StitchWorld Editorial Issue September 2019

August is always a busy month for the industry with technology events around the country vying for attention. Though the focus market for each of the events this time was different, due to their locations, a common thread that was seen running through all of them was the practical approach of showing easily adoptable technology. There was a time when visitors complained that there was nothing new to see and maximum innovation was related to updated versions of old technology. This attitude has changed now and visitors come to the fairs, not looking for breakthrough technologies, but simple solutions to improve operations, and save on cost and wastages. Both at GTE, Ahmedabad and Gartex-Texprocess, Delhi, the exhibitors kept it simple.

There was no effort to impress visitors with new technology, but the endeavour was rather to rope them in with solutions and technology that can add value to their existing units.The fact that not many new projects are coming up, means that for technology suppliers, it is not about large business numbers but small interventions that matter to factories. Interestingly, the visitors are also now largely coming from smaller destinations, where the focus is on becoming more organised and better equipped as a manufacturing unit. For high-end innovations of the future – from AI solutions to robotics – CISMA is just around the corner. Bigger and more progressive companies that want to see these technologies, which are embodiment of the concept of ‘Intelligent Manufacturing’, are eagerly looking forward to visit the event. While a review of the recently concluded GTE and Gartex-Texprocess finds space in this issue of StitchWorld, a preview of what to expect at CISMA is also presented for readers’ cognisance beforehand.Continuing with our efforts to highlight retail technologies, this edition also covers an interesting write-up about Mad Street Den, a Chennai-based AI and computer vision start-up that allows customers to take a photo of any product that they like and instantly find a similar product online with details of where to buy. 

StitchWorld Editorial Issue June 2019

The stagnation seen in apparel imports by both the US and EU this year is severely impacting the manufacturers in south-east Asian countries. Players in Bangladesh, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and to some extent India are now earnestly vying for the space being vacated by China in apparel manufacturing; this seems to be the only way to grow.

Interestingly, while manufacturing in India is now increasingly being safeguarded by the growing local market fuelled by rising consumption by both expected and unexpected markets, other countries have very little to fall back on.

Even as south-east Asian manufacturers try to find new markets and better penetration in older markets, they are hit by the growing preference for onshoring and nearshoring, both of which are faraway dreams for manufacturers in this region… The advantage is definitely going to places like Turkey, East Europe and Mexico.

The reflections of this trend were strongly visible at the recently concluded Texprocess in Germany, a must-visit fair for the sewing industry. The shift in technology is noticeably on digital interventions for operational flexibility and ease of operations.

Secondly, amidst all the focus centering around automation, robotics and 3D rendering, concepts like digital factories, micro-factories, on-demand manufacturing processes, additive technology and whole-garmenting etc.,are bound to shift the business back to the West, whether in the country of retail or near to it.

The interest that lies in these concepts is obvious, and at Texprocess, the micro-factory theme stole the show with at least five factories on display. Each demonstrated how companies can adopt this concept in order to transform their factories or retail stores, and embrace on-demand manufacturing.

The event also became a launching pad for new technologies in sewing with giants such as Vibemac, Vetron and Duerkopp Adler displaying their latest innovations, all for customers’ ease of operations.

Taking a drive towards new directions, this issue of StitchWorld looks at the cloud based solutions that are revolutionising the merchandising process to save ample amount of resources, money and time, resulting in higher efficiency and shorter lead time. The article highlights how global leaders like Tukatech, Gerber Technology, Lectra and Simbus are transforming the fashion industry with this innovative cloud based model.

Another interesting article for our readers this time is on sports bra, a challenging garment that demands support and shape of breasts in dynamic conditions (especially bouncing). The team analyses the Maaree Smart Sports Bra, delving deep into the innovative pattern of engineering and construction that goes behind it.

StitchWorld Editorial Issue May 2019

‘Smart Garment’ is now being talked about a lot in the industry, the market of which is expected to reach US $ 4 billion by 2024 with 45 per cent CAGR, according to ABI Research. This growth of smart garments is outpacing other categories in the domain of wearable technologies. Although the current developments of such clothing are based more on performance-wear and winter sports category around Western Europe, very soon it will encompass the whole gamut of the wearable segment.

As garments are becoming smarter, the differentiating line between a traditional garment and a garment with a gadget is getting blurred. CES 2019, the world’s premier show for not only consumer technologies but also innovators and breakthrough technologies, presented a number of smart garments that caught the visitors’ attention.

Mas Holdings, one of the most respected garment manufacturers of south-east Asia, has shown the path of transformation from the role of a contract manufacturer to becoming a technology company in the garment domain. The writing on the wall is clear; if the garment industry does not start dabbling with technology, the technology companies will start dabbling in garment making. With this strong message coming across, StitchWorld is introducing a new category ‘Smart Garment’ from this issue onwards, wherein we will showcase/feature the interesting developments from around the world, where technology is being used intelligently to make garments smart. In the current issue, we have discussed in detail about the award-winning smart garment, KJUS HYDRO_BOT Ski Jacket, which is claimed to be the first-ever ski jacket with wearable technology.

