Sri Lanka’s non-BOI apparel exporters have been integrated into the global network, Asycuda World (of UNCTAD). Apparel exports are now back on track having overcome global recession, a Ministry of Industry and Commerce spokesman said.He said that Sri Lanka’s apparel sector has entered a new phase. As a result of Sri Lanka’s non-BOI apparel manufacturers directly integrating into the online ‘Asycuda World’ system, the country has cleared a major bottleneck in apparel exports. “Our apparel exporters are joining the global network set up by UNCTAD in which 85 countries are members,” said minister of industry and commerce, Rishad Bathiudeen.

“With this integration, non-BOI apparel manufacturers can directly submit declarations to the customs and the process has become partially paperless,” he said. “The result is that travel time is reduced, less bureaucracy and less document processing by the non-BOI apparel exporters for every shipment. In fact, they can now submit customs declarations directly from their factories thereby paying more attention to their manufacturing process,” said Bathiudeen.

The Proposed Shipment Declaration (PSD) documents too will go online in due course. Overall garment exports which include apparel and other woven fabrics increased in the first half of 2013 by 1.5 per cent to $1,994 million compared to $1,964 million in the corresponding period of the past year. For the first half of this year ‘apparel only’ exports totaled $1,873 million compared to $1,874 million for the corresponding period of the past year.

A dangerous flammable fabric is being imported into the US that fails to meet basic fire standards. Put a lighter’s flame to the fabric and it ignites like a sparkler, dripping molten chemicals that burn into the surface of anything that its drips on. Normal polyester when held to a lighter will roll back on itself and when cooled the polyester becomes quite hard like a plastic.

The fabric is labeled as 100 per cent polyester, although silver-nano particles can be seen with the naked eye. Silver particles generally provide anti-microbial properties. Oddly, the test fabric has been marketed as stain-resistant instead of anti-microbial. The silver particles are not embedded and when ignited, the silver becomes airborne. The nano terminology that was used on the labeling to describe the finishing is totally misleading.

The label doesn’t say what abrasion material was used; cotton or wire, and how many pounds of pressure were used. In the early ’90s a synthetic georgette fabric was banned from import due to its high flammability. There are outdoor performance products which are labeled as containing CoolMax, a moisture wicking fabric developed by DuPont in 1986. However, what CoolMax actually is anyone’s guess. 

The fifth edition of Spinexpo New York, held from July 16 to 18, 2013 saw knitwear designers, sourcing managers, retail buyers and brand directors explore an international offering comprising of fibers, yarns, knitwear manufacturing, trend direction and market intelligence.The three-day fair attracted 1,379 visitors, a 10 per cent increase over the 2012 edition. The majority of them represented major brands mostly from New York and surrounding states.

The exhibition showcased 82 exhibitors, who included fiber manufacturers, yarn spinners, knitwear and machine manufacturers, and design studios from China, Hong Kong, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia, Mauritius, Italy, Germany, Turkey, France, the UK and USA. 

Knitwear manufacturers with a variety of specialties added their expertise to the show.Some offered a complete vertical service from yarn to finished garment. A collaboration between machine manufacturer Shima Seiki and yarn spinner Nikko Textile created excitement at the interactive stand of PT JabaGarmindo, Indonesia’s largest knitwear manufacturer. The stand attracted a large number of visitors who could check the manufacturing quality of the Indonesian company. 

The new ThiesiMaster F series from German Thies GmbH is destined particularly for dyeing high pile fabrics, such as terry toweling.The new F series is the latest innovation for the highly successful iMaster range of dyeing machines. It features a large transport winch inside the dyeing kier to be processed with significantly reduced elongation. It results in improved stability, perfect fabric condition and appearance, and ensures economic and environment-friendly operation with advanced automation at low liquor levels, as low as 1:4 for cotton.       

The new models are available with capacities of between 250 kg to 400 kg per chamber. The iMaster F series can be delivered with up to maximum eight tubes for the 250 kg/tube, and six tubes for the 400 kg version. They are also able to process a wide range of different articles.

The new machine is equipped with a 100 per cent stock tank, a dosing tank and delivery system for dry salt and is particularly optimized for the production of terry articles. The automatic self-cleaning filter system always helps to achieve every time the same dyeing and treatment conditions. Manual interventions for cleaning are reduced and productivity is increased. Rinse, wash and dye baths are measured online, continuously analyzed and displayed graphically.