台灣紡織撐起全球運動時尚半邊天 | Stretchable Textiles in Vibrant Colors

圖片來源：王建棟

台灣紡織撐起全球運動時尚半邊天

黃昏產業、雞蛋水餃股，苦熬十年大變身。台灣的東隆興業、南緯集團，不拚低價，拚研發，成為「運動休閒時尚」風潮中的重要角色。

服裝測試員一邊運動一邊偵測心跳、血液含氧量、熱量消耗量，再傳送到電腦、手機與雲端；並根據人體肌肉修改衣服鬆緊度，確認排汗點，調整排汗布料的位置，提高運動表現，還能改變衣服鬆緊度，協助肌肉休養、修復。

這不是運動科學研究所，而是位於土城的紡織產業綜合研究所（TTR I）的實驗室，正在協助台灣紡織業研發與測試布料、衣著的設計。

紡織業的核心競爭力已不是紡紗、織布、染整、剪裁，而是研究人穿著衣服的運動表現，甚至修復肌肉。

過去一年來，全球服裝市場出現巨大轉變，成立才十八年的運動品牌UA（Under Armour）在北美市場超越了有六十五年歷史的愛迪達，直追第一大的耐吉，撼動運動雙雄稱霸多年的市場。

其二是「運動休閒時尚」（athlei-sure）風潮興起，穿瑜珈服、戶外運動服裝出門變成時尚與流行，連有百年歷史的美國牛仔褲品牌都不敵運動休閒風，北美牛仔褲市場出現連十年衰退，服裝市場發生劇烈變化。

走進服裝店，尺寸不用S、M、L分，而是分寬鬆、修身、緊身。價格高低則依運動方式與需求，要求愈高，價格愈貴，講功能也講時尚。

很多人不知道的是，台灣在這場UA與運動休閒時尚風潮中扮演重要角色。根據TTRI統計，包含UA在內的運動品牌布料，有一半來自台灣；戶外運動品牌Columbia、The North Face、Arc'teryx、Salomon等戶外品牌布料，高達八成也來自台灣。

原來台灣已不僅生產所謂加熱、涼感、吸濕排汗的機能布料，還升級成為有功能、時尚的布料。

紡織產業綜合研究所所長白志中說，以前布料管皮膚感受，保溫、透氣舒適，現在連肌肉都能管到，輔助運動讓表現更好、不易受傷與加快恢復。

因此當全球服裝市場產業劇烈變化時，台灣依然能夠成為各大品牌布料的生產基地。

揭開台灣紡織業在這波風潮中崛起的祕密，白志中分析，台灣在運動休閒布料具國際競爭力，同時又有資訊電子產業，兩者結合將更有競爭力。

美國市調機構MarketsandMarkets預測，二○一八年穿戴電子市場產值將達八十億美元，其中智能紡織品（智慧衣）將有二十億美元市場總收入，這讓台灣紡織業又有了新未來。

其中表現最出色的兩家是，東隆興業與南緯集團，都是努力十多年才擺脫雞蛋水餃股與黃昏產業的命運。這不僅值得肯定，更值得台灣其他產業思考，如何用研發、多樣、彈性，避開他國大量與低價的惡性競爭，走出一條適合台灣產業特性的道路。

-----------------------------------------------

揭開維多利亞的祕密

東隆興業　給你好色好彈性

一家逾半世紀的老紡織廠，花十年做一根領先全球的染色紗線，還意外揭開二○一三年「露露檸檬」（Lululemon）瑜珈褲走光事件的真相。

坐在新北市板橋區的辦公大樓內，東隆興業總經理游志成，雙手撐大露露檸檬瑜珈褲說，「就是彈性做得太好了，本來應該穿六號的客人卻硬是去穿四號的，身材變得很好卻把布撐這麼寬，透明度當然就提高了。」

一九六一年成立，年資媲美台塑集團的東隆興業，第一次公開亮相，現在已是一家把紗線種類做到極致的業者。棣邁產業顧問總經理何耀仁說，很多人知道紡織股王儒鴻，但儒鴻上游有一個關鍵伙伴加分，才能有今天，這家公司就是東隆興業。

