Indian textile companies may have a healthy growth in turnover in fiscal year 2023. So says ICRA.

Macro headwinds had impacted the performance of textile players across segments in the second quarter of 2022-2023. Revenue and margins dipped for Indian spinners while for the apparel segment revenue and margins remained flat, with recessionary conditions in key markets. Inventory levels fell for most textile players in the second quarter after cotton stocks from the previous harvest season started to reduce and cotton prices saw a sharp volatility, resulting in players becoming cautious on buying.

Revenue of spinners declined by four per cent on a year on year basis while margins were moderated by 950 bps.With pressure on the profitability of companies across different scales, the interest cover also moderated during this period. The impact was steeper for smaller players since large scale companies benefited from cost savings on bulk purchases of raw materials. For the first half of the fiscal year, inventory levels for most players have come down with cotton stocks from the previous harvest season getting extinguished and a sharp volatility in cotton prices affecting the buying power of spinners.

Unlike Indian cotton spinners, revenue of apparel exporters improved by 4.5 per cent year on year.

The 10th edition of Intex India concluded successfully at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi with textile manufacturers and suppliers from over eight countries showcasing innovative, fashionable and sustainable textiles. Traders and buyers from over 22 countries visited the show looking to source a wide variety of textiles from India and international markets. The three-day sourcing event took place from December 8 to 10 December.

A busy show that generated good business

Buyers’ delegations from over 22 countries including Italy, Spain, US, Canada, Russia among others attended the show. Over 4,252 trade buyers from across India and the world were present. More than 150 companies from over eight countries exhibited and with business over $650 million business expected to have been generated. As Arti Bhagat, Executive Director, Worldex India and organiser of Intex India said, “We are pleased to launch Intex in India and to see the participation of many high-calibre exhibitors and large numbers of international buyers here. There were a number of fruitful business meetings organised and many business deals closed successfully creating a positive atmosphere all round at Intex India. The exchanges at the fair have once again made it clear that there is a strong need for an international platform like Intex to showcase and promote strengths and opportunities in the textile and apparel industry of India.”

India today is as a world leader in textiles, a key element of the global value chain being the world’s fifth-largest exporter for apparel, home, and technical textile products. Over the last few years, Indian industry has dramatically increased production to fulfil increasing demands of domestic as well as export markets. India is targeting growth at 8 per cent CAGR reaching $100 billion by 2030. This target would help India double its share of the global textile and apparel trade from the current level of 5per cent.

Aims to accelerate growth

With growing demand for man-made fibre (MMF) textiles as a substitute for cotton amid changes in global fashion trends, Intex India exhibition offered international manufacturers and suppliers opportunities to explore new business and investment avenues in India under this sector and increase their supply-chain to fulfil the demand for sourcing innovative, eco-friendly and functional textiles which is much needed by the Indian apparel and fashion industry. Further, to increase its global market share, Indian manufacturers are producing a value-added range of garments and fashion accessories for the global buyers to increase their sourcing from India and reduce their dependency from China.

Also, Intex platform assists domestic apparel industry to offer high-value and sustainable garments to the fashion conscious and high-spending Gen Z and millennials consumers. Intex India is organised with the purpose of accelerating this growth by supporting it through a strong business platform. The show saw the presence of international suppliers from China, Korea, Thailand, Belarus, Italy, US, Vietnam, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh among others.

Buyer-seller meets a high point

The 10th edition was jointly organized by Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) under the aegis of the Department of Commerce, Ministry of Commerce along with Worldex India Exhibition and Promotion. A ‘Reverse Buyer Seller Meet’ (RBSM) was jointly organized offering Indian exhibitors a platform to promote latest collections and connect with global buyers. It empowered Indian textile players to scout for new business in developed and emerging markets, forge international connections, explore new markets opportunities, learn about buyers’ requirements and stay up-to-date with industry developments.

Over 500 B2B meetings were organized between the international buyers and Indian exhibitors over three days. These will gave a boost to India’s textile exports by $650 million in coming years; increasing our export base and creating employment opportunities by supporting the ‘Make in India’ program.

In order to boost to micro and small entrepreneurs’ in the textile sector, Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) extended their support to qualified MSMEs at Intex India. More than 48 exhibitors joined the show to promote their textile and apparel strengths and expand their domestic and international presence through.

Participants at the MSME Pavilion were overwhelmed with the sale enquiries they received from international and domestic buyers. Some leading Indian exhibitors were: Reid & Taylor, Alok Industries, Luckshmi Yarn Impex, Sky Textiles, Ginza Industries, Texperts India, Fashinza, Gini Filaments amongst others. ReshaMandi was the official online sourcing partner of Intex India 2022.

Over 85 per cent participating exhibitors were satisfied with buyers’ footfalls – both domestic and international they connected with during the show; more than 90 per cent buyers’ were able to find textile companies matching their requirements and were satisfied with the diverse product range showcased at Intex India.

