ATDC Smart Newzine Festival Issue by ATDC SMART

Between The Covers 04

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FUSING Technology with Skills As India’s largest vocational training network for the apparel sector, ATDC is uniquely placed to tackle the twin challenges facing the industry — to train people to use technology and to use technology to train people

flashlight

Emerging fibre-to-fashion value chain in

India’s Silicon Valley

12- 13 news flags 16 -18 l Knitting ‘Product Speciality’ ideas l Upskilling Andhra Pradesh, ATDC way

stories to tell

l ATDC-Okhla ‘analyses’ skills gaps l Celebrations: ATDC’s artistic skills welcome ‘Onam’ l Expanding horizons in Uttar Pradesh l Fostering India-Mauritius apparel bond

l ‘A New Identity’ l Quality Matters l Smooth Transition l Break the Boundaries l Stitching an Enterprise

l TN Textiles Secretary at ATDC-SMART Egmore Centre l ATDC, a role model on Bihar’s skill map

interviews

l ‘SMART’ Innovations

20 ‘The days of manual Pattern Making are over,’ says Ram Sareen, Founder, Tukatech; ‘ATDC, Juki can together help the garment sector grow rapidly,’ says Juki-Motamaru, Director, Juki India

Honorary Managing Editor: Sh. Hari Kapoor, Vice-Chairman, ATDC

l Rajasthan villages on ATDC radar l Empowering ‘Bega’ tribe

Chief Patron: Dr. A. Sakthivel, Chairman AEPC, ATDC & IAM

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Chief Editor: Dr. Darlie O. Koshy DG & CEO, ATDC & IAM Editor: Ms. Aanchal Prabhakar Jagga

l New directions in garment technology: Prabir Jana l Digitisation is here to stay: Harish Gupta

SMART NewZine is a bi-monthly publication of ATDC. All rights reserved. Content from SMART NewZine may be reproduced with permission. Feedback/ suggestion/ articles/ advertisements may be sent to: smartnewzine@atdcindia.co.in

Cover Design: Mithun Mukherjee CONTRIBUTORS: ATDC FIELD AND STATE-LEVEL TEAMS

Content and Design: IANS Publishing

CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE Apparel manufacturing is undergoing rapid changes in technology of not only pattern and fit engineering but also that of garment manufacturing systems. In the 1st and 2nd editions of The Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme (TUFS) of Govt. of India, the apparel sector did not make enough progress in modernisation of technology, and now it is imperative that apparel sector becomes proactive and rapidly modernise the production and IT infrastructure. ATDC’s short-term courses under SMART and long-term training programmes under ATDC “Community College” address critical knowledge and skillsets required for the apparel sector, to make the candidates ‘Industry-Ready’ right from the start. SMART NewZine’s this issue

focuses on technology, both in manufacturing of apparel as well as in imparting of training in apparel and allied areas. The Fashion Innovation Lab at IAM, Digital Contents brought out by ATDC-SMART Training of Trainers’ Academy are steps in the right direction to usher in a technological leap for this labour-intensive and Pan-India industry. I do hope the apparel exporters and domestic manufacturers will make use of the training avenues offered by ATDC/ATDC-SMART/ TOT Academy for their trainers, staff and shop-floor workforce to upskill the human resources while embracing new technologies to increase ‘competitiveness’ of the Indian Apparel Industry. — Dr. A. Sakthivel, Chairman, AEPC & ATDC & IAM

‘Open’ Dialogue

orporates call it a “customer-centric approach”. When it comes to skilling, the “customer” is the learner. Too many of our efforts in the past have focused on a top-down approach, resulting in several problems — from mobilisation to high attrition rates post-placement. And technology has a role in finding solutions to these problems.

The learner is a unique individual, with aspirations, dreams, interests. An end goal of education is to enable the individual to reach his potential and best use his talents. Today, there are psychometric tests that enable student profiling and these must be integrated in every school. Selecting the right candidate leads to multiple cost savings and efficiencies in the long run. There is also a need for information dissemination and career cells, especially in the rural areas. Some enterprising entrepreneurs have started using technology in the shape of community radio and mobile phones to provide information to youth. There remains, however, the need to develop such initiatives into an institutional mechanism in the education ecosystem. Another critical issue in skill development is the quality of inputs that go into training — the quality of faculty, training infrastructure and training methodologies. A way to address the shortage of quality faculty is to make innovative use of technology. Hub-and-spoke models allow for one good teacher to reach out to more than one classroom. E-learning techniques enable anytime-anyplace learning. Haptic technology, a tactile feedback technology, uses the sense of touch to create simulated activity before a learner actually works on a real machine. Skilling a nation with such great diversity and rich-poor, rural-urban divides is an extremely complex task. Using technology can help. (Excerpted with permission from Dr. Ramadorai’s Keynote Address at the 5th FICCI GSS 2012)

MR. S. RAMADORAI, ADVISOR TO THE PRIME MINISTER OF INDIA IN THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON SKILL DEVELOPMENT, GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

