Garment Industry Analysis

Deepak Mohindra Editor-in-Chief

Read and comment on my blog athttp://stitchworldmagazine.blogspot.com

E D I T O R I A L

An interesting beginning to the year is the growing number of ‘technopreneurs’ – people who have garment manufacturing education and are now starting business on their own… I have met some of them recently and am very happy with the development.

I have always said in my earlier editorials that unless we have the new generation coming forward to establish factories, this industry will wane away. And now I have a hope that the industry is on a strong footing because my list of start-ups is growing.

For me it does not matter whether the start-up is for exports or domestic manufacturing… A start-up in garmenting is what is important. At least these young professionals are getting into the business on their own…, willing to manufacture garments, which even older players are finding difficult to do!

I would wish to extend them any help if they would want from us, to see them grow and progress to be the next Shahi or Orient Craft… If you know any such start-ups, do connect them to StitchWorld, we would love to welcome them into our folds.

We have also recrafted the StitchWorld to suit their needs… When I say recrafted, I mean the focus is now clearly on benchmark practices, new models of operations, more automation and robotics and not to be ignored of innovative ways to manage and motivate employees. Emphasis is also on career building and sustainable initiatives.

I look forward to your suggestions to be more targeted and valuable to my readers.

In line with our new editorial thrust, an interesting article is ‘Entrepreneurship: Transformation from Learning to Execution’ wherein Sanjay Yadav shares how his experience on the shopfloor at other factories and education helped him in setting up his own unit.

In the article – ‘Anatomy of an Efficient Apparel Production Manager’, the traits and the deliverables of an ideal production manager are discussed in detail. This is particularly important as the foundation of an efficient apparel manufacturing setup is led by production, and the production manager is the critical bridge between the company’s financial goals and workers.

We have also initiated a new series wherein SW will present ‘Top-List’ technology providers in different segments used in apparel industry processes. The section aims at analysing the best available in the market.

TECH BYTESWere you present at the 10th edition of India ITME, held in Mumbai (India) recently?How did you find the exhibits at the event? What interested you the most? Where do you feel the industry is moving after having a look at the latest technologies displayed at the exhibition?Of the 25 product launches that took place at the event, which one caught your eye?

The 10th edition of India ITME was worth attending. There was a great range of technologies displayed in the dyeing/printing segment, which really had my eyes set on them.Though I didn’t find any new/innovative technology or machinery in the spinning segment, which was something disappointing, it was same as displayed in earlier editions. I do feel that industry is moving forward on the path of innovation slowly and steadily.Companies are now ready to invest in new technology despite higher investments because they want to adopt state-of-the-art machinery in order to achieve high profits and production capacity. I am looking forward to something that alongside being advanced provides me with the benefit of reduction in cost, power and labour.GOVINDA MARDAExecutive Director, Arvind Cotsyn (India) Limited

No new technological developments were seen in the weaving segment, which dissatisfied me as I was expecting some novel technologies or features. But the spinning segment caught my interest. I was looking for an automated process for material handling during various processes ofspinning and finishing. Automatic containers and packing solutions by Sieger Spintech Equipments Pvt. Ltd. grabbed my attention. Automated material handling helps in manpower reduction, and technology providers are coming up with more and more solutions in this context. Moreover, it is a one-time investment, even though it is costly, it will definitely pay back in the long run.

ATUL P. VERMASenior Manager – Dye House & H.T.C, Vardhman Spinning and General Mills

Exhibitors this year at India ITME 2016 were not new. I had already seen the displayed technologies at earlier editions… All types of machinery and technologies were same, especially in the spinning and weavingsegments. What I feel lacked at this year’s event was the exhibitors’ research upon Indian textile market’s needs. I regularly visit foreign textile exhibitions and find some new innovations in textile machinery every time but I could not find even one new technology or innovation that ITME showcased in 2016th episode. Everything is already available in the market. Exhibitors must have known that the ITME takes place once in 4 years but they did not study theneeds of Indian textile market before coming up with their products. There was a large scope of displaying some new innovations as we/ visitors, come for some unique machinery that we generally do not find in the market. Besides, I was also looking for some new weaving options but left disappointed.

RAHUL BOHARAOwner – Rapier Unit, Swadeshi Group

This year’s India ITME proved to be extremely fruitful for us. Since we are expanding our capacity and were looking for circular knitting machines, our search ended at the booth of Young Knit machines from Fujian Province Ruili Precision Machinery Co. We bought three high-speed circular knitting machines from them. This will help us increase our capacity from current 6-8 lakh metres of fabric to lakh metres per annum. Earlier, we had low speed machines that restricted our productivity. I feelsuch exhibitions should happen frequently and

TECH BYTE

in increased numbers, as it enhances our knowledge and keeps us updated with latest innovations.Moreover, such exhibitions should happen in North India as well, especially in Delhi-NCR region.

RAMSEWAK SHARMAPlant Manager, Goodwear Fashions

I really liked the technologies displayed in the spinning segment. I was very much excited with one machinery from a Swiss company – RotorCraft. The company demonstrated how they provide innovative high quality spinning components and machinery which simplify the spinning processes in an industry that suffers from issues like labour cost and staff shortage. I expect more such innovations and beneficial technologies to be presented in yarn/fabric segment at exhibitions like India ITME. Footfall at these exhibitions depicts companies’ interest in new technologies and their eagernessto invest in the same. Technology providers or manufacturers should come up with latest updates, machines that can replace labour, and with increased sustainability concerns, should reduce wastage. I hope for a better next version of ITME after 4 years.

AMIT MITTALDirector, NKCM Spinners Pvt. Ltd.

ITME 2016 was a big disappointment for me. No new considerable technologies were showcased at the event. At the last edition, exhibitors focused on new innovations in linen segment as well as in yarn processing but the recent edition was completely missing, anything that can be termed as ‘new’. I visited ITME 2016 with a hope to see some new innovations in weaving and spinning sections, but the only machine that caught my attention was rapier loom. Though it is an old machinery, but they had come up with some notable modifications in rapier loom and that was the standalone innovation for me at the entire event. They even showcased us how this modified machine runs yarns to the side of looms through the rapiers. They named it “speedy rapier loom machine” which was modified in order to increase production and was way different from the traditional ones. We are planning to invest in

this machine in near future. I was also hoping to see some new trends in machines for jute productsmanufacturing but sadly I did not find anything new in this category also.

BIDYUT KUMAR SINGHADGM (Outsourcing), Birla Century

It was a great visit as I got to see some large array of machines in weaving segment and found some of them useful for my business. I was looking for powerloom machines as we are planning to invest in the new technology in this segment in orderto expand our capacity. And, to my expectations, I found a machine that could go with my demand. There was a Voltas dealer at the fair exhibiting some powerloom machines. I spent some time at that stall to understand what they were offering in terms of innovation. I was, somehow, satisfied to see them focusing on shuttle-less looms, reflecting a growing trend. This is what an active market really needsin weaving segment today to grow production capacity. The solutions they listed were reflecting needs of today’s market. I am looking forward to exhibitors to come up with more technologies in other categories too.

P. SURESH KUMARDirector, Pranav Textiles

Write your comments to us by 20th February 2017 at: editor@stitchworld.net or post your views online through our website: www.apparelresources.com

How did you set up IE Department at your factory? Did you face any problem in setting up the IE Department? How did you set the eligibility criteria for IE staff?Do you feel fresh college pass-outs are a better choice over the experienced ones?What is the staff-strength of your IE Department? What should be the reporting structure? Should an IE report to Production Manager or General Manager?

TechByteStitchWorld MARCH 2017 Question

India: Apparel exporter Superfine Knitters rolls out IPO

uperfine Knitters, one ofS the well-known fabricand apparel manufacturers based in Ludhiana, (India), is coming up with its IPO (Initial Public Offering) of Rs. 4.08 crore. Thrilled about the move, Ajit Lakra, Managing Director of the company, who is also associated with many industry associations of the city, told StitchWorld, “It is better to go in publicfor funds rather than paying interest to the banks. With funds, we will however improve overall, but there are four key points that we have on priority. These are: Technology upgradation for fabric manufacturing; Energy audit; System upgradations and Increased efficiency. All these four areas will leadto further profitability of our company.”

Superfine Knitters is the first apparel company in Ludhiana which will be listed on an SME platform of Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE). It appearsto be a trend that apparel companies across the nation are now moving toward IPOs as recently Jaipur-based

apparel manufacturer and online retailer Nandani Creation also listed itself for the same amount.

Superfine Knitters, which noted turnover of Rs. 84.28 crore in 2015-16, is catering mainly to domestic market and working with apparel brands like Pepe Jeans, Benetton, Numero Uno, Crimsoune Club, Life Style, Bioworld, etc. Out of its total apparel production, the apparel manufacturer exports 25 per cent and will continue the same strategy in future also as Ajit says,

“Though there is growth in export business but domestic has more scope and growth opportunities, so we will have major focus on domestic.” Inits total business, fabric sales contribute almost 40 per cent.

Currently, the company has two manufacturing units in Ludhiana with workforce of more than 500. The exporter is also active on sustainability front as it is using solar power in its factory which is not common in Ludhiana’s textile & apparel industry.

India: Kitex Garments to invest US $ 1 million in US

et-up in the yearS1992, India-based kidswear manufacturerKitex Garments – which exports its products to the US and European markets, with per day textile capacity of 50 tonnes and 2.70 units of infant wear – has decided to invest upto US $ 1 million in the Capital of Kitex USA LLC during the fourth quarter of 2017 fiscal.

The company has also announced of getting an additional term loan of Rs. 17 crore underA-TUFS (The Amended Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme) with a tenure of five years. Sabu Jacob, CMD of Kitex Garments reportedly said that the company expects to record a20 per cent revenue growth in FY 2017.

