Search Results for: Indonesian
266 results out of 266 results found for 'Indonesian'.
MALAYSIA LEADS IN THE STANDARDIZATION OF HALAL MEDICAL DEVICES
Malaysia is expected to launch in January a detailed (although voluntary) halal certification for medical devices in an innovative regulatory move, making the country a world leader in this segment.
Its government published a halal medical device standard in September 2019, known as MS2636, but the halal division of the Malaysian Islamic Development Department (JAKIM) agency has since been enhancing “their online system” and staff, since the new “scheme for halal medical devices must comply with other requirements”, Johari Ab Latiff, senior assistant director at JAKIM’s Malaysia Halal Council Secretariat, told Salaam Gateway.…
SOUTH KOREA’S PHARMA SECTOR PROBES HALAL MARKET WITH INDONESIAN PARTNERS
South Korea’s pharmaceutical industry, a global player with exports reaching South Korean Won KRW7.93 trillion (USD6.8 billion) in 2020, has been expanding its foothold in the world’s Muslim markets, offering guarantees that manufacturers avoid inputs that are offensive to Muslims.…
INDONESIA’S HALAL PHARMA SECTOR GROWS, BUT RELIANCE ON IMPORTED UNCERTIFIED INGREDIENTS IMPEDES DEVELOPMENT
Indonesia’s drive to require pharmaceutical products to be halal-certified is gathering pace, but the country’s pharma industry’s reliance on imported raw materials for medicines is impeding progress, officials and industry players say.
In October, Indonesia issued a government regulation requiring pharmaceutical products to be certified halal by 2029 for over-the-counter drugs and 2034 for prescription medicines.…
ASIAN REGULATORY ROUND UP – TAIWAN REVISES CLIMATE LAW TO ENSURE PAINT EXPORTS TO EU AVOID ECO-DUTY
The Taiwan Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has initiated a revision of the island’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction and Management Law, partly to help paint and coatings manufacturers maintain access to the European Union (EU) market. The reform will take account of the EU’s planned Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism, which may levy duties on products the EU deems have been made with excess carbon emissions.…
PANDEMIC DISRUPTS INDONESIA’S TEXTILE AND CLOTHING DIGITISATION PUSH
The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted Indonesia’s efforts to digitalise its textile and clothing sector, with only a few large companies adopting new industrial revolution 4.0 technologies amid a slump in exports, government officials and industry executives have warned.
Three years ago (2018), Indonesia’s industry ministry unveiled an ambitious ‘Making Indonesia 4.0’ plan to encourage manufacturers to adopt virtual reality, 3D design, automation and internet of things technologies.…
COVID 19 CONTINUES TO SHAKE UP AML/CFT IN YEAR TWO OF PANDEMIC
AS COVID-19 batters the world into its second year of the most destructive global pandemic since the Spanish Flu of 1919, its impact on AML/CFT is becoming clearer. FATF released an updated assessment in December (2020) (1) highlighting an increase in certain predicate offences caused by the disease itself and the increased online activity it has generated: phishing scams, business compromise fraud; internet child sex exploitation; corruption and fraud related to medical supply contracts; and property thefts of vacant homes and offices.…
COVID-19 PANDEMIC BOOSTS INNOVATION IN INDONESIA FOR ANTI-MICROBIAL PRODUCTS
Indonesia’s National Textile Centre (BBT – Balai Besar Tekstil) in Bandung, West Java, this year (2021) established a melt spinning laboratory helping the country’s nonwovens industry develop products with special functionalities, including medical supplies and personal protective equipment such as masks and hazmat suits. …
INDONESIA PAINT AND COATINGS SECTOR SET FOR STABLE GROWTH POST-COVID-19
The paint and coatings industry in Indonesia still has ample room for growth amid booming infrastructure development, although it has had to struggle with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, say officials and industry experts.
With the property sector being the primary growth driver Indonesian paint and coating sales, the high demand for new housing and the repainting cycle assures the steady demand for paint and coating products, said Mahendra Chahar, senior consultant at Frost & Sullivan.…
INDONESIA PAINT AND COATINGS SECTOR SET FOR STABLE GROWTH POST-COVID-19
The paint and coatings industry in Indonesia still has ample room for growth amid booming infrastructure development, although it has had to struggle with the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, say officials and industry experts.
With the property sector being the primary growth driver Indonesian paint and coating sales, the high demand for new housing and the repainting cycle assures the steady demand for paint and coating products, said Mahendra Chahar, senior consultant at Frost & Sullivan.…
ASIAN REGULATORY ROUND UP – INTEGRATED INDIAN PIGMENT AND RESIN PLANTS TO AVOID EIA ASSESSMENTS
NEW integrated paint manufacturing units in India with an annual production capacity of less than Indian Rupees INR500 million (USD6.6 million) will soon be exempt from securing prior environment clearance by the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF). This rule, covering plants with production facilities for resins and pigments, is expected to come into force early next year (2021) once the central government formalises and gazettes a new Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) Notification.…
INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL UPDATE –
The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) has released a white paper saying that the accounting profession needs to learn from the challenges of Covid-19, investing in boosting communication skills. This will enable accountants to be more effective pro-active trusted partners with their clients, able to adapt to flexible and remote working even after the pandemic subsides.…
ASIA PACIFIC PAINT AND COATINGS REGULATORY ROUNDUP – CHINA RELEASES ANTI-VIRAL/BACTERIAL COATINGS STANDARD
THE CHINA Coatings Industry Association on September 14 published a draft standard for the manufacture and sale of antibacterial and anti-viral coatings – a key growth segment during the Covid-19 pandemic. The draft specifies the terms, definitions, requirements, test methods, inspection rules, labelling, marking, packaging and storage of coating products with antibacterial and antiviral properties.…
INDONESIA CHALLENGES LEGALITY OF EU PALM OIL BIOFUEL RESTRICTIONS
A WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) disputes panel will assess whether import restrictions created by the European Union (EU) to reduce the use of carbon-intensive biofuels comply with global trading rules.
The Indonesian government is challenging portions of the EU’s renewable energy directive (RED) linked to EU guidance limiting the indirect land use change (ILUC) of biofuel feedstock cultivation.…
ASIAN REGULATORY ROUND UP - CHINESE GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES COATINGS SECTOR POLLUTION PROBE
The China National Coatings Industry Association (NCIA) on July 31 informed members that it has been told by the ministry of ecology and environment to investigate the production, treatment and disposal of hazardous waste in the coating industry and compile a management guide based on the investigation’s findings.…
CROSS-BORDER POLICE COLLABORATION IS KEY TO CRACKING DOWN ON INTERNATIONAL DAIRY CRIME
DAIRY products are supposed to be healthy, tasty, clean and legal, but unfortunately, as with other industries, criminals seek to exploit demand created by honest suppliers through smuggling, mislabelling, adulterating and selling unsafe stock.
These concerns prompt regular action by police, for whom food fraud and related crime is an increasing risk worldwide, and given the international nature of today’s supply chains, cross-border collaboration between law enforcement forces is of special value.…
FORENSIC LINGUISTS ASSESS FUTURE WHERE AI STRENGTHENS THEIR GROWING ACADEMIC AND OPERATIONAL FIELD
Forensic linguistics is a new field, aiding detection of lies and deception within verbal and written statements, but it is developing, and artificial intelligence/machine learning offers new opportunities for this technique to become increasingly useful.
That is the view of Professor Jack Grieve, Professorial Fellow in Corpus Linguistics, University of Birmingham, UK, who sees a “great opportunity” in such work, although significant research is needed before such studies can yield useful work.…
INDONESIAN CLOTHING INDUSTRY IS SUFFERING FROM COVID-19 PANDEMIC, BUT LARGE SCALE LAYOFFS YET TO HAPPEN, CLAIMS GOVERNMENT
Indonesia’s clothing industry is among the international outsourcing hubs that has been struggling during the Covid-19 pandemic, with foreign buyers cancelling orders and the domestic market in the doldrums, industry association and government officials have told just-style.
“Since the pandemic, many buyers in foreign countries, mostly the United States and Europe, have cancelled or postponed orders because of lockdowns and other reasons,” said Rizal Rakhman, secretary general of the Indonesian Textile Association (API – Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia).…
ASIAN PAINT AND COATINGS REGULATORY ROUNDUP - AUSTRALIA LAUNCHES NEW CHEMICAL CONTROL SYSTEM
AUSTRALIA’S existing regulatory framework for importing and manufacturing industrial chemicals, the National Industrial Chemicals Notification and Assessment Scheme (NICNAS) will be replaced by a new system called the Australian Industrial Chemicals Introduction Scheme (AICIS), starting July 1. The AICIS covers a broad range of chemicals and polymers used in adhesives, paints and solvents among many others. …
INNOVATION INVESTMENT IN INDONESIAN VISCOSE STAPLE FIBRE GENERATES INTERNATIONAL QUALITY CERTIFICATION
ASIA Pacific Rayon (APR) has broken ground in the Indonesian viscose manufacturing sector by receiving the internationally recognised STeP sustainable textile and leather production certification from the Switzerland-based standards body OEKO–TEX. APR, a vertically integrated viscose-rayon manufacturer, with a production capacity of 240,000 tonnes-a-year, is hoping to boost sales through the STeP recognition of its modular analysis of chemicals, environmental performance, environmental management, occupational health and safety, social responsibility and quality management.…
PHILIPPINES GOVERNMENT LAUNCHES INNOVATION DRIVE TO COMMERCIALISE TROPICAL INDIGENOUS TEXTILE SECTOR
THE PHILIPPINES government hopes to jumpstart its tropical indigenous textile sector through more innovation, but the country’s exporters say significant work needs to be done to score export orders. The Department of Science and Technology-Philippine Textile Research Institute (DOST-PTRI) last November (2019) inaugurated a Regional Yarn Production and Innovation Center (RYPIC) in Miagao, Iloilo, Panay island, which now produces crafted yarns from blends of natural local textile fibres – culled from abacá, banana and pineapple leaf – combined with cotton.…
INDONESIAN DAIRY SECTOR GROWING, BUT PRODUCTION CAN’T KEEP UP WITH DEMAND
South-east Asia is not known for a tradition of eating dairy products, but actually consumers in the region’s most populous country Indonesia (population 270 million people) have been eating cheese for more than a century (partly thanks Indonesia’s historic links with the Netherlands) and the country has a thriving domestic dairy industry.…
ASIAN PAINT AND COATING REGULATORY ROUNDUP - INDONESIAN INITIATIVE FOCUSES ON REMOVING LEAD FROM PAINTS
Indonesia’s industry ministry launched an initiative in February (2020) aimed at eliminating lead used in paint made and sold in the country. It involves the Indonesian paint industry, is part of the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) project and is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), an international investment body.…
THE PHILIPPINES READIES A TEXTILE-GARMENT INDUSTRY EXPANSION ROADMAP
The Philippines department of trade and industry is finalising a roadmap to revive the textile and garment industry, devised by the government’s Board of Investment.
Latest drafts of this Textile-Garment Industry Roadmap 2020-2029, which has yet to be formally released, lays out the path for an integrated textile-garment industry, strong linkages between industry, government and private sector, as well as a dedicated trade office.…
JANUARY SEES INCREASES IN MINIMUM WAGE RATES IN OUTSOURCING MANUFACTURIONG HUBS WORLDWIDE
NATIONAL minimum wages have been rising in clothing manufacturing outsourcing hubs around the world, with low and medium-cost manufacturing centres increasing pay rates, as their governments seek to balance the need for export competitiveness with the value of industrial peace to avoid production disruption and the ability to retain experienced staff.…
ASIAN COATINGS REGULATORY ROUND UP – AUSTRALIS DEVELOPS CHEMICAL ENVIRONMENTAL RISK STANDARD
CONSULTATIONS are being assessed in Australia to develop a National Standard for Environmental Risk Management of Industrial Chemicals, which will include coatings and their chemical ingredients, Australia’s department of agriculture, water and the environment has said in a note. The national standard, for which consultations were to end in February, is being designed to ensure that potentially harmful high-risk chemicals are subject to appropriate and consistent environmental controls across the nation.…
INDONESIA'S ROBUST ECONOMIC GROWTH OFFERS MAJOR OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE COUNTRY'S PAINT AND COATING INDUSTRY
Indonesia’s paint and coatings sector is expected to continue to grow, driven by an expanding middle-class population, the fast-growing construction sector and ambitious government infrastructure projects, encompassing transport networks, energy and utilities.
The south-east Asian country’s paint and coatings market has grown to almost USD2.5 billion in sales revenue in the past year and sales are expected to expand at a fair clip of between 6% and 7% annually in the next five years, according to industry analysts Frost & Sullivan. …
LENZING’S INDONESIA INNOVATION HUB COMPLETES FIRST YEAR WITH EYE ON BOOMING ETHNIC WEAR MARKET
AN INDONESIA-based fabric and yarn innovation centre has hailed success in developing wood-based cellulose fibres that it says are set to drive business in the multibillion-dollar Asian ethnic wear market. The ‘Lenzing Centre of Excellence’ (LCOE), operated by Austria’s Lenzing Group in Purwakarta, West Java, Indonesia, has just completed its first year of operations, with its R&D focus ranging from Indonesian batik to Muslim hijabs and Indian saris.…
TRADITIONAL BATIK TO BE SCRUTINISED BY DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY TO PROVE AUTHENTICITY
THE INDONESIAN government is trying to integrate digital technologies into the country’s batik sector to differentiate and authenticate its products from other Asian competitors. The world’s largest batik exporter, Indonesia’s batik exports reached USD52.4 million in 2018 and USD17.99 million in the first quarter of 2019, according to data gathered by Indonesia’s Antara news agency.…
ASIAN REGULATORY ROUNDUP – SMALLER JAPANESE PAINT IMPORTERS OFFERED EXEMPTION FROM CHEMICAL DECLARATION LAW
IMPORTERS of paints into Japan have been given four time-windows in 2020 to secure ‘small volume permits’ under which coatings can be brought into Japan without any new chemical components being declared to regulators. This special exemption applies to imports of a product into Japan under one tonne per year, says the Japanese Chemical Substances Control Law.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND-UP – MEPs LOSE PATIENCE OVER BEE PROTECTION AS EUROPEAN HONEY PRODUCTION CONTINUES TO SUFFER
THE EUROPEAN Parliament has called for a more robust approach to defend European honey production, as bee numbers continue to fall. In a motion supported almost unanimously, the EP’s environment committee has called for the European Union (EU) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) – which is now under review – to include active steps on reducing pesticide use, which MEPs blame for honey bee deaths.…
INDONESIA TO INNOVATE IN RAYON PRODUCTION AS IT SEEKS INDUSTRY 4.0 COMPETITIVE EDGE
INDONESIA is seeking to diversify its fibre production, developing new ways of utilising this country’s significant biomass to produce fibres such as rayon to create low-cost and quality clothing and achieve global competitiveness, the country’s industry ministry has told WTiN.com.
