Archive for June, 2007
USA: Edwards Garment upgrades with SQL Series suite
BharatTextile.com (subscription), India
MIAMI: The market leader in ERP, PLM and global sourcing software for the fashion, apparel and footwear industries, New Generation Computing®(NGC®) has announced that Edwards Garment has selected its SQL Series suite of end-to-end global software solutions, said Alan Brooks, president, NGC in a release.
Edwards Garment, a provider of corporate and casual apparel and uniforms, chose NGC after an intense, thorough review of the industry’s leading software providers.
The SQL Series products selected include NGC’s RedHorse® software for apparel ERP, e-PLM for Product Lifecycle Management, and e-SPS® software for global sourcing and visibility and the solution is set to to help Edwards Garment improve its customer service, manage its inventory of more than 80,000 SKUs, and greatly enhance supply chain efficiency and communications.
Gary Schultz, president and CEO, Edwards Garment added that the current installed ERP system can’t keep pace with the rapidly changing demands of company’s business and so clearly we needed a new solution.
The main aim of the company while selecting the solution was to allow them quickly fulfill orders and provide the best level of customer service, and also needed greater visibility into the entire supply chain, from our internal design teams to overseas factories.
Edwards Garment chose NGC over eight other software companies as the NGC’s product capabilities were the deciding factor and its communications is best in class.
NGC’s SQL Series suite of ERP, PLM and global sourcing solutions is demonstrating very strong market momentum, and our worldwide customer base is growing rapidly, Alan Brooks added further.
Edwards Garment, privately held and headquartered in Kalamazoo, Michigan has been manufacturing and supplying corporate, casual and uniform apparel for 139 years.
New Generation Computing (NGC), a wholly owned subsidiary of American Software Inc. is a leader in integrated, end-to-end solutions for Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), and global sourcing and visibility for the fashion, apparel, footwear and furniture industries.
June 28th, 2007
MALAYSIA: Textile and garment workers protest for minimum wage
BharatTextile.com (subscription), India
KUALALUMPUR: About 30,000 workers stated a nationwide protest on Monday to demand RM900 monthly mimimum wage for private sector employees.
Basic wages of plantation, textile and garment and hotel workers in Malaysia is below RM400 a month.
Malaysia’s trade unions demonstrated at 13 locations throughout the country to show the government that the issue is indeed serious
G. Rajasekaran, Secretary General of the Malaysian Trades Union Congress, said the unions expected 50,000 workers to participate in the protest.
500 workers demonstrated near the office of the Employees Provident Fund.
The demonstrations followed a memorandum of demands that was sent to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi a week ago.
Mr. Rajasekaran said that the Ministry of Human Resources will set up councils to review low wages in certain sectors but that is not enough. After 50 years of independence the wages are still at the poverty line.
The demand for a minimum wage law is a 10-year battle. The government says they will set up councils for the hotel and security guard sectors. The minimum wage issue concerns about seven million workers. There are plantation, garment, textile workers who also need to be considered while setting up councils.
“We need a law for the minimum wage,” Rajasekaran said.
June 27th, 2007
Garment companies struggle to overcome US import watchdogs
VietNamNet Bridge, Vietnam
VietNamNet Bridge – Le Quoc An, president of Viet Nam Textile and Apparel Association, discusses US anti-dumping measures on Vietnamese garment exports with Thoi bao Kinh te Viet Nam (Viet Nam Economic Times).
How is the association dealing with the reduction of orders from the US due to the US Department of Commerce’s supervision mechanism on Vietnam’s garments?
The association is currently carrying out several courses of action to prevent order cancellations by US businesses.
We have appealed to the US Government to stop applying the supervision mechanism on Vietnamese garments and have requested international organisations to lobby on our behalf. The association has met with US businesses to persuade them to continue importing our products.
The association has told US importers that the Vietnamese Government will not let the worst-case scenario happen. If the anti-dumping tax is applied, a stop-gap measure has been introduced so that Vietnamese businesses will share 50% of the tax with US importers, at present the US Government levies the tax solely on importers.
