Online firm to promote local textile industry
Online firm to promote local textile industry
JAKARTA (JP): Business and finance information provider
IndoExchange.com said on Friday that its new Nexiaonline portal
would help promote the local textile industry in the
international market.
IndoExchange chief executive officer Cam Walker said that lack
of global exposure had hampered the growth of many local textile
manufacturers.
"However, by using the Internet we can overcome this problem,"
he said.
Walker said that the Internet technology would benefit mostly
small and mid-size textile or fashion companies that could not
afford overseas trips to market their products.
According to him, the global textile market will reach some
US$13.5 billion in 2003 from $580 million in 1998.
He attributed the increase partly to the growing accessibility
of information through the Internet.
"There are tremendous resources in Indonesia that we would
like to bring to the international market," he said at the
launching of the textile portal.
Nexiaonline claims to be Indonesia's first textile portal.
The site, he said, will bring together traders and buyers to
buy, sell, quote and query garments and textile products.
Nexia's database of textile manufacturers comprises fiber,
yarn spinners, fabric and garment. It also features fashion
designers, retailers, stock-lots and trade quotas of various
textile products.
Walker said the site would also allow buyers to contact
textile manufacturers and view samples of their products online.
Walker expected the company to make profits through the annual
subscription fee, which amounts to between Rp 8 million ($963) to
Rp 20 billion for each member.
"We expect to reach a break even point somewhere in 18 to 20
months," he said.
At present, Walker said, Nexia has over a 1,000 textile
companies listed on its database, though, not all are paying
members.
IndoExchange will use air express service company PT Birotika
Semesta/DHL Worldwide Express to send query samples requested by
international buyers.
He plans to add e-commerce to its services in the future,
adding that currently the Indonesian market is not ready for
online transactions.
According to Walker, Indonesia needs to address concerns over
the security of credit card transactions over the Internet.
"We're now just trying to get the companies online," he added.
Being a business and financial website, Walker denied that
IndoExchange had moved into the textile business.
IndoExchange, he said, provided only the facilities for the
local textile industry to go online.
Walker added that IndoExchange was looking to open similar
websites in other potential industries, such as the food and
beverage and the mining industry.(bkm)