【英语中国】中国劳工成本上升 美服饰商考虑另寻生产地

Rising labor costs in China are forcing U.S. apparel and accessories retailers, such as AnnTaylor Stores Corp. and Coach Inc., to consider relocating at least some of their production to countries with cheaper work forces. But doing so could risk increasing other expenses, such as shipping.

'We are looking to move production into lower-cost geographies, most notably Vietnam and India,' Mike Devine, Coach's chief financial officer, said at a conference last week. The luxury-handbag retailer already produces goods in those countries, but plans to increase its presence in both of them.

Guess Inc. is thinking along similar lines. Dennis Secor, the fashion brand's chief financial officer, said in an interview that Guess is looking to build its production capabilities in Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia.

Recent minimum-wage increases have pushed up Chinese labor costs by 5% to 15% on average this year, said Rick Darling, president of LF USA, a unit of Hong Kong-based Li & Fung Ltd., which acts as a go-between for retailers and their webs of suppliers. In the southern coastal province of Guangdong, one of a handful of hubs for apparel and accessories makers, the monthly minimum wage rose on average by more than 20%, effective May 1, the firm said.

The gains come as Chinese workers more broadly have been securing wage increases, partly through labor disputes. In addition, their government has sought to steer manufacturing away from labor-intensive, low-tech industries, such as textiles, into more-sophisticated products, such as electronics devices.

The higher pay has boosted the purchasing power of Chinese consumers, but is pressuring U.S. apparel chains that rely on low-cost labor. Along with rising prices of cotton and transportation, the wage increases could push apparel retailers' costs in China up 2% to 5% a year, said Mr. Darling.

That prospect has sent retailers scrambling to find new ways to reduce production costs. If they fail, they will have to absorb the higher costs, battering their margins, which have just begun to recover from the recession. Or, they could pass the costs along to consumers, a risky move at a time when shoppers are beginning to regain some of their appetite for spending.

'It is a really bad time for labor costs to be rising,' said Jeremy Rubman, retail strategist at consulting firm Kurt Salmon Associates. 'Nobody wants to alienate the consumer that's finally coming back.'

J.C. Penney Co. said recently that its apparel makers have been leaving China for Indonesia, Vietnam, India and Bangladesh for the past five years. Those countries 'have a better cost base from a labor standpoint,' said Jim Kenney, Penney's senior vice president of corporate strategy.

AnnTaylor Chief Financial Officer Michael Nicholson said his company has been working with its top 15 suppliers, which manufacture about 60% to 65% of its products, to relocate to lower-cost countries. But Mr. Nicholson added a caveat: the moves will only happen 'once they prove that the quality is there.'

Indeed, for the money, the quality of Chinese-made goods is tough to match, and labor is just one of the costs of production. Others include the costs of raw materials like textiles, production facilities, transportation and quality control and training.

The skills of China's labor force and its familiarity with the ways and expectations of U.S. companies, exceed that of any other Asian country, said Mr. Rubman, the retail strategist.

Guangdong province is known for its footwear and handbag work, which is difficult to replicate. Moreover, labor typically accounts for between 15% and 22% of the total cost of a garment, while fabric and logistics can account for as much as 60%, according to Hana Ben-Shabat, a partner in the retail practice of consulting firm A.T. Kearney.

Moving production to Bangladesh to take advantage of that nation's lower labor costs could raise transportation costs, in part because the country is off the beaten path for shipping lines, said Ms. Ben-Shabat.

Vietnam has a big labor pool, but textiles aren't as available there as in China, meaning retailers would have to import fabrics, said Andrew Jassin, managing director of fashion consulting firm Jassin Consulting Group.

中国劳动力成本不断上升，迫使AnnTaylor Stores Corp.和Coach Inc.等美国服饰零售商考虑，是不是至少把一部分生产转移到劳动力成本更低的国家。但这样做可能会造成航运等其他成本增加。

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上海一家服装厂的工人Coach公司首席财务长迪瓦恩(Mike Devine)上周在一场新闻发布会上说，我们在考虑把生产转移到成本更低的地区，其中最明显的是越南和印度。这家奢侈手袋零售商在越南和印度已有生产，它打算增强在这两个国家的存在。

Guess Inc.也在做这方面的思考。这家时装品牌的首席财务长塞科尔(Dennis Secor)接受采访说，公司正考虑在越南、柬埔寨和印尼建立产能。

香港利丰有限公司(Li & Fung Ltd.)旗下利丰美国(LF USA)在零售商和供应商网络中间扮演着中介角色，其总裁达林(Rick Darling)说，近期最低工资标准的上调，已经让中国的劳动力成本平均上升了5%到15%。该公司说，在中国几处服饰生产中心之一、南方沿海省份广东，5月1日生效的最低月薪平均上调了逾20%。

与这种上调伴随，中国更大范围内的工人也都在获得加薪，这在一定程度上是经历劳资纠纷获得的。另外，中国政府也力图引导制造业从纺织等劳动密集型、低技术的行业转移到更加复杂的产品上来，比如电子设备。

加薪提高了中国消费者的购买力，但却在给依赖于廉价劳动力的美国服装连锁企业带来压力。据达林说，工资水平的上升，加上棉花价格和运输成本的上涨，服装零售商在中国的年成本可能因此而上升2%到5%。

这种前景迫使零售商赶紧寻找新的办法来降低生产成本。如果找不到办法，他们将不得不吸纳增加的成本，从而使经历衰退后刚刚反弹的利润率再次承受冲击。它们倒也可以把成本传递给消费者，但在消费者的消费欲望刚刚开始部分恢复之际，这样做不乏风险。

咨询公司Kurt Salmon Associates零售业策略师吕布曼(Jeremy Rubman)说，劳动力成本在这个时候上涨实在是太糟糕了；没人想让好不容易回心转意的消费者离自己而去。

彭尼公司(J.C. Penney Co.)最近说，过去五年，它的制衣厂已经在撤离中国，转向印度尼西亚、越南、印度和孟加拉。彭尼负责公司战略的高级副总裁肯尼(Jim Kenney)说，从劳动力的角度来看，这些国家拥有“更好的成本基础”。

AnnTaylor首席财务长尼科尔森(Michael Nicholson)说，公司已经在同15家最重要的供应商合作，准备把它们转移到成本更低的国家。这15家供应商在AnnTaylor的产量中约占60%到65%。但尼科尔森也说，只有在证明能够生产优质产品的情况下才会转移。

事实上，按相同成本生产出来的“中国制造”，其质量是很难赶超的，劳动力只是诸多生产成本中的一种。其他成本包括纺织品等原材料、生产设施、交通运输、质量控制与培训等。

吕布曼说，中国劳工的技能，以及他们对美国公司运营方式和期望的熟悉，超过了亚洲任何其他国家。

广东省因其鞋子和箱包制造而闻名，这方面的能力是难以复制的。另外，据咨询机构科尔尼公司(A.T. Kearney)负责零售行业的合伙人Hana Ben-Shabat说，在一件服装的总成本里，劳动力往往占15%到22%，而面料和物流最高可以占到60%。

Ben-Shabat说，把产能转移到孟加拉、发挥当地劳动力成本更低的优势，可能会增加运输成本，这在一定程度上是因为这个国家太过偏远，运输不便。

时装行业咨询公司Jassin Consulting Group董事总经理杰辛(Andrew Jassin)说，越南拥有大量劳动力，但纺织品的丰富程度赶不上中国，这意味零售商需要进口面料。