“The Indonesian textile and clothing sector is headed in a new direction, with rayon serving as a substitute for cotton,” said Muhdori, the ministry’s director of the textile, leather and footwear industry.…
ASEAN TEXTILE MANUFACTURING CENTRES UPGRADING BACKWARD LINKAGE TECHNOLOGIES WITH MILLIONS OF DOLLARS OF IMPORTS
KEY textile manufacturing countries in southeast Asia are investing in new machinery to upgrade their textile technology, boosting backward linkages as they seek to strengthen and update local supply chains, international trade data shows. While that level of investment in imports seems to have declined in 2018, key textile manufacturing Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc countries have been importing millions of dollars of new machinery, helping them make the most of trade deals that can insist in local fabric, yarn and fibre sourcing.…
NONWOVENS PRODUCTION PICKING UP VOLUME, QUALITY AND DIVERSITY IN BOOMING ASIA PACIFIC REGION
Data by the Asia Nonwoven Fabrics Association (ANFA) shows that nonwovens production in Asia increased by a robust 6.5% year-on-year in 2018, to 5.6 million tonnes. China-based manufacturers were responsible for the bulk of this output, producing 4 million tonnes. However, but India-based production increased at faster pace, at 15.9% up, year-on-year.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUNDUP - NEW EUROPEAN COMMISSION WILL IMPOSE GREEN COMMITMENTS ON KNITWEAR SECTOR
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) knitwear sector will be pushed to improve its sustainability within 100 days of a new European Commission taking office, expected to happen on December 1. That is the deadline that a new Commission executive vice-president Frans Timmermans must meet to propose a ‘green deal’ package of reforms, that will include new commitments for EU industries to reduce waste and pollution.…
EUROPE BRIMS WITH NOVEL FOOD INITIATIVES, BUT REGULATORY CONTROLS CAN BE EXPENSIVE AND RISKY
Novel food ingredients and products are becoming increasingly common in branded products across Europe, finding new markets by offering twists to traditional tastes. These new technologies are enabling manufacturers to identify new untapped taste demands, which many big corporations have missed or failed to develop a product that fits a potential new market.…
MOODY’S WARNS US/CHINA TRADE WAR MAY FLOOD INDONESIA WITH CHINESE FABRIC – BUT LOCAL MANUFACTURERS SAY THEY ARE READY
THE US-China trade dispute could offer an incentive for Chinese companies to dump textile products into Indonesia, according to a report by Moody’s Investors Service.
But Indonesian textile representatives told WTiN they are confident safeguards are in place to minimise the risk of such dumping.…
CONSUMERS IN SOUTHEAST ASIA’S GROWING BEAUTY MARKET DEVELOP INCREASINGLY SPECIALISED TASTES
SOUTH-EAST Asia’s beauty and personal care product market continues to grow, with more mature markets in the region demonstrating an increasing preference for natural products.
As might be expected, consumers in the wealthy city state of Singapore are especially keen to spend more money on lines with natural ingredients.…
HIGH DEMAND FOR TRAINED AML PROFESSIONALS IS KEEPING PAY LEVELS HEALTHY
WITH anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) controls becoming ever more comprehensive, strategic and widespread, the demand for trained AML/CFT professionals is growing. Salaries are increasing, as a result. This good compensation reflects the fact that AML work is becoming increasingly demanding because of regulatory requirements, said Michael Harris, director, financial crime compliance, at LexisNexis Risk Solutions.…
INDONESIA’S CLOTHING SECTOR POSTS STRONG RESULTS BUT MORE MEASURES NEEDED TO BOOST TEXTILES
INDONESIAN clothing and textile industry experts and the government say there is continued need to boost investment in creating efficient upstream supplies to enable the country to profit sustainably from growing demand for clothing export sales.
Textile and garment production grew 19% in the first quarter of this year (year-on-year) – but that was largely thanks to a strong performance from the clothing sector.…
INDONESIAN CANDIDATES PROMISE GROWTH FOR TEXTILE INDUSTRY AS THEY VIE FOR PRESIDENCY IN APRIL POLL
CANDIDATES in next month’s presidential election in Indonesia have pledged to bolster the country’s textile industry but remain tight-lipped about specific details for improvement.
Industry association leaders have said incumbent President Joko Widodo’s infrastructure investment drive has yet to result in lower logistics costs for the sector – but still favour his plans over those of his presidential rival.…
INDONESIA GOVERNMENT PUSHING 4.0 REFORMS ONTO RECEPTIVE CLOTHING INDUSTRY – BUT INVESTMENT FUNDS STILL NEEDED
INDONESIA is rolling out its ambitious plan to digitalise its clothing and textile industry, a key policy devised to meet the government’s goal of helping the country become among the world’s top five textile and apparel producers by 2030.
The plan was unveiled last August (2018), encouraging Indonesia’s growing apparel industry to adopt industrial revolution 4.0 technologies such as virtual reality, 3D design, automation and using the internet of things.…
INDONESIA SEEKS TO BE AMONG BIGGEST FIVE TEXTILE PRODUCERS BY 2030
INDONESIA is seeking to be among the world’s top five textile and apparel producers by 2030, partly by taking advantage of digital technology, a government official has announced.
The adoption of industrial revolution 4.0 technologies will make Indonesia’s textile industry more efficient and competitive globally, said Muhdori, director for textile, leather, footwear and multifarious industries at the industry ministry.…
MINIMUM WAGE RISE PRESSURES WILL POSE CHALLENGES FOR SOUTHEAST ASIAN MANUFACTURERS IN 2019
INCREASES in minimum wage rates are likely to be of significant concern to brands sourcing from south-east Asia in 2019, with pay on an upward trajectory – although governments’ approaches vary.
For some governments in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, raising minimum wage serves as a populist measure (for instance by Thailand’s military government, whose supporters will face an election this year), while for others, an annual review is a statutory requirement, for example, in the Philippines.…
TRADITIONAL TRIBAL FABRIC-MAKING DRIVES INDONESIAN RUNWAY FASHION SALES
DRAWING inspiration from the sustainable fabric-making methods of Indonesia’s Baduy tribal community, who live in a remote region of Java, a high-profile Indonesian textile designer has commercialised is these textiles to create runway fashion for a global audience.
Woven fabric designs developed by Merdi Sihombing, called Suat Songket and Samping Aros, are “unique traditional weaving patterns that are used by the Baduy community,” Mr Sihombing told WTiN.com,…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP - RETALIATORY DUTIES ON USA CONFECTIONERY AND INGREDIENTS EXPORTS CHALLENGED AT WTO
THE WORLD Trade Organisation (WTO) Disputes Settlement Body (DSB) has approved establishing disputes settlement panels ruling sought by the USA on whether retaliatory duties imposed by the European Union (EU), Canada, China, and Mexico on US confectionery and sweet bakery and associated ingredient exports, imposed in response to America’s controversial steel and aluminium tariffs, break WTO rules.…
PLANNED EU-INDONESIA TRADE AGREEMENT - A BIGGER WIN FOR INDONESIAN TEXTILES, WITH EU PRODUCTION FALLING, SAYS ANALYSIS
A PROPOSED Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between the European Union (EU) and Indonesia could generate notable structural shifts in Indonesia’s textile (fabric and yarn) sector, expanding the workforce by up to 2.5% for skilled and unskilled workers, expert analysis suggests.
Indeed, a new European Commission’s Sustainability Impact Assessment (see http://trade.ec.europa.eu/doclib/docs/2018/october/tradoc_157431.pdf)…
INDONESIA LOOKS TO OPEN NEW TEXTILE MARKETS WITH FREE TRADE PACTS
Indonesia is seeking to open new markets for its textile and garment products – not only are free trade agreements with Australia and fellow Asian countries are on the cards, the industry’s association and the government has announced, but the industry is also targeting African export sales.…
OPTIMISM FOR TEXTILE INDUSTRY AS INDONESIA-EU FTA APPROACHES
NEGOTIATIONS for a free trade agreement between Indonesia and the European Union (EU), which will pave the way for greater opportunities for the textile and garment sectors, are entering a final phase, the head of Indonesia’s textile industry association said.
“Negotiations are entering the sixth round.…
INDONESIA ANGER OVER USA MOVE TO PUNISH ITS EXPORTERS OVER MEAT IMPORT CONTROLS ROW
INDONESIA has criticised USA plans to punish its exporters over Washington claims that the south-east Asian country has failed to fully lift contested restrictions on meat and meat products have been found breaching international commerce rules by the World Trade Organisation (WTO).…
ASIA PACIFIC PAINT AND COATINGS REGULATORY ROUND UP – INDIA PAINT SECTOR EXEMPTED FROM KEY BIOCIDE CONTROLS
INDIA’S paint industry has been exempted from a mandatory biocide registration requirement under the national Insecticides Act (1968) if the biocides are used as a dry film preservative. However, new guidelines issued by Central Insecticide Board and Registration Committee (CIBRC) in June have told the Indian paint industry that they must use registered biocide products at recommended dosages, or protective labelling rules will kick in.…
INDONESIA REMOVED FROM EU AIRLINE BLACKLIST
ALL Indonesian airlines have been removed from a European Union (EU) safety blacklist, which has blocked them from flying to EU airports. All carriers from the country had been banned in 2007, but since then seven operators, Garuda Indonesia, Airfast Indonesia, Ekspres Transportasi Antarbenua, Indonesia Air Asia, Citilink, Lion Air and Batik Air, had been allowed to fly to and from Europe.…
SOUTH EAST ASIA MAYBE COMPLEX REGIONAL MARKET, BUT GROWTH IN SALES IS BEING WITNESSED ACROSS THE REGION
SOUTH-EAST Asia maybe a diverse and hence complicated region in which to market personal care products, but the growth in sales in all its countries make it an attractive target for beauty brands.
The Philippines is a case in point. The gross domestic product (GDP) of this 103 million people archipelago recorded 6.7% GDP growth in 2017, and the World Bank projects it to grow further at an annual rate of 6.7% in both 2018 and 2019, before settling at 6.6% in 2020.…
INDONESIAN INFRASTRUCTURE BOOST TO TEXTILE INDUSTRY BUT ENERGY ISSUES HAMPER PROGRESS
INDONESIAN President Joko Widodo’s drive to upgrade the country’s infrastructure is set to benefit the textile industry, but the problem of high energy costs remains an obstacle to competitiveness, industry players have warned.
Since taking office in October 2014, Widodo’s administration has embarked on ambitious projects to tackle infrastructure bottlenecks by building roads, ports, airports and power plants.…
MALAYSIA AND INDONESIA EXPAND DIGITAL TEXTILE PRINTING – BUT GROWTH IS SLOW
MALAYSIA has long positioned itself as a higher-tech source of textile manufacturing and so it is maybe no surprise that it has been growing its digital textile printing segment.
That has been to the benefit of key Japan-based digital imaging and printing solution supplier Epson, which currently claims a Malaysian market share of 87% – based on data harvested last year (2017).…
SUSTAINABILITY IN INDONESIAN TEXTILE INDUSTRY REMAINS ON THE BACK BURNER
INDONESIAN textile and garment manufacturers continue to flout environmental laws and dump hazardous waste into rivers despite pressure for the industry to be more environmentally friendly, activists and industry leaders warned.
“Medium and small sized companies, particularly those that serve the domestic market, have no incentives to be environmentally-friendly because their margins are small,” said Redma Gita Wirawasta, secretary general of the the Indonesian Synthetic Fibre Manufacturers
Association (Apsyfi, Asosiasi Produsen Serat dan Benang Filament Indonesia).“So…
SUSTAINABILITY AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY TOP AGENDA AT INDONESIA TEXTILE TRADE SHOW
VISITORS to the INDO Intertex in Jakarta, Indonesia, will not only be introduced to the state-of-the-art textile and garment machinery, but also meet with potential clients, exchange business insights around key areas such as sustainability and energy efficiency and expand connections, organisers said.…
INDO INTERTEX AIMS TO BOOST GROWTH FOR INDONESIA'S TEXTILE INDUSTRY
The INDO Intertex textile machinery exhibition will be staged in the Indonesian capital Jakarta next month to boost investment in a textile and clothing sector that is growing, the show’s project manager Paul Kingsen said.