Superfine Knitters is the first apparel company in Ludhiana to be listed on an SME platform of BSE

In the period January- November 2016, India’s export of T-shirts to the USgrew both in value and volume terms. The T-shirts segment witnessed a rise of 2.49 per cent quantity wise, while value rose by 0.38 per cent.

In the 11-month A downward trend During the From January toperiod of 2016, was recorded in review period, October 2016,India noted surge China’s apparel Bangladesh noted imports of ladiesin its export of export to the US considerable blouses by the EUbabies wear to the during the review amount of registered growthUS. An increase of period, both value- downfall in its of 9 per cent in5.43 per cent was and volume-wise. apparel exports volumes, while therecorded in value, While values to the US. While growth in valuewhile the volume decreased by values were down was 1.83 per cent.rose by 17.57 (-) 8.38 per cent, by (-) 1.23 perper cent. quantity was cent, volume also

also down by recorded negative(-) 1.99 per cent. growth of (-) 0.17

per cent.

During the first 10 months of2016, export of undergarments from Vietnam to the EU saw 64.94 per cent growth in quantity-term while value increased bya whopping72.22 per cent.

TRADE STATISTICS

NEWS TRACK

UK: Garment workers get half the legal minimum wage

ccording to anA investigation report,apparel and textile industry workers in Britain are being paid half the legal national minimum wage. The report claimed that workers are getting paid just £ 3 an hour against the legal minimum wage of £ 7.20 an hour for workers aged 25 and above. These workers are employed with the firms making products for fashion retailers such as River Island, New Look, Boohoo and Missguided. The report further claimed that fashion workers are gettingpaid less because their employers need to compete with China and Bangladesh.

An earlier report claimed verbal abuse, bullying, threats and humiliation as well as inadequate health and safety standards for workersin fashion factories. Following the report of alleged legal minimum wage violation, New Look has reportedly stopped working with its suppliers featured in the report. While Fashion Square, whichruns one of the factories, denied that-anyonewas paid less than the legal minimum wage. However, Missguided has promised action against allegedwage violation.

Sri Lanka: MAS Holdings inaugurates MAS Fabric Park

Vietnam: Hop Lun Vietnam to set up new factory

AS HoldingsM(MAS), a Sri Lankanconglomerate and one of the world’s most recognized design-to-delivery solution providers in textile and clothing sector, has unveiled the plaque for its US $ 28 million MAS Fabric Park in Giriulla, Sri Lanka.

The new industrial park will manufacture knitted shoe

pparel manufacturerAHop Lun VietnamCompany Limited recently kicked off the construction of a garment factory in the northern province of Vinh Phuc, Vietnam.

uppers as well as sportswear and activewear products for MAS’ strategic partner Nike, and bring in US $ 65-75 million in revenue for the company.

The apparel manufacturer hopes to remove the old machinery, refurbish the old factory and set up new equipment according to MAS standards over the next 12 months. It may be

Sprawling over an area of9.7 hectares in Van Quan and Dinh Chu communes of Lap Thach district, Vietnam, the plant is expected to employ 2,500 workers once operational, thus helping

mentioned here that apparel manufacturing had begun at the location in 1974 with the establishment of theMattegama Textile Mill. The 50- acre park will also be used as an entrepôt logistics hub.

“At MAS, we need to expand our capacity, and because of the proximity of this location to Thulhiriya and Pannala, where we have manufacturing operations, this industrial site in Giriulla is ideally located for our expansion plans to export textiles and clothing,”said Mahesh Amalean, Chairman, MAS.

Currently, the second largest supplier for Nike worldwide and one of their key supply chain partners, the company seeks an opportunity to double their business as Nike grows their business from US$ 30 billion today to US $ 50 billion by 2020.

locals increase their incomes and boosting the province’s social-economic development.

The new facility projects to earn nearly US $ 38.2 million from exports and contribute US $ 6.5 millionto the State Budget per year.

Hop Lun Vietnam is the third wholly foreign- invested company to invest in the Lap Thach district of Vietnam. Set up in 1992, the company now has factories in China, Bangladesh and Indonesia with over 28,000 workers who produce15 million of products each month.

The new industrial park in Giriulla will manufacture knitted shoe uppers, sportswear and activewear products for Nike

The new facility Vinh Phuc, province projects to earn nearly US $ 38.2 million from exports

Vietnam: Quang Viet to add production lines to enhance capacity

ietnamese garmentVmanufacturer Quang VietEnterprise Co. has revealed its plans to spend between US $ 3-6 million in current year in an effort to expand its capacity.

“The amount will be much lower than last year’s US $ 10 million, as the company has almost reached its near-term capacity expansion target.It would mainly be used for establishing new production lines and purchasing equipment at the existing plants in Vietnam, insteadof building new plants. We expect the expansion would stimulate this year’s output to grow between 8 and 10 per cent annuallyfrom last year’s 9.07 million

units of clothing,” informed a manufacturer.

The company is planning to add 15 production lines at its plant in Vietnam’s Tien Giang Province and build

15 lines at its new plant in Long An Province, which is set to begin production in the first quarter of current fiscal. The new production lines would mainly produce

New production lines would mainly produce high-end down jackets for Adidas AG and North Face Inc.

high-end down jackets for the company’s globalsportswear and functional clothing clients, including Adidas AG and NorthFace Inc.

Also, it is mulling to acquire a knitwear plant in Vietnam this year to raise its competitiveness and market presence in the global garment industry. The new plant would help the company reach more clients and diversify its product portfolio further.

Quang Viet manufactures down, primaloft, thermoball and padded jackets, as well as jackets made of goose down and duck down for global brands.

Vietnam: Scrapping women’s work benefits invites public wrath

fficials from the Viet Nam General LabourOConfederation have voiced concern over a recentproposal by the Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs (MoLISA) which is preparing a draft amendment to the Labour Law, cancelling a provision allowing female workers with babies as young as 12 months to get an hour off during the day for breast feeding, anda 30-minute break during menstruation. The move has been strongly opposed by the association and is demanding for revocation of the maternity benefits to which female workers are entitled.

Pham Xuan Hong, Chairman – HCM City Association of Garment, Textile, Embroidery and KnittingWorkers opined,“The issue is how to raise productivity rather than lengthening working hours. The morale and health of workers are also very important, and if they have no time to take care of their babies, the efficiency of their work may be hampered.”

Netherlands: Six new companies connect with ZDHC programme

ri Lanka’s apparel majorSMAS Holdings; Swisscertification company Oeko-Tex; and TÜV SÜD, one of the world’s leading services provider in testing, inspection, audit and certification, areamong six new companies that commit to the goal of zero discharge of hazardous chemicals in the textileand footwear value chain, demonstrating strengthened commitment to sustainable chemistry within the sector.

“Since January 2015, our contributor base has doubled and I’m delighted to seethis growing commitment from the textile and footwear industries. Today we also welcome our first contributors based inSri Lanka and Thailand, further expanding our geographic scope,”says Frank Michel, Executive Director, ZDHC.

The other three companies that are now ZDHC affiliated are ICEC – The Quality Certification Institute for the Leather Sector, the onlycertified Institute worldwide

specialized for the leather sector; Siam Pro Groupof Companies, a leading specialty chemical company with an extensive portfolio to fully serve the textile industry – headquartered in Thailand; and The Fiber andTextile Chemicals Technology Division – A Division ofthe Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), one of the world’s leadingtechnology R&D institutions, aiming to innovate a better future for society. With the addition of the following six companies, the total number of contributors to the ZDHC Programme is now 56.

Commenting on the affiliation, Georg Dieners, General Secretary, Oeko- Tex said, “We have long been committed to helpingcompanies reduce the use of toxic chemicals throughout their supply chains. We look forward to engaging actively with the ZDHC and its other members to achieve the milestones set forth in the Joint Roadmap to eliminate hazardous chemicals from the supply chain by 2020.”

MoLISA is preparing a draft amendment to the Labour Law to cancel the provision of allowing female workers with babies as young as 12 months to get an hour off during the day for breast feeding

Disagreeing with this proposal, LêÐình Quang, Deputy Head, Labour Relationships Department under the Labour Federation reacted,“It’s a very humane policy. In the past few days, many labourers have expressed their objection to the removal of such benefits, andI think they are reasonable, and I also think relevant Government agencies need to listen to their voice.”

HàÐình Ban, Head of Legislation Department of The Labour Ministry who heads the drafting team explained at a recent seminar that many enterprises suggested dropping the current regulations because they raise production costs and complicate work arrangements. He explained that the amendment is meant to harmonize the relationship between the employer and the employee.

The total number of contributors to the ZDHC Programme is now 56

India: Government increases loan coverage to MSEs

he IndianTGovernment hasapproved a ‘package’ to support Micro and Small Enterprises (MSEs) and increased the Corpus of Credit Guarantee Trust Fund for Micro and Small Enterprises (CGTMSE) from Rs. 2,500 crore to Rs. 7,500 crore.

The decision has been taken with an intention to enhance the quantum of Credit Guarantee to larger number of MSEs.Apart from approval of the package, the Government has also given its nod to the coverage of the loanscovered under the Credit Guarantee Scheme, under which the amount has been increased from Rs. 1 crore to Rs. 2 crore for MSEs.

Tirupur Exporter’s Association (TEA) President Raja M Shanmugham has expressed gratitude towards the Indian Government for this decision as it would be much helpful to the Tirupur cluster where large number of Micro and Small Enterprises are existing, carrying out job and working as back bone to the exporting units.

The enhancement would also help to attract new entrepreneurs to set start up units.

