“The knitting industry is constantly evolving and the trend today is towards faster running machines, which means there is a lot of stress on the needle. If the needle is not correct, the fabric quality might go down. Samsung is one needle brand which is very well accepted in the market for its smooth functioning and compatibility with majority of knitting machines, meeting all the requirements which an Indian manufacturer is looking for from price to quality,” says Ashwani Sehgal, President & CEO, Alpex, who is the sole agent and distributor of Korean based Samsung Knitting Needles Company in India.
Realization of the industry needs through constant interaction with the industry helped Alpex diversify into needles with different geometry, more suited for the changing requirements of the industry. Currently, the company has a deep assortment of 2700 types of needles in various models. “We have the widest portfolio of products to cater to this market with innovative options. Besides needles, we offer other knitting components like jacks, sinkers, transfer needles, warp knitting needles and many other high precision parts catering to knitting industry,” says Sehgal.
The company has come a long way, having started the journey as an importer and distributor of spandex yarn, and then moving into knitting needles after sensing opportunity in the fast evolving Indian knitting industry. Today, the company has four distinct business divisions, spandex yarns, knitting needles, solar panel manufacturing and wind energy generation. Each division is handled by professionals, all experts in their respective fields.
The company attributes its success in the knitting industry to the fact that does not deal with any sub-dealers but directly interacts with its buyers. “Accepting that India is a key market, we have major presence in the country with network offices in all textile/knitting hubs of Delhi, Mumbai, Tirupur, Ludhiana, Ahmedabad, Surat and Kolkata, so that we can give prompt service to our customers,” says Sehgal. The company is supplying knitting needles to some of the biggest names in the industry like Superfine, Pratibha Syntex, Arvind Mills, Oswal Group, Nahar Industries, Eastman Exports, SP Apparels, Defiance Industries, SPL, OWM and Krishna Intertex. “We are working with more than 3,300 knitters/exporters for our products and the trust that we have earned only goes to endorse the product and service that we offer,” adds Sehgal.
As a market leader in needle technology with a strong sales and distribution team, the company enjoys great respect in India in the knitting segment and has over the years closely seen the changing market dynamics in the country. “We are very competitive to the best brands from Europe, offering comparable quality at lower prices. However, we are not competitive with Chinese products, which though very cheap have inconsistent quality,” says Sehgal.
For an upfront company like Alpex, the task is to educate the industry on ‘how a quality needle’ can make a big difference to their performance. Sehgal asserts that it is extremely important for a company in the business of textile and garments to train people to understand your products. “We regularly educate our people (we have service engineers who are trained in Korea) on how to achieve high quality and best productivity, which are essential for the sustenance of the business.”
Having completed 18 long years of impeccable service to the industry, Alpex is gearing towards great years ahead. Alpex is happy to work with Samsung and is not looking to expand brand offerings, but instead to increase market reach with the same brand. “We recently launched wrap knitting needles that was very well accepted in the market and I am looking at the future with great expectations,” concludes Sehgal.
