Textination Newsline

• Banking Crisis comes to a head
• Foreign Trade rather little affected
• Tourism Industry looks at the Development of the British Currency

Milan (GTAI) – According to a study by the rating agency S & P Italy is among the European countries that are least affected by the Brexit referendum. Nevertheless, the after the Brexit resulting market turmoil threatens to slow the fragile recovery of the Italian economy and to lead the already ailing banks in a crisis. The United Kingdom is the fourth most important export market for Italian goods; British tourists are a major source of income for the tourism.

The outcome of the British referendum threatens the delicate recovery of the Italian economy. The business association Confindustria has reduced its GDP growth forecast for 2016 from 1.4% to 0.8%. However, compared to other EU Member States and according to various studies, Italy is little affected directly of the intended withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the EU, but the indirect effects through the market turbulence could become serious.

In a study about the “Brexit sensitivity" of 20 countries made by the rating agency S & P Italy comes on the penultimate place, ahead of Austria. The study analyzes the Brexit effects in the fields of export, finance, foreign direct investments and migration. The reasons for Italy's position are obvious: Compared to other European countries, exports of Italy to the United Kingdom are relatively small. In addition, the financial sector is "relatively Italian". In a European comparison, foreign direct investments in Italy are low; this also concerns the share of investment from the United Kingdom in Italy.

According to the S & P study among the Italian economic areas the activities of the financial sector are the most affected by the Brexit. Volatile markets as a result of the Brexit provide further uncertainty in the sector, which, after the long economic crisis is suffering among other things in their balance sheets under bad loans. In the days after the event the share prices of the Italian banks plunged into the depths. The Italian Government is negotiating with the EU on a new bailout.

The UK is an important trading partner 

The decision of the British could have a negative impact on the Italian exports in various sectors. According to the Italian statistical office ISTAT the United Kingdom is ranked 6 of the trading partners in Italy. At the same time, the UK is the fourth largest market for Italian goods. The overall imports from the United Kingdom were EUR 10.6 billion in 2015, while the exports were significantly higher at EUR 22.5 billion. In 2015 the share of the total Italian exports amounted to 5.5%. The Italians sold more only in the United States (8.9%), France (10.5%) and Germany (12.6%).

The risks for the Italian exports may not be underestimated; experts expect a loss of Italian exports to the United Kingdom of EUR 1 to 3 billion. The losses concern primarily the processing industry. According to the study "Il Brexit e l'Italia" of the research institute Nomisma of June 2016, 97% of the Italian exports are finished goods. The most important product groups of Italian exports to the United Kingdom are machinery and equipment (EUR 3.5 billion), food and beverages (EUR 3.1 billion), chemical products (EUR 2.6 billion), Automotive and - parts (EUR 2.6 billion), fashion and clothing (EUR 2.3 billion) and processed and unprocessed metal products (EUR 1.5 billion).

Particularly dependent on British customers are the wineries and furniture designers. For the Italian wine sector the United Kingdom is one of the most important markets. In 2015 Italian wine producers were able to sell wine worth of EUR 745 million, accounting for a share of 14% of total Italian wine exports. The Italian furniture designers sold in 2015 products worth of EUR 950 million to the United Kingdom, what represents a share of 10% of total Italian furniture exports.

Northern Italy has close economic ties with the United Kingdom

According to the Nomisma study the Italian regions are different linked with the economy in the United Kingdom. More than two thirds of Italian exports to the United Kingdom are coming from northern Italy. Nevertheless, northern Italy is less affected by the Brexit than southern Italy, because the proportion of northern Italian exports to the United Kingdom of the total exports of northern Italy is markedly lower than in the south.

From the southern Italian region of Basilicata 15% of the exports go to the United Kingdom. The high rate is due to the Fiat factory in the municipality of Melfi, where two car models are being produced. From Abruzzo and Campania circa 10% of the regional exports are sold in the United Kingdom.

eyond the foreign trade the Italian restaurant and hotel operators are anxious about the impact of the Brexit: According to Banca D'Italia British tourists ranked on the 6th place of tourists and business travelers in 2015. However - the 4.4 million British visitors expended on average per capita significantly more per day than any other European travelers. Overall the expenditure of the British amounted to just over 3 billion euros in 2015 - or more than 8% of the total expenditure of foreign tourists in Italy. A devaluation of the British currency could affect adversely both the number of tourists as well as their expenditure per capita.

