From the Sector

Baldwin Technology Co. Inc. has launched PrintEnomic$, a new online resource of specialized eBooks and resources for corrugated, narrow web and sheet-fed and web offset printers at PrintEnomics.com.

The collection of Baldwin videos, podcasts and instructional guides are available for free and without firewalls to help maximize printer profitability. The eBooks analyze trends, issues, and technology options specific to printers in all three categories.

More than 5,000 print industry professionals have already downloaded or viewed earlier, limited-release eBooks “Untangling the Web” for narrow web and “From Beast to Beauty” for corrugated. The addition of “Video Didn't Kill the Radio Star. And Digital Didn't Kill Print” for sheet-fed and web offset printers completes the comprehensive PrintEnomic$ portfolio.
 
Through interviews with customers, industry insiders, in-house engineers – and reviews of the latest reporting – the eBooks explore pressing topics including sustainability, labor challenges, counterfeiting, and brand protection.

Kornit Digital LTD. issued its Impact Report for 2022, highlighting the Company’s progress against its long-term goals related to climate action, waste management, green chemistry, and workplace diversity. This third-annual report reinforces Kornit’s commitment to an Environmental, Social, and corporate Governance (ESG) strategy that aims to transform the fashion and textile industry into one that is significantly more sustainable and ethical.

“As a change-maker and leader in fashion and textiles, we take our responsibility seriously to foster an industry that is cleaner and safer, as well as one that is more responsible and diverse,” said Ronen Samuel, Chief Executive Officer at Kornit Digital. “We consider ourselves an agent of long- term industry-wide change by enabling our customers to be more sustainable, while also minimizing the social and environmental impact of our operations. The Kornit 2022 Impact Report reflects this commitment to transforming the industry and creating a brighter future for the planet and the people who inhabit it.”

Download the 2022 Impact Report here.

Viele Unternehmen nutzen bereits RFID-Technologie, um Textilien automatisch zu verfolgen und zu kontrollieren und so Verbesserungen im Hinblick auf Effizienz, Textilverluste, Kosten und Rentabilität zu erzielen. Sind viele RFID-Geräte an mehreren Standorten installiert, kann deren effektive Verwaltung jedoch herausfordernd sein, und es sind Situationen möglich, die zu einer Verschwendung von Zeit und Ressourcen führen und die Vorteile schmälern können.

Datamars hat vor diesem Hintergrund mit "STORM" eine Webplattform zur zentralen Verwaltung dezentral installierter RFID-Geräte entwickelt. Funktionen wie Geräteüberwachung, Konfigurationsmanagement, vorbeugende Wartung und Fernsupport machen die RFID-Nutzung effizienter und tragen dazu bei, Vor-Ort-Termine und umfangreiche Ausfallzeiten oder Datenverluste zu vermeiden.

Die neue Plattform bietet ein vollständig anpassbares Dashboard, mit dem sich der Status aller RFID-Lesegeräte und ihrer Aktivitäten anhand von Metriken überwachen lässt. Werden im Rahmen der Rund-um-die-Uhr-Überwachung konfigurierte Schwellenwerte überschritten, löst das System einen Alarm aus, der sofort auf der grafischen Benutzeroberfläche (WEB-UI) erscheint und zu einer Nachricht an die konfigurierten Empfänger führtꓸ

Einfache Konfiguration, Gerätesuche und Aktualisierung
Durch ein einfaches Verfahren zur Gerätebereitstellung lassen sich RFID-Geräte sicher zum Kundenkonto hinzufügen und einem Standort zuweisen. Die Standorte werden ebenfalls über die Benutzeroberfläche verwaltet. Anhand von Namen, Standort oder anderen Eigenschaften können die Geräte leicht gefiltert und ausgewählt werden. Die Suchen lassen sich als Benutzerfavoriten speichern, um Gruppen zu erstellen, jederzeit abrufbar sind. Beim Abruf werden Alarme und Verbindungsstatus angezeigt, um sofort RFID-Lesegeräte zu erkennen, die Aufmerksamkeit erfordern.

Alle Parameter der RFID-Lesegeräte lassen sich über die Webplattform fernkonfigurieren, Einstellungen auf mehreren RFID-Lesegeräten gleichzeitig anwenden. Die Einstellungen mehrerer RFID-Lesegeräte sind leicht zu vergleichen. Weiterhin lässt sich die Parameteransicht anpassen und als Favorit speichern. Auch können Konfigurationsvoreinstellungen für die schnelle Einrichtung mehrerer RFID-Lesegeräte erstellt werden.

