Luen Thai executive vice president and Luen Thai Philippines president Frank Sauceda was invited to be a panelist in the recent Prime Source Forum in Hong Kong held on April 1-2 in the Hong Kong Convention Exhibition Centre.

Mr. Sauceda participated on the Forum's Day 1 as a speaker in  the session "Sourcing: Financial and Political Aspects - Special Focus on the US and its Suppliers." Other key speakers included Janet Fox, VP of Director of Sourcing, JCPenney; Mary Kissel, editor, Editorial Page, The Wall Street Journal Asia; David Spooner, former assistant, US Secretary of Commerce for Import Administration. Julia Hughes, SVP, United States Association of Importers of Textile and Apparel, was the moderator.

The panel speakers discussed the impact of political change and financial crisis on the apparel industry, specifically in the areas of trade policies and sourcing. 

On his part, Mr. Sauceda shared ways to overcome the challenges in the manufacturing industry in Asia, particularly in China and how Luen Thai as a company plans to continue to be a strong player in the global apparel industry. He also discussed how to give value to customers despite today's economic situation. 

Prime Source Forum is an annual event held in Hong Kong since 2006. It brings together senior management from across the globe to discuss the challenges and opportunities facing manufacturers, suppliers and retailers in the garment industry.

The 2009 Prime Source Forum was participated by top executives and officials from various groups and companies related to the apparel industry. Some of them include Luen Thai's customers such as Polo Ralph Lauren and Liz Claiborne.