The textile industry pattern of the next five years in the eyes of 11 Japanese textile companies BOSS

Know yourself and know

Can’t fight

Japanese textile enterprises grasp the world economic structure

Always accurate

Look at the heads of 11 large textile companies in Japan

In the eyes of the next five years of textiles

The sentence is dry goods!

Fuji Spin Holdings

President Nakano Kazuo

Development towards high value-added

Despite the currency impact, but imports of conventional goods continued to increase, Japan's domestic production facilities will be further reduced. The presence of the ASEAN region will become important in the next five years. Countries are strengthening production equipment, and I heard that Vietnam’s production capacity will reach 7 million spindles. Domestic production in Japan has become limited and has to focus on overseas production.

Now that the number of orders has decreased more than the reduction of operating equipment, Japan will play the role of a planning and development center. The trend of Japanese textile companies shifting to planning and development, and the production of high value-added goods to outsourcing to overseas companies will accelerate.

The era of integrated textile manufacturers will end in the future. Each company can only survive in its own areas of expertise. The company's textile business will play an important role in high value-added materials such as stainless steel fibers and hot-melt adhesive fibers, special processing, and "BVD" underwear.

Toray special fiber

Business Director Oya Kazuo

Committed to one-stop business

Starting from FY2017, Toray will further strengthen its one-stop business from yarns, raw cotton to fabrics and sewing products as one of the key guidelines in the field of apparel applications. In the field of industrial materials, automotive materials and hygiene material use center, and vigorously expand the nonwovens global business.

China with polyester as the center of the number of growth will slow, but the existing large-scale facilities will still be retained to some extent, chemical fiber supply and demand imbalance is likely to continue. As an important factor in driving down prices, you need to be vigilant.

Even if the final consumption in the Japanese market is flat, imported goods continue to grow and domestic production in Japan will decrease. In terms of clothing use, the SPA in the world market will grow, and the sewing ground will be transferred from China to Southeast Asia and Bangladesh. The globalization trend of sewing sites will accelerate the progress.

Local procurement of fabrics has also progressed, requiring material manufacturers to conduct business globally. Industrial use accelerates the pace of internationalization with the focus on automobiles, but the number of parts purchased at the production site is increasing. Therefore, material manufacturers need to cope with international quality and delivery requirements.

From the perspective of China's development trend, high-performance, high-performance fiber will also compete internationally. It is necessary to further strengthen development and speed up the development of clothing that enhances comfort. Expanding the one-stop business is also one of the important themes in the next mid-term business.

Asahi Kasei executive executive

Fiber Business Director Gao Lixiong

Develop new business to build pillars

Japanese chemical fiber manufacturers survive in international competition, and it is necessary to note that after five years, Chinese companies are also shifting to high value-added businesses. In order to achieve a higher level, we must sharpen our originality.

In addition, it is also important to further promote cooperation with excellent customers around the world. To this end, including international cooperation, including complete sales system, but also attention to personnel training.

The copper-ammonium fiber "Binba" has been affected by the appreciation of the yen, and is now shifting the appreciation of the yen to the sales price. On the other hand, the main sales force of “Binba” is the export to India. In the past, it was only used as the Indian national costume sari. Now there is a new trend of making fashion with “Binba”. That is to say, there are opportunities to enter new circulation channels, and we must actively challenge new areas.

Emperor Furrett

President Sunlight II

Differentiate based on "functionality"

Manufacturers' functions have become the key to the differentiation of the business fiber industry. Innovative functional materials for apparel use are not only used in sportswear, but also in the field of casual wear. The demand for development in the fields of medical care, nursing, and disaster prevention in industrial materials is heating up.

In the next five years, the apparel market will continue to polarize. In addition, integrated multi-brand store sales of brand and price of plain casual fashion sales will be very good, which is due to fashion trends and quality demanding consumers is increasing.

Consumers who can see the value are growing, and it is important that consumers can truly understand the functionality of the product or material.

The store become a platform to show as the purchase channels, there is electricity supplier will become increasingly important in the future. It is also necessary to consider ways to increase visibility through the Teijin Group merchandise sales website.

The key to industrial materials is health care, and the electrocardiographic measurement wearable electrode cloth jointly developed by the subsidiary Dijian and Kyoto University is one of them.

China and Southeast Asia cannot be ignored. China needs to respond as a consumer. The scale of China’s business is twice as high as it is now in a few years. To this end, the function of the Chinese group company Nantong Teijin Company is the axis.

