As pressures throughout the textile supply chain continue to mount, innovative strategies are critical for the cotton industry’s continued success. Amongst those developments, increasing productivity, process efficiency and profitability are priority objectives in securing the future of the industry.
Contributing to already tight margins and timelines seen throughout the supply chain is a new urgency driven by 2020’s global pandemic. From retail store closures to fashion show cancellations, the pandemic has had far and wide effects on the fashion and textile industries that will continue to impact businesses across the globe for the foreseeable future. Equally affected are mills and manufacturers as garment orders continue to see cancellations, global operation shutdowns and increased strain from brands and retailers during cost negotiations.
To enable mills and manufacturers to combat these preexisting and more recent pressures, COTTON USA™ recently introduced its new game-changing COTTON USA SOLUTIONS™ technical consultancy program. With access to our first-of-its-kind industry initiative, businesses can equip themselves with the resources, data and opportunities they need for next-level success and profitability.
While developing the program over the last two years, we worked with a team of technical experts with a combined experience of over 200 years to visit mills around the world to understand the inefficiencies suppliers most often face. These experts made it their goal to test out and identify solutions across a range of areas. Throughout visits to over 1,500 mills in 50 countries, we gathered insights on how U.S. cotton could be used to make operations more efficient and productive, with a higher quality output.
Our program provides suppliers with an arsenal of data-driven solutions, each designed with a specific purpose in mind. The five offerings, complimentary for COTTON USA licensees, include:
- Mill Studies – 6 studies, with more in development, based on controlled on-site testing by independent third party companies to identify best practices in spinning cotton
- Technical Seminars – one-day sessions with advice on how to use and optimize U.S. cotton
- Mill Exchange Program – executive-level tour of COTTON USA licensee signature mills, to exchange ideas with key textile mill leaders from around the world
- 1:1 Mill Consults – personalized, virtual or in-person, mill examination and consultation
- Mill Mastery Course – soon-to-be-available course of study featuring a collection of advanced practices, covering everything from raw cotton to bale management to quality control
Included in these offerings is the Virtual Mill Doctor™, an easy way to access our 1:1 mill consult benefits. Using Microsoft Remote Assist technology, CCI can visit mills without physically being there. Mills can live stream footage from the factory to our technical experts, who will then provide customized ideas and recommendations that can result in more efficiency and lower costs.
The COTTON USA SOLUTIONS™ consultancy program is a direct reflection of the premium value COTTON USA brings to the textile industry and the dedication we have toward the mills and manufacturers playing a vital role in the supply chain. Elevating these businesses with the latest techniques, methods and data leads to a more profitable operation and strengthens the supply chain as a whole.
While looking at the future of the fashion and cotton industries, mills and manufacturers need to identify and adopt strategies that are cost-effective, time- or resource-saving or that improve quality and processing. This is as critical right now as ever before with the effects of the pandemic as every component of the supply chain – from supplier to retailer – looks toward recovery.
The COTTON USA SOLUTIONS™ program, led by its five data-driven offerings, is positioned to help overcome these many pressures – new and existing – ultimately enabling mills and manufacturers to transform their businesses for the better.
AUTHOR:
Bruce Atherley, Executive Director, Cotton Council International
About COTTON USA
Cotton Council International (CCI) is a non-profit trade association that promotes U.S. cotton fiber and manufactured cotton products around the globe with our COTTON USA™ Mark. Our reach extends to more than 50 countries through 20 offices around the world. With more than 60 years of experience, CCI’s mission is to make U.S. cotton the preferred fiber for mills/manufacturers, brands/retailers and consumers, commanding a value-added premium that delivers profitability across the U.S. cotton industry and drives export growth of fiber, yarn and other cotton products. To learn more, visit: https://cottonusa.org/.
About COTTON USA SOLUTIONS™
COTTON USA™ just introduced COTTON USA SOLUTIONS™, the industry’s first-of-its-kind technical consultancy program that helps mills and manufacturers achieve greater productivity, process efficiency, and profit for their businesses. The program will officially launch on October 1, 2020. To learn more, visit: https://cottonusa.org/solutions.
