FW
American factories expanded for the third straight month in May, helped by a weaker dollar.Orders to US factories for long-lasting manufactured goods rose 3.4 per cent in April, the most since January. Most of the April strength came from the volatile commercial aircraft category.
The index was stuck below 50 from October through February as American factories struggled with economic weakness abroad and a strong dollar that made US products more expensive in foreign markets. The dollar has fallen against other major currencies since the end of January, giving factories some relief.
Manufacturing has stabilized. The weaker dollar this year has already made a material difference to exporters.
Manufacturers' new orders and production grew more slowly in May. Export orders and a measure of employment were unchanged. The index was pulled up by an increase in deliveries from suppliers. Overall, 12 of 18 manufacturing industries reported growth last month, led by wood products manufacturers and textile mills.
The US economy got off to a rough start this year, growing at a lackluster 0.8 per cent annual pace from January through March. Manufacturers' troubles weighed on growth. The growth rate is expected to rise to perhaps 2.5 per cent in the second quarter as a robust American job market gives consumers the incomes and confidence to spend more. Employers have added a healthy 2.7 million jobs over the past year.
According to Vu Duc Giang, Chair of the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (Vinatas), the Vietnam’s textile & garment industry is facing big challenges. Giang said many small and medium enterprises have had to shut down because they could not get orders to retain jobs.
A lot of partners have shifted to place orders with Myanmar and Lao instead of Vietnam because exporters from the two countries can enjoy preferential tariffs when exporting goods to US and European markets.
Meanwhile, Le Quang Hung, chair of Garmex Saigon, said he was worried about the strong rise of rivals from Myanmar, Laos, Cambodia and Bangladesh, admitting that the companies there can fulfill orders at more competitive prices than Vietnamese companies thanks to the lower labor costs.
However, Hung said that the problem was not too serious for the company because Garmex Saigon in recent years has been gathering strength on making products which require high-level technique.
At the enterprise with more than 4,000 workers, the factories in Vung Tau City and Quang Nam province, which have lower production costs, are in charge of making products which do not require high technique, such as T-shirt and jeans. Meanwhile, its factory in HCM City focuses on implementing high-value orders which require higher technical standards.
TSI Yarns has joined Atlanta-based industrial fiber distributor Hamilton International. The transaction combines Hamilton’s fiber sourcing expertise with TSI Yarns’ manufacturing and development, expanding the range and capabilities of both companies.
TSI can produce 4,50,000 pounds of textured yarns per week at its modern, ISO 9001 certified facility. Access to raw materials available through other Hamilton businesses expands the range of solutions that TSI Yarns can provide to its customers.
The investment and enthusiasm that comes from being part of an organization committed to growth and American manufacturing gives TSI Yarns a unique opportunity to expand its products and services solutions.
TSI Yarns, founded in 1987, is a diversified air jet texturing business serving the global knitting and weaving industries. It offers an excellent selection of air jet yarns that are ideal for textile manufacturing. Using an effective air jet spinning technique, the company creates yarn that is tough and versatile. Products include nylon, polyester, and a variety of flame resistant fibers. The company produces upwards of 3,00,000 pounds of high-quality textured yarns per week, ranging from 140 to 4000 denier on modern air texturing machines. It provides technical, testing guidelines, and application information for all products to ensure optimum performance.
Texperts, based in Mumbai, is an international textile sourcing and marketing organisation which offers its services to garment industry businesses. It is gearing up to establish trade links with Myanmar garment entrepreneurs. Texperts will attempt to extend its business dealings by making agreements with garment factories based in Myanmar.
Texperts facilitates international trade of about 10,000 tons per month in fibers, yarns, fabrics and garments. It specializes in functional, industrial and technical textiles. It has an expert team handling polyester high tenacity yarn products for industrial applications.
Texperts runs successful and well established garment factories based in India. Since its inception, in 2002, Texperts has been providing expert solutions for the supply of fiber, yarn, fabrics and garments from the most sorted destinations of the world. Texperts regularly conceives, develops and tracks new products as well as identifies and recommends suitable suppliers for such new products. Due to the proficient solutions in various segments of textiles, Texperts has a prominent presence in 70 countries across all continents.
This expertise has given rise to category specific brands like Solemio and Fitz under the mother brand of Texperts. These brands cater to the age groups 20 to 35. Solemio and Fitz have an Indian soul, yet an international outlook.
Sciessent is the first US company to receive the new Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex certification for sustainable textile chemicals.
Sciessent is a provider of antimicrobial and odor absorption solutions for the textile and apparel industries. Oeko-Tex issued the Eco Passport certification for Sciessent’s Lava XL next generation self-regenerating odor control technology.
Eco Passport provides Sciessent a confidential, verifiable mechanism with which to assure its customers that Lava XL meets their strict criteria for environmentally responsible textile production.
Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex analyzes textile chemicals, colorants, and auxiliaries in a two-step process that confirms that the compounds and individual ingredients meet specific criteria for sustainability, safety, and regulatory compliance.
Sciessent was a critical participant in the six-month pilot test of the Eco Passport program. Its input was instrumental in finalizing the Eco Passport verification process and validating that it is a robust and meaningful certification system.
Chemical compounds are checked against the comprehensive Oeko-Tex list of concerning substances. The compounds also undergo laboratory evaluation to ensure that they do not contain unsafe contaminants. Compounds that pass these two phases are granted the Eco Passport by Oeko-Tex certification indicating that the certified textile chemical is safe to use in Oeko-Tex Standard 100 certified textile products and in STeP by Oeko-Tex certified manufacturing facilities.