同業聯發紡織總經理王豐岳說，別人賣紗線是送紗線給布廠打樣，但東隆興業不提供紗線打樣，而是直接做好布料給客戶看。

原來，買了東隆興業的紗線，還要改變織法配合東隆興業的紗線特性，才能做出好布料。東隆興業，一般人可能沒聽過，它最強的產品叫「色紗」。用這種有顏色、有彈性的紗線織布、織衣，是讓露露檸檬、The North Face或UA的服裝有很好的彈性、伸縮感很好、顏色又好看的原因，連內衣品牌「維多利亞的祕密」（Victoria's Secret）都是用它的紗線。

拒去中國　放棄追逐低成本

憑什麼拿下這些大品牌的訂單？萬丈高樓平地起，東隆興業是從最基本的拉鍊、衣服的縫線開始做起。

所謂縫線，就是縫製衣服、褲子、鞋子的紗線。看似不起眼的產品，對東隆興業後來發展色紗很有幫助，因為不同衣服、鞋子就有不同顏色，搭配它們的縫線就要對應開發出相同顏色。顏色不對，縫在衣服上就會相當突兀。因此想賣縫線，最基礎的能力是對顏色控制與研發的高要求。

但不是會做縫線，就能做國際一流品牌的色紗。東隆興業有今天，第一個關鍵選擇是，放棄追逐低成本。

一九八六年，中國改革開放初期，游志成跑去上海看好幾趟。當時已經有三個同業跑去中國投資，還告訴他，「上海不僅工資便宜，今天喊要一百個工人，明天會有一千個來排隊。」

什麼都缺就是不缺工，但深思之後，東隆興業放棄到中國投資。「競爭者已經跑去中國，自己又把同樣的東西拿來中國做，到時候大家競爭拚得你死我活，」他說。

決定不去中國，改在彰化設立新廠，並嘗試走向不同的道路，尋找發展特殊產品的機會。

一九九二年，東隆興業在偶然的機會下，知道耐吉要發展Dri-FIT（超乾爽）產品。這個產品要用超細纖維，目的要吸濕排汗，且手感、彈性要好，又要求美觀有顏色。

問題來了，超細纖維想要染色，溫度必須要拉到攝氏一三○度以上才能染色，但這溫度卻會破壞彈性纖維（PU材質）。兩種特質很難兼備：要彈性、乾爽，就沒顏色；想要好看的色彩，卻沒彈性。

若能解決這個問題，就能打入耐吉新產品的供應鏈。於是東隆興業大膽嘗試了一個做法：先染再織，先把超細纖維的紗線染色再跟彈性纖維一起織布。先有顏色再加彈性，避開了高溫破壞彈性的問題，東隆興業是全球第一個發展出這種超乾爽色紗的業者。

會成為全球第一個，不是自己多聰明，而是難度非常高，做不好、良率太低，沒人願意嘗試。

同業旭榮集團執行董事黃冠華說，超細纖維的特性是很容易染上顏色，卻又不穩定，不同批的超細纖維染出來很可能不一樣，要維持穩定一致非常難。

高失敗率、不斷重來重來，就連工廠員工都產生了挫折感，怎麼做都失敗，不如不要做了。游志成召集員工告訴他們，「我都能忍受你們失敗，你們怕什麼？就是困難不好做，大家才有錢賺。好做的，怎麼會有錢賺？」

就是這樣磨，承受這個痛苦，游志成說，熬十年才慢慢起來，二○○一年才慢慢見到了曙光，產品從一個月賣一、兩噸變兩、三百噸。

這段日子，東隆興業股價最低曾經三．六元，還曾強迫員工放了三個月無薪假，被人家笑說雞蛋水餃股、夕陽黃昏產業。

為了堅持走特殊紡織品、放棄大量便宜的道路，游志成後來堅持不去中國，以免自己動搖了。連續十幾年，儘管朋友告訴他，上海有多進步，有空應該來看看，絕對跟當年不一樣。

游志成說，「我不想去，是怕困惑我的想法，會因為它硬體的進步，趕快去投資。我不要看就不會心動，就不會落入低價競爭，不去中國才能專心把市場著眼在先進國家。」

為什麼要這樣做？其實是一種自我要求，東隆興業想要歐美客戶的市場，經營就要維持高度彈性，走小單多樣，不走單品種高產量。這兩者背道而馳，去中國就可能會走向量大價廉的路，甚至培養出競爭對手。

