A Golden Opportunity for Intimate Apparel Industry stakeholders As Prime Minister Modi continues to champion the cause of Make In India, and infrastructure issues and rising wages plague China, the present moment offers the textile industry in India unparalleled opportunity to bring about great changes in its fortune. The intimate wear market - from buyers to retailers to manufacturers is a major stakeholder expecting to ride this wave of change. 72 AUGUST 2015 INNER SECRETS INNER SECRETS AUGUST 2015 73
India s textile industry is one of the very few industries in the country that plays an important role in the generation of employment opportunities for both trained and unskilled labour. It accounts for 12% of the total industrial production and makes up for 4% of the country s GDP. It provides direct employment to more than forty-five million people in the country, making it the second biggest employer in the country. Moreover, many apparel retailers see great potential in the country as an ideal market for their goods apart from being a manufacturing hub. Although the country holds the title of being the second biggest producer of cotton (the most important raw material for textile), accounts for 22% of the planet s spindle capacity and possesses advanced spinning and weaving technical due to the government s Technology Up gradation Fund Scheme (TUFS), India s share in the global manufacturing pie is negligible. Despite the country s low scores, it has the potential to augment its global share in the textile and clothing arena without enduring labour shortages and dearth of infrastructural facility, if there is adequate infusion of funds into the industry. The present government is working to finalise a new National Textile Policy that aims at augmenting exports from the sector. This new governmental policy aims to attain textiles exports of US$ 300 billion by 2024-25 apart from seeking to create additional 35 million jobs in the country. Through this new policy, the government also intends to address the problems of adequate skilled personnel, labour reforms, lack of investments, and to come up with a future road map for the industry. CHINA S DOMINANCE IN THE GLOBAL TEXTILE SCENE Standing tall as the major manufacturing hub for many a global brand, China s strong textile industry is a result of the industry-friendly policy of the Chinese government. While it does not face any stiff competition in polyester production, its cotton production is one of the highest in the world. The availability of raw materials and inexpensive but advanced manufacturing capabilities makes this Asian nation more attractive than any other South-East Asian countries. Take for example Vietnam, even though it is one of the many Asian countries being tapped by foreign brands, it most often imports its fabrics from China. Bangladesh, on the other hand, still continues to 74 AUGUST 2015 INNER SECRETS
remain a top destination for many clothing brands because of its low wages, but many US companies have begun to reduce their dependency on this South Asian country. Concerns about political turmoil and worker exploitation and abuse have made many brands wary of scaling up their production capabilities in the country. Despite the fact that Bangladesh is not going to witness an increase in apparel sourcing by American brands, not many US clothing companies are planning to set up factories on the US soil, so what options are left apart from China? Read on EFFORTS BY THE GOVERNMENT TO MAKE INDIA A GLOBAL TEXTILE MANUFACTURING HUB Thus it would require great effort to make a significant impact in the volumes sourced from China. Much of the garments in China are manufactured for the US market and it is the most sought after destination for many US based clothing giants. But as production costs in China continue to rise, many American brands are exploring other options with India being a clear favourite. According to Frederic Neumann, a senior economist with HSBC, It s the only country that has the scale to take up where China is leaving off, This is because, compared with the other contenders Indonesia and Vietnam India is the only country that has the size, potential and structure to match that of China. Neither one is big enough to take up the slack, he goes on to elaborate. possibilities of India being the ultimate destination for manufacturing, even Ajit Gulabchand, the Chairman of Hindustan Construction echoed the same sentiments, India has the land, India has the people, India has everything, and therefore, Why wouldn t global manufacturers come? Through his Make in India initiative, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hopes to make the movers and shakers of the business world realise the immense opportunities that the country presents when it comes to turning raw goods into finished products. With the aim to provide the industry with top-notch infrastructure facilities, the introduction of Integrated Textile Parks in the country is designed to bring about the transformation of the fabric and apparel production landscape, and lead to the creation of brand new and Additionally compared with China s hourly labour cost of $3.52, India records a manufacturing average of 92. Currently, China s wages seem to be clocking double-digit and in the future could drive many businesses to reconsider their options. Talking about the 76 AUGUST 2015 INNER SECRETS