So far several Vietnamese enterprises have signed agreements with their US customers but not all importers have yet agreed to the scheme.
The association has requested that Vietnamese businesses implement three solutions: make accounts clear and transparent; comply with international regulations; and limit low-price exports to the US market.
Do you think the DoC will implement any new protectionist policies against the Vietnamese garment industry this year?
The ministry has no plans to implement new policies but will review the results of the first six months application of the supervision mechanism, which means that anti-dumping taxes will probably be imposed.
The most important thing is that Vietnamese businesses persuade US importers to continue to sign orders for the remainder of the year. While the association and garment businesses are making strong efforts to achieve this, I am very concerned that the target of US$7bil turnover for the garment sector this year will be difficult to attain.
Could you explain in detail the supervision mechanism and how it impacts to Vietnamese garment sector?
The US adds up the import figures twice a year and the first six months results will be released in late August. We are nervously waiting their assessment, but I don’t think there will be a serious problem.
The growth rate of Vietnam’s exports to the US is not so high, only about 30%, similar to other countries.
When the US imposed quotas on Vietnam’s garment exports, the growth rate was 20% and when the quotas were cancelled, it grew to over 20%, which was to be expected.
Since quotas were eliminated prices have fluctuated as some products have increased or decreased in unit-cost but overall they have balanced out.
I think the DoC will consider the growth rate to be normal when they have the first half year’s figures.
Supervision is their business. I hope everything will be all right.
What do you say about the fact that many Vietnamese enterprises have lost orders from the US partners?
Orders have been cancelled because US importers are concerned that the US Government will introduce new measures when they review the first six months’ results.
Vietnam’s Ministry of Trade and the association have since met US importers to persuade them they have little to worry about and, currently, many have started re-ordering Vietnamese garments.
At present, to prevent the dumping of Vietnamese garment products in the US, both sides have also to carry out a self-supervision mechanism. Can you discuss the co-operation between the association and the relevant Vietnamese offices?
Currently, the Ministry of Trade and the Ministry of Industry in co-ordination with Customs, the Viet Nam Chamber for Commerce and Industry, and Viet Nam Textiles and Apparel Association have implemented a self-supervision programme by granting import certificates, valid for three months, to businesses so as to control data.
Unfortunately, only 80% of businesses have joined the programme so far. The ministries and associations are now discussing new and more effective measures.
(Source: Viet Nam News)
June 26th, 2007
Garment factory’s shutdown causes couple’s ’separation’
Saipan Tribune, Micronesia
The shutdown of a garment factory in 2005 has caused a local employee to be “separated†from his wife and child due to his failure to pay utility billings. And for two years now without electricity and water supply, he is surviving alone in his wooden house in Afetnas using candles and rainwater.
Joaquin Sablan Palacios, 49, and his wife Catalina, 30, used to live a comfortable life with their son while they were both working at Neo Fashion.
With the factory’s closure in July 2005, it took Palacios one year to find another job at a supermarket. Catalina couldn’t get another job since then.
After four months with no job, the couple couldn’t afford to pay their power and water bills. As a result, the Commonwealth Utilities Corp. cut their electricity and water supply
Catalina, a native of Villasis, Pangasinan, Philippines, told Saipan Tribune that it was so hard for them to stay in the house with no power and water because their son, John Jacob, was then just one year old.
“We decided to stick together. It was very hard,†Catalina recalled.
Mosquitoes are the main problem because the place where their wooden house is located is in a swampy area. When it rains hard or there is a typhoon the house would be surrounded with water.
After four months, the couple made a decision for the sake of their baby. Catalina and the baby had to leave their home that actually belongs to Palacios’ parents.
Catalina and John Jacob decided to stay in her sister’s house in San Vicente.
But Palacios remained in their home. He would fight mosquitoes using coils and catch rainwater to have water for bathing and other needs.
