Stones from Other Mountains: The Transformation Process of the Textile Industry in Taiwan, China and the United States
For Chinese textile enterprises, the requirement for transformation and upgrading is very urgent, but how to transform? The transformation process of the textile industry in Taiwan, China and the United States may provide reference.
At the “2016 Imported Yarn Forum” on June 16th and 17th, Huang Weiji, secretary-general of the Taiwan Textile Development Association, introduced the development history of Taiwan’s textile industry. In the 1990s, Taiwan’s textile industry faced internal and external competitive pressures. At that time, the textile and garment industry in mainland China was developing rapidly; South Korea implemented the Milan Plan; Japan formulated a fiber industry white paper to support eight major fiber companies in developing functional chemical fibers; backward countries had obvious competitive advantages, while Taiwan was faced with a sharp appreciation of the Taiwan dollar, rising labor costs, Environmental protection and other pressures are both internal and external worries.
In 2000, Taiwan’s textile industry formulated a rapid follow-up development strategy. One is to follow the flying goose theory and follow Japan in developing functional chemical fibers. The second is to promote the re-engineering industry competitiveness plan to assist textile companies to improve financial and financing mechanisms and accelerate investment; promote the construction of overseas bases, improve international market competitiveness, strengthen R&D investment and improve technical capabilities; fully implement electronic rapid response and technological management ; Develop industrial manpower and introduce high-tech talents; combine the advantages of the textile industry on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to strengthen the production and marketing integration system; enhance the image of the textile industry and lay a solid foundation for development.
In terms of products, Taiwan’s textile industry focuses on the development of innovative functional textiles, which are mainly used in sports, leisure and outdoor products. In the development process, it also faces obstacles such as long research and development cycles and low product recognition. For this reason, the Textile Association has established a functional textile verification mechanism (TFT). At present, the TFT verification mechanism has become an industry standard with international standards.
Since then, we have developed environmentally friendly textiles and made regenerated textiles by recycling PET bottles to contribute to environmental protection. Now it is committed to the research and development of fashionable functional and smart textiles, combining multi-functions, developing more advanced materials, and designing smart textile products.
Huang Weiji said that when faced with internal and external pressures, poverty leads to change, and change leads to success. The industry should inspire each other and replace zero-sum competition with collaborative cooperation to tide over the difficulties. Innovation is the source of power for enterprise development and the cultural characteristic of the industry.
After the United States announced its manufacturing return plan, the U.S. textile industry once again attracted attention. At the “2016 Imported Yarn Forum” on June 16th and 17th, Xue Fei, Asia operations director of American Frontier Company, analyzed in detail the transformation path of the US textile industry and made suggestions for the transformation of Chinese textile enterprises.
The textile and apparel industry was once a pillar industry and a major employer in the United States after the second industrial revolution. However, from 1950 to 2001, the textile industry’s share of GDP shrank by 16%, and the employed population decreased by 30%. Although the number of employees has plummeted by about 30%, the output of the textile industry has remained stable or even increased in the middle, and the transformation has achieved obvious results. Since the financial crisis, investment and employment in the U.S. textile and apparel industry have continued to shrink, and the U.S. textile industry is still on the road to transformation.
The number of ring spinning spindles in the United States was 38 million in 1925, reduced to 11 million in 1980, 4.5 million in 2001, and is now estimated to be only 1.5 million. Today, the American spinning product structure includes air-end spinning accounting for 67%, ring spinning 20%, air-jet spinning 10%, and vortex spinning 3%. The U.S. textile industry has achieved transformation mainly through industrial transfers, mergers and acquisitions, specialization and automation, heavy investment in information systems and management system improvements, mass customization, and the application of information technology and flexible management to meet customer special needs.
Comparing the Chinese and American textile industries, the advantages of China’s textile industry are: relatively controllable labor costs, strong industrial supporting capabilities, and complete products; disadvantages are: dispersed enterprises, many small businesses, low per capita efficiency, and insufficient ability to develop new products and new technologies. There is a lack of supporting technology. The advantages of the U.S. textile industry are: large-scale production, high production efficiency, and strong design and technical capabilities; the disadvantages are: lack of elasticity in production and more emphasis on quantity and productivity.
Xue Fei suggested that China’s textile industry should upgrade its industry based on comparative advantages, retain the mid- to low-end, strive to move toward the high-end, and follow a transformation path with Chinese characteristics. Strengthen technological innovation, brand building, and enhance international bargaining power. At the same time, efforts should be made to change the bias of the capital market and labor market against the textile industry. For specific enterprises, Xue Fei believes that production enterprises should lean production and reduce waste, while operating enterprises should use data to achieve rapid response.
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