Digitalisation is another trend emerging faster than ever in the global apparel industry with more and more retail brands as well as apparel manufacturers embracing it. Recently, my team visited Lectra’s VIP Fashion Event held at its headquarters in Bordeaux, France. As per my brief, the attendees were made to realise the significance of digitalisation in the era of ‘hyper-connected consumers’. My team also conducted an exclusive interview of Lectra’s CMO Céline Choussy who emphasised on the significance of AI, ML, IoT, MTM and Robotics and how these concepts have turned into reality through Lectra’s cutting-edge solutions. You will find a detailed coverage of the same in the present edition.

Besides, this issue also highlights the challenges in 3D simulation where the industry’s top stalwarts in 3D share their views as to why the concept is not feasible for all product categories and how the users are miscalculating the areas of strength that 3D body scanning method actually holds.

StitchWorld Editorial Issue April 2019

StitchWorld magazine has just turned sixteen, a sweet journey that started in 2003 with technology and management for the sewn product industry. Its journey in the last five years has been very eventful due to various pressing changes in the industry and the technology ecosystem. The industry has grown beyond our thinking, and keeping pace with the industry we have also expanded our coverage to include woven, knitted as well as stitchless products and technologies alongside our core sewn product industry.

While Industry 4.0 is poised to revolutionise the technology offerings for the industry with smart factory in the horizon, garments are also getting smarter with each year passing-by. We have been covering Industry 4.0 technology very extensively during the last two years with encouraging response from the industry.

 Smart garments are part of the wearable technology system that are showing promise to disrupt the garment manufacturing industry. The way athleisure has disrupted the performance wear category, smart garment will do the same to commodity wear as well as luxury segment.

According to Wearable Technology Group, the three most dominant wearable technologies sold to consumers in 2018 have been smart watches/fitness trackers, earbuds/headsets and smart patches. Nevertheless, the growth of smart garments (from being negligible in 2018) will be faster going ahead than other categories and is likely to integrate with smart patches to form the single biggest category by 2023.

In our teaser article on smart wearables in February 2019 issue, we had reported how garments are merging with gadgets and stealing the limelight in world’s premier showcase CSE 2019. Keeping pace with the future and offering value to our esteemed readers, we have decided to cover smart garments also as a regular feature in our magazine from now onwards. The lead article by Prof. Prabir Jana (NIFT, Delhi) talks about an interesting concept about the use of wearable technology in workplace for augmenting planning accuracy.

Apart from wearable technology, our focus on sustainability is also highlighted in an article based on ‘waterless’ dyeing technology which talks about the eminent names supplying this technology. In a bid to continue with the retail technology write ups, this issue also entails how chatbots and artificial intelligence tools, designed to convincingly stimulate human conversation, are making a difference in the apparel retail industry.

We hope you will enjoy our new foray into wearable technology and smart garments; also please write back to us with your suggestions as well as report any interesting developments happening in the smart garment space.

StitchWorld Editorial Issue March 2019

Already so many garment manufacturing technology fairs happen in India, but the focus is still not realistic India is a mega country with diverse needs and every state is as big as Bangladesh if not bigger, so why question the number of garment manufacturing technology fairs happening in India…

Looking at it from another perspective, each Indian state has so many garment manufacturing hubs that every one of them deserves a separate fair… consider Meerut, Panipat, Jaipur townships in North of India that are still unrepresented at such fairs, and on similar lines, there are many townships in South and East of India which require a technology fair to bring the local industry up to date on latest hardware and software technologies.

The understanding is that these townships comprise smaller players whose needs are also met by very basic technologies, and at most through automation at basic level.

But the factors that are still ignored at these technology fairs are the technologies of the future and the knowledge forum, which start with Industry 4.0, moving on to AI, Data Analytics, VR, additive technology to robotics… a missing platform for understanding how these new systems/ technologies are going to impact the way the industry will work in the future.

Though technologies and discussion forums need not be part of every technology fair since only the big and organised companies would be keen to take cognizance of the newer set of systems and processes at present; for them, having one big technology fair which showcases a route map for the future in any one place within India would be very much reachable.

If today, we do not start updating ourselves on such solutions, in no time, we will find that the industry is left with only small producers that are largely unorganised and unable to cater to the demands of the growing retail in India… Hence, leaving the space empty for import of garments from global manufacturers that are hungry for work and are ready to invest time, energy and resources to meet the needs of an evolving Indian retail market

We are very clear on the future directions and soon you will find StitchWorld fulfilling the role of guiding the industry to address the future… a future which is sustainable and growth-oriented!

StitchWorld Editorial Issue February 2019

ASW is launched to give impetus to our journey as industry’s knowledge partner

Did you notice the change from the usual routine... We have for the first-time ever in the history of the magazine put on the front cover our sourcing show – Apparel Sourcing Week 2019. This highlights our thrust as a group, which understands the apparel industry and its intricate details comprehensively to give qualitative, industry-focused shows to India...

From our years of interaction and involvement with the global apparel and retail industry, we are well aware that it’s not just about manufacturing at a certain price, offering good quality or timely delivery but also about the marketing and product that make the merchandise sell and become the preferred choice for buyers... Apparel Sourcing Week is a boutique show that will provide a platform for such products.

We aim to fill in the requisite gaps and become the much needed bridge to bring Asian manufacturing under one roof for Asian markets along with the traditional markets, besides, allowing companies to interact and discuss business in an atmosphere that is charged and engaging.

