It is no secret that fabric comprises 50% to 80% of a garment’s FOB, and therefore inefficient fabric consumption cannot be ignored. Cutting room is one place where the risk of fabric wastage is the highest. Spreading and cutting machines have gone beyond just eliminating waste to increasing process control, minimizing non-quality costs and optimizing machine availability. As the world leader in integrated technology solutions, Lectra has been at the forefront of innovative solutions for industries using fabrics. Having been in Bangladesh for nearly two decades, Lectra has made its foothold in the country much stronger by appointing Aamra Resources as their sales and service partner in Bangladesh. Till date, Lectra has installed around 300 plotter, 1,000 CAD licences, 80 cutters and around 100 spreaders in the country.
The company’s growth in the competitive market of Bangladesh is mainly driven by its CAD solutions for pattern and marker making followed by spreading and cutting solutions. However, the new growth drivers for the company would be its high-end range of cutters and spreaders such as the new Vector range of cutting machines. “Bangladeshi manufacturers have realized the significance of cutting room efficiency and accuracy such that they are moving towards a premium set of solutions,” asserts David Leprovost, Sales Director – ASEAN region, Lectra, who is looking after the company’s operations in Bangladesh through Lectra’s subsidiary in Singapore. Knits have always driven the company’s growth in Bangladesh and for sustaining this growth; Lectra is looking at underwear’s and panties as an opportunity area. “Every cutter can cut but our focus is on optimising the entire cutting room operations of an apparel manufacturer from pre- to post-cutting, a focus which will give us an edge above the competition. Like in the case of lingerie we are looking at cutting small parts at greater speeds, with no buffer and compromise on quality for most of the fabrics” adds David. Since the country is known for handling volumes, Lectra’s focus is on cutting bigger and faster for shorter ROI periods and greater overall equipment effectiveness.
Every cutter can cut however our focus is on optimising the entire cutting room operations of an apparel manufacturer from pre- to post-cutting, a focus which will give us an edge above the competition. Like in the case of lingerie, we are looking at cutting small parts at greater speeds, with no buffer and compromise on quality for most of the fabrics.” – David Leprovost, Sales Director – ASEAN region, Lectra
The next focus area for the company is on minimising machines’ downtime, through its maintenance approach. This would involve routine checks of the machines and preventive replacement of wearable parts that sooner or later cause the machines to stop. “With the constant and automatic monitoring of 150 sensors, we can now predict a breakdown” explains David, who claims that now the industry cannot afford any longer machine idle time.
All this smart and advanced technology would be useless with a low efficiency in the cutting preparation (CAD, Cut and Spread Planning) and after cutting (off loading, sorting, dispatch). Understanding the same, Lectra is investing more and more in talent acquisition of business consultant, lean and six sigma certified, to deliver a secured and sustainable cutting room implementation.
In parallel, Aamra Resources has a maintenance support team consisting of over 30 engineers working in Dhaka and Chittagong for Lectra only. Providing optimum technical support also means keeping the right inventory for spare parts. “If we have to serve our customers well, we have to maintain a significant spare parts warehouse and for us, spare parts are not a business, it’s more of a support service to our priority customers,” says Shamim Masudul Haque, Asst. General Manager – Apparel Division, Aamra Resources Ltd. Endorsing the same, David concludes, “The initial investment in a Lectra cutting solution might be a higher budget but five years down the line we prove to be the cheapest.”
