Don Alexander, President, Anovotek, LLC
Textile products containing performance attributes offer great opportunity in the USA market but typically require global supply chains, large volume commitments and long lead times. Textile fabric finishing in the USA is viable, however finding cutting and sewing capacity in the USA is extremely difficult. Protecting IP when finishing fabrics offshore is nearly impossible despite the efforts being made through global trade agreements. This presentation will detail an innovative, entrepreneurial approach for value-added finishing in the USA. Utilizing both domestic and global supply chains for products while doing value added finishing in the USA coupled with direct-to-consumer sales will be discussed. A case study of a current manufacturing operation utilizing this approach and will be presented including processing options, process control and process performance data. The success of a performance apparel brand using this approach will also be discussed.
