DeepakMohindra

Editor-in-Chief

Read and comment on my blog at

http://stitchworldmagazine.blogspot.com

E D I T O R I A L

An interesting beginning to the year is the growing number of

‘technopreneurs’– people who have garment manufacturing education

and are now starting business on their own… I have met some of them

recently and am very happy with the development.

I have always said in my earlier editorials that unless we have the new

generation coming forward to establish factories, this industry will wane

away. And now I have a hope that the industry is on a strong footing

because my list of start-ups isgrowing.

For me it does not matter whether the start-up is for exports or domestic

manufacturing… A start-up in garmenting is what is important. At least

these young professionals are getting into the business on their own…,

willing to manufacture garments, which even older players are finding

difficult to do!

I would wish to extend them any help if they would want from us, to see

them grow and progress to be the next Shahi or Orient Craft… If you

know any such start-ups, do connect them to StitchWorld,we would love

to welcome them into our folds.

We have also recrafted the StitchWorld to suit their needs… When I say

recrafted, I mean the focus is now clearly on benchmark practices, new

models of operations, more automation and robotics and not to be

ignored of innovative ways to manage and motivate employees. Emphasis

is also on career building and sustainable initiatives.

I look forward to your suggestions to be more targeted and valuable to

my readers.

In line with our new editorial thrust, an interesting article is

‘Entrepreneurship:Transformation from Learning to Execution’wherein

Sanjay Yadav shares how his experience on the shopfloor at other

factories and education helped him in setting up his own unit.

In the article – ‘Anatomy of an Efficient Apparel Production Manager’, the

traits and the deliverables of an ideal production manager are discussed

in detail. This is particularly important as the foundation of an efficient

apparel manufacturing setup is led by production, and the production

manager is the critical bridge between the company’s financial goals

and workers.

We have also initiated a new series wherein SW will present ‘Top-List’

technology providers in different segments used in apparel industry

processes.The section aims at analysing the best available in the market.

TECH BYTESWere you present at the 10th edition of India ITME, held in Mumbai (India) recently?

How did you find the exhibits at the event? What interested you the most? Where do you feel the

industry ismovingafterhavingalookat thelatesttechnologiesdisplayedattheexhibition?

Ofthe25product launchesthat tookplaceat theevent,whichonecaughtyoureye?

The 10th edition of India ITME was worth

attending.There was a great range of technologies

displayed in the dyeing/printing segment, which

really had my eyes set on them.Though I didn’t

find any new/innovative technology or machinery

in the spinning segment, which was something

disappointing, it was same as displayed in earlier

editions. I do feel that industry is moving forward

on the path of innovation slowly and steadily.

Companies are now ready to invest in new

technology despite higher investments because

they want to adopt state-of-the-art machinery

in order to achieve high profits and production

capacity. I am looking forward to something that

alongside being advanced provides me with the

benefit of reduction in cost,power and labour.

GOVINDA MARDAExecutive Director, Arvind Cotsyn (India) Limited

No new technological developments were seen

in the weaving segment, which dissatisfied me

as I was expecting some novel technologies or

features. But the spinning segment caught my

interest. I was looking for an automated process

for material handling during various processesof

spinning and finishing. Automatic containers and

packing solutions by Sieger Spintech Equipments

Pvt. Ltd. grabbed my attention. Automated

material handling helps in manpower reduction,

and technology providers are coming up with

more and more solutions in this context.Moreover,

it is a one-time investment, even though it is costly,

it will definitely pay back in the long run.

ATUL P. VERMASenior Manager – Dye House & H.T.C, Vardhman Spinning

and General Mills

Exhibitors this year at India ITME 2016 were

not new. I had already seen the displayed

technologies at earlier editions… All types

of machinery and technologies were same,

especially in the spinning and weaving

segments. What I feel lacked at this year’s event

was the exhibitors’ research upon Indian textile

market’s needs. I regularly visit foreign textile

exhibitions and find some new innovations in

textile machinery every time but I could not find

even one new technology or innovation that

ITME showcased in 2016th episode. Everything

is already available in the market. Exhibitors

must have known that the ITME takes place

once in 4 years but they did not study the

needs of Indian textile market before coming

up with their products. There was a large scope

of displaying some new innovations as we/

visitors, come for some unique machinery that

we generally do not find in the market.Besides,

I was also looking for some new weaving

options but left disappointed.

RAHUL BOHARAOwner – Rapier Unit, Swadeshi Group

This year’s India ITME proved to be extremely

fruitful for us. Since we are expanding our

capacity and were looking for circular knitting

machines, our search ended at the booth of

Young Knit machines from Fujian Province

Ruili Precision Machinery Co. We bought three

high-speed circular knitting machines from

them. This will help us increase our capacity

from current 6-8 lakh metres of fabric to lakh

metres per annum. Earlier, we had low speed

machines that restricted our productivity. Ifeel

such exhibitions should happen frequently and

TECH BYTE

in increased numbers, as it enhances our knowledge

and keeps us updated with latest innovations.

Moreover, such exhibitions should happen in North

India as well, especially in Delhi-NCR region.

RAMSEWAK SHARMAPlant Manager, Goodwear Fashions

I really liked the technologies displayed in the

spinning segment. I was very much excited with

one machinery from a Swiss company – RotorCraft.

The company demonstrated how they provide

innovative high quality spinning components and

machinery which simplify the spinning processes in

an industry that suffers from issues like labour cost

and staff shortage. I expect more such innovations

and beneficial technologies to be presented in

yarn/fabric segment at exhibitions like India ITME.

Footfall at these exhibitions depicts companies’

interest in new technologies and their eagerness

to invest in the same. Technology providers or

manufacturers should come up with latest updates,

machines that can replace labour, and with

increased sustainability concerns, should reduce

wastage. I hope for a better next version of ITME

after 4 years.

AMIT MITTALDirector, NKCM Spinners Pvt. Ltd.

ITME 2016 was a big disappointment for me. No

new considerable technologies were showcased at

the event. At the last edition, exhibitors focused on

new innovations in linen segment as well as in yarn

processing but the recent edition was completely

missing, anything that can be termed as ‘new’. I

visited ITME 2016 with a hope to see some new

innovations in weaving and spinning sections, but

the only machine that caught my attention was

rapier loom. Though it is an old machinery, but they

had come up with some notable modifications in

rapier loom and that was the standalone innovation

for me at the entire event. They even showcased us

how this modified machine runs yarns to the side of

looms through the rapiers. They named it “speedy

rapier loom machine” which was modified in order

to increase production and was way different from

the traditional ones. We are planning to invest in

this machine in near future. I was also hoping to

see some new trends in machines for jute products

manufacturing but sadly I did not find anything new

in this category also.

BIDYUT KUMAR SINGHADGM (Outsourcing), Birla Century

It was a great visit as I got to see some large array

of machines in weaving segment and found some

of them useful for my business. I was looking for

powerloom machines as we are planning to invest

in the new technology in this segment in order

to expand our capacity. And, to my expectations, I

found a machine that could go with my demand.

There was a Voltas dealer at the fair exhibiting some

powerloom machines. I spent some time at that stall

to understand what they were offering in terms of

innovation. I was, somehow, satisfied to see them

focusing on shuttle-less looms, reflecting a growing

trend. This is what an active market really needs

in weaving segment today to grow production

capacity. The solutions they listed were reflecting

needs of today’s market. I am looking forward to

exhibitors to come up with more technologies in

other categories too.

P. SURESH KUMARDirector, Pranav Textiles

Write your comments to us by 20th February 2017 at:

editor@stitchworld.net or post your views online through our

website: www.apparelresources.com

How did you set up IE Department at your

factory? Did you face any problem in setting

up the IE Department? How did you set the

eligibility criteria for IE staff?

Do you feel fresh college pass-outs are a better

choice over the experienced ones?

What is the staff-strength of your IE

Department? What should be the reporting

structure? Should an IE report to Production

Manager or General Manager?

TechByte

StitchWorld MARCH 2017 Question

India: Apparel exporter Superfine Knitters rolls out IPO

uperfine Knitters, one ofS the well-known fabric

and apparel manufacturers

based in Ludhiana, (India), is

coming up with its IPO (Initial

Public Offering) of Rs. 4.08

crore. Thrilled about the

move, Ajit Lakra, Managing

Director of the company,

who is also associated with

many industry associations

of the city, told StitchWorld,

“It is better to go in public

for funds rather than paying

interest to the banks. With

funds, we will however

improve overall, but there

are four key points that we

have on priority. These are:

Technology upgradation for

fabric manufacturing; Energy

audit; System upgradations

and Increased efficiency. All

these four areas will lead

to further profitability of

our company.”

Superfine Knitters is the first

apparel company in Ludhiana

which will be listed on an SME

platform of Bombay Stock

Exchange (BSE). Itappears

to be a trend that apparel

companies across the nation

are now moving toward IPOs

as recently Jaipur-based

apparel manufacturer and

online retailer Nandani

Creation also listed itself for

the same amount.

Superfine Knitters, which

noted turnover of Rs. 84.28

crore in 2015-16, is catering

mainly to domestic market

and working with apparel

brands like Pepe Jeans,

Benetton, Numero Uno,

Crimsoune Club, Life Style,

Bioworld, etc. Out of its

total apparel production,

the apparel manufacturer

exports 25 per cent and will

continue the same strategy

in future also as Ajit says,

“Though there is growth

in export business but

domestic has more scope

and growth opportunities,

so we will have major

focus on domestic.”In

its total business, fabric

sales contribute almost

40 per cent.

Currently, the company has

two manufacturing units in

Ludhiana with workforce of

more than 500. The exporter

is also active on sustainability

front as it is using solarpower

in its factory which is not

common in Ludhiana’s textile

& apparel industry.

India: Kitex Garments to invest US $ 1 million in US

et-up in the yearS1992,India-based

kidswearmanufacturerKitex Garments –which

exports its products to

the US and European

markets, with per day

textile capacity of 50

tonnes and 2.70 units

of infant wear – has

decided to invest up

to US $ 1 million in the

Capital of Kitex USA

LLC during the fourth

quarter of 2017fiscal.

The company has also

announced of getting

an additional termloan

of Rs.17 crore under

A-TUFS (The Amended

Technology Upgradation

Fund Scheme) with a

tenure of five years.Sabu

Jacob, CMD of Kitex

Garments reportedly

said that the company

expects to record a

20 per cent revenue

growth in FY 2017.

