are pleased to
recognize Ms. Crouse’s record of honors and achievements and passion for
critical thinking and problem solving as we name her the 2021 recipient of our
Paul T. O’Day Memorial Scholarship. On behalf of the Fiber Council, we
congratulate Ms. Crouse and wish her continued success in her academic career.”
The
scholarship program was created in 2014 in honor of Paul T. O’Day who served as
President of the American Fiber Manufacturers Association (AFMA) for more than
three decades. The Association merged with the National Council of Textile
Organizations (NCTO) in 2018, and NCTO’s Fiber Council now administers the
scholarship program. Recipients receive a $5,000 award each year,
totaling $20,000 for four years of study. Sons or daughters of NCTO’s Fiber
Council member company employees are eligible to apply.
NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade
association that represents domestic textile manufacturers, including
artificial and synthetic filament and fiber producers.
U.S. employment in the textile supply chain was 530,000 in 2020.
The value of shipments
for U.S. textiles and apparel was $64.4 billion in 2020.
U.S. exports of fiber,
textiles and apparel were $25.4 billion in 2020.
Capital expenditures for
textiles and apparel production totaled $2.38 billion in 2019, the last year
for which data is available.
WASHINGTON– National Council of Textile
Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas sent a letter to Acting
Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Robert Fairweather today,
requesting the agency reconsider and approve a proposal to direct U.S. Customs
and Border Protection (CBP) to collect Section 301 penalty duties on billions
of dollars of Chinese goods currently shipped duty free under Section 321 de
minimis waivers.
“There has been an exponential growth of shipments to the United
States in recent years that qualify for Section 321 duty-free treatment,” Glas
said in the letter. “U.S. manufacturers of textiles, apparel and other consumer
goods that routinely sell for less than the $800 de minimis threshold
increasingly find their markets and workforce threatened by this tariff
avoidance scheme.”
The letter details how the current
Section 321 provision is now being coupled with e-commerce to provide billions
in duty avoidance on these imported products, including:
Increased import price pressure on
domestic manufacturers of various types of consumer items that routinely sell
for less than $800 such as – apparel, footwear, home furnishings, toys,
consumer electronics, flatware, auto parts, etc.
An inability to
properly identify and block the importation of adulterated products posing a health and
safety risk to consumers.
An inability to
properly identify and block imports
of counterfeit products that violate intellectual property laws.
Enhanced ability
of countries like China to access the U.S. market, despite their failure to
provide reciprocal access to their markets and their persistent illegal and
unfair trading practices.
“Imported merchandise from China that
enters under a Section 321 waiver is exempt from all normal tariffs and any penalty
duties assessed under the current 301 case. This unreasonable and unnecessary
duty exemption severely undermines the purpose and value of the existing
Section 301 determination against China as an effort to address its longstanding
predatory trade practices,” Glas stated.
“The Biden administration should
undertake an exhaustive review of this problem to develop the policy changes
needed to mitigate the damaging impact of Section 321 waivers on U.S. workers
and manufacturers,” Glas added. “In the interim, it is critical that the OMB
and CBP take reasonable steps, such as denying Section 321 benefits to goods
covered under the existing China 301 determination [tariffs]. Doing so would be
a valuable first step toward limiting the dangerous and growing exploitation of
this tariff waiver mechanism.”
WASHINGTON, DC—The Biden Administration has awarded two contracts to National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) members Parkdale Mills and Ferrara Manufacturing Inc., following through on the President’s pledge to procure millions of fully Made in America face masks for community health centers, food pantries and soup kitchens across the country. A third contract is expected to be awarded to a small business early next week.
North Carolina headquartered Parkdale Mills, the
nation’s largest cotton yarn spinner, has partnered with Ferrara Manufacturing,
a tailored clothing company based in New York City’s garment center whose
workforce is union represented by Workers United/SEIU, to manufacture over 17
million reusable masks.
The government said it could purchase up to a maximum of 22.2 million masks under the two contracts announced today. The masks will be Berry compliant and thus 100% U.S.-made.
Ferrara
Manufacturing and Parkdale Mills will contract with additional U.S. companies across
the manufacturing supply chain, employing nearly 5,000 American workers as a
result of these awards. Parkdale will be
utilizing yarn from their facilities in NC, VA, and GA and Ferrara will deploy
their cut and sew operations in New York City.
Additional suppliers include:
“The
entire Parkdale team wants to thank President Biden and his administration for
this opportunity to make reusable cotton face masks for millions of Americans,”
said Davis Warlick of Parkdale Mills. “By procuring 100% American-made masks,
we are putting thousands of workers across the United States to work to help
our most vulnerable communities. We are
excited to partner with Ferrara Manufacturing and are proud of our supply chain
partners and their hard work to make this product crafted with pride in the
United States.”
Gabrielle
Ferrara, Chief Operating Officer and owner, of Ferrara Manufacturing: “This is
another amazing moment for our industry to come together to produce lifesaving
PPE for people who need it most. Ferrara is proud to partner with Parkdale
Mills and we want to thank the administration for supporting our workforce, who
have sacrificed so much during the pandemic to answer the call of the nation to
produce million masks. We also greatly appreciate the strong support and
partnership of Workers United/SEIU to help amplify the needs to bolster this
critical supply chain. We are honored to
have this opportunity.”
The
U.S. textile industry has produced over a billion lifesaving PPE and other
medical products over the last year.
Since the spring of 2020, both Ferrara and Parkdale have retooled their production
chains to help produce millions of masks and gowns to help workers on the
frontlines.
Kim
Glas, President and CEO of NCTO: “We want to sincerely thank President Biden
for his leadership and support of American manufacturing workers with this
purchase. We appreciate the administration’s commitment to purchase fully made
in America masks and we believe this is a significant opportunity to continue
to showcase our incredible domestic textile industry and all of its
capabilities. We have a once-in-a-generation
opportunity to onshore these critical supply chains long-term and we look
forward to working with the administration and Congress to advance long-term policies
to bolster this critical production capacity here in the United States.”
See press release from Workers United, an affiliate of SEIU, here.
###
NCTO is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers.
U.S.
employment in the textile supply chain was 530,000 in 2020.
The
value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $64.4 billion in 2020.
U.S.
exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $25.4 billion in 2020.
Capital
expenditures for textiles and apparel production totaled $2.38 billion in 2019,
the last year for which data is available.
WASHINGTON, D.C. —National Council of
Textile Organizations (NCTO) President and CEO Kim Glas, representing the full
spectrum of U.S. textiles from fiber through finished sewn products, issued a
statement today welcoming the reported selection of the House Ways and Means
Committee’s Chief Trade Counsel, Katherine Tai, as the next U.S. Trade
Representative.
“We applaud President-elect Joe Biden’s
expected nomination of the House Ways and Means Committee’s Chief Trade Counsel,
Katherine Tai, as the next U.S. Trade Representative. This selection is welcome
news to the U.S. textile industry, which has worked closely with Katherine on several
critical trade issues over the years.
She is an exceptional candidate to serve as the next USTR, having
dedicated her career to enforcing our trade laws, and, most recently, serving
as a key lead negotiator in the House securing key improvements in the USMCA
agreement.
She will be a powerful and thoughtful
advocate on behalf of American workers and our environment. The U.S. textile industry looks forward to
working with her on our top trade priorities.”
###
NCTO
is a Washington, DC-based trade association that represents domestic textile
manufacturers, including artificial and synthetic filament and fiber producers.
U.S.
employment in the textile supply chain was 585,240 in 2019.
The
value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $75.8 billion in 2019.
U.S.
exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $29.1 billion in 2019.
Capital
expenditures for textile and apparel production totaled $2.5 billion in 2018,
the last year for which data is available.
Chuck Wilson, 68, has worked in textiles for 43 years – with no plans to retire from an industry he loves.
He joined Parkdale, the largest yarn producer in the
U.S., as a supervisor in 2001, and the next year was asked to start up a new
yarn-twisting plant for the company in Mount Holly, N.C. Today, Chuck manages a
Parkdale facility that grew from 20 employees to 75.
Chuck takes immense pride in his work, adding that his
employees are equally as passionate about the products they make. Every package
of yarn must meet exact technical specifications in order to process properly
at the next step, he adds.
