Ruddick will continue to enhance international operations

Ruddick Corporation reported that consolidated sales for the first quarter of fiscal 2010 ended December 27, 2009 increased by 4.6% to $1.04 billion from $995 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2009. The increase in consolidated sales for the quarter was attributable to a 4.7% sales increase at Harris Teeter, the Company’s supermarket subsidiary, and a 3.2% sales increase at American & Efird (“A&E”), the Company’s sewing thread and technical textiles subsidiary.

In the first quarter of fiscal 2010, consolidated net income was $23.7 million, or $0.49 per diluted share, compared to $22.9 million, or $0.47 per diluted share, in the prior year’s first quarter. The increase in net income over the prior year was driven by operating profit improvements at A&E that more than offset the slight decline in operating profit at Harris Teeter and additional overhead expenses at the holding company, as compared to the prior year. The increase in corporate expenses was driven by increased costs associated with certain benefit programs that have investment returns referenced to the financial markets and expenses of $500,000 associated with certain contract negotiations.

Harris Teeter’s sales increased by 4.7% to $972.3 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2010, compared to sales of $928.9 million in the first quarter of fiscal 2009. The increase in sales was attributable to incremental new store sales that were partially offset by a comparable store sales decline of 2.37% for the quarter. Comparable store sales for the quarter were negatively impacted by retail price deflation and changes in consumer purchasing habits, reflective of the current economic environment.

During the first quarter of fiscal 2010, Harris Teeter opened 6 new stores and closed one existing store, which was replaced by one of the new stores. Since the end of the first quarter of fiscal 2009, Harris Teeter has opened 21 new stores, closed 3 older stores (which were all replaced by new stores) and completed the major remodeling of one store, which included the expansion of selling square footage. Harris Teeter operated 194 stores at December 27, 2009.

Operating profit at Harris Teeter in the first quarter of fiscal 2010 decreased to $42.3 million (4.35% of sales), from $44.3 million (4.77% of sales) in the first quarter of fiscal 2009. Operating profit was impacted by new store pre-opening costs of $2.6 million (0.26% of sales) and $4.0 million (0.43% of sales) in the first quarter of fiscal 2010 and fiscal 2009, respectively. New store pre-opening costs fluctuate between reporting periods depending on the new store opening schedule.

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Jingwei Textile Machinery to buy 36% stake in Zhongrong Trust

The Board of Jingwei Textile Machinery Company Limited entered into the conditional Acquisition Agreement with the Vendor. Pursuant to the Acquisition Agreement, the Company has agreed to acquire the Sale Interest at the Consideration of initially RMB1.2 billion (equivalent to approximately HK$1,363.64 million), subject to adjustments.

Pursuant to the terms of the Acquisition Agreement, the Consideration shall be settled in cash. Upon Completion, the Company will own 36% equity interest in Zhongrong Trust and will secure effective control over it by virtue of its control over the board of Zhongrong Trust. Accordingly, Zhongrong Trust will become a subsidiary of the Company and its financial results will be consolidated into the financial statements of the Group.

The Acquisition constitutes a very substantial acquisition on the part of the Company under Chapter 14 of the Listing Rules. Accordingly, the Acquisition Agreement and the transactions contemplated there under are subject to the approval of Shareholders at the EGM. As no Shareholder has any material interest in the Acquisition, no Shareholder is required to abstain from voting at the EGM to approve the Acquisition Agreement and the transactions contemplated there under.

A circular containing, among other matters, further details of the Acquisition and a notice convening the EGM, will be despatched to Shareholders in compliance with the Listing Rules.

As at the date of this announcement, Zhongzhi Group was owned as to 80% by Liu Yang and 20% by the Committee of the Employee Association of Zhongzhi Group. To the best of the Directors’ knowledge, information and belief having made all reasonable enquiry, the Vendor and its ultimate beneficial owners are third parties independent of the Company and connected persons of the Company, and there shall be no restriction for any subsequent sale of the Sale Interest acquired by the Group.

Assets to be acquired
Pursuant to the Acquisition Agreement, the Company has conditionally agreed to acquire and the Vendor has conditionally agreed to dispose of the Sale Interest, representing 36% equity interest in the entire registered capital of Zhongrong Trust.

Consideration and pricing basis
The Consideration for the Acquisition of not more than RMB1.2 billion (equivalent to approximately HK$1,363.64 million) shall be payable in cash and satisfied in the following manner:

Zhongzhi Group is a limited liability company established in the PRC with diversified business operations. It is principally engaged in, among others, asset investment and management, investment and financial advisory businesses, technological development and import and export of commodity and technology and agent services for import and export businesses.