world-class textile parks. Accordingly, the Government of India has approved over sixty new textile parks and once ready, the industrial parks are expected to generate unmatched employment opportunities for the young and growing population of the country. While countries like Indonesia and Vietnam lack a wide workforce base, by 2020, India is expected to have the largest young working population and the Indian government hopes that these parks would be driven by the young working force of the country. Serious about his Make in India cause the PM has also relaxed the country s labour regulations to a considerable extent. The streamlining of the regulations, according to CII or the Confederation of Indian Industry, will provide enormous relief and reduce the compliance burden. The government hopes many foreign textile and apparel manufacturing companies would set up shop in the upcoming textile parks due to the value proposition such parks offer. Replying to a question on the status of the textile parks in the Rajya Sabha, Santosh Gangwar the Textile Minister said, Necessary action is taken in consultation with state governments to ensure that the sanctioned parks are completed in time and textile commissioner has been directed to monitor this on regular basis, extend necessary guidance and support for completion in time, NOW IS THE TIME FOR ACTION Commenting on the global manufacturing scenario, FICCI is a firm believer that if the government takes the initiative and necessary steps, India can fill the space that China stands to lose in the manufacturing sector and can propel itself into achieving 20% growth in exports over the next ten years. The changing fortunes of the textile industry is nowhere more prominent than in the numbers Rahul Mehta, the President of the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) puts forward: We are hopeful of achieving an exports target of USD 18 billion in FY16 due to improving US economy. In view of the infrastructure issues and rising labour cost in Bangladesh and China, export growth looks brighter for us. Talking about last year, he said: Our garment exports increased 12.2 per cent to USD 16.8 billion in FY15,. Furthermore, even the domestic apparel sector, valued at about two lakh crore is expected to perform incredibly well due to good monsoons and improved economic scenario. Indian exporters, at present, depend heavily on custom duties refunds when it comes to re-exporting garments fashioned out of fibres and fabrics purchased from outside the country. According to Deepika Rana, the Executive VP and the Country Director for the apparel sourcing agency, LI & Fung, Only a handful of vendors in the country are focusing on building efficiencies in the production line, reducing wastages and cutting costs. But at the same time, she also believes that demand from international buyers will be the catalyst that brings about a change in the textile and clothing industry. Exhorting the country to become a major player 78 AUGUST 2015 INNER SECRETS INNER SECRETS AUGUST 2015 79
by playing to its strength is Darshan Lal Sharma, the Executive Director of Vardhman Textiles, who believes that India should highlight its unique selling features. These features that Mr. Sharma have talked about at the 2013 Texcon Conference on textile and apparel are the country s ability to handle both big and small orders, and the nation s skills and design bandwidth. By focusing on these distinctive selling points, problems of punctual delivery, weak work ethics and labour productivity can be easily addressed. Additionally, to make the sector more productive, Mr. Sharma also made known that India needs to loosen its purse string so as to build better and powerful capital intensive industries - weaving, spinning and dyeing industries. Arriving at the figure of US$500bn, which he says stakeholders of the industry would have to invest to meet the rising global demand that would touch US$ 1tn by 2025. Elaborating further on this point to highlight its importance, he says that since most of the spinning centres are located in China, Pakistan and India, even if we get 25% share of that investment, then there will be corresponding growth in [the] weaving, dyeing, finishing of fabric and garment sector. STATES CONTRIBUTION TO THE COUNTRY S TEXTILE PRODUCTION Among the various states that have a flourishing textile industry, the state of Gujarat is acknowledged to be the nation s foremost textile centre where processes like ginning, spinning, pressing, weaving and so on are the biggest contributor to the textile sector of the country. It is not only the highest producer of raw cotton in India but also the biggest exporter of cotton. The state holds the third position when it comes to being the biggest denim producer in the world. Additionally, it is also holds the title of contributing the maximum in the production of artificial fibres and filament