游志成說，「我要讓東隆興業像騎著兩輪的摩托車在台北市鑽來鑽去的靈活度，別的大廠就像是開著十輪的拖車，根本沒辦法在台北市鑽來鑽去。」維持機車般的彈性，其實相當痛苦，別人一個訂單隨便是三、五百噸起跳，東隆興業一個產品訂單量可能是一、兩噸。

紡織產業綜合研究所所長白志中說，這就是在這股「運動休閒時尚」旋風中，國際品牌選上台灣的原因，品質好又穩定、交期短、訂單小，隨時反映市場變化還要彈性製造。產品一暢銷，還要台灣供應鏈研發第二代、第三代支持品牌。

因此東隆興業抓住了運動時尚品牌的需求，露露檸檬、維多利亞的祕密布料摸起來柔軟、自然，顏色看起來飽滿，又有彈性的祕密就在這裡。游志成說，織布前把紗線先染色，豐厚觸感，就像是「炊饅頭」會澎起來。這樣的布料是台灣獨一無二的。

-----------------------------------------------

紡織業與科技業聯手

南緯集團　織出穿上身的電腦

台灣正在生產的一種特殊紗線，成為英特爾、愛迪達、露露檸檬、以及UA智慧衣的材料，也是台灣科技業者推出相關產品的祕密武器。

根據美國市場研究公司HIS統計，二○一四年全球智慧衣的營業額達五．八六億美元，較二○一一年成長超過三成。白志中更預估，今年起台灣智慧衣產值將逐年攀升，是台灣紡織業最具潛力的產品。

出身鴻海旗下手機製造廠富智康（FIH）主管的路提科技共同創辦人黎克邁，就是找上老牌紡織廠南緯實業的子公司AiQ，合作智慧衣相關產品。只見黎克邁將手腕上自家研發的智慧手環模組拆下，只有五十元硬幣左右大的模組，扣上一件運動緊身衣，兩秒不到立刻變成智慧衣。

「這是不鏽鋼絲的喔，穿上身就開始感測身體訊號，全都是MIT（台灣製造）的，」黎克邁摸著身上的衣服說。穿著這件智慧衣去跑步，遠端的人可以偵測到你在哪裡跑、跑多快。生理訊號如心跳的狀況是否正常，都能掌握。也能將紀錄連接到手機上的軟體，還能定期追蹤，做成個人生理履歷。

不僅黎克邁，去年五月，英特爾全球副總裁兼新設備事業負責人貝爾（Mike Bell）就是穿著跟AiQ合作的智慧衣亮相。

走進南緯與AiQ位於台北林森北路的辦公室。原來，南緯集團發展這一根纖維已經超過十年了，這是一種規格為316L的不鏽鋼抽出來的纖維。

白志中說，最早這是一根牙醫師做出來的纖維，用在牙齒治療上，是南緯用整個集團資源支持，從工業用走到服裝用。

要讓不鏽鋼變成衣服，為什麼要花十多年？第一，要讓這一根纖維做到比頭髮細一百倍以上，做到這麼細，織成布、做成衣，才能具有金屬導電的功能，摸起來卻又是一件衣服。

AiQ副總經理黃宏旭說，「做到了超細纖維的水準，織出來的智慧衣，你不會感覺到它是金屬織成，但它會感應你所有的數據，卻擁有衣服該有的柔軟舒適、搓揉洗滌與烘乾功能，同時又能搭配電子裝置變成穿在身上的電腦。」

十幾年前開始發展，智慧衣不是一步到位。黃宏旭說，一開始不鏽鋼纖維是用於汽車市場，七年前投入智慧衣的開發。

第二是從技術與提高標準做起。南緯不急著賺錢，而是參與國際大廠與先進國家的規格制定。黃宏旭說，就像是從少林寺掃地做基本功，十八銅人巷一關關打過才推出產品。什麼叫打好基本功？例如，AiQ正在做ISO 13485（醫療器材品質管理系統）的認證，通過之後，產品做出來就是醫療等級，這就是難度與標準。