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Brazil is growing market for technical textiles & nonwovens sector

Technical textiles and nonwovens are two sectors which have found an increasingly greater number of applications in recent years, even in Brazil. The local market is developing at a fast pace, and many local textile manufacturers are now concentrating on this type of production.

According to a recent survey conducted by IEMI, a brazilian consulting firm, the two sectors (nonwovens and technical textiles) account for well over 200 companies currently operating in Brazil, employing roughly 40,000 people. Total estimated production for 2008 amounted to 462,000 tons, for a value of 3.9 billion Brazilian Reais. For the same year, over 160 million Reais were invested in modernizing and/or acquiring new machinery (a value of about 4% of annual revenues). Exports of products for these two sectors in 2008 totalled 269 million US Dollars.

These figures bear witness to the growing interest of machinery manufacturers in this industry. In an effort to place Italian technology in the spotlight, ACIMIT (Association of Italian Textile Machinery Manufacturers) and ICE (Italian Trade Commission) have organized a technology symposium to be held in Sao Paolo next March 4th and 5th, 2010.

About fifteen Italian textile machinery manufacturers will present their latest technology proposals in Sao Paolo to a public comprising Brazilian operators in the technical textiles and nonwovens sector.

This encounter represents a further meeting point between Italy’s textile machinery industry and Brazil’s textile sector, which over the years have developed a strong partnership, as demonstrated by the value of Italian sales of machinery to Brazil. In fact, for the period running from 2004-2008, Italian exports of textile machinery in Brazil increased at a pace of 13% annually, reaching a value of 72 million Euros in 2008, thus ranking Brazil fourth among foreign markets for Italy’s textile machinery sector.

The most recent figures, relative to January to September 2009, indicate that Italian exports to Brazil amounted to 23 million Euros. Italian machinery most in demand in the Brazilian market are finishing machinery (32%), followed by accessories (26%) and knitting machines (21%).

The Italian participants at the workshop are a small sample of the substantial number of Italian companies operating in this sector.

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7th Project Runway marks the Brother’s fourth year as a licensee

“Either you’re in or you’re out” for Heidi Klum of ‘Project Runway,’ and Brother International Corporation is “in,” yet again, for season seven. Returning as the Exclusive Sewing and Embroidery Licensee for the popular fashion reality television show, season seven marks the company’s fourth year as a licensee.

The relationship with ‘Project Runway’ has proven to be very successful for Brother who has seen tremendous branding exposure and has attracted new, younger customers since being named a licensee in 2007. The partnership has reenergized the sewing industry and has brought sewing back into fashion. Each week viewers tune in to watch contestants race against the clock, perfecting every last thread with Brother sewing machines. As Tim Gunn gives the aspiring designers their final countdown, viewers see a Brother-branded clock tick away, revealing those last, crucial minutes before their designs are showcased on the runway.

“‘Project Runway’ has brought incredible publicity to the Brother brand,” said Dean F. Shulman, a senior vice president of Brother International Corporation and head of the company’s home appliance division. “Brother dealerships are experiencing younger and younger customers who want the ‘Project Runway machine.’ Acquainting new customers with Brother sewing and embroidery products is invaluable.”

Brother has advocated that the latest fashion trend to hit the runway isn’t a piece of clothing— it is the machines that make the trends possible. Offering the tools needed for fashionistas and fashionistos to succeed in designing, personalizing, and embellishing apparel, Brother provides a line of “Project Runway” Limited Edition sewing and embroidery machines that are perfect for any skill level. With advanced features such as built-in designs and automatic needle threading, trendsetters can start to create with the push of a button.

With 40 built-in stitches including five styles of one-step buttonholes, variable speed control, super-wide stitch selection and seven-point feed dogs, the ‘Project Runway’ Limited Edition Innov-ís 40 imparts style and panache to designer creations. Skilled sewing room veterans find the added capabilities of the ‘Project Runway’ Limited Edition Innov-ís 80 ideal for intricate stitch work and monogramming flair. The Innov-ís 80 includes the features and functionality of the Innov-ís 40 plus 40 additional built-in designs, including five one-step buttonholes, 55 alphanumeric characters and the ability to combine stitches. And for designers that require even more creative potential, there is the ‘Project Runway’ Limited Edition LB6770PRW computerized sewing and embroidery combination machine. This machine was designed to give added inspiration with 70 built-in embroidery designs, five monogramming fonts and 120 frame pattern combinations. Using the 67 built-in stitches, 98 stitch functions and 10 styles of one-step automatic buttonholes, modish mavens are able to add dimension, color, texture, imagery and sophistication to any project. For greater differentiation tailored to a designer’s unique vision, the built-in embroidery card slot allows the use of thousands of optional Brother embroidery designs. Included with the purchase of this machine is a fashionable rolling bag, a $100 value, which is perfect for the designer who is always on the go, much like the contestants on ‘Project Runway.’

