Industry News | 12/22/22
Updated: Jan 10, 2023
JIAM 2022 Osaka Welcomes Over 10k Visitors & 150 Exhibitors
By Fibre2Fashion | December 20, 2022
The JIAM trade show featured a total of 10,452 visitors and nearly 150 exhibitors from 11 different countries and regions. JIAM has been held since 1984 as one of Japan’s largest sewing machinery manufacturers industry trade fairs. The next edition will take place November 27–30, 2024 at Intex Osaka.
SPESA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT | Saving the Buyer-Supplier Relationship is All About Shared Risk
By Sourcing Journal | December 16, 2022
Paul Magel, president of application solutions at CGS, is adamant that it will take two to tango for any buyer-supplier relationship to thrive in the increasingly convoluted supply chain environment. “If there are disruptions, whether it’s a pandemic or a boat in the Suez Canal, there must be a mutual shared risk model or mutual trust in place to make sure that one party or the other isn’t going to be stuck holding the bag,” Magel said in a recent fireside chat with Sourcing Journal.
U.S. Commits to Boosting Trade with Africa
By Sourcing Journal | December 5, 2022
United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai has spoken of the significance of Africa’s integration into global supply chains after the signing of an MOU between the two regions: “This MOU is the product of a year of hard work and negotiations to memorialize this importance with which we regard the AfCFTA. It stems from a mutual desire to develop a lasting partnership between the United States Government and the AfCFTA Secretariat.”
MEDC Gives Carhartt Grant for Dearborn Expansion
By The Detroit News | December 19, 2022
The growth comes after Carhartt recently invested $32 million into three of its facilities at its Dearborn campus. This most recent expansion will create 125 new jobs. The company has also partnered with SPESA member ISAIC which is expanding its facility in Detroit, a $550,000 project that will create 74 jobs.
SPESA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT | Black Design Collective (BDC) Partners with TUKAweb
Press Release | December 15, 2022
Through its Black Design Collective Creative Centers, BDC will establish microfactories offering designers, students, and other fashion creatives access to design and apparel production resources as well as public-facing facilities such as retail outlets. The core initiative of the alliance between TUKAweb and BDC is to establish a culture of professional education and training. Educational opportunities and programs are sited as the foundation for economic empowerment and self-sustainability among people of color within the apparel industry.
Levi’s Automated Sewing Pilot Teases Denim Manufacturing’s Future
By Rivet | December 19, 2022
Levi Strauss & Co. and industrial manufacturing conglomerate Siemens have teamed up to deploy more robotics use cases in apparel production. A spokesperson for the denim giant confirmed to Reuters that the company participated in the early phases of the project. According to Eugen Solowjow, head of the research group at Siemens: “Clothing is the last trillion-dollar industry that hasn’t been automated."
SPESA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT | Lectra’s Ideation On The Road Wraps Up Three-City Tour
Press Release | December 15, 2022
The conference was well attended across three cities by more than 200 participants, and included 14 sponsors, namely platinum sponsors Kornit and Greentex, as well as sponsors SPESA, DXM, Twine, Fashion Snoops, and Coresight Research. In addition, attendees heard from thought leaders and fashion experts including Tiffany Radon, Manager of Technical Design at Carhartt; June Evans, Director of Technical Design at Filson; Dana Todd, CEO of Balodana; Lina Saldarriaga, Sr. Director of Product Development for Zumba; and Norman Ramirez, Director of IT at Citizens of Humanity.
USTR Extends China Tariff Exclusions Another 9 Months
By Supply Chain Dive | December 19, 2022
The U.S. Trade Representative extended existing tariff exclusions on 352 products from China that were slated to end at the end of 2022. The announcement comes as welcome news to much of the apparel and footwear sector, which has been calling for an extension of the product exclusions as the end-of-year deadline draws nearer. AAFA issued a statement commending the decision which can be read here.
Manufacturing Execs Expect Growth in 2023 After a Slow Start
By Manufacturing Dive | December 19, 2022
Forty-five percent of purchasing and supply manufacturing executives expect 2023 to bring overall improved revenues compared to 2022. Executives expect a slow start to the year, however, with growth not returning until the second half. Revenues are expected to increase for 15 out of 18 manufacturing industries, led by plastics and rubber products; transportation equipment; and apparel, leather, and allied products.