Superfine Knitters is the first apparel company in Ludhiana to be listed on an SME platform of BSE

In the period

January-

November 2016,

India’s export of

T-shirts to the US

grew both in value

and volume terms.

The T-shirts

segment

witnessed a rise

of 2.49 per cent

quantity wise,

while value rose

by 0.38 per cent.

In the 11-month A downward trend Duringthe From January to

period of 2016, was recorded in review period, October 2016,

India noted surge China’sapparel Bangladeshnoted imports of ladies

in its export of export to the US considerable blouses by the EU

babies wear to the during the review amount of registered growth

US. An increase of period, both value- downfall in its of 9 per cent in

5.43 per cent was and volume-wise. apparel exports volumes, while the

recorded in value, While values to the US. While growth in value

while the volume decreased by values were down was 1.83 per cent.

rose by 17.57 (-) 8.38 per cent, by (-) 1.23 per

per cent. quantity was cent, volume also

also down by recorded negative

(-) 1.99 per cent. growth of (-) 0.17

per cent.

During the first

10 months of

2016, export of

undergarments

from Vietnam to

the EU saw 64.94

per cent growth

in quantity-term

while value

increased by

a whopping

72.22 per cent.

TRADE STATISTICS

NEWS TRACK

UK: Garment workers get half the legal minimum wage

ccording to anA investigation report,

apparel and textile

industry workers in

Britain are being paid

half the legal national

minimum wage. The

report claimed that

workers are getting paid

just £ 3 an hour against

the legal minimum wage

of £ 7.20 an hour for

workers aged 25 and

above. These workersare

employed with the firms

making products for

fashion retailers such as

River Island, New Look,

Boohoo and Missguided.

The report further

claimed that fashion

workers are getting

paid less because their

employers need to

compete with China and

Bangladesh.

An earlier report claimed

verbal abuse, bullying,

threats and humiliation

as well as inadequate

health and safety

standards for workers

in fashion factories.

Following the report of

alleged legal minimum

wage violation, New

Look has reportedly

stopped working with

its suppliers featured

in the report. While

Fashion Square, which

runs one of the factories,

denied that-anyone

was paid less than the

legal minimum wage.

However, Missguided

has promised action

against alleged

wage violation.

Sri Lanka: MAS Holdings inaugurates MAS Fabric Park

Vietnam: Hop Lun Vietnam to set up new factory

AS HoldingsM(MAS), a Sri Lankan

conglomerate and one of

the world’s most recognized

design-to-delivery solution

providers in textile and

clothing sector, hasunveiled

the plaque for its US $ 28

million MAS Fabric Park in

Giriulla, Sri Lanka.

The new industrial park will

manufacture knitted shoe

pparel manufacturerAHop Lun Vietnam

Company Limited recently

kicked off the construction

of a garment factory in the

northern province of Vinh

Phuc,Vietnam.

uppers as well as sportswear

and activewear products for

MAS’ strategic partner Nike,

and bring in US $ 65-75 million

in revenue for thecompany.

The apparel manufacturer

hopes to remove the old

machinery, refurbish the

old factory and set up new

equipment according to

MAS standards over the

next 12 months. It may be

Sprawling over an areaof9.7 hectares in Van Quan

and Dinh Chu communes of

Lap Thach district, Vietnam,

the plant is expected to

employ 2,500 workers once

operational, thus helping

mentioned here thatapparel

manufacturing had begun

at the location in 1974 with

the establishment ofthe

Mattegama Textile Mill.The 50-

acre park will also be used as

an entrepôt logistics hub.

“At MAS, we need to expand

our capacity, and because

of the proximity of this

location to Thulhiriya and

Pannala, where we have

manufacturing operations,

this industrial site in Giriulla

is ideally located for our

expansion plans to export

textiles and clothing,”

said Mahesh Amalean,

Chairman,MAS.

Currently, the second largest

supplier for Nike worldwide

and one of their key supply

chain partners, the company

seeks an opportunity to

double their business as Nike

grows their business from US

$ 30 billion today to US $ 50

billion by 2020.

locals increase their

incomes and boosting the

province’s social-economic

development.

The new facility projects

to earn nearly US $ 38.2

million from exports and

contribute US $ 6.5million

to the State Budget per year.

Hop Lun Vietnam is the

third wholly foreign-

invested company to invest

in the Lap Thach district of

Vietnam. Set up in 1992, the

company now has factories

in China, Bangladesh and

Indonesia with over 28,000

workers who produce

15 million ofproducts

each month.

The new industrial park in Giriulla will manufacture knitted shoe uppers, sportswear and activewear products for Nike

The new facility Vinh Phuc, province projects to earn nearly US $ 38.2 million from exports

Vietnam: Quang Viet to add production lines to enhance capacity

ietnamese garmentVmanufacturer Quang Viet

Enterprise Co. has revealed

its plans to spend between

US $ 3-6 million in current

year in an effort to expand

its capacity.

“The amount will be much

lower than last year’s US $ 10

million, as the company has

almost reached its near-term

capacity expansion target.

It would mainly be used for

establishing new production

lines and purchasing

equipment at the existing

plants in Vietnam, instead

of building new plants.

We expect the expansion

would stimulate this year’s

output to grow between 8

and 10 per cent annually

from last year’s 9.07 million

units of clothing,” informed

a manufacturer.

The company is planning to

add 15 production lines at

its plant in Vietnam’s Tien

Giang Province and build

15 lines at its new plant in

Long An Province, which is

set to begin production in

the first quarter of current

fiscal. The new production

lines would mainly produce

New production lines would mainly produce high-end down jackets for Adidas AG and North Face Inc.

high-end down jackets

for the company’s global

sportswear and functional

clothing clients, including

Adidas AG and North

Face Inc.

Also, it is mulling to

acquire a knitwear plant in

Vietnam this year to raise

its competitiveness and

market presence in the

global garment industry.

The new plant would help

the company reach more

clients and diversify its

product portfolio further.

Quang Viet manufactures

down, primaloft, thermoball

and padded jackets, as well

as jackets made of goose

down and duck down for

global brands.

Vietnam: Scrapping women’s work benefits invites public wrath

fficials from the Viet Nam GeneralLabourOConfederation have voiced concern over a recent

proposal by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social

Affairs (MoLISA) which is preparing a draftamendment

to the Labour Law, cancelling a provision allowing

female workers with babies as young as 12 months to

get an hour off during the day for breast feeding, and

a 30-minute break during menstruation. The move

has been strongly opposed by the association and is

demanding for revocation of the maternity benefits to

which female workers areentitled.

Pham Xuan Hong, Chairman – HCM City Association

of Garment,Textile, Embroidery and Knitting

Workers opined,“The issue is how to raise productivity

rather than lengthening working hours.The morale and

health of workers are also very important, and if they

have no time to take care of their babies, the efficiency

of their work may be hampered.”

Netherlands: Six new companies connect with ZDHC programme

ri Lanka’s apparel majorSMAS Holdings; Swiss

certification company Oeko-Tex; and TÜV SÜD, one

of the world’s leading

services provider in

testing, inspection, audit

and certification, are

among six new companies

that commit to the goal of

zero discharge of hazardous

chemicals in the textile

and footwear value chain,

demonstrating strengthened

commitment to sustainable

chemistry within the sector.

“Since January 2015, our

contributor base has doubled

and I’m delighted to see

this growing commitment

from the textile and

footwear industries. Today

we also welcome our first

contributors based in

Sri Lanka and Thailand,

further expanding our

geographic scope,”

says Frank Michel, Executive

Director, ZDHC.

The other three companies

that are now ZDHC affiliated

are ICEC – The Quality

Certification Institute for

the Leather Sector, the only

certified Institute worldwide

specialized for the leather

sector; Siam Pro Group

of Companies, a leading

specialty chemical company

with an extensive portfolio

to fully serve the textile

industry – headquartered in

Thailand; and The Fiber and

Textile Chemicals Technology

Division – A Division of

the Industrial Technology

Research Institute (ITRI),

one of the world’s leading

technology R&D institutions,

aiming to innovate a better

future for society. With the

addition of the following six

companies, the total number

of contributors to the ZDHC

Programme is now 56.

Commenting on the

affiliation, Georg Dieners,

General Secretary, Oeko-

Tex said, “We have long

been committed to helping

companies reduce the use of

toxic chemicals throughout

their supply chains. We look

forward to engaging actively

with the ZDHC and its other

members to achieve the

milestones set forth in the

Joint Roadmap to eliminate

hazardous chemicals from

the supply chain by 2020.”

MoLISA is preparing a draft amendment to the Labour Law to cancel the provision of allowing female workers with babies as young as 12 months to get an hour off during the day for breast feeding

Disagreeing with this proposal, LêÐình Quang, Deputy

Head, Labour Relationships Department under the

Labour Federation reacted,“It’s a very humane policy.

In the past few days, many labourers have expressed

their objection to the removal of such benefits, and

I think they are reasonable, and I also think relevant

Government agencies need to listen to theirvoice.”

HàÐình Ban, Head of Legislation Department of The

Labour Ministry whoheads the drafting team explained

at a recent seminar that many enterprises suggested

dropping the current regulations because they raise

production costs and complicate work arrangements.

He explained that the amendment is meant to

harmonize the relationship between the employer and

the employee.The total number of contributors to the ZDHC Programme is now 56

India: Government increases loan coverage to MSEs

he IndianTGovernment has

approved a ‘package’ to

support Micro and Small

Enterprises (MSEs) and

increased the Corpus of

Credit Guarantee Trust

Fund for Micro and Small

Enterprises (CGTMSE)

from Rs. 2,500 crore to

Rs. 7,500crore.

The decision has been

taken with an intention

to enhance the quantum

of Credit Guarantee to

larger number of MSEs.

Apart from approval

of the package, the

Government has also

given its nod to the

coverage of the loans

covered under the Credit

Guarantee Scheme,

under which the amount

has been increased from

Rs. 1 crore to Rs. 2 crore

for MSEs.

Tirupur Exporter’s

Association (TEA)

President Raja M

Shanmugham has

expressed gratitude

towards the Indian

Government for this

decision as it would be

much helpful to the

Tirupur cluster where

large number of Micro

and Small Enterprises

are existing, carrying

out job and working

as back bone to the

exporting units.

The enhancement would

also help to attract new

entrepreneurs to set

start up units.

Bangladesh: Netherlands continues to help textile Companies in adopting water-saving technologies

India: TEA welcomes restoration of Duty Drawback Rates for babies wear

ccording to a recentA report – Bangladesh-

The Netherlands: 50 Years

of Water Cooperation – a

number of Bangladeshi

textile companies have

adopted water-saving

technologies to make the

most precise use of water.

