Money machines

The secong Cambodia International Textile and Garment Exhibition from August 17 to 20 aimed to boost the Kingdom’s all-important garment sector by highlighting high-tech machinery which could boost factories’ productivity and bottom lines. Over 2,700 square meters at the Diamond Island Convention and Exhibition Center, the Garment Manufacturers Association in Cambodia (GMAC) and Yorkers Trade & Marketing Service Co., a Hong Kong-Based trade fair organizer, brought more than 200 companies from 20 countries together to exhibit their products-mostly industrial machinery-and meet local manufacturers. … Data from GMAC…[shows] that 64 new factories opened in the first half of 2012 compared to 56 factories over the same period last year. According to Hing Thoraxy, secretary of state in charge with economy and investment at the Council of Ministers, “the expansion is based on competitive labor costs and trade preferences from the United States and the European Union.” …