Firmware und Software der RFID-Geräte sind über STORM zentral aktualisierbar. Dadurch entfallen entsprechende Vor-Ort-Termine, und die Aktualisierungen können zu einem günstigen Zeitpunkt stattfinden. Auch Fehler lassen sich ferngesteuert beheben, eine direkte Verbindung mit einem RFID-Lesegerät und damit Vor-Ort-Besuche oder Remote-Desktop-Sitzungen sind nicht nötig. Wenn ein Kunde zusätzliche Hilfe benötigt, kann er über die Plattform eine Anfrage an das Service- und Supportteam von Datamars senden und ihm vorübergehend Zugriff auf die entsprechenden RFID-Lesegeräte geben. Ist das Problem behoben, wird die Anfrage geschlossen und des Zugriffsrecht wieder entzogen.

• Currency-neutral revenues flat versus the prior-year level
• Top-line development reflects improved sell-out trends and conservative sell-in strategy
• Gross margin up 0.6pp to 50.9%; strong improvement compared to Q1 reflecting better sell-through and less discounting
• Operating profit of € 176 million includes extraordinary expenses of around € 160 million related to one-off costs, donations and accruals for future donations
• Inventory position improves substantially versus Q1 level to € 5.5 billion; now up only 1% year-over-year

In the second quarter of 2023, currency-neutral revenues were flat versus the prior-year level. The top-line development continued to be impacted by the company’s conservative sell-in approach in order to reduce high inventory levels, particularly in North America and Greater China. At the same time, adidas second quarter revenues benefited from the first sale of some of its Yeezy inventory. The initial product drop in June generated revenues of around € 400 million in Q2, which is largely in line with the Yeezy sales generated in the prior year’s quarter.

Footwear revenues grew 1% during the quarter, reflecting strong growth in football, basketball, tennis and US sports. Apparel sales declined 3% in the second quarter. As the apparel market continues to be particularly overstocked, the company continued its conservative sell-in strategy to improve sell-through and margins in the medium term. Accessories grew 8% during the quarter driven by growth in football.  

Lifestyle revenues were down during the quarter despite extraordinary demand for the company’s Samba, Gazelle and Campus franchises. While adidas slowly started to scale its offering for these product families during the second quarter, the total volume still only represents a small portion of the company’s overall business. Sales in the adidas Performance categories continued to show positive momentum. This reflects strong demand for new product introductions such as the latest iterations of its Predator, X and Copa football boots, as well as jerseys for both the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023 and the company’s unique portfolio of football teams ahead of the start of the European club season. In addition, the Adizero product family in running continued to gain a lot of attention around marathon races across the world, translating into higher demand. At the same time, the brand’s Barricade tennis franchise grew strongly, leveraging the excitement around major tournaments.

In euro terms, the company’s revenues declined 5% to € 5.343 billion in the second quarter (2022: € 5.596 billion).

Stronger sell-out trends and conservative sell-in
As a result of the company’s initiatives to reduce high inventory levels, currency-neutral sales in wholesale declined 10% despite double-digit growth in Greater China and Latin America. At the same time, direct-to-consumer (DTC) revenues grew 16% versus the prior year. This development was driven by strong growth in both the company’s e-commerce business (+14%) as well as own retail stores (+19%), reflecting continued strong sell-out trends across most regions. The outperformance of the company’s DTC channel versus the wholesale business was also related to the first sale of the Yeezy inventory, which was done exclusively through adidas’ own e-commerce channel.

Double-digit growth in Greater China and Latin America
Currency-neutral sales in North America declined 16% during the quarter. The region is particularly affected by elevated inventory levels in the market and – in response to this – the company’s significantly reduced sell-in. Revenues in Greater China grew 16% in Q2, reflecting double-digit sell-out growth in both wholesale and own retail. Sales in EMEA were down slightly (-1%) despite double-digit DTC growth. While the company’s initiatives to reduce inventory levels and discounting weighed on the overall top-line development in the region, adidas recorded significantly improving full-price trends during the quarter. Revenues in Asia-Pacific increased 7% during the quarter, driven by strong double-digit growth in DTC. Latin America continued to increase at a double-digit rate (+30%), reflecting strong growth in both wholesale and DTC.