The report was published

recently by partners for

Water Programme of the

Netherlands in cooperation

with the Bangladesh

Government.

It may be noted that

Bangladesh is one of the

highest water consuming

irupur Exporters’TAssociation (TEA) has

thanked Indian Government

for restoration of Duty

Drawback Rates for babies

wear, from 7.3 per cent to

7.6 per cent,effective from

January 15,2017.

countries as far as washing

and dyeing of fabrics are

concerned. Global practice

of water consumption is

70 litres/kg of washing and

dyeing of fabrics whereas,

Bangladeshi textile mills

use a whopping 250 litres/

kg with an approximate

usage of 1,500billion

litres of groundwater a

year. Hence, in order to

encourage textile mills of

Bangladesh, Netherlands is

planning to extend an

Innovation Fund which

aims to stimulate local wet

processing factories to start

The Duty Drawback Rates for

babies wear was reducedfrom

7.6 per cent to 7.3 per cent

and the value cap was also

slashed from Rs.34 to Rs.29

while announcing the new

Drawback Rates on October

31, 2016.

piloting cleaner production

technologies with a focus

on water sustainability.

Factories can submit their

demonstration projects

to the Innovation Fund,

expected to be managed by

‘Textile Technology Business

Center’ located in BGMEA

(Bangladesh Garment

Manufacturers and Exporters

Association) building.

The report also highlighted

names of millers like Mondol

Fabrics, DBL Group and

Fakir Apparels that have

adopted the water-saving

technologies.

“The restoration of rates

for babies garments would

increase the competitiveness

when the knitwear exporters

are operating under wafer

thin margin to sustain in the

global market,” said Raja M

Shanmugham, President,TEA.

Bangladeshi textile mills use a whopping 250 litres of water per kg of fabric

o uphold any successfulTmarketing/selling strategy

by executing the “apple cart”, it is

imperative to have the support

from manufacturing sector by

providing required volume of

product with quality on time.

Since both domestic and export

readymade garment sectors are

wide open with huge demands,

the manufacturing sector cannot

be allowed to limp.

Production Manager –The Corner Stone

To establish an efficient apparel

manufacturing environment, its

foundation should be stronger,

which can be done by none other

than the production manager. It is

his skills and capability that make

the difference as he is the critical

bridge between the company’s

financial goals and workers.

The formula in physics for

Pressure = Force/Area, holds

good in the garment factory by

the act of production manager.

In a manufacturing environment,

‘Force’ can be considered as the

units to be produced to meet

the shipment date while ‘Area’

is the number of days available

to produce the same. If the

production manager manages

the Force (= units to be produced

in the time frame) consistently

well throughout the Area

(= number of days available),

the pressure is nominal every

day on everybody. On the other

hand, if he ill-manages the force

– while the Area (= number of

days) is automatically getting

reduced since the shipment date

cannot slide – the Pressure will

shoot up. Subsequently, the top

management will have to be on

their toes to avert a possible air

lifting/cancellation of shipment

by putting workers on overtime or

do partial air-lifting of goods – all

at an additional cost.

So, the Presence of a skilful,

vigilant and sensible production

manager with a go-getter

attitude is very important on the

production floor.

The traits and the deliverables of an ideal production manager

Of course, he/she has to take

many avatars at the same

time to efficiently manage the

show. Even though there are

functional departments in the

organization such as planning,

quality, technical,maintenance,

Innovative methods of marketing and selling of consumer goods are the order of the current business world… Hatching of

different business models which aim to fast-spread the marketing and retailing of products are so frequent and similar to

the gush of smartphone models. They compete with each other to offer extreme levels of shopping comfort and satisfaction

to the consumers. One of the biggest consumer goods, the apparel (sector) is also poised much ahead in “selling strategies”

over“manufacturing strategies” nowadays. In tune with this trend, apparel professionals are highly attracted to the marketing

sector than manufacturing field, leaving brain-drain to the latter. Even traditional syllabus in the apparel colleges to educate

manufacturing aspects to the students to become production managers has largely been replaced with the conglomerate

of marketing and selling techniques. At least in India, the educated lot is deserting the apparel manufacturing management

jobs sector, which is already a non-preferential job sector for workers who aim tech-savvy manufacturing jobs (electronics,

software, automobile, etc.) over garment making. Currently, the priority of research in the “consumer product management

laboratory” is being shifted towards improving marketing aspects than production output. But, can selling happen without

manufacturing? Jayapal Nair, Apparel Manufacturing Expert, Consultant and Author shares the vital characteristics for

the production manager...

To establish an efficient apparel manufacturing environment,its foundation should be stronger, which can be done by none other than the production manager. The presence of a skilful, vigilant and sensible production manager witha go-getter attitude is very important on the production floor.

ANATOMY OF AN EFFICIENT

APPAREL PRODUCTION MANAGER

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

industrial engineering,

human resources,

compliance, administration,

merchandising, etc., the

production manager has to

coordinate through all these

departments based on real

facts and figures to achieve

speedy solutions that can

translate into production

output at a higher efficiency

level.

The required traits and

corresponding deliverables

are describedbelow:

1. Accounting controlskills

• Monitor input/output

figures correctly.

• Co-relate betweenwork-in-progress figures

to correctly assess

production completion

period and formulate

strategies to restore slide,

if any.

• Compare actual

resources (man, machine

and material) against

budgeted resources

with an eye for cost

reduction and reduction

of wastage.

1. Human resource

management skills

• To handle workers’

grievances without

any favouritism and to

maintain discipline.

• To motivate and generate

a sense of ownership in

workers.

• Be an empathetic leader

to win respect from

workers.

• Precise mass

communication skill to

communicate targets,

objectives, company

policies and emergencies.

2. Administrative skills

• To keep an eye on the

support supplies like

transportation, food,

housekeeping, etc. to

demand its on-time

performance.

• To learn and understand

health, safety, social,

security compliances

and monitor its

implementation in his

area of command.

• To understand standards

and systems, and

maintain firmly without

deviation.

4. Coreskills

a) Industrial

engineering: To apply

industrial engineering

techniques to improve

productivity, develop

skills, and effective

utilization of resources.

Training skills to

develop the manpower

under him.

b) Quality engineering/

assurance: To evaluate

the quality report, do

root cause analysis,

formulate corrective

actions, implement and

monitor its adequacy

using the resources in

hand.

c) Maintenance:

Knowledge

on machinery,

attachments, and their

effective utilization

to reduce manpower

or to improve quality.

Encourage proper

usage of machines

by workers to reduce

breakdowns.

d) Technical: Knowledge

on garment making

methods. Ability to

understand customer

requirements.

4. Personality

• Ability to work under

constraints and ability to

convert constraints into

opportunities from the

past lessons learned.

• Ability to respond quickly

to actual situations and

demand support in time

to avert eventualities.

• An attitude to learn best

practices from elsewhere

and try to implement

for the betterment of

production process.

• Self-learning attitude.

• Ability to understand

verbal, written

communication and

to reply precisely with

supporting facts and

figures.

Focus on enhancing output and saving the cost

All the above traits are

important for a production

manager to perform the

job successfully and lift

up the efficiency curve.A

professionally educated (or

educated through experience

from an organized setup)

person can develop

these traits quickly

and can do justice

to this role in the

real sense. Besides,

he/she should be

entrusted with a

limited number

of assembly lines

(maximum 3-4) to

focus on all the activities and

achieve higher efficiency. Ifhe

spreads his attention to many

assembly lines, he will miss

out many focal points and

those will torpedo the higher

target. Further, he has to hide

behind conventional excuses

for not achieving the targets.

A small calculation on cost saving

If a production manager

handles six assembly lines

and produces 500 pieces

at 40 per cent efficiency

each, he will producea total

of 3,000 pieces a day. If a

right production manager

is entrusted with three lines

where he has the possibility

to hit 80 per cent, he will

make 1,000 pieces per line

which is 3,000 pieces from

three lines, using much fewer

resources of machine and

manpower. Definitely, his

value addition is higher than

the other model.

A trim and slim model of

manufacturing will have

the potential to earn higher

revenue. Attracting the rightly

qualified and motivated

production managers to the

manufacturing side is the first

step to building efficiency

and compete with the market

needs. As the adage goes:

"Arnold Schwarzenegger is

not built in aday!"

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT

DESIGNING A LEAN PROCESS – I

Principles and Strategies

Lean has become a key transformational buzzword in the apparel manufacturing industry. However, a lot of confusion exists in

understanding the principles and applying them practically on the shopfloor. Understanding the connection between strategy

and principles is the key to implement‘Lean’ on the shopfloor. In this series of articles, Anand Deshpande,Founder andCEO

– Admaa Consulting connects the principles with measurables and strategies to achieve those measurables on the apparel

shopfloor. In short, it provides a structured approach to design a Lean process and suggest major factors and strategies to

consider in doingso.

s one enters an apparelA factory,he/she can see the

following scenes:

• Materials waiting to be

processed in front of a

machine or an operator.

• Operator being starved of

materials (idle time for the

operator).

• Excess material in finished

goods super market waiting

to be sold.

• Longer delivery times due

to excessive WIP and colour

clearance issues.

• Quality issues indicated by

piles of garments waiting to

be reworked.

Any production manager would

want the factory to be in perfect

harmony by balancing operations,

and optimally considering the

company’s objectives and goals.

Lean process design creates

harmonic balance within and

between processes. The three

broad steps to design a Lean

process are: First, to establish the

guiding principles for designing

a Lean process, define goals and

objectives of lean design process,

and identify the measurables

at plant and department levels.

Second, to devise a plant-wide

strategy; and the third step is

to devise a department-wide

strategy. In this first part of the

three-part series, we will discuss

the first three steps…

1. Establish guiding principles

for designing a Leanprocess

A lean process is an outcome of

operational excellence which is

a result of application of specific

tools and techniques day in and

day out.

Generally speaking, the guiding

principles are:

• Eliminate waste continually.

• Align production capacity to

match the customer demand.

• Increase the speed of

the material through the

production system.

• Standardize processes for

consistent results.

• Reduce WIP (Work in

Progress) between and

within processes.

• Introduce positive

constraints.

• Reduce transfer distance

of materials between and

within departments.

• Workplace organization.

2. Lean process guiding

principles transform

themselves into

objectives forsuccessful

implementation. The

objectivesare:

• Waste Elimination.

