Archive for April, 2009
YarnsandFibers (subscription)
According to Customs data, the accumulated export of textile and garment were 34.062 billion USD in the first three months, down 9.03% to the same period of last year. Nevertheless, it shows a little recovery compared with 14.54% negative growth rate in first two months. The textile export were 12.017 billion USD, down 15.6%; garment 22.045 billion USD, down 5%.
While the export of textile and garment in March were 12.146 billion USD. It is 5.489 billion USD more than that of last months, up 82.23%; and 350 million USD than that of last March, up 2.96%. Of which, the textile export were 4.732 billion USD, down 6.35% to last March; garment export 7.423 billion USD, up 9.92% to last March.
The expert mentioned that although there was some recovery compared to previous months, but the accumulated export was still negative growth. The major drive for export is still market demand. The other factors are secondary. Only the whole economic situation turns better, should the recovery of Chinese textile and garment export be realistic.
Source: Cntex News
April 17th, 2009
Seattle University Spectator
Katy McCourt-Basham
Sustainability is a word that has been heard more frequently in recent years, especially in regards to food, plastics and fuel. But there is one major industry where the idea has only recently been acknowledged by mainstream consumers: fashion.
In the last few years, designers and brands have begun to consider and modify their impact on the environment. According to Earth Pledge, an organization that works with companies to adapt sustainable practices, fashion has one of the highest rates of water usage of any industry in the world. In addition, the industry uses more than eight thousand chemicals to turn raw materials into textiles, and about a fourth of the world’s pesticides are used to produce non-organic cotton.
Because of fashion’s colossal environmental impact, activists are working harder than ever to make their voices heard, and the idea is starting to take hold.
“Now that [sustainability] has been in the press a lot more, I think people are starting to pay attention,” says Lori Meyer, fashion instructor at the Art Institute of Seattle.
Meyer is a big believer in sustainability at the source of fashion, and says it is very important that the idea of sustainability is taught to young designers.
“We teach it in all of our classes,” she says. “We like to teach our students that, as designers, we can impact the environment in every way: from what materials we choose, to where those materials come from, to how we construct a garment.”
Many designers and companies, from fashion icons like Dianne Von Furstenberg, to budding designers like Leanne Marshall-winner of season five of “Project Runway”-are starting to come to that realization as well, and are beginning to bring some of the more than 600 varieties of sustainable fabrics, from organic cotton, to sea leather-a material made from tanned fish skin-to mainstream fashion.
April 17th, 2009
Times of India
NAGPUR: In one of the biggest fire accidents in recent times the garment and linen manufacturing unit of city-based Lord’s was completely
destroyed in the wee hours of
Wednesday.
The unit, situated at Wardhaman Nagar, used to employ about 600 workers and the accident has put a question mark on their future. Fire brigade sources said there were no casualties. Preliminary investigation has revealed an electric short-circuit to be the possible cause.
Around 2.45 am on Wednesday, the two guards deputed at the manufacturing unit opposite Inox, Wardhaman Nagar, noticed the fire at the warehouse. They alerted the proprietor Kishore Thutheja and also nearby residents who called up the fire brigade.
“We received a call around 3 am. A fire tender from the Lakadganj fire station was sent to the spot immediately. Soon, we had to send vehicles from all the eight fire stations of the city,” said chief fire officer Chandrashekhar Jadhav.
The fire spread fast, fanned by a breeze and helped by combustible materials like garments, plastics and polythene stored in the warehouse. It later engulfed the adjacent building, also owned by Thutheja, Jadhav added.
More than 14 fire tenders, a snorkel, rushed to the spot. A battery of firemen battled for over nine hours to control the raging fire. The fire was brought under control by Wednesday evening.
The factory makes garments to supply to its showrooms in Nagpur (Sadar and Sitabuldi), New Delhi and Mumbai. It even exports garments to Dubai and some parts in USA. The fire department has yet to ascertain the loss but it runs into crores of rupees. “The entire unit was destroyed in the fire. Raw material and the machinery were completely destroyed,” Jadhav said.
Thutheja blamed the unprofessional approach by firemen for extent of damage. He told TOI that when he reached the place only the warehouse was on fire and not the adjacent building housing the unit. Thutheja said could not give an estimate of the loss but pointed out that entire property was completely damaged in the fire.
April 17th, 2009
Hindu Business Line
NEW DELHI: Apparel exporters have virtually run out of orders from their US and European clients as the demand for the Indian clothing has dried up in the recession-hit Western markets.
“For April-June (2009-10), there are virtually no orders for apparels from the US and European markets,” Chairman of Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) Mr Rakesh Vaid said.
The US and Europe collectively account for 70 per cent of India’s garment exports, which are close to$10 billion. Though exports declined since September itself, the annualised trend for 2008-09 has been estimated to remain almost at the same level - at $9.69 billion - as in the previous year.
However, the going seems tough for the current fiscal, Mr Vaid said. Faced with a tough going in the western markets, Indian exporters would set sail for new apparel destinations in Japan, Australia, South Africa and Brazil, which have remained untapped so far.
