How do you see your market
segment growing in the next 5–10
years both locally and internationally?
In terms of marketing, our target rate
is to achieve 5 per cent growth every
year. But in the coming 5–10 years, we
will try to increase the target by 5–10
per cent. and we attended Avantex in Paris
this September. We want to focus on
exhibitions now and reach potential
customers during the exhibition. We
are using LikedIn and Facebook to
inform users that we are exhibiting
at Avantex Paris and Techtextile in
Germany.
Does India seem to be a potential
target market in the future?
We have not visited India; so, that
means we don’t really know about the
Indian market. If we get the chance to
visit India, we can probably do some
market research. But at this moment,
we cannot say anything. Only after a
complete market survey and research,
can we think of entering Indian market. How do you keep track of textile
market trends and other related
information?
We have a team which continuously
monitors prices and news pertaining
to the industry. A dedicated team looks
after such activities. They also refer
to reports to get updates on industry
insights.
What per cent of your sales is
through brick and mortar and what is
through the e-marketplace?
We want to focus on the re-branding
of our company this year onwards.
Thus, we are now active on LinkedIn,
Facebook and also on our official
website for our marketing strategies.
We have put up an animated video
of products on our site. We have
been doing international exhibitions
like we did one at Germany in May,
What is your R&D team like? How
much do you spend on R&D on
yearly basis?
Our R&D is a very busy team. They
continuously check the price rate
of the market and latest designs.
Sometimes, they develop new
knitting concepts and try many new
possibilities for dyeing, knitting
through our wide supply chain
network.
Let’s talk about your CSR activities.
Since the inception of the company,
our chairman has believed
in donating. We donate rice,
blankets and clothes to charitable
organisations. It is quite important
for him, his team and his family. Last
year, we made a donation of about
$5 million. Some of our donations
include things for elderly people and
students in need. We also provide
internship opportunities to senior
university students every year that
allows students to gain more practical
real-world skills from industry.
Every year, we pass on 10 per cent
of our profits to charity, and we have
doubled that for the latest two years.
Our stakeholders take 20 per cent
of their profits for charity every year.
Our chairman himself donates 20 per
cent of his own personal income to
these foundations, which means when
we earn $3, we donate $1 to CSR
activities.
We take care of all our employees
because we believe every employee
is the most valuable person in the
company. We offer 2.2 per cent of the
profits after tax to employees, so that
they can travel. We provide free health
checks and free insurance to our
employees too.