2021.06.04
INDUSTRY NEWS - 2021.06.04
1、廣東錯峰用電礙製造業生產 工廠「開四停三」 恐延續至年底
中國南方區域電力供應持續緊張。內地媒體報道，廣東5月最大電力缺口佔比達6.02%至8.3%，局部供電形勢嚴峻的地區或實施錯峰用電，並持續至年底；廣西區域電力短缺比例為11%。廣東省17個地級市，自5月中旬起已啟動有序用電，惟情況未見改善，至5月底，部分廣東地區每周限電由1天增至3天，即企業用電須「開四停三」，勢將拖慢企業生產進度。
報道引述廣東省東莞市南城街道辦事處於周四（27日）披露，今年東莞全市供電及用電形勢險峻，錯峰用電措施或將延續至年底。自5月中，17個廣東地級市，包括廣州、佛山、東莞、惠州、珠海、中山等地區，已開啟有序用電。
17地級市有序用電
不過，到5月底，部分缺電嚴峻的廣東地區限電日由原先的1天，增加至3天。其中，有位於廣東惠州生產多層電路板的公司透露，在周一（24日）收到當地供電所通知，須於5月24日、25日及28日執行有序用電，公司已啟動緊急預案，安排租用發電機，預計部分訂單交期將受影響。
由於全球經濟逐步復甦，中國南部的企業生產需求持續增加，推高電煤價格，導致電力供不應求的情況在3月後日漸浮現。報道提到，今年5月廣東預計最高電力負荷需求達1.33億千瓦，電力缺口為800萬至1100萬千瓦，缺口比率達6.02%至8.3%。
廣西缺口比率達11%
除了廣東，廣西和雲南等地也須啟動有序用電。廣西工信廳發布一份有序用電預案文件指出，廣西須執行錯峰及避峰預案；在5月25日至30日期間，廣西最高電力負荷需求達2700萬千瓦，而最大電力缺口預計為300萬千瓦，電力缺口佔比為11%。
雲南省能源局亦於5月19日公布，啟動有序用電方案，實施日期是5月10日至5月底；省內部分電解鋁企業目前已有壓產、減產情況，直至6月中下旬。
報道引述消息人士說，考慮到電力緊缺、現貨市場價格攀升及國家維穩等因素，廣東6月暫不開展電力現貨結算試運行。據知，廣東在5月時開啟電力現貨整月試結算，但因電力供應緊張，發電價格高企，現貨市場價格遠高於廣東燃煤基準價，如推動電力現貨結算試運行，風險及後續影響亦較大。
資料來源：信報財經 (2021年5月29日)
2、鹽田疫情貨轉南沙；貨櫃航運Q3旺季仍看旺
廣州疫情導致貨櫃航運業者紛紛改以跳港(跳過鹽田港)與改停等方式裝貨，主要影響端仍在貨主端需拉貨至較遠港口上船，對航商影響較小，但確實會因為改停南沙較小港口，導致作業時間拉長，但鹽田港已經開始恢復運作，市場人士評估具體影響運價狀況有限；近期旺季將至，船公司紛紛調漲各類費用，是為第三季大增的貨量做因應，與此次鹽田港則無直接關聯，國內貨櫃航商三雄也仍對第三季旺季業績抱持正向看法。
廣州疫情影響深圳鹽田港在5月25日至30日進行封港作業，目前雖已逐步開放，但貨攬業者指出具體貨量要恢復正常水準仍需時間，估計華南貨品除會往鄰近的南沙港上船之外，也不排除貨主將貨品往北拉至寧波、上海等站上船。
此次疫情主要對貨櫃航運衝擊在於轉往停泊南沙港的船舶，受限於南沙港吞吐量較小，作業時間將拉長，將衝擊相關船班一周時間，但承攬商評估其對運價衝擊不大，後續船班則預期會持續以轉停因應，不會有大幅減班，但相關貨量仍需時間排除，據業者透露，目前長榮(2603)因疫情影響已累積約5千TEU貨品在等候上船。
至於船公司陸續於6月、7月調漲旺季附加費(PSS)與綜合費率上漲附加費(GRI)，以GRI來看，歐洲線每櫃將調增500至1,000美元，美東、美西具不同船公司，分別調漲大約2,000美元、1,000美元，主要是為即將到來的第三季貨運傳統旺季做出費用調整，與此次鹽田港事件則無直接關聯。