yarn. In addition to a national policy on textile, every state has its own investor-friendly textile policy filled with sops, subsidies and incentives galore. While the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan offer a subsidy on interest rates ranging from 5%-7%, the state of Maharashtra offers a 12.5% interest subsidy without any limitations. The textile policy of the state also includes a 10% subsidy in capital investment for any sort of new textile project. Power is offered at a subsidised rate in both Gujarat and Karnataka. Even the stamp duty reimbursement in the different states comes with great many variations ranging from 100% in Gujarat to 50% in the states of Karnataka and Rajasthan. INTIMATE WEAR PLAYERS TO RIDE THIS WAVE OF CHANGE The sector that is looking to majorly benefit from the initiatives started by the central government as well as the various state governments is the intimate wear industry. Taking advantage of the Make in India campaign, the intimate wear industry is especially hoping to attract international lingerie brands to set up their manufacturing units within the country. While the relaxation on foreign equity caps to encourage investment in the country is a boon for many businesses, the intimate 80 AUGUST 2015 INNER SECRETS
apparel industry expects the move of allowing 100% Foreign Direct Investment would render the entry of international players into the market easy and fruitful. To build momentum and interest, stakeholders of the industry are coming up with various initiatives. A case in point is the annual hosting of the ground-breaking intimate apparel sourcing event, Galleria Intima by the Intimate Apparel Association of India. Since its inception, its focus has been to bring together various global brands under a single roof to tap the potential of the Indian market. It aims to be a motivating force in the sector by helping international brands to setup lingerie manufacturing units in the country. Considered an emerging market, India offers a profusion of prospects for foreign brands eager to expand their apparel empire. At present, the intimate wear industry is a largely untapped sector and in 2013 it recorded a share of 9% out of the country s total global trade output of US$ 379 billion. Even though at first glance, the share may appear insignificant, but if the global scenario is taken into consideration, India s contribution to the global intimate apparel trade was 4% of the global traffic. Being the leading importer of lingerie, and accounting for 24% of the intimate wear market share, United States of America is a major international player. It sources most of its apparel from China since the cost of production in the country as well as in Europe is incredibly high. But as basic wages are on a rise in the country, China, with a 44% share of the market, stands to lose its title of being the leading manufacturer of intimate wear in the world. Currently, India with its strong infrastructure, cost-effective skilled labour and plenty of raw materials is presenting itself as an attractive destination for many clothing giants. Moreover, with the change in tastes and preferences of the rising middle class population in the country, lingerie is evolving from a basic necessity wardrobe staple to a more lifestyle-oriented item. Today Indian women are more fashion-conscious than ever, and this consciousness is extending to intimate apparel. Thus an added incentive for international brands to set up manufacturing hubs in India is not only the low wages but also the prospect of high domestic consumption of the apparel manufactured in the country. TRIUMPH AND BRANDIX SET UP SHOP IN INDIA An early international player into the intimate wear market scene in India has been the well-known German intimate wear manufacturer, Truimph. Sensing India to be the next emerging market after China, the international intimate maker had set up its 17th factory in Chennai, India. The reasons, Mr Thorsten Allenstein, the General Manager of Triumph International (India) Pvt Ltd, gave for selecting the south Indian city were its proximity to the airport, presence of a seaport and an investor-friendly government. As the aspirations of the urban middle class in the country continue to rise and people have more income at their disposal, the German lingerie maker foresees growth in the organised retail sector of the country, and subsequently of the brand itself domestically as much as internationally. The easy connectivity with air and sea, has made it easier for the renowned lingerie maker to ship its wares outside as well as to bring in components from its Hong Kong centre. About 70-80% of the products manufactured in its Chennai factory are exported; the rest is kept for the domestic market. Another reason as to why the city has attracted brands far and wide is that it has a strong and skilled labour base alongside cheaper real estate rates. A one-of-a-kind integrated textile part, Brandix India Apparel City (BIAC), is playing a big role in transforming the intimate wear landscape. Spanning 1000 acre, this state-of-the-art integrated textile part is located in Visakhapatnam, and