The Mewar Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) in Bhilwara is going through tough times with no new member enrolled in the last three months, Instead, existing members urging it to change their registration — from textile units to other businesses.

For the last two years there has been no growth in the textile industry, the mainstay of Bhilwara’s economy. The city is home to 850 textile units that create direct employment for 85,000 people and indirect employment for 60,000. Unlike in other industrial towns, here migrants make up just 20 per cent of the workforce, which means it is locals who are employed in the units. Bhilwara is the state’s largest textile center, producing cotton yarn, polyster or viscose-blended yarn and fabrics, denim and other textile products. Its decline started with demonetisation in November 2016, which reduced purchasing power for few months.

The Supreme Court order directing industrial units to not use petcoke in order to control air pollution, increased their dependence on coal and lignite. The worst fear of MCCI is a lockdown of units if the government remains indifferent to industry needs. They have also been requesting a rebate in power tariffs.

Global sewing machine market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 4.6 per cent from 2018 to 2026. The increasing popularity of the do-it-yourself culture is an important factor contributing to the growth of the sewing machine market. People in order to give a personalized touch to their garments are increasingly practicing home arts such as sewing and knitting. Moreover, sewing machines have witnessed significant advancements in recent years. These advancements are focused upon efficiency and precision. Another prominent factor aiding the sewing machine market growth can be attributed to the declining cost of electronic sewing machines. This has enabled their adoption even across households with modest income. Furthermore, in coming years, the demand for industrial sewing machines is expected to be on the rise, mainly owing to fact that garment manufacturers are increasingly opting for high end sewing machines with a focus to save time, energy and reducing complexities.

In recent years, sewing machines have witnessed significant technological advancements. Apparel manufacturers are transitioning from manual sewing machines to digital sewing machines. Moreover, sewing machines have been bestowed with a plethora of new features and functionalities.

For instance, Kinoshita introduced sewing machines have automatic bobbin changers. Similarly the sewing machine market has witnessed other innovations in the form of real-time monitoring in sewing machines, modular sewing machines, convertibility in sewing machines, smart sewing machines and digital feed system in sewing machines, among others.

Asia Pacific is the largest market for sewing machines. The presence of a large number of sewing machine manufacturers headquartered in the region is an important factor propelling market growth in the region.

Some of the major players operating in the sewing machine market include China Feiyue, Brother, Juki, Jack, Singer, Bernina, Pegasus and Million Special, among others. Research and development is one of the most common strategies adopted by the market players and it helps companies stay afloat in the market by addressing the increasing competition.

Puma is thinking of shifting its footwear and apparel production out of China and possibly to Bangladesh, Cambodia or Vietnam. Reason: US threat of hiking tariffs as high as 25 per cent on footwear. This has forced Puma to lock in capacity at facilities in hubs like Vietnam earlier than usual. Currently, the company makes about one-third of its products in China. The tariffs mean Puma has to accept a lower US margin or raise prices. But tariffs are not the only reason for Puma’s shift. The company has been shifting production away from China over the past couple of years because of rising labor costs.

The US and China have not yet reached an agreement to de-escalate the trade war. Moreover, the US has threatened to slap duties on another $325 billion of goods. In the light of this, more companies are pulling out of China to save themselves from unwarranted losses.

Tariffs on shoes made in China are expected to be catastrophic for consumers, the companies and the US economy as a whole. However, Chinese consumers are shielded because the factories that once churned out products for the world increasingly serve domestic customers’ needs now.

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership will provide greater market access to Vietnamese firms but also open up the country to foreign products, increasing competition. In particular industries such as automobile and agriculture would face intense competition.

Clothing and leather products, chemicals, plastic products, and transport equipment and machinery are expected to get an export boost while imports will grow in almost all sectors. Under the CPTPP average trade-weighted tariffs would drop from 1.7 per cent to 0.2 per cent for Vietnamese exporters. Non-tariff measures are predicted to reduce by 3.6 percentage points in terms of tariff equivalence.

With strict rules of origin, Vietnam would have to develop supporting industries to benefit from the trade deal. The country plans to improve the investment environment and protect intellectual property rights to attract investors. Institutions and administrative systems need to be reformed to take advantage of the CPTPP.

It is also necessary for Vietnam to focus on small and medium-sized enterprises. These account for a majority of the economy and labor market and have to be aligned with global supply chains. CPTPP was signed last March following a period of turbulence caused by the departure of the United States.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is unlikely to be signed by year end. This is being negotiated by 16 mostly Asian countries. The RCEP negotiating countries are the ten Asean countries — Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam — plus Australia, China, India, Japan, South Korea and New Zealand.

