HUB FOR HYPER-COLLABORATION
Upon its anticipated opening in 2024, in conjunction with our celebration of the Wilson College of Textiles’ 125th anniversary, the college’s Flex Factory will become one of the world’s leading makerspaces for entrepreneurs seeking to develop fiber and textile-based products and businesses.
With the recent reinvestment of over $100 million and more than 1,000 new textile jobs in the state of North Carolina alone, there are unlimited opportunities for the Flex Factory to capitalize on this growth.
The Flex Factory will be housed within the college’s 300,000-square-foot research and development facility on NC State’s Centennial Campus, which is one of North America’s premier research parks.
The more than 5,000-square-feet Flex Factory will include:
» Modern classrooms and flexible spaces for lifelong education and collaboration
» A showroom for manufacturers and vendors to display and demonstrate products
» A prototyping area with cutting, sewing and spinning equipment
» Body scanners, 3D printers, embroidery machines, drill presses, radial saws and more
With support from public-private partnerships, the Flex Factory will enable textile-based entrepreneurial success and catalyze new business development in North Carolina and beyond.
INCREASING DOMESTIC MANUFACTURING
Investments from industry partners will make our goal of increasing domestic manufacturing from less than 3% — where it is currently — to 5% possible, when partnered with the Flex Factory’s advanced capabilities.
#4 IN STARTUPS
NC State is #4 in the U.S. for startups launched among universities without a medical school. There are more than 190 startups and spinoffs based on NC State research.
PILLARS OF IMPACT
Groundbreaking Research and Development
Our faculty and staff span diverse research areas from textile design and management to engineering and chemistry. During the COVID-19 pandemic, experts from the Wilson College’s Nonwovens Institute developed a new spun-bond material to be used as an effective filter in personal protective equipment (PPE). This creation, in turn, protected thousands of medical workers on the front lines. In addition to supporting our faculty researchers, the Flex Factory will answer manufacturers’ call for a space to test new ideas and rapidly develop commercial prototypes. By housing the latest, stateof-the-art textiles equipment under one roof, the Flex Factory offers its industry partners the ability to focus on innovation.
Workforce Development and Job Creation
The factory will inspire new textile business development with an emphasis on sustainable, equitable and competitive U.S. supply chain manufacturing. Its ability to strengthen the college’s research to commercialization pipeline will allow the Flex Factory to meet the immediate needs of rural North Carolinians who desire more economic opportunities. According to the National Council of Textile Organizations, one textile job supports three additional jobs within major textile-producing states.
Focus on Strengthening Military and “American Made”
To abide by the Berry Amendment, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is prohibited from purchasing certain products — including clothing and fabrics — that aren’t 100% domestic in origin. According to the National Council of Textile Organizations, the DoD’s purchasing activity estimates that more than 8,000 different textile items are acquired annually for use by the U.S. military and other allied organizations. Our college’s longstanding expertise in cutting-edge textiles has led to a strong relationship with the military, which includes a recent $5 million research and development grant funded by the DoD The Flex Factory’s world-class facilities and equipment will catalyze the production of Americanmade textile technology, and there is an opportunity to scale up to meet an increase in military needs. This collaboration offers our students, faculty and industry partners, including Walmart, an indefinite mission to create textiles that will keep our armed services safe.
PILLARS OF IMPACT
Community College Partnership
In 2022, the Wilson College of Textiles entered into a Community College Collaboration (C3) partnership with Gaston College and Catawba Valley Community College (CVCC) in an effort to establish a pipeline for educating the textile industry’s top talent. This agreement ensures that students who complete an associate degree from Gaston College or CVCC will have those two years count directly toward a bachelor’s degree from the Wilson College of Textiles.
The Flex Factory will join Gaston College and CVCC’s newly established Manufacturing and Textile Innovation Network . This vital partnership will empower all three institutions to develop a regional workforce focused on advanced materials, automation and textile testing development.
Driving Hands-On Learning
Students within the Wilson College of Textiles will have access to the Flex Factory for experiential learning opportunities that will prepare them to thrive within the textile workforce. Additionally, a space within the facility will be dedicated to the college’s Senior Design program, where students work alongside their corporate sponsors to tackle the urgent challenges facing our industry.
APPEAL FOR FINANCIAL SUPPORT
As the Wilson College of Textiles continues its remarkable upward trajectory, you will be on the frontlines by investing in the global leader in textile education, research and scholarship. The North Carolina Textile Foundation, which serves as the philanthropic arm of the Wilson College of Textiles, invites you to support this charge by investing in the Flex Factory.
Your partnership with the Wilson College of Textiles will help reinvent the next generation of rural, local and global textile supply chain-related infrastructure and innovation.
SEE THE FLEX FACTORY IN ACTION
The Flex Factory will provide a world-class research and incubation ecosystem for current students, alumni, faculty, staff and industry partners to develop their textile businesses with an emphasis on domestic production, sustainability, workforce development and innovation.
We invite you to watch a video walkthrough of the Wilson College of Textiles Flex Factory.
KEY PARTNER IN MANUFACTURING USA
