Archive for May, 2006
PERSAINGAN BISNIS MAKIN KOMPETITIF; Margaria Luncurkan Classy Kebaya Batik/kedaulatan-rakyat.com
YOGYA (KR) - Sebagai akibat ketidakseimbangan antara kenaikan biaya ritel dan menurunnya daya beli masyarakat, ritel batik dan bisnis batik menunjukkan aktivitas yang stagnan. “Tren negatif ini dibaca oleh para pelaku usaha sektor ritel, termasuk pelaku bisnis batik,†kata Manajer Margaria Batik, Indah Widiarti kepada KR, Kamis (25/5).
Menurutnya, iklim bisnis batik sekarang ini semakin kompetitif, sehingga pelaku usa-ha pun harus melakukan berbagai terobosan untuk membidik pasar. Saat ini batik bukanlah barang mewah yang hanya bisa dimiliki oleh kalangan tertentu, namun sudah memasyarakat di semua lapis-an. Batik mudah dijumpai di mana-mana, mulai dari pasar tradisional, kawasan pertokoan hingga mall.
Mengantisipasi hal itu, Margaria Batik yang terdiri atas Butik Batik dan Wisma batik Margaria belum lama ini meluncurkan koleksi batik terbarunya yang bertajuk Classy Kebaya Batik. Koleksi ini sesuai dengan konsep butik yang sangat menjaga eksklusivitas produk. Classy Batik ini sengaja dibuat terbatas untuk setiap desainnya (limited edition) dengan bidikan pasar menengah ke atas. Koleksi ini tersedia dalam 5 model yang masing-masing merupakan modifikasi kreatif terbaru dari Butik Batik Margaria.
“Peluncuran koleksi terbaru ini merupakan upaya kami untuk tetap konsisten di dalam jalur bisnis batik yang saat ini iklimnya semakin kompetitif. Promo ini sekaligus sebagai konsekuensi penciptaan brand image Margaria Batik sebagai gerai batik terdepan di Yogya,†jelas Indah.
Ditambahkan, eksistensi dan optimisme Margaria Batik yang beralamatkan di Jl A Yani 65-69 Yogya selama ini tetap terjaga, sebab senantiasa bisa memenuhi tuntutan pasar melalui inovasi batiknya. Dengan demikian produk Margaria selama ini telah mendapat tempat di kalangan konsumen batik. Selain batik, produk lain yang juga memiliki pasar cukup tinggi adalah bahan kemeja sutra, sarung selendang sutra, bahan sarimbit dan bahan meteran untuk seragam. (M-5)-g
May 31st, 2006
Attacks on garment factories — Who is responsible
Tuesday May 30 2006 12:07:59 PM BDT
Mohiuddin Anwar , USA
Blaming indirectly ruling BNP for recent Attack on our garment industry is childish. I believe that “jubo Shongram Porishad” created by the known opposition groups could have been involved to destroy our garment industry to cripple the government. Known Foreign Inteligent agency’s (R..)monetory help could not be ruled out. Well trained professional political activists participated in the attack on our garment industry.
Very few garment worketrs were seen in thoose attack. If we analyze the vidio footege of the attack we can come to a conclusion that professional crimuinal gangs intentionally attacked the garment industry not the garment workers. It is absolutely wrong to blame the garment workers for destroying their own bread earner industry. Even in some cases garment workers ptrevented the attackers to damage some garment industry.
Opposition Awami League tried to blame the ‘injustice to the garment workers’ are the main cause of this attack, that’s not true at all. If we ask any affected garment workers we will know the reality behind this attack.
I undrrstand that at the final hour of the BNP led Jote government their popular support had reduced dramatically because of some direct affect of power shortage,water shortage, incresiong price of essential commidities and widespread corruption of some BNP Miniosters, that does not mean people love for Awami League has increased dramatically. It’s still premature to predict that Awami League might win the next parliamentery election on negatve support for BNP led alliance. Awami league has to earn enough popular support with their action and honest leadership.And that path is not easy as some Awami sympatjizers predicted. Bangladeshi voters atre very shrewd ,they never failed to choose right person to lead them.
Sinceely,
Mohiuddin Anwar
**********************
It is not Sheikh Hasina, not Awami League, not any member of opposition that
has created the environment where such lawlessness can be perpetrated.
