Made in America textiles - a refocused thread

[Pony Soldier]

I think a change that needs to be looked at is the child labor laws. Growing up you could work at jobs that you were able to perform. In rural communities many started with changing irrigation pipe, bucking bales, fencing, etc. I started mowing lawns somewhere around 10. Wages were based on what they could afford and what you were capable of. If you were worth it you got more over time. By the time you got into your teens, there were opportunities working in the woods. I worked summers on farms until I was 18. The wages weren't great but it was an education in learning how to work. Getting up at daylight - going to bed at dark. Even graveyard shift mowing hay. Now our kids get to be 18 and we say now go to work. If they haven't worked up to that point why would they go to work now.

In my experience, the kids that grew up on farms are some of best - both in school and in the workplace. They don't need full time jobs but a place to start. I know it wouldn't be easy because so many of those jobs have been automated when the laws changed. Replacing our kids with illegal migrants isn't going to solve our problems. Maybe we need to look a little deeper for solutions. Physical labor in your teens is great incentive for an education. Both formal education and the trades.

 

[eye_zick]

There seems to be a ton of different pressures that would push more automation into the clothing industry. Labor is expensive and tough to find. At least specific to outdoor gear, consumers are demanding better performing and longer lasting materials. They're willing to pay higher prices if they can justify the performance. There are pressures to improve supply chains (reduce distance and time duration). Maybe all these pressures are enough to drive the investment and development of automation?

Even without, I see a ton of potential, and a trend.

The term that comes to mind is creative destruction, the idea that old industries (or processes) die bc new ones are more efficient.

I once toured an American made clothing production facility, and even back then they tried to get the human element out of the process. It was this company's impression that the majority of their returns or warranty defects arose out of someone on the floor making or not catching a mistake. In other words their automation came from their desire to be consistent in output, not in lack of labor or expensive labor. But this was well over 15 years ago, perhaps it is based on labor market today.

 

[Dos Perros]

The term that comes to mind is creative destruction, the idea that old industries (or processes) die bc new ones are more efficient.

I once toured an American made clothing production facility, and even back then they tried to get the human element out of the process. It was this company's impression that the majority of their returns or warranty defects arose out of someone on the floor making or not catching a mistake. In other words their automation came from their desire to be consistent in output, not in lack of labor or expensive labor. But this was well over 15 years ago, perhaps it is based on labor market today.

I work in an industry where quality is by far the number one priority. We are heavily scrutinized on quality escapes, that's the #1 metric, output probably being #2, and cost waaaay down the list. We definitely see process and automation as a way to make product consistently in the name of quality. We do rely heavily on people to do visual and some other inspections...some things a machine just can't do.

 

[Ho5tile1]

One problem at least where I live in the panhandle of Florida there is a placed called something like the coffee and eye guy he does eye glasses and has a giant coffee place like startbucks but way bigger more food like pastry’s etc.. he has come into my place of business and said he can’t get these kids to even come to work. he is paying them 20 bucks an hour to make coffee drinks. He says they wanna work 16 hours a week and only when they feel like it. His turnover is mind blowing these kids just won’t work and call in every week. My son works for amazon as a driver and it’s the same thing the people won’t show up for work and call out every week. When I was a young man I would have shoveled shit in a Cain break for 20 an hour from sun up to sun down. I think a lot of it starts at home with how they are raised. Parents wanna be there kids buddy and not there parent. On the automation I’m not a fan of it can’t even get a person to check me out at any store it’s all self checkout and the machine always screws up and I end up waiting 3x as long…


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[Pony Soldier]

A number of years ago when one of the mines started back up. Most of the miners had moved on with the closure and the company was having to start over with a few experienced miners and mostly a new crew. These jobs pay very well with all the benefits. The work was largely Equipment operators.

As I remember, the company had to go through 637 employees to get 230 that would show up each day - sober, drug free and safety concious.

I believe that was in the early 2000s. I think we are at a point where there has to be some hungry, cold nights in our population before an understanding that work is a necessary part of our lives.