In addition, China's automobile production exceeded 25 million, making it the world's number one. Airbags and industrial materials such as rubber reinforcements, tire curtains, and car seats are expected to grow. Southeast Asia is targeting the Indonesian and Vietnamese markets.

Executive Officer of the Oriental Textiles Directorate,

Toyo Spinning STC President Sano Maoshu

Looking forward to the development of smart textiles

We are looking forward to the development of smart textiles in the next five years. The company has a functional fabric "COCOMI" for body information measurement clothing. Commodities used to measure horse racing bio-information, including other fields, are expected to expand further. Smart textiles, including the use of IOT and big data, will be greatly developed.

But the functional materials are a bit tough. The PPS fiber "PROCON" was affected by the deterioration of the Chinese market. Sales of high-strength polyethylene fibers "IZANAS", "Tsunooga" and PBO fiber "ZYLON" all showed an increasing trend.

Airbag cloth sales are not good. It took a long time to get the certification of the car manufacturer, and the customer has developed a production increase plan, and we will truly meet the needs of customers. The key to airbag fabrics is weaving technology, including the preparation process, the company has a wealth of experience, which is an advantage that other competitors do not have. The Airbag Business Unit and Thailand's Indorama Ventures Public jointly acquired PHP Fibers in Germany, which established nylon 66 long fiber yarn for airbags from Germany, the United States and Japan, and in China and the United States. Thailand's global supply system for the production of base fabrics.

This shows that the competition for functional materials will be fierce in the next five years.

Kuraray Trade President Mr. Murai

Consolidate the system of China, Japan and Vietnam

In order to accelerate the internationalization of the textile industry, Kuraray Trading Company will further strengthen the three-country system of China, Japan and Vietnam in the future. In particular, Vietnam has focused on the sewing business in the past. This spring, it also dispatched technicians to develop fabrics in an effort to achieve international development.

The material-based sewing business is the company's advantage, and the differentiation of fabrics is the direction of development. The core yarn development will further increase the proportion of Japan's original differentiated yarns, and the fabrics will be produced in Vietnam and China with Japan as the control tower.

In the future, considering that Japan's domestic economy will not improve rapidly, the company will accelerate its expansion of overseas business while accelerating its establishment of a production system in Asia and how to expand overseas sales. The sensibility and functionality of the product will continue to be enhanced through original materials. And further increase the proportion of original differentiated products.

Younijike Trade President, Zhunian Kuanhe

Sharpen powerful manufacturer functions

After five years, it is expected that existing distribution channels such as department stores and mass merchandisers will be further reduced. On the other hand, EC and so on will grow, but physical store sales will not be completely eliminated. As a company, it is important to be able to introduce products that have higher value and better product performance than now.

To this end, the key is to strengthen the development of originality. The company's advantage is that it has the development power from the original silk, but it still needs further grinding.

In addition, Japan's SPA will speed up the pace of international marketing, which is no longer only focused on price response, but also requires grade upgrades, etc., and demand has become diversified. Under such circumstances, the company can take advantage of the production of fabrics overseas. Considering the progress of regional economic cooperation, Vietnam will become a more important outlet in five years. The company currently has a subsidiary in Vietnam and needs to further improve its performance, especially to improve the use of original differentiated yarns to develop fabrics.

Asahi Kasei Trade President Asano

Strengthening the sewing products business and establishing the Myanmar branch

As of the March 2017 financial report, Asahi Kasei Trading Co., Ltd. has set a target of sales of 122 billion yen and operating profit of 1.8 billion yen. This target number includes the Thai subsidiary Asahi Kasei Advance

Thailand company, China Group Corporation Asahi Kasei International Trading (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. There was no change in the target at the beginning of the fiscal year. Asahi Kasei’s trading president, Asano said that “the environment is very serious, but the goal is firmly achieved”.

Today, sewing OEM business has found its way with underwear. Will be extended to outerwear and sportswear. Overseas, the overseas production of sewing products is centered in Myanmar, and it also uses a cooperative factory in China and Thailand to have a permanent office in Myanmar, which is responsible for sewing business attire and outerwear and some sportswear. The office will be upgraded to a branch office early next year to strengthen its function as a sewing base in Southeast Asia.

At present, the performance of the Thai subsidiary is good. Calculate profit growth in the first half of the fiscal year in local currency. Thailand covered yarn while maintaining the size of the business, strengthen automobile materials production of polyester spunbond non-woven fabrics. Also preparing to produce automotive materials in China. There are still very few Chinese sales in Shanghai, China, and there is still room for growth in this area.