He would see his wife and son when they visit him during his day-off. Recently, his old car broke down which gave him another problem in picking up his family from San Vicente or in going to work in Susupe.
Palacios and Catalina said they want their family together again everyday.
“I missed them although they are still on the island,†said Palacios. “ I missed them all the time.â€
Palacios said their problem is they could not afford to pay the reconnection and other fees to CUC in order to have power and water again.
“My salary is not enough at $3.25 an hour. Our hours are even reduced to 64,†he said.
“I cannot afford the luxury of life. The house needs to be fixed too. The utility rate of CUC is skyrocketing,†he said.
Sometimes, Palacios said, he would go to his brothers’ and sisters’ houses just to get a shower. He said it’s difficult to get help from family members because they have obligations too.
Palacios said he needs $400 to $500 just to get their power and water back on.
He also said their house is very old and that it’s falling apart and is full of termites.
Palacios disclosed that he has a B.A. degree in Sociology at Brescia University in Kentucky and that at first he really wanted to become a teacher.
“But I was never given an opportunity perhaps because of politics,†he said.
He said if given a chance to work in the government, he wants to serve at the Department of Labor or at the Division of Immigration.
Palacios is eligible for any job at the agencies because he was once a police officer.
Palacios and Catalina said they are hoping that somebody in the community would help them “stay everyday as a family again†at their dilapidated house.
“We are praying that somebody would help us. I am very depressed with our situation. I care so much for my husband and my son who is now going three years old,†said the teary-eyed Catalina.
June 25th, 2007
Vietnam to equitize top garment maker Vinatex
Thanh Nien Daily, Vietnam
Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Sinh Hung said in a directive on Thursday the group would hire a consultant to conduct its equitization process.
Hung also approved a plan to issue convertible bonds.
The directive did not give details of Vinatex’s bond issue, but company chairman Le Quoc An has said the group needs to raise at least VND10 trillion ($620 million) to expand.
An said the group planned to complete its equitization process next year.
The state-owned firm said it aimed to raise textile and garment exports, mainly to the European Union and the United States, to $1.55 billion in 2007 from $1.3 billion last year.
Textile and garment products are Vietnam’s second-largest export category after crude oil, with $2.68 billion in revenues reported during the first five months of this year.
June 22nd, 2007
MALAYSIA: Garment retailer planning overseas expansion
BharatTextile.com (subscription), India
KUALA LUMPUR: Garment retailer will be taking its operations overseas as it plans to acquire local retail companies that are already set in the foreign market.
The company is in talks with various parties. The company has a 600-member retail network and is expecting a double digit growth this year.
If the company concludes a merger or acquisition of a company then our growth will have no bounds, Chief executive officer Tho Tuck Woh said afer an extraordinary general meeting (EGM) on Wednesday.
He added that in three to five years the company expects to see 40% of its revenue to come from non-core businesses. The company is anticipating challenges in the form of greater competition.
Cheetah Holdings is hoping to capitalise on popular children’s wear brand from England, Ladybird, for which it recently acquired master licensee status. The company will relaunch the brand in the Malaysian market to medium to upper medium income consumers.
The company will also continue to expand its retail network which currently stands at 14 standalone outlets.
Cheetah Holdings shareholders passed the company’s proposed bonus issue of up to 43,098,000 new shares of 50 sen each to be credited as fully paid-up, on the basis of one new ordinary share for every two existing ones.
The company has moved one step closer to moving to Bursa Malaysia’s Main Board.
Cheetah Holdings is expected to transfer to the Main Board in mid-July.
June 21st, 2007
Hundres of garment workers in CNMI are returning to China with no wages
Radio New Zealand International, New Zealand
Posted at 22:47 on 19 June, 2007 UTC
Hundreds of garment workers at the Top Fashion Corporation in the CNMI are returning to China without receiving their due pay, prior to the closure of the company on July 2.