• Produce Just-In-Time.

Producing to Just-In-Time means

producing the required part or

component in the right time and

in the right amount.

• Detecting abnormalities for

continuous improvement.

Detecting an abnormality in

time saves a lot of dollars in the

long as well as the short run.

Hence making problems visible

The material handling within the plant should be reducedas much as possiblebecause it is largely non-value add. Therefore, the transfer distance (material conveyance distance) between workstations and department must be kept minimum.

is on the pillars of successful

production management.

3. Identify the

measurables at plant

and department levels

Process measurables

benchmark the successof

the Lean process design.

To identify the process

measurables, relationship

between elements of

production and process

design must be established.

The following are the key

measurables that support

the objectives of a sound

production system atplant-

level:

a) Increase value add %.

b) Increase value add

floor space %.

c) Reduce dock-to-dock

time.

d) Reduce transfer

distances.

e) Reduce inventory in

the organization.

f) ) Reduce

changeover time.

g) Improve FTT %.

Table 1:Sevenfactors to reduce waste duringproduction:

Waste Factors to be considered for designing Lean process.

Transportation Unnecessary storage spaces increase handling. Handling time also

increases if carriers are too big.

Inventory Overproduction, redundant buffers and risk-averse production

tendency can cause inventory.

Motion The workstation configuration, line layouts, conveyors, etc. cause

too much strain (mental and physical) on operators.

Waiting Line imbalance (in terms of cycle time between operators), batching

tendency and long distances between processes.

Overproduction Extra space between machines and departments invites

overproduction. Performance management solely based on build to

volume can increase occurrences of overproduction.

Over-processing Conservative process design or machine tolerances and

lackadaisical attitude to first time right cause over-processing.

Defects Process non-standardization, poor process design, workstation

layout and operator training.

Figure 1:Flow chart of activities that must be conducted to support Just-In-Timeproduction

• Quick Changeover

• Process

Standardization

• Visual Management

•Skilled Operators

• Reduce inventory

• Introduce supermarkets if necessary

• Reduce lot sizes

• One-pieceFlow

•Improve Overall equipment effectiveness % (OEE%)

• Reduce MTBF (Mean Time BetweenFailures)

• Reduce MTTR(Mean Time ToRepair)

• Balance line per the takt time

•EliminateNon-Valueadd activities

• Introduce efficient

handling of materials

Level Production ImproveFlowTotalProductive Maintenance

Align customer demand to productionrate

Produce Just-In-Time

Each measurable is described

herewith:

a) Increase Value Add%

An activity that changes the

fit, form and function of the

product or a service is called

Value Add. The Value Add %,

is the percentage of the Value

Add Time in the Total Process

Time (or ThroughputTime).

Value Add % = ( Total Value

Add Time/Total ProcessTime)

x 100

b) Increase ValueAdd

Floor Space%

Value Addition of a product

must be supported by

machines and operators

The three broad steps to design a Lean processare: Establish the guiding principles for designing a Lean process, define goals and objectives of lean design process, and identify the measurables at plant and department levels; devise a plant-wide strategy; and devise a department-wide strategy.

who expand cycle time in

mostly adding value to the

product. To add value one

needs workstations (if it is a

labour-intensive operation)

and machines.

Value Add Floor Space % =

Percentage of Floor Space

occupied by workstations

or machines (equipment)

relative to the entire plant.

c) Reduce Dock-to-Dock

Time

Dock-to-Dock time measures

the material flow in the value

stream. It is the time taken for

components or raw materials

from the dock (receiving

end) through production to

shipment of finished goods

from the shipping dock. It

can also be looked at as the

speed of conversion of raw

materials into finished goods

within the value stream.

As Dock-to-Dock time

reduces, speed of flowalso

increases.

Dock-to-Dock Time = (Raw

Materials + WIP + Finished

Goods Stock)/(Sales During

Week/Hours PerWeek)

d) Reduce Transfer

Distances

The material handling within

the plant should be reduced

as much as possible because

it is largely non-value add

activity. Therefore, the

transfer distance (material

conveyance distance)

between workstations and

department must be kept

minimum.

e) Reduce Inventory in

theOrganization

WIP to SWIP report shows

the inventory of the product

in the plant. While SWIP is

Standard Work in Progress,

WIP is Work in Progress.

The purpose of tracking

WIP to SWIP report isto:

• Determine the

inventory balance on

the production line.

• Measure the

effectiveness of the

pull system.

• Support workplace

organization.

Assuming that end-to-end

inventory is fixed at 2000units

and actual inventory is 2600,

the WIP to SWIP Ratio is:

WIP to SWIP Ratio =

2600/2000 = 1.3 (slightly

more inventory than

planned). Ideally the WIP to

SWIP Ratio must be 1.

f) Reduce Changeover

Time

Over the years, the buyers

have replaced one product

of larger batch sizes to

various products of smaller

lot sizes, it is imperative

to reduce the changeover

time in the production

system between old and

new products.

Figure 2:Flow chart of activities that must be conducted to support abnormalitydetection

•U-shaped lines

•S-shaped lines

• Aisles for maintenance and operators

• Keep stationsclose to eachother

•See machine problems

• Inform about productdefects

• Visualinformation centre

•Eliminate barriers to see through lines

• Introduce threelevels of VisualManagement

• Machine stopsafter detectingabnormality

• Autocorrecting

Configure Line AndonSystemsVisual Managment

Autonomation

Detect Abnormalities

Table 2: Showsthe key measurables that support the objectives of the soundproductionsystem at department level

Elements Metric Reviewfrequency When

SafetyAccidents perday Daily Morningmeeting

NearMiss Daily Morningmeeting

Quality

FTT % (First Time Through)

Daily Morningmeeting

Rejections Everyhour Top of thehour

Delivery

Jobs perhour Everyhour Top of thehour

Volume perday Daily Morningmeeting

OEE% Daily Morningmeeting

WIP to SWIPratio Daily Morningmeeting

CostHours per unit Weekly Weeklymeeting

Units perperson FirstMeeting Morningmeeting

MoraleAbsenteeism% FirstMeeting Morningmeeting

Attrition% Weekly Morningmeeting

Environment 5S audit score Weekly Morningmeeting

Follow-up article on Lean Design and Strategy talks about manifesting the hypothesis into a plant-wide strategy and provides guidelines to execute the same.

SMED(Single-Minute

Exchange of Dies) is used

to reducechangeover

time. In the industry,

the changeover time

varies from 1-2 hours

to 12 hours.This can

be reduced to lessthan

10 minutes.

g) Improve FTT (First

Time Through)%

FTT, expressed in termsof %, is measured to check

whether the products

are manufactured right

first time.

The purpose of tracking

FTT isto:

• Determine the ability of

the unit to manufacture

right first time.

• Expose the hidden

factory (scrap, rework,

and rejections).

• Measure the

effectiveness of

standardized work

(non-varying cycle

times).

• Focus on capability of

the process.

Eg: Assuming that an apparel

is produced simplistically in

sequential operations like

Cutting, Sewing and Finishing

and the FTT for each of these

departments is 90%, 90% and

90%, the FTT % for the entire

production line would be 0.9

x 0.9 x 0.9 x 100 = 0.729 x 100

= 72.9 %.

It means that only 72.9% of

the garments move through

the production line without

being reworked.

The first step establishes

a firm hypothesis and

a guiding vision to run

the production floor.Not

only does it firm-up the

philosophy behind the

running of the plant, italso

provides tactical clues to

manifest the vision.

Flow-centric view of

production management is

created by connecting the

vision, guiding principles,

principles translated into

objectives and finally

objectives giving way to

measurables that define

daily production tactics.

TECHNOLOGY 4.O

Sewing involves complex tasks of manipulating the fabric, the material and its orientation through an industrial sewing machine.

The sewing process may involve one or more than one ply. Sewing decorative patterns or attaching patches, appliqués requires

movement of fabrics in x-y coordinate in respect to needle point. The pattern tacking (earlier called x-y tacker) cyclic sewing

machine, which has clamp feed for fabric movement, is an example of the same. Joining more than one ply along fabric edges

requires continuous sewing machine, where the direction of feeding of fabric is straight and away from the sewing operator.

It is the operator who manipulates the fabric direction to sew curve and other shapes of material. Over the time, the process

of guiding of material during sewing has evolved; from cam follower to mechatronics technology to be precise. And now

the recent developments in vision sewing technology have opened up a new frontier in automated sewing. Dr. Prabir Jana,

NIFT Delhi and RickFrye,Directorof Engineering,Brother International write...

VISION SEWING:

A TECHNOLOGY WITH A FUTURE

What is Vision Sewing?

When we think of the term ‘vision

sewing’, we assume it involves

some type of sewing machine with

a camera and rightly so, but what

is not understood is how the two

work together. While there is no

clear technical definition in the

sewn products industry for ‘vision

sewing’ we can say that vision

sewing often involves an industrial

camera and a processor with

software that is integrated with the

machine controller of the industrial

sewing machine to perform

‘complex tasks’.When we talk about

vision sewing, we are talking about

either conventional single needle

lockstitch or chainstitch machines

integrated with vision systems or

an electronically programmable

pattern sewing machine integrated

with vision systems.

Brother Vision Sewing System

An electronic programmable

sewing machine is equipped with

a work holder to hold the work-

piece which it moves around in a

pre-programmed sewing path or

pattern. Such a setup requires a

processor to control the operation

and stepper or servo motors to

control the movement to create

the desired sewing patterns.

Brother vision sewing system

is furthering de-skilling of the

pattern sewing machine. It is a

programmable sewing machine

that employs an industrial

personal computer (PC) with

software,custom camera,and

lighting, to automatically create

a stitch pattern around the

perimeter of a regular or irregular

shaped object (patch, label,

appliqué, etc.) within the sewing

area of the machine. These systems

can cover areas from 220mm x

100m to 300mm x 200mm. The

vision sewing system is specifically

designed for use to attach items

such as labels, patches, appliqués

of any shape to various fabrics or

garments. Since customization is

growing, it can prove to be a big

market for vision sewing machines.

The vision sewing system creates

the required sewing pattern ofthe

image within the machine sewing

area by comparing the colour of

the image border to the colour of

the background fabric orgarment.

This process of generating the

patch image, creating the sewing

pattern, and transferring it to the

electronic programmable sewing

machine typically requires three

seconds or less, depending on

the quantity of stitches of the

Sewing speed of up to 2,800 stitches per minute can be achieved by Brother Vision Sewing System.

