To tackle workers’ reluctance to work in a traditional textile factory and boost the US textile sector, Softwear Automation recently announced SEWBOTS-as-a- Service, a rental lease service to allow manufacturers, brands and retailers to source and manufacture in the country at a lower cost than outsourcing and with greater predictability and quality.
The focus is to offer US textile manufacturing more control, greater margin, faster turn times and less inventory, according to a statement from the company. From 1994 to 2005, the United States lost more than 900,000 textile and apparel jobs to offshoring. But in the last six years, there have been significant announcements by foreignowned textile companies investing in the United States.
SEWBOTS-as-a-Service creates immediate return-on-investment benefits while enabling scale across retailer, brand and manufacturer. For a monthly fee starting at $5,000 per robot, a factory can add annual production capacity of up to 1 mn units (product dependent). This enables a manufacturer to bring on a Sewbot for just over $55 per shift.
SEWBOTS-as-a-Service is focused on bringing scale to basic sewn good production within the country of destination. This focus allows manufacturers to move current seamstresses to premium products while creating a more reactive, reliable and sustainable textile ecosystem, the company said.
