Role of Women in the Knitwear Industry

Women have proved there potential in every field of work, so is the Knitwear industry where involvement of ladies has helped tremendously in solving the issue of lack of trained workforce. Due to their enthusiasm, great energy level and quick learning power women are becoming a great contributor in the garment industry. Tirupur knitwear cluster has been growing at a high pace, explicating its opportunities in both international and domestic market. Ladies play a vital role in the development of Tirupur Knitwear Cluster. More than any other industry ,garment industry has got more women workers involved. Unlike other industries, Knitwear industry has got 50% or more women involvement. There is a huge demand for well trained shop floor level employees in the cluster. Women are playing double role and their well being, both physical and mental is really important.

Every year, 8^th of March is celebrated as “international women’s day”. For the development of women various awareness programs, seminars, training programs for their economical well being & self development are being conducted worldwide. This program is also a contribution for the well being of women especially for achieving the desired output at the work place. Hence a mass training program was conducted in the cluster to take care of these necessities. 300 women workers were trained under this initiative. This has helped the workforce to gain basic knowledge on their official and personal well being.

Women were guided on

· Mental and Physical health and its relation to productivity and quality at work place.

· Importance of women in the knitwear industry.

· Managing role conflicts

· Proper financial management

· Balanced diet to keep the body fit and energetic to ensure consistent performance.

· Family welfare and social responsibilities etc.

It is a fact that women work hard, day and night and this make them face a lot of physical and mental issues. For the welfare of Tirupur based ladies “Pothigai” human resource development & training centre” is planning to conduct a grand function. There is a requirement of training women workers for their physical and mental well being. Women are required to be trained in skill development also , not only on the shop floor level but also on management level too.

Designer’s Club

To support and promote the designers in the cluster and to built industrial linkages through the experts, A Club for Designers named as Designers club has been found .The club consists of designers from the Industry, Alumni of NIFT TEA, Final year designing students of NIFT TEA and various other fashion institutes from the cluster. The main objectives behind the formation of this club were:

• To promote local designers nationally and internationally.
• To equip the designers in the cluster with the knowledge and skill to tap international market.
• To create a platform for the designers to share their views, thoughts and knowledge.
• To create opportunities for designers.
• To help the designers in achieving competency with world class designers by helping them to improve their skill in fashion/colour forecast, new technologies and tools used for designing, freelancing opportunities etc.

The Designer’s club is proving to be a huge success in the cluster, as it is providing a great help for the aspiring and the upcoming designers of the industry. The following outcomes show the success and importance of the formation of Designer’s club.

· Formation of a club for designers with prominent designers and NIFT TEA alumni as members of the club has made the students interact with the designers through various programs, meetings etc.

· It has encouraged the students and existing designers of the cluster to stay updated with the recent trends and enhance their skills.

· Designers have been placed in various firms along with the help of F.A.

· The Community formed has been showing remarkable growth and it is named as “Fashion Invaders Tie-up” on popular demand from the club members.

· An album has been created under the club with various designs targeted to specific fashion markets.

The club has helped the designers who were scattered here and there in the cluster by bringing them under a common platform. This activity has helped the designers a lot in getting an idea to equip themselves with the knowledge and skill to tap the international market. They have got a common platform to share their common issues and constrains. This has also helped them in finding new opportunities in their career.

Workshop on energy conservation

Apart from international competition exporters in Tirupur Knitwear Cluster are facing a lot of problems. One of the reasons is the inability of the cluster to utilize and manage the available resources properly. A lot of wastage occurs throughout the production system due to improper monitoring and control. Energy wastages and loses both in terms of thermal and electrical, is one among them. In the present day market where the buyer is more concerned on cleaner and responsible production the area of energy utilization to its optimum level gains high attention and importance.

The cluster does not have much BDS Providers in the area of Energy Conservation and Energy Audit. Applying the measures for conservation of energy and it benefits, in the garment industry will spread the knowledge about the energy/cost saving principles among the entrepreneurs and will create demand for similar services from the other units in the industry. This will increase the reach and establishing linkages of the BDS providers among the firms in the cluster which are looking for similar services in the cluster.

