Textile and Clothing Industry Cluster

The textile and clothing industry is one of the traditional and preponderant industries in our city. Facing the trend of rapid development of industries in the same trade in Guangdong and Zhejiang Province, under the developing background of industrial centralization, how to construct textile and clothing industry cluster chains, and develop and promote relative industries in our city is worthy of our profound consideration.

1. Analysis of existing circumstance for textile and clothing industry in Yangzhou City

By the end of 2003, there were 296 textile and clothing enterprises with large-scope production capacity with gross output value at current price of 12.6 billion Yuan. The industry has formed a general layout mainly including high emulation cloth, highly-dense emulation pile fabric, top or medium grade slub, worsted woolen fabric, special jeans, knitting fabric and clothing, multi-functional finish printing fabric, cloth for industrial use and so on. In 2003, outputs of the main products were: 518,000 ton synthetic fabric polymeride, 644,000 ton chemical fiber, 93,600 ton yarn, 205 million meters cloth, 28.32 million meters printing cloth, 2.85 million meters woolen cloth and 63.67 million pieces of clothes.

1). Textile industry. In 2003, the output of cotton was 0.5 million picul and the output of silkworm cocoon was 0.2 million picul. There were 107 textile enterprises with large-scope production capability with gross output at current price of 5.8 billion Yuan and nearly 0.5 million pieces of spindles. The main products include cotton yarn, emulation fabric, knitting fabric, special jean and cloth for industrial use.

Jiangsu Tongyu Group is a large-scale enterprise group integrating slubbing, weaving, printing and clothes into a whole. The group now has 120,000 pieces of spindles, 4,000 pieces of air spinning, 720 sets of air blast spinning, 9500 sets of twining equipments, 1408 sets of double twisting equipments, 134 sets of gripper looms, and 64 sets of circular knitting machines. The annual cotton yarn output is 22,000 ton, jeans 12 million meters, knitted fabric 1500 ton and twining 1800 ton.

Yangzhou Huayuan Co. Ltd. is a member unit of Shanghai Huayuan, which has the most advanced 360 sets of hydraulic looms and gripper looms and 2 production lines of microfilament fabric special printing in modern times. The company also has an institution especially engaging in research and development of new weaving products. The company mainly produces chemical and blended fabric, among which the research and development of superfine fiber fabric is in the leading place in China . The capability of annual weaving is 30 million meters and annual dyeing procession is 15 million meters.

Jiangsu Yinbao Group is a large-scale enterprise group integrating cotton plantation and purchase, ginning, spinning, weaving, clothes into a whole. The group now has 2 ginning production lines which can annually process 60,000 picul of cotton lint, nearly 80,000 pieces of spindles with annual output of 12,000 ton of spinning, 1100 sets of weaving machines with annual output of 40 million meters of cloth. The group also has the capacity of annually produce 40,000 pieces of Chinese style women's ready-made clothes and 2000 semi-trailers.

2). Clothing industry. There are 116 enterprises with large-scope of production capacity in the whole city with gross output at current price of 4.3 billion Yuan. The most representative enterprises locate in Hanjiang Town . Clothing industry in Hanjiang began to develop in the middle and later period of 1980s. After several years' separation, changes and development, the types of cloths has developed from shirt with single style to various kinds of clothes such as shirt, Western-style clothes, down and feather garment, leather wear and so on. Clothing industry in Hanjiang Town has some famous trademarks such as Hubao, Qinman, Weiyi, Botai and so on. By the end of 2003, there were 82 different clothes tailoring enterprises in Hanjiang District with production value at current price of nearly 3 billion Yuan (among which there were 44 enterprises with large-scope production capacity and there were 6 enterprises with annual production output of more than 100 million Yuan). The group had total assets of 520 million Yuan and net fixed assets of 330 million Yuan. There were more than 20,000 employees in the group.

Jiangsu Hubao Group is a large-scale clothing enterprises group integrating clothes, commerce and trade, traveling into a whole. The group has 58 internationally top-grade production lines of shirt and western-style clothes, 9 sets of internationally advanced physical-chemical testing equipments, 18 sets of Italian form pressing machines, and 7 workstations of French full automatic CAD/CAM computer clothing design and cutting system.

Jiangsu Qinman Group has 18 internationally advanced production lines of shirt and western-style clothes imported from Japan , Germany and Italy , full automatic computer embroidery machines imported from Japan , and American CAD board manufacturing system.

Jiangsu Botai Group is a large-scale clothing enterprises group consisted by several enterprises taking Yangzhou Weiyi Clothing Co. Ltd., Jiangsu Botai Import and Export Trade Co. Ltd., Yangzhou Mingyi Clothing Factory as core enterprises. In 2003, the group produced 200,000 pieces of western-style clothes, 2 million pieces of shirts, 300,000 jackets, 150,000 pieces of skirts, 1 million pieces of leisure trousers, and 500,000 pieces of clothing ornaments.

