The
first and only International Conference focussing on home textiles
was staged in Mumbai, November 28th – 30th, 2007. 14 international
and 8 national speakers highlighted trends and issues in the
International Home Textile business. Among them were Peter Schwartze,
President of the German Textile and Fashion Association, Manlio
A. Zucchi (Zucchi Group, Italy), Mac Ryland (Kurt Salmon Associates,
USA), important Indian industry leaders like Dilip Jiwrajka
(Alok, India), Rajesh Mandewewala (Welspun, India), and high
ranked speakers of politics and associations like J.N.Singh
(Textile Commissoner, Ministry of Textiles, India), Prem Malik
(Chairman Texprocil), and Sanjev Saran (Convener SRTEPC).
The
conference was very well received having more than 340 entries
during the event. “The quality of the conference is exciting”,
said Nirhab Kanoria of Inspirations, a design driven furnishing
fabrics company. “We learn about the perspective of Indian
home textiles in details, hear international apprehensions,
learn about new markets like Eastern Europe, and can discuss
success stories in our developing domestic retail market”.
“The conference provides a forum of communication, which
the home textile industry needs and deserves”, said Arun
Roongta, CEO Marketing and Design Elements, who organised the
event together with Expo+Consulting Associates, based in Germany
and India. Topics included the future of Indian home textiles,
insights in international sourcing trends, opportunities for
joint ventures and other partnerships, the high growth domestic
market, new emerging markets and others. Organizers announced
the next International Conference Home Textiles for November
2007.
Textile
Commisioner J.N. Singh opened the conference with an exciting
speech about the growth perspectives of Indian Hometextiles
envisioning an increase of home textile exports of more than
400 % by 2010. One of the pilars of this vision is the strong
private investment in the textile sector, which is doubling
each year since 2002-03. This needs political back up, which
will be given by sectoral policy means like TUF-and SITP-schemes,
but equally important by public investments in the transport
infrastructure.
Also
Dilip Jiwrajka, CEO of Alok Industries stressed the enormous
growth potential in exports and in the domestic market. Given
the current investment dynamics and the overall competitive
position of India in the next years, Jiwrajka envisages an investment
in the home textile industry of around 7 bn. USD by 2010. Interestingly
he expects the domestic market in a couple of years to be as
strong as the export markets. All national and international
speakers touching the topic of trade patterns are convinced
that India will be one of the few beneficiaries of the post
quota free trade.
It
was Peter Schwartze, President of the German Textile and Fashion
Association, and a seasoned entrepreneur in Home Textiles, who
pointed out that India and other beneficiaries of the post quota
free trade, are boosting their exports, but only reluctantly
lower market entry barriers for imports. And Matthias Knappe,
head of at the International Trade Center, the service company
of WTO, highlighted that India should have a valid interest
to continue striving for successful multilateral trade agreements,
because India is not part of any important bilateral free trade
agreement or any other preference program. In case that multinational
negotiations will not be taken up again, bilateral trade agreements
will flourish, putting India and some other Asian countries
in a less preferred position.
Great
interest drew the contribution of Iqbal Ebrahim, MD Al-Karam
Textile Mills, Pakistan, who stressed the high ambitions of
Pakistan to increasingly dominate the home texile markets in
Europe and US. Currently Pakistan supplies 35 % of European
imports, and 41 % of US Home Textile Imports, said Ebrahim,
but the future development will depend heavily upon political
data like currency ratios, trade agreements and other regulations.
Rajesh
Mandawewala, highlighted that Asia is the global center of home
textiles. Only China, Pakistan and India account for 76 % of
US home textile imports in 2006 with a US home textile industry,
which has by and large vanished as producing industry. He envisage
a bright future for those asian companies, which can provide
added value beyond a good product.
Speeches
from Manlio Alberto Zucchi (Zucchi Group), Mac Ryland (KSA Atlanta),
and others stressed the evolving requirements of sourcing in
a world of concentrating retail and time efficient supply logistics.
The success of the “vertical” retailers imply much
stronger partnerships to suppliers with mutual investment with
integration of systems and frequent communication. But it is
not all about the large retail systems.One of the rapidly increasing
distribution channels in Europe for home textiles are furniture
shops. Christoph Hampel (Eurasis, Thailand) explained sourcing
patterns of the large European furniture buying groups, which
are far away from the integration of supply and sourcing systems.
Also the huge contract market for commercially used textiles
has totally different decision and sourcing patterns as Geert
Böttger (Expo+Consulting Associates, Germany) pointed out.
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