The vision camera

views the image within

the machine sew area

(field ofview)

Background

fabric or garmentAngle of cameraview

Patches

Vision SewingSystem

sewing pattern programme

generated. Sewing speed

of up to 2,800 stitches per

minute can be achievedin

such a system, although it is

dependent on the product

being sewn (material) and

the thread being used. The

type of work clamps used for

the machine is dependent

on the application. There are

various stitch types available

with the machine such as

straight or zig-zag whichcan

easily be selected. In straight

stitch option, the stitch length

can be selected on 0.1 mm

increments, whereas inzig-zag

stitch, the user can choose

either a ‘V’ or ‘N’ type stitch

that allows a stitch width ofup

to 12mm. The machine even

allows the user to choose a

starting point of the pattern

within 8 different locations

around the perimeter of the

patch orshape.

A sewing pattern is created

each time an item is presented

to the machine for sewing,

making it easier to attach

regular- or irregular-shaped

patches or labels.The

largest size patch, letter, or

appliqué that can be sewn

is limited only by thesewing

area (300mm x 200mm) of

the machine. Whereas the

smallest size patch,letter,

or an appliqué that can be

detected and sewn is within

the area of 50mm. The vision

sewing system is capable of

sewing multiple patches such

as letters or numbers in one

operation as long as they fit

within the machine sew area.

To hold the patch to the

garment while it isbeing

sewn, either the patch is

applied with adhesive at

its back or many patch’s,

applique’s, letters, numbers,

can be purchased with an

adhesive backing already

applied,while other methods

for adhesives/applicators

include tapes,dots, and

spray adhesives.

Watch the working live at

(http://www.brother-usa.

com/IndPrintSewEmb/

VisionSewing)

The key benefits of vision

system include a consistent

sewing speed for multiple

patch sewing, automatic

sewing of multi-layered

letters/numbers, improved/

less handling of the garment

or fabric. In addition to this,

handling the machine requires

no operator sewing skills,

while a single operator can

operate multiple machines at

any point oftime.

ThreadVision System from SoftWear Automation

ThreadVision is a patented,

high-speed vision system

specifically designed for

fabrics. The system tracks

individual threads in each

fabric, redefining the

traditional coordinate system

to thread-count, allowing for

high accuracy panel tracking

regardless of deformation.

Automatic sewing machine

from SoftWear Automation

combines a patented

ThreadVision System with

multi-degree freedom feed

dogs to fully automate the

sewing process. By controlling

the feed and orientation ofthe

fabric using advanced dogs,

the automatic sewingmachine

ensures both reliability

and repeatability removing

piece-to-piece variations from

the garment manufacturing

industry while at the same

time reducing operation costs

for the manufacturer.

Watch the working live at

(https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=Uk3kNnHZdl0)

Vetron AutoSeam

China-based sewing machine

manufacturer VETRON, a

European division of Typical

International Corporation,

has developed another form

of vision sewing where two

plies of material are placed

at any conventional lockstitch

or chainstitch machine and

it is guided through the

sewing machine (by the vision

system) on an intelligent,

stitch-by-stitch basis while

the two materials are

sewn together.

Vetron AutoSeam – an

automated sewing machine –

upgraded from the company's

standard sewing machine.

It is capable of automated

sewing as it can track the

movement of fabric with

intelligent cameras and

control the movement of

the fabric under the needle

on a stitch-by-stitch basis.

AutoSeam identifies, adjusts

and sews together the edges

of the material layers stitch-

by-stitch. The machine is

focused on processing middle

to heavy materials used

mainly in the automotive,

leather or furniture industry.

Watch the working live at

(https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=1GUhlfjqQmQ)

The image processing system

for the VETRON AutoSeam is

designed to be acost-effective

solution capable of finding the

material edge position, guide

the mechanical parts to move

the material under the needle

Vetron AutoSeam can track the movement of fabric with intelligent cameras and also control it under the needle on a stitch-by-stitch basis.

Working of Brother Vision SewingSystem

PC display with

productimage

Visioncamera

andlighting

Appliqué / Patch / Label

The common feature between VetronAutoSeam and ThreadVision System is additionallighting forVision System.Whilethe ThreadVision System uses red colour diffused lighting, the AutoSeam uses green colour flashlight.

and track the position of the

material to ensure the precise

sewing at every step.

Image processing systems

require enhanced

illumination of the work

piece for image capture.High

inspection speeds typically

require sensitive camera and

powerful lenses. In many

cases, the easier option is

to modify or improve the

lighting situation to boost

the image brightness. There

are a variety of options for

attaining greater image

brightness: increasing the

ambient light and sculpting

the light using lenses or

flashes to create a suitable

light source are twoexamples.

The common feature

between Vetron AutoSeam

and ThreadVision System is

additional lighting for Vision

System.While the ThreadVision

System uses red colour diffused

lighting, the AutoSeam uses

green colour flashlight.

But it's not just the lighting

strength that's important.

The path that the light moves

through the lens to the

camera matters too. During

image processing, the

reflections off the smooth

surfaces may actually be

desired to deliver high light

intensities on straight, low-

reflecting surfaces. Forobjects

with many surfaces reflecting

in various direction, diffuse

light is better. The massive

computation required by

AutoSeam high speed vision

system is provided with an

embedded system control box

that processes and controls

the position and movement of

the material and also machine

operations. The specialized

software for AutoSeam

controls everything in the

operation fromcapturing

the images, processing the

images, to controlling the

movement and tracking

the material.

Operational area to

the future…

While the Brother Vision

Sewing System is for

cyclic operation, both

ThreadVision and AutoSeam

address the continuous

sewing operation.AutoSeam

demonstration video

shows that a convex and

another concave edge can

be joined together without

any human interference.

Currently the Brother

Vision Sewing System can

work only with contrasting

colour of patches and sews

complete outline of patches.

An upgrade of image

processing and tweaking of

software program in near

future can possibly work

with similar colour patches

and sewing of selective

edges of the patches.

ThreadVision System from SoftWear Automation

Vetron AutoSeam uses green colour flashlight

START-UP

An important engineof growth in theeconomy,start-upentrepreneursare

usually characterizedwith their out-of-the-box idea, risk-taking attribute,

self-confidenceanddecisionmakingability. Is it really thatbright idea that

comestomindlikeaflashof lightor is it theproblem-solvingideabyfinding

thegaps that comesover aperiod of understandingandexperience in the

industry? Experience gained over the years in the apparel industry acted

as business incubator or accelerator which in turn helped Sanjay Yadav,

Chairman,DripsApparels to takeaplungeto test hisentrepreneurial skills.

Inan exclusive tête-à-tête with TeamStitchWorld, Sanjay reminisces the

journey of his learning experience as an employee that eventually helped

himinsustaininganenterprise...

from the time I worked with Benetton

as part of their core team, where I was

responsible for setting up a factory to

produce world-class garments from

scratch. I simultaneously worked on

two parameters, one was developing

vendors for sourcing fabric around

Delhi-NCR, and secondly to identify and

rent the building to house for a world-

class facility to manufacture garments.”

Benetton at that time, was planning to

start a joint venture in India with DCM

group.

During his association with Benetton,

he recruited people and trained them,

which actually abetted him during the

recruitment of managerial staff at his

own facility.

“My regular visits to Italy during my

tenure with Benetton, to work with

the automated screen printing units

right vision and a right executionAare alone not enough for setting up

a new garment manufacturing facility…

A lot of obstacles right from raising of

capital, sourcing of land, machinery set

up to acquiring of workforce stands in

front for tackling.

The first-generation entrepreneur of

his family, Sanjay always had a dream

of setting up his own garment factory

after completing his education. He owes

the successful running of his business

to the practical learnings he gained on

the shopfloor in different organizations,

healthy relations with his previous

employers, and the exposure to fabrics

and textile industry.

Time-traveller, Sanjay elucidates the

learnings at every organization that

he worked with… “When I decided to

start of my own, I used my experience

actually inspired me to have a screen

printing unit of my own and when

I got the opportunity in 2003-04, I

grabbed it,” informs Sanjay.As a result,

Shahana Fashion (P) Ltd. was born

with support from his family.

The unit contains equipment like

sublimation printing machine, M&R

screen printing machine, M&R curing

machine, and M&R manual screen

printing machine. The printing facility

now offers its services to buyers like

Espirit, Ralph Lauren, FCUK and is also

approved by PVH Corporation.

This strengthened his conviction to

start a garmenting business of his

own and his dream took shape during

his association with Triburg, New

Delhi as a Divisional Merchandising

Head when he worked with clients

like Ann Taylor and LOFT and

START-UP ENTREPRENEURSHIP:

TRANSFORMATION FROM

LEARNING TO EXECUTION

understand their need for

quality fashion, resulting

in Shahana Creations,

which came into existence

in the year 2006, catering

to brands like Tom Taylor

in collaboration with

Asmara, but the unit

closed as quickly due to

near-recessionary trends

in both the US and the

EU, money constraint and

in-experience of managing

difficult times.

However, the zeal to be a

successful entrepreneur

did not wane and Drips

Apparels was launched

with a shift of focus to serve

domestic brands like Arvind

Lifestyle, Numero Uno,

Wills Lifestyle, Ashish Soni,

JJ Walaya, VDot (Li& Fung)

in menswear, ladieswear

and children wear. The

core strategy was born

out of boom and vibrancy

of domestic brands at

that time.

Drips Apparels took

the advantage of the

opportunity and started

manufacturing for online

brands like Freecultr and

Jabong.“We are now again

moving to export in all

segments because of the

changing market dynamics

since last one year. We also

undertake order quantity as

low as 500 pieces in order

to be flexible,” avers Sanjay.

What the company did

differently was to get itself

organized putting systems

in place like discussions

with all department heads

every morning where the

issues of concern were

discussed and brought into

notice before they took

the shape of bottleneck(s).

Sanjay also started giving lot

of freedom to his employees

and made deliberate efforts

to not interfere in their day-

to-day work.

Missing

Entrepreneurs…

“Squeezing margins, higher

wages, no support from

Government are some of the

reasons of grave concern

in running a successful

operation,” underlines Sanjay,

adding,“It’s the experience

and knowledge acquired

by education and working

with good companies that

will surely get him through.”

He also advised aspiring

entrepreneurs to gain

maximum knowledge and

experience of the apparel

industry on the shopfloor

for at least 4-5 years before

venturing into a business.