Gross margin improves to 50.9%
The company’s second quarter gross margin increased 0.6 percentage points to 50.9% (2022: 50.3%). This improvement was mainly driven by price increases the company has implemented as well as by an improved channel mix. At the same time, higher supply chain costs and unfavorable currency movements continued to strongly weigh on the gross margin development. While still adversely impacting the company’s gross margin in the quarter, discounting levels significantly improved compared to the first quarter of the year.  

Operating profit of € 176 million, resulting in an operating margin of 3.3%
Other operating expenses were up 3% to € 2.582 billion (2022: € 2.501 billion). As a percentage of sales, other operating expenses increased 3.6 percentage points to 48.3% (2022: 44.7%). Marketing and point-of-sale expenses decreased 7% to € 617 million (2022: € 663 million). As a percentage of sales, marketing and point-of-sale expenses slightly decreased by 0.3 percentage points to 11.5% (2022: 11.8%). Operating overhead expenses were up 7% to € 1.965 billion (2022: € 1.838 billion), reflecting higher logistics expenses. In addition, the company recorded one-off costs of around € 50 million related to the strategic review the company is currently conducting as well as donations and accruals for further donations in an amount of around € 110 million. As a percentage of sales, operating overhead expenses increased 3.9 percentage points to 36.8% (2022: 32.8%). The company’s operating profit amounted to € 176 million (2022: € 392 million) in the quarter. This amount includes the extraordinary expenses of in total around € 160 million reflecting the one-off costs related to the strategic review as well as the donations and accruals for further donations. The sale of the Yeezy product positively impacted adidas’ operating profit by an incremental amount of around € 150 million in Q2. The operating margin reached 3.3% in the quarter (2022: 7.0%).

Net income from continuing operations of € 96 million
After taxes, the company’s net income from continuing operations amounted to € 96 million (2022: € 360 million), while basic EPS from continuing operations decreased to € 0.48 (2022: € 1.88).

Outlook

adidas expects revenues to decline at a mid-single-digit rate
On July 24, adidas had adjusted its full year financial guidance to reflect the positive impact of the first sale of some of its Yeezy inventory and a slightly better-than-expected development of the adidas business in the first half of the year. At the same time, macroeconomic challenges and geopolitical tensions persist. Elevated recession risks in North America and Europe as well as uncertainty around the recovery in Greater China continue to exist. In addition, the company’s revenue development will continue to be impacted by the initiatives to significantly reduce high inventory levels. As a result, adidas now expects currency-neutral revenues to decline at a mid-single-digit rate in 2023 (previously: decline at a high-single-digit rate).

Underlying operating profit anticipated to be around the break-even level
The company’s underlying operating profit – excluding any one-offs related to Yeezy and the ongoing strategic review – is still anticipated to be around the break-even level. Including the positive impact from the first Yeezy drop of around € 150 million, the potential write-off of the remaining Yeezy inventory of now € 400 million (previously: € 500 million) and one-off costs related to the strategic review of up to € 200 million (unchanged), the company now expects to report an operating loss of € 450 million in 2023 (previously: loss of € 700 million).

On August 2, the company launched a second drop of Yeezy inventory. Throughout the month of August, adidas is making a range of existing products available through both its own e-commerce channel as well as the digital platforms of selected wholesale partners. If successful, this second drop would further improve the company’s results. However, as the results of this drop are yet unknown, it is not accounted for in the company’s current top- and bottom-line outlook for 2023.

West Yorkshire is to have a first-of-its-kind apprenticeship training course for textile engineering technicians, reflecting a resurgence in the industry locally, and more generally in the UK.

Calderdale College has partnered with the Textile Centre of Excellence (TCoE) and the British Textile Machinery Association (BTMA) to develop the bespoke Level 3 apprenticeship course which will start in September 2023.

Engineering Technician apprentices at Calderdale College will receive training from the TCoE, helping them to develop the engineering maintenance skills required to close the skills gap in West Yorkshire’s textile industry.

While the region has been a flourishing hub for textile excellence since the 19th century and is being revitalised through digitalization and the localisation of supply chains, its success is currently being hindered by an ageing workforce and high staff turnover.

