Pakistan urged to up textile trade with ECO countries

Pakistan has been called on to utilize its political and diplomatic ties to boost its trade with the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) nations to support its domestic value added textile industry.

The ECO is an intergovernmental regional organization for promoting economic, technical and cultural cooperation among its ten Member States, viz. Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Tajikistan, Turkey, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

Currently, Pakistan’s textile item exports to ECO countries are not satisfactory and they stood at just US$ 49.81 million during 2010.

Dr. Shahzad Arshad, Chairman of Pakistan Cotton Fashion Apparel Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PCFA) said the Pakistani value added textile industry is enduring difficult times as while exports volumes are dropping, inflation and fiscal deficit are mounting.

Thus, it has become vital for the domestic textile industry to find access to new markets so as to ensure its sustenance, and ECO nations could play a vital part in this, he added.


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IFF Announces 2011 Student Scholarship Awards

The Industrial Fabrics Foundation (IFF) student scholarship award winners for 2011 were recently announced at the Industrial Fabrics Association International Expo Americas 2011 in Baltimore, MD.

The scholarship awards provide tuition expenses at an accredited college, university or technical school for students who are interested in a career in the specialty fabrics industry. The scholarship awards are as follows:

IFF Student Scholarship recipient Vinitkumar Singh is a student at Texas Tech University. Singh is pursuing a Master's Degree in environmental toxicology. He is a research assistant in the Nonwovens and Advanced Materials Laboratory at Texas Tech.

He holds a Master's Degree in environmental toxicology, and hopes to develop specialty nonwovens for chemical and biological protection. Singh's scholarship is funded by the Industrial Fabrics Foundation.

IFF Student Scholarship recipient Morgan Bennett is a student at Auburn University, and is pursuing a degree in polymer and fiber engineering. She is senior warden for the Lambda Chapter of the Phi Psi Professional Textile Fraternity, as well as the Emergency Services Officer for the Civil Air Patrol's Auburn Composite Squadron.

For more details please visit : IFF announces 2011 student scholarship awards @ Fibre2fashion

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Karnataka plans to increase area under sericulture

The government of south Indian State of Karnataka plans to increase the area under sericulture in the State from the present 155,000 acres to 200,000 acres over the next few years.

BN Bache Gowda, Minister for Sericulture, said the government would give incentives to sericulture farmers in the State to encourage them to increase their area under sericulture.

He informed that about 49,000 sericulture farmers were given cash incentive in 2011 under the Suvarna Bhoomi scheme.

He stated that a great portion of land in the traditional sericulture areas of the State was lost to urbanization and industrialization, and hence, the government had made plans to encourage sericulture in non-traditional areas.

He added that sericulture is being taken up by people in some districts of north Karnataka.

On the question of silk import from China, the Minister said India produces 21,000 tons of silk against the demand of 30,000 tons per annum. Hence, private enterprises import Chinese silk, which is sold to powerloom operators in the country.

For more details please visit : Karnataka plans to increase area under sericulture @ Fibre2fashion

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Indonesian govt to promote Banyumas batik art

The Banyumas batik art belonging to the southwestern part of Central Java province in Indonesia will be promoted by the Government and for the purpose a gallery would be built using state funds.

The Government has allocated a sum of IDR 1.78 billion to construct the gallery on an area of 3,000 square metres, which is likely to conclude in four months time.

All kinds of traditional Banyumas batik would be put up for display and sale at the gallery. Moreover, the gallery would also impart training to enthusiasts in batik art and would also provide space for production of Biron, a kind of batik.

While majority of the residents in Sokaraja district of Banyumas regency were engaged in batik art as a profession during 1980s, now there are just 95 people in the area who engage in the art.

For more details please visit : Indonesian govt to promote Banyumas batik art @ Fibre2fashion

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Orient Textile Mills to Set Up Fabric Processing Plant

Karachi-based Orient Textile Mills, part of Ebrahim Group of Companies, is diversifying its portfolio by setting up a complete state-of-the-art fabric processing plant, including dyeing and printing, and stitching facility.

“The new plant is being set up inside Landhi industrial area. It is being established on an area of 750,000 sq ft and is expected to get completed by June 2012. The plant will have an installed capacity to produce 100,000 metres of fabric per day. The stitching unit has 450 stitching machines equipped to produce up to 50,000 pieces a day,” Mr. Abdul Wahid Tumbi, Director of Sales and Marketing, Orient Textile Mills told fibre2fashion.

Briefing about investment, he revealed, “Apart from the cost of land, Orient has invested US$ 50 million on the plant as an initial investment.”

“The new plant will help generate 2,000 jobs. In addition, the expansion would result in significant profits for the company, as value-added products fetch higher prices in international markets,” he informed.


