Adding a new product line is a good option for growth especially when one has the infrastructure and a ready market. Kolkata based Jiwanram Sheoduttrai Industries, which is known for its workwear, is starting a men’s casualwear line for the export as well as domestic market. It is also starting manufacturing branded workwear with the collaboration of an American company. “The kind of setup we have for heavy garments/workwear can be optimally used for casualwear also, so we need not invest in new machinery for this new line. Secondly, China, which was doing well in casualwear, is facing the heat of increased wages, paying almost US $ 350-400 monthly to operators while in India the worker is happily working in half this amount. We are expecting good orders from Europe in casualwear for which sampling is going on. In the initial year our target is to touch Rs. 20 crores export turnover from these products,” says Alok Prakash, the soft spoken MD of the group.
Under the casual wear line, Jiwanram Sheoduttrai Industries will manufacturer men’s jeans, trousers, polo shirts and winter jackets. On the other hand, for the domestic market, the company is planning to introduce head-to-toe safety wear. The 16-year old SA 8000 certified company is also very active in CSR activities and is involved in maintaining a Junior primary school and public health care project, besides other social activities. The company has recently commissioned a new factory. In total, Jiwanram Sheoduttrai Industries has 12 factories with more than 1200 workers. The group is doing very well in industrial gloves/workwear and is also into leather goods and chemical business.