“The theme for this year INDO Intertex is investment growth acceleration.…
INDONESIAN TEXTILE ASSOCIATION BOSS UPBEAT ABOUT HIS INDUSTRY’S FUTURE, BUT ACCEPTS CHALLENGES PAY AHEAD
THE FUTURE of Indonesia’s textile and garment industry could be bright, but it companies must deal with the challenges of high energy costs and competition from regional neighbours to succeed, said Ade Sudrajat the chairman of the Indonesian Textile Association (API – Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia).…
TAIWAN SCRAMBLES TO GET AML HOUSE IN ORDER AHEAD OF APG REVIEW THIS YEAR
FACED with its anti-money laundering and combating the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) backlisting and a big USA fine of a major Taiwan bank, this island country has introduced AML/CFT reforms. Whether it has done enough will be assessed later this year when the Asia/Pacific Group on Money Laundering (APG), of which the island is a member – as Chinese Taipei, a nod to China’s insistence that Taiwan not be treated as an independent country – undertakes a third round of APG mutual evaluations.…
TAX INCENTIVES WELCOMED BY INDONESIAN TEXTILE INDUSTRY LEADERS
TEXTILE industry representatives have welcomed an anticipated move by the Indonesian government to make new corporate income tax cuts to boost investment and make its manufacturing industry – notably textile and clothing manufacturers – more competitive both at home and overseas.…
MEASURES TO SHORE UP INDONESIA’S WEAK AML/CT REGIME BEING INTRODUCED TO REDUCE VULNERABILITY TO ATTACK
FINANCIAL crime experts are urging Indonesia to step up its war on terror financing and money laundering highlighting the south-east Asian nation’s vulnerability to these threats. The USA state department’s 2017 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) noted these threats are significant despite Indonesia neither being a regional financial centre nor an offshore financial haven.…
INDONESIAN TEXTILE EXPORTS RISE AFTER YEARS OF STAGNATION
INDONESIA’S textile and garment exports rebounded strongly in 2017, rising about 5% to USD12.4 billion after four years of stagnation, the head of the country’s textile industry association has revealed.
Factory relocation, political stability and less labour unrest contributed to the growth, said the chairman of the Indonesian Textile Association (API – Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia), Ade Sudrajat.…
ETHICAL DILEMMAS GROW OVER USE OF BIO-TECH IN COSMETIC INDUSTRY
FEARS have been raised that a predicted increase in the cosmetic industry’s use of bio-technology to help preserve the environment’s natural resources will itself lead to further ethical questions about the way beauty products are manufactured.
Market analysts Mintel has forecast a significant rise in artificially ‘grown’ cosmetic ingredients as consumers push for access to more natural products but at the same time support environmental campaigns to protect the planet.…
INDONESIA SEEKS GREATER ACCESS TO EU, US FOR ITS TEXTILE PRODUCTS
THE EXECUTIVE secretary of the Indonesian Textile Association (API – Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia) has said that he hopes his government will make progress next year in forging trade deals with the USA and European Union (EU), boosting textile exports to these key markets.…
INDONESIA TOLD BY WTO TO LIBERALISE ITS MEAT IMPORT CONTROLS
TOUGH Indonesian import restrictions on meat and meat products have been declared in breach of international commerce rules by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) appellate body. It is the highest tribunal within the global trade body and it today (Wednesday, Nov 9) rejected Indonesia’s claims that its barriers complied with the WTO general agreement on tariffs and trade (GATT) and its agreement on agriculture.…
GIG ECONOMY SHAKING UP TRADITIONAL HR ROLES AND SECTOR NEEDS POSITIVE RESPONSE
AS the gig economy or ‘open talent economy’, grows within the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asia Nations) region, how will it impact the area’s HR jobs? Experts warn that the number of full time, traditional personnel jobs are going to be cut significantly and the role of HR is bound to be disrupted.…
INVESTMENT AND EDUCATION REQUIRED TO BOOST JOBSEEKERS’ CHANCES
MORE could be done by the Indonesian government to improve the opportunities for job seekers as unemployment figures continue to rise, say HR experts.
While the IT sector is set to drive the economy forward, the skillsets of local would-be employees are still lacking and a push is required towards stepping up education levels, they warned.…
SYNTHETIC TEXTILE PRODUCERS EYE MORE INVESTMENT IN INDONESIA AS DEMAND SOARS
SPECIALITY textile producers in Indonesia are seeking increased investment as demand in the automotive, construction and furnishings sectors is soaring, according to industry experts.
“There’s a lot of demand and more investment is being directed toward that technical textile production,” said Redma Wirawasta, secretary general of the Association of Synthetic Fiber Producers (APSyFI).…
INDONESIA’S MAJOR COLOUR COSMETICS MARKET BEING PUSHED AHEAD BY MORE ASSERTIVE WOMEN CONSUMERS
INDONESIA is an important market – it does not just have 261 million people, but its female consumers especially are becoming more assertive and shaping colour cosmetic trends that brands should follow if they want to boost revenue. Last year, market observers have said, women consumers in Indonesia decided they wanted to buy matte lipstick, and this demand has mushroomed.…
INDONESIA TEXTILE FACTORIES MUST IMPROVE ITS DESIGNS
INDONESIAN textile factories must improve their production of motif designs and colours to satisfy domestic consumers and boost local sales, said textile retailers at south-east Asia’s busiest garment and textile market in Jakarta’s Tanah Abang district. “We expect producers make more unique textile motifs, so customers will have more choices, which they will like,” said Eryanto, a trader who has been working for about 11 years at the Arjuna Bombay textile shop at Tanah Abang Block A market.…
SOUTH KOREAN COSMETICS SURGERY SECTOR FORGING AHEAD WITH MINIMISED INCISION SCARS AND SHORTER RECOVERY PERIODS
WHEN the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) released its annual set of global statistics in June (2017), and South Korea was not among the world’s 24 countries that performed the most surgical and nonsurgical procedures in 2016, there was considerable surprise.…
SOUTH EAST ASIA PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT MARKETS GROW – BUT DIVERSITY IN TRENDS STILL SIGNIFICANT
SOUTH east Asia’s countries are as culturally diverse as those in Europe, and far more contrasting in economic development, so it is no surprise that their personal care product markets differ in their tastes and priorities. Fortunately, with the region’s largely emerging market economies still on a robust growth trajectory, and its more developed economies solidifying their wealth, the usual personal care product sale trend is one of expansion, albeit unevenly and sometimes with set-backs.…
TAIWAN COSMETICS SECTOR STAYS ROBUST BUT CHALLENGED BY REGULATORY HEADACHES
TAIWAN, a now a high-income economy with a population of 23.6 million and a per capita income of USD22,453 in 2016, (International Monetary Fund figures), has been witnessing robust growth in its cosmetics and personal care products manufacturing. In 2016, this grew by 5.99% year-on-year to Taiwan dollars TWD21.1 billion (USD700 million), according to an estimate by the Industrial Economics & Knowledge Center (IEK), a Hsinchu-based public-initiated think tank.…
ECONOMISTS SAY INDONESIA MUST UPSKILL TO MAKE THE MOST OF ASEAN ECONOMIC INTEGRATION
THE ONGOING economic integration of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) block is creating potential opportunities for Indonesia’s workforce, but thy may not have skills to take advantage without proactive vocational training programmes, economists have warned.
“Qualification mismatch is still a significant issue for young people in Indonesia today,” Emma Allen, Jakarta-based country economist for the Manila-based Asian Development Bank (ADB), told People Management.…
CHINA’S SAIC LOOKS ABROAD TO EXPAND SALES AS DOMESTIC MARKET GROWTH TAILS OFF
CHINESE customers bought 28 million vehicles in 2016, up 7.3% from 2015, which saw a year-on-year growth of 4.7%, according to the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers. However, such sales were largely stimulated by tax incentives released by the Chinese government in 2015 to encourage the sales of low-emission cars.…
EU TO TACKLE G20 OVER TRADE BARRIERS THAT HIT CLOTHING AND TEXTILES SALES
The European Commission will press trading partners at this week’s July 7-8 G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, to remove unfair obstacles to European Union imports, after a EU report detailed such restrictions, many affecting clothing and textile trades.
Referring to the Commission’s latest annual Report on Trade and Investment Barriers (TIBR), EU trade Commissioner Cecilia Malström warned G20 leaders it was prepared to launch World Trade Organisation cases if necessary: “We are taking action.…
EU TO TACKLE G20 OVER TRADE BARRIERS THAT HIT CLOTHING AND TEXTILES SALES
The European Commission will press trading partners at this week’s July 7-8 G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, to remove unfair obstacles to European Union imports, after a EU report detailed such restrictions, many affecting clothing and textile trades.
Referring to the Commission’s latest annual Report on Trade and Investment Barriers (TIBR), EU trade Commissioner Cecilia Malström warned G20 leaders it was prepared to launch World Trade Organisation cases if necessary: “We are taking action.…
TAIWANESE TEXTILE INVESTMENT IN VIETNAM UNFAZED BY TPP’S FATE
There is no sign that Taiwanese textile investors will rethink their commitment to Vietnam six months after US President Donald Trump pulled America out of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement that would have greatly boosted Vietnamese garment exports to the USA.…
INDONESIA SHOULD CREATE NEW LIVESTOCK ZONES TO REALISE BEEF CATTLE SELF-SUFFICIENCY GOAL
THE INDONESIAN government needs to establish new livestock production zones as it proactively tries to boost the country’s national meat production and consumption through encouraging the import of livestock, and temporarily of frozen beef, the country’s executive director of the Indonesian Meat Importers Association has said.…
INDONESIA’S GROWING MIDDLE CLASS BOOSTS DEODORANT SALES IN THIS TROPICAL EMERGING MARKET
An increasing and unprecedented desire to smell good at all times is driving an increase in deodorant sales within Indonesia, an emerging market of more than 260 million people, whose tropical climate sees average daily highs generally exceed 28C.
The affordability of deodorants and their widespread availability at supermarkets have been boosting sales, especially among the country’s growing middle class, although there has not been a constant increase in sales in recent years, with a fall in the value of the Indonesian Rupiah in 2013 and 2014 depressing imports, which are of key importance for supplies of this consumer product in Indonesia.…
INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT MUST DO MORE TO FIGHT DAMAGING ILLICIT IMPORTS OF TEXTILE PRODUCTS, SAYS INDUSTRY
THE INDONESIAN government must do better in controlling illegal imports of textile and textile products, Anies Soengkar, chairman of the Indonesian Textile Association (API – Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia) branch Pekalongan, Central Java told WTiN.com.
This representative of a key textile production zone in Indonesia said that illicit imports are entering the country for distribution by door-to-door delivery networks.…
INDONESIA IMPROVES TEXTILE AND GARMENT INDUSTRY SAFETY
Indonesia’s textile sector and government has been actively implementing workplace safety and health policies in its textile and garment factories that follow Garment Factory Construction Guidelines issued by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). These have been promoted since ILO’s Jakarta unit released its Better Work Indonesia (BWI) programme in May 2014 said an official from the Indonesian Textile Association (API – Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia) told WTiN.com.…
COSMETICS INDUSTRY EYES WTO RULING ON INDONESIA’S APPEAL AGAINST EU FATTY ALCOHOL DUTIES
EUROPEAN Union (EU) cosmetics and soaps companies are awaiting with interest the results of the World Trade Organisation (WTO)’s appellate body’s decision on Indonesia’s claim that the EU’s anti-dumping duties have been unfairly placed on imported fatty alcohols from the south-east Asian economic giant.…
LEGAL CONCERNS STALL FOREIGN INVESTMENT IN MYANMAR METAL ORE MINING
Continued uncertainty over the legal and fiscal regulations governing Myanmar’s metal ore mining industry is deterring substantial foreign investment from medium-and-large western mining companies, although industry insiders remain positive about the sector’s medium and longer-term potential.
Since Myanmar’s previous military-supported government amended the country’s 1994 mining law in December 2015, in an attempt to modernise the sector’s rules and kickstart the industry, the National League for Democracy government (which took power last April) has been slow to address concerns raised by potential investors.…
INDONESIA’S BURGEONING MIDDLE CLASS PROMISES GROWING DEMAND FOR COUNTRY’S PAINT SECTOR
THE PAINT and coatings sector in Indonesia looks set to grow significantly in coming years as rising salaries and job creation mean more disposable income for middle class purchases of residential product. The south-east Asian archipelago’s poverty rate has dropped from 17.2% in 2002 to 11.1% in 2015, according to the World Bank.…
TRUMP’S DUMP OF TPP MIGHT CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDONESIAN TEXTILE SECTOR
The chairman of the Indonesian Textiles Association (API) has expressed cautious optimism about President Donald Trump’s rejection of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade pact and re-confirmed the need to boost Indonesia’s competitiveness.
Trump pulled the USA out of the agreement on January 23, and while that could be bad news for the other 11 TPP partners, including regional textile sector competitors Malaysia and clothing hub Vietnam, the deal had yet to include Indonesia.…
INDONESIA’S WAVE OF RETURNING TALENT MEANING OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FOR HR
INDONESIAN human resources departments are having to adapt to a growing challenge – an increase in the number of Indonesians returning home to work in the world’s fourth most populous nation and Southeast Asia’s biggest economy by far.
The continued economic rise of this archipelago nation of 250 million people has been accompanied by a wave of returning Indonesians who have received years of university education or job training in faraway places such as the US, the UK, continental Europe and Australia.…
EU/WTO INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – EU BOOSTS FOOD MARKETING BUDGET
EUROPEAN Union (EU) food exporters will in 2017 be offered an increased amount of money by the European Commission to better promote their products, especially in non-EU markets. The Commission has said that EUR133 million will be available this year to co-finance at 70%-85% such marketing campaigns, compared to EUR111 million in 2016.…
EU/WTO INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – EU BOOSTS FOOD MARKETING BUDGET
EUROPEAN Union (EU) food exporters will in 2017 be offered an increased amount of money by the European Commission to better promote their products, especially in non-EU markets. The Commission has said that EUR133 million will be available this year to co-finance at 70%-85% such marketing campaigns, compared to EUR111 million in 2016.…
INDONESIAN BATIK PRODUCERS PREFER ONLINE MARKETING TO BOOST SALES
Indonesian batik producers are turning to social media to boost sales, helping them maintain production when not only standard marketing and distribution channels are not delivering enough revenue but standalone websites and major e-commerce sites.
