FW
"Facts first, one billion pieces produced per year by 175,000 workers (30 per cent of all industrial jobs nationwide) in 1,600 local companies, 31.4 billion Moroccan Dirham (€31 bn) of exports in 2015 (marking 24 per cent of the country’s total exports) the textile industry is one of Morocco’s most powerful economic segments and Europe’s seventh largest textile supplier after China, Bangladesh, Turkey, India, Cambodia and Vietnam."
Facts first, one billion pieces produced per year by 175,000 workers (30 per cent of all industrial jobs nationwide) in 1,600 local companies, 31.4 billion Moroccan Dirham (€31 bn) of exports in 2015 (marking 24 per cent of the country’s total exports) the textile industry is one of Morocco’s most powerful economic segments and Europe’s seventh largest textile supplier after China, Bangladesh, Turkey, India, Cambodia and Vietnam. And AMITH, the Moroccan textile union, has ambitious plans to expand: by 2025, it wants to Morocco positioned as the biggest player in the textile industry across the African continent and second in the Mediterranean region.
Maroc in Mode: Focus on Moroccan textiles
This message was loud and clear during the recently held two-day sourcing fair Maroc in Mode. Held at Marrakech’s Touring Car Championships, the event attracted 100 exhibitors in its second edition. It proved to be a great meeting platform and demonstrated unique products and services of exhibitors. It attracted the entire spectrum of textile from fabric makers or importers to trim and accessory suppliers (such as zipper heavyweight YKK), garment manufacturers, finishers and laundries to visiting buyers of brands, private labels and retail chains.
Fast Fashion was the highlight at the show that showcased Morocco’s biggest advantage as a manufacturing base for European brands (in comparison to Asian suppliers): closeness and speed.
Top exhibitors’ show confidence
Belgium’s Chemitex that imports ca. 200 million metres of fabric from India, Pakistan, China and Indonesia participated to meet both manufacturers and fast fashion brands from Europe (mainly Spain) or Morocco to introduce them to their cotton-spandex, cotton popeline, linen or polyester fabrics.
Vita Couture which runs three sewing factories and claims to be the third biggest Moroccan supplier for Inditex, the group also works for El Corte Inglés or Promod and does was also there.
Denim delight
After fast fashion, denim was the biggest pavilion at the show. Exhibiting companies offered both readymade and plain manufacturing or fabric providing process, amongst these were Moroccan firms Lavasser, Modaland, Active Line or Crossing. Tavex und Mafaco were the only local producers of denim fabrics at the show. International suppliers such as Kilim Denim from Turkey or Denim Division from Hong-Kong, highlighted import duties as their biggest concern when working with customers in the EUROMED zone.
A strikingly innovative Tavex’ T-flow fabrics, a line of fluid, soft and light denims, is especially designed to render maximum freedom of movement and comfort in flared and looser cut jeans shapes. Fernando Gregorio, Development Manager, Active Line from Casablanca, said, “Every four to five weeks, you need to show your customer something new, you need to offer them something! This is the way to receive orders.” The company is filling for patent for a technique where a coloured thread is used for a special dying effect in denim. Another innovation is an elastic, pilling-free polyester thread – perfect for the manufacturing of all powerstretch denims.
Many of the Moroccan denim companies are part of the 2014-build Moroccan Denim Cluster (MDC), an interesting non-profit organisation aiming to drive collaborative projects in the Moroccan denim and sportswear industry, funded by AMITH and the Ministry of Industry, Trade, Investment and the Digital Economy. In its recent project, the MDC has developed a line of recycled denim clothing together with students of the Casa Moda University in Casablanca. Local weavers, clothing manufacturers, washers, accessories manufacturers as well as training institutes and fashion schools, the technical center of textile and clothing (CTTH) and the promotion organisation Maroc Export are some of the MDC members.
This cluster is setting an example of co-operation among peers to harmonise the entire textile industry and achieve growth. At the press meet, both Mohamed Tazi, General Director of AMITH and Gildas Minvielle of the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) highlighted how so-called locomotives, supportive team-ups between companies, shall help to create new jobs in the textile industry and boost export numbers.
With its proximity to (Southern) European markets - fast fashion aspect, mostly delivering to big chains (Inditex, Mango, Promod etc) in Spain and France; flexible business models (always a mix of introducing ready ideas/garments and simply carrying out orders); good relations to fabric makers (however, there are not so many denim fabric makers in the country, disadvantage to Turkey); stable political climate than neighbouring countries such as Turkey or Tunisia; initiatives like Maroc Export (CMPE) or Invest in Morocco (AMDI) to push the industry forward with locomotive synergies and learnings are some of the compelling reasons to be a part of Morocco manufacturing.
