On March 15, Vinatex (Vietnam Textile Group) and J.&P. Coats, Limited (Coats) entered into a strategic partnership in the production of fire-resistant fabrics and garments.
With this strategic collaboration, Coats and Vinatex will work together to produce fire-resistant fabrics and garments. Vinatex will manufacture and sell fabrics and fire-resistant clothing exclusively for Coats and its branches worldwide.
Coats will be responsible for copyright technology, product technical standards certification, design and product development, technology transfer, sales, promotion, marketing, distribution, and supply of FR fabrics and fire-resistant clothing. Additionally, Coats is committed to continuously developing fire-resistant fabrics, ensuring competitive products that meet market demands.
The fire-resistant fabrics are researched and produced through a closed technology process transferred by Coats at Vinatex, from fiber – yarn – weaving – dyeing – finishing – sewing to packaging, meeting the standards of each industry sector.
Vinatex and Coats sign a strategic partnership in the production of fire-resistant fabrics and garments.
Mr. Pham Xuan Trinh, CEO of Vinatex, stated that after more than a year of research and testing, the sample products have been accepted by customers and meet all customer-required standards.
These international quality standards include: OEKO – TEX 100; UL approval and listing on the UL directory; ISO 11612 – Protective clothing – Clothing to protect against heat and flame; NFPA 1975, 1977, 2113 – Clothing and equipment for protection against forest fires…
The fire-resistant fabrics are produced in two product lines: heat-resistant fiber and chemically coated fabric to prevent heat contact with protective materials. These products serve labor protection in various industries such as welding, electrical sparks, mining, easily combustible environments…
Immediately after the signing ceremony, Vinatex will commence production of the first order. The target markets for Vinatex’s fire-resistant products are developed countries such as the US, Europe, and Australia.
The US will be the first market for this product, as it has a large scale market with a population of 300 million and high safety standards.
In particular, Vinatex aims to achieve an export revenue of $80 – 100 million per year for fire-resistant fabrics within the next 5 years. In the immediate term, Vinatex targets a revenue of $5 million for this product in 2024.
According to Mr. Le Tien Truong, Chairman of Vietnam Textile Group, foreign markets have great potential for fire-resistant fabrics. However, Vietnam, one of the world’s top 5 textile exporters, does not yet have production facilities for this special market.
Therefore, Vinatex’s collaboration in the production of fire-resistant fabrics and garments aims to penetrate an open niche market. With this technology, the value of the fabric increases by 3-5 times, and the garments made from this fabric also have much higher value.
However, according to Mr. Truong, all these special fabrics and garments depend on copyright. Fire-resistant fabrics will enter markets with rigorous requirements, such as protective clothing and safety apparel that go beyond the scope of the fashion market.
“This is the first time the Vietnamese textile industry is involved in a copyrighted product. This copyright is registered in the countries that use it and has legal implications. Therefore, Vinatex initially has to approach through the world’s major corporations that own copyrights for such technology and intellectual property for these types of products,” said Mr. Truong.
Mr. Soundar Rajan, Global Managing Director of Coats Specialty Materials, believes that the partnership towards Vinatex’s goal of strengthening its position in the personal protective equipment field is an important first step in positioning its development in this potential area. Because recent research in the textile industry is also focused primarily on new materials that are eco-friendly and safe.
