FW
To support Myanmar’s move toward democracy and facilitate economic development the United States has eased some sanctions. The steps are intended to support trade, facilitate the movement of goods, allow certain incidental transactions related to certain individuals residing in Myanmar and to allow more transactions involving designated financial institutions in the country.
Trade and financial transactions were restricted between the two countries since military rule in 1988.
The measure would allow Myanmar’s banks on the blacklist to engage in financial transactions with US banks as well as connect Myanmar’s financial system with the global economy. These Myanmar banks would no longer face any restrictions.
Myanmar’s state-owned enterprises such as those involved in mining, timber and jade would be able to do business with their counterparts from the US. The lifting of the sanctions may result in more quality exports from Myanmar, especially gems and jewelry, and garments. The US may become Myanmar’s next export target.
Myanmar-US bilateral trade has steadily increased since sanctions were first formally eased in July 2012. Trade volume is also expected to increase, thanks to the potential increase in bilateral economic activities. Major US firms like General Electric, Western Union, Gap and Coca-Cola have made business forays into Myanmar.
Techtextil North America was held in the US, May 3 to 5, 2016. This is a biennial show. It is the only one in the United States that is dedicated to technical textiles and nonwovens.
Students of fashion design and fashion marketing were able to meet top designers and learn about the different machinery and software programs that are used in the industry. Some company representatives took time out to talk one-on-one with students and gave a presentation on how their technology actually works.
Shima Seiki USA showed through their software how knits can be manipulated on screen in 2D before coming to life in 3D form. This hands-on industry experience helped students put into perspective the future of their careers and all that is involved in the process of producing textiles for fashion. They got an idea of what it is to work with innovative ideas and machines.
Axiom America was another national textile company that was present at the fair. Its concentration lies heavily on digital textiles rather than knit manipulation and production. The company’s process is more straightforward as it simply goes from software to printing on fabric to heat press fixation. Not only does it print on textiles for fabrics, but furnishings and decor as well.
Spinexpo will be held in France, July 6 to 7, 2016. Organised by independent textile specialists, Spinexpo presents an international top level offer in the field of fibers, yarns for knitting, circular knit and weaving (fabrics and upholstery), socks, laces, labels and technical textiles.
For this edition, the show will present the spring/summer 2017-18 collection of trends from which designers and manufacturers can draw ideas and inspirations for their next products. The exhibition will also feature a seminar program and some valuable market analysis as well as latest exhibits by leading companies and brands.
In response to the increasing demand from buyers for reliable and high performance products, the exhibition is focused on bringing suppliers closer to their consumers. The goal of the upcoming event is to bring together spinners and knitwear manufacturers, who invest in innovation and have become the most effective suppliers of US and EU brands, to Paris.
Leading mills in spinning and knitwear manufacturing will be present. Among the exhibitors will be a leading spinning specialist Consinee Group and a knitwear manufacturer Hong Kong Sales.
Consinee is an integrated group in the dyeing and spinning of woolen, worsted, semi-worsted and fancy yarns as well as high quality fabrics. Hong Kong Sales is a leading knitwear design specialist. The company provides a one-stop service that ranges from initial design, selection of yarn, sample making, monitoring of production progress, quality checking and export of goods in order to guarantee a quick response and on-time delivery for customers.
Deputy minister of industry and trade Tran Quoc Khanh, disclosed Vietnam and the European Union (EU) are working towards finalising legal and language-related issues in the EU-Vietnam free trade agreement (EVFTA), before the official signing and ratification of the trade deal next year. At a workshop on the EVFTA held by the French Business Federation (MEDEF) and the Asia Centre in Paris, Khanh stressed on the common goals of the two sides to implement the agreement, after signing the deal and said that his government is looking at a specific plan to carry out the agreement.
The chief of the negotiation delegation of the EVFTA Raffaele Mauro Petriccione assessed the approval process for the agreement could take a long time as the EU is a trade bloc that has many members. Participants noted Vietnam’s active foreign economic-trade policy and highlighted their leading role in recent global events, mainly the Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation (APEC) forum held in Da Nang.
Nguyen Dinh Cung, Director, Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), highlighted the importance of the EVFTA agreement in Vietnam’s integration process. The trade agreement brings great benefits to the country, as it is estimated it would generate an additional 2.5 per cent to Vietnam’s GDP by 2020 and 4.6 per cent by 2025.
The agreement is expected to help enhance Vietnam’s exports to the EU while creating new jobs for the Vietnamese labour force — especially for those working in rural and agricultural areas. It would also make it easier for Vietnam to import advanced technologies which would help improve the country’s economic rating. Vietnam is the third largest trade partner of the EU in ASEAN with trade touching $48.7 billion in 2016. Vietnam mainly exports electronics, textiles, footwear, rice, seafood and coffee to the EU while imports include hi- tech products, industrial machines and pharmaceuticals.
The United States is the key buyer and the main market for Cambodian garment and textile industry. Although the US is now the second biggest importing market after Europe, it is still big and worth billions of dollars. So the Cambodian industry is trying to work with buyers from the United States and get them to place more orders.
Total Cambodian exports to the US dipped about three per cent in the first quarter of the year compared with the same period last year. This drop in exports to the US in the first quarter is seen as mainly due to the current electoral campaign in the US and the rise of new exporting countries like Myanmar.
Cambodia is now the US’ 70th largest goods trading partner with three billion dollars in total between the two countries. The garment and footwear industry represents 70 per cent of Cambodia’s total exports and employs more than 7,00,000 workers. Total exports from the sector were worth $6.3 billion last year, a slight increase of 7.6 per cent from the previous year. The country is working on ensuring that freedom of association and the right to organize are respected throughout the supply chain in Cambodia.