“My regular visits to Italy during my tenure with Benetton, to work with the automated screen printingunits actually inspired me to have a screen printing unit of my own and when I got the opportunityin 2003-04,I grabbed it.”– Sanjay Yadav, Chairman, Drips Apparels

Japanese flat knitting machine manufacturer Shima Seiki – leading the industry with its pioneering WHOLEGARMENT®

technology capable of producing an entire garment in one piece without the need for cutting or sewing – is raising the

benchmark with constant evolution for the customers with the vision to innovate, reach new heights in conventional flat

knitting with the help of its latest offering in shaped knitting technology. Proven technology, along with Made-in-Japan quality,

reliability, productivity, user-friendliness and increased patterning capability all combined make Shima Seiki a renowned name

in satisfying the high expectations of the world’s fashion industry. Team StitchWorld reviews Shima Seiki’s latest and most

popular computerized flat knitting machine model – SVR123SP.

SHIMA SEIKI SETTING INDUSTRY

BENCHMARK WITH SVR123SP

he flat knitting machineTmanufacturer is known for

regularly bringing out improved

and innovative version of

technology and SVR series is

one of its latest offerings with

innovative features. Themachine

comes with a single loop presser

bed placed above the rear

needle bed, a feature which

allows the machine to produce

unprecedented designs in knit

fabrics, especially inlay patterns,

which combine knit and weave

characteristics to produce hybrid

textiles.

Inlay fabric is produced by

inserting yarn into existing knit

fabric in a weave fashion, yielding

unique fabrics that are neither

typically knit nor woven. Inlay

also suppresses typical stretch

characteristics of knitwear, and

since new yarns and materials

can be used for inlay structures,

new applications in addition to

fashion apparel such as sports

and medical as well as other

industrial applications can

be anticipated. With fine 14

gauges, the machine canachieve

knitting width of 122 cm with a

knitting speed of 1.4 metres per

second. However, knitting speed

can vary according to yarn and

other knitting conditions.

Capable of a wide range

of knitting from fashion to

technical textiles, the machine

offers WideGauge capability

whereby a variety of gauges –

from finer-gauges using all-

needle knitting, to lower-gauges

using half-gauge knitting – can

be knit on a single machine. It

benefits the user in handling

changing seasons and shifting

trends without investing in

a machine for every gauge

or resorting to the complex,

time-consuming task of gauge

conversion.

Another feature which aims to

improve quality of the output

is spring-loaded movable full

sinker system. While in the

conventional forced-operation

type sinkers, fabric is subjected

to unnecessary stress and cause

compressed loops and even

yarn breakage. However, spring-

loaded movable full sinker

system in the machine provides

a gentle hold-down movement

and yields ideal loop formation

which in turn allows a significant

improvement in fabric quality

for complicated patterns.

The machine also features

a R2CARRIAGE (R2 = Rapid

Response) system that

features an advanced carriage

mechanism combined

with improved software

programming that achieves

quicker carriage returns after

each course. Field-tested and

market-proven in the industry

for 30 years, the company’s

patented Digital Stitch Control

System (DSCS) continuously

adjusts yarn feed and tension

to yield loop consistency with

tolerance to within a remarkable

Shima Seiki’s patented Digital Stitch Control System (DSCS) continuously adjusts yarn feed and tension to yield loop consistencywith tolerance to within a remarkable (±) 1 per cent.Apart from loop consistency,it also allows consistency among different batches and repeat orders. This results in quality control and thus, higher productivity.

(±) 1 per cent. Apart from

loop consistency, it also

allows consistency among

different batches and repeat

orders. This results in quality

control and thus, higher

productivity.

Furthermore, a network

connector is repositioned

on the side of the controller

for easier access when

performing production data

management with Shima

Network Solutions. The

USB interface is also placed

directly below the control

monitor for improved access

in data exchange.The control

display is available in various

languages such as English,

French, Italian, Spanish,

Portuguese, Turkish, Arabic,

Russian, Chinese, Korean,

Vietnamese and Japanese.

A backup power supply

for situations when power

abruptly fails, allows work

to resume, thusoffering

a confirmation that an

entire garment will not be

lost due to blackouts. In

addition, the stop motion

sensor incorporated in the

machine stops the running

of machine in situations

such as yarn break, large

knot, fabric pileup, shock

detection, piece count,

over-torque, program error,

etc.

This highly productive and

flexible machine when

used with SDS-ONE APEX3

– a special 3D design

solution for the Shima Seiki

machines is capable to turn

the SVR123SP into a power

house of a design solution.

Spring-loaded movable full sinker system in SVR123SP provides a gentle hold-down movement and yields ideal loop formation, thus improving fabric quality.

GREEN BUILDING TRAINING

COURSES – ‘LEED’ING THE WAY

Going green is the necessity of today, especially for the industries and the offices that grossly misuse natural resources. And

‘Green Building’is the new way to show your responsibility towards environment in all aspects, including planning, construction,

operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction of the factory building or office building. The concept not only saves

money but is also a sure way to earn respect from your clients. Team StitchWorld explores various training courses available in

the market to make you more proficient and better employable in this field...

indoor environmental quality and

innovation, and design and regional

priority.

The participant, at the end of the

course gets exposed to green building

design strategies, and gains knowledge

on IGBC Green Building Rating

Systems.

BUILD IT GREEN

(https://builditgreen.org/index.php/event-det

ail/?eventId=a1J44000009luDSEAY)

Course Name: Certified Green Building Professional Certification Training

Fees: US $599

Duration: 2 days (13th-14th March) in

California, USA

Build It Green (BIG) is a non-profit

organization that offers training,

support, and programmes to help

professionals build and grow their

businesses in the process.

The two-day (9 hours a day) course

introduces the key principles of green

building and the systems approach to

the design, construction andoperation

of buildings under the sections –

energy, resource conservation,

IGBC (INDIAN GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL)

(http://www.greenbusinesscentre.

com/site/ciigbc/viewevent. jsp?eventid=515102&event=dd)

Course Name: IGBC’s Advanced Training

Programme on Green Buildings

Fees: Rs.8,000

Duration: Two days (everymonth)

9th-10th February, 2017 in

Visakhapatnam,India

IGBC, part of the Confederation of

Indian Industry (CII), offers a wide

array of services which include

developing new green building

rating programmes, certification

services and green building training

programmes. The council also

organizes Green Building Congress,

its annual flagship event on green

buildings.

The training programme imparts

knowledge on green building

concepts and discusses the best

practices applied. Starting with

introduction to green buildings, the

course covers sustainable sites, water

efficiency, energy and atmosphere,

building materials and resources,

indoor air quality, and developing

and marketing a green business.

The course covers essentials of

conservation, efficiency, and renewable

energy as well as design choices

that can improve indoor air quality

including low VOC (Volatile Organic

Compound) products, finish materials,

ventilation, filtration, mould prevention

and best construction practices.

The participant will explore best

practices in jobsite waste/recycling,

landscaping, water conservation,

efficient framing, durability, and

material choices. Additionally, it will

also enable the participant to learn

how consumer preferences, marketing

tools, and effective language can play

a role in developing and marketing a

green business.

KSGBT (KARISHMASMART GREEN BUILDINGS TECHNOLOGIESPVT. LTD.)

(http://www.ksgbc.com/leed-training)

Course Name: Advanced Green

Building Technology

Duration:3 days in Kolkata, India

KSGBT training programme provides

support training courses, training

packs and continued education

(CE) events covering wide range of

construction- and built environment-

related topics.

The above-mentioned course offers

essential knowledge of the LEED rating

systems and sustainable building

concepts. Although the course is

structured to be exam-focused,

more information, discussions and

interactions are delivered to help in

better understanding of the subject

matter.

Upon completion of this course,

the candidate enrolled will be able

to identify the key components

of the LEED rating system and the

overall LEED certification process,

identify and explain synergies

between LEED credit categories and

strategies, and recognize regulations,

referenced standards related to each

credit category.

B.F. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS INC.

(http://www.bfenvironmental.com/

GreenBuild.php)

Course Name: Green Building Commercial

Certification Programme

Fees: US $ 199.75 (Part-I)

US $ 159.80 (Part-II)

Duration: 5 hours (Part –I)

4 hours (Part – II)

B.F. Environmental Consultants has

collaborated with online training

centres to make available quality

distance learning courses in alternative

and renewable energy, alternative

energy training, energy efficiency,

green building design, LEED AP, green

associate, and sustainability analysis.

The programme is divided into

two parts. The first part offers

methodologies to plan, design,

and build high performance green

commercial buildings.The course

provides guidelines and processes to

apply specifically to commercial and

municipal construction. It covers the

basics of sustainability and progress

through designing new construction or

renovating existing structures.

The second part of the programme

provides instruction in the new

methodologies that form the

underpinnings of high performance

commercial buildings, the formulation

of responsible budgets at the planning

stage. Furthermore, the course helps in

identifying any high-performance cost

premiums (together with cost savings).

After completing this course, the

participant will be able to implement

practices that improve the capital

budgeting, design and construction

practices.They will also be able to save

money through reduced energy and

material expenditures, waste disposal

costs and utility bills in future.

GRIHA (GREEN RATING FOR INTEGRATED HABITAT ASSESSMENT)

(http://www.grihaindia.org/events/

grihav2015_agenda-new.pdf)

Course Name: GRIHA 3-DayTraining

Programme

Fees: Rs.9,000

Duration:8th-10th February, 2017(Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala,India)

6th-8th March,2017 (New Delhi, India)

GRIHA is a Sanskrit word meaning –

‘Abode’. The programme quantifies

aspects such as energy consumption,

waste generation, renewable energy

adoption, etc. so as to manage, control

and reduce the same to the best

possible extent. GRIHA is a rating tool

that evaluates the environmental

performance of a building, thereby

providing a definitive standard for what

constitutes a ‘green building’.

Three-day training workshops are

being organized by GRIHA Council in

association with TERI at New Delhi, India

and Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.The workshops aim at enhancing

the knowledge on green buildings

and GRIHA rating parameters for

building professionals like architects,

engineers, developers, policy makers

and others. The workshopscovers

various sessions on site planning and

construction management, building

design optimization, optimizing

artificial lighting design, energy

efficiency, socio-economic strategies,

sustainable building materials, energy

management, performance metering

and monitoring and water and

waste management.

GREEN BUILDING TRAINING

(http://www.green-building-training.com/

education/online-training/)

Course Name: Green Advantage

Fees: US $179

Green Building educational offerings

focus on practical training and

theoretical knowledge that provide

ideas and strategies to improve the

business or advance personal career.

