Liebenow: Business uptick will have 'snowball effect'
By Furniture Today Staff -- Furniture Today, September 22, 2003
Brussels, Belgium — The first real signs of this economic recovery came only during the past two or three months, but the uptick is "real and will be ongoing through the fourth quarter and into 2004," said Quaker President Larry Liebenow in a panel discussion held for the press during Decosit.
Liebenow added that the recovery should have a "a snowballing effect for our industry. I'm frankly very optimistic."
Also participating in the panel were Filiep Libeert, president of Euratex, and Philippe Vlerick, president of Febeltex, a Belgian trade group. The trio addressed the topic "Threats and Opportunities for the Textile Industry."
Addressing the "Big Bang of 2005," when the last quotas are removed from Chinese goods, the panel agreed that one of the largest challenges to the textile industry is the disconnect that exists between the West and China over what constitutes a free and open marketplace.
Libeert said the European market has nothing to fear from the coming changes. "If the politicians allow us to compete freely and fairly, free trade can become a win-win situation for everyone."
Vlerick got a laugh from the crowd when he suggested that some Far Eastern mills seem to think the term copyright "means the right to copy."
He added that while the purpose of the World Trade Organization's free trade plan was to equalize access to markets, "it won't work unless there is real free trade, which presupposes no barriers."
Meanwhile, the West will continue to have higher costs for labor and environmental protection, so fabrics "must have added value," said Vlerick. "There is no alternative to remaining creative and innovative and state-of-the-art."
Liebenow suggested that American consumers' sensitivity to environmental issues could help reduce the impact of cheap imports. "Our consumers wouldn't be willing to purchase products if they knew about human rights and environmental abuses," Liebenow said.
While he has maintained in recent years that the Chinese import model won't work for the U.S. residential upholstery industry, Liebenow said during the panel discussion that Quaker "will do whatever is necessary" to maintain its leadership role in the global fabric arena. "We continue to evaluate the market and I'm sure it will evolve that we will source where it makes sense."
