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Foto: Vlad-Vasnetsov, PIXABAY
01.10.2019

FAIR TRADE MARKET CANADA

Economy
With an average GDP growth of 2% in 2018 and 2019, Canada now resembles the word’s 10th biggest economy and is worthy of a closer look wether it could serve as a sales market for investments.

Canada’s average GDP growth of 2 % in 2018 and 2019 initiates an examination if the country could serve as a market or if an investment in the country could be of value. In particular, the service sector, the manufacturing sector, energy and raw materials and agriculture form the Canadian economy. Canada’s business centers are Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, as well as the provinces Ontario and Quebec. The sometimes enormous distances between those regions should not be underestimated.

Economy
With an average GDP growth of 2% in 2018 and 2019, Canada now resembles the word’s 10th biggest economy and is worthy of a closer look wether it could serve as a sales market for investments.

Canada’s average GDP growth of 2 % in 2018 and 2019 initiates an examination if the country could serve as a market or if an investment in the country could be of value. In particular, the service sector, the manufacturing sector, energy and raw materials and agriculture form the Canadian economy. Canada’s business centers are Vancouver, Montreal, Toronto, as well as the provinces Ontario and Quebec. The sometimes enormous distances between those regions should not be underestimated.

An inner-Canadian trade agreement that came into effect in 2017 aims on the reduction of trade barriers among Canada’s provinces. In addition to that, an investment plan for infrastructure by the government should enable public investments in the amount of roundabout €120 Bil. by 2028. With its national climate strategy and the ratification of the Paris climate agreement, Canada also pursues an ambitious climate policy. Today, more than 50% of the needed electricity is already created by using renewable energies, even though the country has got the third-biggest energy and raw materials reserves in the world.

Due to its dependency on export, Canada is involved in many trade agreements (about a dozen bilateral free trade agreements). The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Canada and Mexico, which has been in existence since 1994, is expected to be renewed and replaced on January 1st 2020 by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) With the EU, Canada's second most important trading partner, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) has been provisionally in force since 21st September 2017. Furthermore, Canada signed the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (CPTPP) at the beginning of 2018. Besides that, there are amongst other trade agreements with the EFTA-States, as well as South Korea and the Ukraine.

Automotive parts, oil and raw materials (excluding fuels) account for more than one third of Canada's total exports. The US are the biggest customer of Canadian goods with a share of 75.9% of exports. The majority of goods being imported in Canada are motor vehicles and automotive parts; machines and chemical products. The main exporters to Canada in 2017 were the US (51.3%) and China (12.6%), followed by Mexico (6.3%) and Germany (3.2%). Germany mainly exports cars and parts and machinery to Canada and imports raw materials.

Economy Data 2017/2018 (Estimations/Forecasts)
GDP 1,820 Bil. USD (2019)
Population 37.1 Mio. (2018)
Exports to Germany 4.4 Bil. Euro
Imports from Germany 9.7 Bil. Euro

Source: GTAI, AHK, AA

Fair market
The close economic relations with the US are also reflected in the exhibition industry. For Canadian exhibitors and visitors, it does not make much of a difference in terms of time and logistics whether a trade show takes place in the neighbouring United States or in Canada. Therefore, many of them take advantage of the opportunity to participate in international fairs in the US. However, some Canadian trade fairs are among the industry's leading trade shows in North America or even worldwide. These include, for instance, the GPS Global Petroleum Show (oil and gas industry) and the Buildings Show (construction industry), but also the PDAC (commodities) and Canada's Farm Progress Show (agriculture) fairs. For exhibitors and visitors from the US and from all over the world, participation at these fairs is indispensable. In addition to the international fairs, there are various regional fairs, which are mainly used by local companies of specific industries.
 
Just as in the US, in Canada it is common for trade fairs to be either organized by trade associations or in cooperation with a trade fair organizer. It also makes sense in Canada to first test the interest in one's own products at a trade show and, in a second step, to decide on a branch or a sales partner. Canadian trade fair visitors are accessible and relaxed, which facilitates the first conversation. The stand construction is usually less expensive than in Germany and the exhibition halls are more compact.

Since the mid-1970s, the Canadian Association of Exposure Management (CAEM) has represented the interests of the Canadian exhibition industry. The members are organizations or persons organizing trade fairs, consumer exhibitions or similar events. Fair-related service providers can become associated members. Among other, the association provides its members with ‘Best Practice Guidelines’ for health and safety. As a partner of the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), CAEM also offers specific courses for the Canadian trade fair industry as part of the Certified in Exhibition Management (CEM).
 
Fairs und Organizers 
The Association of the German Trade Fair Industry (AUMA) approximately lists around 40 fairs in Canada every year. The majority of these events takes place in Toronto, followed by Montreal, Vancouver and Calgary.

Similar to the US, most of the fairs are being organized by the industry associations. Fairs and accompaniment-events are one of the key services for their members, but also the main source of income of the associations. With the main emphasis on metalworking and processing, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers organizes among other the FabTech Fair Canada. The vast majority of organizers only hosts one fair per year. The Canadian Institute of Mining, Metallurgy & Petroleum (CIM), for instance, organizes the CIM Annual Convention (Mining) annually at changing places. The Society of Petroleum Engineers organizes the ATCE – Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition fair (Petrochemistry) - and the Woodworking Network carries out the WMS - Woodworking Machinery & Supply Expo (Woodworking).
 
Also, there are for-profit fair organizers, that host different fairs in Canada. The British company Informa PLC for instance has been active on the Canadian market since the takeover of the fair Fan Expo Canada in 2010. Over the years, the enterprise continuously extended its portfolio among other with the takeover of the company MMPI Canada. Dmg events also organizes various trade fairs in Canada, for example the trade show GPS - Global Petroleum Show & Conference. In the field of food and beverage the French company COMEXPOSIUM organizes the trade fair SIAL Canada. The activities of Messe Frankfurt GmbH and Deutsche Messe AG in the Canadian market are explained in more detail in the section "German Organizers".

Year Fairs in Canada*
2020 41
2019 46
2018 44
2017 43
2016 39
2015 41

* listed in AUMA fair database

German Organizers
The Messe Frankfurt GmbH has been active in Canada since 2005. Part of the Portfolio are two fairs, that take place simultaneously, the Waste & Recycling Expo Canada and the Municipal Equipment Expo.

Since 2014 the Deutsche Messe AG is represented in Canada by its subsidiary Hannover Fairs with the CanWEA fair (wind energy). The fair has been organized annually in collaboration with the Candian Wind Energy Association. Another cooperation with the solar industry association (Canadian Solar Industries Association) concerned the organization of the solar Canada fair, which was being held until 2019. The two fairs are being merged from 2020 on as Electricity Transformation Canada. In addition to that the Truck World fair is being organized in cooperation with Newcom Business Media every two years.

Contact
AHK Kanada
Deutsch-Kanadische Industrie- und Handelskammer  Canadian German Chamber of Industry and Commerce Inc.  
480 University Avenue
Suite 1500
Toronto, Ontario M5G 1V2
Phone +1 416 598 33 55
Fax: +1 416 598 18 40
E-Mail: Info.toronto@germanchamber.ca  
Website: http://kanada.ahk.de
 
CAEM Canadian Association of Exposition Management
E-Mail: info@caem.ca
Website: https://caem.ca/
 
Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI)
E-Mail: info@gtai.de  
Webseite: www.gtai.de
 
Auswärtiges Amt
Botschaft der Bundesrepublik Deutschland Postadresse:
P.O. Box 379, Postal Station „A“ Ottawa, Ontario  K1N 8V4
Phone: +1 613-232-1101
Fax: +1 613-780-1527
Website: https://canada.diplo.de/ca-de

AUMA
Christine Zander  
Referent global markets
Regions: North America, Latin-America, Subsahara-Africa, South East Asia, Australia; Voting of foreign trade fair participations, EU-topics
Phone: +49 30 24000-125
Fax: +49 30 24000-320
E-Mail: c.zander@auma.de

 

 

China Gerd Altmann, Pixabay
17.09.2019

FAIR MARKET CHINA

The People's Republic of China has experienced unprecedented economic growth since the late 1970s, with average double-digit growth rates. Over the past 10 years, the country has become the export world champion and holds the position as the second largest economy after the USA for almost as long. Along with the economic boom, modern China faces major challenges, including high wage increases, massive environmental problems and overcapacity in many industrial sectors.
 

The People's Republic of China has experienced unprecedented economic growth since the late 1970s, with average double-digit growth rates. Over the past 10 years, the country has become the export world champion and holds the position as the second largest economy after the USA for almost as long. Along with the economic boom, modern China faces major challenges, including high wage increases, massive environmental problems and overcapacity in many industrial sectors.
 
Unlike at the beginning of the opening policy more than 40 years ago, when foreign investors with the appropriate technology and know-how were targeted, China is now pursuing a strategy to strengthen the domestic market. With the support of the "Made in China 2025" decree adopted in 2015, the Middle Kingdom is to become one of the leading industrial nations in three ten-year programs by 2045. In doing so, the government is focusing on promoting innovation, increasing production efficiency, optimizing the industrial structure and "green" production. Key sectors such as robotics, medical technology, electromobility and modern agricultural technology are defined as particularly eligible. The development of Industry 4.0 is also of great importance.

Economic data 2018/2019* (estimates and forecasts)
GDP      USD 14,217 billion*
Population    1,395.4 billion
Exports    USD 2,487.4 billion
Exports to Germany EUR 106.3 billion
Imports USA 2,135.6 Mrd. billion
Imports from Germany EUR 93.1 billion 

    Source: GTAI, Ministry of Foreign Affairs    

China's regions have developed at different rates. Although the economically strong regions at the east and southeast coast of the country generate about half of the annual GDP, the areas in central and western China are recovering dynamically. With the "go-west" policy, since the turn of the millennium, the Chinese government has been increasingly working to promote and develop the western regions, increasing the attractiveness of the affected regions to foreign investment and business settlements. 

Another ambitious project is designed for decades: The “One Belt and One Road” initiative, i.e. the revival of the "Silk Road", which connects more than 60 states in Asia and Europe via land and water. Planned and already implemented billion investment in the construction of ports, railways and telecommunications equipment. Opportunities for German companies exist above all for providers of special equipment in rail, shipping, port and aviation technology. 
 
German-Chinese economic relations have developed very well in recent decades. At the beginning of 2014, the first Chinese Chamber of Commerce (CHKD) in Europe was founded in Berlin to promote the intensification of trade relations. Since 2011, Germany and China have been conducting regular government consultations that include comprehensive strategic partnerships.  

In 2018, German exports to China amounted to EUR 93 billion. Imports from China today amount to more than EUR 100 billion. With a trade volume of about EUR 200 billion in 2018, Germany is by far China's most important European trading partner. For Germany, the People's Republic of China is again the most important trading partner in Asia and the third most important worldwide. The main products supplied to China are machinery, motor vehicles and automotive parts, electrical engineering and chemical products. Around 5,200 German companies are based in China; around 900 Chinese companies have settled in Germany. 
          
Trade Fair Industry
Although China's economy is slowing, the world's second-largest economy continues to grow. Investments worth billions in infrastructure, housing, climate and environmental protection, combined with the construction and expansion of trade fair venues, have made China the most important trade fair venue in Asia, and this position is undisputed. Especially in cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, the professionalism of the trade fair organizers is high, above all because of the numerous international cooperation. 
 
The fairs in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou continue to characterize the Chinese fair landscape. Beijing as an important trade fair location is characterized by its proximity to political decision-makers and the extensive expansion of infrastructure. The majority of the major trade fairs take place in Shanghai and the concentration of international organizers is high.  

The increased reorientation of the Chinese economy on the domestic market also influences the further development of the Chinese trade fair landscape, as the exhibition industry is increasingly turning to the service sector, digitization, automation, health, education and high-quality consumption.  

The "New Silk Road" project also has a major influence on the Chinese trade fair industry: Chinese organizers are increasingly conducting trade fairs and trade fair participations in countries that are to be linked via the Silk Road. In 2018, 76 trade fair organizers were involved in 718 trade fairs in 33 countries, an increase of around 14% compared to the previous year. Most of the fairs were classified as multi-sector and machine-building exhibitions. With an increase of 19% compared to the previous year, the majority of the exhibition-related projects were realized in Russia.

Country Number of Fairs Exhibitors from China
Russia 132 3,870
India 89 3,129
United Arab Emirates 82 3,906
Turkey 30 1,728
Thailand 47 1,641

Since 2015, the Chinese State Council has been pursuing the strategy of making the domestic trade fair industry more international and transparent by 2020. For example, the approval of new trade fairs is to be gradually decentralized and responsibility transferred to the provinces. There is a noticeable professionalization of trade fairs outside the traditional trade fair locations of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. In addition, China has developed into the world's largest e-commerce market, i.e. online platforms are used as distribution channels for products. This development is also increasingly affecting trade fairs as a marketing instrument, as traditional aspects of trade fairs are virtualized.   
 
The main problem for the Chinese trade fair industry remains the great complexity of the Chinese trade fair market with its many trade fair offerings, which vary greatly in terms of quality. In addition, the "Go West" strategy of the Chinese government to promote and develop the western regions has resulted in a large number of trade fair centers that are often not profitable due to their low capacity utilization. In 2018, for example, around 9.83 million m2 of exhibition space is said to have been available in 164 exhibition centers in China. More than half of the exhibition grounds had a utilization rate of less than 10%. The competition between trade fair locations for trade show themes and thus exhibitors and visitors lead to overlapping themes and schedules. Sufficient information or independently collected data on space utilization, exhibitor and visitor numbers are scarce and make it difficult for everyone involved to make the right trade fair selection.

Trade fair cities and exhibition venues
In China, many large exhibition centers have been built during the last 10 years. In 2018, 164 exhibition centers with a hall area capacity of 9.83 million m² were counted. That were 11 exhibition centers or 480,000 m² more than in 2017. Shanghai is the most important exhibition hub in the country - two of the largest exhibition centers are located here.

The 10 largest fairgrounds in China (more than 100,000 m²)
Venue     Gross hall size in m²
National Exh. & Conv. Ctr (NECC), Shanghai 400,000
China Import & Export Fair Complex, Guangzhou 338,000
Kunming Dianchi Intern. Conv. & Exh. Centre 300,000
Western China International Expo City, Chengdu 205,000
Chongqing International Expo Centre 200,000
Shanghai New International Expo Centre (SNIEC) 200,000
Wuhan International Expo Centre 150,000
Nanchang Greenland International Expo Center 140,000
Xiamen International Conference & Exhibition Center 140,000
GD Modern International Exhibition Center, Houjie 130,000

Additional fairgrounds were built over the last years e.g.in the provinces Shandong and Guangdong. With a covered exhibition area of 1.54 million m2 spread over 21 fair grounds the southern province Guangdong takes the top position in China.

German Engagement
In a comparison of countries, the People's Republic of China takes first place concerning German trade fair organizers’ self-organized events abroad. The concepts of these events are based on the standards of leading international trade fairs in Germany. Almost all major German trade fair organizers are active in China. By far the most attractive market is the economic metropolis of Shanghai.

Outside the leading trade fair cities of Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou, German organizers are active in Chengdu, Changsha, Foshan, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Qingdao and Xian. 

Year Number GTQ** China (without Hongkong) Shanghai
2019* 324 86 51
2018 321 88 51
2017 300 83 50
2016 296 84 49
2015 295 84 49

* preliminary
**Self-organized events by German trade fair organizers are advertised by AUMA with the label "German Trade Fair Quality Abroad" (GTQ). 
Source: AUMA database
 
Foeign Trade Fair Program 
In the PRC, German companies can present themselves at numerous well-established trade fairs under the umbrella brand "made in Germany" within the Foreign Trade Fair Program. The trade fair participations in the form of German Pavilions cover a large part of the capital goods sector, such as mechanical engineering, food and packaging machinery, automotive supply industry, plumbing, heating, air conditioning, agricultural technology, health care to chemical and environmental engineering. But also, furniture, fashion and consumer goods fairs have been an important part of the program for many years. China is the most important trade fair venue for German companies within the Foreign Trade Fair Program, with Shanghai remaining by far the most important trade fair location.

Contacts
Delegation of German Industry and Commerce Beijing
E-Mail: info@bj.china.ahk.de 
Homepage: http://www.china.ahk.de

Delegation of German Industry and Commerce Shanghai
E-Mail: office@sh.china.ahk.de  
Homepage: http://www.china.ahk.de

Delegation of German Industry and Commerce Guangzhou
E-Mail: info@gz.china.ahk.de  
Homepage: http://www.china.ahk.de

Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany
E-Mail: embassy@peki.diplo.de  
Homepage: http://www.peking.diplo.de

AUMA e.V.
Natalja Winges
Manager
Regions: Eastern Europe, Central and East Asia
Tel.: +49 30 24 000 124 Fax: +49 30 24 000 320
E-Mail: n.winges@auma.de

More information:
China trade fairs
Source:

AUMA Association of the German Trade Fair Industry

Bild von Michael de Groot auf Pixabay
13.08.2019

TRADE FAIR MARKET NETHERLANDS

  • EXPORT NATION WITH LARGE TRADE FAIR PORTFOLIO

The economy is flourishing and economic forecasts are rising: The Netherlands is one of the five largest export nations in the world.  Motor of the Dutch economy and at the same time the cultural center is the Randstad region, which comprises the major cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. The most important trade fair venues in the country are also located here, off from the seat of the government in The Hague.

