NCTO: 2017 state of the U.S. textile industry

Outgoing 2016 National Council of Textile Organizations (NCTO) Chairman Robert H. Chapman III delivered the trade association’s 2017 State of the U.S. Textile Industry overview at NCTO’s Annual Meeting on March 23 at the Capitol Hilton in Washington, D.C.

Chapman’s statement outlined U.S. textile supply chain economic, employment, and trade data, as well as the 2017 policy priorities of domestic textile manufacturers. Chapman is chair and CEO of Inman Mills, a yarn and fabric manufacturer headquartered in Inman, S.C.

NCTO is a Washington, D.C.–based trade association that represents domestic textile manufacturers.

Chapman noted that

• U.S. employment in the textile supply chain was 565,000 in 2016.
• The value of shipments for U.S. textiles and apparel was $74.4 billion last year, a nearly 11% increase since 2009.
• U.S. exports of fiber, textiles and apparel were $26.3 billion in 2016.
• Capital expenditures for textile and apparel production totaled $2 billion in 2015, the last year for which data is available.

To view the full text of his speech, visit bit.ly/2nYxTWc.