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Automation key to revive garment industry's fortunes

The UAE garment manufacturing and textile industry is currently grappling with intense competition from manufacturers in India and China, where the cost of production and raw material is substantially lower.

High labour costs, over dependence on exports, and problems in sourcing raw material at competitive prices are some of the obstacles currently faced by the UAE garment manufacturing and textile industry.

The UAE currently exports garments worth around $0.1 billion. However, this is significantly lower than the $250 million that the industry had exported in 1997 when it was at its peak.

Both India and China, on the other hand, have been experiencing a rise in their garment exports since the dismantling of the textile quotas in 2005. In 2004-05, India's total textile exports reached $13 billion. Of this, garment exports accounted for $6 billion. By 2010, it is expected to cross $50 billion. China's total garment exports added up to $61.6 billion in 2004, up 19 per cent from 2003. In the first two months of 2005, its total export of garments reached over $9 billion, an increase of over 28 per cent year-on-year. By 2008, China's garment exports are expected to reach $124 billion. "Automation is key to reviving the competitive edge that the UAE garment manufacturing and textile industry used to enjoy till recently," said Mr. Saif Al Midfa, Director General, Expo Centre Sharjah.

"In order to compete with countries like India and China, the textile and garment manufacturing industry in the UAE needs to adopt equipment and technology that will lower production cost while enhancing the product quality at the same time. Besides, the focus needs to be on specialised niche products. The coming edition of Texpo will exclusively highlight a very diverse but effective range of machinery, technology, accessories, and solutions that will help the industry achieve this objective," he added.

Displays at the coming edition of Texpo will include garment machinery, design/styling/textile dyeing and finishing equipment, industrial sewing machines, cutting machinery, inspection and testing equipment for the garments and textile industry, press machines including steam irons, micro steam generators and components, accessories including trimmings, tailoring items, plastic and metal zippers, laces and buttons, and technology covering CAD/CAM/CIM software for designing, data monitoring and processing.

Over 80 companies and brands from across the world including from UK, USA, Germany, Italy, Taiwan (ROC), France, Japan, Korea, India, Turkey, Spain, Greece, Singapore, and Pakistan are participating in the event.