‘Open’ Dialogue is an ATDC forum to discuss, debate and disseminate ideas that we hope will shape the present and future of the textile and apparel industry

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Workers at the INA Hanger System at the Orient Craft Ltd. in Manesar, Haryana

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As India’s largest vocational training network for the apparel sector, ATDC is uniquely placed to tackle the twin challenges facing the industry — to train people to use technology and to use technology to train people

FUSING TECHNOLOGY WITH SKILLS

n the highly competitive world of the apparel exports industry, where the difference of a few cents per piece can determine who wins a contract, it is technology and efficient deployment of skill-sets that have emerged as key differentiators. The Indian apparel industry, unfortunately, has been slightly late in adopting — and adapting to — new technology. Consider this: A worker in a factory in Bangladesh is able to produce 36 shirts a day, whereas the average in India is just 18. At a macro level, between 1999 and 2007, the apparel industry in Bangladesh, Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Pakistan grew between 142 and 162 percent. In India’s case, it was half that level. Why? The answer: these countries took to technology early, automated their processes, cut costs and improved efficiencies —while India was slow to do so.

Technology Lag The reason for the slow start can be traced to the deployment of the Technology Upgradation Fund, or TUF, scheme. The apparel industry did not benefit much from Phase I of TUF, which was launched in April 1999 by the Ministry of Textiles to help the larger Indian apparel and textiles industry become compliant with World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules aimed at

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TechTRENDS one are the days of loud and greasy machines, manual operations and shopfloors crowded with workers. Technology and automation are evident in practically every department of the apparel industry. Here’s a sampler: ● Computer-aided Design, or CAD: This is used for everything from pattern-making and efitting to sampling, production and costing. ● Fabric inspection is now automated, allowing for more efficient defect-identification at speeds of up to 120 metres per minute – four times faster than manual inspection. ● Cutting and spreading: There are now fully automatic auto cutters, spreading machines and transfer tables. ● Embroidery machines: These now boast of laser technology, with fully-loaded embroidery software leading to value added garment production. ● Sewing process:Today’s IT based-sewing rooms allow real-time data management: Microcomputers collect data such as machine on time, piece-handling time, piece stitching time, etc.The data is analysed and reports generated on production lags, operator efficiency, etc.These reports helps streamline processes and increase efficiencies. ● Sewing equipment: automatic collar markers; automatic collar turner and point shearers; buttonholing indexers; automated pocket setters; trouser button hemming units. All these machines have not only increased output, but have also ensured enhanced and standardised quality. ● Finishing: Form finishers do pressing on dummies, allowing garments to retains perfect shape after pressing, and multiform finishers, for outerwear, can adjust for shoulder width and breadth and also facilitate adjustment of tensioning movements. ● Packaging: Fully automated garment bagging senses the size and style at which bags should be packed. ● Hanging garment installations are overhead storage systems that bring the garment directly to operators’ workstations; also facilitates automatic garment search. ● Material handling: Overhead conveyor systems used in sewing rooms eliminate manpower involvement in material handling.

A worker at the Topcut Bullmer, an automatic cutting system. phasing out the quota regime. Some `37,500 crore was disbursed till March 31, 2007, but the apparel industry got a mere 2-3 percent of that. The bulk of the money went to the spinning and weaving sectors. If India had used technology upgradation to improve competitiveness at that time, all our factories would today have become more efficient as those of its rivals. Probably, however, it did not make sense for Indian companies to automate in those days. For instance, the difference between the then low labour rates and the modern machines was still very high. But now, with minimum wages climbing to `7,000-`8,000 per month, and the cost of machines — with advanced features — coming down, the differential between labour and automation has shrunk. Fac-

tories are now slowly adopting the latest technology and throwing away obsolete machines (See box: TechTrends). Shyam Raj, director, Reach Sewn Technologies, says there are other reasons as well why the use of latest technology is still not as widespread as it ought to be. Notably, the industry is fragmented, with the largest apparel manufacturer having no more than 1 percent share of the industry. Small firms find it more difficult to adopt the latest trends. There is more. “In the West, there is a high level of technology penetration. Vendors come out with newer product versions every two-three years. The technology market there is a replacement market. In India, since technology penetration levels are low, most users will be first-time users,” adds the Reach Sewn head.

ATDC has already taken the initiative to provide training on new technology and prepare quality resources that will help in making technology-upgradation successful. Vishal Sher, Managing Director, Studio Next Technology