  • EXPORT NATION WITH LARGE TRADE FAIR PORTFOLIO

The economy is flourishing and economic forecasts are rising: The Netherlands is one of the five largest export nations in the world.  Motor of the Dutch economy and at the same time the cultural center is the Randstad region, which comprises the major cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. The most important trade fair venues in the country are also located here, off from the seat of the government in The Hague.
The trade fair venue of Amsterdam, which is operated by RAI Amsterdam, the Dutch trade fair company with the highest turnover, is of primary importance here. The ISE Integrated Systems Europe, IBC - International Broadcasting Convention and the Modefabriek are among the trade fairs with the largest number of visitors and an international focus. Due to the proximity of the market, however, national and regional trade fairs can also be of interest to German companies.
 
Economy
The Dutch economy is flourishing, above all due to private consumption and investment activity of companies. The Dutch economy is expected to grow by 3% in 2018 and 2.6% in 2019, according to Germany Trade & Invest. To the Dutch gross domestic product (GDP) 55% services, 12% industrial production and 4% by the construction industry contribute.

The Netherlands is one of the five largest export nations in the world. They are particularly dependent on the world trade, as around 45% of exports are re-exports. 75% of the Netherlands' exports go to the EU, 25% thereof to Germany. This makes Germany the Netherlands' most important foreign trade partner. In terms of imports, China has meanwhile taken the first place, followed by Germany, Belgium, the USA and Great Britain. From a German perspective, the Netherlands, with a trade volume of EUR 167.3 billion in 2017, was Germany's second most important trading partner (after China).
 
German exports of pharmaceuticals, food, machinery and motor vehicles play a particularly important role in the German-Dutch trade. Imports to Germany include food, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, gas and electronics.

The four large cities Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht, located in the west of the country, are grouped together under the name Randstad. This region is the engine of the Dutch economy and the cultural center of the country. The Randstad is home to 42% of the total population. Half of all jobs are located there. Consequently, half of the GDP is generated in the Randstad.

Economic data 2017/2018 (estimates/forecasts)
GDP 733.1 bn. EUR
Residents  17.1 bn. EUR
Exports to Germany 91.3 bn. EUR
Imports from Germany 85.8 bn. EUR

  Source: AHK, Ministry of Foreign Affair, GTAI
   
Exhibition industry
180 trade fairs were organized in the Netherlands in 2017. As in the previous year, 68% of these trade fairs were nationally oriented, while 21 trade fairs had an international reach (12%). This means that fewer international trade fairs took place than in the previous year (26), but four more than 2015 (19), which is the more meaningful year of comparison due to many trade fairs with a two-year cycle. 45,144 exhibitors and 1.7 million trade visitors took part in the 180 trade fairs in 2017. The 21 international trade fairs, which had 9,527 exhibitors and 310,065 visitors, were also very successful.

Between 2010 and 2014, there were significantly more trade fairs than in 2017, around 230 trade fairs per year. The decline primarily affects national trade fairs and is attributable to cooperation between organizers and the consolidation of trade fairs. The average number of exhibitors and visitors in 2017 was significantly higher than in 2014, while the number of trade fairs with an international orientation changed only slightly.

In 2017 a total of 539 professional trade fairs and public exhibitions took place in the Netherlands. 6.3 million visitors came to see the products and services on offer from 101,780 exhibitors. These figures were announced by the Dutch industry association Centrum Voor Live Communication (CLC-VECTA).

  2017 2016 2015 2014
Industry and consumer fairs 539 608  562 579
Thereof industry fairs 180 214 207 231
- thereof international 21 26 19 28
Consumer fairs 359 394 355 348

Source: Jaarcijfers Beurzen 2017, CLC-VECTA

Trade fair organizations
The trade fair industry in the Netherlands is represented by the association CLC-VECTA. This is the industry association for companies and professionals who organize, host and provide trade shows, conventions and events. The network has around 200 members. CLC-VECTA publishes annual figures on the Dutch trade fair market and provides information about events in the industry.

In the smaller NVBO (Nederlandse Veriniging van Beursorganisatoren) with 18 members, mostly smaller Dutch trade fair organizers are organized usually without an exhibition venue of their own.
For their foreign trade activities, Dutch companies are looking for international platforms abroad, especially in Germany. In 2017, 5,576 companies from the Netherlands exhibited at 148 trade fairs in Germany. This corresponds to 59% of companies represented at international trade fairs in the Netherlands.
 
The AUMA trade fair database lists between 85 and 90 trade fairs in the Netherlands every year. Only individual trade fairs have tested figures. Due to the proximity of the market, national and regional trade fairs may be of interest to German companies.

The Dutch industry association CLC-VECTA announces the number of exhibition organizers at 270 in 2017. Of these, 95 organizers organized 180 trade fairs. Most fairs are organized by Easyfairs, Jaarbeurs Utrecht and RAI Amsterdam.

Trade fairs and organizers
Of the 25 most visited trade fairs in 2017, six are internationally oriented:

Exhibition City Organizer Number of visitors Number of
exhibitors
ISE - Integrated Systems Europe Amsterdam Integrated Systems Europe 73,413 1,192
IBC - International Broadcasting Convention Amsterdam International Broadcast Convention 57,669 1,076
Modefabriek Amsterdam Modefabriek BV 38,000 600
Europort Rotterdam Rotterdam Ahoy 26,733 1,100
METSTRADE - Marine Equipment Trade Show Amsterdam RAI Amsterdam 24,865 1,552
Aquatech Amsterdam Amsterdam RAI Amsterdam 20,490 909

Contact

German-Dutch Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Website: https://www.dnhk.org/

German Embassy Den Haag
Website: https://niederlande.diplo.de/nl-de/vertretungen/botschaft

German Consulate General Amsterdam
Website: https://niederlande.diplo.de/nl-de/service/generalkonsulat1

Germany Trade & Invest (GTAI)
E-Mail: info@gtai.de
Website: http://www.gtai.de

AUMA
Heike Schöttle
Specialist global markets
Regions: Western Europe, Middle East / North Africa, South Asia
Tel.: +49 30 24000-126
Fax: +49 30 24000-320
E-Mail: h.schoettle@auma.de

Source:

AUMA Ausstellungs- und Messe-Ausschuss der Deutschen Wirtschaft e.V.

Gerd Altmann: PIXABAY
02.04.2019

ITALY'S SHOE AND LEATHER INDUSTRY WANTS TO BECOME MORE DIGITAL

  • Rethinking in traditional industry

Italy's shoe and shoe technology manufacturers are losing market share in important markets and want to make their production more efficient and digital. German companies score points in niches.

Even though 9 out of 10 shoes today come from Asia, Europe's largest shoe producer Italy still ranks among the top ten of the world's largest shoe producers and is the undisputed market leader in the luxury segment. Nevertheless, sales in terms of volume at home and abroad are falling and so is production. At the moment, the sector can only secure its turnover through higher prices.

  • Rethinking in traditional industry

Italy's shoe and shoe technology manufacturers are losing market share in important markets and want to make their production more efficient and digital. German companies score points in niches.

Even though 9 out of 10 shoes today come from Asia, Europe's largest shoe producer Italy still ranks among the top ten of the world's largest shoe producers and is the undisputed market leader in the luxury segment. Nevertheless, sales in terms of volume at home and abroad are falling and so is production. At the moment, the sector can only secure its turnover through higher prices.

The decline in export demand, which accounts for around 85 percent of Italian footwear, is particularly painful. According to the sector association Assocalzaturifici, international sales fell by around 4 million pairs between January and October 2018. Only an average price increase of 6.4 percent enabled a year-on-year increase. On the German sales market, sales of Italian shoes also stagnated at around EUR 1 billion, while German shoe exports to Italy, with a plus of 34.5 percent to around EUR 485 million, achieved one of the highest growth rates in German trade with Italy.

Orders received by the Italian footwear industry in the fourth quarter of 2018 declined both domestic (-2.5 percent) and abroad (-0.9 percent). The only market segment that is still growing in Italy itself are sports shoes/sneakers. According to experts, the falling number of units drives manufacturers to find solutions that help to reduce production costs.

Opportunities for Germans in Digital Change and in niches
In the shoe and leather technology domestic manufacturers dominate. Assomac, the Association for Shoe and Leather Technology, estimates, that in 2018 the approximately 240 Italian companies in the sector achieved a turnover of around EUR 760 million. By contrast, exports of shoe and leather machinery, which account for around three quarters of the sector sales, fell by around 6.2 percent in 2018. Italy is by far the most important exporter of leather and shoe technology in the world. In 2018, shoe and leather machinery worth of around EUR 439 billion went abroad, particularly to China, Vietnam and India.

German deliveries of shoe and leather technology to Italy are at a low level and, according to the VDMA trade association Textile Care, Fabric and Leather Technologies, reached around EUR 4 million in 2018. Italy thus ranked fourth behind China, the USA and Mexico in terms of export destinations. With foreign deliveries of around EUR 50 million per year, Germany is the world's fifth largest exporter.

Market experts see opportunities for German companies in Italy with components that help domestic companies in international competition, for example the use of intelligent and networking machines. Despite their great competence, Italian manufacturers are very traditional and are struggling with the digital changes. But industry experts report that the companies are rethinking and interested in new solutions.
"We support our Italian customers in installing more software solutions for sewing machines and in networking machines," says Sebastian Feges, sales engineer at the Schwetzingen-based company EFKA, one of the last German companies in the sewing industry.  EFKA supplies Italian shoe and leather machine manufacturers with sewing drive controls. The company scores particularly well in areas where maximum precision is essential and every wrong stitch leads to expensive scrap, such as leather seats for Ferrari. According to Feges, money for investments in Italy is not easy to get at the moment. However, he sees an interesting perspective in the promotion of the Italian government for the purchase of industry 4.0 equipment and software, the so-called Iperammortamento, which is not yet sufficiently known.

Further opportunities exist in niches that are gaining in importance due to current industry trends such as digital printing on leather. The machines of Hansa Mixer from Bremen produce foam for textile and digital printing and the sealing of leather hides. "We offer a niche product that can be used anywhere," General Sales Manager Achim Schmidt says. In addition to the shoe and leather industry, Hansa Mixer also supplies food manufacturers such as Ferrero. "Italy is an interesting market for us and we expect good orders."

Another industry trend is greater sustainability, especially in the often-criticized leather industry. Assomac is expressly committed to this goal and has – next to other thing - introduced the new Targa Verde certificate.

 

Kennzahlen der italienischen Schuhindustrie 2018
Indicator Value Change in 2018/2017
Imports of shoe and leather machinery (HS 8453) EUR 36 mio 5.6
Footwear production 185.7 million pairs -2.6
Domestic Shoe industry sales EUR 7.8 billion 0.7
Export volume 2018 176.5 mio pairs -2.3
Export revenues EUR 9.6 billion 3.9

Sources: Assocalzaturifici, Instat

The Italian footwear industry consists of about 4,700 companies with about 77,000 employees. According to the industry association Assocalzaturifici, sector sales in 2017 amounted to about EUR 14.2 billion. Industry clusters are the regions of Venice, Tuscany, Marche, Lombardy, Campania, Apulia and Emilia Romagna. The cluster in Brento, Veneto produces about 11 percent of the national output. Also International manufacturers such as LVMH and Louis Vuitton are investing and producing in Italy.

 

TEXTILE INDUSTRY IN PAKISTAN MUST MODERNIZE Photo: OpenClipart-Vectors at Pixabay
26.03.2019

TEXTILE INDUSTRY IN PAKISTAN MUST MODERNIZE

  • The cultivation of cotton is to be expanded

Pakistan's textile industry has lost competitiveness. Investments in new textile technology are necessary. Exports of German machinery increase.

The textile industry is Pakistan's most important industrial sector. In Pakistan's fiscal year 2017/18 (July 1st 2017 to June 30th 2018), the textile industry accounted for 8.5 percent of gross domestic product. The sector accounted for about a quarter of the total industrial value added. It is by far the country's most important export sector. Textile exports accounted for 58 percent of total exports in 2017/18.

  • The cultivation of cotton is to be expanded

Pakistan's textile industry has lost competitiveness. Investments in new textile technology are necessary. Exports of German machinery increase.

The textile industry is Pakistan's most important industrial sector. In Pakistan's fiscal year 2017/18 (July 1st 2017 to June 30th 2018), the textile industry accounted for 8.5 percent of gross domestic product. The sector accounted for about a quarter of the total industrial value added. It is by far the country's most important export sector. Textile exports accounted for 58 percent of total exports in 2017/18.

However, the international competitiveness of the sector is currently declining. This trend should turn around. Prime Minister Imran Khan met with representatives of the textile industry at the end of January 2019. Economic policy aims to expand and modernize the textile industry. Production costs are to be reduced and productivity increased. In addition, quality improvements, production expansions and higher added value are necessary.

The textile industry's value chain begins with around 1,300 companies that are ginning, process and bale raw cotton. In addition to the demand for cotton, the demand for synthetic fibers is also increasing, although there are only three manufacturers of polyester fibers in Pakistan to date.

The number of spinning mills is estimated at 517 in 2017 and the number of weaving mills at 124 large and 425 medium-sized and small mills. Ten large and 625 medium-sized and small companies process fabrics. Towels were produced by about 400 companies, knitted fabrics by 2,500 companies. Clothing made of woven fabrics was supplied by 50 large factories and 2,500 medium-sized and small factories.

Export transactions stagnate
Pakistan's textile exports grew by 8.7 percent to USD 13.5 billion in 2017/18. This level was already reached in 2013/14 and 2014/15. Textile exports in the first seven months of fiscal year 2018/19 (July 18th to January 19th) increased slightly by 1.2 percent year-on-year to US$ 7.8 billion.

Pakistan: exports of yarn, fabrics and clothing (USD million) *)
Products 2013/14 2014/15 2015/16 2016/17 2017/18
Total 13,733 13,471 12,447 12,452 13,530
.Cotton yarn 1,997 1,849 1,265 1,244 1,372
.Cotton fabrics 2,770 2,453 2,214 2,136 2,204
.Towels 767 797 803 801 797
.Bed linen 2,138 2,103 2,020 2,136 2,261
.Clothing 1,906 2,095 2,195 2,319 2,579
.Knitted goods 2,294 2,406 2,364 2,361 2,720
.Other products 1,858 1,767 1,586 1,452 1,597

*) Fiscal years (July to June)

Sources: All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA); Pakistan Bureau of Statistics; Textile Commissioner's Organization

The All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) aims to increase exports to USD 28 billion by 2023/24. This requires consistent state support and long-term export promotion, according to the association.

The leading foreign customer is the USA. Other important customers include the United Kingdom, Germany and Spain. In 2017 and 2018, Germany imported textile materials and goods worth EUR 1 billion from Pakistan.

Machine imports still declining
Imports of textile machinery in 2013/14 amounted still to USD 599 million. In the following three years it was USD 449 million (2014/15), USD 462 million (2015/16) and USD 557 million (2016/17). Imports are not currently showing an upward trend despite the need for modernization. According to the statistics authority, they fell by 42 per cent to USD 325 million in 2017/18. There are still no signs of a recovery in 2018/19 either.

Pakistan: Imports of selected textile machinery (USD million)
HS-Positions 2014 2015 2016 2017
84.45 Spinning machines etc. 230 162 162 246
84.46 Looms 84 73 107 90
84.47 Knitting machines etc. 70 84 65 75
84.48 Auxiliary machinery for
HS headings 84.44 to 84.47
85 70 77 82

Sources: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, UN Comtrade

Business trip to the fifth largest customer of German spinning technology
According to calculations by the German Engineering Federation (VDMA), German textile machinery exports to Pakistan increased to EUR 53 million in 2017. The previous year's figure was EUR 48 million, EUR 39 million of which was attributable to spinning machines.

A business trip of German companies from the textile machinery and accessories sectors will take place to Karachi and Lahore from November 11th to 15th 2019. The Federal Ministry of Economics and Energy will promote and the company SBS Systems for Business Solution will organize the trip (contact: Thomas Nytsch, e-mail: thomasnytsch@sbs-business.com).

Cotton production to be strongly increased
The local cotton production is the base of the textile industry. After India, China and the USA, Pakistan is the fourth largest cotton producer, followed by Brazil and Uzbekistan. Without an increase in local crop yields, the growth of the textile industry is limited. Increased imports of cotton would further reduce the industry's struggling international competitiveness.

In an international comparison, the country is one of the cotton producers with the lowest yields per hectare. Australia, Turkey, China and Brazil form the leading group with about 1,600 to 1,700 kilograms per hectare. Pakistan only reaches 600 to 800 kilograms.

