Specialty Fabrics Review December 2022 - 28

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2022 | energized!
SPECIALTY FABRICS
Is your social media helping your business drive sales?
W
hile you may think your business is doing everything it can to
effectively use social media, Kelsey Adamson with Wray Ward Agency,
and Ron Paratore with Trivantage presented several ideas in a campfire
session called " Effective Ways To Use Social Media To Drive Sales. "
Adamson notes there are more than 2.9 billion Facebook users and 1.4
billion Instagram users. " Besides being free, Facebook is great for sharing
work and engaging in groups like yourself such as awning makers or marine
canvas and upholstery, " she says.
Adamson and Paratore recommend creating a Facebook business page
that in many instances can even function as your company website to share
teasers and then finished products when you have permission to do so.
" The best time to post on Facebook is Tuesday between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m., "
Adamson says. " For Instagram, the best days and times to post are Monday
at 11 a.m., Tuesday and Wednesday between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m.,
and Thursday and Friday between 10 and 11 a.m.
Paratore says that, more than ever, older people are using social media;
he encouraged older business owners to start doing so as well to increase
sales. " We can all learn to participate in this, " he says. " There are more 50+
people using social now than there has ever been because it is very effective
and can drive engagement. "
The robots are coming
S
SUPPLY CHAIN CHALLENGES
S
upply chain delays and challenges are still one of the top issues facing
the textiles industry today. A panel of industry leaders discussed
the causes of these problems, the outlook for the coming year, and how
companies can best prepare themselves to deal with shortages and
longer production times. Mark Tyrrell, vice president of Lasalle Canvas
Inc., served as moderator for " Supply Chain Challenges. " The panelists
were Alex Petizian, supply management at Naizil Coated Fabrics; Jennifer
Fennell, director of supply chain at Polo Custom Products; and King
Mukherjee, founder and director of Global Impex USA.
One problem, all panelists agreed, is getting back to a " normal " balance
of supply and demand, but that's difficult when prices for raw materials, not
to mention shipping costs, have fluctuated dramatically in recent years.
" We've got a huge influx of manufacturing being demanded in the U.S.
and Canada, without the infrastructure to support that, " Fennell says.
" Everyone is balancing, How much do we invest in this economy? " Labor
continues to be tight and getting the machines to get a facility started is
incredibly difficult, she says. " Everyone is asking, How long will this last?
They are wondering when is manufacturing going to go to wherever the
next low-cost manufacturing country is? "
28 SPECIALTY FABRICS REVIEW / December 2022
ewing robots will one day replace
humans in factories, says Frank
Henderson, CEO of Henderson Sewing
Machine Co., in a session called
" Automation and Technology to Survive
and Thrive. "
" Robotics and computer-enhanced
machine technologies are beginning to
come into use, reducing the number
of workers needed for the production
of clothing, " he says. But rather than
eliminating worker positions, Henderson
says the machines can automate the
least appealing work, such as bobbin
changing and skip catching, and get the
best from employees. These " cobots, "
or collaborative robots, are designed
to share a workspace with humans,
making automation easier than ever for
businesses of all sizes. " They can even
train people to operate them, " he says.
Henderson sees this technology
being more widely used in textile
product manufacturing. " Using robotic
automation technology can change
what you are doing, but don't think it
happens overnight, " he says. " You have
to crawl before you can walk and walk
before you can run-you have to take it
one step at a time. "
Specialty Fabrics Review December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Specialty Fabrics Review December 2022
