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According the president of the Bangladesh Garments Accessories and Packaging Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGAPMEA) Abdul Kader Khan feels, the sector will act as catalyst for the $50 billion RMG export target achievement. Given adequate government support, RMG accessories can contribute over 25 per cent in achieving the RMG export target by 2021.
Khan says Bangladesh can meet about 100 per cent of local demand as manufacturers have full-fledged production capacity but due to buyers’ recommendations, RMG manufacturers have to source from abroad. To be self-dependent, more investment in modern technology and creating more skill manpower is needed, he added.
Asked if Bangladesh has enough skilled manpower, Khan averred that skilled manpower is a key to producing best quality products. But the country doesn’t have enough skilled workforce by trying hard to establish a training institute to train workers. If the government provides land and financial support to establish a training institution, it will help Bangladesh to meet 100 per cent local demands.
Further, answering a query as to how can accessories help earn $50 billion target by 2021 Khan observed that the RMG sector people had set an export target of $50 billion by 2021. It is possible, but not only by the RMG manufacturers, but also by other stakeholders like accessories. If the government provides all-out support to the sub sector, the sector will be able to contribute 25 per cent out of $50 billion RMG export target by 2021.
Later, answering a question as to what is needed to produce international standard products in high-end product segment, Khan maintained that fashion trends and designs are changing every day across the globe, while the innovation is taking place in technology. To cope with the change, investment in new technology is a must. Here, the government must come up with a tax waiver on the import of machinery and low cost funds.
"Oerlikon introduced about 14 innovations in the ITMA Asia show. The same line up has been showcased at ITME India as well. These innovations are in the area of spinning, fibres, yarn and texture value chain. Talking about the opportunities that ITMA Asia presented, Andre` Wissenberg, Vice President, Head of Marketing, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Oerlikon, said, “ITMA Asia is certainly an important event. China is a very crucial market for us in the manmade fibres segment. The show gives us some positive signs pertaining to the market’s revival."
Oerlikon introduced about 14 innovations in the ITMA Asia show. The same line up has been showcased at ITME India as well. These innovations are in the area of spinning, fibres, yarn and texture value chain. Talking about the opportunities that ITMA Asia presented, Andre` Wissenberg, Vice President, Head of Marketing, Corporate Communications and Public Affairs, Oerlikon, said, “ITMA Asia is certainly an important event. China is a very crucial market for us in the manmade fibres segment. The show gives us some positive signs pertaining to the market’s revival. The market for manmade fibres was not performing well for the last one and half years, but this time we got a good number of visits and interest among visitors was really encouraging. The China market is really big, it has big clients & companies and the kind of negotiations we witnessed there were clearly indicative of revival.”
India opportunities
The investments in manmade fibres segment have really gone up in recent years here. There is no doubt that the market for synthetic fibres is dominating the textile sector globally and India is no exception to this trend. Big investments in polyester segment are taking place whether it is the Indian market or the overseas markets. The centres for manmade fibres are China, Turkey, India and US. The US for PCF, turkey for polyester and Nylon and China for polyester are doing absolutely good. About 80 per cent of the total polyester production is done by China alone. India holds a huge potential of course in the manmade fibres segment, big investments are pouring in here and so do Vietnam, Bangladesh and Indonesia. “The country is growing organically, and we take this as an important market after China,” avers Wissenberg.
Innovations at Oerlikon
The popular is ETY solutions and EIFK HQ launched first time in India. HQ stands for ‘high quality’ and ‘high quantity.’ This is the first four deck texturisation machine in the world which gives 50 per cent increased productivity than any other machine in this category, it also helps saving energy, it is also one of the largest machineries in its league. Customers are quite positive about this product. The second thing is we provide the Indian consumer future-oriented customer services. This technology has been developed in a partnership with the help of Microsoft. Through this technology, you get augmented reality in the plant. You receive additional info into the glass. You have skype connection with it. This helps operator to fix the problem instantly. Through this, the experts in Germany or China can have a look at the problem the way it is before the operator and both can fix the problem together. This is a win-win situation for both. We save money since we don’t need to send experts to the place where there is a problem and the client gets the benefit of instant resolution to the problem, it saves money, labour, time and without any interruption in the production. This is called intelligence plant control (IPC). The service is customised and expensive, so we are having constant consultation with people interested in the technology. In this technology, we can fix the problem from any corner of the world, elaborates Wissenberg.
Competitive landscape
“We don’t see any competitor for us in this technology as far as the fair is concerned. People are working on these lines but have not been successful the way we have been until now. But innovations are constantly happening. We are the frontrunner as of now. We are trying to find the best solutions for the customer. We have been showing new winding machines also. We have some new recycling concepts,” felt Wissenberg.
Tech acceptance
Talking about the technology appetite of Indian companies, Wissenberg said, “In India, we have big companies like Reliance which produces not only for the domestic population but has a fair share of export market too. Since we are the number one in this segment, people are very likely to come to us. Indian market is growing and quite big, we are sure to make our mark here. Of course, there is competition but we are doing good. Also since the market is growing, we will have good demand for our products. Especially the eastern part and Silavasa area in Mumbai are witnessing a good growth, requiring big investments in spinning and weaving. There is traction in the market. We are focussing on Silvasa and New Delhi area.”