Through adapting the engineering training at Calderdale College to address the current requirements of the textile industry, the unique new course will ensure the passing on of vital know-how and good practice aligned with the new skills demanded by Industry 4.0 and automation.

Collaborative Apprenticeships
Calderdale College has developed the programme over a two-year period through close collaboration with the TCoE and the BTMA, as well as through consultation with British heritage weaver AW Hainsworth and a number of other local textile companies.

The course launch follows on closely from the success of the Collaborative Apprenticeships project launched in 2022 at Calderdale College. To date, this has seen the college engage with over 100 local employers on the benefits of increasing the quantity and improving the quality of the apprenticeships that they offer, as well as encouraging others to introduce apprenticeships for the first time.

“Over the years, we’ve seen how beneficial apprenticeships can be for several sectors, particularly in terms of helping businesses to retain staff and ensuring that they have a steady flow of skilled workers coming in,” said Claire Williams, head of employer engagement at Calderdale College. “Having identified that employers in the textile manufacturing industry were struggling to find apprenticeship training that was designed around their needs, we knew that alongside employers and our partners, we needed to satisfy this critical gap in the market. We hope that this programme will act as a leading example for the rest of the industry to follow.”

• Green Fashion community increasingly ‘thinking out of the box’

Networking and agility are in greater demand than ever – that was the conclusion at the close of the 52nd INNATEX which took place from 29 to 31 July 2023. 244 Green Fashion labels presented their collections to 1500 visitors at the international trade fair for sustainable textiles. Audience figures thus matched the level at the previous summer edition of the fair in 2022. With 244 brands, INNATEX again delivered remarkable variety, with many new exhibitors and fresh looks.

“We're pleased that our figures are remaining constant,” says Jens Frey, Managing Director of trade fair organiser MUVEO GmbH. “Undeniably, sustainable brands and the retail trade are currently living through a long period of challenges. But from our point of view, the Green Fashion sector is responding with extraordinary willpower and perseverance. Why? Out of a sense of conviction and because sustainability is the future.”

Future-related topics were also the subject of panel talks and personal discussions at various points. A key aspect was the urgent need for cooperation agreements and networks to open up new sales channels and fields of activity. Experts at the fair also recommended an honest review of business strategies that may have outlived their usefulness. As Dr Eva Stüber of Cologne’s Institute for Retail Studies (IFH Köln) points out, “The pandemic, the war of aggression, inflation, digitalisation – there are many factors prompting a change in lifestyles and demands. What is required now is creativity. Brands and retailers can exploit new potential by, for example, checking their ranges for market relevance, being sharper in their targeting, making shopping a social event, joining up with people from entirely different areas and not immediately rejecting apparently mad ideas.”

From August 20^th to 21^st, 2023, the INNATEX Showroom will take place in Bern.

The 53^rd INNATEX fair will be held from January 20^th to January 22^nd, 2024.

‘Best of Bangladesh’ -- the first ever sole ‘Made in Bangladesh’ show in Europe -- aims to open the doors for Europe to experience what the Bangladeshi industries has to offer.

As Bangladesh celebrates five decades of strong ties with Europe, in order to further strengthen the ties and deepen collaborations with the partners across Europe, Bangladesh Apparel Exchange, supported by the Bangladesh Embassy in the Netherlands, is organizing the event in Amsterdam, Netherlands on September 4th and 5th, 2023.

The ‘Best of Bangladesh’ aims to serve as a dynamic platform to showcase the progress and potential across diverse sectors of Bangladesh economy, especially manufacturing.

A total of 40 Bangladeshi companies each of which is the country’s best from apparel, textile, leather, Agro, jute, handicrafts, pharmaceutical, light engineering, digital industry, FMCG and bicycle will showcase their sustainable and innovative products in the Best of Bangladesh.  

Bangladesh economy ranks as the world’s 37th largest now and it’s rapidly-expanding. The ‘Best of Bangladesh’ is being organized to accelerate interests and burgeoning engagements between the entrepreneurs and private sector entities on both European and Bangladeshi sides. The event has been structured to serve as a platform to showcase the multifaceted progress made and potential across diverse sectors of Bangladesh’s economy.