No, we have not lost our focus to be the knowledge partner to the industry! In fact the focus is now even stronger and ASW is the first in the series of our planned shows. You can see everything related to ASW at www.apparelsourcingweek.com

With time, you will see many more shows coming up which will be niche and focused and targeted to specific group of people within the industry,based on the inherent understanding and needs of the segment. And technology can never be behind when talking of industry’s directions. In this issue, Team StitchWorld takes a closer look at today’s trend of how apparel businesses are working and being driven by technology trends like Artificial Intelligence, IoT, Beacon technology and a lot more.

Significantly, retailers have been making substantial investment in these technologies to be able to provide a seamless experience to their customers and manage business like never before. The first part of the article –‘Technology trends driving seamless retail’ – will take its readers through 15 retail technologies available in the market that are driving the current retail trend. The second part of the series covering the next set of 15 more such technologies will be included in the upcoming issue of StitchWorld.

The current issue also captures details on the recently concluded technology fairs – DTG and Garmentech – held in Dhaka and the interesting technologies that were there on display. The momentum towards technology in Bangladesh is indeed noteworthy and an inspiration for all manufacturing nations, including India.

StitchWorld Editorial Issue January 2019

New Directions for Industry in 2019
Starting a new year always brings in a sense of nostalgia. Besides reviewing the year gone by, it is a fulfilling experience to seek out directions and potential growth areas.

In technology, the one movement that I see as a potential trend going forward is the willingness to invest in robotics for factory management. Using robotics in sewing may still be far away but garment manufacturers have started looking at home-grown robotic systems in transportation, to save on labour.

Recently, Pearl Global installed robotic systems at its Chennai factory and is very optimistic of the results. I am sure many more factories will follow lead and invest in similar technologies. The days are gone when labour was abundant and cheap… now cost efficiencies are also dependent on how much labour saving can be done.

Another movement that I strongly see in the garment industry is what I had predicted years ago – the convergence of markets into one big marketplace. For a manufacturer, a market is one that is profitable and not necessarily an export market.

There is no debate on the fact that apparel buying in Western world has slowed down. Whereas the share of spending on clothing and footwear in total consumer spending in India is 6.7 per cent higher than what is seen in the US (3 per cent) and the UK (5.7 per cent). Also, the year-on-year expenditure growth in India at 12 per cent is more than double the anticipated global rate of 5 per cent.

In this scenario, is it not more viable to work with the Indian market rather than struggle with issues that are not really in the hands of the manufacturer, to be competitive in the export market, even as the market shrinks!

Every industry observer knows that the garment exports have been hit by many factors over the last two years, starting from demonetisation leading to liquidity crunch, followed by GST implementation and reduction in duty drawback rates. This is in addition to increase in wages of all these leading to the increase in cost of manufacturing.

The impact has been even greater due to the lack of any trade boosters such as the FTA with Europe. These factors, put together, have been a dent in competitiveness, of the global export industry in the past few years.

But last year, the impact of all these negative factors evened out, as GST refunds started coming in; the liquidity issues decreased and exporters learnt the hard way of how to survive on practically no duty drawbacks.

However, the factor that really brought cheer was the depreciation of the rupee, which meant that Indian exporters automatically became cheaper, without any extra effort.

This year has started on a positive note with crude prices, currency and other external influencing factors being stable. But the reality is that export is now very competitive and uncertain, so the best bet today is to address the challenges of local market and grow the business.

StitchWorld Editorial Issue December 2018

Apparel Sourcing Week 2019 – The new initiative from Apparel Resources

Apparel Resources, the publisher of StitchWorld and Apparel Online, has always explored ways to communicate with the industry, be it through in-depth articles in the magazines, workshops and seminars or through industry forums. Now the time has come to take another leap, and it gives me great pride to announce our latest initiative from Apparel Resources – the Apparel Sourcing Week 2019.

The concept is a first-of-its-kind platform to bring together the manufacturing excellence of countries like Bangladesh, Vietnam and Sri Lanka to India for the upward moving Indian retail market.

The growth of fashion in Indian retail is a story of multi-dimensional opportunities, and not only the traditional strongholds of retail, the metropolitan cities are seeing exponential growth in this domain, but also the Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities are showing affinity to branded clothing, resulting in the creation of a whole new market segment of people.

As of today, the Indian fashion retail is worth US $ 49 billion and is projected to reach US $ 75 billion by 2025. The market is being driven by a strength of 1.2 billion people of an average age of 29, having the purchasing power that makes for a robust economy that is projected to became the fourth largest economy in the world very soon and a potential market for manufacturing nations.

On one hand, this expanding market of people who have the purchasing power to indulge in fashion is pushing demand for regular basic garments, due to which one can see and also anticipate growth in categories like trousers, denim jeans, shirts and T-shirts.

What will see equal, if not bigger splurge in demand, are the products in the newer categories that cater specifically to the needs of the upward mobile millennials, like jackets, innerwear/intimatewear, athleisure, activewear/sportswear. Manufacturers will need to get their act together to be competitive and partner with retailers/brands from Indian retail and international players.

