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Greetings!
Though the future is promising, the challenges are many as we emerge from the pandemic, not the least of which is the labor shortage crisis in the textile sector and the manufacturing and service industry at large. Multiple times a week, I hear your tales of woe as you seek to find warm, capable bodies to keep this industry chugging along. The reasons for the employment shortfall are multitudinous, and the solutions are elusive and arduous.
One textile company that isn’t sitting back to see its destiny unfold unwittingly is TSG Finishing, which along with partners such as Valdese Weavers in the Hickory, N.C. area, is trying to address this issue with local, state and federal policymakers and lawmakers. The 120-year-old company last week hosted some of those officials for a tour and deep-dive discussion, and it plans to continue conversations with others in that realm until the corner is turned. Read about this event and TSG’s ambitions in this week’s lead story.
If you’re experiencing similar problems with attracting and retaining talent, I strongly encourage you to take TSG Finishing’s lead and invite elected officials, business development personnel, educational institutions and others into your facilities to take on this issue head on, brainstorm cause-and-effect factors and develop action items for this festering challenge. It can’t be solved alone.
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After trying creative ways to attract people, including incentives (to little avail so far), TSG Finishing CEO Brian Rosenstein and his cousin, company President Michael Goldman, decided it was time to take the issue to a larger audience that may be able to help drive better solutions. So, they invited local, state and federal officials to its Synthetics Plant – one of three it operates in the Hickory, N.C., area – for a plant tour and a discussion about the labor shortage.
On May 7, they covered the issue in depth with N.C. State Senator Dean Proctor (R-42), a representative of U.S. Rep. Patrick McHenry’s Office (in person), a representative of U.S. Senator Thom Tillis’ Office (via phone) and several local leaders. And with the challenge affecting all in the region, they also brought in some of their customers and industry colleagues, including Blake Millinor, president of Valdese Weavers; Vuk Trivanovic, CEO of Shurtape Technologies; and Brandon Hucks, CFO of Century Furniture.
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Next AATCC Digital Labs series event: Natural Dyes for Textiles |
AATCC recently hosted two online webinars in its Digital Labs series – Digital Printing Color Management and Evaluation and Simulation for Textile Design.
Digital Printing Color Management and Evaluation featured in-depth presentations by Dr. Jiajun Liu and Dr. Lisa Chapman, both of N.C. State’s Wilson College of Textiles. Dr. Chapman also presented at Simulation for Textile Design with colleague Dr. Traci Lamar.
The series continues next week, May 19-20, when AATCC holds its Natural Dyes for Textiles online webinar. This two-day virtual event will be led by top experts and innovators discussing natural dyestuff innovation, product development, market intel, transparency and more. Register here.
On June 16-17, AATCC will present, Flammability in Textiles and Polymers, also virtually. The event will feature industry leaders and academic experts discussing a variety of topics including innovation, research, technology, sustainability and challenges in the world of FR and flammability. Rates will increase after June 4. RSVP here.
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Innovation incubator Itemalab evolves to push boundaries |
Itema, a leading provider of advanced weaving solutions, announced the new structure of Itemalab®, the innovation incubator opened in 2014 at Kilometro Rosso innovation district in Bergamo, Italy.
Born with the goal to design the platform for the “loom of the future” and breakthrough solutions for the textile industry, Itemalab® becomes now an independent company and widens its field of action, providing customers and partners with system engineering and business process reengineering skills.
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ITMA Asia previews
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If you would like additional information on Federal Contracting Opportunities please contact the North Carolina Military Business Center (NCMBC) www.ncmbc.us
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PHOTO AT ABOVE RIGHT:
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