Apparel Online Bangladesh Magazine December Issue 2018 | Page 22

ADVERTORIAL
Shima Seiki aims to
solidify its China market
Rising fashion consciousness among the young generation, increasing online shopping activity and inclination of consumers towards showing individualities
to stand out among the rest are key factors that have changed supply chain requirements, with growing interest in on-demand production, both in
terms of time compression and mass customisation. China is not an exception… Growing demand for customised clothing within the country indicates
the country can be a major market for the technology suppliers in the segment. Sensing this need, Japan-based knitting technology juggernaut
Shima Seiki has already started strengthening its foothold in China within the last few years with its unmatchable technology and, to further expand
in the country, the company recently showed up at ITMA Asia exhibition that was held in Shanghai, China. Below are some excerpts of Team Apparel
Online’s exclusive conversation with Ikuto Umeda, Executive Director & Senior Director, Sales Headquarters, Shima Seiki.
AO: What according to you are the core
factors that make Shima Seiki a leader in its
category (flat knitting) and different from
other manufacturers with similar technology
(seamless and flat knitting machines)?
Umeda: We have 56 years of experience in
knitting technology and the trust of customers
is what we have gained all through these years.
Our success can be attributed to some other
significant factors as well and one of them
is that we have been able to assist apparel
and textile manufacturers in producing their
products at a quick rate with no waste. Further,
apart from ecological aspect, we always have
something distinct to offer, therefore, we have
been untouched by the brands who counterfeit
to sell their products in the local market. Our
products meet all the three criteria that help
manufacturers improve production: they are
quick; accurate and economical and that is what
makes us different from others.
AO: Your recent developments in China
indicate that Shima Seiki is aiming to enlarge
its footprints in this country. How do you see
China as a market for your products?
Umeda: There is a broader way of looking at it.
China used to be the preferred place for buyers
in the apparel segment from all across the
world until a few years ago. However, its major
advantage, the cheap labour, that China had
earlier, has now vanished because the labour
cost in the country has skyrocketed with time.
This rise in cost further resulted in rise in the
living standard of the Chinese people and that
is what has created a sense of individualism in
them. Their spending on apparel is increasing,
they want more customised garments to stand
out among the rest, thus the domestic retail
market in this segment is bolstering the growth
in China. But, the fact is that the domestic
market here is so huge that China’s production
industry cannot handle such large volumes
anymore using traditional and conventional
Masahiro Shima (C), Founder and Chairman of Shima Seiki; along with Ikuto Umeda (R), Executive Director & Senior Director, Sales
Headquarters and Tadanori Ueno (L), Manager, Knitting Machine Sales Section, Joint Sales Division of Shima Seiki
ways. This is exactly what we are aiming to
capitalise on with our WHOLEGARMENT
machine which is a proven technology for mass
customisation. That’s why we have opened a
technology centre in this country to further
innovate our machines according to the Chinese
consumers’ need and to bring down the cost of
our machines.
We term this emergence as ‘on-demand’
customisation. The idea of offering short-run
manufacturing i.e. ‘on demand’, has been
around for quite some time. It’s appealing as
the customers get exactly what they need,
exactly when they need it. For manufacturers,
this means less inventory to maintain and
reduced downtime of the machine. The concept
is being adopted by the Asian countries as well
because, with time evolution, Asian countries
are becoming more westernised.
On-demand market is surely on our list. Still, I
would say, our products are suited to cater to
not just this concept rather, as I had said earlier,
we provide a complete system that is suitable to
both on-demand and mass customisation.
22 Apparel Online Bangladesh | December 2018 | www.apparelresources.com
AO: Everyone is talking about Industry 4.0,
but no considerable development of this
concept can be seen in the apparel industry
as of now. What is your take on this?
Umeda: Frankly speaking, Industry 4.0 is still a
buzzword. The apparel industry, as a whole, is
not actually ready to adopt this concept right
now though it’s a fact that some progressive
companies are keen to find out information
related to Industry 4.0, study it for quite some
time and then implement it according to their
requirement, may be in near future.
For example, virtual sampling is one of
the applications of 4.0 concept but the
industry is still unsure, rather confused, if 3D
sampling process actually works. Most of the
manufacturers in India, Bangladesh and Vietnam
consider that there is no need to make even
one physical sample but this is a misconception.
One physical sample has to be made after
checking fall, fit and measurements on virtual
model. Virtual sampling is effectively possible
and it comes along with significant benefits such
as there is system in place where sustainability