U.S. Textile Manufacturers are Building for the Future

There's a lot of buzz around "Made in the USA" but turning that tagline into reality is more complicated. For U.S. textile manufacturers, competition from Asia and other countries has had a deep impact. More than 30 U.S. textile mills have closed in the past couple of years as businesses compete with countries where labor and other costs are cheaper.

"Just the cost of manufacturing in the U.S. is more," said Bill Rogers, president and COO of Mauldin, S.C.-based denim manufacturer Mount Vernon Mills, founded as a cotton yarn manufacturer in 1845. "We pay a living wage to people. We provide health benefits for employees, we provide savings options like 401(k)s and things like that, which is considered normal and standard here but are not normal and standard overseas. I can't pay $2 an hour, and force people to work overtime."

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