The global technical textile market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 4.5 per cent from 2015 to 2020. The promising growth of technical textile market is attributed to its versatile nature as a raw material for use in various products such as automotive carpets, geo grids, aprons, and gloves. This versatility is driving increasing adoption by various end-user industries such as construction, automobiles and chemicals.
Technological advancements in technical textile production and increasing demand through exports are major underlying factors anticipated to fuel the demand for technical textiles in the near future. This is expected to offer growth opportunities to technical textile manufacturers, distributors, and product converters.
The trend is even more pronounced in emerging economies of the world such as Brazil, India, Russia and China. Healthy trade relations and government support in these regions has served to boost technical textile export-import activities.
Key driving factors identified in the global technical textile market include robust growth of the automotive sector in emerging markets and government support to SMEs to boost manufacturing. However lower profit margins due to intense competition and toxic waste production can pose challenges. Some major trends identified in the global technical textile market are use of e-textiles in the medical and apparel industry and rapid innovation to meet changing customer preferences.
Textiles are the fastest growing sector in household waste. More than three million tons of textiles are thrown away each year in the EU alone. A project called Trash-2-Cash brings together designers, researchers, material suppliers and textile manufacturers from all over Europe to solve the problem by recycling and development of high-performance fibers.
Experts from all levels of the production chain are looking to develop techniques that can be used to spin, knit, sew or design innovative, high quality products from used textile fibers. The techniques for pre-processing and washing waste textiles, separating fibers, and fiberisation are designed to be eco-friendly and efficient.
Designers play an important role in the project to ensure that the quality, performance and appearance of the new products appeal to consumers. The aim is to find new markets and uses for recycled textile fibers. Discounting and low retail prices over the last two decades have led to a dramatic increase in consumption of clothing, resuling in the rise of textile waste from the consumer.
The Trash-2-Cash project is part of the EU’s Horizon 2020 program, and will run from 2015 until 2018. The total budget is 8.9 million euro, of which EU funding accounts for 7.9 million euro. The project team includes 18 organizations from 10 EU countries.
Invista’s brand Cordura has launched a denim fabric range called Authentic Alchemie. The Authentic Alchemie collection aims to merge elemental durability of Cordura fiber with transformation, creation and combination. These technical denims were developed from crafted blends of natural and man-made fibers to deliver stylish, versatile, high performance and functional materials.
Authentic Alchemie is designed to push the boundaries of durability with stylish, modern and comfortable fabric combinations that are suitable for any product, market or lifestyle. The collection has three key trends. Originals aimed to fit the chaotic lifestyle linked to technology. This season is about getting back to basics, embracing simplicity, spirited off-the-grid adventures – and fabrics that can keep up. Infinity aims to combine the best of different worlds. Today's consumer expects products that are tailored to individual needs. This means combining strong with soft, form with functionality and durability with definition. Finally, Freedom aims to provide comfort and fabric versatility to fit the need of the everyday person.
Authentic Alchemie is for today's consumer who is searching beyond traditional heavy denims for ones that can sit comfortably with them throughout the day - wherever it may take them. It’s about versatile, cross-functional denim innovations.
www.cordura.com/
Monsanto is reviewing an unsolicited takeover proposal from Bayer AG, a bold attempt by the German company to snatch the last independent global seeds producer and become the world's biggest maker of seeds and farm chemicals.
Bayer AG, the St. Louis-based company, with a market value of $42 billion, is consulting financial and legal advisers and didn't disclose the terms of the proposal. The company confirming the offer said the combination would bolster its position as a ‘global innovation-driven life science company.’
Meanwhile, shares of Bayer dropped amid concern that a large purchase would weigh on its credit rating and force the company to sell more stock. The proposal by Werner Baumann, who has been at Bayer's helm for less than a month, follows Monsanto's failed attempt to buy Syngenta and the proposed merger of Dow Chemical Co and DuPont Co Baumann may need to sell some assets, such as his company's remaining stake in Covestro AG or Bayer's animal health unit, to help fund its quest to buy the world's largest seed maker.
Bayer's stock fell 6.3 per cent, the most in almost nine months, to 90.17 Euros as of 9:23 am in Frankfurt trading. Merging Monsanto with the company that invented aspirin would bring together brands such as Roundup, Monsanto's blockbuster herbicide, and Sivanto, a new Bayer insecticide.
Heimtextil will be held in Germany from January 10 to 13, 2017. This is the industry’s most important global event for interior textiles, interior design and interior trends. Exhibiting companies profit from the long-standing expertise and positive image of the event, which draws key players and decision-makers from across the world to Germany every year.
For many exhibitors, attending the fair has a considerable impact on their success over the coming season – whether this is because of the orders they receive, the establishing and maintaining of contacts or the garnering of inspiration for their own new concepts.
With its new products and trends, Heimtextil is as an international world-leading trade fair for the industry. It kicks off the upcoming season and is an indispensable platform for companies and trade visitors alike, from purchasers and designers to interior decorators, hoteliers and architects. Exhibitors include well-known mattress suppliers, renowned bedding companies, companies in decorative fabrics and table linen.
Next edition of Heimtextil will continue to focus on topics like sustainability as a point of orientation and source of inspiration. There will be a guided tour of the entire trade fair. There will be special attention to stands belonging to companies that appeal because of their particularly sustainable products and concepts.
heimtextil.messefrankfurt.com/
