Apparel Online Bangladesh Magazine December Issue 2018 | Page 58

RESOURCE CENTRE TO ADVERTISE GOING TO A GOOD EVENT? Contact Rani Mahendru [phone] (512) [email protected] Send your industry gossip, photos and news to [email protected] ESSENTIALS C5 automatic computerised overlock machine which is specially manufactured for knitwear category machines. ‘A’ series is one of them. What other innovations are in pipeline after ‘first thread cleanness machine’ A5? What will be the new developments in the subsequent machines? Ruan: Every year we release one new product with a new technology in the market. Our second generation lockstitch machine A4 was launched in 2014 and till 2017, we worked a lot to improve its voice feature. In 2017, we launched our third gen lockstitch machine A5 which had just 3.5 mm thread tail that shortened to 3 mm in 2018 and with our continuous development, it will remain at just 2.5 mm in 2019. So all through 2014-2019 period, we planned for more stability in our sewing machines, while from 2019 onwards, we will focus on improving the features of our machines to make sewing more intelligent. The period 2019-2020 will be dedicated to the fourth generation machine A6 which will come with IoT technology, production visualisation and automatic salary accounting system, while the period 2021- 2022 will be the fifth generation period when we will focus more on ‘modularity structure’ of the sewing machine. In this structure, stepper motor technology will be integrated. Moreover, we are soon launching A7 model of SNLS machine which is actually designed and manufactured on the basis of our ISU (Intelligent Sewing Unit) production system. The machine will have four different feeding tracks and it will automatically test the fabric thickness to adjust the presser foot and accordingly, the feed dog. I want to specially mention our IoT technology ‘Integrated Production Management System’ (IPMS) which will be unveiled in A6 model. This software is basically a connector between our vast product portfolio and the information of every machine right from pre-sewing to sewing and then finishing will be stored on cloud. So, we want to assure our customers that we are here to help them keep up with the changing trends in the sewing technology. AO: You earlier discussed about the Indian market. What strategies is Jack adopting as far as Bangladesh and Vietnam markets are concerned? Ruan: Most of our products are SNLS machines but the level of technology used in each machine is different 58 Apparel Online Bangladesh | December 2018 | www.apparelresources.com It’s a fact that the European quality is unbeatable, but it is also a fact that it’s expensive and that not everyone can afford it. We have a very strong manufacturing base in China; while Vibemac has very strong R&D and high- end technology centre in Italy. We can merge these operations to get advantages on a larger scale. and that’s where Jack holds its strength in. After India, Vietnam is the second-most important market for us followed by Bangladesh. In 2017, we clocked US $ 39 million sales turnover in Vietnam and US $ 17.50 million sales turnover in Bangladesh. Seeing the data, we can say we have to improve our market in Bangladesh though we are growing at a massive rate in the country. We are focusing more on ‘value marketing’ in these countries. Recently, we upgraded our F4 machines to A2/A3 lockstitch machines which come studded with auto trimmers. Simultaneously we are also promoting A5 and A5N machines in the customer segment who are already using A3 and A4 machines and that’s what brings more value to the end-user. Furthermore, we are focusing on ‘less is more’ mantra. We have divided ourselves into three segments: basic business for mid-low level customers; developing business for mid-high level customers; and future business for mid- high level customers. In the first category, we aim to sell basic lockstitch, overlock and interlock machines; while in the second category, we are currently focusing on mid-high level customers and want to provide them all intelligent and automatic solutions according to their needs. However, our future strategy includes selling just intelligent sewing machines to mid-high level customers. All these strategies are positively working for us and that’s why we have set US $ 60 million sales target for Vietnam in 2019, while Bangladesh has been given a target of US $ 25 million by next year.