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In apparel industry too we have challenges as well as solutions. This is the time to go full steam. The industry is under immense pressure due to the open-costing era and it is time to bring greater eﬃciency in value creation. Avinash Misar, Director & CEO, Texport Syndicate Training for Technology But as industry adopts technology, says Raj, it will face two crucial challenges. One, it will need large numbers of people trained to handle the latest technology; and two, these people should be from across the skill pyramid. That is, not just managers, but workers and supervisors who use technology tools on the shopfloor. This is just the right scenario for the Apparel Training & Design Centre (ATDC) to step into. As the country’s largest vocational training network for the sector with 25 community colleges, 125 self-run SMART Centres and Skill Camps in major apparel clusters across 22 states, it is best placed to tackle the twin challenges facing the industry. And ATDC is approaching its task in a clinical manner. “What we need to do, in effect, is not only to train people to use technology, but to also use technology to train people — because the numbers required are so large,” says Dr. Darlie O. Koshy, Director-General and Chief Executive Officer of ATDC and the Institute of Apparel Management (IAM). At ATDC, the process of training people to handle new machines is already underway. Some 6,000 of the most modern machines have been added at the training centres and students are being exposed to the latest techniques in areas as diverse as sewing operations, cutting, ironing, spotting, stain-removal, finishing, thread-cutting and trimming. “Candidates are being trained in sophisticated technology which is driving the business of the garment industry. Our next step is to set up several product-specific ‘speciality training centres’

Computerised embroidery machines at J.S. Design Pvt. Ltd., Noida.

— for knits, lingerie, shirt and trousermaking, structured garments, active sports wear, wearable technology garments, etc.,” says Dr. Koshy. Adds Mr. Hari Kapoor, Vice Chairman, ATDC: “The SMART programme under the Integrated Skill Development Scheme (ISDS) is taking into account advanced technologies. A special programme has been planned to showcase the latest time and money saving sewing technologies for the apparel industry. The use of IT in apparel industry for production planning, cutting, development of patterns, etc., will be demonstrated.” “As an institution, either you drive the industry, or be driven by it. Till now, ATDC was being driven by the industry. Now we also feel the need to drive the industry. Earlier, we were merely responding to the industry’s needs. Now, when the time has come to broadbase the use of technology, we believe we must also set the agenda to some extent,” Mr. Kapoor adds. And there is reason to drive industry, as the technology lag is still evident in the sector. “We believe in many areas of

Digital Learning iming to standardise the delivery of courses at its training centres across the country, ATDC has launched the first module of its blended learning ‘Digital Contents’ for the ‘SMART Sewing Machine Operator’ course. On July 16, Shri Anand Sharma, Union Minister for Commerce, Industry and Textiles, launched the module at the AEPCATDC stall at ‘Tex Trends India 2012’ — a fair organised by the Ministry of Textiles at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi. Present at the event were Smt. Kiran Dhingra, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Shri V. Srinivas, JS (Exports), Ministry of Textiles, and Dr. A. Sakthivel, Chairman, AEPC, ATDC & IAM. Besides standardisation of training delivery, Digital Contents will help trainees assimilate information more effectively, said Dr. Darlie O. Koshy, Director-General & CEO, ATDC & IAM, at the launch. Repetitive course modules, he said, will ensure there is consistency ’ in training across the country, and also help candidates understand the finer points better.

Trainees can review Digital Contents and the vernacular voice over will help them absorb the contents more eﬀectively. — Dr. Darlie O. Koshy, DG & CEO, ATDC & IAM

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In the West, there is a high level of technology penetration. The technology market there is a replacement market. In India, since technology penetration levels are low, most users will be ﬁrst-time users. Shyam Raj, Director, Reach Sewn Technologies

A cloth testing machine at J.S. Design Pvt. Ltd. in Noida.

apparel industry in India, implementation of technology is still wide open. Apparel manufacturers have to re-engineer their management systems to improve productivity and efficiency by upgrading technologies and going towards automated machines,” says Vishal Sher, Managing Director of Studio Next Technology, a leading provider of Computer-aided Design (CAD) and manufacturing solutions for the garment industry. “Looking at the economic challenges industry is facing today, it is all the more important to identify the right technology at the right price. ATDC has already taken the initiative to provide training on new technology and prepare quality resources that will help in making technology-upgradation successful.”

Technology for Training ATDC is also focusing on using technology to impart training and to train trainers — the key to skilling the huge number of people that the apparel industry will need as it rapidly modernises. The use of technology tools plays an important role in imparting skills training. Use of digital content and learning technologies increases the ef-

Digital Design leaming, state of the art computers, flickering wide-screen monitors, and the quiet hum of efficiency. A software firm? A BPO? No. Welcome to the Institute of Apparel Management’s (IAM) Fashion Innovation Lab (FIL) — the country’s first digital lab for fashion design professionals. With the Fashion Innovation Lab, IAM has given life to the idea of “Concept to Consumer”.The lab covers everything from digital design to digital products — and all the steps in between: ideation, story-boarding, pattern-engineering, marker-making and virtual proto-typing. “It’s amazing. Gone are the days of cutting and drawing on paper. Now everything is done on CAD-CAM,” says Garima Vasisht, who has recently completed a Digital Pattern Making Course at IAM. “It gives us a complete edge when we

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fectiveness of the courses and provides repetitive and standardised training. Blended-learning technologies significantly enhance quality of skilled trainees and help meet the increasing need for effectively trained workforce for the indigenous and export sectors (See box: Digital Learning). According to Mukund Sathe, Vice President-Technology for Core-EduTech — a leading player in vocational training — the cost of accessing a new technology has also come down. This is because of the shift from standalone client services to web-based cloud-computing solutions that enable anytime, anywhere access, moving away from the capital-expenditure (Capex) model to operational-expenditure (Opex) model. “To skill the youth of India, it will be imperative to provide quality training. It is not just enough to certify learners. It is important to train them well and equip them for a better tomorrow. Lack of good trainers can be very challenging when we need to train so many people,” adds Sachin Uttam, Head, Enabling Dimensions, specialists in e-learning products with simulators and educational games.

