Technopak Apparel Forum, 2012, Ludhiana The Technopak Apparel Forum (TAF), 2012 was conducted on the 24th

March, 2012 at The Fortune Park Klassik, Ludhiana. The theme of the forum was Pursuing Manufacturing Excellence. It had a special impetus on implementing lean manufacturing and best practices in the apparel industry. The event was attended by delegates from some of the key players in the apparel industry including Reebok, Vardhman, Eve Line International, Gini & Jony, Arihant International, R B Knit Exports, KOC Industries and SGS. The workshop started with welcome speech by Mr. Amit Mishra, Associate Director, Apparel Operations at Technopak. This was followed by keynote presentation on the current buzzword in the manufacturing setup Lean Manufacturing. This was presented by Mr Ravi Katyayan, Principal Consultant at Technopak and assisted by Mr Chandrark Karekatti, Consultant at Technopak. Detailed roadmap was presented on the various aspects of lean manufacturing along with its implementation in garment factories. The concepts of single piece flow, Just-in-time, continuous improvement, error proofing, Right First Time among others were explained in detail. The presentation was detailed to explain exactly how the various tools and processes can be applied to apparel industries. The concept of best practices that help transform factories into world class manufacturing facilities was also discussed. Adequate and optimum utilization of people, processes, and technology to generate best results was advised. The next session focused on a structured approach to Quality Improvement Process. The session was delivered by Mr Amit Mishra. The thought process of the delegates was brushed up through detailed discussion on how to improve quality and reduce the cost of poor quality. Key Advantages of a Quality Improvement programme, like reduced non-conformance, improved work place, defect perception standardization, improved process flows, systems and MIS were discussed. A structured cost-benefit analysis was also presented on the benefits to overall business. A

case study of Technopaks implementation of Quality Improvement programmes across factories in India was also shared. The second half of the forum was focused on inputs on the current global apparel scenario taken by Mr Amit Mishra. Discussions were had on how the apparel industry has been shaping up in the last decade and how it can be further pushed towards greater heights. The emphasis of the discussion was on how the industry is poised as of now, challenges it is facing, and what are the key success factors that could take it forward. Challenges discussed included manpower shortage, maintaining profitability, scale of modernization, external competition, and low technology base and order quantities. Insights were shared on how to beat the cost factor, rebuilding a strategy based on product competitiveness, market diversification, advancements in technology and building self-sustaining and process-driven systems. The final session was a taken by Mr Ravi Katyayan on Skill Development in Apparel Industry. The discussion focussed on the relevance and significance of skill development as key driver for industry growth. Technopaks contribution to the industry through SEAM projects was highlighted. The upcoming project to be implemented by Technopak on Integrated Skill Development under the aegis of MoT was also briefed upon. Adequate impetus was laid on the importance of recruitment, training and retention strategies. The Technopak Apparel Forum, Ludhiana is a part of the workshop series, which addresses key challenges for the apparel industry. It was well received by the industry participants. The next forum of TAF series is planned in Dhaka in the month of April, 2012.