Switzerland:Demand for Swiss clothes again grows in the US

There are certainly some happy faces at the Swiss Textile Federation. Following on from its success in 2006, the Swiss textile and clothing industry has again closed the 2007 financial year on a high thanks to the favourable economic climate.
Sales in the sector rose by 5.1% to CHF 4.34 billion. Exports also rose by 5.1%, reaching CHF 4.41 billion, and imports were valued at CHF 8.78 billion, an increase of 7%.
The year again saw more clothing being exported to the US than Germany. The number of jobs in the sector grew by 3.8%. And a new contact office in Moscow will help the industry tap into the Russian market.
The demand for Swiss clothes has again grown in the US. So much so that Swiss manufacturers again supplied more items of clothing to the United States than Germany in 2007.
In 2006 our northern neighbour was our main customer. Now the US, as in previous years, is leading the field again – even if its lead is only slight.
The following rankings are occupied by Italy, Japan and France respectively. Max R. Hungerbühler, President of the Swiss Textile Federation, believes that the consistent strategy pursued by the Swiss textile and clothing industry has paid off.
Positive results expected in 2008:
For years, this strategy has been unflinchingly based on specialist know-how and innovation. But another key aspect is the ability to recognise trends early on and to always be a crucial step ahead of the competition when it comes to special products.
Only through this approach are Swiss companies able to brave the huge pressure of pricing and margins on the global market and growing competition from low-wage countries.
So the sector is feeling well prepared and looking to the future with confidence. Despite the worsening economic climate, it is expecting another positive result this year.
All figures well in the black:
Last year the Swiss textile and clothing industry recorded sales of CHF 4.34 billion, an increase of 5.1% on the previous year. Exports also rose by 5.1% to a value of CHF 4.41 billion.

The EU remains the most important market, receiving 75% of Swiss textiles and 52% of clothing. Imports were CHF 8.78 billion, a whole 7% more than 2007.
The main suppliers of textiles and clothing are Germany and Italy. But China is catching up fast. With an increase in clothing of 9.9%, China is already the third largest supplier for the Swiss market.
Document embargoed until midday on Tuesday, 29 April 2008 Huge demand for specialists Employment figures remain positive.
For the first time in years, Swiss companies in the sector were able to offer additional jobs, close to 1% more in textiles and almost 11% more in clothing.
At the end of 2007 there were 16,400 people working in the two branches of the industry, which is an increase of 3.8% on the previous year.
Outside Switzerland, the latest employment figures for the industry are 93,200, an increase of 5.6%. Around 110,000 people are employed globally by the Swiss textile and clothing industry.
Young people have sat up and taken notice of the good employment situation and the increased call for well-trained specialists.
More and more are joining the industry, particularly as basic training courses in textile technology have been revamped and the image of a career in textiles has generally improved.
Rising numbers of trainees confirm this, as do the increased class sizes for technicians and supervisors. This is compounded by the fact that many companies want to take on more trainees or are committing to basic training for the first time.
New contact office in Moscow:
The Swiss Textile Federation has great hopes for its new contact office in Moscow, which was opened at the start of May with the German, Austrian and French trade federations. The office aims to make it easier for federation members to access the Russian market.
Russia is currently enjoying a huge upturn in trade and members can only tap into it through direct contacts with the Russian textile trade and industry. The Moscow office will also have a major role to play in obtaining information.
On the ball when it comes to politics:
The basic conditions must be right if the federation is to reach its future goals. And political conditions are no exception.
This explains why the Swiss Textile Federation has been getting intensively involved in foreign trade policy and is supporting a reduction in import duties, expansion of the foreign trade network to include important Swiss trading partners, and common-sense rules of origin.
Since the federation stands to gain little from the EU’s new REACH regulations on chemicals, only meaningful harmonisation of legislation with the EU should be supported.
On the other hand, the federation welcomes the Federal Council of Switzerland’s intention to offer better protection to the declaration of origin Switzerland or Swiss made through the use of precisely defined provisions.
And in terms of energy, that is key to the competitive nature of industries with high energy needs, the Swiss Textile Federation supports climate-friendly technologies and the replacement of nuclear power stations.