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 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.

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 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 February 2017

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 is growing.

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.