StitchWord Editorial Issue January 2015

now everyone must be back from their holidays and all charged up for 2015… as always it’s time for a retrospect and an action plan for future growth.
One of the best things about doing a recap issue is that it gives us an opportunity to evaluate subjects covered all through the year for its relevance to the industry… All I can say is that I am satisfied that through our various issues, several important topics have been discussed and analyzed, addressing the present and future needs of the industry.

Even as the world takes to social media for spreading information and sharing thoughts…, the sewing industry is slowly waking up to the potential of social media in its evolution. StitchWorld not only emphasized how YouTube can be used effectively for training, but also highlighted how the same is useful in comparing technologies and making informed decisions when selecting
machines for specific needs.

IT has given wings to new opportunities and it is heartening to see that more and more companies are adapting to IT-enabled systems for achieving greater productivity, efficiencies and more timely deliveries…

A strong IE department is the backbone of a good manufacturing process, and it is important to understand how to get the best out of the team. A series on ‘IE’ which will continue in 2015, addresses various elements of IE and how best to supplement these elements for best results. While the bigger manufacturers are comfortable in their area of operations, smaller ones are struggling with routine…, it is becoming increasingly important to create niches and make the company a preferred supplier. The most effective way to differentiate is to work in niche products that have immense market potential, but few competitors!

Spotlighting a few such categories, SW has talked about some diverse products such as outdoor gear, swimwear, equestrian clothing, umbrellas and outerwear jackets for extreme weather activities. Many of the next growth categories are going to be linked to ‘stitchless’ technology, which has been emphasized time and again through the pages of SW. The concept has been demystified and various technologies analyzed for forward thinking companies to move ahead. SW continued with its efforts to stress on the importance of automation, not only to save manpower, but also critical sewing minutes. Today, product quality and product standardization are not a matter of negotiation, and using automates is the only way to combat rising expectations in both areas.

Even as automation takes huge strides in the industry, Delhi-NCR is fiercely guarding its own unique way of functioning from using ‘jugaad’ to offer complicated styles to specializing in high-end designer garments which rely heavily on operator’s skills. In this approach to business, keeping operators motivated and skilled is very important... SW went ahead to survey workers in the region to understand their expectations and satisfaction levels..., some interesting findings are worth a review.

And last but not the least..., how can professionals in the industry update and upgrade their proficiency... Some career-oriented training programmes in emerging areas like sustainability and factory management, find mention in the series…
We have given an insight into all these areas through seven recap themes… Hope you will enjoy reading them as much as we enjoyed putting them together… If there is any specific area or topic that you feel needs special attention this year, do let us know

StitchWord Editorial Issue December 2014

As another year comes to an end, the manufacturing industry is still at the crossroad of policy revivals… No doubt, there is a talk about labour reforms and push for manufacturing friendly environment, skill development and promoting industry incubators, but the truth is that the garment manufacturing industry remains inconsequential for the Government...

Even our neighbour Bangladesh is growing exponentially and maturing from being a learner to now a trainer, while India remains a silent spectator in the midst of Government indifference to this sector. I have been saying time and again, and many articles have been published in the last one year to emphasize the point that the industry deserves a better deal… now it is for the Government to take heed.

StitchWorld in its efforts to engage and educate the industry about the best practices and forthcoming technology interventions in garment manufacturing, has started a new series on industrial engineering and stitchless fabric joining applications. I remember an interesting point mentioned in the 2001 Mckinsey report that noted “productivity (of Indian apparel manufacturers) is low not because tailors are using the wrong technology but because tailoring firms are too small to benefit from the best technologies and therefore should not exist”. I wonder the same logic holds true for knowledge dissipation as well.

While four articles of the series on IE have already been published, surprisingly not a single comment/feedback has come in from the industry! I wonder is it because “manufacturing firms are too small to benefit from the best practices and therefore do not bother” or is it that not all entrepreneurs are equally dynamic, and a large fraction in the manufacturing sector may well be content to operate at relatively low scales, and knowledge dissipation effort to such entrepreneurs about the best practices is unlikely to shed any useful light!

