Quality of threads is still being compromised with
Madeira is a Germany-based multi-national supplying embroidery threads to companies worldwide. The company founded its Indian arm-Madeira India-in 2007 at Gurgaon, and today, the company grown to become a reputed name in the embroidery threads industry. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion.com, Saurabh Jain, director-sales of Madeira India talks about the embroidery threads industry.
What are your best selling products? What is your USP?
The best-selling products from Madeira are a complete range, as they are unique in each application. Most sought-after threads are Classic 40 and Polyneon 40. Also, metallic threads and wool-like threads are a good buy for customers. The USP of Madeira is quality, consistency, tenacity and availability. The products offered by Madeira are all tested at highest quality standards, and meet all international certifications.
What notable differences do you see in the Indian market for embroidery threads?
India is a diverse nation with varied culture and customs. Indian embroidery varies with different parts. Indian handicrafts have remained in demand worldwide, but recently the industry has slowed down. We can see it on garments, bags, footwear and even home furnishings. Designers are using it as platforms for newer inspirations and creations. As India is one of the major garment manufacturers for global brands, we feel that quality of threads being used is an area where we still compromise. The cost of thread is the decisive factor rather than quality, application and performance of threads on machines. We use low tenacity viscose with low levels of colour fastness and consistency between lots. Huge consumption of viscose is for embroidery on sarees, suits and kids dress material. But for cost per se, most manufacturers are using lower quality threads. Another noticeable difference in using sewing threads on embroidery machines, which are not meant for embroidery, is that of being hairy and thus not giving a clear look to embroidery. Thereby, the overall look of the garment is compromised.
What is the growth percentage seen in this industry?
The textile industry has two broad segments. First, the unorganised sector consists of handloom, handicrafts and sericulture, which are operated on a small scale and through traditional tools and methods. The second is the organised sector consisting of the spinning, apparel and garments segment which apply modern machinery and techniques such as economies of scale. Embroidery is directly correlated to garment manufacturing. As per reports, the Indian textiles industry, currently estimated at around $108 billion, is expected to reach $223 billion by 2021. The Indian textiles industry has the potential to reach $500 billion in size, according to a study by Wazir Advisors and PCI Xylenes & Polyester. The growth implies domestic sales to rise to $315 billion from the currently $68 billion. At the same time, exports are expected to increase to $185 billion from approximately $41 billion currently. The textiles sector has witnessed a spurt in investment during the last five years. The industry (including dyed and printed) has attracted foreign direct investment (FDI) worth $1.77 billion during April 2000 to September 2015. Also, the Indian government has come up with a number of export promotion policies for the textiles sector. It has also allowed 100 per cent FDI in the textiles sector under the automatic route. The future of the Indian textiles industry looks promising, buoyed by both strong domestic consumption as well as export demand. With consumerism and disposable income on the rise, the retail sector has experienced a rapid growth in the past decade with entry of several international players like Marks & Spencer, Zara, GAP, etc, into the Indian market. The organised apparel segment is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of more than 13 per cent over a 10-year period.
Which new colours do you plan to introduce in the near future? Please share details.
Madeira usually adds some new colours every 3-5 years. As we are selling from the shelves, the number of colours in shade cards may not increase in big numbers, but of course we can do DTMs at any time provided the quantities are good and the customer has lead times on hand.
What colour trends dominate the Indian market?
The fashion market is huge, and so are the requirements of colours. There is no set pattern on which we can assess domination of particular colours. It is based on seasons and buyers. Designers have their own colour requirements for each of the buyers, and thus the colour movement is based on looks and appearance of embroideries designed by designers.
What are the technological innovations taking place in this industry?
Innovations are happening in all areas of the textile sector—from machinery to garments. Embroidery is not far behind, with leading manufacturers coming up with advanced embroidery machines capable of creating unique designs. To ensure an effective outcome, embroidery threads are also being worked upon to give maximum output and outlook to garments.
What are the innovations coming from your stable?
There has been a growing demand of matte looks on embroidery. Madeira has developed a true matte thread, Frosted Matt, not comparable with the semi-matte sewing threads. There is a market for this kind of look.
How do you ensure keeping pace with trends in the Indian market?
By keeping in constant touch with: (i) designers of all international and national brands; (ii) product development teams of buyers, liaison offices and domestic brands.
Who are your clients? Please share details.
The list of clients is huge, and it consists of almost all the leading garment exporters, embroidery companies and domestic brands. They can be from any field—apparel, footwear, home furnishings, automotive and industrial clothing.
Please share details of your last two fiscals and factors affecting your performance.
The company is being accepted by both international garment manufacturers and domestic brands, and the growth in the past five years has always been in two digits in accordance with the demand and trends.
What is the budget allocated to R&D?
Madeira believes in regular development, and stays in tune with international trends and demands. Now, with local presence of Madeira in the most important production hubs worldwide, Madeira always is updated about new developments and requirements in the market and is evaluating whether to develop a corresponding product range or not. We have dedicated a R&D team which works in close contact with global marketing teams to understand requirements and come out with suggestions to meet the requirements.
Please share some of your research findings.
Research findings suggest that there is a gap in the Indian embroidery market in terms of quality of the thread being used and also on how customers, embroiderers choose their thread. With a wide range of threads available in different thickness in the same quality—which customers are not aware of, the outcome of designs can be further enhanced. With innovations in the field of embroidery machines, we feel that run-ability of threads is the key to increase productivity, while maintaining quality and consistency in the final outcome of embroidery.
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