In Guatemala, a textile company with 53,000 m2 under construction is planned to be built.
CentralAmericaData's "Commercial Feasibility Studies" includes an up-to-date list of public and private construction projects that have submitted Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) to the respective institutions in each country.
The growth in demand for sportswear, which has been a trend in several international markets, is forcing companies in El Salvador to modify their production processes.
Local manufacturers have identified that pants, leggings, biker shorts and other sportswear have become an urban fashion in different countries, which has led them to adapt their production processes to meet the growing demand.
The use of nanotechnology in production processes is one of the investments that companies in the textile industry will have to make to compete at a global level.
According to specialists in nanotechnology, an area focused on the design and manipulation of matter at the level of atoms or molecules for industrial purposes, in the production processes several advanced techniques exist that give industry the opportunity to innovate and access new markets.
In the first quarter of the year, imports of yarns and textile supplies in Central America totaled $127 million, registering a 10% drop compared to the same period in 2017.
Figures from the Information System on the Textiles and Textile Supplies Market in Central America, compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption = "Click to interact with graph"]
Salvadoran textile companies state that the costs of labor, security and delivery times have made the sector's operations more expensive.
The recentincrease in the minimum wageis one of the factors that has had a direct impact on the cost structure of Salvadoran textile companies. Added to this are logistical difficulties in customs offices, which have caused companies from neighboring countries to obtain contracts that were originally planned for El Salvador.
In 2016, the value of imported yarns and textile raw materials in the region amounted to $328 million, equivalent to 89 thousand tons, 6% more than the volume purchased in 2015.
Figures from the information system on the Central American Market for Yarns and Textiles materials, compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData: [GRAFICA caption="Clic para interactuar con la gráfica"]
Within the framework of the Apparel Sourcing Show, a delegation of Chinese textile entrepreneurs will be visiting the country in May, to explore business opportunities in the sector.
The Apparel Sourcing Show event will be held from May 23 to 25 at the Grand Tikal Futura Hotel, and will bring together textile companies from the Central American region and from other countries.
The Salvadoran union has stated that excessive bureaucracy and high production costs are the main factors that could be encouraging some textile mills to reduce operations in the country.
José Antonio Escobar, president of the Chamber of the Textile Industry, Clothing and Free Zones of El Salvador (Camtex) told Elsalvador.com that one of the companies that has shut down part of its operations, to transfer them to another country, is Fruit of the Loom.Escobar said"...'In the plant owned by Fruit of the Loom in the industrial park American Park, where a thousand people work, the company will make a reduction of about 850 positions'."
A report by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData.com notes that in 2015 Central American countries imported $318 million worth of yarns, filaments and textiles, led by El Salvador with $157 million.
El Salvador was the main importer of synthetic filaments, strips and materials similar to synthetic textiles last year, according to data on the Textiles and Raw Materials Market compiled by the Business Intelligence Unit at CentralAmericaData.com.
Textile exports in the year exceeded $2.5 billion, an increase of 6% compared to 2014.
From a report by the Chamber of Textile Industry, Clothing and Free Zones of El Salvador:
The growth of exports in the sector in 2015 amounted to $149 million more exports compared to 2014 ($2,403,000), positioning itself as the most important sector in exports with $2,552 exported, accounting for 46% of the country's total exports.
A meeting is being convened for the textile and clothing industry on March 16 in El Salvador, where the overall situation in the sector will be discussed.
From a statement issued by Proesa:
El Salvador is preparing for the third edition of the Forum of Textiles and Apparel (FOROTEX) 2016, a space where high-level international speakers present trends and strategies for competing in international markets.
Its participation in the US market has dropped, but the unification of the cluster now encompasses the entire manufacturing process, generating exports worth $1.5 billion.
The integration of the production process, generating greater added value to all parts of the production chain of the textile industry, has enabled the industry to stay afloat and face off competition from producers such as Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries.
The manufacturer of synthetic fabrics Pettenati plans to invest $13 million to increase its production capacity by 25%.
The textile company Pettenati has announced that it is completing the process of purchasing new equipment in order to increase its production capacity this year and meet growing demand which has been reported in recent years. This investment complements the recent expansion of its industrial plant located on the highway between San Salvador and Santa Ana.
80% of the volume exported by the Honduran maquila sector in the first half of 2014 corresponds to textiles, 15% to harnesses, and the remaining 5% to other goods.
A report by the Central Bank of Honduras (BCH) specifies that when comparing the figure for the first half of this year with the same period of 2013, "... A slight increase of $8.2 million is observed. "
In 2011 the country imported $251 million worth of clothes, an increase of 12% compared to the previous year.
Examples of some of the data in the report:
Imports of men and childrens shirts increased by 46% between 2010 and 2011, going from $18.1 million to $26.5 million imported in 2011.
Meanwhile, imports of suits, ensembles, jackets (coats), dresses, skirts, skirt-shorts,trousers, breeches, and shorts, and shorts for women and girls increased by 13% between 2010 and 2011, and represented the largest increase in monetary level, going from $66 million to $74.7 million imported in 2011.