VOA慢速英語:美國紡織業(yè)煥發(fā)新生
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American Textile Industry Shows New signs of Life
From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report.
這里是美國之音慢速英語科技報道。
The textile and clothing industry in the United States is growing again after many years of decline. Many of the factories are competing against factories that pay low wages in countries like China.
美國的紡織服裝行業(yè)經過多年萎縮后又開始增長。這些工廠的很多開始和中國等低工資國家的工廠開始競爭。
VOA visited the southern state of North Carolina. The textile industry there was once one of the most important businesses in the state. It has reinvented itself using technology and employing fewer people than before.
美國之音探訪了南部的北卡羅萊納州。這里的紡織業(yè)曾經是該州最重要的產業(yè)之一。如今它通過采用科學技術和雇傭更少人工徹底改造了自己。
Robots do most of the work at the National Spinning Company factory in Burlington, North Carolina. The factory dyes more than 110,000 kilograms of yarn every week in many different colors. The yarn is sent to clothing and furniture makers both in the U.S. and around the world.
在北卡萊來納州伯靈頓市的全美紡紗公司工廠，機器人完成了大部分的工作。該工廠每周染出超過11萬公斤各種顏色的紗線。這些紗線被送往美國和世界各地的服裝和家具制造商。
Michael Hankensen is one of only two workers who take care of the dye producing machines.
邁克爾·漢肯森(Michael Hankensen)是維護該染料生產機器的兩名員工之一。
"As you see, most of this is extremely heavy, cumbersome, and trying to move it around in the order that these robots do it, it would take an army of men to accomplish what these robots do," said Hankensen.
漢肯森表示，“如你所見，這些東西大部分都極其笨重。如果像機器人這樣按順序移動它們，會把工人胳膊都累斷的。”
Technology is helping the company compete with factories in other countries that pay workers only a few dollars a day. The National Spinning Company factory pays its 100 employees between $10 and $20 an hour.
科技正幫助該公司與其它國家每天只付給工人幾美元工資的工廠競爭。全美紡紗公司工廠給它100名員工支付的工資是10到20美元每小時。
Ed Atkins manages the factory. He says it is important for the company to limit labor costs, but he says, it must also make high quality products, and he says, the company must provide good customer service to compete in the international market place.
埃德·阿特金(Ed Atkins)管理者這家工廠。他說，限制勞動力成本對該公司很重要，但他表示，公司還必須生產出高質量的產品，他還表示，該公司必須提供良好的客戶服務以在國際市場上競爭。
"We've diversified ourselves, looked for markets that depended on the quick response that you can provide from American-made products, little niche markets. I mean we don't try to compete in the generic cotton business or anything like that, because it's not where our strengths are," said Atkins.
阿特金表示，“我們已經成功多元化，尋找到依賴快速反應的市場，我們可以提供小眾市場的美國制造產品。我的意思是，我們不要試圖在一般棉花交易或類似東西上競爭，因為那不是我們的優(yōu)勢。”
Deborah Wince-Smith is the president of the Council on Competitiveness, she says the textile industry must continue to develop technology.
德博拉·文斯-史密斯(Deborah Wince-Smith)是美國競爭力委員會的主席。她表示，紡織工業(yè)必須繼續(xù)發(fā)展技術。
"Companies and enterprises are really bringing their core activities to where they have a skilled workforce, where they have innovation talent and where they're actually able to develop the next generation of innovation that drives manufacturing," said Wince-Smith.
文斯-史密斯說，“公司和企業(yè)的核心業(yè)務是熟練勞動力、技術創(chuàng)新人才以及能夠開發(fā)出推動制造業(yè)發(fā)展的下一代技術創(chuàng)新。”
The textile industry has built 23 factories in the last three years, it has also increased its exports by 30 percent. To the surprise of many, the American textile industry is showing new signs of life.
在過去三年里，紡織業(yè)已經建成了23家工廠。它還將其出口提高了30%。令許多人驚訝的是，美國紡織業(yè)正煥發(fā)新生。
American Textile Industry Shows New signs of Life
By VOA
09 February, 2014
From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report.
The textile and clothing industry in the United States is growing again after many years of decline. Many of the factories are competing against factories that pay low wages in countries like China.
VOA visited the southern state of North Carolina. The textile industry there was once one of the most important businesses in the state. It has reinvented itself using technology and employing fewer people than before.
Robots do most of the work at the National Spinning Company factory in Burlington, North Carolina. The factory dyes more than 110,000 kilograms of yarn every week in many different colors. The yarn is sent to clothing and furniture makers both in the U.S. and around the world.
Michael Hankensen is one of only two workers who take care of the dye producing machines.
"As you see, most of this is extremely heavy, cumbersome, and trying to move it around in the order that these robots do it, it would take an army of men to accomplish what these robots do," said Hankensen.
Technology is helping the company compete with factories in other countries that pay workers only a few dollars a day. The National Spinning Company factory pays its 100 employees between $10 and $20 an hour.
Ed Atkins manages the factory. He says it is important for the company to limit labor costs, but he says, it must also make high quality products, and he says, the company must provide good customer service to compete in the international market place.
"We've diversified ourselves, looked for markets that depended on the quick response that you can provide from American-made products, little niche markets. I mean we don't try to compete in the generic cotton business or anything like that, because it's not where our strengths are," said Atkins.
Deborah Wince-Smith is the president of the Council on Competitiveness, she says the textile industry must continue to develop technology.
"Companies and enterprises are really bringing their core activities to where they have a skilled workforce, where they have innovation talent and where they're actually able to develop the next generation of innovation that drives manufacturing," said Wince-Smith.
The textile industry has built 23 factories in the last three years, it has also increased its exports by 30 percent. To the surprise of many, the American textile industry is showing new signs of life.
And that's the Technology Report from VOA Learning English. Have a question or comment about this show? Email us at [email protected]. For more of our programs, visit our website at chinavoa.com. We are also on Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn, iTunes and Twitter at VOA Learning English. I'm June Simms.
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