The next edition of Maroc in Mode is scheduled for October 26 and 27, 2017. AMITH aims to hold the fair bi-annually from 2018.
Facts first, one billion pieces produced per year by 175,000 workers (30 per cent of all industrial jobs nationwide) in 1,600 local companies, 31.4 billion Moroccan Dirham (€31 bn) of exports in 2015 (marking 24 per cent of the country’s total exports) the textile industry is one of Morocco’s most powerful economic segments and Europe’s seventh largest textile supplier after China, Bangladesh, Turkey, India, Cambodia and Vietnam. And AMITH, the Moroccan textile union, has ambitious plans to expand: by 2025, it wants to Morocco positioned as the biggest player in the textile industry across the African continent and second in the Mediterranean region. </p>
<p>
<h2> Maroc in Mode: Focus on Moroccan textiles</h2>
<p>
This message was loud and clear during the recently held two-day sourcing fair Maroc in Mode. Held at Marrakech’s Touring Car Championships, the event attracted 100 exhibitors in its second edition. It proved to be a great meeting platform and demonstrated unique products and services of exhibitors. It attracted the entire spectrum of textile from fabric makers or importers to trim and accessory suppliers (such as zipper heavyweight YKK), garment manufacturers, finishers and laundries to visiting buyers of brands, private labels and retail chains. </p>
<p>
Fast Fashion was the highlight at the show that showcased Morocco’s biggest advantage as a manufacturing base for European brands (in comparison to Asian suppliers): closeness and speed. </p>
<p>
<h2> Top exhibitors’ show confidence </h2>
<p>
Belgium’s Chemitex that imports ca. 200 million metres of fabric from India, Pakistan, China and Indonesia participated to meet both manufacturers and fast fashion brands from Europe (mainly Spain) or Morocco to introduce them to their cotton-spandex, cotton popeline, linen or polyester fabrics. </p>
<p>
Vita Couture which runs three sewing factories and claims to be the third biggest Moroccan supplier for Inditex, the group also works for El Corte Inglés or Promod and does was also there. </p>
<p>
<h2> Denim delight </h2>
<p>
After fast fashion, denim was the biggest pavilion at the show. Exhibiting companies offered both readymade and plain manufacturing or fabric providing process, amongst these were Moroccan firms Lavasser, Modaland, Active Line or Crossing. Tavex und Mafaco were the only local producers of denim fabrics at the show. International suppliers such as Kilim Denim from Turkey or Denim Division from Hong-Kong, highlighted import duties as their biggest concern when working with customers in the EUROMED zone. </p>
<p>
A strikingly innovative Tavex’ T-flow fabrics, a line of fluid, soft and light denims, is especially designed to render maximum freedom of movement and comfort in flared and looser cut jeans shapes. Fernando Gregorio, Development Manager, Active Line from Casablanca, said, “Every four to five weeks, you need to show your customer something new, you need to offer them something! This is the way to receive orders.” The company is filling for patent for a technique where a coloured thread is used for a special dying effect in denim. Another innovation is an elastic, pilling-free polyester thread – perfect for the manufacturing of all powerstretch denims. </p>
<p>
Many of the Moroccan denim companies are part of the 2014-build Moroccan Denim Cluster (MDC), an interesting non-profit organisation aiming to drive collaborative projects in the Moroccan denim and sportswear industry, funded by AMITH and the Ministry of Industry, Trade, Investment and the Digital Economy. In its recent project, the MDC has developed a line of recycled denim clothing together with students of the Casa Moda University in Casablanca. Local weavers, clothing manufacturers, washers, accessories manufacturers as well as training institutes and fashion schools, the technical center of textile and clothing (CTTH) and the promotion organisation Maroc Export are some of the MDC members. </p>
<p>
This cluster is setting an example of co-operation among peers to harmonise the entire textile industry and achieve growth. At the press meet, both Mohamed Tazi, General Director of AMITH and Gildas Minvielle of the Institut Français de la Mode (IFM) highlighted how so-called locomotives, supportive team-ups between companies, shall help to create new jobs in the textile industry and boost export numbers. </p>
<p>
With its proximity to (Southern) European markets - fast fashion aspect, mostly delivering to big chains (Inditex, Mango, Promod etc) in Spain and France; flexible business models (always a mix of introducing ready ideas/garments and simply carrying out orders); good relations to fabric makers (however, there are not so many denim fabric makers in the country, disadvantage to Turkey); stable political climate than neighbouring countries such as Turkey or Tunisia; initiatives like Maroc Export (CMPE) or Invest in Morocco (AMDI) to push the industry forward with locomotive synergies and learnings are some of the compelling reasons to be a part of Morocco manufacturing. </p>
<p>
The next edition of Maroc in Mode is scheduled for October 26 and 27, 2017. AMITH aims to hold the fair bi-annually from 2018. </p>
American clothing company HanesBrands Inc, a leading marketer of everyday basic apparel, has reported an increase in its operating profit of 10 per cent in the third quarter of 2016 that ended on 1 October. Till then, On a GAAP basis, the operating profit of the company increased to US$ 228 million compared to US$ 208 million for the same period in 2015.
