The punch cards will be directly controlling the loom, it looks like it is read electro-mechanically. Maintaining the card reader is presumably a minor part of

The punch cards will be directly controlling the loom, it looks like it is read electro-mechanically. Maintaining the card reader is presumably a minor part of maintenance for the whole loom. One person probably has the skills to maintain the weaving part and the reading part. If you replaced the input with USB or similar, you now also need someone with IT skills if that part goes wrong.