The buzzword across industries from high-tech to low-tech is automation as this leads to greater workplace safety, improved production line efficiencies as nothing does repetition better than automation and complex processes flow seamlessly into one another at a greater speed. As Eugen Slojow who heads an automated clothes manufacturing unit in San Francisco by Siemens points out clothing was the last bastion of a trillion dollar industry that had not been automated. As per Statista, the clothing sector worldwide stands at $1.52 trillion, so the opportunities are huge.

The idea came to fruit at the onset of supply chain disruptions at the onset of the Covid pandemic. Many big clothing brands and technology companies including Levi Strauss & Co. and Siemens AG have already started working on developing automated clothing manufacturing. The lesson that the pandemic taught was it might be better for large consumption markets to stop relying on supplies from distant countries and start manufacturing clothes on nearer home.

Experiments underway

The US has once again taken the lead and many companies have started experimenting. One problem the experimental robotics has encountered is sewing in which robots lack the finesse of human hands and whilst work is being done to acquire this skill, it seems far off. Sewing is the most costly and labor-intensive process in garment manufacturing, accounting for more than half of the total labor input per garment. Sewing also remains the most difficult part of the process to automate or robotize, given the difficulties in handling fabric using robotic arms.

However, several recent ground-breaking innovations in sewing technology enable robots to easily handle fabric for producing simple T-shirts. Existing technology now, in fact, makes it possible to automate 90 per cent of sewing for a T-shirt. Currently, experiments are focusing on replicating the other aspects of clothing manufacture to close the cost gap between units in the US and that of developing nations that supply RMG.

Sewbo Inc., a San Francisco-based unit that chemically hardens or stiffens fabric was chosen as the ideal experimental company by Siemens to test robotic clothing manufacturing. The German multinational technology company tied up with Pittsburgh-based Advanced Robotics for Manufacturing (ARM) Institute for the experimentation with Sewbo Inc. Sewbo’s hardened fabrics can be handled by these robots to fasten metal rivets on jeans and staple zips into place. The ARM institute also financed a $1.5 million grant for Bluewater Defense LLC., a small US-based military clothing manufacturer to experiment with robots and hard fabrics.

Saitex is a Los Angeles-based factory that started experimenting with robotic manufacturing of blue jeans in September 2022. Owner Sanjeev Bhalla is happy with the progress. He feels once the experiments yield right commercial results, there is no need for the US to import readymade jeans from Asia as they can well manufacture them locally. There are other efforts to automate sewing factories. Software Automation Inc., a startup in Georgia, has developed a machine that can sew clothing by pulling the cloth over a special table, for example.

Global economic and political impact

As the US experiments with robotics in production lines, other Western nations who are large consumers of readymade garments from Asia and Latin America are following the progress keenly so they too can automate production if the experiments meet commercial feasibility. However, the news is not being publicized much as it has political connotations and economic impact in many parts of the world where garment manufacturing sector has not only drawn in huge investments but also support the livelihood of millions of people. In a world where trade relations are forming allies and nexuses, this may be seen as a major disruption in relationships that can cause power imbalances globally.

A conference on textile recycling will take place at IIT Delhi, February 9, 2023. It is being organised by academia and industry from India and Sweden and will bring together an eminent group of representatives from the textile and clothing industry, including Indian and European fashion brands and recyclers, government and ministry delegations, and leading academicians to brainstorm and concretize clear pathways for valorizing the Europe-India cross-border recycling value chain with a particular focus on mechanical recycling. Wazir Advisors is the knowledge partner for the conference.

The event will have dedicated panel discussions on exploring the textile recycling business potential and product market opportunities, technological breakthroughs and advances in industry standards, highlight the necessary intermediations required from governmental and regulatory bodies, and finally weaving out a radical pathway that needs to be adopted for developing such a circular recycling ecosystem.

Globally less than one per cent of the fiber produced for clothing is being recycled back into new fibers or for other high-value applications. The largest part of Europe’s recycled textile waste is mainly down-cycled for low-value uses. On the other hand, India is transforming into a major powerhouse of recycling, and is one of the largest recipients of global post-consumer textiles.

Panipat in Haryana, India is the largest hub for mechanical recycling of textiles with over 900 recycling units and four million informal workers processing textile waste.