Pakistan: Cotton production
Year Cultivation area
(in hectares)
Production
(in 1,000 bales) 1)
Yield per hectare
(in kilograms)
2013/14 2,086 12,769 774
2014/15 2,961 13,960 802
2015/16 2,902 9,917 582
2016/17 2,489 10,671 730
2017/18 2,699 11,935 752
2018/19 2) 2,500 11,000 748

1) one bale = 170 kilograms, 2) Forecast
Source: Pakistan Bureau of Statistics; research by Germany Trade & Invest

The government has set a production target of around 15 million bales for 2019/20. APTMA believes an increase to 20 million bales is possible by 2023/24. The association assumes that there will be about 2,800 hectares of cultivated land and an increase in yields per hectare to 1,200 kilograms.

Problems with the supply of cotton

Baumwolle wird vor allem in den Provinzen Punjab und Sindh angebaut. Die Baumwollproduktion erreichte 2014/15 noch rund 14 Millionen Ballen. Die Ernte fiel 2015/16 auf unter 10 Millionen und lag 2017/18 bei 12 Millionen Ballen. Die Produktion ist 2018/19 wieder gesunken, ein Wert von etwa 11 Millionen Ballen wird prognostiziert. Als Gründe werden unter anderem Wassermangel, eine schlechte Qualität der Pflanzenschutzmittel und minderwertiges Saatgut genannt. Zudem sei die finanzielle und regulatorische Unterstützung der Regierung unzureichend, so Branchenvertreter.

The local supply could therefore no longer cover the annual cotton demand of the textile industry of 15 to 16 million bales in recent years. Textile manufacturers therefore imported cotton mainly from India and China, about 3 million to 4 million bales a year. However, imports from India have been stopped since February 2019. The background to this is the political tensions and recent military conflicts between the two states.

More information:
Pakistan Pakistan
Source:

Robert Espey, Germany Trade & Invest www.gtai.de

Photo: pasja1000 Pixabay
19.03.2019

SRI LANKA'S APPAREL AND TEXTILE EXPORTS RECEIVE A BOOST

  • Modernization of production facilities required

Thanks to the reactivated GSP import status of the European Union, Sri Lanka's textile and clothing industry is looking to the future with confidence and expects better sales opportunities abroad.

The textile and clothing industry is of macroeconomic importance for Sri Lanka. The sector accounted for almost 43 per cent of the country's total exports in 2018 and provides employment for nearly 350,000 workers in the formal sector and about twice as many in the informal sector. In total, this is about 33 percent of all jobs in the manufacturing industry. The majority of employees are women.

  • Modernization of production facilities required

Thanks to the reactivated GSP import status of the European Union, Sri Lanka's textile and clothing industry is looking to the future with confidence and expects better sales opportunities abroad.

The textile and clothing industry is of macroeconomic importance for Sri Lanka. The sector accounted for almost 43 per cent of the country's total exports in 2018 and provides employment for nearly 350,000 workers in the formal sector and about twice as many in the informal sector. In total, this is about 33 percent of all jobs in the manufacturing industry. The majority of employees are women.

The textile and clothing industry contribute around 6 percent to the gross domestic product (GDP). "In view of the development of other sectors, it is very unlikely that another industry will reach this level of performance in the short to medium term," Jeevani Siriwardena, head of the Export Development Board (EDB), said in an interview with Germany Trade and Invest. The textile and clothing industry will continue to be an important sector for the Sri Lankan economy.

Short to medium-term prospects are good
On May 18th 2017, the European Union (EU) reactivated the Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) status for Sri Lanka after a seven-year time-out. This means that when goods are exported to the EU, the island state is exempted from customs duties on more than 66 percent of customs tariff lines. "Without GSP status, Sri Lanka's export losses are said to have cost around 32 billion between 2010 and 2017," stressed Ravindi Ranaraja, Deputy Head of the Export Service Division of EDB, in a GTAI interview. In particular, the strongly export-oriented clothing and textile industry will benefit from the regained GSP status. Sri Lanka's textile and clothing industry is looking to the future with confidence and also expects better sales opportunities abroad.

Sri Lanka's textile and clothing exports to the EU and Germany in 2018
(in USD million; change year-on-year in %)  
HS-Code Definition
 
EU
 
Change
 
Germany *) Change
 
61 Articles of apparel and clothing accessories, knitted or crocheted 1,177 0.7 232.55 9.6
62 Garments and clothing accessories, not knitted or crocheted 874 7.6 151.59 18.1
63 Other made-up textile articles; sets worn clothing and used textile articles 52 18.2 7.8 13.5
Total   2,103 3.9 391.92 12.8

*) Estimation
Sources: Sri Lanka Apparel Exporters Association; press releases; calculations by Germany Trade & Invest; Destatis, February 2019

Positive impulses are already visible. According to the latest foreign trade figures available, Sri Lanka was able to increase its total exports of textiles and clothing (HS codes 61, 62 and 63) by almost 4.8 percent to approximately USD 5 billion in 2018. Exports to the EU increased by 3.9 percent to USD 2.1 billion. Exports to Germany were able to recover a plus of 12.8 percent.

It is not yet certain that Sri Lanka will be able to make up for the losses of the past. In the meantime, countries such as Bangladesh, India and Pakistan, which have already enjoyed tariff concessions in foreign trade with the EU for the entire current decade, have passed by the island state. Bangladesh in particular, recorded a strong increase in its clothing and textile exports compared with Sri Lanka..

Sri Lanka textile and clothing exports 2018 (HS codes 61, 62, 63)
Country In USD million 1)
China 172.4
Vietnam 36.0
Bangladesh 32.9
India 20.9
Indonesia 2) 14.0

1) Estimation; 2) Forecast
Sources: Press Releases; Calculations Germany Trade & Invest, February 2019

Sri Lanka focuses on higher quality products
Numerous domestic textile producers are switching to the production of higher-quality garments in order to maintain their competitiveness. "In Sri Lanka, the focus is not on mass but rather on higher quality products," confirmed M. Raghuram, Chief Executive Officer of Brandix, one of the country's largest clothing companies, in an interview with GTAI. The island state concentrates on the production of just a few product categories such as underwear, sportswear or lounge wear..

Sri Lanka has become a location for the manufacture of high-quality garments. This is also confirmed by the World Bank. In its 2016 study "Stitches to Riches" (website), it found that Sri Lanka outperformed its competitors India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in terms of quality, delivery times, reliability and sustainable social responsibility.

Sri Lanka serves fastidious international companies such as Victoria Secrets, GAP, Nike or Marks and Spencer. According to expert estimates, the production of the top 10 Sri Lankan textile and clothing companies accounts for around 85 percent of the industry's total exports.

The ambitious goal is to increase the garment industry's export revenues to USD 8 billion by 2025, which will require an annual growth of 6 percent. For this Sri Lanka must improve capacity, technology and resource problems. "It is becoming more and more difficult to find suitable personnel. For many young people working in the garment and textile industry in Sri Lanka is simply unattractive”, Nilanthi Sivapragasam, Chief Financial Officer of the conglomerate Aitkence Spence, told GTAI. The training of the workforce is also a major challenge. "Training new employees is very time-consuming and labor-intensive," confirms Sivapragasam.

Imports of German machinery decline
In addition, Sri Lanka's textile companies must modernize their machinery and expand their capacities in order to further increase productivity and added value. Accordingly, there is a great demand for technically sophisticated textile machines in the country. This offers good opportunities and chances for machine suppliers. According to experts, the demand for textile printing and dyeing machines, stenter frames and finishing technology will develop particularly dynamically in the future.
 
In Sri Lanka itself only relatively simple machines are being produced. High-end technology is mainly imported. China is the most important supplier of textile machinery, accounting for about one third of all imports. India has also been able to significantly increase its machine exports to Sri Lanka in recent years. In 2017, India achieved exports of USD 6.3 million, an increase of 46.7 percent, compared with exports of USD 2.6 million in 2010.

German machine exports suffered enormous losses. Sri Lanka's imports of textile machinery from Germany amounted to USD 16.5 million in 2017, a decrease of 54.2 percent. Over the past years, Germany has lost share of its deliveries. According to industry experts, this trend will continue: Made in Germany stands for quality and continues to be very popular in Sri Lanka; however, German machine manufacturers are often unable to keep up with the low-cost products from China or India.

Sri Lanka's imports of textile and clothing machinery
(SITC 724; USD million) 
Country 2016 2017 Change
China 56.3 51.8 -8.0
Japan 26.6 18.3 -31.1
Germany 36.0 16.5 -54.2
Singapore 13.6 14.5 -6.8
India 4.3 6.3 46.7
Total 192.8 155.3 -19.5

Source: UN Comtrade, March 2019

Contact addresses
Title Internet address Remark
Germany Trade & Invest http://www.gtai.de/srilanka Foreign trade information for the German export industry
AHK Sri Lanka http://www.srilanka.ahk.de Contact point for German companies
Sri Lanka Export Development Board http://www.srilankabusiness.com/edb State organization responsible for the development and promotion of exports in Sri Lanka. 

 

More information:
Sri Lanka
Source:

Heena Nazir, Germany Trade & Invest www.gtai.de

Photo: Goshadron auf Pixabay
12.03.2019

RUSSIAN ONLINE RETAILERS ARE FOUNDING LOCAL AMAZONS

  • E-Commerce Market continues to grow rapidly

Russia's online retailers are entering into strategic alliances. The market is maturing and consolidating. German suppliers must prepare themselves for tougher competition.
Russia's online trade continues to record strong growth rates. In 2018, sales increased by 19 percent year-on-year to around Rubel 1.2 billion (EUR 15.5 billion; 1 EUR = 74.04
Rubles, annual average exchange rate 2018). This corresponded to about 290 million orders, according to Data Insight's analysis. By the end of 2023, the investment bank Morgan Stanley expects annual growth of 25 percent to Rubles 3.5 billion. In 2018, the cross-border Internet trade increased by 29 percent to the equivalent of EUR 4.7 billion.

  • E-Commerce Market continues to grow rapidly

Russia's online retailers are entering into strategic alliances. The market is maturing and consolidating. German suppliers must prepare themselves for tougher competition.
Russia's online trade continues to record strong growth rates. In 2018, sales increased by 19 percent year-on-year to around Rubel 1.2 billion (EUR 15.5 billion; 1 EUR = 74.04
Rubles, annual average exchange rate 2018). This corresponded to about 290 million orders, according to Data Insight's analysis. By the end of 2023, the investment bank Morgan Stanley expects annual growth of 25 percent to Rubles 3.5 billion. In 2018, the cross-border Internet trade increased by 29 percent to the equivalent of EUR 4.7 billion.

Development of the Russian online trade
  2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Sales (Bn. Rubel) 1) 560 650 805 965 1.150
Change (in %) 2) 34.9 16.1 23.0 20.0 19.0


1) Physical goods only; excluding cross-border trade, deliveries of ready meals, tickets for transport and events, coupons, consumer-to-consumer and multi-level marketing;
2) Nominal year-on-year; variance due to rounding.
Sources: Market research institute Data Insight; Association of Online Retailers (NAMO)

The share of e-commerce in retail sales is currently still around 5 percent. With the "Strategy for the Development of Online Trade by 2025", the government wants to increase this up to 20 percent. The conditions for further growth are good, as Russian consumers are Internet-savvy and open to technical innovations. Already 76 percent of all Russians have an Internet connection. According to the national "Digital Economy" project, broadband Internet penetration is expected to reach 97 percent by 2024.
 
Growth potential far from exhausted
Russia's online retailers are following this trend by modernizing their websites and are investing in goods logistics. Electronic marketplaces are becoming increasingly popular. This is because they offer smaller Internet retailers in particular the opportunity to assert themselves against the market leaders.
In the Forbes ranking of the 20 most valuable Internet companies in Russia, online retailers Wildberries and Ozon rank fourth and fifth respectively. The Russian fashion mail order company Lamoda - a foundation of the German Rocket Internet - is in ninth place.     
The Otto Group realigned its business model in Russia in 2018 and removed its subsidiaries Quelle and Otto from the market. The Hamburg-based group relies on the online brands Bonprix and Witt as well as on the eSolutions platform, which offers B2B services in the areas of marketing, sales, logistics and IT.

Leading online retailers in Russia
Company Productportfolio Sales 2017 (Bn. Rubel) Change 2017/2016 (in %) Number of orders (in Mio.)
Wildberries Clothing, Shoes,
Accessoires
63.8 40.0 39.8
Citilink Goods of all kind 55.2 35.0 5.2
DNS-Shop / Technopoint Entertainment electronics,
Household appliances
38.9 61.0 5.8
M.Video Entertainment electronics,
Household appliances
36.7 41.0 3.6
Eldorado Entertainment electronics,
Household appliances
23.7 2.0 4.3
Lamoda Clothing, Shoes,
Accessoires
23.6 6.0 4.0
Ozon Goods of all kind 23.4 44.0 8.6
Ulmart Goods of all kind 23.1 -37.0 5.9
Bonprix Clothing, Accessoires 16.5 10.0 4.0
Svyaznoy Entertainment electronics,
Household appliances
15.7 35.0 1.5

Source: Data Insight (http://datainsight.ru/top100/)

Russia gets two "local Amazons" at once 
Russian online trading is already firmly in the hands of a few large players who are continuing to expand their market presence. The market leader Wildberries added electronics and household appliances to its range in 2018. AFK Sistema Holding of the oligarch Yevgeny Yevtushenkov has increased its stake in the online retailer Ozon and is investing in the construction of new logistics centers In addition, Ozon started selling medicines, jewellery and ready meals.  

In April 2018, the Russian technology group Yandex and Sberbank agreed to establish the Beru and Bringly online marketplaces. The aim is to further develop the Yandex.Market platform into a "Russian Amazon". Russia's largest bank brings in the customer data of 100 million account holders.
Beru and Bringly's range mainly includes high-priced goods such as electronics, clothing, shoes and cosmetics. Bringly cooperates with the British cosmetics chain Feelunique, among others. In September 2018, Yandex.Market also concluded a cooperation agreement with Hepsiburada, Turkey's largest online marketplace. 

Alibaba expands its market presence in Russia
In September 2018, the next major merger in Russian online trading was announced: The Mail.ru Group and Megafon (part of the company empire of the oligarch Alisher Usmanow), the Russian Fund for Direct Investments and the Chinese technology group Alibaba intend to establish a joint online marketplace by the end of the first quarter of 2019. Alibaba intends to expand its presence on the Russian market.
The Mail.ru Group provides access to the data records of around 100 million users - an enormous new customer potential for the Chinese online giant. On March 5th  2019, AliExpress, the Russian subsidiary of Alibaba, also launched a platform for the sale of passenger cars of the Chinese brand Chery.

Duty-free limit continues to fall
Two thirds of Russian online buyers also order goods from foreign traders. 90 percent of the deliveries come from China. If the price and weight of the product are within the exemption limits, no sales tax is payable. On 1 January 2019, the exemption limit for cross-border online trading was halved to EUR 500 and the weight limit was lowered from 31 to 25 kilograms. From January 1st   2020, the tax-free allowance will fall to EUR 200.  However, this measure is unlikely to generate any additional revenue for the Russian State. In 86 percent of cross-border online purchases, the maximum value of goods is at about USD 22.

Above all, capacity bottlenecks in the delivery of online orders are currently putting the brakes on sector. VTB-Bank is therefore investing around EUR 410 million in the construction of 40 logistics and distribution centers for the Russian Post Office (Potschta Rossii) by 2021. The state-owned company intends to profit from the growth in the online commerce and increase its revenue from parcel services for e-commerce to Rubel 122 billion by 2023. Since September 2018, the Russian Post has been distributing deliveries from China via hubs in Siberia and the Far East.
The logistics service provider DPD has been working with the Avito advertising portal since October 2018. In future Its customers will be able to collect their parcels at around 1,500 DPD stations. Since June 2018 DHL and eBay have been working together on logistics services in Russia.

The development of B2B platforms is becoming increasingly important in Russia's online trade. The potential is huge: the Russian B2B online market amounts to around USD 20 billion - and the trend is rising. Pioneers such as Sewerstal, Alrosa or Technonikol already rely on B2B platforms to sell directly to their end customers. In 2018, the Chinese Fosun Group acquired around 20 percent of the shares in the B2B platform Prod.Center, on which agricultural products are traded.

More information:
Russia E-Commerce
Source:

Hans-Jürgen Wittmann, Germany Trade & Invest www.gtai.de

CHINA'S TEXTILE AND APPAREL INDUSTRY FEELS US PUNITIVE TARIFFS Photo: Pixabay
05.03.2019

CHINA'S TEXTILE AND APPAREL INDUSTRY FEELS US PUNITIVE TARIFFS

  • Nevertheless - automation, environmental compatibility and energy efficiency increase machine imports

China's textile and clothing industry is modernizing. High-quality textile machines are in demand. But because of the trade dispute with the USA, investments are also postponed.

How the trade dispute between the USA and China affects its business is currently being discussed by China's textile and apparel manufacturers - and in particular by the companies located in the high-quality sector: Of the approximately USD 119 billion, that they sold abroad in 2018, about two thirds went to the United States.