For the third quarter, net sales also increased by 11 per cent to US$ 1.76 billion, driven by core organic Innerwear growth and strong acquisition-related International growth. The growth was partially offset by declines in the Activewear and Direct to Consumer segments, the company reports. The company also delivered a record for cash flow in a quarter – US$ 337 million.
Driven by a successful focus-on-the-core initiative that saw high-single-digit growth combined for men’s, women’s and children’s underwear, innerwear sales increased by 2 per cent. The initial shipments of the company’s main products that feature FreshIQ odour control technology began late in the quarter. Segment operating profit increased by 6 per cent, and the operating profit margin increased by 90 basis points to 22.per cent.
Acquisitions of Pacific Brands of Australia, Champion Europe and Champion Japan, as well as organic growth in Asia, drove 59 per cent growth in International sales. Acquisitions contributed approximately US$ 180 million in sales in the quarter. Operating profit growth of 79 per cent was driven by widespread strength in Europe, Latin America and Asia, as well as acquisitions. The segment operating profit margin increased by 140 basis points to 12.8 per cent.
Activewear segment sales decreased by 2 per cent as a result of bankruptcies of certain sporting goods retailers. Champion at mass, Hanes Activewear, and college bookstore sports apparel all increased sales. Total segment operating profit decreased by 22 per cent affected by lower volume and the mix of products sold. The company based in Winston-Salem, North Carolina employs around 50,000 people internationally.
Amid calls from some section of the Indian trade to boycott Chinese goods in the ongoing Diwali season, China has said that any such move will negatively impact the India-bound investments from the country and will also impact the bilateral cooperation between the two countries. The country also asserted that any such boycott would not have much impact on its exports, but without proper substitutes, the biggest losers of the boycott of Chinese goods will be Indian traders and consumers.
In a statement, the Chinese embassy said China is the world's largest trading nation in goods with its exports in 2015 amounting to $2276.5 billion. Amid rising tension in India-Pak ties, there have been calls from some people here and there including social media platforms about boycott of Chinese goods to protest against China's support to Pakistan. Apex traders body CAIT (Confederation of All India Traders) recently said the sale of Chinese products may decline by 30 per cent this Diwali.
India is a big market for Chinese products and over the years import of toys, furniture, building hardware, crackers, lighting and electric fittings, furnishing fabric, office stationery, electronic appliances, consumer electronics, kitchen equipment and appliances, gift items, watches etc from China has increased to a great extent. Chinese products are generally low-priced which is the root cause of infiltration of Chinese goods in the Indian market, CAIT had said.
Cotton farmers have been requesting the market yard officials to lift cotton from the farmers using the e-NAM mechanism. This, according to cotton farmers would free them from tricks the traders play like under weighing cotton and exaggerating the moisture content in the cotton to buy the cotton at a price less than the MSP. This topic will come up when the minister for Forests Jogu Ramanna comes to inaugurate cotton lifting operations at the market yard at Adilabad next Friday.
The cotton farmers of the district are getting a raw deal at the hands of traders because traders have formed a syndicate and purchasing cotton at a price less than the MSP on one pretext or the other. It is said that the traders are adopting dubious methods on testing moisture content at market yard and also at the ginning mill. If the moisture content is less, the traders are imposing a cut in the MSP.
The Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) has fixed Rs 4,160 a quintal as the MSP. A farmer of Tamsi mandal described the rise in MSP by Rs 60 only is atrocious at a time the input costs rose by Rs 5,000 an acre. Cotton was raised in 2.20-lakh acres in the district. The traders pay the MSP provided the moisture content in the cotton is between 8 per cent and 12 per cent.
In Khammam, Warangal and Jammikunta markets, the commodity is being sold at Rs 4,900 a quintal, which is over and above the MSP. Therefore, the particular farmer Tirupati demanded traders to lift cotton at Rs. 5, 500 as the cotton produced in Adilabad, Telangana was rated as the best in the country.