Whatever the case, StitchWorld is committed to knowledge dissipation and will continue in its efforts to bring latest information of the sewn industry to its readers… In the current issue, jacket manufacturing is the topic of discussion where major players in the export and domestic market share their strategy and manufacturing systems. Though the product is not a very established one in India, the potential is huge and scope for growth will drive existing players to expand, and hopefully encourage some fresh investments also.

New Year will also see us take on the role of pure educationist with series of workshops and seminars... It is intended to fill the void where the academia failed to provide the knowledge, and industry looks forward to people having such calibre. I am sure the industry will take benefit of our initiatives and participate to be industry ready or industry forward...

StitchWord Editorial Issue November 2014

What is truly an international trade fair… it is a place where technology companies wait to launch new products and where visitors from all parts of the world converge with certain expectations of experiencing these innovations first-hand… Only three fairs in the world come close to meeting these expectations, namely Texprocess (Germany and Americas); CISMA (China); and ITMA, a relatively new event with potential.

Today, there is no other garment processing industry fair which can be truly called international. Even the technology manufacturers now do not see themselves as innovators; they are just concentrating on bringing out small improvements which they prefer to show at the regional fairs… No wonder, regional fairs are gaining importance.

It cannot be said that innovation is not happening, but that is not for the Asian market, it’s mostly to support emerging concepts like ‘re-shoring’ which have put new life into the top industrial fairs with really new and futuristic technologies. At the Texprocess, Americas earlier this year, I saw a concerted emphasis on ‘Robotics’ with companies like Softwear Automation Inc., Baxter and Apparel Made 4 You (AM4U)

presenting some revolutionary technologies. An interesting innovation expected to hit markets in 2015 is a total automated plant for sewing basic garments, while another innovator was working on a business model that lowers costs and removes markdowns of inventories through implementation of dyeing, printing, cutting and sewing operations in a small footprint, under one roof. Truly innovative stuff…

In contrast, I was saddened to see that the AAMA-TEX fair in Singapore, which at one time was a power-packed fair where the visitors would converge from all Asian countries, is not anymore of significance…, this time it died with a whimper, and rightly so… read my small but crisp report.

Among the interesting articles in the current issue is the one on umbrellas…, in a domestic market estimated at US $ 420 million, the share of Indian manufacturers is miniscule. China, as in the case of many other products, is reaping the benefits of a lethargic Indian manufacturing scenario. StitchWorld team details the opportunities while also talking to leading brand owners in the Indian market and what ails the industry... a must read!

Another article worth mentioning is the rundown on the manufacturing infrastructure at Lecoanet Hemant India, the country’s only design house to integrate ‘industrial’ and ‘luxury’ to have a business model that can give both volumes and couture with equal ease. Inspired by luxury brands like Ferragamo, LV, Fendi, Hermès and Bottega Veneta, whose products are handmade but in an industrial environment, Hemant has created a roadmap designers should look at very carefully.

StitchWord Editorial Issue October 2014

Invest in India to Incredible India to Make in India…
And now we are foisted with another feel good, feel positive vision by Modi Sarkar, “Make in India”… I distinctly remember my association with “India Investment Center” way back in 1990 when a similar thrust was also accorded in the form of “Invest in India”… How can this push be any different when issues in those times and today are not very different; same archaic labour laws still prevail, infrastructure has not improved much, customs not remotely friendly, obtaining work visa still as stringent, and I would not like to comment on ‘Babuism’…

I think the Government should have taken some more time to address some of the above issues before launching such a great and much needed program…

 Notwithstanding, the ideology behind ‘Make in India’ is good and if it has any chance to succeed, it can only be under a strong Modi Government with a clear mandate and the PM’s bonhomie with our international allies and non allies. A beginning has already been made when on a recent visit to US, the PM announced lifelong visa for PIO’s, extended stay for all US citizens and also VISA on arrival.

 What impressed me in ‘Make in India’ programme is an equal weightage given to Apparel & Textile sector, a position of respectability among all other industry sectors.