After more than five years and 24 rounds of negotiations since May 2013, RCEP countries are still struggling to try and forge an agreement. Concluding the pact by year-end looks unlikely due to differing levels of development among the countries involved, as well as political factors including general elections next year in India and Australia.

India has issues in goods and services. It is of the view that there are many issues that are yet to be resolved, including the extent of commitments India would take in opening up its goods market and what it would get from other members in terms of increase in mobility of professionals. Giving substantial concessions to members, especially China, could lead to protests from a large section of the Indian industry. Once concluded, the RCEP is likely to result in the largest free trade bloc in the world covering about 3.5 billion people and 30 per cent of the world’s GDP.

Leading flat knitting machine manufacturer Shima Seiki, together with its UK subsidiary, Shima Seiki Europe, will hold a private expo in association with Hong Kong­based spinner UPW in London, on November 7 and 8, 2018. The Shima Seiki Europe Apex show will feature the SDS­ONE APEX3 3D design system, high-lighting the company’s digital yarn project.

SDS­ONE APEX3 3D design system is at the core of the company’s ‘Total Fashion System’ concept of unifying the fashion supply chain. From yarn input, planning, design, and machine programming to sales promotion, APEX3’s offers comprehensive support of the entire knit production process. Its greatest strength lies in its unparalleled capability for virtual sampling. Photo­realistic simulation capability allows virtual sampling to minimise the need for actual sample­making, effectively reducing time, cost, and material—and environmental impact—from the supply chain equation. APEX3 is capable of transforming the fashion industry through smart, speedy, and sustainable production, Shima Seiki said.

The key to realistic simulated sample making can be found in the least common denominator of knitting: the yarn. Shima Seiki’s digital yarn project aims to digitise yarn with the cooperation of spinning companies so that its customers can select yarn for their design and produce simulations for digital sampling, while programming data allows the required amount of yarn to be calculated so that the yarn can be ordered as soon as approval is obtained for that design. UPW is one of the most advanced collaborative partners in this Project, offering access to its inventory of digitised yarn online. (GK)

With 300 3D flatbed knitting machines, Stoll and Project I restore high-tech domestic manufacturing jobs

With 300 3D flatbed knitting machines, Stoll and Project I restore high-tech domestic manufacturing jobs with a full-scale, next generation facility that moves fully-fashioned knit production to the US and helps retailers meet demand.

Project I is an apparel manufacturing group started by fashion executives Jon Lewis and John Elmuccio with the goal of reshoring high-paying fashion jobs to the United States.

John Elmuccio

“We’re partnering to create the apparel manufacturing and supply chain facility of the future,” Elmuccio said. “The collaboration with Stoll will strengthen America’s fashion market, restore apparel production jobs using the latest technology, and revitalize the fully-fashioned knit sector.”

The driving force within the knitting industry

Between this new founded collaboration with Project I and the kick-off of the company’s 145th anniversary, Stoll consistently proves to be the driving force within the knitting industry.

Project I and Stoll’s advanced apparel manufacturing facility results in the largest single order of Stoll’s latest 3D knitting machinery and software solutions within the United States. This impactful collaboration will bring a revolutionary output of jobs and help position the US as a key player of the apparel manufacturing and supply chain market. “The apparel, fashion, and luxury markets are ripe for disruption and resurgence in the U.S.,” Lewis said. “By shortening the supply chain and locating production in the U.S., fashion brands and retailers will be able to keep pace with emerging trends and react to — not just anticipate — customer demand.”

The installation of these 300 high-tech flatbed knitting machines will happen throughout the next three years. Stoll will install the latest generation of ADF machines, which feature yarn carriers that are independent of the carriage and can move horizontally and vertically, and the latest CMS 830 C&S knit & wear (seamless knitting) machines. Stoll will provide programming, training, manufacturing and on-site production support while guiding new and existing customers alike to Project I.

Textile people will explore the key trends and technology developments that are bringing the market for digitally-printed textiles to life—from economics to ink—at the Digital Textile Printing Conference 3.0, December 5–6, at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel, Durham, NC, USA.

AATCC and SGIA have gathered some of the biggest names in the industry to cover the latest industry trends, the newest digital textile ink and printing technology developments, key market drivers, global market conditions, color management and workflow developments, design software, digital manufacturing and integration, micro factories—and more!

