MILAN — Exhibitors at last month’s Filo yarn and fiber trade show said they were turning to new strategies, including warehousing inventory overseas to be closer to foreign customers.
Iafil, which primarily produces cotton yarn, reported that a new venture in Hong Kong had led it to forecast a 10 percent sales rise for 2004 from 2003, when it racked up $22.6 million in volume — 20 million euros in local currency at the average exchange rate for the period.
The 11,840-square-foot facility, which opened in March, includes a dyeing plant and sales office to mainly cater to the Japanese market, Iafil’s second-biggest export destination behind the U.S.
“Iafil & Co. is a dyeing plant for yarns destined for the knitwear companies based in Hong Kong producing for the Japanese market,” said Stefano Marchetti, export manager of Iafil. “It really saves time on our service and we have begun to start seeing positive repercussions from the plant.”
Iafil was among the 59 exhibitors showing their spring-summer 2006 yarn collections at the show, which was held at Milan’s Superstudio Più Oct. 27-28. A total of 2,200 visitors from 36 countries attended the show.
Other companies said they had adjusted their stock service strategy to keep competitive. Representatives of Botto Paola said they’d made their service faster by offering partial shipments, shipping small amounts of yarn by air to the customer as it is needed.
“It’s a better solution,” said export manager Stefano Botto. “If we send smaller amounts by plane in different periods it speeds up the process and clients are happier. So alot of lot of them are requesting it.”
He added that the company’s revenues have remained stable this year at $49.1 million, or 40 million euros.
Trends at the show were spread across the map, with firms showing yarns in a variety of textures and colors. Specialized yarns were part of many exhibitors’ collections. At Filati Maclodio, hemp and Lenpur wood pulp-based fiber was mixed with 30 percent rayon, which the firm said made for easier care.
“Trends these days are a beautiful, confusing concoction of things,” said Mauro Belussi, sales manager. “Seasons have become obsolete as yarn and fabric becomes more specialized.”
Related Articles
You May Also Like
He added that the company began selling to Australia this year and is on track to top the $27 million — 22 million euros — sales market this year.
Iafil showed yarns that were sprayed with color so that the inner fibers were not tinted, creating the effect of a twisted melange. Some yarns were spray-dyed three colors: brown, violet and green.
Filcompany showed a tricolored yarn, in apricot, beige and salmon, with a shiny finish.
Mario Boselli Yarns also focused on finish, showing some some rayon yarns that had been given a bubbled effect with a shiny finish by adjusting tension during the spinning process.
Hasegawa Corp., a 35-year-old Japanese silk mill, showed mixed silk and linen yarns with dry finishes. The company’s shiny silk yarns had a dry hand, like cotton or paper to touch. Hasegawa was expecting a 25 percent increase on its $18 million 2004 volume thanks to growing export sales.
Many firms relied on saturated earth colors, including ecru, forest green and burnt orange.
Shopping the show, Chafik Ben Hamza, an agent for Tunisian mill HBC Trading, said the luxury textile market in Tunisia was growing, especially with more Italian textile companies moving production there.
“Tunisia is duty-tax free and has a bigger advantage over Asian countries in that it is close to Europe geographically and in way of working and culture,” said Ben Hamza.