Kane was taken aback. Whoa! Where did that come from? What’s with this woman? Doesn’t she realize that I’m here to help her? Then, not realizing how close to the truth he was, he concluded his thoughts with, She must have had a bad night.
“I was only trying to help.”
“That may well be, but I believe Mister Hampton made your role very clear.”
Whatever, he thought. Why does she have to make this so difficult?
An attendant opened the door and handed them badges. Kane knew the man quite well, but decided not to say anything that might set her off again.
She continued, “For your information John already recommended that I view the presentation. It is set up and waiting for us in the conference room. Now, let’s start.”
Yes, boss!
The conference room was a thousand foot square room with a long highly polished conference table and seats for twelve. Two places at the end of the table were set up with coffee and sweet rolls and a large binder. They faced a wall-to-wall screen at the far end of the room.
Kane just nodded to John when he entered the room. He waited for Marcia to choose which seat to occupy and settled down in the other.
John Marshall rose from a chair in the corner. “If you are ready I will start the presentation.”
Marcia nodded and he turned down the lights.
The narrator had a slight British accent which harmonized well with the musical background:
Three years ago Elegant Sportswear hired a consulting firm to put together a video presentation that would illustrate the dramatic metamorphosis that the garment industry has undergone during the past one hundred years and tout the advances made at Elegant. The video required extensive editing and thirty six revisions to get it down to the total running time of thirty nine minutes.
Within the first ten minutes, with pictures of thread making, massive looms, cutting rooms and sewing sweatshops, the narrator deftly moved from the industry tableau to modern day Elegant Sportswear.
As the presentation neared completion the camera zoomed in on models wearing Elegant’s patented Neo-Weaves. These one-piece knitted sweaters and skirts rocked the industry when they were first introduced at an international exposition earlier in the year. An entire plant is dedicated to their production. Demand was so high that the company developed a new back-order system just to log orders for these non-seasonal garments.
When the video ended, John asked Marcia, “So, what did you think?”
This was a question that Kane would have normally asked, but he was glad that John had taken the lead. He assumed that he was only to speak when he was spoken to.
Again, whatever!
“Very impressive. I can see why Elegant has done so well. I’m from a trading company at Hampton and I haven’t had the opportunity to see many manufacturing processes, but I doubt that Hampton Sportswear is anywhere near as modernized as you are here. That alone speaks well for the merger.”
Kane remained expressionless, but his thoughts were running rampant. Not even close, sister. Elegant runs circles around you guys. It’s the one thing that might save your sorry asses when the shit hits the fan.”
Marcia returned to her notes. Her head was down when she asked, “What’s next?”
Kane looked at John, who was looking at him. Neither knew to whom the question had been directed.
Sensing their dilemma she raised her head and looked directly at Kane. “That question was for you.”
“Well you may want to start the tour with a walk-through the plant next door. That is where the fiber and fabrics are produced. It starts with materials from natural sources, like cotton and wool, from regenerative cellulose material like rayon and acetate or entirely synthetic like polyester and nylon. Elegant is unique in that they manufacture all their own thread and the fabrics are produced solely for their own consumption based on demand from confirmed orders. The processes are highly automated. Natural fibers must be cleaned, carded, combed, drawn, roved and finally spun. Manmade fibers such as rayon and acrylics are wet spun. Acetates and spandex are dry spun, Polymerics are melt spun.”
Kane observed that the technical information was beginning to overwhelm her. “Maybe we should save the fiber manufacturing plant for last. Since it’s just next door it would be the perfect place to end.”
“I think that’s a good idea. Let’s make the tour a cursory walk through for now. Any decisions we ultimately make will be based mainly on which Elegant lines we decide to continue. It will be marketing, not manufacturing, driven.”
Kane didn’t reply. Being a numbers guy he was used to making decisions based on the bottom line regardless of the which division was affected. This gal is in way over her head. What was Hampton thinking of when he put her in charge? She’s from a trading company for god’s sake. She doesn’t know squat about manufacturing. Well, it really doesn’t matter who he chose. When this house of cards collapses every one of their divisions will be affected. He looked down at her legs to see what type of shoes she had worn. He was distracted momentarily, by her shapely legs. Finally he said, “I’m glad to see you wore walking shoes. This tour covers over seven and a half miles and it’s all concrete flooring. One of our six cafeterias is around the half-way mark in case you want to stop for a quick lunch. You may want to bring along a bottle of water or juice from the table over there.”
Marcia looked over the assortment and chose one of the energy drinks. Kane picked up a bottle of water.
She thanked John for setting up the presentation and asked him to reserve the conference room for the next two days, momentarily recalling Kane’s original advice. She put the binder in her attaché case, gave the combination lock a spin and placed it on top of the conference table.
She turned to John and said, “I’ll be back for this later.”
“I’ll lock up here for now. Just have me paged when you need access again,” he answered. “I’ll be nearby.”
Marcia picked up her notebook and turned to Kane. “Lead on.”
