In recent years, we have been obsessed with the changes in the operating rate of dye plants. On the one hand, the operating rate of dye factories has risen slowly over the years. On the other hand, the operating rate hovered below 90%. In the same period last year, the operating rate reached more than 95% in the early stage and even remained at 100% for a long time. However, by comparing the operating rate of the water transfer printing factory, we can find that the operating rate of more than 85% has been unable to reach.
Through continuous tracking of water transfer printing plants, the operating rate of the dyeing plants hovered around 55% in the second half of April, and the overall change was very weak. On the one hand, it can be explained that nearly half of the printing presses are closed in the water transfer printing and dyeing plant. Besides, it also shows that such printing is relatively stable for half a month and has been at a low level. Moreover, not only the orders in April, the average operation rate of the sample water transfer printing plant in March was less than 40%.
April is the peak season for the textile industry. Although the overall market situation this year is not as good as in previous years, the water transfer printing market is completely off-season. Anyone familiar with the textile market knows that the orders for water transfer printing are basically silk-like products. As silk fabrics are often used in women’s clothing in spring and summer, how to express the beauty of light and thin fabrics naturally depends on printing, but in recent years, the ordering situation of silk fabrics is not good.
Last year, due to the impact of the epidemic, the global spring and summer clothing market was deeply affected. Naturally, orders for such fabrics also fell sharply. Common silk-like products such as chiffon, hemp, etc. some textile enterprises have inventories of more than 1million meters. Most of these products are put on the market at low prices.
This situation has also continued until this year. According to the person in charge of the simulated silk factory, their factory was quite good at the beginning of the year. They can use three trucks to transport fabrics every day, but now basically no one cares about them. Although the price of raw materials has not been low since then, there is still much room for bargaining. Another silk-like processing and dyeing factory has the same feeling. According to the person in charge, at the best of March and April this year, silk products accounted for only 20% of factory orders, compared with more than 60% in previous years.
The order quantity of weaving and dyeing factories is very limited, so the turnover of printing and dyeing factories is naturally very few. Of course, it is not only the stability of printed and dyed fabrics but also the price of water transfer printing.
In the middle of April, the director of a factory revealed to us that he no longer served as a leader, but started his own business and opened a digital printing factory. At present, most customers choose between water transfer printing and digital printing, which may be the same as the factory director. The main reason is the price.
Usually, the cheapest is water transfer printing. The printing price is generally about 2.7 yuan/meter, and the better one has exceeded 3 yuan/meter. In addition, the printing fee is 300-500 yuan, and the price of water transfer printing, like the printing and dyeing fee, is rising every year. However, digital printing is completely different. It has been rapidly reduced from 70-80 yuan/meter when it first appeared to 20 yuan/meter, 10 yuan/meter, to 3-5 yuan/meter now, and even now many factories have hit the ultra-low price of 2 yuan/meter.
Taking the printing order of 2000 meters with 5 colors as an example, the cost of water transfer printing has reached about 4 yuan/meter, while that of digital printing is always 3-5 yuan/meter. It can be said that the cost of digital printing is basically lower than that of water transfer printing. Driven by price, customers will naturally choose cheaper digital printing, not to mention other advantages of digital printing, such as convenient proofing, diverse colors, accurate patterns, fast production speed, and so on.
According to a trader, they have a lot of printing orders this year. For this reason, they also found a merchandiser to focus on printing. However, except for a small amount of water transfer printing, the others are digital printing. Now, because digital technology is mature and there are more and more digital printing factories, the digital printing price is also lower year by year. At the same time, the production process is relatively simple and fast, which is generally welcomed by customers.
Under the “peak season”, water transfer printing still performs like this, and in the subsequent off-season market, it will be more difficult to make a difference. In particular, digital printing plants have blossomed everywhere, leaving little time for water transfer printing.