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Janome celebrates 150 Years of Sewing

150 years of evolution is a long time for any industry. In 1860, the Pony Express was established; written communication has certainly come a long way since then. At the same time, clipper ships transformed Trans-Atlantic travel, shortening the sometimes months-long journey to fourteen days. A fourteen-day ocean cruise is now considered a luxury vacation.

Prominent sewing machine manufacturer and distributor, Janome America is proud to commemorate 2010 as the 150th anniversary of its founding.

In 1860, William Barker and Andrew J. Clark, founders of Janome America, began producing sewing machines in Orange, MA. By 1882 they had named their company New Home, and were producing 500 sewing machines per day. In 1960 the Janome brand of Japan purchased New Home to establish its footing in the United States, consolidating manufacturing but not changing the name. Then, in 1995 the company was renamed Janome America, Inc., a reflection of the reputation established throughout the world for quality, reliability and ease-of-use.

It's surprising how far the sewing industry has come over the past 150 years. Those outside of sewing circles often regard the sewing machine as a historical artifact -- something their grandmothers used to create clothes during the Great Depression. Certainly not something stocked in modern-day retail stores. However, a visit to a local sewing machine dealer reveals a thriving, technologically-advanced product.

Janome America's 150th anniversary marks a high-point for achievements in the sewing and quilting industry. The company's founders wouldn't recognize the machine manufactured by their modern counterparts. Janome's top-of-the-line machine, the Memory Craft 11000 Special Edition, can produce embroidery as well as sew traditional stitches, offering 358 built-in stitches and 170 embroidery designs. It features a 640x480 color touchscreen, can link directly to a PC or will accept data from a USB drive, and can store 3MB of data in the sewing machine's own memory banks. It even utilizes technology built for high-precision industrial robots to ensure every stitch is accurate to the thousandth of an inch. And yes, it does thread itself!

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Janome celebrates 150 Years of Sewing

150 years of evolution is a long time for any industry. In 1860, the Pony Express was established; written communication has certainly come a long way since then. At the same time, clipper ships transformed Trans-Atlantic travel, shortening the sometimes months-long journey to fourteen days. A fourteen-day ocean cruise is now considered a luxury vacation.

Prominent sewing machine manufacturer and distributor, Janome America is proud to commemorate 2010 as the 150th anniversary of its founding.

In 1860, William Barker and Andrew J. Clark, founders of Janome America, began producing sewing machines in Orange, MA. By 1882 they had named their company New Home, and were producing 500 sewing machines per day. In 1960 the Janome brand of Japan purchased New Home to establish its footing in the United States, consolidating manufacturing but not changing the name. Then, in 1995 the company was renamed Janome America, Inc., a reflection of the reputation established throughout the world for quality, reliability and ease-of-use.

It's surprising how far the sewing industry has come over the past 150 years. Those outside of sewing circles often regard the sewing machine as a historical artifact -- something their grandmothers used to create clothes during the Great Depression. Certainly not something stocked in modern-day retail stores. However, a visit to a local sewing machine dealer reveals a thriving, technologically-advanced product.

Janome America's 150th anniversary marks a high-point for achievements in the sewing and quilting industry. The company's founders wouldn't recognize the machine manufactured by their modern counterparts. Janome's top-of-the-line machine, the Memory Craft 11000 Special Edition, can produce embroidery as well as sew traditional stitches, offering 358 built-in stitches and 170 embroidery designs. It features a 640x480 color touchscreen, can link directly to a PC or will accept data from a USB drive, and can store 3MB of data in the sewing machine's own memory banks. It even utilizes technology built for high-precision industrial robots to ensure every stitch is accurate to the thousandth of an inch. And yes, it does thread itself!

 

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CLOTHING MACHINERY 2010 Fair coming soon

CLOTHING MACHINERY 2010, 22nd International Clothing Machines, Embroidery Machines and Accessories Fair will be organized by TÜYAP Fairs and Exhibitions Organization Inc. between the dates April 22-25, 2010 at Tuyap Fair, Convention and Congress Center - Istanbul, Turkey. 

