E D I T O R I A L May is going to be an interesting month for me as I will be attending Texprocess in Frankfurt, Germany…, something that I really look forward to. Somebody, sheepishly asked me why visit Texprocess when such technology fairs take place in developing countries also…? My answer was simple:“Texprocess is the only international technology trade exhibition of our industry which is a ‘distinct depart’ from the basic technologies that one sees everywhere, at almost every fair happening in any part of the world!” It is not only the range of products that makes it impressive, but the advancements in each process which is a ‘value creation’, makes the fair a must-visit for those looking to understand the future of the industry. The Digital Textile Micro Factory, which is a live demonstration of apparel production chain to address the needs of small batches or even one-piece orders, is definitely something that the industry will find interesting at the fair. Another special experience at the show will be the ‘Living in Space’, a part of Techtextil, which happens concurrently with Texprocess that will showcase a wide variety of applications for technical textiles in space travel together with the processes involved. On a recent visit to India, Michael Jänecke, Director, Brand Management, Technical Textiles & Textile Processing, Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH presented me with a beautiful pen drive in the shape of a space traveller wearing a space suit and also handed over space food, which travellers eat when in space… Nowhere else can I get such an experience… Only at Texprocess in combination with Techtextil we can even expect something so unique! Going by the trend to think futuristic…, the next issue of StitchWorld will carry two articles of utmost importance. One is on Robotics – Innovations in these disruptive times by Frank Henderson, President, Henderson Sewing Machine and Dr. Prabir Jana, NIFT Delhi. The other on practical application of 3D printing of sewing machine parts, which will not only reduce time wasted in finding the correct spare part from the inventory but will also empower SMEs to 3D print the required part/attachment near the point of consumption, thus reducing their dependence on agents for machine spareparts. The futuristic concept has become so big that the same is also the theme of this edition of StitchWorld.Whether we talk about the digital feed in sewing machine in which brands like Brother, TYPICAL, Juki and Duma are coming up or web-based solutions offered by Lectra, I am sure of the fact that technology suppliers are aggressively harnessing the concept of Industry 4.0. A detailed analysis on‘Digital Feed in Sewing Machine’by Dr. Prabir Jana is surely a step ahead in IoT and will provoke my readers to think upon its future benefits. Following the series, where we exclusively interact with industry leaders, this issue carries a detailed discussion with Daniel Harari, CEO, Lectra on the ‘future’ where he throws light on technology acceptance in India, Bangladesh and Vietnam, and shares about the SaaS model, introduced by the company. The current issue of SW concludes the three-part series by Anand Deshpande in which he has explained the strategies to implement Lean process in a factory.
Deepak Mohindra Editor-in-Chief Read and comment on my blog at http://stitchworldmagazine.blogspot.com
TECH BYTE
TECH BYTES Haveyou heardabout joining fabrics byweldingor bonding rather than sewing?Haveyou seenanygarments commerciallywhereweldingor bonding is used? Whatall types of garments doyou think canbemadeusing welding or bonding? Whatare the advantages and disadvantages of weldingor bonding over sewing? Are you awareabout somemachine brands whichare offering weldingor bonding machines for fabric joining?
I have witnessed the concept of welding and bonding in garments and all I can say the global apparel industry is making good progress in this segment and things are turning out really well. This concept of welding or bonding is more popular in high-end garments and India does not deal much in these to be honest. So I haven’t seen much commercial use of these garments in India yet and this concept is still on a very amateur level in our country. There are various types of garments that can be produced using the technology of bonding and welding including lingerie, swim wear and performance clothing. However, these garments have to be very specific and well-designed. Aesthetic value of the garment can be enhanced through these processes while maintaining the functional value. Though comparing sewing and bonding processes, I would say sewing process still has an edge because it can be done on any type of fabric, having any sort of design. However for welded garments, the fabric used has to be especially made as well as specific designs need to be created, thus increasing the cost of production.This will lead to higher prices of the end-products, which is not at all suitable for a market like India. Having said that, I believe this process has its own limitation as far as mass production is concerned. I am aware that some Italian brands are offering machines for welding or
bonding process. Mostly you can see these technological solutions in the international exhibitions. DR. A SAKTHIVEL Owner, Poppy’s Group of Companies, Tirupur, India
I feel bonding and welding operations are not easy to adopt as products made through these are still very specialized, particularly from Indian manufacturing point of view. Commercially, such seamless garments can be seen in active sportswear, intimate wear and medical wear brands. In India, there are few international sports brands supplying such kind of garments such as, Nike and Adidas, and it is expected that few Indian brands may soon use such solutions as well. The garments are made with minimum of 75 per cent polyester or nylon content. The welded and bonded joints aresmoother in construction aspect and aesthetic look simultaneously, whereas in some garments such joints are used for protection. If I talk about the comparison between the garments made by sewing operation and by bonding technology, I would prefer bonding over sewing as a lot of time, efforts and cost can be saved by adopting these technological operations. Additionally, the manufacturers get desired precision and a considerable amount of finishing in their highend garments.
As the technology is being pushed by the buyers themselves, there are many machine manufacturers coming up and offering welding and bonding machines for fabric joining. We, H&H, are one of the pioneers in providing technological solutions worldwide to make garments with bonded and welded seams. Apart from us, PFAFF, Nucleus, VETRON, Macpi, Queen Light, SEAMTRON, Nawon, Framis Italia, Sew Systems, there are few other Chinese brands too that exist with these solutions.
ANSHUMAN DASH Marketing Director, H&H Asia Group Ltd., Bangalore, India
As a part of technological innovations in garment manufacturing, welding and bonding operations are gradually making the space in the world market with a definite scope in the Indian market as well. Though these operations are not restricted to any specific type of garments and nearly all kinds of garments can be made using seamless technology. However, it is becoming increasingly popular in intimate wear, sportswear and outdoor apparels. I feel there are lots of advantages of the garments made from these high-end solutions. Most importantly, there are no seams in the garment resulting in less irritation to the wearer’s skin. Additionally, such kind of garments incorporates very high seam strength which increases the garment’s durability. Simply put, the wearer of such garments can certainly get more comfort than the sewed garments. Though the only disadvantage I find in these garments is the cost factor as welding and bonding solutions are technologically advanced solutions thus the garments made out of these operations cost higher than the conventionally sewed garments. Hanfor, H&H are the few names which are providing sew free garment production technology to the garment manufacturers. Seeing the potential of these garments, we are also planning to adopt welding and bonding solutions as we are already engaged in manufacturing of sportswear apparels.
MOHIT SINGHAL Director, Creative Clothex, Noida, India
I am pretty much aware about the concept of welding and bonding operations used in garments nowadays. Though these are not popular but definitely we can term them as a good innovation, seeing the comfort and finishing level in the final garments. We can see a lot of applications where these operations are being used such as, sportswear, outdoor apparels and lingerie. However, to be very honest, one should understand the fact that every technology that comes into the market is not necessarily going to be beneficial. We have to consider the demographics and the same goes with the seamless garment technology. The bonding and welding machines are used specifically for attaching polyester fabrics, which is very uncomfortable on the wearer’s body, especially in the Indian society where one can count the climatic conditions unfavourable for such kind of fabrics. Additionally, these processes also increase the price of the garments which is not at all feasible for the manufacturers like us whose target audience is middle-class Indians.
GOPAL MALHOTRA Director, Belle Lingeries Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi, India
TechByte StitchWorld MAY 2017 Question Research and educational institutes have multiple responsibilities of not only imparting education and knowledge to students but also serving as an incubation centre for the development of entrepreneurship among thestudents. Doyou think educational institutes should also display commercial innovations, organize technical seminars for sharing best practices, or conduct technologically adopted case studies at technology trade shows in order to provide a business platform to their students-cumbuddingentrepreneurs? Doyou feel that the active involvement and participation of institutes woulduplift the standards of such exhibitions andencourage qualitative participation from manufacturers as well as technology suppliers? Write your comments to us by 20th April 2017 at: editor@stitchworld.net or post your views online through our website: www.apparelresources.com
NEWS TRACK
Germany: PFAFF to display curved jeans waistbands solution at Texprocess 2017 Germany-based PFAFF, which is known for its specialized and sophisticated sewing machines, will unveil its new PFAFF 3819, sewing solution for curved jeans waistbands at the upcoming 2017 edition of Texprocess, the leading international trade fair for processing textile and flexible materials, scheduled to be held from May 9-12, 2017 in Frankfurt, Germany.
the PFAFF 3819 is world’s first. It makes programmed straight and curved segments possible with just one machine. The entire sewing and cutting cycle may be programmed such as protrusion of the waistband, skipped stitches, start and stop of the waistband, with this machine.
An innovative puller system combined with intelligent Designed for processing software is the core of this fashionable ladies’ jeans, new development. Different special “curved version” of seam sections are available upon demand via a knee switch (curved and straight). The machine, working with “material from the reel” delivers maximum productivity while maintaining consistent seam PFAFF 3819 allows programming of entire sewing and cutting cycle of jeans quality.
USA: Navis TubeTex installs stenter coating line Navis TubeTex, supplier of high technology finishing machinery to the global textile industry, has announced a new coating line for industrial fabrics, label and art canvas industries in the USA. The M&W N-Dura Coating Line is a complete dual coating line with 2 coaters and 2 separate stenters inline to apply and dry/cure both water and solvent-based products. This coating line is the latest of 3 new coating lines that Navis TubeTex has installed in the last 12 months.
The line includes two flexible M&W applicators for dry edge coating, selectively on either or both faces, with high solids coatings. The highly efficient N-Dura meets and exceeds the quality and production expectations for customers and more than doubles the production of the plant. In addition, the company uses full automation with weight/density, tension, and temperature monitoring of the web. Automatic unwinder and winder provide non-stop operation.
Navis TubeTex has installed three new coating lines in last 12 months
TRADE STATISTICS During 2016, overall global apparel imports by US rose both in value and volume. While values of imports were up by 5.26 per cent, the volumes saw surge of 10.68 per cent year-on-year.
Babies wear exports from India to US witnessed downturn during the 12 months of 2016. Values were down by (-) 4.11 per cent, while volumes decreased by (-) 5.06 per cent year-on-year.
China recorded boost in its jackets & blazers export to US. In valuewise export, the country was up by 14.90 per cent while volumes surged by 26.81 per cent during 2016.
Year-on-year exports of legwear from Vietnam to EU registered commendable growth of 166.05 per cent in volumes, while values were up by a massive 61.48 per cent in 2016.
During 2016, global import in ladies blouse category by EU registered growth of 10.45 per cent in volumes, while values were also up by 1.87 per cent.
Bangladesh registered stellar growth in suits/ ensembles exports to US. Value terms heightened by 98.51 per cent while quantity too saw an increase by 273.60 per cent in exports during the review period.
Corrigendum: StitchWorld March 2017, Page 14: Under the heading‘Global Investors’ Summit Jharkhand reaps benefit for T&C sector’, following text appears:“We will invest Rs. 3,000 crore and open six skill development centres. ”This should read: “We will invest Rs. 300 crore and open six skill development centres.” Same applies for picture description.
China: Jack now listed on Shanghai Stock Exchange Jack Sewing Machine Co. Ltd., the Chinese sewing machinery giant, has successfully listed itself on Shanghai Stock Exchange. Jack Stock issued 51.67 million shares this time, and the total shares are 206.67 million after issuance.
ability of capital operation, to promote sustained, rapid and healthy development to meet demands of customers and reward shareholders and investors with excellent performance, becoming a great listed company with strong sustainable growth.”
Jack Stock has always focused on research, development, production and sales of industrial sewing machine since its inception, and has become a leading manufacturer and one of the enterprises with the largest scale of production and sales in global sewing machine industry, continuously spreading the power of “made in China” in global market.
The funds raised by Jack Stock will be applied to the annual output of 1 million sets of intelligent energysaving industrial sewing machines, 20,000 sets of special industrial sewing machine technological upgrading project, 450,000 sets of permanent-magnet servo motor technological upgrading project and 300 sets of automatic cutting technological upgrading project.
Zhao Xinqing, Chairman, Jack Sewing Machine says, “Jack stock will grasp this opportunity of going public and take advantage of the capital market platform, further optimize the capital structure, improve the
The raised-capital investment projects constructed and put into operations will further enhance the company’s core competitiveness of main business, expand product market share, increase the
Zhao Xinqing, Chairman, Jack Sewing Machine
Funds raised by Jack Stock will be applied to the annual output of 1 million sets of intelligent energy-saving industrial sewing machines
comprehensive strength of industrial sewing equipment chain, and provide strong motive power to realize the
transformation from research and development driver to brand driver and create two end-to-end businesses.
