FW
"The Indian handloom industry has a rich and long history spread over thousands of years. From weaving during the Harappan civilization to spinning materials in Vedic times it’s been a long history. Even though the handloom industry, has taken major strides over the years weavers in the country are facing great hardships. Not just because it is an unregulated sector but also because of increasing mechanization and industrialisation. The most troubling aspect however, is the huge disparity in pay between weavers and mass producers of fashion who acquire their exquisite works for a paltry sum, and sell them at exorbitant rates."
The Indian handloom industry has a rich and long history spread over thousands of years. From weaving during the Harappan civilization to spinning materials in Vedic times it’s been a long history. Even though the handloom industry, has taken major strides over the years weavers in the country are facing great hardships. Not just because it is an unregulated sector but also because of increasing mechanization and industrialisation. The most troubling aspect however, is the huge disparity in pay between weavers and mass producers of fashion who acquire their exquisite works for a paltry sum, and sell them at exorbitant rates.
Weaving them into the mainstream
However, with some entrepreneurs striving to bring these weavers into the mainstream by ensuring they get
remunerated fairly for their work things are expected to change. One of such entrepreneur is the Banka-based Udyan Singh, who founded Banka Silk, a non-profit organisation, which works for the betterment of weavers across Bihar since 2012. A civil engineer by qualification, the 35-year-old founded Banka Silk to develop a handloom cluster and an ecosystem to support handloom research, design and creation, as well as to train and empower local artisans and craftsmen in Bihar.
Banka Silk recently collaborated with Avinash Pathania and Kiran Kheva, the organisers of the fashion week, India Runway Week, which was held in the national capital in April. As a part of the collaboration, over 40,000 weavers got a chance to sell their work directly to designers at prices deliberated by them. As a result, the weavers made a direct profit without the involvement of any middlemen.
Promoting local art
Founded in 2012 by Avinash Pathania, the Indian Federation for Fashion Development (IFFD) is aimed at facilitating action and inspiring growth in the fashion industry. The collaboration with Banka Silk, bridged the gap between designers and weavers. IFFD also promotes local artisans, while providing quality handloom fabrics to fashion designers without them having to visit any stores. The company also signed agreements with around 30 participating fashion designers, giving them access to pure handloom fabrics at weavers’ price for the designers’ future works.
Financing growth
Another social entrepreneur working towards the upliftment of weavers is Mumbai-based costume designer and stylist Nikhat Mariyam Neerushaa, who, earlier this year, founded the Roots in India initiative for weavers with the aim to provide financial support, work, etc. Neerushaa’s program, goes beyond buying, selling and providing market access to artisans by helping them in other ways as well. In Rajasthan, for instance, Neerushaa ensured that the weavers received water for dyeing clothes
Pollachi-based husband-wife duo Mani Chinnaswamy and Vijaylaxmi Nachiar, who set up Ethicus, are credited with everything from encouraging farmers to setting up the country’s first organic cotton farm in Pollachi, Coimbatore, to creating a sustainable fashion brand. One of the most significant aspects of their sustainable fashion brand is how each product (mainly saris and blouses) carries a tag with details of where the cotton was grown, who the artisans were and how many days it took them to complete the garment.
A platform for their voice
But nowhere is the plight of artisans as grim as conflict-ridden Jammu & Kashmir. Famous for their own style of intricate embroidery and winter wear, Kashmiri handloom artisans need not just an outlet for their work but for their voice as well. And channeling some of their concerns through her work is fashion designer Leena Singh who, in March this year, brought out a collection to pay tribute to the weavers of the state.
The Kashmir-centric collection, ‘The Reversible Shawl’ consisting of shawls, suit pieces, etc, made from Jamavar silk, was created after visiting the artisans’ homes several times over the course of the past year. Several months went into the exhaustive research, and in the designing and creation of each shawl, with Singh closely supervising the cuts and patterns for the Jamavar silk she sourced from J&K. The fabrics used in the collection carry Singh’s designs, with hand-embroidered beadwork and tassels by Kashmiri weavers.
Bright future ahead
Designers Ashima Leena, who has been around for close to three decades now, is known for its fashion-forward approach, but Singh now wants to dial it back a few notches to be able to resonate with regional artisans. She also plans to continue working with Kashmiri weavers and is hopeful that her customers would commission several pieces in the coming winter. These pieces will carry her design/motifs and the artisans’ handiwork, resulting in them being remunerated for the same.
"Asean took shape on August 8, 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, was comprised Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand and today it has expanded to Cambodia, Lao PDR, Brunei Darussalam, Myanmar, and Vietnam. The intent of the association formed between ten Southeast Asian countries was to promote inter-country trade, governmental cooperation, and economic, political and socio-cultural integration of the member countries, and globally. Additionally, it also aims to protect the member states’ regional stability and instill peace amongst them in times of conflict resolution. In 2015, ASEAN organization’s nominal GDP (combined) was around $2.8 trillion, making it a global powerhouse."