According to the organizers, the new edition of ‘Feel the Yarn’ will be stronger than ever. Produced by Pitti Immagine and Consorzio Promozione Filati – the competition is for aspiring designers from some of the world’s best fashion schools, and it aims at supporting young talents who will create original knit garments, thereby expanding the creative potential of yarns manufactured by the finest mills in Italy.
Twenty-six students selected from 13 prestigious fashion-design schools around the world, and twenty-two Italian mills, coordinated by the Consorzio Promozione Filati and participating at Pitti Filati (from June 29 to July 1, 2016) with their collections for the 2017-18 Fall/Winter season.
Coordinated by Ornella Bignami of Elementi Moda, the theme for the competition will be Knitting Time: knits as an expression of the rhythm of daily life, for 24 hours of pure creativity.
Pitti Immagine will be investing in the new layout for displaying the finalists’ creations (Lower Level of the Main Pavilion) and will publish the Feel the Yarn brochure. And, there will be direct logistical support for the finalists arriving for the fair.
SPG Prints’ Pike digital textile printer has won the European Digital Press (EDP) award for Best Industrial Textile Solution. Launched in November 2015, the Pike has set new standards for print quality and production speeds. The single-pass printer’s debut attracted wide attention and, since then, that interest has continued and installations are underway at major textile printers. Pike will enable them to address today’s demands for short-runs and fast-turnarounds as well as full production runs (up to 13 million meters per year).
The EDP awards were established by the European Digital Press Association to recognise the best offerings on the market in terms of technical performance and service.
The Pike, built for industrial production, pushes the boundaries for digitally printed textiles. It gives textile printers the opportunity to switch to various images within one roll, and offers very short turnaround times compared to traditional textile printing.
The printer features the break-through Archer technology with Fujifilm Dimatix Samba print heads for high-quality single-pass printing. Pike delivers fine lines, subtle halftones, smooth gradients and sharp geometric patterns and provides the combined competitive advantages of shortened time to market and reduced logistics costs.
SPG Prints is a leader in digital printing technologies.
North Group Finance has entered into a definitive amalgamation agreement with Peekaboo Beans Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of North Group ‘Subco,’ recently to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Peekaboo Beans. Pursuant to the Amalgamation Agreement, Subco has agreed to amalgamate with Peekaboo Beans, with the amalgamated company becoming a wholly-owned subsidiary of North Group, and all outstanding common shares of Peekaboo Beans will be exchanged for common shares of North Group on a one-for-one basis.
North Group intends to effect a consolidation of the outstanding North Group Shares on or before the closing of the Transaction at a ratio of one (1) post-consolidation North Group Share for every three (3) pre-consolidation North Group Shares, in connection with the Transaction. Presently, North Group has 2,935,175 issued and outstanding North Group Shares. Accordingly, the total number of North Group Shares issued and outstanding following the consolidation is expected to be 978,392. North Group is expected to issue an aggregate of 7,188,346 North Group Shares to the holders of Peekaboo Shares, post-consolidation, upon closing of the Transaction, assuming the completion of the maximum amount of the Concurrent Financing, defined below. The Transaction is arm's length and shall constitute a Reverse Takeover of North Group under the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange. The name of the resulting issuer will be ‘Peekaboo Beans Inc.’ and it will be classified as an ‘apparel’ company, according to the company sources.
Founded in 2006 by Mrs. Traci Costa, Peekaboo Beans is a children's lifestyle apparel brand that creates high-quality, ethically manufactured children playwear
Global Apparels, a Malaysian-owned readymade garment factory in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, plans to shut down.Reasons include fierce regional competition, lack of orders and a year of losses.
The factory will close down completely by October 2016. It says it will not be able to pay its workers if it continues to operate beyond that and shutting down is the only option.
Productivity issues have been the foremost concern for a lot of readymade garment factories in Cambodia, as strong competitor countries like Vietnam and Bangladesh are showcasing higher productivity at lower costs. In addition labor unrest crops up now and then. It’s possible that many such companies will find the going unviable and wind up. This is a development that needs urgent attention. Efficiency is often measured in terms of how fast output can be scaled up. In the race to hike output many companies find themselves outmanoeuvred.
Global Apparels was incorporated in October 2003, built on a land of 80,000 sq. ft. The company, which manufactures knits and woven apparels, has a monthly production capacity of six lakh pieces. It currently employs approximately 2,000 employees and primarily exports to the United States, Europe, and Japan.
Levi Strauss & Co. has launched an annual fellowship program for socially and environmentally conscious entrepreneurs who see design and sustainability as inextricably linked and are working to create a more sustainable apparel industry.
The program is called LS&Co. Collaboratory. It will bring together innovators, designers and bold thinkers who are working to advance sustainability in the apparel industry. The fellows will have the opportunity to work at LS&Co.’s Eureka Innovation Lab and tap into the company’s deep network of people and resources to bring their aspirations to life. In addition to the workshop, fellows may receive up to 50,000 dollars in funding to implement their solutions.
The aim is to help foster the next generation of designers and entrepreneurs and build an apparel industry that restores the environment and protects vital resources.
The program is open to leaders of profit and not-for-profit organizations. It hopes to set the stage for a new generation of sustainably-minded apparel leaders who will define the new industry standard.
The Collaboratory curriculum was developed in partnership with the Aspen Institute, an educational and policy studies organization that aims to foster leadership based on enduring values and provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues.
