We’re hearing more about the issue of thread waste in the textiles industry, with a growing number of solutions coming to market to tackle the issue. It might not sound like a big deal…I mean, really, how much of a problem can thread be? Turns out it can be a big problem. Manufacturers must maintain thread inventories, and often need to order thread in custom colors—in large quantities using conventional thread manufacturing processes. It takes time to receive the thread, and if it is not all used in the first project, it may never be used at all. Heaven forbid if you run out and have to endure reorder times.

Another aspect is the growing demand for embroidery embellishment on textile products. It can be difficult—if not impossible—to produce complex multi-colored embroidered designs using conventional multi-head technology.

What if you could cost-effectively color thread on demand? You know exactly how much of each color you need and in what order. You produce what you need, and you can do even very complex embroidery designs using a single head. That’s a dream that’s rapidly becoming a reality. Coloreel is another example of thread on demand in action. We spoke to CEO Mattias Nordin to take a deeper look.