2. Analysis of advantageous conditions for developing textile and clothing industry in Yangzhou City

The city possesses many advantages for speeding the development of manufacturing industry. From the aspect of geographic environment, Yangzhou lies in the Yangtze Delta region and overlaying area of Nanjing and Shanghai metropolitan circles, therefore, it enjoys a unique regional advantage. Yangzhou is the first city in Jiangsu province to build the ring road highway, which realizes that all counties in the city are connected by highway. With the opening to traffic of Nanjing-Qidong railway and completion of Runyang Bridge , Yangzhou has formed a large traffic pattern and possessed a favorable traffic advantage with highways and railway network extending in all directions. Infrastructures in Yangzhou and its subordinated counties, cities and development zones are relatively perfect, such as electric power, water supply, sewage disposal, telegraphic communication, port and so on. They have possessed the advantage of resources. In addition, there are three aspects of advantages as follow:

1). The government attaches great importance to this industry. The municipal Party committee and city government of Yangzhou line out a special field with 4.6 km 2 in urban development zone to build textile industrial park and textile export processing zone. Hanjiang industrial park has taken textile and clothing industry as one of its most important industries for development. Yizheng City lengthens and extends clothing industrial chains centering on serving and supplementing Yihua Group. Meanwhile, governments in all quarters of Yangzhou actively invite business and attract capitals for textile and clothing industry so as to create favorable conditions for further enlarging and strengthening the textile and clothing industry.

2). Basic advantages of the industry. The city has the Asian largest chemical fiber materials production base—Yizheng Chemical Fiber Stock Company as its strong materials production base. A group of advantageous enterprises with high competitiveness have emerged in our city such as Tongyu, Huayuan, Hubao and so on. This industry has some distinctive products including top grade emulation fabric, jean, shirt, western-style clothes and so on. Industrial chains of weaving, fabric, printing and clothes have begun to take shape.

3). Technology and talent advantages. People in Yangzhou City advocate education, so the quality of labor force is relatively high. Because textile and clothing industry is a traditional and backbone industry in our city, it is in possession of complete talents from various fields. This industry possesses not only relatively high-level managers of science and technology and administration, but also a group of advanced technicians and skillful workers with special skills. Moreover, the cost of labor force is relatively low.

3.Thoughts for developing textile and clothing industry cluster

1). Guiding ideology of industrial development

Seize the development chance brought by China 's entering into WTO and favorable opportunity of construction of textile park, regard assets regrouping and mechanism and system innovation as key points, regard structure adjustment as main thread, exploit with innovation, and realize the optimization and upgrade of industry and products structure. Reinforce business invitation and capital attraction, import textile and clothing projects with high-tech and famous trademarks from foreign countries, speed up construction of professional market of textile and clothing industry, and enhance the level of textile industry in our city.

2). Industrial orientation

(1). Go along with tide of clothing development at home and abroad, and concentrate on developing jeans, medium and high-class leisure wear, sports wear and so on. Meanwhile, adopt new types of advanced accessory equipments for spinning and shuttleless weaving, aim at developing special yarn and medium and high-class fabric to substitute for imported goods, concentrate on developing products such as multi-fiber mixed spinning, chemical fiber emulation, functional finishes and environmental protection, form industrial chains integrating upper and down stream areas, and resolve the problem of disjunction of clothes and fabrics.

(2). Develop ornament textile commodities. Based on the current towel, plush fabrics and Raschel plush, set up research and development enterprises or cooperate with companies with trademarks management concept, combine with folk craftwork, modeling and color, develop and produce various souvenirs, and expand local and oversea markets. Meanwhile, develop various textile goods such as purified cotton, flax, pattern, printing, color weave, special finish decorative cloth, whole sets of bed clothes used for household and hotel, high-class tablecloth, window curtain, and clothes used for sofa and kitchen, try to expand new fields on the development of supplementary automobile, tourism and upholstery.

(3). Cultivate textile commodities for industrial use. According to the newest trends of development of textile commodities for industrial use at home and abroad, combine with the practical situation in Yangzhou , it is advised to develop covering for agricultural production use and textile fabric for medical use and other textile commodities for industrial use.

(4). Research and develop new type of chemical fiber. Fully take advantage of technology and production development of Yihua Group, accept the transferring of products in Yihua Group, develop and produce new type of chemical fibers such as superfine fiber, differential fiber, carbon fiber, acetic acid filament and so on, promote self-sufficiency rate of textile materials, and provide materials to produce medium and high-class textile commodities.