Rusydi Bawazir, producer of Nargis Batik Podhek, from Madura, East Java province, started online marketing three years ago by using website: nargis.web.id.…
CHINA PERSONAL CARE PRODUCT ECOMMERCE SALES BOOM, AS MARKET MATURES
PHOTOS posted on the Chinese microblog platform Weixin (commonly known in English as WeChat) from the Indonesian holiday island of Bali recently are emblematic of key trends in China’s cosmetics and personal care markets, notably booming ecommerce sales. Over 100 Chinese sales managers – technically self-employed and operating on commission – flew to Bali as guests of USANA Health Sciences Inc, which in 2010 acquired BabyCare Ltd, a China-based direct selling company that develops, manufactures and sells nutritional products.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – SUGAR PRODUCERS WANT EU PROTECTION MAINTAINED, DESPITE TRADE DEAL TALKS
THE INTERNATIONAL Confederation of European Beet Growers (CIBE) and the European Association of Sugar Producers (CEFS-Comité Européen des Fabricants de Sucre) have jointly called on the European Union (EU) to continue protecting producers with import tariffs, even as the EU negotiates 12 trade deals affecting the food industry.…
DEATH OF TPP COULD EASE PRESSURE ON ASIA-PACIFIC LABOUR MOBILITY
HUMAN resources experts in the Asia-Pacific region are mulling the potential impact of US President-elect Donald Trump abandoning the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade deal. He has promised to withdraw the US from the agreement on his first day in office.
And without American participation, the pact seems dead in the water: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe recently said it would be “meaningless,” while Vietnam, whose export-driven economy was expected to be one of the major beneficiaries of the TPP, has withdrawn the proposal for ratification in its National Assembly.…
CANADA METAL ASSOCIATION WANTS TPP PRESERVED, DESPITE TRUMP PROMISE TO QUIT DEAL
A senior Canada metal industry association has called on its government to continue ratifying the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), despite US President-elect Donald Trump’s commitment to withdraw the US from the trade deal on his first day of office.
“We definitely still support Canada moving forward with the TPP, even without the US.…
INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT PLOTS EFFICIENCY IMPROVEMENTS AT NEW TEXTILE INPUT WAREHOUSES
A senior official at Indonesia’s industry ministry has told WTiN.com of its plans to boost the effectiveness of newly established warehouse storage systems for textile industry inputs, helping the country’s manufacturers source supplies swiftly and efficiently.
Achmad Sigit Dwiwahjono, the industry ministry’s director general of chemical, textile and various industries, hailed the government’s new bonded warehouses, where supplies can be admitted without paying excise duty, as a major advance, hailing improvements in operations facilitated by a cotton handling logistics centre.…
INDONESIA BONDED WAREHOUSE PLANS WILL BOOST TEXTILE SECTOR LOGISTICS, SAYS INDUSTRY
The chairman of the Indonesia textile association (API – Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia) has welcomed his government’s initiative to open bonded logistics centres, saying that they will reduce textile manufacturers’ logistics costs by as much as between 25% and 35%.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo inaugurated 11 bonded logistics centres earlier in the year as part of a series of economic reforms designed to boost trade in southeast Asia’s largest economy.…
INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT MULLS PLANS TO GIVE INCENTIVES TO COUNTRY’S TEXTILE INDUSTRY
top official at Indonesia’s industry ministry has told WTiN that his government plans to give various incentives to the country’s textile industry to encourage exports and competitiveness in the global marketplace.
The ministry’s director general of international industrial cooperation Mr Harjanto (NOTE HE HAS ONE NAME ONLY) said officials were exploring the idea of applying energy cost refunds subsidising electricity bills for manufacturers who want to export textile products.…
CHINA SEES GREAT OPPORTUNITIES FOR NON-WOVENS, CONFERENCE HEARS
Non-wovens textile manufacturers are likely to benefit from a soaring Chinese market for their products, thanks to a fast ageing population, the government’s recently launched two-child policy, and demand created by air pollution that continues to plague the country, and international conference in Shanghai has head.…
INDONESIA’S PERSONAL CARE SECTOR HOLDING STRONG AS NEW AVENUES FOR SALES OPEN
Indonesia’s personal care product sector is faring well at first glance, with domestic sales more than doubling in size in value terms over the past five years. Multinational companies see it as a lucrative market, while local firms also seem to hold their own.…
ASIAN REGULATORY ROUND UP - MALAYSIA FACES US COURT ACTION OVER SOVEREIGN WEALTH FUND ALLEGATIONS
MALAYSIAN Prime Minister Najib Razak has come under renewed pressure over allegations that he personally profited from a sovereign wealth fund, after the US Department of Justice (DoJ) announced it would seek to recover more than USD1 billion in “misappropriated assets”.…
ASIA - FUTURE OF HR
WORKFORCE DEMOGRAPHICS
East Asia is a very varied region in terms of economic development. Take the 10 members of trade bloc ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations): with 632 million people, demographics greatly vary, from aging Singapore and Thailand, to the younger and emerging economies of Indonesia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia and the Philippines.…
INDONESIA TEXTILE SECTOR WELCOMES LAUNCH OF EU TRADE TALKS
The Indonesian Textiles Association (API – Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia) has told WTiN.com that it enthusiastically endorses the opening of negotiations between the European Union (EU) and Indonesia to forge a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) free trade deal.
The goal of the talks announced in July will be to create an agreement that goes beyond traditional agreements that focus on duty and quota abolition, to include removing non-tariff barriers through regulatory mutual recognition and harmonisation.…
EU-INDONESIA TALKS COULD EASE RED TAPE HINDERING TIN TRADES
Metal traders will be examining new trade talks between the European Union (EU) and Indonesia, with negotiators targeting non-tariff red tape that has been hindering Indonesian exports to Europe of its key tin reserves.
The talks, announced last month (July) will begin later this year and Indonesian non-ferrous metal exporters could benefit from the abolition of tariffs and other trade barriers.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – PLANNED EU-INDONESIA TRADE DEAL COULD BOOST INDONESIAN KNIT EXPORTS
THE INDONESIAN knitwear sector stands to boost its access to European Union (EU) markets should new talks to forge an EU-Indonesia trade deal prove successful. Trade is already significant – Indonesian exports to the EU of knitted or crocheted men’s and boys’ shirts generated receipts of USD35.1 million in 2014, for instance; for knitted and crocheted fabrics the figure was USD14.1 million in 2014, according to international trade data.…
EU, INDONESIA FTA SUSTAINABILITY IMPACT ASSESSMENT IMMINENT -EUROPEAN COMMISSION
THE EUROPEAN Commission has told just-style it is planning to launch a sustainability impact assessment on a proposed European Union (EU)-Indonesia free trade deal that is expected to boost apparel and textile trades on both sides.
A spokesperson from the European Commission’s trade directorate general said the assessment’s “valuable input” will help negotiators on both sides to hone the deal, the spokesperson said.…
INDONESIA’S TRADITIONAL TEXTILES NEED RECOGNITION, INVESTMENTS, SAY EXPERTS
INDONESIA’S hand-made traditional textile sector, especially its famous batiks, is lagging behind growth on its large scale machine-printed batik motifs on apparel and textiles, industry experts have warned. And this is a pity, given this potentially lucrative high end production has not been recognised for its true potential value on the international market, they have said.…
THAI AUTO SECTOR AWAITING SHOT IN THE ARM AMID PROSPECT OF TARIFF-FREE EXPORTS TO VIETNAM
Thailand-based automotive original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are set to benefit from the expansion of an existing auto tariff-free zone to Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) members Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam in 2018. These would then join this ASEAN-linked trading zone’s member countries Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand to forge an ASEAN-wide automotive market bloc.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – EUROPE CHOCOLATE SECTOR COULD SECURE DUTY-FREE ACCESS TO INDONESIAN COCOA
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) chocolate sector stands to access supplies from the world’s third largest cocoa producer – Indonesia – should new talks to forge an EU-Indonesia trade deal prove successful. The country produced around 400,000 tonnes of cocoa in 2015.…
ASEAN AUTOMOTIVE TRADE DEAL COULD CONCENTRATE AUTO TRADE PRODUCTION IN SOUTH EAST ASIA
Asian paint and coatings manufacturers are set to benefit from the expansion of an existing automotive tariff-free zone spanning Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand to Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.…
PRESSURE ON FOR PROGRESS ON EU-INDONESIA FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
Indonesian negotiators must press harder to make progress on the European Union (EU)-Indonesia free trade agreement or textile manufacturers risk losing market share to neighbouring competitors like Vietnam, according to the Indonesian Textile Association (API – Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia). Its chairman Ade Sudrajat told WTiN.com…
INDONESIA MOVES TO SOLVE MIDDLE MANAGEMENT SHORTAGES IN CLOTHING AND TEXTILE SECTOR
A new textile training academy in the Javanese city of Solo is an important step towards addressing the critical shortage of middle managers in Indonesia’s garment industry, according to chairman of the Indonesia textile association Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia (API), Ade Sudrajat.…
INDONESIA’S BODY CARE SECTOR GROWS ON THE BACK GROWING POPULATION AND SURGING INCOME
INDONESIAN consumers are becoming increasingly brand-savvy as their incomes surge, driving up the country’s body care product market. As of 2015, this retail segment generated USD169.41 million in sales, and is expected to reach USD245.09 million by 2020, according to Ghina Romani, a researcher with the London-based market intelligence company Canadean.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – INDONESIA AND EU WILL COMBINE EFFORTS TO MAKE PALM OIL SUSTAINABLE
EUROPEAN confectionery manufacturers and the Indonesian government have agreed that they need to work together to ensure that 100% of all palm oil is made sustainably in future. At an April debate hosted at the European Parliament by British conservative MEP Julie Girling, Indonesia’s ambassador to the European Union (EU) Yuri Thamrin said: “We are ready to consider good cooperation projects with our partners in Europe to attain 100% sustainable palm oil and overcome all impediments.”…
PRESSURE ON FOR PROGRESS ON EU-INDONESIA FREE TRADE AGREEMENT
Indonesian negotiators must press harder to make progress on the European Union (EU)-Indonesia free trade agreement or textile manufacturers risk losing market share to neighbouring competitors like Vietnam, according to the Indonesian Textile Association (API – Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia). Its chairman Ade Sudrajat told WTiN.com…
MIDDLE CLASS LIFESTYLES BOOSTS INDONESIA’S MOSQUITO NET DEMAND
Indonesia’s mosquito net industry is facing high demand due to the growing number of middle class consumers in the country and their increasing desire to live a more natural lifestyle, according to Citra Maya, an Indonesian mosquito net supplier.
Arif Novianto, a marketing manager at Citra Maya, told WTiN.com…
INDONESIA’S BODY CARE SECTOR GROWS ON THE BACK GROWING POPULATION AND SURGING INCOME
INDONESIAN consumers are becoming increasingly brand-savvy as their incomes surge, driving up the country’s body care product market. As of 2015, this retail segment generated USD169.41 million in sales, and is expected to reach USD245.09 million by 2020, according to Ghina Romani, a researcher with the London-based market intelligence company Canadean.…
INTERNATIONAL REGULATORY ROUND UP – EU SUGAR INDUSTRY WANTS GLOBAL AGREEMENT LIMITING SUBSIDIES
THE EUROPEAN Association of Sugar Producers (CEFS) and the European Federation of Trade Unions in the Food, Agriculture and Tourism sectors (EFFAT) have called for the European Union (EU) to push for a global agreement ending all subsidies and other trade-distorting policies affecting the sugar sector.…
INDONESIA COATINGS SECTOR GROWS STRONGLY AS COUNTRY’S HOUSING, AUTOMOTIVE AND INFRASTRUCTURE SECTORS EXPAND
Rising affluence, together with growth across feeder industries are translating into solid results for the Indonesian coatings sector. The paints and varnishes market in the country generated sales of Indonesian Rupiah IDR24,733 billion (USD1.9 billion) in 2014 according to the latest data available from market researcher Euromonitor International.…
INDONESIA HOME TEXTILE SECTOR YET TO FULLY EXPLOIT COUNTRY’S RICH TEXTILE TRADITIONS
A JAKARTA-based designer and exporter of soft furnishings has told WTiN.com how her country’s home textile sector could prosper by using more of the country’s rich and varied tradition of woven fabrics in its design, especially if production could be scaled up reducing unit costs.…
CORPORATE GOVERNANCE CHALLENGES IN ASIA-PACIFIC REGION
If there is one region in the world that could benefit from a rationalisation of corporate governance structure, it is surely Asia, with its shifting sands of complex company ownership structures. Globalisation has only increased the size of subsidiary/parent relationship webs.…
INDONESIA’S SARONG SALES TO RISE, BUT GOVERNMENT COULD HELP BOOST EXPORTS
A LEADER of Indonesia’s important sarong manufacturing industry has told WTiN.com that he expects sales in this sector to rise by 20% this year compared to 2015. Anies Soengkar, chairman of the Indonesian Textile Association (API – Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia) branch in the key sarong producing centre of Pekalongan, central Java, said domestic and export sales were healthy.…
INDONESIA FACES TOUGH REGIONAL COMPETITION, BUT INDUSTRY IS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT FUTURE SUCCESS
Free trade agreements with the United States and Europe are essential if the Indonesian textile market is to flourish and compete with strong regional rivals, according to analysts and sector leaders.
