Or the other way round: How to present yarn production for young target groups in a modern way? Over the summer, it is not always easy to find interesting news for the global readers of this column. Many companies are closed and have annual holidays for their premises. News, rumors and even gossip are quite rare to end up on this page. However, the coming months will create stress because of ITMA 2015 — to be held in November in Italy.
New Media
This phrase, which can be seen everywhere stands today for all kind of electronic communication tools in the continually exploding internet and on social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube. For people over 40 (or younger?), it is sometimes strange to see that a group of young people doesn’t talk to each other anymore, but rather push like fools the buttons of their cell phones. Manufacturers of cell phones are doing everything to get these phones or better communication tools even more user friendly. Not least, young people use social media as an important part of their communications activities. Without any doubt, the rise of new or social media is unstoppable, but it also has its possible dangers and traps.
In the fashion trade, social media have an indispensible tool to communicate with the outside world for quite a long time. Many famous labels have a well maintained website. On the other hand there are many interest groups who communicate in a lively way with each other in forums. Not to ignore the ongoing debates on the internet and social media about life cycle analyses and the unknown number of “green” labels and standards. So the question remains, what can the upstream sectors such as textile machinery producers do to communicate with its existing, and more importantly, with its future customers? For years, direct mailing was the biggest opponent of the classic advertising in print media.
Also For The Textile Machinery
Now the textile machinery industry, has discovered new or social media for the communication with future clients or interested parties. Recently, the Rupp Report got a message from the Switzerland-based Rieter Group about a movie called “The World Of Spinning” referring to yarn spinning. The company’s explanation was how to show ordinary people yarn production. Clicking on the attached link took only a few seconds.
And, surprise, surprise, opening the link revealed numerous short films about textile production and textile machinery. Yet the number of clicks wasn’t that impressive at all. However, as in every new activity, the start of something new is in most cases not that easy and fast. But before going into that let’s talk about the video — or is video already an outdated word?
The seven-minute long production starts with the declaration that Rieter offers equipment for all four existing spinning technologies: ring-spun yarn; compact yarn; rotor-spun yarn; and, the latest, air-jet spun yarn.
Detailed Information
The film aims to educate non-professionals about yarn production in a rather detailed, but not overloaded way. Each of the four processes starts of course with fiber preparation. Then as every professional knows, the following production steps are different. Ring spinning is declared to be the “classic product with an enormous flexibility.” Compact yarns feature — of course — less hairiness. Furthermore, rotor yarn is acknowledged “to be manufactured with high productivity.” And finally, is the air-jet yarns. “Air-jet machines also provide high production rates,” claims the voice in video.
The whole production is shown with animations and the viewer is guided through all four technologies of the spinning process with clear pictures and comments. Most of the sequences look very clear and the animation is good. The advantage of new media is the fact that one can stop the film whenever he wants and repeat to get the message even clearer.
The Rupp Report assumes this movie was produced mainly for people working in downstream sectors, and this movie would eventually provoke a push-and-pull effect in the market. However, the video’s impact could probably be intensified: The viewer may be left with the question — for which end-product should I buy fabrics made of ring, compact, rotor or air-jet spun yarn? The production is attractive, however, and a promising start into a new age of education.
In a previous paragraph it was mentioned that: “… the number of clicks wasn’t that impressive at all. However, as in every new activity, the start to do something new is in most cases not that fast.” Maybe this Rupp Report will open the eyes of some readers for their own activities in this field. If you, dear reader, want to watch the film please click here.
If you wish to share your comments with other readers of the Rupp Report, please write to jrupp@texileworld.com, and we will gladly put your comments in the frame of a global audience. And that’s what social — or new — media is all about.
July 21, 2015