There will be an inaugural and 7 interactive panel sessions at the Best of Bangladesh on the topics ‘Bangladesh – Perspectives From An Emerging Economy’, ‘Bangladesh - Your Sustainable Sourcing Destination’, ‘Empowering the Future: Advancing Safety & Well-being for Garments Workforce in Bangladesh’, ‘Bangladesh Agro-Food: A Next Opportunity for Collaboration’, ‘Impact Investing - The Next Frontier’, ‘Sustainable Synergy: Circular Economy, Climate Action & Bangladesh’s Future’, and ‘Digitization and Digital Economy in Bangladesh’.

Baldwin Technology Co. Inc. has launched a new set of resources for sheet-fed and web offset printers at PrintEnomics.com with the release of the “Video Didn't Kill the Radio Star. And Digital Didn't Kill Print” eBook.

Its PrintEnomic$ website offers curated resources that analyze trends and issues impacting not only sheet-fed and web offset printers but also narrow web and corrugated printers. Separate eBooks, videos, podcasts and instructional guides are available to help maximize printer profitability in all three specialized areas.

Baldwin is a leading global manufacturer and supplier of innovative process-automation equipment, parts, service and consumables for the printing, packaging, textile, plastic film extrusion and corrugated industries.

More than 5,000 print industry professionals have already downloaded or viewed earlier-released eBooks centered on narrow web (“Untangling the Web”) and corrugated (“From Beast to Beauty”).

Through interviews with customers, industry insiders, in-house engineers – and reviews of the latest reporting – Baldwin explores four trends in the “Video Didn't Kill the Radio Star. And Digital Didn't Kill Print” eBook:

• The resurgence in book publishing
• Labor challenges
• Direct mail marketing as a cure for screen fatigue
• Sustainability

Archroma has won several major accolades at the Just Style 2023 Excellence Awards:

• Business Expansion – Digital Platform award: Color Atlas online library
• Innovation – Dyes award:
  o FiberColors®
  o Diresul® Evolution Black liq
  o NOVACRON® Atlantic EC-NC

Digital Platform Award for The Color Atlas by Archroma®
The Color Atlas by Archroma® empowers fashion designers and stylists with off-the-shelf color inspiration and the ability to quickly and reliably execute their design intent with products that meet their desired sustainability profile and comply with international eco-standards.

Innovation Awards for Dyeing Technologies
Archroma was also recognized for its innovation in dye technology with three Just Style Excellence Awards.

Archroma’s FiberColors® technology was awarded for helping move the industry towards a circular economy. Synthesized with a minimum 50% textile waste based raw material, FiberColors® transforms pre- and post-industrial fashion and textile waste into gorgeous upcycled colors – allowing brands to color their new collections with their pre-loved collections.

Diresul® Evolution Black liq, based on the company’s latest synthesis technology, has advantages over traditional sulfur black including large reductions in the amount of water needed in dye synthesis and a unique shade and wash-down effect when compared with existing black denim.

Novacron® Atlantic EC-NC won its Just Style Excellence Award for addressing mill challenges with the industry’s first blue element to deliver chlorine- and nitrogen oxide (NOx)-fastness alongside lightfastness. Based on a patented dye molecule, it offers a trouble-free way to produce more sustainable cotton casual wear and home textiles that look as good as new for longer.

Archroma is bringing the entire portfolio of 5,760 Archroma Color Atlas colors to swatchbook, a platform for material digitalization and sourcing.

The new partnership provides fashion, apparel and textile designers and manufacturers with an elevated standard for color accuracy that meets the needs of today’s increasingly technology-driven and integrated supply chain. This will help the textile and fashion community to improve sustainability, whilst lowering costs and shortening turnaround times.

The Color Atlas by Archroma® was launched in 2016 to provide fashion designers and stylists with off-the-shelf color inspiration that can be implemented in production with just a few clicks.

Designers will use the 5,760 Archroma Color Atlas colors on swatchbook to rapidly develop accurate digital colorways and visualize their final product. They can then share these digital swatches with their manufacturing partners, providing access to the swatchbook metadata, which can include information such as the materials’ composition, weight and color.

This will streamline the overall design and production process for color-critical fashion and textile products, allowing for faster turnaround. Digital materials supported by trusted coloration technology also reduce the need for samples and eliminate physical swatchbooks, bringing environmental benefits and lower costs to brands and suppliers.

All 5,760 Color Atlas by Archroma® colors are now available free of charge to subscribers on the swatchbook platform.