Taiwan's functional textiles have international competitive advantages

With the foundation of the petrochemical industry and the quality and continuous innovation of man-made fiber materials, Taiwan's textile industry has developed in the direction of textile functionality and science and technology, and has become a globally important production site for functional textiles, attracting the attention and attention of international brands.

In recent years, with the rise of outdoor and sports and leisure life, textiles with various special functions have become more and more important and demanding. With the foundation of the petrochemical industry and the quality and continuous innovation of man-made fiber materials, Taiwan's textile industry has developed in the direction of textile functionality and science and technology, and has become a globally important production site for functional textiles, attracting the attention and attention of international brands.

According to the statistics of the Japan Chemical Fiber Association, Taiwan’s man-made fiber production ranks third in the world in 2013, second only to China and India. Taiwan has developed higher-end functional textiles on the basis of man-made fibers by virtue of its rich experience in mass production, complete clustering effects and talents, and long-term good cooperative relations with important international brands. It is estimated that about 70% of the functional textiles used by global sports and outdoor brands are supplied by Taiwanese companies.

Taiwan has a leading position in the global market for functional fabrics. In order to assist Taiwanese textile companies in expanding their international markets, Taiwan Textile Group organizes over 30 international exhibitions each year, especially in sports and outdoor areas. In the exhibition, the Taiwan Pavilion is often the largest exhibition hall.

Take the ISPOMUNICH exhibition in Munich, Germany, the world's largest and most prestigious sporting goods show. For example, companies such as Welfare, Confucianism, Xingcai, and Jiahe have all won awards in the highly competitive fabric competition. As a bridge to the forward-looking trend of functional fabrics, ISPOMUNICH organizes ISPOTEXTRENDS every year to encourage exhibitors to provide the latest products and submit them to an international professional jury. In the ISPOTEXTRENDS held in February this year, the number of Taiwanese textile manufacturers selected and the number of selected products accounted for about 1/3 respectively, showing that Taiwanese fabrics are in a global leading position in terms of functionality, feel, creativity, environmental sustainability and so on. According to preliminary investigations, during the four-day exhibition period, about 2,300 buyers visited the Taiwan Pavilion. The number of orders received by the exhibitors on the spot amounted to approximately US$3 million. It is expected that the amount of order receipts in the future could reach US$25 million. In addition, 8848Altitude, Arc'teryx, HellyHansen, Chiemsee, Millet, Mountain Equipment, J. Linderberg, Tenson and many other international brands have also promised to come to Taiwan to attend the TITAS2015 buyers meeting.

The United States is the world's largest consumer market for outdoor leisure products. The Outdoor Retailer (OR) outdoor products exhibition held in Salt Lake City, USA, is held twice a year and is divided into a winter show and a summer show. After many years of cultivating summers, Spuntex has also organized delegations to participate in the Winter Show. The scale of the exhibition has been continuously expanded. Last year, a total of more than 40 groups of exhibitors from Taiwan were selected to enter the image zone of the exhibition to fully demonstrate the international competitiveness of Taiwan's functional textiles.

In the OR Winter Show held in January this year, a total of 29 textile companies and 39 public accountants and 39 booths participated in the event. Participating companies are well-known textile giants in Taiwan, including: Far East New Century, Li Peng, Xue Changxing, South Asia, Futai, Datong, Xinguang Textile, Jisheng and other companies. High-quality supply chain manufacturers gathered to play a powerful propaganda effect and successfully attracted buyers to visit the Taiwan Pavilion. They successfully established the image of “search for innovative technologies and products that must visit the Taiwan Pavilion”. According to the survey, nearly 500 buyers visited the exhibition, and the on-site orders were estimated to be US$300,000. The follow-up will create approximately US$7 million in business opportunities. During the exhibition, representatives of TheNorth Face, Abercrombie & Fitch, PoloRalphLauren, FOX, Frank & Oak, Yummie, OutdoorCap, ARIAT, SecondSkin and other brands were invited to search for the latest products.

In general, functional textiles have the characteristics of “invisible, intangible, and known”, and it is not easy for buyers and consumers to discern products directly from the appearance and feel of the product, resulting in the inability of such products to be marketed. Promote the full display of its functionality.

Taiwan Textile Development Association has actively planned and promoted Taiwan Functional Textiles (TFT) certification business since 2000. At present, there are 20 functional textile verification standards. Those who have passed the verification can apply for verification marks to the Spinners Association. The functional textile certification marks have been registered in mainland China and Taiwan, the United States, the European Union, Japan and Vietnam. The Spinning Conference is also internationally focused. Marketing validated functional textiles to further assist operators in developing international markets.