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Abstract:
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Domestic yarn manufacturers must address the requirements of all the participants in the
textile and apparel supply chain in order to remain competitive and to differentiate their
products from offshore sources. The objective of this research was to better understand these
requirements through visits to companies, elaboration of case studies, discussions and
interviews with members of the supply chain.
Case studies were conducted with the participation of machinery, yarn, fabric and apparel
manufacturers, as well as research and retail organizations. Both domestic and Latin
American companies were pursued; a total of 32 company interviews were conducted
involving 64 participants. These interviews were used to map the yarn specification process
across the supply chain; identify yarn characteristics most frequently specified; identify how
the characteristics are measured and their importance as a function of the final product. The
products investigated were denim, t-shirts, socks, sheets and sewing thread made of cotton or
poly-cotton blends.
Yarn specification across the supply chain includes three basic yarn characteristics, yarn
count, yarn type (spinning system), and fiber content. Retailers put more emphasis specifying
fabric characteristics rather than yarns characteristics. Detailed yarn characteristics such as
Uster® % CV, tensile properties, and surface characteristics are usually decided at the fabric
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and yarn manufacturing level, based on the fabric specifications and the requirements for an
optimum process performance.
Methods and equipment used to test fabrics and yarns are relatively standard for both
domestic and international companies. Analyses of different software used to manage
product data revealed that these are not used to their full extend and detailed yarn
characteristics are rarely incorporated into final product design.
It was also possible to identify performance metrics and several business practices that can
bring domestic yarn manufacturers closer to the retailers and to drive business success. These
practices were identified not only through discussions with yarn manufacturers, but from
feedback at the fabrication and retail levels. Good business relationships, availability,
capacity and location were found to be key drivers for success for commodity yarn producers
and it was found that they should try to reinforce relationships with the vendors rather than
directly with the retailers. Innovation and flexibility allow specialty yarn manufacturers to
have direct access to retailers and designers. Yarn quality, price and delivery can typically
be considered order qualifying criteria as opposed to a means of product differentiation.
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