The scope of the CLOTHING MACHINERY 2010 Fair includes; Clothing Sewing Machines, Embroidery Machines, Quilting Machines, Spreading and Cutting Machines, Laser Cutting Machines, Folding and Packing Machines, Cleaning Machines, Quality Control and Measuring Machines, Ironing Machines and Presses, Storage and Shelf Systems, Labelling and Design Printing Systems, Sewing and Embroidery Yarns, Machinery Side Industry, Clothing Side Industry and Accessories (Label, Elastic Bands, Ribbon, Interlining, Fiber, Pad, Button, Snap, Rivet, Zipper, Spangle, Sequin, Bead, Hanger), Display Equipment, Plotter Papers, Consultancy Project Engineering, Installation and Services, Software Institutions, CAD-CAM, Logistics Services, Leasing Companies, Publications.

CLOTHING MACHINERY 2007 Fair was successfully performed with the participation of 545 leading companies including representatives from 29 countries (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, P.R. China, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, The Netherlands, Pakistan, Poland, Rumania, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey, United Kingdom, USA) 

31.278 visitors from 43 countries (Albania, Algeria, Australia, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, P.R. China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Egypt, Georgia, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Korea, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Macedonia, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Poland, Rumania, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, U.A.E., Ukraine, United Kingdom, USA, Uzbekstan) have visited the CLOTHING MACHINERY 2007 Fair. 

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LH-3500A sews two lockstitch seams in parallel with 2-needle

JUKI launches its semi-dry head, 2-needle, lockstitch machine "LH-3500A Series" on the 11th January.

The Series incorporates the "direct-drive" mechanism which connects the compact servomotor directly to the main shaft of the sewing machine. It is a partly-changed model of its predecessor LH-3500 Series which has been put on the market in July, 2007. With its newly adopted direct-drive mechanism, the LH-3500A Series not only improves seam quality but also increases energy saved, improves workability and increases the material-penetrating force of the needle. The sewing machine sews two lockstitch seams in parallel with its two needles. It is useful for sewing front facings of men's shirts, foundation (ladies' underwear) and jeans.

The sewing machine comes in four different specifications classified by material thickness; S type for medium-weight materials, A type for light-weight materials, F type for foundation and G type for jeans and heavy-weight materials. The model with the suitable specification for production items is selectable.

The partly-changed LH-3500A Series models are functionally balanced basic ones (medium-speed popular type). JUKI is going to expand sales by means of this series models which are provided with general versatility and good cost performance.

Features
Direct-drive mechanism
- The direct-drive mechanism which connects the compact servomotor directly to the main shaft is adopted into the sewing machine with an automatic thread trimmer.
- Adoption of the direct-driven mechanism helps improve the machine's stop accuracy and responsiveness, leading to increased work efficiency.
- Adoption of a high-torque type motor helps increase the material-penetrating force of the needle by approximately 32 % as compared with JUKI's conventional models. As a result, the sewing machine consistently provides the needle with adequate material-penetrating force even when sewing multi-layered sections of heavy-weight materials.

Energy saving
- With the adoption of the compact-in-size motor for the direct-drive mechanism and the new model of control box (SC-920), the sewing machine reduces its power consumption by approximately 15 %.

Semi-dry head
- The semi-dry head, which prevents oil stains caused by the oil coming from the frame (needle bar section), is adopted into all the models under the LH-3500A Series. The semi-dry head helps prevent the production of inferior quality sewing products due to oil stains.

Seam quality
- Four different types of sewing machines (S, A, F and G) which differ in seam specification are prepared according to the material to be used. The sewing machine with the seam specification that is best suited to production items can be selected. (G type will be launched in February, 2010.)

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Knitting machines developer Terrot to exhibit at ITCE’12

ITCE is the International African-Arabian Exhibition for Textile, Embroidery and Sewing Machinery & Accessories. ITCE’12, the largest trade event in the entire MENA region, is held to serve the ever-growing and promising markets of the textile industries in the region. Since 1994 the show has become the meeting point for importers, manufactures and leading trade figures to get all in face to face experience with the latest global technologies.

