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A challenging time on the fabric front

By Susan M. Andrews, Fabric Editor -- Furniture Today, February 13, 2005

The first six weeks of 2005 have been eventful for the textile industry. Textile quotas ended, clogged ports held up some Showtime samples and production goods from offshore, the major supplier of producer-dyed acrylic announced that it will exit the marketplace, and the future schedule for Showtime was altered.

Let's take these issues one at a time:

Although quotas ended Jan. 1, almost 100 trade groups from 54 countries — all members of the Global Alliance for Fair Trade in Textiles — met last month to plan a coordinated response to what they call "the crisis associated with the worldwide expiration of quotas on textiles and clothing." GAFTT members want the United States, Canada and the European Union to impose special textile safeguards to limit Chinese imports and they want the World Trade Organization to take another look at the whole quota phaseout, which has been going on for 10 years. Resolution of the issue may take 10 years more. Maybe it's time to concede to the reality of the global market — with all its warts and inequities — and redirect the energy into creativity and innovation.
The clogged ports — especially in California — and overburdened customs clearance were a byproduct of the U.S. Department of Commerce's instruction to U.S. Customs to hold fabric shipments that were in excess of the 2004 quotas. Commerce further directed that the goods would be released in 5% increments each month beginning in February. As of Feb. 1, some of the affected companies still had not received anything in the way of fabric or information, and their customs agents still had not been told what to expect or when.
Solutia, spun off from Monsanto in the late '90s and steadily losing money for the past five years, decided to stop producing acrylic fiber. The company's largest customers, including Glen Raven/Sunbrella, Quaker Fabric and Culp Inc., will have to find new sources in the next couple of months, and in the meantime may have to pass along some price increases. The mills feel confident they can manage the transition, with alternate sources available in such areas as Europe, Turkey, Latin America and Mexico. Still, not having a domestic source means producers will have to factor in such issues as consistency with producer-dyed raw materials and much longer delivery cycles. On the bright side, acrylic production is arguably the least eco-friendly manufacturing segment involved in upholstery covers (with the obvious exception of leather). So the environment in Decatur, Ala., at least, will get a break when production stops in April.
Finally, some good news. Showtime's board of directors met and, based on the response to their survey of International Textile Market Assn. members and attendees at the January event, voted to move the semiannual event — which has been held in January and July for 15 years — to December and June. The change will prevent the frequent conflict with Heimtextil in Frankfurt, Germany, in January, and the occasional conflict with the Independence Day holiday weekend in July. There are bound to be other things that will be cramped by the change, however, including Furniture/Today's annual Leadership Conference, which is held in early December. But overall, furniture manufacturers are pleased with the change and, according to Catherine Morsell, director of ITMA, even the RV industry buyers and over-the-counter fabric retailers were enthusiastic about the altered schedule.

We hope you enjoy a new feature we'll be running occasionally called "Five questions." The first installment features textile designer Bess Rosefield. "Five questions" spotlights talented individuals and interesting personalities in the fabric industry.

Following that, you'll find a preview of upholstery covers coming this spring to High Point.

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A challenging time on the fabric front

Feb 17, 2005

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