If global names like Zara, H&M, Mango, Guess, United Colors of Benetton, GAP, forever21, Levi’s, adidas, Nike, etc., have already made their presence felt, at least 100 more brands/ retailers are set to make their foray in this market in the next couple of years to cash in on the big opportunity. Alongside the global biggies coming up strongly, are the home-grown stalwarts, adding to the new-found market’s vibrancy and escalation.

The Apparel Sourcing Week ’19 will be held in the IT hub of India, Bengaluru, which also happens to be the nerve centre of Indian retail. Over time, Bengaluru has become the testing ground for all major retailers. Apart from its diverse demographic, retail executives say the city has a large white-collar workforce and tech-savvy consumers open to new ideas.The fact that Bengaluru is India’s tech and start-up hub, makes it easier to hire tech talent.

Excitement for the event is building up with retailers upbeat on the opportunity to see a unique and wide mix of manufacturers from Bangladesh, Vietnam and China with their equally diverse product portfolios under a single roof which is sure to make sourcing more exciting and dynamic.

StitchWorld Editorial Issue November 2018

China leads the way to ‘intelligent factories’

If India is thinking to ‘catch up’ with China in the near or distant future as a manufacturing destination… I very much doubt if that is possible!

While we are still caught up in generating employment at the grass-roots, Chinese manufacturers, with the pro-active support of the Government, are focusing on ‘intelligent sewing’ and ‘smart manufacturing’ concepts that are way beyond what Indians are looking at.

We all know that the most advanced machines and equipment from practically any industry are already being made in China and more interestingly, even in those jobs that require ‘hands’, China is thinking far ahead of other countries…

I can speak from my experience in the apparel industry… today not just the garment manufacturers but also the sewing machine manufacturers too are opting for automated manufacturing concepts and even robotic systems.

Though there are 800 sewing machine factories (it was around 2300, 10 years back) in China today, the movement is towards consolidation to bring the numbers lower but with better technology and higher precision, so as to control the entire world’s sewing needs.

The process has already started with identification and support to two major companies from China, capturing the best and most established European sewing machine manufacturers… bringing them into their fold. I am almost sure that in the next five years, the Japanese will also sell out to the enterprising Chinese companies and leave the garment machine manufacturing space, entirely to China.

The next phase of eliminating ‘hands’ has also begun, majorly to address the increase in wages that impacts competitiveness, by funding the ‘smart’ movement in earnest. The movement is not just about digitising the industry, but also about cutting the unnecessary cost and creating systematic changes… in other words, building ‘intelligent factories’ of the future.

The same was evident during my team’s visit to the leading Chinese sewing technology provider Jack which had a number of innovations to show to its visitors inside its ‘first intelligent factory’ of China. The company is a trailblazer in sewing machine manufacturing and visiting the factory was an eyeopener.

Since 2016, Jack has been organising Annual Overseas Distributors’ Meet and StitchWorld has had the privilege to be a part in all the editions. The way Jack hosts its hundreds of guests who come from all across the world is really commendable and appreciable. It only goes on to reflect the thought process of the company, which is well sorted and systematic!

Though industries such as automobile and IT have already started building smart factories in order to digitalise their processes and to keep a watch on every incident in real time, it is only now that the apparel industry is sensing the need for such factories to combat the rising cost challenges and avoid miscellany of information which they face due to the traditional approach. In this issue, we have covered an article based on expert opinion from garment and steel industries to know the practicality of smart factory concept in the apparel manufacturing sector.

StitchWorld Editorial Issue October 2018

Industry’s mantra: An amalgamation of technological upgradation and constructive HR methodology for best results.
The latest trend in the industry is to hold and even attend seminars and workshops on the concept of Industry 4.0 which includes digitisation, augmented reality, artificial intelligence, machine-to machine learning and 3D printing.

Gone are the days when technology for better and efficient production was the focus of attention. It seems that the incremental changes towards automation in sewing are taken as not so critical anymore, at least not critical enough to hold or attend workshops. And this can be substantiated by the fact that many of the smaller sewing machine manufacturers are selling out to bigger companies.

This is certainly not going to help the garment manufacturing industry in the short or even in the long term. However small they may be, upgradation in technology is significant to keep pace with the needs of today and should be discussed and appreciated.

 It is therefore important for the garment manufacturers to take a prudent approach and keep abreast of the latest hardware and upgraded technologies, as also be concurrently aware about the technologies of the future.

This balanced approach to learning will be helpful to grow in the present and be prepared for the future!

The second most popular topic for industry today is now Human Resource Development, which is nothing more than sharing newer methods or jargons to motivate employees/operators, considering the fact that the industry lacks formal, pragmatic contemporary HR systems and interventions.

For attaining lasting success, organisations need to embrace the key role of human resource as a necessary catalyst to enhance the entire production system by making it smoother and swifter than before.

Our current issue entails an exclusive coverage on the emerging ‘on-demand’ apparel manufacturing concept in the USA along with its diverse pros and cons being discussed by the US-based apparel industry experts.

StitchWorld Editorial Issue September 2018

Positive, Domestic Market Growing

Last month was a very busy month for us, with the dates of both Gartex, New Delhi and GTE, Bangalore clashing. It created quite a chaos for some companies that would have liked to be at both the places, but overall, the fairs were successful.

