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Uncertainty around the US general elections likely cut Kenya’s apparel exports by 2.3 per cent in 2016 compared to 2015.Apparels exported declined from 84.6 million pieces in 2015 to 74 million pieces in 2016.
Some 58 per cent were supplied to the US market, out of which 94.2 per cent constituted exports of garment products. But the country diversified its apparel markets to include Europe and Canada. And the alternative market is evolving in significance.
The textile and garment industry in Kenya received a boost in 1990 when the government liberalized the economy and adopted an export led growth strategy.
The textile and garment sector in Kenya has been through turbulent times in the last ten years with the sector gaining ground in the last four years due to more emphasis on exports to the American market through the AGOA initiative of duty free and quota free access to the US market in addition to permitting the use of third country fabrics in the production of garments for the market.
About 90 per cent of the existing textile and garment producing firms based in Kenya are established with the primary objective of overcoming quota limitations in their existing facilities and thus the entire production is focused on quota categories that have high premiums and are in short supply.
Karl Mayer, a leading warp knitting machinery manufacturer, has reported a successful showcase at Techtextil, May 9 to 12, Germany.
The company held 200 high-level conversations. Most visitors came from Germany, followed by Turkey, Poland and India. Many visitors came from India and Turkey, but the majority of the visitors to Karl Mayer’s stand were Europeans.
Karl Mayer’s stand, with its modern design, accounted for the success of this machine manufacturer at the fair.
Many existing clients came to discuss projects, customer trials and machine purchases, and some sales contracts were signed. The company also made some important new contacts.
Many new clients came to visit the stand, including manufacturers from other technology sectors and the clothing industry, who are looking for new end-uses in the field of semi-technical textiles, for example.
Karl Mayer’s stand at Techtextil was featuring an impressive presentation of a future building material, textile-reinforced concrete. This composite enables lightweight, narrow concrete components to be produced using tough, carbon-fiber grids.
As an alternative to conventional steel reinforcements, which are liable to corrode, warp-knitted structures are increasingly attracting the attention of the construction industry – and consequently the textile industry.
Karl Mayer’s machines and equipment for the technical textile sector also include warp preparation systems, particularly the manual sectional warping machine for use in the production of woven technical textiles, geo grids and coating/backing substrates.
India and Russia plan to strengthen economic cooperation in the coming decades.
The areas under focus include Indian pharmaceutical plants in Russia, long-term leasing of agricultural land in Russia’s Far East, export of automobile components from India and entry of new Indian textile players in Russia.
The list also includes heavy engineering under the Make in India initiative, investments by leading Indian IT firms in Russian tech parks, entering the infrastructure market in Russia, collaboration in mining and metallurgy sector, and joint collaboration in the Arctic sector.
Indian pharmaceutical companies are looking at the possibility of setting up plants in Russia.
Agriculture and food processing sector is one of the emerging areas of cooperation. There is considerable demand for import of agricultural products, mainly fresh vegetables and fruits from India. One of the reasons for the inability of Indian exporters to cater to this demand is the logistics. One solution proposed could be direct long-term contracts between major supermarket chains in Russia and major exporters from India who can deliver on time, maintain quality of packaging and phytosanitary standards.
Heavy engineering is another promising area for mutually beneficial cooperation, not only in terms of trade, but also for joint ventures and technology transfer. Russia is looking for collaboration with Indian companies for developing IT parks for software development and is ready to provide facilities to Indian companies interested in creating their IT base in Russia.
India may offer big-ticket incentives such as zero goods and services tax or a corporate tax holiday to woo multinational companies to the proposed coastal employment zones in Andhra Pradesh and Gujarat.
Incentives may be offered to companies that commit to creating a certain number of jobs.
A large number of multinational companies are scouting for locations that can offer low-cost labor with world-class infrastructure outside China.
Two proposals being considered under tax incentives include either giving a corporate profit tax holiday for five years to firms creating 10,000 jobs or a zero GST for three years and six years for creating 10,000 and 20,000 jobs respectively. These will be an upfront benefit for firms in contrast to the corporate profit tax holiday accrued only after attaining profitability.
Either benefit will help attract large firms in labor intensive sectors such as apparel, footwear and electronics.
