WASHINGTON — March 6, 2014 — The theme of the 73rd Plenary Meeting of the International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) will be “From Land to Brand: Strengthening the Cotton Value Chain”. This annual event is one of the premier fixtures in the world cotton calendar and will be held in Thessaloniki, Greece, from November 2 to 7, 2014. The suggested theme covers a wide variety of topics, ranging from sustainable production practices, climate change, exchange of germplasm and logistics to value addition and national branding.

Open sessions will be dedicated to:

1. Strengthening Responsible Production Practices, in which representatives from producing countries will discuss their experiences with national programs of responsible cotton production, including levels of farmer participation, challenges faced in establishing benchmarks of best practices, techniques of national-level data collection, use of sub-products and impacts on farm income. The desired outcome of the session is an understanding by government officials and the private sector of characteristics of responsible cotton production programs that are common to success.
2. Prerequisites for Textile Industry Growth, including information on the elements needed for textile industry growth, such as communications and transportation infrastructure, the availability of electrical power, labor requirements, the importance of raw material quality and availability, the impacts of environmental and labor regulations, access to finance, proximity to markets, trade preferences and other factors. The aim is to develop an understanding of the prerequisites for textile industry growth that will allow government officials to determine whether increased mill use of cotton is feasible in their countries and the measures necessary to support increased mill use of cotton.
3. The Importance of Logistics, in which an analysis will be made of the characteristics of land transportation, banking, insurance, port facilities and marketing systems that result in outstanding performance, enabling delegates from countries whose logistics are less than fully competitive to return home with information that will assist with improvement.
4. National Cotton Brands, in which the topics to be explored include the differences between generic promotion and promotion of cotton within identity programs or by national industries, techniques of brand establishment and experiences with national demand enhancement programs. A desired outcome is increased understanding among producing countries of the costs involved and likely outcomes of branding. It is hoped that the session will result in increased engagement in demand enhancement activities.

Other activities include a technical seminar on “Identifying and Enhancing the Mechanism of Input Interaction in Cotton Production” and a report by the Secretariat on the outlook for cotton supply and use.  In addition, breakout sessions will be held on: Price Risk Management; Climate Change and Cotton; Cotton Classification; Production Practices for the Improvement of Cotton Productivity; and the International Exchange of Cotton Germplasm.

Registration on-line will be available starting in May 2014.

Posted March 7, 2014

Source: ICAC

PARIS — March 6, 2014 — Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using soft materials—fabrics, leather, technical textiles and composite materials—is pleased to announce the appointment of Céline Choussy Bedouet as Marketing Director for Automotive, Furniture, Technical Textiles and Composite Materials. Based in Bordeaux-Cestas (France), she reports directly to Daniel Harari, Lectra CEO.

“In five years, Lectra’s market share has risen from 15% to 60% in the automatic fabrics cutting for automobile interiors. Céline has two priorities: the first is to promote the automatic cutting of leather interiors to strengthen our leading position in the automotive market, the second is to increase Lectra’s presence in the furniture, technical textiles and composite materials markets where we now have an enhanced offer,” said Daniel Harari. “Céline’s experience, her marketing skills and her knowledge of our markets will enable her to provide support to our teams throughout the world.”

“Lectra today has many assets: consulting expertise based on lean manufacturing fundamentals, intelligent industrial equipment, integrated software suites covering the entire chain, from design to production, as well as outstanding customer care. Lectra’s offer has no equivalent on the market, which provides a major competitive advantage,” said Céline Choussy Bedouet. “Our goal is to help our clients boost their margins by allowing them to capitalize on value creation and control their costs.”

Céline Choussy Bedouet has a rich and diverse marketing experience, including strategic, operational marketing, field, channel and partner marketing. She started her career in 2000 at Dassault Systèmes where she held several senior positions over 8 years, including marketing project manager, strategic partnership supervisor and channel development manager. In 2005, she went to Charlotte, North Carolina in the United States to head up Dassault Systèmes’ strategic partnership with Microsoft. In 2008, Céline Choussy Bedouet joined Autodesk as marketing manager for Europe. Later on, she was in charge of global manufacturing marketing campaigns before joining Lectra.

Céline Choussy Bedouet has a master’s in management from ESC Bordeaux (Bordeaux Management School), France.

Posted March 6, 2014

Source: Lectra
 

WASHINGTON, D.C. —March 5, 2014 — The U.S. textile industry has seen a surge in foreign direct investment over the past 8 months. No less than 8 foreign companies have made public announcements over that period to invest more than $700 million in new U.S. textile facilities and equipment. These investments are projected to provide approximately 1,900 new jobs in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Louisiana.

