ITMF 2016 focused on the global textile economy in the“New Normal”

Editor’s note：

The annual conference of the International Textile Manufacturers Federation （ITMF） was hosted from 17 to 19 November 2016， at Hotel Marriott， Jaipur， India. The event saw the largest gathering of global textile leaders. Held in India after a gap of 14 years， the three-day conference saw participation of over 370 delegates from across the world that included manufacturers， traders， retailers， economists， government officials and policy analysts. Mr. Wang Tiankai， ITMF President gave a welcome speech to the conference， the theme of which was“Global Textile Economy in the New Normal”.

Welcome Speech

Jaipur， India

November 18， 2016

Address by Mr. Wang Tiankai， President， ITMF At ITMF 2016 Annual Conference

Respected Mrs. Rashmi Varma，

Respected Mr. Naishadh Parikh，

Ladies and Gentlemen，

Friends，

I am very much pleased to come to the pink-city， the beautiful Jaipur. First off， please allow me， on behalf of ITMF and in my own name， to extend our appreciation and gratitude to CITI for the wonderful preparations and arrangements for ITMF 2016 in elaborate circumspection， and express our warm welcome to all of you present today for this calendar event！ I wish a great success to this annual conference backed up by our concerted efforts and enthusiastic participation， and I always believe so.

With absence for 14 years， ITMF’s annual conference comes back again to India， a country of ancient civilization sanguine with young vitality and aspirations for the future， to discuss the “Global Textile Economy in the New Normal” to seek for the road-map guiding the development of textile industry， an effort of pragmatic significance.

“New Normal” is closely related to the new phase of economic transformation and upgrading in China’s economy， featuring growth speed change， process of industrial restructuring and a shift to new driver in China’s economy. In the developed economies， this economic terms， more often than not， referred to the slow growth in global economic status as affected by financial crisis impact since 2008.

In my opinion， the global slowdown in textile economy is nothing short of an objective status， a normal change to the new environment and landscape in the world economy， where the textile economy in different countries and regions is exposed to a new stage of growth， with both opportunities and challenges unprecedented.

In the new normal， the textile industry shall be an important driver to the economic recovery and a fundamental force that leads to future development on global basis， considering the fact that the textile industry is playing even greater role in making better life， propelling growth of relevant sectors of industry， driving efficient social consumption and improving eco-civilization etc..

In the new normal， the textile industry will shift from traditional mode of growth to more efficient modernity in advanced manufacturing that turns out to be intellectual， flexible and digital with new products， new technologies， new growth models and new business profiles on the rise， expediting the process of dynamic participation in capitals， technology， information and labor forces. As a result， the global textile industry is pressing ahead with growing correlativity， taking shape of a win-win community that embraces all stakeholders， you， them and us， integrally together under one roof.

In the new normal， the global textile industry is also confronted with many challenges as the chronic effect of the financial crisis dies hard， the economic recovery is weak and market prospect and investor’s confidence are expected to be further steamed up. With this， there is still a long way to go before the world textile industry measures up to a level of robust， sustainable， balanced and inclusive growth when we realize that there are many arduous tasks for industrial upgrading process which needs improving with respect to industrial policy， business environment and environment protection.

Ladies and gentlemen， dear friends，

New Normal means a new start， and we shall stand steadfast in our firm conviction to avail ourselves of the opportunities and face up to the challenges in composure and determination. The size and potentiality in global textile industry make it possible for this traditional economy to be embedded with emerging technologies in manufacturing and service sectors to give birth to new life with viable competitiveness and vigor， and to come up to new growth benchmark in the new normal， provided that we shall work together to cement the growth base in joint efforts to find solutions to the pressing issues and challenges with high-rising creditability and deep-going cooperation. For its healthy and sustainable development， I would like to share with you my attentions to the following points：

Firstly， capacity building with talents as fundamental base to release creativity：

As we know， success is to be achieved and business to be expanded all by performance of talents who are opinion-leading and enterprising investors and managers， innovative and agile R & D team members， and diligent and assiduous workers in modern industry， so is it with innovative and sustainable development of textile industry. Only with talents as corner stone， can the innovative enthusiasm and creative ability be inspired， and it is the key point to improve industrial environment for further growth and upgrade the quality of human resources in safeguarding the rights of investors and workers in full respect to their dignity.

To this annual conference， the organizer has invited young participants （younger than 45 five years old）. I do appreciate this effort， for the younger generations are brimming with vigor and passion. As backbones， they are the future for the global textile industry.

Secondly， green development with ecocivilization as prop to sustain growth：

Human activities， social or economic， must be compliant with Nature in respect， adaptation and protection. On Nov.14， Paris Climate Change Agreement signed by 175 countries went into effect， one of the quickest international deals for approval-to-enforcement process in history， signifying the resolution， commitment and responsibility to protect ecological and environment endowment on earth.

Today， it is one of the most urgent endeavors to breakthrough resources constraints against the backdrop of environment protection for the world textile industry， because emission standards are more demanding and rigorous. The only way out is to press ahead for building a sustainable industrial system featuring clean production， green manufacturing of low-carbon and recycling footprint， which is now a normal and active option in textile industries globally.

