In 1898 encouraged by Herbert Dixon and Scott Lings a group of spinning companies in the North West formed the Fine Spinners and Doublers Association. Businesses joining the Association from its foundation included A. and G. Murray, Thomas Houldsworth and Co, C. E. Bennett and Co, James and Wainwright Bellhouse, and McConnel and Co. Rapid expansion in the following years encompassed many more firms. The Fine Spinners and Doublers Association enjoyed a huge advantage due to its size. Being much larger than its competitors enabled it to secure Sea Islands cotton, named after an area in South Carolina, where it was grown and Egyptian cotton. Until c 1930 it was the world's largest cotton-spinning concern, operating 60 mills and employing a workforce of 30,000 operatives. In 1946 the name of the business was changed to Fine Spinners and Doublers Limited and enjoyed a brief period of prosperity before being purchased by Courtaulds in 1963.