From 26 to 28 July 2016 trade visitors from the shoe sector will be able to learn about the current trends and innovations revolving around shoes and accessories at GDS – Global Destination for Shoes & Accessories in Düsseldorf. Since the awareness of sustainability in the European footwear sector is increasing and seen as a long-lasting trend in business strategies, the European Confederation of the Footwear Industry (CEC) together with the other European partners of the “Step To Sustainability” project call upon footwear companies to participate in the International Footwear Workshop on Sustainability. The workshop entitled “Green Shoes for a Sustainable life” will be organised at the GDS shoe fair on 28 July 2016. During the workshop, companies will learn how they can increase their business value and sales whilst having a positive influence on social and environmental conditions by adopting sustainable strategies.

The workshop is being organised by the EU funded project “Step To Sustainability”, the aim of which is to create and pilot a new occupation and qualification profile and corresponding training course in the area of sustainable manufacturing in footwear. The project addresses the needs of companies wishing to engage in sustainable manufacturing by elaborating a new qualification profile, which will equip students with the necessary skills and competences to deal with sustainability issues and contribute to increasing the competitiveness of footwear manufacturers.

Applying sustainability to industry is also an important step to take. Environmental sustainability is certainly increasing in the European footwear sector. The footwear industry contributes to and is affected by the environmental degradation and social challenges that society is now facing. What initially was considered as an external environmental regulation to comply with, meaning an obligation, is now becoming part of the DNA of some companies. By introducing positive changes in production choices, companies can increase the popularity of their products and brand among consumers and business partners alike.

Carmen Arias Castellano, General Secretary of the CEC - European Confederation of the Footwear Industry stated: “Not only the environment benefits from a sustainable strategy. It also enhances social responsibility and will allow businesses to enjoy numerous advantages such as increasing revenue and cutting costs, increasing employee attraction and retention rates, creating a healthy workplace leading to greater productivity, and enhancing relationships with stakeholders and communities.”

At the workshop, there will be a presentation on the results of the Step To Sustainability project by a Portuguese SME, which participated in the pilot, as well as two panels of relevant industry representatives, who will explain best practices in the footwear sector. The first panel will focus on the manufacturing phase with presentations from El Naturalista and BATA Brands as well as the organisation LeatherNaturally; while the second will present the retailers’ approach to ensuring sustainability with contributions from Deichmann, Zumnorde, and Avocado Store GmbH.: www.cec-footwearindustry.eu

• Anticrisis Plan provides grants of nearly Ruble 1.5 Billion 

Moscow (GTAI) – In spring 2016 the Russian government has decided a "Strategy for the development of the light industry until 2025" and a "Federal program to support enterprises of the light industry" (anticrisis plan). Hence the Russian textile enterprises should be supported in the crisis. It is the aim of the Ministry of Industry and Trade to double the share of domestic producers on the clothing market from currently 25% to 50% in the year 2025.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade 14,000 companies (including 200 large enterprises) of the Russian light industry are producing clothing, textiles, footwear and leather goods. They generate annually a turnover of Ruble 270 billion. Of that 653 large and medium and 4,000 small businesses are operating in the yarn and textile industry. Because the purchasing power and consumer demand fell, the light industry slowed its production in 2015 by 12%.

To give the clothing and textile factories more security, the Russian government adopted in spring 2016 a "Strategy for the development of the light industry until 2025" and a "Federal program to support enterprises of the light industry" (anticrisis plan). It is the aim of the Ministry of Industry and Trade to double the share of domestic producers on the clothing market from currently 25% to 50% in the year 2025.  In this context up to 330,000 additional jobs should be achieved.

Anticrisis plan provides subsidies of Ruble 1.475 billion
In the anticrisis plan Ruble 1.475 billion will be granted. This should especially support manufacturers of school uniforms, children's apparel and textile factories that work on government orders. The financial support includes: subsidies for producers of school uniforms for the lower classes made out of Russian worsted fabrics (Ruble 600 million), subsidies for working capital loans to support purchases of raw materials (Ruble 800 million), subsidies for investment loans for technical modernization of enterprises (Ruble 75 million).

Industrial parks and clusters for the light industry are growing
In addition, two industrial parks for the clothing and textile industry will be set up in the areas of Ivanovo and St. Petersburg. In addition, a regional cluster of the light industry in the Chelyabinsk region of the South Ural is growing. The fund for the development of the Russian industry promotes investments with low interest rates on credits, for example the project of Praimteks (Primetex) in the Ivanovo region for the production of textiles using digital textile printing (credit: Rubles 466 million rubles).

