International Trade Forum articles from July 2005

International Trade Forum archives from July 2005

It's a buyer's market.(From the Editor)
July 1, 2005... It's a buyer's market in the textiles and clothing industry. In today's post-quota world, let the seller beware! The industry has gone through fast and wrenching changes, especially in the last year. Under pressure from buyers, clothing...

Exporting clothing: let the seller beware: the abolition on 1 January 2005 of the 42-year-old system of quotas for exports of textiles and clothing has led to the biggest buyer's market in history.(Brief article)
July 1, 2005... From a situation where normal market rules of caveat emptor (let the buyer beware) applied, we have moved to "caveat venditor", where unwary or unprepared suppliers will find themselves without clients. Hard-hit developing countries are...

Sourcing: a must for clothing suppliers: for developing country suppliers, no other service may be more important than sourcing to compete in the post-2005 era.(Textiles & Clothing)
July 1, 2005... The elimination of quotas has changed the global clothing industry forever, raising the bar for suppliers. The facilities that were needed to compete in the industry before January 2005 are no longer sufficient. The ability to ship a decent...

Get connected: buyers are pushing clothing manufacturers to use information technology to speed up delivery, lower costs and improve services. Before rushing to invest in technology solutions, manufacturers should piece together the value chain "puzzle", from fabric mill to retailer.(Textiles & Clothing)
July 1, 2005... Information technologies are changing trade in textiles and clothing. A few years ago, a cheap product was incompatible with fast delivery. Clothing manufacturers produced either standard goods in bulk at low prices with long lead times, or...

E-management: suppliers become closer partners: when big buyers and their suppliers use information technology in the clothing business, it is more than just adding computers to conventional commerce. It usually means suppliers take on new responsibilities.(Textiles & Clothing)
July 1, 2005... TAL Apparel, a shirt maker in Hong Kong (China), has an arrangement with retail giant JC Penney in the United States that shows how manufacturers can provide new services to buyers which go beyond the traditional supplier role. Moving...

Reverse auctions: sharpen competition: reverse Internet auctions put clothing manufacturers in competition with one another to offer buyers low prices. By teaming up with textile mills and trim suppliers, manufacturers can bid prices that won't wipe out their profit margins.(Textiles & Clothing)
July 1, 2005... In a move to cut buying costs, some big clothing retailers now require their suppliers to participate in reverse Internet auctions. They use these auctions mainly for sourcing large volumes of supplies and for standard products with easily...

"Yellow Jersey" for Kazakh firm: an ITC project manager's enthusiasm for cycling led to a historic link between ASSOS, one of the biggest names in cyclists' clothing, and Textiline, a small, service-oriented Kazakh company. Together, they established the world's first line of "after-bike" wear.(Portrait of Trade Development)(Company overview)
July 1, 2005... Kazakhstan has a long history in the textile business and, until the collapse of the Soviet Union, it produced textiles and apparel for the whole country. In the 1990s, the former Soviet republic's industry was privatized, but needed assistance...

Putting "e" to work: business in rich and poor countries are asking: "how can 'e' help me compete?".(Brief article)
July 1, 2005... Whether it's exports of clothing or coffee, information and communications technologies (ICTs) are transforming trade. From the latest trends in coffee auctions to the textiles and clothing industry's "e" revolution, ICTs bring both perils and...

Internet auctions promote coffee trade development: internet auctions for high-quality coffee help raise incomes for coffee producers and provide efficiency gains to buyers and sellers.(Putting "E" to Work)
July 1, 2005... Traditionally, many coffee producers didn't differentiate between high-quality and standard coffee, meaning they didn't benefit from higher prices for good coffee. In the late 1990s, ITC market analysis revealed that coffee producers could earn...

Trade forum collection on e-trade.
July 1, 2005... The articles below are available from the Trade Forum web site at http://www.tradeforum.org National and business strategies Get Connected (3/2005) Putting "E" to Work (3/2004) Putting "E" to Work (3/2003) National...

ITC at WSIS 2005: bridging the "use divide".(Putting "E" to Work)
July 1, 2005... Building on its experience during the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 2003 in Geneva, ITC is organizing three events on "e@Work", bringing the voice of the business sector in developing countries to WSIS 2005 in Tunis: *...

