Manufacturing carpets and technical textiles: routines, resources, capabilities, adaptation, innovation and the evolution of the British textile industry

Since 1966, the UK economy has experienced a continual process of restructuring as manufacturing firms attempted to respond to new forms of competition, alterations in consumer demand and technological developments. Accounts of the British economy since the 1960s highlight deindustrialisation and the transfer of production and employment to newly industrialised regions. The UK is still an important location for manufacturing, but manufacturing has become increasingly mechanised and knowledge-intensive. This article draws upon evolutionary economics to explore the ways in which British manufacturers of carpets and technical textiles have responded to globalisation through the adoption or development of new routines, resources, capabilities, manufacturing strategies and practices.