Some Leading international buyers that attended the show included KOMAR Brands from the US, TWO MAD from Switzerland, Sewkit from Russia, NUNINE from France, Hela Clothing from Sri Lanka), TESCO Sourcing (Sri Lanka), and more.

B2B meetings, trends and knowledge sessions were organised at the Interactive Business Forum (IBF) Seminar Series and ‘Trendz Now’ – the colour, fabric and fashion forecast showcase. Presentations were made by Italtex (Italy), Pantone (USA) and Orsha Linen Mills (Belarus) that offered the attendees valuable insights from the industry experts on 2023-24 fabric and fashion trends, colour trends and working of Pantone Connect as well as new market opportunities in India for sustainable textiles, thus, creating a premium and complete B2B international textile trade & sourcing platform.

Intex South Asia is now well established as the region’s premier international textiles sourcing platform, which is successfully held in key markets of South Asia like Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India and would become the annual calendar event for South Asia’s textile and apparel industry. The 2023 edition will be Intex South Asia in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India.

Dimpora has joined ITMF as corporate member. Based in Switzerland, Dimpora is an award-winning materials start-up that reconciles performance clothing and sustainability by developing non-toxic, waterproof and highly breathable membranes.

Its patented technology platform relies on scientific expertise and continuous innovation to empower people to enjoy nature without leaving a trace. Since it is important for start-ups and scale-ups to be affiliated with organisations whose members are serving international markets and have an excellent knowledge of the global market structures and the potential regional and global demand, Dimpora felt ITMF would be an attractive platform to be an active part of and at the same time could help Dimpora connect with mature companies that know the markets very well. And from ITMF’s point of view start-ups bring a new perspective to existing challenges and offer new solutions applying new technologies. This interaction would be beneficial for everyone involved and help the textile industry to identify new technologies that can help overcome challenges.

Founded in 1904, ITMF (International Textile Manufacturers Federation) is the international forum of the global textile value chain for producers of fiber to finished products. Its members are from textile and apparel-producing countries representing approximately 90 per cent of global production.In addition, ITMF offers its members information that helps better understand the dynamics of the industry.

The whole polyester fiber value chain has turned to be profitable in China. It has turned optimistic from being pessimistic.

In early December, the spread of the pandemic damped demand. With high inventory, polyester fiber plants and downstream factories continued cutting or suspending production to consume inventory before the spring festival holiday. The operating rate of fabric mills, DTY plants and direct-spun PFY companies slipped. The pandemic prevention and control policy eased in December and the operating rate of downstream plants rapidly recovered. Speculative procurement rapidly improved. As a result, the inventory of many sectors continued reducing. The profit of polyester fiber was also restored.

The operating rate of DTY plants, fabric mills and printing and dyeing plants increased. The operating rate of polyester yarn plants increased to around 60 per cent from 54 per cent. The inventory of PSF in polyester yarn plants also increased to nearly 15 days from around one week.Sales improved and inventory fell. The cash flow of PFY and PSF companies also improved.

If downstream speculation increases further, inventory of PFY and PSF may reduce further and the cash flow of most varieties may improve. Some companies may show a higher intention to ramp up the run rate.

Thousands of garment workers have been laid off in the Philippines. Companies blame the retrenchments on the global recession, inflation, tight financial conditions, supply chain issues, increasing gas prices and the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. More than 9,400 workers have already been laid off or placed on forced leave, a figure that represents 3.5 percent of the 2,70,000 workers in the apparel, shoes, bags, and textile sections of the country’s garment industry.

High costs, including labour costs, are forcing companies to consider moving to lower cost countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia, and Indonesia. Only 53 percent of the total workforce in the Philippines is actually paid the legal minimum wage. Companies adhere only to the bare minimum of labor regulations in pay and benefits and require workers to work 12 hours overtime each week to meet production quotas. The companies also openly threaten workers against taking action to fight for better pay and conditions. About 20 per cent to 30 percent of the workers are employed on a contract or casual basis.

The monthly wage in the Philippines is barely above the official poverty threshold for a family of five. Workers in the international garment industry are paid poorly, and work long hours, often without overtime to meet orders and quotas.

Montex completes 40 years in 2022. This Austrian company makes Monforts finishing machines. The core Monforts machine range, including the industry standard Montex stenters, along with relaxation dryers, Thermex dyeing ranges, Monfortex compressive shrinking ranges and Montex coating units, is built at the Austrian site.From the outset, Montex has specialised in all aspects of machine production, including high-precision sheet metal working, laser cutting and welding, and the pre-assembly of machines and components, along with a well-organised quality management and spare parts service.