Bangladesh: Netherlands continues to help textile Companies in adopting water-saving technologies

India: TEA welcomes restoration of Duty Drawback Rates for babies wear

ccording to a recentA report – Bangladesh-The Netherlands: 50 Years of Water Cooperation – a number of Bangladeshi textile companies have adopted water-saving technologies to make the most precise use of water. The report was published recently by partners for Water Programme of the Netherlands in cooperation with the Bangladesh Government.

It may be noted that Bangladesh is one of the highest water consuming

irupur Exporters’TAssociation (TEA) hasthanked Indian Government for restoration of Duty Drawback Rates for babies wear, from 7.3 per cent to7.6 per cent, effective from January 15, 2017.

countries as far as washing and dyeing of fabrics are concerned. Global practice of water consumption is 70 litres/kg of washing and dyeing of fabrics whereas, Bangladeshi textile mills use a whopping 250 litres/ kg with an approximate usage of 1,500 billionlitres of groundwater a year. Hence, in order to encourage textile mills of Bangladesh, Netherlands is planning to extend an Innovation Fund which aims to stimulate local wetprocessing factories to start

The Duty Drawback Rates for babies wear was reduced from7.6 per cent to 7.3 per cent and the value cap was also slashed from Rs. 34 to Rs. 29 while announcing the new Drawback Rates on October 31, 2016.

piloting cleaner production technologies with a focus on water sustainability.Factories can submit their demonstration projects to the Innovation Fund,expected to be managed by ‘Textile Technology Business Center’ located in BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association) building.

The report also highlighted names of millers like Mondol Fabrics, DBL Group andFakir Apparels that have adopted the water-saving technologies.

“The restoration of rates for babies garments wouldincrease the competitiveness when the knitwear exporters are operating under wafer thin margin to sustain in the global market,” said Raja M Shanmugham, President, TEA.

Bangladeshi textile mills use a whopping 250 litres of water per kg of fabric

o uphold any successfulTmarketing/selling strategyby executing the “apple cart”, it is imperative to have the support from manufacturing sector by providing required volume of product with quality on time.Since both domestic and export readymade garment sectors are wide open with huge demands, the manufacturing sector cannot be allowed to limp.

Production Manager – The Corner StoneTo establish an efficient apparel manufacturing environment, its foundation should be stronger, which can be done by none other than the production manager. It is his skills and capability that make the difference as he is the critical bridge between the company’s

financial goals and workers.

The formula in physics for Pressure = Force/Area, holds good in the garment factory by the act of production manager. In a manufacturing environment, ‘Force’ can be considered as the units to be produced to meet the shipment date while ‘Area’is the number of days available to produce the same. If the production manager manages the Force (= units to be produced in the time frame) consistently well throughout the Area(= number of days available), the pressure is nominal every day on everybody. On the other hand, if he ill-manages the force– while the Area (= number of days) is automatically getting reduced since the shipment date cannot slide – the Pressure will

shoot up. Subsequently, the top management will have to be on their toes to avert a possible air lifting/cancellation of shipment by putting workers on overtime or do partial air-lifting of goods – all at an additional cost.

So, the Presence of a skilful, vigilant and sensible production manager with a go-getter attitude is very important on the production floor.

The traits and the deliverables of an ideal production managerOf course, he/she has to take many avatars at the same time to efficiently manage the show. Even though there are functional departments in theorganization such as planning, quality, technical, maintenance,

Innovative methods of marketing and selling of consumer goods are the order of the current business world… Hatching of different business models which aim to fast-spread the marketing and retailing of products are so frequent and similar to the gush of smartphone models. They compete with each other to offer extreme levels of shopping comfort and satisfaction to the consumers. One of the biggest consumer goods, the apparel (sector) is also poised much ahead in “selling strategies” over“manufacturing strategies” nowadays. In tune with this trend, apparel professionals are highly attracted to the marketing sector than manufacturing field, leaving brain-drain to the latter. Even traditional syllabus in the apparel colleges to educate manufacturing aspects to the students to become production managers has largely been replaced with the conglomerate of marketing and selling techniques. At least in India, the educated lot is deserting the apparel manufacturing management jobs sector, which is already a non-preferential job sector for workers who aim tech-savvy manufacturing jobs (electronics, software, automobile, etc.) over garment making. Currently, the priority of research in the “consumer product management laboratory” is being shifted towards improving marketing aspects than production output. But, can selling happen without manufacturing? Jayapal Nair, Apparel Manufacturing Expert, Consultant and Author shares the vital characteristics for the production manager...

To establish an efficient apparel manufacturing environment,its foundation should be stronger, which can be done by none other than the production manager. The presence of a skilful, vigilant and sensible production manager witha go-getter attitude is very important on the production floor.

ANATOMY OF AN EFFICIENT APPAREL PRODUCTION MANAGER

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

industrial engineering, human resources, compliance, administration, merchandising, etc., the production manager has to coordinate through all these departments based on real facts and figures to achieve speedy solutions that can translate into production output at a higher efficiency level.

The required traits and corresponding deliverables are described below:1. Accounting control

skills• Monitor input/output

figures correctly.• Co-relate between

work-in-progress figures to correctly assess production completion period and formulate strategies to restore slide, if any.

• Compare actual resources (man, machine and material) against budgeted resources with an eye for cost reduction and reduction of wastage.

2. Human resource management skills• To handle workers’

grievances without any favouritism and to maintain discipline.

• To motivate and generate a sense of ownership in workers.

• Be an empathetic leader to win respect from workers.

• Precise mass communication skill to communicate targets, objectives, company policies and emergencies.

3. Administrative skills• To keep an eye on the

support supplies like transportation, food, housekeeping, etc. to

demand its on-time performance.

• To learn and understand health, safety, social, security compliances and monitor its implementation in his area of command.

• To understand standards and systems, and maintain firmly without deviation.

4. Core skillsa) Industrial

engineering: To apply industrial engineering techniques to improve productivity, develop skills, and effective utilization of resources. Training skills to develop the manpower under him.

b) Quality engineering/ assurance: To evaluate the quality report, do root cause analysis, formulate corrective actions, implement and monitor its adequacy using the resources in hand.

c) Maintenance:Knowledge on machinery,attachments, and their effective utilizationto reduce manpower or to improve quality. Encourage proper usage of machines by workers to reduce breakdowns.

d) Technical: Knowledge on garment making methods. Ability to understand customer requirements.

5. Personality• Ability to work under

constraints and ability to convert constraints into opportunities from the past lessons learned.

• Ability to respond quickly to actual situations and demand support in time to avert eventualities.

• An attitude to learn best practices from elsewhere and try to implementfor the betterment of production process.

• Self-learning attitude.• Ability to understand

verbal, written communication and to reply precisely with supporting facts and figures.

Focus on enhancing output and saving the costAll the above traits are important for a production

manager to perform the job successfully and lift up the efficiency curve. Aprofessionally educated (or educated through experience from an organized setup)

person can develop these traits quickly

and can do justice to this role in the real sense. Besides, he/she should be entrusted with a limited number

of assembly lines (maximum 3-4) to

focus on all the activities and achieve higher efficiency. If he spreads his attention to many assembly lines, he will miss out many focal points and those will torpedo the higher target. Further, he has to hide behind conventional excuses for not achieving the targets.A small calculation on cost savingIf a production manager handles six assembly lines and produces 500 pieces at 40 per cent efficiencyeach, he will produce a total of 3,000 pieces a day. If a right production manager is entrusted with three lines where he has the possibility to hit 80 per cent, he will make 1,000 pieces per line which is 3,000 pieces fromthree lines, using much fewer resources of machine and manpower. Definitely, his value addition is higher than the other model.

A trim and slim model of manufacturing will have the potential to earn higherrevenue. Attracting the rightly qualified and motivated production managers to the manufacturing side is the first step to building efficiency and compete with the market needs. As the adage goes: "Arnold Schwarzenegger is not built in a day!"

PRODUCTION MANAGEMENT

DESIGNING A LEAN PROCESS – IPrinciples and Strategies

Lean has become a key transformational buzzword in the apparel manufacturing industry. However, a lot of confusion exists in understanding the principles and applying them practically on the shopfloor. Understanding the connection between strategy and principles is the key to implement‘Lean’ on the shopfloor. In this series of articles, Anand Deshpande, Founder and CEO– Admaa Consulting connects the principles with measurables and strategies to achieve those measurables on the apparel shopfloor. In short, it provides a structured approach to design a Lean process and suggest major factors and strategies to consider in doing so.

s one enters an apparelA factory, he/she can see thefollowing scenes:

• Materials waiting to be processed in front of a machine or an operator.

• Operator being starved of materials (idle time for the operator).

• Excess material in finished goods super market waiting to be sold.

• Longer delivery times due to excessive WIP and colour clearance issues.

• Quality issues indicated by piles of garments waiting to be reworked.

Any production manager would want the factory to be in perfect harmony by balancing operations, and optimally considering the company’s objectives and goals. Lean process design creates harmonic balance within and between processes. The three broad steps to design a Lean process are: First, to establish the

guiding principles for designing a Lean process, define goals and objectives of lean design process, and identify the measurablesat plant and department levels. Second, to devise a plant-wide strategy; and the third step is to devise a department-wide strategy. In this first part of thethree-part series, we will discuss the first three steps…

1. Establish guiding principles for designing a Lean process

A lean process is an outcome of operational excellence which is a result of application of specific tools and techniques day in and day out.

Generally speaking, the guiding principles are:

• Eliminate waste continually.• Align production capacity to

match the customer demand.• Increase the speed of

the material through the production system.

• Standardize processes for consistent results.

• Reduce WIP (Work in Progress) between and within processes.

• Introduce positive constraints.

• Reduce transfer distance of materials between and within departments.

• Workplace organization.

2. Lean process guiding principles transform themselves into objectives for successful implementation. The objectives are:• Waste Elimination.• Produce Just-In-Time.