The United States has become an increasingly attractive option for textile manufacturers looking for competitive energy, transportation, and fiber costs. Beyond these basic economic factors, a key driver for this recent investment surge has been the success of U.S. trade policy in the textile sector. Over the past 25 years, the U.S. has completed a series of free trade agreements that include a Yarn-Forward Rule of Origin for textile and apparel products. As the name implies, the Yarn-Forward rule requires that yarn, fabric, and assembly production steps be completed in the FTA region in order to qualify for duty-free preference into the United States. This rule has served as a catalyst for record breaking exports of U.S. yarns and fabrics that are eventually processed into finished apparel and textile home furnishings in FTA partner countries. These goods are then shipped back to the U.S. duty free for purchase by U.S. consumers.

The Yarn-Forward rule has helped the U.S. textile industry become the third largest exporter of textile products in the world. U.S. exports of all textile products were nearly $17.9 billion in 2013. Over the past 10 years, U.S. textile exports have grown dramatically, from $12.7 billion in 2003 to $17.9 billion in 2013, a 40.6% increase over that period.

The single largest investment announcement, approximately one-quarter of a billion dollars, came from Gildan Activewear Inc., based in Montreal, Canada. Peter Iliopoulos, Senior Vice-President of Public and Corporate Affairs at Gildan highlights the benefit of a strong Yarn-Forward rule for American textiles stating “The Yarn-Forward rule was a significant factor in Gildan’s decision, announced in September of 2013, to make an additional investment of approximately $250 million in U.S. yarn spinning operations. We have designed our supply chain in order to most effectively leverage preferential treatment under U.S. trade agreements. Consequently, we want to ensure that our products are always eligible for such preferential treatment.”

This investment of approximately $250 million will be made by Gildan over its 2014 and 2015 fiscal years in order to build two new yarn spinning facilities in North Carolina, one in Salisbury and another one in Mocksville. Each one is expected to be over 500,000-square-feet in size. The venture is slated to create approximately 500 new jobs in Davie and Rowan Counties, NC.

In addition to Gildan’s announcement, the U.S. textile sector continues to see a positive trend in foreign direct investment. Since August of 2013, textile companies from India, Mexico, and China
have announced new investment plans in the United States. These projects will generate a
projected 1,368 new U.S. jobs beyond the 500 associated with Gildan’s investment.

“This massive investment surge and the creation of approximately 1,900 much needed
manufacturing jobs is a concrete example of how Yarn-Forward has made a major contribution
to the U.S. economy and workforce. You need look no further for how sound provisions in trade
agreements can make a real difference in our economy,” stated Augustine Tantillo, President and
CEO of the National Council of Textile Organizations.
 

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Key Facts about the U.S. Textile Industry

• The U.S. textile industry is a large manufacturing employer in the United States. The overall textile sector – from textile fibers to apparel – employed nearly 499,000 workers in 2013.
• Textile companies alone employed 231,000 workers.
• The U.S. government estimates that one textile job in this country supports three other jobs.
• U.S. textile shipments totaled more than $56.6 billion in 2013.
• The U.S. textile industry is the third largest exporter of textile products in the world. Exports of all textile products were nearly $17.9 billion 2013. Total textile and apparel exports were a record $23.7 billion in 2013.
• Nearly two-thirds of U.S. textile exports during 2013 went to our Western Hemisphere free trade partners. The U.S. textile industry exported to more than 170 countries, with 23 countries buying more than $100 million a year.
• The U.S. textile industry supplies more than 8,000 different textile products per year to the U.S. military.
• The U.S. is the world leader in textile research and development, with private textile companies and universities developing new textile materials such as conductive fabric with antistatic properties, electronic textiles that monitor heart rate and other vital signs, antimicrobial fibers, antiballistic body armor for people and the machines that carry them and new garments that adapt to the climate to make the wearer warmer or cooler.
• The U.S. textile industry invested $17.7 billion in new plants and equipment from 2001 to 2011. And recently producers have opened new fiber, yarn and recycling facilities to convert textile waste to new textile uses and resins.
• The U.S. textile industry has increased productivity by 24 percent over the last 10 years, making textiles one of the top industries among all industrial sectors in productivity increases.
• In 2013, textile workers on average earned 145% more than apparel store workers ($577 per week vs. $235) and received health care and pension benefits.

Posted March 6, 2014

Source: NCTO