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From VOA Learning English, |
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this is the Technology Report. |
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The textile and clothing industry in the United States |
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is growing again after many years of decline. |
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Many of the factories are competing against factories |
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that pay low wages in countries like China. |
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VOA visited the southern state of North Carolina. |
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The textile industry there was once |
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one of the most important businesses in the state. |
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It has reinvented itself using technology |
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and employing fewer people than before. |
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Robots do most of the work |
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at the National Spinning Company factory |
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in Burlington, North Carolina. |
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The factory dyes more than 110,000 kilograms of yarn |
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every week in many different colors. |
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The yarn is sent to clothing and furniture makers |
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both in the U.S. and around the world. |
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Michael Hankensen is one of only two workers |
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who take care of the dye producing machines. |
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"As you see, most of this is extremely heavy, |
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cumbersome, and trying to move it around |
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in the order that these robots do it, |
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it would take an army of men |
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to accomplish what these robots do," said Hankensen. |
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Technology is helping the company |
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compete with factories in other countries |
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that pay workers only a few dollars a day. |
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The National Spinning Company factory pays |
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its 100 employees between $10 and $20 an hour. |
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Ed Atkins manages the factory. |
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He says it is important for the company to limit labor costs, |
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but he says, it must also make high quality products, |
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and he says, the company must provide good customer service |
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to compete in the international market place. |
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"We've diversified ourselves, looked for markets |
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that depended on the quick response |
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that you can provide from American-made products, |
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little niche markets. |
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I mean we don't try to compete |
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in the generic cotton business or anything like that, |
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because it's not where our strengths are," said Atkins. |
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Deborah Wince-Smith is the president of the Council on Competitiveness, |
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she says the textile industry must continue to develop technology. |
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"Companies and enterprises are really bringing |
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their core activities to where they have a skilled workforce, |
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where they have innovation talent |
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and where they're actually able |
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to develop the next generation of innovation |
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that drives manufacturing," said Wince-Smith. |
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The textile industry has built 23 factories |
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in the last three years, |
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it has also increased its exports by 30 percent. |
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To the surprise of many, |
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the American textile industry is showing new signs of life. |
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And that's the Technology Report from VOA Learning English. |