Though the focus of the two fairs was different, the feedback from the industry was very similar. At Gartex, the emphasis was on digital technology, embroidery and denim, while GTE was mostly about sewing technology. And, both fairs saw good visitation along with a significant presence of the domestic market which was noteworthy.

The fairs revealed that the domestic market is thriving with opportunities and not only have the bigger manufacturers upgraded themselves, but even smaller units are looking for growth avenues.
It was enlightening to talk to these small, often considered marginal players, to know about their keenness to explore new technologies, specially in the value addition segment, which was indeed amazing. Many of them actually placed orders for digital printing technologies!

As for the exporters, they also came, but their attitude was more cautious and reserved. Enough has been said on the role or rather on the absence of a role, by the Government, particularly of the textile ministry supporting the industry in its time of need. The good thing that has come out of all this is that the industry has finally come to terms with the fact that they have to pave their own road rather than just waiting for things to happen.

It is obvious that the industry has evened out and only those who are ready to change will remain and prosper. Opportunities are floating, but grabbing them requires a strong mindset and a competitive manufacturing set-up. It was good to see a more practical industry, ready to take on the challenges.

A technical review of both fairs can be found in the following pages of Stitch World. Besides these reviews, some of the other interesting analyses include an ever-raging discussion on the performance of men vs. women at work. For any other industry, the views are very subjective, but on the shop floor, women sewing operators seem to have emerged as clear winners. Read on to find out what the industry thinks…

Check shirts are men’s favourite, be it casual style or formal… every male has a check shirt in his wardrobe. The beautiful, symmetrical checks take the maximum time in cutting department due to mitering requirements in different areas of the garment. While mitering or matching of checks (in different parts of the shirt) enhances the aesthetics of the shirt, some become a nightmare (the ones which are made symmetrical to create brand identity). Dr. Prabir Jana, Professor, NIFT, Delhi questions some of the critical parameters of shirt making in the article ‘Shirt Making: Technical Excellence or Design Nightmare’.

Another important topic touched upon in this issue is on the ease of PMTS solutions. While one requires a formal training to operate the time and motion study software, timeSSD breaks all such barriers with an interesting experiment conducted among NIFT students.

Stitch World Editorial Issue August 2018

Delhi High Court’s Rejection of Wage Hike Brings Relief to the Industry Bringing relief to hundreds of factories in Delhi, the Delhi High Court has dismissed the State Government’s move to increase minimum wages of workers and has also set aside an earlier notification by which a Minimum Wages Advisory Committee for all scheduled employments was set up, on the ground that the constitution of the Committee was flawed.

In my interaction with factory owners, I find that no one is really against the rise in minimum wages, but all are of the opinion that there has to be a balanced approach to the ‘calculation’ that safeguards the competitiveness of the factories… I completely agree with this logic.

In fact, even during our visits to Bangladesh, the same logic is put forward by the industry there… The Government, NGOs, unions and associations, all need to sit together to find the best formulae to calculate minimum wages as per cost of living and practical implications to business… After all if factories close down, whose purpose would it serve?

I was extremely satisfied to read the content of the Court proceedings, as it reflected the maturity of the decision makers and the balanced approach taken - The Court noted that though the revision of wages ‘is sorely needed’, the ‘hurried attempt’ and ‘non-application of mind – contravening principles of natural justice has unfortunately disrupted this course, yet again’ …

The proposed notification for wage increase announced in 2017 envisaged a more than 37 per cent increase in wages across the board from unskilled to semi-skilled and skilled workers in the Delhi-NCR region. Since the announcement, factories were fearing about future business, and particularly exporters who are competing on an international platform… The High Court’s decision is indeed a reason to cheer and could be the required jack to uplift the dwindling spirits of garment exporters in the region. While increasing wages are a challenge at the worker level, finding the right candidate at the managerial level is no less daunting. During placements, both the students and companies are evaluating each other. While students go by a company’s reputation, the companies are increasingly using psychometric test as a tool to measure a person's logical and analytical abilities.

Though psychometric tests support the recruitment process, sometimes it becomes difficult for companies to decide on the weightage to be given to technical ability and psychometric scores, in the selection process. In this issue, views of industry professionals on this growing topic are discussed.

This issue also carries an exclusive interaction with Ashish Kansal, Executive Director, SMPP Pvt. Ltd., that unravels features which make the newly procured Indian Army jackets unique. On the other hand, Dr. Prabir Jana, Professor, NIFT, Delhi explores the operation breakdown of exactly the same shirt in two different factories. The logic is simple…, when the product remains standard, why is the process so different?

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Stitch World Editorial July Issue 2018

Saving cost is one of the biggest agendas for every garment exporter today… Every company is looking at how to reduce its running cost and save enough so that the bottom line is healthier.

While some companies are working within the factory to squeeze out an extra penny, others are exploring new destinations that are cost-effective. All said and done…, a solution has to be found!

When the ‘cost’ bug hit the industry many years ago, we saw factories being shifted from established hubs to interiors outside the city limits. While many Delhi based companies opened factories in Manesar, the fate of most of them is a sad story today…, only a few found success like Sarita Handa; others have either rented out the premises or are operating at below optimal levels.

The biggest reasons that exporters quote when questioned about the failure, is difficulty in getting trained manpower and the travelling woes of the middle management leading to fast turnarounds.

