Recent developments have concentrated on reducing the damage that dyeing causes to wool. These include reductions in the time of dyeing, reductions in the temperature of dyeing and the application of chemicals to block the damaging chemical reactions.

Other developments have been in the dyes themselves. The aim has been to develop dyes that can be used on most substrates, using the same application methods. This simplifies the dyeing processes and reduces the inventory of dyes that dyehouse needs to hold.

Machinery developments have also taken place, the main advance being in the area of automation. Virtually all modern machines are equipped with microprocessors to control the main operations. Systems are also available, particularly for yarn dyeing, to use robotics to fully automate the dyeing process.