Thirdly， market demand as priority to enhance holistic benefits：

Textile products are offered to meet the needs of people both materially and spiritually， in a simple matter to keep warmth in body-clad civilization to a sophisticated touch of better-life sublimation expressed in cultural identity and individuality， which grows into individual-rich diversity， a mainstream market demand that has to be responded in a quality-assured manufacturing and shortened lead time.

Driven by this demand priority， the global textile industry needs to offer the featured products， which depend on a well-established industrial function propped up by scientific and technological progress， standards practice， and detail-attentive management. Furthermore， the opportunities that pop up in the process of information technology being merged into textile industry must be seized to make much headway in product variety， creative design， improved manufacturing and technology-rich and performance， making the products better adaptable to market demand. With these requirements ushered in， it is possible to guide the consumption for better economic benefits holistically.

Ladies and gentlemen， dear friends，

ITMF was established in 1904 with a history of over a hundred years. Also， we have approximately 100 members including industrial organizations and globally leading companies from nearly 30 countries and regions. ITMF is the most representative in width and length in getting connected the global textile wisdoms and strengths from fiber to fashion， from field to retail houses and from emerging markets to the developed textile economies.

I took office as president of ITMF in Oct. 2014 and fulfilled the two-year term as per ITMF Charter. Let me reiterate， as I always do， my appreciation to the management committee for the trust and to the Board Directors for wholehearted cooperation， and to the Secretariat for the great job of creativity and assiduity， with my special thanks to our counterparts in textile industry for your great efforts and supports. We have worked together to plough textile fields and harvest what we have sown. I cherish the growth course that we have experienced and would like to mention some experiences for us to recall， share and encourage for common progress in the future：

Enrich data resources to elevate service level for the industry

ITMF has about a hundred members with globally acknowledged universality and representativeness， which is the fundament to shore up its international authority. With this， ITMF shall bring its role into full play in getting more textile information， staying ahead of the curve in understanding economic performance and in leading the global textile industry to move on. This is the trust to be placed on ITMF by textile industry globally and also is what ITMF shall be driving at to elevate its service level.

When I took office in Oct. 2014， my early initiative was to encourage ITMF to conduct in-depth research on regular basis to keep abreast of on-going textile economy with convincing analysis and insights in global perspectives and professional quality that could be instrumental in shaping industrial policy and corporate decisions. For which， I once suggested that the Secretariat organize professionals and experts to publish an elevated and insightful annual report on global textile industry to meet the needs of our members wishing to be informed of the world textile status quo in comprehensive manner. I also stressed the point of attention to the report which grows into maturity， based on the full understanding of members’ needs and the enlarged data resources， and the analysis should be multi-faceted， taking individual point into comprehensive pattern formed in both corporate and trade organizational perspectives， so that a systematic way of practical service is set up and provided for common progress in global textile industry.

At present， our members can receive a quarterly report on industrial development from ITMF Secretariat， but the annual report is still being conceived and we need a continued support and effort from our members before it gives birth.

Improve contact and communication to increase global influence

As an institution， ITMF should be efficient and effective， which rests with communication mechanics. Inside the organization， the decisions by the Management Committee and Board of Directors， and job assignments to the Secretariat should be made through full discussion and sincere exchange of views to arrive at common understanding， while outside the organization， ITMF， as voice of the world textile industry， should set up a regular and efficient platform of contact and communication between the trade organizations and governments.

To set up a good and efficient communication system， it depends on capacity building and working coordination mechanics inside ITMF， and also relies on members’ support and cooperation. ITMF must attach great importance to the contact with trade organizations， either at indusial level or at national level， which are all important partners and bridges for ITMF to channel local enterprises. ITMF can participate local conferences and forums in member countries and regions to understand what’s going on there， discover and focus on new issues and inseminate ITMF’s concepts， ideas， initiatives and related knowledge to empower its global impact and representativeness.

Increase service efficiency to promote sustainable growth

ITMF is aimed at promoting common development in the world textile industry. It aims high， so it is very important to increase its service efficiency to introduce the textile industries in different countries and regions to join the international system and be part of the team under ITMF’s framework and common rules.

To increase work efficiency， ITMF should adhere to international， normative and high-level standards to run this organization， as regards governance structure， operational policy and human resources management， in an effort to be professional， efficient and transparent in operation. As a NGO in international scenario， ITMF has a limited source of income， mainly from membership payments and publication sales， and this limitation makes it hard to reach a highly efficient level of service. With this hindrance in question， I suggest ITMF conduct service on commercial terms to explore source of capitals， provided that ITMF must keep its international status of independence. That might render a solution to efficiency enhancement， promotion of concerted endeavors and solidarity for sustainable growth.

Ladies and gentlemen， and friends，

The world economy is edging its way on a bumpy road towards recovery at the critical phase of old-to-new transformation in growth models. What is in store for the global textile industry， as a traditional manufacturing sector， will keep us well suspended in expectation， as it is still uncertain whether or not it can catch up with the rhythm of scientific and technological improvements and the historical opportunities in the new era of industrial revolution.

Yes， it can， as I strong believe so！

Let us carry forward partnership spirit to step， hand in hand， into even more beautiful tomorrow！

In conclusion， I wish a fruitful success to the annual conference 2016.

Thank you all！