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of warp knitting production and 30% of synthetic yarn processing. Viyella now has a major interest in carpets, while English Calico is deeply involved in retail distribution and Courtaulds in wholesaling.
New Concept of Finishing.
Turning to the future, and particularly the probable structure of the textile finishing trade, Dr. Blackburn forecast that the main
rce of business was not going to be the converter but the marketing organisations of the vertical groups. Very few sizeable independent converters are now left in the trade, he said; the number of these firms had fallen from 1,415 in 1960 to 848 last year, the yardage converted being 1,522 million against 2,053 million.
Spinning, weaving, finishing and merchanting, he declared, would not in the future be thought of as separate commercial processing but production and distribution would be planned together as an integrated whole. Finishing, as in warp knitting, would become a key part of the total operation because it provided the opportunity for the greatest cost savings.
The Textile Council report, Dr. Blackburn added, had forecast that there would be a reduction in the number of finishing works to around 70 by 1975 compared with the current total of 139 bleaching, dyeing or printing factories. The document contained no adequate explanation as to how these numbers were arrived at. His own estimate of the works required by 1975 was not more than 35 to 40.
Summing up, he said that the massive restructuring which had taken place in the Lancashire textile industry over the past five years had provided a framework into which the new concept of finishing could be fitted. The most effective way for firms involved to become more competitive both internationally and with the new synthetic products at home was for them to organise the finishing operation so that maximum economies are realised through long runs and bulk proces- sing.
ENCOURAGING COMMUNICATION.
From time to time statements made by individual chairmen of public companies reflect a broader out look than the particular details of the firm concerned and merit special reference in a wider field. Such a one is that provided this year by Mr. R.L. Wessel, chairman of N. Corah (St. Margaret), the well-known textile manufacturer and distributor.
Production, he says, was rising during 1968 and the weekly output of the company is now considerably higher than last year's levels. But not only production is making solid progress, all the other factors of a business need to be closely integrated. Mr. Wessel mentions marketing, merchandising, purchasing, development, testing, accounting, servicing, training and selling as equally important facets of any organisation.
Communication and understanding between managers whose activities are complementary to each other are by no means as easy or straight- forward as the outside observer might suppose, he adds. The company has made a particular effort to create a greater awareness between those who produce, those who sell and those who provide essential services and the response has been good. Such a statement may perhaps appear a little obvious but it is surprisingly often overlooked.
Mr. Wessel heads this section of his report as "Quality of Performance" but he also uses the phrase "measurement of performance" to describe the particular aspect of management on which much attent- ion is being centred. Management, he says, in this sense is to be seen as three-dimensional; measuring time, measuring space, and measuring cost. Each is vitally related to the other whether in the single smallest sewing machine operation or as a total contribution from the factory.