Further, the domestic producers of clothing and footwear should gain access in future to the funding instruments of the federal association for the development of small and medium-sized enterprises. Critics complain, that the subsidies reach mostly large companies only and above all companies working with government contracts.

Capacity building for chemical fibers 
Export opportunities are seen by the Ministry of Industry in synthetic fibers. In the textile cluster Ivanovo (http://invest-ivanovo.ru/data/prog.pdf) a chemical fiber plant is growing with public aid, scheduled to begin production from 2018. With that 250,000 t chemical fibers would additionally annually be available. Until now both manufac-turers Komitex and Wladimirski Polyefir produce together 33,000 t chemical fibers per anno. Viscose is currently not being produced at all in Russia. The import share of polyester is 74%, of polyamide 88%. 

In future the synthetic fibers may be supplied to BTK Textile and other customers. The production complex of BTK Textile in the textile City Shakhty in the Rostov region, was inaugurated in June 2015. The company manufactures high-tech textiles and knitwear made out of synthetic fibers of which work-wear, sport-wear and ski-wear are being sewn. BTK Textile has fabric production capacities of about 12 million square meters per year, General Director Sergey Bazoev says. Up to now BTK Textile has to buy the synthetic fibers and yarns predominantly in Asia. That could change soon. The BTK Group is the largest Russian manufacturer of men's clothing and uniforms.

Source: Rosstat 2016

Source: Rosstat 2016

Contact addresses:
Ministry of Industry and Trade

Department of Light Industry
Denis Klimentewitsch Pak, Director of the Department
109074 Moskau, Kitajgorodskij proesd 7
Tel.: 007 495/632 8004 (Sekretariat), Fax: -632 88 65
E-Mail: dgrvt@minprom.gov.ru, Internet: http://minpromtorg.gov.ru

(Sub) department of Light Industry: Director: Irina Alekseewna Iwanowa,
Tel.: -632 87 31, -346 04 73; E-Mail: ivanovaia@minprom.gov.ru
Internet: http://minpromtorg.gov.ru/ministry/dep/#!9&click_tab_vp_ind=1
"Strategy for the development of Light Industry until 2025."
http://www.kptf.ru/images/company/Presentation.pdf (Presentation of the strategy)
http://minpromtorg.gov.ru/docs/#!strategiya_razvitiya_legkoy_promyshlennosti_rossii_na_period_do_2025_goda (Text of the strategy and action plan)

Russian Union of Entrepreneurs of Textile and Light Industry
107023 Moskau, uliza Malaja Semenowskaja 3
Tel.: 007 495/280 15 48, Fax: -280 10 85
E-Mail: info@souzlegprom.ru, Internet: http://www.souzlegprom.ru

• INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION INCREASES
• COMPANIES HAVE TO MODERNIZE PRODUCTION AND INCREASE DEPTH OF PROCESSING

Dubai / Islamabad (GTAI) - Pakistan's textile and clothing industry has urgently to invest. The international competition has intensified. The companies need to modernize their technology and increase their processing depth. The country wants to get away from the production of simple fabrics and yarns. The GSP Plus agreement with the EU and an improvement in the security situation have improved the investment climate. In high-end machines Pakistan is dependent on imports. 

Pakistan's textile and clothing industry expects better sales opportunities abroad in the next few years, particularly with the European Union. Early 2014 Pakistan has received from the EU the GSP Plus status (Generalized System of Preferences) that allows the country to supply goods at a lower rate of duty or even with a completely duty exempt in the EU. Particularly the textile and clothing industry benefits from the agreement, as the sector provides almost 80% of Pakistan's exports to the EU. The government even hopes on additional exports for the sector worth USD 1 billion per year.

Following the latest available trade figures, Pakistan increased in 2014, the year in which the GSP Plus agreement came into force, its total exports of clothing by almost 10% to around USD 5 billion. Official figures of exports to the EU are not available. According to the foreign trade statistics, in any case exports to Germany have increased in clothing by 13% to almost USD 500 million, in textiles by 18% to USD 434 million and in footwear by 27% to USD 34 million.