Please use reason and not the impulse!
Kansat was for electricity/water/Ashulia also for Water/Electricity.
Government has failed to continue the development in the power sector Awami
League started with a sense of emergency.
Government failed to protect the lives and security of its people. Did Awami
League has to do anything? No.
BanglaBhai continued his atrocities with impunity–his arrest order by the
Prime Minister had been ignored until our Big Masters–the EU and the USA–
raised its stick. Within days Both Shaiokh Rahman and Banglabhai and even
many of its second and third level leaders got apprehended! Was it a ploy
of the Government that they would nab them at the end of their term and
mislead people about their success in controlling the terrorism! Is it Awami
League’s fault to reject making of new electoral roll from the blank and
demand the electoral roll of 2000 be updated? How come all most all of the
justices appointed by the BNP are in consensus in rejecting the Electoral
roll prepared by the EC.
Now let us get back to Garments–Is it possible that the people involved in
the arson and destruction of Garments Industries are actually the people of
the Jot Govt.? To answer this we need to find out who are the owners of
these Garment Factories. Rumor abounds that–the recently forming Islami
Oikya Jot as opposed to Jamaat was pledged funding by many of the garment
Factory owners whose factories have been gutted.
If you are looking for escape goat to what is happening as a consequence of
the present Government,s disregard to law of the country and being engaged
in politicization of all branches of the Government (Jamaat did that subtly
and the BNP did that by fiat)– go ahead and blame whoever you may want but
the fact will come out sooner or later. Let me tell you a story–somewhat
like what is happening now. In 1954 there was a riot in the ADAMJEE JUTE
Mills in Dhaka and in “CHANDRA GHONA PAPER MILL” in Chittagong between
Non-Bangalee and Bangalee. As the riots were started by the
non-Bengalees–lots of Bangaee laborers were caught unaware and got killed
or maimed. Do you know what happened next–Gulam Mohammad the then Governor
General of Pakistan, citing these incidences as signs of lawlessness
dissolved the Joint Front Cabinet which was led by AK Fazlul Haque as chief
minister. Fazlul Haque refused to take any stand against this order of
Gulam Mohammad (It is known as promulgation of 92-A) as he feared that
Pakistan Army may get involved. He was heard teling his joint front
colleagues–” What do you want me to do? Do you want me to become another
“Mossaddeq” ?”–referring to the coup that reinstated Shah of
Iran and put
Mossaddeq and his party people in Jail and all the progressive nationalist
forces of Iran on the run–leaving the political arena to the Mullas and the
Mosques(–and ultimately we saw the rise of Ayatolla’s).
The current attitude of so called Islam Passand and Pakistan Passand groups
in Bangladesh is: “Anything but Awami League!”. Never mind the forces
for a
secular Bangladesh will ultimately prevail and, therefore, Awami League, at
least for now, as no other political Party can yet provide a viable
alternative.
What about trying Khaleda Zia for destroying the “VAB MURTI OF
BANGLADESH”
for presiding over a most corrupt, incompetent, arrogant and law-defying
Government? For trying to redefine the ideals and principles for which
Bangladesh was fought for and won.
Thanks
Khalid Hasan
May 31st, 2006
Vietnam’s Garment Exports Likely To Hit US$400 MLN In May
Asia Pulse via Yahoo!7 News
HANOI, May 26 Asia Pulse - Vietnam’s garment exports sizzled in the early days of this month with projected sales reaching about US$15 million per day. Turnover for the entire month was likely reach $400 million, according to the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (ViTAS).
Total export revenue in the first five months of the year are likely to top $2 billion, up around 38 per cent from a year earlier and making the garment industry one of the fastest growing export earners in the country
Growth was spurred by strong demand from such major importers as the US, EU, and Japan as well as orders from smaller markets like Canada and Turkey.
Vietnam earned some $1.74 billion from textile and garment exports in the first four months of the year, reported ViTAS. Exports to the US notched up nearly $1 billion, making it the leading market for Vietnamese garment exports and accounting for 58 per cent of total sales during the four-month period.
Clothing exports to the EU posted solid growth of 70 per cent with sales at $350 million, while exports to Japan earned $250 million. Exports to Canada and Turkey grew a whopping 80 per cent and 200 per cent, respectively.
