FW
Central Chairman of Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PHMA) Shahzad Azam Khan has said that the benefits of GSP Plus with EU can only be reaped by maximum value-addition in finished products than exporting only raw materials. To do this, he sought government’s support in improving the production processes.
Usman Jawaad, Zonal Chairman of PHMA has also asked the government to boost value-added apparel export sector since it has the potential to bring in maximum benefits of GSP Plus apart from providing mass employment opportunities for the jobless of the country. Power and gas supply are two major roadblocks for the industry’s growth. He asserted that industry would not be able to execute the abundant export orders it is receiving if gas was not supplied to textile processing units and suspension of gas supply could results in mass unemployment at textile hubs like Faisalabad, Lahore, Sialkot and Multan.
He further said knitwear export industry was adding manifold value to basic commodities like raw cotton and yarn and it alone fetched foreign exchange worth more than $2 billion for the country which was the highest of all, but the industry is being ignored by depriving gas supply.
Shipments of yarn machinery to the textile industry in China fell in 2013. At the same time shipments to the industry in Vietnam soared. The fall in shipments to China reflected a shift in sourcing away from the country, and extended to short staple spindles, long staple spindles, open-end rotors and double heater false‑twist draw texturing spindles.
In the case of open-end rotors, the fall in shipments to China accounted for the entire decline in global shipments, as shipments to the industries in several other countries rose strongly. The rate of shipments to Vietnam, for instance, quadrupled. And in the case of short staple spindles and double heater false-twist spindles, shipments to the industry in Vietnam surged at triple digit rates.
These trends reflected a shift in the sourcing of textiles and clothing from China to other countries in Asia, and Vietnam in particular. The Vietnamese clothing industry hopes to benefit from a number of trade agreements. It also hopes to benefit from a diversion of orders from Bangladesh and Cambodia -- where safety or unreliability issues are undermining competitiveness -- as well as from China.
Vietnam is aiming for 80 per cent ratio of locally made content in garments by 2020 from the current 45 per cent. But the situation doesn’t look promising. Only a few Vietnamese companies can organize closed production lines, or all phases of the production process, from weaving to dyeing to garments to trimming. Most Vietnamese companies are small- and medium-sized, and lack financial capability.
It is also more costly to invest in a garment workshop than in a textile factory. The biggest challenges for Vietnamese businesses are investment capital, technology, workforce and consumption. High costs have made investors wary. It is very costly to invest in dyeing and weaving, and it is difficult to run dyeing and weaving workshops. Investing in garment factories is getting higher partially because of high costs to build and run waste water treatment systems.
Some provinces don’t welcome textile and garment projects. A dyeing and weaving project, for example, was turned down by local authorities because the investor could only build a waste water treatment system that puts out B-level waste water (which can be used to grow vegetables and farm fish). The local authorities demanded A-level waste water (that is, drinkable).
Turkey has launched a probe into possible dumping of US cotton in the country. The country alleges unfair competition in imports of non carded or combed cotton originating from the United States. The move was significant for several reasons. It came just a few days after US regulators cleared the way for a 1.25 per cent anti-subsidy duty on Turkish imports of steel rebar, which is used to reinforce concrete.
Washington-Ankara relations have been strained by Turkey's reluctance to play a frontline role in the fight against the Islamic state on its Syrian border. Turkey was the biggest importer of US upland cotton last year, buying 1.1 million bales. The increased demand for cotton is also due to a resurgence in Turkish textile industry, which is selling more textiles and apparels to Europe even as demand remains sluggish due to the slow economic recovery. Turkey's mills and garment producers are making inroads into Europe due to their close proximity to consumers while its Asian rivals are switching their focus to the Far East.
The case comes as the world’s cotton farmers struggle with weak prices, which have plunged by a third since May on forecasts of another record surplus and falling demand from China, the world's top textile market, as Beijing overhauls its stockpiling policy.
Kelheim Fibers has introduced a flame retardant viscose fiber called Danufil BF. It’s designed for use in home textiles, interior fittings and for acoustic insulation in the automotive sector. Kelheim is based in Germany and is one of Europe's leading viscose staple fiber producers.
Being a combination of organic wood pulp and inorganic silicate structure, the fiber offers inherent flame protection requiring no additional chemical finish. Products based on Danufil BF emit virtually no smoke or toxic fumes. The fibers do not melt or flow when in contact with heat or flame but the organic parts of the fiber burn away, leaving a residual silicate structure which acts as an isolating barrier against the further spread of the fire both into the depth and on the surface.
Viscose is seen as the environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional materials, being biodegradable and comprising 100 per cent renewable raw materials. Being non-toxic, Danufil BF is presented by the company as an alternative to products treated with halogen-based flame retardants. As a result of its large and irregular surface, this fiber meets the prerequisites for various absorption applications. It is suited to all common manufacturing processes and can be processed to both yarn and nonwovens.
www.kelheim-fibres.com/
Denmark sees great potential for investment in the textile and energy sectors of Pakistan. Since Pakistan has been given the Generalized System of Preferences status by the European Union, it offers an attractive prospect for sourcing companies especially in the textile sector. Pakistan’s economy is growing, with a budding middle class and a relatively conducive business environment.
