The $41-billion Aditya Birla Group aims to scale up and expand the LIVA Accredited Partners Forum (LAPF) initiative to improve the textile value chain by reaching out to more players across India including those from the rural hubs and small towns.
“This is an attempt to bring all textile stakeholders on a single platform and promote innovation and quality, and make India the world’s leading cloth manufacturing hub in line with the Make in India strategy. India has the potential and can compete with any country including China,” said Prakash Nedungadi, President, Consumer Insights and Brand Development, Aditya Birla Group, adding, “This initiative is not just limited to cities, but it will also include small towns and rural players. He was speaking at a stakeholders’ conclave held on December 4, 2015 in Coimbatore. The summit, involving over 200 leading textile players mainly from the Southern States was held as part of the company’s efforts to support design development, technical skills, marketing and buyer link support, under LAPF initiative.
Birla Cellulose –the pulp and fibre manufacturing division of Grasim –has tied up with Mumbai-based Netcarrots to implement a customer relationship marketing programme for the stakeholders. LAPF members include spinners, weavers, knitters and fabricators, with major participation from textile hubs such as Tirupur, Erode, Ludhiana, New Delhi, Kolkata, Surat and Bhiwandi, among others. The LAPF programme is linked to Birla Cellulose’s fibre brand LIVA which was launched in March this year in line with the group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla’s vision of establishing connect with the end consumer.
The stakeholders also explained how they were benefiting from the collaboration with Aditya Birla Group, the world’s largest manufacturer of viscose staple fibre (VSF). The company has also tied up with Bombay Textile Research Association (BTRA) to undertake quality improvement programs and stringent audits for the partners. The partners are shortlisted for the programme after they comply with eight stringent parameters. After the selection, the company will equip them with five major services, including design and development, technical services, vendor management, marketing and buyer link support and market intellegence. Leading brands in the country such as Pantaloons, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, People, Global Desi, Lifestyle, Melange, Shoppers Stop, Reliance trends, Wills Lifestyle, Desi Belle Chemistry, 109F, Fusion Beats, FBB, Etnicity and Max already use LIVA branded fabric.
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