textilemachineries-blog

[textilemachineries-blog]

Best textile Machinery

The textile and apparel industry around the world has undergone dramatic change since the end of the quota system in 2004. According to ITMF’s International Textile Machinery Shipment Statistics, investments in new textile machinery jumped in Asia in the past 15 years both to increase and also to upgrade production. In the past 15 years, around 90% of all new machinery was shipped to Asia and the bulk of it to China. Next to new investments in better machines that consume less energy and water, textile and apparel companies also improved the livelihood of million of workers in the industry by providing jobs, upskilling and social stability. This change is visible by looking at the macro data like investments, employment or GDP. To see first-hand what this development looks like and means for the people and the environment on the ground over a period of many years, is encouraging. In the past 13 years, I had the rare opportunity to visit different facilities of a company in different countries and see how things evolved.

During my most recent visit to Esquel’s spinning facility in Changji, Xinjiang in 2017, I once again had the opportunity to see a cotton spinning mill equipped with ‘state-of-the-art’ machinery and a highly skilled staff producing premium yarns. Esquel has made incredible progress in automating the textile industry – at Esquel’s Changji facility, only 15 people are needed to run 10,000 spindles, compared to 50 people in a conventional spinning mill. An important takeaway from the visit was that Esquel’s huge investment in automation enabled them to hire and train high-quality workers from the local community. Not only are these employees trained and reskilled for long-term careers, but they are also paid significantly above the minimum wage and enjoy a higher standard of living in Xinjiang.

In the past 10 years, I have visited Esquel’s garment manufacturing factories in Vietnam twice. Just like the spinning mills in Xinjiang, the level of automation in these garment facilities surpasses the industry standard. Regarding the working conditions, it was impressive to see that the workforce not only has an excellent working environment, but they are also constantly encouraged to improve their skills and as a result, raise their salaries. Over the years, the company has attained many patents, often developed by the front-line workers, helping to increase the overall efficiency and productivity of the facilities. The dedication to long-term career development at these facilities continues to impress me. They shared data with me showing that, over time, Esquel’s workers had improved their skills and efficiency, leading to higher incomes and reduced working hours.