Source: UN Comtrade

Demand for textile machinery rises
Market observers anticipate increased investments in machinery. A particular dynamic effort is expected in the demand for textile printing machines, dyeing machines, tenter frames and other finishing techniques. Positive for the investment climate will be the effect of the expected increase in textile exports to the EU and the improvement of the security situation. In recent years power shortages and a precarious security situation have inhibited the production and investment activity.

The market for textile machinery (SITC 724) grew significantly since 2014. In the country itself only relatively simple machines are being manufactured. High-end equipment is mostly imported. The import of textile machinery rose to USD 585 million in 2014, an increase of 17% compared to 2013.

*) SITC 724, including pieces
Source: UN Comtrade

*) SITC 724, including pieces

Investments urgently needed
Competition from PR China, Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka has intensified. Pakistan's textile industry needs to modernize and upgrade, to increase its productivity and the added value. Pakistan covers the entire value chain from fiber preparation from to the end product. Despite this well-position predominantly simple products are being produced. Only an estimated 40 companies are vertically integrated and cover the entire textile processing.
With an annual harvest of about 13 million bales Pakistan is the world's fourth largest cotton producer. In addition about 600.000 tons of synthetic fibers are being manufactured in the country. According to reports there are 21 manufacturers of filament yarn with a capacity of 100.000 t; the production is supported by a PTA plant with a capacity of 500.000 t.

Sources: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics; TMA - Towel Manufacturers Association

Yarn production has lost competitiveness
According to sector experts In the past decade yarn manufacturers made no larger investments to upgrade their production, although money would have been available for such investments.  The reason for that should have been the heavy competition from China, India and Bangladesch.  Ten years ago Pakistan used to be one of the most efficient yarn manufacturers worldwide. Because modernization investments failed to materialize, this technique applies as outdated in Pakistan today.

The companies complain about high production costs and are demanding more favorable electricity tariffs and protectionist measures against import competition. A negative effect on the production and the investment climate in the country also have the electricity shortages and the tense security Situation.

The textile sector in Pakistan is characterized by numerous large textile companies with quite a large number of small businesses opposite which mostly belong to the so-called informal sector. The informal sector, for example, includes small family companies or small productions, which are not taxable. The informal sector produces mainly simple products for the domestic market. It works with discarded equipment of the larger companies, imported used machinery or cheap equipment from China. The official statistics do not take the informal sector into account.

• Weak Ruble makes domestic Production profitable
• Government encourages Investments

Moscow (GTAI) - Sales of textiles and clothing will continue to decline. Production in Russia however will rise. Due to the strong Ruble devaluation in the last two years, the conditions for the textile and clothing industry have completely changed. On the one hand falling real incomes lead to declining demand. On the other hand labor costs have fallen under Asian benchmarks.

Source: Rosstat 2016

Source: Rosstat 2016

Contact addresses
Russian Union of Entrepreneurs of  the Textile and Light Industry
107023 Moskau, uliza Malaja Semenowskaja 3
Tel.: 007 495/280 15 48, Fax: -280 10 85
E-Mail: info@souzlegprom.ru, Internet: http://www.souzlegprom.ru

Ministry of Industry and Trade
Department of Light Industry
Denis Klimentewitsch Pak, Director of the Department
109074 Moskau, Kitajgorodskij proesd 7
Tel.: 007 495/632 8004 (Sekretariat), Fax: -632 88 65
E-Mail: dgrvt@minprom.gov.ru, Internet: http://minpromtorg.gov.ru

Light industry department:
Director: Irina Ivanova Alekseewna,
Tel.: -632 87 31, -346 04 73; E-Mail: ivanovaia@minprom.gov.ru
Internet: http://minpromtorg.gov.ru/ministry/dep/#!9&click_tab_vp_ind=1

"Strategie für die Entwicklung der Leichtindustrie bis zum Jahr 2025"
http://www.kptf.ru/images/company/Presentation.pdf (Präsentation zur Strategie)
http://minpromtorg.gov.ru/docs/#!strategiya_razvitiya_legkoy_promyshlennosti_rossii_na_period_do_2025_goda (text of the strategy and action plan)

Observers doubt the Success of the planned Measures / Ambitions in the Automotive Industry

Nairobi (gtai) - The countries of the East African Community will prohibit the import of used clothing and used shoes in three years. Long since defunct textile and clothing industries so revived. It is also planned to impede the import of used cars, in order to promote a local car assemblers. In particular, the Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni dreams of building its own car industry.