Producing to Just-In-Time means producing the required part or component in the right time and in the right amount.

• Detecting abnormalities for continuous improvement.

Detecting an abnormality in time saves a lot of dollars in the long as well as the short run.Hence making problems visible

The material handling within the plant should be reducedas much as possiblebecause it is largely non- value add. Therefore, the transfer distance (material conveyance distance) between workstations and department must be kept minimum.

is on the pillars of successful production management.

3. Identify the measurables at plant and department levels

Process measurables benchmark the success of the Lean process design. To identify the process measurables, relationship between elements of production and processdesign must be established. The following are the key measurables that support the objectives of a sound production system at plant- level:

a) Increase value add %.

b) Increase value add floor space %.

c) Reduce dock-to-dock time.

d) Reduce transfer distances.

e) Reduce inventory in the organization.

f) ) Reduce changeover time.

g) Improve FTT %.

Table 1: Seven factors to reduce waste during production:

Waste Factors to be considered for designing Lean process.

Transportation Unnecessary storage spaces increase handling. Handling time also

increases if carriers are too big.

Inventory Overproduction, redundant buffers and risk-averse production

tendency can cause inventory.

Motion The workstation configuration, line layouts, conveyors, etc. cause

too much strain (mental and physical) on operators.

Waiting Line imbalance (in terms of cycle time between operators), batching

tendency and long distances between processes.

Overproduction Extra space between machines and departments invites

overproduction. Performance management solely based on build tovolume can increase occurrences of overproduction.

Over-processing Conservative process design or machine tolerances and

lackadaisical attitude to first time right cause over-processing.

Defects Process non-standardization, poor process design, workstation

layout and operator training.

Figure 1: Flow chart of activities that must be conducted to support Just-In-Time production

• Quick Changeover

• Process Standardization

• Visual Management

• Skilled Operators

• Reduce inventory

• Introduce supermarkets if necessary

• Reduce lot sizes

• One-piece Flow

• Improve Overall equipment effectiveness % (OEE%)

• Reduce MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures)

• Reduce MTTR (Mean Time To Repair)

• Balance line per the takt time

• EliminateNon-Value add activities

• Introduce efficient handling of materials

Level Production Improve Flow Total Productive Maintenance

Align customer demand to production rate

Produce Just-In-Time

Each measurable is described herewith:

a) Increase Value Add %An activity that changes the fit, form and function of the product or a service is called Value Add. The Value Add %, is the percentage of the Value Add Time in the Total Process Time (or Throughput Time).

Value Add % = ( Total Value Add Time/Total Process Time) x 100

b) Increase Value Add Floor Space %

Value Addition of a product must be supported by machines and operators

The three broad steps to design a Lean process are: Establish the guiding principles for designing a Lean process, define goals and objectives of lean design process, and identify the measurables at plant and department levels; devise a plant-wide strategy; and devise a department-wide strategy.

who expand cycle time in mostly adding value to the product. To add value one needs workstations (if it is a labour-intensive operation) and machines.

Value Add Floor Space % = Percentage of Floor Space occupied by workstations or machines (equipment) relative to the entire plant.

c) Reduce Dock-to-Dock Time

Dock-to-Dock time measures the material flow in the value stream. It is the time taken for components or raw materials from the dock (receivingend) through production to

shipment of finished goods from the shipping dock. It can also be looked at as the speed of conversion of raw materials into finished goods within the value stream.

As Dock-to-Dock time reduces, speed of flow also increases.

Dock-to-Dock Time = (Raw Materials + WIP + Finished Goods Stock)/(Sales During Week/Hours Per Week)

d) Reduce Transfer Distances

The material handling within the plant should be reduced as much as possible because it is largely non-value add

activity. Therefore, the transfer distance (material conveyance distance) between workstations and department must be kept minimum.

e) Reduce Inventory in the Organization

WIP to SWIP report shows the inventory of the product in the plant. While SWIP is Standard Work in Progress, WIP is Work in Progress.

The purpose of tracking WIP to SWIP report is to:

• Determine the inventory balance on the production line.

• Measure the effectiveness of the pull system.

• Support workplace organization.

Assuming that end-to-end inventory is fixed at 2000 units and actual inventory is 2600, the WIP to SWIP Ratio is:

WIP to SWIP Ratio = 2600/2000 = 1.3 (slightly more inventory than planned). Ideally the WIP to SWIP Ratio must be 1.

f) Reduce Changeover Time

Over the years, the buyers have replaced one product of larger batch sizes to various products of smaller lot sizes, it is imperativeto reduce the changeover time in the production system between old and new products.

Figure 2: Flow chart of activities that must be conducted to support abnormality detection

• U-shaped lines

• S-shaped lines

• Aisles for maintenance and operators

• Keep stations close to each other

• See machine problems

• Inform about product defects

• Visual information centre

• Eliminate barriers to see through lines

• Introduce three levels of Visual Management

• Machine stops after detecting abnormality

• Auto correcting

Configure Line Andon Systems Visual Managment Autonomation

Detect Abnormalities

Table 2: Shows the key measurables that support the objectives of the sound production system at department level

Elements Metric Review frequency When

SafetyAccidents per day Daily Morning meeting

Near Miss Daily Morning meeting

QualityFTT % (First Time Through)

Daily Morning meeting

Rejections Every hour Top of the hour

Delivery

Jobs per hour Every hour Top of the hour

Volume per day Daily Morning meeting

OEE % Daily Morning meeting

WIP to SWIP ratio Daily Morning meeting

CostHours per unit Weekly Weekly meeting

Units per person First Meeting Morning meeting

MoraleAbsenteeism % First Meeting Morning meeting

Attrition % Weekly Morning meeting

Environment 5S audit score Weekly Morning meeting

Follow-up article on Lean Design and Strategy talks about manifesting the hypothesis into a plant-wide strategy and provides guidelines to execute the same.

SMED (Single-MinuteExchange of Dies) is used to reduce changeovertime. In the industry, the changeover time varies from 1-2 hours to 12 hours. This canbe reduced to less than 10 minutes.

g) Improve FTT (First Time Through) %

FTT, expressed in termsof %, is measured to check whether the productsare manufactured right first time.

The purpose of tracking FTT is to:

• Determine the ability of the unit to manufacture right first time.

• Expose the hidden factory (scrap, rework, and rejections).

• Measure the effectiveness of standardized work (non-varying cycle times).

• Focus on capability of the process.

Eg: Assuming that an apparel is produced simplistically in sequential operations like Cutting, Sewing and Finishing and the FTT for each of these departments is 90%, 90% and 90%, the FTT % for the entire production line would be 0.9 x 0.9 x 0.9 x 100 = 0.729 x 100= 72.9 %.

It means that only 72.9% of the garments move through the production line without being reworked.

The first step establishes a firm hypothesis anda guiding vision to run the production floor. Not only does it firm-up the philosophy behind therunning of the plant, it also provides tactical clues to manifest the vision.

Flow-centric view of production management is created by connecting the vision, guiding principles, principles translated into objectives and finally objectives giving way to measurables that define daily production tactics.

TECHNOLOGY 4.O

Sewing involves complex tasks of manipulating the fabric, the material and its orientation through an industrial sewing machine. The sewing process may involve one or more than one ply. Sewing decorative patterns or attaching patches, appliqués requires movement of fabrics in x-y coordinate in respect to needle point. The pattern tacking (earlier called x-y tacker) cyclic sewing machine, which has clamp feed for fabric movement, is an example of the same. Joining more than one ply along fabric edges requires continuous sewing machine, where the direction of feeding of fabric is straight and away from the sewing operator. It is the operator who manipulates the fabric direction to sew curve and other shapes of material. Over the time, the process of guiding of material during sewing has evolved; from cam follower to mechatronics technology to be precise. And now the recent developments in vision sewing technology have opened up a new frontier in automated sewing. Dr. Prabir Jana, NIFT Delhi and Rick Frye, Director of Engineering, Brother International write...

VISION SEWING:A TECHNOLOGY WITH A FUTURE

What is Vision Sewing?When we think of the term ‘vision sewing’, we assume it involves some type of sewing machine with a camera and rightly so, but what is not understood is how the two work together. While there is no clear technical definition in the sewn products industry for ‘vision sewing’ we can say that vision sewing often involves an industrial camera and a processor withsoftware that is integrated with the machine controller of the industrial sewing machine to perform ‘complex tasks’. When we talk about vision sewing, we are talking about either conventional single needle lockstitch or chainstitch machines integrated with vision systems or an electronically programmable pattern sewing machine integrated with vision systems.Brother Vision Sewing SystemAn electronic programmable sewing machine is equipped with

a work holder to hold the work- piece which it moves around in a pre-programmed sewing path or pattern. Such a setup requires a processor to control the operation and stepper or servo motors to control the movement to create the desired sewing patterns.

Brother vision sewing system is furthering de-skilling of the pattern sewing machine. It is aprogrammable sewing machine that employs an industrial personal computer (PC) with software, custom camera, and

lighting, to automatically create a stitch pattern around theperimeter of a regular or irregular shaped object (patch, label, appliqué, etc.) within the sewing area of the machine. These systems can cover areas from 220mm x 100m to 300mm x 200mm. The vision sewing system is specifically designed for use to attach items such as labels, patches, appliqués of any shape to various fabrics or garments. Since customization is growing, it can prove to be a big market for vision sewing machines.

The vision sewing system creates the required sewing pattern of the image within the machine sewing area by comparing the colour of the image border to the colour of the background fabric or garment. This process of generating the patch image, creating the sewing pattern, and transferring it to the electronic programmable sewing machine typically requires three seconds or less, depending onthe quantity of stitches of the

Sewing speed of up to 2,800 stitches per minute can be achieved by Brother Vision Sewing System.