Companies that do not commit to creating at least 10,000 jobs may not be offered a tax benefit but may still benefit from the business friendly ecosystem of CEZs that may include liberal labor laws.
Other incentives being considered include flexible land conversion rules, liberal economic environment, proximity to deep draft ports, public investment and autonomy, trade facilitation and trade liberalisation.
GTE (Garment Technology Expo) is having its maiden show in Gujarat, August 18 to 20, 2017.
Gujarat is popularly termed as the textile state of India and Ahmedabad is the hub of the garment and made-up fabrication of the western region. Gujarat is a one-point sourcing hub for all kinds of textiles, with one of the largest concentrations of textiles in India.
The show will showcase the ever growing and dynamic and vibrant industry of Gujarat. GTE initiated in 2001 and has already conducted successfully 24 editions across the nation.
The fair will have exhibits like sewing machines, knitting machines, embroidery machines, digital textile printing and fabric and accessories.
The biggest industry show in the subcontinent, GTE is patronized by trade professionals who include manufacturers, exporters, institutions and other volume consumers.
Besides owners, CEOs, MDs and production heads who visit to see, compare and negotiate deals for new machinery, designers, technical supervisors, shop floor managers visit to update themselves on new technologies, materials, the latest product launches and new innovations at GTE.
GTE showcases the latest machines and processes. Nearly 85 per cent of the participants from the initial editions of GTE continue to be steadfast. New innovations, product launches, product upgrades, live demonstrations, new materials etc. are the cornerstone of each successive show.
Sustainable Textile School will be held in Germany, September 18 to 20, 2017. Experts from the research community and industry will share their knowledge about how various businesses across the textile value chain can be transformed towards a sustainable approach. To foster knowledge transfer and train future generations of textile experts, researchers and practitioners will have the opportunity for fruitful exchange, and students will have the chance to participate through special sponsorship.
The event will gather over 30 international specialists from across the textile industry.
Sustainability in the textile industry has increased in relevance for consumers in recent years and will become an important criteria and competitive advantage for manufacturers in the textiles industry.
The sustainability discussion in the textile chain has progressed far in the last decade. This important subject has moved even farther into the consumers’ focus. Most brand manufacturers have by now decided to take up the subject and use it not only to develop further sales and unique selling points but also to design their global supply chains cost-efficiently, productively and sustainably.
Sustainable Textile School is expected to enable professionals and students from all branches of the industry to have a close look at all value-added stages under the focus of sustainability and to derive the resulting tasks in a company.
Ascential, home to trend authority WGSN and Festival of Creativity Cannes Lions, and China Textile Information Center (CTIC) are set to revolutionise the global colour industry with the launch of new colour system, Coloro which is a 3D colour model. Coloro is a radical new colour system that unleashes creativity by decoding colour as the human eye sees it.
Following a 100-year-old colour methodology, refined with 20 years of scientific innovation led by CTIC, Coloro uses logical codes and intuitive design to ensure fashion and textile professionals get the precise colour they planned for easily and accurately first time around.
Coloro is based on a 3D colour model which defines colour based on a distinct 7-digit code representing the point where hue, lightness and chroma intersect. Of the potential 1.6 million colours available in that system, 3,500 have been selected for showcase in the Coloro products, based on global input from trend forecasters at WGSN, colour experts at CTIC and creative and fashion industry leaders.
The product - comprising physical and digital tools and a comprehensive consulting programme provides a new dimension of colour intelligence. Coloro workspace, launching in June, is set to open a new level of creative potential by changing the digital experience of working with colour forever.
Thorsten Traugott, leader of the Coloro launch at Ascential stated that Coloro simplifies how a person identify and create colours, enabling colour to be a truly strategic tool for the creative industry. Harnessing the colour expertise within CTIC.
Hu Song, vice president of CTIC, commented that CTIC has invested more than 20 years of deep colour analysis, leading to the development of this unrivalled colour coding system that will open a new level of confidence to brands making and implementing the right colour decisions. Through the partnership with Ascential, global market leaders across industries will have immediate access to this innovative colour solution.
Duncan Painter, CEO of Ascential commented that as a company, the key priority is to bring innovation and value to the industries. This exciting new product will help customers even better.