The Indonesian government has said it wants to sign the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement agreed by 12 Pacific Rim countries last October (2015).…
INDONESIA HOME TEXTILE SECTOR YET TO FULLY EXPLOIT COUNTRY’S RICH TEXTILE TRADITIONS
A JAKARTA-based designer and exporter of soft furnishings has told WTiN.com how her country’s home textile sector could prosper by using more of the country’s rich and varied tradition of woven fabrics in its design, especially if production could be scaled up reducing unit costs.…
INDUSTRIAL FIBRE FORESTS UNDER CONSIDERATION IN INDONESIA
THE DEVELOPMENT of fibre plant and tree plantations to solidify backward linkages for textile fibre within Indonesia is under consideration as the south-east Asian country seeks to diversify its fibre, yarn and textile production.
Of key importance is how textile producer the Sritex Group, which last year announced it would be building a USD250 million rayon factory in Java, to lower its dependence on imports of its key fibre.…
ADITYA BIRLA INDONESIAN MILL BLAZED TRAIL FOR NEW GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE FIBRE SOURCING POLICY
Good sourcing practice at the Indonesian mill of India-based viscose fibre giant Aditya Birla has paved the way to the company’s commitment this month to a global policy to eliminate sourcing materials from ancient and endangered forests, according to the international environmental group that helped develop the policy.…
INDONESIAN TEXTILE INDUSTRY UNDER PRESSURE OVER POLLUTION CLAIMS
THE INDONESIAN textile industry is being put under pressure to boost its environmental performance by international non-governmental organisation (NGO) Greenpeace, which has accused sector of poisoning a major river in West Java.
WTiN.com visited elderly residents in Majalaya, a small town by the Citarum River, who say it was once clean enough to wash in.…
INDONESIA BECOMING A GLOBAL VACCINE PLAYER BUT SO IS CHINA
Indonesia is pushing to expand its domestic vaccine manufacturing, so that the domestic market is covered with vaccines in Indonesia’s regular immunisation schedule. The country’s state-owned pharmaceutical company Bio Farma is at the centre of these efforts, and has been expanding exports so that 60% of its production (NOW?…
USA AND NEW ZEALAND TAKE ON INDONESIA AT WTO OVER MEAT RESTRICTIONS
The United States and New Zealand have joined forces in asking the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to create a disputes settlement body ruling on whether Indonesian import restrictions on livestock, meat and other food products breaks global commerce rules.
Washington and Wellington have been formally consulting with Indonesia about their concerns since last May (2014).…
INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT BUDGETS USD7.6 MILLION TO PROVIDE NEW EQUIPMENT FOR THE TEXTILES INDUSTRY
Indonesia’s industry ministry is planning to boost the growth of the country’s domestic textile manufacturing sector in 2015, with the expansion of an initiative that will help finance businesses buying new equipment and machinery.
“Especially for the fiscal year 2015, we have budgeted [Indonesia Rupiah IDR100 billion [USD7.6 million].…
INDONESIAN BATIK INDUSTRY ON COURSE FOR RECORD PROFITS IN 2015
THE INDONESIAN batik industry may be set for record profits in 2015, on the back of strong growth of both the domestic and export market in recent years, according to an industry insider. “Our turnover trade has approximately doubled in the last five years,” Dewanto Santosa, director of Batik Danar Hadi, said.…
MWANA AFRICA SUBSIDIARY PLOTS ZIMBABWE NICKEL SMELTER REOPENING
Mwana Africa’s Zimbabwe subsidiary Bindura Nickel Corporation (BNC) says it is on course to restart its nickel smelter in the first half of this year as the nickel giant moves to increase revenue and cut operating costs. The company plans that it will initially produce high quality nickel cathodes, copper sulphide and cobalt hydroxide, processing 195,000 tonnes of ore per quarter year.…
INDONESIAN BATIK INDUSTRY ON COURSE FOR RECORD PROFITS IN 2015
THE INDONESIAN batik industry may be set for record profits in 2015, on the back of strong growth of both the domestic and export market in recent years, according to an industry insider. “Our turnover trade has approximately doubled in the last five years,” Dewanto Santosa, director of Batik Danar Hadi, said.…
The Indonesia textile sector
Technical textiles will be a key focus at textiles and clothing trade shows staged in Jakarta during the coming year, according to a senior event organiser. The Indonesia textile sector is planning a range of conferences for April, designed to educate potential investors about new technologies and business opportunities in Indonesia’s textiles sector.…
AMID ASIA’S RISE, CENTRE OF GRAVITY NOT ENTIRELY CHANGING FOR PRIVATE LABEL COSMETIC MANUFACTURING
FOR ASIA’S private label cosmetics manufacturers, orders by Asian brands have been replacing those from western companies, as Asia has become the top personal care product market besides the US and Europe. Indeed, some countries in the region are still seeing high growth rates.…
TERRORIST FINANCING IN IRAQ AND SYRIA
Iraq and Syria are major hot spots in the fight against terrorism financing. Numerous militant Islamist groups are in operation, most notably the Islamic State (IS), with revenues derived from multiple sources, including extortion, seizures of grain, sales of oil, private donations and charities.…
ASEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY WILL BE LAUNCHED IN 2015 – BUT INDONESIA MAINTAINS ITS ORE EXPORT BAN
2015 will be an important year in southeast Asia, with the launch of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Economic Community (AEC) in December. But analysts question whether the region’s non-ferrous metal giant Indonesia is ready to integrate its industry with those of its neighbours.…
INDONESIA MAYBE FAST-GROWING BAR SOAP MARKET, BUT LIQUID SOAPS TAKING MARKET SHARE
Indonesia remains the world’s fastest growing soap market, say researchers Mintel, which point to Indonesian bathing habits encouraged by the country’s sweltering humidity, but wealthier Indonesians are starting to prefer liquid products to bar soap. Indonesians have for centuries opted for a quick ‘mandi’, the traditional bathing method of using a scoop to pour cold water on oneself.…
JAA INKS INDONESIA CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AND SECURITY DEAL
THE JOINT Aviation Authorities Training Organisation (JAA TO) has signed a memorandum of understanding with Indonesia’s PT HESA Air Service to improve civil aviation safety and security standards in this key emerging market country. The JAA will work with PT HESA to deliver training programmes on these topics, “as per the market’s demand or tailored to special request and delivered at the premises designated by PT.…
YAKULT CONFIRMS PRODUCTION EXPANSION IN INDONESIA
The Indonesian unit of Japanese probiotic drinks giant Yakult Honsha Co Ltd has confirmed to just-food.com that it will expand its production facility in East Java to meet growing demand in the country. Details of the plan were announced by Indra Tjahjono, managing director of Yakult Indonesia, who told local media that the firm will upgrade its plant at the Ngoro Industrial Park.…
INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT TO BANKROLL TEXTILES TRAINING, SIGNALS EASING OF ECONOMIC NATIONALISM
THE INDONESIAN textiles association (API) is to partner with the Indonesian ministry of industry to set up free training courses for textiles workers, according to API chairman Ade Sudrajat. The initiative is seen as an early indicator of the investor-friendly credentials of the new administration, under President Joko Widodo, who took office last month.…
NEW WIDODO GOVERNMENT MUST BOOST TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE TO IMPROVE TEXTILE LOGISTICS SAYS CONSULTANT
THE GOVERNMENT of Indonesia’s new President Joko Widodo — who was inaugurated on Monday (Oct 20) — will need to invest heavily in infrastructure to boost the country’s textiles and broader manufacturing sector, according to a senior industry consultant.
“The major challenge presented by Indonesia’s poor infrastructure are shared by every industry,” Keith Loveard, senior risk analyst, at Jakarta-based Concord Consulting.…
INDONESIA ELECTRICITY BILL HIKES ENCOURAGE TEXTILE FIRMS TO INVEST IN ON-SITE COGENERATION
Indonesia’s upstream textile industry is turning to onsite combined heat and power (CHP) on the back of double digit electricity price hikes this year, according to an industry insider. Nils Hansen, sales director for Jakarta-based Navigat Energy, which supplies gas turbine engines in Indonesia, CHP is becoming an increasingly attractive option as the country’s textile manufacturers seek to avoid spiralling energy bills.…
INDONESIAN GARMENT MANUFACTURERS RELOCATING DUE TO RISING MINIMUM WAGES
INDONESIAN garment manufacturers are moving to the Central Java province to capitalise on lower minimum wage costs, according to a senior industry figure.
Ade Sudrajat, chairman of the Indonesian Textile Association (API), said the industry’s established manufacturing hub in West Java, greater Jakarta and Banten province (all in western Java) had become less competitive as unions have won repeated inflation-busting wage increases. …
INDONESIA YARN DUTY COULD DAMAGE TEXTILE SECTOR WARNS INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION
A proposed antidumping duty on imported yarns being considered by the Indonesian anti-dumping agency (KADI) could increase production costs, eroding Indonesia’s competitive edge, the chairman of the Indonesian Textiles Association (API) Ade Sudrajat has warned.
The committee’s inquiry was sparked by a petition from a group of Indonesian yarn producers, including Indorama and Asia Pacific Fibers, who say they are being undercut by foreign companies aggressively entering the market, selling yarn below cost price and allegedly breaking World Trade Organisation (WTO) regulations.…
INDONESIA ENERGY PUSH TO PROMOTE ONSITE POWER, COGENERATION AND SMALL PLANTS
Energy production and distribution is often the bedrock of sustainable economic development, and for an archipelago such as Indonesia, onsite power and small grids will always be the most sensible option. The government of south-east Asia’s most populous country has released a Masterplan for Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesia’s Economic Development (MP3EI) whose goal is developed economy status by 2025.…
INDONESIA TEXTILE TRAINING CENTRE COULD CLOSE – WARNS DIRECTOR
The Indonesian textiles industry is facing a crisis of competence that will worsen if vocational training continues to be neglected by the government and manufacturers, an industry training leader has warned. Johann Höpflinger, director of the International Garment Training Centre (IGTC), based in Citeurup, West Java, called on industry leaders to provide extra funding to address the skills shortage.…
JAPAN FOOD MANUFACTURERS TARGET INCREASINGLY WEALTHY SOUTHEAST ASIA
JAPANESE food manufacturers are targeting south-east Asia as key export markets, leveraging their products’ sophisticated, fashionable and healthy image. Indeed, with a significant proportion of south-east Asian consumers becoming richer, the perception that Japanese brands can be relatively expensive can help marketing and certainly not harm sales, they say.…
INDONESIA EMPLOYERS ASSOCIATION PRESSES FOR VARIABLE MINIMUM WAGE LAW
The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) is considering proposing a nationwide tiered system of minimum wages based on the size and sector of businesses. Apindo chairman Sofjan Wanandi told just-style.com that wage obligations should differ between small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large firms, as well as between labour-intensive and capital-intensive industries, due to their varying productivities and wage capacities.…
INDONESIAN TEXTILE PRODUCERS FEAR INCREASE IN ELECTRICITY BILLS
Increasing power tariffs in Indonesia could force textile and garment manufacturers to double their raw material imports, according to Ade Sudrajat Usman, chairman of the Indonesian Textiles Association (API).
The API chair told just-style that electricity consumption already constitutes 15% to 20% of production costs for textile manufacturers in the country.…
API PREDICTS GROWTH IN INDONESIAN TECHNICAL TEXTILES, BUT WANTS GOVERNMENT TO BOOST TRADE LINKS
Investment in the Indonesian textiles industry is set to remain stable this year, but with expansion in technical textiles, according to Ade Sudrajat Usman, chairman of the Indonesian Textiles Association (API). Technical textiles – including medical textiles, geotextiles and agri-textiles – are a growing market and industry within Indonesia, with USD150 million worth of investment anticipated for 2014, according to Ade.…
PT KANSAI’S YONEHARA IS OPTIMISTIC ABOUT INDONESIA’S COATING SECTOR PROSPECTS, DESPITE RISES IN WAGE COSTS
THE FOURTH largest country in the world by population, with an expanding middle class, Indonesia is an attractive base for many of the world’s global paints and coatings companies.
Mr Yoichi Yonehara took over the helm at PT Kansai Prakarsa Coatings two years ago and in that time he has had the opportunity to witness not only a coatings industry in evolution but also a country in a period of great change.…
BRIGHT OUTLOOK FOR ASEAN PAINTS SECTOR AS ECONOMIC COMMUNITY DEADLINE APPROACHES
AS the 2015 deadline for the full integration of the ASEAN economic community (AEC) approaches, it is becoming clear that while trade and standards harmonisation is right on target (and in some sectors well advanced) among member nations, the infinite details of this process for the coatings sector will be a work in process for many years to come.…
INDONESIA NATURAL FIBRE PUSH COULD HAVE LIMITED BENEFIT, INDUSTRY WARNS
THE INDONESIAN government’s decision to promote natural fibres in place of synthetics may have merit, but the country’s garment and textile export industry may not gain from the move, industry experts argue.
Indonesia’s ministry of industry recently announced plans to promote banana and pineapple fibres to minimise its textile industry’s dependence on polyester and rayon.…
INDONESIA LAUNCHES STEEL SECTION SAFEGUARD DUTY PROBE
The Indonesian government has launched an inquiry that could lead it to levy temporary protective ‘safeguard’ duties against imports of I and H sections made with certain alloyed steels.
This probe will be staged by the Indonesian Safeguards Committee (Komite Pengamanan Perdagangan Indonesia – KPPI) and comes after a request from Indonesian steel manufacturer PT.…
INDONESIA TEXTILES SECTOR ATTACKS GOVERNMENT POWER BILL HIKE
INDONESIAN textile manufacturers have warned that a government plan to raise electricity tariffs in 2014 may cause apparel prices to rise by 50% and could increase trade deficits in the industry.
In January, Indonesia’s House of Representatives Commission VII approved a plan from the country’s energy and mineral resources ministry to increase electricity tariffs for major industrial consumers. …
INDONESIAN GARMENT PRODUCER FACE HARDEST HITS FROM PLANNED POWER BILL HIKE
A PLANNED increase in electricity tariffs in Indonesia has sparked concern in the garment industry that it will raise production costs, which may affect the industry’s competitiveness in the export market.