  • Nevertheless - automation, environmental compatibility and energy efficiency increase machine imports

China's textile and clothing industry is modernizing. High-quality textile machines are in demand. But because of the trade dispute with the USA, investments are also postponed.

How the trade dispute between the USA and China affects its business is currently being discussed by China's textile and apparel manufacturers - and in particular by the companies located in the high-quality sector: Of the approximately USD 119 billion, that they sold abroad in 2018, about two thirds went to the United States.

According to the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), 41 percent of the clothing sold in the USA, 72 percent of the shoes and 84 percent of the accessories come from China. On the other hand, the producers of intermediate products or textiles are less or hardly affected by the punitive tariffs, because here the dependence on the USA is not quite as great. Apparel manufacturers in Vietnam and Bangladesh, for example, generally are also buying in China.

Following previous punitive tariffs on Chinese imported goods, in September 2018 the USA imposed a 10 percent punitive tariff on a wide range of other Chinese imported goods, including goods from the textile and clothing industry. On January 1. 2019, the tariffs should originally be raised to 25 percent, but at the beginning of December 2018 US President Trump and China's President Xi agreed not to increase the tariffs until March 1st 2019.

Companies are reluctant to invest
It is hardly possible to make predictions about the outcome of the conflict. In view of the uncertainty, many of the companies affected are therefore waiting for the time being. German textile machine manufacturers are also feeling the effects of this, whether due to lower demand for machines from Germany or locally. According to a representative of the German Engineering Federation (VDMA) in Beijing, many investments have been stopped.

But apart from the upheavals, the modernization process of the Chinese textile and clothing industry is far from complete. Gone are the days when the numerous street markets in China were flooded with cheap clothes. They're hard to find these days. Their manufacturers either had to modernize or have since disappeared from the market.

Number of Chinese textile and clothing companies down sharply
China's textile and clothing industry has been through tough years of consolidation and modernization. In fact, between 2013 and 2017 alone, the number of predominantly private-sector companies in the sector fell by almost 11 percent to around 33,500.

Chinese customers don't want any more junk - and can usually afford better. According to the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), they spent about RMB 1,371 billion; equivalent to about USD 207 billion; (1 USD = about 6.6114 RMB, annual mean rate 2018) on clothing and shoes in 2018. This is 8 percent more than in the previous year.

Rising personnel costs force automation
On the one hand, consumer demand has grown and led companies to invest in better machines, on the other hand, the constant pressure on personnel costs has forced them to automate their processes. Between 2010 and 2017, the number of employees in the sector fell from 10.9 million to 7.8 million.

Many have tried (and are trying) to escape the pressure by relocating their companies - for example to the interior of the country, where the wages are lower, or to cheaper foreign countries. However, the great migration movement did not take place, as most of them see themselves too strongly interwoven with their suppliers. Some are also skeptical about the move to the West, arguing that it would only be a temporary solution - and that sooner or later the wages there would follow.

Traditionally, the industry has concentrated on the provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Zhejiang and Shandong. There, the average gross monthly wages of urban workers rose between 2013 and 2017 (latest available figures) by between 38.9 per cent (Fujian) and 48.5 per cent (Guangdong) - with significantly lower inflation rates.

Development of the Chinese textile and clothing industry 2013 to 2017
(% change over previous year) *)
  2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 Cjamge
Number of companies 37,376 36,642 36,488 35,197 33,326 -5.3
.Textile industry 21,666 20,821 20,545 19,752 18,726 -5.2
.Clothing industry 15,710 15,821 15,943 15,445 14,600 -5.5
Number of employees in 1,000 persons n.a. n.a. 9,140 8,667 7,784 -10.2
.Textile industry n.a. n.a. 4,645 4,362 3,912 -10.3
.Clothing industry n.a. n.a. 4,495 4,305 3,872 -10.1
Turnover in RMB bn. 5,553 5,934 6,222 6,458 5,700 -11.7
.Textile industry 3,608 3,829 3,999 4,084 3,611 -11.6
.Clothing industry 1,945 2,105 2,223 2,374 2,089 -12.0

*) only companies with an annual turnover of more than RMB 20 million are included.
Source: National Bureau of Statistics (NBS)

Environmental legislation and energy efficiency as additional investment drivers
The industry also has to deal with a generally stricter environmental legislation, which increasingly is being implemented. Added to this is the growing importance of the energy efficiency aspect.

Both are good news for German textile machinery manufacturers, according to VDMA estimates. As a result, the market for high-tech machines is expanding and the resulting demand is still far from being met by local production. China imported USD 4.2 billion worth of textile machinery in 2018, an increase of 6.7 percent over the previous year. A further customer potential arises from the growing importance of technical textiles.

According to Chinese customs statistics, German suppliers supplied textile machinery worth USD 1.1 billion to China in 2017 (latest available data) - a whopping 28.3 percent more than in the previous year. Despite this success, however, they had to cede their previous leading position as the main supplier country to Japan. However, this statistic shows only one side of the medal. Almost all well-known manufacturers are now represented in China with their own production facilities - and no figures are available about their activities.

Imports of textile machinery to China by selected countries
(SITC item 724; in US$ million, change from previous year and percentage share)
  2015 2016 2017 Change Share 2017
Total, thereof from 3,354 2,907 3,897 34.1 100.0
.Japan 728 765 1.169 52.8 30.0
.Germany 1,219 851 1.101 29.4 28.3
.Italy 415 347 448 29.1 11.5
.Taiwan 206 187 203 8.6 5.2
.Belgium 134 124 173 4.0 4.4
.Switzerland 104 111 126 13.5 3.2

Sources: UN-Comtrade; Calculations by Germany Trade & Invest

Environmental model companies point the way ahead

Already today there are manufacturers with ambitious plans in environmental protection. One of them is the Dongrong Group. Based in Chifeng, Inner Mongolia, the Cashmere company has been selected by the government of the Autonomous Region, together with a dairy company, as a model company for environmental protection. This included President and owner Cheng Xudong having his company - by the way inspired by the German Pavilion at the World Expo in Shanghai 2008 - sealed energetically (albeit not with materials "Made in Germany").

The next big step will be the purification of the company's own waste water. "Cheng describes his goal as follows: "Fish, suitable for consumption in our canteen, should be able to swim in it. The company is already now growing vegetables for the canteen itself. In his efforts it is financially supported by the state. But certainly not all entrepreneurs are so ambitious.

And there is still an old Chinese saying for many companies: "The sky is high - and the emperor is far away". In other words, what the central government decides in Beijing does not necessarily have to be implemented in the huge hinterland. But all these efforts show in which direction the journey goes.

 

More information:
China USA Tariffs
Source:

Stefanie Schmitt, Germany Trade & Invest www.gtai.de

Photo: Pixabay
26.02.2019

TURKEY REMAINS AN IMPORTANT MARKET FOR GERMAN TEXTILE MACHINERY

  • Competition from the Far East increases modernization pressure

Turkey is an important market for German manufacturers of textile machinery. However, the textile and clothing industry has a problem: exports have been stagnating for years.

  • Competition from the Far East increases modernization pressure

Turkey is an important market for German manufacturers of textile machinery. However, the textile and clothing industry has a problem: exports have been stagnating for years.

The Turkish textile industry is broadly based: Companies manufacture all intermediate products in the country, including yarns, fibers and fabrics. Production along the entire textile value chain means great sales potential for German suppliers of textile machinery. In fact, Turkey is the second most important export market for German spinning, weaving, textile finishing machines and the like after China, as it can be seen from the figures of the Federal Statistical Office Destatis.Nevertheless, the sector is not a growth market. Apart from a few outliers upwards and downwards, Turkish textile machinery imports have remained at the same level for several years. This is due to the fact that Turkish exports of textiles and clothing are also stagnating. Particularly noticeable: companies benefited only marginally from the weak lira last year.

Textile and apparel industry benefits little from weak lira
Year Turkish exports of clothing and textiles (in US$ billion) Annual change (in %)
2015 26.3 -10.3
2016 26.1 -0.6
2017 26.7 2.1
2018 27.7 3.6

Source: Turkish Statistical Office TÜIK (http://www.tuik.gov.tr)

Increasing pressure from the Far East
Turkish clothing manufacturers are increasingly feeling the effects of competition from the Far East. Despite the high number of informal workers, wages in Turkey have risen to such an extent that they cannot keep up with the low wages of Asian sewing factories. The geographical advantage of Turkish companies over Chinese competitors is at stake because of the new Silk Road and the development of faster transport routes. Free trade agreements that the European Union is currently negotiating with India and South Korea will further increase the pressure on Turkish producers.

Slump in 3rd quarter 2018
In addition, there is the difficult economic situation in the country: the Turkish lira reached a record low, especially in the months of August to October 2018, and commercial banks raised their lending rates. As a result, financing costs for machinery from abroad suddenly increased, orders from Turkey failed to materialize, especially in the third quarter. The German knitting machine manufacturer Mayer & Cie has also noticed this, as Stefan Bühler, who is responsible for the Turkish business, reports: "In the last three months of 2018, the market was virtually dead. In the meantime, however, the industry is gradually recovering.

Akar Textile plans new factory
Announcements about new investments cannot yet be heard at this time. As early as June 2018, Akar Textile (http://www.akartextile.com) announced that it would build a new factory for 47 million Turkish lira (TL) in the municipality of Savur in southeastern Turkey. 3,000 employees are there to become employed. Akar Textile produces for companies such as C&A, Mango and H&M. Only a few months after the announcement of the project, the economic crisis in Turkey deepened in September. The extent to which the turbulence has affected the project implementation is not known.

Technical textiles as a driving force for growth
Far Eastern competition is increasing the pressure to modernize the Turkish textile industry. In the future, industry will have to compete primarily with high-quality products. Growth impulses are currently coming from the sector of technical textiles. According to industry reports, more than 200 small and medium-sized enterprises are already producing technical textiles and nonwovens in Turkey. These textiles and fabrics are being used in the automotive, packaging and cosmetics industries.

In June 2018, the Turkish METYX Group (http://www.metyx.com) invested in its machinery parc. The company is manufacturing technical textiles and has ordered a line of warp knitting machines from the German textile machine manufacturer Karl Mayer. The manufacturer of composite materials is thus increasing its capacity by 12,000 tons of glass and carbon fibers. In recent years, more and more research and development centers have emerged to promote the necessary technology transfer in the industry. The Institute for Technical Textiles at RWTH Aachen University (ITA) founded a research center in Istanbul in October 2016. In the Teknosab industrial zone in Bursa the BUTEKOM research and development center for textile technology was established in 2008. The institute offers training as well as research and development cooperation to and with companies.

However, many medium-sized textile companies often lack the money to invest in modern machinery. The short planning horizon makes an access to research and development more difficult. As a member of the management board of the German-Turkish Chamber of Industry and Commerce, Frank Kaiser has been observing the Turkish business landscape for eight years. He points out that the textile manufacturers, like other medium-sized companies in the country too, often plan in short terms. "In view of the volatile business environment, this is rational," Kaiser explains.

Turkish imports of textile machinery and exchange rate comparison  1)
Year Import from Germany
(in USD million)
Total imports
(in USD million)
Exchange rate
(1 US$ = ?TL)
2009 143 505 1.55
2011 521 1,851 1.67
2013 619 2,211 1.90
2015 382 1,398 2.72
2017 447 1,478 3.65
2018 1) 2) 490 1,774 4.81

1) the slump in the 3rd quarter is not yet visible in the annual figures for 2018; it will not become noticeable until 2019
Sources: UN-Comtrade, TurkStat 2), Bundesbank

 

 

 

 

Foto: PIXABAY
19.02.2019

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC REMAINS DIFFICULT MARKET FOR GERMAN TEXTILE MACHINERY

  • Deliveries have risen sharply recently

Cheap and used technology dominates at the Dominican market for textile machinery. It is some of the country's problems that give German suppliers some hope.

The good news is that in the first eleven months of 2018 German exports of textile and clothing machinery to the Dominican Republic rose by 580 percent year-on-year, and, according to Eurostat, by 2017 German deliveries had tripled. The bad news: German sector exports reached only EUR 1.7 million in absolute terms. This is considerably less than, for example, in Guatemala with its not much larger technology market.

  • Deliveries have risen sharply recently

Cheap and used technology dominates at the Dominican market for textile machinery. It is some of the country's problems that give German suppliers some hope.

The good news is that in the first eleven months of 2018 German exports of textile and clothing machinery to the Dominican Republic rose by 580 percent year-on-year, and, according to Eurostat, by 2017 German deliveries had tripled. The bad news: German sector exports reached only EUR 1.7 million in absolute terms. This is considerably less than, for example, in Guatemala with its not much larger technology market.

Representatives of German providers are not surprised about the figures. Cheap equipment from China and other Asian countries are in demand, but above all mainly used machines. Hugo Clavijo of Texquim, who represents the German suppliers Mayer & Cie. (circular knitting machines) and Groz-Beckert (needles), among others in the Dominican Republic, estimates, that just five out of every hundred machines sold are new. Around the turn of the millennium, the market thus became the residual ramp for the declining US textile industry. According to UN Comtrade, around 60 percent of the value of technology deliveries in recent years came from the USA.

The International Textile Manufacturers Federation also registered hardly any shipments of new machines: for 2010 to 2017, the ITMF shows just ten flat knitting machines and eleven (all in 2017) circular knitting machines. Also, for this period 720 Double Heaters for texturing synthetic filaments for yarn production were listed. The ITMF counts the deliveries of 200 textile machinery manufacturers worldwide and thus a large part of the market, albeit not the entire one.

Electricity and water bottlenecks as arguments for expensive machines
Hugo Clavijo currently sees no great chance of a rapid improvement in the sale of expensive German technology. But ironically, it is some of the country's problems that may transform the potential customer interest into concrete procurements: The energy supply for the textile companies is expensive and unreliable, and the companies have to treat their process water themselves. Economical and less repair-prone machines would come into a closer consideration even if the purchase prices were significantly higher. It would also be helpful to enforce environmental standards, which today are largely on paper only.

There is also a need for technology if the Dominican textile and clothing manufacturers expand their capacities due to possible changes in international trade policy, i.e. if clothing customers in the USA would place orders in the Caribbean country instead of Asia. At the moment, however, the Dominican export industry is not using its factories to capacity.

Installed capacity of the Dominican textile industry in comparison (2016, in units) 1)

Machinery / technology Dominican Republic Guatemala Ethiopia Turkey
Rotor Spinning 2) 1,400 21,000 19,000 800,000
Short Staple Spinning 2) 20,000 150,000 293,852 7,900,000
Shuttle Looms 3) 500 3,000 167 20,000
Shuttleless Looms 3) 150 890 2,200 49,500

1) no data on other machines; 2) spinning machines; 3) weaving machines

Source: International Textile Manufacturers Federation

The Dominican textile and clothing industry, which, according to the central bank, generated 11 percent of the country's total export revenues with clothing from free zones in 2017, is not fully vertically integrated: it mainly imports yarns, which then is mainly being knitted but also woven or otherwise processed and then assembled into finished clothing. It often produces T-shirts and other knitwear with a high cotton content. And this is "the cheap stuff," as Clavijo says.

There is a limited production of synthetic yarn in the Dominican Republic which, according to Hugo Clavijo, is limited to two companies: The Korean company Youm Kwang textures filaments in the country, while the US company A&E (American & Efird) produces sewing thread from imported filaments.

Four export producers as important technology customers
The Dominican textile sector is said to consist of about two equal segments. A dozen medium-sized companies and a large number of garage companies supply the domestic market. In addition, four companies produce for export in the country's free zones: Gildan (Canada), Hanes (USA), Willbes (Korea) and the local Grupo M, which has been working in a 50/50 joint venture with Brandix from Sri Lanka since the beginning of 2017. The procurement of machines in foreign companies is not decided by the local management, but by the corporate headquarters, according to representatives.

The four export producers are said to be vertically integrated from yarn processing onwards. Grupo M supplies about one fifth of its fabrics, knitwear, etc. to processors, while the other three industry giants manufacture these preliminary products completely by themselves. According to Comtrade (SITC chapter 84), three quarters of the clothing exports go to the USA, the remainder predominantly to the neighboring Haiti.

For US clothing customers, the nearby Dominican Republic offers fast and cheap transport routes as well as the advantageous customs regime of the DR-CAFTA trade agreement. According to Hugo Clavijo, however, Dominican clothing exporters must obtain their intermediate products from the USA in order to benefit from all customs relief. Producers for the Dominican domestic market, on the other hand, are using yarns and fabrics from China, Pakistan or other third countries that offer lower production costs.

USA dominate machine deliveries
The Dominican market for textile and clothing machinery has stagnated in recent years: For 2017, UN Comtrade estimated imports - there is no significant domestic production - at USD 36 million. That was as much as 2014 and around USD 10 million more than around 2010.

According to Comtrade, Germany was ranked sixth in the import ranking with an average share of 2.0 percent between 2015 and 2017. Eurostat, whose (export) data deviate considerably in some cases, noted stagnating industry deliveries from the European Union to the Dominican Republic for the first eleven months of 2018 in addition to the high growth for Made in Germany.

