Aimed at increasing productivity, efficiency and creating an ecosystem of smart factories in India, the 26th Garment Technology Expo 2018, attracted about 350 companies and more than 21,000 visitors. The annual Garment Technology Expo’s is the flagship event of GTE New Delhi and is held in spring. This is Indian subcontinent’s largest show for apparel technology.
But what was really a star attraction in this edition was the ‘Apparel 4.0’ conference held on the second day of GTE. ‘Apparel 4.0’ is an interpretation and application of Industrial Revolution 4.0 in the apparel technology and apparel manufacturing sectors across the supply chain. The day-long conference was jointly organised by DFU Publications was aimed at educating the industry on how Apparel 4.0 is shaping and transforming the global fashion and apparel business. The discussions got a tremendous response and appreciation from industry stakeholders.
The conference was attended by distinguished stakeholders and experts from the industry who discussed major challenges the industry is facing in today's digital marketplace and how to identify them and what practical steps companies can take to digitize their value chain. H KL Magu, Chairman, AEPC, was the chief guest and inaugurated the conference in the presence of Zhang Min, Chairman, ShangGong Group, who also was the guest of honour. The opening remarks were offered by Sanjay Chawla, Founder, DFU Publications & FashionatingWorld. Speaking on the occasion, HKL Magu, spoke about the possibilities of adapting Apparel 4.0 in India especially with focus on export and what steps the Indian garmenting sector can take to be competitive in the global space.
Other well known experts who spoke on the occasion were: Mike Fralix, President and CEO, TC2, USA, Dietrich Eichoff, CEO & Chairman, Duerkopp Adler, Germany, Samath Fernando, CIO, Hirdaramani Group ,Sri Lanka , Darlie Koshy, Director General , ATDC, Prabir Jana, Head Research, NIFT Delhi and Ricky Sahni , Organiser GTE, among others.
Mike Fralix spoke on how millennials are disrupting the fashion supply chain, and technology is leading the Apparel 4,0; the introduction of sewbots and the resurgence of robotic systems in apparel making. Fralix also talked about the big shift taking place in the global garmenting market and how India being a resourceful country can take advantage of rising demand in the domestic and international market. Prabir Jana spoke on how the global apparel industry is moving fast towards adapting Apparel 4.0 and how China is emerging among the frontrunners. China over the years has become one of the fastest adapters of technology and the factory ecosystem is changing fast in the country.
Samath Fernando, stressed on the need of using cutting edge technology and how being technological sound can bring a big transformation in the entire sector. He also spoke on the efforts made by him towards technological improvement in his group and across Sri Lanka.
A panel discussion on Opportunities and Challenges for implementation of Apparel 4.0 in India was also a part of the conference. Rajesh Bheda of RBC, was the moderator with Darlie Koshy, DG, ATDC as session chairman, Raja N Shanmugam, TEA President, J D Giri, Shahi Exports, Sudhir Sekhri, GEA, R C Kesar, OGTC, Gunish Jain, Royal Datamatic, Vinod Aiyer, Fortuna Colours among the panellists. The discussions revolved around digitalization of apparel manufacturing processes, from design to production, creating a new organization and factory ecosystems, increasing flexible with optimized resources and smart factories.
