Jay Self
The President and COO Jay Self serves on the board of National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO).
Self and the NCTO are working tirelessly to ensure the best language possible for the industry is included in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a 12-country trade pact that, to the U.S. textiles’ chagrin, includes Vietnam and its heavily subsidized textile and apparel industry. The NCTO also stays on top of any legislative talk of changes to the Berry Amendment, which requires the Department of Defense to give preference in procurement to domestically produced, manufactured or home-grown U.S. products, most notably food, clothing, fabrics and specialty metals. “The Berry Amendment is the single most important legislation for our company,” Self said.
Going Forward
In 25 years, Greenwood Mills has been forced by many issues out of its control to transform itself into a leaner, more efficient version of the company that celebrated its centennial in 1989. Its metamorphosis mirrors that of much of the U.S. textile industry. But company leaders have made the changes – and the difficult decisions – necessary to remain a viable, going interest in the competitive worldwide market. But throughout this seismic quarter century, it held true to its core values and principles: Its mission to achieve the best quality possible. Its customer-focused mindset. Its desire to give back. As it faces a continually fast-evolving future, Greenwood Mills appears to have in place the management team and employees it needs to differentiate itself and remain a player in the global textile and apparel market. One thing is certain – the world will always need clothes. And along with this need is a big American consumer demand: fast fashion. Advantage: this hemisphere. Along with the fact the U.S. has one of the world’s cheapest energy supplies, and wages in Asia are rising, more retailers and brand owners are taking a second look at North America in general and the U.S. in particular to help fulfill their needs. Many of these retailers and brand owners are beginning to realize that the massive decline in good-paying manufacturing jobs and the move to shift much of the U.S. to a service economy has resulted in less buying power by their customers. As such, a “re-shoring” move is afoot to bring manufacturing back to this country. In 2013, Walmart announced it would spend an additional $250 billion over the next 10 years on American-made goods in an effort to grow U.S. manufacturing and encourage the creation of U.S. jobs. Other retailers are taking a second look at the U.S., too. This bodes well for Greenwood Mills and he U.S. textile industrial complex. A few trends also help give the U.S., and in some areas the NAFTA/CAFTA region, the upper hand: • high-tech, niche processes with purpose-targeted properties are more prevalent here than other parts of the world; • the establishment and expansion of textiles as materials in many sectors and application fields such as transport systems, construction, medical applications and wearable electronics; Greenwood Mills – The Character of Quality, 5th Edition, 2014 33 • the end of the mass manufacturing era of textile products to customized, personalized, on-demand production, along with intelligent logistics, distribution and services; and • consumer demands for sustainable, responsible products and processes. Toss in the continuance of the Berry Amendment, which mandates that goods used by the Department of Defense be made in America, and Greenwood’s future appears bright. While the company is always on the lookout for new opportunities, its focus now is making sure its plant and processes are always state-of-the-art in order to meet its quality objectives. Exceptional quality is expected by all our customers; this understood by all Greenwood employees. For 125 years, Greenwood Mills has demonstrated a tremendous ability to adapt to change and endure. Through wars, a Depression, recessions, energy crises, rapidly rising imports and more, the company has made its way in the world of textiles. Put Greenwood Mills on the short list of survivors. It’s evident, this company – and this family – will never, ever give up.
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