Industry News
DenimFWD Opens the World’s First “Urban Factory” Bringing Textile Production Back to the USA
The world’s first “Urban Factory” is opened by Denim Forward, Inc. (DenimFWD). A company for implementing advanced manufacturing and transformational technology, DenimFWD is contributing to the return of textile production to the United States. Located in the City of Industry, California (30 minutes from Los Angeles) the plant integrates revolutionary technologies that transform the textile industry production model into one that is on-demand, close to the customer, and completely sustainable, digital, and automated.
DenimFWD is changing the operating model and bringing back 15-25% of manufacturing production to the US, initiating the reindustrialization process needed in the textile industry.
Carlos Arias, CEO at DenimFWD has highlighted that the pandemic has accelerated local production and the change in the operating model: “which is why it is the moment to bring manufacturing back to the US boosting a new generation of industrialists and technological artisans, connecting creativity and production at the same time as changing how things are produced.”
He adds “We are committed to revolutionary technologies that allow a 100% sustainable on-demand production close to the consumer, digitalizing the whole process and improving the processes and product while also saving costs and speeding up time-to-market.”
“With this Urban Factory the consumer will decide to buy a product and that product will be finished at that moment and delivered that same day, eliminating stock.” This is a huge advance in the textile industry where 20% of garments produced are never used and end up in landfills or incinerated.
Urban Factory: a complete transformation of the production model
Urban Factory is creating a complete transformation of the operating model in the denim industry. To do so DenimFWD has teamed up with Jeanologia (world leaders in sustainable and efficient technology development) as their expert technology partners.
For Enrique Silla, CEO at Jeanologia “we are convinced that a new production model is possible”, That’s why “we have joined forces with companies from our industry such as DenimFWD that share our values and objectives like Mission Zero, to eliminate 100% of discharge and pollution from jeans in all the world.” He underlines that “Urban Factory is the culmination of work carried out during the last few years and our contribution to the jeans industry to turn it into a case study that can be translated to the rest of garments manufacturing, starting a new era with a completely sustainable and digital production.”
On-demand production, sustainable and digitalDenimFWD’s Urban Factory minimizes delivery times and can produce up to 5,000 jeans and 4,000 t-shirts a day sustainably and efficiently. Its Eco-sustainable operating model for advanced digital production integrates Jeanologia hardware and software. These bring five fundamental benefits to the textile industry: being eco-efficient, scalable, agile, digital, and having a neutral cost: connecting designers, producers, and consumers.
DenimFWD is transforming the industry by producing what is sold instead of selling what is produced, reducing operational costs and environmental impact, guaranteeing zero discharge.
Among the main Jeanologia technologies used by Urban Factory are laser, G2 Ozone, e-Flow, SmartBox, ColorBox, EIM (software for measuring environmental impact), and H2Zero (the first water treatment and recycling system that produces zero discharge without extra costs). It will have the first active Handman in the US, allowing production automation with robots and humans to achieve agile, clean, and scalable production. Also, eDesigner will give designers a tool for making digital designing easier, faster, and more dynamic since what they see on the screen is what they get in the finishing.
About HandmanJeanologia has led the change of how jeans are designed and produced, through a combination of its technologies it has transformed the production model. Now, with Handman, there is a total revolution of the process.
The technology is equipped with two lasers and a robot cabinet. A human and a robot work together to produce with scalability, agility, sustainability, and efficiency. Two humans working with two robots can produce 10,000 vintage jeans in 24 hours without discharge. Handman is a reality and currently is in use in 3 plants around the world, producing 5 million jeans a year. Handman also changes the relationship between brands, retailers, and producers, allowing them to be more strategic and interconnected. Brands communicate directly with Handman and their production centers, and designers send instructions directly to the production centers. “Moving from traditional transactions to more strategic and interconnected ones. For the first time, consumers and production centers will be connected, brands will become creative platforms that allow connection between consumer and producer”, concludes Silla.
The technology is equipped with two lasers and a robot cabinet. A human and a robot work together to produce with scalability, agility, sustainability, and efficiency. Two humans working with two robots can produce 10,000 vintage jeans in 24 hours without discharge. Handman is a reality and currently is in use in 3 plants around the world, producing 5 million jeans a year. Handman also changes the relationship between brands, retailers, and producers, allowing them to be more strategic and interconnected. Brands communicate directly with Handman and their production centers, and designers send instructions directly to the production centers. “Moving from traditional transactions to more strategic and interconnected ones. For the first time, consumers and production centers will be connected, brands will become creative platforms that allow connection between consumer and producer”, concludes Silla.