Company A| Registered capital | THB 9 billion | | Employees | 1,200 | | Type of business | Manufacturer: yarn; woven fabric; bleaching;
100% bleaching cotton gauze product Supplier: textile materials - sells own manufactured goods | | Yarn manufacture | Spinning: traditional ring 100,000
spindles, compactK-44 5,000 spindles, O.E. 5,000
rotors Fibre content: cotton 100%, polyester cotton
blends (TC, CVC)
Products: grey yarn, warp yarn, weft yarn,
knitting yarn, hosiery yarn | | Source of cotton | The company's 100% imported cotton lint comes from the United
States (40%), Australia (35%) and Pakistan (20%). The amount of
each order varies, depending on the available stocks. The total
amount of cotton required monthly is approximately 1,600-1,700
tons. | | Supplier | Cotton is directly ordered through brokers or United
States-based Internet sites such as that of Cotton
Incorporated. | | Cotton requirement | The company requires 1-1.53" length, fibre fineness 3.5-4.9
micronaire, fibre strength 30-31 grams per tex. | Attitude towards
cotton from West
Africa | • West African cotton is long staple, strong cotton.
• The cotton harvesting method is poor.
• It is difficult to extract the cotton seed and there are
a lot of impurities.
• The price is very attractive.
• The cultivation of cotton is uncertain. | Recommendation
for penetrating the
Thai market | The most important factor is to reduce cotton contamination.
After-sales service should be made available for more than a year.
If problems occur, it can be very difficult to contact the cotton
supplier to resolve problems. The company suggests that the best
marketing method for African cotton would be to go through an
agency or cotton trading company. Direct selling can generate
problems relating to qualification, insurance and product
claim. |
Company B| Registered capital | THB 450 million | | Employees | 750 | | Type of business | Manufacturer: yarn; dyeing; melange top-dyed
yarn Supplier: textile materials - sells own
manufactured goods | | Yarn manufacture | Spinning: OE rotor
Fibre content: cotton 100%, polyester 100%,
acrylic 100%, rayon 100%, modal 100%, polyester cotton blends (TC,
TVC), polyester rayon (TR), etc.
Type: Staple yarn: carded, open-end
Products: warp yarn, weft yarn, knitting yarn, dye
yarn, hosiery yarn, knitting and weaving use, nep and slub effect,
greige yarn | | Source of cotton | The company consumes 30% local cotton and 70% imported
cotton. Of the imported cotton, 35% comesfrom West
Africa. India and the Russian Federation are also cotton sources
for this company. The cotton from
West Africa does not pose problems even with its high
contamination level, as the fibres are dyed prior to spinning.
Their total purchase order is 3,000 tons per year, which is used
for spinning cotton yarn using open-end spinning. Yarn counts are
20s-40s. Of theproduct, 80% is domestically used or
sold; the remainder is exported. | | Supplier | With a lead-time of one month, local cotton producers order
directly from familiar producers to contact foreign producers. | | Cotton requirement | The company requires 1.125" lengths, fibre delicate 3.5-4.9
micronaire, fibre strength 26-28 grams per tex. | Attitude towards
cotton from West
Africa | • It is long staple cotton, and strong.
• It is high-quality cotton.
• It is cultivated through out the year.
• It is around 5% cheaper than cotton from the United
States. | Recommendation
for penetrating the
Thai market | The most important matter is a reduction in cotton
contamination. |
Company C| Registered capital | THB 150 million | | Employees | 200 | | Type of business | Manufacturer: yarn; woven fabric; technical
textiles | | Yarn manufacture | Fibre manufacture: cotton wool, cotton ball,
cotton
sliver, gauze100% | | Source of cotton | In 2006, the company purchased 90% of its cotton from the
United States, Australia and Zimbabwe, while 10% was locally
purchased. African cotton is regarded as being longer than United
States cotton and whiter
than others. Thai cotton is moderate in quality but production is
insufficient. The company prefers African cotton due to a better
offer than that from the United States. Previously, they also used
cotton from Togo, but this cotton is very red, which adds to the
cost due to cleaning. Chinese cotton is regarded as cleaner but not
so strong. The quality of Indian cotton is good but there are
communication problems between suppliers and the company. | | Supplier | The company finds it convenient to employ a foreign broker who
is familiar with the cotton characteristics of various
countries. | | Cotton requirement | The company requires 1.125" length, fibre fineness is 4
micronaire, fibre strength 28 grams per tex. | Attitude towards
cotton from West
Africa | • Quality of cotton in each year is inconsistent due to
climate. | Recommendation
for penetrating the
Thai market | Improvement of cotton impurities should be given the first
priority. |
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