Industrial sewing is semi-automated but still requires skilled seamstresses.

One result of the current pandemic has been an increased focus on how to restructure the textile industry’s fragile global supply chain. Brands and retailers appear to be thinking more seriously about how and what to reshore. And a growing number of industry manufacturers are either establishing microfactories for on-demand production or augmenting conventional manufacturing with digital components.

This is a process that will take quite some time to gain critical mass. And one of the key barriers is the availability (or lack) of skilled labor. For an all-digital manufacturer, like OnPoint Manufacturing, a high level of automation takes away some of the bite in terms of labor skills. In the OnPoint model, stock white fabric can be digitally printed, moved to the cutting table inline, and intelligently cut. Pieces of each garment are gathered into a barcoded bin and directed to the appropriate seamstress(es) for finishing. Up to that point, very little skilled labor is required.