has been set up with the objective to be the most preferred sourcing point for apparels in the whole of South Asia. Add to it, the Sri Lankan exporter, Brandix Lanka Ltd, envisages a pooling of Indo-Lanka collaboration with this initiative. Based on the brand s Fibre to Store concept, this vertically-integrated industrial zone has been geared to support extensive knitting, spinning, fabric manufacturing, apparel production, accessory production, finishing, storing and even logistics with common facilities. In simple terms the project is a combination of speed, flexibility, cost efficiency and innovation. This will drive the Brandix vertical solutions approach and we envisage a self-sufficient 1,000-acre city, which will follow the concept of fibre to store, remarked Udena Wickramasooriya, the Brandix Board Director. Besides main and ancillary industries, the park s bouquet of integrated support services also include residential facilities, advanced ICT solutions, recreational facilities, banks, restaurants, medical facilities, security, hotels, etc. To support ancillary service providers and apparel manufacturing units, the park is supported by every necessary infrastructure from power supply to water, roads to communications and worker facilities. Linking international brands, service providers and manufacturing processes in a synergistic union, this integrated apparel park sees a consolidation of the strengths of two potential big players in the region to establish South Asia as the most important apparel hub. Blending revolutionary technology with all-inclusive social infrastructure, the integrated apparel park allows for both growth and success. It holds the distinction of being one of the biggest textile industry-specific SEZ in the world, both in concept and scale. BIAC s tax concessions only serves to add to the advantage provided by the ease of procedural application and clearance as well as a wide spectrum of attractive financial and operational inducements that enable investors to cull unmatched benefits. The park has been designed and built to exclusively house leading international clothing manufacturers. Besides space and infrastructure, the integrated apparel park also offers project management services so that companies are able to set up their manufacturing 82 AUGUST 2015 INNER SECRETS INNER SECRETS AUGUST 2015 83
units with minimum fuss and concentrate on their core competencies. What is interesting to note is that 70% of the park houses units dedicated to lingerie manufacturing. While three are Brandix own units, which manufacture ladies innerwear and tees, the remaining manufacturing units are - Quantum Clothing, Seeds Intimate Apparel, Vardhman Yarns and Threads Limited, Ocean India, Pioneer Elastics, International Trimmings and Labels, Shore to Shore, Ribest Ribbons and Bows (India) Private Limited, Screenline Printing and S&S Industries. Recently, BIAC has signed MoUs with a few Chinese companies for setting up of home textiles manufacturing units. These companies are Zhejiang Hengyuan Chemical Fiber Group, Jiangsu Kingday Textile Co Limited, Kunshan Rising Textile and Garment Co Limited, and Sumec Occupying the largest factory space, Brandix is the single biggest underwear exporter from India. While two out of three units are dedicated to the manufacture of underwear, its third unit manufactures high quality loungewear. The other major intimate apparel brands, the UK based Quantum Clothing and Seeds Intimate Apparel churn out 1.2 million pieces and 750,000 pieces of apparel per month from their units. The presence of established ancillary service providers at the park has made the entire production process smooth and cheaper. Taking great stride in the world of intimate apparel, in the words of Les Wexner, the Chairman and CEO of Limited Brands, Brandix India Apparel City is redefining and reshaping the apparel industry through world-class partnerships and entrepreneurial solutions. Coupled with Brandix s vision of a truly unique and integrated garment manufacturing-supply chain, the geographical benefit of doing business in a country which is the second biggest producer of cotton and in a state that is the second biggest cotton supplier provides for a convincing ground for investment. To realise the Make In India story, every stakeholder concerned from the private player to the country s government are striving to build an ecosystem where everything is available under one roof, thereby bringing down production costs and making available cheaper but quality wares. The country stands a chance in creating parallel units for both domestic consumption and for exports. In the opinion of Rajeev Malik, a senior economist from CLSA, by 2016 the country can expect to clock a growth rate of 7.2%, surpassing even China s 7.1%, making this period a good time to invest. So the moral of the story to international intimate apparel brands is to strike while the iron is hot. India presents a ripe occasion at the present moment with a potent mix of favourable government policies, solid infrastructure, high domestic demand, low wages and an unsaturated landscape. 84 AUGUST 2015 INNER SECRETS