PREFERRED SUPPLIER
Accountability
J E F F REY JEYA R A J A N D A N I L K OCHHA R
Partners, Esteem Buying Ser vices
Leaders can make a difference.
We need to develop leadership
down the chain of our
businesses. This would impact
the work ethics, professional
attitudes, professional working
and performance aspects (on
the court) – where we are not
the best. The thought process
can be vision-based-long-term
and outlook can be progressive.
We need to bring in synergy
and transparency at all levels
and in all areas as a cultural
phenomenon. If the industry
transforms, each individual
business will gain from it.
At the same time, the targets set
by the Government for the next
few years look buoyant and it is
based on strategic plans which
if successfully implemented
should help us achieve these
great numbers. So, while I
believe that the industry is
not going to shrink, certain
additional measures on behalf
of all key players will definitely
help us grow dynamically.
As a nation, our current
strengths are – design and
product capabilities, flexibility
and India-specific fabrics.
The areas that need a push to
support our strengthens are
– infrastructure development,
developing the fabric industry,
new favourable policies for
apparel exports, favourable
trade agreements with
key destination countries
(including closing the duty-
free import), organizing and
strategizing skill development
in this area, developing
synergies and lobbying, ground
breaking initiatives by apparel
bodies and associations,
developing the design
capabilities (it is under-utilized
and under-developed, potential
is immense) and development
of business leaders at various
levels in the business.
T
here are many chain stores in
the US which are keen to have
Indian products, but they have no
faith on the commitments made
by Indian suppliers. Reliability
is a major issue even today
and many orders are lost, not
because of product and price, but
because of the lack of credibility!
We need suppliers who deliver
what they show and when they
promise. For this exporters need
to have a seamless progression
from sampling to production.
Unfortunately, many exporters
show beautiful collections that
are really competitive because
of their uniqueness, but they are
unable to recreate the same in
production and this causes delays
and rejections.
Production has to be more
planned, the old approach to
manufacturing cannot work.
Owners have to work with systems
and ensure that their people are
equally committed to following
the systems. Sadly, the so-called
mundane issues of yesteryears –
quality, delivery, price – are still
pain points. Though on compliance
front, there have been major
improvements and factories now
look neater and well organized,
but production is still on ‘need’
bases and not in a planned
manner.
We work mostly in the US and
here customers expect us to
show collections, so product
development skills are important.
Creative inputs, the ability to
always have some new element
and be in sync with current trends
is something we look forward
to. Our preferred supplier is one
who understands our customer
and is willing to stick his head
out to deliver. We do not want to
work with manufacturers who
are always full of excuses and
when pressurised, simply pull out
of the commitment with a casual
approach that puts us in a lurch.
commitment to deliver to the buyer
or commitment to make payments
to the suppliers. We work with
partners who imbibe by the same
philosophy. More than anything
else, suppliers have to be at your
side in the commitment… we have
to jointly make commitments to the
customers and ensure that they
are fulfilled. We request suppliers
to be ‘straight’ with us and not
‘hide’ issues. Accountability and
responsiveness to requirements is
very critical.
Americans are very practical
people and in the many meetings
we have had over the last few
months, the major issue in
generating business has been ‘bad
experience of working with India
in the past’. How do we get past
this trust deficit…? We can make
many promises, but the delivery
is in the hands of the supplier.
The reality is that there are many
chain stores in the US that we
don’t even know about and they
are not small…, but whenever they
hear that we are from India they
lose interest?
At Esteem, we are very particular
about commitments, whether it is
No one can deny that the India
‘handwriting’ like embroidery,
batik prints, complex styling, and
many processes on one garment
are a major attraction for buyers
looking for fashion…, especially
mass fashion, but they prefer to
stay away or search alternates
than place an order in India. If
we can only get our factories
to understand that there is a
lot of work out there for them,
but they have to be willing to
meet promised standards…,
the number of factory closures
we have seen in the last 5 years
would not have happened had the
owners been upfront to change
and keen to stay in the business.
People prefer to drop out rather
than improve…, and this is
killing the industry!
www.apparelresources.com | JULY 1-15, 2017 | Apparel Online India
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