Similarly, other hubs too saw movement to the interiors… Laguna went to Kanakapura on the outskirts of Bangalore, while GO GO International travelled to Holenarsipur, Hassan, again on the outskirts. How fruitful these moves have been, is debatable and open to interpretation.

Armed with past experiences, companies are now therefore more keen to travel to Tier-2 cities, being backed by State Government support. Here, besides the initiatives being offered, which are quite attractive, there are facilities like airports, schools, hospitals, etc, which a company needs to set up a people-oriented industry like garments.

I have been saying for long that moving to outskirts is not a very viable option because the ecosystem for conducive business is not available. Rather the smaller cities like Ranchi, Bhubaneswar, Gandhinagar are much better options.

The number of investments that we are seeing in these cities from companies like Shahi, Matrix, Pearl, Orient Craft, Texport, Arvind, Madura Garments, Page Apparel, Kishore Exports, Shakti Wear, Meenakshi Ltd., JP Sports Apparel to name a few, is impressive. I am sure once these factories set the trend and prove successful, many more investments can be expected.

While in India, we are still struggling to save cost mostly from workers’ wages, the West is looking at high technology to get manufacturing back without the pressure of wages!

Exhibitors at Texprocess Americas this year echoed the future of apparel industry with the theme ‘Digital Apparel Microfactory’: A manufacturing set-up where various different technologies are combined together to fill customers’ orders in quantities as low as one. It can be started in even a small room and has become the strength for manufacturers based in USA. This issue of StitchWorld highlights this trendsetting concept and how the companies are embracing it.

Exploring new product categories apart from apparel has always been StitchWorld’s interest. This time, our team visited HH Interior’s factory and explored the quality and manufacturing aspects of car seat covers. A must read…

Continuing with our Poll section, read interesting views from industry experts on the topic ‘Will mass manufacturing return to the USA?’

Stitch World Editorial Issue June 2018

On-demand manufacturing gets streamlined with automation

Though the concept of ‘On-demand manufacturing’ may be in existence for long in the industry as claimed by many of the fashion technology solution providers, the practice of the same or what is now being referred to as ‘Purchase Activated Manufacturing (PAM)’, is not only being talked about currently in every forum, but is also being principally followed in the industry as well.

Though the concept may still be in its nascent stage where the companies are experimenting and improvising the concept…, looking in for ways on how to make all systems and technologies to be in sync, and ‘talking’ to each other to address the challenges posed by On-demand manufacturing, the implication of this movement is far-reaching.

Till about four years ago, the discussion in the US centred around ‘Made in US’, Inshoring, Reshoring, and about two years back, the discussion shifted to putting micro factories, store factories, speed factories, and smart manufacturing systems in place with the sole idea of bringing manufacturing of fashion back to the US…, the intent still continues.

Hence, another two years onwards, the concept has gained such a momentum that I now find many companies which have started to build reasonable-size factories to cater to the increasing demand of locally made products… with the effective support of the On-demand manufacturing concept.

My recent visit to Texprocess Americas supported my conviction. I was not surprised to see around 8 cutting solution companies showcasing single ply, vision-aided automatic cutters. I could not find specific sewing or transport solutions supporting the concept, except for autonomous mobile robot for bundled cut parts collection and transportation – through design-print-cut to robotic sewing stations across the aisle. It was but obvious that technology for customisation is finding takers.

In this issue, we have successfully covered the stories of three such US companies which are making a mark in terms of technology solutions they have put in place. Their experience only underlines more assertively that the concept of On-demand manufacturing is here to stay.

Certain topics will always be the centre of debate, with different people having different opinions. What the industry thinks and knows and if they will stand for change is critical for the future… Taking an initiative in this direction, the present issue marks the beginning of a new column ‘SW Poll’ where key industry people cast their votes on a topic of relevance. The first question revolves around the debate on automation, which is: ‘Will it be able to compete on the cost offered by mass apparel manufacturing hubs?’

Stitch World Editorial Issue May 2018

Many of you may remember that the first edition of StitchWorld magazine was launched 15 years ago in 2003…; but it seems like yesterday!

The journey was an enriching one which primarily included understanding, analysing and implementing existing technologies and systems to improve quality, productivity and work methodologies. Hardly any time or pages were devoted to the future.

The changes that did come, were incremental or to the best ‘mild riffles’ in the prevailing pool, but certainly not disruptive or even significantly different… A small change here, a minor intervention there or an introduction to automation were the exciting highlights of the magazine.

But 2017 really changed the outlook… Suddenly a whole new plethora of technologies exploded in the marketplace…; technologies that challenged the old way of thinking, changing and disrupting the way we knew production till date, shaping a new course for production in the future!

Technologies, systems and processes that seemed far-fetched a few years ago, suddenly became possible and practical… We were looking at the future, not as an imagination in time, but a reality waiting to happen.

After 15 years of talking about the same old concepts, we were faced with new thoughts and ways of working. Always fast to move with the changing time, StitchWorld too transformed and updated its scope and content…, preparing not for the present, but for the future.

I am sure you would have seen this change being reflected in the pages! Do let me know if the change is acceptable and in the right direction.