Cricketing legend Krishnamachari Srikkanth, who has founded Career Strokes, an innovative e-learning platform, says it is equally important to impart soft skills using digital technology for overall personality development and to help, among other matters, in better communications and realisation of goals. Digital technology brings the latest content, better delivery methods and comes with the right Instructional Design, and modules created by eminent personalities and professionals in the field of education.Since the digital contents come with proper supporting videos and animations, the fully developed audio-video contents help the student in understanding and involving to a greater extent.

“For this, digital technology has become the new norm. Gone are the days when students used to get trained with books. The use of digital technology adds more value. It makes subjects interesting and easier to grasp,” says Srikkanth. And ATDC knows all these issues well. It is in the process of setting up an Innovation Centre at Gurgaon in collaboration with Juki, the global leader in industrial sewing machines. This centre will not only feature the latest technology offerings in the industry, but also have the best of trainers from the Japanese giant and ATDC available for the garment sector. A similar initiative has been the first digital Fashion Innovation Lab set up re-

Gone are the days when students used to get trained with books. The use of digital technology adds more value. It makes subjects interesting and easier to grasp. K. Srikkanth, Founder, CareerStrokes

They are also exposed to 3D virtual draping member Ms. Manka Vasti, Coordinator FIL. At the go out looking for jobs,” she adds. technology. In this, digital patterns are draped on lab, students work on systems such as TUKAcad IAM was set up in Gurgaon in 2007 with the animated virtual 3D fit models to create virtual for digital pattern-making, grading and marker backing of the AEPC to take in students and samples, allowing instant corrections to patterns making. turn them into designers, design managers, and greatly reducing the number of itmerchandisers, quality professionals, erations in sample-making. Pattern & Fit Engineers, etc., who also “The idea is that when a student have a broad-based knowledge of the walks out of IAM, he should be abreast apparel business. with the latest in technology... a highly The Fashion Innovation Lab, set up in skilled design professional,” says December 2009, uses the latest CADDr. Darlie O. Koshy, CEO of IAM as well as CAM software systems that provide ATDC.“We give students easy access to digital Pattern Making & Fit Engineerthe technology to complete their asing solutions seamlessly through each signments. With such wide use of our stage of the product development technology, it helps students gain chain. immediate employment upon “We work mostly on digital platform graduation,” says Ram Sareen, CEO in technical collaboration with Tukatech and founder of Tukatech, which has Inc., USA. They are most up-to-date, provided over 200 systems to ATDC efficient and, most importantly, extremely user-friendly,” says IAM faculty Fashion Innovation Lab at IAM has given life to the idea of ‘Concept to Consumer’. centres as well.

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INTERVIEW: Ram Sareen, manufacturer, feels no challenge has been left unaddressed in any industry and that the only difference is who picks up and joins in the race faster. “In apparel industry too, we have challenges as well as solutions. This is the time to go full steam. The industry is under immense pressure due to the opencosting era and it is about time to bring greater efficiency in value creation. This calls for higher levels of automation, productivity and quality in manufacturing. He also feels this is imperative to keep the shop floor ticking. “Stateof-the-art machinery permits automation and this is key to efficiency. Otherwise, attrition in the industry will make it difficult to manage and deploy the required skill-sets. Automation de-skills work and makes operations friendly even for a semiskilled or unskilled operator.”

cently in collaboration with the U.S.based Tukatech to offer “Concept to Consumer” training for ATDC’s apparel manufacturing/fashion design technology programmes, using software and systems that are redefining apparel production and management. As many as 224 new Tukatech 2D and 3D systems have been installed at 26 ATDC centres and at the Institute of Apparel Management (See Box: Digital Design). Also launched is the ATDC-Pragati enterprise resource planning (ERP) system, in collaboration with Core to link all its 125 SMART Centres and Skill Camps and help realtime tracking and monitoring. The aim is to standardise the delivery of content.

