Overview of Taiwan Textile Industry 2013 2014.04 A. Status of Taiwan Textile Industry At the beginning stage, Taiwan textile industry imported raw materials for processing and exported most of the finished goods to overseas markets. Later, the sector turned to using materials derived from petrochemicals, and concurrently also imported raw cotton yarn and man-made staple yarn. Gradually, the industry became vertically integrated, eventually joining all the links in the supply chain, including the manufacture of man-made fibers, yarn spinning, weaving and knitting, dyeing and finishing, and apparel and accessories industries. From its inception, Taiwan textile industry has steadily invested in new machinery and developed new products to meet the global market demand. As a result of these efforts, the textile industry has built a comprehensive production system, making Taiwan a major supplier of textile products to the world. I. Overview of Taiwan Textile Industry Scale of Production, Manufacturer and Employment The textile industry of Taiwan is highly export-oriented. The export value accounts for more than 75% of total textile and apparel production in the recent 10 years. Textile industry's production value, manufacturers and the employees all declined in the past 10 years. The production value of textile in Taiwan was NT$444.2 billion in 2013, down 19.5% from NT$552.1 billion in 2004, in 2013 there were 4,379 manufacturers, and employment declined from 176,944 in 2004 to 141,090 in 2013, down 20.3% (please refer to Table 1) - 1 -
Table 1- Taiwan Textile Production Value, Manufacturers and Employees Year 2004 2009 2013 2004 2009 2013(f) 2004 2009 2013(f) Production Value Manufacturers Employees (billion NT$) Textile 499.2 346.1 421.6 3,747 3,209 3,200 132,575 108,395 109,938 Apparel 529 260 226 1,277 1,104 1,179 44,369 30,139 31,152 Total 552.1 372.1 444.2 5,024 4,313 4,379 176,944 138,534 141,090 Sources: Directorate General of Budget, Accounting and Statistics, Executive Yuan (employees) Dept. of Statistics, MOEA (production value) (for year 2013, 1US$=29.770NT$) The total textile industry production value includes three sub-segments, i.e. man-made fiber, apparel and made-ups, and textile. During the past 10 years, the production value of textile declined 12.2% and apparel and made-ups downed 66.3%, while the man-made fiber increased 11.0% (please refer to Chart 1). Chart 1 - Taiwan Textile Industry's Production Value in 2004~2013 (unit:billion NT$) Sources: Dept. of Statistics, MOEA. Considering from per capita productivity, the average value grew from NT$3.12 million in 2004 to NT$3.15 million in 2013, with a growth rate of 0.8%. It revealed that Taiwan textile industry has been transformed from labor intensive to technical intensive and finally to capital intensive. The effect of upgrade has also been substantiated (please refer to Chart 2). - 2 -
Chart 2 Per Capita Productivity in 2004~2013 Sources: Dept. of Statistics, MOEA. Taiwan s labor cost of manufacture industry According to labor statistics from Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting & Statistics, Executive Yuan, from 2004 to 2013, the monthly wages of textile industry and apparel industry grew from NT$33,685 and NT$27,978 to NT$36,316 and NT$31,306 respectively, with the average growth rate of 0.8% and 1.2% (please refer to Chart 3). Chart 3- The Average Monthly Wage of Textile Industry and Apparel Industry (Unit:NT$/month) Sources: Directorate-General of Budget, Accounting & Statistics, Executive Yuan. Textile: The 4th-largest foreign exchange earner segment in Taiwan In 2013, the gross export and import values of Taiwan textile production were US$11.7 billion and US$3.3 billion. In that same year the textile industry recorded a total trade surplus of US$8.4 billion, which marking it Taiwan s fourth-largest trade surplus industry. (please refer to - 3 -