DATE OF EXHIBITION: 23 - 26 February, 2010
VENUE: Cairo International Fair Ground, Cairo, Egypt

Terrot as one of the world brand leader is among the exhibitors at ITCE 2010. Together with our partner Setraco we would like to invite you to visit our booth 4A30 in hall 4 where we will exhibit machine model S6F348:

Diameter in inch - 30
Gauge E - 22
Number of feeders - 48
Machine speed/ RPM - 28/ 32
(Speed up Function)
Number of needle tracks - 2
Knitting structure - Striped Plain Single Tuck structure

Machine features S4F348
The machine series combine the traditional attributes of functional safety and outstanding reliability with further advanced Terrot striper technology. The benefit: Maximum processing variety with nearly unlimited pattern- and colour possibilities – especially for sensitive yarns- due to the combination of the Terrot-Striper-System with different kind of bonding structure technologies. By using the multi-colour technology, it is possible to process up to 8 yarn colours in a single length of fabric. A never afore attained extend of universality includes the further processing of even the most sensitive yarns and threads. Beside the customary use of cotton yarns,

• Acetate, CA
• Core spun yarns
• Modal, CMD
• Polyester filament, PE
• Polyamide, PA
• Viscose, CV

can all be produced with typical Terrot process reliability. The technology of the thread change takes place with one lay-in finger for every colour thread. Every lay-in finger is equipped with a combined clamping device as well as a cutting device which guarantees very precisely clamping and cutting of the threads. Therewith this striper technology is in comparison to competitors able to process all current thread qualities, and in particular the for striped fabric used synthetic yarns that are in line with the trend.

Economy / Production

• redesigned cylinder and sinker cam curves permit higher production safety; increase speed factor up to 840 (S4F348/6F348)
• economic production featured by computer controlled “Terrot-speed-up-function”: While knitting large sequences in a single colour the machine speed will be increased up to 20%, thereby increasing productivity

Flexibility / Versatility

• 2-slot yarn carrier is perfectly guided and guarantees excellent Spandex and Mesh plating
• easy to handle and to create new pattern information, by transmitting the colour sequence by USB memory stick
• simple and quick adjustment of colour sequences by inputting the data via the keypad at terminal

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Presentation of French textile machinery industry in India, UCMTF

UCMTF (French Association of Textile Machinery Manufacturers), Ubifrance and the French Trade Commission of the French Embassy in India plan to organise in India the second edition of the seminar:

This seminar will take place this time at Ludhiana and Mumbai on 20th & 22nd April 2010 respectively. Please find attached a brief on the French Textile Machinery Industry for your reference.

In order to meet and identify the Indian partners and associates for this seminar Ms Evelyne Cholet, representative of UCMTF, Ms Florence Zuber, representative of Ubifrance, France and Ms Brinder Rault, Trade Advisor, French Trade Commission of French Embassy in India plan to meet various Indian organizations on the following dates:

Meetings at Mumbai: 1st & 2nd February
Meetings at Chandigarh: 3rd February
Meetings at Ludhiana: 3rd & 4th February
Meetings at Delhi: on 5th February.

During this trip a group meeting with the specialized Indian magazines/journals is also being organised on Friday 5th February 2010 at 10 am at the French Trade Commission at Delhi.

The French textile machinery Manufacturers have established a firm foothold on the international markets for many years. France is the European Union’s third largest exporter of textile machinery and the sixth largest in the world. More than one hundred countries have chosen them as their partners to whom they export 90% of their national production. They are a dynamic group of companies who created years ago a private professional Association UCMTF (French Association of Textile Machinery Manufacturers), whose aim is the promotion of the French machines and French companies. UCMTF nurtures the dynamism, professionalism, competence and creativity of the French member companies.

French companies have established and will continue to ensure a leadership position in the international textile industry.

They are expanding on textile markets with extremely targeted products and for industries requiring integrated manufacturing processes.

Employing more than 8.000 people with a continuously growing turnover (more than 1,5 billion USD) and backed by specialised research centres, the French manufacturers have dominant positions in their specialities. Most of them now hold significant world market shares, exceeding 60 % for some specialities. This leadership is due to the simultaneously implementation of technologically advanced machinery, reliability and the services required in large-scale exporting and automation. Their success in these areas guarantees a productive future, and gives the French machinery an advantage over the competition.

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Pantograms adds new Meistergram Embroidery Training Classes

Pantograms Manufacturing Company, Inc. announces the expansion of its Embroidery Academy to include training on Meistergram embroidery machines. The Embroidery Academy training is included with the purchase of a new Meistergram embroidery machine from Pantograms. They offer 3-day training at their corporate office in Tampa, Florida; or 2 to 3 days on-site training for Meistergram multi-head embroidery machines.

Pantograms also provides training on late model Meistergram machines that have been purchased from other dealers before Pantograms Mfg. Company became the exclusive distributor for USA and Canada. Pantograms Embroidery Academy training and support packages are available to them for a fee. Instructors at Pantograms Embroidery Academy have experience in the decorated apparel industry for many years and know the skills that are required to operate a profitable business. The first day of class will teach embroidery basics.

