Spinning and weaving moved from the maker's home or small workshop to new steamed-powered cotton textile mills, which grew in size and productivity. The new productivity of the machines changed the economy of Britain. "Hand spinners in India required 50,000 hours to produce 100 pounds of cotton yarn. Cromptons' mule could do the same task in 2000 hours; Arkwright's steam-powered frame took 300 hours; and automatic mules took 135 hours." Moreover, the quality of the finished product steadily increased in strength, durability, and the fine texture.Cotton textiles became most important product of British industries by 1820, making up almost half of Britain's exports.
The new productivity of the cotton textile industry also affected many of spinners and weavers who continued to work at home on much simpler machines. The owners of new weaving mills continued to provide weavers with cotton thread and paid them for the finished product. But when cutbacks in production were necessary, the home workers were the one to be cut, while the large factories continued to run. In 1791, home-based workers in the north of England burned down one of the new power-loom factories in Manchester. Machine-wrecking riots followed for several decades, culminating in the Luddite riots of 1810-1820. Named for their mythical leader, Ned Ludd, the rioter wanted the new machines banned. Thousands of soldiers were called in to suppress these riots.
The textile revolution also generated spin-off effects around the world. India's industrial position was reversed as she became a supplier of raw cotton to Britain and an importer of machine-manufactured cotton textiles from Britain. Britain's new mills required unprecedented quantities of good quality cotton. .
The textile industry began with consumer product that everyone used and that already employed a substantial handicraft labor force; it mechanized and reorganized the production process in factories.