2011-11-18
•MEXICO FITS consolidates itself as a mechanism to capture the renewed interest of global clients in obtaining supplies in Mexico.
•A favorable performance by the textile-apparel chain exports shows the competitiveness of the sector, although the internal market is still being sequestered by illegality.
Rodolfo García Muriel Martínez, President of the National Chamber of the Textile Industry (“CANAINTEX”), Marcos Cherem, President of the National Chamber of the Apparel Industry (“CANAINVE”), and Luis de la Calle, joined by the directors of both chambers, Nora Ambriz and Claudia Ramos, made a visit to New York to promote the sector’s exports, as part of MEXICO FITS’s work agenda.
MEXICO FITS is a collaborated effort by the Mexican fiber-textile-apparel chain, supported by the Ministry of Economy and PROMEXICO, to capture the renovated interest of global clients in obtaining supplies from our country, in view of the increase of production costs in Asia.
As part of MEXICO FITS’s activities in New York, a meeting was held with the Board of Directors of The United States Association of Importers of Textiles and Apparel (USA-ITA), with participation from high level executives of leading commercial brands and companies, such as, JC Penney, Nordstrom, Polo Ralph Lauren, Levi Strauss, Avon, and The Children’s Place, among others. In this session, Mexican business leaders highlighted the competitive advantages of supplying in our country to offer integral solutions to clients, fast fashion, and in meeting strict environmental and labor standards. Likewise, they shared the services that MEXICO FITS has to offer to help clients interested in supplying in Mexico, to identify certified suppliers according to their specific needs; scheduling work agendas, and helping with the coordination and logistics to make visits to manufacturing plants in Mexico, services that are already being used by various leading global companies.
International buyers ratified their interest to diversify their business operations, which had been concentrated excessively in Asia, particularly in China, taking advantage of Mexico’s privileged geographic location, preferential access, and the competitiveness of the Mexican value chain, which has allowed us to remain as the fifth provider of manufactured materials to the United States.
Also, the leaders of CANAINTEX and CANAIVE participated in the 23rd Annual Textile & Apparel Importer Trade & Transportation Conference organized by USA-ITA, which took place in New York, and was attended by more than 300 purchasing executives of brands and retail from the United States. In this event, the Presidents of CANAINTEX and CANAIVE were keynote speakers at the lunch session, and Luis de la Calle participated with a MEXICO FITS presentation in the “A Fresh Look at New Sourcing Opportunities” panel.
During this mission, representatives from the textile and apparel industries in Mexico also held a work meeting with Kim Glass, Deputy Assistant Secretary for Textiles & Apparel of the United States Department of Commerce, with whom they exchanged points of view regarding initiatives to continue to promote the supply of global clients in the Western Hemisphere, like the proposal to repeat, in 2012, the Americas Pavilion, which took place at the MAGIC Sourcing Show in Las Vegas, and where MEXICO FITS participated successfully with a group of exhibiting Mexican companies. Likewise, there was talk about the NAFTA verification of origin procedures carried out by the SAT and the need to establish mechanisms that allow sanctions for real smugglers and, on the other hand, to establish simplified mechanisms so that serious exporters and importers can prove the NAFTA origin of goods.
Among the favorable indicators of the sector’s exports, which show the competitiveness of the Mexican industry include:
• Textile exports registered a growth rate of 43.3% in 2010 and of 28.3% in January-August of 2011. In turn, foreign sales of manufactured materials increased by 6% last year and by 11% in the first 8 months of this year.
• Mexico is a leader in men’s denim pants exports to the United States, with a 40% share of total imports. But, Mexico is much more than just denim.
• Mexico is still one of the 3 main suppliers in 409 out of a total of 1,560 import fractions of textile and apparel products to the United States.
• Mexico’s export offer has diversified and includes leading producers of cotton pants; t-shirts and sweatshirts made of synthetic fibers; wool suits; shirts, lingerie, dresses, hosiery, nonwoven clothing for surgical use; among a wide range of products.