Participants learn about the different types of items that can be embroidered, supplies and accessories, hooping techniques for different materials, pricing and marketing. The second day is machine operation and maintenance. Everything from the control panel functions, proper thread-path and machine tension, transitioning from tubular garments to caps, oiling and greasing the machine and troubleshooting the machine.

The third day is an optional class on Forté embroidery software. They will learn how to use the digitizing software so they can digitize their own designs or modify embroidery stock designs. Class course includes lettering and editing, basic digitizing tools, advanced digitizing tools (depending on the level software purchased), auto-digitizing and sending designs to machine.

“We place high priority on training and support for our customers and welcome every owner of a Meistergram embroidery machine the same opportunity to learn from our 42 years of experience. Proper training prepares an embroidery business to handle the day-to-day operations with professional ease”, says Larry Sheppard, General Manager of Pantograms.

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Tamil Nadu accounts for 28.50% of TUF disbursals

The Government of India under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles had introduced the Technology Up-gradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) to help the beleaguered textile sector modernise its technology and equipment and which turned out to be one of the highly successful schemes implemented by the Government of India.

In the third part of this series, Fibre2fashion brings to you; our valued reader, state-wise data, with regards to actual number of applications received, amount sanctioned and disbursed to the entire value chain of the textile sector across India.

In the first part of the series, we had delved on disbursals done by 122 banks to the textile and its allied sector from the inception of the scheme in 1999 and in the second part we covered year-wise statistical data related to applications received, amount sanctioned and disbursed, from the time the TUF scheme was conceived.

From the day of inception of the scheme in April 1999 till June 2009 till which date, data has been collated, textile industries from 24 states across India have availed benefits of TUFs. The combined applications received from the entire 24 states total to 26,087 for a project cost of Rs 182,269.91 Crores against which the requirement of loan stood at Rs 84,747.01 Crores.

Against this 25,893 applications were sanctioned for a project cost of Rs 179,856.38 Crores and the sanctioned amount stood at Rs 78,306.20 Crores, of which Rs 66,283 Crores was disbursed covering 25,777 applications.

Textile and its allied units from Tamil Nadu took the majority share from among all applications sanctioned and disbursed under TUFs. TUF received 5,714 applications from the state with a project cost of Rs 36,816 Crores and the loan requirement was Rs 21,369 Crores.

Against this, Rs 18,850 Crores was disbursed during the entire period from the time TUFs was conceived. The amount disbursed in Tamil Nadu accounts for 28.50 percent of the total disbursed across all the 24 states.

Maharashtra, Punjab, Gujarat and Rajasthan stand at second, third, fourth and fifth ranking, respectively with regards to disbursals of TUFs.

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Handloom training program for women concludes

A two-month training program on weaving, which commenced on November 10 at the training centre of Lamding Cherapur Handloom Cluster, Wangjing, Thoubal district, has concluded recently.

This training program was organized by DIC, Thoubal, under the integrated handloom development scheme to make women proficient in certain specialized weaving skills by using advanced designing machines, including, jacquard, dobby and jalla.

20 women, two from each ten self-help groups of Wangjing area, underwent this training program and gained knowledge of modern weaving and designing techniques to produce improved and more attractive handloom products as per current market trends.

Training to produce specially designed traditional phanek (wrap-around), shawls, bed sheets, mufflers, salwar-kameez and shirt pieces had been imparted thoroughly to the trainees.

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Textiles sector on revival path - Textiles Minister

Thiru. Dayanidhi Maran, Union Minister of Textiles said that textiles sector has started showing sign of revival with increase in investment, production, employment and exports.

The production of fibre, yarn and cloth have shown a positive growth during April to November 2009. The production of cloth increased by 10.8 percent, man-made fibre and yarn production grew by 21.3 & 11.8 percent, respectively, and the total spun yarn production increased by 5.1 percent during the period.Thiru. Maran was addressing the textiles industry at the conference organised by the FICCI on ‘Emerging global trends and the way forward for Indian Textiles Industry’.

The second quarter of the current fiscal saw a strong revival in sales growth, and weaving companies posted a sales growth of 19.7 percent, spinning industry 8.9 percent, man-made Fibre industry 15.7 percent and readymade garments industry 14.2 percent, said the Minister. The Sector witnessed a favourable investment climate since last quarter of last fiscal and weaving companies announced 5 new projects with an investment of Rs. 144 crore while the spinning industry announced 20 new projects worth Rs. 257 crore, said the Minister. Thiru Maran said that the revivals in demand had led to an addition of 3.18 lakh employees during second quarter of the fiscal, this is in contrast to the displacement of 1.54 lakh employees in the previous quarter.

