Chairman All Pakistan Textile Mills Association (APTMA) Gohar Ejaz has called a meeting of all textile associations on November 30 to evolve a joint strategy on imposition of Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST) on textile industry.
He said 85 percent of the textile products are exported in one or other form and any withdrawal of sales tax exemption on this largest exporting sector of the country would lead to more than Rs400 billion refunds stuck up with the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for an estimated collection of Rs25 billion Sales Tax on domestic consumption.
It may be noted that the APTMA has already urged the Federal government for continuity of zero rate tax regime for textile industry through a letter to the Standing Committee of National Assembly on Finance.
Gohar said the industry apprehends serious adverse implications of the withdrawal of exemption of zero-rating of the textile industry under the Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST).
He said 85 percent of textile produce is exported in one or the other form, with only 15 percent left for local consumption. Therefore, zero rating of the entire value chain from ginning to garmenting for the export and local supply is imperative to remain competitive in the international market, he added.
He said the petition is based on premise of peculiar fibre procurement processes of the spinning industry, causative liquidity crunch due to inadequate bank limits and unregistered sub-sectors of the textile value chain.
Chairman APTMA reminded that previous imposition of 15 percent sales tax on industry proved a failure and the government had no option but to zero rate the export-oriented industry after realizing that refunds were far in excess of collection of the sales tax.
Deniz Bütüner, Executive VP Marketing and Business Development of the Uster Group since 2007, will step down from her role from the 31st December, 2010 and will leave the Company at the end of May 2011 to pursue a full time international MBA and work on some of her entrepreneurial projects. Mr. Reine Wasner has been appointed as her successor and will assume his function at the Uster Group from 3rd January, 2011.
Deniz Bütüner joined Uster early in 2007 as VP Marketing and Business Development and became a member of the Executive Management team for Uster Technologies Ltd later that year. CEO Geoffrey Scott said: “During her 4 years at Uster Technologies Ltd, Deniz played a key role in steering successful marketing projects and campaigns, starting with the 50th Anniversary of the USTER STATISTICS at ITMA in Munich, the implementation of the mid-segment product strategy in China, the integration of the Zweigle product portfolio and the recent launch of the USTER QUANTUM 3 yarn clearer. Our Board of Directors and the whole management team thank her for her contribution to Uster Technologies Ltd and wish her a very successful future.”
The Company initiated an early selection process and has appointed Mr. Reine Wasner as the new Executive VP Marketing and Business Development. Reine Wasner has had a broad and progressive management consulting career, working in Switzerland since 2000 with various management consulting companies including Booz Allen Hamilton, Arthur D Little and A T Kearney where he gained extensive experience working on and managing projects in market and business development, innovation management and strategy in various industries, including projects for Uster Technologies Ltd.
FESPA will host the third of its successful Digital Textile Conference events on 25th February, 2011, alongside FESPA Americas (Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, 24-26 February 2011).
Following on from the success of the first two FESPA Digital Textile Conferences, the events will once again be chaired by John Scrimshaw, textile expert and editor of Digital Textile and International Dyer. As in previous years, each conference will feature a mix of speakers including leading print specialists, digital textile printing authorities, textile printers and end-users of digitally-printed textiles, covering commercial and technical topics, and examining trends and opportunities in the sector.
At the FESPA Americas Digital Textile Conference, in February 2011, these include Dr John Provost, Technical Editor of Digital Textile magazine and a global consultant with expertise in textile ink formulation; Dr Mike Fralix, President and CEO of TC2; Kevin Kelly, Blue Heron Industries Inc; and Tim Greene of InfoTrends, who will discuss new market research findings.
John Scrimshaw comments, "The wide-format market is evolving rapidly and the use of textile as a substrate, as opposed to vinyl, is increasingly common in the flexible, soft-signage sector. Additionally, there has been a move towards direct digital printing in the garment decoration market. With so many changes occurring, and at such speed, the FESPA Digital Textile Conferences are the perfect opportunity for printers to confront these changes and discuss the questions they raise for their industry."
Coco coir is biodegradable and eco-friendly. It has drawn a large number of European markets as well as markets in other nations which support eco-friendly technology.