Komatsu Refined President Ikeda Tetsuo

High-end processing opens up the future

The future is not pessimistic. While focusing on the domestic and international markets, the company continues to develop original high-end processing. Increasing production efficiency is also constantly working as an eternal subject to achieve results. Promote cooperation in Japan and abroad, and learn from each other's strengths.

In the future, the textile industry still has a lot of room for development. It does not want to use the weather or the exchange rate as an excuse. From the perspective of market share, the company is not pessimistic about the future. Demand is created to not only pay attention to fashion and sports clothing, utilities and other aspects still continue to increase carbon fiber product development, promotion, and actively expand demand.

Toshima President, Toshima Island

Strengthen the company's own brand of sewing products

In order to cope with changes in market conditions, we need to increase overseas sales. In addition, it is important in Japan to establish a business model different from the past. There are still many issues to be solved in Japan and abroad.

In the future, the company needs to further promote the development of one-stop. There is a gap between the production volume of materials and finished products, but attempts to introduce one material to several customers and brands are gradually achieving results. What is important is what materials are now available to customers. What is more important than what the company has developed is what the customer is looking for. Then there is where and how to produce the materials that customers need.

We are actively expanding the export of sewing products from China and exporting fabrics from Japan. In the past, trade was carried out in Los Angeles, and now it is centered in New York.

The company has been engaged in sewing products OEMs for US garment manufacturers since its inception, and is now working hard to expand the sewing products OEM business from China to Europe. In addition, we are also committed to providing sewing OEMs to customers who are strengthening their domestic sales.

The company is looking forward to the field of industrial materials in the development of overseas markets, but it is not progressing. In China, we provide automotive materials to Japanese manufacturers through the trade of the three countries.

Due to the unstable quality of Southeast Asian production, orders have not increased, and local inspections need to be strengthened. There is a color deviation phenomenon during additional production, although it is gradually reduced, it has not been completely eliminated. Production in China is moving from Shanghai to Shandong and Northeast China.

Mr. Tamura Yuki, Ichikawa Masahiko

Challenge OEM for Europe

The company's production ratio in China has also declined year by year, and is now about 75%. Instead, it is Vietnam and Myanmar, Cambodia, Bangladesh and so on. But now the transfer of production has come to an end, and the production transferred to ASEAN has returned to China.

Especially in fashion, China's coastal areas have geographical advantages due to the requirement for short delivery times. Almost all materials can be purchased locally and are also an advantage. In the case of ASEAN sewing, in addition to Vietnam, many have to transport materials from China.

Free trade is a major trend in the world. For our trading companies, which are mainly trade-oriented, it can be said that business opportunities have increased in the long run, but they may also be under pressure in the short term.

There is no doubt that the population of Japan is decreasing due to the declining birthrate and aging. The domestic ready-to-wear market, which is believed to have 9 trillion yen, has to be reduced. If the market share of 30% and 40% is different, the company's sales are about 120 billion yen. Even if the overall market size is reduced, depending on the practice, the business is likely to grow.

It is also important to open up overseas markets. Using the experience of OEMs and ODMs in Japan, the company is trying to start a business in France and Germany. After the Thai legal person who opened the business this summer, the Vietnamese legal person is also in the process of establishing the establishment.

In the future strategy of these BOSS, there are several times when the frequency is high. Xiaobian is summarized as follows for reference:

Functional, intelligent fabrics due contains a high technological content and therefore easy to achieve high added value, is Japan's textile enterprises in the future strategic focus. With the strengthening of fabric research and development in China's textile enterprises, many enterprises have regarded Chinese textile enterprises as the first competitors in this field.

International layout has become especially important. However, it is undeniable that the international layout is easily affected by factors such as the international political environment, the policies of the investing countries, and the exchange rate. Therefore, textile enterprises should collect professional information in this regard for reference.

Processing is never out of date. Take Asahi Kasei Trading Co., for example, its processing trade has made breakthroughs in underwear products, indicating that there is room for growth in refined, professional and high-quality processing.

In the words of the head of the Japanese textile enterprise, it can be seen that the highlight is worthy of learning from the Chinese textile enterprises BOSS. First, it is clear to Japan's national conditions, especially the status quo of the population. This is an important criterion for their reference to corporate strategy. Second, pay attention to the Chinese textile industry. Therefore, should China's textile enterprises also know how to know ourselves?