The vision camera views the image within the machine sew area (field of view)

Background fabric or garment

Angle of camera view

Patches

Vision Sewing System

sewing pattern programme generated. Sewing speed of up to 2,800 stitches per minute can be achieved insuch a system, although it is dependent on the product being sewn (material) and the thread being used. The type of work clamps used for the machine is dependent on the application. There are various stitch types available with the machine such as straight or zig-zag which can easily be selected. In straightstitch option, the stitch length can be selected on 0.1 mm increments, whereas in zig-zag stitch, the user can choose either a ‘V’ or ‘N’ type stitch that allows a stitch width of up to 12mm. The machine even allows the user to choose a starting point of the pattern within 8 different locations around the perimeter of the patch or shape.

A sewing pattern is created each time an item is presented to the machine for sewing, making it easier to attach regular- or irregular-shaped patches or labels. Thelargest size patch, letter, or appliqué that can be sewn is limited only by the sewing area (300mm x 200mm) of the machine. Whereas the smallest size patch, letter,or an appliqué that can be detected and sewn is within the area of 50mm. The vision sewing system is capable of sewing multiple patches such as letters or numbers in one operation as long as they fit within the machine sew area.

To hold the patch to the garment while it is being sewn, either the patch is applied with adhesive at its back or many patch’s,applique’s, letters, numbers, can be purchased with an adhesive backing already applied, while other methods for adhesives/applicators

include tapes, dots, and spray adhesives.

Watch the working live at (http://www.brother-usa. com/IndPrintSewEmb/ VisionSewing)

The key benefits of vision system include a consistent sewing speed for multiple patch sewing, automatic sewing of multi-layered letters/numbers, improved/ less handling of the garment or fabric. In addition to this, handling the machine requires no operator sewing skills, while a single operator can operate multiple machines at any point of time.

ThreadVision System from SoftWear AutomationThreadVision is a patented, high-speed vision system specifically designed for fabrics. The system tracks individual threads in each fabric, redefining the traditional coordinate system to thread-count, allowing for high accuracy panel tracking regardless of deformation.Automatic sewing machine from SoftWear Automation combines a patented ThreadVision System with multi-degree freedom feed dogs to fully automate the sewing process. By controlling the feed and orientation of the

fabric using advanced dogs, the automatic sewing machine ensures both reliabilityand repeatability removing piece-to-piece variations from the garment manufacturing industry while at the same time reducing operation costs for the manufacturer.

Watch the working live at (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=Uk3kNnHZdl0)

Vetron AutoSeamChina-based sewing machine manufacturer VETRON, a European division of Typical International Corporation, has developed another form of vision sewing where two plies of material are placedat any conventional lockstitch or chainstitch machine andit is guided through the sewing machine (by the vision system) on an intelligent, stitch-by-stitch basis whilethe two materials are sewn together.

Vetron AutoSeam – an automated sewing machine – upgraded from the company's standard sewing machine.It is capable of automated sewing as it can track the movement of fabric with intelligent cameras and control the movement of the fabric under the needle on a stitch-by-stitch basis.AutoSeam identifies, adjusts and sews together the edges of the material layers stitch- by-stitch. The machine is focused on processing middle to heavy materials used mainly in the automotive, leather or furniture industry.

Watch the working live at (https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=1GUhlfjqQmQ)

The image processing system for the VETRON AutoSeam is designed to be a cost-effective solution capable of finding the material edge position, guide the mechanical parts to move the material under the needle

Vetron AutoSeam can track the movement of fabric with intelligent cameras and also control it under the needle on a stitch-by- stitch basis.

Working of Brother Vision Sewing System

PC display with product image

Vision camera and lighting

Appliqué / Patch / Label

The common feature between Vetron AutoSeam and ThreadVision System is additionallighting for Vision System. Whilethe ThreadVision System uses red colour diffused lighting, the AutoSeam uses green colour flashlight.

and track the position of the material to ensure the precise sewing at every step.

Image processing systems require enhanced illumination of the work piece for image capture. High inspection speeds typically require sensitive camera and powerful lenses. In many cases, the easier option isto modify or improve the lighting situation to boost the image brightness. There are a variety of options for attaining greater image brightness: increasing the ambient light and sculpting the light using lenses or flashes to create a suitablelight source are two examples.

The common feature between Vetron AutoSeam and ThreadVision System is additional lighting for VisionSystem.While the ThreadVision System uses red colour diffused lighting, the AutoSeam uses green colour flashlight.

But it's not just the lighting strength that's important. The path that the light moves through the lens to the camera matters too. During image processing, the reflections off the smooth surfaces may actually be desired to deliver high light intensities on straight, low-reflecting surfaces. For objects with many surfaces reflecting in various direction, diffuse

light is better. The massive computation required by AutoSeam high speed vision system is provided with an embedded system control box that processes and controls the position and movement of the material and also machine operations. The specialized software for AutoSeam controls everything in the operation from capturingthe images, processing the images, to controlling the movement and tracking the material.

Operational area tothe future…While the Brother Vision Sewing System is for

cyclic operation, both ThreadVision and AutoSeam address the continuous sewing operation. AutoSeam demonstration videoshows that a convex and another concave edge can be joined together without any human interference.Currently the Brother Vision Sewing System can work only with contrasting colour of patches and sewscomplete outline of patches. An upgrade of image processing and tweaking of software program in near future can possibly work with similar colour patches and sewing of selective edges of the patches.

ThreadVision System from SoftWear Automation

Vetron AutoSeam uses green colour flashlight

START-UP

An important engine of growth in the economy, start-up entrepreneurs are usually characterized with their out-of-the-box idea, risk-taking attribute, self-confidence and decision making ability. Is it really that bright idea that comes to mind like a flash of light or is it the problem-solving idea by finding the gaps that comes over a period of understanding and experience in the industry? Experience gained over the years in the apparel industry acted as business incubator or accelerator which in turn helped Sanjay Yadav, Chairman, Drips Apparels to take a plunge to test his entrepreneurial skills. In an exclusive tête-à-tête with Team StitchWorld, Sanjay reminisces the journey of his learning experience as an employee that eventually helped him in sustaining an enterprise...from the time I worked with Benetton as part of their core team, where I was responsible for setting up a factory to produce world-class garments from scratch. I simultaneously worked on two parameters, one was developing vendors for sourcing fabric around Delhi-NCR, and secondly to identify and rent the building to house for a world- class facility to manufacture garments.” Benetton at that time, was planning to start a joint venture in India with DCM group.

During his association with Benetton, he recruited people and trained them, which actually abetted him during the recruitment of managerial staff at his own facility.

“My regular visits to Italy during my tenure with Benetton, to work with the automated screen printing units

right vision and a right executionA are alone not enough for setting upa new garment manufacturing facility… A lot of obstacles right from raising of capital, sourcing of land, machinery set up to acquiring of workforce stands in front for tackling.

The first-generation entrepreneur of his family, Sanjay always had a dream of setting up his own garment factoryafter completing his education. He owes the successful running of his business to the practical learnings he gained on the shopfloor in different organizations, healthy relations with his previous employers, and the exposure to fabrics and textile industry.

Time-traveller, Sanjay elucidates the learnings at every organization that he worked with… “When I decided to start of my own, I used my experience

actually inspired me to have a screen printing unit of my own and whenI got the opportunity in 2003-04, I grabbed it,” informs Sanjay. As a result, Shahana Fashion (P) Ltd. was born with support from his family.

The unit contains equipment like sublimation printing machine, M&R screen printing machine, M&R curing machine, and M&R manual screen printing machine. The printing facility now offers its services to buyers like Espirit, Ralph Lauren, FCUK and is also approved by PVH Corporation.

This strengthened his conviction to start a garmenting business of his own and his dream took shape during his association with Triburg, New Delhi as a Divisional Merchandising Head when he worked with clients like Ann Taylor and LOFT and

START-UP ENTREPRENEURSHIP: TRANSFORMATION FROM LEARNING TO EXECUTION

understand their need for quality fashion, resulting in Shahana Creations, which came into existence in the year 2006, catering to brands like Tom Taylor in collaboration with Asmara, but the unit closed as quickly due to near-recessionary trends in both the US and theEU, money constraint and in-experience of managing difficult times.

However, the zeal to be a successful entrepreneur did not wane and Drips Apparels was launchedwith a shift of focus to serve domestic brands like Arvind Lifestyle, Numero Uno,Wills Lifestyle, Ashish Soni, JJ Walaya, VDot (Li & Fung) in menswear, ladieswear and children wear. The core strategy was born

out of boom and vibrancy of domestic brands at that time.

Drips Apparels took the advantage of theopportunity and started manufacturing for online brands like Freecultr and Jabong.“We are now again moving to export in all segments because of the changing market dynamics since last one year. We also undertake order quantity as low as 500 pieces in order to be flexible,” avers Sanjay.

What the company did differently was to get itself organized putting systems in place like discussions with all department heads every morning where the issues of concern were discussed and brought into notice before they tookthe shape of bottleneck(s).

Sanjay also started giving lot of freedom to his employees and made deliberate efforts to not interfere in their day- to-day work.

MissingEntrepreneurs…“Squeezing margins, higher wages, no support from Government are some of the reasons of grave concernin running a successful operation,” underlines Sanjay, adding,“It’s the experience and knowledge acquiredby education and working with good companies that will surely get him through.” He also advised aspiring entrepreneurs to gain maximum knowledge and experience of the apparel industry on the shopfloor for at least 4-5 years before venturing into a business.