The Way Ahead Avinash Misar, Director and Chief Executive of Texport Syndicate, a leading Bangalore-based apparel

Founder, Tukatech

‘The days of manual pattern-making are over’ What is the future of pattern construction, digital pattern-making and e-fit technologies in the Indian market? Ask any women in India if she is happy with her tailor; is she happy with the way her sari blouse fits at the armhole? It is important to know that a “pattern” is the foundation of any apparel, the blueprint that defines the product. And without a perfect pattern, we cannot manufacture a perfect fitting garment. To fit a three-dimensional body using a 2D “flat pattern” requires the understanding of three basic principles of pattern-making: darts, pleats and fullness. The expertise to know where to make these darts, pleats and fullness on each flat pattern piece, is the skill that differentiates a good pattern-maker from a mediocre or a bad one. It is only after they understand the basics can they graduate to being a pattern engineer – one

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who can create the blueprint of a garment. The human body poses many challenges for flat pattern-makers. They must come up with curves and shapes to fit the armhole, neck lines, rise, waist and other parts of body. It is impossible to do this correctly the first time, and then repeat it every time if they are drafting each pattern piece manually. Digital pattern-making allows them to make templates for each shape and, then, tested and proven blocks can be used again and again regardless of design lines and silhouettes. For the domestic market or for exports, the industry needs experts who understand the art and science of pattern-making. They need to understand the human body and shapes for each market. Digital pattern-making allows us to make 2D slopers (a 2D pattern peeled off the slopes of human body to extract the exact shape), test them on virtual bodies on 3D systems and review the fit without having to make the entire garment physically. Since these are virtual garments, all mistakes can be corrected quickly and re-simulated to see the effects of the corrections. The process can be repeated rapidly to get

the perfectly fitting garment in digital format before a product is cut and sewn. Once the development is approved, the same can be saved in an Asset Library to be used again and again without having to remake those complicated shapes to fit the same fit model. The future thus does look very gloomy for manual pattern rooms in all countries across the world where garments are manufactured. How is Tukatech’s engagement with IAM and ATDC helping to transform the technology infrastructure in the country? Tukatech brought digital pattern-making to India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and many developing countries. Our challenges were numerous. We had tailors on almost every street corner in India who worked independently, making one garment at a time. As the industry moved to readymade garments and developed

export markets, they hired these tailors as pattern-makers, calling them “masters”.Well, we all know that most of these people were not really skilled and the fit of the garments produced using their patterns were quite bad. With repeated alterations, they got it almost right. None of these tailors attended any formal pattern-making school. By developing CAD systems which could be integrated backwards and which could be used easily by manual pattern-makers with little or no education, and which could forward integrate for the new generation growing up with Internet, emails and hand-held mobile devices, we were able to help the industry. Including training videos in native languages in the software helped old timers, while instructors and fashion training schools took full advantage of this feature in training newcomers. With these tools they created many skilled pattern-makers.

INTERVIEW: Juki-Motamaru, Director, Juki India

‘ATDC, Juki can together help the garment sector grow rapidly’ How do you look at technology in the apparel sector worldwide? Where does the Indian market stand in this scenario? We believe the sector is moving toward greater automation worldwide. However, the shift to automation is still slow in the Indian market.This leads to a disadvantage vis-à-vis other countries, especially in getting orders from the U.S. and EU markets.To continue using basic machines with more operators means that longterm production costs will be high.To be able to compete with other countries and attract buyers to India, it is necessary that companies here innovate and bring in more automated systems. How is Juki’s close engagement with ATDC and IAM helping transform the technology infrastructure in the country? We have supplied the latest technology to ATDC facilities all over India and are currently in the process of providing our latest models to its upcoming Innovation Centre in Gurgaon.

However, we need greater cooperation between Juki and ATDC to develop the market and train operators as well as trainers.We can together provide valuable technical support to customers to help them improve their production lines.We assure quick delivery and services as we have our own warehouses and branches all over India. IAM and ATDC support Indian garment manufacturers and, together with us, can ensure the success and rapid growth of the Indian garment market.

need ATDC’s support for training operators and technicians. It can provide information for the latest technology to develop people and markets.

What is the role that you see for an institution like ATDC in upskilling the apparel sector, especially with the use of modern technology? There are two kinds of customers. One, who is producing high-value garments for export or the domestic market.The other produces not-sohigh-value garments for the domestic market. The first category needs skilled operators, of whom there is a shortage in India.The second needs to upgrade their machines. Both categories

How has the new technology helped improve the condition of Sewing Machine Operators in terms of efficiency and health? We follow international laws and regulations such as CE regulation (a declaration by the manufacturer that his product meets the requirements of the applicable European Directives), International Organisation of Standards (ISO), and Juki Eco-Products Authorisation System (Ecology).We are constantly trying to improve our products and services. Our products help improve productivity and quality, and are extremely operator-friendly.

What are your future plans in India? The Indian apparel market has the potential to grow.To be able to grow and compete against other countries, companies need more automation, need to reduce production costs, and ensure quick delivery. Juki aims for customer satisfaction; this means supplying the best products and providing the best service to help customers succeed.

