Textile Industry is a Key Player in Today's Global Marketplace,
Executive Tells Crowd at Annual Textile Scholarship Banquet

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 10/13/2000
(By Lisa Garrett)

PENDLETON -- As third world countries become industrialized, the demand for textiles worldwide will increase, and South Carolina industry is poised to play a part in that growth, Dr. James R. Morris, Jr., executive vice president of the S.C. Manufacturers Alliance, told a crowd at Tri-County Technical College's 28th annual Textile Management Technology scholarship awards banquet.

The Textile industry offers a wide range of interesting and diverse careers, said Dr. Morris, addressing the College's first- and second-year textile management students and industry executives in the audience. "Global expansion is creating more of a demand for skilled professionals, such as scientists, engineers, chemists and computer specialists, as well as more highly skilled workers to operate high-tech machinery, said Dr. Morris. Textiles is a $69 billion a year industry that employs more than 560,000 people in nearly every state.

"Every year, the industry invests more than $2 billion in new plants and equipment to ensure that it remains competitive both domestically and internationally," he added.

Textile products permeates every aspect of our lives, said Dr. Morris, who cited these examples:

o Annually, the U.S. textile plants produce 7,100 square miles of fabric – enough material to cover Connecticut, Rhode Island and part of Massachusetts.

o If the 7,100 square miles of fabric that U. S. textile manufactures produce each year were made into a strip one yard wide, it would be enough to encircle the earth 500 times – or make 26 trips to the moon and back.

o A man's shirt contains 900 miles of fiber filament -- enough to stretch from Chicago to Washington.

o Annual production of a tea bag string alone would encircle the earth 67 times.

o The Jarvik – 7 artificial heart is made up of more than 50 percent textile fibers and has velcro fittings.

o The artificial kidney used in dialysis is made up of approximately 5,000 to 10,000 hollow fibers, yet is only about two inches in diameter.

o More than 75 percent of the strength of a tire comes from textiles.

The US textile industry is not only the world's leader in textiles, but also is environmentally conscious, said Dr. Morris. In an effort to reduce scrap material and plastic sent to landfills, recycled soda bottles and plastic food containers are being used to make fabric such as denim. Textiles also have hidden applications -- they are used in automobile brakes, artificial arteries and hearts, roadways, and airplanes, he added.

One of the industry's biggest customers is the military whose department of defense alone uses more than 100,000 textile products each year. These products range from tents and parachutes to masks and protective clothing for chemical and biological warfare.

In closing, Dr. Morris commended the students for choosing a career in textile management and reminded them of the career benefits. "The field of textiles offers competitive salaries and a workplace where teamwork, creativity and initiative are all encouraged," he said. "Companies are committed to providing on-the-job training and promoting from within. Associates are trained on state-of-the-art equipment and organizations encourage employee interaction. Companies are often located in cities where the cost of living is reasonable and the quality of life is high," he said.

For two decades, textiles has been ranked among the safest manufacturing industries in the nation and has been recognized as a leader in environmental preservation by the Environmental Protection Agency.
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