Recruiters for the company have reneged on their promise to properly reimburse the workers their portion of recruitment fees
The Department of Labor is trying to address outstanding labor issues, and the Attorney General’s Office has been investigating allegations of police brutality at the factory on May 7 when workers held a protest .
Both have asked Top Fashion workers to be patient as they are trying to help them get paid back some of their recruitment fees.
The Marianas Variety reports that about 100 of the 500 affected Top Fashion workers have already left, while others have transferred to work for another factory in Saipan.
June 20th, 2007
Vietnam: Further wildcats in the garment sector
Infoshop News
Monday, June 18 2007 @ 08:49 AM PDT
Contributed by: WorkerFreedom
Views: 53
Over 800 workers at a Taiwanese-owned garment company in Ho Chi Minh City struck work Wednesday demanding lower workload and social welfare coverage.
June 15th, 2007 by Joseph K.
Over 800 workers at a Taiwanese-owned garment company in Ho Chi Minh City struck work Wednesday demanding lower workload and social welfare coverage.
Thanh Nien Daily reported:
The workers at Top Royal Flash Ltd. said they had been forced to work overtime four or five days a week for the past four months. Though the company had deducted part of their salaries to pay social insurance for half a year, it did not send the amount to the authorities, according to the workers.
The company also lengthened new workers’ probation period. The city’s labour department, acting as an intermediate at a meeting between the two sides, asked the company to pay VND1.2 billion (£38,000) in social insurance it still owed. The company was also asked to negotiate with workers in case of overtime shifts and make its salary regime public.
The workers agreed to return to work Thursday after the company director, Hsu Chi Cheng, promised to fulfil the demands. Vietnam has seen a wave of wildcat strikes in recent months, many in the garment sector.
June 19th, 2007
UAE: JBC expects more investment in textile and garment sectors
BharatTextile.com (subscription), India
DUBAI: Dr Mirza Ikhtair Baig, Chairman, Pakistan-UAE Business Council of FPCCI signed an agreement for the establishment of Pakistan-UAE Joint Business Council on the occasion of 9th Session of Pakistan UAE Joint Ministerial Meeting held at Islamabad on June 12, 2007.
UAE is the single largest investor in Pakistan, in the proposed joint ventures at the recently launched projects of Textile and Garment Cities and Dazzle Park for Gems and Jewellery.
The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) was representated by Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri, Foreign Affairs Minister of Pakistan and Federation of UAE Chamber of Commerce and Industry was representated by Shaikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister for Foreign Affairs.
Dr Mirza Ikhtair Baig informed that the establishment of JBC will go a long way in the promotion of bilateral trade and economic relations between the two countries and exploration of new avenues for joint ventures. He said that the JBC will also encourage the UAE investment in Pakistan. The Pakistan-UAE Joint Business Council comprises 20 members, 10 members from each side.
The Pakistan-UAE Business Council of FPCCI will soon send a trade delegation to UAE to attend the inaugural meeting of the JBC in November 2007.
June 18th, 2007
VIETNAM: Garment company workers resume work
BharatTextile.com (subscription), India
HO CHI MINH: The workers of Top Royal Flash Ltd. struck work demanding lower workload and social welfare coverage.
Over 800 workers participated in the strike.
The Taiwanese owned garment company “Top Royal Flash Ltd.” is located in Ho Chi Minh City.
The workers said they are forced to work overtime four or five days a week for the past four months. The company has deducted part of their salaries to pay social insurance for half a year, but it has not sent the amount to the authorities, according to the workers.
The company also extended probation period for the new workers. The city’s labour department, acting as an intermediate at a meeting between the two sides, asked the company to pay VND1.2 billion (£38,000) in social insurance it still owed. The company was also asked to negotiate with workers in case of overtime shifts and make its salary regime public.
The workers agreed to return to work after the company director, Hsu Chi Cheng, promised to fulfil the demands.
Vietnam garment sector has seen a wave of strikes demanding higher pay and less workload in the past few months.
June 18th, 2007
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