For more details please visit : Orient Textile Mills to set up fabric processing plant @ Fibre2fashion

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Fourth Silk Mark Expo Opens in Chennai

The fourth edition of the Silk Mark Expo organized by the Chennai chapter of Silk Mark Organisation of India (SMOI) opened on December 7 in Chennai.

The aim of the expo is to generate awareness regarding the Silk Mark, a quality assurance label, and to promote the silk industry. The exhibition will continue till December 12.

Several authorised users of the quality mark from 16 States are exhibiting their silk products prepared from Tussar, Muga, Mulberry and Eri varieties of silk through over 60 stalls set up at the Expo, Mr. PM Pandi, Deputy Director (Insp.) and Senior Executive, SMOI Regional Development Office, said.

In a move to generate awareness amongst buyers and to help people learn about genuine silk, a number of contests are being organized during the event whereby people would be asked to identify samples of mixed silk, non-silk and pure silk. Besides, silk testing facilities are also being offered at the Expo, Mr. Pandi said.

 For more details please visit: Fourth Silk Mark Expo Opens in Chennai @ Fibre2fashion

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South Africa’s Clarion Raises Fabric Printing Capacity

Looking forward to ensure that it can cater to the retail sector’s ever rising demand for fabric printing, South Africa based fabric printing and finishing firm Clarion Printed Products has enhanced its fabric printing capacity.

Installation of the new 3.2m dye sublimation machine to its already significant fabric printing machinery division has repositioned the firm as Western Cape’s biggest graphic printer.

The company already had two 3.2m dye sublimation machines operational, and hence the establishment of new machine has raised the capacity of the company by 50 percent.

The dye sublimation technology within the fabric division is meant to ensure better colour output and production of premium quality retail graphic prints.


Read more at : South Africa’s Clarion Raises Fabric Printing Capacity @ Fibre2fashion 

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APTMA Criticizes Monetary Policy for High Interest Rates

Seth Muhammad Akber, Acting Chairman All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA), has criticized the Monetary Policy stating that the textile industry of the country, which is incurring huge losses due to unprecedented power crisis, was looking forward to a reduction in interest rates to single digit.

He added that maintaining a mark up at 12 percent would lead to increase in Non-Performing Loans (NPLs) and shoot up the redundancy ratio in the private sector.

The APTMA official also condemned the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) move of trying to hold back inflation by raising the mark up rate, and said it was the Government which was the leading borrower of the banks and not the private sector.

The Government was borrowing at a higher pace to the detriment of development of the private sector, which was losing its competitiveness owing to high cost of raising finances, he said.

Mr. Akber said lack of extra liquidity in the market was the main factor which was responsible for sluggish move of investment in the textile industry.

 For more details please visit: APTMA Criticizes Monetary Policy for High Interest Rates @ Fibre2fashion

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Valencian Textile Finishing Industry to Raise Rates

The textile finishing sector of the Spanish autonomous region of Valencia will increase rates between 6 and 8 percent next year due to the rising prices of labour, raw material and energy, coupled with reduced demand.

Textile Employers Association of the Valencian Community (ATEVAL) said the increase in rates will, in turn, impact the final price of textile items sold to the retail consumer.

ATEVAL said the textile finishing sector in the Valencian region, which is mainly concentrated in L'Alcoy, the Comtat and Vall d'Alba regions, is currently finding it difficult to remain competitive.

The labour-intensive textile finishing sector in Valencia has 111 companies that employ around 1860 workers and have a turnover of more than 196.5 million euros.

During the last five years, these companies have lost 37 percent of turnover, 52 percent of employment and 40 percent of firms, ATEVAL said. It added that the last two years have witnessed a decline of 30 percent in sales.

For more details please visit: Valencian textile finishing industry to raise rates @ Fibre2fashion

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Fashion Sector Roots For Recycled Polyester Embroidered Thread

It’s been happening slowly but surely since April of this year. The production of Madeira’s popular Polyneon #40 embroidery thread began to incorporate the use of recycled goods. After research and development, tests and more tests, Madeira needed to make sure that the addition of recycled plastics did not alter colors, change prices or performance of this easy running, bleachable embroidery thread.

While those at Madeira’s international headquarters in Freiburg, Germany, had not seen a great demand for the use of recycled polyester from the promotional sector, the fashion sector has nearly made it a requirement.

Martin Lohe, Commercial Director responsible for logistics, manufacturing and IT for Madeira, Germany, explains, “We have confidence that what we are doing for the market is correct. We are committed to bringing more and more recycled polyester into the production of our Polyneon embroidery thread. Madeira’s goal is to have 30% of the raw material used in the production of Polyneon be recycled materials.”