Danish companies are globalized and are working with emerging markets. The current trade volume between both countries is approximately $425 million. Denmark has set up a commercial section in Islamabad, dedicated to explore avenues of investment for Danish companies.
A few Danish companies have been active in Pakistan for decades. Some are doing very well and there is significant room for improvement. Like Pakistan, Denmark has a long agricultural tradition. There are thousands of Danish companies involved in the agriculture, farming and dairy industries.
Denmark exports to Pakistan to the tune of 1.2 billion kroner a year while annual Pakistani exports to Denmark come to 677 million kroner.
Jakob Müller has introduced its new air-jet label weaving machine. The MBJL6 facilitates the efficient production of labels, images and technical narrow fabrics with cut selvedges. It is ideally suited for top production performance and is designed to allow easy access to all the important machine components and control elements.
Shedding takes place using an electronically controlled SPE3 1536 jacquard machine with patented bottom shed read-in. The jacquard machine is mounted directly on top of the basic machine, reducing the space required to a minimum. Additional advantages include a machine height of 3.65 m and its low weight. The new air-jet weaving machine can manufacture more labels per hour in a production area of only 2.05 m by 4.25 m and a reduced building volume.
The careful handling of the warp and weft material during production allows for top speeds and optimum efficiency. The warp is provided on a warp beam with a maximum diameter of 800 mm. A controlled warp let-off system with a servomotor ensures quick and simple setting of warp thread tension.
Weft insertion takes place using standard main, acceleration and relay nozzles. The main nozzle is designed for the insertion of eight weft threads. The number of weft threads per centimeter can be adjusted via a torque motor. This electronically controlled fabric take-off allows the number of weft threads within a repeat to be varied between 18 picks per cm and 120 picks per cm.
www.mueller-frick.com/
Karl Mayer is making a contribution to the processing of high performance fabrics by introducing a new portal weft-insertion warp knitting machine. The machine can process carbon, glass, basalt, aramid and high-strength polyester fibers, among others, while making maximum use of the yarns, since the weft is inserted with no waste.
The weft is inserted in line with the stitches without any waste being produced and from both sides of the machine. Working from a creel on both sides of the portal weft insertion machine avoids the laying device from making empty runs, thus increasing the productivity of the weft system. The laying device grips the 20 weft yarns of the creel on one side of the machine during the laying cycle and pulls them in a continuous movement over the working width.
The laying device is then synchronised with the transport chain. Once they are running synchronously, the weft yarns are laid into the transport chain to match the gauge, fixed with yarn clamps, and cut from the bobbins on the creel by means of a circular blade. The laying device then grips the weft yarns on the creel on the other side of the machine and repeats this sequence on the other side.
www.karlmayer.com/
Textile companies in Swaziland say they will close down if the government does not pay the duties levied by the United States on exports that do not benefit from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Swaziland will be out of AGOA from January 2015. Swaziland began benefiting from the program in 2001.
Companies say the only way they can continue operating in Swaziland is if government commits to taking over the payment of export duties they would be compelled to pay as of the beginning of next year. They say they are not even willing to bear half the cost as they can’t afford to bear losses.
After an extensive review, the United States concluded that Swaziland had not demonstrated progress on the protection of internationally recognised worker rights. In particular, Swaziland was said to have failed to make progress in protecting freedom of association and the right to organise. Of particular concern was the country’s use of security forces and arbitrary arrests to stifle peaceful demonstrations as well as the lack of legal recognition for labor and employer federations.
AGOA is a United States preferential trade program established in 2000 that provides duty-free access to the American market for thousands of products from eligible sub-Saharan African countries.
trade.gov/agoa/
VF Corporation has launched a method to screen for hazardous trace chemicals in textile formulations before they enter the mill. The Chem-IQ process can pinpoint minute traces of more than 400 hazardous substances before they are used in production. It assigns formulations a simple green, yellow, orange or red environmental rating at the end of a simple five step screening process.
Each sample is given a rating: preferred (green), allowed (yellow), due diligence required (orange) and prohibited (red). The factory then receives a report on all chemical formulations submitted, and is required to phase out use of any red rated chemicals and work towards making sure the inventory is loaded with green rated chemistry. The idea is a factory meeting the Chem-IQ requirements has a very low risk of product failures, wastewater pollution and worker safety issues.
The method can help mills filter out potentially hazardous formulations in the global textile supply chain and continuously improve their environmental profile. Although the Chem-IQ program currently relates only to the VF Corp supply chain, the company wants the new process to be applied to the wider textile community.
www.vfc.com/brands
