Editor’s Note
2020 is a special year. The sudden onset of the COVID-19 epidemic once pressed the pause button on all walks of life. As the fight against the epidemic began, the textile industry continued to accelerate its reshuffle. Looking back on 2020, facing various difficulties such as delayed start of production, insufficient orders, and inventory backlog, my country’s cotton textile enterprises persisted in improving their internal strength, promptly adjusted product structures, accelerated the pace of transformation and upgrading, and developed the domestic market to adapt to the requirements of the dual cycle pattern. The increasing labor costs have prompted cotton textile enterprises to continuously improve the digitalization and intelligence level of technical equipment. This year, unknowns and variables have confused cotton spinning enterprises; challenges and opportunities have inspired the development resilience of cotton spinning enterprises.
Conversion to the mask supply market
The new coronavirus epidemic has once made the country faced with medical masks, protective clothing, etc. In response to the shortage of protective textile resources, spinning companies across the country have done their best to switch to the production of masks and related protective products, and timely donated various materials to front-line areas fighting the epidemic.
Spinning companies issued the strongest message to fight against the epidemic
On January 27, 500 Bedding sets, 500 boxes of disposable tableware and other supplies were sent from Jihua 3542 Textile Co., Ltd. and rushed to the construction site of Wuhan Huoshenshan Hospital. In addition to delivering supplies to the Wuhan Huoshenshan Hospital construction site, Jihua 3542 Textile Co., Ltd. also raised 110 beds of cotton wool and 110 pillow cores and delivered them to three districts of Xiangyang Central Hospital to support epidemic prevention and control with practical actions.
On February 20, Zhenlun Cotton Spinning Company officially resumed work. When the national epidemic prevention medical supplies were in urgent need, all salesmen were mobilized to contact Zhenlun’s customer base one by one. Accurately screen out relevant manufacturing companies that use Zhenlun brand yarn to produce medical protective equipment, confirm the yarn and dosage required by customers, and make every effort to ensure the production of yarn for downstream epidemic prevention material units.
In response to the local situation of “a mask is hard to find”, Guangdong Esquel Textile Co., Ltd. donated 30,000 masks to the Gaoming District Government of Foshan City, relying on its research and development capabilities accumulated over the years, Innovative technology, talent team, improved supply chain, etc., quickly integrated resources, and independently developed a washable and reusable “Yijiajia” cotton mask with protective effect.
The scene of the mask production workshop of Hubei Spinning Enterprise.
In Wuhan, the frontline area of anti-epidemic, local spinning companies have launched mask production lines in time to meet the material needs. For example, Hubei Hengda Textile Co., Ltd. has no local mask production line and the demand for masks Due to the huge volume, with the efficient cooperation of the local government, the company started to produce masks on March 6, and it took less than a week to quickly set up a production line for civilian protective masks. Hubei Galaxy Textile Co., Ltd. is one of the first companies to build mask production lines in Xiangyang City. During the anti-epidemic period, the company’s nine mask production lines were operating at full capacity and could produce 550,000 masks a day, continuously supplying the market. Hubei Zhuoer Tianlong Textile Products Co., Ltd. changed its name to Hubei Zhuoer Tianlong Medical Textile Technology Co., Ltd. and switched to the production of medical protective equipment such as protective clothing and masks during the epidemic.
The smart spinning factory is beginning to take shape
In June, Weiqiao Textile “based on data flow” The “Key Technologies and Industrialization of Intelligent Spinning Factory” project passed the appraisal; in October, Huafu Fashion and Guangdong Meiyun Intelligent Number Technology Co., Ltd. signed a “Framework Agreement”, and the two parties will conduct multi-faceted cooperation in the field of spinning intelligent manufacturing . In November, Yudahua Textile and Garment Group’s “100,000-spindle full-process intelligent spinning new model application” project passed the acceptance inspection.
Information equipment promotes digital transformation in production
Nowadays, digital technology is redefining In the production chain, China’s new manufacturing, which is a convergence of automation, digitalization and intelligence, is about to emerge, and textile companies known as “thousands of yarns, tens of thousands of cloths” have been accelerating the digitalization process in the past two years. At the beginning of the year, spinning companies all faced the problem of employees returning to work due to the epidemic, and they knew that smart manufacturing was the future trend.
Yudahua Textile and Garment Group’s “100,000-spindle full-process intelligent spinning new model application” project was put into practical use for the first time We have installed 100% of the latest domestically produced complete sets of intelligent spinning equipment, AGV/orbital logistics transportation systems, and intelligent return/recycled silk collection and payment systems. We have comprehensively upgraded the digital production operation management and control system (E system), and built a comprehensive integrated intelligent logistics, intelligent An intelligent spinning production operation management and control system that integrates waste collection and payment, warehousing management and enterprise resource management systems. By applying 15 types of core intelligent equipment and systems in 4 categories, the company has achieved tight integration of information systems, process equipment, and Internet of Things systems, realized the intelligent transformation and upgrading of traditional spinning production, and reached the leading domestic and first-class international level.
After the intelligent transformation, the number of workers in the 10,000-spindle spinning production line has been reduced from 53 people in the past to less than 15 people , reduced by 71.7%, and operating costs reduced by 14.85%. With the investment in the new production line, Yudahua has realized all-round intelligent sorting and collection of materials in the entire process and in each part, which has greatly improved production efficiency and reduced operating costs. Many equipment in the workshop have been equipped with chips, and through intelligent quality control The traceability system enables product quality traceability. After the workshop was renovated, a total of 5,000 tons of yarn was produced.There are no cases of returns or claims, and the quality is very stable.
Of course, the current intelligent manufacturing in the cotton textile industry is still in the “remedial stage of 3.0” and is far from “Industry 4.0” and Real artificial intelligence is still far away. For the textile industry, companies still need to be down-to-earth and improve the level of intelligence step by step.
