brochure - Australian Wool Innovation
Transcription
brochure - Australian Wool Innovation
Doing business with Australian Wool Innovation Limited Textiles This brochure explains how your company can do business with Australian Wool Innovation Limited (AWI). AWI invests in wool textile research, development and innovation – find out how your company can benefit. Who is Australian Wool Innovation? The mission of Australian Wool Innovation Limited (AWI) is to drive research, development and innovation that will increase the long-term profitability of Australian woolgrowers. AWI is a fully independent public company owned by Australian woolgrower shareholders. AWI has funds available for investment in three key areas: • • • Wool production Textile technology Trade development. What will AWI fund? What about confidentiality AWI funds new/improved process and product development for the wool industry. For example: From the very first time you make AWI aware of an idea or proposal, AWI guarantees that the idea or proposal will be kept confidential. • • • costs of consumables, eg material costs; costs of additional staff, eg research consultants; and costs of replacement staff, eg when current staff are diverted to the new project. AWI will consider supplying funds for capital on a case by case basis. What about intellectual property? How to do business with AWI Who can apply for funds from AWI? Any company in the world that is in the textile supply chain, including research and development (R&D) companies, processors and designers, can apply for funds from AWI. Because AWI has several hundred projects with organisations around the world, it generally does not sign confidentiality agreements for discussions regarding a new idea or project proposal. Should a proposal develop into a project, AWI will ensure that the contract signed between the two parties incorporates mutual confidentiality clauses. AWI will negotiate project intellectual property (IP) ownership on a project basis. What about wool advertising? Where AWI is a co-investor, AWI will be a joint owner of IP and will seek a return on IP in proportion to its project funding. AWI does not fund generic advertisements. This includes advertising on television, in magazines, billboards, and retail catalogues. Existing IP brought to a project remains the property of the applicant. Does AWI have to be the sole funder? AWI’s preferred project is one that includes co-investment with a company that has clear aims and objectives for the project. The focus of AWI’s policy on ownership and management of IP is to achieve the maximum overall benefit for AWI’s Australian woolgrower shareholders. What size project will AWI fund? What about royalties? There is no set size limit for a project. AWI has funded projects from AU$10,000 to AU$5 million. However, detailed costings must be provided – they will be thoroughly examined. AWI’s primary interest is to see wool used around the world. Only after this is successfully achieved and a revenue stream is flowing, will AWI seek royalties. A company must give a measure of commitment to the project in management time, market input and financial expenditure. No. AWI encourages participation by other commercial and government bodies. AWI project funding process Applications for funding can be made at any time. Applicants are encouraged to consult with AWI before submitting an application. This will ensure that applications are speedily processed. AWI only accepts applications on a concept proposal form. This three-page form represents the minimum level of information against which AWI will make an assessment. Australia – the world’s supplier of wool Australia is the world’s leading producer of wool. • Australian wool accounted for 47 per cent of all wool used in global wool apparel in 2003/04. • Australia is the world’s largest producer of wool, producing 27 per cent of the world’s greasy wool in 2003/04. • Australian wool exports were valued at AU$2.5 billion in 2003/04. • Australia produces the best quality wool in the world. (Source: The Woolmark Company, ABS, AWEX, ABARE) CASE STUDY of an AWI project: Machine washable wool blend suits 3. AWI brought together Berkeley Apparel and the Australian retail company David Jones to get the suit to market. AWI involvement ceased at this point with David Jones undertaking marketing, sales and promotion of the product to consumers, although AWI continued to receive a royalty from the The development of the machine washable wool blend suit is an example of the way that AWI works with other organisations and companies on a project, bringing the parties together to get a product to market: 1. The project began with research by CSIRO who tested a large number of different wool blend fabric samples and identified which ones performed best. The research resulted in a low cost, wool-polyester fabric able to maintain its shape and appearance over the long term. sale of every suit. 4. AWI has subsequently successfully targeted one of the largest menswear manufacturers in China, the Heilan Group, to produce and retail machine washable 50/50 wool blend suits. With assistance from Berkeley Apparel, it is 2. The project progressed