In the workshop conducted by ACDS along with WISE Management Systems, which is an established brand now in the cluster for energy audits and have been associated with the project since they were formally introduced in the cluster as a strategic BDS, the energy saving potential in all specific points of the value chain from spinning of cotton to yarn, Knitting, Processing, Garmenting and all associated services has been separately explained to the participants.

As a part of the program a New BDS named M/s. Pothigai HRD was also introduced as a strategic BDS provider for serving the industry by organising similar events for improving the competency of the cluster. Important personalities including the MLA, Mayor, Dist. Collector, Association Leaders etc., were present who emphasised the need of such initiatives. The need for properly utilising the project opportunities was also discussed.

Alumni Meeting at EFAI

“Visiting back the place which has made most of us the person we are today is always a wonderful experience. The memories of all those moments we have spent at the place bounces back in our mind. Who ever we are today whether manager, entrepreneur or simply a good person is something we have acquired from that place.”

Such a meeting of old students of NIFT-TEA was organised on 26^thJanuary 2011 which was conducted under EFAI. Mr. S. Dhananjayan CEO of MSS & Co, Tirupur and a reputed chartered accountant was the chief guest. Mr. Raja. M. Shanmugam, the chairman of NIFT-TEA presided over the function. CDM of ACDS Mr. Shabeer Ahammed K.M was the guest of honour who explained the Alumni about EFAI, Designers club etc and their area of functioning. He also gave a brief explanation on the project we do with the aid of SIDBI.

This Program was conducted under EFAI .This helped to make the executives of Tirupur more familiar with the activities of EFAI. The members could use EFAI as a platform for knowledge sharing As many as 200 Executives took part in the event. Lot of alumni talked about the Project and thanked ACDS as well as SIDBI for executing the same. Few of them also mentioned that these Programs under the Project helped them a lot to sharpen their skills.

Mr Raja M. Shanmugam explained the students how to get benefited from the project. He pointed out the importance of continuous knowledge sharing. He also requested the members to share the knowledge with students so that they can have more industrial exposure. He also stressed about the importance of industrial institutional linkages. He also added that the alumni can play a rather important role in strengthening the industrial institutional linkages.

Chief guest Mr. Dhananjayan requested the students to make use of the project to the maximum. He also mentioned about continuous knowledge sharing and importance of industrial institutional linkages.

Mr. K.J. Shivagnanam, Vice Principal of NIFT TEA thanked everyone.

Seminar on “Ethical Management”

How important are ethics in business?????? Is business today losing ethics!!!!!!!! In today’s highly competitive world can a small organisation survive while walking on ethical values??????? What is CSR?????

A seminar on “Ethical Management” as a part of Training program on personnel management and H.R was held at NIFT TEA. The speaker was Mrs. Doris Gerber who has a wide range of experience in the industry across the globe in serving the business as a sourcing and production advisor, social auditor, consultant trainer etc.

Mr. Gokarnesan, Principal of NIFT TEA in his welcome explained the importance of ethical values and told the audience about the hostility around, which is a result of lack of ethics. He shared his thoughts on ethical & moral values and expressed his fear on today’s generation who loses their interest on the same. He mentioned about the importance of good moral values and positive thinking.

Mrs. Doris Gerber explained the humanitarian idealism to operational reality. With an example from one of our neighbouring country, she warned that the new media can identify and show instantly abusive situations anywhere in the world. She explained about Free trade system and reminded that norms and standards had become powerful tool to protect the market. She also added that Globalization increases competition and facilitates the comparison.

Commitment of general management, sustainable development committee at management level, Code of conduct for social and environmental compliance, Social Audits and Corrective Action Plan (CAP) a database of all suppliers and contractors, their degree of compliance and current activities and results, Annual sustainable development, warning procedure, regular external communication etc were explained as the pillars of an Ethical Policy. Three methodologies of ethical management were explained. Internal, external or both combined. That could be either permanent or before starting a new business relationship.

Conclusion of the seminar was CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) or Social and Environmental Compliance, a sustainable issue which must be first applied internally, was explained.