The institute offers both in-person

training and online training.

The online Green Advantage

Workshop comprise of the Green

Building Design and Construction

process and presents LEED specific

construction-related concepts.

It qualifies for 7.5 LEED specific

credentialing hours for both BD&C

and ID&C disciplines, 8 CES credits for

AIA, and 8 PDH units for registered

professional engineers.

The programme is divided intopre-recorded modules, each between

20 and 50 minutes long, that can be

selected and accessedindividually

in the order of presentation or as

needed for review purposes. Also,

review questions are included at

the end of each sectionto confirm

the participant’s understanding of

that module.

Italy: SLAM opts for Gerber’s YuniquePLM In The Cloud

vision systems for the apparel,

graphics, packaging and other

industrial markets.

Intuitive and easy to use, it

integrates seamlessly with

Gerber’s AccuMark® CAD

software and the Adobe

suite. YuniquePLM’s cloud-

based subscription is flexible,

scalable and eliminatescostly

autical fashionbrandNSLAM has opted for

Gerber’s YuniquePLM In The

Cloud in order to support

innovations and improvetheir

time to market, accuracy and

quality through their global

supply chain, announced

GerberTechnology,the

world leader in integrated

software,automation and

information technology

infrastructure with very

affordable subscription rate,

minimal implementation effort

and a wealth of self-learning

tools on GerberUniversity.

“After analyzing several PLM

vendors, we chose Gerber

Technology’s YuniquePLM

In The Cloud for its

comprehensive out-of-the-box

capabilities and the support

that the company provides

in terms of IT expertise,

performance,accessibility and

security,” said Michaela Lupi,

Style andProduction at SLAM.

Nowadays, companies are

under significant competitive

pressures to design, develop

and produce their products

faster and more efficiently

while ensuring they get the

right products to market

at the right time and at the

right price.

“YuniquePLM In The Cloud’s

easy configuration and rapid

deployment will allow SLAM to

achieve a faster return on their

investment. We are passionate

about making it easy for our

customers to design and

develop great products. The

configurability will allow

SLAM to easily configure

the application to match

their specific needs,”said

Bill Brewster,Vice President and

General Manager – Enterprise

Software Solutions, Gerber

Technology.

Italy-based SLAM is a privately-

ownedmanufacturer

of clothing, specializing

in advanced technology

sportswear,specifically in

sailing wear.

UK: Heriot Watt University installs latest Mimaki textile printer

able to more efficiently deliver

the long runs required by our

students for their final year

collections.”

The Mimaki Tx300P-1800is

a 1.8m wide textile printer

which can be used to

print cotton, silk, wool and

polyester fabrics through

using reactive, pigment,

acid or disperse inks. With

eriot Watt University hasHinvested in Mimaki’s latest

Tx300P-1800 direct-to-textile

wide format printer in order to

provide innovative education

for its Textile Design and

Fashion undergraduatecourses.

These courses offer a unique

and valuableopportunity

for fashion designers to

experience industrystandard

equipment and processes.

Theuniversity is already using

Mimaki’s technology and this

new printer is a vital addition

to its line-up of Mimaki textile

machines.

Dr. Roger Spark, Senior

Technician at Heriot Watt

University said,“Ourexisting

Mimaki printers have served

us well for over 10 years but

with the added capacity of

the new Tx300P-1800,we’re

production speed of up to 55

sq.m./hour, it is ideal for short-

to medium-run production

and its superior print quality

lends it perfectly to producing

high-end fashion, furnishings

and other textiles. It is an

eight-colour inkjet printer

which features a new print-

head that ejects ink droplets

at high speed toensure

accurate ink placement with

a high head gap. The printer

has a maximum resolution

of 1,080 dpi with drop sizes

ranging from 6pl to 24pl

and features stable textile

transport that maintains

optimum tension.

Mimaki’s National Sales

Manager of Textile & Apparel,

Stephen Woodall said,

“Tx300P-1800 is one of the

very first of the new printers

to be installed in a university

and it’s great to see students

benefiting from the absolute

latest textile printing

technology. Heriot Watt’s

undergraduate textile courses

offer a unique and valuable

opportunity for prospective

fashion designers to

experience industry standard

equipment and processes.”Mimaki Tx300P-1800 is a 1.8m wide textile printer used to print cotton, silk, wool and polyester fabrics

YuniquePLM’s cloud-based solution will enable SLAM to improve its time to market

TECH TRACK

France: Lectra’s latest Fashion PLM solution reaps highest score in WhichPLM evaluation

collaboration & integration;

mobile applications; anduser

interface and dashboards are

the key functional areas that

are ‘significantly improved’ in

the latest being Fashion PLM.

“With the creation of

tools that support the real

business of fashion, and the

extension of the solution’s

footprint, we are extending

our recommendation of

Lectra to be shortlisted

by any fashion and

apparel brand, retailer or

manufacturer – of any size

and geographical spread,”

underlined Mark Harrop, CEO

and Founder,WhichPLM.

The WhichPLM benchmark

evaluation measures the key

product lifecycle functions

that a prospective PLM

customer should seek

against the industry average.

It also probes the vendors’

capabilities, industry

knowledge, customer

insights, services and

support facilities.

ectra, theworldL leader in integrated

technology solutions, has

received highest score

in WhichPLM’s recent

benchmark evaluation for

the newest version of Lectra

Fashion PLM which extends

the scope from design and

product development to

production for retailers,

manufacturers, and brands.

The company’s PLM

platform scored at, or above,

the industry average in all

of the 43 functional areas

WhichPLM measured. Its

newest module – Material

Forecast Module provides

real visibility into accurate

material consumption at

the vital early stages of

product development.

Creative design (CAM),

colour integration; material

development; sample

management; supplier

management; auditing &

compliance; sustainability;

quality auditing;

Lectra’s latest Fashion PLM scored at, or above, the industry average in all 43 functional areas of WhichPLM

USA: Gerber announces availability of latest version of AccuMark family

erberTechnologyGhas announced

the availability of itslatest version of the

AccuMark® family for

purchase. Enhancements

in the latest release of

AccuMark include a

three of the products in

the family – AccuMark,

AccuMark 3D and

AccuPlan. The continued

developments within the

AccuMark family and the

integrated capabilities of

YuniquePLM In The Cloud

will minimize errors by

eliminating human error in

data re-entry.

“Our customers can

decrease samples by

utilizing AccuMark 3D to

visualize designs prior

to sample production

and before they hit the

store. The ability to see

how a garment will look

and perform earlier to

production could even

help the consumer see

their garment before

purchase,thereby

decreasing returns tokeep

maximum profit to the

bottom line,” said Mary

McFadden, Executive

Director, CAD Product

Management at Gerber

Technology.

Based in Connecticut,

USA, Gerber Technology

delivers industry-leading

software and automation

solutions that help apparel

and industrial customers

improve their

manufacturing and

design processes.

USA: Skinners Technologies develops breakthrough innovation in socks industry

USA: Fujitsu develops smallest washable UHF RFID tag

kinners Technologies, aSUS-based footwear brand,

has launched a new segment

of footwear named Skinners

that looks like socks but

claims to be worn as shoes.

Skinners is a barefoot-friendly

concept, which is designed to

offer a portable,comfortable,

ujitsu Frontech NorthFAmerica Inc., a leader

in innovative technology

and front-end solutions, has

developed their smallest UHF

RFID tag for high fashion

apparel, garments, and

accessories.

The WT-A433L washable

UHF RFID tag has improved

washing durability than

its predecessor. The new

Fujitsu Fashion tag mini

is made from transparent

materials and virtually

undetectable when installed

in the sheerest of garments

and provides positive

identification of an item even

if the sales tags have been

removed. Measuring only

natural and artificial fibres,

including yarns with silver to

stop bacteria, and rayon to

help keep feetcool.”

Heavy-duty Skinners is coated

in a dual polymer waterproof

plastic and featuresan

odour-resistant Lycra infused

upper that is designed to

make it both comfortable and

functional. Made with silver

yarn, Skinners are also said to

offer antibacterial properties.

The bottom material ishighly

abrasive resistant.Knitting

is seamless and there’s no

glue or any other adhesive

that could fall apart in time.

The company claims that

no harmful toxic plasticizer

is used in producing the

Skinners. The footwear has

undergone many testssuch

as broken glass test andlego

test before getting into the

global market.

Fujitsu Fashion tag mini in

high-value garments and

accessories can provide

positive confirmation of

an item’s authenticity and

also help reduce incidents

of fraud. Fashion garment

designers and manufacturers

will benefit from its small,

almost imperceptible

design,” said Randy Fox,

Vice President – Sales and

Marketing, Fujitsu Frontech

North America Inc.

The company showcased

the WT-A433L as well as its

entire family of washable

RFID tags at the National

Retail Federation Convention

and Expo, held recently in

New York City, USA.

protective solution for a

range of activities.

Petr Prochazka, Founder of

Skinners Technologies said,

“It’s not a shoe, it’s not asock.

We like to call it Skinners. The

product, which slips on and

looks like a chunky sock, is

constructed from a mixof

37 mm x 10 mm x 0.3 mm,

the tag can easily be sewn

into hems, seams, or under

manufacturers’ labels and is

home-wash, dry-clean, and

ironing safe.

“Fraud and counterfeiting

in high fashion apparel are

on the rise. Attachingthe

Skinners has been constructed from a mix of natural and artificial fibres

The tag can easily be sewninto hems, seams, or undermanufacturers’ labels

With Fast React’s Visionng e-PLM, Men’s Wearhouse seeks to improve the level of services offered to its wide customer base

USA: Clemson University to develop robots for advanced manufacturing

lemson University (CU) has collaboratedCwith Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)

for a project worth US $ 253 million, to

develop next-generation robots for advanced

manufacturing across textile industries.

Funded by United States Department of

Defence (DOD) to develop, demonstrate

and facilitate early adoption of novel

robotic solutions, the Advanced Robotics

Manufacturing (ARM) Institute, affiliated

under CMU, has received US $ 80 million from

the DOD and the remaining US $ 173 million

from partner organizations.

“The institute will tap into CMU’s research

strengths in collaborative robotics, sensor

technologies, materials science and human-

computer interaction, areas that are rapidly

transforming many sectors of our economy.

With this unique partnership between

academia, Government and industry, CMU is

poised to bridge the gap between research,

innovation and practice in the emerging field

of advanced manufacturing,” said Farnam

Jahanian, Provost,CMU.