The East African Community (EAC), who is also Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi belong alongside Uganda, other countries serve as role models. So to have led to building lively textile industries in Ghana, Egypt, Ethiopia, India and Vietnam, such a ban.

Used clothing is very popular East Africa. With luck, you can get hold of well-preserved Western European branded goods or shoe sizes, as they are locally not available for little money. Many teenagers from expensive villas suburbs of capitals makes a kick out, used T-shirts to buy exotic printing at prices equivalent to 0.45 euros. Thanks to the second-hand imports contribute even male slum dwellers naturally a western suit and girls or young women from a wide array chic western clothes.

1) Primarily apparently used clothing, blankets and kitchen linen of textile materials and shoes that are loose presented in bulk or bales. 2) provisionally
Source: Destatis

Politicians promise hundreds of thousands of new jobs
While East African politicians boast of being able to create in this way hundreds of thousands of jobs, incite economists from: "The reasons why people in East Africa are happy to buy used clothes easily enumerated," said Scolastica Odhiambo, an economics professor at the Kenyan Maseno University: "It is less expensive, of good quality and provides diversity." The regional textile industry have meanwhile not have the capacity to meet the demand. In addition, they do not produce quality  in the eyes of the local population. The only local manufacturer of shoes, meanwhile, the company Bata that however mainly produces shoes for students and a local SME. In the upper price segment Bata, however, is dependent on imports.

In a period of three years, it is the opinion of observers simply impossible to expand the local textile industry so that it can meet the demand both quantitatively and qualitatively. This time is also too short to find alternative employment for hundreds of thousands of second-hand clothes dealer who live with their families from the Mitumba business (Mitumba = bales).

Industrial decline since the 1980s
If the East African states really want to try willing to build a powerful textile industry, they would almost from scratch start. The East African cotton production was mid- 1980 even at the height. Tanzania had  then 700,000 bales (à 185 kg) produces cotton, reports the weekly "The East African", Uganda and Kenya 400,000 100,000. Then it was just gone downhill. Kenya had last only 25,000 bales (2014), Uganda 150,000 bales (2015) and Tanzania produced 30,000 bales (2014).

East African textile factories and Entkörnungswerke for cotton (ginneries) have shut down or run down for the most part. The main reasons included industry experts, a lack of organization of the agricultural sector, high production costs, the inadequate use of quality inputs and over-reliance on a rain irrigation. Then in 1991 came yet added the liberalization of the sector: Cheap Used clothes conquered henceforth
the market.

Uniforms instead of fashion chic?
How difficult is the situation, be seen using the example of single Rwandan textile factory L'Usine Textile du Rwanda (UTEXRWA). 1984 began its operation,the 75-million-US $ - Investment. But for an average Rwandans were and are the products simply too expensive. Finally, the utilization was only at 20%, sales fell to an estimated $ 2 million to 3 million US. Almost all substances are already imported: cotton
fabrics from the East African neighbors, polyester materials from South Africa, Taiwan, Korea and Indonesia (Rep.).

To prevent the utter collapse of the company, the Rwandan government will soon raise the import tariffs on clothing gradually from 35% to 100%. Rwandan clothing retailers see the highly critical: UTEXRWA could neither quantity nor quality and certainly not fashionable Chic deliver, not now and not in ten years. Over military and school uniforms are not there, they say.

Prohibitions instead of better frame conditions
Foreign observers speak of a typical East African policy Quick shot: Because the governments want to defuse the ticking time bomb of rapidly rising unemployment, they sat on activism without the  consequences to sufficiently discuss. If East Africa wants to strengthen its industry, it must improve the framework. Bureaucracy, corruption, nepotism and monopolies are the ones that prevent the development of competitive industries for decades.

The winner of the new policy is expected to - be the PRC, which is expected to fill along with other low-cost producers, the expected supply vacuum - again. Clothing stores in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to show where we are headed: The cheapest Chinese commodity, wherever you look. The new Ethiopian textile and footwear industry is meanwhile mainly from Chinese companies which produce exclusively for export. to copy this model to other East African countries, however, is likely to fail, say industry insiders. Kenya and Tanzania are far too expensive, not to mention the landlocked countries of Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda throughout.