India’s share in the Japanese $22.6-billion garment market is less than half a per cent, while in Australia’s$3.38-billion market, the share is only 1.22 per cent. Estimates suggest that the garment industry employs seven million people, including 3.9 mi llion in the export sector.- PTI
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April 15th, 2009
Women’s Wear Daily
by Ross Tucker
NEW YORK — Haitian Prime Minister Michèle Duvivier Pierre-Louis is looking to the apparel and textile sector to play a significant role in bringing her country back to prosperity
The prime minister and a delegation of top Haitian officials gathered here Monday to highlight opportunities for investing and engaging in trade with the troubled Caribbean country. During their presentations, U.S. and Haitian officials touted substantial trade preferences Haiti has obtained through the Haitian Opportunity through Partnership Encouragement Act, or HOPE, that was passed by Congress in 2006. In 2008, provisions were added to the act in an effort to further simplify trade preference programs and encourage development. Those benefits, which include duty free status, lower labor costs and significantly reduced shipping times, will be in place for the next 10 years.
“There is no trade agreement that’s ever gone through my committee, or in history, that has been more liberal in terms of giving encouragement to investors than what we have done in Haiti,” said House Ways & Means Committee chairman Charles Rangel (D., N.Y.) at the presentation.
Pierre-Louis said in an interview that she was looking to bring Haiti’s apparel and textile sector back to the levels it reached in the Eighties, when it was one of the leading textile employers in the Caribbean region.
“Job creation is of the essence,” said Pierre-Louis.
Haiti’s population of 9.5 million makes it the second most densely populated country in the Western Hemisphere. It is also the poorest, with 78 percent of people living below the U.S. poverty line of $2 a day. Currently, some 30 garment factories employ about 21,000 workers, but Pierre-Louis’s government has aggressive plans to grow that number.
“We hope that before the end of this year we may get to 60,000 to 80,000 [workers],” she said. “Our target is 200,000 to 250,000 before 2011.”
Pierre-Louis recognizes the dramatic impact this could have on the country. “When one person works, that means five to six people eat and their lives are improving,” the prime minister said. “This is very important to us.”
In addition to HOPE, Pierre-Louis said the government is working to create more industrial facilities, improve infrastructure and make it easier and faster for new businesses to get up and running. She also believes the government needs to play a more active role in changing the world’s perception of Haiti.
“We’ve been stereotyped and there are lots of clichés about Haiti,” she said. “I think the situation in some Caribbean countries is much worse than that of Haiti. Yet, we are labeled not only the poorest one, but also violent and corrupt.”
April 14th, 2009
AFP
Shutdown of factories, deferred payment may spark instability
Staff Corresponden
Garment makers fear widespread labour unrest because of shutdown of some factories and deferred payment to workers as fallout from global recession bites Bangladesh.
They said at least seven factories have already been shut down and some are in a critical situation as the number of orders from international buyers declined significantly.
The manufacturers and the leaders of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) were speaking at a meeting with the editors, chairmen and managing directors of print and electronic media at Sonargaon Hotel last night.
At the meeting, BGMEA President Abdus Salam Murshedy said many people had earlier thought that Bangladesh would remain immune to the recession as the country mainly produces basic garment items.
But the country is now losing out the market of basic items to competing countries such as China, India and Pakistan, Murshedy said.
Referring to a string of measures taken by different countries, the BGMEA chief said China has been giving a 17 percent tax rebate to exporters, which makes the country more competitive than before.
Similarly, India, Pakistan and Vietnam are giving bailout packages to the garment sector, he said.
Anwar-Ul-Alam Chowdhury Parvez, the immediate past BGMEA president, said the competing countries are enjoying the facilities of lead-time, higher cash incentives, higher productivity from the workers and policy supports, whereas the Bangladeshi manufacturers are struggling to get “basic support” from the government.
Tipu Munshi MP, another former BGMEA president, said the government would not lose anything if it offers any package for the garment sector, as the sector directly employed three million workers and involved 20 million people indirectly.
Moazzem Hossain, editor of The Financial Express, urged garment manufacturers to assess the impact of global price fall of basic commodities and demand drop of locally made garment items.
April 13th, 2009
The Daily Star -
Shutdown of factories, deferred payment may spark instability
Garment makers fear widespread labour unrest because of shutdown of some factories and deferred payment to workers as fallout from global recession bites Bangladesh.
They said at least seven factories have already been shut down and some are in a critical situation as the number of orders from international buyers declined significantly.
The manufacturers and the leaders of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) were speaking at a meeting with the editors, chairmen and managing directors of print and electronic media at Sonargaon Hotel last night.
At the meeting, BGMEA President Abdus Salam Murshedy said many people had earlier thought that Bangladesh would remain immune to the recession as the country mainly produces basic garment items.
But the country is now losing out the market of basic items to competing countries such as China, India and Pakistan, Murshedy said.
Referring to a string of measures taken by different countries, the BGMEA chief said China has been giving a 17 percent tax rebate to exporters, which makes the country more competitive than before.
Similarly, India, Pakistan and Vietnam are giving bailout packages to the garment sector, he said.