Asean took shape on August 8, 1967, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, ASEAN, was comprised Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand and today it has expanded to Cambodia, Lao PDR, Brunei Darussalam, Myanmar, and Vietnam. The intent of the association formed between ten Southeast Asian countries was to promote inter-country trade, governmental cooperation, and economic, political and socio-cultural integration of the member countries, and globally. Additionally, it also aims to protect the member states’ regional stability and instill peace amongst them in times of conflict resolution. In 2015, ASEAN organization’s nominal GDP (combined) was around $2.8 trillion, making it a global powerhouse. ASEAN shares its physical borders with major apparel trade giants like India, China, and Bangladesh. It has been the foundation of several establishments like East Asia Summit, EAS, and Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, RCEP (FTA between ASEAN, Australia, China, Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and India).
Free trade agreements
Free Trade Agreements within ASEAN countries are led by the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement (ATIGA) and
the Agreement on Customs. The ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) is a trade bloc agreement, which launched the Common Effective Preferential Tariff Scheme (CEPT). CEPT states that the tariff will be reduced to 0-5 per cent, on the goods being traded within ASEAN region, if the goods meet a 40 per cent ASEAN content requirement. Apart from the establishment of AFTA within the member states, ASEAN trade bloc has also signed various free trade agreements with major Asia-Pacific economies, such as ASEAN-China FTA (ACFTA), ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand FTA (AANZFTA), ASEAN-Korea FTA (AKFTA), ASEAN-India FTA (AIFTA), and ASEAN-Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership (AJCEP). These FTAs encourage and promote businesses in the ASEAN trade bloc, irrespective of their size, by enabling regional and international trade without any tariff barriers. They also offer businesses an easy access to the new export markets with simplified import and export.
Competitive edge
ASEAN countries do not face a high degree of competition for consumer and finished products, and product diversification has enabled ASEAN economies to aggressively export to the global textile & apparel market. The process of trade liberalization through AFTA, various FTAs and the ASEAN Economic Community’s creation in 2015, has not only led to tariff reduction and elimination but also in integration and elimination of the non-tariff barriers that ASEAN players face in the industry. Owing to this advantage, exports value of ASEAN5 including Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam nearly tripled from $24.4 billion in 2001 to $71.8 billion in 2014. The biggest gainer has been Vietnam with a 10-fold increase in the apparel and textile exports value in the same time period. Apart from the ASEAN advantage, Vietnam’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO), 2007 was also an additional factor that allowed Vietnam to export to larger markets without tariff barriers.
India ties
In 2010, India achieved a milestone to expand its economic and political relationship with its neighbours, through the ASEAN-India FTA (AIFTA). This agreement resulted in duty liberalisation between India and ASEAN countries to enhance bilateral trade. Under AIFTA, each trading partner can keep some products out of the agreements, till the time they amount to less than 5 per cent of bilateral traded imports. This FTA can trigger a positive trade between India and ASEAN countries. The agreement set tariff liberalisation on over 90 per cent products traded between India and ASEAN. Additionally, AIFTA can also bring in investments from ASEAN textile manufacturers in the Indian manufacturing sector, catering both to the country’s domestic and export markets.
Vongsey Vissoth, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Economy and Finance in Cambodia has urged the state to exploit most of the recent tax reform in the US and its ongoing trade dispute with China. The US recently extended its GSP programme which grants Cambodian companies access to duty-free privileges when exporting to the US.
The ongoing US-China trade dispute also offers an exciting opportunity to increase exports to the US, the biggest market for Cambodian garment and footwear products. As barriers to export to the US increase in China, investors from the US will turn to other countries to invest and set up factories from which they can import. The ministry urged Cambodia to take advantage of this situation.
For Q4 Trident’s net revenue declined by 6.1 per cent year on year. However, it grew by 8.3 per cent quarter on quarter. Standalone revenue was down 6.07 per cent year on year but up 8.35 per cent quarter on quarter. Ebitda was up 3.1 per cent year on year and 8.4 per cent quarter on quarter. Ebitda margin expanded by 162 bps year on year owing to higher decline in the cost of goods sold compared to revenue. Ebitda margin remained flat on a quarter on quarter basis.
The PAT decline is on account of higher tax expenses, which grew by 26.5 per cent year on year and 16 per cent quarter on quarter. Employee benefits expenses declined by 15.5 per cent year on year owing to rationalization of manpower cost including structuring of salary and manpower. Textile and paper and chemical segment’s revenue declined 7.9 per cent and 2.9 per cent year on year.
Trident has received the Sustainable Textile Production (STeP) certification for its home textile plants in Punjab and Madhya Pradesh.
New Zealand's fashion industry is struggling to survive as one of its largest textile suppliers Charles Parsons has shut down its fashion division both in the country and in Australia. This follows the announcement earlier this year that another company, Cooper Watkinson Textiles, was quitting the industry.
Several high-profile local fashion labels have closed down recently - women's label Andrea Moore, menswear brand Meccano and shoe store Minnie Cooper. This shutdown of local suppliers appears to be another symptom, rather than the cause, of the pressures on the fashion industry as local designers relied heavily on the New Zealand-made angle to sell their products. It is likely to degrade the variety and choice for local designers' final products.
