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According to a recent CII-PwC report, over 140 Indian companies have collectively invested close to $4 billion in South Africa, leading to the employment of over 18,000 people.
Companies have contributed beyond foreign direct investment (FDI) and have also taken initiatives for skill development and corporate social responsibility.
The report has predicted an increase in the Indian business footprint in South Africa.
According to the report, bilateral trade between India and South Africa had increased to $11.79 billion in 2014-15 from $2.5 billion in 2003-04.
The trade had reduced slightly in 2015-16 to $9.5 billion owing to factors like credit rating downgrade of South Africa, political, economic and policy uncertainty and fluctuations in exchange rate.
GST has hit not only the power loom sector in Surat but even the textile processing sector.Most textile dyeing and printing mills have reduced the production of finished fabrics by almost 40 per cent due to recession, money crisis and weavers’ drastically reducing the production of grey fabrics.
The cost of raw material required for processing of grey fabrics has shot up by almost 30 per cent. Besides textile mill owners were compelled to increase wages of textile workers on May 1. Much of the textile workforce has moved out of the city to attend marriages and other social events in their hometowns.
The workers who stayed back demanded a wage hike as they had to work full-time to meet production needs in the factories.
Textile processors have been facing a severe liquidity crunch as textile traders have been delaying payments up to 100 days for various reasons, including recession, slowdown in fabric demand etc. Processors have increased job charges by almost 15 per cent to cope with the losses.
Power loom weavers are operating their units for just eight hours, which means the production of grey fabrics has come down to just 15 million meters a day.
Apparel manufacturer, Sterling Group Holdings, is seeking a listing on the stock exchange in Hong Kong. The group, which supplies international apparel brands in the United States and Europe including the UK and Spain, recently ventured into the business uniform market by supplying flight crew uniforms for US airlines.
It’s confirmed sales orders from all customers for the seven months ended September 30, 2018 amounted to around HK$295 million, of which 29 percent are from new customers.
Sterling operates three production facilities, representing 30 percent of its total sales volume .
The group aims to convert more of its outsourcing to in-house production by purchasing additional machinery for production facilities and factories in its base in China and Sri Lanka.
It reported net profit of HK$31.1 million in 2017, a 117 percent increase from 2015, while revenue grew by 45 percent to HK$671 million during the period.
Gap’s current level of promotion witnessed a decline in April 2018, after a recording a seven-year high in February and March 2018. The company is currently on a discount spree as the brand offers 50 per cent off on almost everything.
To counter this, other rival stores such as American Eagle and Abercrombie also ramped up discounting during the first quarter of 2018.
These stores' rampant discounting goes against the grain of what many other retailers such as Michael Kors, Coach, and Ralph Lauren are doing. These stores have been vocal about their commitment to cut back on markdowns, believing that they are detrimental to the brand's perception among consumers.
Heavy discounting has been the flavor of the past decade as retailers try to appeal to price-conscious consumers scarred by the recession. As a result, consumers have become hooked on discounts and usually aren't willing to pay full price.
The New Zealand textile industry is likely to die within two years due to the increasing preference for using offshore production.
Jobs in textile, clothing and footwear have plunged from 47,000 to just 9500 in a span of 40 years upto 2016 and factories are being priced out of the market by cheaper overseas suppliers.
Each year more and more government departments taking all their uniforms, clothing and safety equipment offshore to be manufactured as New Zealand manufacturers aren't as competitive as those in the Far East.
Statistics from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment showed that in 2009, the export value of tapestries, trimmings and embroidery was $5million, while its value in 2017 was just $2million.
Planet Textiles will be held in Canada, May 22.
The sustainable textiles summit serves as a place for textile industry members to work together on scaling sustainable innovations, reducing the negative impact of microfiber pollution and developing best practices for chemical management.
There will be breakout sessions and discussions focused on sustainable goals and on efforts to prep industry members to shift to a more circular model in coming years.
Denim makers will also have access to the latest information on dyeing, laundering and water saving techniques to make their supply chains more sustainable.
The goal for Planet Textiles is to help the textile industry find more harmonized sustainable solutions, as now more than ever, the industry—and the consumer—are calling for transparency and products to be made more sustainably.