Trade development art or science? Many people now agree that there are clear links between trade and development. Yet the debate continues between those leaning towards a structured approach and those seeking a free rein for creativity in trade development.(New Perspectives)
July 1, 2005... Last year ITC celebrated its 40th anniversary. Its magazine Trade Forum has been in existence an equal number of years. In every issue, it highlights and analyses key aspects of international trade development. As can be expected, 40 years of...

The challenges of Doha, Hong Kong and beyond: while there are advantages and disadvantages for developing countries in the Doha round of trade talks, many are trying to make the global trading system work for them.(New Perspectives)
July 1, 2005... The Doha round of the World Trade Organization (WTO) is heading towards a critical Ministerial Meeting in Hong Kong in December. Many thorny issues remain to be resolved and some sceptics have voiced doubts that the negotiations can be wrapped...

Boosting market access for least developed countries: ITC encourages LDCs that are members of the WTO to tap into Market Access Map, its market analysis tool, free until September 2006.(ITC News)(International Trade Centre, Least developed countries)
July 1, 2005... Least developed countries (LDCs) that are members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) can now benefit from free market intelligence to help them gain market access and shape trade negotiations. The United States Agency for International...

ITC helps Pakistan prepare for agriculture and services talks: Pakistani officials took part in training and networking events, organized by ITC, to help them in the ongoing Doha round of trade negotiations.(ITC News)
July 1, 2005... ITC organized two seminars in June 2005 to prepare Pakistani trade officials to take part in the talks on agriculture and services at the World Trade Organization (WTO). These events are part of a larger "Trade-Related Technical Assistance...

Standards experts agree steps to improve market access for developing countries: standards experts recommended measures to help developing countries, so that standards on goods don't act as trade barriers.(ITC News)
July 1, 2005... Experts on product standards from around the world met to discuss how to help developing countries overcome market access barriers relating to technical standards at a workshop in Geneva (June 2005). While the agreement concluding the...

Dubai to create new Export Development Centre: with trade accounting for about 17% of its gross domestic product, Dubai plans to work with ITC to set up an Export Development Centre to ensure the smooth development of its growing export sector.(ITC News)
July 1, 2005... Fast-growing Dubai is a centre for trade in the region. It has been chosen by trade promotion organizations from around the globe to host their next World Conference in 2006. "With increasing focus on international trade, we need to...

Coffee exporters feel effects of Hurricane Katrina: exporters shipping coffee to New Orleans consulted ITC's Coffee Guide web site when the port was closed.(ITC News)
July 1, 2005... Shortly after the port of New Orleans was forced to close due to Hurricane Katrina, exporters of coffee destined for the United States posted questions on ITC's web site for the coffee industry (http://www.thecoffeeguide.org). They wanted to...

Bridging the "Use Divide".(ITC News In Brief)(application of information technologies in International Trade Centre)(Brief article)
July 1, 2005... Addressing the "use divide" is the focus of ITC's E-trade Bridge Programme during its second cycle, which began with representatives from China, Indonesia, Mongolia, Pakistan and Thailand unveiling their national action plans. The use divide...

New Director to Coordinate Technical Cooperation joins ITC.(ITC News In Brief)(appointment of Sok Siphana)(Brief article)
July 1, 2005... Mr Sok Siphana, a Cambodian national, joined ITC in October this year as Director of the Division of Technical Cooperation Coordination, which manages ITC's national and regional programmes. Mr Sok replaces Hendrik Roelofsen, who is retiring....

LatinPharma 2005 leads to millions of dollars in deals.(ITC News In Brief)
July 1, 2005... ITC organized the fourth buyers--sellers meeting for LatinPharma, the Latin American pharmaceutical industry, in Santiago, Chile in September. Immediately after the meeting, participating firms reported they had concluded deals worth between...

Geneva public learns about trade development challenges.(ITC News In Brief)(Brief article)
July 1, 2005... To mark the United Nations' 60th anniversary this year, the UN office at Geneva and the city authorities are organizing events and activities for the general public. The initiatives help raise awareness among Geneva's population about the...

Trade forum online tops 100,000 visits a month.(ITC Information Products)
July 1, 2005... Trade Forum online passed the "100,000 visits per month" mark in September, when more than 140,000 people from 180 countries visited the magazine's site (http:// www.tradeforum.org). New articles on trade in services were a big draw, as...

International trade bulletins.(ITC Information Products)
July 1, 2005... ITC produces a variety of international trade bulletins which complement its books and technical papers. To subscribe, contact the relevant sections of ITC. * Market News Service Contact: pmaps@intracen.org http://www.p-maps.org *...