Failure to co-operate thwarts Acfif centre

18 May 1998 00:00  [Source: ACN]

Plans by the Asian Chemical Fibres Industries Federation (Acfif) to set up a statistics and information centre are being thwarted by growing reluctance among chemical fibre producers to share information, sources said.

The situation has been exacerbated by the economic crisis in several member countries. Producers from these countries are even more unwilling to provide information.

'Some companies do not feel these are priorities and are unwilling to give information on their production rates and volume of raw materials purchased for competitive reasons,' said a source in Thailand.

This has resulted in incomplete figures so far, the source said, estimating that under 70% of the country's producers have provided relevant information. Acfif member associations in other southeast Asian countries are facing similar difficulties, he said.

Acfif secretary-general Kazuhiko Moriya stressed that the association's goal is to boost information exchange among members to allow them to more accurately determine industry trends.

This is crucial to help producers avoid excess duplication of investments and undue competition among companies, especially during the slowdown in economic growth and chemical fibre demand in the region.

The association underlined the importance of information sharing during its second conference held in Kyoto, Japan, last November. 'It is desirable for companies to make management decisions based on macro-level information that is commonly provided to all,' said Acfif chairman Katsunosuke Maeda.

Acfif's members include 12 associations from China, India, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Pakistan. It is planning to establish a permanent secretariat soon.

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