"Without textiles, you wouldn't have a tire," says textile engineer Peter
Schmitt. "People don't realize that textiles are everywhere. In most cases,
you don't even see them or realize they're there."
Schmitt's whole family is in the textile business, so he knew as he grew
up that he'd study textiles and work in the family business. "Many people
who are in textiles now have family or a connection to the industry."
There are two sides to the textile industry: the apparel or home furnishings
side, and the industrial side. Schmitt works in the industrial side.
"Specifically, I design structures for mechanical rubber goods -- tires,
hosing, things of that nature. Most recently I've been using textile structures
for developing artificial arteries and artificial ligaments and tendons. Textiles
can be used in a lot of places."
Students considering a career as a textile engineer should think about
specializing in a particular industry. "In a four-year program, you'd specialize
and focus on certain aspects of textiles, such as weaving or knitting. Or
you can go through graduate-level courses and focus on a specific industry."
So does this mean a master's degree is necessary? "No, you really don't
need a master's. Some people will get their [master's of science] or PhD in
textiles if they want to get into a research or scientific position. If you
want more of an engineering or manufacturing position, a [bachelor's] is more
than adequate. If your interest is going to be more of a business aspect,
combining it with an MBA would be good."
In Wally Arkowitz's long career as a textile engineer, he's seen a lot
of exciting developments, things we take for granted. For example, consider
the zipper.
"It takes a lot of engineering to combine fabric and metal to make zippers
-- you're marrying two completely dissimilar items," says Arkowitz. "A zipper
is a very complicated thing. I developed a zipper that had a curve in it.
Everyone takes it for granted; it doesn't cost a lot, but it's an amazing
thing. It's the combination of two things that really shouldn't be combined."
Arkowitz's career as a textile engineer began during the Korean War. He
worked with the navy developing environmental clothing. "I worked on a team
that designed the thermal boot that saved countless lives and [prevented]
amputations due to frostbite."
After a very busy career, Arkowitz is semi-retired and now only works for
one company -- a manufacturer of men and boys' clothing. "When they get large
requirements for fabric, I make the fabric for them in order for them to compete
price-wise. I commission the fabric to be made for them."
Textile engineers can work in many different areas. For example, they might
work in fiber development. "Nylon came from textile engineering, as did all
the other synthetic fibers," says Arkowitz. "Textile engineers can work in
textile chemistry, which includes dyeing, finishings and coatings on fabrics.
There's textile machine design, which is mechanical engineering specifically
in the textile industry. Textile engineers can work in high-performance fabric,
such as bulletproof vests or fireproof fabrics like what the astronauts wear."
Nadia L. Zwierzchowska works for the company that established the Textile
Industry's Business Center. "We presently have over 4,700 members worldwide."
The Textile Industry's Business Center is also known as TIMS, which stands
for Textile Information Management System. TIMS is an interactive system based
on the Internet that links every member of the textile, apparel and fashion
industry. Their services include employment services and worldwide
company and item searches.
Mary Lynn Realff teaches in the textile and fiber engineering program at
Georgia Tech in Atlanta.
"I feel that the industry is very strong now," says Realff. "Over 80 percent
of the world's carpet is made in Georgia. Textiles is the number-one industry
in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. There's also a concentration
of textiles in California. The U.S. also provides many of the industrial and
specialty fabrics used in the world for fire protection, roofing, landfill
liners, medical textiles, etc. The U.S. has an advantage of being able to
produce goods very quickly. This allows us to remain competitive with China
and other countries."