SINGAPORE: The Singapore textile and fashion industry will get a fresh boost from new government initiatives expected over the next three years.
The projects will help the industry generate an additional S$400 million in revenue and create an additional S$105 million in value add.
This was announced at an industry event on Tuesday evening.
In the next three years, fashion houses and the garment industry will get projects costing S$11 million through the Local Enterprise & Association Development (LEAD) programme.
These will enhance Singapore's position as a business fashion hub by repositioning the Singapore Fashion Week exhibition into an integrated platform for players in the entire value chain.
And the industry's capabilities will also get a boost from a Productivity and Design Development Centre (PDCC) - a one-stop shop to handle sourcing, merchandising and product development.
The idea of the centre was mooted by industry body, the Textile and Fashion Federation.
Edward Ang, president of the Textile and Fashion Federation said: "We will use the funding to improve the productivity and efficiency of our companies. PDDC will engage professional consultants and engineers to assess the operational efficiency of each company, train engineers and managers, recommend and implement measures to drive production efficiency.
"It will also engage experienced and established designers to guide and train our local designers."
The Federation is working with government agencies IE (International Enterprise) Singapore and SPRING (Standards, Productivity and Innovation Board) on the projects.
They aim to help companies shorten their production lead time and in other areas, such as penetrating overseas markets.
When the projects are completed in 2009, they are expected to add between 10% and 15% to the existing S$4.5 billion worth of exports by the industry.