Dominican imports of textile machinery (USD thousand *)
ITC-Pos. Supplying country/ Goods Group 2015 2016 2017
  total 33,398 30,817 36,257
724.35, .39 Sewing machines (excluding domestic sewing machines) 12,131 10,350 12,784
7244 Spinn- and texturing machines 2,852 2,102 4,585
7245 Knitting and weaving machines 3,362 2,683 1,543
7246 Auxiliary machines 6,068 5,215 5,384
724.73, .74 Washing machines, stenter frames, etc. (except for housholds and landries), large-dryers 5,135 5,615 7,652
724.92 Parts for items 724.73 and .74 and for dry-cleaning machines (724.72) and domestic tumble dryers 3,850 4,852 4,309
  Supplying countries      
  USA 22,000 17,320 20,743
  China 3,424 3,058 2,380
  Spain 2,176 2,567 2,614
  Japan 973 1,894 2,688
  Italy 923 1,194 496
  Germany 397 724 873

*) SITC 724 without household sewing machines (724,33), household washing machines (724,.71), machines for dry cleaning (724.72), leather processing (7248), parts of household washing machines (724.91).
Source: UN Comtrade.

 

More information:
GTAI
Source:

Ulrich Binkert, Germany Trade & Invest www.gtai.de

12.02.2019

TECHNICAL TEXTILES ARE A SUCCESSFUL INDUSTRY IN ISRAEL

  • Israeli Manufacturers with increasing Presence on the World Market

The production of technical textiles is one of the leading sectors of the Israeli textile industry. Their success is not least due to intensive research and development. In view of the fierce international competition facing the Israeli textile industry, high-quality and innovative products are indispensable for stabilizing this
industry. One of the sectors that best manage this modernization is the production of technical textiles.

In 2017, this product category accounted for an estimated USD 600 million or nearly one-third of the total sales generated by the textile and apparel industry. With an export share of around 70 percent, the division is also strongly world market-oriented and accounted for USD 414 million, 43 percent of Israeli textile and clothing exports in 2017.

  • Israeli Manufacturers with increasing Presence on the World Market

The production of technical textiles is one of the leading sectors of the Israeli textile industry. Their success is not least due to intensive research and development. In view of the fierce international competition facing the Israeli textile industry, high-quality and innovative products are indispensable for stabilizing this
industry. One of the sectors that best manage this modernization is the production of technical textiles.

In 2017, this product category accounted for an estimated USD 600 million or nearly one-third of the total sales generated by the textile and apparel industry. With an export share of around 70 percent, the division is also strongly world market-oriented and accounted for USD 414 million, 43 percent of Israeli textile and clothing exports in 2017.

The production of technical textiles is based not least on strong domestic demand. The largest domestic customers include the armed forces and security forces, which demand high functionality and top quality from their suppliers. Among other things, this market segment produces bulletproof textiles, special textiles for uniforms, carrier bags for sensitive devices under field conditions and camouflage nets.

Strong domestic demand helps product development
As the Fashion & Textile Industries Association explained to Germany Trade & Invest in January 2019, direct contact with the military and internal security institutions helps companies to offer tried and tested products. In addition, according to Maya Herscovitz, director of the association, former members of the armed forces and security forces who are familiar with the requirements for corresponding products are active in the manufacturing companies.    
 
Other domestic customer industries are construction and agriculture. Building construction is increasingly relying on modern building materials, including lightweight and highly insulating textiles. The agricultural sector, on the other hand, contributes only 1.2 percent to the gross domestic product, but is capital-intensive and innovation-oriented. Safety nets are a popular agrotechnical product. In September 2018, Israeli agronomist Yossi Ofir pointed out in a contribution that climate change is leading to an increasing use of shadow nets. Last but not least, more and more Israeli farmers covered entire orchards with shade nets. 

Networking with the high-tech industry
The anchoring in the domestic market and the direct contact to customers accelerate the development of new products. At the same time, the technical textiles sector is embedded in the high-tech scene. For example, manufacturers integrate research results from nanotechnology and materials science into their products.

An example of this is Marom Dolphin, which manufactures military and civilian products and uses plastics, metal and composite materials to increase the strength of its textile products or reduce their weight. A leading manufacturer of technical textiles is Hagor Industries, which offers combat vests, protective vests, backpacks and tents of all sizes among other things, while Source - Shoresh produces textile hiking accessories. These and similar manufacturers are represented on numerous export markets.

Some companies do not offer finished products, but technological solutions. Nano Textile, for example, has launched an antibacterial sonochemical coating for textiles. Hospitals are planned as a main field of application, but according to company information other fields of application such as aircraft construction and public transport, restaurants and hotels or baby clothing may also open up. Gideon Guthrie Technical Textile also offers research and development (R&D) services in cooperation with Israeli and foreign textile manufacturers.

In addition to the activities of the company's own R&D departments, research is also carried out at universities. For example, the textile coating technology used by Nano Textile was developed at the Israeli Bar Ilan University. The Shenkar College of Engineering, Design and Art is home to CIRTex (The David & Barbara Blumenthal Israel Center for Innovation and Research in Textiles). The center carries out applied research on new products, production processes and applications for textiles and promotes cooperation between established companies on the one hand and start-ups and individual inventors on the other. Industrial textile research and development is supported by the Innovation Authority.

According to the trade association, the production of technical textiles will continue to increase in the coming years. As Maya Herscovitz explained to Germany Trade and Invest, manufacturers of technical textiles invest large amounts not only in the development of new products, but also in the modernization and automation of production processes. This was not only necessary for reasons of cost savings, but also because of the shortage of skilled workers on the labour market.

Israel is a net exporter of technical textiles
Der mit großem Abstand wichtigste Exportposten im Bereich technischer Textilien (SITC 657) sind The by far most important export item in the technical textiles sector (SITC 657) are nonwovens (SITC 657.2). They accounted for 67.1 percent of total exports of technical textiles in 2017, or USD 278 million. Second place went to batting, wicks and goods and products for technical use made of textile materials. With an export value of USD 88 million, they accounted for 21.6 percent of industry exports.

The most important export market in 2017 was the USA, followed by the Netherlands and Germany in a great distance. The Federal Republic of Germany purchased technical textiles worth USD 44.7 million (10.8 percent of Israeli exports) from Israel.

With USD 136 million imports accounted for 32.6 percent of exports. The three most important supplier countries - China, Turkey and Italy - were almost on a par at USD 25 million, USD 24.8 million and USD 24.2 million. Germany ranked fifth and, with a delivery value of USD 11.2 million, achieved an import market share of 8.3 percent.

Source:

Wladimir Struminski, Germany Trade & Invest www.gtai.de

Photo: Pixabay
15.01.2019

TURKISH APPAREL MANUFACTURERS ANNOUNCE INVESTMENTS

  • Capacity expansion planned by 20 percent

Istanbul (GTAI) - Several major apparel manufacturers plan to significantly expand their production capacities in 2019. The modernization of the factories is on the agenda as well.

Turkey's export-oriented clothing industry scores at European customers with good quality and above all with short delivery times. Recently, they have significantly increased their orders, according to industry sources.

The good order situation is prompting Turkish clothing manufacturers to investments. The 28 larger companies plan to spend around 100 million US dollars in 2019 to expand their capacities. This is the result of a study conducted by the Turkish business magazine Ekonomist (December 9, 2018 issue) in cooperation with the Garment Industry Association TGSD.

  • Capacity expansion planned by 20 percent

Istanbul (GTAI) - Several major apparel manufacturers plan to significantly expand their production capacities in 2019. The modernization of the factories is on the agenda as well.

Turkey's export-oriented clothing industry scores at European customers with good quality and above all with short delivery times. Recently, they have significantly increased their orders, according to industry sources.

The good order situation is prompting Turkish clothing manufacturers to investments. The 28 larger companies plan to spend around 100 million US dollars in 2019 to expand their capacities. This is the result of a study conducted by the Turkish business magazine Ekonomist (December 9, 2018 issue) in cooperation with the Garment Industry Association TGSD.

On average, the companies aimed to increase their capacity by around 20 percent in 2019, the report says. They expected their sales to increase by 15 to 35 percent.

The clothing manufacturer Taha Giyim (http://www.tahagiyim.com), supplier of LC Waikiki, plans to expand its production in the Malatya organized industrial zone. The company plans to invest a total of Turkish Lira 32.2 million (TL; about USD 6.7 million; USD 1 = 4.81 TL) in this project this year and increase its annual shirt production capacity to 2 million pieces. The company is aiming for its sales growth of 40 percent in 2019. In 2018, the estimated revenue was about T.L. 2.5 billion or about USD 520 million.

Higher production of men's outerwear
The company TYH Tekstil (http://www.tyh.com.tr), which manufactures men's outerwear in six plants, plans to expand its production capacity by 15 percent from the current 20 million units per year in 2019. Investments of TL 15 million TL are planned in Akhisar/Manisa (Western Turkey) and Ordu (Black Sea region). The company exports most of its products to the European Union. The aim is to increase deliveries to the USA. The estimated turnover of around USD 140 million in 2018 is expected to increase by 15 percent in 2019.

The manufacturer Yesim Tekstil (http://www.yesim.com), which sews for large textile companies such as Inditex, Esprit and Tommy Hilfiger, plans to double its turnover from around US$ 300 million (2018) to US$ 600 million by 2022. The technological infrastructure (industry 4.0, digitization, cloud computing) is to be expanded. The investment budget for the next five years for the procurement of machinery, plant, software and licenses totals USD 14.4 million.

Denim article manufacturer expands capacities
The manufacturer of denim articles, Calik Denim (http://www.calikdenim.com), plans to increase its production capacity by 30 percent in 2019 with a further USD 8.4 million and to push forward with the modernization of its manufacturing processes. Last year, the company stated that it had invested a total of USD 44.7 million. Calik Denim's goal is to increase its current annual capacity from 44 million meters to 60 million meters by 2020. For 2019, the company is targeting sales growth of 22 percent (2018: USD 189 million).

The company Migiboy Tekstil (http://www.migiboy.com) plans to build a fourth plant for TL 100 million in which previously imported textile raw materials should be produced. The company's goal is to triple its turnover of around TL 300 million (2018) over the next five years.

Sector network of Turkish companies abroad grows
The increasing internationalization of the clothing business is also contributing to the export success. Turkish textile trading companies have opened more than 2,000 branches abroad in recent years. The Koton company alone is growing by 30 percent annually. In 2017, the company ordered goods worth TL 1.8 billion from Turkey for its foreign business. In the foreseeable future, Koton intends to increase its procurement share from Turkey from the current 85 percent to 90 percent. Koton has 516 branches in 29 countries and employs about 10,500 people.

Hadi Karasu, President of the Industry Association (TGSD), sees potential in the German market in particular that has not yet been fully exploited. So far almost one fifth of Turkish clothing exports go to Germany. Karasu believes a share of 25 percent as possible.

In 2018, the apparel industry increased its exports by 3.6 percent to USD 17.6 billion. For 2019, the association TGSD expects an increase of 10 percent. Production is expected to increase by 3 to 4 percent.
Further information to economic situation, sectors, business practice, right, customs and advertisements in Turkey are callable under http://www.gtai.de/tuerkei

 

Foto: Pixabay
17.12.2018

PRICE WAR ON POLAND'S CLOTHING MARKET GETS TOUGHER

  • Online sales increase

Warsaw (GTAI) - More and more clothing and shoe companies are merging in Poland. Demand is growing, but the price pressure is increasing. Customers appreciate the quality of German brand products.
Sales of clothing and footwear in Poland are rising steadily. However, the price war is becoming increasingly fierce: off-price shops offering branded goods at low prices, online shops and outlet centers are putting pressure on retailers and lowering the average returns.
Demand will receive an additional boost at the end of the year, as clothing and shoes are popular Christmas gifts. According to a survey by the consulting firm Deloitte, Polish families want to spend an average of EUR 271 on the occasion of the 2018 season, - 6 percent more than in 2017. German branded products are highly valued for their quality.

  • Online sales increase

Warsaw (GTAI) - More and more clothing and shoe companies are merging in Poland. Demand is growing, but the price pressure is increasing. Customers appreciate the quality of German brand products.
Sales of clothing and footwear in Poland are rising steadily. However, the price war is becoming increasingly fierce: off-price shops offering branded goods at low prices, online shops and outlet centers are putting pressure on retailers and lowering the average returns.
Demand will receive an additional boost at the end of the year, as clothing and shoes are popular Christmas gifts. According to a survey by the consulting firm Deloitte, Polish families want to spend an average of EUR 271 on the occasion of the 2018 season, - 6 percent more than in 2017. German branded products are highly valued for their quality.

Sales of clothing and footwear in Poland (EUR billion)
2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
6.9 7.4 7.7 7.8 8.4

Source: Euromonitor International

The US chain TK Maxx already operates 43 off-price stores in Poland. The assortment includes various goods - from household goods to clothing - which are greatly reduced. Neinver from Spain currently operates four outlet centers under the name "Factory" in Poland. There are two in Warsaw and one each in Krakow and Poznan.
Neinver plans to use the commercial park Futura Ursus in Warsaw commercially in the future. In total, there are a good dozen outlet centers in Poland. On the site of the Galeria Rumia shopping center in the town with the same name northwest of Gdynia, the Pomerania Outlet center is planning to open at the end of 2019 with 80 shops.
The German online retailer Zalando is with its shopping club Zalando Lounge for special offers present in Poland, It has set up a logistics center in Olsztynek (Hohenstein), primarily for further expansion in Europe with this concept. Discount chains such as Biedronka and Lidl are also offering inexpensive clothing.

Sector consolidates
The growing pressure of competition and prices is leading to further consolidation among domestic companies in the sector. Various mergers are emerging. The Vistula Group will take over its competitor the men's outfitter Bytom already in 2018. The antitrust authority UOKiK has already approved the merger. From 2020 on the Group expects this to generate additional revenue of around EUR 1.9 million to EUR 2.3 million annually.
The acquisition of the apparel company Simple Creative Products S.A. (Gino Rossi Group from Slupsk) with its brand Simple for upmarket women's clothing by Monnari Trade S.A. cracked in November 2018. Simple is represented with 63 salons and Monnari with 163 stores in Poland.
OTCF, a company specializing in sportswear, owns the sports brand 4F with over 200 stores in Poland. OTCF has a strong presence abroad. Gino Rossi owns a total of around 90 shoe salons in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Market leader LPP expands
The largest clothing company, LPP from Gdansk, continues to expand. It opened its 20th store in September 2018 with the name of its largest brand Reserved in Germany. The LPP's shops are located in the capitals of the federal states and other commercial metropolises. LPP has set up its latest store in the Zeil shopping mile in Frankfurt. According to its deputy chairman, Slawomir Loboda, LPP with Reserved generated higher revenues abroad than domestically in the second quarter of 2018.
LPP not only wants to open further stores in Western Europe, but is also aiming for other markets. In November 2018, first sales salons of the LPP brands Reserved, House, Mohito and Sinsay followed in Almaty in Kazakhstan. These brands can be purchased in Germany via online trade. The German market is LPP's fifth largest foreign market in terms of turnover.

Revenues of the largest clothing and shoe companies in the first half of 2018 (in EUR million, change to the first half of 2017 on a Zloty basis in %)
Name of company Revenue Change
LPP 844.3 18.0
CCC (shoes) 471.0 9.6
Vistula Group 82.4 14.8
Redan 63.5 -1.0
TXM 38.4 0
Monnari 24.9 5.9
Wojas (shoes) 24.4 -3.1
Bytom 22.1 12.3
Gino Rossi (shoes) 1) 20.5 -8.4
CDRL (Coccodrillo chain for children's clothing) 2) 15.6 3.0

1) without Simple; 2) in Poland
Source: Company data according to daily newspaper Rzeczpospolita

CCC does not rely on the online segment only
The country's largest shoe company, the CCC Group, which is also expanding strongly abroad - including Germany - already achieved a fifth (19.8 percent) of its turnover with its online trade in the first half of 2018. The online sales were very successful: In the first three quarters of 2018 the revenues on a zloty basis rose by 59 percent compared to January to September 2017 to EUR 150.3 million.
An important platform for CCC online trading is eObuwie.pl, in which CCC holds a 75 percent stake. There are plans to place eObuwie.pl at the Warsaw Stock Exchange. eObuwie.pl intends to use the result to expand and strengthen its logistics. At its location in Zielona Gora (Grünberg), eObuwie.pl is building a modern, automated warehouse.

Online shoe trade relies on 3D models of feet
According to eObuwie.pl chairman Marcin Grzymkowski, who holds 25 percent of the shares the platform wants to use the esize.me scanner in order to motivate more Poles to buy shoes online. This scans feet and creates accurate 3D models of them. Based on these, virtual shoes will be selected that guarantee the best possible fit. It is planned to place such scanners at around at 40 locations in shopping centers. So far, according to estimates by eObuwie.pl, only 10 percent of Poles buy shoes online, as the daily Rzeczpospolita reports. In spring 2019 eObuwie.pl plans to establish an e-shop for high-quality clothing.
CCC already ordered shoes from Gino Rossi to distribute them through eObuwie.pl. Now the group wants to offer these articles also in stationary shops at home and abroad. Therefore CCC intends to acquire approximately 120,000 pairs of shoes from Gino Rossi in 2019 and approximately 180,000 pairs in 2020. After all, orders are expected to increase to around 500,000 pairs per year. Gino Rossi has factories in Slupsk and Elblag.

