“Manufacturing denim bottoms and creating a niche in the same, is all about giving a personality to your products,” avers Narinder Singh, Managing Director, Numero Uno, the brand which has become synonymous with the tag of ‘Indian denim’. The company has two sewing units, one each in Gurgaon and Dehra Dun, equipped with 250 and 350 sewing machines, respectively producing 2000 denim jeans per day. Talking to StitchWorld, the proud owner of the brand not only opens up about the niche he has always strived to create for his brands but also the onwards journey of the brand linking the aspects of manufacturing, product development and retail.

The market for sewing machines in India is very wide with diverse needs in different segments. Catering to all the segments is a challenge for the technology providers, however, Hong Kong based Fucen Sewing Machine Company,claims that they have a sewing machine suitable for almost all the diverse needs of various segments. Fucen has a major presence in India in association with STI Apparel Automation for the past decade.

HCA with more than 100 years of servicing the apparel industry with ‘World Acclaimed Brand, Best Technology and Services’ is not only offering sewing solutions from pioneers like Kansai Special, Highlead, Atlanta, ASS, SWF, Strobel, Yuho, Cutex, Grand, Duke and LSM, but is also offering indigenous and cost-effective sewing automates, manufactured in its own facility in Delhi-NCR. In an exclusive interview with Team StitchWorld, Anil Anand, Managing Director, HCA, talks about indigenous automation, sewing technology trends and future directions for the Indian apparel industry.

A company must continuously work towards improving its economic and productive health in order to be competitive. To achieve this, it is important for each person in the company to have a mechanism that enables him/her to always make progress on his/her own accord in daily work. One such mechanism is SEDAC – Structure to Enhance Daily Activities through Creativity—which has been evolved from the prior methodology of CEDAC, which stands for Cause-and-Effect Diagram with Addition of Cards. Developed in Japan by Dr. Ryuki Fukuda, this is a visual methodology for achieving quantum improvements, which can be analyzed, improved upon and measured, resolving variances on daily targets and helping to achieve the organizational business improvement goals through team orientation. The system was implemented in Texport Syndicate by the company FLAME TAO Knoware and reported as a part of the internship assignment of Anubhav Tiwari, an M. F. Tech student from NIFT Delhi

South East Asia is emerging as a major market for many technology providers as the apparel manufacturing industry is going from strength to strength in the region. While many countries are emerging as hot-spots, India has already established its reputation as a growing market. The thrust is coming not only from manufacturing units into exports, but also the fast developing domestic market, which is taking the upgradation route with a vengeance. Sensing the growth potential ahead, Gerber Technology, in 2012, appointed Johnny Wang as Vice President & General Manager of Asia Pacific. Prior to this appointment, Wang served as General Manager of GE Energy’s Industrial Solutions Business in Greater China, giving him a deeper understanding of the region. Recently in India to get a first-hand feel of the market, Wang shares the strategy and vision of Gerber for the region with Team StitchWorld…

CAD/CAM setups have become integral part of the cutting room, with most companies using at least CAD, if not CAM, for efficient and accurate production. That doesn’t mean that the market for automatic spreaders and cutters is any less. The increasing cost of labour, the inconsistency in manual cutting, the shortening lead times, and the need to impress buyers, have been the few reasons why apparel industry has looked for automated solutions for their cutting needs. Amongst the many that had been addressing this need of the industry by providing solutions is Yin Japan. In an exclusive interaction with StitchWorld, Noboru Kojima, International Business Director, Yin Japan highlights what makes Yin, a relatively young company, unique in the competitive Indian market.

For over six decades Ramsons have been in the manufacture of garment finishing equipments, laundry and dry cleaning equipments; the valuable industry experience and numerous satisfied clients have created a name for the company. Moving with the changing needs of the industry, a key area of focus today for the company is on denim finishing, offering a range of both dry and wet denim process solutions.

Developing quick (style) changeover capability is paramount for successful implementation of lean, flexible or small batch manufacturing system. It has become even more important for apparel manufacturers catering to high fashion garments, which are characterized by small order quantities and shorter lead times. Though a quick changeover tool like Single Minute Exchange of Die (SMED) is extensively practiced in automobile and other process industries, its application in apparel industry has been limited to few manufacturers having access to technical knowhow. In contrast to general perception that SMED being a highly sophisticated process, demands highly trained manpower, Chandrark Karekatti, an industry consultant, based on his experience in lean implementation, has found this tool to be very simple and easy to implement even with the existing shop floor manpower. The article attempts to demystify the SMED implementation process in needle industry and help develop quick changeover capability.

At the time when competitors from Tirupur are facing the heat of compliance and environment audits, Ludhiana’s knitting units have been investing in high-end processing and chemical treatment setups, as a result, successfully tapping some of the business that has moved out of Tirupur, especially in the local market. Yet, the industry is facing challenges and many claim that growth has stagnated. In a recent visit to the city, Team StitchWorld met 3 companies – Superfine Knitters, Rider Exports and Knitwell – who have engaged a consultant to shore up their processes. Standing at different stages of implementation, these companies are doing what they think is necessary to survive and prosper in the present market conditions.

Among the few Indian technology providers with presence in over 20 countries, Peayush Machineries is specializing in computerized embroidery machines mostly from Chinese principle Zoje Dayu and spare parts. Established in 2006, the ISO 14001:2000 and ISO 9001:2000 certified company with offices in all major embroidery centres, is very upbeat of its product and relation it shares with its principle. “Our relationship with Dayu goes back many years and over the time we have been able to establish it as the leading Chinese brand for embroidery machines in the country. Last year, we sold 972 machines when most other competitors could barely touch three figures mark,” avers Prateek Chaudhary, MD, Peayush Machineries.