Army Combat Uniform Coat Contracts Awarded

Puerto Rico Apparel Manufacturing Corp., Mayaguez, Puerto Rico., has been awarded a maximum $15,992,977 for a one year base contract with four one-year option periods for various types of Permethrin Army Combat Uniform coats. The contract is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is Puerto Rico with an Aug. 14, 2014 performance completion date. Using service is Army. Type of appropriation is Fiscal 2013 through Fiscal 2014 Defense Working Capital funds. Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (SPM1C1-13-D-1065).

Golden Manufacturing Co., Inc., Golden, Miss., has been awarded a maximum $36,523,456 for a one year base contract with four one-year option periods for various types of Permethrin Army Combat Uniform coats. The contract is a firm-fixed-price, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. Location of performance is Mississippi with an Aug. 14, 2014 performance completion date. Using service is Army. Type of appropriation is Fiscal 2013 through Fiscal 2014 Defense Working Capital funds. Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support, Philadelphia, Pa., is the contracting activity (SPM1C1-13-D-1063).

Tacking the Taxonomy of Technical Textiles

In my latest column for the BeaverLake6 Report I scratch the surface of the question, "What is a technical textile." Read the essay by clicking here.

OTEXA Reports on Top Foreign Markets for US Textiles and Apparel

Today the United States Department of Commerce Office of Textiles and Apparel ("OTEXA") released an updated version of its publication Going Global: Export Guide for Textiles and Apparel.

The Report lists the top 15 markets as determined by the largest amount of U.S. exports of textiles and apparel in U.S. dollars:

1. Canada,
2. Mexico,
3. Honduras,
4. China,
5. Japan,
6. Dominican Republic,
7. United Kingdom,
8. El Salvador,
9. Belgium,
10. Hong Kong,
11. Germany,
12. South Korea,
13. Australia,
14. Netherlands, and
15. Brazil.

Fastest Growing Markets for U.S. Textiles Exports:

1. Vietnam,
2. Egypt,
3. Poland,
4. Pakistan, and
5. Lithuania.

Fastest Growing Markets for U.S. Apparel Exports:

1. United Kingdom,
2. Netherlands,
3. China,
4. Saudi Arabia, and
5. France.

Going Global: Export Guide for Textiles and Apparel is available on the OTEXA website by clicking here.

Mississippi Furniture Manufacturers Get Extension of FTZ for Micro-Denier Suede

Today the Foreign Trade Zone ("FTZ") Board announced that three Mississippi furniture manufacturers, Bauhaus USA, Inc., H.M. Richards, Inc., Lane Furniture Industries, Inc., which in December 2008 had been granted the right to import, duty-free, a limited quantity of micro-denier suede fabric, for a period of five years, have now had that privilege extended indefinitely.

In the case of Bauhaus USA, Inc. the annual volume of foreign micro-denier suede upholstery fabric finished with a caustic soda solution that may be admitted to duty-free is limited to 3.5 million square yards.

In the case of H.M. Richards, Inc., the annual volume of foreign micro-denier suede upholstery fabric finished with a caustic soda solution that may be admitted duty-free is limited to 6.5 million square yards.

In the Lane Furniture Industries, Inc., the annual volume of foreign micro-denier suede upholstery fabric finished with a caustic soda solution that may be admitted duty-free is limited to 6.5 million square yards.

Agathon Associates Comments on FTC Strategic Plan

On August 8th, David Trumbull submitted the following comments regarding the United States Federal Trade Commission ("FTC") Stragetic Plan for fiscal year 2014 through 2018.

I write on behalf of my clients who are engaged in every stage of the wool trade -- from fiber, to yarn and fabric, to apparel. The U.S. is one of the most important markets for wool and animal hair consumer products, and I applauded the Commission's activities directed toward reducing consumer fraud and unfair competition in the market for these products.

I am pleased to see that, among the Commission's three Strategic Goals, consumer protection is listed first. I am also pleased to see, listed as objectives under that Strategic Goal, the Commission's Strategic Plan: (1) "Identify and take actions to address deceptive or unfair practices that harm consumers" and (2) "Provide the public with knowledge and tools to prevent harm to consumers."

In particular, I direct the Commission's attention to the task, currently being undertaken by the Commission, of revising the Rules and Regulations Under the Wool Products Labeling Act of 1939 (File No. P124201) to address the amendments made by the Wool Suit Fabric Labeling Fairness and International Standards Conforming Act. The amendments went into effect in 2007 and the trade is anxious to see the revised Rules and the Commission's responses to industry's specific suggestions for implementing the amendments. In addition, I have recently been alerted to the pervasive mislabeling of wool felt hats in violation of the Wool Products Labeling Act and shall be submitting, under separate cover, a report to the Commission on this problem, which is harming consumers and honest retailers and is a source of unfair competition for producers of properly labeled felt hats.

I also look forward to the finalizing of the revisions to the Rules and Regulations Under the Textile Fiber Product Identification Act and am pleased to see that the suggestions made in joint industry comments have been, largely, adopted in the proposed Rule.

Comments are due by August 16th. For more information or to see the Stragetic Plan, visit the FTC website by clicking here.

U.S. Lifts Ban on Imports from Burma

Wednesday, in light of the July 28 expiration of the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act's ("BFDA") ban on imports from Burma, President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order that repeals the provisions of Executive Order 13310 that implemented the broad BFDA import ban on products of Burma.

New Import Data Show China Continues to Dominate in Luggage and Travel Goods

The second quarter import statistics released this week show China continuing to dominate as a shipper of certain luggage and travel goods the object of a bill, H.R. 2139 to grant GSP benefits for luggage and travel goods. For a list of the specific luggage and travel goods covered by the bill click here. China accounted for $3 billion of the $4.3 billion in total imports of these articles. Combined China and Vietnam accounted for 76% of all imports. Other significant shippers were France and Italy, which, combined, accounted for 13% of imports by dollar value. The data behind that analysis is available by clicking here

The U.S. Generalized System of Preferences ("GSP") is a program designed to promote economic growth in the developing world by providing preferential duty-free entry for up to 5,000 products when imported from one of 127 designated beneficiary countries and territories. None of the four largest shippers, who collectively account for 90% of U.S. imports of these kinds of luggage and travel goods are eligible for GSP, so the bill will not effect duties on those imports. One GSP-eligible country, India, accounts for 2% of imports and may be poised to take advantage of duty-free entry via GSP should the bill pass. Currently luggage and travel goods are exempted from GSP. In the first half of 2013 the GSP-eligible countries shipped to the U.S. $245 million in travel goods of the kind. While a small portion of those shipments were duty-free under other trade programs, the vast majority were dutiable and the income to the U.S. treasury totaled $26 million. To see the data behind this analysis click here. Were the bill to pass, those shipment could potentially be duty-free.

Supporters have expressed the belief that the bill, if enacted, may result in some production shifting from China and Vietnam to lesser developed nations. The remaining U.S. travel goods manufacturers, on the other hand, have expressed concerns the bill may result in more U.S. production shifting to the lesser developed nations.