From punch card to disk on key

1978… I was 9 years old.

My Grandfathers brother (my Mom’s Uncle to simplify) was a manager at a local bank.

When you think of a bank – other than the money issue – it’s the most boring of places, especially for a 9 year old.

But, luck was on my side, as I had the option “to boldly go where no man has gone before (Star Trek)” – or at least no kid…

I could go behind the clerks, and down to the basement to see where the vault is, and someone counting piles and piles of coins – I could go everywhere, and to this day I remember my visits to the bank like visits to Aladdin’s cave or to a pirates’ treasure island.

But other than “loot” the bank had sophisticated computers that used special cards with holes called – “punch cards”

These cards were everywhere around the bank and contained all the information today we store in clouds – stacks and stacks of cards with holes – containing data, or, the path to the hidden pirates treasure – depends how you read them…

2007… well..older…

Our studio is expanding and we are looking to work with different markets. We weave in Turkey which is great, but we have the knowledge and latest weaving software technology to do more – China!

China is the worlds biggest textile supplier – let’s go there and see what we can do

With the aid of a friend of a friend, I contacted a textile company located in Linping China and visited them, carrying my disk on key filled with weave design patterns.

At that time China was in the peak of conquering the upholstery jacquard world – great quality low prices, unfortunately copied designs – perfect (not so perfect for the European mills, but thats a different story)

And I was so excited to take part in the revolution and to bring in original design work  – copying is stealing, no other way to see that.

Kevin (Jifeng’s western name) picked me up from the airport, straight to his showroom, and after a drink – of tea – off to the mill.

Now, I’ve been to China before and knew the fabric qualities, but never before visited a Chinese mill.

Punch cards! Billions of punch cards running through the looms, feeding them designs. I haven’t seen a punch since my bank adventures – and I experienced 2 feelings:

Excitement of nostalgia

Terror – I have a SanDisk in my pocket!!

How do these weavers compete in the international market?? How can they even copy and translate to – punch cards??

Kevin was amused: “this is China – don’t worry”

And he took me to a small house, there sat a girl by a computer. She downloaded my files to a floppy disk (there used to be floppy disks before cd’s and disk on keys) and sen us to the basement.

Down there were scattered more computers that were used to translate from digital files to punch cards

If there is a will there is a way – and there’s always a way in China

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