Teijin will integrate its industrial-application polyester fibers business and the products converting business group to form the new fibers and products converting business group. The aim is to strengthen and expand these businesses under a new structure.
Industrial-application polyester fibers are currently part of the high performance fibers business, which is in advanced fibers and composites business group. The unit will specialise in aramid fibers business after the reorganisation. The reorganisation will establish a structure for providing maximum customer value with existing polyester and aramid fiber products and services for industrial applications. It will also facilitate new development activities.
The new business group will strengthen competitiveness of Teijin’s polyester fiber businesses and develop solutions based on Teijin’s highly competitive materials. For apparel applications, it will strengthen development through the establishment of an extra-reliable supply chain that integrates R&D and raw material and fiber production with existing textile processing and sewn products supply functions.
The group will develop an integrated system—from production to sales—and leverage the expertise of existing products converting business group by complementing business functions in polyester fibers for industrial applications. The decision to form the unit was based on Teijin’s recognition of synergies between its development and production functions for polyester fibers and processing technologies and marketing functions for textiles.
Three Japanese companies have taken the lead in carbon fibre production. The companies -- Toray, Teijin and Mitsubishi Rayon -- along with the University of Tokyo are developing a government-funded project that involves the country’s three major players along with a promise to resolve the major issue of its current high cost that is prohibiting progress in a number of industries, most notably the mass consumer car market.
Speaking at the 2nd International Composites Congress held in Dusseldorf, Germany, on November 29th, managing director of Japan’s National Composites Centre based at Nagoya University, Professor Takashi Ishikawa, spoke of new carbon fibres that are now nearing commercialisation following the Innovative Carbon Fibre Project over the past few years. They are based on new fibre precursors which require no oxidisation and with carbonization being carried out by microwave the key energy consuming stages in carbon fibre production which limit the output of current lines to around 2,000 tons a year along with a dry plasma surface treatment.
These three features particularly the elimination of oxidisation will result in great energy savings in carbon fibre processing, cutting energy consumption by more than fifty per cent compared to the current so-called Shindoh Process. This means that the lowest cost carbon fibres will be realised once full scale lines are in operation. The potential output per line will be more than 20,000 tons annually.
Cotton prices in Brazilian cotton market resumed their upward trend in the later part of November. In the first fortnight, cotton prices increased slightly but stabilised mid-month only to see rising trend in end of November. This was stated by the Center for Advanced Studies on Applied Economics (Cepea-Brazil) in its latest fortnightly report.
The scenario before the end of the month was linked to the gap between bidding and asking prices which, in turn, was related to the quality of the cotton available in the market. When the quality was high, agents disagreed about the available volume and while some of them believed cotton supply was already low, others claimed that there were still batches to be traded in the off-season period.
However, later in the month, when Brazilian cotton prices resumed, trading companies and cotton growers that were active in the market were firm in their asking prices keeping an eye on the fluctuations of international and dollar quotes and on the low supply of high-cotton-quality from the 2015-16 season. During the second fortnight of November, few processors were seen showing interested in new cotton purchases in the spot market. On the other hand, trades involving cotton for delivery in 2017 were seen at a good pace. Dealers were more active in the spot market, buying and selling cotton batches.
According Brazilian Stock Exchange of Goods (BBM) data tabulated by Cepea, 67.9 per cent of the 2015-16 Brazilian crop estimated at 1.28 million tons had been traded until late November. Of that total, 49.2 per cent was allocated to the Brazilian market while 50.8 per cent to the international market. Regarding the 2016-17 crop estimated at 1.4 million tons, 23.1 per cent has been traded. Of this, 24.5 per cent was allocated to the domestic market and 75.5 per cent to the international market.
A recent report published by Markets and Markets, a leading market research firm, ‘Textile Coatings Market by Type (PVC, PU, Acrylics, SBR, Natural Rubber) End-Use Industry (Transportation, Building & Construction, Protective Clothing, Industrial, Medical, Sports, Agriculture, and Packaging) - Global Forecast to 2021’ , says the size of the global coatings market that stood at $5.51 billion in 2015 and is projected to reach $6.81 billion by 2021 at a CARG of 3.5 per cent. The report indicates, rising industrial, transportation and building and construction are driving the market for textile coatings. Along with these, increasing quality and performance standards in textile coating based fabrics are also driving the market.
Asia-Pacific dominated the market in 2015, China being the largest consumer of textile coatings in the world. Demand is driven by the diverse industrial markets ranging from building and construction, automotive, industrial, and protective clothing, among others. The ensuing increase in investments and rise in the number of new manufacturing establishments are anticipated to lead Asia-Pacific to emerge as the prime driver for the growth of textile coatings market, says the report.
