The financial meaning of a particular fabric

I am CFO of Merrowick Technical Fabrics, a family-controlled American manufacturer of industrial filtration fabrics and woven process belts. Our three domestic plants employ 620 people, and calendar-2025 revenue was US$146 million with US$13.1 million of operating profit. I lead 31 finance colleagues through four managers. I report to the chief executive and have served as an executive director of our parent, Merrowick Fabric Holdings, since November 2020. The figures describe the group; technical approval of a fabric or process remains with our engineering and quality colleagues.

My first textile job involved customer accounts, where a credit note sometimes explained more about the product than the original invoice. I learnt that two rolls with a similar description were not necessarily interchangeable. A customer's equipment, approved finish or required width could determine whether material had a useful destination. Over thirty-seven years, my work has moved through costing, plant control, product finance and group leadership. The question has become broader, but I still ask which specific use supports the value recorded in the account.

Recent decisions include reviewing slow-moving lots against actual approved uses, changing the commercial terms of a custom-fabric order before buying dedicated material, and separating an inspection-equipment proposal from the production assumptions attached to it. I do not want finance to become a second quality department. I want our financial decisions to use the evidence that qualified colleagues can support. A write-down may acknowledge a past loss without releasing cash; a customer deposit may share a commitment without making the entire order unconditional; and a successful trial may justify only a limited next step.

Current focus

I am bringing product-lifecycle decisions into the inventory discussion earlier, so that a revised customer specification prompts a review before the old material has spent another year in storage.

Conversations I welcome

I would consider a single external manufacturing board role with a specific need for financial and product-economics judgement, allowing twenty-four annual days subject to consent, relationships and calendar review.