CCC will also acquire the license to use and sublicense the Gino Rossi brand name. The group may design its own shoe models under this brand name. Special collections are to be sold in around 200 selected CCC stationary stores among other countries in Poland and the Czech Republic. Through the agreement with CCC, Gino Rossi plans to earn an additional EUR 3.5 to 4.2 million in 2019 and EUR 8.4 to 9.3 million in 2020.

 

 

 

More information:
GTAI Polen
Source:

Beatrice Repetzki, Germany Trade & Invest www.gtai.de

Photo: PIXABAY
11.12.2018

AZERBAIJAN'S TEXTILE AND SILK PRODUCTION IS ABOUT TO RESTART

  • Industrial park under construction

Baku (GTAI) - The Azerbaijani textile and silk industry is going to have a future again after a dramatic slump. Several initiatives are helping the traditional industry to make a fresh start.

Azerbaijan wants to revive its once strong textile, silk and clothing industry. In 1990, the sector still accounted for just under 18 percent of the total industrial production – in 2017 it was just 0.5 percent. Future investment activities will be determined by several initiatives. These include the implementation of programs for the production and processing of cotton and silk cocoons for semi-finished and finished goods, the establishment of an industrial park for light industry in Mingatchevir and the establishment of branches of the Azerkhalcha company for hand-woven carpets.

  • Industrial park under construction

Baku (GTAI) - The Azerbaijani textile and silk industry is going to have a future again after a dramatic slump. Several initiatives are helping the traditional industry to make a fresh start.

Azerbaijan wants to revive its once strong textile, silk and clothing industry. In 1990, the sector still accounted for just under 18 percent of the total industrial production – in 2017 it was just 0.5 percent. Future investment activities will be determined by several initiatives. These include the implementation of programs for the production and processing of cotton and silk cocoons for semi-finished and finished goods, the establishment of an industrial park for light industry in Mingatchevir and the establishment of branches of the Azerkhalcha company for hand-woven carpets.

New projects in cotton processing on the horizon
At the beginning of the 1980s, cotton cultivation boomed in the country with an annual harvest of more than 1 million tons of raw cotton. The collapse of the Soviet Union, the transformation crisis in the 1990s and general neglect almost brought the industry to a standstill. In 2015, the harvest reached a historic low of 35,000 tons of raw cotton.

But the turnaround has begun. In 2017, 207,000 tons of raw cotton were harvested (forecast for 2018: 250,000 to 260,000 tons). A downer is the low average yield of 1.52 tons per hectare (2017). The government announced increased support for soil irrigation and technical equipment for manufacturers. By 2022 the harvest is expected to rise up to 500,000 tons per year.

The "State Program for the Development of Cotton Growing in the period 2017 to 2022" adopted on July 13th 2017 is a guideline for the further development. Projects are planned for the renewal of existing and the construction of new cotton ginning mills and processing of cotton fibers into yarns, fabrics and finished products. By mid-2018 there were eight spinning mills in the country with a total annual capacity of 44,600 tons of yarn. Above all among the yarn producers in Uzbekistan are the companies Mingatschewir Textil, MKT Istehsalat Kommersiya, ASK Textil Sumgait and Azeripek (better known as Ipek Scheki).

Silk industry to be expanded
Since 2016 the silk industry, which came almost to a standstill, has now been on the move again. On November 27th 2017 the "State Program for the Development of Silkworm Breeding and Processing of Mulberry Silkworm Cocoons for the period 2017 to 2025" was adopted. The program defines projects to revitalize the sector. The annual production of cocoons is expected to rise to 6,000 tons by 2025, ensuring an annual production of up to 600 tons of raw silk. In 2017 244 tons of cocoons were produced after 71 tons in 2016 (forecasts for 2018 and 2019: about 500 and 1,000 tons respectively).

The modernization of the silk combinate Azeripek in Scheki is at the top of the project list. The contact organization is the Azerbaijan State Industrial Association, to which Azeripek and other companies are reporting (http://www.ask.gov.az). The construction of a new silk spinning mill with an annual capacity of 3,000 tons of yarn is planned.

Established in 1931 and later expanded the Silk Combine in Scheki was the flagship of the silk industry in the Soviet Union in the 1970s and 1980s with some 7,000 permanent employees. It produced up to 400 tons of raw silk per year and supplied over 100 factories with silk yarn and twist. Inefficient privatization, financial problems, lack of raw materials and sales difficulties repeatedly led to production stoppages. Today's capacities allow an annual production of up to 135 tons of raw silk only. As a result of technical problems, the factory is unable to produce finished fabrics.

Industrial park for light industry under construction
In the in 2016 established Industrial Park for Light Industry in Mingatchevir, nine factories for the production of textile and clothing products (cotton, acrylic and wool yarn, hosiery and apparel) and other light industry products (leather footwear and cosmetics) are to be built. The construction of more production facilities is planned. In February 2018 the company Textile Mingatchevir opened the first two factories in the industrial park. It intends to produce up to 20,000 tons of cotton and blended yarn annually. Capital expenditures were USD 46 million.

Azerkhalcha revives traditional carpet art
Azerkhalcha, the company for the production of hand-woven carpets, has an ambitious goal: 30 regional carpet weaving mills are to be established by 2020. By the end of 2017 ten branches have already been opened. A further 20 will be added in 2018 and 2019. Azerkhalcha was founded in 2016 on the initiative of the government. In 2018 and 2019, the state will invest around USD 22 million in the construction of new branches and a wool processing factory.

From 2020, approximately 5,000 employees will produce hand-woven carpets under the Azerbaijan Carpet label for domestic and foreign markets. The expansion plans for the production of hand-woven carpets result from the in 2018 adopted state program for the development of carpet art in Azerbaijan and the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic for the years 2018 till 2022.

Azerbaijan offers opportunities as a production location
Azerbaijan can score with some advantages as a production location for the textile and silk industry as well as for the clothing industry. These include a sufficiently available and quickly trained labor force, low wage costs, tax and other preferences in industrial areas and good conditions for the sale of the goods.

Good sales opportunities result from the free trade agreements with the countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and the export opportunities to Turkey. No import duties have to be paid for exports to these countries. Clothing manufacturers from EU countries with the intention of exporting to these countries can benefit from this. Several companies, especially from the Baltic States, are currently exploring their opportunities for a market entry.

The Azerbaijan Textile Industry Association sees a need for action on the part of the government with regard to the framework conditions for the domestic clothing manufacturers. For example, the tariff burden on imports of accessories such as adhesives, buttons and snap fasteners and zippers should significantly be reduced.

Leading manufacturers of apparel and other finished textile products include Baku Textile Factory (Baki Tekstil Fabriki), Accord Textil (Agstafa, part of the Accord Industrial Holding), Alyans Tekstil (Sumqayit), the apparel factory in the Gilan-Textile Park (Sumqayit), and Debet Uniform (Baku). The factories mainly produce workwear and outerwear.

More information:
GTAI Aserbaidschan Carpets
Source:

Uwe Stohbach, Germany Trade & Invest

www.gtai.de

PIXABAY
04.12.2018

CLOTHING INDUSTRY IN CAMBODIA WITH UNCERTAIN OUTLOOK

  • Exports rise in the country's most important industrial sector.

Phnom Penh (GTAI) - Cambodia's clothing exports are growing steadily. However, two factors cloud the prospects for the future.

Cambodia's garment industry is the backbone of the Kingdom's export-oriented economy. Industry exports account for around 40 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). More than 800,000 Cambodians are employed in over 800 companies. That is more than 85 percent of all factory workers in the country.

Apparel and footwear exports reached USD 8.0 billion in 2017, according to Cambodian customs. This represented an increase of 9.6 percent compared with 2016. Proud growth rates between 7 and almost 15 percent were already achieved in previous years. GTAI estimates on the basis of partner countries' imports an even higher export volume of around USD 12 billion.

  • Exports rise in the country's most important industrial sector.

Phnom Penh (GTAI) - Cambodia's clothing exports are growing steadily. However, two factors cloud the prospects for the future.

Cambodia's garment industry is the backbone of the Kingdom's export-oriented economy. Industry exports account for around 40 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP). More than 800,000 Cambodians are employed in over 800 companies. That is more than 85 percent of all factory workers in the country.

Apparel and footwear exports reached USD 8.0 billion in 2017, according to Cambodian customs. This represented an increase of 9.6 percent compared with 2016. Proud growth rates between 7 and almost 15 percent were already achieved in previous years. GTAI estimates on the basis of partner countries' imports an even higher export volume of around USD 12 billion.

More than 70 percent of the country's total exports of goods regularly come from the sector. Shoes accounted for exports of USD 873 million (+14.4 percent) in 2017. Foreign business with shoes has been improving for some years now and has been able to increase its share of exports to over 10 percent. With an unchanged share of 46 percent compared to the previous year, the EU continued to play a major role among the customers in 2017, followed by the USA with 24 percent.

The value-added volume of the sector is low and the road to an integrated textile industry in Cambodia is still long. Machines, raw materials and design come from abroad in the form of a CMT model ("Cut Make Trim"). Fabrics, yarns and haberdashery have to be imported in order to keep the local clothing industry "on the runway". In 2016, according to the United Nations Comtrade Database, USD 4.1 billion worth of textiles came into the country for processing - about 60 percent of which came from China. Textile imports have risen proportionally to clothing exports in recent years.

The garment industry is dominated by foreign companies, mostly from the Asian neighborhood China, Hong Kong (SVR), Singapore, Malaysia or South Korea. Many manufacturers produce to order for multinational brands such as Adidas, Puma, Gap, H&M, Marks & Spencer or Uniqlo. In principle, the complete contract manufacturing is intended for export.

Rising wages fuel fear of competition
After years of growth the sector is looking to the future with concern. The country is increasingly in danger of losing market share to its competitors - for example in Myanmar, Vietnam or Bangladesh - primarily due to rising wage costs. In January 2018, the monthly minimum wage for workers was raised to USD 170, up from USD 153. Compared to 2013, when a minimum of USD 80 was required by law, there has now been more than a doubling.

The annual agenda included regular increases of around 10 percent. According to the Cambodia Garment and Footwear Sector Bulletin of the International Labor Organization (ILO), workers who worked the full month, including overtime payments and incentives, were paid an average wage of just under USD 243 in 2017. Last year, it was USD 225.

In the past, low wages were mainly responsible for the attractiveness and competitiveness of Cambodian industry. This advantage is crumbling year after year as a result of the increase of minimum wages. An end to this politically motivated development is not in sight. The government can imagine, referring to expert recommendations, that minimum wages will be raised to USD 250 per month by 2023.

If the trend continues, companies are likely to migrate and not too many new investors will pitch their tents in Cambodia, critics warn. In 2017, sector companies invested nearly USD 270 million in 55 projects. This represented 5 per cent of the Kingdom's total investments. In the previous year, this share had been 9 percent.

Industry representatives complain that the costs grow faster than the productivity. Automation of production processes is becoming more and more urgent in order to keep up with productivity. However, both the lack of skilled workers and an infrastructure in need of improvement are serious bottleneck factors. There are also critics who are generally pessimistic about a possible automation in the sector. Cambodia could only score points through low labor cost advantages. Automated mass production is reserved for countries that have a reliable and cost-effective power supply and are closer to the sales markets.

Will the trade routes to the EU remain free?
Even more worrying would be the EU's cancellation of the preferential trading system EBA ("Everything But Arms"). Finally, the exemption of Cambodian clothing from customs duties is at stake on the main market. A discontinuation is likely to trigger a wave of migration of the clothing industry. Quite a few companies have taken the EBA initiative alone as an opportunity to establish themselves in the Kingdom.

In addition, the view wanders across the border to Vietnam. Manufacturers there could soon benefit from a free trade agreement with the EU. Vietnam is also participating at the Asia-Pacific Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), while Cambodia remains outside. If the trade arrangements remain unchanged, Cambodia may get off with a black eye. However, the other factors should not be ignored. Transport and general export costs are also considered comparatively high compared with Vietnam or China.

Cambodian exporters are currently benefiting from the trade dispute between the USA and China. The National Bank of Cambodia (NBC) semi-annual report supports this assumption. According to the study, apparel and footwear exports rose by 11 percent in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period of last year to reach a volume of USD 4 billion. Since July 2016, clothing, shoes and travel goods (suitcases, bags, etc.) can be delivered duty-free to the USA. According to the Garment Manufacturers Association of Cambodia (GMAC), shipments of travel goods to the USA in the first half of 2018 reached an amount of around USD 160 million - three times the previous annual exports.

Cambodia's imports of textile machinery amounted to USD 127.3 million (SITC 724) in 2017 according to the UN Comtrade database. This was 11.4 percent more than in the previous year. About 60 percent of the capital goods came from China; the remaining deliveries are relatively evenly distributed among other Asian countries. German deliveries only appear very sparsely in the statistics. Used machines from abroad are more likely to be in demand, but are not recorded statistically.

More information:
cambodja Asien GTAI
Source:

Michael Sauermost, Germany Trade & Invest www.gtai.de

PIXABAY
27.11.2018

EGYPT'S TEXTILE AND CLOTHING SECTOR FACING MODERNIZATION

  • State enterprises get better equipment

Cairo (GTAI) - The Egyptian government plans to modernize the textile sector and private companies are investing in new locations. Increasing machine imports and clothing exports are expected.

In the Egyptian textile and clothing industry, the signs are pointing to expansion and modernization. Local media reported on a number of private and public investment projects. According to the newspaper Al Gomhouria, a Chinese producer in the Suez Canal economic zone is planning the world's largest textile factory for USD 6 billion. The Chinese companies TIDA and Shoon Dong Roy want to build a clothing factory for 800 million USD. Sino-Egypt Minkai is planning to build a textile industry complex for around USD 750 million.

  • State enterprises get better equipment

Cairo (GTAI) - The Egyptian government plans to modernize the textile sector and private companies are investing in new locations. Increasing machine imports and clothing exports are expected.

In the Egyptian textile and clothing industry, the signs are pointing to expansion and modernization. Local media reported on a number of private and public investment projects. According to the newspaper Al Gomhouria, a Chinese producer in the Suez Canal economic zone is planning the world's largest textile factory for USD 6 billion. The Chinese companies TIDA and Shoon Dong Roy want to build a clothing factory for 800 million USD. Sino-Egypt Minkai is planning to build a textile industry complex for around USD 750 million.

The Egyptian state also wants to strengthen the textile and clothing production. In November 2018, the Minister of State Enterprise Hisham Tawfiq negotiated an extensive restructuring of the Cotton & Textile Holding Company with Werner International of the USA. According to press reports, the properties of 14 of the 25 cotton ginning plants should be sold. The ministry estimates the value at USD 1.5 billion. This appropriation is intended to cover the repair of machinery and the import of new equipment for the eleven remaining companies.

A free zone for textile production will also be created in Minya on the initiative of the state. This industrial zone is to be built on an area of 2.2 million square metres: The General Authority for Free Zones and Investment intends to launch the project before the end of 2018.

In autumn 2018, the Cotton & Textiles Industries Holding Company and Marubeni of Japan signed a letter of intent. This relates to the construction of a new textile factory in Kafr El Sheikh. A reduced loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation secures the financing of the project.

Import demand for textile and clothing machinery expected to increase
The planned projects are expected to lead to a further increase of a demand of imports. Like other types of equipment, the vast majority of textile and clothing machinery is imported into Egypt. In 2017 the German share of deliveries fell by 8.4 percentage points to an year-on-year comparison to 12 percent. However, this reduction is put into a perspective by the fact that the reference year 2016 was a positive outlier. In 2015, the German share was still 15.8 percent.

Imports of textile and clothing machinery to Egypt (in USD 1,000)
HS-Category 2016 Therof from Germany 2017 Therof from Germany
8444 4,481 2,025 5,554 n.v.
8445 26,105 5,429 32,660 4,807
8446 23,591 13,346 26,170 4,493
8447 15,713 3,052 22,032 4,493
8448 20.574 3,365 18,013 2,698
8449 299 0 1,725 0.4
8451 36,512 2,334 37,887 3,511
8452 23,186 1,698 29,633 1,309
8453 3,678 137 9,892 155
Total 154,139 31,386 183,566 22,028.4

n.a. = not available
Source: Comtrade

Egyptian textile and clothing companies often produce with a lot of manual work and partly with very outdated machines. The government's aim is to create as many jobs as possible due to the continued population growth. On the other hand, a more automated and modern production would allow more complex products. These could be sold at a higher profit, but would also require less human labor.

