In 2015, the textile and textile products industry in Malaysia was the 10th largest export earner, contributing approximately 1.7 per cent to Malaysia’s total exports of manufactured goods. The textiles and textile products industry in Malaysia comprises four sub-sectors. These are primary textiles which cover activities such as polymerisation, spinning, weaving, knitting and wet processing; made-up garments; made-up textiles; and textile accessories.

Due to the intensified global competition, Malaysia’s textile manufacturers are moving up the value chain by diversifying into the production of higher value-added textiles, implementing automation and computerised manufacturing processes, seeking business collaboration with foreign companies to acquire new technologies and undertaking research and development activities to develop new processes, new applications and value-added products. The industry currently employs more than 68,000 workers.

The US, Japan, China, Singapore and Turkey are Malaysia’s top five export destinations. The US is the leading market for Malaysian textiles products taking 18.3 per cent of the industry’s total exports. Malaysia’s imports from Germany for the first 10 months of 2014 rose by 4.4 per cent while Malaysian exports to Germany during the same period went up by 3.9 per cent.

Malaysia is Asean’s number one exporter to Germany. The main exports include electronic and electrical products, electrical machines, printers, machinery parts and components, rubber products and optical lenses.