Indian textile and apparel manufacturers need to adopt new and advanced software for improving efficiency, productivity as well as transparency in supply chain, according to industry representatives.
In a conversation with fibre2fashion, Mr. Rasitha Wickramasinghe, director of business development at GT Nexus, said, “It is important for textile and clothing brands to be connected with all of their trading partners in a collaborative environment that provides visibility into all of the materials, goods and parties throughout the product lifecycle. “
“To maintain this level of supply chain visibility, Indian textile and garment makers need to operate their business as a supply chain network, where everyone is connected and collaborated in one place,” he informs.
According to Mr. Bob Mckee, fashion industry strategy director of Infor Global, In India, there is the perennial issue of labor prices. The textile and apparel manufacturers as well as the fashion industry are obsessed with low labor rates.
“However, in the value chain from yarn to finished products, it is often the smallest factor. Many Indian businesses are now realizing this and switching their focus towards more substantial issues that can transform the business,” he adds.
In a similar vein, Mr. Wickramasinghe says, “The cost of labor is rising in India as well as getting people with the right skills and retaining them is increasingly difficult for many companies.”
“Human errors, processing delays and lack of consistency are other drawbacks of manual labor intensive processes. Therefore, automation of manual, repetitive tasks can improve the efficiency and productivity of organizations significantly,” he adds.
Adding on, Mr. Mckee says, “As a result, larger enterprises and aggressively growing start-ups alike are beginning to see the need for standardized software away from proprietary, domestic alternatives.”