Turkish Apparel Economy a Case Study of Manufacturers in Istanbul and Their Industry
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TURKISH APPAREL ECONOMY A CASE STUDY OF MANUFACTURERS IN ISTANBUL AND THEIR INDUSTRY BSc in Industrial Economy - Logistics Frej Johansson Programme: Industrial Economy – Logistics Engineering Swedish title: Turkisk klädekonomi – En fallstudie av tillverkare i Istanbul och deras industri English title: Turkish apparel economy – A case study of manufacturers in Istanbul and their industry Year of publication: 2020 Author: Frej Johansson Supervisors: Daniel Ekwall, Jonas Waidringer, Sara Lorén Examiner: Bo Månsson Key words: Turkey, Istanbul, textile, apparel, manufacturing, export, economic development, SWOT, FDI, supply chain management, China, Bangladesh. _________________________________________________________________ Abstract This paper describes textile production in Istanbul, Turkey. From its historical background to the challenges of today. The respondents have told about how they work, talked about competition, communication, achievements, investments and much more. The purpose was basically to find out how important the textile industry, with focus on apparel, is in the economy of Turkey today. Also how this industry can develop, and what it will take to reach such development. The empirical material comes from experienced people in the field and is analyzed with the SWOT model besides other marketing and logistics related theory. Used method is a qualitative approach with semi structural interviews. Companies and associations in Istanbul have responded. These contributors are a mix of senior managers, specialists, officials, employees and entrepreneurs. An interview guide was developed after a pre-study in Sweden. Findings of the study shows that these companies are competing for international customers, but also working together for their industry and country. Some important factors to become successful is experience, research, innovation and customer care. To take a step of further development, more strategy, competence and investments might be needed. There are many other countries which can also challenge about the customers in this business. China and Bangladesh do have similarities with the early development of Turkey in the case of textile garment industry, but are now considered different as competitors. Turkey do have some national advantages, and not least its beneficial geographical position. i TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Background 1.2 Previous research 1.3 Problem discussion 1.4 Purpose and research questions 1.5 Demarcation 2 THEORY 2.1 SWOT 2.2 FDI 2.3 Concepts from the literature review 3 METHODOLOGY 3.1 Choice of methodology 3.2 Pre study 3.3 Sampling 3.3.1 Criteria 3.3.2 Sample 3.3.3 Company contacts 3.4 Quality criteria 3.5 Methodology discussion and reflection 4 RESULTS RP, the pre study company – big brand in Sweden R1 – Focus on women’s knitwear R2 – Big customers in fast fashion R3 – Specialized in denim, own brands R4 – Fast Fashion producer, important supplier of RP R5 – Specialised in high end customer brands R6 – The industry organisation R7 – The investment organization ii R8 – Specialized in jeans, experience of own brands R9 – A label producer R10 – A small entrepreneurial company R11 – A fabric producer Summary 5 ANALYSIS SWOT 6 DISCUSSION 7 CONCLUSION 8 REFERENCES iii 1 Introduction This thesis examines textile garment producers in Istanbul, Turkey. Using interviews and a SWOT analysis including strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. By talking with exporting firms the idea is to evaluate what impact and importance their sector has for the country’s economic development, and how it can improve. This is compared with conditions in China and Bangladesh, putatively competing countries with different circumstances but as well a significant textile sector which impacts their economies and development. Investments from other countries is also a study topic. The outcome is a picture of an industry with both struggles and ambitions. Surrounded by a flourishing but diverse and tough business environment. Turkey is an important player in this global sector, but was never left without competition. As industry, textiles is also by nature rapidly changing when new conditions emerge. To remain successful, it seems always important to cooperate over borders, along value chains, creating both profitability and sustainability. This subject is chosen due to a grant that facilitated the journey to Turkey, a choice with inevitable consequences on this project which will be further expressed both later in this chapter and regarding methodology. 