Similarly, farmers complain of differences in weighing at market yard and at the ginning mill. On account of very high temperatures recorded in the district, the farmers have been seeking an exemption up to 20 per cent of the moisture content in the cotton.
The death of Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej on October 13, 2016 is turning out to be a financial boon for Cambodia’s garment sector. In the wake of the Monarch’s death, the Thai government announced a one year-long mourning period for officials and a 30-day mourning period for the public. In this period all citizens have been asked to wear the traditional Thai mourning colours of either black or white.
Newspapers, websites, and television broadcast have all also removed colour from their productions while any form of entertainment or festive behaviour has been strongly discouraged. As a matter of fact, last Saturday more than 200,000 people gathered in Bangkok’s Sanam Luang to add their voices to a new recording of the Royal Anthem in tribute to the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej, almost all wearing black attire.
The death of the long-reigning King caught the garment industry by surprise. Black is not a popular colour in Thailand except for semi- or formal events. Thais, by tradition, prefer more brightly coloured and stylish clothing. With 66 million people suddenly looking for all types of clothing in black, traditional supply chains have been stretched to the limits, while privateers in the country have been far from shy at jacking up prices in the face of overwhelming demand.
At the same time, the local Thailand media have reported numerous incidents of vigilantism, with ultra-royalists verbally assaulting and publicly humiliating people not dressed in black. Many of those affected by the ultra-royalist assaults have reportedly said that they simply could not afford to buy new clothing. To assist them, good Samaritans across the country have set up locations across the country where people can take their existing clothes and have them dyed black for free.
At this juncture, the Thai scene is serving as a boon to Cambodia’s garment sector. Factories with extra capacity have switched to making black clothing for export to Thailand as the country’s demand for black attire shows no sign of coming down.
The Textile Effects division of Huntsman Corporation and Zhejiang Province-based Jihua Group, China, have entered into a strategic partnership. Under the agreement, the two companies will cooperate in a number of areas to jointly capitalize on the growing need for dye and chemical solutions for China’s textile sector.
The partnership will help the two companies speed up their supply chains to react more quickly to customers’ demand and increase cost efficiency for customers. The forming of the strategic partnership marks a further step forward for the existing cooperation between the two companies. In August, Huntsman Textile Effects, a major innovator with more than 700 patents, had granted a sole licence to Jihua for manufacturing, sales and marketing of Huntsman’s patented reactive Super Black dyes in China.
With the agreement in place, Huntsman and Jihua are now selling the Super Black products under their respective trade names. In addition, Huntsman also awarded Jihua Group the right to sub-license its patented Super Black dyes in China.
The strategic alliance is expected to help further strengthen the capabilities of the two companies of serving their customers in China and speed up their expansion in the country. Investment in China’s textile industry grew 1.6 times year-on-year in the first six months of this year to RMB 13.1 billion, pointing to a marked expansion by textile manufacturers, according to China National Textile Apparel Council (CNTAC). This is also expected to result in growing need for chemical solutions.
Huntsman Textile Effects is the leading global provider of high quality dyes and chemicals to the textile and related industries, with six primary manufacturing facilities around the world, including a plant in Panyu, Guangdong Province. The company also operates two formulation distribution centres in Panyu and Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, as well an R&D centre in Panyu.
Jihua Group is a market leader in China for the manufacture of dyes and intermediates with state-of-the-art facilities. Headquartered in Hangzhou, China, the company owns and operates an intermediate production facility in Jiangsu China.
Despite rising demand in the months of August and September, apparel exports in the first half of the financial year was down by 1.3 per cent with UAE taking a major share in the lacklustre performance of the sector.
As per the data from Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), India’s readymade garment exports in April-September this fiscal stood at $8448.8 million resulting in a decline of 1.3 per cent compared to the same period of the last financial year. In the months of April to September, last fiscal, India’s apparel exports roped in $8562.9 million while in rupee terms, there was a marginal growth of three per cent.
In the month of September this year, exports picked up by 12.6 per cent to notch up $1282.9 million as against $1139.2 million in September, 2015. In August also exports grew marginally by 3.7 per cent to take the total to $1329.2 million as against $1281.5 million in August 2015.
However, the first four months of the financial year have been seeing exports declining. In April, shipments fell by 8.1 per cent, came down in May by 5.3 per cent, in June by 0.8 per cent and in July by 6 per cent.
Global consumption of technical textiles is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.4 per cent till 2020. This trend indicates steady growth opportunities for textile companies.