承攬業者指出，歐美終端零售業庫存量實際上仍偏低，在疫情過後恢復經濟活動後，市場對於今年購物旺季需求看法樂觀，第三季貨量應可再見到上升，且短期1至1年半左右，市場新船下水量有限，在供需緊繃狀況下，國內貨櫃航商三雄也仍對第三季業績抱持正向看法。
資料來源：www.moneydj.com (2021年6月2日)
3、亞洲多國製造業擴張放緩 疫情反撲原材價漲 窒礙出口勢頭
全球經濟逐步復甦，日本、南韓等亞洲經濟體的製造業活動於5月繼續擴張，惟呈現放緩跡象。由於原材料成本上漲，加上台灣、越南等地新冠肺炎確診宗數激增，恐怕打亂產業供應鏈，令區內製造業前景蒙上陰影。
南韓出口勁彈45.6%
南韓周二公布，5月份製造業採購經理指數（PMI）報53.7，低於4月份，但已是連續第八個月高於50盛衰分界線；同期出口勁升45.6%，增幅自1988年以來最大。不過，製造商成本壓力明顯加重，最新生產價格指數（PPI）5.6%，升至13年高位，意味出口增長勢頭未必保得住。
近期受疫情惡化困擾的台灣和越南，工廠活動也減慢，但兩者PMI都保持在50以上，顯示製造業仍在擴張。泰國則沒有那麼幸運，PMI跌穿50，反映行業正在收縮。
日本企業於今年首季，連續第四個季度削減工廠和設備支出。中國製造業成本不斷飆升也令其他亞洲國家不安，因為它們非常依賴中國提供的原材料和零部件。
第一生命經濟研究所首席經濟師西濱徹表示，亞洲經濟復甦很大程度依靠外來需求，而非本土市場，若出口受阻，區內經濟肯定受創。
泰國大馬多家廠房停運
疫情對亞洲區製造業的打擊愈來愈明顯，泰國多家工廠發現感染個案，當地傳統硬碟（HDD）生產商泰金寶，近日傳出旗下一家工廠多達2400名工人染疫，需要停工14天。卜蜂食品關閉一家廠房，乳膠手套製造商Sri Trang Gloves也有兩家工廠暫停運作，影響該公司一半生產力。
泰國銀行公會理事長巴榮（Payong Srivanich）指出，出口是泰國經濟目前唯一的主要增長動力，如果更多工廠因為疫情爆發而關閉，出口表現勢受到打擊。他呼籲政府加快推動疫苗接種，以免疫情摧毀製造業。
馬來西亞疫情升溫，周二宣布封鎖兩周，豐田、本田等多家日資車廠隨即停運當地廠房。越南為了確保製造業繼續生產，甚至下令當地企業讓工人睡在工廠內，也要求三星電子和其他外資企業協助為當地廠工尋求疫苗。
儘管如此，彭博的貿易追蹤指標顯示，全球貨物貿易仍然蓬勃。滙豐經濟研究亞太區聯席主管范力民（Frederic Neumann）認為，短期通脹壓力的確增加，隨着西方國家經濟逐步重啟，亞洲大部分地區則仍在與病毒搏鬥，未來幾個月供應瓶頸情況可能惡化，對亞洲區經濟增長構成阻力，但相信僅屬暫時性。
資料來源：信報財經 (2021年6月2日)
4、自創食用時裝 環保可降解
【本報綜合報道】中國吉林長春人文學院一名女學生，自創可食用服裝，據稱具有環保可降解的特性，且可以將不新鮮的蔬菜化成衣服，以達環保之效，服裝不僅可實際穿上身，更可摺疊、熨燙及縫紉。
設計這可食用服裝的唐丹陽是該學院大四學生，她多次試驗後，成功將從菠菜提取的纖維代替傳統纖維，並混合糖漿等可食用物質，製成可食用及可摺疊的服裝。
服裝可摺疊縫紉
在試驗過程中，唐丹陽曾嘗試過使用蘋果、火龍果、青瓜及紅蘿蔔等食材，最後認為菠菜的呈現效果最佳。
唐丹陽的作品以蔬菜的綠色及白色為主調，剪裁寬闊飄逸；她更指服裝可降解，這套可食用服裝在中國國際大學生時裝周上獲得「科技創新獎」。
資料來源：東方日報 (2021年5月31日)
5、Bangladesh Accord extended by three months
The Bangladesh on Fire and Building Safety Accord, which was set to expire on May 31 2021, has been extended for another three months.
