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OCR for page 1
Summary
The primary objective of this study was to assess the future
international competitiveness of the U.S. textile complex. To
accomplish this objective, a number of steps were undertaken.
The first step was to analyze major changes in competitive
c onditions in the global textile complex, such as changes in
production, consumption, trade, investment, technology, and levels
of government intervention. A second step was to ascertain how
these changes were affecting the U.S. textile complex, such as its
employment, number of firms, profitability, and market share. A
third step was to forecast future competitive conditions and their
potential dominant, shaping forces. A fourth step was to identify
major strategies undertaken or being considered by various enter-
prises and governments inside and outside the United States. The
final step was to analyze the future strengths and weaknesses of
the U.S. textile complex (in terms of its ability to increase its
international competitiveness) and suggest options the U.S. gov-
e rnment and industry should consider if it seeks to create an
environment conducive to increasing the U.S. textile complex's
international competitiveness.
The major findings of the study were the following:
· The level and intensity of global competition in the textile
complex have increased sharply and are expected to continue to
increase in the future.
· Both consumption and production have increased
significantly in developing nations, often at the expense of
developed countries. This phenomenon has been particularly true
for the apparel segment of the textile complex, although it has
been true to some degree for virtually all segments.
· Th e development and international spread of new tech-
nology have accelerated rapidly, especially in recent years in yarn
spinning and fabric formation. A major result has been increasing
capital intensity and industry concentration levels in the face of
higher risks and costs of new product and process development.
OCR for page 2
2
· Government intervention in the global textile complex has
also increased significantly over the past two decades. While
general levels of tariff protection have decreased, other forms of
trade barriers and government assistance to domestic textile
complexes have increased, the latter particularly in developing
countries. In developed countries, one major intent of these
policies was to slow the reduction in domestic employment caused
by increasing import competition. In developing countries, the
primary purpose was to expand domestic employment and generate
increased export earnings.
· R elative to its counterparts in Europe, the U.S. textile
complex did not suffer as extensively from the combined impact
of the trends enumerated above. On the other hand, U.S. per-
f ormance, compared with textile complexes in most Asian
countries, was not as good, due primarily to the comparative
weakness of the apparel segment. However, in some specific
segments, notably man-made fiber and yarn production, the U.S.
industry continues to hold a competitive position. Various parts of
the textile segment fell somewhere in between.
· ~ general, many firms in the U.S. textile complex are
capable of improving their competitiveness, and most of the larger
firms are taking many of the steps necessary to increase their
competitiveness. However, increasing the international competi-
tiveness of the U.S. textile complex will not probably result in
increased domestic employment, or even in maintaining existing
employment levels.
· While much of the increased international competitiveness
of the U.S. textile complex can result directly from the activities
of the firms themselves, changes in a number of U.S. government
policies would clearly facilitate the process.
In sum, the panel pro jected a more internationally compet i-
tive, but smaller (in terms of number of firms and workers), U.S.
textile complex in the future, almost regardless of any changes in
government policy. Thus, government policies will have their
greatest impact on the speed and extent of the changes visualized,
rather than the direction of the changes. It was the consensus of
the panel that government policy should be directed tower d
achieving as orderly a transition as feasible, and that it should be
more consistent, proactive, and comprehensive than it has been in
the past.
Representative terms from entire chapter:
domestic employment
