Army’s New Uniforms Mean Jobs and Work for Battered Textile Industry

With the end of quotas and the continued flow of imports, many have predicted the quick demise of what’s left of America’s manufacturing and textile industries. The loss of jobs, well documented in this and other publications, was expected to hasten come January 1 st. But it appears these predictions may have been short-sighted. In the nation’s south – the region most adversely affected by the elimination of quotas and offshore production, some companies and their employees are actually experiencing a reprieve of sorts. Instead of disappearing, textile jobs are actually be added.

Whom to thank? Look no further than the United States Army and its new uniform program.

“We know our workers can compete with anyone when given a fair chance, and now the Army has validated that opinion,” said Howard Coble, co-chairman of the Congressional Textile Caucus. “With so many textile and apparel manufacturing jobs being exported overseas, I am particularly proud that the U.S. Army will supply its men and women with uniforms produced right here in the 6 th District.”

Coble was referring to Fox Apparel, an Asheboro, North Carolina company that was awarded a five-year, $103.4 million contract to manufacture the Army’s new camouflage pants. The deal will allow Fox to hire 200 people, doubling its work force. “I told our people that they can stop looking over their shoulders,” Fox President Wallace Thompson said. “Their jobs are not going to China.” The additional jobs are expected to pay between $8-$14 an hour.

Under the contract, Fox will manufacture 684,000 pairs of the camo pants a year. Fox won’t begin making the pants until April, when it gets the new material. The fabric is being woven by Milliken & Company, a Spartanburg, SC, textile plant, and finished by Carlisle Finishing, the business unit of International Textile Group.

Fox will also sew some of the Army’s new camouflage jackets as part of a program that allows larger manufacturers to farm out some of their government work to smaller ones. The exchange gives the smaller company the chance to learn how to compete for contracts on its own. Fox has been working with American Apparel, a Selma, Alabama firm that was also awarded an army contract.

As reported in the July, 2004 edition of UniformMarket, the Army’s new uniform will replace the standard forest camouflage and desert camouflage with a pattern that uses muted shades of desert brown, urban gray and foliage green.

Last month, Georgia National Guard’s 48th Infantry Brigade became the first to be issued the new fatigues as part of a $3.4 billion Army-wide makeover being phased in over the next three years. The digitally redesigned material helps conceal soldiers in desert, forest and urban battlegrounds, according to Army officials. “It might give you the extra second you need, save your life maybe,” said Sgt. Marcio Soares after trying on the new uniform.

A total of twenty-two changes were made to the uniforms, with many prompted by soldiers themselves. For example, jacket and pocket buttons, which can snag on nets and gear, have been replaced with zippers and Velcro. Pockets at the jacket’s waistline were moved to the shoulders, where soldiers can reach them while wearing body armor. And uniforms now have a looser fit, allowing room to layer clothing.

Besides being more practical, the new uniforms should make soldiers’ lives easier as well. The fabric is wrinkle-free and machine-washable, and the new suede boots do not require polishing like the old black boots.

Other companies, too, were awarded a piece of the huge Army contract, breathing new life into their businesses. Bremen Bowdon Investment Company, located in Carroll County, won a $72.6 million portion of the contract, and will make from 273,000 to 456,000 uniforms for the first three years and up to 2 million over the next five years. The company will hire 100 employees, bringing the total number of workers to about 480, according to the owner, Elizabeth Plunkett Buttimer. The company also makes dress uniforms for the military as well as other nonmilitary uniforms.

Tennessee’s Tullahoma Industries was awarded a $27.6 million contract to produce coats and pants over the next five years. The contract will provide work for the company’s 350 employees at its three facilities. The company employs 260 people in Alabama and 90 each in Gruetli-Laager and Tullahoma. “The deal provides needed stability for the company,” says owner Richard Davenport. Production is set to begin in April on the 570,000 pairs of pants and 342,00 coats that Tullahoma Industries is expected to roll out over the next five years. About 90 percent of its business involves government contracts for uniforms.

The Army started developing the new uniforms two years ago and field-tested prototypes in Iraq. The final version was unveiled last June to coincide with the Army’s 229 th birthday. The uniforms will be issued in coming months to units being sent to Iraq. New soldiers entering basic training will be issued them by October, and all Army troops will be required to wear them by April, 2008.