“I let them
know that they are important, that everybody’s important to the whole and that
the product they make is important,” Chuck says. “We keep open lines of
communication, and I keep them posted on how we’re doing as a plant and a
company.”
As a testament to his love for the industry, after joining Parkdale, Chuck kept his home in Spartanburg, S.C., and has commuted about 124 miles round-trip every day since. He’s now on his third car after logging nearly 500,000 miles on his first vehicle and about 200,000 miles on this second car. And he’s still chugging along.
“It’s
been a great career for me, and great for my family,” Chuck says. “I would never
have the quality of living I’ve had without textiles. The industry has been
good to me and many of the people I’ve met are lifelong friends. I’m blessed.”
When severe shortages arose in in U.S. and global PPE in
the early days of the pandemic, Parkdale was one of the first companies to step
forward to help, leading a coalition of U.S. textile and apparel makers that
worked with the federal government to address this issue. Since then, Parkdale
and its partners have produced millions of PPE items, including face masks and
gowns, for frontline workers as well as consumers.
Chuck’s plant was able to quickly retool its production
for PPE inputs, a job every employee there takes seriously, he says.
We’re helping supply people what they need on the frontline and we’re going to win this battle. We want to win – that’s the American spirit.
“We look at this as a battle against an invisible enemy,”
he says. “When you see war movies, you see soldiers fighting but you don’t see
what goes in to support them. My brother was in Operation Desert Storm, and he
was in support. He didn’t fight, but he helped provide the materials for the
frontline. Without those materials, the soldiers can’t fight. And that’s the same thing with
the PPE. We’re helping supply people what they need on the frontline and we’re
going to win this battle. We want to win – that’s the American spirit. If you
look at history, you will see how many people have come together to protect
this country.”
Winning
that battle means providing equipment to keep the American citizenry safe, of
course, but an underlying purpose exists, as well, Chuck says.
“This
is our country and we don’t want people to suffer,” he says. “These are our
brothers and sisters. And it’s not just about making money, not at all. It’s
about their safety, yes, but it’s also about helping the people of the United
States enjoy their freedoms because you’re not free when you’re not able to
leave your home. The necessary PPE allows you to go to the church of your
choice, go to the stores of your choice or just go outside your home. It helps
give you freedom.”
As
lawmakers consider potential policies to confront existing PPE shortages, Chuck
says they should look to craft domestic purchase requirements such as those in
the Berry and Kissell amendments that are already in place for the military.
It’s all about readiness, he says.
“We
shouldn’t have to go outside this country for PPE,” he says. “It should be made
here because, if another country makes it, you don’t know if it’s safe, you
don’t know what kind of standards they have and you may not get it quickly.”
He
encouraged members of Congress to visit textile mills with an open mind, and to
not “believe everything they’ve heard” about the industry.
“They should get out and get firsthand knowledge of it before they make any decisions, and they should see how it impacts people’s lives,” he says. “If they visit my plant, their decisions won’t just be impacting the 75 people there. It’s also the people who support my plant – the people in Hillsville [Va.] who supply us yarn for twisting . It’s all of our suppliers and it’s all of our customers. And it’s the communities that these mills support.
They should look at our people’s faces. Look at the pride they have in what they do. It’s remarkable. They have pride knowing ‘I can do something. I know how to do something. I have a skill that nobody else has.’ They don’t take that lightly.”
Barry Shore, Polyester Operations Manager, Unifi Inc.
In his four-plus decades, Barry has seen Unifi transform from solely a fiber producer into a diverse provider of numerous high-tech, sustainable products – from fiber made from water bottles under its signature REPREVE® brand to other recycled byproducts such as chip or flake that can be used in anything from apparel to food containers to geotextile liners in road construction projects.
“We’ve
dedicated ourselves to being an innovator,” he says. “We are out here every day
trying to innovate new yarns, new end uses, new combinations and new products
that would give our customers an advantage for the consumer.”
Like
many in this rural county in Western N.C., Barry grew up on a farm. And, like
so many others in the area, he saw the local textile company, founded in 1971
in Greensboro, N.C., as a terrific opportunity to make a good living and learn
a trade.