3). Goals of industrial development

Through five to ten years' struggles, textile and clothing industrial chains joined and supplemented in the middle and lower reach of Yangtze River should be initially taken shape. It is planned to reach production output at current price of 30 billion Yuan in 2010. Improve the proportion of advanced technologies and equipments, among which the proportion of automatic winders, shuttles looms and combers should be increased to 70%. Speed up application of high-tech, and develop and cultivate a group of new types of textile enterprises regarding scientific and technical development and innovation as driving force with less pollution and low energy consumption.

4). Industry distribution

Regard industrial park as carrier, speed up centralization of various resources and production elements, insist on principles of developing from higher starting point, order, combined and sustainable development, aim at introducing important projects, cultivating large-scale enterprises or groups and forming an industrial highland, and speed up centralization of textile and clothing industry in our city.

(1). Textile industrial park in Yangzhou development zone. Regard medium and high-class textile commodities as its industrial features, concentrate on mainly developing textile shell fabric, tailoring and relative supplementary projects in order to substitute for imported goods and enlarge exported products.

(2). Hanjiang industrial park. Concentrate on developing tailoring, medium and high-class textile shell fabric and relative supplementary products, and speed up construction of textile export processing zone. Build a tailoring zone in Hanjiang industrial park and a down filled garment processing zone in Huaisi Town .

(3). Yizheng economic development zone. Lengthen and extend clothing industry chains centering on serving and supplementing Yihua Group, concentrate on developing fabric for industrial use, new types of chemical fibers, textile machinery and so on, and forming industrial chains integrating upper and down stream areas.

(4). Jiangdu economic development zone. Speed up construction of tailoring base regarding Jiangsu Shuntian International Group as representative.

(5). Gaoyou economic development zone. Concentrate on developing industries of down feather processing and down and feather garment centering on local economic feature of duck industry.

(6). Baoying Fanshui industrial park. Regard Jiangsu Yinbao Group as leading enterprise, and develop the coordinated process of cotton plantation, cotton ginning, spinning, weaving and clothes.

4. Key emphasis in work of textile and clothing industry cluster

1). Cotton spinning. Regard Jiangsu Tongyu Textile Group Co. Ltd. as leading enterprise, concentrate on developing and applying air spinning, air blast spinning and other new types of spinning technologies, adopt method of multi-fiber mixed spinning, produce special yarns with high contents of science and technology and high value added, and adopt comb uniting and automatic spooler to carry out supplementary reform.

2). Face fabric. Regard Yangzhou Huayuan Co. Ltd., Yangzhou Yuhua Weaving Co. Ltd and so on as leading enterprises, concentrate on developing and applying new types of weaving technologies such as CAD technology of fabric texture and flower design, electronic pattern and so on, vigorously improve the proportion of shuttleless looms, and develop new synthetic fiber extra fine compound super-emulation fabric, highly-dense emulation pile fabric, top or medium grade slub, worsted woolen fabric, special jeans and so on.

3). Printing and dyeing. Concentrate on applying computer color measurement and matching, computer flower design, laser printmaking, computer control processing parameter system and other automatic technologies, improve grade of natural fabric products, improve level of chemical fiber emulation dyeing-printing-finishing, various fiber mixed spinning, complex fiber dyeing-printing-finishing and transfer printing, popularize and apply biological enzyme finish and various post-finishing technologies, develop and use new types of environmental protection dyestuff and additive, research standards of environmental protection and ecological technologies in Europe, USA and other developed countries, vigorously popularize clean techniques of production, carry out the overall amount control of pollution discharge, and reinforce pollution abatement. Adopt new technologies to make breakthrough and increase to higher level in developing and enlarging functional products, strive to develop no-ironing, Teflon finish, super soft, Leica, ultraviolet, and infrared screening products, and promote the post-finishing level of chemical fiber emulation fabric and special fiber fabric.

4). Clothes. Concentrate on developing western-style clothes and skirts of “Hubao” and “Qinman” and knitting fashionable dress, T-shirt and Leica seamless underwears of Huayuan Rainbow Knitting Company. Increase the force to introduce famous trademarks from multinational corporations and foreign countries.

5). Textile commodities used for industry and decoration. Advise reinforcing business invitation and capital attraction of textile commodities used for industry and decoration. Give priority to develop agricultural textile commodities such as sunshade, shading net, nets for protection against insects and so on, water-stitching medical dressing project taking absorbent cotton as raw material, non-weaving cloth project by means of thin type terylene spun-bond process, vacuum alumize of project used for household cloth, window curtain, umbrella fabric and other ornament, upholster and packing materials.

