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ITAC conference- Indian textile industry advantages discussed |
2004-7-19
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The International Textile and Apparel Congress on ''Growth Through Innovation in a more competitive world '' organised by leading management consultancy firm KSA Technopak, concluded successfully its two day conference in Mumbai.
KSA Technopak has been supported by Reliance Industries, DHL India, Cotton Council International (USA) and fibre2fashion.com in organizing ITAC.
The conference inaugurated by Union Textiles Minister Shankersinh Vaghela was well attended as industry leaders converged to offer and deliberate on various aspects post – quotas.
Vaghela urged the industry to modernise and rework business models with an aim to take advantage of the emerging scenario once the textile quotas go in January, 2004.
In a plenary session on Sourcing in the Open World, Babu Gopi, VP- Supply Chain Division, Levi Strauss, demonstrated how sourcing models are evolving to generate new synergies in the buyer-seller relationship through strategic collaborations.
During one of the special sessions Hon. Khushi Ram, Minister for Industry, Govt. of Mauritius provided valuable insights into how the textile and apparel industry of Mauritius was gearing up to meet the challenges of the post MFA regime. The country''s textile sector has benefited greatly from the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) which facilitates the export of goods to markets in the US. Special Export Processing Zones that have also been instrumental in converting Mauritius into a textile powerhouse
In his session on Fiber to Retail: a Glimpse into the Journey, Michael Yee, ED -Supply Chain Division, Esquel Enterprises (Hong Kong) said, "The buyer will be willing to pay a premium to companies that are able to provide full service packages. Companies that are vertically integrated and can supply the entire packages to the retailer will, therefore, stand to gain in the competitive trade environment." As a unique case study, Yee illustrated the strategic initiatives that helped his organization transform from a small textile mill to an integrated fiber to retail giant.
The Panel Discussion on Improving Asian Textile Supply Competitiveness brought together Anees Noorani, MD, Zodiac, Atul Ujagar, Country Director, Nike and B.K.Patodia, Vice Chairman & MD, GTN Textiles to generate solutions to critical problems faced by the industry, including investment requirements, back end and front end process integration, labour, supply chain collaboration and scope for innovation. The points of view of these players was offset by the arguments put forward by the representative of The Istanbul Textile and Ready-to-Wear Exporters'' Associations -ITKIB (Turkey).
While the world reckons the tremendous potential for man-made fibers, India is yet to capture a significant share of the market. Taking a keen look at the Indian Polyester industry, S.P.Sapra, President- Polyester Sector, Reliance Industries, evaluated its competitiveness and discussed the value proposition that Indian players offer in a well attended session at ITAC. The company has set up the Reliance Technology Centre for developing new polyester technology.
''''Indian textile industry has the inherent vertical supply chain advantage which can be leveraged for growth in the quota-free world,'''' Ramesh Natarajan DHL India Marketing Head said.
Dr Herwig R Strolz, Director General, International Textile Manufacturers Federation, stressed on the need for collaboration between intermediaries in the textile value chain to achieve excellence in process and delivery.
''''China has successfully implemented the supply-chain collaboration model, which can be replicated by India as well,'''' he said.
The two-day congress dealt on core issues concerning the textiles and apparel industry of India.
Chairman KSA Technopak, Arvind Singhal, emphasised on the need to balance key variables in sourcing strategy to maximise margins.
KSA Technopak is a leading management firm, which offers integrated strategy, process and technology deployment solutions to retail, food and grocery, textile and clothing, and health care industries. KSA Technopak is the Indian subsidiary of Kurt Salmon Associates, a 68-year old global Management Consulting firm. |
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