除此之外，南緯AiQ積極參加相關標準協會與組織，已經加入了歐盟的Horizon 2020互動式服裝之電子紡織品整合應用合作計劃。

紡織產業綜合研究所產品部主任黃博雄說，「參加歐盟Horizon 2020能參與歐洲大國的規格制定，卻需要花錢與花時間。」好處是，從導電纖維到智慧衣，可以不單扮演純供應鏈代工者，而是國際大品牌的早期合作開發伙伴。

智慧衣正慢慢形成產業，南緯的AiQ不是台灣唯一一家做智慧衣的業者，包括新纖、儒鴻、萬九科技也投入了智慧衣的開發。

就是這些業者仍不斷埋首努力，讓台灣紡織業持續往前邁進，從機能服加上運動休閒時尚，還結合台灣的資訊產業，發展出智慧衣。讓電腦、手機就像是衣服穿在身上的未來，正在發生中。

【原始新聞出處：天下雜誌】

---

Stretchable Textiles in Vibrant Colors

Traditional yarn manufacturer Toung Loong Textile Mfg. Co. Ltd. stayed in Taiwan as industry peers flocked to China. Instead of competing on price, the company repositioned itself as a manufacturer of high-end premium yarns.

Sitting in his office in a high-rise in New Taipei City's Banqiao District, Toung Loong Textile President Yu Chih-cheng pulls at the ends of a piece of fabric to demonstrate its stretchability. The fabric is actually a pair of Lululemon yoga pants, which made headlines back in 2013 for becoming almost see-through when stretched.

"That's what happens when you do too well on stretchability," Yu explains, "Women who originally wore a size 6 will squeeze themselves into a size 4. Their body shape will be terrific, but the fabric will be stretched too thin and sheerness will of course increase as a result."

Founded in 1960, making it even older than Formosa Plastics Group's textile arm, the Formosa Chemical and Fiber Corporation, Toung Loong has successfully established itself as a manufacturer of high-end yarns.

Daniel Y. J. Ho, CEO of petrochemical industry consultancy Danny Material Intelligence, notes that most people know Eclat Textile Co. Ltd. because it is the highest priced stock in the textile sector. However, few are aware that Eclat Textile depends on Toung Loong for its high-end products.

The average consumer has probably not even heard of Toung Loong's cutting edge product – dyed yarns. These stretchable, colorful yarns are woven or knitted into fabrics and garments. Leading sportswear brands such as Lululemon, the North Face or Under Armour rely on such fibers for fashionable clothing that is highly flexible, super elastic, brightly colored and comfortable. U.S. lingerie brand Victoria's Secret also uses the company's yarns.

Avoiding the Bottom in China

How did Toung Loong manage to get orders from these famous brands?
Well aware that Rome was not built in a day, the company started out with making basics such as zippers and sewing thread for apparel. Sewing thread is yarn for sewing clothing and shoes.

Experience with these rather unexciting products proved very helpful for Toung Loong later on when it began to develop dyed yarns. For garments and shoes of different colors, a matching sewing thread must always be developed. If the color of the thread is not right, the seams become visible. Therefore, the most fundamental skill in sewing thread manufacturing is meeting high requirements for color management and product development.

However, being able to produce sewing threads does not mean that a company is able to manufacture yarns that meet the demands of international top brands. Crucial to Toung Loong's success was its decision almost three decades ago to stop competing on the basis of low cost.

Just after China launched its economic opening policy, Yu made several trips to Shanghai in 1986 to evaluate the business environment there. Back then, three of his industry peers had already invested in China. They gushed about China's cheap labor costs and told Yu, "In Shanghai not only are the wages cheap. If you announce today that you want 100 workers, there will be 1,000 standing in line tomorrow."

With China lacking everything but labor, Yu thought his options over and decided against investing there. "Our competitors had already rushed to China; if we had taken the same things to make them in China, we would have ended up embroiled in cutthroat competition," Yu says.

Instead of relocating production to China, Toung Loong built a new factory in Changhua County in central Taiwan, hoping to chart a new course for the company by looking for opportunities to develop special textile products.

