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| Issue date:01/08/2006 |
| ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel - Aug 2006 Issue |
| Source:Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel |
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The Swiss textile machinery industry is expecting a positive growth for 2006 as the sales for the first quarter indicated that business has been going well.
According to Swissmem, exports of Swiss textile machinery saw a rebound with a year-on-year growth of 10% during the first quarter this year. In particular, sales to India, Turkey, Brazil and Bangladesh registered an impressive growth, exceeding all expectations, while sales in China, Hong Kong and Thailand also recorded positive figures.
Commenting on the prospect of Swiss textile machines, Dr Lukas Sigrist, representing the textile machinery division of Swissmem, said that Asia remained the most challenging market. "While the American and European markets are more or less stagnant, the Asian market remains buoyant, most significantly China, India, Pakistan, Thailand and Bangladesh. In fact, today's exports to Asia account for almost 50% of all Swiss textile machinery exports," he said.
Strong demand from India
India has become the largest importer of Swiss textile machines, surpassing Turkey and China. While the total export value of Swiss textile machines saw an overall decline of 11.4% to CHF1.929 billion last year, sales in India doubled to CHF258 million, representing a 14% share of the total sale.
In view of the growing potential in the Indian market, many Swiss suppliers are proactively seeking to strengthen their presence there. For example, the Swiss multinational textile machinery major Rieter AG is keen to set up textile machinery production facility for short staple spinning in India.
To intensify the promotion in the region, Swissmem has organized 40 delegates from 18 Swiss textile machinery suppliers to visit India and held three symposia in Delhi, Mumbai and Coimbatore this February.
At the event "India and Switzerland — A Winning Partnership" held previously this year, Joseph Deiss, Federal Councillor and Head of the Federal Department of Economic Affairs of Switzerland, expressed Switzerland's interest to play a key role in the modernization of Indian textile mills.
He commented that India should further ease the regulatory burden and improve the general framework conditions for doing business to attract foreign investment.
"I am convinced that as IPR protection improves — and there is a clear move in this direction with the recent modification of the patent law, more Swiss investment will enter India, especially in the knowledge-based sectors," he said.
Meanwhile, China, the second largest market for Swiss textile machines in Asia, cannot be neglected. Dr Sigrist said that in the upcoming major textile machinery show, CITME, Swiss suppliers would for the first time share a "Swiss Hall". "We are planning a very attractive show, including a fashion competition," he said.
Pakistan is a major market as well. Dr Sigrist predicts that sales of Swiss textile machinery there will grow by 20% to 30% this year. He is hopeful that the pursuit of high quality production among the Pakistani textile manufacturers would further trigger the sales of Swiss textile machines.
To promote Swiss textile machines in Pakistan, Swissmem has this year participated in the Textile Asia and IGATEX shows in March and April in Karachi. Last year, the association brought along a team comprising 30 representatives from the Swiss textile machinery industry and government institutions to host a symposium.
In Indonesia, Swiss textile machinery is also known for its high quality and precision particularly in spinning. Switzerland is Indonesia's key supplier of spinning machines. Indonesia imports around US$2.2 million worth of spinning machines from Switzerland each year.
"[For spinning,] the secret lies in the blends of raw material and spinning technology. Our spinning industry is supported by the spinning machines from Switzerland, making us more competitive in the global market, particularly in terms of quality," said one producer in Semarang, Central Java.
Apart from spinning machines, Indonesia also imports from Switzerland around US$2.06 million worth of weaving machines and US$4.9 million worth of machines for preparing textile fiber and yarns (carding, combing, roving, winding, twisting and so on). For these machines, Switzerland is within the top 10 suppliers. The popular brand names are Sulzer, Benninger, Rieter and Thies.
Ade Sudradjat, Chairman of API Jabar (Indonesian Textile Association of West Java), said that Swiss textile machine was well-known for quality and durability. "Sulzer in weaving and Thies in dyeing, for example, are considered as reliable suppliers," he said.
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| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
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| Copyright © Adsale Publishing Limited. Any party needs to reprint any part of the content should get the written approval from Adsale Publishing Ltd and quote the source "ATA Journal for Asia on Textile & Apparel", Adsale Textile English Website - www.AdsaleATA.com. We reserve the right to take legal action against any party who reprints any part of this article without acknowledgement. For enquiry, please contact Editorial Department. |
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