Pakistan claims five per cent of global pie for socks manufacturing
Pakistan is next only to China in terms of the socks manufacturing industry in Asia. Elaborating on the strengths and weaknesses of the Pakistani socks industry, Zahid Qamar, director of Aftab Jawaid and Company shares some analytical insights on the socks industry of Pakistan in an interview with Fibre2Fashion.com
What is the size of the socks industry globally? What is the percentage pie that Pakistan could claim for itself?
Pakistan is the second largest socks manufacturer in Asia after China. The main focus in the country is for sports socks. Around the globe, we would claim five per cent share of the overall pie for Pakistan.
How many players in the socks industry does Pakistan have? What is the size of the socks industry there?
There are four big factories, 13 medium size factories, and more than 100 small and unorganised sector factories.
From where do you source your raw material for the manufacture of socks?
Cotton yarn is available locally. RG is imported from China, Indonesia and India, and is also available locally. Polyester is available locally, but is mainly imported from china.
How does the branded segment in socks, vis-a-vis the unorganised sector play out?
There are a few big factories manufacturing branded socks, and the rest are manufacturers of non-branded sectors for export.
Which are the top five brands in the socks segment?
Puma, Nike, Adidas, Reebok, Fruit of the Loom are the top five brands in the socks segment.
How big is your socks brand? What is its retail presence? Which countries do you export to?
Approximately, 30 percent of the socks industry is branded. The retail presence is very small. Export is mainly done to the US, Canada, Australia and European countries.
Coming to your business on yarns, how big is the size of the yarn industry in Pakistan?
There is just one example, there is only one big factory. Everyday export is 6X40' HQ containers.
Who are the top five players?
Nishat, Sapphire, Fazal, Gulahmed and Chenab Textile are the top five players in the natural yarn category. For the synthetic yarn category, we have only two players - Gatron and Rupali.
In terms of machinery, how big is the market for textile and hosiery machine parts in Pakistan?
There is a big market for socks machines and spares.
What are the issues plaguing this segment?
The main issues plaguing the socks industry are power and gas shortages.
Published on: 04/07/2015
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
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