Table 2). Year Table 2 - The Export and Import Value /Trade Surplus of Item Textile & Apparel Industry from 2004 to 2013 Export Values (A) Import Values (B) Trade Surplus of Textile & Apparel Industry(C=A-B) (Billion US$) Trade Surplus of Total Trade (D) 2004 12.57 2.71 9.86 13.61 2005 11.84 2.64 9.21 15.81 2006 11.79 2.70 9.06 21.32 2007 11.62 2.67 8.95 27.43 2008 10.90 2.70 8.20 15.18 2009 9.34 2.19 7.15 29.30 2010 11.30 2.90 8.40 23.37 2011 12.72 3.57 9.15 26.82 2012 11.82 3.32 8.50 30.71 2013 11.70 3.30 8.40 33.14 Source: Compiled by TTF with data from Dept. of Statistics, MOFA. II. Taiwan Textile Exports Textile export proportion The export value of Taiwan textile stood at US$11.7 billion in 2013, accounting for 3.9% of Taiwan total exports. Fabric category exports amounted to US$7.32 billion, up 1.1%, exports volume was 955,000 tons, up 0.8%, comparing with year 2012. Yarn exports amounted to US$2.12 billion, down 5.0%, exports volume was 680,000 ton, down 5.9%. Fabric was the main export item, took up 62.6% of total textile exports, indicating that fabric not only play an important role in the full stream of textile production, but also a major export item. Yarn with the share of 18.2% took up the second place. (please refer to Table 3) - 4 -
Items Table 3-2013 Taiwan Textile Exports Proportion Export Volume(1000 Tons) Export Value (million USD) Share Unit Price (US$/Kg) 1.Fiber 603 593-1.6 1,186 1,135-4.4 9.7 2.0 1.9-2.8 2.Yarn 722 680-5.9 2,237 2,124-5.0 18.2 3.1 3.1 1.0 3.Fabric 948 955 0.8 7,240 7,318 1.1 62.6 7.6 7.7 0.3 4.Apparel 34 32-4.8 750 716-4.6 6.1 22.0 22.0 0.3 5.Miscellaneous 103 97-6.3 406 407 0.3 3.5 4.0 4.2 6.9 Total 2,410 2,357-2.2 11,819 11,700-1.0 100.0 4.9 5.0 1.2 Source: Compiled by TTF with data from Taiwan Customs Statistics. Country Major textile export markets Taiwan s major export market is mainland China, which represented 21.6% of the total export value, amounting to US$ 2.53 billion in 2013, down 0.1%; followed by Vietnam at 16.4% (US$1.91 billion), up 8.3%; followed by Hong Kong at 8.9% (US$1.04 billion), down 11.5%; followed by United States at 7.7% (US$0.91 billion), down 4.0% and Indonesia at 5.1% (US$0.60 billion), down 0.2%. The major five export markets accounted for 59.7% of total textile exports.(please refer to Table 4) Table 4-2013 Taiwan Textile Main Export Markets by Country Export Volume(1000ton) Export Value (million) Share Unit Price (US$/Kg) Global 2,410 2,357-2.2 11,819 11,700-1.0 100.0 4.9 5.0 1.2 1.China 517 512-0.9 2,530 2,529-0.1 21.6 4.9 4.9 0.9 2.Vietnam 386 392 1.7 1,767 1,913 8.3 16.4 4.6 4.9 6.5 3.Hong Kong 163 137-15.8 1,176 1,041-11.5 8.9 7.2 7.6 5.1 4.USA 125 127 1.7 942 905-4.0 7.7 7.5 7.1-5.6 5.Indonesia 86 91 6.2 596 595-0.2 5.1 7.0 6.6-6.0 Source: Compiled by TTF with data from Taiwan Customs Statistics. - 5 -
Area The ASEAN 10 countries were the biggest area with export amount of US$3.77 billion, taking the share of 32.2%. The two of these markets, mainland China and Hong Kong, accounted for 30.5% of total exports, amounting to US$3.57 billion. In the past years, the main markets such as North America Free Trade Area (America, Canada and Mexico) and E.U. has lost their shares in export markets year by year, with the share of 9.6% and 4.9% respectively in 2013.(please refer to Table 5) Table 5-2013 Taiwan Textile Main Export Markets by Area Export Volume(1000ton) Export Value (million) Share Unit Price (US$/Kg) Global 2,410 2,357-2.2 11,819 11,700-1.0 100.0 4.9 5.0 1.2 1.ASEAN 10 718 714-0.6 3,654 3,769 3.1 32.2 5.1 5.3 3.8 2.China+H.K 680 649-4.5 3,706 3,570-3.7 30.5 5.5 5.5 0.8 3.NAFTA 176 175-0.8 1,188 1,121-5.6 9.6 6.8 6.4-4.9 4.EU 28 174 167-3.9 578 576-0.5 4.9 3.3 3.5 3.5 5.Middle East 142 148 4.3 533 567 6.3 4.8 3.8 3.8 1.9 6.Japan+Koren 131 125-4.6 576 525-8.9 4.5 4.4 4.2-4.5 5.Others 390 379-2.7 1,583 1,573-0.6 13.4 0.4 0.4 2.1 Source: Compiled by TTF with data from Taiwan Customs Statistics. III. Taiwan Textile Imports Textile import proportion The import value of textile in Taiwan was US$3.3 billion in 2013, down 0.5% over 2012. Apparel & accessories imports amounted to US$1.49 billion (45.2% of the total, down 1.8%), fiber was US$630 million (19.1%, down 1.8%), fabric amounted to US$471 million (14.3%, down 3.6%), yarn was US$441 million (13.3%, up 8.1%), and miscellaneous textile was US$268 million (8.1%, up 3.0%) ( please refer to Table 6). - 6 -