Slow and painstaking is the process of determining which colors of thread, and by what percentage, can incorporate the recycled goods into their properties, with no loss of quality or adverse effect on color consistency. This was one challenge that kept Madeira from making this step sooner, and for keeping the progress slow and steady.

For more details please visit :  Fashion Sector Roots For Recycled Polyester Embroidered Thread @ Fibre2fashion

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Positive Sales Trend at Culp Inc

Culp Inc. reported financial and operating results for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 ended October 30, 2011.

Highlights for the second quarter of fiscal 2012 include the following:
• Net sales were $58.0 million, a 19 percent increase compared with the second quarter of fiscal 2011, with mattress fabrics segment sales up 24 percent and upholstery fabric segment sales up 11 percent over the same period a year ago.
• Pre-tax income was $2.9 million, or 4.9 percent of sales, compared with $3.2 million, or 6.5 percent of sales, in the prior year period.
• Net income was $6.3 million, or $0.49 per diluted share, compared with net income of $4.0 million, or $0.30 per diluted share, for the second quarter of fiscal 2011. Net income for the second quarter of 2012 included an income tax benefit of $3.4 million, while net income for the previous year period included an $801,000 income tax benefit.
• As of November 25, 2011, the company has repurchased 585,000 shares of Culp common stock for approximately $5.1 million, or 4.4 percent of shares outstanding at the beginning of its share repurchase program announced in June.
• The company’s financial position remained strong, with cash and cash equivalents and short term investments of $24.3 million and total debt of $9.2 million as of October 30, 2011, even with stock repurchases of $4.8 million, capital expenditures of $2.6 million and debt repayments of $2.3 million.

Fiscal 2011 Year to Date Highlights
• Year to date sales were $118.3 million, up 13 percent from the same period a year ago, with mattress fabrics segment sales up 14 percent and upholstery fabrics segment sales up 12 percent over the same period a year ago.


For more info please visit : Positive Sales Trend at Culp Inc @ Fibre2fashion

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Pakistan Govt Urged to Act for Sustenance of Textile Industry

The Government of Pakistan has been urged to introduce immediate measures to ensure sustenance of the textile industry in the country, which is the vertebrae of the nation’s economy, by ensuring adequate availability of power, gas and water.

M. Jawed Bilwani, Chief Co-ordinator, Value Added Textile Forum & Chairman, Pakistan Apparel Forum and Rana M. Mushtaq Khan, Chairman, Value Added Textile Forum & Central Chairman, Pakistan Hosiery Manufacturers Association (PHMA) have supported the recent Press Appeals of All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) to the Government urging it to help the domestic textile industry to operate at its optimum strength.

They stated that in spite of the textile industry and value-added textile export industry being the country’s leading foreign exchange generator, it is now experiencing most acute power and gas load-shedding and water crisis, which has pushed the industry on the brink of collapse.


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South Korea to Share Textile Know-How With Ethiopia

South Korea has agreed to share its experience and know-how in developing the textile and leather industry with Ethiopia and help it to develop its own industries.

The decision was taken at a meeting between President Lee Myung-bak and Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi, who is on a four-day state visit to South Korea.

During his visit, Prime Minister Zenawi will also attend an important international conference in the southern port city of Busan on official development assistance (ODA).

Prime Minister Zenawi said South Korea is an important model for Ethiopian development plan. He was hopeful that cooperation between the two countries would increase and an industrial complex would be set up in Ethiopia to develop its textile and leather industries.

For more info please visit : South Korea to Share Textile Know-How With Ethiopia @ Fibre2fashion

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Mr Sahu - Gujarat Textile Sector Will Regain Glory

“The Gujarat textile industry is going though a cyclical phase, which is the main reason for the textile industry in Gujarat falling behind other states in textile output, said, Mr Maheshwar Sahu - IAS and Principal Secretary (Industries & Mines) - Govt. of Gujarat.

Mr Sahu said on the sidelines of the International Conference on Manmade Fibre Textiles held recently in Ahmedabad, while reacting to a recent Frank Knight report which said that Gujarat was falling behind in other states in output from the textile industry”.

Speaking exclusively to fibre2fashion, he added, “We are envisaging that around 2-3 million more spindles will be installed in Gujarat in the next 2-3 years. Alongside, new generation powerlooms are also being setup. I am confident that this will help Gujarat, regains its glory on the textile map of India”.

For more info please visit : Mr Sahu, Govt of Gujarat - Gujarat Textile Sector Will Regain Glory @ Fibre2fashion

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Ahmedabad Textile Units to Install Pollution Control Devices

Textile processing units in Narol area of Ahmedabad, the largest city in the west Indian State of Gujarat, will soon have a fully automated air pollution control (APC) system installed.