 No doubt the Textile & Apparel industry is and has always been ideally placed to be the future growth driver for India, only the Government understood it now. The industry employs the second largest manpower after agriculture and it is also a low capital intensive industry, and uneducated youth can be made employable with just 8 days’ training…, which other industry can promise so much!

 I am of the firm opinion that many of the Indian states if nurtured rightly can more than equal Bangladesh in garment exports. We recently analyzed and compared Uttar Pradesh to Bangladesh for its employable uneducated youth and the total demographic, Government support, wages… and found that it surely has an edge over Bangladesh on paper. Whereas, Bangladesh does US $ 20 billion exports, Uttar Pradesh does only US $ 1 billion…

I suggest every textile & garment person to visit ‘makeinindia.com’ to get inspired.

 Last month was also a busy month for me, I had to chair few sessions and moderate a panel discussion on diverse topics. While I enjoyed the panel discussion, the speaker session was uninspiring… The topic announced to the audience and what the speaker presented had no connection. What purpose do these kinds of seminars serve when invitee speakers are not ready to share the hard facts about what they do and how do they do it, to achieve the set objectives… The audience comes to find solutions and not listen to a lesson from a chapter in an academic book.

I think it is the problem of the knowledge partner who gives the topic but fails to moderate the presentation in the ensuing period before the D-day…

We as a magazine are better equipped to handle such situations. What we do when an author writes an article for us is vet it and ask for changes and additions or at times even push for a change in the whole concept to ensure that what is finally presented is of true value…

StitchWord Editorial Issue September 2014

 If one broods on the trail of events that has marked evolution, one would realize that we are moving in a circle, including the garment industry… am I getting spiritual… certainly not, it is just a statement to prove my point.

From customization to mass production to mass customization and now back to customization again with the retailer coming back full circle to start offering customized clothing. Even if one looks at fashion, it keeps coming back, resurfacing with little or no variations… The best example of course is our relation with nature… we exploited nature for many years and now we are back to our roots, propagating organic and sustainable methods and materials!

Similarly, on the shopfloor too we saw the same cycle…, we started with tailoring or and now are back to exploiting the best of all three systems… and a few factories are back to working completely on Make Through system, ideally suited to handle small quantities, multi-style and intricate silhouettes.

In its more than a decade existence, StitchWorld has done many articles discussing the best and worst of all these systems… We went to the best of factories to study the various different ways of Assembly Line production and Modular manufacturing. But the real eye opener was the visit to Gandhi Nagar, in New Delhi, which presented a whole new experience on how to ‘marry’ the Make Through and Modular systems to take advantage of the best of both systems!

I strongly advocate the Make Through system and what I have seen in the last five years is that the Make Through system is continuing to work for many… of course, many improvements can be made and by combining the Make Through system with Modular manufacturing 15 to 20% productivity improvement is possible.

SW is planning to organize a workshop to help the Make Through manufacturers harness the full potential by combining the essence of Modular manufacturing and use of technology. Interested manufacturers may like to contact us directly.

Ethiopia is a great opportunity if one is looking at long term gains… not that Orissa or Bihar is bad. The country has the potential to offer the best in man, machine and Government support… today the infrastructure may be questionable, but signs are there of its improvement, not to forget that the country enjoys free trade treaties with almost all major buying countries, a huge plus for manufacturers. OPT (Outward Processing Trade) is another opportunity which can be exploited by the manufacturers from India…

StitchWord Editorial Issue August 2014

When nothing is in news, it can only mean that the order books of the exporter is full and the company management has enough in hand... without really being bothered by its immediate surrounding disruptive environment.

And it seems that the Textile Ministry has chosen the right moment to bring out its ‘Vision, Strategy and Action Plan’ for the Indian Textile and Apparel Sector… which is really nothing but a cleverly worded paper with a bureaucratic stamp.