In 1992, Yu happened upon the information that U.S. sportswear brand Nike was planning to develop Dri-FIT products. The fabric used for these products needed to be woven from super fine microfiber. It was supposed to wick moisture away from the body, be stretchable and colorful, and have a nice handfeel and appearance.

This is where Nike ran into problems. Ultra fine synthetic fibers can only be dyed at temperatures above 130 degrees Celsius. Such high temperatures, however, destroy elastic fibers that are made from polyurethane. Designers faced a dilemma: Fabrics were either elastic and quick-drying but could not be dyed, or they were colorful but not elastic.

Yu reckoned that if Toung Loong was able to solve this problem, the company would be able to join Nike's supply chain for the new product line. So the company boldly decided to try a new manufacturing method: Dying first, weaving later.

After the microfiber yarn was dyed, it was blended with elastic fibers and then woven into the fabric with the desired qualities. By dyeing the microfiber filaments before combining them with the heat-sensitive elastic fibers, the resulting brightly colored fabric retained its elasticity. That is how Toung Loong became the first synthetic textile maker worldwide to develop colorful Dri-FIT fabrics.

Becoming the world's No. 1 is not just a matter of being smart and clever. Getting there is actually very difficult, because the rejection rate can be very high if things do not go well. No one else in the industry had been willing to give it a try.

Sunny Huang, CEO of fabric and garment manufacturer New Wide Group, explains that while microfibers can be dyed easily, it is difficult to render the dyes stable. Different batches of microfiber dyed with the same color will not necessarily come out exactly alike. Achieving a stable dyeing outcome is extremely difficult.

Faced with failure after failure, forced to frequently start all over again, even the workers on the production line can become exasperated and frustrated. Yet Yu put up with the setbacks, honing production techniques over the period of a decade. Gradually they made progress, and in 2001, Toung Loong began to see light at the end of the tunnel when monthly sales of the novel fabric ballooned from a few tons to 200 or 300 tons.

During the worst period, Toung Loong shares, which currently trade above NT$100, fell below their face value to NT$3.6 per share. At one point, the situation was so bad that employees were forced to take three months of unpaid leave.

For many years, Yu has refrained from traveling to China for fear that Taiwanese investors there would sway his decision to focus on special textile products instead of cheap, large-volume products. His friends had told Yu how much progress Shanghai had made, inviting him to come for a visit to see for himself. Yet Yu remained steadfast.

"I didn't want to go because I was afraid I would get confused. I feared I would rush to invest there because their infrastructure had made so much progress. I didn't want to see it because then I wouldn't get excited and wouldn't be drawn into low-cost competition. Only if I didn't travel to China would I be able to keep my eyes focused on the markets in the industrialized nations," Yu says, recalling his reasoning at the time.

Why did Yu opt for this approach? It was a matter of placing demands on oneself. Toung Loong wanted to win American and European customers. Therefore, it needed to maintain a high measure of flexibility to be able to produce a large variety of products in small batch sizes instead of manufacturing a handful of products in large quantities.

Low variety, high volume production is at the opposite end of the spectrum from high variety, low volume production. Had Toung Loong relocated to China, it would most likely have moved toward making large quantities of cheap products, thus even cultivating new competitors.

Maintaining flexibility in production is not easy. While other companies take orders for volumes of 300-500 tons, Toung Loong products are typically ordered in small quantities of just one or two tons.

Bai Chi-chung, president of the Taiwan Textile Research Institute, observes that this is the reason why international brands riding the current "sports and leisure wear" trend have chosen Taiwan. The island's manufacturers provide good and reliable quality as well as short lead times, take small orders and offer flexible production that can react quickly to market changes. Furthermore, when a product becomes a hit, the Taiwanese supply chain is expected to develop second-generation and third-generation products to support the brand in question.

Toung Loong was able to capitalize on the needs of international sports wear brands such as Lululemon and Victoria's Secret for fabrics with a soft, natural feel as well as rich, vibrant colors and a snug elastic fit. Yu proudly points out that microfiber fabric woven from dyed yarns with such a great handfeel can only be found in Taiwan.

Original Article: CommonWealth