It would require seven hours to tour the seven garment facilities. Elegant’s production plants were separated by major product lines, jackets and outerwear, combinations (suit jackets, slacks and skirts), dresses, Neo-Weaves (sweaters, suits, dresses and skirts), wraps (scarves and shawls), tops (blouses and sweaters) and bottoms (slacks and skirts). At each plant they viewed the fabric production (weaving, knitting or fusing) that was unique to the garments being produced and the measuring, cutting, sewing and finishing, all under CAD/CAM control in a continuous automated process mode. Most of the machines in the plants were Swiss built with a low incidence of down time.
Half-way through the circuit they stopped at one of the cafeterias catered by a local banquet company. Marcia nibbled on a salad and drank a cup of black coffee, Kane had a burger and a bottle of water. Conversation between them was minimal, and mostly limited to technical questions that she needed cleared up. When they left the cafeteria she picked up another energy drink.
The Neo-Weaves plant was second to last. Kane knew that Adam Hampton considered the line the “crown jewel” of Elegant Sportswear. He could tell that Marcia was impressed by the production of an entire garment as one continuous piece. Knit sweaters were on the production line when they arrived.
“Seamless one-piece construction provides the structural integrity of a single piece of fabric. Bulky stitches on conventional knit sweaters are gone, providing fit and comfort superior to any other textile product,” he proffered in his best tour guide voice.
“I’ve seen the advertising in magazines, but there is nothing like seeing and feeling an actual garment. It’s almost biblical; like Jesus’ robe. I can see now why Adam is so excited about the line. Seeing it makes you want to go buy one on the spot.”
“It’s Elegant’s fastest growing line, by far.”
Kane let his thoughts roam again. One of those knits would sure look great on that fabulous body of yours. Every curve would be accentuated. He caught hi
mself, Where did that come from? I better keep my mind on business. Still, that’s one fine shape.
Marcia asked, “Is anyone even close to matching Elegant’s technology?”
“There are a few would be copycats, mostly Asian producers. They’ve mastered the design part of it, but they aren’t anywhere near automated manufacturing. Without machines to maintain integrity, they’re right back at item-to-item and batch-to-batch inconsistencies between runs, something that most high-end retailers won’t tolerate. I would guess that Neo-Weaves has a two to five year lead over the rest of the industry. The plant is struggling right now to fill orders within a two month lead time.”
“What will happen when a competitor finally puts it all together?”
“From an operational point I think Neo-Weaves would still have the edge. Quality remains the key issue. Elegant uses the finest fibers and their CAD/CAM processes assure integrity within sizes and batches. Also, Elegant is already experimenting with fabrics other than wool and cotton to expand the Neo-Weaves process to their other product lines. When they pull that off, it will be a real coup. No one will be able to catch them.”
They left the Neo-Weaves plant and moved next door to the last building on the tour. The Fiber Production Plant, nicknamed “FIPP” by the garment plants. The plant required the most environmental control due to the cleaning, carding, combing, drawing, roving, spinning, dying and drying of natural fibers and the chemicals used to produce manmade fibers. Huge fans were mounted in the ceilings of each process room. Exhaust from the fans was directed to a filter shed where the air was purified before it’s release into the atmosphere. Liquid washes and water used in production are piped to a treatment plant housed in the center of the Elegant complex.
“Well here we are. This is where it all begins.”
“Does it always smell so bad?” she asked, wrinkling up her nose.
“That’s a good question. It’s not usually so pungent. Let me find out what the problem is.”Kane walked over to one of the machinists, nodded his head a few times and returned to the entrance.
“It seems that their having a problem with the ventilation. The exhaust fans are designed to function regardless of wind flow, but lately, whenever the wind comes out of the east, the air backs up and the suction cuts down. They have tried several engineering changes, but so far nothing has worked. We can do this another time if you prefer.”
She thought about it for a few minutes. Plant workers as far as she could see didn’t seem to be bothered too much by the smell. “I guess if the employees working here can stand it, I can too. I’m sure that coming in from the outside probably makes it seem worse than it really is. Let’s give it a shot.”
Half an hour later they were back in the conference room. It was 4:30. Marsha offered, “That pretty much does it for today. Let’s meet back meet here tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. to document the production and maintenance records for all the plants and break those out by season. I’ll have the Hampton Sportswear files delivered here.”
They left the Communications Center and headed toward the parking lot. Marcia started to slow down. Kane hadn’t noticed that she was falling behind until he heard her gasp. He spun around just in time to see her start to swoon. He reached out to grab her shoulders just as she was starting to collapse.
“Whoa! That was close.” Kane half carried/dragged her to a bench and propped her up. She looked at him with a blank stare.
“What happened?” he asked.
“I’m not really sure. Suddenly I felt faint. It must have been the chemicals finally getting to me.”
“Or possibly it was all the caffeine you’ve been sluggin’ down all day. Too much of that stuff and not enough water will dehydrate you. Especially being on your feet for so many hours.”
“Perhaps you’re right. I did drink a lot of them.” she said softly.
“Will you be all right while I go back into the Center for some bottled water? I saw a machine in the lobby. A few bottles and you should feel a lot better. It happened to me once when I was jogging. I fell flat on my face and split my lip open.”
“Yes, I’ll be fine. Thank you.”
