Recently, a “Notice on Carrying out Textile Finishing and Sizing and Industry Environmental Rectification Actions” was circulated on the Wujiang Shengze market. It can be seen from the notice that the targets of this rectification are those engaged in rotary screen printing, Production enterprises such as flat screen printing, transfer printing, digital printing, digital transfer printing, lamination, lamination, hot stamping, shaping, flocking, etc. In other words, all printing types and printing enterprises will be within the scope of regulation.
In recent years, the concept of “green mountains and clear waters are invaluable assets” has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and traditional textiles ” The business model of “three highs and one low” (high consumption, high pollution, high emissions, low added value) has become a red ocean, and the market space is shrinking. This time, the environmental protection rectification is directed at the finishing industry, which also shows the determination of the Wujiang government in environmental protection rectification. So, what opportunities and challenges has the printing market encountered under environmental protection regulations?
April just missed the peak season, and the printing market is tepid!
Printing, as an essential finishing and processing link in the textile industry, has always occupied a place in the Shengze market and can also reflect the market trends to a certain extent. Behavior and attitude. Last year, the entire market exploded, and the fabric market entered a stage of short supply starting in March. This fire continued until July. However, according to interviews and surveys, the performance of the entire printing market this year was tepid, far from reaching last year’s popularity.
Manager Zhou Cai’e of Wujiang Yilian Yongxin Printing Factory, which specializes in nylon and polyester printing, said: “The overall order receiving situation in April this year was not very satisfactory, and there were not many orders on hand. , Now large goods can normally be delivered within one week after entering the factory, and it can even be completed in 4-5 days. Orders have decreased compared with the same period last year.” Mr. Zhu from Wujiang Huayibao Printing Factory also has a similar feeling, He said: “The company mainly focuses on transfer printing and digital printing processing of various types of textiles. The overall order reception situation in April this year was stable, but compared with the same period last year, there was still a decline.”
In addition, we learned from traders that orders shrank significantly from March to April this year, and many traders’ orders have been unsaturated. General Office Zhao, who specializes in imitation silk orders in the Shengze area, learned that this year’s autumn and winter clothing fabric ordering fair has begun, but judging from the order volume of major clothing brands, the shrinkage is serious. “The order volume of a second-tier domestic brand in April last year was about 17 million meters, and this year it is less than 3 million meters.” Mr. Zhao said.
As consumers pursue fashion, printed imitation silk products have been the favorite fabrics for spring and summer clothing in recent years. The CEO of Suzhou Chensheng Textile Technology Co., Ltd. also said This year, the popularity of the imitation silk series is relatively short. Originally, April was supposed to be the peak season for chiffon products, but the overall order volume this year did not have a particularly large peak season feeling. This also led to the printing market in April this year being “not prosperous during the peak season.” “!
The environmental protection spearhead is directed at the finishing industry, and water printing has been pushed to the forefront!
In recent years, environmental protection campaigns such as “Green Waters and Green Mountains” and “Blue Sky Defense” have allowed enterprises to develop in a more orderly, healthier and more standardized way. As the “No. 1 textile town in China”, Shengze has a complete industrial chain and higher requirements for environmental protection. Under the environmental protection rectification, the printing and dyeing industry, the spray weaving industry, the coating industry, and even the printing industry are facing elimination, transformation and upgrading.
In this notice, water prints have also been pushed to the forefront. It is understood that flat screens and rotary screens are actually water printing. At present, there are not many water printing companies in Shengze area, which are relatively concentrated. There are only dozens of large-scale companies. Most of the remaining printing companies are transfer printing or digital printing. Under the high pressure of environmental protection, the market share of water printing has been greatly divided by transfer printing and digital printing. The use of flat mesh and rotary mesh mainly depends on the size of the pattern. The meridional length of the pattern is between 16cm and 32cm. Rotary mesh is used when it is around 64cm. When it is larger than 65cm, flat mesh is generally used. Manager Niu of Wujiang Jishen Textile Co., Ltd. said: “Both nylon and polyester can be printed with flat screens and rotary screens. This kind of printing efficiency is relatively high, 500~600 meters per hour, and it is clearer than digital and paper printing. , and has better permeability and is not easy to turn over. For larger orders, most companies will choose water printing.”
Asatraditionalprintingprocess,waterprintingisalsofacingeliminationandupgrading.However,judgingfromthecurrentprintingmarket,theimpactofthisdocumentisnotobviousyet.HuayibaoMr.ZhufromPrintingsaid:”Wehavenotheardofthisnewsyet.Asforus,wehaveinstalledenvironmentalprotectiondevicesinaccordancewithregulations,sothereshouldbelittleimpactinthefuture.Theperformanceoftheprintingmarketisalsorelativelycalm,andthereisnosuddenhotmarket.” Yilian Mr. Zhou from PrintingIt said that it has not received any news about other production suspensions and production restrictions.
The short-term calm does not mean that it will really calm down. During the visit, many market participants said that if the document notice is implemented, then by June, the stamp market will set off a major upheaval. Big waves. General Manager Sheng Yegensheng of Jiaxing Chenxiang Textile Co., Ltd. said: “I have not heard of this news yet, but if this news is true, it will definitely have a great impact. After all, the cost of digital printing will be much higher and may require a lot of water. Printing orders will be transferred to places around Shengze, such as Jiaxing and Keqiao, and digital printing will become more and more popular.”
Transformation and upgrade! Next, digital printing may become the next trend!
According to last year’s visit and research, the total number of digital printing companies in Shengze area is about 300, with a total of about 1,000 digital printing machines. As an alternative to traditional printing, the digital printing process has the characteristics of low pollution, low consumption, high added value, and flexible production, which conforms to the green, environmentally friendly, and sustainable development trend. It also caters to the “small batch, multiple varieties, The fast fashion trend of “short delivery time” is in line with the future transformation and development of the printing and dyeing industry.
However, the low entry threshold has also made competition in this industry extremely fierce. Enterprises say that profits have dropped from 20-30 yuan/meter at the beginning of development to 5-6 yuan/meter. In addition to low profits and fierce competition, digital printing actually produces waste gas and solid waste, and is not completely green. In transfer digital printing, when the printed printing paper is heated and transferred to the gray fabric with a blanket machine, a certain amount of exhaust gas will be generated due to the high temperature. Therefore, in recent years, the government’s upgrade of digital printing is also in progress. The environmental protection department warned that digital printing companies should increase their investment in environmental protection, collect waste gas, meet emission standards, and recycle hazardous solids, which also increases the company’s environmental protection costs.
“Today’s printing industry is just like the water jet looms being renovated. Next, the living space of small and micro enterprises will become smaller and smaller. It is easier for large enterprises to survive under the high pressure of environmental protection, and the market production capacity will also decrease. It will decrease accordingly,” said the CEO of Chensheng Textile. Mr. Li from Xiongyong Textile also expressed concern about this: “The cost will increase in the future. It is estimated that the printing cost will increase in the future. For our traders, the cost will also increase.”
A textile boss said that the textile market will face great challenges in the next two years! Next, national policies, environmental protection inspections, and the production capacity of non-local looms will affect the market. However, everyone loves beauty. Printed fabrics are increasingly used in women’s clothing, and the market cake is still huge. The key lies in how companies can gain a firm foothold in this market trend and keep their “piece of the pie”! </p