Asep Setiaharja, vice secretary general of the Indonesian Textile Association (API), said that the upstream end of the garment production chain will bear the biggest brunt of rising electricity costs: “The increase of electricity tariffs mostly hits upstream industries such as man-made fibre manufacturers and spinners who are more energy intensive than their colleagues of fabric and garment manufacturers,” he said.…
2014 SHAPES UP AS BUMPER YEAR FOR AUSTRALIAN LIVE CATTLE EXPORTS
AUSTRALIA’S live cattle exports posted strong growth in 2013, with an 18% year-on-year increase in the 10 months from January to October. According to figures from Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), Australia exported 650,830 head of cattle during this period, with nearly half (314,879) absorbed by the Indonesian market, Australia’s most import livestock export destination.…
INDONESIA NONWOVENS INDUSTRY EXPANDS AS MIDDLE CLASS GROWS IN SIZE
INDONESIA’S nonwovens market is expanding rapidly, in particular because of rising demand for consumer products. At around 246 million people, Indonesia has easily the largest population among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) bloc. The country’s economy has grown at an annual average of 6% over recent years, although there are signs that growth could be slowing, with the World Bank forecasting growth of 5.6% in 2013 and 5.3% in 2014, compared with 6.2% in 2012.…
INDONESIAN TEXTILE PRODUCERS FACE MIXED CHALLENGES AS ASEAN ECONOMIC INTEGRATION LOOMS
WITH the 2015 deadline approaching for the establishing a common market within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indonesian textile manufacturers need professional competency standards to be harmonised across the 10 member countries, according to the country’s peak textiles association.…
GREENING MEASURES IN THE NEW EU AGRICULTURAL POLICY TO IMPACT BIOFUEL CROPS
EVEN if the heated political debate over the reform of the European Union’s (EU) common agricultural policy (CAP) has cooled off in Brussels after the final agreement reached in September, the European Commission is still thrashing out the practical rules on how the policy will be implemented.…
AUSTRALIAN EXPORTERS HOPE SPY SCANDAL WILL FAIL TO DERAIL BEEF TRADE
AUSTRALIA’S livestock export traders have said they want to ensure that their lucrative export business with Indonesia is not damaged by fallout from a diplomatic row over spying.
This follows outrage from the Indonesian authorities over revelations that Australia had tapped the phones of its President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, his wife and close collaborators in 2009.…
INDONESIAN TEXTILE PRODUCERS FACE MIXED CHALLENGES AS ASEAN ECONOMIC INTEGRATION LOOMS
WITH the 2015 deadline approaching for the establishing a common market within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indonesian textile manufacturers need professional competency standards to be harmonised across the 10 member countries, according to the country’s peak textiles association.…
INDONESIA LIKELY TO LIFT FABRICS IMPORT DUTY
The chairman of the Indonesian Textile Association (API – or Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia) has welcomed a move by the Indonesian trade ministry to end restrictions on imports of cotton fabrics that have been in place since May 1, 2012.
Ade Sudrajat told WTiN.com…
DIET CHANGES, ANIMAL FEED DEMAND DRIVE CHINA’S HUNGER FOR PALM, SOY
THOSE who have spent some time walking Chinese supermarket aisles in the past decade will have noticed astonishing changes in the local diet. Increased sales of dairy products and meat are driving demand for soy as an animal feed ingredient, and demand for higher-end consumer products such as ice cream, and confectionery are increasing palm oil requirements.…
EU FOOD LABELLING REGULATION PROMPTS CONCERN IN PALM OIL SECTOR
Battle lines have been drawn across the international palm oil industry as its companies prepare to comply with the incoming European Union (EU) food information regulation No 1169/2011, which comes into force from December 13, 2014, and requires product labels to list types of vegetable oil used in food.…
OIL EXPORTERS TO BENEFIT FROM EU-CANADA TRADE DEAL
EUROPEAN Union (EU) and Canadian oil exporters are to benefit from a new free trade deal struck between the EU and Canada. Once the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) has been ratified (probably in 2015), it will lead to all existing non-food duties imposed on goods traded between the parties being scrapped.…
INDONESIA TEXTILE SECTOR BOSS PREDICTS STEADY EXPORT GROWTH, ESPECIALLY IN ASIA
THE CHAIRMAN of the Indonesian Textile Association (API – or Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia) has told WTiN.com that it is anticipating steady growth in exports of Indonesian textiles and garments over the next few years. Expansion in Japan, the Middle East and other Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) markets would prove increasingly important, he predicted.…
MEPS BACK RETREAT ON BIOFUEL EXPANSION
THE EUROPEAN Parliament has voted to reduce the support the European Union (EU) gives to the traditional biofuel sector, backing European Commission proposals to amend the renewable energy directive (2009/28/EC). MEPs agreed that the law should insist that first-generation biofuels (from long-standing sources, notably food crops) should not exceed 6% of EU energy consumption in transport by 2020, compared to the 10% target for all biofuels in the existing legislation.…
INDONESIA TARGETED BY ITALIAN TEXTILE MACHINERY EXPORTERS
THE INDONESIAN textile industry is being targeted by Italian machinery suppliers, who are aiming for further strong growth in sales to Indonesia over the next few years noting that the south-east Asian country’s textile industry is set to update much of its plant.…
VOLCANO-PRONE SEISMIC REGIONS DEVELOP SOPHISTICATED ASH WARNING SYSTEMS
THE WIDESPREAD disruption to European air-travel caused by the dramatic large-scale volcanic eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in March 2010 has prompted close assessments of air traffic control procudures in countries with significant seismic activity.
The 2010 disruption was a costly experience for airlines and air-passenger traffic.…
INDONESIA AND EU TEXTILE SECTOR KEEN FOR LAUNCH OF PLANNED FORMAL TALKS ON TRADE DEAL
The Indonesian Textile Association (API – or Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia) has told WTiN that it expects the proposed Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Indonesia and the European Union (EU) would significantly grow its industry’s European exports. It also predicts a deal, for which substantive negotiations are still being prepared, would also increase the purchase by Indonesia’s textile sector of European-made textile manufacturing equipment and finishing chemicals.…
INDONESIA'S PAINTS SECTOR TO GROW OVER NEXT FEW YEARS
INDONESIA’S paints and coatings industry is introducing a growing range of new products and innovations as the market becomes increasingly competitive, as recent robust growth continues into the foreseeable future.
A 2012 report by UK-based market researchers Euromonitor International, said the total turnover of the Indonesian paints and varnishes sector was forecast to grow by 10% in 2012 to Indonesian Rupiah IDR15.3 trillion (USD1.53 billion), up from IDR6.4 trillion (USD640 million) in 2005, with a combined annual growth rate of 8.4% between 2005 and 2012.…
INDONESIAN GOVERNMENT CONSIDERS TEXTILE PROGRAMME REVAMP
THE INDONESIAN Textile Association (API – or Asosiasi Pertekstilan Indonesia) has told WTiN that the Indonesian government is considering revamping its policy programme designed to boost investment in the sector. He added that the industry is also looking to improve its own competitiveness by focusing increasingly on higher value products.…
EP APPROVED OFFSHORE OIL AND GAS SAFETY LAW
THE EUROPEAN Parliament has now formally approved a new European Union (EU) offshore oil and gas drilling directive, designed to prevent accidents such as the Deepwater Horizon spill happening in coastal EU sea waters.
These new rules will require oil and gas firms to prove they can cover potential liabilities from accidents and submit major hazard reports and emergency response plans to regulators before drilling operations start.…
EU PROTECTIVE DUTIES PROVOKE IRE IN ARGENTINE BIOFUEL SECTOR
is traditionally a major supplier of biodiesel to the European Union (EU) market, but trade flows have reduced sharply in the past year and could fall further with an anti-dumping duty soon expected. An additional anti-subsidy countervailing duty may also be imposed on the Southern Cone nation.…
INDONESIA'S COAL PRODUCTION BOOMS WHILE MINING LAGS
INDONESIA’S mining industry is richly endowed with natural resources. United States Geological Survey (USGS) reports stress how the country ranks among the world’s leading producers of tin, copper and nickel, with sizeable reserves of other key ores such as bauxite, gold and silver.…
INDONESIA CONFERENCE DISCUSSES STRUGGLE TO KEEP COCOA SUPPLY MATCHING GLOBAL DEMAND
WITH global cocoa prices continuing to rise and concerns growing that climate change will hinder efforts to boost production, the confectionery sector’s key Asia Choco Congress 2013 this year explored solutions to assure sustainable cocoa supplies.
Experts from industry giants such as Cargill, Mars and CAMOI joined with international cocoa specialists to assess ways of solving ongoing and potentially worsening market disfunction.…
LIVING UP TO THE CHALLENGE OF CHANGING SOURCING EQUATION
THE EVER-CHANGING sourcing equation is a challenge to the global garment and textile industry supply chain. There is talk of moving production back home to western countries – bringing it closer to market- but its viability is being questioned. Meanwhile in Asia, where the majority of clothes are currently produced worldwide, the sourcing landscape is changing, experts say.…
US LAW ENFORCEMENT CRACK THE WHIP OVER COUNTERFEIT PARTS
AMERICAN auto makers have welcomed a judicial crackdown on selling counterfeit parts, accessories and diagnostic devices following a rapid succession of recent court cases in which China-based manufacturers and online sales have figured prominently.
“We support very stringent safeguards – the average vehicle on the road is 11 years old and has 30,000 components so the aftermarket parts business is so lucrative and there are an awful lot of ways to cheat the system,” said Dan Gage, director of communications and public affairs for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (Auto Alliance), the leading advocacy group for the industry, representing the makers of 77% of car and light truck sales in the US.…
ASEAN: VERTICAL INTEGRATION AND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP NEED TO GROW
THE CREATION of a harmonised customs system within the 10 countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) by 2015 should be better exploited by its regional clothing and textile industry through better vertical integration, a conference was told this week.…
INDONESIAN TEXTILE TARGETS ASEAN IN 2013
BY POORNA RODRIGO
The Indonesian Textile Association (API) has said it will be trying to increase export sales for its members in other ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member countries in 2013, amidst declining European Union (EU) and USA demand.…
LOSERS
BY MJ DESCHAMPS
Adidas
Sportswear giant Adidas confirmed in July that it would be closing its only company-owned Chinese apparel factory, which employs around 160 people. It also continued to face pressure in 2012 to make USD1.8 million in severance payments to workers at a former Indonesian supplier factory, where its owner fled without paying wages.…
INDONESIAN GARMENT HIT HARD BY JAKARTA WAGE HIKE
BY POORNA RODRIGO
THE INDONESIAN Textile Association (API) has branded a government decision to increase the minimum wage in the capital Jakarta and its surrounding region by 44% as "illogical", arguing the country’s garment and textile industry will be hit hard by the hike.…
KEEN TO INCREASE YIELDS, CHINESE GOVERNMENT BACKS GM CROPS, BUT NOT PUBLICLY
BY MARK GAO, IN BEIJING
China is starting to indulge the art of genetically modified (GM) food production, with potential long-term benefits for its oils and fats sector. But it is more likely to boost imports of soybean and palm oil in the short-term to make good shortfalls in supplies of bio-based oils and fats.…
JAPAN'S AJINOMOTO UNVEILS INDONESIAN JOINT VENTURE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
JAPANESE cosmetics ingredients company Ajinomoto has unveiled a joint venture with Indonesia chemical company PT Lautan Luas Tbk (LTL). Western Java-based PT Lautan Ajinomoto Fine Ingredients will use amino acids to manufacture cosmetics ingredients, especially for Asia customers.…
INDONESIAN MANUFACTURERS DEMAND STRICTER LABEL CONTROLS FOR IMPORTED FOOD AND BEVERAGE PRODUCTS
BY MARIANI DEWI, IN JAKARTA
THE CHAIRMAN of the Indonesian Food and Beverage Association (Gapmmi) has called for tougher enforcement of his country’s labelling rules, preventing food products being sold where consumers cannot read key information on packaging.
Adhi Siswaja Lukman, association chairman, said customs officials should simply block imports if they are improperly labelled: laws say labels must be in Bahasa Indonesian and include a "product name, composition, producer and use by date," he noted.…
PHASE OUT HARMFUL FOSSIL FUEL SUBSIDIES SAYS RIO+20
BY CARMEN PAUN, IN RIO DE JANEIRO
THE WORLD’S energy ministers are pondering policy responses to ‘The Future We Want’, a document summarising recommendations from the United Nations (UN) Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20) which ended June 22 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.…
SOUTHEAST ASIA COSMETICS MARKET HAS MANU COMMON CHARACTERISTICS, DESPITE WIDE VARIATIONS IN CONSUMER WEALTH
BY KARRYN MILLER, IN HANOI
WITH similar tropical and sub-tropical climates giving personal care product consumers some similar requirements as regards skin care, the 10 countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region could be regarded as one by lazy marketers.…
FRENCH HALAL C&T MARKET TOUGH TO CRACK
BY DAVID HAYHURST, IN PARIS
CHANTAL Ronceray is targeting fast growth in turnover at Jamal Paris, a small but ambitious halal cosmetics products company she co-founded in 2007. It is an act of faith in the long-term potential for sales among France’s 4.7 million Muslims, Europe’s largest such population.…
INGREDIENT SUSTAINABILITY PROGRAMMES EXPANDING, DESPITE CONCERNS OVER INDONESIAN PALM OIL
BY MARK ROWE
FOR products that are marketed for their ability to sooth and generate the feel-good factor, the sustainable sourcing of cosmetics ingredients causes plenty of headaches for manufacturers and suppliers. The industry is in a period of transition, in which several of the world’s multinationals are engaging in a step change in how they go about sourcing the oils they need, and the public wants.…
COURSE CREDITS FOR VOLUNTEERS MOVE UP THE AGENDA
BY HANA KAMARUDDIN, IN SELANGOR, MALAYSIA
Students in some Asian countries, such as Japan, Indonesia and South Korea now earn credit hours for voluntary work, an incentive that builds volunteering into the university assessment system and promotes community work as an integral part of higher education, a conference has been told.…
ERNST & YOUNG PESSIMISTIC OVER EXTENT OF GRAFT IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
ACCOUNTING giant Ernst & Young has claimed nearly half of chief financial officers worldwide – still struggling with the global economic crisis – would undertake unethical and potentially illegal actions to protect their companies.
Its latest global fraud survey said that of almost 400 CFOs questioned, 47% "felt one or more… possibly questionable actions that may help the business survive…could be justified in an economic downturn".…
FORMER CHEMICALS EXECUTIVE PLEADS GUILTY TO CORRUPTION
BY JAMES FULLER
THE FORMER sales and marketing director of UK speciality chemicals company Innospec has pleaded guilty to three counts of conspiracy to corrupt in an international bribery case. Dr David Turner admitted two counts of securing contracts to sell toxic petrol additives, (tetraethyl lead -TEL), by bribing Iraqi and Indonesian officials from 2002-2008.…
WORLD BANK DISBARS COMPANIES OVER CORRUPTION CLAIMS
BY PETER DA COSTA
THE WORLD Bank has barred a subsidiary of Texas-based engineering giant from its programmes for two years after KBR Kellogg Brown & Root Pty Ltd (KBR Pty) was found breaking guidelines in a bank-financed water supply project in Vietnam.…
INDONESIA'S PAINT SECTOR AND INDUSTRY MOVES TOWARDS MORE GREEN PRODUCTS
BY WANG FANGQING
THE INDONESIAN government has yet to impose comprehensive and specific environmental controls on its domestic coatings industry, but manufacturers, especially multinationals, are ready to move one step ahead and reduce their pollution footprint.
The issue was a key focus of the 12th Asia Coatings Markets conference held on November 2 in Jakarta, with debates on cutting carbon emissions associated with production and making eco-friendly paints and coatings.…
INDONESIA PULLS OUT OF GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE PALM OIL SYSTEM
BY MARK ROWE
THE INDONESIAN Palm Oil Producers Association (GAPKI) has pulled out of the international Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) eco-certification system, as the Indonesian government is planning its own sustainable palm oil regime, Indonesia Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO).…
EU MINISTERS APPROVE FATTY ALCOHOL DUMPING DUTY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) Council of Ministers has imposed definitive anti-dumping duties on imports into the EU of certain fatty alcohols and their blends, used as pharmaceutical ingredients, made in India, Indonesia and Malaysia. Indian companies will be charged Euro EUR86.99 per tonne; Indonesian companies EUR80.34/tonne; and Malaysian companies EUR61.01/tonne, with some special lower tariffs for selected companies.…
EU MINISTERS APPROVE FATTY ALCOHOL DUMPING DUTY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) Council of Ministers has imposed definitive anti-dumping duties on imports into the EU of certain fatty alcohols and their blends, used as cosmetics ingredients, made in India, Indonesia and Malaysia. Indian companies will be charged Euro EUR86.99 per tonne (bar VVF Ltd’s EUR46.98).…
CHINA'S FOCUS ON ECONOMIC GROWTH ALLOWS FRAUD TO GO UNDETECTED AND UNPUNISHED
BY MARK GODFREY
AS CHINA’S economy grows, financial fraud seems to be feeding off this wealth. Respected scholars Professor Hu Angang at Tsinghua University in Beijing, and prominent Chinese economist Fan Gang have said around 16% of GDP is lost to white-collar crime in China.…
UNWTO AND INDONESIA LAUNCH ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROJECT
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE UNITED Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) and the Indonesian government have launched a project to boost energy efficiency in the key Java tourist zone of Pangandaran. It includes introducing energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in hotels and public buildings; integrating low-carbon goals into planning; plus seminars and workshops on energy efficiency.…
INDONESIAN MARKET FACING DOUBLE DIGIT GROWTH THROUGH 2012
BY WANG FANGQING
INDONESIA’S paint and coating market is expected to grow 10% from 2011 to 2012 after a previous average annual growth of 8% between 2006 and 2011.With the strong recovery from the recession in the domestic economy, the market – with an estimated value of US dollars USD1.1 billion – will grow robustly in the following years, according to market research company Frost & Sullivan.…
INDONESIA'S PAINT AND COATINGS SECTOR FACING MINI-BOOM
BY AHMAD PATHONI
INDONESIA’S paint and coating market has grown by about 3-4% annually by average over the past decade. Indeed, consumption rose to 688,863 tonnes in 2010, from 646,700 the previous year, according to the Indonesian Paint Manufacturers’ Association.
And a mini-boom could be approaching.…
USE NON-GOVERNMENT ORGANISATIONS TO FIGHT ASIAN CORRUPTION
BY MUNZA MUSHTAQ
Asia has long been accused of fostering corruption and governments have often turned a blind eye, while their countries grow richer. One answer is increasing the role of non-state actors in dealing with the problem. Munza Mushtaq reports from the 14th International Anti-Corruption Conference (IACC) at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, Bangkok, Thailand.…
SOURCING - WINNERS AND LOSERS
WINNERS
TURKEY
This was the year when Turkey really came into its own. With a well-established and successful clothing and textile industry, supping Europe, Russia and the Middle East, its industry this year laid claim to becoming a fashion centre. August’s Istanbul Fashion Week caught a lot of global attention with 21 catwalk shows, an audience of 40,000, and more than 500 overseas guests.…
INDIAN ALUMINIUM COMPANY TO BUILD SMELTER IN INDONESIA
BY RAGHAVENDRA VERMA
THE INDIAN government-owned National Aluminium Company Ltd (Nalco) is going to build a USD4.5 billion aluminium smelter of 500,000 tonnes annual capacity in Indonesia’s East Kalimantan province. On Tuesday, the company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the provincial government for setting up the smelter and a 1,250MW power plant, which is expected to take four years to construct.…
RENATIONALISATIONS COULD TRANSFORM EGYPT TEXTILE SECTOR
BY MEGAN DETRIE
A KEY figure in the Egyptian textile industry has called on his government to invest in the two companies recently re-nationalised, following a court decision which ruled illegal their privatisation by the deposed Mubarak regime.
Judges said that the Shebin El-Kom Textile Company (which has major international clothing sector clients), and the Tanta Company for Linen and Derivatives (which does not sell to the clothing sector) had been sold off without sufficient due process, restoring the companies’ ownership to the state.…
INDONESIA STRIKES OUT ON ITS OWN REGARDING PALM OIL SUSTAINABILITY STANDARDS
BY MARK ROWE
WHEN it comes to palm oil production, there are – despite growing production in South America and west Africa – only two major players on the global stage – Malaysia and Indonesia. Cultivation in south-east Asia accounts for around 80% of the world’s global supply – which in turn reached a record high of 45.9 million tonnes in 2009-2010.…
BIG COMPANIES ORGANISE CAREFULLY TO HANDLE VARIED ASIAN COSMETICS PACKAGING
BY KARRYN MILLER
WHEN it comes to cosmetics, people from east, southeast, and south Asia may have overlapping beauty needs. But given the diversity of the region, it is no surprise to say personal care companies can not use a ‘one size fits all’ strategy.…
SOUTHEAST ASIA COSMETICS SECTOR STILL DEVELOPING, DESPITE THE RECESSION
BY KARRYN MILLER, AHMAD PATHONI, MARK ROWE
SOUTHEAST Asia is a growing and diverse market for international personal care product brands, despite the challenges (and some losses) cased by the recession. The region contains relatively rich emerging markets (and the very rich city state of Singapore), and its major poorer countries, notably Vietnam and Indonesia are growing fast and emerging robustly from the recession.…
PALM OIL HAS GREAT POTENTIAL AS BIOFUEL FEEDSTOCK - BUT ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES ARE SIGNIFICANT
BY MARK ROWE
THE OIL palm is a prolific shrub that can be converted into palm oil, one of the most versatile fats known to man – rich in solid saturated fatty acids and able to withstand refining at high temperatures.…
EU MINISTERS ASKED TO BACK NEW INDONESIA DEAL
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union (EU) Council of Ministers has been asked to approve a new open skies deal negotiated by the European Commission with Indonesia, which will allow EU airlines free access to Indonesian airports. Similarly, airlines from Indonesia will be able to fly to airports in all 27 member states.…
RELIGION AND SMOKING DON'T ALWAYS MIX WELL
BY PAUL COCHRANE, AHMAD PATHONI, GAVIN BLAIR, RAGHAVENDRA VERMA, WANG FANGQING, HELEN FLUSFELDER, KARRYN MILLER, KEITH NUTHALL and ALAN OSBORN
THE BRITISH writer Oscar Wilde wrote: "A cigarette is the perfect type of a perfect pleasure. It is exquisite, and it leaves one unsatisfied.…
INDONESIA OIL AND GAS DEMAND TO FALL THROUGH GEOTHERMAL EXPANSION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE DEMAND for fossil fuels in Indonesia should fall with the approval of a US$400 million plan to boost renewable energy, especially from large scale geothermal plants. The Clean Technology Fund (CTF), run by international development banks, including the World Bank, will bankroll the programme.…
TOBACCO CONTROLS MAYBE GROWING - BUT THEY ARE OFTEN WEAK
BY AHMAD PATHONI, ALYSHAH HASHAM, MARK ROWE and KEITH NUTHALL
GIVEN the constant flow of news about tougher tobacco industry regulations from all continents, tobacco executives could be forgiven for thinking there are no countries where they have a relative free hand to sell their products.…
PAINT SECTOR BENEFITTING FROM INDONESIA'S GROWTH
BY KARRYN MILLER
AS Indonesia’s economy continues to grow so too does demand for paint and coatings in the region. In 2008, the archipelago recorded a 6.1% increase in gross domestic product (GDP), moving from a GDP per capita of US$3,700 in 2007 to US$3,900 the following year (using purchasing power parity adjustments).…
TOBACCO TRAVELLER - COLLECTION 2009 - INDONESIA
BY AHMAD PATHONI
INDONESIA’S cigarette production has continued to increase in the past four years after a period of decline between 2000 and 2003, according to the country’s industry ministry.
Production rose 3.89% in 2008 from the previous year to 240 billion sticks, the ministry said.…
EU REPORT WARNS ANTI-RECESSION POLICIES HAVE BOOSTED COSMETICS PROTECTIONISM
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A EUROPEAN Commission report has highlighted concerns about some steps taken by European Union (EU) trading partners to protect their personal care product sectors from the recession that could restrict EU exports. A key worry was Indonesia’s draft regulation on cosmetics labelling and packaging that insists product information such as usage advice, product numbers and expiry dates be labelled in Indonesian.…
EL NINO NOT EXPECTED TO HIT ROBUST INDONESIAN AND MALAYSIAN PALM OIL SECTORS
BY WILL ROBERTSON, MARK ROWE and KEITH NUTHALL
THE ROBUST nature of the southeast Asian palm oil industry has been illustrated by the way the market has remained strong despite both the global recession and the arrival of weather phenomenon El Nino this year and its attendant drought conditions.…
GLOBAL FOOD COMMODITY PRICE VOLATILITY HERE TO STAY
BY ANDREW CAVE
Food commodity prices are seldom out of the news nowadays, due to a mushrooming global population, the food-for-fuel controversy, an increasing focus on sustainability and the continued growth of the organic sector. However, beyond the generality of crop prices spiralling to new highs in 2007 and 2008 and then plummeting – in some cases – back to where they were before the boom, the picture is far from uniform.…
GLOBAL SUSTAINABLE OILS AND FATS PRODUCTION INITIATIVES PUSH AHEAD
BY KEITH NUTHALL
GLOBAL initiatives designed to promote sustainable practices in the bio-based oils and fats industry are making strong progress. The key Roundtable on Responsible Soy (RTRS) has now released "principles and criteria" designed to ensure soy production does not cause long term damage to the environment and society.…
HONG KONG: INCREASE IN NUMBER OF SUICIDES BY DESPERATE MIGRANT WORKERS
BY MARK GODFREY
IN terms of suicides by migrant workers, "Hong Kong risks becoming another Gulf," claims their representative in the territory. Comparing reported incidents with accidental deaths and suicides by workers in Gulf Arab countries, Mia Sumiati, a coordinator of the Indonesian Migrant Workers Organisation (IMWO) in Hong Kong, noted an increase in suspicious deaths or proven suicides amongst the 140,000 strong Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong.…
INDONESIA COMING UNDER PRESSURE TO RATIFY THE FCTC, WHILE ITS TOBACCO SECTOR THRIVES
BY WILL ROBERTSON
THE INDONESIAN government is facing legal action over its failure to sign and ratify the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). But the treaty is still unlikely to be formally adopted in this smokers’ haven because of political reasons, tobacco industry observers have told World Tobacco.…
INDONESIA PAINT INDUSTRY SET FOR GROWTH ONCE WORLD ECONOMY RECOVERS
BY MARK ROWE
INDONESIA’S paint industry appears likely to weather the worst of the global economic downturn. Indeed, Indonesia may be one of the few major countries where sales of paint for industrial and domestic use will rise. In January 2009, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono forecast economic growth of 6.2% for the year in a budget that revealed capital spending plans that were 14.3% up on 2008.…
BANK SECRECY LAWS BLUNT SINGAPORE'S ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING POWERS
BY DINAH GARDNER
SINGAPORE may rank highly on global anti-corruption ratings league tables but it has been coming under considerable fire recently for its strict bank secrecy laws. Last October, in the wake of the brutal crackdown on protests in Myanmar, the island state was accused of being a money laundering hub for top junta officials.…
RICSKHAW RIDERS - UNDP - TSUNAMI
BY KEITH NUTHALL
AN INNOVATIVE micro-credit programme is re-employing Indonesian rickshaw riders who lost their livelihoods during the December 2004 Tsunami. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Islamic Relief, and Aceh NGO Maimun Centre have created a fund which buys bicycle rickshaws, then lends them to riders, until they earn enough money to purchase their new vehicle via weekly instalments.…
INDONESIA PAINT INDUSTRY FEATURE
BY MATTHEW BRACE
INDONESIA’S paint and coatings industry continues to develop, with growth in sectors being led by increases in exports of furniture, and the introduction of new coatings products and systems.