High growth is expected to continue in the coming months as many enterprises have already secured additional export orders. The garment industry is Vietnam’s second largest export earner.
(VNA)
May 30th, 2006
El Paseo jewelry store robbed for the second time this month
By Nathan Baca
NewsChannel 3
A jewelry store robbed this afternoon and the robbers are still on the loose. This is the second time the El Paseo Jewelry Exchange has been hit in the last month and the third jewelry store robbery on El Paseo in that time.
The El Paseo Jewelry Exchange was still closed late Monday afternoon, as investigators looked for clues. For the second time in two weeks, the store became the target of a jewelry heist.
Sheriff’s say a man and a woman walked into the El Paseo Jewelry Exchange around 1:30. The man smashed the class with his fist, stole some jewelry and ran out the front door, kept open by the woman. When deputies began their search, just minutes later, they couldn’t find the couple that ran down El Paseo. The couple didn’t have a gun and deputies now say at no time were any shots fired.
Eyewitnesses say the woman was Hispanic with platinum blonde hair and a pink jumpsuit. The man is also Hispanic and wore a white shirt and a white baseball cap.
Shoppers on El Paseo are saying that robberies are becoming a little too common for their safety here.
May 30th, 2006
El Paseo jewelry store robbed for the second time this month
By Nathan Baca
NewsChannel 3
A jewelry store robbed this afternoon and the robbers are still on the loose. This is the second time the El Paseo Jewelry Exchange has been hit in the last month and the third jewelry store robbery on El Paseo in that time.
The El Paseo Jewelry Exchange was still closed late Monday afternoon, as investigators looked for clues. For the second time in two weeks, the store became the target of a jewelry heist.
Sheriff’s say a man and a woman walked into the El Paseo Jewelry Exchange around 1:30. The man smashed the class with his fist, stole some jewelry and ran out the front door, kept open by the woman. When deputies began their search, just minutes later, they couldn’t find the couple that ran down El Paseo. The couple didn’t have a gun and deputies now say at no time were any shots fired.
Eyewitnesses say the woman was Hispanic with platinum blonde hair and a pink jumpsuit. The man is also Hispanic and wore a white shirt and a white baseball cap.
Shoppers on El Paseo are saying that robberies are becoming a little too common for their safety here.
May 30th, 2006
AV Birla group to set up new garment export co
Economic Times, India
BANGALORE: The swelling apparel exports in the post-quota world have hooked AV Birla (AVB) Group now. It has decided to set up a standalone export manufacturing company by hiving off the existing operations of the domestic branded major Madura Garments (MG).
The new 100% subsidiary, Madura Garments Exports (MGEL), will invest about Rs 120 crore in the ongoing financial year and expects a turnover of Rs 200 crore by the end of the same. AVB has projected MGEL to turn up with a topline of Rs 500/600 crore by the year ’10/11, Vikram Rao, executive director of Madura Garments, told ET
MG’s export business ended FY06 with Rs 95 crore turnover. The country’s largest apparel export entity, Gokaldas Exports, currently has a turnover in the vicinity of Rs 850 crore. A host of global brands have made Bangalore the hub for its apparel sourcing activities over the past 18 to 24 months.
“We have board approval to invest in a new shirt and trouser plant near Bangalore, which will attract about Rs 45 crore. We will focus on our core strengths — formal shirt, casual shirts, performance trousers & formal trousers.
We could look at womenswear at a later date,†Mr Rao added. The new company, headed by Partho Kar as COO, is expected to build on MG’s current list of 20 export clients, including six to seven big accounts.
MGEL, Mr Rao said, would develop a production capacity of nearly 18m garments by ’10. It could look for satellite plants in China and Bangladesh, besides a strong base in India. The export company’s road map also includes setting up merchandise and marketing teams in trade blocs across the world and a design centre in Europe.
“The (third party) export business presents a big opportunity for us,†Mr Rao said. He added that the export company would look for synergistic opportunities with other AVB entities like Grasim. “We could look at synergies with Grasim’s fabric base wherever possible. But we will not force it on our clients,†he added.
May 30th, 2006
Saipan : Garment maker Handsome Inc’s operations grounded
May 29, 2006/Fibre2fashion.com, India
Saipan garment industry is struggling to survive as the demand for apparel has dropped significantly, after the expiry of the textile quotas implemented by the World Trade Organization.
