A catalyst to transformation of the SMME clothing and textile sector to become competitive

 

CLOTEX has established itself as a reputable representative organisation of the SMME sector of the South African clothing and textile industries and is known for its active role as a facilitator in the upliftment and growth of these industries, which includes primarily strengthening the sustainable competitive positioning of these SMME manufacturers. By facilitating sustainable competitive manufacturing and business opportunities, employment opportunities will be sustained and created for thoses established and new entrepreneurs and employees wishng to enter these industries.

For CLOTEX to fulfil its vision of being "a catalyst to transformation of the SMME clothing and textile sector to become competitive", it contributes more intelligently in the following potential areas of improvement:

1. Mentorship & Coaching Serrvices
2. Skills Development: Business and Technical Services
3. Measuring SMME competitiveness through cluster stregthening and benchmarking
4. Business Services (Compliance, Accounts, HR, Legal, Administration, Trade Finance and Information Technology)
5. Governance, Advocacy, Research, Marketing and Promotion
6. Access to Information and Advice
7. Referalls to Partners
8. Database Information / Supply (Business Linkages)
9. Consulting
10. Project Management
11. Industry Specific Related Issues
    

The origin of CLOTEX goes back to two important developments in the Western Cape in the mid-1990s, viz. the establishment of Texclo and Local Business Service Centres.

 

Texclo, the Textile and Clothing Cluster Project of the Western Cape was established in 1994, with financial and other support from SANS and Wesgro.

 

The aim of Texclo was to enhance the competitiveness of the Western Cape textile and clothing industries through co-operative projects. One of a few projects initiated by Texclo in 1995 was the establishment of a Clothing and Textile Service Centre for small clothing enterprises.

 

More or less at the same time the establishment of Local Business Service Centres (LBSCs) became a key thrust in the government’s new national support strategy for small businesses. Against that background Texclo and Wesgro co-operated to establish CLOTEX as the first sector-focused LBSC in the country.

 

Facilitated by grants from Woolworths and SANS on the private sector side and from the Cape Metropolitan Council and two other local authorities on the public sector side, CLOTEX started operating from early 1996, when Sophia Davids was appointed as field worker. Initially, operated from Wesgro’s offices, but in early 1997, when Doug Miller was appointed as manager, it moved in with the Business Opportunity Network (BON) until it joined the Cape Town Small Business Centre a year later.

 

CLOTEX continues to develop an appropriate and visible presence in the Western Cape, particularly to satisfy the needs of their clients and promote the interest of the stakeholders. Part of its role is to facilitate meaningful interaction between stakeholders in addressing the needs of the industry. CLOTEX aligns itself to national priorities in its endeavour to contribute to poverty alleviation, job creation and sustainable enterprise development. The CLOTEX Board is representative across the clothing sector, tertiary institutions, public and private sector.

The following is a list of Stakeholders involved with CLOTEX:

Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA), Department of Trade and Industry, Trade Investment South Africa, Department of Economic Affairs Agriculture & Tourism W.Cape, Department of Labour, CTFL SETA, Cape Town Unicity, Capemac, CSIR, Clothing Retailers and Manufacturers, Clothing Employees Association, Garment Manufacturing Association, Graduate School of Business, South African Bureau of Standards, Tertiary Institutions, Regional Chamber of Commerce

CLOTEX aims to consolidate its current relationship with the above stakeholders and will make every effort to enrol the support and co-operation of other key players.