The Manmade Fibers Segment or Oerliken succeeded in sustaining its high level of performance – increasing its sales by 18.5 per cent in the second quarter. Sales of the company in the second quarter represented the highest level of sales achieved by the segment since 2013. Sales growth was recorded primarily in textile applications such as filament equipment and texturing, and was substantiated by a healthy demand for systems used in industrial yarn spinning (special filament) and nonwovens (plant engineering). A decrease in demand for carpet yarn technologies was noted, which was a development to be expected following a very strong demand for these technologies in 2018.

Sales increased significantly in Europe (-140%), albeit from a low base, while China saw a healthy 26% growth. A decline in sales was registered in North America (-15%) and in India (-85%) compared to the second quarter of 2018.The segment significantly improved operating profitability with an EBITDA margin of 17.8 per cent for Q2 2019. This is attributed to disciplined cost management, a larger number of higher-margin projects in the mix and one-time customer effects. As a number of lower-margin projects from the down cycle and recovery periods are expected to be delivered and recognised in the second half of the year, the high EBITDA margin from the second quarter is not expected to be sustained in the upcoming quarters. EBIT for Q2 2019 stood at CHF 51 million and the EBIT margin was 15.7 per cent.

The Apparel Manufacturers of India (AMI) fair was held in Chennai, August 6 to 8, 2019. The fair saw more than 1000 attendees in the first two days. People from stores across different departments from Tamil Nadu attended the event. More than 100 brands from Mumbai showcased their latest fashions and trends for the festive season, especially Diwali, to retailers across Tamil Nadu. Some of the key brands present at the fair were Era, Geevankee, Nextlook by Raymond, Femi Designs, Fayon Troupe, Lafille, Final Choice, EL2, and many more.

AMI is the largest apparel trade fair in South India consisting of India’s leading apparel group of manufacturers and traders. The aim is to build a robust community of apparel industry individuals and bridge the gap between manufacturers, retailers, agents and suppliers. AMI, which opened in 2015, has been conducting exceptional fairs, inviting nearly 3500 retailers every edition and hosting brands, multi brand outlets and chain stores all under one roof to showcase more than 125 brands. The idea behind AMI is to consolidate the entire Indian apparel market and provide a one stop solution to industry colleagues. This initiative has helped many small and medium enterprises grow and strengthen their business model.

The Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which analysed recent data from Euromonitor International says, the outlook for UAE apparel sales is expected to improve over the next five years as economic conditions become more favourable, while consumer confidence strengthen. Despite the dominance of store-based retail, online retail sales are witnessing a strong growth as many well-established brands explore omni-channel retailing, either through third parties, their own digital storefronts, or both.

This trend is expected to put pressure on prices as the industry becomes more competitive with traditional retailers expected to offer more deals to capitalise on consumer demand. Menswear is expected to register a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about 3.8 per cent between 2019 and 2023 to reach $7.8 billion in 2023.

Womenswear is expected to see a CAGR of 4.9 per cent in sales over the same period to reach $5.2 billion in 2023, largely driven by stable footfall and an increasing in spend on modest fashion. Meanwhile, the children’s apparel segment is expected to remain highly competitive, supported by good quality products and affordable prices offered by well-established brands. Sales within this category are projected to register a CAGR of 3.7 per cent over the 2019-2023 period to reach $1 billion by 2023, the analysis found. (DS)

Thailand’s exporters hope for additional benefits from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP).They hope to be able to ship more machinery, electrical appliances, plastics, chemicals, autos and parts, tires, fiber, apparel, tapioca and paper to other RCEP countries. The agreement may also encourage Thai investment in other RCEP countries, in areas where Thailand has strong expertise, such as in construction, retail, health-related businesses as well as the movie and entertainment industries, especially in post-production and animation.

The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership may be signed next year. Once that happens it will be the largest trading bloc in the world. It comprises China, India, Japan, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand and the 10 Asean member states. The countries involved hope the free trade agreement provides a forum for members to ease tensions and ensure smooth continuity of regional supply chains amid growing geopolitical tensions. Negotiations on a total of seven chapters and three annexes have already been concluded, while remaining chapters or annexes near conclusion. These cover a wide range of issues from trade and investment to services, as well as new areas of business such as electronic commerce. Recently concluded annexes include telecommunications, financial and professional services. Additionally, RCEP should lead to clearer trade and investment regulations.

As per the US Census Bureau, net sales of textile mills and textile product mills in the first quarter of 2019 declined by 3.6 percent from the same period last year. Net sales reflect companies’ total revenue stream, minus the costs of such things as discounts, allowances and product returns.

The Census Bureau’s Quarterly Financial Report (QFR), which was released in June, presents industry data based on information from about 11,000 corporations. The data comes from income and earnings statements, balance sheets and other records from manufacturers with assets of at least $250,000.

Other statistics come from companies with at least $50 million in assets in the categories of mining, wholesale trade, retail, professional and technical services, and information.

Shipments of apparel and clothing accessories from the Philippines in June 2019 declined 8.7 per cent as compared the same period last year.Last year, exports of apparel and clothing fell 11.33 per cent.

Exporters, especially those operating in economic zones, want provisions securing tax breaks and exemptions for investors in the garments industry. Garment manufacturers want tax perks, such as reducing the 12 per cent value-added tax, granting a special concession power rate and providing incentives to compensate labor rate differential. They also want the duty-free importation of textile machinery and equipment to be extended and technical importation regulated to assist industry players. A tax reform package seeks to reduce the corporate income tax to 20 per cent by 2029, from 30 per cent at present, and overhaul the menu of incentives.