“My regular visits to Italy during my tenure with Benetton, to work with the automated screen printingunits actually inspired me to have a screen printing unit of my own and when I got the opportunityin 2003-04,I grabbed it.”– Sanjay Yadav, Chairman, Drips Apparels

Japanese flat knitting machine manufacturer Shima Seiki – leading the industry with its pioneering WHOLEGARMENT® technology capable of producing an entire garment in one piece without the need for cutting or sewing – is raising the benchmark with constant evolution for the customers with the vision to innovate, reach new heights in conventional flat knitting with the help of its latest offering in shaped knitting technology. Proven technology, along with Made-in-Japan quality, reliability, productivity, user-friendliness and increased patterning capability all combined make Shima Seiki a renowned name in satisfying the high expectations of the world’s fashion industry. Team StitchWorld reviews Shima Seiki’s latest and most popular computerized flat knitting machine model – SVR123SP.

SHIMA SEIKI SETTING INDUSTRY BENCHMARK WITH SVR123SP

he flat knitting machineTmanufacturer is known forregularly bringing out improved and innovative version of technology and SVR series is one of its latest offerings withinnovative features. The machine comes with a single loop presser bed placed above the rear needle bed, a feature which allows the machine to produce unprecedented designs in knit fabrics, especially inlay patterns, which combine knit and weave characteristics to produce hybrid textiles.

Inlay fabric is produced by inserting yarn into existing knit fabric in a weave fashion, yielding unique fabrics that are neither typically knit nor woven. Inlay also suppresses typical stretch characteristics of knitwear, and since new yarns and materials can be used for inlay structures, new applications in addition to fashion apparel such as sports and medical as well as other

industrial applications can be anticipated. With fine 14gauges, the machine can achieve knitting width of 122 cm with a knitting speed of 1.4 metres per second. However, knitting speed can vary according to yarn and other knitting conditions.

Capable of a wide range of knitting from fashion totechnical textiles, the machine offers WideGauge capability whereby a variety of gauges – from finer-gauges using all- needle knitting, to lower-gauges using half-gauge knitting – can be knit on a single machine. It benefits the user in handling changing seasons and shifting trends without investing ina machine for every gauge or resorting to the complex,time-consuming task of gauge conversion.

Another feature which aims to improve quality of the output is spring-loaded movable full sinker system. While in the

conventional forced-operation type sinkers, fabric is subjected to unnecessary stress and cause compressed loops and even yarn breakage. However, spring- loaded movable full sinker system in the machine provides a gentle hold-down movement and yields ideal loop formation which in turn allows a significant improvement in fabric quality for complicated patterns.

The machine also features a R2CARRIAGE (R2 = RapidResponse) system that features an advanced carriage mechanism combinedwith improved software programming that achieves quicker carriage returns after each course. Field-tested and market-proven in the industry for 30 years, the company’s patented Digital Stitch Control System (DSCS) continuously adjusts yarn feed and tension to yield loop consistency withtolerance to within a remarkable

Shima Seiki’s patented Digital Stitch Control System (DSCS) continuously adjusts yarn feed and tension to yield loop consistencywith tolerance to within a remarkable (±) 1 per cent.Apart from loop consistency,it also allows consistency among different batches and repeat orders. This results in quality control and thus, higher productivity.

(±) 1 per cent. Apart from loop consistency, it also allows consistency among different batches and repeat orders. This results in quality control and thus, higher productivity.

Furthermore, a network connector is repositioned on the side of the controller for easier access when performing production data management with Shima Network Solutions. TheUSB interface is also placed directly below the control monitor for improved access in data exchange. The control display is available in various languages such as English, French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Turkish, Arabic, Russian, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Japanese.

A backup power supply for situations when power abruptly fails, allows work to resume, thus offeringa confirmation that an entire garment will not be lost due to blackouts. In addition, the stop motion sensor incorporated in the machine stops the running of machine in situations such as yarn break, large knot, fabric pileup, shock detection, piece count, over-torque, program error, etc.

This highly productive and flexible machine when used with SDS-ONE APEX3– a special 3D design solution for the Shima Seiki machines is capable to turn the SVR123SP into a power house of a design solution.

Spring-loaded movable full sinker system in SVR123SP provides a gentle hold- down movement and yields ideal loop formation, thus improving fabric quality.

GREEN BUILDING TRAINING COURSES – ‘LEED’ING THE WAY

Going green is the necessity of today, especially for the industries and the offices that grossly misuse natural resources. And ‘Green Building’is the new way to show your responsibility towards environment in all aspects, including planning, construction, operation, maintenance, renovation and deconstruction of the factory building or office building. The concept not only saves money but is also a sure way to earn respect from your clients. Team StitchWorld explores various training courses available in the market to make you more proficient and better employable in this field...

indoor environmental quality and innovation, and design and regional priority.

The participant, at the end of the course gets exposed to green building design strategies, and gains knowledge on IGBC Green Building Rating Systems.

BUILD IT GREEN

(https://builditgreen.org/index.php/event-det ail/?eventId=a1J44000009luDSEAY)

Course Name: Certified Green Building Professional Certification TrainingFees: US $ 599Duration: 2 days (13th-14th March) in California, USA

Build It Green (BIG) is a non-profit organization that offers training, support, and programmes to help professionals build and grow their businesses in the process.

The two-day (9 hours a day) course introduces the key principles of green building and the systems approach to the design, construction and operation of buildings under the sections – energy, resource conservation,

IGBC (INDIAN GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL)

(http://www.greenbusinesscentre. com/site/ciigbc/viewevent. jsp?eventid=515102&event=dd)

Course Name: IGBC’s Advanced Training Programme on Green BuildingsFees: Rs. 8,000Duration: Two days (every month) 9th-10th February, 2017 in Visakhapatnam, India

IGBC, part of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), offers a wide array of services which include developing new green building rating programmes, certification services and green building training programmes. The council also organizes Green Building Congress, its annual flagship event on green buildings.

The training programme imparts knowledge on green building concepts and discusses the best practices applied. Starting with introduction to green buildings, the course covers sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, building materials and resources,

indoor air quality, and developing and marketing a green business.The course covers essentials of conservation, efficiency, and renewable energy as well as design choicesthat can improve indoor air quality including low VOC (Volatile Organic Compound) products, finish materials, ventilation, filtration, mould prevention and best construction practices.

The participant will explore best practices in jobsite waste/recycling, landscaping, water conservation, efficient framing, durability, and material choices. Additionally, it will also enable the participant to learn how consumer preferences, marketing tools, and effective language can play a role in developing and marketing a green business.

KSGBT (KARISHMA SMART GREEN BUILDINGS TECHNOLOGIESPVT. LTD.)

(http://www.ksgbc.com/leed-training)

Course Name: Advanced Green Building Technology

Duration: 3 days in Kolkata, India

KSGBT training programme provides support training courses, training packs and continued education(CE) events covering wide range of construction- and built environment- related topics.

The above-mentioned course offers essential knowledge of the LEED rating systems and sustainable building concepts. Although the course is structured to be exam-focused,more information, discussions and interactions are delivered to help in better understanding of the subject matter.

Upon completion of this course, the candidate enrolled will be able to identify the key componentsof the LEED rating system and the overall LEED certification process, identify and explain synergies between LEED credit categories and strategies, and recognize regulations, referenced standards related to each credit category.

B.F. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANTS INC.

(http://www.bfenvironmental.com/ GreenBuild.php)

Course Name: Green Building Commercial Certification ProgrammeFees: US $ 199.75 (Part -I) US $ 159.80 (Part -II)Duration: 5 hours (Part – I) 4 hours (Part – II)

B.F. Environmental Consultants has collaborated with online training centres to make available quality distance learning courses in alternative and renewable energy, alternative energy training, energy efficiency, green building design, LEED AP, green associate, and sustainability analysis.

The programme is divided into two parts. The first part offers methodologies to plan, design, and build high performance green commercial buildings. The course

provides guidelines and processes to apply specifically to commercial and municipal construction. It covers the basics of sustainability and progress through designing new construction or renovating existing structures.

The second part of the programme provides instruction in the new methodologies that form the underpinnings of high performance commercial buildings, the formulation of responsible budgets at the planning stage. Furthermore, the course helps in identifying any high-performance cost premiums (together with cost savings).

After completing this course, the participant will be able to implement practices that improve the capital budgeting, design and construction practices. They will also be able to save money through reduced energy and material expenditures, waste disposal costs and utility bills in future.

GRIHA (GREEN RATING FOR INTEGRATED HABITAT ASSESSMENT)

(http://www.grihaindia.org/events/ grihav2015_agenda-new.pdf)

Course Name: GRIHA 3-Day Training ProgrammeFees: Rs. 9,000Duration: 8th-10th February, 2017(Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India)

6th-8th March, 2017 (New Delhi, India)GRIHA is a Sanskrit word meaning – ‘Abode’. The programme quantifies aspects such as energy consumption, waste generation, renewable energy adoption, etc. so as to manage, control and reduce the same to the best possible extent. GRIHA is a rating tool that evaluates the environmental performance of a building, thereby providing a definitive standard for what constitutes a ‘green building’.

Three-day training workshops are being organized by GRIHA Council inassociation with TERI at New Delhi, India

and Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.The workshops aim at enhancing the knowledge on green buildings and GRIHA rating parameters for building professionals like architects, engineers, developers, policy makers and others. The workshops coversvarious sessions on site planning and construction management, building design optimization, optimizing artificial lighting design, energy efficiency, socio-economic strategies, sustainable building materials, energy management, performance metering and monitoring and water andwaste management.

GREEN BUILDING TRAINING(http://www.green-building-training.com/ education/online-training/)

Course Name: Green AdvantageFees: US $ 179

Green Building educational offerings focus on practical training and theoretical knowledge that provide ideas and strategies to improve the business or advance personal career. The institute offers both in-person training and online training.