Coco coir is used in a number of products in Japan and China such as mats, mattresses and geo-textiles, which is meant for checking the problem of soil erosion. It is exported to these two countries as a raw material.
There are three plants manufacturing coco coir in Mati, which is located in Mindanao. The joint output of these three plants is likely to fill 10 container vans every month. The production of this new exportable product has contributed significantly to the local economy.
These plants have also been successful in generating a number of jobs of the people. Each of these three units involved in extracting coco coir has employed minimum 40 people.
The dry weather that continued for long in Mindanao in the first six months of the year has resulted in low coco coir production this time. However, its volume can be doubled without much effort.
NanoHorizons Inc, a leader in the creation of nanoscale performance additives for textile, health care, and industrial applications, has extended the worldwide distribution of its SmartSilver antimicrobial products to India with sales support provided in partnership with Indorama Polyester Industries Ltd. (IPI).
SmartSilver is presently available in other Asian markets such as Thailand, South Korea, Taiwan, and Japan. IPI currently integrates SmartSilver into its Ambs polyester fibre line. Headquartered in Thailand with annual sales of US$3.5 billion, IPI is a global leader in polyester production and the second largest producer of PET bottle polymers in the world. “We are targeting India’s textile market with IPI, a key strategic partner, as part of our global growth strategy,” says Timothy J. Skedzuhn, Vice President Textile Business Unit, NanoHorizons.
“Consumers in India are gaining buying power and are constantly looking for new and innovative products. At the same time, India’s textile industry produces high quality materials and seeks out value-add technologies as the consumer market expands. We believe SmartSilver technology with its high durability, safety, efficacy, and ease of integration will generate significant interest in this market.”
As a result of India’s growing medical tourism industry, the medical textile market is a specific target for SmartSilver. “India’s medical textile market is emerging, and is poised for take-off,” states Prabeer Mukherjee, Senior Vice President Polyester Business for Textiles and Packaging, IPI.
Consolidated Fibers is expanding geographically with the launch of Consolidated Fibers Latinoamericana, based in Mexico City. The subsidiary will initially sell polyester textured filament and flat yarn into the Mexican market.
Work is already underway to expand the product offering to include polyester, rayon, polypropylene and other staple fibers for nonwovens, fiberfill and industrial end uses. Consolidated Fibers Latinoamericana also plans to serve customers in Central and South America once established in Mexico.
A signature feature of the new company is its ability to satisfy order quantities ranging from one box of filament yarn for small customers up to full truckloads for larger customers.
“Customer service is what sets Consolidated Fibers Latinoamericana apart. A team of individuals with more than 70 years of experience will provide local sales and technical service to our clients. Understanding the product, processing and logistical needs of our customers improves the value equation for them by saving time and money”, says General Manager, Paul Latten. Consolidated Fibers Latinoamericana has also developed a Spanish language website as another convenient option to connect with customers in Latin America.
Consolidated Fibers is a privately held company with a 50-year history as a producer, buyer, seller and consumer of fibers. Today, we are a leading fiber supplier to manufacturers across a range of industries - including hygiene, medical, filtration, automotive, furniture, home textiles, and more.
On February 1-2, 2011 a high-level conference on the latest developments and future trends in the personal protective clothing and equipment (PPE) market will take place in Brussels. It will be organised by EURATEX – The European Apparel and Textile Confederation and European Textile Technology Platform together with other key stakeholders of the European PPE sector such as the European Technology Platform on Industrial Safety (ETPIS), the European Safety Federation (ESF), the European Textile Services Association (ETSA) as well as Centexbel, the research institute of the Belgian textile industry.
The purpose of the PPE Conference 2011 is to take stock of the activities of the European Lead Market for Protective Textiles over the last 3 years and to explore evolving end user needs, emerging technology and innovation trends as well as business developments in the European and global markets for Personal Protective Clothing and Equipment.
The 1 ½ day event will especially seek an intensive exchange between buyers and users of such products on the one side and the PPE value chain on the other. Finally the event will also benefit from contributions of policy makers, regulators and other public sector stakeholders with impact on the future shape of the European PPE market.
