Apparel Online India Magazine September 1st Issue 2018 | Page 53

RESOURCE CENTRE
started sharing costing details which
is creating healthy competition among
the players. “It is well understood that
working together is the only solution
to grow and undercutting for business
cannot help. The transparency that
has come in is very good for the
industry as now the energy is being
used for positive things and not just to
find ways to grab business,” averred
Bansal. A customer grievance cell has
been created to handle complaints
from customers and vice a versa.
“SEMA aims to
be recognised
as the national
voice for Schiffli
Embroidery in
India and to
nurture enjoyment
of embroidery.
It also enables
everyone to
participate at
any level in order
to preserve
traditional
techniques and
promote new
challenges in the
art of embroidery
through education
and networking.”
– Sanjay Bansal,
Director, Shiv Shakti
Embroideries and
President of the
Association
The positivity of a common platform,
was reflected at the recently
concluded F&A show in Delhi
where 8 members of the association
participated as members with
individual booths. All participants
were happy as they got a good
response at the fair. “There is no fear
of seeing other schiffli manufacturers
displaying their capabilities as we are
not really competitors because all of
us have our own specialisation and
strengths which is growing both in the
international and domestic market,”
Bansal informed.
Moving forward, similar participation
at international events is also on the
cards. He further reasoned, “If we
commit a certain number of booth
bookings, the organisers give us very
good rates. This way it is a win-win
situation for both the exhibitors
and the organisers.” By attending
international events, the association
hopes to get exposure on global
trends in schiffli and compete head-
on with players in China. Though,
Bansal quickly adds that now there
is very little in schiffli which can
only be sourced from China, as
many of the Indian companies have
invested in upgrading both machines
and techniques for wider range of
products.
Also, one of the main agendas of
SEMA is formulating a strategy to
approach the Government for benefits
that other textile industry segments
are getting, but schiffli manufacturers
are not being considered for the same.
The association claims that schiffli
producers are playing a big role in
contributing to the exports in the
Team Shiv Shakti Embroideries enjoyed the experience of participating at F&A as SEMA members
fashion segment for which Delhi-NCR
is known for, but their products are
not counted even as deemed exports.
“Since schiffli is a high capital-
intensive industry, support is required
to grow the industry. Unfortunately,
we are not recognised as an industry
and no benefit is accrued to us, like
customs duty benefits or the gains
under the TUF scheme for buying
machinery etc. We are determined
to change this, and through
collective approach, we will meet the
Ministry and put our point forward.
These issues cannot be tackled as
individuals,” argued Bansal.
In fact, the Embroidery Training
Centre opened at Manesar
in partnership with Saurer
(Switzerland), is also an initiative of
the group to build technical skills in
embroidery. SEMA also formulates the
most-effective strategies in order for
firms to cope up and meet the ever-
changing and fast-paced trends and
demands of the business environment.
It conducts research, creates short-,
mid- and long-term plans and develops
feasibility studies to ascertain
whether a particular venture would
become a click in the market or not,”
averred Bansal. Next in line is a
series of seminars and workshops to
upgrade the schiffli industry.
The success that the association
has seen has resulted in schiffli
manufacturers from other cities/states
Ashok Jain, Managing Director of P.C.J.S Group
Harsh Hari Modi of Modi Schiffli Embroidery Mills
also seeking membership to enjoy the
collective benefits. “We have received
many enquiries as to the possibility
of having regional chapters of the
association so that schiffli players
pan-India can be benefited and we are
in process to work out a modality of
how this can be workable,” informed
Bansal. The markets currently being
considered are Mumbai, Surat and
Amritsar, where the schiffli industry
is quite strong.
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