Valuable suggestions, advises, examples were given etc. and finally she requested the participants to follow the rules and regulations by state/local government which will cover almost all norms of these international standard compliances. Hence the seminar was useful for the managers, entrepreneurs and other participants for inculcating ethical values and recognizing their Corporate Social Responsibility.

QUALITIES OF AN EFFECTIVE MANAGER

You have been working your way up the company’s ladder, to acquire, a position you have always dreamed of, a management position. You are confident that with your abilities you will do a great job, but a month or so down the line, you realize that road is not as smooth as it appeared

Well, you are not the only one. Most people have failed to succeed as managers, simply because they lack those basic initiators which could lead them to their dream position. Although a successful manager acquires a lot of qualities which sets him apart from others following are the most common and basic qualities of a successful manager:

Honesty you will have to deal with many problems and challenges. From time to time, you will have to make some tough choices. Those that you manage will look to you for re-assurance. Your superiors should trust that whatever you are doing is in the best interest of the company not for any personal gain At the same time, your subordinates should trust your actions and words. Credibility and reliability is the most important quality of an effective manager which comes with honesty.

Communication. A successful manager must be an effective communicator, both orally and in written form. He/she should portray confidence and professionalism while speaking to employees as well as clients and customers. World’s best leaders have been best orators. Your communication skill leads you climb the ladder of success.

Interpersonal Skills. You cannot be a good manager if you don't know how to handle people. From employees, to clients, vendors, etc, a successful manager knows how to stay on top when it comes to interacting and dealing with people. If you are not good at dealing with people internally or outside organization, a management position is not for you.

Activeness and Independence. A successful manager is not someone who will go to his boss all the time to seek guidance. He should be aware of what is going on in the organization at a particular point of time and what could be the prompt and beneficial step for a particular situation. This way, he will be well equipped to train his subordinates and pass on well-informed instructions, rather than beating around the bush or running to his boss every time.

Leadership. In an organization you have to lead a team many a times. In order to succeed in management, you must be an effective leader. You should be able to combine all the other qualities of good management with some leadership traits, such as the ability to motivate your employees, resolve conflict, make sound decisions, listen to your employees, etc.

Team Building. Working in teams is the most common and important practice being followed in every organization today. Employees perform better when they work together as a team. And since an organization's success depends on employees' performance, a great manager is one who can build a strong team. While things may not always be harmonic at work, it is the duty of the manager to ensure that at least for the most part, there is a strong feeling of togetherness in the work place.

Stress Management.Management involves a lot of stress due to the work pressure and daily activities, and this can be almost on a daily basis. A good manager must be in position to withstand all this. He/she must remain grounded and firm, while keeping calm in handling situations. Most managers fail because they don't know how to manage stress without blowing off their heads.

Seminar on “Quality Improvement in Wet processing”

Diagnostic study reveals that the rejection of export orders is mainly due to the lack of quality in finished product due to non adoption of quality standards and specifications required by the buyers.

Quality improvement in wet processing has become necessary in present scenario for sustainable growth and continual improvement of apparel industry by following the scientific quality tools.

The seminar focused on Constraints faced in Material Management, challenges in transfer of material & its impacts on product quality, solutions to address identified constraints & challenges, improving the handling and storage of hazardous chemicals and substances, continuous monitoring and reporting of process performance by ‘Key Performance Indicators’

It supports micro, small and medium scale enterprises in the cluster about the standards to be followed in each process of Wet Processing.

The session was well received by the audience; the participants were from the diversified industrial sectors.12 participants from 5 companies participated. Of which conversion rate for implementing the QIP is 100%. Two other participants who are essentially venture capitalists, have expressed their satisfaction and assesed that the session was highly informative .

Training Program in "Financial & Cost Management Techniques in Garment Industry"

Many garment units at Tirupur are owned by first generation entrepreneurs with home grown knowledge. Their experience is to be shaped with contemporary wisdom in the areas like Working Capital Management, preparation of Quotations based on scientific Costing Methods, and introduction of Management Information System (MIS), to empower them to make right decision at right time.

