US cotton sector explores digital opportunities

摘要

The US is the third largest cotton producer in the world after India and China, with the current production estimate for its 2019/20 season at around 21.7 million bales. According to data from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the country produces around 15% of the world’s cotton, exporting around 75% of the cotton that it grows. America has long had a reputation for producing quality cotton fibre, and today it is looking to stay ahead of the game by meeting the ever-evolving demands from the marketplace, with the adoption of a range of digital technologies at the core of its strategy. Within the US, all cotton grown is classified and marked with a permanent bale identification (PBI) tag that is affixed to every bale of cotton. This PBI tag provides a unique number assigned to every bale that allows each bale to be traced to the cotton gin that processed the raw cotton. The PBI tag, which has been utilised for decades, is also linked to information for each bale that identifies the important fibre characteristics of the cotton in the bale – such as length, strength, micronaire (a measure of fibre maturity and fineness), and colour – that are critical for textile mills to know for the yarn manufacturing process.