Items Table 6-2013 Taiwan Textile and Apparel Imports Import Volume(1000ton) Import Value (million) Share Unit Price (US$/Kg) 1.Fiber 292 312 7.0 641 630-1.8 19.1 2.2 2.0-8.2 2.Yarn 96 106 10.5 408 441 8.1 13.3 4.2 4.2-2.2 3.Fabric 79 77-2.5 489 471-3.6 14.3 6.2 6.1-1.2 4.Apparel 116 110-4.4 1,522 1,494-1.8 45.2 13.2 13.5 2.7 5.Miscellaneous 62 62-0.1 260 268 3.0 8.1 4.2 4.3 3.2 Total 645 668 3.6 3,320 3,304-0.5 100.0 5.2 4.9-3.9 Source: Compiled by TTF with data from Taiwan Customs Statistics. Major textile import sources Taiwan s major import sources was mainland China (39.6% of the total import, amounting to US$1.31 billion), up 9.4% over 2012, with major import items of apparel and made-ups. Other major import sources are Vietnam (with major import item of apparel and made-ups), USA (cotton), Japan (fabric), and South Korea (fabric). (please refer to Table 7) Country Table 7 2013 Taiwan Textile and Apparel Import Sources Import Volume(1000ton) Import Value (million) Share Unit Price (US$/Kg) Global 645 668 3.6 3,320 3,304-0.5 100.0 5.2 4.9-3.9 China 208 215 3.7 1,195 1,308 9.4 39.6 5.8 6.1 5.5 Vietnam 46 46 1.4 297 272-8.3 8.2 6.5 5.9-9.6 USA 93 93-0.3 257 237-7.7 7.2 2.8 2.6-7.5 Japan 22 21-4.8 249 217-13.0 6.6 11.1 10.2-8.7 S. Korea 32 34 4.7 145 141-2.3 4.3 4.5 4.2-6.7 Source: Compiled by TTF with data from Taiwan Customs Statistics. - 7 -
IV. Effectiveness of ECFA Taiwan signed the Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) with mainland China on June 29, 2010, and the Agreement took effect on Sep. 12, 2010. With the implementation of ECFA, Taiwan could be able to compete on fair terms with other countries and expand market share in mainland China. The signing of ECFA will help Taiwan to negotiate with other countries on FTA so that Taiwan may be able to avoid economic marginalization and reduce the risk of trade diversion. In addition, with duty-free concessions Taiwan textile manufacturers could enhance product competitiveness, increase willingness of staying in Taiwan and enjoy growth of export. Furthermore, it will increase the sourcing from Taiwan for Taiwanese and foreign traders in mainland China, attract multinational corporations to invest in Taiwan, and create more employment opportunities in Taiwan. - 8 -
B. Overview of Global Textile and Apparel Industry After the textile trade was liberalized in 2005, the production was shifted to emerging economies such as mainland China, India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Vietnam. Meanwhile, the trade of textile and apparel flourished more than in the era of quota restraint. The WTO data reveals that the trade of textile and apparel kept on growing during the past 10 year. The average growth rate for textile and apparel between 2003 and 2012 was 6.6% and 8.2% respectively. (please refer to Table 8) Table 8 - Growth of Global Textile and Apparel Export 2003-2012 2003-2012 Product 2003 2008 2012 Growth G.R. Value (billion US$) Average G.R. Textile 172.5 250.2 285.7 113.2 65.6% 6.6% Apparel 232.5 361.9 422.7 190.2 81.8% 8.2% Total 405.0 612.1 708.4 303.4 74.9% 7.5% Sources: WTO I. The Statistics of Global Textile and Apparel Trade During the past ten years (2003-2012), the average growth rate of world Trade in Textile & Clothing accounted for 6.5% and 8.2%. In 2012 the world trade amount recorded of US$17.9 trillion, with US$708 billion in textile and clothing industries, with a reduction rate of 0.4%, which reveal the importance of the two industries. The global textile trade amounted to US$286 billion and US$423 billion for apparel trade. (please refer to Chart 4). - 9 -
Chart 4-1995-2012 Global Textile and Apparel Exports unit:us$ billion Sources: WTO II. The Leading Textile and Apparel Exporting Countries in 2012 The leading textile exporting countries in 2012: In 2012 the global trade of textile industry amounted to US$286 billion, with a reduction rate of 3.2%. Taiwan was the 8th biggest country with export amount of US$10.3 billion. (H.K. 98% was re-exports) (please refer to Chart 5). Chart 5 - The Leading Textile Exporting Countries in 2012 unit:us$ billion Sources: WTO - 10 -
The leading apparel exporting countries in 2012: In 2012 the global trade of clothing industry amounted to US$423 billion, with a growth rate of 1.5%. China remained the biggest clothing exporting country with export amount of US$159.6 billion, accounting for 37.8% of the global clothing trade. Because of the labor intensive characteristics and labor cost issues, the Taiwan apparel industry was obliged to move to the low cost countries. Taiwan apparel industry has relocated production bases to overseas for many years and manages their headquarters and logistics offices in Taiwan. However, apparel producers which stay in Taiwan still utilize domestic good quality, low price yarn and fabrics to produce garments for orders of small quantity and complicated style or orders with short delivery time. In 2012 Taiwan is the 31 th leading apparel exporting countries (please refer to Chart 6). Chart 6- The Leading Apparel Exporting Countries in 2012 unit:us$ billion Sources: WTO III. The Major Textile and Apparel Importing Countries in 2012 The leading textile importing countries in 2012: By aggregating the importing value of textile of China and Hong - 11 -
