Selected articles on industrial development in emerging economies

Bangladesh: Footwear maker eyes expansion

Fortuna Bangladesh is set to expand operations in the footwear industry by increasing its production capacity and establishing the country's first shoe mould manufacturing factory. Previously known as Fortuna Group, the company initially invested Tk 56 crore in setting up the new factories and importing high-tech machinery.

The Daily Star

Indonesia: Local sneaker firms are making it in Indonesia

That ubiquitous 'Made in China' tag stamped or stitched on almost everything you own may become a lot less common. Make room for 'Made in Indonesia'. Footwear and apparel brands, in their endless pursuit of keeping down costs, are shifting manufacturing to this island nation, drawn by a large labour pool, stable wages, and fewer regulations.

boston.com

China: WTO agrees to probe EU duties on Chinese footwear

World Trade Organization judges agreed to investigate whether European Union anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese shoes unfairly harm China’s exporters.

Bloomberg Businessweek

India's footwear exports may touch USD 3.37 bn in next two years

With the global economies recovering from the slowdown, India's footwear exports are expected to more than double to USD 3.37 billion in the next two years over 2008-09 period. The Indian footwear industry, the second-largest in the world after China, is growing at a rate of about 10 per cent annually.

The Economic Times

Vietnam: Footwear exports tipped to grow

A survey by the US-based non-profit Kearny Alliance Foundation shows that 90 per cent of the footwear exporters anticipate export growth this year, and 47 per cent will target the EU market. It also indicates that 60 per cent of the footwear makers would maintain their quotas for the next year.

VIET NAM NET

Indonesia: Shoe makers expect hefty increase in exports this year

A big increase in exports is expected for Indonesian footwear firms this year, with a projected surge in orders from EU and non-traditional markets, a shoe producers’ association spokesman has said. Due to the expected increase in orders, the country’s footwear exports might increase by 17.5 percent to about USD 2 billion this year, from about USD 1.7 billion in 2009.

The Jakarta Post

Vietnam: Footwear exports to top USD 6.2 bn

The leather and footwear sector has posted impressive growth in recent years with more than 700 firms in the sector, employing 700,000-750,000 workers. But with 70 per cent of these firms merely doing sub-contracting work for foreign companies, their techniques and designs depend completely on their foreign principals.

Viet Nam News

Bangladesh: Footwear makers up for expansion

Local footwear makers and exporters are set to increase their capacity to utilise the growing international demand for low-cost shoes. Top manufacturers, such as Apex-Adelchi Footwear Ltd, Jennys, Landmark, Leatherex, Bay Footwear and Picard Bangladesh, are increasing their production capacity by opening new factories and importing sophisticated machinery and latest technology.

The Daily Star

Chinese sportswear company challenges overseas giants on foreign turf

With plans to sprint onto the global stage within the next three years, Li Ning Co. Ltd., a bellwether of China's sportswear business, has taken a bold leap to achieving its goal by opening its first outlet in the United States.

BEIJINGREVIEW.com.cn

China takes EU shoe complaint to WTO

China has filed a World Trade Organisation complaint against the European Union over its treatment of imported footwear, escalating a long-running dispute between the trading partners. The move follows the EU’s decision in December to extend anti-dumping duties against Chinese and Vietnamese footwear for 15 months.

FT.com

Vietnam: Footwear producers aim for 50 percent of domestic market

Footwear producers have set up an ambitious plan of gaining 50 percent of the domestic market share in 2010, far exceeding the current level of 30 percent.

VIET NAM NET

Brazil: After a couple of bad years, the footwear industry is turning bullish

According to Brazil's Ministry of Labor, the shoe industry employed 327.000 people at the end of December 2009. This year the sector should expand 7.5%.

Brazzil Mag

Vietnam: Anti-dumping duty on footwear unfair

Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, Mr. Le Danh Vinh termed imposition of anti-dumping duties on Vietnamese footwear by the European Commission as unfair, and said that it does not reveal the true conditions of the Vietnamese footwear industry.

fibre2fashion.com

Brussels extends duties on imported footwear

The European Union will prolong anti-dumping duties against imported Chinese and Vietnamese footwear for an additional 15 months. The duties were approved in spite of warnings that they would harm the EU’s trade relations with China and Vietnam, and in spite of member states rejecting them during a non-binding vote in November.

FT.com

Bangladesh: Prospect of footwear exports looks bright

The country's footwear manufacturers see a bright future for their products. One reason is the prospect of procuring hide and skin at cheaper prices this year. Another lies in the adoption of a 'China plus' policy by the US government and the European embargo on Chinese and Vietnamese footwear, pushing buyers towards Bangladesh.

The Financial Express

Brussels set to extend anti-dumping duties on shoes for 15 months

Europe is poised to extend anti-dumping duties on Chinese and Vietnamese footwear after Germany, Austria and Malta changed their positions in the keenly watched trade dispute. The three member states, which voted last month to reject a European Commission proposal to extend the duties for 15 months from early January, have told a working committee that they would abstain.

