Maa textile, a focused player on branded, white label T-Shirts and supplier to most of the home-grown retail outlets in West Bengal is planning to promote their own brand ‘M-Factor’ and and ‘M-King’ through various retail chain outlets across India.
In an exclusive chat with Textile Value Chain, Manoj Kedia, Official spokesperson of the company, said, “Fashion in India earlier changes every year or two. However, I can say we have to change every six months. As a manufacturer, we should closely monitor the wearing-pattern of the youth.”
According to him, the way people look at T-shirt has changed. “T-Shirts are the new formals. Thanks to the entry of the start-ups across India, many organizations started providing T-Shirts for organizations. Thus, across India, we are getting regular orders for office-wear T-Shirts”, says Manoj. Manoj also added that T-Shirt brings a horizontal hierarchy among the employees in an organization that makes many start-ups provide for employees with their brands. There are also coming up T-shirt on occasion specific (like events). “Today, there are organizations where we supply T-Shirts from CEO to the office boys. Thus, we are coming up with a separate division for the office-wear called M-King. While we plan to focus the M-Factor brand for B2C segment, M-King would be the face of our organization in the B2B segment”, he concludes. Currently Maa textiles serves from 20 pieces to 500 pieces for companies depending upon the need.
Machines in place:
Maa Textile uses many types of machines in their units.
Lock machine, overlock orinter-lock and flat lock machines, button holing and Kaj machines. Speaking on the machines segment, he said, “We select machines on the basis of the speed and ease-of-operation. In most of the manufacturing units in Kolkata, the employees are paid not on salary but on the number of pieces they make. Thus, the employees prefer the machines which can give faster results. Thus we always welcome any new machines with specifications on increasing the productivity. Currently Maa textile has Taiwan-made machines and the procurement of machines happen time-to-time. Currently, like other manufacturers, Maa textiles has its dying unit outside their manufacturing unit and the material comes back to the manufacturing unit for stitching, ironing, labeling and packaging.
Business pattern and expansion plans:
Currently Maa textile has two manufacturing unit and is planning a one in West Bengal which is coming in a couple of months. We will be concentrating mainly on T-shirts. However, we will also be exploring the manufacturing opportunities in ‘bermuda shorts’. With the new manufacturing unit in place, Maa textile aims to manufacture 5 lakh pieces in a day and take it further also.
“For M-Factor brand, we are planning to first find a place in Matia bridge market which will act as a B2B sale point for the product.”, says Manoj who firmly believes to serve the West Bengal, Odisha and Bihar in the first place. Once the numbers increase, Maa textile is planning to appoint an agency to market the product.
BY: B.SWAMINATHAN
