Author: Indonesia Grament

WTO accession may not be cure for garment industry
Viet Nam News, Vietnam
by Phuong Hoa

Viet Nam is close to wrapping up negotiations with other countries for World Trade Organisation (WTO) membership. Once completed, full membership will only be a matter of time. What does that presage for the country’s textile industry?

Opinion is divided. Some say membership in the trade organisation will open the doors to many markets around the world. But others warn an export boom is not a given but will depend purely on the competitiveness of the nation’s textile industry.

What are the issues at stake here? For the last 30 years the Multi-Fibre Agreement determined global textile exports. There were quotas for all exporting countries. But it was scrapped last year and countries became free to export as much as the market would stand. However, this privilege is extended only to WTO members. Read more about WTO accession may not be cure for garment industry …

Draft Hanoi programme promises big
VietNamNet Bridge, Vietnam

VietNamNet – A draft programme on Hanoi’s industry development through 2014 sets ambitious goals for assembly, textiles.
 
Electronics and information technology (IT): Hanoi strives to become a national centre for assembly, parts and accessories production, product design, software and IT service. The city will develop the electronics industry in industrial complexes and modern centres, and software parks and electronics industrial zones will be built. The Hanoi authority calls for investment from all local economic sectors and foreign sources in producing accessories and parts and other products supporting manufacturing.
 
Mechanics: Priority will be given to mechanical industries, agriculture and rural development, agricultural and forestry products, machine tool manufacturing and electric equipment. Hanoi will also focus on the mechanical industries in construction equipment, consumer products, health care and laboratory equipment. As these industries will require large investments, Hanoi will seek to set up joint ventures with foreign partners and will cooperate with other provinces to run large-scale projects.
Read more about Draft Hanoi programme promises big …

Saipan: 2 garment factories to close
BusinessWeek
SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Islands

Two more major garment factories say they will close within the next two weeks as manufacturers here continue to struggle against competition from factories in countries where labor is cheaper.

Michigan Inc. has filed a notice with the U.S. Department of Labor announcing it will shut down its operations by March 30. The decision would leave 150 migrant workers, mostly from China, without a job. But the department said it will allow the workers to transfer to other employers. Read more about Saipan: 2 garment factories to close …

Karle eyes stake in overseas garment co
Economic Times, India

BANGALORE: Bangalore headquartered Karle Group, suppliers to global brands like Liz Claiborne, Nike and Adidas, is in fairly advanced discussions with an international apparel maker to pick up stake in the latter’s units spread across China, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.

The move will be one of the rare instances of a pure play domestic garment exporter mulling an overseas buy in the wake of a currency crisis and a tough market outlook facing the sector. Partnering with an international counterpart will also boost the marketing muscle of the Indian player, sources said. Read more about Karle eyes stake in overseas garment co …

Jangan Jadi Pasar Malam

SURABAYA – Semakin beragam saja kreativitas para desainer dalam mengolah batik. Tak hanya motif-motif parang, truntum, atau kawung, batik bermotif paduan Jawa-Tiongkok pun kian mengemuka. Itulah yang tampak pada fashion show bertema Romantisme Oriental di Rumah Batik Danar Hadi kemarin.

Pergelaran tersebut menampilkan 80 karya tim desainer Danar Hadi yang terdiri atas Hutama Adi, Denny Pribadi, Vistor, dan Mohammad Ilham. Sesuai tema, mereka memang menampilkan sisi romantis motif Tiongkok yang kaya warna dan motif.

Batik “blasteran” Jawa-Tiongkok itu lebih menonjolkan motif sulur-suluran, flora, bentuk-bentuk asimetris, hingga keramik. Warnanya pun cenderung cerah. Berbeda dari batik “asli” Jawa yang cenderung gelap. Read more about Jangan Jadi Pasar Malam …

India : Boom & boon time for garment exporters
March 28, 2014/Fibre2fashion.com, India

Indian garment exporters are turning to specialization with good quantity of orders on hand and strong competition faced from China.

Larger garment manufacturers are catering to the big ticket retialers like Walmart and JC Penny, whereas smaller manufacturers are equipping themselves to cater to specialised orders largely being received from Europe.

Exports to the EU have risen by 20 percent during last year with the US still being the largest market for Indian textile products.

India’s share of apparel imports by the EU was 5.76 percent in 2005.

EU’s total apparel import was 4 percent higher than previous year to Euro51 billion in 2005. Read more about India : Boom & boon time for garment exporters …

Uk-Vietnam Garment Factory Begins Construction In Quang Nam
Asia Pulse via Yahoo! Australia & NZ News

HANOI, March 24 Asia Pulse – The Dacotex-Hai Au Xanh Garment Group, a joint venture between England and Vietnam, kicked off construction of a garment factory in central Quang Nam province’s Chu Lai Open Economic Zone.

The US$2 million Dacotex Quang Nam Garment Factory, which will mainly use domestic materials and export all products to the EU market, is expected to attain an annual export turnover of $8 million and create employment for 1,000 workers.

The first phase of the factory, scheduled for completion in the next two months, will generate stable jobs for 300 local people Read more about Uk-Vietnam Garment Factory Begins Construction In Quang Nam …

Automated garment sortation on a budget
Materials Handling World Magazine

An automated sortation system from logistics systems integrator SDI Greenstone has enabled Spanish childrenswear company Tutto Piccolo to achieve a healthy increase in throughput at its distribution centre in Alcoy, near Alicante.

Tutto Piccolo already had an automated sortation system for hanging garments but order assembly for boxed items was undertaken manually, with pickers able to handle only one customer’s order at a time. With the SDI Greenstone system Tutto Piccolo can now sort up to 50 orders simultaneously. The company needed this extra capacity, improved flexibility and greater speed of order fulfilment, to keep pace with continuing growth in business and an expansion of its core ranges of childrens’ clothes and accessories. While a move to automation was the obvious answer, the capital expenditure budget was limited. Read more about Automated garment sortation on a budget …

Garment exporters spin on niches
Economic Times, India

MUMBAI: Growing orderbooks coupled with stiff competition from China are pushing Indian garment exporters to go more niche. While the larger garment manufacturers are catering to the Walmarts and JC Pennys, smaller capacities are equipping themselves to cater to specialised orders. These are largely coming from the fashion-conscious Europe.

While US is still India’s most lucrative market, exports to the EU have risen by 20% in the last year. In ’05, India’s share of apparel imports into the EU was 5.76%, according to estimates from French Fashion Institute. Further, EU’s total apparel imports was estimated 4% higher than the previous year, touching about e51bn in ’05. Read more about Garment exporters spin on niches …

Another garment firm closing
Saipan Tribune, Micronesia
By Ferdie de la Torre
Reporter

Another garment manufacturer, Grace International Inc., is shutting down operations on Saipan by next week.

Grace International submitted Monday its formal notice to the Department of Labor about its intention to close business by April 7. The closure will affect about 100 workers, mostly Chinese.Grace International will be the 14th garment factory to close down on Saipan since January 2005. With the impending closure of garment firm Michigan Inc. this Friday, this will leave Saipan with 19 remaining apparel manufacturers. Read more about Another garment firm closing …