A lot has been written by economists, financial experts and industry spokesmen about the economy and industrial progress in the current quarter. The economic slowdown in the present context is a global phenomenon thereby affecting the fortunes of the garment industry (particularly the export sector) in India too - either in terms of dip in volumes or margins or a combination of both. The domestic market, which was slated to move northwards at the beginning of this year, did experience some degree of plateau. However, with the festive season around the corner, significant hopes are pinned on the revival of the domestic apparel sector.

In the backdrop of such a gloomy industrial and market environment, there are some silver linings - a few companies (both in the domestic and export sector) continue to build on their volumes. These companies have, through a combination of factors (such as investment in technology, pruning inefficiencies, development of manpower, agility in adopting changes in the marketing plans, etc), kept themselves ahead in the race. In a sense, this dip in the market is a harbinger of what is likely to be faced by the garment sector in the post-quota-phase-out period.

We at our end have been investing time in evaluating newer technologies over the past few months and have lined up quite an array of finishes in this period. This has been a combination of our efforts in the in-house applications development laboratory, new product categories and newer finishing technologies. This issue of Chémunique carries some features on such unique finishes - including the laser finish.

Through this column, we have in the past mentioned that human resources is an area that needs to be focused on in the field of garment wet processing. S&A has been putting in efforts in providing technical inputs and training on an informal basis in the past. In the near future, we would be providing specific tailor-made workshops in the area of garment processing field, encompassing a combination of classroom and practical courses. This would provide a fundamental base to aspiring laundry technicians and offer a sound appreciation on the basics of garment washing to personnel from other departments in a garment factory.

Team S&A

Catalytic Comments (Old Issue)

The New Year has brought in cheer to most of us in the industry, with all economic and allied indicators pointing to a good season. The boom in denim apparel also means more opportunities to value-add for garment washers, better sales potential for specialty chemical companies and greater market for garment exporters and domestic brands.

Unlike most industries, the garment industry yet has miles to go before one could truly call it a professionally run sector. Barring a few exceptions, most garment companies, be it in the export sector or the domestic front, are owner-driven both in the strategic as well as operational aspects. Professionals have started occupying key positions in a number of companies since the past few years. However, in a majority cases, the owner runs the show in its entirety. Tracing back to the genesis of this sector, one can understand the reasons thereof. Since the beginning and for a long time, the garment sector was reserved for the small scale, thereby restricting investments, project size as well as the opportunities to induct professionally trained personnel.

The need to have professionals in the industry is non-debatable, as can be seen from the host of new institutes that came up for training students in garment technology, merchandising and designing. The same, however, cannot yet be said about the garment wet processing sector in India. One of the articles in this issue focuses on this aspect of need for human resource development in our garment wet processing area.

Some of you would have heard about the formation of our services off-shoot CATALYST CONSULTANTS. This marks our formal entry into the service area, which has for some time being offered to the industry along with our chemical systems. However, with the growing need for services, particularly by way of workshops, new laundry set-ups and audits, we have formalized our new division. There will be some exciting events that are being planned under this division during the year and we will keep you individually posted in due course. I am sure that some of these knowledge-based activities would be of immense interest to our industry friends and look forward to your support.

Team S&A