The biggest value added in textile industry is generated in garment workshops, says the deputy head of the Association of Iran Textile Industries.
Alimardan Sheibani, who is also a member of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture, added that new investors could profitably set up an industrial garment production workshop.
Industrial or protective garments are designed to protect workers handling dangerous materials or substances, such as chemicals or fire. Industrial garments are worn in workplaces, especially those involving manual labor, the Persian daily Forsat-e Emrooz reported.
“The most distinctive feature of industrial clothing is the raw material, which is followed by sewing and packaging,” he said.
Sheibani noted that since domestic manufacturing of fabrics is thriving, there is no need to increase production.
“However, fire-resistant fibers, special threads or buttons are mostly imported, which makes for a good opportunity to invest at home,” he said.
Asked why most industrial clothing are smuggled into the country despite the fact that Iran has the technology of making such clothes, Sheibani said the end-price of protective clothing in Iran is far more than their foreign counterparts.
“The restrictive rules and regulations for launching industrial clothing workshops, high costs of wages, machinery, fuel and raw materials, plus a 9% tax, have resulted in smuggling of such clothes, which deprives domestic producers of business opportunities,” he said.
Sheibani said the volume of production determines the amount of investment.
“The production line and stages of sewing industrial clothing are the same as those of other clothes, though the sewing machines are bigger. The investment can begin from four production lines to a large-scale unit having 100 sewing machines,” he said.
“A workshop with four production lines needs a space of 100 square meters and 3 billion rials (about $100,000) in initial investment. A working capital amounting to 2 billion rials (about $66,670) is needed to procure the raw materials and employ 12 tailors.”
