Domestic apparel production grew at double-digit rates for the fourth month in a row in November, helped by a US retail apparel market that increasingly values the ability to replenish inventory on a more accurate and timely basis. The decline in the apparel industrial production index for December indicates we may see a slowdown in apparel shipments in the coming months, however.
However, textile mill shipments fell for the second month in a row, dropping 3.5% to $3.6 billion. However, textile product shipments rose 6% to $3.1 billion. The textile industrial production index rose in December for these aggregated categories.
Apparel manufacturing shipments rose 20% to $1.43 billion on a smoothed annualized basis. Wholesale apparel shipments increased .5% to $22.4 billion.
The Inventory to Sales Ratio rose slightly for apparel categories, but fell for textiles.
| Sales $ | Nov-11 | Oct-11 | Nov-10 |
| Apparel Manufacturing | 1,435 | 1,417 | 1,256 |
| Textile Mills | 2,537 | 2,548 | 2,477 |
| Textile Products | 1,894 | 1,866 | 1,798 |
| Wholesale Apparel | 10,883 | 10,878 | 11,040 |
| Inventory $ (EOM) | |||
| Apparel Manufacturing | 2,758 | 2,627 | 2,291 |
| Textile Mills | 3,628 | 3,648 | 3,185 |
| Textile Products | 3,086 | 3,056 | 2,812 |
| Wholesale Apparel | 22,401 | 22,284 | 19,525 |
| Inventory to Sales Ratio | |||
| Apparel Manufacturing | 1.92 | 1.85 | 1.82 |
| Textile Mills | 1.43 | 1.43 | 1.29 |
| Textile Products | 1.63 | 1.64 | 1.56 |
| Wholesale Apparel | 2.06 | 2.05 | 1.77 |