6). New types of fiber. (1). Carbon fiber. Speed up Huitong Company's cooperation with Shanxi Institute of Anthracolithization under Chinese Academy of Sciences, help enterprises introduce strategic cooperation friends, promote industrialization of carbon fiber. (2). Acetic acid filament. Acetata fiber is the second largest fiber next to viscose fiber. Of all the fibers, acetata fiber is the most resemble one to natural silk. So it is the finest textile materials. High-class fabrics made up of mixture of acetata fiber and terylene, capron, natural silk and so on have received favorable comments from a wide range of consumers. It is suggested to introduce these kinds of projects as soon as possible and construct a factory with annual production output of not less than 2000 ton.

5. Countermeasures for developing industrial cluster

1). Reinforce construction of professional parks and speed up industrial centralization.

(1). Construct public platforms. It is suggested to setting up technical innovation center in park zone. Based on textile exploitation in multiple directions with rapid response, under the guidance and support by government, in accordance with principles of market economy, provide enterprises entering into park zone with omni-directional services of operation management, marketing, technologies, development, design, information, talents, finance, law and so on, and innovation system for collective development, and finally improve the competitiveness of enterprises.

(2). Reasonably divide functional areas and form industrial features. Further optimize layout of industrial park and functional areas, according to industrial characteristics and relations of upper and down stream chains, carry out industrial division and cooperation, and clarify industrial features in each park zone.

(3). Develop by virtue of outside force. Aim at optimizing and upgrading industry and product structure, and promoting competitiveness, reinforce business invitation and capital attraction, and give priority to develop high-class emulation fabric, new types of fiber, textile commodities used for decoration and industry, clothes of top-grade trademarks and so on.

2). Foster textile and clothing professional market, and construct industrial base with distinctive features.

(1). Speed up construction of professional market. Lacking of market support is always a “short leg” for developing textile and clothing industry in our city. In a new round of development, we must consciously foster textile and clothing professional market, and promote rapid development of this industry. The orientation of the industry should be “specialized and exceptional”. From the current situation, the industry could combine with “Famous City of Chinese Man's Clothing” declared by Hanjiang District, and choose man's clothing as subject matter to mainly produce shirt, leisure trousers and down and feather garment. The industry could also rely on advantages of chemical fiber of Yihua Group and emulation fabric of Huayuan Group, insisting on multi-tier and serialize development, and gradually become the largest textile and clothing market in North Jiang .

(2). Construct industrial base with distinctive features. Currently, Hanjiang District has already formed clothes and clothing ornament industrial centralization effect and regional economic features marked by production of skirt, leisure western-style clothes, and down and feather garment. Based on the current situation, we should regard garment association as tie, strengthen coordination and combination among enterprises, strengthen function of service and coordination of garment association, and bring industrial centralization effect into full play. We should actively declare the nomination of “Chinese Clothing Industry Base” in order to further promote popularity of textile and clothing industry in our city.

3). Speed up structure adjustment and promote upgrade of industry

(1). Concentrate on highlighting distinctive features. On one hand, make the current products with distinctive features finer and stronger, on the other hand, unswervingly research and develop combination of multiple materials, lines of multiple craftworks and new products, new design and color and new types which can adapt and guide different demands of consumers in the spirit of innovation so as to improve competitiveness of textile industry in our city.

(2). Concentrate on realizing optimization and upgrade. Actively apply high and new technologies and advanced appropriate technologies to reform traditional industry. Based on optimization and upgrade of products structure, take advantages of construction of textile industry park and business invitation and capital attraction, extend double ends of textile processing industry, moderately develop some high-tech chemical fiber enterprises and tailoring industry with radiating function and distinctive features. Regard leisure and traveling clothes as leading products, regard cotton yarn and face fabric as breakthrough, resolve problem of disjunction between clothes and fabric, set up quick response mechanism, and promote sustainable, stable and healthy development of textile industry in our city.

(3). Concentrate on helping the excellent and strong. Fristly, enlarge and strengthen a group of important and backbone enterprises and groups, such as Tongyu Group, Yinbao Group and so on. Secondly, strive to cultivate a group of superior enterprises with different features, prompt them to develop in the direction of “profession, elaboration, specialty and new”, such as towel series of New Dahua Towel and Quilt Company, swansdown of Hongxing Knitting Company, superfine fiber of Yangzhou Huayuan, knitting T-shirt and seamless underwears of Huayuan Rainbow and so on.

4). Vigorously push forward technical advancement and enhance capability of technical innovation

Regard market as guidance, regard quality, variety and efficiency as central task, center on enlarging export and substituting import, improve specialization level of production, aim at realizing industrial upgrade, unswervingly reconstruct traditional textile industry by means of high and new technologies and advanced and appropriate technologies, pay attention to supplementary reconstruction in one continuous line, strengthen construction of technical innovation system, and strive to build highland of industrial technologies.