TEXTILES: The Japanese Mill

The old Massapoag mill on the outskirts of the little North Carolina court house town of Lincolnton (pop. 5,423) looks like many another small Southern textile mill from its brick exterior. But aside from tobacco-juice stains splashed liberally about on its floor inside, the plant of the Long Shoals Cotton Mills, Inc. (projected 1960 sales: $2,500,000) is different from any other in the nation. Its solid rows of pastel blue machines bear the stamp “0-M Spinning Machine, Osaka, Japan.” Massapoag is the first mill in the U.S. to be completely fitted with Japanese-made spinning equipment. Standing beside his Japanese machines. Textile Veteran David Hunter (“Buck”) Mauney, mill superintendent and principal owner with his brother Bill, says: alt’s beautiful stuff. We’re getting better quality yarn, and we’re saving labor.”

In the heart of the Carolinas’ textile area, where Japanese imports are scorned and clerks have been known to apologize to customers for low-priced but well-made Japanese blouses. Buck Mauney’s move was bold. He made it in August last year after his U.S.-equipped yarn mill had burned down. Mauney had seen the Japanese spinning equipment at a textile show and tested a Japanese spinning frame for three months, then bought 9.000 spindles for $500,000. The best price for nearly comparable U.S. equipment was $540.-ooo. Furthermore, the Japanese equipment eliminates a full step in the spinning process and includes extra devices worth $250,000 more. By cutting out one step in the spinning process, Mauney needed six less employees. But greater efficiency permits the Mauneys to raise the minimum wage for their 85 employees from $1.15 to $1.25 per hour.

Long Shoals, which makes yarn for weavers, has suffered no loss of custom ers because of its move. Explains Buck: “Most people forget we sell a lot of stuff to Japan. A man told me I was wrong to do it. I asked him why. He said. ‘We fought a war with those people.’ I said we fought two wars with Germany, and I lost a brother in the last one, and you bought a boiler from them. He said, ‘That’s different.’ So I told him, I’m look ing ahead, not backwards. The American way is, if you can’t make it in what you’re in, get in something else. We figure we can learn from anybody, including the Japanese.’7