The online Green Advantage Workshop comprise of the Green Building Design and Construction process and presents LEED specific construction-related concepts.It qualifies for 7.5 LEED specific credentialing hours for both BD&C and ID&C disciplines, 8 CES credits for AIA, and 8 PDH units for registered professional engineers.

The programme is divided intopre-recorded modules, each between 20 and 50 minutes long, that can be selected and accessed individuallyin the order of presentation or as needed for review purposes. Also, review questions are included at the end of each section to confirm the participant’s understanding of that module.

Italy: SLAM opts for Gerber’s YuniquePLM In The Cloud

vision systems for the apparel, graphics, packaging and other industrial markets.

Intuitive and easy to use, it integrates seamlessly with Gerber’s AccuMark® CAD software and the Adobe suite. YuniquePLM’s cloud- based subscription is flexible, scalable and eliminates costly

autical fashion brandNSLAM has opted forGerber’s YuniquePLM In The Cloud in order to support innovations and improve their time to market, accuracy and quality through their global supply chain, announced Gerber Technology, theworld leader in integrated software, automation and

information technology infrastructure with very affordable subscription rate, minimal implementation effort and a wealth of self-learning tools on Gerber University.

“After analyzing several PLM vendors, we chose Gerber Technology’s YuniquePLM In The Cloud for itscomprehensive out-of-the-box capabilities and the support that the company providesin terms of IT expertise, performance, accessibility and security,” said Michaela Lupi, Style and Production at SLAM.

Nowadays, companies are under significant competitive pressures to design, develop and produce their products faster and more efficiently while ensuring they get the right products to market

at the right time and at the right price.

“YuniquePLM In The Cloud’s easy configuration and rapid deployment will allow SLAM to achieve a faster return on their investment. We are passionate about making it easy for our customers to design and develop great products. The configurability will allowSLAM to easily configure the application to match their specific needs,” saidBill Brewster, Vice President and General Manager – Enterprise Software Solutions, Gerber Technology.

Italy-based SLAM is a privately- owned manufacturerof clothing, specializing in advanced technology sportswear, specifically in sailing wear.

UK: Heriot Watt University installs latest Mimaki textile printer

able to more efficiently deliver the long runs required by our students for their final year collections.”

The Mimaki Tx300P-1800 is a 1.8m wide textile printer which can be used toprint cotton, silk, wool and polyester fabrics through using reactive, pigment, acid or disperse inks. With

eriot Watt University hasHinvested in Mimaki’s latestTx300P-1800 direct-to-textile wide format printer in order to provide innovative education for its Textile Design and Fashion undergraduate courses. These courses offer a unique and valuable opportunityfor fashion designers to experience industry standard equipment and processes.The university is already using Mimaki’s technology and this new printer is a vital addition to its line-up of Mimaki textile machines.

Dr. Roger Spark, Senior Technician at Heriot Watt University said,“Our existing Mimaki printers have served us well for over 10 years but with the added capacity of the new Tx300P-1800, we’re

production speed of up to 55 sq. m./hour, it is ideal for short- to medium-run production and its superior print quality lends it perfectly to producing high-end fashion, furnishings and other textiles. It is an eight-colour inkjet printer which features a new print- head that ejects ink droplets at high speed to ensure

accurate ink placement with a high head gap. The printer has a maximum resolution of 1,080 dpi with drop sizes ranging from 6pl to 24pl and features stable textile transport that maintains optimum tension.

Mimaki’s National Sales Manager of Textile & Apparel, Stephen Woodall said, “Tx300P-1800 is one of the very first of the new printers to be installed in a university and it’s great to see students benefiting from the absolute latest textile printing technology. Heriot Watt’s undergraduate textile courses offer a unique and valuable opportunity for prospective fashion designers to experience industry standard equipment and processes.”Mimaki Tx300P-1800 is a 1.8m wide textile printer used to print cotton,

silk, wool and polyester fabrics

YuniquePLM’s cloud-based solution will enable SLAM to improve its time to market

TECH TRACK

France: Lectra’s latest Fashion PLM solution reaps highest score in WhichPLM evaluation

collaboration & integration; mobile applications; and user interface and dashboards are the key functional areas that are ‘significantly improved’ in the latest being Fashion PLM.

“With the creation of tools that support the realbusiness of fashion, and the extension of the solution’s footprint, we are extending our recommendation of Lectra to be shortlistedby any fashion and apparel brand, retailer or manufacturer – of any size and geographical spread,”underlined Mark Harrop, CEO and Founder, WhichPLM.

The WhichPLM benchmark evaluation measures the key product lifecycle functions that a prospective PLM customer should seek against the industry average. It also probes the vendors’ capabilities, industry knowledge, customer insights, services and support facilities.

ectra, the worldL leader in integratedtechnology solutions, has received highest scorein WhichPLM’s recent benchmark evaluation for the newest version of Lectra Fashion PLM which extends the scope from design and product development to production for retailers, manufacturers, and brands.

The company’s PLM platform scored at, or above, the industry average in all of the 43 functional areas WhichPLM measured. Its newest module – Material Forecast Module provides real visibility into accurate material consumption atthe vital early stages of product development. Creative design (CAM), colour integration; material development; sample management; supplier management; auditing & compliance; sustainability; quality auditing;

Lectra’s latest Fashion PLM scored at, or above, the industry average in all 43 functional areas of WhichPLM

USA: Gerber announces availability of latest version of AccuMark family

erber TechnologyGhas announced the availability of itslatest version of the AccuMark® family for purchase. Enhancements in the latest release of AccuMark include a three of the products in the family – AccuMark, AccuMark 3D and AccuPlan. The continued developments within the AccuMark family and the integrated capabilities ofYuniquePLM In The Cloud will minimize errors by eliminating human error in data re-entry.

“Our customers can decrease samples by utilizing AccuMark 3D to visualize designs prior to sample production and before they hit the store. The ability to see how a garment will look and perform earlier to production could even help the consumer see their garment before purchase, therebydecreasing returns to keep maximum profit to the bottom line,” said Mary McFadden, Executive Director, CAD Product Management at Gerber Technology.

Based in Connecticut, USA, Gerber Technology delivers industry-leading software and automation solutions that help apparel and industrial customers improve their manufacturing anddesign processes.

USA: Skinners Technologies develops breakthrough innovation in socks industry

USA: Fujitsu develops smallest washable UHF RFID tag

kinners Technologies, aSUS-based footwear brand,has launched a new segment of footwear named Skinners that looks like socks but claims to be worn as shoes. Skinners is a barefoot-friendly concept, which is designed to offer a portable, comfortable,

ujitsu Frontech NorthFAmerica Inc., a leaderin innovative technology and front-end solutions, hasdeveloped their smallest UHF RFID tag for high fashion apparel, garments, and accessories.

The WT-A433L washable UHF RFID tag has improved washing durability thanits predecessor. The new Fujitsu Fashion tag mini is made from transparent materials and virtuallyundetectable when installed in the sheerest of garments and provides positive identification of an item even if the sales tags have been removed. Measuring only

natural and artificial fibres, including yarns with silver to stop bacteria, and rayon to help keep feet cool.”

Heavy-duty Skinners is coated in a dual polymer waterproof plastic and features anodour-resistant Lycra infused upper that is designed to make it both comfortable and functional. Made with silver yarn, Skinners are also said to offer antibacterial properties.

The bottom material is highly abrasive resistant. Knittingis seamless and there’s no glue or any other adhesive that could fall apart in time. The company claims that no harmful toxic plasticizer is used in producing the Skinners. The footwear has undergone many tests suchas broken glass test and lego test before getting into the global market.

Fujitsu Fashion tag mini in high-value garments and accessories can provide positive confirmation of an item’s authenticity and also help reduce incidents of fraud. Fashion garmentdesigners and manufacturers will benefit from its small, almost imperceptible design,” said Randy Fox,Vice President – Sales and Marketing, Fujitsu Frontech North America Inc.

The company showcased the WT-A433L as well as its entire family of washable RFID tags at the NationalRetail Federation Convention and Expo, held recently in New York City, USA.

protective solution for a range of activities.

Petr Prochazka, Founder of Skinners Technologies said, “It’s not a shoe, it’s not a sock. We like to call it Skinners. The product, which slips on and looks like a chunky sock, is constructed from a mix of

37 mm x 10 mm x 0.3 mm, the tag can easily be sewn into hems, seams, or under manufacturers’ labels and is home-wash, dry-clean, and ironing safe.

“Fraud and counterfeiting in high fashion apparel are on the rise. Attaching the

Skinners has been constructed from a mix of natural and artificial fibres

The tag can easily be sewn into hems, seams, or under manufacturers’ labels

With Fast React’s Visionng e-PLM, Men’s Wearhouse seeks to improve the level of services offered to its wide customer base

USA: Clemson University to develop robots for advanced manufacturing

lemson University (CU) has collaboratedCwith Carnegie Mellon University (CMU)for a project worth US $ 253 million, to develop next-generation robots for advanced manufacturing across textile industries.Funded by United States Department of Defence (DOD) to develop, demonstrate and facilitate early adoption of novel robotic solutions, the Advanced Robotics Manufacturing (ARM) Institute, affiliatedunder CMU, has received US $ 80 million from the DOD and the remaining US $ 173 million from partner organizations.

“The institute will tap into CMU’s research strengths in collaborative robotics, sensor technologies, materials science and human- computer interaction, areas that are rapidly transforming many sectors of our economy. With this unique partnership between academia, Government and industry, CMU is poised to bridge the gap between research, innovation and practice in the emerging field of advanced manufacturing,” said Farnam Jahanian, Provost, CMU.

