U.S. Textile Sector Brings $1.4 Billion in Active Projects
Starting in the mid-20th century, the U.S. textile sector began to face significant challenges. Factors such as rising labor costs, overseas competition and changes in consumer preferences led to a decline in domestic textile production. Many textile mills and factories closed or moved operations overseas in search of cheaper labor and lower production costs.
In recent years, there has been a resurgence of interest in domestic and sustainable textile production. A pivot toward technical textiles has helped revive the industry in the U.S. somewhat. These textiles are designed for specific performance characteristics and are used in various industries, including automotive, aerospace, medical and defense. Technical textiles represent a growing and innovative segment of the industry, contributing to economic growth and diversification.
In addition, many U.S. consumers are increasingly concerned about the environmental and ethical aspects of the products they buy, and this has led to demand for more transparent and sustainable supply chains. Some companies are responding by bringing back or expanding domestic production and focusing on eco-friendly textiles.
Industrial Info is tracking nearly $1.4 billion worth of active textiles projects in the U.S. While the U.S. textile industry continues to evolve, some aspects of it remain the same, and most of the spending is concentrated in the traditional home of textiles, the U.S. Mid-Atlantic region, particularly the Carolinas.
In fact, one of the largest textile projects presently under construction is in South Carolina. Shaw Industries Group Incorporated (Dalton, Georgia) is expanding one of its carpet yarn plants in Aiken, South Carolina, by constructing a 530,800-square-foot building addition with supporting systems to enable the company to help meet current and future demand for its high-performance carpet products. General contractor Schaerer Contracting Company Incorporated (Chattanooga, Tennessee) kicked off construction earlier this year and is expected to wrap up the project by the end of 2024. Subscribers to the Industrial Manufacturing Project Database can click here to learn more.
Indicative of the move into technical textiles, Tex Tech Industries Incorporated (Kernersville, North Carolina) is growing its manufacturing footprint with plans to build a grassroot high-performance textiles manufacturing plant in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Tex Tech's project includes constructing a 170,000-square-foot building with production equipment and supporting systems to manufacture the company's range of specialty textiles and textile coatings that are used primarily in the aerospace, automotive and medical industries. Construction is expected to kick off early next year, with the plant expected to start operations by the end of 2024. Subscribers can click here for more details.
Outside of the Mid-Atlantic market region, but firmly in the southeastern U.S., Tennessee also is seeing some prominent project activity. Also aimed toward industrial uses, Kordsa Global (Izmet, Turkey) is expanding its industrial nylon manufacturing plant by installing new machinery to allow the company to convert its products into tire cord fabric on the site. Tire cord is reinforcement used to maintain the shape of an automobile tire. Construction is in the beginning stages, and the project is expected to be completed in the first half of next year. Subscribers can click here to learn more.
In a nod toward ethical consumerism, Natural Fiber Welding (Peoria, Illinois) is renovating its plant in Peoria with new production equipment to expand production of Mirum, a plant-based leather alternative that also is plastic-free, avoiding petroleum products. The project began in 2021 and is approaching completion.
Another alternative leather plant was recently completed in Union, South Carolina. MycoWorks Incorporated recently completed construction on a grassroot plant that will use its Fine Mycelium technology to manufacture Reishi, a leather alternative used in the fashion, footwear, automotive and decor sectors.
Subscribers can learn more by viewing the project reports on the Illinois and South Carolina alternative leather projects.
Fashion also dictates what occurs in the textiles industry, and the manufacture of apparel also features in Industrial Info's coverage of the textiles sector. In Bryan, Texas, for example, C.C. Creations Limited (College Station, Texas) is approaching completion on a 210,000-square-foot facility that will both consolidate existing operations and expand production capacity to meet growing demand for the company's range of embroidered and screen-printed clothing, signs and banners. The project has been underway since late last year. Subscribers can click here to view the project report.
The U.S. textile industry is shifting in new directions, making it a dynamic industry that has seen a resurgence over the past few years, particularly in the southeastern U.S. With ethical buying and consumers' environmental consciousness gaining ground, the industry seems set to expand for years to come.
Subscribers to Industrial Info's GMI Industrial Manufacturing Project Database can click here to view reports for all of the projects discussed in this article and click here for the related plant profiles.