 It fails to consider most of the core demands of the garment industry be it a common integrated textile policy or revision of the labour laws. It also fails in its understanding of why there needs to be a strategic shift from capacity building to capability building. The intricacy of a thrust for new markets v/s consolidation of established markets, creating our own niche v/s imitating the established players like China, which is now a falling giant is missing, resulting in misguided approaches to these critical issues.

I have written an open letter to the Minister in my Apparel Online editorial (August 16-31) apprising him of all the pitfalls of his Action Plan and how the bureaucrats with little knowledge of the industry are dusting old files and inking a so-called new vision plan for the industry…, this really saddens me.

But as they say…, the show must go on and we at StitchWorld try in our own small way to make a difference. This issue is a collector's issue for those who want to understand the importance and application of IE in garment manufacturing. The exhaustive article thread bares the different approaches of Method Improvement via Method Study for best results. The concept is explained through real time shop floor scenarios wherein method study has been discussed and improvements suggested for better productivity and quality.

An interesting Survey was conducted among 446 operators in 35+ factories across Delhi-NCR with Focus on Training Needs Analyses. Many interesting findings have been highlighted on present skill levels of sewing operates, growth path they would like to take and job-specific aspects they would like to improve on. To our astonishment, while the industry blames MNREGA for shortage of labour, of the workers surveyed, only 58% had heard about the schemes and only 10% actually worked under the same.

StitchWord Editorial Issue July 2014

Skill development is a very ‘in’ topic for the industry today, especially as most centres face shortage of labour… Understanding the critical need, an integrated skill development scheme was initiated by the Textile Ministry in 2010 under the National Skill Development Policy (NSDP) with the intent to skill 30 lakh persons in 5 years with much fanfare.

Sadly, the scheme failed in its objective of 100% placement. According to official data, out of 2,47,812 persons enrolled under the scheme, only 2,33,848 completed their perspective training of which only 35,859 have been placed, while another 1,97,989 people are still to be placed and the rest are not seeking employment at all... A very poor record! Perhaps this was a reason for the scheme to be put on hold in 2012, just two years after its launch and is since then pending clearance. I feel it is imperative that placements should be made mandatory in the skill development program before funds are released to ensure optimal utilization of the scheme.

While the first priority should be to restart the skill development scheme, there is need for clarity on which ministry shall be responsible for the scheme. Earlier the industry was getting funds through the Textile Ministry scheme (ISDS) and the scheme under the Ministry of Rural Development (SGSY), but now with the appointment of Sarbananda Sonowal, as Union Minister of State with Independent Charge for Skill Development, besides other portfolios like Entrepreneurship, Sports & Youth Affairs, it would seem that all skill development related initiative will now be clubbed together under one ministry… but is this the reality, no one seems to know!

When, and if the scheme is restarted, there is requirement for few more appropriate changes to be made, as on the surface many discrepancies are apparent in the scheme. For one, most of the training centres have been setup in regions that do not even have a garment manufacturing industry defeating the whole purpose of skill development as energy is wasted in convincing people to take the training! Another major flaw of the current skill development efforts is that training is primarily for operators, with little or no emphasis on other important areas of garment manufacturing like supervisor, pattern making, checking, cutting, etc. Even the methodology for training is traditional with no thought of upgrading to meet fresh needs of automation and use of attachments and folders. Industry oriented or industry supported training should be evolved – Why not extend the “Apprenticeship” culture, to say 2 to 3 years, whereby the worker is benefited by learning the skill and the industry gets a worker with less than minimum wages. This will be beneficial to both the industry and employees.

Even as we debate skill development at the operator level, which was discussed in detail in our StitchWorld May 2014 issue, it is also important to optimize role and responsibilities of IE personnel. In this issue of StitchWorld, we present a recap of articles on many of the activities of Industrial Engineering and how it can improve the process carried by us over the last decade, along with views from the industry on the conflict of responsibilities between the IE and Quality Production team, in our Tech Byte section.
A detailed review of Texprocess Americas is another interesting read… it is very obvious that the much hyped ‘Made in USA’ trend is still not a real threat, but is good for technology providers with high-end automated solutions.