Bangladesh’s exports of garments to the United States and the United Kingdom have decreased significantly.
The average production cost has increased from eight per cent to ten per cent every year.
In July-March, the UK economy decreased by 6.82 per cent, Canada’s at 6.441 per cent, Australia’s at 9.47 per cent and Brazil’s at 26.77 per cent.
Export earnings in the last fiscal year 2015-16 amounted to 34,257 million dollars. In the current year 2016-17, export targets have been set to target 37,000 million dollars. Export earnings achieved in July-March of fiscal year 2016-17 are 25,946 million dollars.
During the July-March period of fiscal year 2016-17, export earnings were 16.1 per cent more than the same period last year. The contribution of the sector to the country’s total exports was 41.37 per cent.
In the July-March period, exports of net garments were 4.85 per cent more than the same period last year. During this period, the contribution of the sector to total exports was 39.90 per cent.
During the last ten years, export growth in the garment industry was an average of 13 per cent.
There is fear that if the export growth of the garment industry is not increased, the country will find it difficult to reach export targets.
With an aim to promote sustainable clothing, India’s leading lifestyle and fashion conglomerate, Arvind, showcased its eco-friendly garments at the Sustainable Apparel Coalition annual member meeting in Bangalore.
The display included sustainable collection of products by Arvind such as denim, tops and khadi clothes.
A 45-minutes fashion showcase was divided into three brief segments in order to present a comprehensive sustainability-focused product portfolio by Arvind.
The first part emphasised sustainable input material that included clothes manufactured by using environment-friendly cotton, recycled polyester etc. The second segment focused on various practices that play a significant role in producing sustainable garments. And the last piece promoted the Indian craftsmanship approach by showcasing clothing made from khadi and local handlooms.
Arvind is one of India’s largest integrated textile and apparel companies. The company is also one of the largest producers of denim fabrics and is supplier to a large number of fashion brands in the world.
Arvind’s textile business (denim and fabric) contributes 60 per cent to total revenue and the rest is by brands and retail business.
The Ahmedabad-based company has a portfolio of owned and licensed brands. Its own brands include Flying Machine, among others, while its licensed product brands include Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Arrow, Gant, Nautica, Gap, and Aeropostale.
"After the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse three years ago, it was presumed that the country would be rolling in stricter measures to ensure safety and security of its employees. Yet, recent data is quite startling. A research identified 3,367 women and girls in the survey areas who reported being employed in the apparel industry. Of them, 3 per cent were between the ages of ten and 13, and 11 per cent were 14-17 years old. Of the 861 girls below the age of 18 who were engaged in any kind of work, 28 per cent said they worked in the garment industry."
After the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse three years ago, it was presumed that the country would be rolling in stricter measures to ensure safety and security of its employees. Yet, recent data is quite startling. A research identified 3,367 women and girls in the survey areas who reported being employed in the apparel industry. Of them, 3 per cent were between the ages of ten and 13, and 11 per cent were 14-17 years old. Of the 861 girls below the age of 18 who were engaged in any kind of work, 28 per cent said they worked in the garment industry.
As part a recent nationwide census, data collected from thousands of mothers and girls in Bangladesh’s three industrial districts with the highest concentration of ready-made garment factories (particularly those operating outside the Export Processing Zones): Ashulia, Gazipur, and Narayanganj. The majority of the country’s female garment workers are concentrated in these areas.
From the survey, it was quite evident that Bangladesh’s garment factories are employing child labour (particularly young girls) persistently. The majority of young girls working in Bangladesh are from poor families. Even in garment manufacturing areas, relatively better-off families rarely send their daughters to work in factories. Although recent initiatives have lowered the cost of schooling for girls (through cash stipends and the elimination of school fees), many young women still drop out of secondary school, even without the opportunity to engage in paid work. In a fix between opting for factory work or marriage, the fundamental need is to lay greater emphasis on poverty reduction in rural areas.
Growth estimate
Bangladesh’s garment industry is expected to quadruple in size over the next two decades, attracting millions of female workers, young and old, to production floors. As per estimates, one of every 10 of these new employees will be between 10-17 years of age. In the light of this, the garment industry needs to act quickly to gain major market access.