Kane returned a few minutes with five bottles of spring water. He sat down next to her as she drank the water. Ten minutes and three bottles of water later, Marcia was feeling well enough to get up and resume the walk to the parking lot. “I don’t know what I would have done if you weren’t here. Nothing like that has ever happened to me before.”
“Well, I’m glad I was here. I’d be careful about consuming so much caffeine. Those energy drinks are loaded with it. They can sneak up on you. Try regular water when you’re going to have an active day. You’ll be a lot better off.”
“I’m sure you’re right and those fumes probably contributed too.”
“That’s true. Are you going to be okay to drive?”
“Yes. I’m feeling a lot better now. I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“Here, take these two extra bottles of water. I’ll follow you back to Old Brooking, just in case.”
“You can if you want to, but I’m okay now.”
“I’ll see you in the morning, then. Try to get some sleep. Your body has had a mild shock. It needs rest.”
“I will. Thanks again, Kane.”
“You’re very welcome, Marcia.”
The use of first names went unnoticed by both.
Kane followed her car until she turned off the highway. Satisfied that her driving was not impaired by her brief bout with dehydration, he headed back to his hotel.
When she arrived home, Marcia headed for the shower. Before she finished undressing, her phone rang. She could see that it was Adam calling. I hope he doesn’t want to see me again. I’m not ready to turn him down, yet. I hope he will lose interest after I say no a few times. She picked up the phone on the third ring.
“Marcia, how is it going with that loser, Masterson?”
“Very well, Adam. Elegant is quite a prize, especially the Neo-Weaves line. It’s incredible. I got to handle a few garments. I’ve never seen anything like it. Tomorrow we’ll be going over the operating figures for both companies.”
“Yes, Neo-Weaves is an incredible innovation. I can’t wait to see your projections for the combined companies. I knew I put the right person in charge. Look, I was wondering if you would like to get together for a drink later.”
“Not tonight, Adam. I had a spate of dehydration about an hour ago. Probably too much caffeine and being on my feet for over seven hours. I’m completely exhausted. I need to get some rest. I have to be back in New Haven at 8 a.m. tomorrow to start reviewing the operating data. There’s a lot of work ahead .”
Marcia was glad she had a legitimate excuse to turn him down. She hated to lie and didn’t want to hurt his feelings; he couldn’t help being what he was.
“Well maybe later in the week. I’m anxious to see you again.”
“We’ll see how the schedule goes. There’s a lot to this merger. I want to give it my best shot. I may be able to get back to the office at the end of the week to give you an update. I’ll see you then.”
That wasn’t the kind of response that Adam expected He had an uncomfortable feeling during their conversation. Maybe I’m assuming too much. After all, how much do I really know about her. Maybe she’s seeing someone. Just because she gave into my charms a couple of times, doesn’t mean that I’m the only one in her life. A woman with a body like that must have dozens of men after her. I better not make too many assumptions. I need to find out more about Marsha Bloom. He picked up the phone again, this time to call a private detective he used occasionally.
“Chuck, this is Adam Hampton. How have you been?”
Chuck Meredith operated a private detective agency in New Haven. Adam used his services to spy on Lauren when she filed for the divorce. Unfortunately, at the time, Chuck didn’t find out anything; the affair with Luke Martin was missed at the time.
“Great, Mister Hampton. It’s been
a while. What can I do for you?”
“I have a surveillance job for you. It’s on one of my vice-presidents. Her name is Marcia Bloom. I want to know where she goes and who she sees. She works at Bretton Trading and lives at the Sedgwick Arms Suites in the Breighton subdivision.”
“If you want pictures, I’ll assign one of my top operatives.”
“Only if they’re relevant. Much of her time is spent in the office, but she has an assignment that will require field work out your way. I’m mostly interested in how and where she spends her time. She’ll be working with a man who’s staying at the Belmonte. His name is Kane Masterson.” Adam hesitated for a moment and then added, “This may last a few months. I have something important going down and I just don’t want to be blindsided.”
“I understand perfectly. We’ll be set up by 6 a.m. tomorrow. How do you want me to report? Usually we take a few days to get the logs printed and pictures developed. Then I contact my client and turn over copies of whatever we’ve uncovered.”
“This is a very private matter, Chuck. Call me at home or on my cell. Unless something unusual happens, every couple of days will do. I’ll leave that up to you.”
“What do you consider unusual, Mister Hampton?”
“If she sees anyone at her residence, find out who it is, pictures and all. Let me know immediately.”
“I understand perfectly Thanks for the assignment, Mister Hampton. I’ll be back to you.”
Chapter 17
Lauren and Daniel boarded the shuttle bus to the short term parking lot. Their return flight from Vegas was three hours late, but they didn’t care. Both were still reeling from the six day honeymoon that followed their spontaneous decision to elope. The bus dropped them off in the parking lot in front of Daniel’s Escalade.
“I’ll bet your glad to be back,” Daniel said as he loaded the suitcases into the trunk.
“Yes, I am. I can’t wait to spread the news that I’m Mrs. Lauren McKnight.”
“I’m sure most people will be happy for us. I don’t think it will be a big surprise to most people. I can only think of one person who may get his nose out of joint over this.”
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