According to the report, industrial segment for textile coatings includes industries such as oil and gas and manufacturing among others. Growth in oil and gas and manufacturing industry will drive the textile coatings market. North America is expected to witness growth in oil and gas and manufacturing industry due to the recent discoveries of shale gas and shale oil in the region and strong manufacturing base in the US.
Other countries such as Argentina, India, UAE, South Africa, Australia, Malaysia and Chile are expected to see fastest-growth in the manufacturing industry.
The Department of Commerce’s Office of Textiles and Apparel of the US has reported that monthly imports of cotton, wool, man-made fiber, silk blend, and non-cotton vegetable fiber textile and apparel products totaled 5.49 billion square meter equivalents in September, down 9.6 per cent from August and 5.9 per cent from September 2015. Textile imports totaled 2.96 billion SME, down 12.8 per cent from August and 6.0 per cent from the previous year, while apparel imports of 2.53 billion SME were down 7.3 per cent from August and 5.8 per cent from a year earlier.
Total year-to-date imports were 47.3 billion SME, down 2.4 per cent from the previous year, as textile imports fell 3.0 per cent to 26.9 billion SME and apparel imports lost 1.6 per cent to 20.4 billion SME. For the year ending in September last, imports of textiles and apparel totaled 62.4 billion SME, down 1.5 per cent from the same period a year earlier, as textile imports dropped 2.5 per cent to 35.5 billion SME and apparel imports fell 0.3 per cent to 26.9 billion SME.
RadiciGroup has released a series of video clips communicating some of the key themes of its ‘Sustainability Report 2015’. The group is a leading producer of a wide range of chemical intermediates, polyamide polymers, engineering plastics, synthetic fibres and nonwovens. In addition to a video message from President Angelo Radici, shown at the official presentation of Sustainability Report 2015, three video clips called ‘Glimpses’ deal with three themes viz sustainable supply chain, use of water resources and parent company ISO 9001:2015 certification are aimed at illustrating the Group’s strategies for sustainability: concrete action and measurable results.
In a briefing Radici said in 2015, RadiciGroup’s business development was accompanied by positive financial results due to continued focus on operational and financial efficiency and its watchful management policy. The performance of our Business Areas was good overall, although there were some challenges in some markets in difficulty that tested our ability to react and adapt.
For 12 years, the RadiciGroup has reported on its industrial businesses with data and results on its economic, social and environmental sustainability. The concept and realisation of the Glimpses clips were the work of Exposure Architects based on an idea of architect Oliviero Godi who chose to make the videos in black and white.
The black-and-white format helps viewers concentrate on the contents, the people and natural resources making up the surroundings in which RadiciGroup works. And this environment is what the Group is determined to preserve so that it can continue to operate sustainably in harmony with the local communities, Godi commented.
Some 2000 power looms in Erode, Tamil Nadu, have shut down because of the decline in yarn prices. Most power loom owners had got a good number of orders from textile merchants when yarn price was Rs 215 a kg. But for the past week the price has decreased and is selling at Rs180 a kg.
Many power loom owners had procured a huge quantity of cloth, but those who gave orders are now demanding that the price be reduced by Rs 3 a meter, which is impossible as production costs are high.
The new cotton crop is expected to arrive for sale in December at Rs 40,000 a bale. Today it is available at Rs 46,000 to Rs 48,000 a bale. Yarn and cloth producers want steps to be taken to maintain stability of cotton and yarn prices. They want the price to be fixed for a month. If there was poor or high demand the price could be changed after 30 days.
A a group of four related trade fairs: Avanprint, Avantex, Texworld and Apparel Sourcing will be held simultaneously at Le Bourget in Paris in early next February. These fairs will showcase the merits of the textile world to professionals from across the whole industry. The four textile trade fairs have attracted a seen a good increase in registrations, say Messe Frankfurt, the event organisers.
Avanprint, the trade show dedicated to digital printing offers solutions for textile procurement and clothing industry research. The digital textile printing is fundamental to the future of the industry. The performance of the cutting-edge solutions presented at Avanprint constitutes an essential element in cutting consumption of water and energy, in optimising required workspace and in reducing the amount of waste that conventional printing methods entail.
Apparel Sourcing is where the latest innovations for clothing production and accessories will be demonstrated. In view of the current economic situation, Apparel Sourcing Paris has made it a point to take a rigorous approach in selecting the expertise presented here, aware of the promotional value and the need to secure growth markets. Its goal is to provide buyers a platform that presents a wealth of expert techniques and specialised and rare skills, offering high quality and flexibility.
Avantex, is known for sourcing innovative products to help create and design collections that blend fashion with the latest technological developments. Since Avantex Paris was launched in September 2015, they have taken steps so that heads of collections and designers are offered solutions that are at the forefront of innovation for clothing and fashion accessories. The February 2017 show will give rise to a series of new features to enhance sourcing for innovative fashion products and services and to intensify the interaction that is a vital factor in developing new products.
Texworld aims to introduce latest trends from across the industry. Messe Frankfurt France reports an 80 per cent increase in registrations for the next edition of these four shows. The four textile trade shows will take place from February 6 to 9 at Le Bourget, Paris.
