Collaboration
at our core...
Collaboration and connectivity are part of our “secret sauce.” While the Manufacturing Solutions Center (MSC) drives innovation daily in the textiles industry, that impact is amplified through key partnerships. These collaborations extend our capabilities exponentially, creating a comprehensive support network for businesses of all sizes and stages.
Our partnerships are anchored in world-class research and workforce development. For example, NC State’s Wilson College of Textiles, the only college in the U.S. focused exclusively on textiles, provides cutting-edge R&D, allowing companies to test new materials and processes before they hit the market. At the same time, Gaston College helps develop the next generation of skilled technicians through its workforce programs, offering a pipeline of talent prepared for today’s advanced manufacturing.
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We also partner with The Industrial Commons to foster sustainable manufacturing and community development. Their focus on circular economy models and worker-led initiatives ensures that both innovation and social responsibility remain central to our efforts.
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Beyond these examples, we collaborate with local and regional partners, including the Carolina Textile District, the Economic Development Partnership of NC, and the SBTDC. Whether you need help with business challenges, funding opportunities, or scaling operations, our network connects you to the resources to thrive.
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By being plugged into this network, your business taps into an entire ecosystem of U.S.-based textile expertise—from product development to workforce training and sustainability practices.
Below is just a sampling of the latest collaborations we are proud to be part of...
The world has a textile waste problem, with a truckload ending up in the landfill every second and ~100 billion (yes, a B!) new garments made annually, eventually destined for a similar fate. Enter the NC Textile Innovation & Sustainability Engine (NCTISE).
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Powered by the 2022 CHIPS & Science Act, NCTISE has been chosen as a NSF Engine, opening the door to $15M over the next 2 years—and potentially up to $160M over the next decade. This powerhouse partnership includes industry leaders, academia, organizations like MSC, and many others, all working together to drive America’s textile innovation forward.
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NCTISE’s vision? To become the nation’s center for textile innovation and circularity (aka, turning old into gold).
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BOUNDARY BREAKERS
We’re not just researching, we’re revolutionizing. From creating cutting-edge materials for circularity to driving sustainability and innovation, we’re pushing the textile industry to new heights and redefining what it means to be a textile.
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A goal: Shift 200 businesses into circular production
FROM LAB TO MARKET
NCTISE isn’t just about innovation—we’re turning ideas into impact. By creating clear pathways to commercialization, we’re making sure the technologies developed with our partners drive investment, create jobs, and fuel economic growth in our region & beyond.
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A goal: Create 50 new, aligned businesses.
PATH TO PROSPERITY
Workforce development is at the heart of what we do—creating access to high-paying jobs and ensuring a skilled workforce for partner companies. Programs will provide clear pathways to employment, from secondary education to lifelong learning.
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A goal: 5,000 new jobs in circular textile economy.
Advanced Functional
Fabrics of America
The Manufacturing Solutions Center is a member of AFFOA. By being a part of AFFOA, MSC has access to AFFOA’s cache of advanced fiber technology, systems integration expertise, and connections to 120+ nationwide members with a wide variety of innovative technologies, capabilities, and interest in the advanced fiber and fabric space.
AFFOA is revolutionizing the textile industry by transforming traditional textiles into sophisticated devices and systems, enabling novel products that use fabrics as a service.
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AFFOA’s mission is to rekindle the domestic textiles industry by leading a nationwide enterprise for advanced fiber & fabric technology development and manufacturing, enabling revolutionary system capabilities for national security and commercial markets.
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AFFOA is transforming the textile industry from traditional fibers, yarns, and fabrics to highly sophisticated devices and systems. In order to build a sustainable, high-tech ecosystem. AFFOA will continue to:
WHAT WE DO
We are revolutionizing the textile industry by transforming traditional fibers, yarns and textiles into highly sophisticated, integrated, and networked devices and systems, enabling novel products & business models that leverage fabrics as a service.
HOW WE DO IT
Advancing the manufacturability of the most disruptive fiber and fabric technology while building the next generation supply chain and manufacturing workforce
WHY WE DO IT
To reinvigorate the U.S domestic textile industry, create new jobs, and provide domestic manufacturers with a competitive edge