doffer

A doffer is a worker in the textile industry who attends spinning frames and is responsible for the doffing process. Doffing consists of removing full bobbins, cops, or cones from the machine and replacing them with empty ones to keep production running. The term and practice are found on various types of spinning equipment, including mule spindles and ring frames, where packages of spun yarn are accumulated on creels.

Doffer duties typically include handling the finished packages, placing them in a receiving bin or on a winder, and installing new empty bobbins or cones. In addition to doffing, many doffers assist with related tasks such as securing yarn ends, tidying the work area, and monitoring basic machine performance. The role requires manual dexterity, attention to yarn quality, and the ability to work safely around moving machinery and at elevated positions on some frames.

Historically, doffers were often younger workers who performed repetitive, physically demanding tasks in mills powered by steam or early electricity. With modern automation in many textile plants, fully manual doffing has diminished, supplanted by automated doffing systems and dedicated operators responsible for loading and unloading packages or maintaining equipment. Nevertheless, manual doffing persists in certain facilities, artisanal operations, or processes where automation is not feasible.

The term doffer derives from the verb doff, meaning to take off. In common usage, the person performing the task may be referred to as a doffer or doffer boy in older mills, reflecting historical labor practices in textile production.