Tactical Gear Sewing

This is a quote from a speech given by Theodore Roosevelt in Paris in April of 1910:

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

Contract manufacturing is a tricky business sometimes. I’m given the specs of the product/invention/item, and we go to work to make it. I can make a lot of things for a lot of different industries. But we’re not  product application experts. I can’t replicate the environment where your product is used and don’t conduct market research before it leaves the door.

So I always have a conversation with my customer before they place an order that goes something like, “Remember, you’re not a distributor, and I’m not a product manufacturer”. Meaning…I don’t make products, I provide a service.  I can make a product exactly the way it is spec’d, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to work/fit your application. Never take receipt of your order and ship it out without checking it first. Maybe the specs you supplied were wrong? Maybe there are small tolerances in some of the dimenions. Maybe there were slight differences in the raw materials that were not perceptible to the sewer.

Sewing is not and will never be a science of perfection, but always an art. Ever look at a roll of fabric, you’ll certainly find imperfections. Order a roll of 1″ web strap sometime and grab a ruler. From end end to end, you’ll likely find width measurements anywhere between 7/8″ to 1-1/8″. It’s not perfect and issues can and do arise in a world where you rely on visual inspection. It’s the nature of human error. 2% rejection rate is not uncommon in the textile world. We’re proud of our craftsmanship, but my customers always know to check and test their product before it is sold. My production staff  completes in the neighborhood of 75-100 custom jobs every month. We’ll never be the experts. Our knowledge is wide, but not deep.

The federal Hubzone program was established for federal contractors located in econmically challenged areas. It is well intentioned. However, for many years, the system has been abused. The SBA simply did not have a process in place to audit whether or not the firms who applied for certification actually operated at the addresses they claimed to. Fortunately, someone must have taken notice at the General Accounting office (GAO). This past March, the GAO published a report exhibiting several cases of fraud and providing a handful of excellent recommendations. For those of us who follow the rules in federal contracting, this is a big breath of fresh air.

First, they are going to implement a series of spot checks. In fact, I personally received an unannounced visit from a rep in the local Chicago SBA office last month.

But there’s another important recommendation that also caught my attention. They are suggesting that the SBA audit awards to Hubzone firms to ensure that 50% of the personnel cost expended on contracts come from that company’s own payroll. This hopefully will eliminate any occurrrence of a company receiving a Hubzone set-aside award only to outsource the entire thing to another company. Unfortunately, this is a common occurrence as well.

For too long, the government procurement offices have had a policy of just collecting notarized statements with flase claims of compliance. This is a great step forward towards achieving what the original implementers hoped for. I got my fingers crossed that system integrity and transperency is back in place.

We had the opportunity to work with this type of web for the first time. This stuff is very tough. 12 seconds on a hot knife at 800 degrees and it would not cut. Ended up using a table saw to get it done. In general, we have very tough machines. But this stuff does a doozy on your sewing machine parts, especially knives.

We recently struggled through a long process to get one of our customers to convert from cotton thread to nylon thread. While lightweight cotton thread has its place (primarily in lightweight apparel), the benefits of nylon thread are vast when it comes to tactical gear. Specifically, nylon filament thread is stronger, more elastic, and has higher abrasion resistance. All very important qualities when it comes to making products that have to stand up to a lot of wear and tear. If you are sewing an item that has high stress points like bottom seam or straps that are pulled, I highly suggest VT-295 mil spec nylon thread.

I recently received this email from a soldier in Afghanistan. He reached out to us looking for a custom cover for his vehicle in Afghanistan. We are fortunate enough to have the opportunity to help out soldiers from time to time. After he received them, he sent the following email. It’s awesome to be able to tie our passion for sewing to something as important as supporting our troops. 

Please tell all of the employees (or those that you can) that we are so very thankful for your support.  It means the world to us to know that the people at home believe in us and our mission.  Trust me when I say that we are helping these people one day at a time and that the tools that you give us are being put to good use.  Its fantastic knowing that GREAT American products are being used abroad by GREAT American people. Sleep easy, we’re on watch. 

V/R,

LT. Williams

Parade recently published a a short article on what products are still Made in the USA. Unfortunatelty, sewn products did not make the list. I’m working on changing that.

Here’s a link: http://www.parade.com/news/intelligence-report/archive/whats-made-in-the-usa.html

Excuse me while I digress for a moment…

The State Department’s contract with Blackwater for security services in Iraq ends today. This much maligned company undeservedly got bashed by the press and members of Congress. Let the record show that not a single person under the guard of Blackwater was killed or even seriously injured during their service in Iraq. That is equally indisputable and unfathomable fact. For over 5 years of service, not a single casualty. In an environment where 1000’s were killed and each of those they protected carried a target on their head, that is unbelieveable. But the Iraq government and the uninformed who call them “mercenaries” have finally gotten their wish. As they say, be careful what you ask for.

It’s a reasonable question in these times when so much of the textiles world is focused in the Far East. I spent much of my time at this year’s Shot Show in Orlando confirming my convictions. This is how I make my living after all. So I set out to talk to my Made in USA vendors of nylon, velcro, snaps, buckles, zippers, and others.

I made my rounds and clearly re-affirmed my belief that when it comes to durability, abrasion resitance, breakage, and IR reduction, you can’t beat Made in the USA mil spec product. The reality is that when you buy or look at something made in Vietnam, China, or elsewhere, they look good to the eye. But does in hold up in the theatre? Most of it wouldn’t hold up through two weeks of training. Going to play paintabll this weekend? Knock yourself out champ.

Our men and women in the battlefield know that you wouldn’t put your life on the line with this stuff. So many of our military are engaged in training the forces of other countries around the world. Ask them if they would trade gear with their co-horts. Only if it was their last day on tour and it was an act of sympathy.

I have a great book to recommend to those interested in miltary tactical gear: Battle Rattle by Hans Halberstadt. The book, available at Amazon.com, is an in-depth look on all of the gear that a soldier carries. It’s well laid out going through the first, second, and third lines of gear. In addition, it has a glossary of terms which would help anyone who understands the military’s affinity for acronyms. Don’t skip over the Foreward, written by Soldiersystems.net ’s very own Eric Graves. Eric has the background, expertise, and the passion for all things gear-wise. He provides an interesting commentary on the evolution to the current Molle/PALS system as well as the Berry Amendment. Good stuff for sure.