The current slate of speakers includes:

Digital Textile Print Renews an Industry—Mark Hanley, IT Strategies. Designing for Digital Textile Printing—Debbie McKeegan, TexIntel. Print on Demand: Exploring the Market Opportunities—Kristen Dettoni, Pattern Pod. The Evolution of Customization—J. Flint Davis, WeaveUp, Inc.Embrace Your Digital Reality... A New Paradigm in Creating Digital Print Files—Kristen Ritter, Gerber Technology. Integrated Color Management: The X-Factor of Digital Textiles—Duncan Ross, AVA CAD CAM Group Ltd. Print Clarity Test on Digitally Printed Textiles: A Quantitative Evaluation—Xingyu Li, Intertek. Replication of Screen-Printing Fabric via Ink-jet Textile Printing—Ming Wang, North Carolina State University. Adobe Insight: The Future of Workflow in Digital Textile Printing—Mike Scrutton, Adobe. New Print Head Technologies: Breaking Down Barriers—Mike Raymond, Xaar.Pigment Inks Explained – Wolf Reddig, EFI. Bespoke Experiences Made Economical: The Pigment Pretreatment Process Evolution—Kelly Lawrence, Lubrizol. The Taming of Pigment Inks: How to Gain Control over Print Quality by Using Primers—Helmuth Haas, CHT . Building an Apparel Micro-Factory: Real Life Lessons—Bill Grier, AM4U. First Sell, Then Produce: Enabling Sustainable Capsule Production—Sharon Donovich, Kornit Reaching Full Visibility in Digital Textile Manufacturing—Per Bringle, Exenta. Building the Bridge for a Stronger U.S. Supply Chain—Will Duncan, SEAMS. Digital Dye Sublimation Printing for Customized Warp Knit Advanced Flexible Composites— Mark Sunderland, Thomas Jefferson University. Digital Pile and Carpet Printing: Possibilities and Limitation—Roland Zimmer and Thomas Kloebl, Zimmer Austria Inc.In addition to the presentations, the program will feature two panels. The Wednesday panel will focus on Brand/Color Management/Digital Workflow and Thursday’s panel will address Micro-Factory/Automation. Attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions in these interactive sessions.AATCC/SGIA Individual and Corporate members registering on or before November 20, 2018 pay US$525 (US$785 for nonmembers) and will include luncheons, breaks, a reception, and a copy of all available presentations. After November 20, the registration fee increases to US$575 for AATCC/SGIA members and US$835 for nonmembers.Refunds will be honored if cancellations are received on or before November 27, 2018. No refunds will be given after November 27. A US$75 cancellation fee will be charged.For program updates and to register visit.

https://www.aatcc.org/evnt/conferences/printing/.

TOWARDS INTELLIGENT SPINNING MILLS

Saurer Group is looking forward to participating in the first China International Import Exhibition in Shanghai from 5 to 10 November 2018. At booth 3B6-003 in Hall 3 of the National Exhibition and Convention Center, Saurer will showcase intelligent textile machinery.

The Zinser 72XL is a highly productive ring and compact spinning machine for large spinning mills, with maximum flexibility in the areas of fancy and special yarns. With an incredible length of up to 2 016 spindles, it offers high consistency in quality, features energy-saving technologies and customised automation. With high-speed CS1S silent spindle-bearing units from Texparts, the machine runs at an astonishing speed even during exhibition conditions with a clearly lower noise level compared to conventional spindles.

Linked to the ZinserImpact 72XL is the new Autoconer X6 winding machine with the RFID-tagged Bobbin Cloud advanced material flow system. With a quantum leap in process automation, Autoconer X6 opens up a new dimension of efficiency with smart technology.

The fully automated rotor-spinning machine Autocoro 9 is highly productive thanks to its single spinning position technology. With rotor speeds of up to 180 000 rpm and with up to 720 spinning positions, the Autocoro 9 delivers technological superiority, boosting production. At the same time, intelligently automated processes increase machine performance and reduce the major costs associated with spinning, offering the possibility to reduce raw material and maintenance costs.

ITMA Asia + CITME 2018, Asia’s leading textile machinery exhibition, ended successfully after five days of exciting product demonstrations and business networking, according to organisers.

The sixth combined exhibition welcomed over 100,000 visitors from 116 countries and regions, with an increase of 10% from domestic visitors compared to the 2016 show. About 20% of visitors came from outside of China.

In terms of overseas participants, Indian visitors topped the list, reflecting the strong growth of its textile industry. Following closely were trade visitors from Japan, Taiwan, Korea and Bangladesh.

Mr Fritz P. Mayer, President of CEMATEX, said: “Response to the combined show has been very strong. There was a larger pool of qualified buyers and most of our exhibitors were able to achieve their business objectives. We are delighted with the positive outcome from our latest event.”

Mr Wang Shutian, President of China Textile Machinery Association (CTMA), added: “The strong turnout of visitors to the combined show reinforces the reputation of ITMA Asia + CITME as the most effective business platform in China for the industry. We shall continue to do our best to present the best technologies from both east and west to Chinese and Asian buyers.”