Industry: Rescue for Rayon

Rayon was the first of all the syn thetic fibers, but its sales slipped badly as nylon and other new synthetics came on the scene; when Du Pont closed down the last of its rayon-producing plants last year, it seemed that rayon's day was finally over. But, with surprising fortitude, rayon has refused to be pushed into oblivion; it has survived as the largest selling artificial fiber in the U.S., and now accounts for more than a third of the volume of the $1.9 billion synthetic business. After slumping for five years, rayon sales have jumped 20% in the last two.

The main reason for the rescue is a new kind of rayon developed by the industry. It is made just like the old fiber —by squeezing wood pulp through a device that looks like a shower head to form filaments—but its molecular structure has been changed through the use of new chemicals in the manufacturing process. Whereas the old rayon shrank in the rain and often broke up in the family washing machine, the new fiber is stronger and shrinkproof, while retaining the absorbent qualities of the old fiber. Nowadays it is usually blended with a cheap grade of cotton to produce such items as bed sheets that feel like percale and towels that can be dyed brilliantly and absorb more water than cotton. Because of Government supports that peg the cheapest cotton at 3210 per lb., rayon enjoys a substantial price advantage, is the cheapest fiber available.

One big threat to rayon is the slow gain of nylon in auto tires, which account for a fourth of rayon's market. The automakers all use rayon in their tires because nylon tires thump after standing for a period, leading drivers to believe that something is wrong with the car when they start rolling. But the nylon industry is trying to work out the thump, and the eight U.S. rayon makers (biggest: American Viscose) do not expect to hold off nylon cord forever.