Kolkata holds the distinction of being the only textile hub of India which has achieved excellence in the manufacturing as well as branding of workwear, innerwear, kidswear, ethnicwear and recently in leggings too. Apparel Online has been following this progress, and recently a team in the city discovered that the city, with a mix of well-organized as well as less organized units, is further adding more and newer products to its basket, like denims and formal woven shirts. Some companies are also expecting that polo tees are going to be a major product category from the hub soon. A fresh look at the developments that could change the way the hub works in the coming years…
There is a palpable change in the air regarding a more organized way of working in Kolkata with small and medium size companies more concerned about building ‘systems’ now. It seems an important step in the right direction as there are many players (especially in the domestic market) in Kolkata depending on job-work or outsourcing for their manufacturing needs, few of them have some processes in-house but need to improve. One of the main reasons of this change is the fast growth of companies which are working with proper systems from day 1, motivating others to take inspiration for change. On the other hand, State Government has shortlisted 13 parks to be developed across Bengal, covering the entire spectrum of textile activities from knitting, weaving to garmenting and processing, including a marketing hub. Industry feels that improved infrastructure will be a big boost to the state as well as for Kolkata-based manufacturers.
With deep roots in Kolkata, Raj K Dugar, VP, Eastern India Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Federation (EIGMEF) and CEO, EIGMEF Apparel Parks, who is also running his own company Designer Exports, throws lights on the reasons that prompted the move to revamp the industry. “Although Kolkata is moving up the volume ladder in the textile business, it is not getting reflected in the overall Indian scenario. Now we are also looking at a 360-degree approach,” he says. On the one hand the federation is sensitizing members and fellow manufacturing units/brands about upgrading their infrastructure, which will help them in moving up the value chain, better realization of prices of the products they manufacture, making products which are compliant to the requirements of the domestic retail industry and export industry, while on the other hand, the effort is to upgrade their vision by taking them on informative and study tours in and outside India, for serious discussion with experts.
“Designer Exports is a design-driven company which is working with all major retailers in India, growing at the rate of 10-20 per cent per annum. We offer tops and tees for all categories and do not categorize ourselves as men, women, boys and girls. Though we have everything in-house, the plan for next 3-4 years is to make our setup more organized.”
Though Dugar is enthusiastic about the roadmap that has been made to upgrade the industry, he is practical enough to accept that progress will be gradual despite the proactive approach. “Change takes time, but since we are proactive, this gradual process will speed up. There will be more manufacturers moving towards organized sectors at a much faster pace than they would have done, if this whole new thrust was not put in place,” he reasons.
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Those who have visited Kolkata or are familiar with the city’s garment manufacturing scenario, must be familiar with Paridhan (The Garment Park), conceptualized and implemented by West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation (WBIDC), which is a good example of a planned garment hub that is fully occupied. Now the city is in the process to develop more such focused space where work can take place in an organized way with a positive environment for garment manufacturing. The EIGMEF Apparel Park which was delayed for more than 5 years due to land holding is finally now expected to be operational by the end of 2017 or by beginning of 2018. “This park is an ideal location for workers being well connected by various kinds of public transport systems. We are making a green, vertical park with total 11 acres of land, of which 1.3 million sq. feet is for constructed space. We are planning to have a training centre, design centre as well as offering some space for accessory and fabric vendors, so that it becomes a one spot location for garment manufacturing, where the fabric gets in and the garment moves out of the facility. As far as Green building is concerned, our design for the same started a long time back by a renowned architect from Mumbai,” shares Dugar.
There are going to be near about 55-60 units operating out of this park and further installations at this park will be an expansion activity, since all of them are in their growth stage, so it will be an add-on to whatever they are doing. The expected revenue from the park is of around US $ 123 million (Rs. 800 crore) per year. Apart from this particular park, the industry has also been promised more such support at the recently concluded Bengal Global Business Summit and Texpo Bengal, wherein the State Government announced more such parks to be developed across Bengal. Dugar strongly believes that this developed infrastructure will be a good boost to the industry.