UK: Madeira unveils metallic embroidery thread – FS40 Metallic threads provide an unmatched look when used in embroidery. But, despite its great aesthetic value and enhancing designs feature, most of the embroiderers resist using metallic threads because of the perceptions such as that it will break, will be too scratchy, and cause too much trouble... In order to address these problems, Madeira, a manufacturer of highend embroidery threads, has introduced a high performance metallic
thread – FS40 – for universal use. The Oeko-Tex certified thread is easy to handle like any 40 weight thread and requires no special needles, depending upon the fabric being stitched. The specialized construction gives Madeira FS40 a smooth touch and allows it to run consistently at high speeds unlike metallic threads from other sources. Available in 21 colour nuances, including gold and silver and black pearl, FS40 facilitates clean and sophisticated
Madeira FS40 is OEKO-TEX certified and is easy to handle like any other 40 weight thread
embroidery, even on fine fabrics. The Madeira thread is available in two options –
1000 m spools and 5000 m cones to offer flexibility in production planning.
India: Satya Knitwears to start its own processing plant Exporting tees to clients like Superdry in England and Switzerland, Ludhiana’s (India) emerging apparel exporter Satya Knitwears (associated with knitting machine supplier firm PK International and having started apparel business 3 months ago) is coming up with its own processing plant. The company which was manufacturing fabric for others for over two decades has started sales directly two years ago. Today, it has the fabric manufacturing capacity of 8 lakh kgs per month and consumes mostly for its own apparel business. Currently having capacity of one-and-a-half lakh tees per month, it is investing Rs. 30 crore in this upcoming plant. Chahat Sudera, MD of the company,
who joined the business a year ago, and started apparel manufacturing shared, “We have enough experience in fabric manufacturing and have specialization in jacquard as well as spandex. The only reason we lag behind China is because of fabric processing. I don’t see many good processing units in India so as to tackle global competition. We, therefore, need to have good processing facility. Some of the companies are in touch with us for this project and we will install German machines in this new plant. Hopefully, it will be functioning from the beginning of next year.” He further added that the stitching capacity will also be enhanced with time as currently it is running its stitching units for 24hours.
Talking about the market, he added that Europe is quite a big market and a trendsetter in the fashion world too. Chahat further averred, “We still have good market there as we have something new and creative for our buyers. We have grown from Rs. 2 crore to Rs. 20 crore and have a target to reach Rs. 100 crore in the next 3 years.” Echoing voice of the next generation, Chahat said, “Ludhiana still lacks professionalism as lala culture is predominant; people lack on commitment and timely delivery in most ofthe stages. If one tries to work on his own, people there try to take him down. To compete in international market, one has to go out of one’s way. I also think that people need to focus on trends rather than just competing on prices.”
USA: Global Organic Textile Standard announces Version 5.0 Global Organic Textile Standard (GOTS), world’s leading processing standard for textiles made from organic fibres and treatments, has released its new Version 5.0. The high ecological and social requirements as well as word-wide practicability and verifiability were considered in the revision work, in order to achieve a reliable and transparent set of criteria. The aim of the new standard is to define world-wide recognized requirements that ensure organic status of textiles, from harvesting of the raw materials, through environmentally and socially
responsible manufacturing up to labelling in order to provide a credible assurance to the end-consumer. Textile processors and manufacturers are enabled to export their organic fabrics and garments with one certification accepted in all major markets. The implementation deadline for GOTS-certified entities to fully comply withVersion 5.0 is 1 March, 2018. The standards for the ‘additional fibre material’ are now stricter regarding the environmentally improved and certified regenerated cellulosic fibres:The use of
Viscose and Modal is now restricted to 10 per cent (25 per cent for sportswear and socks).Lyocell may still be used up to 30 per cent due its more sustainable manufacturing processes. The new version follows the general approach of GOTS to define high-level certifiable environmental criteria throughout the entire processing chain of apparel and home textiles (including spinning, knitting, weaving, wet processing, manufacturing, and trading) made from a minimum of 70 per cent certified organic fibres.
Thailand: Nice Group selects Fast React’s Evolve Nice Group, Thailand’s largest apparel exporter for the past 10 years, has opted for Fast React’s “Evolve” manufacturing planning system to support its Lean approach and reduce lead time.Evolve is a highly visual capacity planning and management tool, developed specifically to enable fashion manufacturers to achieve a whole new level of visibility, efficiency and control. “We chose Fast React as our partner because their solution is wellknown and widely proven, and their team has good knowledge and best practice in the garment industry. More importantly, Fast React’s own business vision is well aligned with Nice Group’s vision for data management, maximising LEAN manufacturing capability and managing material effectively,” said Adisak Angsriprasert, COO at Nice Group. “We look forward to helping Nice Group with their latest challenge – their client’s lead times have more than halved over the past 10 years,” mentioned Haruethai Phaleesem, Business Development Manager at FastReact.
Vietnam’s MOIT drafts new technical regulation on textiles The Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) has drafted a new national technical regulation on limitation and inspection of content offormaldehyde and of aromatic amines derived from azo colorants in textile products.The new regulation applies to all textile manufacturers and importers in the Vietnam market. Textile products forchildren under 36 months of age must not contain more than 30 mg/kg formaldehyde. Textile products in direct skin contact should not exceed 75 mg/kg formaldehyde. The maximum limit of formaldehyde in textile products without direct skin contact is 300 mg/kg, while aromatic amines is 30 mg/kg. The content of aromatic amines derived from azo colorants on textile products shall be determined in accordance with ISO 24362-1:2014, Textiles – Methods for determination of certain aromatic amines derived from azo colorants and ISO 24362-3:2014, Textiles – Methods for determination of certain aromatic amines derived from azo colorants or; EN14362-1:2012, Textiles – Methods for determination of certain aromatic amines derived from azo colorants and EN 14362-3:2012, Textiles – Methods for determination of certain aromatic amines derived from azocolorants.
India: CCI rejects complaints against Prafful Overseas, Welspun Syntex Complaints filedagainst two Gujarat-basedyarn manufacturers PraffulOverseas (OP-1) andWelspun Syntex (OP-2) have been dismissed by Competition Commission of India (CCI),which took the decision after it did not find prima-facie evidence of competition norms violations against these two companies. While Prafful Overseas manufactures both semi-dull and bright variants, Welspun Syntex makes semi-dull variant.
South Gujarat Warp Knitters Association filed complaints against these two for their alleged involvement in unfair business practices with respect to certain yarn variants. To assess the complaint, CCI considered “market for Nylon FDY 240/12 Bright variant and Mono Yarn variant in India” as the relevant one. CCI is assigned to eliminate practices having adverse effect on competition,
promote and sustain competition, protect the interests of consumers and ensure freedom of trade in the markets of India. The Commission is also required to give opinion on competition issues on a referencereceived from a statutory authority established under any law and to undertake competition advocacy,create public awareness and impart training on competition issues.
China: First wastewater plant using electron beams opens
W
orld’s leading textile producer China has opened its first ever plant that uses electron beams to treat industrial wastewater in vast textile dyeing industry, ushering in a new era for radiation technology. The new plant in Jinhua city, 300 kilometres south of Shanghai, will treat 1,500 cubic metres of wastewater per day,around a sixth of the plant’s output. Jianlong Wang, Deputy Director of Nuclear and Energy Technology Institute at Tsinghua University, Beijing and the principal
researcher behind the project, commented,“Chinese researchers have benefited from the advice of experts from Hungary, Korea and Poland in the adoption of the technology and the construction of the plant.” Explaining the technology, Wang elaborated that bacteria are the workhorses of wastewater treatment as they digest and break down pollutants.Wastewater from textile dyeing contains molecules that cannot be treated with bacteria. It can contain more than 70
The newly set-up plant will treat 1,500 cubic metres of wastewater per day
complex chemicals that do not easily degrade hence to break these complex chemicals into smaller molecules, which, in turn, can be treated and removed using normal biological processes, electron beams are used by irradiating. Irradiation is done using short-lived reactive radicals than can interact with a wide range of pollutants and break them down. Before opting for radiation technology using electron beams, Chinese researchers had run an extensive set of feasibility experiments using the effluent from the plant, comparing electron beam technology with other methods.“Electron beam technology was the clear winner as both the more ecological and more effective option,”Wang added. It’s worth mentioning here the textile dyeing accounts for a fifth of all industrial wastewater pollution generated worldwide and lots of wastewater goes untreated.
India: Techtextil and Texprocess exhibitions to explore new markets The two parallel exhibitions: Techtextil and Texprocess 2017 will take place in India, Russia and Ethiopia later this year after successful shows in Germany in January. Organized by Messe Frankfurt, the exhibitions have a world view to promote technical textiles of the future generations with an eye on smart textiles as a growing prospect.Techtextil focuses on the future of technical textiles with a vision to encompass the growing population, combat climate change, employ recycling of waste, and use existing resources wisely. On the other hand,the Texprocess 2017 envisaged the inclusion of cutting-edge technologies for design, cutting, IT, sewing, joining,embroidery, textile
Techtextil and Texprocess will be held in India, Russia and Ethiopia later this year
dressing,finishing and logistics. The new entrants in the list of realms handled by Texprocess 2017 include concentration of bonding and separating, CMT (cutting, making, trimming), CAD/CAM andprinting. Michael Janecke, Director – Brand Management,Technical
Textiles and Textile Processing, said,“We are optimistic about the response to the exhibition slated for India. In Frankfurt,we had a tremendous response and it was a total sell-out. We expect to bring new technology and a new platform of clients to Indian technical textile industry.”
Techtextil focuses on the future of technical textiles with a vision to encompass the growing population, combat climate change, employ recycling of waste, and use existing resources wisely. On the other hand, the Texprocess 2017 envisages the inclusion of cutting-edge technologies for design, cutting, IT, sewing, joining, embroidery, textile dressing, finishing and logistics.
NEWS TRACK
Vietnam: Brother strengthens aftersales services Headquartered at Japan, Brother Industries Ltd. has recently established a sales and after-sales servicing facility for its industrial sewing machine business in the city of Danang, located in the central region of Vietnam. The centre, named – Representative office in Danang of Brother International (Vietnam) Company Limited, has also started its operations. With the launch of the new facility in Danang, Brother has laid a platform for sales and servicing channels that can provide more detailed assistance to customers in the northern area, central area, and southern area of Vietnam, respectively, and created an environment in which our customers can purchase and use our products more comfortably. According to the company, the production in the sewing industry is shifting from China to South-east Asia with a massive acceleration in recent years, and the demand for industrial sewing machines in Vietnam is expected to increase further. Amid this trend, the Brother Group has previously consolidated the representatives’ offices for itsindustrial sewing machine business in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi City in October 2016 and to further improve the convenience of after-sales services, Brother is moving on to the other parts of Vietnam. Official representative of this new centre, Kou Oiwa commented,“Brother Industries Ltd. is determined to enhance its competitive edge by strengthening its sales structure that is cohesive to the local needs in Vietnam, and to continue providing our customers with services with higher standard.”
Brother establishes a sales and after-sales servicing facility in Vietnam
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APRIL 2017 www.apparelresources.com
India: TEA launches medical insurance scheme for labourers A new medical insurance scheme “Mediplus 365” with the payment of Re. 1 per day has been launched for labourers, informed Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA) of India. The insurance scheme executed by Edelweiss Insurance Brokers Ltd., Mumbai through New India Insurance Company, will provide insurance coverage of Rs. 1,00,000 to labourers. The insurance company will take care of medical expenses and apart from this, the accident coverage of Rs. 1,00,000 is also available to those insured under the scheme.
The association has empanelled four insurance brokers, Edelweiss Brokers Ltd., Zeal Insurance, Om Maruthi Insurance and Indian Insurance Broking to analyse the existing general insurance policies, viz. fire accident, flood, marine, stock and machinery breakdown taken by the TEA members and based on the advice given by the concerned insurance brokers, the members of the body will restructure their premium amount and coverage. Raja M Shanmugham, President, TEA has appealed the members of TEA to utilize both the schemes and reap benefits out ofit.
India: Sportswear manufacturer Vella Sports aims to expand its reach “People in remotest villages feel proud to wear our brand Vella,” says a confident and young owner of Vella Sports Ashish Dudeja, who is all set to take the company to great heights. Based in Meerut(India), Vella Sports is a sportswear manufacturing company with over 123 distributors all over the country. In addition to manufacturing sportswear, the company specializes in manufacturing lower wear and has plans tomanufacture socks of their ownbrand as well as raw materials for buttons, chains and other accessories. “We already have our textile industry by the name of GK Cotton Industries in Meerut itself and we are confident our new ventures will also be as successful.
Even the threads we use are imported from Germany,” remarked the young entrepreneur,” says Ashish. The company, that today has an annual turnover of almost Rs. 40 crores, has spread its wings all over India, especially Uttar Pradesh. “Doing well makes us happy but reaching every home in every remote village of UP is what success is all about,” says Ashish. With a production capacity of 8,000 to 10,000 pieces per day, the company’s endeavour to reach every home, all over the country, may soon come true once the capacity increases to 50,000 pieces per day.Ashish says once the newplant also comes up at Meerut, the production capacity will increase fivefold.
France: Lectra installs 3,000 Vector fabric cutters in 10 years
Lectra’s Vector fabric cutter has 180 sensors to implement predictive and preventive maintenance
Lectra, the world leader in integrated technology solutions dedicated to industries using fabrics, leather, technical textiles and composite materials, has announced the recent sale of its 3000 th Vector, fabric cutting solution for fashion, automotive and furniture manufacturers in 10 years. Manufacturers’ enthusiasm for Vector, in both developed countries and emerging economies, proves it as the undisputed reference for the
fabric cutting room, reflected by the 15 per cent rise in sales last year. Vector’s record machine availability, over 98 per cent plus its overall performance minimizes the cost per piece, bringing profitability to operations for Lectra customers. In addition, Vector’s cutting precision and the capacity to produce pieces without spaces equates to significant gains in materials, saving hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for manufacturers.
Vector owes its reliability to the multiple sensors with which it is equipped. Launched with 120 sensors, today Vector has 180 sensors to implement preventive and predictive maintenance. Launched in 2012, two new models joined the Vector family at the end of 2016: Vector iQ, whose cutting device enables a 10 per cent rise in productivity, and VectorAuto iX6, which specializes in synthetic fabric cutting for seats and car interiors. “A pioneering solution in the Internet of Things, Vector was the first cutting solution on the market connected to the Internet and which used a system of predictive maintenance. The Vector range fullyanswers Industry 4.0 concepts and its innovative services are a major asset for the cutting room of the future,” underlines Daniel Harari, CEO,Lectra.
USA: Datatex launches vendor insight portal on NOW ERP Datatex, an ERP solution provider to the textile and apparel industry, has launched a vendor insight portal available as part of NOW ERP stack. Supply networks are becoming increasingly complex and subject to geopolitical shifts, agility and integration are have become mandatory. Additionally, consumers are increasingly engaged and want to know the sustainability backstory of the purchases they make. This development
puts NOW in rare air as one the very few solutions that features PLM and vendor management directly within the core ERP. RFQ Workbench feature of the vendor insight portal allows role-based interaction with the entire RFQ lifecycle from concept, sampling, purchasing, and logistics. Depending where the contributor plugs into the supply chain, the vendor insight portal allows tailored interaction that adds value. Additionally, the cloud based architecture
means that infrastructure requirements from supply partners are very light. NOW ERP is a 100 per cent cloud-based solution that covers all customer related activities, production planning and machine scheduling, production management and control up to the level of data collection from each machine including automated real time fabric inspection. This tight integration offers customers a significant advantage in terms of speed-to-consumer and top down insight.
India: Maharashtra to get a new textile park Maharashtra (India) Government has reserved 93 hectares of land in Lohara MIDC of the Yavatmal district for setting up a Textile Park. The work on the park is expected to startsoon. “The setting up of a Textile Park in Yavatmal MIDC area was pending for a long time due to availability of adequate land. The proposal was initiated by the then Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan himself,” said Madan Yerawar, Minister, Energy and Guardian Ministry. The Park would ensure large scale employment to the youths of the region besides providing better avenues for the farmers to garner maximum benefit. Basic infrastructure including supply of energy, water and provision for sewerage water treatment plant at the site will also be set up at the site. A 132 KV electricity sub-station would cater to the energy requirements of the units in the textile park.
Switzerland: Steiger Textil launches ‘Stitch Lab’ Switzerland-based flat knitting machine manufacturer, Steiger textil, has launched a new facility called ‘Stitch Lab’, for experts in knitting and programming to work together with clients on developing their future applications.
India: Welspun opens Advanced Textiles Plant to provide non-woven solutions Indian Textiles Minister Smriti Irani has inaugurated the Advanced Textiles Plant of Welspun India Ltd., India’s leading textile conglomerate at Anjar, Kutch, Gujarat.
The new facilities will strengthen Welspun’s position as a global manufacturer and underline our commitment to the ‘Make in India’ initiative as well as the economic development of the region and the country at large.”
Using the Stitch Lab, Steiger technicians and their partners will be able to work together via the machine’s 3D simulation software Model Plus (M+). The software will simulate the creation of the stitches, row by row with the use of the virtual knitting machine function. The programmer can then detect any potential knitting problems early in the creation of the garment and, using the appropriate Wizard, will be able to navigate into the product to inspect the sample in closerdetail.
With the inauguration of the plant, Welspun, placed amongst the largest home textile manufacturers in the world, has forayed into new technologies in its Technical Textile Business.
Stitch Lab can be used on all the latest and major knitting machines by Steiger
Union Textiles Minister of India Smriti Irani inaugurates Welspun’s Advanced Textiles Plant
Explaining the features of Stitch Lab, Pierre-Yves Bonvin, CEO of Steiger, commented, “The Stitch Lab is a very powerful tool to develop the future applications using which Steiger will develop 3D articles for knitwear, for medical applications and for the composite material.” According to Steiger, Stitch Lab can be used on all the latest and major knitting machines of the company such as: Libra 3.130, New Aries 3.130, C2.185 SCP, Taurus 2.170 XP and Antares 3.130. “We will use all our expertise and innovation capability to create new patterns and 3D parts using any kind of yarns. In the Stitch Lab we have put together the best experts, the best machines and the best framework to boost the innovation,” concluded Bonvin.
The plant will have unique capabilities of Spun Lace and Needle Punch lines
which can manufacture multilayer composites for various applications. BK Goenka, Chairman, Welspun Group, said,“The new facility will enhance our product offerings and provide cuttingedge solutions in high-growth areas such as industrial and defence applications. The new facilities will strengthen Welspun’s position as a global manufacturer and underline our commitment to the‘Make in India’ initiative as well as the economic development of the region andthe country atlarge.”
This advanced and innovative technology will provide non-woven solutions forhigh-end industrial applications such as Filtration, Acoustics, Automotive, Fire Safety, Thermal insulation, Vibration control, Noise control, AeroSpace, Defence and Mass Transportation, informed the Company. With a distribution network in more than 50 countries and world-class manufacturing facilities in India, it is the largest exporter of home textile products from India.
Europe: Mimaki announces unique hybrid printer for flexible textile printing Mimaki, a pioneer in manufacturing of wide format inkjet printers and cutting plotters, has announced that it has updated its Tx300P-1800 and Tx300P-1800B directto-textile printers, to load both textile pigment and sublimation dye inks.
The hybrid ink system for the Tx300P-1800 and Tx300P1800B direct-to-textile printers will be commercially available from the summer of 2017. This will enable use of a single printer to print directly on a wide range of
Mimaki’s updated Tx300P-1800 and Tx300P-1800B can print on a wide range of textile products without changing ink system
textiles without the need to change ink systems. The latest technology is seen as a breakthrough that will improve productivity and increase flexibility for these Mimaki textile printers.
ink system for each fabric. And these inks do not require usage of water or steaming in the posttreatment process, making them environmentally sustainable as well.”
“Recently, in the textile and apparel markets, quick deliveries and short, customized production are becoming increasingly important. This new system is specifically designed to address this need for costeffective short run printing of textiles for products or samples,” said Ronald van den Broek, General Manager Sales of Mimaki Europe, adding, “It means that producers can switch fabric types quickly and easily, selecting the appropriate
The company states that it understands the need for an affordable printer with a compact footprint for these users, and it moved swiftly to address this need with a very unique approach. As digital textile printing continues to gain traction, placing these printers in design and educational environments will help educate more people about the possibilities presented by on-demand printing of textiles and spur further demand for digitally printed textiles.
PEOPLE
LECTRA: TRENDING IN INDUSTRY 4.0 WITH SaaS The current trend of automation ‘Industry 4.0’ is prompting the leading technology suppliers across the globe to introduce high-end technology solutions to address the business goals of their customers. Lectra is one such company which is not only empowering fashion and apparel, automotive and furniture industry to be future-ready with their integrated technology solutions, software, CAD/CAM equipment and associated services, but also enabling its customers to lock Industry 4.0 principle into their process. In an exclusive tête-à-tête with Team StitchWorld, Daniel Harari, CEO, Lectra defines the pathway of growth for the industry...
South-east Asian countries like India, Vietnam and Bangladesh are proliferating at unprecedented rates and at the same time, Lectra’s penetration in these markets is slow. Why? Daniel Harari: It is not true to say that Lectra’s penetration in India, Vietnam and Bangladesh is slow or weak. Initially, the garment companies based in these countries were looking for “low-cost automation” and, because of a lack of experience, were not interested in the value that Lectra was able to deliver. This situation has changed, especially in Vietnam and Bangladesh. After learning about cheap competitive solutions, many of these companies now understand the difference between Lectra and its competitors, and they are coming to us; not to mention the automotive industry, where Lectra has more than 2/3rd of market share in India. Another point to take into consideration is that Lectra’s
strategy is to develop long-term relationships with customers that appreciate its value, and not to maximize its market share. Lectra, despite higher prices, provides the cheapest solution in the market in terms of cost per cut piece. What is your take on the African market (especially Ethiopia)? Daniel Harari: TheAfrican market deserves Lectra’s attention as we have seen some of our apparel customers moving to this region. Lectra has always had a strong presence in Northern and Southern regions of Africa, mostly through our own subsidiaries. The biggest change in Africa over the last few years has come from Ethiopia. We have decided to invest in this country and develop our presence. We have a number of major global customers who have already invested in Ethiopia and their plants are already equipped with state-of-the-art Lectra cutting technologies.
We have identified four mega-trends that will significantly impact the textile industries over the next few years. These trends are the rise of the Millennials generation, the complete digitalization of all businesses, the emergence of Industry 4.0 and China’s evolving economy. Lectra’s objective is to harness the full benefits of these trends and help our customers to get on top of these waves, as their success will eventually become Lectra’s success. – Daniel Harari, CEO, Lectra
Do you see any marked difference in adoption of CAD/ CAM between some of the growing markets like India, Bangladesh and Vietnam? Are all equally open to invest in technology? There are already observations by some software solution providers that Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are more open to investment in technology than India? What’s your take? Why? (In your own admission, Sri Lankan market is open for more sophisticated and high level technology. Why?) Daniel Harari: Apparel companies based in Sri Lanka are open to high level technology because they are specialized in producing value-added garments. It is the only way for them to fight against giants such as China or Bangladesh. In the region, this is the country where our proportion of highend cutting machines is the highest. Sri Lankan companies have perfectly understood the value that our solutions can bring to them. In Bangladesh, because many companies are
working for H&M – one of the key Lectra customers maximizing the usage of our technology – they strongly invest in Lectra CAD software solutions. Therefore, they take full advantage of data integrity that our software suite can provide. This being said, we have noticed recently that this trend is coming to India now, with companies wanting to standardize their product development process and asking Lectra to assist them to achieve their objectives. Do you feel there is some indication of segmentation happening among the CAD solutions providers: the premium ones (the early developers and old ones, Lectra, Gerber, etc.) and the economy ones (offering only basic applications: pattern making + grading + marker making)? What additional value the premium ones like Lectra are likely to offer (3D simulation, cut planning and PLM) that economy players can’t offer? Daniel Harari: Lectra has been the leader in the Fashion CAD market for 30+ years. During this time, we have developed best practices through working with customers who are leaders in their domain themselves. Our knowledge of the industry and our experience set us aside from our competitors. What also sets us aside from our competitors is our premium offer. Lectra’s offer meets basic CAD needs, as well as more complex needs. A customer may have basic needs when
factories in the US with state h e lp … Is Lectra looking more towards those material markets as compared to the production existing bases?
Daniel Harari, CEO, Lectra
they start to integrate CAD services into their company, but these needs will evolve over the years as the market changes. By choosing a premium offer, our customers can evolve and bring perspective to their business. Lectra can also provide customers with 3D CAD, cut planning and PLM, which help them to standardize and improve their product development process. Please keep in mind that there is almost no standardization in India (and in the neighbouring countries) when it comes to product development. If you ask a factory manager to show you the SOP (Standard Operation Procedures) to develop a bra for example, you will get no answer. This means that there is no control on how the products are developed, and no one knows if the process is optimal or not. “Economy players” thrived in the past because the output of their “so-called” CAD
systems was just plotting a marker; there was no automatic cutting involved. Now that automatic cutters are considered a “must have“, instead of a “nice to have” by most apparel companies, these apparel companies understand the limitations of the “low-cost systems”; therefore, they naturally turn towards Lectra to make the most of the data integrity that we can provide and guarantee, internally and externally with their main buyers. What is Lectra’s strategy to gain traction in the aforementioned three markets… Price,service, education or any other? Daniel Harari: Lectra’s value proposition is based on high-end technology and expertise. Our strategy is to accompany our customers in their quest for operational excellence. Bringing back production is a drive which both US and EU are aggressively pursuing... We even have examples of Chinese companies setting up
Daniel Harari: Until recently, most companies believed that to be competitive, they had to seek for the lowest labour cost possible. This is why we have seen production moving from Europe to China, then from China to South-East Asia. This phenomenon is coming to an end: there are less and less “low-cost” countries and no country in the world has the same production capacity as China, which produces almost 50% of the garments worldwide. The disappearance of low-cost countries from the spectrum is an opportunity to rethink about multi-shoring, based on two criteria: on the one hand, the respective needs for fashion items and timeless basics; on the other hand, the need to supply shops in time to limit the hidden costs of items that are unsold due to late delivery. Competitive differences between countries will be so slight that the cost factor will barely matter; the major differentiating factor will be time to market. Through our network of 33 subsidiaries, we can accompany worldwide manufacturing wherever our customers are located to help them overcome the challenges of operating in a globalized economy. Our teams combine customer
business expertise and a command of the most advanced technologies to bring global and local projects to a successful conclusion, while respecting different cultures. Educational programmes were projected to be a significant part of Lectra’s promotional strategy in developing markets. It has dragged on for almost 2 years now but nothing concrete has come out of it. What is the reason behind this? Daniel Harari: Again, this does not correspond to the situation. We now have a significant amount of fashion schools teaching our solutions to their students. Today, Lectra has about 850 partners in more than 60 countries. Lectra has developed strong partnerships with all main schools in the world, including those in Asia, and has the same strong commitment in emerging countries. In 2016, we had, for example, reinforced our collaboration with BUFT to include another 240 software licenses, and support the opening of two new CAD laboratories with a capacity to train 60 students simultaneously. We have also signed a new partnership in Ethiopia. These are two such examples among a large series of new projects developed with schools. However, we must keep in mind that most of the students are more interested in fashion design, which is more into glamour, than in garment
engineering. And it will take time for them to become decision makers and to recommend our solutions. But things are changing in countries such as India where there is a huge domestic market and where domestic companies now understand that pattern making and fitting are not a “constraint” but a “must” if they want to keep customers’ loyalty. Lectra had started webbased services (as SaaS model) where small and medium manufacturers can use pattern making, grading, marker making services. What further advances has the company made in that regard? SaaS model and M2M feature are already integrated in Lectra solutions. What new directions you feel will be included as part of IoT and Industry 4.0 initiative? Daniel Harari: We have identified four mega-trends that will significantly impact the textile industries over the next few years. These trends are the rise of the Millennials generation, the complete digitalization of all businesses, the emergence of Industry 4.0 and China’s evolving economy. Lectra’s objective is to harness the full benefits of these trends and help our customers to get on top of these waves, as their success will eventually become Lectra’ssuccess. We are convinced that disruptive business models, such as SaaS or value-based pricing, and leading-edge
technologies, such as cloud computing and IoT, are the ideal paths to adapt and “surf” these industry shifts. Back to your question, it is to be noted that web based service opportunities are not limited to small and medium manufacturers. As SaaS reduces considerably the risk of ROI, it can of course help smaller companies to consider products and solutions that they could not afford before. However, this opportunity is way more profound. Even large companies are aggressively turning to the subscriptionbased economy. Actually, the benefits for larger international companies may even be higher as these new solutions completely remove distance and delays, helping them to be more effective in their business. As data has increasingly become the new oil, we are working to provide our customers with all the tools to unleash the power hiding in their data assets, whether they are patterns, markers, fabric usage or overall product development or cutting effectiveness. We are working at leveraging cloud computing to deliver faster and more relevant data to assist our customers in taking better business decisions and actions, thriving to remove waste of time and fabrics. It is critical for Lectra to position our customers at the center
of everything we do, solving their everyday issues and addressing the challenges of the textile industry to deliver products at an always increasing pace, lower cost and without compromising on quality. What’s Lectra’s take on future R&D? Lectra will continue to enhance its capabilities in all areas, including software, hardware and services. Over the last four-years, the company has invested 86 million in R&D, whichrepresents 9.4% of its revenues. This is as much as what our top ten competitors combined have invested in R&D and three to four times more than ourmain competitor. Moreover, the close proximity of our R&D teams, our main call centre and ourproduction facilities within one single location on Lectra’s Bordeaux-Cestas campus–emblematic of the company’s strategy and a showcase for its expertise–will further spur innovation. The campus createsa highly modern setting for Lectra’s workforce fostering creativity and the sharing ofinformation and experience. As a privileged venue for dialogue and international gatherings, the campus is and will continue to be a major asset in years to come. Moreover Lectra has already been developing pattern draping modules for many years, whichwill give additional edge over other competitors.
Advertorial
Dig the gold hidden in your cutting room floor...
F
abric being wasted in the cut plan is an unavoidable vice of any sewn garment business organization. However, a great deal of it can be nipped at the cut planning stage not just on the papers but delivering the plan through deployment of an astute material planning and utilizing software. Method Apparels, through their experience in the fabric industry spread over many years, has developed a cutting room software called “Pro-Cut”, which is dedicated to help optimize fabric utilization, maximize cutting room output, while helping produce a list of markers at the best possible ply height to allow the user to plan the remainder of end bits to complete the planning process. Pro-Cut has been designed to help monitor every inch of fabric issued and utilised. It also helps in producing management reports to provide total control over both woven and knitted fabrics being utilised in the organisation. The software has time and again proven to be beneficial by being able to help tap huge potential savings, reduction of costs and improving profitability as it helps in. The system has been established with the ability to help in cut order planning with much more precision while not being dependant on the
experienced staff and the knowledge they have acquired over years and years of work. The adoption of marker software in the organizational system shows significant reductions in workload and major fabric savings. With obvious reduced consumptionof the fabric, cutting room productivity coming into the picture, these as now being touted as major areas where profits can be derived through savings leading to the overall success of the organisation in today’s highly competitive market scenario.
Sunaina Khanna, Director of Methods Apparel Consultancy, helps companies in the sewn product industry in the areas of productivity, cost cutting and training and can be contacted at: sunaina@methodsws.com
Fabric saving, increased cutting room productivity, coupled with customer preferred product delivery are some of the areas which the software deployment can help the organization with. The system ensures converting the customer’s order into a cut plan, intelligently while checking the availability and appropriate usage of technology and software to help simplify the process considerably.
After marker making, the marker lengths are entered and fabric requirements are calculated, these include a laying up allowance and an anticipated industrial wastage factor. A comparison between “Costed” and “Marked” is made, showing potential profit or loss before fabric is issued. Management now have the ability to decide in advance what actions are necessary to maximize profit.
Right from predicting fabric need to automating cut order planning, the software has been created to help organisations in grouping the fabric basis of different combinations basis sizes and colours while allocating rolls for maximized savings. With a comprehensive reporting module, it helps release real-time statistics ofthe factory.
Improving cutting floor’s efficiency is as much about common sense and the right software systemdeployment as it is about fancy algorithms which can helps lead save as much as 10 per cent of the fabric helping the organization save a great deal of cost. Simplify the cutting room’s process by imbibing Pro-cut and watch the efficiency soar.
can c h a n g e y o u r m e t h o d of m a n u f a c t u r i n g Call or write to Sunaina (M: +91 9899174466; e-mail:sunaina@methodsws.com) or Shri Rajkhaanth (M: +91 9244522911; e-mail: shri@methodsws.com) for a diagnostic study at your plant
PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT
DESIGNING A LEAN PROCESS – III Devise a Department-wide Strategy Lean has become a key transformational buzzword in the apparel manufacturing industry. However, a lot of confusion exists in understanding the principles and applying them practically on the shopfloor. Understanding the connection between strategy and principles is key to implementing Lean on the shopfloor. In this article series, Anand Deshpande,Founder & CEO, Admaa Consulting connects the principles with measurables and the strategy to achieve these measurables on the apparel shopfloor. In short, providing a structured approach to design a lean process and suggesting major factors and strategies to consider in doing so…
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he first part of this series discusses ‘how to’ establish the guiding principles for designing a lean process; define goals and objectives of lean design process; and identify the measurables at plant and department levels. In the second part, ‘how to’ develop a plant-wide strategy for designing a lean process is discussed. In the last part, total of eleven department strategies with brief examples are explained.
Strategies Strategy:1
Reduce stock buffers Excessive inventory is a sign of inefficiency. Stock buffers only encourage inefficiency. By reducing stock buffers, we facilitate material transfer distance, Dock to Dock Time and WIP (Work In Progress). Let us take an example of cut-panels stock waiting to be processed for assembly (jackets or trousers). We usually find stock in excess of 3 days. We could easily bring the stock down to one day without doing much.
Essentially, the Takt Time balances the pace of production with the paceof sales.
Before Work Station1
Takt Time = Available work time for the day/Customer demand per day
Work Station2
Example: A garment company produces garments for the Indian market. The customer demand is averaged out as 480 garments per day. The company operates in one shift from 9 am to 6 pm with breaks (lunch and tea) equal to one hour per day.
MoreWIP After Work Station1
Work Station2
Available working time for the day = 480 minutes (deduct one hour from 9 hours)
Strategy:2
Balance the line on the basis of TaktTime Takt Time is the time it should take to produce one piece of a product based on the customer demand.
Demand for the day = 480garments Takt Time = 480/480 = 1 minute = 60 seconds
70
Takt Time: 58 secs
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S&S
Box packing
Box marking
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10 0 Dusting Legger
Topper
QC
Audit
Tagging Folding Polybag Sealing
Illustration of trouser finishing operators' balance chart
PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT
To produce as per Takt Time is not an easy task. It is important to ensure: • Breakdowns and defects are reduced. • SMED is successfully implemented. • Problems are resolved rapidly. • Pull system is introduced. While the company will certainly meet the output because each cycle time is less than the Takt Time, they will also have operators who are notfully utilized. Therefore, it becomes important to have guidelines to balance the line. Let us compare the two ways of balancing the line. Traditional Way The traditional way of line balancingis illustrated below: Takt Time = 60 seconds
Cycle Time in secs
Cycle time = 40 seconds
Strategy:6
Before
Use U-shaped lines whereapplicable A U-shaped layout promotes visual factory, machine density, reduction of material travel distance and operator flexibility. It can also facilitate better work distribution.
Restricted Access for SMEDTrolley
After Increased Access for SMEDTrolley
Before
Reduction of changeover time requires not only a process to do so, but also access for quick changeover in the line. The ‘After’ picture suggests providing space between work stations to allow for SMED trolley to move in and out for changeovers.
After
Strategy:7 Strategy:4
Provide adequate space on the line for keepingparts To ensure one-pieceflow, it is necessary to keep parts line-side so that the operator picks what he/she needs depending on the type of job he/she is working on.
Eliminate any non-value addspace Space that is not required between workstations and equipment will create an opportunity to overproduce, increase defects and increase inventory.Therefore, elimination of non-value add space is a must asshown. After
Before Before
Unusedspace Op1
Op 1
Op 2
Op 3
Op2
Reduced unused space
Op3
Op4
Characteristics of traditional line balancing: • Operators are idle. • There is a significant risk of overproduction. • We cannot detect waste easily. • Problems are concealed.
Haphazard part arrangements
Strategy:8
After
LeanWay
Op1
The lean way of line balancing is illustrated below: Takt Time = 60 seconds
Cycle Time in secs
Cycle time = 55 seconds
Op2
Op3
The idea behind any process is to increase the value add time and reduce the handling time. To reduce the handling time, we must keep parts (provide space for them) line side in such a way that it facilitates easy picking and placing as shown in the 'After' illustration.
Minimize transfer distance between operations Transfer distance between workstations can be achieved by eliminating buffers, reducing overall WIP,moving stations closer to each other and rearranging equipment.
Strategy:5
Ensure material consumption ateach work centre is FIFO-based Op 1
Op 2
Op 3
Op4
Characteristics of lean line balancing are: • Operators are utilized. • There is a no risk of overproduction. • We can detect waste easily. • Problems are exposed.
Strategy:3
Before Op1 1
4
3
2
4
1
3
2
Before
Provide access for Quick Changeover It is observed many times that lack of access for product changeovers results in amplification ofchangeover time. The illustration below suggests a better way to provide access for SMED or Quick Changeover:
Op1 After After
To enable consistency in material quality in the input and support accuracy in the product output, following FIFO production strategy is critical as shown in the 'After' illustration.
www.apparelresources.com APRIL 2017
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Alignment across the entire organization occurs when we establish Lean principles and create strategies to implement them. The challenge always is to ultimately implement this strategy at the department level and at the individual level. The department-wide strategy facilitates alignment to the individual and helps sustain lean in the long run.
Strategy:9
Strategy:11
Multi-skill employees day-in and day-out
Eliminate fixed repairareas
Wandering bottlenecks are the characteristics of apparel manufacturing because the workstation that is the slowest is the one that has the most unskilled operators. The solution to avoid this situation is multi-skilling on a day-to-day basis. Typically, during favourable absenteeism days, multi-skill operators are utilized for at least 1-2 hours. Natural multi-skilling can also be tried by rotating employees every two hours on one machine in a shift. By this way, within 2-3 months, the operator can pick up fourskills.
Repair areas only encourage defect creation by focusing on production number and not on quality. Repair bays are also sometimes calledhidden factories. Elimination of hidden factories also facilitate the focus on root cause of defects. Before
After
Repairarea
No repair areas
Strategy:10
Eliminate the use ofconveyors whereverpossible Conveyors should only be used if production process warrants so. Try to avoid conveyors because they occupy fixed space and introduce a maintenance skill constraint. Instead workstations could be reconfiguredas shown below:
The three articles published over the last three editions chart out apractical implementation path to achieve extraordinary results by: • Creating a Lean vision forthe organization. • Establishing guiding principles to achieve thatvision. • Deciding the objectives.
Before
• Implementing plant-wide strategies. Conveyor
• Implementing department-wise strategies.
Direction of Material Flow
After Reconfigured Cell
TECHNOLOGY 4.0
DIGITAL FEED IN SEWING MACHINE: A FAD OR A USEFUL FEATURE…? During a technology fair, the sewing machine manufacturers try to come up with impressive new features to attract buyers. While the automation-related innovations are shown in exhibitions in developed markets like US and Europe, quality- and productivity-related innovations are shown in exhibitions for developing markets like Asia. Ever since Brother displayed S-7300A lockstitch machine two years ago, there has been a mixed response from users, if not overwhelming. However, probably assessing the immense value it can deliver, the competition which many other sewing machine manufacturers such as TYPICAL, Juki and Duma face, has made them to come up with similar features. But what is actual innovation and what value the machine can actually deliver? Dr. Prabir Jana, NIFT Delhi writes based upon his detailed analysis of different brands…
M
y first encounter with Brother S-7300A was in an Indonesian factory way back in June 2015.The company had installed a complete line (as pilot experimentation) and it was touted as the future of sewing machines, capable of automatic real time data collection. Even after continuous probing with the technical heads, no further features attracted my attention. It was only in 2016 that Brother displayed S-7300A for the first time in India and the core feature of the machine portrayed was the digital feed system besides few other value features. At GTE ’17, Juki’s DDL-9000C, TYPICAL’sGC6930A, and Duma’s DM1969M were rubbing their shoulders with Brother’s S-7300A.
Digitalized vertically-and horizontallydriven feed mechanisms have easy adjustment of settings such as the feed locus only on the operation panel according to the material to be sewn. Four different feed locus can be selected, such as standard over feed (which every ordinary sewing machine provides), front rise feed, back rise feed and rectangular box feed.
What is digital feed and what value it can give to manufacturers? Typically any industrial sewing machine has one motor which drives its main shaft and which subsequently drives other parts of the sewing machine like needle bar, take up lever, feed dog and hook shaft. In digital feed machine, the feed dog movement is separated from the main drive anda distinct stepper motor independently drives the feed dog. Freeing up the feed dog movement from the needle movement offers tremendous possibilities which are asfollows: 1. Precise reverse feeding. 2.Design stitching. 3. Simultaneous condensed and backtack on the same seam.
Design stitching at collar and cuff
As the stepper motor control the feeding motion, it can achieve precise feed stroke, thereby enabling high quality back reverse sewing. While the stitch condensation and back tack with clever change of stitch length is done simultaneously on the same
Four different feed locus can be selected
seam, it generates a design stitch, which was possible by hand only before.Variety of looks can be created by micro millimetre length forward stitch combined with long length of reverse stitch. Further, thanks to the electronic feeding system,the mechanical adjustment is no more required. In fact, digitalized verticallyand horizontally-driven feed mechanisms have easy adjustment of settings such as the feed locus only on the operation panel according to the material to be sewn. Four different feed locus can be selected, such as standard over feed (which every ordinary sewing machine provides), front rise feed, back rise feed and rectangular boxfeed. Although these seemingly advantageous setting of different feed locus likely to solve feeding problems of different types of fabric material,there is lack of clarity about what feed type should be used in what situation? All the brands loosely talk about solving problems like puckering,feeding and ply slippage, etc., however clear guidelines and ready reference is required for
the manufacturers to use the feature effectively. Most surprisingly, none of the brand’s technical persons have a clear idea about what exact phenomena these different feed types are going to create and thus solve resulting problems. Juki leaflet mentions that the front rise feed is going to reduce uneven materialfeed, while back rise feed is going to prevent needle bending, a completely different problem rather than fabric feeding problem. It also specifies that the rectangular box feed is meant for sewing multilayered section, but it is not clear whether it is for crossover seams or not. Similarly it states that the feed dog does not protrude the top surface of throat plate when the sewing machine stops with its needle bar up, thereby facilitating placement/removal of the material on/from the top surface of throat plate and preventing the material from being damaged by the feed dog. These models by different brands also provide prevention of clogging stitch at crossover seams. The machine comeswith
Feed dog does not protrude the top surface of throat plate
automatic material thickness sensor (integrated with needle bar), which detects thechange of thickness while sewing, and accordingly lowers the presser foot and slows down the speed helping it to reduce the clogging of stitch at crossover seam and needle breakage. Another very important benefit arising out of digital feed is compensation stitch with half-length stitch mechanism. When sewing corner stitch with comparatively higher stitch length, sometimes there are requirements of lesser stitch length to align at the corner. The half-stitch mechanism will enable this to happen very easily with just the press of a button. Moreover, the reverse stitch button is also conveniently placed near the needle, which was earlier done with the reverser lever located at the right side ofthe machine head. One more seemingly useful feature highlighted by all brands is ultra-short thread trimming and prevention of bird’s nest problem. While the bird’s nest problem isan old one since the inception of UBT feature, the problems are addressed by multiple
Clogging stitch prevention at crossover seams
Juki and Brother offer transferring data on sewing machine adjustments made according to the product to be sewn to a commerciallyavailable Android tablet in contactless mode or over Wi-Fi. While Brother model is equipped with only two separate motors, Juki, TYPICAL and Duma are presumably working with three-motor technology. Neither the technical executives nor the brochure is clear about the separate functions of all three motors.
It is difficult to say which brand invented what feature as all brands are claiming patents for digital feeding as well as several new features like actuator switch, material thickness sensor, and ultra-short thread trimmer. Hopefully, the competition among brands will ultimately result in customer benefit.
Reverse stitch and half-stitch mechanism
Remnant thread after thread trimming is less than 3mm
improvements. Juki reasons out that the thread trimming is carried out while the feed dog is lowered.As a result the clearance provided between the throat plate and the material is eliminated, thereby stabilizing the length of thread remaining after thread trimming. Brother mentions that the double action thread trimming mechanism by two moving knives cut the thread right under the needle hole, resulting in ultrashort remaining thread atminimum 3mm. The other features bundled into the discussed models are new hook set enhancing sewing capability for a wide range of materials,needle
breakage prevention function, inbuilt LEDlight, active thread tension and USB port, although all the features are not available in all brands. Brother’s needle breakage prevention function prevents the needle breakage while stitching reverse with the help of patented actuator switch. The icing on the cake is definitely the IoT functions promised by all. While the Juki and Brother leaflet detail the IoT capability, TYPICAL and Duma do not mention any details. Juki and Brother offer transferring data on sewing machine adjustments made according to the product to be sewn to a commercially available Android tablet in contactless mode or over Wi-Fi. This enables quick check for uniform settings as well as confirmation of conditions of sewing machines in a sewing line, thereby facilitating setup changes. Amidst the flurry of developments displayed by the four brands, some of the basic technologies are yet to be cleared to know the real benefits that can be accrued. While Brother model is equipped with only two separatemotors, Juki, TYPICAL and Duma are presumably working with three-motor technology. Neither the technical executives nor the brochure is clear (while it isnot
clear as of now) about the separate functions of all three motors. It is assumed that one stepper motor control the feeding motion, the second stepper motor control thread trimming and presser foot lift and third stepper motor drives the main shaft controlling needle bar,take up lever and hook movement. Most interestingly, Duma also brought out submodels with needle feed mechanism while other three brands offer only drop feed mechanism. It also offers sub-models with thread catcher mechanism, once a mandatory feature in all UBT machines.
Conclusion The stepper motor-driven hook shaft in bar tack machine was displayed by Tice Technology almost two decades agoand Brother was the first commercial adopter of the sametechnology. However, the development was not a commercialsuccess. The current digital feed combined with multiple other
features may hold the key to commercial success ofdigital feed technology now. Even though the digital feed offers several value-added features related to productivity and quality, the realbenefit may be harnessed by its IoT (Internet of Things) capability. Brother experimented (will not call demonstrated,as it is still experimenting with features) the real time data collection from sewing machines to computer with its Wi-Fi features during GTE exhibition. Although data flow from sewing machine to computer is flawless, the data flow from computer to sewing machine is not yet established. The day is not far when one will be able to set the machine setting (like stitch length) in computer and the setting will be automatically transferred to all sewing machines seamlessly without any mechanic or operator intervention. This would be the real celebration of IoT in sewing machine…
EVENT
GTE 2017 UNFURLS AUTOMATION FOR FUTURE…
TE 2017 infused another round of hope and enthusiasm amidst the struggle of garment manufacturing in Asia. Garment manufacturers visit this yearly extravaganza to see technological innovations, evaluate requirements, plan expansion, find solutions for the existing problem and also to meet and gaze what others in the industry are doing. The GTE 2017 will be remembered for the numerous display of smart sewing solutions and integration of IoT. Although at nascent stage, the promise shown by IoT will be the buzzword for years to come. Surprisingly, the CNC cutters and ERP solution providers were absent from displaying. The Chinese sewing automation players definitely tried to prove a value proposition, however it is yet to be seen how manufacturers react as high value investments are still cornered by established brands.
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The event again proved the importance of manufacturing organizations from domestic clusters as increasing number of buyers were not only visiting but making purchasedecision during the fair. Among the throng of manufacturing companies, Team StitchWorld witnessed that expansion is the core that created the need for companies to visit GTE. Reasons for expansion varied from company to company, like some are having more demand from their existing buyers or adding new product category like Paramount Products, Delhi; India Today Fashions, Jaipur; BD Garments, Delhi; Kauten Kraft, Gurgaon.
Some companies were exploring the technology as they realize that technical upgradation is the need of the hour – Orient Craft, Gurgaon; SAPL Industries (Sonal Apparel), Mumbai; Choudhary Fashions, Jaipur; Radnik Exports, Gurgaon; Affordable Exports, Delhi; Shivalik Prints, Faridabad; CTA Apparels, Noida; Aakriti Creations, Gurgaon and East West Combine, Delhi, to name a few. Whereas, the big players in the market marked their presence at the event for further growth and exploit the unearthed opportunities for profit maximization. Usually, these events lack the participation of mid-level management as they are not considered to be the decision makers for the organization. But GTE 2017 broke all barriers of conventional scenario as juniors or floor level technical experts were exploring the latest technology to reduce the dependency on labour and to improve the quality further. Not only the mid-level management personnel, few HR managers as well as merchandisers also visited the event which clearly signifies that the manufacturing is not the only aspect of a factory that needs to upgrade. The fair saw visitors from emerging hubs, remote areas and big cities where garmenting is not strong but some of these manufacturers are trying to grow even in these areas at their own levels. Visitors from Surat, Ahmedabad, Aligarh, Indore, Ludhiana, Bhilwara, Bikaner, Amritsar, and Patiala also attended the fair.
REVIEW
GARMENT TECHNOLOGY EXPO 2017
R Selvan (second from left), Executive Director, Mehala Machines India Ltd. in discussion with visitors
Visitors having a glance at SIP Italy sewing machine at Magnum’s booth
Anil Anand (centre), MD, HCA in conversation with visitors
Sanjay Sharma (left), Country Head – Sales (India and Nepal), Groz-Beckert with Akshay Kapur (centre), Director, Radnik Exports and Rajesh Bihani (right), MD, RajeshInternational
Sunaina Khanna, Director, Methods Apparel Consultancy
Randeep Sahani (first from right), General Manager, Brother International and Akshay Sharma (second from right), CEO, Magnum Resources talking about IoT feature of Brother S-7300A to Virender Uppal, Ex-Chairman, AEPC (second from left)
Automatic belt looper machine demonstration by Vi.Be.Mac gains much attraction from visitors
IIGM booth notes high footfall
Nicola Messali (left), Sales Director, Morgan Tecnica and Prakhar (centre), Country Manager – India & Bangladesh, GA Morgan Dynamics Pvt. Ltd. with a team member
Manpreet Singh Walia (left), India Manager with Ronny Timauri (centre), Sales Director, INL International Technology and Winston Foo (right), General Manager, Twin Star Singapore Machinery
Neville Turel (left), Sales & Marketing Head with his father Viraf Turel, Managing Director, Turel Group
Tomohiro Ikeda, MD, Mimaki India Pvt. Ltd. proudly showcasing Tx300P-1800B textile printer
TYPICAL bringing the best insewing technology
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o stand apart from its Chinese counterparts,TYPICAL has always given special thrust to innovation, driven by skilled German workers and engineering techniques. Their R&D centre in Germany is bringing together the most innovative sewing solutions for a wide range of products. Currently, the manufacturing market is getting shifted from Southern China to
year itself. A candid discussion with Jinshan (Michael) Chen, General Manager,TYPICAL International Corporation at GTE ’17 gave a clear perspective about their strategy behind this expansion. Briefing us that this has been primarily done to increase the level of service to their customers, he stated,“We are into the Indian market for over a decade, our products are updated but our services are not. So we are trying to upgrade our services by getting the unmediated market information to better understand the needs of our customers.”To further this initiative, the company is also planning to set-up a warehouse in India for machines and spare parts to provide quick deliveries tocustomers.
Huang Rui (L), Assistant General Manager with Jinshan Chen, General Manager, TYPICAL International Corporation
ASEAN Countries and this shift is being led by apparel and textile industry. The major shift is in the mass manufacturing market, leaving Chinese market saturated to high-end products with low order quantities. To be pragmatic about this shift and make the best of the arising opportunities, TYPICAL has opened its regional offices in India, Bangladesh and Vietnam and is planning to establish an office in Myanmar aswell. Even in India, the company is undergoing steady business expansions with an office already at Bangalore and with plans to open another office at Delhi this
is equipped with Bluetooth to establish the connection between the phone app and the machine. Apart from accessing the machine settings on the app, these settings can be saved on the app and the same can be applied to other machines as well.This ‘electronic feed system’ saves machine set-up time and a desired quality standard can be maintained in different machines in the production line. The other essential features of this machine are the materialthickness measurement device – a sensor and a motor in the feeding system. According to the thickness of the material fed into the machine, the sensor sends input to the motor which in turn varies its speed,
Alex J. (L), Business Manager with Manoj Gupta, Country Marketing Head of TYPICAL International Corporation
Michael believes that India is a very potential market for the coming decade.India is growing as a society, the infrastructure is developing and the market is blooming. Hence, it is a perfect investment destination. At GTE ’17, TYPICAL unveiled its latest,‘The Smart Sewing Machine’ – GC6930A.The SNLS machine has a big smart touch screen panel which enables users to electronicallyadjust machine settings like the stitch length, thread tension and bobbin change sign.These machine settings can be accessed on a smartphone through a newly designed Android app which is available on the company’s website.The machine
mitigating the quality issues of skip stitches and puckering, producing impeccable stitches and seams of high quality.“The new motor feeding technique makes this machine capable of catering to products like suits, denims, shirts, trousers, work clothes, dresses, leisure clothing and high-end clothing and even knits,”said Alex J., Business Manager,TYPICAL International Corporation. The direct-drive motormachine is energy-efficient and runs at a maximum speed of 5000 rpm and the machine requires minimum oil lubrication.The sealed oil tank in GC6930A prevents the oil from
absorbing dust and thus increases the oillife. Also, Manoj Gupta, Country Marketing Head,TYPICAL International Corporation, shared his views on the current market trend, specifying that the performance of a product and the level of service which a company provides are the two most important keys for the survival of any company in this era of high competition and to meet these requirements, their company has stationed Chinese technicians at Bangalore office and istraining their workforce to provide better services. Unlike India, Bangladesh and Vietnam do not have big internal markets andtherefore, the companies are mainly exporting products to Europe and US. And to get business from these sophisticated buyers, the industry has to equip itself with sophisticated machineries of new age and this is what TYPICAL is seeking opportunity in, providing sophisticated new generation sewing solutions to the industry and world-class aftersaleservices. With a clear strategy in mind and offices in ASEAN Countries,TYPICAL is poised to capture a big chunk in the market share. To set its class apart from its competitors, the company is planning to provide technological solutions for the entire value stream i.e for designing, pattern making, cutting, finishing, inventory stores, etc. The trade between China and ASEAN countries isgrowing since past few years, so the company is expectingsome relaxations intrade norms from the government of India and Bangladesh which will help the apparel and textile industry in these two nations to evolve in a betterway.
STAGEERP fulfilling the needs ofapparel industry
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f all the methods or techniques used to improve efficiency in apparel manufacturing unit, improved communication makes a big impact. None other than an efficient ERP can cater to this need by integrating the organization by bringing in all the processes together on one single platform, ensuring quick deliveries, reduced cost, collaborative designing and quick fit approvals. Among an array of ERP solutions available in the market, only few stand out in fulfilling the needs of an apparel industry. One such name is STAGE ERP by Ecotech Software Private Limited that has
been serving the industry for more two decades with clientele base in India, Bangladesh and Indonesia. STAGE ERP has been implemented in all the major apparel factories such as Raymond, Future Group, Scotts Garments, Gokaldas Images, Kitex, Vardhman, Indian Terrain, Laguna, Cotton Blossom, Ghimli Singapore, Greenland Dhaka and Busana Remaja Indonesia. Not only the export houses, but also the domestic players are showing interest in the ERP systems available in the market. “Our software can integrate processes in textile set up as well as garment manufacturing set up,” averred C. Suresh, VP – Marketing, Ecotech Software. From business aspects like costing/budgeting, payroll, machine repair maintenance till the shipment of the product, STAGE integrates all the modules. The end-to-end solution can be also customized according to customer needs. If any specific customization is required, the company’s implementation team coordinates between the client and the development team. The company claims its implementation and training time to be the fastest compared to other competitors, i.e., 12-14 weeks. Ecotech’s implementation team helps their customers on-site to install, train and implement the solutions systematically. Furthermore, it is continuously improved with regular updates based on the feedback of the customers.
C. Suresh, VP – Marketing, Ecotech Software informs that STAGE ERP can integrate all the operations in different geographic through internet/intranet
“We have both options available, server-based and cloud-based as well. STAGE integrates the operations of its clients in different geographical locations through internet/intranet. This enables them to consolidate the company’s information across all sites and all departments and take concise MIS reports to assess the progress of each order and also take the right decisions,” concludesSuresh.
Eastman’s ES-660 consumes lessthan 1.6 kWpower
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The latest spreading machine here are only a handful of manufacturers left in the US by Eastman can handle weight who manufacture within the capacity up to 120 kg both in flat country and Eastman Machine fold and roll fabrics.In roll fabrics, Company, the manufacturer of it can handle diameter of up to cutting room solutions for the 50 cm.To consume less power, apparel and other sewn products the company has designed inbuilt industry, is one among the few control PLC and drive control catering to the industry for 135 system in the spreader. With a years.The company has proven its spreading height of 20 cm, ES-660 expertise time and again. can achieve themaximum spreading speed of Year after year,Eastman has brought totheir approximately 97 m/ Eastman customers the latest minute. has achieved spreading and In order to 150 installations cutting solutions. facilitate easy so far and claims This year’s GTE maintenance of was no different. the payback the spreading
period to be The highlight machine, 6 months. was the US-based electrical Eastman’s ES-660 configuration is not set up inside the – a multipurpose spreading machine for all machine, but separately types of fabrics such as woven, outside the machine with the LCD knit, denim, cotton and twill.“We touchscreen control panel. Such don’t want our customer to worry a setup will avoid heating in the about fabric type. We have inbuilt machine that damages the circuit attachment, i.e., extension mesh board, thus giving longer life to the and extension roller to spread machine. knit fabric,” shares Syed Hafeez, Eastman has achieved 150 Country Manager, Eastman CRA installations so far and claimsthe (Hong Kong). payback period to be 6 months.
Syed Hafeez, Country Manager, Eastman CRA (Hong Kong) showcasing ES-660 automatic spreading machine
“ES-660 saves fabric, space and manpower as well.Normally,if you want to spread 4000-5000 min an 8-hour shift, you would require minimum 2 tables of 18 metres each and minimum 5 operators (provided they are working with good efficiency). But with this one machine and one table, the operator can spread 4,000-5,000 metres of fabric in an 8-hour shift, assured with an average of 10-12 metres per minute,” explains Hafeez. The company is now focusing on training customer technicians as they should know about the weekly/monthly preventive maintenance.“Our motto to fully train customer technicians,” underlines Hafeez. The cutting room technology pioneer also has in its basket a wide range of automatic cutting machines and band knives. Eastman’s Raptor 75 multiply cutting system is an automated reciprocating straight knife cutter, with conveyor, capable of cutting up to 7.5 cm of compressed material. Equipped with features like Intellicut™ knife control, variable speed functions, reciprocating knife and knife chiller mechanisms, the aspect of real time diagnostics provides the cutter a definite edge. All the cutters are digitally controlled, issues such as wiring problems do not stop the cutter, and rather the cutting operator is alerted about the problem, while the cutter keeps working. The presence of rack and pinion, for movement of cutting head on both Y-axis and X-axis instead of teeth timing belt in Y-axis like in most of the other cutters, facilitates more precise and accurate control and grip of the cutter on the cutting head. One can make notches, drill holes and V-notches with the same cutter. The Raptor 75 is compatible with all the available CAD software solutions.
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utomation is trending in the apparel industry; be it in sewing room, cutting room or in material handling. The saddest and the most concerning fact is that Indian apparel manufacturers are still not receptive towards adopting new technologies. The major
company displayed its latest lockstitch, overlock and interlock machines, but the show stealer was the SNLS machine MAQI Q5. The modern German industry design of the machine MAQI Q5 is designed like the shape of a ‘Jaguar’, giving the machine a very appealing
MAQI Q5 consumes less than 1kWh electricity per day
Peter Ye, Director – Global Marketing Centre, Maqi states that the in-house motor saves 70 per cent more energy than conventional motors
groovy look, as if the machine factor behind this rigid mindset is in itself is speaking that ‘Iam price. That is why MAQI, a Chinese fast and I am strong’. The sewing machine manufacturer, in-house developed has not overlooked motor consumes price in their latest product. The electricity less MAQI Q5 is cost competent than 1kWh in designed like the company had one day. The shape of a ‘Jaguar’, forayed into company giving the machine a the Indian claims very appealing groovy market a few that this look, as if the machine years back new motor in itself is speaking and is currently saves 70 per that ‘I am fast and planning to cent more I am strong’. capture around energy than the 10 per cent of conventional motors. MAQI Q5 is introduced in the sewing machines market in India with their new the market for the first time and energy-efficient smart sewing currently it has not been installed machines. At GTE ’17,the in any factory.
The smart sewing machine has an in-house built control panel and control box with voice command option which the user can use to control the machine settings with a single touch voice navigation technology. The USB intelligent outlet in the control panel can be used to update the control system programs and can also supply power to charge other electronic devices. Additionally, the machine comes with an anti-bird nest stitch feature producing clear stitches. The machine is strong and heavy and has a super large operation space which makes it ergonomically viable to handle thick fabrics. Surging labour costs in China has paved the way for growth in ASEAN countriesin the next ten years. In order to grow with the Indian market, MAQI has also rolled up its sleeves... Speaking on its cost competency strategy, Peter Ye, Director – Global Marketing Centre, Zhejiang Maqi Sewing Machines Co. Ltd. shared, “MAQI is not looking for profits in Indian market, we are here for bigger net sales, a big market for our products. That is why we are not going for the in vogue IoT concept in our machines as it will increase the machine cost and right now the cost at which we are selling our products is reasonable and competitive enough for the market”. Since most of the machine parts are developed in-house, MAQI is providing a three-year warranty for its products, giving assurance to their customers of quality parts and a good performance. The company has a dealership network with Sunny Sales, Balaji Sewing Machines, Sleek Corporation and Selvam Engineering in India and aliaison office in Bangladesh to provide quality service and timely delivery to its customers.
Krishna Lamicoat providing low-cost ‘green’ packaging solutions
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ith over fourdecades of presence in the market, Krishna Lamicoat is known to provide flexible cutting room solutions for the garment industry. Talking about the current dynamics of the market and the need for sustainable products, Ashok Chhajer, Director, Krishna Lamicoat shared his desire to introduce new ‘recycled’ product range in the apparel industry. According to him, a team of researchers led by the experienced directors in handling light weight material made Krishna Lamicoat capable of introducing new sustainable products for apparel industry at low cost. The company uses both plastic and paperwaste from the apparel industry and the packaging industry and recycles it to make twomajor products: recycled papers andrecycled plastic films. The 100gsm paper,which
is normally used in cutting room, is recycled to make a 30gsm lightweight paper, with substantial cost reduction of 2540 per cent.The other product is garbage bags made of recycled plastic which are used to store and transport the cut parts and trims from one department to another in apparel industry. The key strategy of the company is to drive the Indian apparel industry towards low-cost recycled products as the cost and ROI of any product are the most essential and deterministic factors. Change is always met with resistance initially and the same is being experienced by Krishna Lamicoat fromthe Indian manufacturers who have still not warmed up the idea of recycled products. The company envisages a potential market for recycled products in the future and wants to capture the maximum market share in it. The company is planning to export recycled paper and printed plastic films to China. Commenting upon the same, Ashok shared,“We have avision for 2018 and it is to become the most preferred supplier for cutting room material in the world”. The company is currently expanding its capacity at Bangalore and Delhi units, to make the best of the future opportunities.
Ashok Chhajer (2nd from left), Director, Krishna Lamicoat with his team
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he ever-changing and evolving customers’demands are intriguing the apparel manufacturing industry to look for solutions to design and produce fashion products in the shortest possible lead time. 3D software technologies have emerged as facilitators of producing virtual
Tukatech providing complete package of 3D technology and cutting room solutions for the fashion industry
cutting solutions. The solutions have been developed by a team of over 300 engineers in 14 countries who specialize in handling every possible segment related to garments. The commitment of solving problems and streamlining operations with increased profit through advanced software and hardware solutions is what makes Tukatech different from others. Ram Sareen, Founder of Tukatech comments,“Just selling software and let users use them in the way they want, does not work,” adding,“We design customized solutions, provide complete consulting, implement engineering techniques all in our way to make things and technology up in the market to produce the measurable results.” He underlines that the company’s 3D and virtual solutions are profitable to a great extent,
Ram Sareen, Founder, Tukatech proudly shares that the company has tie-ups with international universities to ensure students use latest technology
samples eliminating the need of physical apparel sample that requires arduous efforts and time. Being one of the leading providers of fashion technology solutions for garment and apparel industry, Tukatech, presented its 2D and 3D design solutions as well as
especially for e-commerce clients, as these technologies completely eliminate the need of a warehouse concept. Among all array of cutting room solutions displayed, TUKAcad was the highlight. TUKAcad is a pattern design software that enables
manufacturers and designers to accurately develop and grade patterns for single style or entire lines in order to achieve zero tolerance in fit. Explaining the need of digital pattern making, Ram says,“Fit is the ultimate output and if the garment you are wearing doesn’t fit you, no matter which brand you are wearing, it’s of no use.” TUKAcut and SMARTmark are two other products of Tukatech which gained the interest of serious customers. TUKAcut is Automatic CNC Cutting Machine which has the capability of cutting up to 8cm compressed under a vacuum. It is equipped with on board computer with high capacity hard disk and monitor that can independently memorise the cutting graphics and can be directly connected to the CAD system network or the cut data/marker may be transferred via USB. On the other hand, SMARTmark is an advanced automatic marker making software which maximizes the placement of markers and utilizes every possible piece of fabric, generating enormous savings from 3 per cent to 15 per cent in fabric cost per marker. Ram was critical of the educational institutes’ reliance on paper patterns.“Tukatech is heavily involved in the education system to ensure that the institutions are teaching today’s technology. We have tie-up with many international universities. Thus, we make sure that after completing the studies, fashion students apply their knowledge to add values to their employers,” shares Ram. He also emphasized to impart formal education to aspiring professionals to learn the techniques and understand the processes. He was very emphatic that the future growth in retail will be driven by m-commerce.“In April, we will show our specifically developed software in this particular segment at Hong Kong Conference,” concludes Ram.
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BOS Laser, a g lobal laser
intelligent solution provider from China, is expanding its market presence and has of late started to aggressively participate at technology fairs. Seen in January for the first time at the Garmentech fair in Dhaka,
Bangladesh, the company was also present at the recently concluded GTE in New Delhi, India. The company has aligned with IIGM for penetration into the Indian market and is very positive of gaining acceptance. “We have a very vast range of technologies
Wide application of lasertechnology, the expertise of GBOS Laser
Collin Yang, Sales, GBOS Laser informs that company’s laser solutions are compatible with their in-house software as well other software
With 30,000 users in over 90 countries worldwide, the core promotional focus of the company is now on garment and label industry. GBOS offers laser machines for garment labels, denim jeans and footwear as well.
with wide application on a variety of materials that make us very versatile and easy to use,” said Collin Yang, Sales, GBOS Laser Inc. The company is also very upbeat of the association with IIGM that will add an edge to the efforts. “With the market reach and credibility that IIGM enjoys, it will make our job easily,” he adds. Catering to the needs of garment industry, GBOS offers laser machines for garment labels, denim jeans and footwear as well. The company offers a special
machine that can cut and engrave precisely, the technology is unique in that it can laser cut on a white shoe fabric without leaving a yellow mark. “The Indian industry has a strong local market in all the areas that we function in garments, footwear and labels, which gives us a huge market to tap,” averred Collin. With 30,000 users in over 90 countries worldwide, the core promotional focus of the company is now on garment and label industry. The company’s laser machines are equipped with CO 2 technology that do not burn the edge of the fabric. In order to be competitive with other laser technology cutting solutions providers in the market, GBOS uses different technology (always European laser generator or Chinese generator) for different materials. “We have expertise in this field. We have been in the market since 2004, that’s why we know how to utilize the laser in different areas for best results,” underscored Collin. The wide range of applications that GBOS offers is one of its biggest assets. GBOS offers different categories of laser solutions in its basket, incorporated with laser valve to regulate the laser beam. The logic is simple, fabric can be cut with lower laser power yet the laser beam still can be perfect, while metal material needs higher power. “We also have our own patent software. At the same time, we are also compatible with other formats like DXF, PLT and Images. Thus, it offers an advantage of compatibility with other software for our customers,” said Collin. The company also takes a survey among its customers asking them about their software and its user-friendliness and notes them in order to be more reliable and customer-centric. “That’s how we win customer confidence,” concluded Collin.
PFAFF Industrial, Siruba and Macpi.
our days of GTE ’17 and four days of technology, innovation, opportunities, demands, valueaddition and much more… Over the years, many technology providers have been displaying new technologies and innovation providing the industry withlabourand time-saving machines or solutions that would benefit the
receiving for the past months now. He states,“The trend is changing now. Customers are now more focused towards laboursaving. The ultimate way to achieve this is automation,otherwise, it would not be possible.” Similar views were expressed by Akshay Sharma, CEO, Magnum Resources, who shared,“Companies today need to increase the productivity, quality and reduced manpower, for which automation is the key.We too believe in automation.That’s why we have brought under our umbrella the global leaders in sewing, cutting and finishing technology,” adding, “Not only empowering export houses, we also want domestic players in the market to get adaptive to the new technologies and
Bharath, Director, Mehala Machine India avers the much attraction was gained by Orbito cut piece pick up system and Siruba elastic ring making machine
Akshay Sharma, CEO, Magnum Resources feels that automation is the need of the hour to increase productivity, quality and manpower reduction
Raghav Sharma, Director, IIGM shares his motto of providing excellent after-sales service and zero complaints
company with increased profit. Besides, another distinguished part of the GTE are the ‘complete solution providers’ that serve the industry in keeping pace withthe industry demands.
automation.That’s why we are also focusing on the potential domestic market.”
Improvement’ and ‘Mechanized Processes’ which lead the path for automation as discussed earlier, Magnum Resources now provides a complete range of machines used in apparel and home furnishing. Of course with the addedadvantage of being a part of one of the leading retail industries in India, it was seen displaying several interesting machines catering to the latest product categories in this growing technical textiles sector at GTE ’17. The three products which attracted the most attention this time at GTE were the SIP Italy range of special machines for denim jeans, Eastman automatic spreading machine andBrother 7300 DigiFlex Technology with IoT.The SIP Italy
Automation and customer satisfaction will open doors for growth…
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The garment manufacturing and exports industry has been going through a lean patch for a long time not only due to the slowdown in both the US and the EU,but also due to the changing customer needs towards travel, food and possession of electronic gadgets. And the latest to impact India was demonetization, according to Bharath, Director, Mehala Machine India. However, he is still positive of good orders in the current financial year due to the serious enquiries he has been
Mehala Machine India has made its own mark in the apparel industry because of its customized solutions adhering to customer requirements and after-sales support. With a strong focus on maintaining longterm relationship with the clients and generating active solutions on timely basis, the company has become quite adept at the changes happening in the industry and has moulded itself to the evolving needs of existing customers and new customers.With 17 offices and over 400 sub-dealers nationwide, Mehala is a distribution partner to companies like DuerkoppAdler,
The major highlight at the company’s booth at GTE was its in-house brand Orbito projectorbased cut piece pick up system. “It is a projector assisted pick up system of cut parts, so that there is no mixing up of parts and mistakes can be avoided,”avers Bharath. Another attraction was Siruba elastic ring making machine. Even manufacturers like Magnum Resources Pvt.Ltd.have shown the potential to keep pace with the latest requirements of the Indian apparel industry with an array of machines from Eastman, Brother, SIP Italy, Sakho,Martin Group, Pegasus and Zoje. Working on the phenomenon of‘Continuous
range of machines use Brother heads which are specially designed and assembled in Japan and Italy. The Eastman ES-660 spreader can handle different type of fabrics with power consumption at less than 1.6 kW which shows its emphasis on sustainability. Brotherdemonstrated the IoT concept in Brother 7300 with high-tech progression at the back of its mind and this will be introduced in the market after six months. Synchronized with Wi-Fi, it will enable to track real time production data even in remote locations. This proves that quality, accuracy and precision are of prime importance to this company apart from saving ofresources. Among the few technology suppliers who had a comprehensive range of technology to offer, IIGM was one of the most sought after stalls at the GTE Delhi fair.IIGM can also be counted among the handful of professionally run solution providers with 35 years old history of serving the apparel manufacturing industry in India with new and evolving technology. Representing companies like Juki, GSD, Eton, Jack, Yamato, to name a few, IIGM, with its core philosophy of ‘customer satisfaction’,has 15 offices across the country employing over 500 professionals who work diligently to satisfy its clients base. Raghav Sharma, Director, IIGM says,“Excellent aftersales service and zero complaints are our motto. IIGM has always been strong in customer service and our target is to take customer relationship to the next level.” IIGM has warehouses all over India to facilitate a quick customer service when needed. The company showcased a complete range of solutions catering to all segments such as apparel, leather and denim at the fair.“With many small clusters mushrooming up in India like North-East,Jharkhand, Orissa,we see a number of opportunities coming through in the future. And we are gearing up for the same,” concludes Raghav.
H&H Asia Group rendering the needfor seamless garments
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uring the past decade,there has been some evolutionary changes taking place in the apparel making process connected to technological innovations… Seamless garments is one such evolution andH&H Asia Group Ltd., Hong Kong is bringing such innovations to the market with its bonding and welding
embrace as products made up of these are still very specialized but if perfected, the results are strikingly different, both aesthetically and functionally.” Some typical products such as lingerie need precision and a considerable amount of finishing, which propel the need for comfort and finish technology, and thus bonding and welding operation standssuperior to manual sewingtechniques. Expressing the need for such operations, Anshuman underlines that sportswear and lingerie nowadays are hard to be manufactured with smooth seam applications. Smooth seam constructions are also an impediment in acquiring the desired quality marking the need of seamless apparels asobvious. “Diversification into products with high added value and smooth seam finish are the two major and longterm outcomes of bonding and welding operations,” comments Anshuman.