The trade conflict between the United States and China has not really resulted in increased orders for the Philippines. The country has benefitted only in a very small way, the reason being that the Philippines lacks competent manufacturers and locally milled textile plus the required accessories. So, the Philippines got just ten per cent of the relocated garment orders from China. Most of the orders went to manufacturing powerhouse Vietnam.

Nike has acquired Celect a cloud-based analytics platform that provides proprietary insights that allow retailers to optimise inventory across an omni-channel environment through hyper-local demand predictions. Celect’s team will immediately be integrated into Nike’s global operations team.

Celect is a retail predictive analytics and demand sensing firm based in the US. Celect, founded in 2013, holds an intellectual property portfolio across data science and software engineering. By joining Nike, Celect will add its unique and innovative capabilities to the data and analytics foundation Nike has been building over the years. With the acquisition of Celect, Nike will greatly accelerate its digital advantage by adding a platform developed by world-class data scientists. As demand for its product grows, Nike expects to be insight-driven, data optimised and hyper-focused on consumer behavior and serve consumers more personally at scale.

Nike’s women's category grew double digits in fiscal ’19 accelerating in the back half of the year. The Air Max Dia, a women's sneaker, helped drive double-digit growth in the women's category last quarter. As of now the category makes up less than a quarter of total revenue. The Nike app provides the complete shopping experience on mobile for the brand, and growth has been strong here, too.

Mango closed fiscal 2018 with a rise of 17 per cent in its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (ebitda).At the same time, gross margin rose 2.5 points, up to 58.7 per cent. Sales of the company on the other hand rose 1.8 per cent. The tendency towards rise in sales continued in first half of 2019. It’s the first green year for the group after two fiscals with decreasingresults.Mango’sinternational income represents 77 per cent of its total revenue while sales in Spain, its local market, represent 23 per cent. In 2018, the Spanish retail giant reduced by half its financial two-year debt. The company signed last December a refinancing agreement up until 2023.

Mango opened in 1984. They are two stages in the history of the company. In the first, from 1984 to 1995, Mango gradually gained a greater knowledge of the business and consolidated the product and store concept, and implemented the Just in Time philosophy in the distribution area, obtaining a certain critical mass on the Spanish market. In the second stage, from 1996 to the present, it has reinforced the values of the team and increased investment in a new concept of complete logistics based on speed, information, and technology.

Garment Machinery Manufacturers and Suppliers Association (GMMSA) expo will be held in Ludhiana, January 3 to 6, 2019. The expo will showcase boilers, tumble dryers, air compressors and machinery for knitting, dyeing, finishing, washing, raising, brushing, sueding, polishing and dry cleaning. This is a show dedicated to knitting and sewing technology. It has a good number of players displaying value addition machinery, be it embroidery, printing or laser cutting. Chinese companies exhibit circular and flat knitting machines. There are some players offering chemicals, inks and trims. The expo provides a world class infrastructure and facilities to support exhibitors in showcasing their products and attract industry leaders to enhance their productivity, quality and cost cutting.

Visitors include big as well as emerging garment firms of Ludhiana. Some players in Ludhiana are continuously focusing on new offerings and product developments. As survival is all about offering newness in products, they are going in for advanced infrastructure with a bigger focus on product development and a changed mindset. Ludhiana and its surrounding area is the headquarters for several renowned Indian and global apparel brands and also home to thousands of knitting, spinning and weaving units as well as garment manufacturing units. North India is one of the biggest Indian hubs for manufacturing textiles and apparel.

Lectra will participate in the China International Sewing Machinery &Accessories (CISMA) Exhibition to be held at the Shanghai New International Expo Centre from September 25 – 28, 2019. The company will launch its new Industry 4.0 solutions for fashion, automotive and furniture industries, providing visitors with a unique customer experience.

Developed on Industry 4.0 principles, the solutions will support companies in their digital transformation by using data, artificial intelligence, the industrial Internet of things and cloud technology, said Lectra in a press release.

As an Industry 4.0 pioneer, Lectra’s mission is to help brands, manufacturers and retailers meet industry challenges by crafting the premium technology solutions that facilitate the digital transformation of their industry. Lectra provides companies with expertise and advanced integrated technology to help them achieve operational excellence produce superior-quality products and successfully reach their goals.

Lectra will make history with Fashion on Demand by Lectra, fashion’s first end-to-end personalisation offer. Fashion on Demand by Lectra will automate the entire personalisation process, from order reception and product development, to the final cutting stages. Resulting from a four-year research-and-development process, the revolutionary digital solution for on-demand production comes in three packages for a modular and scalable offer: made to order for sampling, small series and quick assortment; made to customise for customisation orders; and made to measure for made-to-measure clothing.

Furniture on Demand by Lectra is the industry’s first end-to-end solution, from order processing to cutting for customised furniture manufacturing. This breakthrough solution gives furniture companies the ability to make customisation and small series production processes more agile, productive and profitable. It is composed of two packages: Made to Customise and Made to Order.

The Made to Order process starts with automatic creation of the cutting order. Made to Customise begins further upstream, automating creation of furniture components directly from the customer order.

CISMA visitors will have the opportunity to discover how these revolutionary solutions can help companies produce highly customised products, enhance competitive advantages, gain customer loyalty and increase revenues. During the event, Lectra will also showcase other innovative solutions for the fashion, automotive and furniture industries.