Handsome (Saipan) Inc became the tenth garment company to completely cease production due to paucity of orders.
Company plans to permanently close down its garment manufacturing unit in Tanapag by July 9, 2006.
Handsome employs around 200 nonresident Chinese workers.
Meanwhile, Joseph E Horey, Counsel for Handsome (Saipan) Inc, assured that Top Fashion Corp, a branch of the closed company has agreed to hire most of the workers.
May 30th, 2006
Textile/garment: Higher quality and well-known brands
VietNamNet Bridge, Vietnam
VietNamNet - When the WTO forces open quotas - the biggest barrier to Vietnam’s textile and garment products will be abolished. However, the government’s supportive policies toward textile and garment production will also disappear.
According to the Industry Deputy Minister Bui Xuan Khu, after Vietnam joins WTO, turn over of textile and garment products is very likely to double within a short time. But in order to make the most of this opportunity together and ensure stronger competitiveness, Vietnam needs to apply comprehensive measures in terms of improved materials, brand names, labour, management, technology and marketing.
New investment wave
After joining the WTO, times will be very hard for Vietnam’s textile and garment producers to compete. Vietnam will have to open its door for foreign investors. “There will be many new FDI projects in the textile and garment industry. The proportion of their export would account for 50% of the total turn over of the country in this industry,†Mr Le Quoc An, President of the Vietnam’s Textile and Garment Association (VTGA) forecast.
Later this week a group of Chinese investors will arrive in Hanoi to meet with the VTGA to discuss possible cooperation in developing material for textile and garment products.
“Vietnam is also working with several Japanese companies and other well-known fashion corporations on developing the designs as well as purchasing brand name production rights to improve quality to a higher level or to make more high quality, specialised products.†An said.
“Retailing of textile and garment products in foreign and domestic markets should also be considered,†An added. “Vietnam only exports products under foreign brand names and through their distribution channels, but now we have to think about exporting products with our own brand names and through our own channels. This would help to increase our competitiveness.â€
New challenges
According to the Trade Deputy Minister Luong Van Tu, removing quotas and government support to the industry was one of the toughest issues in negotiating with the US. Challenges and opportunities for the industry now are somewhat equal. With deeper integration into the world economy, associations must take on more supportive roles, as will no longer be possible for the government to cover failed business activities. “Vietnam’s textile and garment companies would have to take in to account that in 2008 quota regulations will no longer be effective to Chinese textile and garment products. When that happens, Chinese textile and garment products will be everywhere,†Tu said.
He also warned that “Vietnam needs to pay more attention to policy transparency and working conditions.†This point was one of several issues of contention with US’s negotiators.
The Deputy Minister believes that at present the competitiveness of the industry is still very weak, as producers have to import most of their materials and technology, while there is serious lack of marketable brand names and design capability. Most Vietnamese companies in the industry have been working as sub-contractors for foreign producers, and have little idea of how to cope on their own.
In the long run Vietnam will have to initiate more investment promotion in other countries and start projects for textile exports. Developing design skills and promoting locally developed brand names is also needed. The role of VTGA in information dissemination, market analysis and linking members in the association together should be strengthened. Khu said he has become very concerned that while TGAs in other countries like Taiwan are working hard to support their members, the VTGA has been too distracted by in-house profiteering to ensure future development for the entire industry.
Four stages of the textile and garment industry
Stage 1: Prior to 1990, enterprises mainly worked as sub-contractors for foreign producers. Annual export turn over: US$100mil
Stage 2: 1992 –2002, Entered the EU market, the annual export turnover peaked in 2001: US$2bil.
Stage 3: Entered the US market. Export turn over in 2005: US$5bil. This year, estimated export turnover: US$5.5bil.
Stage 4: After 2006 and expected WTO membership: a period of increased turnover, coupled with fierce, perform or die competition.
(Source: NLD)
May 30th, 2006
Tavola, Downer to discuss garment trade
Fiji Times, Fiji
THE garment trade agreement with Australia will be one of the main points of discussions between Foreign Affairs Minister Kaliopate Tavola and Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Alexander Downer during a meeting in Canberra soon.