Anshuman Dash, Marketing Director, H&H avers that smooth seam construction in sportswear can only be achieved by welding and bonding
machines. Anshuman Dash, Marketing Director of H&H, elaborates,“The urge to manufacture innovative garments is driving the apparel industry towards evaluating the available alternative technologies to identify the applicability and adaptability in order to replace the traditional sewing techniques with bonding and welding operations.” Though there has not been enough push from the buyers to incorporate these operations but there are instances of manufacturers investing heavily in such developments which implies that the industry is becoming mature to adopt the garments made up of bonding operations. Anshuman explains,“Though bonding and weldingoperations are not easy to
The other product which have huge potential are the labels and decorative applications.Brands can buy the special adhesives which can enormously be helpful in saving time, increasing the design implementation capabilities towards functional requirements as well as the aesthetic look with cleanfinish. India, being a large consumer of sportswear and intimate apparels, has lots of scope for seamless apparels but the market is still unsaturated here.“We have come in the vibrant Indian market with a clear strategy of grabbing the opportunities as we have complete solutions for aesthetic values, comfort level and technical requirements. And, we sense the market here is opening up to innovative solutions for manufacturing of lingerie, shoes, jackets and suits, sportswear,smart casuals and outerwear,” feels Anshuman. The company’s products are now being sold in association with Juki, which opened up the market worldwide forH&H.
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n a highly competitive garment manufacturing industry, where global consumers on one hand are raising the bar in terms of expectations and on the other reducing their spending on garments, it has become critical for players in the industry to up-scale their operations to stay relevant. One area,which is seeing challenges and upgrading to ‘GREEN’WASHING IS THE FUTURE…
Xcel Stiro joins IIGM to increase market reach
Supporting garment manufacturers to provide an innovative edge to their products and offer aesthetically improved garments to the market, pioneer and leader in garment finishing machines, laundry equipment and drycleaning equipment, Xcel Stiro is investing heavily in R&D.“In the longer run, quality of the garment is what a customer is concerned about. We have come up with a highly advanced and innovative set of machines which would require the least maintenance while delivering maximum output,” claims Deepak. With the increasing awareness and concern for environmental issues, large amounts of
Deepak Chawla, Director, Xcel Stiro Pvt. Ltd. displaying XST 30 softner washing machine
support garment manufacturers, is the finishing section of RMG factory.“Just making a garment is not enough to survive in the market today and until the stitched garments have undergone some value-addition processes such as finishing and washing, it is a basic product which can besourced from anywhere. World-class processing techniques provide good appearance, desired feel andimpart certain properties in the garments, making them desirable for buyers,” says Deepak Chawla, Director, Xcel Stiro Pvt. Ltd.
effluents produced and high consumption of water and energy in wet processes are not considered as environment-friendly.“Continued intervention of buyers to adopt ‘sustainable’ practices have increased the thrust on becoming more sustainable. Everyone is looking for high efficiency, less water consumption, fewer chemicals usage and higher output. We provide these all characteristics in our machines with up to 90 per cent of water saving,” saysDeepak.
Keeping sustainability as a guideline, the company showcased its range of sustainable laundry solutions with two new machines – XL 15 (Washer Extractor Dryer) and XST 30 (a softner washer with dryer). XL 15 incorporates the complete process ofwashing, including drying in one machine having a capacity ofwashing 15 kgs of garments. This results in tremendous saving in space, labour and time, making washing area free from flowing water and soap residuals as the garment goes in dry and comes out dry. It is thermally insulated with blanket wool to prevent heat loss and maintains a uniform temperature. The other offering of the company, XST 30 softner washing machine with dryer is made from Italian technology. The garments in this machine are softened and driedfor ultra-soft feel using optimumwater and softening agent. The machine also provides sustainable solutions as it uses just 3 litres of water for washing 30 kgs of garments reducing the use of chemicals. Aluminium casted blower is the major advancement in the machine which prevents accumulation of lint and maintains uniform suction throughout the washing process. Upbeat of the increased acceptance for its indigenously manufactured machines, Xcel Stiro that currently runs two factories, is now planning to set-up another factory to supply the increasing demand.“Besides garment exporters, even domestic garment manufacturers are using a lot of advanced andquality machines in order to achieve sustainable growth. This is pushing us to come up with more options and we are focused on offering our services on a lesser cost,”concludes Deepak. To achieve better market penetration, Xcel Stiro has joined hands with IIGM which has 15 marketing offices in India and is very optimistic about the results this association will give to both companies.
NIFT encouraging entrepreneurship among itsstudents…
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t was the first instance for a student to convert its graduation project to a prototype andmake it commercially available at a trade platform. The journey from a student to an entrepreneur was facilitated by NIFT that provided the necessary industry and market exposure and guidance through the journey of a ‘striking idea’ to an actual ‘prototype’. NIFT came forward for the first time at GTE ’17 platform to provide their alumnicum-entrepreneurs motivation and exposure. Team StitchWorld brings to our readers an exclusive interaction with Krishna Kant, Founder, Minflator sharing his story of NIFT’s role in his entrepreneurship. “When I was doing my NIFT summer internship, I observed that poly bags are kept over the table in the packaging section of the factory. That’s when I realized that most of the factories pack the garments manually and this bright idea suddenly struck my mind about why don’t I automate the packaging process. And I came up with the idea of Minflator, a poly packaging machine,” shares Krishna.
Minflator is a compact garment poly packaging system having a slant shape for easy insertion of the finished garment pieces into the polybag and its easy release. The machine is capable of packing up to 350 garments per hour. Krishna Kant, Founder, Minflator shares that his dream would not have been possible without the motivation and guidance of Prabir Jana and Deepak Panghal, Professors, NIFT Delhi.
Krishna Kant (L), Founder with Aamil Hussain, Co-Founder of Minflator
With a bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering, Krishna overwhelmingly shares that his dream of automation in packaging section would not have been possible without the motivation and guidance of Prabir Jana and Deepak Panghal, Professors, NIFT Delhi. “After realizing the need of automation in the packaging section of the factory, I took up the same idea as my graduation project,” avers Krishna. The journey of this idea to a working prototype was challenging. “The prototype failed at many stages, but I didn’t give up and I was ultimately successful in making a prototype,” further adding, “Prabir Jana sir and Deepak Panghal sir gave me industry contacts and their valuable suggestions whenever I got stuck.” Minflator is a compact garment poly packaging system having a slant shape for easy insertion of the finished garment pieces into the polybag and its easy release. The machine is capable of packing up to 350 garments per hour. Already having an advantage of using no electricity at all, the machine has a pneumatic compressed air flow that inflates the loaded polybags so that operator can easily insert the folded garment into the poly bag. The pressure of the air can be adjusted as per the requirements of the operator. It is designed in a way that only the top polybag from the stack is inflated. Commenting upon the need of automation in packaging section, Krishna says, “Everyone is now looking towards upgradation and automation. We are facilitating less dependence on labour with this durable machine that requires no maintenance and skills. It is an operator-friendly system that absolutely requires no training.”
TOP-LIST
1 0 P O P U L AR ERP S O L U T I O N PROVIDERS A number of apparel factories still rely on manual daily production or hourly production reports, making the management of information a daunting task.Combining information technology with conventional manufacturing system helps in keeping track of all the merchandising and shop floor operations, like costing, material planning, production planning, inventory management, etc. In a digitally connected environment, ERP is the efficient solution to streamline operations,increase transparency,reduce reliance on manual,and ensure timely execution of operations.TeamStitchWorld presents10 popular ERP solutions that have their presence in apparel manufacturing.
machine repairs & maintenance; retail – retail orders, point of sale, returns; and processing – knitting, weaving, dyeing and embroidery.
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World Fashion Exchange (India)
Matrix Clothing, Modelama Exports, Triburg, ASMARA, Gokaldas Exports Ltd., and Brandix are some of the names that use WFX ERP. 2
Ecotech Software Pvt. Ltd. (India) STAGE ERP, an exclusive solution especially designed for the apparel and textile industry, integrates various modules in a factory like business – costing & budgeting, accounts & finance, T&A; production – production planning, barcoding, production tracking,
Royal Datamatics (India) A solution by Royal Datamatics, APPS™ - Manufacturing is a full-fledged ERP application that covers all the activities that take place in an apparel manufacturing setup from merchandising, procurement, inventory management, production planning & control, bundle ticketing to financial accounting, HR & Payroll, and invoicing and shipping.
Ecotech is serving all the major players like Raymond, Future Group, Scotts Garments, Gokaldas Images, Kitex, Vardhman, Indian Terrain, Laguna, Cotton Blossom, Ghim Li Singapore, Greenland Dhaka, Busana Remaja Indonesia.
WFX apparel manufacturing ERP software enables users to access WFX fashion ERP software securely from anywhere. With the Cloud, the user can get the latest releases and upgrades of the application automatically included in the subscription. State-of-theart physical and digital internet security assures complete protection of the data; add unlimited users, departments, offices, buyers and suppliers at any time.
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Datatex (India) NOW ERP by Datatex is the ultimate solution for the apparel industry, brands, private labels, from fibre or yarn to garments or cut and sew only. The ERP manages product development, merchandising, purchasing flow, production planning, inventory, shopfloor management and scheduling. The company’s vertical ERP solution is based on the latest web-based technology and provides its local support in 5 continents. The web-solution is based and managed in the cloud. Infinite Computer Solution is the company's agent in India. Datatex ERP has been incorporated in Maral Overseas, RSWM, Vardhman Textiles and Beximco Textile.
Apart from apparel, made-ups, textile, leather manufacturing are the other sectors that APPS serve. Afflatus International, Sahu Exports, Paragon Apparel, Pee Empro, Strange Exports are a few names that have APPS operating in their factories. 5
Axind Software Pvt. Ltd. (India) ChainReaction® PLM+ is designed by Axind Software Pvt. Ltd. for companies to spend more time in designing fast selling products and less time in managing people and processes. It allows creation and
sharing of style catalogues and specifications, management of orders and shipments, record approvals and tests, creation of costing sheets in multiple currencies, management of sampling and production orders, management of vendor information and compliances and tracking of shipments.
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Xcendant (Sri Lanka)
Jeevan Infotech (India)
TOPS (Total Order Processing System) provided by Xcendant, formerly known as Excelsoft Technologies, is a comprehensive apparel manufacturing specific ERP, which provides a total end-toend solution encompassing the total business process from inquiry cost sheets to the final shipping documentation. This integrated package provides 100% transparency throughout the organization allowing real time capturing of data.
Arvind Lifestyle, Benetton, Super Group, Jockey, La Senza are some of the customers of Chain Reaction. 6
Axon Infosoft India Pvt. Ltd. (India) Used as a vital management tool in the manufacturing units of apparel, Apparel + by Axon Infosoft automates the entire operation of the garment manufacturing process with seamless integration at all levels and is also web-enabled. The solution has a unique MIS query which is totally web-enabled with drilled down facility. This backtracking feature helps the top management to monitor the activities happening in the organization over the web. Automatic alarming and messaging on enquiry follow-ups, order summary, cost deviations, schedule with Time and Action calendar deviations, reminders on approval deadlines, quality definitions and control, payables and receivables alerts, Bill pass pending list, etc., are some of the unique features integrated into the software. It also supports digitization of the documents, International EDI and bar coding integration at all levels. The solution is used in Cotton Crafts, Best International, Enrich Exports, Golden Fashions and more.
FIT ERP is developed by Jeevan Infotech and its price affordability makes it an attractive solution. The solution provides a complete view of business information with real time data. Easy to use, it helps its customers make quick decisions and can be easily scaled to the size of business. The multilingual capability enables users to launch the application in a language of their choice in quick time. Eastman Exports, Star Denim, AG Fashion, RBR Garments and many other big players in garment sector have integrated their systems with FIT ERP.
This software has been implemented at Quantum Clothing in India. 8
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CSL Software Resources Ltd. (Bangladesh)
Exilant Technologies (India)
CSL Software Resources developed Kandaree which is an integrated solution that covers the entire process of an apparel manufacturing unit. From price quotation to actual shipment and export proceeds realization, Kandaree manages all the business processes of a company. It is an integrated solution which means that data entered from one department of the company are shared with everyone in the company. In fact no data is allowed to be entered twice in the system. Kandaree collects data from the actual business process execution and not through any data entry operation. This provides authenticity of the data as well as internal process control at the operational point of the process. Kandaree also covers different sub-verticals within the wider garment sector.
Designed by Exilant Technologies, Seamless ERP helps garment manufacturers align with the competitive market requirements by achieving cutting edge automation. Seamless suite gives real time visibility into the cost of execution, better operational control, quality improvement, timely execution and shipment tracking. Combined with the planning tool Razorplan, it covers the complete spectrum of apparel operations. Vigosa Exports, Texport Garments, Mandhana Industries are some of the organizations who have installed this ERP System.