In Conversation with Mr. Rajan Premchander, MD, Amarjothi Spinning Mills Ltd., TVC felt that they are talking to any fashion colour specialist not Spinning Industrialist. Though Yarn segment is not very interesting as compare to Fashion in Textile Value Chain. But Making Yarn segment interesting it’s an Art and Science we can learn from Mr. Rajan Premchander.
Amarjothi Spinning known for their wide range of colour mélange yarns for the readymade garment industry in India, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Vietnam. Amarjothi Spinning Mills Ltd. is continuously growing through technological advancement to become one of the leading producers of colour mélange, fancy yarns and dyed yarns in the Asian continent.
A very productive brand with a global mindset, Amarjothi has always thrived on being different from other spinning mills in the Coimbatore-Tirupur belt with focus on product development and differentiation. In its journey to be different, various technological advancements and learning supported Amarjothi’s quest for excellence, one such being its association with an Italian MNC for imparting certain technology on quality enhancement for two years in lieu of picking up 50 per cent of their production, as increasing labour cost in Italy was detrimental to competitive production in the country. “They gave us technical support to improve quality of yarn. So this was a huge difference with a little change. We learned a lot as they imparted to us better training on quality,” informs Prem. With constant upgradation, team effort and commitment to quality, the company has successfully ventured into different arenas by gaining sound knowledge in each one of them.
Amarjothi is very strong as in yarn as their core product is high on demand and they have a well-equipped sample unit which produces 150-200 shades per day… They develop peculiar and unique shades that are not available in the market and they try to complicate it so that it cannot be duplicated. They create colours so, their caption for this year says COLOUR CREATORS.
Although the company boasts of multiple businesses globally, such as fabrics, real estate, software, animation, food products, hospitals, etc., the company’s core business is still textile, which was started in 1991 with Amarjothi being one of the few companies in India to venture into trading of mélange. The production unit followed later and now the company specializes in colour mélange, which surely sets it apart from competition. The last 3 years have been challenging for the company as the market has been tough and the competition continuously increasing. “But we are very strong as our core product is high on demand and we have a well-equipped sample unit which produces 150-200 shades per day. We develop peculiar and unique shades that are not available in the market and we try to complicate it so that it cannot be duplicated…, this is the USP. If anyone picks up a colour from us, they find it difficult to get the same colour in the market,” claims Prem. He adds jokingly that sometimes it is even difficult for them to recreate the sample!
Fighting to stay ahead of competition, the company has in the last three years ventured into fancy yarns in answer to the market demand as people are no longer looking at basics. The company offers internationally comparable shade cards with different textures, blends, colours and different effects, mainly catering to the knitting industry and pushing further into the woven segment. “We have spent huge money on the shade cards and have received very positive feedback from customers. Our current spindleage capacity is in majorly colour mélange. We have dyeing, washing, etc. all in-house, but we also outsource some processing due to over demand. We utilize wind energy, have an ETP plant, a lab, fibre dyeing and fibre mixing plant and we are very eco-friendly,” informs Prem. The company is into inspirational developments with its list of fancy yarns including grindle, 100 per cent glow fibres, viscose, polyester fibre yarn, mélange injections, magic grindle injections, solid dual injection, to name a few high-end offerings.
The company offers internationally comparable shade cards with different textures, blends, colours and different effects, mainly catering to the knitting industry.
Constant innovation is possible through the company’s product development team that consists of around 25 people, whose core job is to work on new developments, coupled with the company’s QC department. “Whatever we introduce needs to be commercially viable. Producing takes a lot of time, and also the marketing. We have a 4-point standard that we maintain throughout the production chain. Even in our fabric division, once the yarn is knitted the fabric comes for inspection, and then goes for colour and washing and then again we get it for QC. We have a stringent quality system in place and we follow all norms. If Amarjothi is getting into fabrics, it has to be glamorous, away from the usual runoff the mill fabrics in the market. Through my fancy yarn I am giving a fancier product,” maintains Prem. Such is its quality standards that the company is nominated by brands such as Next, M&S, Tesco, Levi’s, Nike, Original Marines and many more highly recognized brands.
The last 23 years have seen the company going in for total modernization rather than expansion, replacing its older machines with new technology, which is also helping the company in times of shortage of labour. Growing modernisation demands for its workforce to be trained accordingly, which the company is already doing through animation at its training centre by making smaller modules and promoting interactive learning. “I have been conducting training through animation for different industries. At the KSRTC, I am training 14 lakh people through animation that is Government-approved. So why shouldn’t I train my people through animation,” reveals Prem, as the group also has a very successful venture in the animation industry.
Nonetheless, like others, the company faces its share of challenges such as the quality of products, right pricing and also its timely delivery. But the company through its service team ensures a smoother transition for its customers, whether through its online check of order status or by being responsive to its customers’ needs. Also, facilitating further is the growing demand for experimentation of fibre that keeps on evolving with various segments such as ladies, innerwear, children, babies, men, etc. By making its mark in the market for its quality, innovation and service, Amarjothi has made its niche in the market and is being recognized for its product offerings which are unlike any other in the market. Sending 30 per cent of its produce for exports to markets such as Cambodia, Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Vietnam and rest 70 per cent to the domestic market, mostly used for garments exported to western countries, the company is looking towards more modernization and growth, besides newer countries to conquer.