With global consumption expected to surpass 37 million tonnes, the global technical textile market is expected to reach
US$ 193 billion by way of revenues in 2020. A big demand from China and India is projected to continue whereas the demand for advanced materials will become stronger in the U.S. and EU5.
The key factors anticipated to boost demand for technical textiles include, Steady growth of the automotive sector: The automotive sector in emerging economies is anticipated to increase demand for technical textiles. Use of technical textiles per mid-size car is anticipated to increase from the current 25-27 kg to 34-36 kg by 2020. Rapid industrialisation in emerging economies: The global industrial production is anticipated to increase by 3.5 per cent to 5 per cent from 2015 to 2020. And due to a steady industrial growth, the demand for woven and dust filters, and conveyor belts is expected to receive a boost.
Robust demand from healthcare sector: Demand for Meditech technical textiles is projected to grow in Asia Pacific, as providing affordable healthcare becomes a priority for governments. Growing environmental awareness: On the back of mounting concerns over conservation of environment, Oekotech technical textiles are gaining traction among end-users. Demand for Oekotech is expected to grow at a high CAGR during the forecast period 2015-2020.
By application, Hometech, Buildtech and Meditech will remain the highest-selling technical textiles throughout the forecast period 2015-2020 with Homtech technical textile consumption anticipated to reach 6.43 million tonnes by 2020. By process type, non-wovens will continue to have a dominant edge over composites, owing to their versatility in medical and industrial applications.
Since Esprit was founded, conducting business responsibly has been a key component of the corporate culture and an important part of the brand’s identity. This commitment has resulted in the first sustainability report for the financial year 2014/15 which is intended to bolster and secure the work of the company in this area and make it measurable and transparent.
Having reported a positive result for the financial year 2015/16, Esprit is now in the process of publishing its second global sustainability report. In spirit of the founding philosophy, the company is continuing to expand its activities in the area of sustainability and social compliance focusing on the three main topics of sustainable materials, social sustainability and environmental sustainability. The said report has been written in accordance with the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) G4 ‘Core’ Level and will be published in English and German on Esprit’s website.
The company has been able to further advance these important fields of action among other things through valuable strategic co-operations with partners such as IndustriALL, Canopy and the Better Cotton Initiative.While in the financial year 2014/15 the focus in the area of sustainable materials was on the Tier 1 suppliers, the focus has moved to the Tier 2 and cotton farms and suppliers in the financial year 2015/16.
This goes to show that Tier 2 suppliers are now also integrated into the HIGG index and thus their environmental impacts in the value chain can be measured. In February this year, Esprit also became a learning member of the Better Cotton Initiative (BCI) that contributes to the promotion of organic cotton production. The new alliance with the non-profit organisation Canopy ensures the sustainable production of viscose, which, besides cotton is the most important textile fibre at Esprit.
To guarantee social sustainablity, Esprit co-operates with various initiatives and programmes such as the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI), Better Work and Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety. In addition, in September last year, Esprit joined the Action, Collaboration, Transformation (ACT) programme1 in which the company works with other members to ensure fair living wages in the textile industry.
In order to implement environmental sustainability in the textile industry, Esprit is a member of the Zero Discharge of Hazardous Chemicals Group (ZDHC) to completely eliminate hazardous chemicals from the supply chain by 2020. This process was completed in the Asia-Pacific region by the end of the financial year 2015/16. Esprit is also a member of the Sustainable Apparel Coalition (SAC) and the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI). In addition to participating in these initiatives, Esprit also has its own department which examines the risks associated with sustainability and social responsibility and works to implement national and international requirements.
Texcare Asia will take place in China, September 27 to 29, 2017.
This is a biennial event organised by Messe Frankfurt and the China Light Industry Machinery Association.
This event is a highly specialised trade fair for modern textile care, catering to manufacturers and suppliers in laundry and dry-cleaning in the textile, fabrics and yarns industry. It features manufacturers of machines, tools and devices for laundry, ironing, dry cleaning and dyeing, owners of laundry chain store and franchises, manufacturers of machines used in cleaning of carpets, floor coverings, upholstery and buildings and plant construction companies as exhibitors.
The 2015 show attracted 153 exhibitors from 19 countries and regions and set a new record with 10,267 visitors from 54 countries and regions, a 20 per cent increase from the 2013 event.
Buyers will be able to explore an array of integrated solutions and the foremost technologies for smarter textile management and energy control presented by leading suppliers in the field.
The textile care market has benefited significantly from the extensive economic growth in Asia and is still reflecting a high consumer demand, especially in the past two years.
With the growing awareness of the significance of energy conservation and environmental protection, intelligent and resource-saving concepts are gaining more attention within the industry across Asia.