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Role of technology in apparel quality

echnology has revolutionised every aspect of life. Today, it is difficult to identify an area that has been untouched or not influenced by technology. How can the quality in general and in the apparel industry specifically, be an exception? When we look at quality, it does not have to be limited to the product quality alone. The quality of total experience is what differentiates successful companies form others. In that sense there is a tremendous contribution of technology in improving the overall quality in the apparel industry. One of the major contributions has been in the area of customer experience. Technology has made the concept of online shopping at customer’s convenience a common practice. Technologies like 3D-pattern development, e-fit simulation, virtual wardrobe and technology interfaces for co-designing by the end consumer on the websites of their favourite brands has provided tremendous power to consumers. These technologies have also improved the quality of fit and reduced the gap between perceived quality and the actual

product delivery. They have also helped room, specialised work stations and in the development of new generation flexible automation continue to provide improved quality and performance wear like consistency. Though there swimsuits and clothing for are no major breakthrough athletes. innovations here, one of the Technological advancerecent developments is ment in the areas of comcross feed mechanism that puterised colour matching promises much better and dye recipes has also sigstitch quality. Efforts are nificantly improved the being made to reduce the quality of colour consisenvironmental impact of tency. Digital printing has the textile apparel manubrought in tremendous facturing process. Green flexibility in offering what Dr. Rajesh Bheda, technologies would conthe customer wants instanDirector and CEO, tinue to improve the quality taneously. It also has the Rajesh Bheda of products, overall experipower to offer what one Consulting Pvt. Ltd. ence and the life of all wants right first time. Restakeholders of the apparel cent demonstrations of custom-fit digitally printed T-shirts from industry in the years to come. One must remember that apparel concept to consumer in four hours is an excellent example of what technol- manufacturing will continue to remain a labour intensive process and hence, ogy can do today. In the apparel manufacturing area, though developments in technology technologies like optical scanner-based will help in quality improvement, the fabric inspection and computerised role of human efforts and systems will cutting have improved quality signifi- continue to play a significant part in cantly; though fabric inspection still improving the quality of apparel that tends to be a manual process. In sewing we shall wear in the years to come.

News Flags

Knitting ‘Product Speciality’ ideas

earning has no end. This was the predominant thought that dominated the ATDC Gurgaon Training of Trainers’ (TOT) Academy during the first ‘Product Speciality Training for Knitwear’, held from September 10-14. A total of 25 faculty members from various ATDC-SMART centres attended the event aimed at not just enhancing their skill sets but also providing them industry perspective and exposure. “It's amazing to realise that learning has no end,” said Mr. Jawahar Nehru, Principal, ATDC Maddur, Karnataka. “I have more than 25 years of experience in teaching and producing garments, but this training programme has taught me many new things that I can pass on to my students,” he added.

The event helped the participants learn emerging trends and technologies especially for the rapidly-growing knits sector by involving them in practically producing the garments in an efficient way, Mr. Nehru said. Jitender Kaur, a participant from ATDC-Ludhiana, said the practical methodology of garment technology and quality requirements of knits taught at the programme were immensely beneficial. While conducting the training programme, Mr. Jacob Varghese, Senior Manager & Technical Coordinator, ATDC SMART TOT Academy, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, shed light on all aspects of knitwear production — from order enquiry to order execution. Mr. S. Carthic, Director, Mehala Group, Tirupur, Tamil

Nadu, made a presentation on ‘Advancements in Production Technology for Knitwear’, whereas Mr. Manmath Panda, Quality Expert & Production Supervisor, SPL Industries, conducted a day-long training programme on ‘Industry expectations on Quality’ and provided practical know-how to the participants. The participants were taken to Knit Craft, Gurgaon, to make them better understand the process flow in the industry.

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Celebrations

Trainings/Seminars/Workshops

ATDC’S ARTISTIC SKILLS WELCOME ‘ONAM’

Upskilling Andhra Pradesh, ATDC way

It was feasting time for students as ATDC-Thiruvananthapuram College celebrated Onam festival with traditional fervour on August 28. The students created a beautiful Pookkalam (an intricately decorated flower mat) and organised fun games like Sundarikku Pottu Thodal (putting bindi on the forehead of a girl’s portrait blindfolded) and musical chairs, etc. The staff members prepared and served a delicious Onasadhya, a grand feast.

Tricolours don ATDC Centres As India turned 66th on August 15 this year, a wave of freedom and patriotism enveloped the ATDC Colleges & Centres across the country which proudly hoisted the Indian flag at their premises. ATDC-Hubli students started the Independence Day celebrations by decorating their campus. A similar celebration was held at ATDC-Gadag and ATDC-Bangalore, among other Centres, thus inculcating a patriotic feel among the student fraternity.

MEET THE GOD OF ARTS AND CRAFTS ATDC-NHO and ATDC-SMART Santoshpur celebrated Vishwakarma Puja on September 17, as the God of Arts and Crafts was worshipped by staff members as well as students.