Stitch World Editorial Issue April 2018

Even as manufacturing technology moves into the Industry 4.0 zone, one cannot ignore the rapid intervention of technology in retail. The whole process of sourcing, manufacturing and retailing is undergoing a dynamic revolution, and technology is at the centre of this change.

Everyone is talking about e-retailing and how it has challenged the retail landscape, but a number of interactive and responsive technologies are actually enhancing the in-store experience, which is one of the most important attractions for the millennials today.

From this issue onwards, StitchWorld is introducing a new section, specially for retail technologies. It is an acknowledgment to the growing number of technologies that are aimed at the retail segment.

It is only appropriate that after working so hard to support the manufacturing industry in understanding and developing effective systems for the back-end, SW now takes a step forward without moving from its primary focus on the ‘sewn product’ industry.

The series of articles will throw light on new directions in retail and how technology is providing the solutions. The first article in the series is on the concept of ‘Magic Mirror’ which captures much more than the onlookers’ image.

I am sure my readers will find value in the series and I look forward to suggestions on technologies and topics we can talk about in this new section.

The current issue also contains a special tribute to women in the Tech Industry. Though they are fewer in number, the ‘punch’ they carry is no less than that of their male counterparts. Federica Giachetti, President Morgan Tecnica, shares her journey in a man’s world and how today, she is not looked upon as a woman, but as a successful entrepreneur.

Ludhiana is going through a dynamic change… while players are now exploring new products like lingerie, hitherto unheard of in the city and are moving beyond the knit centre title; new technologies are coming in and the openness to adapt to these technologies is on a high.

Bringing in this change with enthusiasm are a set of new generation inheritors and more affordable technology that suppliers are offering from around the world. The synergy between the willingness to change and the expanding offerings is writing a new chapter in the evolution of the Ludhiana industry.

Stitch World Editorial Issue March 2018

Industry 4.0 is very much in the news and also a hot topic of discussion in magazines and seminars, the world over. We are also following the market trends and discussing the many facets of this topic in the pages of StitchWorld. In this issue too, we bring you insights into the latest discussion on agendas covered by experts sharing the multiple benefits that Industry 4.0 offers.

It is another matter if we would be using any of these concepts in apparel manufacturing and in the context of the Third World countries, in the near future. But then, apparel is not the only industry using sewing technologies. It's being used in industries manufacturing products right from water rafts, parachutes, sails, airbags, tents to all other industries which are using technical textiles as a substitute for hard materials. Significantly, products being manufactured by these industries require high precision and speed and for which the price of the product is not so much of a constraint.

Understand that the concept 4.0 is presently at a very early stage of evolution. It will take few years for it to settle down with a definitive direction. SW is also transforming and growing with the evolution of this concept. That's what we as editors of StitchWorld do, keep a close watch on the evolving trends.

Many years ago, we caught the concept of ‘Lean’ in the apparel manufacturing industry at a very early stage and covered it intensively from all dimensions in our pages. Today, we are bringing out a book on 'Lean concept and its implementation in the apparel industry’ with case studies based on the articles published in SW from time to time.

On similar lines, you would be seeing many books and reports in the next couple of months… This is the fruit of our efforts to compile concepts, formulated and discussed over time and at length, in one comprehensive format as an easy reckoner for practitioners and students of the industry.

The current issue of SW brings to you some interesting technologies that drew attention at the recently concluded GTE. In addition, you will also get an insight into Utah Fashions Ltd., a Bangladesh based apparel exporter that has been carving a benchmark in lean with the practices it follows. Following the growing importance of fire safety, Team SW also brings out the vulnerabilities in factories which lead to fire accidents.

Stitch World Editorial Issue February 2018

January month has always been a busier month hustling with activity and business owing to multiple technology trade fairs being held around the same time in both India and Bangladesh. What makes it even more interesting and spirited is the opportunity that it gives us to meet several old and new acquaintances and get the real pulse of the industry… undoubtedly, this time also I was successful in drawing many leads.

However, what perturbs me still is the industry’s ‘not-so-vibrant’ scenario, as they continue to struggle under the ongoing product-price war, and are even more badly hit due to bank’s tight lending, thanks to the NPAs and the GST, and the final nail in the coffin being the abolition of duty drawback.

Nevertheless, I was elated to come across few exporters who managed to put up a good show amidst such testing times… Here my special mention goes to Magnum Resources, a technology supplier, whose stall at GTE Delhi, apart from giving a feel of international styling also depicted the prosperous time it saw last year. From next year onwards, the company intends to take a bigger leap by not only having a larger stall but also a double-storey set-up. I must compliment their consistent courage and determination which has made them emerge as a winner in this sluggish position.

The twist in the tale was ‘automation’ or as I should say more emphatically ‘affordable automation’ which stole the show. Certain automats like cuff runstitch, collar runstitch machines, which have made their presence felt since last three decades, are finally finding a place on the shopfloor. We may have been still far from Industry 4.0 compared to the West, but automation has silently crawled its way to become an integral need for our industry’s successful survival in face of rising cost and labour crisis.

What continues to concern me though is the absence of newcomers in such potential events. I have kept harping on this time and again as I don’t get to see the new generation coming to these fairs, lacking the required inquisitiveness towards developments with regard to the industry. Now I don’t even chance to meet the regular generation next… Is this not sad?

