Taiwanese textile firms look to production in U.S.

Taipei--Several major textile manufacturers are set to roll out products in the United States, echoing U.S. President Donald Trump's pledge to push for goods "Made in USA."

Everest Textile Co. (????), a subsidiary of the Far Eastern Group (????), is one of the Taiwanese firms responding to Trump's advocacy. Everest, which has bought a plant in North Carolina and re-purposed the production lines, is scheduled to start production in mid-March.

In his inauguration address on Jan. 20, Trump reiterated the theme of "America First" and vowed to "bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth. And we will bring back our dreams," under his trade protectionism advocacy.

Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs has warned that Trump's protectionism could affect Taiwan's exports, while economists have urged the government and local exporters to come up with measures to counter the possible impact of Trump's policies, as the U.S. is one of the largest buyers of Taiwan textiles.

In response, the local textile sector has moved production lines to the U.S. in a bid to avoid efforts to impose tariffs to their outbound sales.

The latest approach represents a major shift in the sector's production focus, as goods have largely been made in China and Southeast Asian countries in recent years.

Everest, which specializes in functional fabric production, said that its plant in North Carolina will mainly produce fabrics, though some of the production lines will produce ready to wear garments.

The textile maker said that the re-purposing of the U.S. plant has proceeded very smoothly, with production set to begin one month ahead of the original schedule.

Makalot Industrial Co. (??), one of the largest apparel makers in Taiwan, said that it is studying the feasibility of setting up a plant in the U.S. as part of its plans to expand overseas. In addition to the U.S. plant, Makalot is also considering investing in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Li Peng Enterprise Co. (??), the largest nylon chip and yarn producer in Taiwan said that it is planning to open warehousing facilities in the U.S. in the second half of this year to store the nylon chips it produces in Taiwan and Southeast Asia to meet demand in the U.S. market.

Li Peng said that future warehouses in the U.S., which will be large enough to accommodate about 2,000 metric tons, will not store nylon chips from China as products made there have been slapped with anti-dumping tariffs by the U.S. government.

The warehouse business in the U.S. aims to better serve U.S. customers by taking advantage of proximity to the market, Li Peng said.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel