Technology and Management in Sewn Product Industry

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www.apparelresources.com APRIL 2016 StitchWorld 5

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StitchWorldTechnology and Management in Sewn Product Industry

VOL. XIV • ISSUE 2www.apparelresources.com

Flavio Cattini (R), Founder & MD, FK Group with Sergio Gori, Commercial Managing Director and Co-owner, FK Group

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Syed Hafeez (extreme left), Country Manager, Eastman CRA (Hong Kong) explaining the nuances of the CT-3 spreading and cutting tables to Animesh Saxena (extreme right), CEO, Neetee Clothing

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David Zhang (L), Sales Manager, Bella Sewing Machine with Viraf Turel, Managing Director, Turel Group

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NewsTrack10 SRI LANKA: AISEX 2016 TO HELP MEET

APPAREL EXPORT TARGET OF US $ 10 BILLION BY 2025

TechInterview26 “WE ARE ALREADY IN THE FUTURE”

– FLAVIO CATTINI, FOUNDER & MD, FK GROUP

TechEvent28 GARMENT TECHNOLOGY EXPO 2016:

UNFURLING NEW AND VIVID DIRECTIONS

32 GLIMPSES FROM GTE 2016…

TechTease52 TECHTEASE – VII:

MEASUREMENT TOOLS

TechByte8 WHAT PERCENTAGE OF YOUR TOTAL

MACHINES USE WORKAIDS AND ATTACHMENTS ?

TechTalk14 ARE WE NEGLECTING TECHNOLOGY?

EXPERTS SPEAK…

22 REFLEXIVE PRODUCTION SYSTEM: USE OF KANBAN

Editor-in-Chief DEEPAK MOHINDRA

Technical Editors PAUL COLLYER (UK)

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Sr. Technical Correspondent ANCHAL RAI

Technical Correspondent SOHAM MALIK

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E D I T O R I A L

I have been saying time and again for a long time now that the technology providers need to come forward to support small and medium manufacturers to make them more productive and efficient, just like they did for the garment exporters in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

There is no better platform to understand it better than at garment technology fairs happening around India. And true to expectations, the recently concluded GTE was visited mostly by the small manufacturers, not only from Delhi and around, but also from faraway places like Indore, Meerut, Varanasi, Jaipur, Kolkata and even from small centres in the south of India.

The fact remains that India has just 200 top garment manufacturing companies that account for around 70% of the exports from this country and only 20 domestic manufacturers worth mentioning in the domestic arena, and these elite companies are already in the radar of the technology providers, who service them well.

I am not saying that they should not lure the top-end companies; all that I am driving at is that these top-bracket companies don’t need to be at local fairs. They sponsor their trips to international fairs to show them their latest machines. This time around 120 companies have got sponsorship from their Japanese principals for JIAM.

The fairs in India are relevant for the smaller companies or job-workers who want to grow but fail because, for one, they do not have enough managerial skills to grow; and secondly, lack technical support. In both these cases, I think the technology suppliers can play a major role and ignite the second phase of development in the Indian garment manufacturing industry!

Another strong belief that I have is that today, digitisation, more than automation, is the need of the industry that has put basic technology in place… To justify automation, one needs to have the right volumes to get a decent ROI. I am sure the technology suppliers will have many more reasons to make you go for automation, but for me it is primarily about saving on labour and achieving certain quality, which with all due respect is also achievable by a good and trained operator. Of course, since the labour is quite cheap, letting go off a few of them will not make a substantial impact on the cost.

Now, digitisation of the organisation is altogether a different matter… It helps increase quick delivery, offers better price to the customer through better managed business, and helps achieve higher productivity and efficiency. Although everyone agrees that digitisation is important, but a mistake most companies that are getting into digitisation commit while imbibing the IT technology, is investing in creating a strong front-end which impresses all, but fails to deliver. What is required is an equally strong back-end interface to support the front-end.

All international companies have now allocated huge budgets to make the entire company go digital and these budgets are divided smartly over the entire chain from front-end to the back-end for optimal results… The right synchronisation of people and solutions is the answer to take the company towards a path of growth. You may get an order directly in your ERP system with a copy to all departments. But how well it is understood by the people responsible and how efficiently, regularly and diligently they pick up the required directions to execute the style, is entirely a different matter. The smooth and effective translation of communication and quick action on the same is what makes an organisation and defines the success of a digital initiative.

Achieving excellence in the manufacturing of a product is one thing, but ensuring that systems are in place to guarantee that the deliveries are on time and pre-production goes as per schedule, is another thing all together.

Read and comment on my blog at

http://stitchworldmagazine.blogspot.com

Deepak MohindraEditor-in-Chief

8 StitchWorld APRIL 2016 www.apparelresources.com

Workaids and attachments are low-cost deskilling devices for a sewing operation. What percentage of your total machines use these devices? Do you feel you are using workaids and attachments in maximum possible scenarios? Are there operations where you feel/think/know that using an attachment may help improve productivity and result in consistent quality, but yet not using it, and why?

Do you think that the attachments are fairly priced, are of good quality and give value for money? How do you choose the right attachment for an operation – from catalogue/IE/machine mechanic/in-house technical staff? Does attachment supplier help you in selecting the right attachment? Have you faced any problem in not finding the attachment of required specification in the market? Do you have engineering workshop facility in-house to fabricate attachments (folders/binders/hemmers, etc.)?

TECH BYTES

We are manufacturing workwear and 25 per cent of the sewing workstations on our shop floor are equipped with workaids and attachments. The product category we are working on has requirements which are more than the usual garments. Matters turn tricky due to peculiar construction also; for example, if the belt loop is to be inserted in the waistband; particularities such as these restrict the opportunities for using wokaids and attachments. Then, there are other factors such as ‘prohibitive costs’ of these tools... Consider a pocket attach operation, for which we are using an automated workstation. However, the style changeover rate is high, and so is the mould’s/template’s cost as it is to be bought from the machinery supplier and cannot be made locally. Even the time required for procurement is close to a month. For the attachments made and procured locally, the cost is not high. Most of the times one can even get away with attachments as cheap as BDT 20-25 (equivalent to 30 cents). The quality is not outstanding, but it lasts for the production run. Yet, we are looking at deploying more workaids.

The onus of selecting appropriate workaids and attachments lies with the technical and industrial engineering teams. While right now, we have a network of local manufacturers and suppliers in Dhaka, eventually we will be bringing the facilities for building workaids and attachments in-house to control costs.

AJAY AGAL CEO, Basic Apparels, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Workaids and attachments are now treated as an integral part of machinery as it guarantees reduced SMV, on even the smallest operations and process standardisation. Unsurprisingly, this prompts us to maximize the use. Still, there continues to be immense scope for improvement as awareness for various aids

is not known by all in an organization. Also, the best practices are not shared among the industry as it allows increased cost competition.

SUMIT SAHNI Factory Manager, Orient Fashions, Gurgaon, India

The percentage of machines using workaids and attachments depends upon the style being manufactured. Currently we are making use of attachments and workaids on 70 per cent of machines in a line, wherein the attachments have been used in around 25 per cent of machines and the balance 45 per cent machines use workaids and guides. It can be said quite certainly that we are using workaids and attachments in maximum possible operations.

There are many operations where we know using the attachments will help but many buyers do not agree on certain products we offer. Other than that, there are scenarios, where we are working on pregnancy and post-pregnancy products which require additional stitches for safety issues. These requirements cannot be accommodated in a workaid or attachment. Then, sometimes, the fabric being used (like chiffons, georgettes, and high quality crepes) is such that we do not make use of folders even on the binding areas as it can cause seam slippage issues during usage. When it comes to the price, not all attachments are fairly priced. The folders and attachments which are used commonly cost us less. But attachments like spaghetti are custom-made many a times and thus cost us dearer. For making the right technical choices, we have an R&D Department and a folder-making workshop which help control the company’s overhead costs as the folder costs us cheaper by 75 per cent than the ones available in market. Right attachments are chosen based on

Tech Byte


the experiences of R&D and technical/production teams which includes parameters like fabric type and its GSM or counts, machine’s limitation in operations such as needle gauge, etc. Many a times, there are folders that cannot be fabricated and the attachment suppliers help us select the right attachment. These have to be bought, of course, after paying a high value. There have been occasions when we have faced problems while procuring attachments, although they have been featured in the supplier’s manual. This happens when either it is ‘out of stock’ or is ‘out of production’. In situations like these, our in-house folder workshop is quite useful. When all else fail, we go for the local fabricators.

MANJUNATH. P R&D & Technical Head – Woven/Knit, Go Go International,

Bangalore, India

In current scenario of apparel manufacturing, close to 85 per cent of machines are affixed with workaids and attachments. At the same time, I feel that there are many operations that can utilize these deskilling devices to reach maximum output with consistent quality. There may be numerous reasons behind this but mostly it is due to lack of technical and industrial knowledge. Sometimes, the attachments and workaids are not necessarily fairly priced as it follows the law of supply and demand. To elaborate, the attachments are priced extremely high in price in some cases due to its high demand even though it is ‘actually’ low in value. The right attachment for an operation is chosen on the basis of technical know-how of the industrial engineering team. Sometimes, even the attachment suppliers are extremely resourceful when it comes to recommending attachments, once the requirement has been explained properly. A lot of good companies have their own R&D Department for the very purpose of developing attachments and workaids. This helps build efficiency by catering to all the requirements in a customized way and thus bring in more efficiency than an attachment mass produced by a supplier.

NUWAN DIYAWE Technical & Systems Director, Indochine Group,

Hangzhou, China

Approximately 30 per cent of sewing machines are with attachments. For choosing the right attachment we rely on our in-house technical teams and suppliers. We have an attachment development workshop as it has become a necessity to fulfil the requirements of production floor. Costing-wise, having an in-house workshop does turn out to be cheaper than buying from outside. Moreover, it ensures an instant solution – made as per convenience in the shortest of lead times.

HARISH TYAGI DGM, Banswara Garments, Daman & Diu, India

Tech Byte

Write your comments to us by 20th APRIL 2016 at: [email protected] or post your views online through our website: www.apparelresources.com

TechByte StitchWorld MAY 2016 Question

Labour productivity of Indian apparel manufacturing industry is very low when compared with other countries even for commodity products. The reasons can be technology, methods, motivation, wastage of time (discipline, punctuality). What do you think are the reasons in order of priority?


The EU registered negative growth in quantities of (-) 4.80%, even as values of imports increased substantially by 10.24% during January to October 2015. The average UVR of imported apparel was Euro 18.18 (per kg of fabric equivalent) during the period.

TRADE STATISTICS

Indian apparel exports to the EU during the period January to October 2015 registered a growth of 10.73% in values, while the increase in quantities was just 0.19%. The average UVR during the period was Euro 20.85 (per kg of fabric equivalent).

Cotton-based apparel imports to the US witnessed only 1.32% growth in quantity terms, but declined (-) 2.53% in value terms in January 2016. MMF-based apparel on the other hand registered 10.62% increase in quantities and 5.61% gains in value terms during the same period.

In January 2016, while the US registered 5.65% growth in value and 13.33% gains in quantity in the import of ladies dresses, India registered an increase of 12.44% in terms of value, but saw decline in volumes by (-) 2.34%.

Indonesia: Sritex to set up facility in Cambodia

Sri Lanka: AISEX 2016 to help meet apparel export target of US $ 10 billion by 2025

Indonesia-based apparel manufacturer, Sri Rejeki

Isman, popularly known as Sritex, has recently signed a US $ 50 million-deal with Cambodia’s Interior Ministry to set up a garment manufacturing unit in Cambodia in order to supply uniforms for Cambodia’s police and armed forces.

According to a statement issued by the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry, the joint venture between the Cambodian Government and Sritex will be called ‘Sritex Cambodia’. The new apparel manufacturing unit will be set up in Kandal province of Cambodia by the end of

Apparel Industry Suppliers Exhibition (AISEX) 2016,

the largest apparel machinery exhibition in Sri Lanka, is slated to take place from June 10-12, 2016 in Colombo, as mentioned on the organiser’s website.

The exhibition will be organized by the Lanka Exhibition & Conference Services (Pvt.) Ltd. together with the Sri Lanka Apparel Institute (SLAI), and supported by Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF). The event aims to bring textile machinery suppliers and service organizations from across the world under one roof.

this year, and would employ around 400 people. The apparel manufacturer has also promised to supply uniforms to the Cambodian police and armed forces from its Indonesian factories till the time the new plant comes up.

Besides this, Sritex has plans to expand its reach in the world market by entering countries like Spain, France, Hong Kong, and Peru this year. The company, which was founded in 1966, is one of the biggest Southeast Asian vertically integrated apparel company. It became a Public Listed Company in 2013 after acquiring PT Sinar Pantja Djaja, Indonesia.

Sri Lankan apparel industry is growing at a very good pace and is on a move to scale up its global presence with an ambitious export target of US $ 10 billion by 2025. The exhibition is expected to be fruitful in this context as it will generate new business opportunities closer to home, enabling local brands to target South Asian markets, like India.

AISEX intends to further push the manufacturers to go for technological innovations in the apparel industry by providing a platform to explore and bring home complete solutions necessary to move ahead in the global market.

The new apparel manufacturing unit will be set up in Kandal province of Cambodia by the end of this year, and would employ around 400 people

AISEX 2016 will provide a bubbling opportunity to further push the Sri Lankan apparel manufacturers to go for technological innovations

News Track

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News Track

India: Cheer Sagar bags National Productivity & Innovation Award

Jaipur-based garment export

house Cheer Sagar was recently felicitated with the National Productivity & Innovation Award in the Textile and Garment Sector for the year 2014-15. The award, presented by Union Minister of MSME Kalraj Mishra, was received by Arnav Poddar and Tanushree Poddar on behalf of Cheer Sagar.

The exporter has previously won the same award for the year 2013-14 as well – which signifies its commitment to excellence in manufacturing. Till now, Cheer Sagar has received several awards in various categories. The company is now planning on further investing in training and skill development as well as purchasing machinery and equipment.

It is averred that an amount of around US $ 15 billion will be needed to oversee the hurdles in Vietnam's textile and dyeing industry

Vietnam: Addressing textile, dyeing material hurdles crucial to benefit from TPP

USA: Tukatech launches ‘Career Connection’ for production & supervisory personnel

remaining US $ 13.5 billion in the country, it spent US $ 6 billion to pay salaries and over US $ 7 billion for domestic raw materials. Thus, Vietnam needs to overcome the problem of input raw materials. It is averred that an amount of around US $ 15 billion will be needed for the country’s textile and dyeing industry.

In this regard, Le Tien Truong, General Director of the Vietnam Textile and Garment Group (Vinatex) said, “This figure is really a challenge for local businesses. So when the market opens, the

fashion institutes have prepared thousands of graduates to enter the apparel industry with knowledge of the TUKAcad Suite and TUKA3D.” The resource pool is further enriched with hundreds of experienced freelance workers, equipped with their own Tukatech software license.

With a deep resource pool, Tukatech will be catering to

While Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)

has certainly set the stage for exponential gains in Vietnam’s apparel and textile trade, challenges loom large when it comes to the country’s competitiveness in the global market. Proactively enough, Vietnam is looking at the challenges faced by its textile and garment industry as well as mulling over measures to overcome shortages of raw materials.

According to trade data released by Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam has maintained a growth rate of over 10 per cent, while with its accelerating productivity, its garment industry has come to be included among the world’s top three garment makers. However, to get this far, Vietnam also experienced many challenges and barriers relating to materials. In 2015, Vietnam exported US $ 27.5 billion of garment-textile products, but it had to spend US $ 14 billion to import raw materials. Of the

press release, “Over the past 20 years our specialists and engineers have trained over 30,000 operators to work on various Tukatech systems in numerous positions; from pattern engineers, fabric print designers, 3D virtual fashion designers, and fabric planners, to cutting room managers and supervisors. In addition, 500

Tukatech has launched ‘Career Connection’

section on its web portal. The Tukatech Career Connection serves as a platform for trained and experienced individuals to find a workplace where their Tukatech skills can be of use. Elaborating on the resource pool developed by it, the company shared in a

arrival of foreign investors is unavoidable. So, to ensure healthy competition, the state needs to manage the market properly, with strict legal institutions in both technology and environmental protection.”

Truong added that it is extremely difficult for small and medium enterprises to invest in the textile and dyeing industry as businesses need only around US $ 3,000 to invest in a position of garment worker (people and technology) but up to US $ 200,000 for a fibre or dye worker in Vietnam.

apparel industry-specific requirements of production and supervisory personnel. “Business professionals looking for new talent who can immediately add value to their company, now have a job-seeking site that connects them directly to these equipped individuals,” the statement further elaborates.


India: Lectra helps Maxwell Industries reduce fabric consumption by 5%

outsourced manual process with an automated lean pre-production process that would streamline operations and reduce costs, without sacrificing the quality on which the company had built its reputation. Maxwell Industries was also looking at moving to automation, and this is when Lectra came in.

Lectra, which provides technology solutions & associated services for industries using fabrics, leather, technical textiles, etc., helped Maxwell improve their development process and boost productivity in their cutting room at their main plant in Thingalur. After conducting an in-depth

Based in Mumbai – Maxwell Industries –

designs, manufactures and retails affordable quality undergarments for men, women and children. The company produces over 37 million pieces a year for brands such as VIP Innerwear, Frenchie, Frenchie X and VIP Feeling. Approximately 70 per cent of its product is destined for more than 1,10,000 points of sale in the local market, including the company’s own-name stores, while the remaining 30 per cent is exported to other countries.

Maxwell Industries wanted to expand its presence in India and its two other main markets: Africa and the Middle East. To do this, it needed to replace its partially-

analysis, Lectra experts worked with the company to create a customized action plan that would allow them to move all their cutting in-house and automate certain aspects of development and production. “As workflow improved in the cutting room, it improved in sewing too, which gave us a smooth process from beginning to

Looking at expanding its presence in India, Africa and the Middle East, Maxwell replaced its partially-outsourced manual process with an automated lean pre-production process

end,” says Kapil Pathare, Director of Maxwell Industries.

Once the changes were made, the company was able to speed up its development

process, reduce its fabric consumption by 5 per cent, and thanks to fewer errors, it produces a better quality product. This gave Maxwell the agility it needed to pursue its goals for expansion. “We are now very much convinced that we made the right choice in selecting Lectra as our partner for our technology solution needs,” avers Pathare.

News Track


Are we neglecting technology? Experts speak…Apparel industry adjusting to the shifting gears of time, requirement and priorities

In the last two issues of StitchWorld, Dr. Prabir Jana, NIFT Delhi has been highlighting the gross neglect of technology in garment manufacturing organizations, stressing that there is probably overemphasis on HR and management interventions. The reasons behind management functions gaining prominence, is the increasing inter-industry movement of top-level executives, no capital investment involved, ease of comprehension by top management and popularization by consultants. The reasons behind overdoing HR in place of technology is compliance mandate from buying houses, compliance initiative from NGOs, and to overcome the shortage of manpower. The reasons behind technology getting marginalized were cited as lack of knowledgeable experts in technology improvement and additional capital expenditure. StitchWorld quizzed several experts on specific questions related to the issue…

Personnel Department in garment manufacturing companies has merely graduated to HRD. Is this transformation being looked at as overdoing HR?

Rajesh Bheda – I don’t think that this transition can be termed as overdoing HR at all. Garment industry is a labour-intensive industry and it needs to give sufficient attention to human resource management. This is especially important these days as finding and retaining workers is becoming difficult in the garment industry. In fact what is being done under HR is still at nascent stage, and much more focused work is needed in the area of HRD as at the end of the day “Your supersonic jet aircraft is only as good as the pilot that flies it”.

Paul Collyer – I agree that HR has grown in most RMG

companies and replaced “personnel” but the real problem in India is that the role of HR has not been defined. It has become a major power; and while the components of the role such as compliance and working on retaining workers is crucial, it should be remembered that it is production that “pays the bills”. HR when related to the production areas, as against the other parts of the organization, should be a service to production and not a separate entity with its own objectives. May I give the (true) example of an HR Department that was targeted to recruit 60 workers every week and duly did so, but production did not need that many recruits and the training area was totally incapable of processing such quantities. Result – training area had 20 machines and recruits sat idle

for 2 hours before working for 1 hour and then again returning to waiting!

Devadas P M – I agree with majority of the point of views shared by Dr. Jana. However, the factors that led to these need to be analyzed one by one.

Our country is not the India which we saw 25 to 30 years back. That was the time when people were queuing up in front of the factory in need of a job, largely to take care of hunger. Some of the people who started as operators later turned out to be supervisors and production managers. They had sewing as well as managerial skills, developed over the course of time. That was the time when the number of B.Tech engineers or NIFT-ians available in the apparel industry was limited.

Tech Talk


Today hunger is not the prime motivation for work. The welfare schemes offered by the Government, like NREGA, etc. prompt them to stay back in their village with their family and relatives. Many are not willing to migrate to a city. Those who do so can’t afford to live in the city with mere minimum wages. Many of them in cities like Bangalore and Chennai send their children to English-medium schools paying huge amount of fees. Therefore, they expect higher wages and better standards of living. Some of the HR activities (welfare measures) that Dr. Jana had mentioned are to be seen as a helping hand by employers to offer a better living to those who sweat it out for 8 to 10 hours daily. We as managers should feel proud about this good act for someone who is working with you for years. That is our responsibility to our employees. You may call it welfare or HR or CSR. If you need to get employees to run your factory, you need to go with the wind. 25 years back I had seen workers of an apparel factory in UK coming for work daily in cars. How many years will India take to reach there? But in those countries the industry itself disappeared. So at least if we offer a good quality of life, the operators will work happily for the organization. However, the extent to which the buyer who is talking about compliance, welfare and CSR is ready to pay extra remains a constraint.

Badri Narayana – I do not think this is overdoing HR, it is a transition of moving from IR, Recruitment, Payroll Management to People Management. With focus on compliance-related requirements and a drive for improvements coming from buyer’s side, the organization has to move on, get into HRD and eventually OD to be competitive. In general, there’s a prevalent trend in the industry for being

prepared to retain both buyers and growth. I do not believe of any overdoing of HR without a clear context. An example of overdoing HR is dishing out increments and promotions with no performance linkages. A 360° OD intervention will encompass buyers or customers, people and technology.

Ganesh CK – No technology intervention is likely to produce exceptional results, if there are no related HR intervention(s) complementing these. Plurality for HR interventions is critical, as these will have to address the entire Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. In fact, the other element of HR intervention here is the “needs of the entrepreneur/board” itself. Much of angst expressed in the article is also because of this latter aspect which hasn’t got its due space and importance. Regardless of levels, humans have a herd tendency. Employee engagement activities as a means to an end (better productivity, higher profits), and not supported by an underlying philosophical connect to employee engagement will not yield any sustainable results. In fact context-less incentive programmes have made most of employee-employer relationships quite transactional these days... This is across many industries.

Aisshvarya – I believe this topic is skewed. If a garment manufacturing company is targeting effective results – can “technology” or “management” do without support from each other? Is there an option to choose from between the two? Whether it is a technology improvement initiative or “HRD” initiative – the failure or success depends on goals identified, planning and execution. The process of designing and executing a technology improvement initiative or a “HRD” initiative is a science. A consulting firm or consultant may have

Tech Talk

Paul Collyer is a UK-based Self-Employed Apparel Trainer and Consultant who has spent 46 years in the apparel manufacturing trade. Although Paul had retired from the industry earlier this year, he is still running the Train the Trainer Program back in the UK where sewing trainers train trainers to recruit and train new workers.

Aisshvarya S Shah is the CEO and Chief Trainer at Chennai-based Work Senses. Being an HR-specialist, she has invested over 16 years in working with some of the most respectable organizations such as Infosys Ltd., ICICI Group, NIIT, Sutherland Global Services, Ashok Leyland, Murugappa Group, and Larsen & Toubro Group.


mastered it, and practicing it with such grace and flow that it looks like an art (management).

Is there a separate budget allocation for different activities like ‘technology upgradation’ and ‘training/re-training’?

Rajesh Bheda – This depends on the organisations. Most do not have a separate well thought-out budget for training. It is looked at on ‘need basis’, and funds are allocated based on the urgency of the training need. Whereas technology upgradation is something that would have some allocation done in advance as factories do give it relatively more attention. For example, phasing out non UBT machines, adding a few specialized machines, etc., have to be planned. This is especially done for technology solutions with well-established ROI/payback period. In last decade substantial investments have been made by companies in computerized product development and cutting. Information technology has also seen significant investment; these are investments in technology. As cost of labour is constantly going up, many companies are going for labour-saving technologies or solutions that deskill the manufacturing processes/assure quality and consistency.

Devadas P M – Yes, we do have different allocations for technology upgradation and training as they are addressing two different issues. To elaborate, technology upgradation is done to meet the buyer’s requirement about the product, productivity, quality and delivery. Whereas, the industry has training/re-training requirements for new employees recruited for capacity addition or replacement of an employee who has left. Trainings are also done to improve the skill level of low performing employees. Additionally, new

operations associated with the changing styles also bring in training requirements

Ganesh CK – Very often, interventions and training sessions focus on “What” is being done, to be done and not on “Why’s” and the “How’s” of the interventions… To me, that is the core issue.

Badri Narayana – There are budget allocations whenever there is a growth/foray planned for very much different categories, say from woven to knits or to jackets, etc. This is linked to growth, competitive and hence limited to a few companies. It is more often than not exigency-driven and minimalistic.

Has there been a cautious distinction between training and welfare? Some of the activities mentioned by Dr. Jana under the aegis of HR, actually ‘fall under the category of staff welfare’…

Paul Collyer – HR is very much about welfare. For operator’s recruitment, HR’s role in training should be adhering to a plan laid down by the production team. The operator training department should be responsible for production, not HR. For all other trainings, HR should play the role for coordination and training provider identification. Again, training should be the responsibility of each individual line manager and not HR.

Badri Narayana – I think there is a clear difference between training and welfare. Welfare is providing amenities and the like to employees for better care, suitable environment, well-being and safety. Training is a separate activity done externally and on the job. These are distinct. However, some of them do lie under the purview of staff welfare.

Ganesh CK – HR interventions may have to be categorized

Tech Talk

Rajesh Bheda, Principal and CEO, Rajesh Bheda Consulting has a diverse experience in the apparel manufacturing trade spanning close to three decades in the industry as a professional, later as an academician and now as a consultant and trainer with special focus on Productivity, Quality, CSR and Competitiveness.

Devadas P M is the GM – Operations Excellence at Madura Clothing. Being a professional so deeply engaged with the floor and industry, Devadas lends critical insight in terms of how the industry views the HR and Technology crevice.

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than technology, yes it can be said that there is greater demand for management consulting than pure technology consulting. However, consulting firms with domain expertise, provide both technology as well as management consulting advice.

Paul Collyer – No, I can think of consultants being unable to secure work. The problem is, as Dr. Jana says, that companies are unwilling to pay or use consultants in this field.

Devadas P M – I agree with most of the points. There are not many Indian technology consultants available in India. Most of them are expats who have spent more than 40-45 years in the apparel industry in many roles starting as operators. They have grown up in a systematic and disciplined environment. Not many Indian engineers or apparel technologists are ready to take up a role like this. We have availed the services of these technologists in areas like fit development, sewing technology, industrial engineering, training, machine experts, etc. The sudden growth of India is offering faster growth to many of our youth, making this an unattractive field. The growth offered by software industries and other related industries make them shift their career.

The most preferred jobs of a fashion technology graduate joining the industry are merchandising, retail buying, planning, etc. How many of them are prepared to work in a factory in a technology role for more than 5 years? Even if anyone

between those impacting factors of Hygiene (absence of which cause dissatisfaction, but presence of which need not cause satisfaction) and those of Motivation (Herzberg's two factor theory). Factors that regulation and compliance are pushing are often those of hygiene factors, from a sociology angle (e.g. no child labour, limitations on work hours, etc.).

Do you agree that there is a shortage of experts in technology consulting? Do you agree with Dr. Jana’s observation that consultants are offering services in management areas and not technology? Have you used services of any ‘technologist’ during the last 5 years? Can you list down the type(s) of services you may have used from the consultants during the last 5 years?

Rajesh Bheda – There is indeed a shortage of consultants in technology consulting. Traditionally, garment companies relied on the technology suppliers to propose the options and then negotiating the price for buying machines. The focus generally was on buying basic equipment at competitive price than doing thorough analysis of the features of the equipment offered against needs of the organization. One of the limitations here is that most of sales staff of the machinery suppliers are not technical experts and are not able to guide the users very well. This is where a technology expert/advisor can play a value adding role for garment companies.

In regards to consultants offering services in management areas

does that, what is the growth that he/she gets in comparison to his/her peer who has joined a buying house or a retail setup?

We also observe a dearth in the number of technology subjects taught in colleges to create technology experts. Most of the topics are centred on fashion sketching, trends, merchandizing, costing, yarn spinning, weaving, fabric processing, etc. Not many colleges modify the subjects based on the job opportunities available to their students either.

One of the colleges in south India, where I am a member of the board of studies as an industry expert, increased the number of papers on industrial engineering from one to two when we highlighted that 80 per cent of the students are joining apparel manufacturing. One of the colleges in Bhubaneswar didn’t have a single subject on industrial engineering and they found it difficult to include them as they are not autonomous and getting an approval from the university is not easy.

We also have excellent machine mechanics or technicians who are not B.Techs or NIFT-ians. What is required is an aptitude to do those jobs and an attitude to learn. It is also questionable as to how many mechanics can become maintenance managers or GMs. So what is practical is to form a team of someone with deeper knowledge on machines and a professional with managerial and technical abilities. The professionals in

Tech Talk

S Badri Narayana, Director – Operational Excellence, FLAME TAO Knoware, has rich industrial experience of over two decades spanning a wide field covering project management, product development, techno-commercial marketing and quality assurance systems.


the industry have to mature from being a trouble shooter to a problem solver, further to a process improver and finally to a system improver. Only then will the industry benefit from them.

Badri Narayana – I agree partially. There are consultants offering technology on the project front and not as much on the operational front. As the nature of styles and categories vary so much that expertise is rather home grown or researched from the internet. There have been cases of companies hiring industrial designers to generate automation solutions.

Usually, technical expertise is found in technicians, sampling masters, in some cases in engineers, based on experiences and difficulties in production and in meeting performance requirements.

Technology consulting is rare in all sectors and not just in apparel sector as it is domain-specific and generally companies consult the suppliers and derive knowledge and/or latest information from them. Companies do build their own expertise and in niche areas they do request consulting services where services are available. In some companies they do have a department of R&D that handles this aspect in fair detail.

Do you also agree with Dr. Jana’s observation that cost of technology intervention is generally higher than management and/or HR intervention? Are there higher chances of ‘failure’ in technology intervention in comparison to management or HR intervention?

Rajesh Bheda – Let us not generalize by saying that cost of technology intervention

are higher than management intervention. Technology intervention can be of various types. These could be specific solutions for particular operations, processes or much wider intervention. Based on the scope of the technological intervention, the investment will vary. So it’s difficult to say

Ganesh CK, Associate Consultant, FLAME TAO Knoware

Tech Talk


that one is more cost-intensive than other. Again the chances of failure also cannot be generalized. One of the most important factors that make significant difference to success of any project, say technology upgradation or management system implementation, is the top management’s commitment. The implementation of relatively new or unexplored technologies will have higher risk of failure than well-established solutions.

Paul Collyer – Usually, the outlay for technology intervention is generally higher than management or HR intervention. However, as far as chances of ‘failure’ are concerned, they are higher in management or HR intervention because with technology, one is dealing with an absolute. Whereas, with HR a softer and a less certain role is in question.

Ganesh CK – Management Fads is just a manifestation of this herd tendency. Many activities being adapted by companies under the garb of HR interventions (5% improvement in productivity!) is also due to this. It has given results there, but does not have much investment anyways; and thus the ‘karne do! ’ attitude... Quite unfortunately, less the stake, lesser the accountability... and greater the angst.

Devadas P M – Yes, technology interventions are expensive as most of it is coming from overseas and the charges are in USD or Euro. The technology is

also developed in those parts of the world and when we buy that equipment we need to use their services to learn. Most of these consultants have experiences of more than 2 to 3 decades. Management on the other hand is available at lesser cost as we have plenty of management institutions and young graduates pass out of them every year with excellent communication and soft skills. To be an expert in technology the effort required is at least five-fold.

If the organization does not nurture and retain the personnel trained on technology, all the learning will leave the organization as the individual leaves and that can cause ‘failure’ of technology.

Badri Narayana – No, I do not agree. A good OD intervention is also quite intensive and has an equivalent or sometimes more costs, as it is long-term. In today’s Internet of Things, (on the technology front) to a discerned searcher, a lot of adaptable solutions are available. However, to explore, there needs to be a self-drive and/or a deep need which OD enables. To address the chances of failure specifically are more in OD intervention as people may not embrace change or do things differently for better performance, any lasting change means everyone works and behaves differently to attain desired results, which is easier said than done. Whereas in technology there is always a learning, continuous improvement as based on any

failure one improves it further, and once successful, it is there to stay. The method stays, till the next challenge or change comes in.

Aisshvarya – Depends on the depth and the extent of the intervention. The notion that cost is “high” suggests doubt in the mind of the user on ROE and ROI – doesn't matter whether it is technology intervention or HR intervention.

Do you agree with Dr. Jana’s observation that management expertise is an all-time requirement, whereas technology expertise is only a one-time requirement in any organisation?

Rajesh Bheda – Technology needs assessment, and advice on selection of right technological solutions would not be a regular need, but at the same time it’s not a one-time need either. As the organization progresses, new needs are felt and expertise in this area would be needed. However the organizations also need expertise on how to use the technology to its full potential and this expertise needs to be developed in the organization. External expertise for the same may be needed. Indian garment industry does not have a very good record of using the available technology to its fullest potential. This also adversely affects the Return on Investment.

It’s true that management expertise is needed all the time. But the organisations hire professional managers

Tech Talk

“Technology is an all-time requirement as it is continuously evolving, whereas on the management expertise once the right DNA is set over a period of time, it only needs coaching and mentoring, and in mature organizations it can be internally facilitated. As there is so much competition and changes in terms of fashion, technology needs to be evolving to be in sync.”

– S Badri Narayana, Director – Operational Excellence, FLAME TAO Knoware


for performing management function to deliver desired results. Certain organisations prefer to have management consultants to guide the internal management teams on on-going basis whereas others hire services of management consultants on need basis for specific advice or specific business need.

Paul Collyer – No! The frequency at which technology expertise is required depends upon the product, i.e. a man’s suit that rarely changes than in a “fashion” product. Also, methods should be challenged constantly.

Devadas P M – I disagree. It may be true in an organization dealing with commodity products where a technology is acquired and retained for decades. In today’s speed at which fashion and products are changing, it is in the good interest of the organization to have a full-time expert. This will help them to cater to the changing needs of the buyer or customer faster than anyone.

On the point that machinery suppliers give all technical help, this is true but they are also businessmen who want to sell their products. As Dr. Jana said, they would try to sell those which give them favourable benefits. An inside expert can evaluate various option looking at Lifecycle Cost and hence suggest the best suited.

Badri Narayana – No, I do not agree. Technology is an all-time requirement as it is

continuously evolving, whereas on the management expertise once the right DNA is set over a period of time, it only needs coaching and mentoring, and in mature organizations it can be internally facilitated. As there is so much competition and changes in terms of fashion, fabrics, style construction and consumer shifts, technology needs to be evolving to be in sync. There is only so much that management expertise can do, whereas technology is vast, starting from simple problem solving work to innovations. To reiterate how can technology be a one-time requirement when there is continuous change in designs, construction, fabrics, embellishments and consumers’ wants and needs.

What are the kinds of consultancy assignments you have done during the last 5 years? What kind of ‘help’ the companies are asking from your organisation? Do you provide ‘training services’ or ‘consultancy services’? Have you done any ‘factory set-up projects’ or ‘technology upgradation projects’ in last 5 years?

Rajesh Bheda – Consulting assignments of Rajesh Bheda Consulting Pvt. Ltd. have mainly covered performance improvement strategy formulation and strategy execution. This has required us to look at how to optimize the usage of present resources including technology and human resource for generating maximum value for the organization while improving the

customer service levels. We have advised our clients on selection of right technological solutions as well as partnering with them for optimal utilization of heavy technological investments as done in certain critical processes. We largely provide consulting services and some part of our business also consists of training services. We have been involved in a few factory set-up projects and technology upgradation projects in last 5 years.

Paul Collyer – Both... Although I am not sure where in the RMG sector training and consultancy have a divide; they should be intertwined and mutually dependent. As far as the ‘technology upgradation projects’ are concerned, we have undertaken these projects as a part of general productivity improvement initiatives.

Badri Narayana – The consulting assignments we have taken up have been on a model of teach-train-transfer and coaching till the best practice is part of regular activities, and are more of transformation, encompassing people, process (layouts and methods) and best practices. We have also set-up factory layouts and in the process explored technology upgradation. The kind of help we have been asked for, are in areas of Lean Implementation, Culture Building, Role Effectiveness, Factory Design, Improving Market Growth, Goal Alignment, and through these demonstrate high capability to buyers. All are linked to performance.

Tech Talk

“30 years ago, there was a time when people were queueing up in front of the factory in need of a job, largely to take care of hunger. Some of the people who started as operators later turned out to be supervisors and production managers. They had sewing as well as managerial skills, developed over the course of time. Today, hunger is not the prime motivation for work.”

– Devadas P M, GM – Operations Excellence, Madura Clothing


Reflexive Production System: Use of KanbanSetting up a Supermarket between Cutting Room and Sewing Floor

A common challenge faced by the apparel industry on shop floor is the production of goods in excess of demand, and production of goods earlier than required. The ‘lean’ term that we use to describe this manifestation is ‘Overproduction’, which can be avoided by using Kanban (Production and Withdrawal) cards in conjunction with Supermarkets. Kanban ensures that the entire production system becomes reflexive and follows the principles of a Pull System.

The ultimate manifestation of a delay in production is airlifting

the shipment or receiving the buyer’s debit note, and these often drive the operation scheduling in factories. The scheduling accounts for several vagaries and buffers. The main factors that lead factories to overproduce are:

• Fear of labour absenteeism.

• Variability and dependency that exist in the system.

• Ignorance of frequent changeovers.

• Absence of production feedback loop, especially from downstream operations.

• Poor planning and scheduling.

• Capacity imbalances in the production system.

• Capacity utilization when order pipeline has dried up.

• Sales forecasts are way off the mark.

• Instability in the production system.

• Longer set up times between product changeovers.

• Shortage of skilled operators.

• Machine breakdowns/repair delay.

The concepts of Kanban find relevance in these scenarios to help build Reflexive Production Systems. Imagine Kanban to be a series of links in a cycle chain. Any force exerted at the end of the chain is felt by the first link in the chain. Kanban ensures that a feedback mechanism is created on the production floor and only what is required by customer is produced.

Figure A is a simple illustration of a Pull System in an apparel production plant. A signal is generated by the actual consumption at the downstream process (at Finishing). The last process downstream received is the consumption from the customer. Therefore, the customer exerts ‘pull’ on the entire production system in this way. The Pull Signal keeps moving up, based on the actual consumption till it reaches the upstream process (i.e. cutting). In a Kanban System, the ‘pull’ exerted

by the downstream customer is manifested visually to the supplying upstream process.

A Pull System has many advantages. While it schedules work based on information from inside the system, it also establishes prior limit on the Work in Progress in the system and authorizes the work to upstream processes based on Kanban Cards.

Tech Talk

Anand Deshpande, Founder & CEO, Admaa Consulting, illustrates the concept of a Pull System, Application of Kanban and Supermarkets between Cutting and Sewing, and Setting up of Supermarket between Cutting Room and Sewing Floor.


Application of Kanban System between cutting and sewing departments in an apparel factoryFigure B is an illustration of a Kanban System that could be created between cutting and sewing departments. The cutting works on batch production principles whereas sewing nowadays uses single piece flow or unit production system.

Let us understand some terms that have been used in the illustration…

Supermarket: A Supermarket is an area identified in the factory that stocks goods in the finished form (ready for shipping) or in WIP (Work in Progress) form. In a typical apparel factory a Supermarket Area could exist between cutting and parts sewing, parts sewing & assembly, assembly & finishing and also in the finished goods warehouse.

Supermarket ties the consuming process and the supplying process in a Pull System. The withdrawal of the inventory from the Supermarket is authorized by a Pull Signal (e.g. a Withdrawal Kanban Card). The inventory in the Supermarket Area is kept in trolleys or bins.

Kanban Cards: Inventory for the items authorized by these cards is kept in the Supermarkets. These cards are recycled through the production system continuously.

A Kanban Card typically has the following information displayed on it:• Material, part number, etc.

• External and internal supplying processes.

• Consuming process (could be sewing if parts are stitched in sewing or finishing if parts are consumed in finishing).

• Container Quantity (‘container’ here refers to a trolley or a bin, and the ‘quantity’ refers to the amount of stock that should be stored in the trolley or bin).

• Supermarket Address (Supermarkets have a designated address like A1, H2, etc.)

• Card Serial Number.

• An illustration of the part (a typical component drawing).

The base ‘Colour’ of the Kanban Card could be white or red. It is a choice that management makes. These cards are attached to standard containers and are placed into a clear plastic sleeve firmly attached to each container. Container quantity for all cut panels from cutting could be 200 pieces. This again depends on the order quantity and cutting machine capacity or type of cutting (manual or automatic) being practiced on the floor.

Withdrawal Kanban Card authorizes the consuming process to withdraw the inventory from the Supermarket. Once the stock begins to be used in consuming process, the Withdrawal Kanban Card accompanying the container is removed from it and kept in the Kanban Post. In the same vein, the production Kanban Card that accompanies stock kept in the Supermarket Area is kept in the Kanban Post once the stock is taken out for consumption.

Production Kanban Card authorizes the supplying process to produce the

required amount, which is stored in the Supermarket Area.

Kanban board is a visual display board: The production Kanban Cards are accumulated in the board after removing them from empty containers (trolleys or bins) no sooner they are withdrawn by the consuming process from the Supermarket. The accumulation of cards continues till a predetermined number of cards are achieved as defined by the common authorization line. In Figure B, the common authorization line is achieved after two cards (each card bears production quantity of 100 pieces).

A robust Kanban board design is adaptable, scalable, and communicates visually and at the minimum has the following key information:

• Locations to position the Kanban Cards in either rows or columns, by product (A, B, C, or D) as they are returned from the consuming process.

• A visual indicator, known as the authorization line, of when replenishment is authorized and necessary.

Cutting Process Sewing Process Finishing Process

Material Flow

Pull Signal

Figure A: Pull System

Kanban Board

Authorization Line

Prodcution Kanban

Every 200 Pcs.

Every 100 Pcs.

Cutting Parts Sewing

Withdrawal Kanban

Kanban Post

200 pcs. 100 pcs.

A B C D

Figure B: Kanban System between Cutting and Sewing

Tech Talk


• FIFO tracking to indicate which product is to be processed first in cutting and then next one as well based on FIFO priority.

The common authorization line in Kanban board functions in the following manner (Refer Figure B):

• Product is consumed from Supermarket by the consuming process (Sewing). When the consuming process empties a container, the card and container are removed from the Supermarket Area. The card is then removed from the container (trolley or bin). Thereafter the empty container is staged in close proximity to the Kanban board which could be placed in a designated area in cutting.

• The Kanban Card is placed on the Kanban board at the lowest location available for given product (A, B, C or D). This process repeats until enough Kanban Cards representing a specific product accumulate to reach the authorization line on the Kanban board.

• Immediately upon the authorization line being reached, all the Kanban Cards for all those part numbers are removed and individually placed in transparent sleeves attached to empty containers (trolleys or bins). The empty containers with the attached Kanban Cards are delivered to the supplying process (cutting). This action authorizes replenishment by the supplying process.

• Once the containers (trolleys or bins) are filled again with the completed product, the containers with the attached card are returned to their specific Supermarket location. As the line stock at the part sewing process is depleted, product is removed from the Supermarket and delivered to the consuming process by a withdrawal Kanban Card. The process repeats itself.

The Kanban System works in the following manner (Refer Fig. B):

• Parts sewing operator uses parts kept next to assembly line, removes the Withdrawal Kanban Card that accompanies the container (trolley or bin) and places it in the Kanban post.

• Operator takes the Withdrawal Kanban Card to the Supermarket to fetch items. He picks up the 100 pieces of cut panels and deposits the Production Kanban Card that came along with them into the Kanban Post.

• The Production Kanban Card is then moved to the Kanban board.

• As soon as two cards accumulate on the production board (in the case of order D), the two production cards are issued to cutting machines authorizing production of the same.

• As soon as they are produced, 200 pieces (two Kanban Cards – 100 pieces per card) are transported to the Supermarket and stored in the location (trolley or bin).

The principles of Kanban are as follows:

• The downstream process (consuming process) will only consume what is needed.

• The supplying process will only produce if Kanban System authorizes it to produce.

Can electronic data processing or barcode scanner be used?A. Yes it can be. It depends on how inventory is being managed on the production floor.

How to determine the number of Kanban Cards to be used? A. To arrive at the exact number of Kanban Cards to be used, the following equation by James Vatalaro is useful.

Number of Kanban Cards = {Average Daily Demand x (Order frequency + Lead time + Safety time)}/Container quantity

To apply the equation, let us consider creating a Kanban System between cutting and parts sewing (first process):

Let the Average Daily Demand be 500 pieces of jackets.

Order Frequency = 1 day (i.e. produced daily).

Lead Time = 6 hours (time it takes to refill the Supermarket, i.e. time it takes to start laying until it is bundled and kept in the Supermarket) = 0.75 day (converting hours into days by dividing the number by 8, i.e. 6/8 = 0.75).

Safety time = 4 hours (time that is factored in for breakdowns, quality losses, etc.) = 0.5 days.

Working time = One shift = 8 hours.

Container quantity = 250 pieces (one container in the form of trolley holds 250 pieces).

Replacing the value of all the variables in the equation we get:

Number of Kanban Cards = {500 x (1+0.75+0.5)}/250 = 4.5 cards rounded off to 5.

Thus number of Kanban Cards required is 5, which actually means that if the trolley is 250 pieces, there would be five trolleys recirculating between cutting and parts sewing. There is no specific rule to round up or round down. In the above numerical, one could round down to 4 cards as well. The only risk here is that safety available is reduced in practical sense.

SOME FAQs FOR SETTING UP A KANBAN SYSTEM

Tech Talk


• Defective products will not be sent downstream processes.

• Kanban should reflect changes in demand as demands keeps fluctuating.

• The number of Kanban must reduce in time as they only are reflection of waste.

• The rules are non-negotiable.

Let us consider the Case of Installing a Supermarket between Cutting and Sewing processes. Supermarket ties the consuming and the supplying process in a Kanban Pull System by keeping a buffer inventory authorized for replenishment by a pull signal. If we did not have a Supermarket, a Kanban Card at supplying process would mean immediate replenishment, which is difficult in a typical apparel-manufacturing environment because of variability and dependency. Hence the need for ‘Supermarkets’.

In case of the above example, sewing parts assembly will withdraw cut panels from the Supermarket, and the cutting will replenish the Supermarket

when signalled to do so by the Kanban board. The signal provided by the Kanban board can be in the form or a production card or merely an indicator light or an indicator flap. A green flap would mean no replenishment required, whereas a red flap would mean replenishment required immediately.

The best choice of position of the Supermarket depends on the following factors:

• The number of supplying workstations vs. the number of consuming workstations.

• Travel distance.

• Availability of space.

• Transport mechanism currently available.

In the apparel industry it makes sense to have one Supermarket between cutting and sewing parts, a pairing Supermarket between sewing parts and sewing assembly, a WIP Supermarket between finishing and sewing.

Once the Supermarket and Kanban board are institutionalized, we can move on to decide the inventory to be kept between departments in the Supermarket.

The inventory or buffer to be kept in the Supermarket largely depends on the variability and dependency that exists between the two processes on either side of the Supermarket. The rationale is to ensure that you neither starve nor block the bottleneck. In most cases, sewing parts (i.e. Front, Sleeve, and Lining) is a bottleneck in the industry. The reason being that sewing assembly, traditionally, has relatively shorter cycle times and hence more capacity.

Keeping a day’s inventory in the Supermarket between cutting and sewing parts is recommended for the following reasons:

• Any breakdown in the cutting could be repaired under four hours, therefore with one day inventory in the Supermarket, supply to the sewing parts will still be alright. If the mean time to repair a breakdown in cutting is 1½ days,

then the inventory level can be kept at 2 days initially. Simultaneously the factory should start working on improving the breakdown maintenance efficiency and then reduce the inventory to one day.

• Cutting has more capacity than sewing parts as sewing section could experience wandering bottlenecks due to skill dependency. If a skilled operator in the sewing parts is absent, the line is slowed down because the slowest operation on the line defines the speed of the line. The speed of the flow of product through the bottleneck also determines the cost of the product.

• Since we work on a Pull System, we observe that flow in sewing parts is often interrupted due to variability in inputs leading to operator skill dependency and breakdowns. Therefore mostly one day inventory is fine.

• Also, by keeping less inventory in the Supermarket, the production system becomes more responsive and agile. The moment the cutting maintenance team knows that inventory between cutting and sewing parts is slashed, they look for addressing problems quicker and therefore mean time to repair also reduces.

The inventory between sewing parts and sewing assembly however can be limited to1-2 hours as:

• Pairing becomes more real time.

• Container clearance is easier as maintaining FIFO (first-in-first-out) becomes easier with lesser stock.

• Production lines become more flexible and can accommodate any other product at short notice.

• The entire system becomes more reflexive.

• Quality improves naturally as lesser stock lead to improved process efficiency.

• Defects can be detected sooner and by keeping only 1-2 hours of stock can reduce excess rework.

Can containers be used instead of Kanban Cards; can they function as Kanban Card?A. Yes, there could be a system wherein an empty container is taken to the supermarket and a full container is picked. However the operator must know which container to pick.

How is the Authorization Line ascertained? A. While the best estimates come with experience, to begin with a quantity equivalent to the batch size of the upstream supplying process (in this case cutting) can be set as the Authorization Line.

Tech Talk


Tech Interview

SW: What prompted you to make machines for the garment industry and that too at the young age of 20 years?

FC: Alongside my technical and mechanical studies, the Italian economic boom marked the beginning of my career… From the age of 18 years to the start of my own enterprise, I practiced at a wood working company for five years. During this time I was working with the projection team on the mechanical development of machines. After having graduated, I decided that it was time to start my own innovations. My family used to work in the textile business for private clients, which brought me to my first international apparel manufacturing technology fair in Milan, where I was surrounded by sewing machines. That moment stoked my passion as it seemed there were no Italy-made auxiliary machines. Since then, there has been no looking back. I have never stopped innovating, and my prerogative is to study systems but never to copy them.

SW: Many patents are attributed to you. Please mention a few… How have they helped in the development of the industry?

FC: The first 20 years of my career as a CARON Co. partner featured various non-patented inventions, until the moment I became CEO and founded FK Group in order to start my research, especially in spreading machines. In fact, four of my inventions are still valid, which incluede:

In late 1950s, Flavio Cattini, Founder & MD, FK Group, was attending an apparel manufacturing technology trade show… Guided by an epiphany of building his own empire, and his passion for the apparel trade, he chose to research in the area of automation for cutting room and do away with lack of ‘Made in Italy’ spreaders and cutters. He bore the fruits of this effort in 1961 when he produced the first spreading machine in the world with electrical parts under the label CARON. Since then, he has gone on to institute FK Group, hold multiple patents, win ‘Tecnica Della Confezione International Award’ and take the market by storm with his pursuit of innovation. With the core strength of first-entry advantage in various fields, the company recently completed 50 years of existence. As FK Group braces for the next 50 years, Flavio, in an exclusive interaction with Team StitchWorld, looks back at his journey with a hint of nostalgia and pride. He also unveils the future of spreading and cutting automation at FK Group.

“WE ARE ALREADY IN THE FUTURE”– Flavio Cattini, Founder & MD, FK Group


Tech Interview

• The variable cradle with parallel single ring belts which can be multiplied for the number of rings according to the fabric width.

• The cutting group for the spreading machine with two controlled belts: one for transversal movement and one for variable blade rotation.

• In the cutting machine, the only innovations are the bi-composed brushes, allowing greater aspiration even when there is an obstruction.

• Under plate’s lubrication to bring any type of lubricant to keep a 360° rotation necessary on every material.

SW: You were honoured with the prestigious ‘Tecnica Della Confezione International Award’ in 2001, which is like the Oscars of technology. For what particular invention you were awarded for and how has that motivated the company towards greater passion for innovation. What are the noteworthy developments after the milestone?

FC: During the ’90s, the market saw the domination of three competitors, specialized in the cutting room business; and for about 10 years, I fought my way up, trying to learn this discipline. Around the same time, I was felicitated with the award.

Since 1987 I have been able to combine my well known spreading systems to my CAD for fashion design and to the newly launched FK cutting units. This made FK Group the only Italian complete line manufacturer. This fabulous gratification is about the continuity of innovation (true business motor) with huge investments in the export markets.

SW: You claim to be the first in this segment with inventions in 1961 and 1969, but CAMSCO, a US company which was later taken over by Gerber, claims to be the first developer of CNC cutter... Please share your views on this.

FC: I began researching on the CNC project when I was working on CAD-CAM systems in 1987 until my first presentation of a functional CAM in 1991. Obviously, the American constructor had already been in the market for a while, which may not

have been clear from the different presentations. Nevertheless, I have become the first Italian constructor of CAD-CAM and high speed plotter.

SW: As claimed, you were also the first to introduce a mechanical hand-operated cutter, which is still popular with countries like India where small quantities is a norm. Do you still have those cutters in the market? If not, then why not?

FC: There has been a misunderstanding in definitions of manual cutting devices, which in my case is relative to spreading machine’s cutting group. In the ’60s, spreading machine producers used the horizontal cutting movement to cut the layers after laying, which caused quality problems. By using a vertical blade and hence turning the cutting system by 90 degrees, FK Group not only revolutionized the system, but the whole spreading aspect. First, the absolute laying length precision; second the speed of spreading; and third, the electromechanical accurate controls, which in the ’70’s made our spreading machines truly advanced – something that set a benchmark for a myriad of competitors.

SW: FK Erna used to have the industry’s thickest (15 cm) compressed height cutter, but it has been discontinued. Why?

FC: Around the year 1995, we built cutting machines for spongy soft

fabrics, especially towelling and bathrobes for hotels. But this market was too small and has showed its limits. A limited application indeed, but clearly it has been a great experience.

SW: Today, what according to you is the USP of FK Group’s CNC cutters?

FC: Today, FK consists of solutions for the complete cutting room – CAD, Spreaders and Cutters for every kind of fabric, along with the 5-table systems, handling and loading systems and their automation, and finally the 8 different cutting systems. Of course, everything is made in order to meet clients’ requirements. Our strength lies in our capability and our willingness to satisfy customer’s special requirements.

SW: Which are FK Group’s biggest markets?

FC: It is not the countries that matter but the areas. We are exporting a lot to South America, Africa, Western & Eastern Europe, and Asia. We hope to consolidate and expand further in the future. After all, nothing stops quality.

SW: Moving forth, what is the next area of development and why?

FC: Our constant target is the adaptability of our machinery to changing fabrics – the only way to satisfy our clients’ requirements. Obviously we keep in mind uncompromised quality with a realistic focus on costs to avoid compromising the pay-back period of the investment.

SW: Where do you see FK Group 10 years from now..., as you write in your journey that the first 50 years are over and FK Group begins the journey for the next 50 years!

FC: To be honest, we are already in the future. Our company’s philosophy has always been focused on innovation, continuous investment and not just on profit.

Flavio Cattini (R) with Sergio Gori, Commercial Managing Director and Co-owner, FK Group


Tech Event

Retrofit energy-efficient motorCost was the prohibiting factor during the mid-90s, resulting in manufacturers adopting machines with UBT as luxury. However, even though the price came down during the last decade, manufacturers were unable to upgrade the old working machines as retrofit solutions were not available. What was new at GTE ’16 was the influx of China-made servo motors, those that can be retrofitted with old sewing machine by replacing the clutch motor. With potential of energy saving, and at a surprisingly affordable price, it is to be seen how successfully the retrofit servo motor can change the industry’s infrastructure in coming years!

Digital printing solution: Assembled in IndiaDigital printing has come a long way, walking the isle of Mimaki and Texsoco. Buoyed by the proliferating domestic sports league and associated merchandise, there is a growing market for digitally printed sportswear in India. Luxury sarees and ladieswear are adding the extra bounty. As the market is maturing, the key performance parameters are being highlighted for successful implementation

and customized solutions are aplenty now. Sadly no India-built digital printer is out in the market yet, but more and more India-assembled digital printers are now showing up.

Absence of automated workstations Automated workstations were the signature display of key players attracting visitors during the past few years. However, similar display was missing this time. It should be kept in mind that most of the automats were for trouser manufacturing and there are multiple reasons for the same which includes the status quo of NCR as non-commodity producer, the Indian trouser manufacturers losing their competitiveness to Bangladesh and last the popularity/advantage of a private show demonstrating complete sewing line vis-à-vis general exhibitions. The show did not display any CNC cutter and spreader either!

Strategic absence of software solution providersSoftware solutions like ERP and PDM were more or less absent from the fair barring SpeedStep and ThreadSol. A complex data-centric software solution is always customized during implementation as per organization’s demand post-procurement

Unfurling new and vivid directionsGarment Technology Expo 2016

Congregating the world’s best technology providers and the entire spectrum of Indian apparel

manufacturers for long, Garment Technology Expo (GTE) has set the momentum for Indian apparel

manufacturing industry year after year. Living up to its reputation, GTE 2016 proved its mettle in

providing directions for the industry pan-India. Thronged by the exporters as well as domestic market

manufacturers, and small-scale suppliers as well as representatives from big names of the industry,

insights into market and technology dynamics were galore. StitchWorld connects the dots and brings

a detailed analysis of the show...


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and mere PowerPoint presentations highlighting the features and advantages of a software actually does not answer most of the queries of visitors. The exhibitors and visitors have begun to realize that exhibition is not a great media/venue for understanding the functionality of a software. Although the ERP solutions providers consciously avoided putting up stalls, they were present as visitors and resorted to networking by meeting more people at the fair.

Renewed interest in extra short tail by under-bed trimmerThe advantage between UBT and non-UBT machines and post-thread trimming requirement is an ongoing debate. Since these machines were introduced in India about a quarter century ago, nothing much has changed. Surprisingly there is a renewed interest on having extra short tail after thread being cut by UBT, and several brands have highlighted this feature. Can the industry finally get rid of the laborious and time-consuming thread trimming operations in finishing department…?

Visitors look for value‘Be Lean and Green’ and catch the small but interesting developments

was the focus of many export houses who visited the show. Sanjay Gulati, MD, Growel Impex, Noida exploring material handling/traceability systems at the event was of the opinion, “Further dollar depreciation and more systematic approach of Indian manufacturers should bring more orders to India in the coming days. To grab and successfully deliver these orders one should have to be lean and green.” Apart from few advanced models in machines and technology, there were some small but interesting developments at the show that attracted visitors. “I have found a Chinese vendor who manufactures trimmer-cum-scissors suited for thread trimming and is not as intimidating and dangerous as a full-size scissor when it comes to compliance,” shared Animesh Saxena, CEO, Neetee Clothing, Gurgaon. He was also looking for upgrading the washing infrastructure at his factory. Another visitor Rahul Malik, Senior VP, (Strategy & Product Development), CTA Apparels, Noida, along with his team was busy mainly exploring options in washing and value addition segment. The company has plans to invest in digital printing and processing technology.

Few visitors exploring advanced technology were busy interacting with

The partnership of Juki with H&H to offer stitchless fabric joining solution is one of most happening/interesting developments in the industry today.– Dr. Prabir Jana, NIFT Delhi

The event was thronged by exporters, domestic market manufacturers, small-scale suppliers as well as representatives from big names of the industry


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the technologist to understand the technology, like Sanjay Sethia, MD and Ravi Shanker, GM – Operations of Spectra Fashions, Kolkata, who spent a good amount of time at the booth of Turel Group. “We have plans to adopt some very innovative technologies in future and GTE is a good platform in this regard,” they said. On the other side, Suresh Dureja, Director of Manufacturing, Roots Canada Ltd., Toronto (Canada) was not too happy with the overall technology on display. “I was expecting a larger number of technology suppliers with specialized machines and machines for seam sealing. I have not seen any good machines for saddle stitch either. The exhibition should have more companies that offer really advanced machines,” he suggested. Roots Canada Ltd. is into manufacturing of leather jackets, bags and luggage.

Brijesh Kumar Singh, Production Manager and Saurabh Srivastava, IE & PPC Manager, Blackberrys, Gurgaon informed, “We saw stitching machines which have their in-built electric panel, and monitoring system which counts the number of stitches the operator has done. It is something good.” On the contrary, BP Trivedi, GM – Production and Devendar Kr. Upadhyay, Sr. Manager, Cantabil Retail India Ltd., were of the opinion that the fair was missing on packaging solutions, especially automatic folding.

Sanjay Sethia (4th from left), MD and Ravi Shanker (3rd from left), GM – Operations of Spectra Fashions at the booth of Turel Group

Sanjay Gulati (R), MD, Growel Impex with Viraf Turel, Managing Director, E.H. Turel & Co.

Value Addition: Sublimation printing taking the lead More than 50 visitors from Indore visited the show. Still dominating in kidswear segment, Indore is now moving towards sublimation printing as embroidery is on a downward trend. Mayank Maheshwari of Krishna Sales, Indore confirmed, “In last one year Indore has seen almost 10 installations of sublimation and this number is going to increase very soon.” Krishna Sales has also appointed service engineers for sublimation and other allied technologies. Similarly Sunil Agarwal of Shree Balaji Company, Kolkata offering more than one lakh pieces per month of ladies garments (Indo Western) informed, “There are 15 good fabricators in Kolkata doing sublimation printing and this number is going to increase further. Even we are getting our sublimation done on job work.” Value addition is a segment which always attracts visitors; laser cutting machines and advancement in multi-head embroidery follow suit.

The show also witnessed a good mix of visitation from various textile associations, faculty of fashion/textile colleges, NGOs working in garment sector, training institutes, few medium-level retailers planning to enter in manufacturing, consultants, Government officials, etc.

Having a USB drive in all sewing machines, through which sewing operators can charge their mobile or phones run small fans during summer, is one of the most promising sewing machine feature for the future.– Dr. Prabir Jana, NIFT Delhi


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The inaugural ceremony of GTE 2016…

Taiwan-based Siruba attracted attention for its recently launched series of lockstitch machines

Suresh Dureja, Director of Manufacturing, Roots Canada Ltd., Toronto (Canada) was expecting more number of technology suppliers and the specialization machines for seam sealing

Ajay Pasari, Director of Papcon Indore, is pioneering adoption of RFID in Indore

(L-R) Suharsh Srivastava, Management Trainee; Rajesh Kumar, Project Manager; Monika Singh, Consultant; and Rohit Vasawade of Apparel Consultancy India

GLIMPSES FROM

GTE 2016…


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Krishantha Ekanayake (C), GM – Technical, Richa Global Exports Pvt. Ltd. examining the recent launches from Juki

Shima Seiki’s booth was thronged with visitors throughout the event. Seen here are students learning the finer details of flat knitting on SSR112

(L-R) Din Bandhu, Sales Manager, Macpi; BP Trivedi, GM – Production; and Devendar Kr. Upadhyay, Sr. Manager, Cantabil Retail India Ltd., Delhi

Syed Hafeez (extreme left), Country Manager, Eastman CRA (Hong Kong) explaining the nuances of the CT-3 spreading and cutting tables to Animesh Saxena (extreme right), CEO, Neetee Clothing

Neeraj Verma, President – Woven Division, Orient Craft liked the digital printers, advancement in wash processes and sewing attachments showcased at the fair

Jatindra Grover (L), GM; and Vineet Nagpal, GM, Groversons Apparel


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“Technology today is not an option,

it is an imperative to grow, to perform and to be in business,” avers Pavan Kapoor, MD, IIGM. Pavan’s stance reflects the phenomenon that Indian manufacturers are not negotiating on price points anymore. The emphasis is on quality, brand reliability and performance. Reinforcing its focus on upgradation of the industry through automation, maintenance, proper asset care and production enhancement, IIGM was present at the GTE show with a large repertoire of exhibits from Eton, Wilcom, Gerber, Hashima, Juki, Jack and Eastman.

Gerber Technology, a leader in CAD/CAM solutions, has been focusing on providing complete package of technological solutions for the apparel manufacturers. At GTE 2016, the company displayed a wide range of solutions including YuniquePLM, Gerber’s product lifecycle management solution for brands to manage their product, design, sampling, and manufacturing. YuniquePLM has been in demand among the big retailers of India. IIGM has also entered into a strategic alliance with PointCarre – a software solution for textile design – making the company an end-to-end solution provider for apparel value chain.

Apart from that, AccuMark 10, the CAD software offered by Gerber, attracted a lot of attention and is already

IIGM setting stage for unlocking next-level performance of Indian manufacturers

famous in the Indian market with lot of installations done at Indian manufacturing setups. “The latest update in AccuMark has been developed according to the feedback received from existing Indian customers, while keeping the future in mind,” informed Sajith Kumar, Vice President, CAD/CAM & Automation, IIGM. Further, AccuPlan – another exhibit at the show, fetches data from AccuMark, which has a database of Microsoft SQL. On account of it, the software memorises the orders which have been processed in the past. If a new order is similar to an old order; its planning is fetched by AccuPlan, and planning options are submitted to the user. This function finds immense utility in suits manufacturing. The company also displayed its recently launched Paragon cutter, which has already been installed at Arvind, Go Go International, Royal Classic, Eastman Global, etc. in India.

The Swedish pioneer of unit production systems Eton Systems, which has found widespread application in Indian home furnishing manufacturing sector, was represented by Anupam Naha, Regional Manager – India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Eton Systems at the fair. “The concept has found unprecedented acceptance in the market on account of evidence. Depending on how well-designed the factory’s processes are, our clients have registered 20-50% improvement in their production rates,” shares

Anupam. What makes Eton’s UPS solution from the company relevant to the manufacturers, in addition to savings in handling time, is its real time data capturing, report generation and analysis abilities. “Today the manufacturers want to exert control not just on the financials but the operations as well which Eton enables because delayed decision making will induce loss of production. With Eton, users can implement quality standardization and operations management through information system,” avers Anupam, who cites that if it is determined which workstation is producing the maximum defects in the first 30 minutes of the shift, a sea of change can be achieved. He is confident of improving the count of total 25 installations (equivalent to 5,000 workstations) across India by a significant margin.

In the sewing section, Japan-based Juki put together an extensive display of machines for all major product categories including shirt, jeans, knits and other heavy-duty applications. The company introduced 13 new sewing machine models for the Indian market, which range from single-needle lockstitch, overlock, bartack, button holing and button attaching to pocket sewing machines for jeans.

Juki has been increasingly focusing on automation in machines, as the company finds a growing demand of automats in the Indian market. “Apart from the rising wages and increasing

Sajith Kumar, Vice President – CAD/CAM & Automation, IIGM

Anupam Naha, Regional Manager – India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, Eton Systems

Khaja Nasiruddin, Country Manager (India), Hashima


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infrastructure cost, the Indian apparel manufacturers are turning to automats, in order to increase their productivity,” explains Toshiyuki Yamanaka, Managing Director, Juki India. Also, the company is focusing on reducing manpower on the sewing floor by introducing short-thread trimming device in their new range of machines, which leaves only about 3 mm of thread, eliminating the requirement of a person to trim thread.

On the first day of the GTE show, Jack unveiled A4 – a multi-speciality SNLS. Designed with a striking blue colour, the machine’s design is a strict departure from the existing colours of machine, making it easily identifiable on the shop floor. The distinction shines through in terms of performance, as well as it is well-suited to value addition-oriented growing manufacturing setups and frequent style changeovers. “Since the machine has been manufactured on a completely automated line, it is less prone to wear and tear, and hence least subsequent spare parts requirement,” shares Leo Hu, Director of South Asia, Jack. “With this new launch we expect to continue our growth story at

a rate of 30% in the coming year,” adds Syed Abdul Azeez, Executive Director, India Agencies – the dealer for Jack machines in the Indian market.

Famous for its needle detectors and fusing machines, Japan-based Hashima has been noticing a surge of about 20 per cent in the sales of their needle detectors since the last 3 to 4 years, with increased stringency in compliance-related issues. Present at the IIGM booth at GTE 2016, Hashima displayed twin-head conveyor type needle detector – HN-2870C, which has been recommended by all the major international brands , especially in India and Bangladesh. Based on the process of magnetic induction, the detector can detect as minute as 0.8 mm steel at the belt speed of 40 m/min.

The company also supplies X-ray machines and is expecting it to find scope in the apparel industry in the near future, as only footwear and bags manufacturers prefer to use the technology at present. “We haven’t sold the X-ray machine in India yet, but have sold a few pieces in Japan and Bangladesh. It is more of a futuristic technology, which

will start trending in another 4 to 5 years,” explains Khaja Nasiruddin, Country Manager (India), Hashima.

The Australian embroidery software pioneer Wilcom showcased its latest e3 software, which is now the industry standard for embroiderers all over the world, the company claims. The EmbroideryStudio

e3 product family was present with the latest Update 5 (e3.0Y), which was released in December 2015, in India. The update, also being addressed as the “Indian Update”, has been developed on the basis of the feedback received from the Indian manufacturers, and thus solves several issues faced by manufacturers

of Indian garments like sarees, and other women dresses. The modules from the package which have been the most popular in the Indian market include Textile Embroidery, Advance Digitizing, and Vector Digitizing. “We have developed Update 5 in a manner that it eradicates the manual sequin application

process furthermore, as it can now be used to develop a wider range of artworks,” informed Janos Horvath, Vice President – International Sales, Wilcom.

Band knives (EC-700N), round knives (EC-45) and semi-automatic end cutters (EC-6N) from Eastman were also exhibited at the IIGM booth.

Syed Abdul Azeez (L), Executive Director, India Agencies and Leo Hu, Director of South Asia, Jack with the newly launched A4 sewing machine

(L-R) Shinetsu Ishida, COO; Toshiyuki Yamanaka, MD; and R Gopal Kukreti, GM, Juki India

Janos Horvath (extreme right), Vice President – International Sales, Wilcom with his team


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Keeping pace with latest requirements in the

Indian apparel industry, Magnum exhibited a diverse range of solutions from different key vendors at the show which included sewing solutions from Japanese pioneer Brother, chainstitch solutions with labour-saving devices from Pegasus, heavy-duty sewing solutions from Zoje, cutting room CAD/CAM solutions from Eastman, bonding & welding machines from H&H, and embroidery solutions

from Ricoma. “The focus of our exhibits is on innovation for improved productivity and today even the factory owners know that if they have to survive, they have to invest in the best technology because the labour is getting expensive and the industry is moving away from metropolitans to fringes with ample but unskilled labour,” shares Akshay Sharma, CEO, Magnum Resources Pvt. Ltd. The awakening is not just in the export segment but in the domestic

MAGNUM RESOURCES focusing on providing ‘survival kit’ for productivity improvement

segment as well, he adds. Corroborating the claim, Akshay apprises the purchase of 200 units of Brother S7300A by a Ludhiana-based kidswear giant (in the domestic market).

Speaking about the footfall at the fair, he informs, “Most of the footfall is from south and west India, but expected reputed names from north India were missing.” The Magnum booth featured Brother’s latest release S7300A. The highlight features of the machine are

its electronic feed control system and an under bed trimmer which has brought down the remaining thread length to 3 mm as opposed to an average of 6 mm left by most of the contemporary machines. The actual applications in production with solutions to all types of garments like knits/shirts/ladies tops/bottom were exhibited at the show. The feed motion can be changed with one touch of a button to provide best sewing quality for

various materials. In another important development, the automatic material thickness sensor detects the thickness of the plies being sewn to reduce clogging at cross-over seam and needle breakage. By the virtue of this sensor, S-7300A corrects the stitch length automatically, auto-picks the feeding mechanism required, hence offering stable stitch length and high quality sewing for unskilled operators as well.

Another proven name that was enlisted in Magnum’s

exhibits was US-based CAD/CAM specialist for cutting room – Eastman. The technology provider exhibited CT-3 spreading machine cum cutting table. The table comes with a smooth face board, 100 per cent solid wood and has strong resistance to wear and tear. The face board also has a double-sided stainless steel edge. The table comes in two classes – standard and air floatation. While the length of the table is 1,200 mm, the thickness of the

face board varies from 27-30 mm and the height 800-900 mm as per the customer’s requirements. Syed Hafeez, Country Manager, Eastman CRA (Hong Kong) feels that investments in auto spreaders have increasingly become a ‘norm’ in the Indian market. “People are shifting to automation, especially in spreading. If done manually, at least 3% of fabric is wasted but with auto spreaders, only 0.5%,” he reasons.

Talking about Eastman’s latest generation of

Syed Hafeez (L), Country Manager, Eastman CRA (Hong Kong) with Taisuke Miyahara, Executive Director, Eastman Garment Equipment (Ningbo)

Akshay Sharma (R), CEO, Magnum Resources Pvt. Ltd with Rajesh Kumar, Project Manager – Industrial Sewing Machine, Brother International

“The factory owners know that if they have to survive, they have to invest in the best technology because the labour is getting expensive and the industry is moving away from metropolitans to fringes with ample but unskilled labour.” – Akshay Sharma, CEO, Magnum Resources Pvt. Ltd.


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cutters Raptor 75, Syed shared that the number of moving parts have been reduced in the cutters to minimize breakdown and maintenance issues. The users at the most need to replace knives, grinding stones and few bearings.

Present in the Indian market for 10 years, Zoje has entered into a dealership alliance with GTSPL – a Magnum subsidiary. Jimmy Xu, Overseas Marketing Centre Sales Representative, Zoje,

enthralled with the response received at the fair shared, “Zoje is among the top two Chinese sewing machine brands and our machines have been accepted across the Indian market, especially the heavy-duty machines.” The highlight exhibit of the company at the show was ZJ-9610SA-D3-H-3-13 series of high-speed direct-drive computerized post-bed machine. The vertical post-bed makes sewing operations easy and convenient and enables

flexible sewing of various arc stitches, thereby making the machine suitable for using in a wide range of applications.

Devoted to innovating and designing the lean electrical plan for garment enterprises, Magnum rounded up its extensive display of solutions with the launch of bus bar trunking system for apparel industry from China-based HGT. “Being the exclusive agents for HGT in India, we are focusing on providing R&D, sales and after-sales service

for this intensive power distribution product. The range of solutions provided by HGT includes lighting bus bar to provide lighting, power bus bars for running machines, and lighting and power bus bars to provide lighting and power in one bus bar. The catalogue also features a trolley bus bar to provide mobile power for mobile equipment like cutting machines, etc., and trolley ducts to provide mobile power for spreading machines.

Jimmy Xu, Overseas Marketing Centre Sales Representative, Zoje


“India today is facing unprecedented shortage of skilled labour and the only answer is deskilling the job which can be achieved solely by automation. Being the solution providers, we are ushering in solutions of similar capacity,” shares R Selvan, Executive Director, Mehala Machines India Ltd., emphasizing on Mehala’s focus on enabling the automation revolution. Apprising of the current pace of adaptation to the changing scenarios, Bharath, Director, Mehala Machines adds that

the manufacturers for domestic market are also pursuing the concept of deskilling through automation.

From a humble beginning in a small town of Tamil Nadu to being one of India’s leading technology providers with 14 branches across India, Mehala Machines has come a long way. With its careful selection of principals, Mehala today has built a wide catalogue of machines to cater to all segments of the industry from small to big players with machines from Siruba, Duerkopp Adler & PFAFF, Bullmer, Schips, JAM, Pisani, MACPI, etc. and also their in-house brand

MEHALA assisting race to automation

MP Maharajan (2nd from left), Regional Manager, Mehala and Henry Bindhak (3rd from left), Area Sales Manager, Duerkopp Adler with the support team

Bharath, Director (L), Mehala Machines and R Selvan, Executive Director, Mehala Machines India Ltd.

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ORBITO. The company also offers to its customers, industrial engineering and retrofitting services to help build efficiencies for increased productivity.

At the event, the Mehala booth resonated with emphasis on automation solutions for the sewing room with various products from German sewing technology provider Duerkopp Adler and PFAFF. Also on display was ORBITO’s complete range of CAD solutions Photo Digitizer and Plotters. Apart from the standard features to create, edit, grade patterns and import

and export patterns, ORBITO’s CAD has features like MADE TO MEASURE, which enable you to create patterns automatically by just feeding in the measurements, and AUTOMARKER which runs loads of markers on complex servers, in order to bring maximum efficiency.

Together with Mehala, ThreadSol – the pioneer in Enterprise Material Management – also marked its presence. The software package provider has built a reputation for products which help manufacturers boost their topline by reducing material usage hence production cost. Threadsol offers two products

– IntelloBuy and IntelloCut. IntelloBuy is an accurate material estimation solution which helps save about 10 per cent material cost at the buying stage and IntelloCut is a solution that helps save at least 10 per cent material consumption at the production stage.

Demonstrating its prowess over the knits product category, Mehala showcased Siruba’s LKS-1900-ANSS/H high speed electronic bartacking machine with thread trimmer and a Juki tech-authorised programming panel. The panel can be used to

program the tension on a stitch-by-stitch basis. Auto-lifter can be set as one-step stroke or double-step stroke, which offers easier sewing material handling. With 30 mm x 40 mm (L x W) sewing area, the machine can sew 50 patterns of bartacks while being able to sew at 3200 RPM. The needle thread nipper prevents thread slipping off from the needle hole at the beginning of sewing, and bird-nest problem on the bottom side, while also helping control oil stains by the virtue of a dry-head technology. With active tension mechanism, it can set a needle thread tension that matches various sewing conditions.


Among the oldest sewing technology solution

providers for the apparel, leather and home textiles industries, Turel Group marked its presence strongly at GTE 2016. Viraf Turel, Managing Director, Turel Group identifies that the Indian apparel industry today stands at a critical point. While the export market-oriented manufacturers need to respond to rising costs and labour shortage, the domestic market is looking at improving quality and productivity for growth. “These manufacturers have distinct requirements and it is important that they are catered to,” shares Viraf. Furthering E.H. Turel’s agenda of facilitating world class production, the booth featured a wide range of choices from Vibemac, TYPICAL, Naomoto and Maier, to astute interventions like auto thread trimmers from China-based Bella Sewing Machine and automats for finishing and pressing from the Chinese company Weishi.

On display was TYPICAL’s latest model GC 6150D series of high speed direct-drive lockstitch sewing machine,

E.H. TUREL housing radical interventions for incremental innovations

which has been redesigned based on the feedback from Indian customers, for the Indian market. The machines in the GC 6150D series have 4-row feed dog, Teflon-coated two-piece needle bar, a single switch for stitch inching, LED light, aluminium oil pump, head mounted bobbin winder, and user-friendly 4-button panel for machine speed and needle positioning. To improve the user friendliness, the machine has been redesigned with an eco-friendly motor which is connected to the main shaft by four screws for easy maintenance. “Alongside the GC 6150MD , TYPICAL is now also focusing on the emerging market in Kolkata and Chennai for its heavy-duty machines,” shares Gao Bo, Assistant GM & Sales Manager, TYPICAL.

Vibemac, the Italian jeans sewing automation frontrunner was represented at the event by Veeru Maknur, Office Manager – VBM India. Exhibited at the show was its bestselling belt loop setter 4650EV9. The machine is equipped with a new user-friendly 7" coloured touchscreen panel, a double compensatory presser foot,

new loop aligner system, new loop cutting device, new electronic and an auto-diagnostic system to avoid errors. The exhibit was very well received for its features like preview of new patterns visible on the screen, error history reporting, possibility to work without the touchscreen panel in case of breakdown, and a thread blowing device to facilitate the needle threading.

The Guangdong-based company Bella is known for its automatic thread trimmers. Its bestselling models in the country include T322C – a brushless fixed style thread trimmer machine. Not only does it automatically trim but also collects waste. “It is a small investment but it reaps rich dividends as it improves productivity, reduces waste and is extremely easy to operate,” shares David Zhang, Sales Manager, Bella Sewing Machine. Developed especially for knitwear, the trimmer is equipped with a long lasting and easy to maintain ceramic blade and titanium-coated steel blade. The company also offers retrofit direct-drive motors and vacuum waste collection

systems for overlock machines. “We work closely with our dealers E.H. Turel and I come often to India to get more feedback on our products so that we can make an old machine as good as the latest with small retrofits,” adds David who is certain that India is an important market for the company.

Neil Wu from Weishi notes that today India is becoming open and friendly to automation solutions as it is maturing and battling scarce expensive labour. “To ease out any reservations against automation, we even provide machines for a trial to the factories so that they see the differences for themselves,” shares Neil. The machine maker has established its niche for automation in finishing room. One of its bestselling machines in the Indian market includes AZT-C65 – a sleeve final pressing machine. The 3D-pressing machine comes with a carousel mode with two stations which results in improved on-standard time for the operator. It also has an auto sleeve expanding system, which can adjust automatically according to the sleeve size.

David Zhang (L), Sales Manager, Bella Sewing Machine with Viraf Turel, Managing Director, Turel Group

(L-R) Lhu Huang, Representative, Typical; Vincent, Typical International Corporation; Viraf Turel, Managing Director, Turel Group; Gao Bo, AGM & Sales Manager, Typical Sewing Machine Wanping Machinery; and Ding Fengshi, Product Manager, Typical International Corporation

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H&H’s bonding & welding technology to thrive through domestic market

(L-R) Team H&H: Anshuman Dash; Sayed Jahiruddin; and Rajesh Sarangi

“Today the focus on quality is immense, especially when it comes to spares and consumables,”

notes Rajesh Bihani from Rajasthan International. He reasons that in an age where every manufacturer is egotistical at extracting maximum productivity while maintaining quality, looking after the machine and needle is gaining significance. “The negotiations now begin easily which corroborates that the industry has acknowledged the requirement of quality spares and consumables,” Bihani adds.

Since the nature of these products is not as tangible as machines, the Rajasthan International team categorically trains the production floor personnel so that the results are realized at the earliest. For example, PULIMAK® 2 is a spot cleaning spray that removes various spots. Another product, PULITEX® is a spray which can be used to clean knitting needles, spare parts, while eliminating glue, dirt and rust. At the same time, it can also be used as a lubricant for spare parts and needle. “If the operators are not taught how to use these products, the benefits will perhaps never be realized,” avers Bihani.

Bihani goes on to add that today in the Indian apparel manufacturing industry, southern India has matured well in comparison to the rest of the nation. “Other than south India, mostly the purchases will be made only if the machinery manufacturer nominates a particular make,” he elaborates. “India has its own niche, but it can’t continue to play on that for long if it must sustain the global competition from hubs like Bangladesh and Vietnam,” Bihani cautions. The company trades products from Groz-Beckert, Cerliani, Siliconi, Memminger, etc. in the Indian market.

RAJASTHAN INTERNATIONAL bringing world-class consumables for best utilization of machinery

Rajesh Bihani (L) and Rahul Panchal from Rajasthan International

“Innovations in product development by

manufacturers for domestic market will drive forth the opportunity for bonding and welding technology,” averred Anshuman Dash, representative of H&H, the highly popular brand of bonding and welding machines. H&H is already marketing with Magnum Resources for distribution in the Indian market. Anshuman further shared that evidently till now there has not been enough push from the buyers to incorporate these concepts as they are perceived to be expensive. “Certainly, bonding and welding is not an easy or cheap paradigm. But investors need to take the challenge and the leap because if perfected, the results are strikingly different, both aesthetically and functionally,” he adds.

In order to push the technology further in the market, H&H has entered into a marketing alliance with Juki. Optimistic of the alliance

Toshiyuki Yamanaka, Managing Director, Juki India shared, “We see immense potential in stitch-free sewing because it will slowly find relevance in jackets and foundation wear.” With this alliance, Yamanaka is now confident of catering to all the sewing requirements with the best of the machinery – whether with stitch or without stitch. Celebrating the alliance, the fair also featured a booth for Juki and H&H.

With more than two decades of experience in manufacturing welding and bonding machines, H&H has developed a range of solutions for bonding, ultrasonic welding and pressing. While the AI series of machines are suitable for sealing of the already furnished seams, regardless of how the seam has been made – through sewing, bonding or welding, SF series of machines are specifically designed for tape laydown operation on straight and curved seams of 2D and 3D constructions.

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Among India’s foremost producers of specialty papers and films for garment industry, Krishna Lamicoat had sublimation paper among other products to offer at this edition of the show. “We’ve introduced sublimation paper in India for the first time,” says Ashok Chhajer, Director, Krishna Lamicoat Pvt. Ltd. Krishna Lamicoat has also come up with micro perforated paper available

ShangGong Gemsy Co. Ltd., has been doing great work in India from last 20 years. Following its

acquisition by ShangGong, Gemsy has re-strategized its stance on quality as it is now in a technical alliance with Duerkopp Adler, PFAFF and KSL. “With support from Duerkopp Adler, we’re going to launch a series of high quality automated machines at a very competitive price,” shares Victor Xu, South Asia Sales Manager, International Department, ShangGong Gemsy and adding, “Chinese brands persist with an image of ‘cheap technology and low quality’ in Indian market, but we’re working on changing this impression to good quality technology with competitive price.”

ShangGong Gemsy displayed GEM 9820-A/B the machine for electronic eyelet button hole at GTE. The machine is capable of locking various button holes of formal suits, overcoat, work suits, trousers and jeans of different material thickness and even the shape of the button hole can be customized through computer. With sewing speed of 2500 RPM, it is claimed to be one of the world’s maximum. Equipped with lower head to reduce operator fatigue, and a large arm pocket to allow smooth material handling. This machine also has auto-trimmer for bottom and top threads.

The company received huge response and enquiries especially from exporters, for which the company gives credit to its dealer – Beacon International. “We are now working on improving the after-sales service,” mentions Victor. In this context, Gemsy has started a feedback process of asking the customer about further improvements in existing machines, services and technologies.

KRISHNA LAMICOAT harnessing on spill over business from China SHANGGONG GEMSY

re-strategizing stance on quality

Ashok Chhajer (L), Director, Krishna Lamicoat with his team

RK Bansal (L) from Beacon International with Victor Xu, South Asia Sales Manager, International Department, ShangGong Gemsy

in 70, 80 and 100 GSM. This can replace perforated and plotting paper in the cutting room, reducing the price of a garment, which is the foremost agenda of any company.

Chhajer expects a sales volume of 2,000 rolls per month after the introduction of sublimation paper and adds, “This should generate huge turnover for our company, since this segment has not been addressed by anybody else in the country till now.” He also shares that the company is planning to double the capacity in future.

Since paper cost and labour cost have increased in China,

India will be at maximum benefit from it. “China will not be able to sustain their customers for more than a year now, which is the whole purpose of increasing our capacity,” says Chhajer. Krishna Lamicoat is focusing on markets of Middle East, East Asia and Africa. According to him, in next 2-3 years, 10-15% spill over business from China and other countries ought to come to India,

since India has more skilled labour with lesser minimum wages. But he feels that a transformation in Indian laws and policies is required. “The policies act as a barrier to our business and allows other countries to fulfil the demands of the market,” reasons Chhajer.

Other offerings from the company include 50 grams recycled paper which Ashok claims is a suitable replacement for the traditional 60 and 70 grams white paper. The company has also taken up the initiative of taking back the cut paper and plastic used in cutting room for the purpose of recycling.

Tech Event


Tech Event

MORGAN TECNICA receiving enquiries from domestic market

“Lately, we’ve been receiving enquiries

from domestic players who are planning to expand,” informs Prakhar Singh, Country Manager, GA Morgan Dynamics. The cutting room machinery and software premier, Morgan Tecnica S.p.A., offers solutions

which are an amalgamation of technology and design of superior DNA, strictly ‘Made in Italy’. In markets of south India, Morgan is an established name but now growth is seen in North India as well. Prakhar details on Morgan’s services in Indian market which include serving the customers directly. He adds, “We already have our subsidiary office in Bangalore to provide after-sales services

to the customers with qualified engineers. We are now also coming up with training centres.”

According to Nicola Messale, Sales Director, Morgan Tecnica S.p.A. has an edge over its competitors, with the full line solutions that it offers.

“We offer solutions for full line, and also with solutions for cutter and spreader separately, as per the need of the customer,” says Nicola. Prakhar further explains, “The configuration of our machines makes us stand out from the crowd because of elements like CAD software, cut order plan and analytics software.” The range of products Morgan offers are aligned to modern

day requirements and are also claimed to be user-friendly.

In the Indian market, Morgan offers 5 models of spreading tables, one automatic labelling system and a fully digitally controlled cutter. Among the 5 table models namely Tab 101, 102, 103, 140 and 152, Tab 101 is an air-blowing spreading table with metallic oven painted structure. The table top is in medium density. Tab 102 is also a conveyor spreading table with metallic oven painted structure, whereas Tab 103 is a three conveyor levels table for the storage of lays ready to be cut. Both Tab 102 and 103 are equipped with PVC conveyor belt and double side guide. Tab 140 is a pin table for the spreading of checks and stripes fabric, available in modules of 4 and 6 metres of length. The top has grid holes of 10 cm x 10 cm. Tab 152 is a transfer table for Morgan spreaders over two or more parallel spreading lines. The height of all 5 tables is adjustable from 87 cm to 93 cm with fabric width 180 cm to 230 cm.

Joker 380 is the automatic labelling system for fabric lays. With its wireless technology, the machine allows to directly interface the labelling machine to CAD system. Morgan Next 70 is claimed to be most flexible cutter, with extremely low power consumption. It possesses the flexibility to cut any thickness of lay, from single ply to 7 cm compressed, with any kind of material. Morgan is coming up with new prototyping software to reduce sampling cost and time, by the middle of the year.

GA Morgan Dynamics – Bangalore-based subsidiary of Morgan Tecnica S.p.A. for the Indian market – has been receiving enquiries from the domestic players who are planning to expand. The company is also looking at replicating its north India success in south India.

Prakhar Singh (2nd from left), Country Manager, GA Morgan Dynamics and Nicola Messale (3rd from left), Sales Director, Morgan Tecnica S.p.A. with their team at the fair


“Industry has a category of manufacturers who

make ample number of products with changing style,” says Sanjay Sharma, Country Head – Sales (India & Nepal), Groz-Beckert. Such demand calls for high precision machine parts and fine tools with expert advice over new fabrics and styles. Groz-Beckert has been among the world’s leading providers of such systems and services that support the field of knitting, weaving, felting, tufting, carding and sewing. Since the year 1852, Groz-Beckert has represented diversity, precision and quality in over 150 countries and claims to provide its customers and partners with comprehensive support along with full length of the textile value chain.

GROZ-BECKERT: Consultancy is a part of customer service

Team Groz-Beckert at GTE 2016

In case of a new fabric or style, the manufacturers send samples and Groz-Beckert provides them with recommendation on needle type/size and sewing parameters. “The number of reports has gone up by 3 times in last 4 years, and being in Gurgaon (India) we’re geographically in the hub to provide such services,” informs Sanjay. He further avers that since the firm claims to be a solution provider, consultancy is a part of their customer service. “The processes customers adopt are optimized by us so that customer gets full value out of a product,” states Sanjay. For each process, Groz-Beckert experts help customers establish a needle

exchange program, which comprises of a different timeline style-wise. Apart from consultancy, he also claims that Groz-Beckert provides products that perform to its value.

Groz-Beckert was seen focusing on the sewing segment at the fair…, highlighting Sewing5 – the 5-Star Service Concept, assuring – consistent Supply, technical Solutions, Service, Superiority in products, and Sustainability. The response at Groz-Beckert booth was good, especially on the weekend. “If the market is growing at 5 per cent, then we aim to grow at 10 per cent,” Sanjay says. This is the growth strategy of the company, since growing at the rate of economy would nullify the growth.

Groz-Beckert provides recommendations to apparel manufacturers on the needle type/size and sewing parameters while establishing a needle exchange program. The number of manufacturers seeking such services has only gone up in the past 4 years.

Tech Event


HCA with over a century of experience in offering

apparel manufacturing technology solutions, spares and folders, holds the reputation of understanding the needs of the Indian apparel industry. With a penchant for bringing to the fore latest and most relevant technologies for the manufacturer, Anil Anand, MD, HCA shared that the industry is now recovering from its slump of last two years. “To make sure that the Indian apparel industry remains competitive, we must now step out of our comfort zones and diversify. Diversification of any kind will take the industry forward – whether it is in terms of location, products or manufacturing paradigms,” avers Anil. Sharing his views on the burgeoning domestic industry, Anil highlights the opportunities available, “Quality in domestic market will continue gaining prominence as there are consumers in the domestic market who want to spend money, but for quality; therein lies the huge business opportunity. Of course, it comes with investment in technology.”

HCA offering solutions and business case for technology and quality

Present at the HCA booth, AMF Reece, the American automation pioneer, launched TH-5500, an automatic bottom hemming machine at GTE. “If hemmed manually, an operator can produce 70 pieces an hour. But with TH-5500, an hourly output rises by 3.5 times to 250 pieces,” shares Cenk Oflaz, Managing Partner, AMF Reece. The cylinder bed, needle feed, lockstitch machine comes with an auto trimmer and adjustable servo motors for independent top puller and bottom puller. Capable of running at a maximum speed of 3500 RPM, the accurate start and finish of sewing is obtained on account of photocells. The overlapping of hem-joint start and finish seams can be programmed from the control panel, even for garments with more than two pieces of trousers and skirt panels. The self-compensating right fabric tension mechanism automatically adjusts to inconsistencies in hem diameter. Cenk feels that a significant fraction of Indian apparel manufacturer is yet to take the quantum leap and upgrade their technology

practices. The company is now focusing on promoting its technology more extensively, so that the manufacturers take notice of the potential of automation. Cenk, echoing Anil’s thoughts, shares that the adoption of technology in the domestic market will rise. “Today retail and manufacturing is being looked after by the same business. Soon it will change, people will do what they do best and the rest will be outsourced. Naturally, manufacturing will receive a push,” he asserts.

“The eyelet buttonhole machine is so famous in India that it is called the ‘Reece-hole’,” shares Cenk speaking about ES-505 – the new generation electronic eyelet buttonhole machine. Designed with patented mechanisms for balancing and sewing drive mechanism, the machine can run at a speed of 2,700 RPM. The modular design of the machine integrates the sewing head with the motor. The machine also comes with a vertical cutting system instead of standard lever cutting for clean and reliable results. The cycle sewing allows up to 21 different

buttonhole combinations to be sewn in 47 different programs.

Also present at the booth, Xuenqin Xu, Foreign Trade Department Manager, HIGHLEAD shared that the company will now be focusing on expanding its range for catering to the diverse emerging needs of the heavy-duty machine market. HIGHLEAD is optimistic about GC24698-5/-6 which is a series of long arm high post-bed extra heavy-duty compound feed lockstitch sewing machine. This series is especially designed for stitching large and extra heavy articles and is sub-classed into two needle types – single needle left-side post-bed type (L) and single right left-side post-bed type (R). With long arm, high post-bed, compound feed mechanism, large vertical rotating hook, powerful servo motor, pneumatic presser foot lift and pneumatic backtack. These features along with the large working space of 508 mm x 335 mm and stable feeding mechanisms provide quality sewing of multiple layers of heavy-duty articles like tents, sails, umbrellas, car covers, safety covers, camouflage nets, etc.

Anil Anand (R), MD, HCA with Megha Anand, Director, HCA

Xuenqin Xu, Foreign Trade Department Manager, HIGHLEAD Cenk Oflaz, Managing Partner, AMF Reece

Tech Event

www.apparelresources.com APRIL 2016 StitchWorld 4545 StitchWorld


Tukatech has been developed in

collaboration with 3D-rendering pioneers Autodesk. The collaboration is crucial in distinguishing the software package since it is a completely integrated solution and the users can drape the garment, add simulation, analyze fit, create the “look”, and render images or videos all in one system. “Unlike other 3D product development software systems, TUKA3D does not require third party plug-ins to create powerful presentations,” informs Sameer Pauriyal, Vice President – Asia, Tukatech.

The US-based CAD/CAM solutions provider, debuted its latest versions of TUKAcloud, the cloud-based digital sample room and assets library which has been developed based on feedback from the customers. TUKA3D is integrated with TUKAcloud, enabling vendors to upload their 3D garments on their buyer’s profiles on TUKAcloud. Each digital sample can include any colourways or variations, videos and images for fit analysis, TUKA3D e-fit project, TUKAcad pattern file, measurement charts, and even tech packs (all of which can be viewed and downloaded to any device). The respective designer, buyer, or merchandiser can then log on to the TUKAcloud website and view all of the 3D garments developed for their brand. Styles can be sorted by year, season and garment categories for easy searching. Comments for changes to a style are e-mailed directly

to the operator, who can quickly make the necessary adjustments, and upload a new 3D sample. As all the data for a style is stored in one central location, once a style is approved, it can easily be used as a reference for future styles instead of starting from scratch every time. With each digital folder, the product development time for the next style is decreased.

“By introducing TUKAcloud, we expect to bring down the sample development time from what used to be 45 to 60 days, to a bare minimum of 5 to 7 days as we have combined the multiple fit iterations into just one final physical sample as everything is pre-approved on the cloud,” informed Sameer. Not only does this solution close the communication gap between buyers and vendors, but it also accelerates the approval

TUKATECH expediting 3D revolution

process and cuts cost tremendously.

Tukatech also recorded a five-fold increase in the number of annual installations of their software pan-Asia. “We have been trying to keep the Indian apparel manufacturers up-to-date on the technological platform since the past 15 years,” avers Sameer. Part of this effort is achieved with the company’s worldwide focus on educating the apparel industry’s future decision-makers. By enabling schools to train their students to use various CAD software systems, more graduates are entering the workforce ready to add value to companies looking for highly-qualified individuals.

Other key exhibits at the show included the latest updates of TUKAcad for pattern making, grading, and marker making and TUKA3D for digital design development.

Ram Sareen, Founder and CEO of Tukatech

Tech Event

“With TUKAcloud, all the data for a style can be stored at one central location. Once a style is approved, it can be easily used as a reference for future styles instead of starting from scratch every time. This helps register savings of time and cost.”

Sameer Pauriyal, Vice President – Asia, Tukatech


“Whenever a part gets damaged, customers

can immediately procure it from us, thereby reducing the machine downtime,” says Guna, Managing Director, IMAsia CAD CAM Services Pvt. Ltd. A newly founded IMAsia, the Indian subsidiary for IMA S.p.A., will look after the after-sales services in all Asian markets.

The cutting room specialist based in Italy, IMA S.p.A is among the pioneers in design, construction and maintenance of facilities for the cutting room for 35 years. According to Guna, India is the best market for IMA. He adds, “We’re present in all markets of Asia, except China. In Bangladesh and India alone, IMA serves 25-30% of its annual production.” Guna claims that IMA machines are used by domestic manufacturers, exporters and buying houses. He also says that IMA has a stabilized pricing policy, despite which the sales figure has grown from 1 million to 3 million in three years.

The current focus of the company is on cutters. “We’ve low ply cutters with a feature to upgrade them for mass production by some changes

IMA focusing on accuracy in machines

in the hardware. De-grading a mass production cutter is also possible at IMA,” avers Guna.

IMA is also the first company to switch to digital communication, claims Guna. “Earlier we also used analogue communication when in association with OMRON Technology, then we switched to control systems by Mitubishi, Japan which offers compatible technology for digital communication,” he elaborates. Guna strongly advocated that through digital communication machine can react 200 times faster as compared to analogue, and accuracy can be ensured.

According to him, the company’s flexibility in terms of product and technology makes it stand out from others. He also says that IMA is more inclined towards stability and steady growth, hence not stressing much on promotions. “In starting we had a very small share in the market, but in last three years highest number of automated cutting lines done in India is by IMA”, shares Guna. IMA has been getting repeat orders and their 30 per cent revenue is from existing customers.

(L-R) Guna, Managing Director, IMAsia CAD CAM Services Pvt. Ltd.; Luca, Area Salesman, IMA; and Bhushan Reddy, Head Marketing (Technical), IMAsia CAD/CAM Services Pvt. Ltd.

Armin Ackermann (L) and Sateesh Gururajachar from Speed Step

Tech Event

Founded in 1995, Speed Step Software Solutions (India) Pvt. Ltd. a German-

based software company, offers ERP software package specially designed for fashion manufacturing industries. Currently, the company supports over 200 customers with an internal staff of 45 persons.

In the past the buyers and buying companies were responsible for many processes, but now it has changed and responsibilities have shifted to exporters, thereby a need is felt to develop platform for buyers and exporters to collaborate. Totally in sync with the need of the industry today, Speed Step has brought a highly targeted ERP to the market. An executive from Speed Step, Sateesh Gururajachar says, “Through our tools we’re trying to create a platform where information and current status can flow to the factory owner directly.”

The data gathering in the factories is done by a team who has no knowledge about the significance of that data, and that is being understood to be the major reason of ERP failure in companies across the country. Speed Step’s idea is to make data collection process accurate and efficient, without human intervention while absolutely abolishing duplication. “We ensure that the actual user, whether the cutting master or line supervisors would easily be able to capture real time data on either the mobile devices or tablets. A PC is not mandatory for it,” says Armin Ackermann, another executive representing Speed Step at GTE.

Speed Step also customizes the software according to the user’s requirements. “We try and understand all processes of the company and then based on it we customize the software. It takes 3-4 months to implement our systems,” says Ackermann.

SPEED STEP focusing on capturing data at origin


Tech Event

OPTITEX enabling virtual prototyping with integrated 2D-3D platforms

Optitex, the premium provider of 2D and

3D CAD/CAM and virtual prototyping software solutions for sewn products, exhibited Version 15.3 of Optitex Pattern Design Software (PDS), along with Optitex CutPlan and Roll Management module at GTE 2016. With installations at leading retailers like eShakti and Ann Taylor, the solution provider has a diverse clientele which is now growing to include domestic retailers as well. “The 3D solution Photorealistic 3D (PR 3D) has gained significant traction in the domestic market as it creates true-to-life 3D images with the most realistic detailing possible like fully enhanced fabric details and textures. The export market on the other hand is embracing production optimization solutions like the ones for roll management,” shared Parvinder Singh, COO, Optitex – India.

Looking at resolving real-world challenges that fashion companies face daily, both on the design as well as

production side, the latest update of the Optitex PDS comes packed with Printed Fabric Tool which helps designers and pattern makers see how the printed image will lie on the garment, make adjustments and immediately view the effects of every change. Using Optitex 3D Suite, users can make changes on the 2D pattern or 3D model and see the results simultaneously in both.

In another upgrade, a new add-on module has been introduced to OptitexCutPlan that enables improved inventory utilization by integrating roll inventory data into their order cutting process, according to user-defined priorities. With this new module, individual rolls of different widths are automatically assigned to specific markers to meet the requirements of the order while supporting inventory management goals. Usage data from the Roll Management module can be exported to a spreadsheet to update the inventory control system.

Rajiv Sud (L), Sales Manager and Parvinder Singh, COO, Optitex

One of India’s cutting room solution providers Studio Next Technology Pvt. Ltd., headquartered

in Mumbai, is the sole business partner for entire range of solutions by the Richpeace Group, China & Yin-Japan. Vishal Sher, Managing Director, Studio Next Technology Pvt. Ltd. says that a constant change in attitude can be seen regarding the adoption of automated technologies among Indian manufacturers. “Since skilled manpower is growing scarce, we don’t need to convince manufacturers anymore. They come to us by themselves asking for automated solutions,” Vishal adds. He also claims that on-screen pattern making and automatic marker making is growing popular in the Indian market.

As an important part of marker making, Studio Next displayed the standing cutting plotter and flatbed cutting plotter from Richpeace. Both the plotters have inkjet technology instead of a pen, servo motor to ensure high speed plotting and smooth working, and hard knife suitable for cutting different kinds of materials. “The standing cutter plotter is claimed to be 3-5 times faster than the traditional ones,” informs Vishal. The other highlight was a software upgrade like a smart marker making system. They also offer software dedicated to designing.

Equipment reliability and longevity is also essential for a quick ROI. Vishal shares, “Nothing goes wrong with most of our products, and thereby our sales team is one-eighth of our support team. Queries come from references through existing customers. Studio Next claims to have a strong base for after-sales service of the products sold. They also provide training to students who have little experience in CAD/cutting.

STUDIO NEXT highlights equipment reliability for performance

Vishal Sher (L), MD and Rajesh Rao, CEO, Studio Next


Sudheer V. Nair (extreme right), CEO, Cheran Machines India Pvt. Ltd with JN Arora team

Tech Event

“Owing to its high productivity and

competitive costing, roll-to-roll sublimation printing has garnered a significant demand in the market, especially domestic,” confirms Sudheer V. Nair, CEO, Cheran Machines India Pvt. Ltd. The other features of the roll-to-roll sublimation printing technique which have reinforced the demand is its flexibility between small and long runs, and fabric and garment printing, he elaborates.

Catering to this requirement, the company brought to the fair ‘SWIFT’ – its roll-to-roll sublimation transfer machine. The machine comes with an electric heating drum for fast continuous production and easy handling & maintenance. It also has a customized cooling timer setting for maintaining the quality of prints. Suitable for sublimation transfer on polyesters, the SWIFT range of machines comprises of three models – CFR 1250, CFR 1750 and CFR 1950. All

CHERAN MACHINES catering to roll-to-roll sublimation printing demand

machines in the range can achieve a temperature of 220°C and print at the speed of 2.5 metres per minute. The CFR 1250 comes with a working area of 44" and has a heater with power 6kW. Whereas, CFR 1750 has a working area of 65" and a heater power of 9 kW. The widest model in the series is CFR 1950 with a working area of 72" and a heater power of 12 kW.

The company is very positive of the growth in the printing segment and shared that both the export and domestic players were increasingly looking at technology in this direction. Sudheer pointed out that though many companies had good solutions, after-sales services and deep understanding of the industry and technology were also critical when taking a decision. “We have worked hard to establish a name that companies can rely on and this is what gives us the confidence that we are on a growth path along with the industry,” concludes Sudheer.

“In washing/processing sector, it can be easily assessed that domestic

technology buyers are better customers than apparel exporters and the key enabler of this distinction is the hospitality sector,” asserts Deepak Chawla, Director, XCEL STIRO Pvt. Ltd. – an Indian company specializing in ironing machines, laundry machines and perc-dry cleaning machines.

Pushing the frontiers for the Indian R&D in washing segment, XCEL presented at the show a revolutionary machine which combines washing, extraction and drying, incorporating the three processes in one machine, resulting in tremendous savings of space, labour, and electricity. It is noteworthy that the machine also helps saving time as the handling time between the three operations is removed, points out Deepak. Since the garment goes in dry and comes out dry, the washing area is free from water and soap residue. The machine has a stainless steel body, soap dozer, blanket wool insulation to prevent heat loss, and CNC embossed perforations for better fluid circulation.

Other key feature of the machine is the built-in VFD adjustable drum speed for various types of washing, making it completely safe for delicate garments. With an instant drain and filling through manual valves, the focus is on making the machine easy to use. The auto operation of water, steam and drain are available as options.

The machine comes in three variants – XL 08, XL 15, and XL 30, where the numerical portion represents the capacity (in kg) supported by the machine. The volume supported by the three models is equivalent to 155L, 286L and 570L. “We already have a few installations in Indian and have received positive reviews for the XL range of machines,” informs Deepak. With a presence across all major hubs in the country – Delhi, Ludhiana, Tirupur, Kolkata and Hyderabad, XCEL is now gearing up to enter the Bangalore market.

XCEL STIRO launches international technology for the laundry industry


Tech Event

Zili Zhao (R), Director, Wenli with Gurjeet Nayyar from Wenli International Trading

Apparel manufacturing in Kolkata is gathering pace,

confirms Sanjay Mehta, Joint MD of Kolkata-based Sunny Sales. Dissonantly enough, the surge has barely reflected in the sales of new machines. “The share of SLNS to the total number of machines in the factory is 70%. Keeping this in mind, significant growth was expected but it has been taken over by imported second-hand sewing machines,” Mehta shares. Dismissing that sewing quality is affected by second-hand machines, he elaborates that machines are usually discarded by the factories before their actual shelf life, suggesting at an upcoming business opportunity in the region. The balance 30% specialized machines however are being purchased first hand.

SUNNY SALES exhibits specialized machines from BAIHUI

The Sunny Sales booth at the show featured a line-up of multi needle chainstitch specialized machines from BAIHUI which included BH-4412P – a 12-needle, 24-thread cylinder-bed double chainstitch sewing machine with multiple gauge options of 1/8", 3/16" and 1/4". The machine, as a standard equipped with 4 loopers, can be customized on request. The machine can be operated at a maximum RPM of 4500. Another specialized machine which attracted attention at the fair was BH-8842-1 – a pocket facing attaching machine. The machine from the series are flatbed, high-speed, high performance double stitch sewers which produce durable seams with three needles and one interlock needle. BH-1412P series of 12 needles flatbed double chainstitch sewing machine and BH-1417P series of 17 needles flatbed double chainstitch sewing machine were other exhibits at the Sunny Sales booth. Equipped with UOX11314 needles, and needle gauge options of 1/8", 3/16" and 1/4", the stitches of length between 7-17 mm can be furnished, while the presser foot can be lifted up by 10 mm. The BH-1417P model has exactly similar specifications with only difference of needle gauge options of 1/8” and 3/16" only.

As the competition grows fiercer in the Indian market and bottom lines take the toll, Sunny Sales will soon be expanding its portfolio.

Given China’s splendid reputation and long tryst with product development, credibility can be attached to the technologies for value-addition developed in the country. Zhejiang-based Wenli was one such innovative exhibitor at the GTE and the centre of attraction at its booth was ZY50/180 heat transfer printing machine. Based on oil media-heating and felt-releasing system, this machine is suitable for printing not just roll-to-roll fabrics but printing garments as well. The machine can print on digital printing paper of 100 GSM at a speed of around 100 m/hour and on gravure printing paper at a speed of 180 m/hour, shares Zili Zhao, Director, Wenli. The piece-wise productivity of the machine is 700 pieces per hour. The distinction of the machine lies in its temperature control feature wherein as the temperature of the table rises during operation; it is controlled by washing after every stroke without stopping the machine. “It is important to control the temperature of the table because the rise affects the quality of the print. This is a brand new innovation in the market pioneered by us,” avers Zili.

Another key attraction at the Wenli booth was the ‘Oval type digital printing machine’ – a part of three-machine series. The LF3000A variants come with DX5 – a PC digital printing head from Epson. The range of heads that can be affixed to the machine varies from four to eight and has an hourly output of 280 pieces for an A4 size print. LF3000B on the other hand comes with an industrial printing head (starfire 1024). While the compatible range of number of heads is the same as LF3000A, it can print 400 pieces an hour. The third model in the range is LF3000C, with the same head of LF3000B. While LF3000C can accommodate at least 4 heads, it can be configured to use a maximum of 12 heads. The productivity rests at 500 pieces per hour.

WENLI pioneering value addition technology

“Apparel manufacturing in Kolkata is gathering pace, and the surge has barely reflected in the sales of new machines.”

Sanjay Mehta, Joint MD, Sunny Sales


Tech Event

Prateek Chowdhary (L), MD, and Isteyar Ahmed, Representative, Peayush Machineries Pvt. Ltd. (PMPL)

Deepak Chowdhary, MD, Aura Technologies

One of the significant suppliers of Chinese

embroidery machines in Indian market, Aura Technologies has a distinct focus on research & development and sales & services of computerized embroidery machine. India is a huge country and has great diversity, representing different regional markets where each market within the country has a very different need, which Deepak Chowdhary, MD, Aura Technologies understands

the best. “Delhi manufacturers look for high quality machines with longer lives; so the concern is more about machine quality, company reputation and services. Similarly, in Amritsar and Ludhiana, price is the major concern, and in Surat the inclination is more towards productivity and brand image,” explains Deepak.

Pleased with the response at GTE, Deepak informed that maximum enquiries from the export segment have come from Delhi-NCR. The company has recently set-up its offices in Amritsar, Ludhiana and Surat and has got a good response from these markets

too. “We’re expecting to have a major business turnaround from the markets like Amritsar and Surat from this exhibition,” he asserts.

Aura exhibited fourth generation machine of its laser technology. Compared to 22 Watt laser and optic fibre medium in older version, the new generation machine has 80 Watt laser with travel media via stainless steel. Another innovation in laser cutting showcased by Aura and exhibited in Asia for the first time was AURA LEO-III SERIES – a 56 heads with GEN 4 (80 Watts) laser system which has frame moving mechanisms without bearing. “We’ve received pre-orders for this machine in last 6 months, much before it was launched,” shares Deepak, further claiming that the machine has been engineered to minimize wear and tear of its equipment and parts. Aura also launched chainstitch machine with 1200 RPM, which it claimed to be first of its kind.

Deepak foresees bright future of value-addition in India and shares, “We’re doing bead works with bead size 8 and 11. Next project is multiple colour beads in multiple sizes.” About competition from Japan, Deepak says that majority of value-addition features offered by Aura, like laser devices and dual framing, are not yet available even with reputed brands of Japan, thus Aura has no competition from the country. In future, Aura aims to replace manual operations with automated solutions and improve the productivity of automation.

AURA exhibits first chainstitch machine with 1200 RPM and GEN 4 (80 Watts) laser system

Machinery technique on a garment or a fabric requires certain expertise in understanding the

working of the machine and nuances of the technology. Prateek Chowdhary, MD, Peayush Machineries Pvt. Ltd. (PMPL) is one such person who has specialized in computer embroidery machines and spare parts as well. The Delhi-based company established in 2006, has more than 100 employees, 65 out of which are for customer support exclusively. With the quality of ‘DAYU’ brand series for embroidery machines they claim to carry a strict quality control policy.

“Our products are sold not only in the domestic market but are also widely accepted by foreign clients of 20 nations from Europe, Middle East, South America among others,” says Prateek adding, “Since the current domestic requirement is more for value addition, we’re catering to the domestic market also.” As fashion is evolving, a major change in style is seen every 3 months, and according to Prateek it is not possible to buy a new machine, so he suggests installation of a new part to upgrade the machine. “Earlier there was a need to buy the machine, now we can upgrade existing machines for value addition with the help of attachments like devices for boring, cording and sequins,” he shares.

At GTE, PMPL had two booths – one out of them was completely dedicated to solutions for laser technology. “Visitors are most drawn to laser machines,” shares Prateek. PMPL also displayed automatic sewing machine for heavy material. The multi-head construction is the USP of this machine, and operates the same way as embroidery machine with multi-heads. It is suitable for all kinds of thick material. It is equipped with a strong motor that offers powerful drive force on needle bar which ensures smoother needle penetration force on thicker and heavier material.

PMPL offering solutions to upgrade value addition machinery


Tech Tease

TECHTEASE – VII MEASUREMENT TOOLS

Across2. The inventory that must be liquidated at a reduced price, or sold as scrap.4. Measure to determine the actual machine running time; the level of utilization of

machine running time; and the quality of good output.5. The time period between the placement of an order and the shipment of the

completed order to the customer.7. The ratio of the total order quantity to the maximum pieces allowed in the marker

will calculate the least possible .10. can be measured in terms of number of pieces or number of minutes

of workload.11. An indicator of the output or value generated per unit of material used is called

material .12. The percentage of deliveries that a factory is able to make without any delays.14. The measure to determine the percentage of standards met by the company.15. The total available workforce in a factory/organization to the number of operational

machines.18. A very important metric while calculating the labour cost that will be incurred in

production of the given garment.20. Todefineabsenceofworkersfromtheregularworkwithoutpriorpermission,

notice or sanction.

What cannot be measured, cannot be managed... Fortunately for apparel manufacturing there are ample tools to measure and hence manage right from the fabric store to the warehouse and beyond. In the latest edition of TechTease, clues to 20 such tools are to be decrypted…

Down1. rateistheaveragerateatwhichunitsflowpastthroughaspecificpoint

in the process.3. An audit standard describing the maximum number of defects that could be considered

acceptable during the random sampling of an inspection.6. The ratio of fabric actually used on the marker to total available fabric is called

marker .8. time is the time taken to complete the process of changing between

manufacturing of one product to the manufacturing of another product until the required productionandqualityparametersaresatisfied.

9. plan is the measure to ensure the use of least number of plies and least number of lays while cutting an order.

13. Inventorycostingmethodinwhichthefirstunitbroughtintheinventoryisfirsttobesoldorissued.

16. improvement is the percentage reduction of standard time of the garment.17. The percentage of garments shipped out of total number of garments cut for the order is

called the ratio.19. One of the fundamental measurements for logistics performance to ensure whether the

supply chain was able to deliver or not the expected product.

CLUES

ANSWERS FOR TECHTEASE – VI

Across: 2. City of Gold 5. Gomorrah 10. Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke 11. Annayya 16. Last Train Home 17. Normarae 18. Garmento

Down: 1. Monte Carlo 2. Coco Before Chanel 3. Badmaash Company 4. Vartak Nagar 5. Guru 6. Minsara Kanavu 7. Uncertain Faiths 8. Jeans 9. Laadla 12. Ready-to-Wear 13. September 14. Mannequin 15. Triangle

[We also welcome suggestions from our readers for topics on which they would like to see crosswords in the future editions.]The solutions to TechTease – 7 will be published in SW May 2016. Readers can mail the images of completed crosswords to [email protected] or WhatsApp at +919724829820 by 26th April 2016.

Gear up to get involved with the myriad world of words of the apparel manufacturing trade and relish the joy of precision – there is only one right answer. So brush up, revise and revive your technical and managerial acumen because the first correct entry wins two movie tickets for latest movies released (for India only) or complimentary six months’ PDF subscription of StitchWorld (for outside India).

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