Important role of the sector companies for the Egyptian economy
The textile and clothing companies in Egypt represent a significant and labor-intensive industry. Local and imported fibers are being processed in the country and there is a broad base of spinning mills, weaving mills, dyeing houses and manufacturers of clothing and home textiles. It is estimated that the companies employ between 1 million and 1.2 million people. A regional focus is Mahala El Kubra. State enterprises are strongly represented in the textile sector, while the private sector plays a greater role in the clothing sector. About 90 percent of the spinning and weaving mills are state-owned.

According to the Readymade Garments Export Council (RMGEC), the garment industry accounts for 3 percent of the country's gross domestic product, 15 percent of exports (excluding oil), and one of three industrial jobs in the country. From January to the end of August 2018, clothing exports to the RMGEC totaled USD 1,040 million. In the same period of 2017, exports amounted to only US$ 980 million.

Egyptian exports of textiles and clothing (selection; in USD million;
change in %)
HS-Category 2016 2017 Change 2017 / 2016
57 303.5 313.9 3.4
60 35.7 44.3 24.1
61 388.0 466.0 20.1
62 756.6 910.7 20.4
63 227.2 231.1 1.7
Total 1,711.0 1,966.0 14.9

Source: UN Comtrade

The Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ) play a special role. These are special zones with Israeli added value, which are fixed during production, and the products enjoy customs advantages when exported to the USA. Since 2005, the QIZ system has provided more private investments in the garment sector. Jeans and other clothing for well-known brands are delivered to the USA from the 25 zones.
Egyptian manufacturers are also generally not always recognizable as such, as they often manufacture for major international brands. Middle East Eye names Calvin Klein, Decathlon, Tommy Hilfiger and Zara as examples. In November 2017 Dice Sport and Casual Wear agreed to supply Levi Strauss & Co. with children's clothing.

The US company Disney even purchases 33 types of products from Egypt. Since 2017, Egypt has been cooperating with the International Labor Organization ILO as part of the Better Work Program. Working conditions are to be improved in 30 clothing factories. According to media reports, for Disney these measures were a reason to extend the licenses of the Egyptian suppliers until December 2019.

Currency effect improves competitiveness
The labor-intensive production benefited from the currency devaluation in 2016. According to a report by the news portal Middle East Eye, Egypt has at least 100 USD monthly salary for workers and is about at the same level as India or Bangladesh and at about 50 of percent Chinese salaries. In addition, prompt and fast deliveries to Europe and the USA are possible.

On the other hand, the companies are dependent on foreign supplies, which became more expensive. In Egypt especially soft and high-quality long staple cotton is cultivated and exported. Domestic producers, on the other hand, mainly use short-staple cotton and other foreign fibers as raw materials. The RMGEC complained about rising production costs in October 2018. Wages, electricity, water, natural gas, transports and more expensive imports of raw materials contributed to this development.


Further information on Egypt can be found at http://www.gtai.de

 

More information:
GTAI Ägypten
Source:

Oliver Idem, Germany Trade & Invest www.gtai.de

20.11.2018

CHINA'S CLOTHING COMPANIESS REPOSITION THEMSELVES

  • AUTOMATION AND STRONGER FOCUS ON THE DOMESTIC MARKET

Beijing (GTAI) - The Chinese apparel industry is repositioning itself. Increased wage costs force more automation, more customers demanding more quality.
Nowhere else in the world so much clothing is being produced as in China. According to the sector portal http://www.ask.com, alone 22.9 billion pairs of socks were being produced in 2017. This was 4.8 percent more than in the previous year, and the production of jeans amounted to more than 0.6 billion pieces according to information from http://www.chyxx.com, an increase of 5.0 percent.

  • AUTOMATION AND STRONGER FOCUS ON THE DOMESTIC MARKET

Beijing (GTAI) - The Chinese apparel industry is repositioning itself. Increased wage costs force more automation, more customers demanding more quality.
Nowhere else in the world so much clothing is being produced as in China. According to the sector portal http://www.ask.com, alone 22.9 billion pairs of socks were being produced in 2017. This was 4.8 percent more than in the previous year, and the production of jeans amounted to more than 0.6 billion pieces according to information from http://www.chyxx.com, an increase of 5.0 percent.
China is not only the world's largest production nation, but also by far the world's largest export nation in the sector. However, countries such as India, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Cambodia are catching up enormously due to lower wages. As a result, China - measured by its share of world clothing exports - has lost around 5.5 percentage points since 2013, down to only 32.4% in 2017.

China's share of world clothing exports 1) (in USD billion; shares in %)
  2008 2013 2015 2017
World Export 380 468 471 486
China Export 120 177 175 157
China's share 31.6 37.9 37.1 32.4

1) SITC Pos.84; 2) Partially estimated on the basis of information provided by the ITC
Source: UN Comtrade, GTAI calculation.

By contrast, Bangladesh (+3.7 points), Vietnam (+2.0 points) and Cambodia (+1.3 points) in particular recorded gains in the period from 2013 to 2017. In absolute terms, Chinese apparel exports fell by 15.6% to USD 157 billion since the record year of 2014 (USD187 billion). No improvement is in sight as exports are stagnating in 2018.

Export of clothing 1) by country (in USD million; shares in %)
  2008 Share 2013 Share 2017 Share
World Export 380,000 100.0 468,000 100.0 486,000 100.0
China 120,405 31.6 177,435 37.9 157,464 32.4
ASEAN3) 29,793 7.8 42,123 9.0 61,441 12.6
Vietnam 8,724 2.3 17,230 3.7 27,930 5.7
Kambodscha 3,014 0.8 4,832 1.0 11,250 2.3
Bangladesch 12,035 3.2 19,679 4.2 38,460 7.9
India 10,968 2.9 16,843 3.6 18,313 4.0
Germany 18,183 4.8 19,178 4.1 22,034 4.6

1) SITC Pos. 84; 2) partly estimated on the basis of ITC data; 3) excluding Laos and Brunei
Sources: UN-Comtrade; ITC; GTAI calculation

Rising wage costs as investment driver
Due to rising personnel costs throughout the country, manufacturers were and are under considerable cost pressure. With an average hourly wage for a Chinese worker of the equivalent of around USD 5.2 (2017), China has not only left classic emerging markets such as Thailand (USD 2.3) or Mexico (USD 3.9) behind - not to mention India with USD 0.8 - but is already approaching individual European countries (e.g. Greece 2016: USD 6.0).


Companies have met and continue to meet this challenge through increased automation. Between 2015 (9.1 million) and 2017 (7.8 million) alone, the workforce of the textile and clothing industry shrank by 14.3 percent - according to the Chinese statistical office. More and better machines make it possible to say goodbye to the previous labor-intensive production - and thus lower cost pressure with more precise and faster execution. Imports of textile machinery are also benefiting from this. These rose in 2017 by a whopping 34.1 percent year-on-year to nearly USD 3.9 billion.


Germany no longer number one textile machinery supplier
Although Germany lost its position as most important supplier country for textile machinery to Japan, it was still able to increase its deliveries by 28.3 percent to USD 1.1 billion. This corresponded to a supply share of 28.3 percent. Japanese manufacturers achieved a ratio of 30.0 percent with just under USD 1.2 billion (+52.8 percent). Competition from Italy came to only 11.5 percent. The good performance is remarkable due to the fact that a number of German textile machine manufacturers have invested heavily in recent years in the region in order to be able to meet the wishes of Chinese customers more effectively.

China's textile machinery imports *) by selected countries (in USD million; year-on-year change and 2017 shares in %)
  2015 2016 2017 Change Shares
Total 3,354 2,907 3,897 34.1 100.0
including          
Japan 728 765 1,169 52.8 30.0
Germany 1,219 851 1,101 29.4 28.3
Italy 415 347 448 29.1 11.5
Taiwan 206 187 203 8.6 5.2
Belgium 134 124 173 4.0 4.4
Switzerland 104 111 126 13.5 3.2

*) SITC-Pos. 724
Source: UN-Comtrade; GTAI calculation

Due to the high pressure to modernization Chinese textile machinery imports in the first seven months of 2018 increased by almost 15 percent compared to the previous period. German machine manufacturers in particular benefited from this development, with deliveries increasing by 30 percent in the same period. As Japanese exports of textile machinery to China stagnated at the same time, German manufacturers are likely to take the lead again in 2018.
As the garment exports come under such severe pressure, the industry is now increasingly geared towards the local market. Whereas ten years ago about half of the value of production was exported, today it is only about a third. In fact, the Chinese spent an average of around 4.8 percent of their disposable income or 1,238 Renminbi (RMB; around 183 US dollars; 1 USD = 6.7531 RMB, annual mean rate of 2017) on clothing in 2017, according to the Chinese Statistical Office. With an average disposable annual income of 25,974 RMB and a population of 1.39 billion, this translates into a market volume of approximately USD 255 billion.

China's consumers demand quality and design
This makes the Chinese clothing market one of the largest in the world - and one that is becoming increasingly diversified. Local offerings range from the cheapest mass-produced goods, qualitatively and visually appealing products in the mid-price segment up to luxury and haute couture. Much has changed in the upper price segment in particular. "In the past, the Chinese exported the best qualities, but today they keep them for themselves," says a British sourcing expert who has been working in the Kashmir business for decades, describing the development.

In general, Chinese consumer demand is becoming increasingly sophisticated and differentiated. In addition to the tendency towards recognized brands, an increasing individualization of consumption can also be observed. The question is what fits well, pleases and is also somehow "special". "People in the North used to buy cashmere clothes because they warmed well," explains Cheng Xudong, president of the private Dongrong Group. The design was of secondary importance - and accordingly most of the pieces were "old-fashioned".

"Today, cashmere clothes also look very good," Cheng adds. "That's why it's bought not only in the north, but also in the more southern parts of the country." In general, the middle class in particular is looking for a high-quality lifestyle - and clothing is a part of it. The entrepreneur is convinced that if the textile and clothing industry succeeds in adapting to the higher quality demands of local customers through a technical upgrade and improved design, then the industry will continue to do well in the future.

Additional information
Further information on the economic situation, the sectors, business practice, law, customs, tenders and development projects in China can be found at http://www.gtai.de/china The website http://www.gtai.de/asien-pazifik provides an overview of various topics in the region.

 

More information:
China Sampe China GTAI
Source:

Stefanie Schmitt, Germany Trade & Invest www.gtai.de

20.11.2018

CHINAS BEKLEIDUNGSFIRMEN POSITIONIEREN SICH NEU

  • AUTOMATISIERUNG UND STÄRKERER FOKUS AUF DEN BINNENMARKT

Beijing (GTAI) - Die chinesische Bekleidungsbranche stellt sich neu auf. Gestiegene Lohnkosten zwingen zu mehr Automatisierung, anspruchsvollere Kunden zu mehr Qualität. Nirgendwo auf der Welt wird so viel Bekleidung produziert wie in China. Allein an Socken wurden 2017 laut dem Branchenportal http://www.ask.com 22,9 Milliarden Paare hergestellt.

  • AUTOMATISIERUNG UND STÄRKERER FOKUS AUF DEN BINNENMARKT

Beijing (GTAI) - Die chinesische Bekleidungsbranche stellt sich neu auf. Gestiegene Lohnkosten zwingen zu mehr Automatisierung, anspruchsvollere Kunden zu mehr Qualität. Nirgendwo auf der Welt wird so viel Bekleidung produziert wie in China. Allein an Socken wurden 2017 laut dem Branchenportal http://www.ask.com 22,9 Milliarden Paare hergestellt.
Das waren 4,8 Prozent mehr als im Vorjahr, und die Produktion von Jeans betrug nach Informationen von http://www.chyxx.com mehr als 0,6 Milliarden Stück, ein Plus von 5,0 Prozent. China ist nicht nur die weltgrößte Produktions-, sondern auch die mit Abstand weltgrößte Exportnation der Branche. Allerdings holen Länder wie Indien, Vietnam, Bangladesch oder Kambodscha aufgrund günstigerer Löhne gewaltig auf. In der Folge verlor China - gemessen an den Anteilen am Weltexport von Bekleidung - seit 2013 etwa 5,5 Prozentpunkte auf nur noch 32,4% im Jahr 2017.

Chinas Anteil an den Weltbekleidungsausfuhren1) (in Mrd. US$; Anteile in%)
  2008 2013 2015 2017
Weltexport 380 468 471 486
Chinas Export 120 177 175 157
Anteil Chinas 31,6 37,9 37,1 32,4

1) SITC-Pos. 84; 2) teilweise geschätzt auf Basis der Angaben des ITC
Quellen: UN-Comtrade; ITC; GTAI-Berechnung

Zulegen konnten im Zeitraum 2013 bis 2017 hingegen insbesondere Bangladesch (+3,7 Punkte), Vietnam (+2,0) sowie Kambodscha (+1,3 Punkte). In absoluten Zahlen gingen die chinesischen Bekleidungsexporte seit dem Rekordjahr 2014 (187 Milliarden US-Dollar) um 15,6% auf 157 Milliarden US$ zurück. Besserung ist nicht in Sicht, da die Ausfuhren auch 2018 stagnierten.

Ausfuhr von Bekleidung1) nach Ländern (in Mio. US$; Anteile in %)
  2008 Anteile 2013 Anteile 20172) Anteile
Weltexport 380.000 100,0 460.000 100,0 486.000 100,0
China 120.405 31,6 177.435 37,9 157.464 32,4
ASEAN3) 29.793 7,8 42.123 9,0 61.441 12,6
Vietnam 8.724 2,3 17.230 3,7 27.930 5,7
Kambodscha 3.014 0,8 4.832 1,0 11.250 2,3
Bangladesch 12.035 3,2 19.679 4,2 38.460 7,9
Indien 10.968 2,9 16.843 3,6 18.313 3,0
Deutschland 18.183 4,8 19.178 4,1 22.034 4,6

1) SITC-Pos. 84; 2) teilweise geschätzt auf Basis der Angaben des ITC; 3) ohne Laos und Brunei
Quellen: UN-Comtrade; ITC; GTAI-Berechnung

Steigende Lohnkosten als Investitionstreiber
Aufgrund landesweit steigender Personalkosten standen und stehen die Hersteller unter ganz erheblichem Kostendruck. Mit einem durchschnittlichen Stundenlohn für einen chinesischen Arbeiter von umgerechnet rund 5,2 US$ (2017) hat China nicht nur klassische Schwellenländer wie Thailand (2,3 US$) oder Mexiko (3,9 US$) hinter sich gelassen - von Indien mit 0,8 US$ gar nicht zu reden -, sondern nähert sich bereits an einzelne europäische Länder an (zum Beispiel Griechenland 2016: 6,0 US$)
Dieser Herausforderung begegneten und begegnen die Firmen durch verstärkte Automatisierung. Allein zwischen 2015 (9,1 Millionen) und 2017 (7,8 Millionen) schrumpfte der Personalstamm der Textil- und Bekleidungsindustrie laut chinesischem Statistikamt um 14,3 Prozent. Mehr und bessere Maschinen ermöglichen den Abschied von der bisherigen arbeitsintensiven Fertigung - und damit einhergehend geringerem Kostendruck bei präziserer und schnellerer Ausführung. Hiervon profitieren auch die Textilmaschinenimporte. Diese stiegen 2017 gegenüber dem Vorjahr um satte 34,1 Prozent auf fast 3,9 Milliarden US$.

Deutschland nicht mehr Textilmaschinenlieferant Nummer eins
Deutschland verlor zwar seinen Platz als wichtigstes Lieferland für Textilmaschinen an Japan, konnte aber dennoch seine Lieferungen um 28,3 Prozent auf 1,1 Milliarden $ steigern. Dies entsprach einem Lieferanteil von 28,3 Prozent. Japanische Hersteller erreichten mit knapp 1,2 Milliarden US$ (+52,8 Prozent) eine Quote von 30,0 Prozent. Die Konkurrenz aus Italien kam lediglich auf 11,5 Prozent. Das gute Abschneiden ist insofern bemerkenswert, da eine Reihe deutscher Textilmaschinenhersteller in den letzten Jahren stark vor Ort investiert hat, um den Wünschen der chinesischen Kunden gerechter werden zu können.

Chinas Textilmaschinenimporte*) nach ausgewählten Ländern (in Mio. US$; Veränderung gegenüber dem Vorjahr und Anteile 2017 in %)
  2015 2016 2017 Veränd. Anteil
Gesamt 3.354 2.907 3.897 34,1 100
darunter aus          
Japan 728 765 1.169 52,8 30,0
Deutschland 1.219 851 1.101 29,4 28,3
Italien 415 347 448 29,1 11,5
Taiwan 206 187 203 8,6 5,2
Belgien 134 124 173 4,0 4,4
Schweiz 104 111 126 13,5 3,2

*) SITC-Pos. 724
Quelle: UN-Comtrade; GTAI-Berechnung

Aufgrund des hohen Modernisierungsdrucks steigerten sich die chinesischen Textilmaschinenimporte in den ersten sieben Monaten 2018 im Vergleich zur Vorperiode um knapp 15 Prozent. Von dieser Entwicklung profitierten insbesondere deutsche Maschinenhersteller, deren Lieferungen im gleichen Zeitraum um 30 Prozent zulegen konnten. Da gleichzeitig die japanischen Exporte von Textilmaschinen nach China stagnierten, dürften deutsche Hersteller 2018 wieder die Spitzenposition einnehmen.
Da die Bekleidungsausfuhren stark unter Druck geraten sind, richtet sich die Branche zunehmend auf den Binnenmarkt aus. Ging vor zehn Jahren wertmäßig etwa die Hälfte der Produktion in den Export, so ist es heute nur noch rund ein Drittel. Tatsächlich gaben die Chinesen 2017 im Schnitt rund 4,8 Prozent ihres verfügbaren Einkommen oder 1.238 Renminbi Yuan (RMB; rund 183 US-Dollar; 1 US$ = 6,7531 RMB, Jahresmittelkurs 2017) für Kleidung aus, so das chinesische Statistikamt. Bei einem verfügbaren Jahresdurchschnittseinkommen von 25.974 RMB und 1,39 Milliarden Einwohnern errechnet sich hieraus ein Marktvolumen von circa 255 Milliarden $.