“Fabric version” national flag appears on the moon
At 23:10 on December 3, my country’s Chang’e-5 probe took off from the lunar surface. Before completing the sampling mission and igniting to take off, a “fabric version” of the five-star red flag carried by the Chang’e-5 probe was successfully unfurled on the lunar surface. , this is the first time that our country has independently displayed the five-star red flag on the lunar surface, and it is also the first “fabric version” national flag under harsh environmental conditions without temperature control.
It took Anhui Huamao eight years to overcome the difficulties
Looking back on 2020, the appearance of the “fabric version” national flag on the moon is definitely one of the highlights. of a sum. This bright five-star red flag shows the technical level of China’s textile industry. It is the result of collaborative cooperation and innovative research and development by scientific research teams from all parties. Its manufacturer, Anhui Huamao Group Co., Ltd., is engaged in spinning, weaving, dyeing, Many difficulties were overcome in the production process such as sewing.
The “fabric version” national flag appeared on the moon.
It is understood that the flag is mainly made of domestically produced high-performance aramid fiber materials and adopts “high-efficiency short-process embedded composite spinning technology” to overcome the problem of high-modulus differential fibers. Technical difficulties in high-quality yarn preparation. During the production process, Huamao people have gone through countless trials in every step of spinning, weaving, dyeing and sewing, and relied on strict quality control technology and adopted special production technology to overcome the difficulties in spinning production. , solved technical problems such as brightness, stickiness, and sewing flatness, met the most stringent quality requirements, and ensured the aerospace quality of the national flag. With this project, Huamao Group successfully applied for 15 national patents, including 5 invention patents. Huamao Group stated that the company will take advantage of the national flag landing on the moon to do a better job in all aspects and continue to work hard to become a manufacturing power.
Added to the Entity List by the United States
On May 24, Huafu Fashion Co., Ltd. announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary Aksu Huafu Colored Textile Co., Ltd. was included in the entity list by the U.S. Department of Commerce on May 22. On July 21, Changji Esquel Textile Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Esquel Group, was listed on the U.S. “Entity List” for being involved in so-called “forced labor.”
The two companies are independent and self-reliant and operating normally
Since last year, the Sino-US trade friction has deeply affected The textile industry is concerned. This year, two Chinese textile companies were included in the US “Entity List”, which has aroused discussion among people in the industry.
Regarding the fact that Aksu Huafu was included in the entity list by the United States, Huafu Fashion said that since its establishment, Aksu Huafu has not only been a capable company, but also a good company. For the purpose, we faithfully fulfill our social responsibilities, adhere to the concept of sustainable development, abide by relevant laws and regulations, abide by the business code of conduct, and fully respect the rights of employees. Since Huafu Fashion invested and operated Aksu Huafu, it has created many jobs and contributed to local economic and social development. Akzo Huafu’s raw materials, equipment and technology can avoid products originating from the United States, and being included in the entity list will not have a substantial impact on the company’s daily operations.
The production workshop of Huafu Aksu Huafu Colored Spinning Co., Ltd.
In the same incident, Esquel Group also responded that the accusation that Changji Esquel Co., Ltd. used forced labor was completely unfounded. The wages of technicians employed by Changji Esquel are 2 to 3 times the local minimum wage.
As for the fact that domestic textile companies have been included in the “Entity List” of the United States, experts believe that strengthening internal strength can adapt to changes despite the cancellation of overseas orders caused by the global spread of the epidemic. For one thing, domestic textile companies have realized the importance of strengthening their own strength and no longer leave their fate to major customers to prevent the crisis of order cuts.
The United States bans the import of Corps cotton
On December 2, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced A ban was issued on the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, a cotton production giant in Xinjiang that accounts for one-third of China’s total output, banning the import of cotton and cotton fabrics from this unit. The order applies to all cotton produced by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps and its affiliated units, as well as clothing, textiles and other cotton products.
Global apparel manufacturers are affected
As early as July this year, the U.S. Department of the Treasury All financial transactions with the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps are prohibited. It is understood that the cotton output of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps accounts for 1/3 of China’s total cotton output. Many well-known international clothing brands are buyers of Xinjiang cotton, textiles, and fiber products. Cotton from the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps has been deeply integrated into supply chains across China and around the world.
Regarding the US ban on the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps, some textile industry experts said that it is almost impossible to import textiles from China without the participation of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. In the medium to long term, this move will accelerate the transfer of the textile industry to Southeast Asia, and China will increase its purchase of foreign cotton. In the future, it is more likely that my country will reduce U.S. cotton imports and take countermeasures.
In addition, there are reports that the ban on Xinjiang production and Construction Corps products may have a significant impact on U.S. companies that rely on Chinese-made clothing and other products. According to estimates by the Workers’ Rights Alliance, a clothing industry watchdog group, the United States imports more than 500 million pieces of clothing containing cotton produced by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps every year. Any measures to block Xinjiang cotton imports could have a huge impact on global apparel manufacturers.
It is almost impossible to produce textiles without the participation of the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps. In the medium to long term, this move will accelerate the transfer of the textile industry to Southeast Asia, and China will increase its purchase of foreign cotton. In the future, it is more likely that my country will reduce U.S. cotton imports and take countermeasures.
In addition, there are reports that the ban on Xinjiang production and Construction Corps products may have a significant impact on U.S. companies that rely on Chinese-made clothing and other products. According to estimates by the Workers’ Rights Alliance, a clothing industry watchdog group, the United States imports more than 500 million pieces of clothing containing cotton produced by the Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps every year. Any measures to block Xinjiang cotton imports could have a huge impact on global apparel manufacturers. </p