1.1 Background Even the Ottoman empire was boosted by textile production. Today’s Turkey still has a large and varied textile industry, with a lot of people employed and engaged. According to the investigations made for this study, fairly good working conditions apply, meaning a low amount of child labor and that a certain level of minimum wages are complied with. But what does the research of other studies tell? Economically there have been some ups and downs over the years, one major event was introducing the “Turquality” project in January 2004 to meet a one year later abolishment of quotas. It aimed for protection from global competition (Mangir 2013). Without quotas textile exporters are more dependent on their own competitiveness (Nordas 2004). It also seems to have favoured middle-income countries (e.g. China) on behalf of the high-income ones, where low-income countries (e.g. Bangladesh) in general were not as much affected (Lu 2013). Previous key occasions in Turkey were as follows. An uprising came in the early 1980’s with the decision to liberalize the country’s economy (Öz 2002). Another in 1996 by a customs union with the European Union, an agreement that also triggered improvements in product quality, productivity, environmental awareness and social responsibility (Karabag, Lau & Suvankulov 2014; Culpan & Ekin 2009). More recently the government has set ambitious targets until 2023, when the country will celebrate their anniversary of a century as a sovereign state (Haberturk 2011; Garanti & PWC 2017). These targets involve big investments in infrastructure, a focus on services and business with the aim to raise exports and play a bigger role in the world economy. Yet the last years economic and political instability has raised some questions marks for a few of these projects (Financial Times 2018). Growth rate of the gross domestic product, GDP in Turkey has been relatively high during the last years. Despite a dip during the financial crisis in 2009, an average well above the OECD’s. Absolute poverty1 has also decreased during this period, from 13.3% to 1.6% between 2006-2014 (OECD 2017). The textile sector is important for both employment and growth, in 2013 it accounted for 7% of GDP and 18.3% of total exports. Only the clothing industry had more than 918 000 employees working in over 52 000 companies. 1 Measured as the share of people living below the national poverty line. There is also a large amount of unregistered employment, which in reality might increase this number, in total 35.7% for September 2014 (Turkstat 2018). China also have a long history of textile manufacturing; their economic reform began in 1978. Since then capacity, quality and product range has increased, as well their exports with new trading partners. By 2005 China were trading with more than 200 countries and regions, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands are important European importers. By the elimination of quotas China were able to rise their exports even more. 1999 their government embarked a program for technology upgrade in the textile industry, including design, research and development. State ownership has also dropped since the 90s. Lately a new round of improvements in technological innovation and quality has been carried out, while at the same time the industries start to move from coastal regions to central and western areas (Wu, Chen & Chen 2012). This article does also say that the major drive for Chinese production and export is the competitive advantage from having a large low-cost workforce available. Some import of high-end technological material occurs, which is one of a few production branches the country has not been able to develop. No competitors are mentioned here, instead a cooperation with trading partners. Distance is a factor as they trade more with their neighboring countries. Textiles is a large field, including clothes, carpets, home textiles, bags etc. Here the focus is laid on garments, for example fast fashion, jersey and denim producing companies. Moreover, this thesis focuses on manufacturing for export to Europe. Today the competition is strong, and many more countries are now in this business. As it once was for China and Turkey, textile manufacturing can be an early step to raise a country from agriculture and poverty to industrial production and a prospering economy, where Bangladesh is now on its way. Bangladesh textile industry took another step by the phase out of quotas in 2005. But it has grown rapidly since the late 1980’s. At this time their government, as the Turkish did a few years earlier, decided to take on a more outward oriented development strategy. Capacity grew from around 50 factories employing a few thousand people, to around 4500 factories in 2013. In a country with around 160 million people this new business development means a lot for creating growth and reducing poverty. It did not come without friction like unrest and protests, but means new possibilities for the country to invest in both education and new industries, that will develop the country even further. But still, even though apparel stands for 25.5 billion U.S. Dollars, 82% of total exports in 2015. It is in 2012 just around 13% of their GDP, where agriculture represents about the same share and services more than three times the amount. Sales and service of motor vehicles has almost a quarter of that sum. (Rahman & Sayeda 2016; Himi & Rahman 2013; Export Promotion Bureau of Bangladesh 2018). Turkey was in 2017 the 14th largest economy in GDP with respect to purchasing power parity (The world factbook 2018), a major target for 2023 was to reach the top ten.