The accord is a legally binding pact signed by more than 200 fashion companies that aims to improve factory safety for workers following the 2013 Rana Plaza building collapse which resulted in the deaths of over 1,100 garment factory workers.
The accord was set to expire in May, by which time it would be superseded by a new body, backed by the Bangladesh government, called the Readymade Sustainability Council (RSC).
But trade unions and NGOs have warned that RSC is not ready to take over, citing concerns that it will not implement the same legally binding obligations for individual brands that were present in the Bangladesh Accord.
On Sunday, UNI Global Union, IndustriALL Global Union and a negotiating committee representing leading fashion announced they had agreed to a three-month extension of the commitments of the 2018 Transition Accord to allow negotiations to continue.
Christy Hoffman, UNI general secretary, said in a release: “We welcome this extension, which will allow us more time to negotiate a successor agreement to the Accord. We must put the mechanisms in place to ensure the success and credibility of the RSC as well as a safe workplace for millions of workers.”
Source: fashionunited.uk (31 May 2021)
6、Lever Style Strives to be the Fast, Flexible Go-To Supplier Across All Apparel Categories
The state of the apparel supply chain has certainly changed throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, but for Lever Style, staying out in front of these changes has been a five-year process. Within that time span, the Hong Kong-based apparel manufacturer and supplier has committed to a faster, nimbler operation by pivoting to work primarily with flexible digital natives and designer labels focused on manufacturing smaller-batch orders.
With an array of expertise and services at its disposal and base values focused on strong factory compliance, on-time delivery and premium quality, Lever Style has made it a mission to become the “indispensable partner of choice” for these brands.
While the company offers a wide range of solutions for apparel, design, development, sourcing and manufacturing, Lever Style’s true value proposition lies in extending these services across all apparel product categories, according to executive chairman Stanley Szeto.
“In our industry, the top players tend to be specialized—shirts, denim, sweaters, tailoring or soft-woven products,” Szeto said. “If they grow they might have two or three product categories at maximum, whereas we cover pretty much the entire range. Our clients don’t just buy one product category; they are all lifestyle brands and platforms that purchase across a wide range of categories.”
During the pandemic, Lever Style stepped in to fill an even bigger role for its clients, especially as many sought out common ground with their suppliers, whether through compliance, speed to market or product quality. In select cases, the company served as the only apparel supplier for brand partners, and thus needed to help augment their sourcing and production capabilities. Lever Style’s breadth of categories allows brand partners to reduce overhead costs and fill in gaps when necessary, especially if they have a small sourcing and production team, or none at all. This positioning was essential during the pandemic as manpower budgets were dwindling, according to Kimberly Wallis, vice president of product development and sales at Lever Style.
“Many of the services that we already provided were utilized more during the pandemic,” Wallis said. “Instead of just seeking fabric sourcing, many companies also started requesting design work. They had to downsize and really needed our support. We also saw that many companies weren’t able to present to their clients in person when lockdowns and travel restrictions kicked in, so we stepped in to help them create virtual presentations through our 3D Browzwear software.”
With this back-end support, including an in-house design studio and extensive fabric library, Lever Style aims to free brands up to focus on their core competencies on the front end of the business, such as distribution or marketing, Szeto said.