In 2006-07, the Environmental Pollution Controlling Authority constituted by the Hon. Supreme Court under the Chairmanship of Bhurelal (Bhurelal Committee), in consultations with Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), had identified around 120 textile processing units in the vicinity of Narol as one of the major industrial sources of air pollution in the city of Ahmedabad.

“Subsequently, we requested L.D. College of Engineering to survey each and every individual unit, see what capacity of boilers have been installed by individual members, what are their existing pollution control measures, and then come with a conclusion identifying deficiencies, if any, and their rectification, which if implemented and maintained properly, can contribute to the control of pollution,” Mr. Nitin Thakkar, President of Ahmedabad Textile Processors Association (ATPA) revealed to fibre2fashion.

“A team, under the guidance of Dr. NS Varandani, Head of Department of Environmental Engineering at L.D. College of Engineering, collected the required information through a detailed survey of the units. Based on the data collected and experience, the team has developed and designed the APC Systems for different capacity boilers using different fuels,” he informed.

For more details please visit : Ahmedabad Textile Units to Install Pollution Control Devices @ Fibre2fashion

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Textile & Clothing Exports Climb 3 Times in Last Decade : China

China's textile and garment exports accounted for about 16 percent of total global exports from the sector in 2001, which skyrocketed to 32 percent in 2009 and around 33 percent in 2010, according to data from the World Trade Organization.

After 15 years of lengthy negotiation, China finally became a WTO member officially on December 11, 2001.

During the decade after entering the WTO, China's textile and garment exports achieved double-digit growth, posting a near three-time cumulative increase in the decade and has now deservedly become the world's largest exporter of textiles and clothing.

Statistics from China Textile Industry Association show that China's textile and garment exports amounted to US $ 206.5 billion in 2010, representing an increase of 268.75 percent compared with 2000.

Experts from China Textile Industry Association believe that the country turned in to powerhouse for textile and clothing exports, after Europe and the US gradually lifted quota restrictions on Chinese textile and apparel products after China's accession to the WTO.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - China

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Tunisia : Textile and Clothing Imports Rrise, Exports Fall

Tunisia’s textile and clothing imports and exports moved in opposite directions during the month of October this year, compared to October 2010.

While imports for the month surged by 5.97 percent as compared to same month last year, there was a 3.45 percent year-on-year drop in exports.

In October 2011, imports reflected a positive trend and grew by 4.36 percent in terms of volume and 5.97 percent in terms of value amounting to 359 million Tunisian dinars (MTD), according to the Economic Letter of the Technical Textile Centre (CETTEX).

The data published for the month indicated a 3.45 percent year-on-year fall in export value which summed up to 440 MTD. Segment-wise, textile exports for the period depicted a slight negative fall of 0.45 percent, while clothing exports dropped by around 3.95 percent, compared to the figures of October 2010.

Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Italy, France, Spain and Belgium were the major importers of textile and clothing items from Tunisia during the January to October period this year. Tunisia mainly imported its textile and clothing requirements from Turkey, China, United Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Italy, France and Spain.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

For more details please visit : Tunisia : Textile and Clothing Imports Rrise, Exports Fall @ Fiber2fashion

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Burton Snowboards & Mountain Dew Announce Improov Sustainability in clothing

Burton Snowboards and Mountain Dew announced a new partnership focused on improving sustainability in apparel and outerwear. Specifically, for the 2012 and 2013 product seasons, the two brands are working together to change the way outerwear and apparel are made, by creating sustainable fabrics out of recycled plastic bottles and implementing this material into key products within the Burton line.

The first round of products from this partnership was released and features a hand-crafted line of t-shirts made from 50% recycled plastic bottles and 50% organic cotton. Part of Burton's Green Mountain Project, which is a line of products created with an eco-influence, the limited edition Burton x Mountain Dew tees include three styles, 'Apparatus', 'Flake', and 'Chairway to Heaven'.

Inspired by a Rube Goldberg drawing, the 'Apparatus' style features a drawing of an imaginary machine that is converting plastic bottles into recycled PET pellets, which are 'snowing' down into the shape of Burton's classic mountain logo.

The 'Flake' model has a simple, bold hand-drawn snowflake with the word 'Burton' etched in the center. Finally, the 'Chairway to Heaven' tee features a drawing of an empty chairlift intended to depict the peace of the mountains and how much snowboarders depend on nature for their sport.

This first collection of t-shirts is just a taste of what Burton and Mountain Dew have planned when it comes to integrating recycled plastic bottles into fabric. For future product lines, the brands will continue to increase the number of styles that use this sustainable fabric, with outerwear being the next key focus. Starting in the fall of 2012, Burton will also expand distribution of these products to Burton Authorized Dealers, so local snowboard shops can carry these new, sustainable outerwear and apparel styles.

For more details please visit : Burton Snowboards & Mountain Dew Announce Improov Sustainability in clothing @ Fibre2fashion

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