Overall increased domestic demand for paints and coatings in Indonesia has led some companies to expand.…
OIE - POULTRY DISEASE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
BIRD flu is still ravaging Indonesian poultry production, according the latest figures released by the Office International des Épizooties (OIE), the world animal health organisation. They show producers culling millions of chickens across Java and south Celebes farms and villages to prevent the disease spreading.…
SINGAPORE/MALAYSIA/INDONESIA
BY MATTHEW BRACE
SINGAPORE’S economy is rejuvenating after the horrors of early 2004 when the threat of terrorism (both internationally and closer to home in South East Asia), and then the SARS virus hit the city state hard, shrinking demand for construction and hence the amount of money to be made by the coatings sector.…
INDONESIAN SMOKERS
BY MATTHEW BRACE
THE day I met Kadek he was sitting on the well-worn black saddle of his 50cc Yamaha, shades perched on his nose and obligatory Djarum smouldering on his bottom lip. “Transport?” he asked; the signature call of Kuta Boys who earn pin money from scooting tourists, frugal businessmen and journalists through the traffic-clogged streets of this fabled Bali beach resort.…
BIRD FLU UPDATE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
REPORTS of fresh bird flu outbreaks are still being reported to the Office International des Épizooties (OIE) by the Indonesian and Vietnamese governments. The most recent cases in Indonesia involved 6,610 chickens being killed in Yogyakarta and Lampung provinces; 200 died in Dông Tháp, Vietnam.…
RAPEX ALERT SYSTEM
KEITH NUTHALL
LISTERIA monocytogenes contaminants have been found in Spanish sea bass and German smoked salmon, according to a recent bulletin from the European Commission’s rapid alert service on food safety. The system also publicises alerts on fish imported into the European Union, recently highlighting aerobic mesophiles in Indonesian shrimp, for instance.…
INDONESIA SUGAR
BY MARK ROWE
INDONESIAN parliamentarians have called for ban on sugar imports until February to stabilise the tumbling domestic price of the commodity. Sugarcane farmers have complained about low-cost sugar imports from Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.…
INDONESIA SUGAR
BY MARK ROWE
INDONESIAN parliamentarians have called for ban on sugar imports until February to stabilise the tumbling domestic price of the commodity. Sugarcane farmers have complained about low-cost sugar imports from Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia.…
POLITICAL PIRATES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE INTERNATIONAL Maritime Bureau is calling for investigations to determine whether heavily armed pirates using fishing and speed-boats who have launched a spate of attacks on small oil tankers in the Malacca Straits are actually independence rebels from the Indonesian province of Aceh.…
INDONESIA SUGAR
BY MARK ROWE
THE INDONESIAN government has vowed to protect its beleaguered sugar industry and regulate imports in an effort to increase national production levels. A rate subsidy is to be issued through the Food Security Credit Scheme for People’s Sugarcane worth Rupiah900 billion (US$106 million) and fertilizer subsidies worth Rupiah1.3 trillion (US$140 million).…
FISCHLER - IRELAND
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE INDONESIAN government has vowed to protect its beleaguered sugar industry and regulate imports in an effort to increase national production levels. A rate subsidy is to be issued through the Food Security Credit Scheme for People’s Sugarcane worth Rupiah900 billion (US$106 million) and fertilizer subsidies worth Rupiah1.3 trillion (US$140 million).…
INDONESIAN GOLD TAILINGS
BY MARK ROWE
AN INDONESIAN environmental organisation report alleges that tailings from the gold mining firm Newmont Minahasa Raya contain four times the government-allowed level of cyanide, endangering the health of residents and threatening the environment. The Indonesian Forum for the Environment says high levels of cyanide, mercury, cadmium and arsenic in Buyat Bay had been found in marine animals and reduced the catch of local fishermen in north Sulawesi.…
INDONESIA SUGAR
BY MARK ROWE
THE INDONESIAN government has awarded the country’s state logistics agency, Bulog, a license to import an extra 150,000 tons of sugar this year, in a bid to halt the dramatic increase in the price of sugar. A drastic sugar shortage has seen prices rise from 45 cents (US$) a kilo to 68 cents in recent weeks.…
INDONESIAN ATTACKS
Keith Nuthall
THE INTERNATIONAL Maritime Bureau (IMB) of the International Chamber of Commerce has called upon the Indonesian government to take action against a gang of pirates who attacked and hijacked six vessels in six days in the Gaspar Straits, east of Java.…
INDIA - PIRATES
BY KEITH NUTHALL
A BAND of pirates that hijacked a ship carrying aluminium ingots off Indonesia in 1999 has been convicted and jailed by an Indian court. The decision has been welcomed by the International Chamber of Commerce as a welcome and rare example of a country prosecuting piracy in international waters.…
SAND DREDGERS
BY MARK ROWE
THREE Belgian-owned dredgers detained for nearly seven months by Indonesian authorities for alleged illegal sand mining in the Riau islands, south of Singapore, have finally been released. Dredging International – the owner of the Lange Wapper – and Jan de Nul – the owner of the Vasco da Gama and Alexander Von Humboldt – are understood to have agreed to pay fines demanded by Indonesian authorities for the release of their dredgers.…
INDIA - PIRATES
Keith Nuthall
THE INTERNATIONAL Criminal Court (ICC) has welcomed the conviction of a band of pirates in an Indian court, as a welcome and rare example of a country prosecuting piracy in international waters. Seven-year labour camp sentences were handed down to 14 Indonesian pirates for hijacking the Japanese-owned Alondra Rainbow off Indonesia in October 1999, along with its aluminium ingot cargo.…
INDONESIA
BY MARK ROWE
PERTAMINA, Indonesia’s state oil company, has nominated South Korea’s Hyundai Heavy Industries Co to build two very large crude carriers as part of the company’s US$300m program to buy 12 new oil tankers to ship refined oil products.…
TEXTILES
BY PHILIP FINE
THE AMERICAN Textile Manufacturers Institute (ATMI) is urging its government to take action against Indonesia’s ban on textile imports from all countries. The ATMI said the move flies in the face of international rules and its chairman, Van May, says a fair response would be for the United States to immediately prohibit all imports of Indonesian textile goods which totalled US$350 million last year, until the ban is lifted.…
INDIA POLYESTER
Keith Nuthall
EUROPEAN Union (EU) ministers have been asked to approve definitive anti-dumping and countervailing duties for Indian exports of polyester textured filament yarn into Europe, after European Commission investigations concluded that under-priced consignments were damaging EU producers.
Brussels has formally proposed that Indian exports are saddled with a 7.9% anti-dumping duty, with lower duties being levied on products from companies that cooperated with Commission inquiries into the problem.…
INDONESIAN SAND QUARRYING
BY MARK ROWE
SAND quarrying in Indonesia has been suspended for two months amidst claims by mining companies that they cannot afford new taxes and royalties imposed by the central government; investors have also blamed complicated licensing procedures designed to reduce smuggling.…
GOVERNMENT CAPACITY BUILDING
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE CONCEPT of nation building is not new. Powerful governments have for centuries sought to create pliant political administrations which would do their bidding, without being directly under their control. It is, after all, in noone’s interest for a territory to descent into chaos.…
INDONESIA RAGS
BY MARK ROWE
INDONESIAN textile producers have warned that their industry faces thousands of job losses as smuggled used garments flood the Indonesian market. The past few months have seen a rise in smuggled goods from China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the United States and some European countries.…
PIRACY UPDATE
Keith Nuthall
THE INTERNATIONAL Maritime Bureau is warning cargo owners to beware of two growing threats posed by pirates, to small tankers and barge-towing tugs. The IMB has warned of an increase in attacks on tugs and barges, reporting two hijackings of these vessels in Indonesian waters alone since early September.…
INDONESIA
BY MARK ROWE
THE INDONESIA The Indonesian textile market is being hit hard by a black market in used garments made overseas, according to the Indonesian Textile Association. At least 480 million pieces of used garments are shipped into the country every year, from China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the United States and European countries, it said.…
ILLEGAL PLANT TRADE
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE RICHES that can be made from the illegal ivory trade are well known, but what of illicit imports and exports of rare flowers. Shipping protected orchids to Europe, Japan and north America can make criminals a lot of money.…
RING BINDERS
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE EUROPEAN Union Council of Ministers has imposed protective anti-dumping duties of 32.3 per cent and countervailing duties of 10 per cent on Indonesian supplies to European Union companies of certain ring-binder mechanisms. The Council however scrapped plans to impose such protective duties on Indian ring-binder exports.…
INDONESIAN POULTRY
BY MARK ROWE
AN OUTBREAK of a highly contagious poultry virus has led to the death and precautionary slaughter of 2.8 million chickens in the Indonesian province of West Java, devastating the region’s chicken suppliers. This herpes virus sparks the cancer-causing Marek’s disease and infected birds have a loss in appetite, are lethargic and have a high body temperature.…
DEVON ENERGY
BY MARK ROWE
THE NATIONAL oil companies of Malaysia and Indonesia and China’s PetroChina are competing to buy up US-based Devon Energy Corp’s Indonesian oil and gas fields. Devon Energy wants to sell US$1 billion in assets after spending more than US$7 billion in takeovers earlier this year.…
INDONESIA - PIRACY
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE INDONESIAN navy has dispatched three warships to the Malacca Straits following the release of International Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Piracy Report, which found they are still the most dangerous waters for commercial shipping in the world, the global business group claims.…
PERTAMINA
BY MARK ROWE
THE INDONESIAN state-owned oil and gas firm Pertamina is to cut its workforce by more than 33 per cent as it moves towards privatisation. Up to 10,000 jobs will go, reducing the workforce to 16,000. Some 2,000 employees will be let go every year even though the company admitted the action was ” a drastic step” with a high social cost.…
INDONESIA
BY MARK ROWE
THE INDONESIAN government is to launch a campaign to revitalise the country’s footwear industry and dramatically increase its capacity. Under the plan, the industry, which employs around 389,000 people at present, is expected to expand by a further 100,000 or so workers in the next few years as the government pushes to boost exports of domestic products.…
INDONESIA RAGS
BY MARK ROWE
INDONESIAN textile producers have warned that their industry faces thousands of job losses as smuggled used garments flood the Indonesian market. The past few months have seen a rise in smuggled goods from China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan, the United States and some European countries.…
PIRATE PROSECUTION
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE INTERNATIONAL Maritime Bureau has made a public appeal to the Indonesian government to prosecute pirates who were seized earlier this year, but who have yet to face charges in court. The IMB, which is part of the International Chamber of Commerce, is concerned that the pirates may be treated leniently.…
UNCTAD REPORT
KEITH NUTHALL
THE DISMANTLING of the Indonesian price regulator APKINDO and short-termist over-production in the south east Asian country has been blamed by the United Nations as the source of continual instability in world markets for this key timber product. Since the abolition of the organisation, said the new 2000-2001 World Commodity Survey from the UN Conference on Trade and Development, (UNCTAD), “the plywood market has witnessed extremely volatile prices.”…
PIRACY LATEST
BY KEITH NUTHALL
THE INDONESIAN navy has recovered a stolen oil tanker from pirates, who seized it near the Shell refinery at Port Dickson, the Malacca Straits. The International Maritime Bureau – part of the International Chamber of Commerce – provided important information about the ship, via its Piracy Reporting Centre in Malaysia.…
INDONESIA & THAILAND
Keith Nuthall
THE EUROPEAN Union Council of Ministers has voted to impose definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of polyester textured filament yarn from Thailand and Indonesia. Thai companies will have to pay additional duties of 20.2 per cent, with ministers approving lower duties for two companies, namely Tuntex (Thailand) PLC, (6.7 per cent) and Sunflag (Thailand) Ltd, (4.8 per cent).…
POLYESTER ANTI-DUMPING
Keith Nuthall
THE EU Council of Ministers has agreed to impose definitive countervailing duties on imports of synthetic polyester fibres from Australia and Indonesia, which will prevent European producers facing unfair competition because of subsidies paid to their rivals in these Asia-Pacific countries.…
SINGAPORE BEACH
BY SIMON WILCOX, in Singapore
IN a dim and distant era before electronics and semiconductors, Singapore was a tiny backwater in the Malay kingdom of Johor-Riau, its inhabitants depending on jungle produce, fishing, small-scale trading and a little piracy for their livelihood.…
INDONESIA & THAILAND
Keith Nuthall
THE EUROPEAN Union Council of Ministers has voted to impose definitive anti-dumping duties on imports of polyester textured filament yarn from Thailand and Indonesia. Thai companies will have to pay additional duties of 20.2 per cent, with ministers approving lower duties for two companies, namely Tuntex (Thailand) PLC, (6.7 per cent) and Sunflag (Thailand) Ltd, (4.8 per cent).…
EAST TIMOR
Keith Nuthall
AEROPORTOS de Portugal and Nazegacao Aeria de Portugal have taken over the management of East Timor’s new international airport, in the capital Dili, from the Royal Australian Air Force, the country’s United Nations transitional administration (UNTAET) has announced.
The Australian military has been responsible for Comoro Airport, since the arrival of INTERFET peacekeepers in September 1999 led to the evacuation of Indonesian authorities, which had been running island territory.…