The program was completely focussed on sensitising the people from the industry on the necessity and practical implementation of financial management techniques and its implications on the balance sheet of the company altering their profits and lost. The concepts were introduced through live cases which have been chosen from the cluster and the whole program was designed well structured by the BDSP after extensive field study. The session was highly interactive with the participants engaged in solving problems and group discussions. Hence they experienced with proof the importance of various financial management principles and how it affects their balance sheet either positively or negatively. The factors causing financial imbalances where analysed and the methods to find solutions in various situations were also discussed.

Training were given in following areas:

• Preparing quotations for orders.
• Planning deliveries.
• Working Capital planning.
• Cash Budgeting.
• Cost of rework.
• MIS in garment industry

A prolonged session was demanded by the participants and they expressed their interest in implementing the principles and sited the need of intense training in this area.

Barricades

Case Study

One of the major areas of weakness identified during the diagnostic study in the cluster is lack of human resources skill at all levels viz. at shop floor, managerial and entrepreneurial levels. While skill up gradation at shop floor level is routine and basic one, developing the skill of the managers is vital and technical, as they deploy and control all resources of production. Their role is still more important, in the cluster, since the first generation entrepreneurs solely depend on their skill for execution.

The cluster has grown gradually without employing systematic approach in the management. There is no standard operational system in the industry. There is no role clarity for the managers. There is no prescribed qualification too for appointing a person for a particular post. The whole system operates on previous experience.

Most of the managers in the cluster are not having formal technical or managerial knowledge. Often problems arise among the various department in the firm and with other firms in the supply chain due to improper specification and communications. Issues relating to rejection; disputes relating to quality; delay in production and delivery are mainly due to lack of managerial skill in the relevant area; and lack of coordination and communication among them.

They are not aware the hidden losses that are added to the production cost, due to their inefficiency and lack of knowledge on the subject; say material management and production planning. For example, neither the production manager nor the processing manager are aware of the hidden loss that are added to the cost of production, on account of delay in taking the fabric, when it comes to the dyeing unit. On an average, the knitted fabric will be lying idle for nearly 20 days in the dyeing units for want approval of color shades from the buyer. Had the production manager informed about the expected date of receipt of the fabric and the color that is required to be made while making production plan, the organization would have saved a sum of Rs. On account inventory cost for 20 days for the average consignment size of Rs. 40 lakhs.

Managers in the cluster are also not aware of the developments that are taking place elsewhere relating to the industry and the bench marking production processes.  They are in activity trap. They also do not have the time and opportunities in the cluster to upgrade the skill in the relevant areas.

Therefore, it is required to continuously raise awareness among the managers and to create a permanent mechanism in the cluster to continue the activities even after completion of the project. Since, the Government of India is also focusing on upgrading HR skills and allocating funds, it is required to promote an independent body which will work for the benefit of the members by availing support from the schemes.

Constant efforts were made to mobilize members for such ‘Knowledge Network’ sensitizing the need and importance of such network. As a result of the efforts taken, nearly 300 executives have shown interest to become members of the ‘network’ by agreeing to pay nominal subscription of Rs.250/- per annum. It has now been identified as PROGRESSIVE MANAGERS’ FORUM, and the ‘Bye laws of the Forum’ have been submitted for approval and registration.

NIFT-TEA College of Knitwear Fashion has been made as the nodal agency for implementation. So far, 3 seminars were organized on identified topics like, (a) Developments in the competing countries (b) Application of ICT for improving organizational efficiency and (c) Opportunities for Product Diversification in the cluster. Members are showing interest to attend the seminar even on Sundays.

Based on the feedback received from them serious training program and short term courses have been planned for the year 2010-11,in the areas like industrial engineering, lean and six sigma green belt,  personnel management, materials management etc. Thus a foundation has been laid for developing HR skill in the cluster.

Training Program in "Material Management in Garment Industry"

One day training programme has been conducted which was focused on various materials management tools that could be applied in sourcing, material planning and inventory control; that in turn will improve the quality, reduce time delayed in production and cost in carrying the inventory.

It has been proposed to conduct short term courses for the benefit of the managers and entrepreneurs in the cluster in the coming months, in various management principles after identifying the time which will be more suitable for them to make the programme more useful and beneficial to the garment industry at Tirupur.