Chinas Konsumenten verlangen Qualität und Design
Damit ist der chinesische Bekleidungsmarkt einer der größten der Welt - und einer, der sich immer stärker auffächert. Das lokale Angebot reicht von billigster Massenware, qualitativ und optisch ansprechenden Erzeugnissen im mittleren Preissegment bis hin zu Luxus und Haute-Couture. Insbesondere im oberen Preissegment hat sich viel verändert. "Früher haben die Chinesen die besten Qualitäten exportiert, heute behalten sie sie selbst", beschreibt eine seit Jahrzehnten im Kaschmir-Business tätige britische Sourcing-Expertin die Entwicklung.
Generell zeigen sich die chinesischen Konsumwünsche zunehmend anspruchsvoller und differenzierter. Außerdem ist neben dem Hang zu anerkannten Marken eine zunehmende Individualisierung des Konsums zu beobachten. Gefragt ist, was gut passt, gefällt und überdies irgendwie "besonders" ist. "Früher kauften die Leute im Norden Kaschmirkleidung, weil sie gut wärmte", erklärt Cheng Xudong, Präsident der privaten Dongrong Group. Das Design war zweitrangig - und entsprechend "altbacken" kamen die meisten Stücke daher.
"Heute sieht Kaschmir-Kleidung außerdem gut aus," ergänzt Cheng. "Deshalb wird sie heute nicht nur im Norden sondern auch in den südlicheren Landesteilen gekauft." Generell ist insbesondere der Mittelstand auf der Suche nach einem qualitativ hochwertigem Lebensstil - und Kleidung ist ein Teil davon. Wenn es der Textil- und Bekleidungsindustrie gelingt, sich über ein technisches Upgrade und verbessertes Design an die qualitativ höheren Ansprüche der lokalen Kunden anzupassen, dann wird es der Branche auch in Zukunft gut gehen, davon ist der Unternehmer überzeugt.

 

 

More information:
China Deutsche Mode in China GTAI
Source:

Stefanie Schmitt, Germany Trade & Invest www.gtai.de

13.11.2018

TUNISIA'S TEXTILE SECTOR RECOVERS

German suppliers can benefit from production expansions
Tunis (GTAI) - After difficult years, Tunisia's textile sector is recovering. Exports and foreign investment are on the rise again. Production is for export, especially to Europe.

At the end of October 2018, the Swiss auditing group SGS reported its expanded testing capacity for textiles in Tunisia. This was in response to the increased demand from producers producing for the world market in Tunisia. The sector has not been doing well in recent years. Even before the revolution in 2011, competitive pressure from Asian producers had left its mark, especially after the expiry of the multi-fiber agreement in 2005. According to the FTTH (Fédération Tunisienne du textile et de l'habillement), more than 400 companies have left the country since 2011 and 40,000 jobs have been lost.

German suppliers can benefit from production expansions
Tunis (GTAI) - After difficult years, Tunisia's textile sector is recovering. Exports and foreign investment are on the rise again. Production is for export, especially to Europe.

At the end of October 2018, the Swiss auditing group SGS reported its expanded testing capacity for textiles in Tunisia. This was in response to the increased demand from producers producing for the world market in Tunisia. The sector has not been doing well in recent years. Even before the revolution in 2011, competitive pressure from Asian producers had left its mark, especially after the expiry of the multi-fiber agreement in 2005. According to the FTTH (Fédération Tunisienne du textile et de l'habillement), more than 400 companies have left the country since 2011 and 40,000 jobs have been lost.

Now positive news are coming: In 2018, for example, the German Gonser Group opened its fifth production facility in Tunisia. In total, foreign direct investments in the first six months of 2018 amounted to Tunisian Dinar (tD) 24.9 million (approx. EUR 7.5 million), 1 tD = approx. EUR 0.301as of 11. 07.), more than twice as high as in the corresponding period of the previous year. The fact, that the number of new created jobs as a result has risen much less, can be seen as confirmation of the structural change: Away from simple mass production to higher-value production.

A high level of employee training is also decisive for this. The Sartex company shows how this can be ensured. In 2014, the Tunisian company opened a training center, in which some 500 Tunisians have already been trained and most of them were hired by Sartex. The company was supported by the Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and the Centre d'Orientation et de Reconversion Professionnelle (CORP) of the AHK Tunisia.

During the visit of Federal Development Minister Müller in October 2018, an agreement was signed on the establishment of a training center in EL Alia in the Bizerte governorate. Among others the German company van Laack is producing in the region. A total of 180,000 Tunisians now work in the textile sector, which accounts with that for about 40 percent of industrial jobs.

Wage increases in two steps
More than one year after its foundation, FTTH has established itself as the interest representative of textile companies. In 2017 the company split from the employers' association UTICA (Union Tunisians de l'Industrie, du Commerce et de l'Artisanat), not least because the envisaged general wage increases for the company's own industrial sector were considered unworkable. But meanwhile, common ground and cooperation have been emphasized again, or FTTH describes itself as part of UTICA, with a high degree of autonomy.

An agreement has now also been reached with the Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail (UGTT). This provides for wage increases of 6.5 percent as of 1 January 2019 and 2020 respectively. This wage increases are thus likely to be lower than the inflation, provided that the forecasts for the inflation rate of around 7.5 percent for the current year 2018 will be that way. Currently, the minimum wage in Tunisia's textile and clothing industry for unskilled job starters is around EUR 129 (as of 07-11-2018) per 48-hour week.

Of the more than 1,600 textile companies, over 1,400 are producing exclusively for export. The target markets are clearly in Europe. More than 60 percent of exports went to France and Italy in 2016, with Germany in third place with about 11 percent. As the largest non-European customer, the USA was ranked ninth with less than one per cent. By joining the Common Market for Southern and Eastern Africa (COMESA), Tunisia aims to develop new markets. According to the Ministry of Commerce, bilateral talks are underway with several African countries to provide duty-free market access for Tunisian textiles.

Are Chinese investors discovering Tunisia as a location?
In addition to the relations with the African continent, relations with China could also change in the medium term. At the China-Africa Cooperation Forum held in Beijing in September 2018, Chinese textile companies expressed their interest in Tunisia as a production location. As wages have increased in China in the meantime, a relocation of production to certain sectors of the textile industry could prove useful for the European market.

Exports already increased in 2017. The trend seems to continue in 2018. In 2016 exports were USD 2.9 billion, in 2017 USD 3 billion (a significant increase due to the Dinar's decline in exchange rates (7 billion tD against tD 8.4 billion). According to the first announcements, exports to Europe in the first months of 2018 are expected to have increased again by 3.5 percent compared to 2017. Improving transport and customs clearance should be important for the further development of the textile sector. Especially the companies producing purely for export express this again and again. The textile sector in particular is dependent on short delivery times.

Meanwhile, FTTH is also working to improve the competitive position of Tunisian textile companies on their home market. This applies, for example, to the imports of used clothing for which stricter controls are being desired.

Tunisian imports of machinery, apparatus and equipment for the textile and leather industries and parts thereof (SITC 724; in USD million)
Origin 2015 2016 2017
Total 68.8 67.0 67.3
Italy 15.8 13.7 17.9
China 20.5 12.4 10.6
France   6.5   4.0   7.4
Germany   5.0   6.3   7.2

Note: Thailand was the third largest supplier in 2016, but fell behind in 2017. The table shows the four most important suppliers in 2017
Source: UN Comtrade

In addition to production expansions by German companies, German suppliers could also benefit if the recovery and, above all, structural changes will continue. While total imports of textile and leather machinery fell slightly from around USD 70 million to USD 67 million between 2015 and 2017, German deliveries increased from USD 5 million to USD 7.2 million. (JPS)

Further information on the Chinese commitment in Tunisia can be found online (German only): Link

 

More information:
Tunesia GTAI
Source:

Peter Schmitz, Germany Trade & Invest www.gtai.de

13.11.2018

TUNESIENS TEXTILSEKTOR ERHOLT SICH

Von Produktionserweiterungen können deutsche Zulieferer profitieren.
Tunis (GTAI) - Nach schwierigen Jahren erholt sich Tunesiens Textilsektor. Exporte und ausländische Investitionen steigen wieder. Produziert wird für den Export, vor allem nach Europa.

Von Produktionserweiterungen können deutsche Zulieferer profitieren.
Tunis (GTAI) - Nach schwierigen Jahren erholt sich Tunesiens Textilsektor. Exporte und ausländische Investitionen steigen wieder. Produziert wird für den Export, vor allem nach Europa.

Ende Oktober 2018 meldete der schweizerische Prüfkonzern SGS seine Prüfkapazitäten für Textilien in Tunesien auszubauen. Damit reagierte er auf eine verstärkte Nachfrage von Produzenten, die in Tunesien für den Weltmarkt produzieren. In den vergangenen Jahren ging es der Branche nicht gut. Bereits vor der Revolution im Jahr 2011 hatte der Konkurrenzdruck durch asiatische Produzenten Spuren hinterlassen, vor allem nach dem Auslaufen des Multifaserabkommens 2005. Nach Angaben des Branchenverbandes FTTH (Fédération tunisienne du textile et de l'habillement) haben seit 2011 mehr als 400 Unternehmen das Land verlassen, 40.000 Arbeitsplätze seien verloren gegangen.

Nun kommen positive Nachrichten: 2018 eröffnete beispielsweise die deutsche Gonser Group ihre fünfte Produktionsstätte in Tunesien. Insgesamt lagen die ausländischen Direktinvestitionen in den ersten sechs Monaten 2018 mit 24,9 Millionen tunesischen Dinar (tD; etwa 7,5 Millionen Euro; 1 tD = rund 0,301 Euro, Stand: 07.11.2018) mehr als doppelt so hoch wie in der entsprechenden Vorjahresperiode. Dass die Anzahl der dadurch entstandenen Arbeitsplätze deutlich geringer angestiegen ist, kann als Bestätigung des Strukturwandels gesehen werden: Weg von der einfachen Massenfertigung, hin zu höherwertiger Produktion.

Entscheidend dafür ist auch ein hohes Ausbildungsniveau der Mitarbeiter. Wie das sichergestellt werden kann, zeigt die Firma Sartex. 2014 hat das tunesische Unternehmen ein Ausbildungszentrum eröffnet, in dem bereits etwa 500 Tunesierinnen und Tunesier ausgebildet und zum größten Teil von Sartex eingestellt wurden. Unterstützt wurde das Unternehmen dabei von der Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) und dem Centre d'Orientation et de Reconversion Professionnelle (CORP) der AHK Tunesien.

Im Rahmen des Besuchs von Bundesentwicklungsminister Müller wurde im Oktober 2018 ein Abkommen zur Errichtung eines Ausbildungszentrums in EL Alia im Gouvernement Bizerte unterzeichnet. In der Region produziert unter anderem das deutsche Unternehmen van Laack. Insgesamt arbeiten inzwischen wieder 180.000 Tunesierinnen und Tunesier im Textilsektor, der damit etwa 40 Prozent der industriellen Arbeitsplätze stellt.

Lohnerhöhungen in zwei Schritten
Mehr als ein Jahr nach ihrer Gründung hat sich die FTTH als Interessensvertreter der Textilunternehmen etabliert. Im Jahr 2017 war es zur Abspaltung vom Arbeitgeberverband UTICA (Union Tunisienne de l'Industrie, du Commerce et de l'Artisanat) gekommen, nicht zuletzt da man die anvisierten allgemeinen Lohnerhöhungen für den eigenen Industriebereich als nicht umsetzbar ansah. Inzwischen betont man wieder Gemeinsamkeiten und Kooperation, beziehungsweise bezeichnet sich die FTTH als Teil der UTICA, mit weitgehender Autonomie.

Auch mit dem Gewerkschaftsdachverband UGTT (Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail) wurde nun eine Vereinbarung getroffen. Diese sieht Lohnerhöhungen von 6,5 Prozent jeweils zum 1. Januar 2019 und 2020 vor. Voraussichtlich liegen die Lohnerhöhungen damit unter der Inflation, sofern die Prognosen zur Teuerungsrate von etwa 7,5 Prozent für das laufende Jahr 2018 eintreffen. Aktuell liegt der Mindestlohn in der Textil- und Bekleidungsbranche Tunesiens für ungelernte Berufsanfänger bei rund 129 Euro (Stand: 07.11.2018) bei einer 48-Stunden-Woche.

Von den mehr als 1.600 Textilunternehmen produzieren über 1.400 ausschließlich für den Export. Die Zielmärkte befinden sich dabei ganz klar in Europa. Mehr als 60 Prozent der Exporte gingen 2016 nach Frankreich und Italien, mit etwa 11 Prozent lag Deutschland an dritter Stelle der Abnehmer. Als größter außereuropäischer Kunde wurden die USA mit weniger als einem Prozent auf Rang neun geführt. Mit dem Beitritt zum gemeinsamen Markt für das südliche und östliche Afrika (COMESA) möchte Tunesien sich neue Märkte erschließen. Laut Handelsministerium befindet man sich auch in bilateralen Gesprächen mit mehreren afrikanischen Ländern, um tunesischen Textilien zollfreien Marktzugang zu ermöglichen.

Entdecken chinesische Investoren den Standort Tunesien?
Neben den Beziehungen zum afrikanischen Kontinent könnten sich mittelfristig auch die zu China verändern. Im Rahmen des Forums für China-Afrika-Kooperation, das im September 2018 in Beijing stattfand, wurde das Interesse chinesischer Textilunternehmen an Tunesien als Produktionsstandort zum Ausdruck gebracht. Da die Löhne inzwischen auch in China gestiegen sind, könnte sich in bestimmten Bereichen der Textilindustrie eine Verlagerung der Produktion für den europäischen Markt als sinnvoll erweisen.

Bereits 2017 konnten die Ausfuhren gesteigert werden. Der Trend scheint sich 2018 fortzusetzen. 2016 lagen die Ausfuhren bei 2,9 Milliarden US-Dollar (US$), 2017 waren es 3 Milliarden US$ (angesichts des Kursverlusts des Dinar eine deutliche Zunahme (7 Milliarden tD gegenüber 8,4 Milliar-den tD). Nach den ersten Verlautbarungen sollen sich die Exporte nach Europa in den ersten Monaten 2018 nochmals um 3,5 Prozent gegenüber 2017 erhöht haben. Wichtig für die weitere Entwicklung des Textilsektors dürfte die Verbesserung der Transport- und Zollabwicklung werden. Besonders die rein für den Export produzierenden Unternehmen bringen dies immer wieder zum Ausdruck. Gerade der Textilsektor ist von kurzen Lieferzeiten abhängig.

Die FTTH setzt sich derweil auch für eine Verbesserung der Wettbewerbsposition tunesischer Textilunternehmen auf dem Heimatmarkt ein. Das betrifft beispielsweise die Importe von Altkleidern, bei denen man sich stärkere Kontrollen wünscht.

Tunesische Einfuhren von Maschinen, Apparaten und Geräten für die Textil- und Lederindustrie sowie Teile davon (SITC 724; in Mio. US$)
Herkunft 2015 2016 2017
Insgesamt 69,8 67,0 67,3
Italien 15,8 13,7 17,9
China 20,5 12,4 10,6
Frankreich 6,5 4,0 7,4
Deutschland 5,0 6,1 7,2

Anmerkung: 2016 war Thailand an dritter Stelle der Lieferländer, fiel 2017 jedoch zurück. Die Tabelle zeigt die vier wichtigsten Lieferanten 2017.
Quelle: UN Comtrade

Neben Produktionserweiterungen deutscher Unternehmen könnten auch deutsche Zulieferer profitieren, wenn sich die Erholung und vor allem auch der Strukturwandel fortsetzt. Während die Gesamtimporte von Textil- und Ledermaschinen von 2015 bis 2017 von etwa 70 Millionen auf 67 Millionen US$ leicht zurückgingen, legten die deutschen Lieferungen von 5 Millionen US$ auf 7,2 Millionen US$ zu. (JPS).

Weiterführende Informationen zum chinesischen Engagement in Tunesien online: Link

 

More information:
Tunesien Textilien GTAI
Source:

Peter Schmitz, Germany Trade & Invest www.gtai.de