As of April 1, the National Council of Textile Organizations and the American Fiber Manufacturers Association will be one.

The two trade associations are hoping that together they will be stronger in influencing federal policy as it relates to textiles and fibers.

The merged entities will operate as the National Council of Textile Organizations, based in Washington, D.C., and NCTO President and Chief Executive Auggie Tantillo will continue in that role.

William V. McCrary Jr., chairman of the NCTO board and chief executive of William Barnet & Son, a global manufacturer of fiber, polymers and yarn in Spartansburg, S.C., said the merger will bring new members and financial resources to NCTO and extend the organization’s political reach.

“It also cements NCTO’s status as the voice of every facet of the U.S.textile production chain, a fact that will help NCTO to more effectively influence federal policies that affect U.S. textile investment, production and workers,” he said.

AFMA Chairman Mark Ruday, who is also the senior vice president of DAK Americas in Charlotte, N.C., said the merger will allow U.S. fiber producers to keep the sector’s seat at the federal policy table. “As a multi-billion industry with tens of thousands of employees, it is critical that the U.S. man-made fiber sector stay engaged in Washington,” Ruday said.

NCTO’s leadership structure is made up of four councils—fiber, yarn, fabric and home furnishings, and industry support. Each represents a major sector of the U.S. supply chain and elects its own officers, who make up NCTO’s board of directors.

NCTO executives note that the U.S. employed 550,000 workers in the textile supply chain last year, and that the U.S. exported $28.6 billion of fiber, textiles and apparel in 2015, much of that to Central America and Mexico. The two regions have free-trade pacts with the United States.