Sportswear Manufacturers Turn To Apparel Production In The US And China

Sportswear manufacturers such as Adidas (ADS) are turning to the Central American market as a source of complementary clothing outside China, mainly because the region is close to the United States, allowing clothing manufacturers to make quick turnover orders in the rush season.

As Chinese garment manufacturers increasingly produce more clothing for their growing middle class, and the wages of Chinese workers are increasing, many companies have begun to shift their clothing production to Central America and the Caribbean countries.

Like the Central American countries, the Caribbean countries are benefiting from the tax-free access to the US market.

Gregg Nebel, America's second largest sportswear producer, Adidas's social and environmental affairs in the Americas, said the company plans to bring the US and China into the region by 2015. Nebel

Nike (NKE) spokesman Marie Remuzzi (Mary) also said in a statement that the company is considering "one of the few strategic partners in Nicaragua".

According to the data released by the International Trade Administration (ITA) of the US Department of Commerce, in the 12 months ended October, the volume of clothing imports from the 6 member states of the Sino US free trade agreement (DR-CAFTA) in the United States increased by 2.6% over the same period last year, while the volume of imports from the Chinese market dropped by 3% in the same period of October.

The last drop in clothing imports from the US came from China in 2008, when the economic downturn led to the drying up of Global trade.

At present, China's share of clothing imports in the United States is about 41%, down from 42% last year, and the proportion of countries in the Dominica Sino US free trade agreement is about 13%, up from 12% in 2009.

Carlos Arias, chairman of Guatemala textile and clothing exporters association, expects that Chinese and American producers will benefit from the last minute inventory replenishment during the shopping season after the holidays and holidays up to the end of January next year, Carlos Arias.

Apparel manufacturers also say that rapid turnover is also important in other peak shopping stages.

It takes only two to three days to pport goods from Central America to the United States by sea, while it takes about two weeks from the Chinese market.