*) provisional; Quelle: Destatis

Protectionism to promote motor vehicle industry
Even more questionable than the East African textile policy is rekindled desire to raise its own automotive industry launched. Hopefuls nationalist politicians in Kenya is the "Mobius", an all-terrain vehicle primitive, which is equipped with a small engine from the Nissan NP200 pick-up truck. Students of Uganda Makerere University have meanwhile introduced with the help of the US Massachusetts Institute of
Technology two concept studies, the "Kiira EV Smak Car" and "Kayoola Solar Bus". While the Kenyan "development" is reminiscent of the technical status of the 2nd World War, set the Ugandan vehicles
conscious on renewable energy.

Although these backyard experiments also not likely to have the lowest commercial opportunities, they nevertheless serve currently as an excuse for protectionist import barriers, which resulted in imports are likely to be more difficult in favor of a local assembly of CKD kits.

• 2015 Sales reached eight-year high
• Particularly manufacturers of technical textiles successful

Prague (gtai) - The Czech textile and clothing industry is still on the upswing. Particularly in niche segments and with technical textiles the manufacturers achieve rising revenues since years. The investment climate in the sector therefore has been improved, the equipment suppliers are benefitting. German manufacturers of machinery for the textile and clothing industry were able to expand their exports to the Czech Republic in 2015 by one fifth.

With Czech Crowns 52.4 billion (Kc; EUR 1.9 bn) the Czech textile industry achieved so much revenue in 2015 as not anymore in the last eight years. According to the statistics office the clothing manufacturers output rose by 11%, that of textile manufacturing by 3%. Very good filled are the order books. For companies in the clothing industry the volume of new orders rose by over 13% in 2015, in the textile factories
by 4%.

According to the announcement of the professional association ATOK, the sector would have developed even better, if the growth markets in Asia and Africa would have not weakened. But fortunately the loss became offset by the traditional markets Germany, Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Austria and France. According to ATOK the textile segment of the Czech Republic exported goods worth equivalent of almost EUR 2.5 billion in 2015, corresponding to a trade surplus of almost EUR 30 million. In clothing, the country recorded a negative balance. Here goods were imported for Euro 2 billion and exported of EUR 1.3 Billion.

Source: Association of Textile, Garment and Leather Industry (ATOK, http://www.atok.cz)

Particularly in niche segments the clothing manufacturers can maintain themselves in their position. For example Triola from the northern Bohemia Horni Jiretin specializes in lingerie and successfully with oversizes. Also manufacturers like Timo, Pleas, Upavan or Linia can exist with underwear products on the market. According to reports from the business paper Hospodarske noviny Timo sells 200.000 pc. per year. The company offers among others prosthetic lingerie against breat tumors.In the next two years the family operation will invest more than EUR 700,000 in new technologies at the production site Litomerice (North Bohemia).

Hats and hoods are demanded in 30 countries

Another family company, Kama from Prague, specializes in headwear. With hats, scarves, headbands, gloves or hoods it makes now more than EUR 1 million per year and delivers to 30 countries. In Moravia-Silesia Sky Paragliders from Frydlant nad Ostravici invests around EUR 4 million in a weaving mill including a research center to develop new materials. The company produces emergency parachutes and rescue systems and belongs with annual revenues of EUR 2.7 million (2014) to the top ten manufacturers worldwide. It processes 200 kilometers of fabrics annually.

Thanks to favorable wages and the proximity to areas with good purchasing power smaller suppliers of made to measure products developed well. The company Janek from Roznov in Zlin produces,for example, 30,000 individually tailored shirts per year. Also suits and costumes belong to the assortment. Janes buy the yarn from a German yarn manufacturer which produces in the Czech Republic.

1) Change 2014 / 113 in%; 2) Fiscal year October 2012, 2013 till September 2013, 2014; 3) December 2012, 2013 till November 2013, 2014; 4) April 2013, 2014 till March 2014, 2015
Sources: Annual company reports, Trade register, Hospodarske noviny, Magazine Ekonom, CzechInvest, Association ATOK

The most actively trading companies in the textile sector are producing mostly for industrial consumers. Largest industry representative is the automotive supplier Borgers from Bocholt, which produces textile moldings, paneling, insulation and curtains for vehicles at four locations near Plzen. The second largest textile company Juta achieves half of its revenue from construction materials such as drainage mats, erosion control fabric or roof insulation. Moreover Juta makes a good business with packaging nets for potatoes or Christmas trees. One other growth area is artificial turf. The company invests nearly EUR 20 million every year, mainly in new production equipment.