While there is standardisation in series-produced Monforts machines, Montex also makes bespoke machines with unique designs, according to the special needs of customers in technical textiles or special textiles. The company aims for the best combination of already-proven components and carefully-tested special constructions and is equipped to handle large projects.

Montex’s training system combines theoretical instruction in a vocational school with practical training both within the company and in workshops.Established staff also train regularly to develop new skills and everyone is involved at all stages of production and trained to multi-task. This gives the group flexibility and strength. The research and development team in Germany takes the latest new ideas through testing and prototyping, in readiness for future series production.

Chinese cotton yarn imports have fallen month on month. The sales speed in the spot market slowed down greatly dragged by the weak demand for downstream traceable orders. The circulation period of imported cotton yarn lengthened, making overall Chinese ordering volumesfall.

In addition to great fluctuation of exchange rates, speculative procurement demand has reduced heavily. Cotton yarn imports were mostly with multiple batches and low volumes in November 2022. Low-count open-end yarn from Vietnam had fairly big orders. But Vietnamese yarn exports to China fell from 50 per cent to 48.6 per cent in October 2022 and totaled at 51.9kilo tons. Excluding blended yarn, Vietnamese cotton yarn imports may reach around 36kilo tons in November. The shrinkage of Pakistani yarn exported to China was sharper. Yarn imports from Pakistan may reduce to around five kilo tons.ICE cotton futures fell in October.

However, most traders chose to reduce ordering or not to order as they were worried about the risk of exchange settlement cost. Imported cotton yarn inventory has gradually reduced to around 40kilo tons. Vietnamese yarn imports may rise again in December when the ordering profit will tend better due to the falling of the exchange rate.

Eva Serran is global brand president at Calvin Klein. Serran has had leadership experience in the fast fashion sector. She was previously with Inditex, where she officiated for almost twenty years. She held various managing positions within the group, covering several brands, before becoming the group's commercial director for Asia. Most recently, since 2019 she held the role of general manager Greater China.

She is particularly familiar with the entire retail value chain, product, marketing, in-store and digital customer experience as well as the supply chain, with an omnichannel vision of the market. She started out in Europe, where she accompanied the development of Zara, the group’s flagship brand.

Eva Serrano has the strategic skills to boost Calvin Klein. She is a leader in the fashion and apparel sector. She knows how to drive brand growth in global markets, how to connect with the consumer and what it takes to win across the marketplace. Her experience will be critical to unlocking the full global potential of Calvin Klein.

One of the leading fashion design and marketing studios in the world, Calvin Klein designs and markets women’s and men’s designer collection apparel and a range of other products that are manufactured and marketed through an extensive network of licensing agreements and other arrangements worldwide.

Birla Cellulose has developed LivaReviva. This is a Recycled Claimed Standard (RCS) certified product, which contains 70 per cent dissolved wood pulp from sustainable forests with 30 per cent textile waste.

The quality of LivaReviva remains comparable to the quality of fiber produced using virgin wood-based pulp, which ensures that LivaReviva finds widespread applications among major global brands. LivaReviva can be tracked with the help of the Green Track platform. The platform, which has been designed by Birla Cellulose, helps trace the origin of the fiber and brings transparency and traceability in the long and complex textile value chain via blockchain technology.

Birla Cellulose aspires to increase the offering of circular fiber in textile products up to 1,00,000 tons by 2024 using textile waste and alternative feedstock that will help reduce the environmental footprint of textile waste and enhance circular economy.Circularity has been the key goal for Birla Cellulose in its commitment towards contributing to sustainable development.

In 2019, the company had launched LivaReviva with 20 per cent pre-consumer waste content. Birla Cellulose’s current efforts are concentrated on developing products made with industrial waste, post-consumer waste, and alternate feedstock. The use of alternate feedstock in total production is a climate friendly solution that helps in reducing waste.

The cotton industry in Australia is expected to expand from around 8,000 hectares to around 15,000 hectares. This follows the successful 2022 harvest, where some bales fetched more than $900.

Last season saw some of the highest prices for Australian cotton. As the annual monsoon fast approaches, farmers are preparing massive swathes of land for one of the world's most profitable crops. Cotton is a very high return crop. The industry as a whole produces yields of around two to seven bales of cotton per hectare, depending on location, using a mostly rain-fed system, which relies not on irrigation, but on monsoon downpours. In past years, southern growers have averaged between ten and 15 bales a hectare using an irrigation system.

Since the crop’s popularity started rising in northern Australia, cotton has had some sections of the community worried about the steady supply of water crucial to production, and how land clearing could impact the climate, sacred sites, and endangered animals.

Cotton in Australia is not seen as a massive water user. Changes in the climate are seen as working in the industry’s favour. Strong regulation is seen as the key to managing the industry sustainably. Initial indications that the industry would consist of 80 per cent rain-fed crops, and 20 per cent irrigated, have been reassessed.