Abstract:With the development of China's economy and the change of people's consumption concept, socks have become an independent fashion element, and the market demand of socks industry has shown a trend of high-end and diversification. As one of the big socks manufacturing countries, mainland socks are mainly exported to developed countries such as the United States and Europe, as well as neighboring countries such as North Korea and Japan. According to Chinese customs data, China's sock exports in 2023 increased by 65.43% year-on-year to 65.601 million pairs.
1. Definitions and Classification
Socks are a kind of clothing items worn on the feet, which play a role in protecting the feet and preventing foot odor. Socks is a general term, according to the raw material classification of cotton socks, wool socks, stockings and all kinds of chemical fiber socks, etc.; according to the shape of the classification of stockings, socks, boat socks, pantyhose, etc.; according to the mouth of the socks classified there are flat, Luokou, heelless, heelless, jacquard, weaving and other styles and varieties; according to the use of objects classified men's socks, women's socks and children's socks; according to the organizational structure of the classification of socks and socks; according to the functional classification of medical elastic socks, warm socks, thin leg socks, deodorant socks, etc.
Second, industry policies
As an important part of the textile industry, in recent years, the state has introduced a series of textile-related policies, which have played a positive role in promoting the development of the socks industry. In December 2023, the General Office of the People's Government of Jilin Province issued the "Implementation Plan for Accelerating the High-quality Development of the Digital Economy in Jilin Province (2023-2025)", proposing to strive for the end of the "14th Five-Year Plan" to achieve "two full coverage" of technological transformation and intelligent transformation of industrial enterprises above designated size, significantly increase the proportion of advanced production capacity in key industries such as steel, textile and hosiery industry, and mining equipment manufacturing, and develop a number of "specialized, special and new" small and medium-sized enterprises at or above the provincial level and individual champion enterprises in the manufacturing industry. In February 2024, the General Office of the Hunan Provincial People's Government issued the Action Plan for Improving the Quality and Upgrading of the Changzhutan National Independent Innovation Demonstration Zone, proposing to promote the upgrading of traditional industries such as green mining, food processing, and light industry and textiles.
Third, the development process
In 1896, China's first knitting factory, "Yunzhang Hosiery Factory", was officially established, and domestic socks began to appear. In 1912, the first professional hand-cranked socks factory in Shanghai - Ketai Socks Factory was established. In 1913, Jinxing Hosiery Factory was the first to introduce electric socks machines to foreign countries and became the first motor socks factory in Shanghai. After 1914, due to the outbreak of the First World War, the source of foreign products was blocked, and the hosiery factory was opened "like mushrooms, and the production was gradually refined because of active competition", and the hosiery factory developed rapidly. At the end of the fifties of the 20th century, the hand hosiery machine successively turned off the crank handle and developed to semi-automatic and automatic. In the early 60s, hosiery factories generally used chemical fiber raw materials, and the production of chemical fiber socks officially started. In 1961, nylon stockings and stretch nylon stockings accounted for 5.21% of the total output of socks, gradually replacing traditional yarn stockings. Under the guidance of the reform and opening up policy, the socks industry has developed faster. In 1980, the mainland socks industry began to introduce foreign advanced equipment and technology, which made socks enterprises undergo earth-shaking changes in terms of production scale, equipment technology, variety, quality and other aspects. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the mainland socks industry has made remarkable achievements in technological progress, brand building, green environmental protection, personalized customization and policy support. In the future, with the continuous progress of science and technology and the continuous change of consumer demand, the mainland socks industry is expected to continue to maintain a steady development trend.
Fourth, industry barriers
1. Barriers to management ability
The socks industry is a labor-intensive industry, after the enterprise reaches a certain scale, it needs to form a set of scientific and perfect organizational structure, business processes and professional management personnel in order to give full play to production capacity, control production costs, and improve production efficiency. In addition, due to the wide variety of socks, according to different customer needs and different seasonal needs, higher requirements are put forward for the management of enterprises in the organization, coordination and strain of socks production. It is difficult for new enterprises to enter the socks industry to achieve a high level of management in a short period of time. Therefore, management ability is one of the barriers to entering the hosiery industry.
2. Technical barriers
When choosing a product supplier, the world-renowned brand should not only inspect the production capacity, product quality and production process level of the socks enterprise, but also require the supplier to have the corresponding design ability and be able to use its accumulated professional experience and technical advantages to participate in the customer's product development process. For socks manufacturers that provide some or all of the design services, they should have an independent design department, which can actively and timely provide new products that meet customer needs, and should also have the corresponding new material design and application capabilities, so as to form an important supplement to the design and development of brand operation enterprises. Therefore, the technical research and development capabilities of socks manufacturers are one of the obstacles to entering the socks industry.
3. Barriers to scale advantage
The scale effect of the socks industry is obvious, and socks enterprises need to form a larger scale of products to reduce the cost of products in order to ensure the profit margins of enterprises. It is difficult for new entrants to the hosiery industry to reach a certain scale of production in the short term to control costs. Therefore, the requirement of large-scale and low-cost production and operation is one of the barriers to entering the hosiery industry.
Fifth, the industrial chain
1. Analysis of the industry chain
The upstream of the socks industry chain is the raw materials, mainly including cotton, spandex fiber, nylon fiber, nylon, dyes, etc.; the middle of the industrial chain is mainly the manufacturing and production of various types of socks; the downstream of the industrial chain is mainly sold through supermarkets, clothing stores, clothing wholesale markets, e-commerce platforms and other channels, and finally sold to consumers.
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