Anwar-Ul-Alam Chowdhury Parvez, the immediate past BGMEA president, said the competing countries are enjoying the facilities of lead-time, higher cash incentives, higher productivity from the workers and policy supports, whereas the Bangladeshi manufacturers are struggling to get “basic support” from the government.
Tipu Munshi MP, another former BGMEA president, said the government would not lose anything if it offers any package for the garment sector, as the sector directly employed three million workers and involved 20 million people indirectly.
Moazzem Hossain, editor of The Financial Express, urged garment manufacturers to assess the impact of global price fall of basic commodities and demand drop of locally made garment items.
April 13th, 2009
BBC News
Cumbria’s textile industry has been dealt a further blow with news that 25 jobs are to go at the former Kangol factory in Cleator Moor.
American owner Bollman Headware said seven staff would be retained when the facility is turned into a warehouse.
Union officials said they were disappointed at the decision but added that it was not unexpected.
Earlier this month 62 out of 124 jobs were lost at the Stead McAlpin & Co factory in Carlisle.
The Kangol brand was established in Cumbria in 1938. Products will continue to be made at sites in continental Europe and the United States.
April 8th, 2009
Bizjournals.com
Standard Textile said it has filed a lawsuit claiming a competitor, Sobel Westex, infringed on one of its patents.
The suit, filed in a New Jersey federal court, accuses Las Vegas-based Sobel Westex of using patented Standard Textile technology in its Dolce Notte brand of sheets. The technology relates to woven sheeting fabrics, which Standard Textile said it employs in several of the brands it manufactures for the hospitality industry, including ComforTwill, Centium Satin and Centima.
“The patent laws are intended to encourage and reward creativity and technological innovation, and we will not allow others to profit unlawfully by selling products that infringe on our patents,” said Gary Heiman, president and CEO of Standard Textile, in a news release.
Standard Textile, headquartered in Reading, manufactures and markets, bedding, curtains and other textiles for the hospital and hotel industries.
April 8th, 2009
Business Standard
In order to give impetus to the technical textiles industry in India, a government-commissioned study by a management consultancy firm has recommended inclusion of eight more focus areas, like products used in packaging, building and construction sectors, in the policy for the sector.
The present size of these eight sectors (see table) is estimated at Rs 33,000 crore and is expected to increase to Rs 57,000 crore by 2012-13. Unlike conventional textiles, which are used for clothing or furnishing, technical textiles are used for non-aesthetic utility purposes, like in bulletproof jackets, medical implants, automotive mats, seat belts, awnings and canopies.
The government has already identified four sectors within the technical textile industry for immediate attention and growth. These are meditech (hygiene and medical), geotech (civil engineering), agrotech (agriculture), and protech (protective textiles). However, it wanted to cover more areas, along with making focused policy interventions to boost both production and consumption of technical textiles in the country, according to a senior official of the Ministry of Textiles.
But lack of any database was a hindrance. Therefore, the ministry roped in ICRA Management Consulting Services (IMaCS) to study the demand and supply for various segments of technical textiles and interventions required in terms of technology, policy and regulations in the country.
IMaCS has conducted a nationwide survey of around 3,000 units for this study, which was done in 2008.
It is a large and growing sector and supports a vast array of other industries. In India, from the current size of Rs 37,000 crore, the technical textile industry is expected to grow at the rate of 11 per cent year-on-year and reach a size of Rs 62,000 by 2012-13.
According to the IMaCA survey, though India has an edge of cost competitiveness over developed countries like the US, Germany and UK, the country is still not as competitive like China. Higher cost of power, poor infrastructure and higher interest rates and taxes (including indirect taxes with anomalies on account of CST and VAT) are some of the factors that make the Indian companies uncompetitive by up to 10 per cent as compared to south Asian countries and by around 5 per cent as compared with US and Europe.
Lack of demand, cost competitiveness and availability of skilled manpower, along with negligible technology support, are some of the reasons for the technical textiles not picking up in India, according to IMaCS.
Absence of defined standards and regulations promoting usage of products made of technical textiles is another key issue behind the lack of demand for technical textiles.
According to the ministry official, the government is serious about revamping this sector and it would implement the recommendations of IMaCS after understanding their feasibility.
The ministry has invited industry’s inputs on the IMaCS report by April 20. Thereafter the textile ministry would take policy decisions after consulting other ministries, added the official. The committee for the growth of technical textiles headed by the textile commissioner would look into this and come up with appropriate policy decisions. The IMaCS recommendations include having a comprehensive fibre policy, as there are several issues in terms of the indirect taxes at various stages of the supply chain of technical textiles and textiles.
There should be reduction in excise duty on agrotech technical textile products, just as fertilisers, seeds and tractors are not subjected to levy of excise duty, says the report.
The report has also suggested making usage of seat-belts, helmets and medical disposables mandatory to increase demand. Also, formulation of standards and regulations is important for promotion of technical textiles.
It has also recommended forming of association of manufacturers of technical textiles. At present the textile ministry is managing all the industry development activities. The association would help in bringing together the manufacturers of technical textiles and undertake large scale awareness programmes (funded by industry players through annual fee for association).
April 8th, 2009
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