All said and done, apparel may not be doing well but non-apparel products are already on their growth path, and as per my understanding and information, the major expansion is taking place in this segment. StitchWorld definitely endeavours to have more such nonapparel products such as gloves, backpacks, wallets and more on its pages for its readers… Our next issue will update you on the detailed happening in the technological front and their implementation in India and Bangladesh.

If you don’t know yet, my company Apparel Resources has recently released a book Industrial Engineering in Apparel Manufacturing and has also used GTE as a launching pad for our Apparel Resources Jobs portal… Don’t miss further information on these new ventures in our upcoming Apparel Online magazine and our website apparelresources.com.

I must admit that I have stated only a small fragment of the vast pool of thoughts which surround me, and more will be shared with you shortly…

Stitch World Editorial Issue January 2018

Even as we welcome the New Year with its vivacious colours, wishing a bright future for the industry, my sincere advice is that the quicker we forget about the happenings of last year and move on to chart a new growth path, the better and wiser it would be for all of us.

Yet, recalling the eventful year gone by and the manifold jolts it gave to the industry, I am in a way unable to drive myself out of its dominant impacts. First, the demonetisation which seeped the entire liquid fund from the market and then the imposition of GST which blocked whatever money was left and now the hammer on duty drawback...; of course, not to forget the external impediments of price squeeze by the buyers and loworder volume.

In all fairness, it seems that the entire last year was spent on matters which were not productive, but rather disruptive.

Moving ahead, we would be required to take many bold steps to stop the downward trajectory, the first among them would be to give the reigns of the industry into the hands of the younger generation… It’s high time we understand and appreciate that there are companies which do not hire employees who are more than 35 years of age, and even retire them at 52. Employees of such companies are even given the privilege of bringing in new and innovative ways of working, not training them to think in old ways.

In what can be called a massive shift in the thought process, you have to permit these young Turks the scope to make alterations which at the onset might seem difficult to accept…But on honest analysis, the realisation soon dawns that there is merit in it.

Metro cities from where we have been operating for a long time is our comfort zone; we should certainly endeavour to move to smaller cities to take advantage of the low wages and also taxation incentives offered by the State Governments. We have some successful examples in the industry itself; just look around you.

We should also seriously start catering to the domestic market as well..., operationalize our sewing lines in such a way that they can service both the domestic as well as export customers. In not so far future, you will find that the international brands operating in India have started procuring from the Indians as well as from markets closer home.

Reflecting upon examples of several international stores closing down due to their reluctance to source from India, we earnestly need to pull up our socks and stretch our flexibility level to produce what the Indian customers want. If the industry needs to survive, it needs to make large investment on warehousing and manufacturing in India.

These are just some of the short goals of a long journey where we need to create brands and a stamp of quality for our products. A vision quite similar to what has been done by Italy, France or closer home in SriLanka. The driver now is value-based branding even though quantities may not be large.

This first issue of the new year, RELIVE 2017, takes the readers through a retrospect journey of the various subjects which were in focus last year. These can be aptly summed under eight core areas – People, Technology 4.0, Production Management, Human Resource Management, Product Management, Production Technology, Information Technology and Event.

Stitch World Editorial Issue December 2017

'The industry is on a ventilator' – that's the general sentiment in the industry today… Many factors have influenced the way the industry is today, which started with demonetization that reduced the money in hand, then GST which led to money being blocked and thereafter came the final hammer, the withdrawal of duty drawback...

Not to forget the ongoing struggle of continuous squeeze on prices by the buyers, higher inflation and dwindling order quantities.

‘What to do?’ is a common question which is the starting point of any discussion that one has today, irrespective of whether one is attending a marriage or any other function (this being the auspicious time of the year when social gatherings are aplenty!). The discussion invariably drifts towards the topic of ‘survival’.

Only recently I was with a Bangladeshi delegation of 22 sweater exporters in Japan, Osaka and they also have the same issue of sustenance. Since the country is majorly doing basic products in volume, the problem of plummeting prices is impacting them even more.

I was cornered to tell them what's happening in India, and to know how the companies there are addressing the 'survival' issue. Though I shared my understanding about India to them, what I observed is that they all have a plan in place to counter the problem…that is to increase the capacity using automation and to build operational efficiencies.

I would say that this is the best strategy to mitigate slowdown by becoming the indispensable and thus the preferred suppliers. I believe that collectively the industry has enough depth, but unlike China, they need to learn to say NO.

In these difficult times, when saving every cent counts, automation is supporting the industry in its goal to save on cost. This issue carries an exploration of the journey of automation and discusses how it has become ‘important’ and ‘affordable’, from being considered ‘unviable’ and ‘expensive’.

Moving beyond the traditional mindset, the Indian Government has recently taken away the responsibility of the procurement of 48 items for the Indian Army from the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) and given it to the private sector. Seen as a major opportunity for the sewn industry, inside is the complete picture of the expectations of the Indian Army from the local Indian manufacturers.

Celebrating success is important and IMA s.p.a., a pioneer in cutting solutions, recently completed its 40 years’ of establishment with a stupendous event in Bergamo, Italy. This issue carries a snapshot of the event and the launch of ‘TYPHOON 70’ cutter during the occasion.