With Smart INH (Ideal Needle Handling), Groz-Beckert has taken an important step towards digitalization. The INH process is based on the needle output trolley. It prevents unnecessary paths and wait times during needle changes in the factories. Using the needle return box also prevents errors. The process is simplified further with the needle storage sheet, which creates an all-round more efficient process for the needle change, whether following a needle breakage or during the normal replacement process.
In the smart version, the trolley is expanded to include a tablet, which carries out the digitalization of the documentation.
With INH quality management, Groz-Beckert has been offering a way of improving the complex handling of sewing machine needles in the production process since 2016. In addition to the basic version, where the documentation of the needle breakages takes place physically, the so-called Smart INH was created for digital documentation of needle breakages and all needle changes. Different evaluations can also be carried out and data managed using Smart INH.
The sewing and joining service from Groz-Beckert, which can now be accessed from several locations around the world, provides scores of pointers and support for optimal sewing operation and the best end product possible.
Saurer’s vision is to become a smart industrial solutions and services provider. Based in Switzerland, Saurer is a global leader in rotor spinning and winding machines. It developed the first hand-knitting machine in 1869, the first automatic embroidery machine in 1912 and invented the modern truck in 1905. Saurer is a technology group focusing on machinery and components for yarn processing. Saurer Technologies specializes in twisting and embroidery as well as engineered and polymer solutions.
The group has developed a technology centre in Switzerland. This will work closely with existing research and development departments of the Saurer Group. The center will combine Saurer’s leading expertise in sensor technology and automation with the latest innovations of Industry 4.0.
Saurer’s central development philosophy is summarised in the formula E3+I, which stands for Energy, Economics and Ergonomics plus Intelligence. The formula symbolises Saurer’s efforts to manufacture machines with maximum production efficiency, minimum energy consumption and pioneering ergonomics and at the same time it intelligently integrates all of the data gathered during production with a view to putting in effect, for example, self-optimising systems, intelligent quality control or preventive maintenance.
The group has evolved from being a machinery and component supplier to a leading provider of intelligent solutions and services for processing fibers and yarns.
The special package announced in 2016 for the Indian textile and apparel sector has not only boosted exports but also helped in increasing investments. In the first twelve months of the rollout, the package generated additional investment of around Rs 2500 crores and additional employment of around 1,00,000 people.
Rebate of State Levies (ROSL) has had a positive impact on the garment industry. As a result, India’s apparel exports increased by 2.7 per cent in value terms and by 6.4 per cent in volume terms.
In August, September and October 2016 India’s apparel exports grew 3.9 per cent, 12.9 per cent and 10.97 per cent. Similarly, in the months of disbursal of ROSL -- March and April 2017 -- apparel exports increased 20.3 per cent and 31.7 per cent.
So there is a direct correlation between the release of ROSL to exporters vis-a-vis an increase of India’s readymade garment exports. Though demonetisation and the GST rollout temporarily slowed down the industry, the positive impact of ROSL is expected to bring results in 2018-19 as the industry settles down post the GST rollout. An overwhelming proportion of beneficiaries of the ROSL scheme are exporters with a turnover of less than Rs 10 crores a year.
The Karnataka workforce, largely comprising of female population employees is currently engaged in a tussle with the governments at the Centre and state as well as textile unit owners over payment of wages and other facilities that they have an entitlement to.
Karnataka has 5 lakh garment workers across the state; and nearly 80 per cent of these comprising female employees. These employees working in subhuman conditions are neglected by all political parties due to pressure from influential manufacturing barons. Bangalore alone has around 1,200 factories, but the city offers no solution to problems such as low wages, gender disparity, and sexual harassment. The female garment employees have complained that none of the political parties have reached out to settle their outstanding issues.
In recent months, the Centre had also proposed to amend employee’s provident fund withdrawal rules, which intensified the employees protest and the government, had to withdraw the clause.
ICC , a leading Indian company engaged in manufacturing card clothing products and card room accessories for the textile spinning industry, has consolidated its entire production at its state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Nalagarh, Himachal Pradesh. The company has shifted all card clothing production from its Pune plant to the Nalagarh facility.
The Himachal Pradesh plant currently specialises in addressing the card clothing requirement of the latest generation of carding machines. With the strategic move of closing down the Pune facility, ICC will now be focusing production from that plant and ensure that this single plant caters to the whole range of ICC’s card clothing market.
Vinod Vazhapulli, CEO at ICC says that the move is strategic, since the Pune plant is 63 years old and was primarily engaged in manufacturing card clothing catering to the low speed and low throughput carding machines segment, while the market is now gradually shifting towards high speed and high throughput carding machines.
He further added that being a pioneer in the industry, ICC foresaw this shift in market behaviour nine years back, when we started our facility in Himachal Pradesh, where we have installed the most advanced machines which cater to precision manufacturing and highly evolved production technologies.
ICC is also in the process of automating the Himachal plant. Additionally, some of the machinery from the Pune plant will be moved to Himachal Pradesh. In the next six months, the company is planning to come up with an array of products targeting high speed carding machines with improved life and surface technology and also, productivity enhancers in the carding equipment and accessories segments.