His
brother and several aunts and cousins were working at Unifi when Barry was in
high school and joined the company as a full-time doffer, removing packages of
yarn from machines after they are processed. After graduation, he stayed with
the company and, at age 19, joined its management training program. He took his
first manager’s job over a department at age 25.
“Unifi has been nothing but great to me,” says Barry, whose daughter recently
joined the company in human resources “I’ve had a lot of opportunities here.
It’s allowed me to put my three daughters through college. I don’t know if I
could have done that working anywhere else besides here. So for me and my
family, it has provided tremendous opportunities.”
With
more than 1,000 people working at the Yadkinville location, Unifi is the second
largest employer in the county behind the school system. “We’re a close-knit
family group here,” he says. “We pull (people) mostly from Yadkin County and
surrounding counties, so it seems like everybody knows everybody.”
In
early March, Unifi was asked to help supply critical components for Personal
Protective Equipment (PPE) to help fight the spread of COVID-19, and the
company was quick to join the effort. As a crucial product in the supply chain,
the company’s fibers and yarns were needed to produce [fabrics] for hospital gowns, face masks
and medical supplies such as wound dressing and bandages. The company joined a
coalition producing gowns for a large FEMA program when the vast shortage for
frontline workers became apparent.
“We make POY fiber
that we in turn convert to DTY (Drawn Textured Yarn). We sold both into the
medical programs,” Barry says.
“Coordinating
everything was a challenge, but it became easier once the [fibers] and
materials used in the gowns] was settled,” he says. “There was a tremendous
amount of trial work going on [with] the yarns [used to create] the gowns
because it had to meet a certain standard. So we made several different yarn
varieties before we finally hit the ones that worked for… the fabric they were
trying to make for the gown.”
Similarly, Unifi’s fibers used in polyester yarns are now being used in face masks – some with antibacterial or water-repellent properties that are produced by numerous partners. And having its own trucking fleet has enabled the company to deliver product in a timely fashion. The entire effort makes him proud, Barry notes.
“It is an exciting thing to be involved in, knowing that there is a need and we can play a part in satisfying that need,” he says. “The industry’s collaboration has been amazing. It’s nice to see a whole industry pull together and say, ‘we can do this, and quickly.’ But that’s part of what the country is all about in times of need – pulling yourself together and making things happen.”
It’s nice to see a whole industry pull together and say, “we can do this, and quickly.” But that’s part of what the country is all about in times of need – pulling yourself together and making things happen.
Not
that any of this effort during these unprecedented times surprises Barry. Time
and again, he has seen his company and his industry show flexibility, he says.
“We
have a lot of capability and capacity, driven by our customers and consumers,”
he says.
Having
worked in production and now as a manager, Barry says he has a good grasp on
the operation, adding that his “people skills” have helped him tremendously
along the way.
“I’ve always
considered my forte to be people,” he says. “I was once an employee working on
the floor, and that gives me a good perspective of the way they see things and
how they react to things day to day.”
Barry
has seen the industry change in many ways throughout his career, transitioning
from a labor-intensive manufacturing sector to a modern, advanced industry that
has become much more efficient, technologically driven, with a focus on
sustainability.
But for
some reason, he adds, the industry has not always received the credit it
deserves for the value it brings to families, communities and the nation at
large.
“There
was a lot of livelihoods made off the textile industry, and it has provided a
lot of things for families,” he says. “You always hope that manufacturing jobs,
which are what the country needs, would be recognized. Even though equipment
has changed and processes have changed, it still involves people. It may
require a higher skillset person, but it’s still all about people.”
Barry
says the COVID-19 crisis has opened a lot of eyes to the importance of
manufacturing, especially textiles, in this country.
“When I
look at the more than 1,000 people here and all the families who started here,
I’m always going to stress that manufacturing here in the United States is
important,” he says. “There is still a group of people today that is making
their livelihood in the textile industry. There’s no place I’d rather be, and I
think a lot of people would tell you the same thing. So we don’t want to lose
our manufacturing jobs, and textiles is something that we can definitely keep
here. We fight imports all the time and probably will continue to do so. But
we’re trying our best to innovate and create things that people can’t just go
and copy.”