Lever Style’s services have expanded since going public in late 2019, acquiring four companies in the past eight months and rolling them into its ecosystem. But while Lever Style has benefited from its new performance apparel, knitwear, denim and technical activewear offerings, the future and success of its brand partnerships will continue to evolve as shopper data becomes more pivotal to the apparel experience. Lever Style analyzes sales data provided by e-commerce partners as well as market intelligence from international trend shows and mill partners to inform future trends and product development.
“It’s an art and a science. The science part is getting all the data. On the art side, we work hard to stay on top of the market and understand the needs of high-end brands so we know exactly what is coming down the pipeline in terms of trends,” Szeto said. “We can marry data with the intel research we gather from these various resources to produce the most relevant products for our brands.”
As apparel brands rush to prioritize digital transformation within their supply chain, especially if they don’t have an established IT infrastructure, Lever Style can even serve as their turnkey supply partner. The company offers solutions including Browzwear, supply chain compliance and quality platform Pivot88, Centric PLM and ERP platform Microsoft Dynamics 365.
“We become the main part of the IT ecosystem, and the brand can just access Browzwear or the PLM in one terminal,” Szeto said. “We can make it into one holistic experience so that a small brand using us exclusively as a turnkey solutions provider won’t need to implement anything.”
Although Szeto described the apparel industry at large as only in the “early stage of digital transformation,” he has set a high goal for Lever Style: capitalize on the “winner-take-all” environment that permeates among digital platforms, such as Uber in ridesharing and Airbnb in home rentals.
Source: www.sourcingjournal.com (28 May 2021)
7、Polyester Yarn From 4 Asian Nations Dumped in US, Gov Rules
The U.S. Department of Commerce has ruled that imports of polyester textured yarn from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam are being unfairly sold below their fair value in the United States at margins ranging from 2.67 percent to 56.08 percent.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection will now begin collecting antidumping duties (AD) in the amount equal to the dumping cash deposits rates for imports from each country. Importers will be required to post duty deposits at these AD rates on the date the preliminary determinations are published in the Federal Register.
These deposits will be collected until the Commerce Department and U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) conclude their investigations later this year. At that time, the duties could change, Commerce said.
Imports of polyester textured yarn from China and India are currently subject to significant double- and triple-digit AD and countervailing duties as a result of prior investigations that concluded in January 2020.
Two major U.S. synthetic yarn producers–Unifi Manufacturing Inc. and Nan Ya Plastics Corporation America–filed petitions with the Commerce Department and the USITC in October alleging that dumped imports of polyester textured yarn from Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam were causing material injury to the domestic industry.
The Commerce Department initiated the investigations in November and the USITC preliminarily determined in December that imports from the four countries were causing injury to the U.S. domestic industry.
The product covered by the investigation, polyester textured yarn, is synthetic multifilament yarn that is manufactured from polyester (polyethylene terephthalate). Polyester textured yarn is produced through a texturing process that imparts special properties to the filaments of the yarn, including stretch, bulk, strength, moisture absorption, insulation and the appearance of a natural fiber.
This scope of the ruling includes all forms of polyester textured yarn, regardless of surface texture or appearance, yarn density and thickness; number of filaments; number of plies; finish; cross section; color; dye method; texturing method or packing method.
The merchandise subject to this investigation is properly classified under subheadings 5402.33.3000 and 5402.33.6000 of the Harmonized Tariff Schedule of the United States (HTSUS). Although the HTSUS subheadings are provided for convenience and customs purposes, the written description of the merchandise is absolute and conclusive, Commerce noted.
The petitioning companies are represented by Kelley Drye & Warren LLP.
Source: www.sourcingjournal.com (1 Jun 2021)
8、Fung Business Intelligence: Asia Sourcing Update - Southeast Asia
12-month Sourcing Outlook
Slightly positive: Pakistan, Turkey
Neutral: Bangladesh, India
Click here to read the full report.
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Source: Fung Business Intelligence (28 May 2021)