The main objective of the robotics institute

is to increase worker productivity by 30 per

cent and fill future manufacturing jobs. It

also aims to make robots more accessible

to small- to medium-sized business.

Furthermore, CU will also help train the

workers to operate the robots, as part of aUS

$ 253 million plan to fill roughly 510,000 jobs

in manufacturing by 2025. It will introduce

about 20 certification programmes for 10,000

operators over the next five years which

will involve virtual and augmented reality,

3D printing, artificial intelligence and other

emerging technologies.

“Contrary to a popular misperception, robotic

automation in manufacturing is creating

jobs rather than increasing unemployment.

Companies in South Carolina and nationwide

tell us the jobs are available but that we

need educational programs to prepare

operators with the critical STEM skills they

need to qualify,” said Rebecca Hartley,

Director of Operations – Center for Workforce

Development, CU.

UK: Men’s Wearhouse deploys Fast React’s Visionng e-PLM

en’s Wearhouse, adivisionMof Tailored Brands Inc.

and largest specialty retailer

of men’s apparel and rental

products in the US,has selected

Fast React’s browser-based

Visionng e-PLM, whichwill

be implemented in a phased

project to cover PLM, supply

chain and MRP.

The solution will provide the

company with fast, global

access to up to date, accurate

information, and early warning

of any potential issues

allowing proactive action

to drive improved business

performance. It will also

support more streamlined

processes, compress lead time

and improve efficiency, and

further improve the level of

service offered to our wide

customer base.

Gill Oliver, Sourcing Director,

Men’s Wearhouse said,“Having

worked successfully with Fast

React for a number of years,

we believe that they are the

right partner to take us through

this next development phase.

Their business consultants have

demonstrated an excellent

understanding of both their

software and how it relates to

our requirement.”

It may be noted that the

apparel retailer recognized

the need to update existing

systems with an integrated,

core system for managing

key processes from design

and product development to

sourcing in order to respond

competitively to market

demands for increased speed

to market and efficiency. It,

therefore, assessed a number

of software solutions and

providers, including FastReact.

Gary Thompson, Chief

Operating Officer,

Fast React said,“The

functional footprint of our

Visionng solution extends

beyond that of conventional

PLMs, drawing on our

unparalleled supply chain

reach, and placing extended

critical path management and

supplier collaboration at its

very core. We look forward to

the successful completion of

the project and to working

closely with Men’s Wearhouse

over the coming years.”

Bangladesh: Wintex Resources completes 100 installations of FK Group “Super Jeans” cutter

USA: Centric releases 6.0 version of its PLM software

intex ResourcesWhas uplifted the

installations of ‘Super Jeans’

cutter by FK Group from 30

last year to current of 100

installations. Out of these

100 installations, more than

50 are complete cutting

room solutions.The company

expects 20-30 installations

of the same in current year.

The “Super Jeans” cutter

entric Software, theC leading PLM solution for

fashion, retail, outdoor, and

consumer goods companies,

has released the 6.0

version of its market-driven

solution – Product Lifecycle

Management (PLM) software.

Centric PLM 6.0 provides

an enormous scaling with

performance incorporating

medically safe for operators,

due to its medicated health

care filter. The soleagent

for the Bangladesh market,

Wintex, has upgraded in the

heads of the machine, making

zero buffer cutting much

stronger. In the head, a special

structure has been added

with alloy aluminium to make

it lighter and stronger which

ensures that blade is running

consumes just 5.9 KW of

electricity using Eco-Power

technology, which is almost

five to eight times lesser than

what is consumed by other

cutters. With a cutting speed

of 110 metres per minute,

made possible through a

blade vibration of 6,000 RPM,

the cutter can be maintained

via remote assistance and has

been approved by WHO as

with perfect precision/

deflection.

It may be mentioned here

that the cutter has made

its existence in thecutting

rooms of almost 70 per cent

of top jean manufacturing

companies in Bangladesh

like Ha-meem Group,Ananta

Group, Tarasima Apparels,

Islam Group and so on.

departments. A massediting

feature will help users to

minimize clicks and improve

productivity.

Additionally, PLM 6.0

allows users to create own

customized apps with the

help of which they can

digitally transform processes

without any limitation.

radical innovations and is

capable of managing 10,000+

users and TBs of active data

across multiple areas with

no derogation in speed. A

‘slicer’ feature in the latest

version examines information

about how to answer

financial queries, supplier

performance and significant

questions like “Whatif”.

Centric’s merchandise

planning module has been

changed in PLM 6.0 to make

it a completely new interface

which would help users to

minimize their efforts to

ensure on-budget products,

sync their entire sourcing

team anywhere anytime

and track material usage

across product lines and

Thailand: Kornit Digital to exhibit at FESPA Asia 2017

ornit Digital, aKmanufacturer of high-

speed industrial inkjet

printers, pigmented inks,

and chemical products for

the garment and apparel

decorating industry, will

exhibit Kornit Allegro and

Kornit Storm Hexa at the

FESPA Asia 2017, slated tobe

held on 15th-17th February at

the BITEC exhibition Centre,

Bangkok,Thailand.

Kornit Allegro is single-

step solution to printing

on textiles with its

NeoPigment™ process that

eliminates the need for

one NeoPigment™ ink set.

The printer has 64 heads

with seven colors available

forprinting.

Also on display, Storm Hexa

is a 6-colour direct-to-

garment printing solution

with 16 height adjustable

industrial print heads. The

Ink recirculation mechanism

decreases nozzle clogging,

eliminates purging, reduces

direct/indirect costs and

ink waste. With a print area

of 50 x 70 cm, it is usedfor

printing over zippers, buttons

and raised objects.

external process steps such

as pretreatment, steaming

and washing. It candigitally

print on multiple fabric types

with max roll width 180 cm

with just one printer and

Storm Hexa is a 6-colour direct-to-garment printing solution with 16 height adjustable industrial print heads

The export value of China’s sewing machinery products recently touched the mark of US $ 2.25 billion. India topped the chart of being

the biggest importer of Chinese sewing machinery with US $ 260 million, which accounted for 11.60 per cent of the total exports value of

China. Clearly evident of India being the biggest importer of Chinese sewing machines, depicts the trust and services the Chinese brands

offer. Also in the run is Vietnam, with value worth US $ 203 million (9.07 per cent of total China’s exports value).Whereas, Bangladesh stood

much lower in this list with US $ 64 million i.e. 2.87 per cent of China’s total exports value. In this series, Team StitchWorld presents the

Top 10 Chinese sewing machine brands that have long been present in manufacturing hubs like Vietnam, Bangladesh, India and more.

TYPICAL

TYPICAL International Corporation

offers single-needle high-speed

lockstitch double-needle high-speed

lockstitch, flat-lock high-speed sewing

machines, and more. TYPICAL also has

four R&D centres in Germany and its

brand VETRON contains sewing and

fusing machines and is mainly used for

automobile seats, leather products and

thick materials.In India, it is distributed

by EH Turel & Company. Its machines

are marketed in Bangladesh by South

East Exim Ltd.

JACK

Established in 2003, Jack Sewing

Machine Co. Ltd. is leading in global

sales with the absolute advantage of

lockstitch,overlock and interlock sewing

machines. Jack also manufactures and

markets Topcut Bullmer, the leading

manufacturer of automatic cutters and

spreaders, which it took over in the year

2009.Its distributor in India is IIGM Pvt.

Ltd. and in Bangladesh, it is marketed

by Jack Bangladesh Ltd.and Smart Tech

Pvt.Ltd.

MAQI

MAQI’s main products are lockstitch,

overlock, interlock, chainstitch, etc. The

Indian agents of MAQI sewing machines

are Sunny Sales, Balaji Sewing Machine

Pvt. Ltd., Sleek Corporation, and Selvam

Engineering. The company has a liaison

office in Bangladesh and its products in

the country are marketed by R.K.Sewing

Machine & Servicing Centre.

TOP-LIST

HIKARI

Hikari (Shanghai) Precise Machinery

Science & Technology Co. Ltd. is one

of the world’s largest manufacturing

and researching centres of industrial

sewing machines. Nguyen Huy Hoang

Trading & Service Co. Ltd.; Viet Trung

Hieu Trade & Service Co. Ltd.; Cong Ty

Tnhh Dich Vu Vathuong Mai Viet Yen;

and Tan Hung Duc Sew Equipment

Company are their authorized

distributors in Vietnam. While in

Bangladesh their agents are Sewmak

and Orient International.

GEMSY

Zhejiang Gemsy Mechanical and

Electrical Co. Ltd. produces more

than 300 kinds of sewing machines

covering fields like knitting clothing,

suits, shirts, silk, home textiles,

shoes, bags, etc. SGSB Group Co. Ltd.

established a JV with Gemsy and is

now known as SG & Gemsy. Macro

International is India’s agent for the

company. It has a service centre in

Uttara,Bangladesh.

ZOJE

Zoje’s products are categorized

into 14 major series like lockstitch,

interlock, overlock, twin needle, bar-

tacking, zigzag, buttonhole, button

sewing, blind stitch, cylinder bed,

feed-off-the-arm and more. In India,

its agent is HCA Garment Machinery

Pvt. Ltd. while Bangladesh sales is

handled by Zoje Sewing Machine Co.

Bangladesh Ltd.

HIGHLEAD

Shanghai Biaozhun Hailing Sewing

Machinery Co. Ltd. is specialized in

producing and selling“HIGHLEAD”

brand’s sewing machines. With

ISO 9001:2000 certification, the brand’s

products are marketed in India By HCA

Garment Machinery Pvt.Ltd.

EUROMAC

Euromac offers automatic sewing

machines for various operations in

jeans and trousers, like jeans pocket

setter, bottom hemming, automatic

button punching, jeans side seamer,

automatic serging unit, classic trouser

side seamer, double needle lockstitch

machine, and more. Euromac Asia

Ltd. handles sales of machines

in Bangladesh.

RICHPEACE

Richpeace Group’s sewing equipment

include single head automatic sewing

machine-head lifting, non-stop

automatic sewing machine, large area

automatic sewing machine and more.

The company has its service offices in

Noida and Bangalore (India); Dhaka,

(Bangladesh); and Bing Duong and

Hanoi (Vietnam).

ZUSUN

Zhejiang Zusun Sewing Machine Co.

Ltd. specializes in feed-off-the-arm

machine series, blind stitch machine

series and various other kinds of special

sewing machines. The Max & Zusun

Corporation/Sony Corporation is the

company’s agent inBangladesh.

TOP 10 POPULAR CHINESE BRANDS