INTRICATE PATTERNS

ATDC-Katol recently organised a mehandi competition for students. Seen in the picture are participants applying Henna on their palms.

imed at covering a gamut of issues concerning policy making in skill building, the Rajiv Education and Employment Mission in Andhra Pradesh (REEMAP), in collaboration with FICCI and INTEL, organised a national workshop and roundtable at Jubliee Hall in Hyderabad on August 2-3. State Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy inaugurated the workshop, titled ‘Skill Development: Opportunities & Challenges.’ while Mr. S. Ramadorai, Advisor to the Prime Minister of India in the National Council on Skill Development, Government of India delivered the keynote address titled ‘National Council for Development of Skills’. The roundtable, tilted ‘Round Table on Skill Building — Policy Issues’ cochaired by Dr. Darlie O. Koshy, Director General & CEO, ATDC & IAM, was also attended by Dr. J. Geetha Reddy, State Minister for Heavy industries; Mr. M. Maheedhar Reddy, State Minister for Municipal Administration and Urban Development; Mr. Pardha Saradhi, State Minister for Secondary Education

and Mr. Dilip Chenoy, Managing Director and CEO, NSDC, among others. In his address, Dr. Darlie Koshy shared that ATDC-SMART courses are providing students gainful employment in the apparel and textiles sector, where job opportunities are innumerable. Under the pilot project sponsored by REEMAP’s Rajeev Yuva Kiranalu (RYK) Scheme, ATDC has already commenced classes for over 100 candidates from this year — in Garment Construction Techniques (GCT), Sewing Machine Operator- Basic & Advanced and Surface Ornamentation Techniques courses — at ATDC Hyderabad and Vizag Skill Camp. And with the visionary skill development programme of Andhra Pradesh government, ATDC is at the forefront in realising this goal.

ATDC-SMART Skill Camps started between July-September 2012 l July — Kozhikode (Kerala), Hardoi (U.P.), Unnao (U.P.), Neva (Punjab), Dungar Chikhli (Gujarat), Bhatpore Village (Gujarat), Bhopal-Itwara Road (M.P.), Khagul (Bihar), Sivan (Bihar), Chhapra (Bihar), Hajipur (Bihar), Madhubani (Bihar), Motihari (Bihar) l August — Pali (Rajasthan), Boltra (Rajasthan), Pushkar (Rajasthan) l September — Balaji Nagar(A.P.), Nagram (A.P.), Chakkarpur (U.P.), Amethi (U.P.), Bhiwadi (Rajasthan), Nilambur (Kerala)

ATDC-Okhla ‘analyses’ skills gaps W

ith an aim to underline the significance of technology and skills in the apparel and textiles sector, ATDCOkhla organised a workshop on 'Technology and Skill Gap Analysis in Apparel Sector' recently. Nearly 25 exporter members from Okhla cluster participated in the workshop, attended by Chief Guest Mr. H.K.L. Magu, MD, M/s. Jyoti Apparels, and Vice Chairman, F&B (ATDC & IAM). “In terms of efficiency, the industry

needs skilled personnel who are at par with workers in neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka,” stressed Mr. Magu. Other dignitaries included Dr. R.P. Jamdagari, Director, the Technological Institute of Textile & Sciences (TIT&S); Laxmi Das, Member, TIFAC; Mr. M.K. Mehra, OGTC; and Ms. Daljit Kaur, Principal, ATDC-Okhla.

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Emerging fibre-to-fashion value chain in...

India’s ‘Silicon Valley’ With Karnataka adopting a ‘holistic’ approach towards developing the apparel and textiles sector, ATDC/ATDCSMART Centres/Skill Camps are poised to play a key role in skilling the workforce in the state

fter information technology — the second largest employment provider in the state — the apparel and textiles sector in Karnataka is set for a sea change... Suvarna Vasthra Neethi policy, apparel parks, cluster-based projects, ATDC-SMART Centres/Skill Camps, road shows — the state has adopted a ‘holistic’ approach towards developing the industry. With this comes the challenge — to train unskilled workforce and provide better training to make the skilling more globally-competitive in an environment where new technology is the buzzword. “The current format of Skill Development and making skilled manpower available to the apparel industry has been quite successful in Karnataka. The continuation of the current interventions will be beneficial to the entire gamut of industries, either domestic or overseas,” D.A. Venkatesh, Commissioner for Textile

Development and Director, Handlooms & Textiles, Government of Karnataka, tells SMART NewZine. The role of ATDC-SMART Centres/ Skill Camps is key in achieving this goal, he adds. “The skill initiatives by the ATDC-SMART Centres/Skill Camps across the state are significantly contributing towards realising the goals of National Skills Mission (NSM).” “It is the need of the hour to upgrade skills to international standards to meet industry requirements and to have a frameworks for standards, curricula and quality assurance. It is expected for ATDC to step up its participation by opening new Centres/Skill Camps,” the Commissioner envisages. Echoes Mr. Rajendra J. Hinduja, former Managing Director of Bangalorebased Gokaldas Exports Ltd.: “The initiative taken by the ATDC will facilitate the apparel factories in Karnataka but the volumes are far too low compared to the requirement. The higher courses offered by ATDC are better and they are supplying factories with the supervisory-level staff. Many such ATDC-SMART Centres/Skill Camps need to be opened in the state to make a meaningful impact.” Since the launch of the Suvarna Vasthra Neethi (SVN) in 2008, the state government has seen investment worth

flashlight `2,700 crore in the apparel and textiles sector. The Department of Handlooms and Textiles, Government of Karnataka, is also promoting apparel parks in Gulbarga, Dodballapur, Bijapur, Belgaum, Bellary and Shimoga districts. Moreover, retailers like Walmart, JC Penny, Target, Tesco and H&M have been

