South East Asia is emerging as a major market for many technology providers as the apparel manufacturing industry is going from strength to strength in the region. While many countries are emerging as hot-spots, India has already established its reputation as a growing market. The thrust is coming not only from manufacturing units into exports, but also the fast developing domestic market, which is taking the upgradation route with a vengeance. Sensing the growth potential ahead, Gerber Technology, in 2012, appointed Johnny Wang as Vice President & General Manager of Asia Pacific. Prior to this appointment, Wang served as General Manager of GE Energy’s Industrial Solutions Business in Greater China, giving him a deeper understanding of the region. Recently in India to get a first-hand feel of the market, Wang shares the strategy and vision of Gerber for the region with Team StitchWorld
A leading provider of software and manufacturing systems for the apparel, technical textiles, aerospace and composites markets, Gerber Technology already has a visible presence in India through its local business partner IIGM. The company is now looking to ‘put more resources into India’ according to Wang, who also gave reasons why. “South Asia is very critical to our growth strategy in all our product offerings. In India, besides apparel, which is a huge potential market, we are increasingly seeing opportunities in the automotive segment with almost all major motor companies setting up manufacturing units in the country,” says Wang. Making long-term commitment to the country, Gerber is escalating its activities to educate the sewn industry on importance of investing in software and manufacturing systems through workshops, seminars and road shows.
Realizing that except for the really big manufacturers, the industry is still reluctant to invest in ‘expensive’ software for managing the production floor including design and cutting, the company has already introduced so-called ‘entry-level’ solutions. “We find the definition of entry-level solutions very ‘relative’. A company which is using the technology for the first time may actually require very sophisticated software to achieve the goal set when investing in the solution. So what actually determines ‘entry’ is different to different companies and hence having one solution which is more affordable is not the answer,” reasons Wang.
According to John McCall, Regional Sales Director SWA, Gerber Technology, who has years of experience working in the region, the real challenge in India is not selling the product. “It is not about how we sell or market our product, it is about how we can help in minimizing defects to reduce chances of waste and rejection. Once the customers understand the value, demand follows on its own,” he reasons. The company claims that Gerber solutions significantly improve productivity and profitability and speed up products to market, ensuring a level of quality consumers and which of course is a major drive for growth of business.
What the company is really focused on with IIGM is providing training to ensure there is enough manpower to operate high-end solutions. The IIGM Gerber Cad Centre in Bangalore has already trained more than 2000 people on Gerber Accumark software. More than 70% of these trained people are now working in various garment companies across India and at different parts of the world. “In our commitment to education we have a history of more than 30 years in partnering with institutes and even in India we have tie-ups with many fashion and technical institutes. We believe in catching professionals very young, after all it is these youngsters who will move into the industry and promote new ways of manufacturing,” says Wang. Adds McCall, “We have to make education our purpose, as there cannot be a gap in education.”
With US $ 13 million spent on R&D last year, Gerber is constantly reviewing the need of the market, and the countries in which it works. The company believes that it will still take some time for the domestic market to mature and accept technology as offered by Gerber. “We are still working hard to penetrate the industry working with the international market, which is very quality- and price-sensitive; how can we expect to get immediate acceptance in a largely unorganized segment which is still looking at small changes to upgrade operations,” questions McCall.
Wang did not rule out the possibilities of an Advanced Technology Centre in India on the lines of what has been developed in Shanghai, China. The 27,000 sq. ft. centre is a dynamic hub for product demonstrations, software testing, system training, engineering and R&D activities and is the first of its kind in Asia. “The Gerber team is very well acquainted with the needs of the region and as we move forward together many new ideas will develop to strengthen the marketing efforts of Gerber in the region,” concludes Wang.