FT.com

Indonesia: Domestic demand helps footwear industry stay resilient

Strong private consumption in a huge domestic economy has helped Indonesia weather the global financial crisis better than other regional economies. Indonesia's resilient footwear industry is one of the sectors that has helped country's economy stay on its feet.

channelnewsasia.com

Vietnam: Footwear exports target ‘long shot’

The footwear industry will find it difficult to meet its export target this year because large orders have dried up in the aftermath of the global economic crisis, insiders say. Most small and medium enterprises in the industry have failed to land big orders and contracts from foreign buyers this year.

Viet Nam News

Malaysia: XiDeLang poised to be third China firm to list on Bursa

Being in the world’s most populous country presents tremendous potential for China-based sports shoe and apparel company XiDeLang Holdings Ltd, which aims to capture higher sales this year. XiDeLang is poised to be the third Chinese company to list on Bursa Malaysia after fellow shoe counterparts – Xingquan International Sports Holdings Ltd and Multi Sports Holdings Ltd.

The Star Online

Vietnam: Footwear exports to France edge up

Vietnam’s footwear exports to France saw a promising, if slight, growth despite an 8.8 percent decrease in the country’s six-month export turnover. Footwear is one of the few commodities Vietnam exports to France that can take advantage of foreign exchange rates, as it pays for the import of raw materials in USD, but brings home profits from sales in Euros, contributing to this major growth in export.

VOVNEWS.VN

Indonesia footwear industry facing brighter prospects

Indonesian-made shoes are expected to get a bigger market share at home and abroad thanks to a decline in the influx of illegal shoe imports from China and an increase in demand for the commodity in Europe. The increase in the turnover of local producers is thanks to a government decree, reducing the gates of five imported commodities, including footwear, to only five seaports and airports in order to supervise the entry of illegal imports.

ANTARA News

Vietnam: Dependence on imported materials trips up footwear industry

Despite being a key player in the Vietnamese economy, the footwear industry still depends too much on imported materials, which hinders its development. Most of the time, footwear producers only do contract work for foreign partners, who import the raw materials themselves.

Thanh Nien

Vietnam: Footwear exports likely to fall

Many domestic footwear companies have set modest export goals for this year, raising concerns that the Government's USD 5.1 billion footwear export target won’t be met.

Viet Nam News

Indonesia: Footwear firms to upgrade equipment, shift focus to local market

While waiting for export markets to recover from the global credit crunch, footwear manufacturers are keen on modernizing their machinery using government funds and increasing production for domestic consumption.

Jakarta Globe

India: Agra footwear industry facing new challenges

Arrival of footwear manufacturing units in the infrastructure-rich towns like Noida and Chandigarh as well as slowdown in export orders due to unavailability of credit facilities to the major footwear importers, are the new challenges for Agra footwear industry. This makes footwear units in the town to run at less than 50 percent of their production capacity.

fibre2fashion.com

India: Footwear Institute launches new Campus at Chennai

Footwear Design & Development Institute (FDDI) is launching its new Campus at Chennai from the Academic Session 2009. Located near the SIPCOT Footwear ParkThe, the aim of the campus is to build an in-depth knowledge base and to provide adequate professional skills in management and designing.

fibre2fashion.com

China, Vietnam: Anti-dumping complaint by Canadian manufacturers

The Shoe Manufacturers Association of Canada (SMAC) has filed a complaint based on the Special Import Measures Act (SIMA) with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). SMAC is requesting that CBSA re-investigate pricing of waterproof rubber footwear and bottoms exported or originating from the People's Republic of China and Vietnam.

fibre2fashion.com

Bangladesh: Footwear export figures rock in July-Nov 2008

According to recently released statistics, footwear exports from Bangladesh grew from US $61 million in the period July-November 2007 to $85 million in the same period of 2008. The main reason for this awesome growth of 39 percent in exports is due to the low cost of production in Bangladesh, compared to its neighbouring countries; China, India and Vietnam, who also have a very well entrenched leather and footwear export industry in their respective countries.

fibre2fashion.com

Indonesia: Producers need more raw materials

The Indonesian Footwear Association (Aprisindo) has asked the government to facilitate local and foreign investors to produce leather raw materials for the industry, in an effort to stay competitive globally. According to the Indonesian Footwear Association, 'Our products cannot compete with the cheap Chinese products because more than 50 percent of our raw materials are imported from Taiwan and China, prompting producers to raise their prices'.

The Jakarta Post

Brazil takes Vietnam footwear off dumping list

The Brazilian Association of Footwear Industries has officially asked its Brazilian Trade Protection Agency to remove Vietnam from the list of countries subject to an anti-dumping investigation. The move came after the Brazilian authorities having scrutinised the volumes and prices of Vietnamese leather shoe exports in the Brazilian market.

Viet Nam News

Vietnam: Shoes lose EU tariff preferences

The EU decision to remove Vietnamese footwear from the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) as of January 1 is expected to put even greater pressure on domestic producers and exporters. Higher import duties will be added to the anti-dumping duty of 10 percent that the EU has slapped on 33 categories of Vietnamese leather-upper shoes since 2006.

VOVNEWS.VN