SPESA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT \ YKK’S Sustainable Products See Sales Gains
By Rivet | December 13, 2022
The company is inching toward its goal of having its fastening products made with 100% recycled or naturally occurring materials by 2030 — and clients are responding positively. In 2021, 13% of the materials used in YKK’s zipper textiles were sustainable. Natulon, the company’s recycled zipper series, emerged as the hero product driving this shift. Sales for Natulon jumped 224% year-on-year, or the waste recycling equivalent of 170 million plastic bottles, according to the report.
Senate Passes Bill Aimed at Expanding Government Procurement of American-Made Essential Products as Part of the NDAA Conference Report
Press Release | December 15, 2022
NCTO commended the Senate for passing the Fiscal Year 2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which includes a key provision aimed at spurring more government procurement of domestically produced essential products, providing a significant benefit to the U.S. textile industry. NCTO President & CEO Kim Glas also penned this piece in Sourcing Journal highlighting work being done to bring manufacturing back to the U.S.
Coloreel Thread Dyeing Reduces Water Consumption by 97%
By Knitting Trade Journal | December 14, 2022
"When Coloreel launched its ground-breaking technology for digital thread dyeing, the aim was to streamline an embroidery industry characterized by slow processes, difficulty in creating complicated designs, and an excessive use of resources," said Mattias Nordin, Sustainability Manager at Coloreel. Coloreel uses one single white thread to create millions of colors and intricate patterns with the company claiming that this unlocks new design possibilities, while providing environmental benefits.
SPESA MEMBER SPOTLIGHT \ Lectra Announces the Acquisition of the Majority of the Capital of TextileGenesis
Press Release | December 8, 2022
At the beginning of January, Lectra will acquire 51% of TextileGenesis for 15.2 million euros. The acquisition of the remaining share capital and voting rights is expected to take place in two stages, in 2026 and 2028, for an amount that will be calculated based on a multiple of the 2025 and 2027 recurring revenues. Founded in 2018, TextileGenesis provides a Software as a Service (SaaS) platform that enables fashion brands and sustainable textile manufacturers to ensure a reliable, secure, and fully digital mapping of their textiles, from the fiber to the consumer, and thereby guarantee their authenticity and origins.
New Balance Plans $65 Million Expansion of Manufacturing Facility in Skowhegan
By Central Maine | December 16, 2022
The plant is one of five manufacturing facilities New Balance has in New England, and the expansion would double the manufacturing output of the brand, allowing it to make over 1 million pairs of shoes each year at the facility. New Balance has owned the Skowhegan facility for over 40 years and approximately 250 people are employed there now. The $65 million investment would include capital equipment in addition to construction costs.
North Carolina A&T, Alamance Community College Partner with IACMI to Provide No-Cost Precision ACE Machining Training
Press Release | December 13, 2022
N.C. A&T and Alamance Community College (ACC) have kicked off the first Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining training of its kind in North Carolina. America’s Cutting Edge (ACE), a U.S. Department of Defense program designed to reestablish American leadership in the machine tool industry, provides online and in-person training — all at no cost.
Could Mexico Replace China as Top Global Manufacturing Exporter?
By Freight Waves | December 9, 2022
A growing number of global shippers view Mexico as an alternative sourcing location to China and other Asian nations by either relocating manufacturing operations just south of the border or choosing to expand existing production in Mexico, experts said. According to Mexican Economy Minister Raquel Buenrostro, hundreds of foreign companies are currently interested in relocating to Mexico.
Milliken & Company Expanding Operations in Cherokee County Creating 75 New Jobs
Press Release | December 9, 2022
The South Carolina Governor’s office announced recently that Milliken & Company will be expanding operations in Cherokee County with a $27.4 million investment. Milliken’s Cherokee County expansion will include newly added production lines to increase manufacturing capacity. The expansion will also create 75 new jobs, and is expected to be complete by the end of next year.
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