Textile Machinery ordered for 250 m Euro

Other companies are expanding too. The manufacturer of workwear Waibel has expanded its site in2015. In Zdar nad Sazavou near Jihlava own collections and custom made programs are being manufactured. Clothing manufacturer Pleas invests annually over EUR 1 million in its equipment. The company belongs to the top 10 of the sector and produces annually 15 million pieces nightwear for the brands Schiesser and Pleas. The German machinery manufacturer Mayer & Cie. builds a factory for knitting machines in Vsetin. The production is expected to comence in summer 2016. The machines are designed for large manufactures particularly in Asia.

Source: Czech Statistical Office

• 80.000 trade visitors from 128 countries
• Significant increase in visitors from Europe
• 1,185 exhibitors from 50 countries
• LivingInteriors dazzles with Smarthome

From 18 to 24 January 2016 at imm cologne and LivingInteriors, a total of 1,185 companies from 50 countries presented the trends in furniture and furnishings for the coming year. Buyers from the trade with decisionmaking authority made for a dynamic trade fair during the first five days. With around 80,000 trade visitors from 128 countries, the event recorded a slight increase (4.8 percent) in trade fair visitor numbers compared to 2014. The proportion of visitors from abroad was 46 percent (based on the trade visitor days). The development in the number of visitors from overseas was positive, while the trade fair duo recorded an especially significant increase in the number of visitors from Europe.

"This outcome shows that imm cologne is unmatched as a business event for the global furniture and furnishings industry", said Gerald Böse, President and Chief Executive Officer of Koelnmesse, summing up the event.

"This is where the world comes together to do business, which offers a lot of new opportunities for export-oriented companies. At the same time, this fair duo has proved once again that business and creative inspiration are not mutually exclusive", Böse continued. "imm cologne was a wonderful furniture show and has got us off to a very successful start to the 2016 furniture year. With so many new products and ideas, innovations and great models in all price ranges, we are confident that the German furniture industry will achieve another increase in sales this year", added Dirk-Uwe Klaas, Managing Director of the Federal Association of the German Furniture Industry (VDM). This was confirmed by Hans Strothoff, President of the Federal Association of German Furniture, Kitchens and Furnishing Retailers (BVDM): "This year's imm cologne really stimulated a keen interest in furniture. Rarely has the mood in industry and trade been so positive as at this fair. Wherever you looked, only smiling faces and great optimism. imm cologne has really catapulted the industry into the new business year with a swing."

The atmosphere among visitors was characterised by business, networking and the search for trends. In the past few years, imm cologne has raised its international profile, not just among exhibitors, but also among visitors. 2016 saw a significant increase in buyers from Europe, primarily from the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Spain and Austria. The event also registered a clear increase in the number of visitors from overseas, especially from the USA, China and India. Including estimated figures for the last fair day, a total of 120.000 visitors were inspired by the interior design worlds.

In addition to the products on show, the highlights of the 2016 trade fair once again included "Das Haus - Interiors on Stage", a walk-through simulation of a home, which was designed this year by Sebastian Herkner, and the "Smart Home" special exhibition at LivingInteriors, where numerous companies showcased solutions for a cleverly networked home that are already available today.

Trends at imm cologne/LivingInteriors 2016

Homes are becoming homier once again Cosiness and a feeling of security are increasingly important in the home. There is also a clear enthusiasm for new combinations. Along with furniture and decorations, accessories and home textiles that suit people's preferences when used individually are combined freely. The result is homes that are as unique as their inhabitants.

Mid-century design is booming
Across all product sectors, a striking number of furniture designs are reminiscent of those from the 1940s through the 1960s. These designs make efficient use of materials, have delicate features and are lightweight and above all smaller. The trend can be explained by the smaller living spaces available in city homes, though also by a general sense of nostalgia. Like an old friend, sleek mid-century furniture proves its value in uncertain times.

Natural materials are on the rise
Wood, glass, stone and metal: natural materials are particularly popular. In addition to the large proportion of wood used, for example in tabletops, chair and table frames, valuable natural stone is an increasingly common material in tabletops. Popular varieties include the European classic "marble" as well as exotic South American stone with particularly unique veining. The use of tree bark in wall decoration is another trend on the horizon.

The next imm cologne will be held from 16 through 22 January 2017 in Cologne - together with LivingKitchen, the international event for all topics related to the kitchen.