Textile factories from Vietnam are moving to Indonesia.

One reason is that wages and other cost components in Vietnam are already relatively high. For Vietnamese companies Indonesia is competitive in terms of raw material prices and salaries.

For the last few years, Indonesia has been a net importer of clothing products from Vietnam. Vietnam’s textile and garment export turnover to Indonesia reached 10.057 million USD in September 2022, more than four times that of the previous month. The figure was 2.354 million USD in August, 5.257 million USD in July, 3.801 million USD in June, 1.232 million USD in May and 2.719 million USD in April.The increasing trend was recorded in the third quarter of 2022 when the figure neared 17.7 million USD, up from 7.753 million USD in the second quarter, and 15.972 million USD in the first quarter.Last year, the figure was 13.308 million USD in the fourth quarter, 51 million USD in the third quarter, and 12 million USD in the second quarter.Indonesia’s garment and textile imports from Vietnam reached 53.543 million USD in 2021 and 41.611 million USD in 2020. As it happens Indonesia is a significant importer of used clothes.

“Textile show of the world” will take place January 17 and 18, 2023, United States. This is a Turkish trade show and caters to the needs of potential buyers in the US.

The event will host selected and high quality suppliers and mills from all over Turkey, specializing in a wide range of product groups.This special show will provide an opportunity for American professionals to meet Turkish exporters, selected among top manufacturers.

By successfully carrying out all production stages from raw material to final product, the Turkish textile sector has a privileged position on a global scale with its integrated production power of $90 billion.

The sector follows global trends and puts them into practice quickly, owing its success to its dynamic infrastructure.Reducing water consumption from cotton to final product, minimizing energy consumption, zero waste, corporate social responsibility, and reducing carbon footprint are among the most important priorities of the sector.Turkish textile companies are exporting their products to more than 200 countries.

Turkey is well known for near-shore manufacturing capabilities that are of high quality. Turkey’s apparel exports grew by around five per cent from January 2022 to November 2022. The export revenues earned by Turkey in the first eleven months of 2022 are the highest ever.

In December 2022 UK retail footfall was at its highest level since the start of the pandemic.

This was despite rail disruption and the cold snap keeping many shoppers from visiting town centers and high streets in the last week before Christmas.The five weeks from November 27, 2022, to December 31, 2022, saw footfall that was down only 7.3 per cent compared to three years ago, which was six percentage points better than in November 2022, and also better than the three-month average decline of ten percent.

Total UK footfall last year was only 11.8 per cent below pre-pandemic levels, a big improvement on 2021 when footfalls remained down 33 per cent on the pre-Covid period. In December 2022, high street footfalls declined nine per cent against three years ago while retail parks were down only five percent compared to the last buoyant December before the global health crisis hit.Shopping center footfall was down a heftier 19 per cent.

However, Northern Ireland saw the shallowest footfall decline of all UK nations and regions at three per cent followed by England at 8.7 per cent and Wales at 9.6 per cent. Scotland saw the steepest decline at 9.9 per cent. On a one-year basis, total footfall increased by 15.1 per cent with high streets up 19.7 per cent and shopping centers up 13.4 per cent. Retail parks were down, but only by 1.6 per cent.

Entrepreneurs, industry associations and societies can be the main promoters of Tamil Nadu’s mini textile park scheme.

The proposed mini textile park must have a minimum of three textile manufacturing units to be set up in a minimum area of two acres.The project cost now covers common infrastructure, buildings for common facilities and factory buildings for production purposes and plant and machinery.

The facilities include a testing laboratory, a design center, a training centre, trade center, warehousing facility, raw material depot, creches, canteen, workers’ hostels and offices.Common infrastructure like roads, street lights, compound walls, drainage, water supply, electric supply including captive power plant, effluent treatment plant and telecommunications have also been brought under the eligible project cost.

The project cost must not include the cost of the land. Fifty per cent of the project cost, or Rs. 2.5 crore, whichever is less, will be provided as grant.

Tamil Nadu hopes to have nearly 100 mini textile parks. The mini textile park scheme was launched in 2016. But there were no takers as the subsidy of Rs2.5 crores was given only for development of common infrastructure at the parks. This condition was modified and the subsidy could be used for any purpose - plant and machinery.