The main objective of the robotics institute is to increase worker productivity by 30 per cent and fill future manufacturing jobs. It also aims to make robots more accessible to small- to medium-sized business.Furthermore, CU will also help train the workers to operate the robots, as part of a US$ 253 million plan to fill roughly 510,000 jobs in manufacturing by 2025. It will introduce about 20 certification programmes for 10,000 operators over the next five years whichwill involve virtual and augmented reality, 3D printing, artificial intelligence and other emerging technologies.

“Contrary to a popular misperception, robotic automation in manufacturing is creatingjobs rather than increasing unemployment. Companies in South Carolina and nationwide tell us the jobs are available but that we need educational programs to prepare operators with the critical STEM skills they need to qualify,” said Rebecca Hartley, Director of Operations – Center for Workforce Development, CU.

UK: Men’s Wearhouse deploys Fast React’s Visionng e-PLM

en’s Wearhouse, a divisionMof Tailored Brands Inc.and largest specialty retailer of men’s apparel and rentalproducts in the US, has selected Fast React’s browser-based Visionng e-PLM, which willbe implemented in a phased project to cover PLM, supply chain and MRP.

The solution will provide the company with fast, global access to up to date, accurate information, and early warning of any potential issues allowing proactive actionto drive improved business performance. It will also support more streamlined processes, compress lead time and improve efficiency, and further improve the level of service offered to our wide customer base.

Gill Oliver, Sourcing Director, Men’s Wearhouse said,“Having worked successfully with Fast React for a number of years, we believe that they are theright partner to take us through this next development phase. Their business consultants have demonstrated an excellent

understanding of both their software and how it relates to our requirement.”

It may be noted that the apparel retailer recognized the need to update existing systems with an integrated, core system for managing key processes from design and product development to sourcing in order to respond competitively to market demands for increased speed to market and efficiency. It, therefore, assessed a number of software solutions andproviders, including Fast React.

Gary Thompson, Chief Operating Officer,Fast React said,“The functional footprint of our Visionng solution extends beyond that of conventional PLMs, drawing on our unparalleled supply chain reach, and placing extended critical path management and supplier collaboration at its very core. We look forward to the successful completion of the project and to working closely with Men’s Wearhouse over the coming years.”

Bangladesh: Wintex Resources completes 100 installations of FK Group “Super Jeans” cutter

USA: Centric releases 6.0 version of its PLM software

intex ResourcesWhas uplifted theinstallations of ‘Super Jeans’ cutter by FK Group from 30 last year to current of 100 installations. Out of these 100 installations, more than 50 are complete cutting room solutions. The company expects 20-30 installationsof the same in current year. The “Super Jeans” cutter

entric Software, theC leading PLM solution forfashion, retail, outdoor, and consumer goods companies, has released the 6.0version of its market-driven solution – Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) software.

Centric PLM 6.0 provides an enormous scaling with performance incorporating

medically safe for operators, due to its medicated health care filter. The sole agentfor the Bangladesh market, Wintex, has upgraded in the heads of the machine, making zero buffer cutting much stronger. In the head, a special structure has been added with alloy aluminium to make it lighter and stronger which ensures that blade is running

consumes just 5.9 KW of electricity using Eco-Power technology, which is almost five to eight times lesser than what is consumed by other cutters. With a cutting speed of 110 metres per minute, made possible through a blade vibration of 6,000 RPM, the cutter can be maintained via remote assistance and has been approved by WHO as

with perfect precision/ deflection.

It may be mentioned here that the cutter has made its existence in the cuttingrooms of almost 70 per cent of top jean manufacturing companies in Bangladesh like Ha-meem Group, Ananta Group, Tarasima Apparels, Islam Group and so on.

departments. A mass editing feature will help users to minimize clicks and improve productivity.

Additionally, PLM 6.0 allows users to create own customized apps with the help of which they candigitally transform processes without any limitation.

radical innovations and is capable of managing 10,000+ users and TBs of active data across multiple areas withno derogation in speed. A ‘slicer’ feature in the latest version examines information about how to answer financial queries, supplier performance and significant questions like “What if”.

Centric’s merchandise planning module has been changed in PLM 6.0 to make it a completely new interface which would help users to minimize their efforts to ensure on-budget products, sync their entire sourcing team anywhere anytimeand track material usage across product lines and

Thailand: Kornit Digital to exhibit at FESPA Asia 2017

ornit Digital, aKmanufacturer of high-speed industrial inkjet printers, pigmented inks, and chemical products for the garment and apparel decorating industry, will exhibit Kornit Allegro and Kornit Storm Hexa at the FESPA Asia 2017, slated to beheld on 15th-17th February at the BITEC exhibition Centre, Bangkok, Thailand.

Kornit Allegro is single- step solution to printing on textiles with its NeoPigment™ process that eliminates the need for

one NeoPigment™ ink set. The printer has 64 heads with seven colors available for printing.

Also on display, Storm Hexa is a 6-colour direct-to- garment printing solution with 16 height adjustable industrial print heads. The Ink recirculation mechanism decreases nozzle clogging, eliminates purging, reduces direct/indirect costs andink waste. With a print area of 50 x 70 cm, it is used forprinting over zippers, buttons and raised objects.

external process steps such as pretreatment, steaming and washing. It can digitally

print on multiple fabric types with max roll width 180 cm with just one printer and

Storm Hexa is a 6-colour direct-to-garment printing solution with 16 height adjustable industrial print heads

The export value of China’s sewing machinery products recently touched the mark of US $ 2.25 billion. India topped the chart of being the biggest importer of Chinese sewing machinery with US $ 260 million, which accounted for 11.60 per cent of the total exports value of China. Clearly evident of India being the biggest importer of Chinese sewing machines, depicts the trust and services the Chinese brands offer. Also in the run is Vietnam, with value worth US $ 203 million (9.07 per cent of total China’s exports value).Whereas, Bangladesh stood much lower in this list with US $ 64 million i.e. 2.87 per cent of China’s total exports value. In this series, Team StitchWorld presents the Top 10 Chinese sewing machine brands that have long been present in manufacturing hubs like Vietnam, Bangladesh, India and more.

TYPICALTYPICAL International Corporation offers single-needle high-speed lockstitch double-needle high-speed lockstitch, flat-lock high-speed sewing machines, and more. TYPICAL also has four R&D centres in Germany and its brand VETRON contains sewing and fusing machines and is mainly used for automobile seats, leather products and thick materials. In India, it is distributed by EH Turel & Company. Its machines are marketed in Bangladesh by South East Exim Ltd.

JACKEstablished in 2003, Jack Sewing Machine Co. Ltd. is leading in global sales with the absolute advantage of lockstitch, overlock and interlock sewing machines. Jack also manufactures and markets Topcut Bullmer, the leading manufacturer of automatic cutters and spreaders, which it took over in the year 2009. Its distributor in India is IIGM Pvt.Ltd. and in Bangladesh, it is marketed by Jack Bangladesh Ltd. and Smart Tech Pvt. Ltd.

MAQIMAQI’s main products are lockstitch, overlock, interlock, chainstitch, etc. The Indian agents of MAQI sewing machines are Sunny Sales, Balaji Sewing Machine Pvt. Ltd., Sleek Corporation, and Selvam Engineering. The company has a liaison office in Bangladesh and its products in the country are marketed by R.K. Sewing Machine & Servicing Centre.

TOP-LIST

HIKARIHikari (Shanghai) Precise Machinery Science & Technology Co. Ltd. is one of the world’s largest manufacturing and researching centres of industrial sewing machines. Nguyen Huy Hoang Trading & Service Co. Ltd.; Viet Trung Hieu Trade & Service Co. Ltd.; Cong Ty Tnhh Dich Vu Vathuong Mai Viet Yen; and Tan Hung Duc Sew Equipment Company are their authorized distributors in Vietnam. While in Bangladesh their agents are Sewmak and Orient International.

GEMSYZhejiang Gemsy Mechanical and Electrical Co. Ltd. produces more than 300 kinds of sewing machines covering fields like knitting clothing, suits, shirts, silk, home textiles, shoes, bags, etc. SGSB Group Co. Ltd. established a JV with Gemsy and is now known as SG & Gemsy. Macro International is India’s agent for the company. It has a service centre in Uttara, Bangladesh.

ZOJEZoje’s products are categorized into 14 major series like lockstitch,interlock, overlock, twin needle, bar- tacking, zigzag, buttonhole, button sewing, blind stitch, cylinder bed, feed-off-the-arm and more. In India, its agent is HCA Garment Machinery Pvt. Ltd. while Bangladesh sales is handled by Zoje Sewing Machine Co. Bangladesh Ltd.

HIGHLEADShanghai Biaozhun Hailing Sewing Machinery Co. Ltd. is specialized in producing and selling“HIGHLEAD” brand’s sewing machines. WithISO 9001:2000 certification, the brand’s products are marketed in India By HCA Garment Machinery Pvt. Ltd.

EUROMACEuromac offers automatic sewing machines for various operations in jeans and trousers, like jeans pocket setter, bottom hemming, automatic button punching, jeans side seamer, automatic serging unit, classic trouser side seamer, double needle lockstitch machine, and more. Euromac Asia Ltd. handles sales of machinesin Bangladesh.

RICHPEACERichpeace Group’s sewing equipment include single head automatic sewing machine-head lifting, non-stop automatic sewing machine, large area automatic sewing machine and more. The company has its service offices in Noida and Bangalore (India); Dhaka, (Bangladesh); and Bing Duong and Hanoi (Vietnam).

ZUSUNZhejiang Zusun Sewing Machine Co. Ltd. specializes in feed-off-the-arm machine series, blind stitch machine series and various other kinds of special sewing machines. The Max & Zusun Corporation/Sony Corporation is the company’s agent in Bangladesh.

TOP 10 POPULAR CHINESE BRANDS

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