The purpose of this study is to analyze the industrial structure of Korean textile and apparel industries, and is to seek the plan to innovate the their structure. Korean textile industry, which served as the engine for our country's economic miracle ...
The purpose of this study is to analyze the industrial structure of Korean textile and apparel industries, and is to seek the plan to innovate the their structure. Korean textile industry, which served as the engine for our country's economic miracle in the 1960s, propelled Korea from a very undeveloped state to the upper echelon of the world's economic powers. Despite sluggish growth in recent years, the domestic textile industry remains a potent force.
The companies in upstream textile industry are large as well as capital and technology intensive. Middle stream textile industries are small and medium as well as labor intensive depending on old equipments. In order to be more competitive, textile industry needs to develop more value-added and high quality product, responds quickly to the changes of demand patterns, enhances the capabilities if technological development, trains and educates human resources, establish a marketing strategy to increase export. Small-medium firms in middle stream should specialize in specific process like Italian firms so that firms networking whole process generate synergy effect of specialization. Upstream industries play a major role in innovation like Japanese firms utilizing economies of scale and or scope through vertical integration among development ? production ? marketing as well as horizontal differentiation of product in order to respond to market demand.
This activity takes place along a variety of supply chains, including clothing, transportation, building construction, health care, home textiles, sports & leisure, military & defence amongst others. The latter part of the 20th Century was characterized by great scientific developments in microelectronics, computer science and biotechnology and these had a tremendous influence in the development of textile processing.
At the present time, even though it is difficult to forecast the future, it is fundamental to endeavor to have a vision of the things to come in a particular area such as textiles. It is certain that the future of textiles will be shaped by trends in science, trade, business, art, culture, communications, politics and so on. Based upon this, the following trends in textile development seem quite to be apparent:
● The textile business is becoming global.
● Textile product development is multidisciplinary and so it should be the subject of team work.
● New and innovative applications of textiles are being sought all the time.
This study examines the process of technological development and Korean firms' status in terms of technological competitiveness index among international textile industry and prospects the technological innovation in the textile industry.