Foreign Affairs chief executive Isikeli Mataitoga was reacting to comments made by the Fiji Garment, Clothing and Textile Association president Ramesh Solanki for the Government to act promptly on lapses in a trade agreement with Australia to save jobs here.
We are aware of problems faced by the garment industry and we had made a submission earlier this year to those in Australia and we are dealing with the matter diplomatically but there are always ways that could be used by others to try and jeopardise the situation, he said.
On Friday, a UN report stated that Fijis garment industry was bound to suffer more in the future and negotiations between Australia and China would have a severe effect on Fijis garment industry.
It said that Fijis collapsing textile and clothing industry recorded its worst year in a decade during 2005, which saw 6000 workers losing their jobs.
The competition from bigger countries the report said, pushed smaller countries like Fiji to the brink of collapse.
Mr Solanki said this was perfectly correct about the local industry and the Government had to act now.
The stakeholders of the industry has already approached the Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase to improve access to New Zealand and Australia through SPARTECA, Mr Solanki said.
We have not heard anything from the Government and we did not go forward over the past weeks because of the busy election period. But now that everything is over, we plan to visit the PM next week to ask for an update, Mr Solanki said.
Mr Solanki said the industry was one of the major employment providers in Fiji.
A lot of school leavers and dropouts enter the garment industry because it is the kind of job already available for them as other types of employment opportunities are quite difficult to get today.
The Government cant just sit back and wait for things to happen. We need to act now before the remaining 9000 families are affected, Mr Solanki said.
The report also revealed that increasing price competition, closures of factories, job losses and deterioration of workers conditions have been reported in countries that lost export orders as well as in countries that managed to keep their export volume.
May 30th, 2006
ILO decries low wages in RMG sector
Says legal minimum salary not increased in 10 years
Md Hasan/The Daily Star, Bangladesh
Minimum monthly wages in garment sector of Bangladesh has made it impossible for workers to lead a decent life, says a recent survey of International Labour Organization (ILO).
The survey observes most of the trade unions in the garment sector operate from outside the factories and thus suffer a lack of active participation of the workers.
Bangladesh is a country with one of the lowest wage rates in the world, the survey on “RMG Industry, Post-MFA Regime and Decent Work, The Bangladesh Perspective” says.
It says while the low wage rate reflects large supplies of workers relative to demand, what is striking is that the legal minimum wage in this sector has not increased during the last 10 years or so.
“It is often argued that minimum wage in the sector has increased in response to the adjustment with the increased standards of living and inflation”, it adds.
“However, such a claim is grossly overstated, as full inflation adjustment is never undertaken.”
Meanwhile, there are seven grades for the garment industry ranging from grade one to seven. The hierarchy has been designed in descending order, with grade seven being the lowest and statutory legal minimum wage for a grade seven employee being Tk 930 and that for a grade one employee being Tk 4,500.
The labour standards are appallingly low, when compared with the ILO’s ‘decent work’ indicators.
The ILO survey finds that when workers do overtime, employers very often exploit them on their hours, preferring to pay fixed sums, which is much lower than the 100 percent incremental pay for the overtime work as provided for in the law.
The survey says although in recent times there has been some initiative to bring workers under insurance coverage the non-issuance of appointment letters by employers could actually deprive workers of being benefited from such schemes.
The ILO survey says there is also a need to improve the institutional capacity of basic unions and industrial federations in this sector to deliver effective membership services and more transparent and responsible actions by the union leadership.
The paper points out that the initiative of setting up a common compliance standard should not be alternative to the implementation of the ILO’s core conventions.
It also emphasises the need for strengthening the tripartite consultation structure among the government, employers and workers.
Along with the pressure from increased competition, Bangladesh is also confronted with a challenging task of improving the labour standards in the RMG industry, it says.
The future growth performance of the sector will critically hinge on complying with the labour laws and standards, it observes.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Tipu Munshi said, “It’s true some of the existing wages for the workers do not match with minimum living standard.”
He said garment factories are now facing a labour shortage as most of the workers switch to another factory when they get skilled. The semi-skilled or skilled labours do so to get healthy wages.
“This trend is helpful for the workers as they get over Tk 2,000 a month after three or four months of joining in the garment sector.”
He expressed the hope an effective wage board will be formed soon in association with the government, workers and garment owners.
May 29th, 2006
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