Sorintex: How the Moldovan textile cluster is modernising and expanding production?

The Sorintex cluster organisation brings together textile companies from northern Moldova and has become an important platform for integrating them into international supply chains.

During the EU4Digital ICT Innovation Forum in Chisinau on 9 October 2024, Sorintex received a prestigious European Cluster Excellence Initiative Bronze Label, and cluster president Andrei Mirza explained the benefits that participant organisations receive from cluster membership and collaboration.

One of the main advantages, according to Mirza, is cooperation between cluster participants. Sorintex comprises 25 companies as well as universities, vocational schools and other organisations, which allows the cluster to strengthen market positions and provide access to major tenders.

“Clustering has given new impetus. Enterprises consider cooperation as a gateway to more important orders. We have already got our voice heard at the republican level, which was not the case five or six years ago. So, everyone has realised that our strength is in association.”

Andrei Mirza, Sorintex president: The cluster helps its small businesses to participate in large projects. Thanks to cooperation, companies join forces to complete textile orders, which allows them to successfully compete on international markets even with big players. “At first many businesses feared there would be competition, but everyone has already settled into their niche. We have participated in national tenders and successfully completed large orders such as clothing for the army and other structures,” Mirza said.

When Sorintex cluster was established in October 2018 with the support of the European Commission, it included 15 industrial companies and three educational institutions. Today, the 25 light industry companies that are part of the cluster are exporting their products, including for well-known brands such as Richmond and Rich Barber, with a total annual turnover of around 20 million euro.

“We have already entered international markets: 90% of our cluster members export their products,” stated Andrei Mirza, Sorintex president.

In the interview, Mirza emphasised that the Sorintex cluster enterprises are actively working on strengthening their positions and introducing innovations.

Sorintex is actively introducing new technologies such as 3D design and modelling. However, the cost of such solutions is high, so the cluster helps small businesses get access to these technologies through equipment sharing. “As an association, we purchased expensive equipment that can be used by all our cluster members. It is especially important for small companies, since it is difficult for them to buy equipment worth 40-50 thousand euro on their own,” Mirza explained.

Such technologies help the businesses to improve their product quality and increase their competitiveness on international markets.

The Bronze Label that was awarded to Sorintex during the EU4Digital ICT Innovation Forum demonstrates the cluster’s high level of organisation and management. The label follows EU4Digital selection of Sorintex for support in the European Cluster Management Excellence benchmarking and quality labelling process organised by the European Secretariat for Cluster Analysis (ESCA). This support is part of a new framework for EU4Digital activities around innovation clusters in Moldova and other countries in the Eastern Partnership (EaP) region, launched in 2024. The Bronze Label distinguishes Sorintex and four other EaP clusters among around 1200 that are mapped in the European Cluster Collaboration Platform.

Andrei Mirza is sure that the Sorintex cluster will achieve even greater success in the future:

“Our goal is to get a Silver Label in a year or two. This will allow us to participate in larger European projects that our members will benefit from.”
Andrei Mirza, Sorintex president

Sorintex cluster has not only become the key player in the Moldovan textile industry market, but has also opened new horizons for its participants, providing access to international projects and technologies that contribute to their development and growth.