Kong, China is the biggest textile importing country with amount of US$30.2 billion. Taiwan was the 32 th biggest textile importing country with importing amount of US$1.3 billion. (please refer to Chart 7). Chart 7 - The Leading Textile Importing Countries in 2012 unit:us$ billion Sources: WTO The leading apparel importing countries in 2012 The E.U., U.S. and Japan were the three major leading apparel importing countries with aggregated import amount of US$211.6 billion, accounting for 50% of global apparel market. Taiwan imported apparel worth of US$1.6 billion and is the 20 th leading apparel importing country. (please refer to Chart 8). Chart 8 - The Leading Apparel Importing Countries in 2012 unit:us$ billion Sources: WTO - 12 -
C. The Vision of Taiwan Textile Industry Global economy is still confronted with uncertainty after 2008 financial tsunami. The economic recovery of USA is in a slow pace. EU still struggles with debt crisis. And Japan takes currency depreciation to save its economy, but brings the risk of currency dispute among Asia countries. Taiwan is also exposed to this crisis. Moreover, the textile industry is faced with fierce competition in an oversupply condition since emerging countries have joined the development of textile industry. The issues of energy saving and carbon reduction become the primary concern while global warming and climate change becomes extremely anomalous. Human right, Environmental protection, Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility are long-term trends of major brands and buyers, and affect business strategy of suppliers. To cope with the severe competition and adverse business environment, Taiwan textile industry has come up with the following strategies: I. Product Differentiation. The ongoing development of our industry is to create high value-added materials and products to enhance product differentiation with emphasis on R&D and leading edge technology. It will segment Taiwan product from that of other developing countries. In doing so, we not only raise the image of Taiwan textile products, but also widen the lead over other developing countries. II. Design and Creativity. Consolidate design with esthetics and culture creativity. Taiwan textile industry has gradually shifted its focus to innovation, R&D, and design-oriented sectors. Such ties will be beneficial to setting up a common goal for collaborative development on products with emphasis on innovation, uniqueness, refinement and design. III. Combine Function with Eco-conscious. In terms of consumer emphasis, two trends in the clothing and furnishing appliances markets have emerged. One is functional textile, - 13 -
which is highly regarded by consumers for fashion, ergonomic, comfort, safety and health reasons. The other is eco-textile with the characteristics of low pollution, low energy consumption, recyclable, and minimal negative impact on the environment. Taiwan textile industry is therefore vigorously considering incorporating these environmental factors in its development of functional textile. Great opportunities do exist for Taiwan textile industry as it strives to accommodate the two newly emerging market trends, namely functionality and environmental consciousness. IV. Branding. The Taiwan textile industry will go a step further to develop brand with the solid basis of sophisticated expertise in ODM. Enhancing Branding ability with the experiences from both on-line shopping and bricks-and-mortar channel and from making major structural reform in developing premium products with renowned brands. Aiming at assisting Taiwan textile industry to upgrade and transform, in addition to help developing apparel industry, our government authorities has schemed the mid-term textile strategy of developing household and industrial textile as well. Our goal is to establish a global R&D and production base of functional and industrial textile product and to transform down-stream from MIT (Made In Taiwan) to DIT (Design In Taiwan) and BIT (Brand In Taiwan). The vision is to increasing production to NT$ 550 billion in 2015, and to NT$700 billion in 2020. - 14 -