Does dyeing practice need dyeing theory?

It has been indicated that much of the practical data for dyeing processes available has never been exploited by the dye application industry, although dye research and development programmes have often identified targets with successful outcomes. Products and processes originated by dye makers have had a major impact on the success of practical dyeing, resulting in improved reproducibility and right-first-time processing. Dyeing theory research has consumed substantial resources invested by dye makers and academic institutions, but many of these studies have failed to yield useful data that could be applied directly in practical dyeing systems. The generation of detailed standard operating procedures has provided the conditions for achieving effective control over the practical dyeing process, an objective that was once thought to be attainable eventually by the refinement of dyeing theories.