The Minister said that the India’s overall textiles exports (excluding garments) during April-June 2009 fell by 21.8 percent, and the sign of revival were seen during the July 2009 with an increase of 2.92 per cent. The apparel export sector has also shown signs of revival after falling y-o-y for eight months in a row, the value of India’s apparel exports to the US grew in September 2009, said the Minister.

Thiru. Maran said that 60% of Indian exports of textiles and over 70% of clothing are to USA and EU 27 markets, and there is an urgent need to broaden product mix and explore new markets, while maintaining and increasing Indian textiles and clothing (T&C)share in core markets through product innovation and diversification. If sustained efforts are made by the industry, the country can capture additional US$ 1.5 billion textile and clothing export in US market, which will also help to generate additional employment opportunities, said the Minister. Thiru. Maran said that initiative of his Ministry to pool the resources of all the Export Promotion Council to mount mega shows in non-traditional markets like Japan, Brazil, Argentina and South Africa has been a success and this endeavour will continue.

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Textiles sector on revival path - Textiles Minister

Thiru. Dayanidhi Maran, Union Minister of Textiles said that textiles sector has started showing sign of revival with increase in investment, production, employment and exports.

The production of fibre, yarn and cloth have shown a positive growth during April to November 2009. The production of cloth increased by 10.8 percent, man-made fibre and yarn production grew by 21.3 & 11.8 percent, respectively, and the total spun yarn production increased by 5.1 percent during the period.Thiru. Maran was addressing the textiles industry at the conference organised by the FICCI on ‘Emerging global trends and the way forward for Indian Textiles Industry’.

The second quarter of the current fiscal saw a strong revival in sales growth, and weaving companies posted a sales growth of 19.7 percent, spinning industry 8.9 percent, man-made Fibre industry 15.7 percent and readymade garments industry 14.2 percent, said the Minister. The Sector witnessed a favourable investment climate since last quarter of last fiscal and weaving companies announced 5 new projects with an investment of Rs. 144 crore while the spinning industry announced 20 new projects worth Rs. 257 crore, said the Minister. Thiru Maran said that the revivals in demand had led to an addition of 3.18 lakh employees during second quarter of the fiscal, this is in contrast to the displacement of 1.54 lakh employees in the previous quarter.

The Minister said that the India’s overall textiles exports (excluding garments) during April-June 2009 fell by 21.8 percent, and the sign of revival were seen during the July 2009 with an increase of 2.92 per cent. The apparel export sector has also shown signs of revival after falling y-o-y for eight months in a row, the value of India’s apparel exports to the US grew in September 2009, said the Minister.

Thiru. Maran said that 60% of Indian exports of textiles and over 70% of clothing are to USA and EU 27 markets, and there is an urgent need to broaden product mix and explore new markets, while maintaining and increasing Indian textiles and clothing (T&C)share in core markets through product innovation and diversification. If sustained efforts are made by the industry, the country can capture additional US$ 1.5 billion textile and clothing export in US market, which will also help to generate additional employment opportunities, said the Minister. Thiru. Maran said that initiative of his Ministry to pool the resources of all the Export Promotion Council to mount mega shows in non-traditional markets like Japan, Brazil, Argentina and South Africa has been a success and this endeavour will continue.

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Applications under TUFs falls in 08-09, project cost zooms

The Government of India under the aegis of the Ministry of Textiles had introduced the Technology Up-gradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) to help the beleaguered textile sector modernise its technology and equipment and which turned out to be one of the highly successful schemes implemented by the Government of India.

In this second part of this series, Fibre2fashion brings forth the number of projects for which applications were received and the amount of funds sanctioned under the scheme from the date of its inception till the current fiscal year. In the first part of this exclusive series on TUFs, we had covered disbursals done by 122 banks to the textile and its allied sector from the inception of the scheme in 1999.

The TUF scheme which saw the light of the day in the fiscal year 1999-2000 received applications for 407 projects totaling to a project cost of Rs 5,771 crores, out of which Rs 2,421 crores was sanctioned for 309 projects, again of which 179 projects received disbursals amounting to Rs 746 crores in that fiscal year.

Fiscal year 2006-2007 witnessed receipt of the highest number of applications and which stood at half of the number of total applications received till June 2009. The project cost of these applications totaled to one-third of the project cost of all applications received since the inception of the scheme.

