Apparel Online India 16-31 July' 17 | Page 33

TEX-FILE Ethiopia to open two industrial parks next month RAYMOND HAS ANNOUNCED AN INVESTMENT OF RS. 1,400 CRORE IN A PHASED MANNER ON ITS NEW PLANT AT AMRAVATI. COTTON SHIRTS, LINEN AND DENIM, AMONG OTHERS WILL BE PRODUCED AT THE PLANT, WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BE COMMISSIONED BY THE END OF THIS YEAR. THE AMRAVATI UNIT WILL CREATE AROUND 8,000 NEW JOBS. OUR GREENFIELD PROJECT IN AMRAVATI IS LIKELY TO START BY THE YEAR END WITH AN INITIAL CAPITAL INFUSION OF RS. 200 CRORE. – GAUTAM HARI SINGHANIA. CMD, RAYMOND GROUP expecting shorter lead times. While we have become more nimb le and flexible, we have seen the demand for quick turnaround growing and our average order size reducing with time. In fact, speed carries the highest importance for us whether in the area of new product development or sampling or delivering bulk. We have put our maximum efforts in reducing any bottlenecks and improving capacities, processes and decision making and have so far been very successful in these initiatives. We have many long- standing and loyal customers and we have to offer them our best.” Mathur briefs that Raymond’s simple way of attaining an edge over others is to differentiate itself from them, be it in terms of product range, PD, processes or other such areas. Apart from being one of the leading companies in India with the best of technology, it is also credited for being the first company to have brought in ring denim. Highlighting Raymond UCO’s exceptional focus on PD, he shared, “3 to 5 per cent of our capacity is actually utilized to support PD initiatives. We have retained local and international talent and experts to manage the PD process effectively and are globally at par with the best in this sense. Both the Indian and International markets today demand a high level of PD support and it is growing. Throwing more light on this, Mathur avers, “When we look at the value chain from the yarn stage to the finishing, you can generate value addition at every step of the process, at the spinning and weaving stage in terms of construction of your fabric and, as importantly, in dyeing and finishing. It is this value addition across the chain that defines what the final value is, i.e. whether a product is mid-range or premium or premium plus. You could focus more on one process and less on another but it is the final look and feel that defines whether the sum is greater than the whole.” Raymond’s vision, in the words of Mathur is, ‘To be the best in class globally’. He adds, “To maintain our competitive edge, we have to remain innovative and reliable in our offerings. Innovation is not rocket science. It is all about the choices you make in terms of the materials one uses, the processes applied and the attitude and belief system one espouses. We keep emphasizing internally the need to continuously observe, learn and enquire and not necessarily limit ourselves in this respect to the denim space. Our teams are always on the lookout for relevant technologies, systems and researches for learning and potential adoption.” Detailing his future perspectives, Mathur stated, “In terms of manufacturing, we increased our Indian capacity last year by close to 15 per cent. It is now completely stabilized and filled up. Looking forward strategically, Raymond UCO will now be working on an asset light model as a means to support growth of sales with high ROI.” Mathur specifies on a concluding note that his company has to grow above the market growth and keep pace with swift advancements in fashion and technologies. The east-African nation, Ethiopia, is preparing to inaugurate two Chinese-built industrial parks next month. This was announced by the Ethiopian Industrial Parks Development Corporation (IPDC), recently. The two parks named Mekelle Industrial Park and Kombolcha Industrial Park have been built by China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) and China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), respectively. Both the industrial parks are meant for the textile and garment industry and have been constructed at a cost of US $ 250 million. Ethiopia strives to be the hub of textile industries in Africa. It aims to develop world-class industrial parks with fascinating hard and soft infrastructure to earn US $ 1 billion by 2020 and provide ample employment opportunity for its estimated 45 million workforce. “There are about 10 ongoing or completed industrial park projects with plans to inaugurate four other industrial parks by the end of 2017,” said Sisay Gemechu, CEO, IPDC. TN proposes textile park in Ramanathapuram Tamil Nadu Government recently has indicated that an integrated textile processing park has been planned to be set up in Ramanathapuram District in the state. The park will be set up at a cost of Rs. 150 crore with the Central Government grant. Upon being operational, the facility would have 30 textile processing units with a capital outlay of Rs. 450 crore and will create 6,000 jobs in the region. Tamil Nadu’s Industries Minister MC Sampath commented, “We are in touch with the Central Government to execute this planned set-up at the earliest possible time,” adding, “The park would come on a 225-acre land in Manakudi village under Thiruvadanai Taluk.” Additionally, a desalination plant to supply water will also be established at the facility. In order to obtain grant from the Centre, proposal has been sent and approval is awaited, said the State officials. Furthermore, to receive the environmental clearance and Coastal Regulatory Zone (CRZ) clearance for the project, the CRZ maps and study report have been submitted by the State to the CRZ Committee and project approval might come in the coming days. www.apparelresources.com | JULY 16-31, 2017 | Apparel Online India 33