to a manufacturing phase by way of co-investment between the textile manufacturer Berkeley Apparel and AWI. Berkeley Apparel created and anticipated that mass production will commence in 2005. Heilan is aiming to sell 30,000 suits through its retail shops in its first year of production and 50,000 suits in its second year. designed the machine washable wool blend suit. Once a concept proposal has been received, AWI will advise you whether a more comprehensive project proposal should be submitted. If AWI decides to proceed from the concept stage, we will assist you with a full project proposal. The concept proposal form and the project proposal form are available on the AWI website at www.wool.com.au How will the application be assessed? AWI will assess the application on whether it will benefit Australian woolgrowers. A project needs to demonstrate it will increase the value/volume of the market for Australian wool. How long does it take to approve an application? AWI aims to advise you within a month whether your proposal will be successful. However project approval, including signing of the contract, can take up to three months. Your project proposal will be used as the basis for your contract with AWI. However, acceptance of a project proposal does not constitute a contractual relationship. Some examples Projects will not be funded until a contract is signed. Work begun without a contract in place will not be paid for by AWI. • AWI skills and resources AWI has a range of skills and resources to assist you in the project. These skills include: • project management; • commercial and IP management; • technical expertise; • global wool industry network; • network of wool industry researchers; • wool market intelligence; and • strategic planning. AWI also provides technical advice to woolprocessing mills globally. This advice is designed to help wool textile companies apply the results of R&D for the direct benefit of their business. AWI has a strategic plan that includes textile technology. Examples of R&D co-investments in this area include: improved methods of processing that are cheaper and more competitive with synthetic methods, eg the adaption of the high-speed Murata Vortex Spinning system to spin wool and wool blends; • textiles with better performance, eg a new bi-layer wool/cotton fabric that provides the wearer with the warmth of wool and the economy of cotton; and • revolutionary wool directions, eg using conductive wool fabrics for electric blankets without the hard-wired heating elements. >> How AWI interacts with players in the textile wool pipeline Early stage processors Products: Clean wool and tops. AWI role: • AWI partners with early stage processors (scourers, carders, combers, top makers and dyers). • AWI invests in technologies that enhance productivity and efficiency levels. Example: Michell Australia Pty Ltd (Australia) Spinners Products: Woollen, worsted and knitted yarns. AWI role: • AWI invests with yarn spinners in machine innovations. • Investment results in new and higher productivity processing techniques. Example: Südwolle GmbH & Co KG (Germany) CONSUMERS Weavers and knitters Garment manufacturers Distributors and retailers Products: Woven and knitted textile fabrics. Products: Wholesale garments and end-products. Products: Retail garments. AWI role: • AWI invests with its manufacturing partners in developing innovative new fabrics. AWI role: • AWI engages with garment and other endproduct manufacturers. • These fabrics are for both the apparel and non-apparel markets. Example: Jiangsu Sunshine Group (China) AWI and The Woolmark Company AWI is a separate company to The Woolmark Company (TWC). The primary focus of AWI is on investing in R&D activities aimed at increasing the long-term profitability of Australian woolgrowers. TWC’s primary focus is on providing specialist wool marketing and technology services to industry and retail on a commercial basis. TWC owns and licenses the Woolmark brand. TWC is a wool textile organisation that specialises in the commercialisation of wool technologies and innovations, technical consulting, business information, marketing services and commercial testing of wool fabrics. TWC is often a key participant in AWI projects. TWC-owned product technologies commercialised and branded as SportwoolTM and OptimTM are the results of previous investment by Australian woolgrowers in R&D. • These manufacturers develop new wool products made out of fabrics created using AWI innovation. AWI role: • AWI liaises with retail companies who sell products, made using AWI-funded research, to consumers. Examples: Marks & Spencer (UK), David Jones Limited (Australia) Example: Marks & Spencer (UK) AWI contacts Textile technology project enquiries: Graham Stewart General Manager, Textile Technology t +61 2 9299 5155 f +61 2 9299 9880 e [email protected] Product development and commercialisation enquiries: Pascal Senkoff General Manager, Trade Development t +61 2 9299 5155 f +61 2 9299 9880 e [email protected] Australian Wool Innovation Limited ABN 12 095 165 558 Level 5, 16-20 Barrack Street Sydney NSW 2000 GPO Box 4177 Sydney NSW 2001 www.wool.com.au ISBN 192 090 8145 6/10/2005 MILL