In fiscal year 2008-09, the figures for which are provisional, though the number of applications were just half of those received in 2006-07, the project cost was just under one-third of the overall project cost of all applications received since 1999, which implies that the applicants invested in latest and high technology and equipment which could have raised the project cost to these levels.

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Kornit Breeze 921 printer is breezing its way to the ISS!

The new Kornit Breeze 921 entry-level Direct-On-Garment printer will be launched at ISS Long Beach, January 22-24, 2010 in California, USA, booth # 1447

Kornit Breeze 921 industrial Direct-On-Garment printer is breezing its way to the ISS! Getting ready to begin its beta period, this high-speed digital printer that uniquely prints white & CMYK colors at the same time, looks like it has a bright future ahead. Offering high-end technology solutions at entry-level costs, Kornit Breeze 921 is the best option for new or expanding businesses entering the digital garment printing market.

ISS Long Beach is the industry`s leading event for the decorated apparel and imprinted products industry with over 13,000 attendees and close to 500 exhibitors. The 2010 ISS conference program, featuring 43 conference sessions, provided the expert knowledge needed to turn investments into profits.

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Development of Mobile Fibre Extraction Machine for coir industry

The traditional coir industry in the state of Kerala is facing an acute crisis of fibre shortage. For some time it has been depending on the green husk fibre the major part of which is brought from the neighboring states.

The industry feels that there is an untapped stock of husks in the rural areas from where collection is difficult as on-site defibering is not possible.

Therefore there was a need to develop a mobile fibre extraction machine which could be taken to the remote villages so that vast untapped potential for utilization of husks from such areas could be tapped.

In view of this, Central Coir Research Institute of Coir Board, Kalavoor has developed a Mobile Fibre Extraction Machine that is being demonstrated before the coir industry.

The Central Coir Research Institute is one of the prime research centre of Coir Board (Recognised by the Department of Science & Technology, Government of India) established in the year 1959 implements all the S & T programs for the development of Coir Industry headed by Dr. U.S.Sarma Director, RDTE.

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TUFS proves to be proverbial lifeline for textile sector

Technology Up-gradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) initiated by the Union Ministry for Textiles is one of the highly successful schemes implemented by the Government of India. Indian textile industry was reeling under the impact of out-dated technology apart from other traditionally identified drawbacks with little or no value-addition to speak of. However, introduction of this scheme has proved to be a proverbial lifeline for the textile and allied industries. Fibre2fashion has taken the initiative to bring to our esteemed readers, the various statistical data related to TUFS with due thanks to the 'Office of the Textile Commissioner', Mumbai for providing the data.

The Ministry of Textiles first launched the Technology Up-gradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) initially for a period of five years, for the textile and jute sector in April-1999. At the end of the five year period in March-2009, it was subsequently extended up to March 2007. The objective of the TUF scheme was to help the ailing textile and allied sectors to modernise and up-grade their technology and equipment in which the government also paid a subsidy to these enterprises, to help them with their capital requirements.

Under the scheme, the companies have the option to choose from multiple options like 5 percent interest reimbursement of the normal interest charged by the lending agency on RTL or, 5 percent exchange fluctuation (interest & repayment) from the base rate on FCL, or 15 percent credit linked capital subsidy for SSI sector, or 20 percent credit linked capital subsidy for powerloom sector, or 5 percent interest reimbursement plus 10% capital subsidy for specified processing machinery.

Segments which were identified within the textile and allied industry, included, spinning, cotton ginning & pressing, silk reeling & twisting, wool scouring & combing, synthetic filament yarn texturising, crimping and twisting, manufacturing of viscose filament yarn (VFY) / viscose staple fibre (VSF), weaving/knitting including non-wovens and technical textiles, garments, made-up manufacturing, processing of fibres, yarns, fabrics, garments and made-ups.

The jute sector is also eligible to take advantage of these concessional loans for their technology up-gradation requirements. Investments in common infrastructure or facilities by an industry association, trust or co-operative society and other investments specified are also eligible for funding under the scheme. Improved metal frame handlooms used by the handloom weavers have also been covered under the scheme.

Initially, development banks like IDBI, SIDBI and IFCI were selected as the nodal agencies for determining eligibility and disbursal of the subsidies to the textile and jute sector. From October-2005, in addition other nationalized, private and regional banks were also appointed as nodal agencies to take the total of nodal agencies to 122. There is no cap on funding under the scheme and the technology levels have been benchmarked in terms of specified machinery.

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