TEXTILES.ORG
Frank Henderson, CEO of Henderson Sewing Machine Co. Inc., has some blunt advice: Automation is the future. Henderson addressed a group October 16 at the 2018 Expo Pre-Conference with an enthusiastic message of how the textile industry can move forward.
“We live in a culture of consumption. The future belongs to those who are creative and move fast. We need to embrace change,” said Henderson. He said the U.S. is cost competitive today, but companies need automation and technology to be competitive. And companies can produce on-demand goods in the U.S. instead of relying on offshore companies that involve delayed shipping and very large orders.
Henderson showed videos of numerous sewing robots and synchronized sewing systems. Attendees at the presentation viewed examples of vision-directed sewing, a furniture gantry robot and 3D shoe sewing, among Henderson’s many examples of automation.
“Cobots” are being used in a way that robots collaborate with each other and alongside humans. He explained, “How things are sewn hasn’t changed, but we do it differently now.”