Antai Textile: Weaving a Colored Acrylic 'Rainbow' Over Three Decades, Forging a Domestic Hidden Champion
In Zhangjiagang in July 2025, as the summer heat intensified, the production workshop of Antai Textile buzzed with orderly busyness—fully automated spinning equipment吞吐 (processed) smooth acrylic sliver at a speed of hundreds of meters per minute. More than ten colors, including indigo, ginger yellow, and light gray, flowed on the conveyor belt like a awakened rainbow. Director Huang of the Production Department stood before the large screen in the central control room, his fingers gliding over real-time data: "The color fastness test of this batch of 'Aurora Blue' acrylic sliver reaches level 4.5, with light resistance exceeding 800 hours, fully meeting the customization requirements of that southern outdoor brand." At the other end of the screen, Marketing Manager Li Xiong had just ended a video conference with a client, adding a new note to his phone memo: "Autumn order: additional 500 tons, need to develop 3 new Morandi color shades."
Such scenes have long been routine in Antai Textile's over three-decade journey. Since rooting in Zhangjiagang's fertile textile land in 1993, this enterprise, starting with single white acrylic sliver production, has grown into a hidden champion in China's colored acrylic sector—now producing over 20,000 tons of acrylic sliver and yarn annually, with colored sliver accounting for 60%. Its clients include domestic leading brands in outdoor apparel, home textiles, and high-end toys. Underpinning this achievement is its keen grasp of market demands and relentless refinement of technologies.
"A decade ago, clients just wanted 'any color'; now they come with Pantone numbers, demanding 'color stability from -30℃ to 50℃ and OEKO-TEX® Standard 100 certification,'" Li Xiong noted, gesturing to market reports on his desk where "environmental protection," "personalization," and "functionalization" were heavily circled. He recalled a 2023 collaboration with a renowned camping gear brand: "Their tent fabrics needed vivid, fade-resistant colors without the pungent odor of traditional dyeing, plus water and energy savings." This hit at a key pain point in textile transformation—traditional dyeing, with high energy use, pollution, and inconsistent color fastness and batch stability.
"The solution lies in dope dyeing technology," Director Huang interjected, leading us to the R&D center. In the lab, technicians调试 (adjusted) a small spinning tester; through its transparent window, white acrylic chips and colored masterbatches blended uniformly in a screw extruder, producing a misty pink sliver. "Traditional dyeing is 'spin first, then dye'—fiber structure is fixed, so pigments only adhere superficially. Dope dyeing is 'dye first, then spin'—masterbatches fully mix with chips during melting, penetrating fiber molecular chains," he explained, comparing two fabric samples. "See? The conventionally dyed one fades after three washes; ours, made with dope-dyed sliver, retains its true color after ten washes. Moreover, production uses 70% less water with almost zero sewage discharge."
To implement this technology, Antai Textile invested over 30 million yuan in the past five years to upgrade production lines: introducing Siemens' fully automatic control systems for 0.01% masterbatch proportioning precision; building a digital color-matching database with 2,000+ base shades, enabling 48-hour sample delivery; and co-establishing a lab with Jiangnan University's Textile Research Institute to develop scenario-specific formulas—such as UV-resistant blends for outdoor gear (boosting color fastness by 30%) and food-grade pure masterbatches for skin-friendly infant textiles.
"Last winter, a Northeast children's clothing brand used our 'macaron shades' acrylic sliver. It sold out within a week and was restocked three times," Li Xiong said, showing photos of soft pink and light blue sweaters tagged "Eco-friendly dope dyeing, 0 formaldehyde, 0 odor." Such cases are common: 'Glacier White' acrylic sliver for a mountaineering brand, with stable reflectivity, became standard for alpine rescue suits; the 'Morandi Gray' series for home brands, with low-saturation tones, became a soft furnishing 'internet sensation.'
From the first spinning machine in 1993 to today's 10,000-ton modern base; from single white sliver to a portfolio of 300+ colors and 10+ fancy yarns, Antai Textile's 30 years mirror China's textile shift from 'scale expansion' to 'quality efficiency.' "The market changes, but one truth endures—good products speak for themselves," Li Xiong said firmly, gazing at the factory slogan: "Spin every meter with care." In the workshop, Director Huang's team调试 (adjusted) new nanoscale masterbatch dispersion equipment, preparing for the next 'color order.' This three-decade-old 'rainbow production line' continues weaving fresh colors into the textile industry's green development story.