Planet Textiles will look at how small start-up companies can scale sustainable innovations in the industry from the lab to commercial reality. Other themes include textile microfibers in relation to the growing problem of microplastics pollution, fate and implications for marine eco-systems. Deforestation in relation to the manmade cellulosic fiber sector will also be high on the agenda – along with the harmonization of textile chemical management and wastewater guidelines.
According to the recent the 2018 Q2 Barometer report by Asia Inspection (AI), ethical scores in Bangladesh rose by an average of 15 per cent during the past 12 months. The results reflect the continuous pressure faced by the Bangladesh-based textile and apparel manufacturers to improve their ethical performance. However, in spite of the increase in ethical scores, as indicated by the AI data, factories in Bangladesh are still plagued by health and safety issues, which were ranked the most pressing concern of Q1 2018, taking over working hours and wage compliance.
The scores for Chinese manufacturers showed little change with average scores flat at 7.7 out of 10. By contrast, there was a market improvement in the scores of South and Southeast Asia, with Cambodia continuing to outpace its economic forecast for the second year running, and inspection demand rising 22.4 per cent YoY in Q1 2018. Pakistan also maintains momentum gained during last year, with inspection volumes expanding 10.3 per cent YoY in Q1 2018.
The Society of Dyers and Colorists (SDC) organized an event in Mumbai, April 20. The theme was sustainability driven innovations. This event was attended by 30 qualification holders, medalists, trustees and voting members of SDC.
Sustainability is not a buzz word but has become important in terms of energy efficiency from conceptualisation to building materials. Companies adopt this as the core of their corporate strategy for success in the long term.
Sustainability is not only in R&D but also imbibed into the people – employees, vendors, customers and stakeholders how to use energy efficiently and save Mother Planet.
In textiles, PVC-free silicone-based inks are used for screen printing with stretch which effect soft feel for synthetics and cotton. RO membrane is used for ZLD application due to regulations. Water can be recycled, and sludge disposal is necessary. Enzyme is used for plastic recycling in effluent treatment.
SDC is the world’s leading independent, educational charity dedicated to advancing the science and technology of color worldwide. Its mission is to educate the changing world in the science of color. SDC is a professional, chartered society. Becoming a member gives access to SDC’s Professional Coloration Qualifications including the elite Chartered Colorist status. It has an international network of regions and activities.
Towns in a district of Andhra Pradesh have won the geographical indication (GI) tag for the production of kalamkari.This involves carving out intricate designs on wooden blocks and using these to print patterns on fabric.
The name kalamkari is derived from the words qalam (pen) and kari (craftmanship), meaning drawing with a pen.
But there has been a spurt in the use of modern and chemical methods that threaten the traditional art of block printing on fabric using organic and vegetable dyes.
To keep up with growing demands and reduce production costs and time, many villagers have started using chemical dyes and the screen printing method to produce the famed textile style. The modern technique involves digitally creating designs and then making large stencils, which are used instead of blocks.
What the screen printing method can produce in 40 minutes, block printing or hand painting can take days.
The process of kalamkari involves several steps, one of which is to wash the fabric in the Krishna River to ensure that the color lasts longer. The water in the river has the correct mineral composition required to help the colors develop and set. However, the chemical dyes used by other producers have begun to pollute the river.
Cambodia’s economic growth is projected to accelerate to 6.9 per cent in 2018 compared with 6.8 per cent in 2017.Rising government spending and favorable global conditions, including robust demand in advanced economies, are expected to underpin Cambodia’s high growth trajectory.
Tourist arrivals accelerated to 11.8 per cent in 2017, compared with five per cent in 2016.
While growth in the construction sector is an important driver of growth and a creator of jobs, it is necessary for Cambodia to closely monitor the construction and real estate boom by developing macro-prudential policies to help reduce the scope for speculative activities.
The agriculture sector also rebounded, with the expansion of rice and rubber plantations, and the gradual recovery of agricultural commodity prices.
Risks remain, however, and they include erosion of export competitiveness due to rapidly rising real wages, a build-up of vulnerabilities from a prolonged real estate and construction boom, potential election-related uncertainty, and periodic jolts of protectionism and escalating trade disputes between the world’s largest trading countries.
To maintain strong growth, it is essential that Cambodia invests more in education and skills training while addressing the constraints facing small and medium businesses.
The country can diversify growth and create more jobs by reducing the costs of company formalisation, operation and financing.
