Page 119 - BWM Dec 2012

December 2012 | Business World Magazine | 119
noted by another Scotsman from Paisley
named James Coats. A skilled weaver who
worked with yarns, Coats went on to cre-
ate his own enterprise in 1826 which pros-
pered and was ultimately passed down to
his sons, James and Peter. Over the follow-
ing years, the Clark Thread Company and
J. & P. Coats emerged as the strongest force
in terms of driving their market and meet-
ing consumer demands. The Clarks
invented a machine for
spinning thread onto
wooden spools, which
standardized a mode of
delivery that still stands
today. There was also
John Clark who created
O.N.T. (Our NewThread)
a six cord thread which
helped pave progres-
sion for the sewing ma-
chines invented by Elias
Howe. Whereas sewing had
been solely by-hand, O.N.T.
proved convenient for these
machines which revolutionized
the industry. Meanwhile, the Coats had
begunmarketing their products by creating
display cases and specialty cabinets for the
sale or collection of sewing materials which
made their way among merchants through-
out the world. The Coats built their first box
factory in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, in 1877.
A string of successes followed for both and,
as fate would have it, they ultimately elected
to bind their futures and fortunes together
by establishing an organization that is recog-
nized today as Coats & Clark.
For a company with such a long heritage
it is no surprise that they have been at the
heart of somuch. For instance, whenThomas
Edison invented the light bulb, their thread
was used in experiments as a filament to gen-
erate light. And, when NASA dropped a
surveillance module on the planet of Mars,
it was this company’s thread that was used
in the deployment of the airbags that cush-
ioned the device’s descent onto the surface.
The fiber-optic communication systems that
transmit vast terabytes of data at the speed
of light, these too require such threads to
protect them from moisture damage. The
list goes on and on. Their thread can even
be found on that brewable little bag used to
concoct your favorite cup of tea.Therefore, it
is no mere pun when John Laurie says Coats