International Spinners and Mini-Mills Ltd. - Belfast, Prince Edward Island
www.minimills.net
Larry Sutherland's journey has been an unconventional one, from a sheep ranch in British Columbia to textile manufacturing mini-mills in Belfast, Prince Edward Island (P.E.I).
The owner of International Spinners and Mini-Mills Ltd., Sutherland and his family have gone from spinning wool themselves to designing and making small-scale equipment that does the job. In the process, they've opened doors to economic development in regions around the world.
At the heart of what they have done is innovation. "The idea of any micro-industry is to take a readily available resource or an unsatisfied local need, and do a better job than the big commercial players do," he says.
"With the sheep ranch, we needed to get our wool processed, but it wasn't easy. Traditionally, textile equipment is large, cumbersome and expensive. So we started making basic machines. We eventually realized that what was needed was complete, affordable and user-friendly mills."
In the past 10 years, the company has designed and developed the technology for 15 different machines - from pickers, carders and dehairing machines, to multi-spindle spinners and feltmakers - and has installed them in countries around the globe. Now, with a modest investment, anyone can afford to produce commercial quality yarns.
These "mini-mills" are helping communities develop cottage industries in parts of the world where exotic fibres are abundant, whether they are alpaca and llama wool in Bolivia or muskox hair in Nunavut.
The company spent two years in intensive research and development (R & D), designing, testing and producing sophisticated machines using Computer Assisted Design software. "The challenge," says Sutherland, "is that you're marketing a product that no one has offered before. We're continually prototyping and developing new machines." One-third of the company's finances are continuously re-invested in R & D.
Obviously, training is on going because product development never stops. The staff of 25 includes "fibre artists," weavers and spinners as well as welders, machinists and electronics experts. "When you're doing something completely different," Sutherland says, "there's a lot of educating to do in all directions."
The company also trains its customers to operate the machines, both at a demonstration site in P.E.I. and at the customer's location. Company personnel have already installed a mini-mill high in the Andes Mountains, in Bolivia, 13,000 feet above sea level. They have also recently put a mill in a lighthouse on a remote Scottish island where there are 2,500 sheep and only 67 residents.
"There's enormous potential for this equipment in all parts of the world, wherever people are dealing with exotic fibres. This is particularly apparent in remote places, and we hope to have wind-power generation running our mills where this may be a benefit."
"Innovation can be tough going," says Sutherland. "It's easier to do something that people already understand. But it does pay off. Our sales have multiplied to the point that we're now producing in two weeks what we produced in a year only six years ago."
