Al-Rkayan Apparel and Exports, a Mumbai-based jeans manufacturer, getting into new markets for exports, will soon double its capacity. The company, with a turnover of Rs. 36 crores, and currently producing 4,000 pieces per day, has started its new unit in 7,500 square metres in Ambarnath near Ulhasnagar (Maharashtra) with an investment of Rs. 32 crore. The washing unit here is almost ready to commence operations while the sewing plant with a capacity of 4,000 pieces per day will be operational by the coming January.
Talking exclusively to StitchWorld, Prabhakar Shetty, Managing Director of the company said, “We selected Ambarnath to setup our new unit because this place under the MIDC (Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation) has the right infrastructure and facilities and more importantly washing/dyeing is allowed here. Also, the workers are readily available as 50 per cent of the labour here is migratory and we are providing them accommodation along with training facilities.”
The two-decade old company has its own domestic brand and is also doing job work for well-known brands like Pepe Jeans, Spyker, Raymond and Westside. The company is known for its washing capabilities and Shetty claims that their company is the only one in Mumbai using Municipal water for washing not the underground water, as the ground water does not produce good results on washing.
With the enhanced capacities, the company is now planning to export jeans to Egypt and Russia. With a total production capacity of 8,000 pieces per day after expansion, the strategy is to dedicate 50% of its production to exports. Shetty is very hopeful to get orders from Russia in the next season and is looking at a growth of 150%.
