Export success for Alliance Textiles

Press, 8 April 1978, Page 16

Export success for Alliance Textiles

. Alliance Textiles (N.Z.), Ltd, has established ware(house facilities in the United I States, after obtaining major sales at the American National Sporting Goods Association show at Houston. Alliance Textiles, based in Dunedin, have directed much of its sales effort in carpet yarn, but more recently have .broadened their exports with (other products.

A success has been the 1 Swanndn outdoor wear ( which has caught the imagination of American hunters, anglers and outdoor workers.

•‘Swanndri sales have been increasing at a steady rate, nad this is most encouraging,” said the genera! i sales manager of Alliance I (Mr J. D. McLean). “Many American wholesale and retail outlets are unaccustomed to importing j and importing procedures, so Alliance has established a j warehouse in south San i cisco to overcome this difficulty.

“We are using the North American warehouse facilities of Lane Walker Rudkm. Ltd, and both companies

will benefit from this joint association.” The company has successfully exhibited products at the National Sporting Goods shows in Houston and Chicago. "After the first showing, minor design changes to the standard Swanndri garments were made to meet American requirements. “This has further improved the acceptability of our products,” Mr McLean said.

The Swanndri 100 per cent woollen fabric is manufac* tured by the Alliance mill at Miltu... and is freighted in bulk to Waitara, where the John Mack subsidiary makes 1 up the garments. Sample garments are supplied to manufacturers sales representatives in the United States who deal with buyers in the major market areas, he said. f ; To date deliveries .have been made directly from the Waitara factory, but now the warehouse stock will be used, where available, with stock replacement from New Zealand.

The American success is part of a growing export activity which the company is developing. Late last year, Alliance joined another Dunedin company, Arthur Ellis and Company, Ltd, in its Australian office situated in Melbourne, and appointed a full time Australian manager. Since then, Alliance has been able to compliment the range of yarns and fabrics currently available in Australia with New Zealand products.

Recent sales orders illus- . trate the range of the new export emphasis Alliance have adopted. Orders worth $60,000 for hand-knitting yarns to Aus-1 tralia; a $lOO,OOO order for industrial yarns for Canada; $25,000 orders for upholstery fabrics for the United States; initial orders of $60,000 for Swanndri garments, has since been fol» lowed by a further $25,000 . order in March; and trial shipments of Swanndri garments have been sent to Japan and Europe.