The textile dye market is growing at six per cent a year. The increased demand in the apparel industry is expected to propel the textile dye market.

The Asia-Pacific is the largest region in the textile dye market while North America is expected to be the fastest growing region. The garment industry has a significant raw material base that includes all types of natural and synthetic fiber dyes, which has helped it achieve global prominence.

New technology is a key trend gaining popularity in the textile dyes market. The textile dyes sector is constantly innovating and adopting new advanced dyeing technologies to become a more sustainable industry.The use of nanotechnology to create more scientific clothing, such as fire-repellent, self-cleaning and water-repellent clothes, has resulted in significant advancements in the textile industry.

Major companies operating in the textile dyes sector are focused on new technologies to sustain their position in the market.In recent times, waterless smart dyeing technology is being adopted by most textile dyeing companies.Rapidly evolving fashion trends are prompting manufacturers to include new color combinations and designs, pivoting sales.The market posted impressive gains over the last five years.

Manufacturers are expected to primarily focus on Asian markets, with prominent countries such as India and China emerging as lucrative growth hubs.

Itema is exhibiting at Sitex, Surat, January 7 to 9, 2023.

Itema is a provider of advanced weaving solutions, including weaving machines, OEM spare parts and integrated services. Over the last year Itema installed many weaving machines in the textile mills of Surat.

Itema is by far the leading supplier of rapier weaving technology to Surat thanks to the excellent versatility and the superior textile mastery of its rapier machines which allow Surat weavers to produce fancy, sophisticated and fashionable saris and women’s dress fabrics. The impressive number of Itema rapier R9500 and R9000 family models installed in Surat mills testifies to the fact that Itema weaving technology is preferred by weavers to produce fabrics made with different yarns and weaving patterns.

Itema is showcasing at Sitex a rapier R9500-2 weaving machine, with a weaving width of 3800 mm and equipped with a Stäubli LXM 5376 hook jacquard shedding machine. The machine on display can weave a fabric traditionally produced in the mills of the region and is configured to meet local weavers’ production needs.

Sitex is the occasion to discover more about the company’s technological solutions to produce carbon tape and fiber, fiberglass, coatings fabrics, filter fabrics, just to name a few.

The value of textile and garment exports from Pakistan decreased by five per cent from July 2022 to November 2022.

Category-wise, knitwear exports rose by two per cent year on year during the period under review while exports of non-knit readymade garments were up one per cent. As for textiles, exports of cotton yarn decreased by 34 per cent while exports of cotton fabric fell four per cent. Bed wear exports declined by 13 per cent.

On the import front, synthetic fiber imports decreased by 37 per cent year on year while imports of synthetic and artificial silk yarn dropped by 23 per cent million during the same period. Meanwhile, the value of textile machinery imports by Pakistan in the same period decreased significantly by 41 per cent year on year, showing a drop in new investments.

In the earlier fiscal, textile and garment exports from Pakistan increased by 25 per cent. Pakistan’s textile exports plunged by 19 percent in November 2022 as compared to the corresponding period last year.

At a time when the country is faced with immense economic challenges and looking toward the IMF and friendly countries for inflows of dollars to meet its external liabilities, the continuous fall in textile exports is alarming and expected to add to its economic woes.

From January 2022 to November 2022 India’s apparel exports to the UAE have fallen by 36 per cent on a year on year basis.

Obviously the free trade agreement with the UAE isn’t proving much fruitful for the Indian apparel export sector.The UAE has also slipped to third rank in top Indian apparel export destinations’ tally, while the UK has gone up to the second rank – thanks to the latter’s positive sourcing from India.

The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and the United Arab Emirates was signed in May 2022 and it was speculated that India’s trade with the MiddleEast would get a boost.However, exports of other industries than textile and apparel such as gems, jewellery, sugar confectionery, cereals, and electrical machinery have noted a significant rise in the UAE market after the implementation of the CEPA. Even in the first eight-month period of fiscal year 2023– which was precisely the period of CEPA’s implementation – India’s apparel exports to the UAE market plunged by a whopping 42 per cent.

The fall in the UAE market has proved to be a headwind for Indian exporters who are performing well in other parts of the world.Till November 2022, India’s apparel exports to the global market grew by 11 per cent.