scaling up direct sourcing operations in the state, which becomes a critical factor towards ‘Concept to Consumer’ philosophy in the new and challenging scenario. “More ATDC/SMART Centres/Skill Camps should be opened in the state to facilitate Ready Made Garments Industries (RMGIs). The requirement is huge in activities starting from cutting, stitching and assembling and finishing. The requirements is huge at managerial levels, such as Purchase Managers, Designers, Production Managers, Line Supervisors/Floor Supervisors and Quality Control Executives, etc.,” adds Vijay Kumar Nirali, Project Director, Department of Handloom & Textiles, GoK. The South Indian Mills Association

(SIMA) has come forward to set up a Textile Processing Park on the lines of Tarapur and Cuddalore in Tamil Nadu. In addition, spinning and weaving parks are being set up in Dharwad, Belgaum, Bijapur and Chitradurga districts. All this would require a trained workforce and ATDC, powered by stateof-the-art machinery and highlycompetitive training modules, is already playing a crucial role in providing skilled workforce in the state. “A sewing machine operator will always be the need of the industry and ATDCSMART’s efforts to create a strong base of these skilled workers is outstanding,” Mr. Avinash Misar, Director & CEO of Bangalore-based Texport Syndicate Ltd. chips in. “Bangalore was the second ATDCSMART Centre in India. Since its inception, the Centre has trained over 4,700 candidates in various facets of apparel sector. The successful candidates have been placed in RMGIs located in Bangalore and many of them are heading floors,” informs R. Balaji, Director, ATDCSMART Centre, Bangalore. The future road-map (see box) is clear. ATDC-SMART Centres/Skill Camps, constantly tapping the potential hidden in the vibrant state apparel arena, will soon emerge as a leading force towards providing skilled manpower to the state — thus helping shape another ‘Textile Valley’ on the lines of Tamil Nadu.

ATDC’s advancing strides in Karnataka

TDC Bangalore was the second centre in India established in 1996. Since inception, the Centre has trained around 4,700 candidates in various facets of Garment Manufacturing, including Diploma in AMT, PSQC, PCMC, FDT, CAD, APM, GCT and SMT courses. The successful candidates have been provided with placement assistance in the RMGIs located in Bangalore in the supervisory and Middle Management cadre. Many of the prominent students are heading departments/factories. During 2007, with the financial assistance from the Rural Development & Panchayati Raj Department (RDPR), GoK, ATDCs were established in various districts across the state, including Tumkur, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Ramnagar and Hubli. In 2008, ATDCs were set up at Maddur and Gadag. The seven Centres have trained over 7,600 candidates and have provided full placement assistance.

FUTURE ROAD MAP TDC proposes to set up ATDC-SMART Centres/Skill Camps at Gulbarga, Bidar, Bijapur, Belgaum, Koppal, Bellary, Davengere, Chitradurga, Shimoga and Mangalore, Hassan and Mysore districts. The District Industries Centre (DIC) has expressed its willingness to provide their industrial sheds in all these places for setting up ATDC-SMART Skill Camps. In addition to this, following places have been identified for establishing ATDC SMART Skill Camps: Chinthamani (Chikkaballapur district), (supported by City Municipal Council); Nagamangala & Srirangapatna (Mandya district), (supported by DIC); Kodichikkanahalli & Ibulur (Bangalore Urban District) (supported by BBMP); and Jigni and Anekal (Bangalore rural District) (supported by CDPO, Women & Child Welfare Department).

The ATDC skill initiatives across the state are signiﬁcantly contributing towards realising the goals of National Skills Mission

More ATDC/ATDC-SMART Centres/ Skill Camps should be opened in the state to facilitate Ready Made Garments Industries (RMGIs)

— D.A. Venkatesh, Textile Commissioner, Handlooms & Textiles, GoK

— Vijay Kumar Nirali, Project Director, Department of Handloom & Textiles, GoK

The higher courses oﬀered by ATDC are better and they are supplying factories with the supervisory-level staﬀ. — Mr. Rajendra J. Hinduja, former Managing Director of Bangalore-based Gokaldas Exports Ltd

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Inaugurations

Expanding horizons in Uttar Pradesh

presence of chief guest Dr. Chandrashekhar Pran, NYKS Programme Director, Dr. Aradhana Raj, NYKS district coordinator and senior ATDC officials. AT AMETHI

n its endeavour to enhance the employability of unemployed and disadvantaged youth and women in Uttar Pradesh, ATDC Kanpur, in association with the Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS), has started ATDC-SMART Skill Camps in two districts — Barabanki and Unnao. To begin with, 270 youth, sponsored by NYKS, are being trained at Barabanki (180) and Unnao (90) in Garment Construction Technique (GCT) and SMART Sewing Operator (Basic & Advance) courses.

AT BARABANKI Shri P.L. Puniya, Chairman, National Commission for Scheduled Castes & Tribes (NCSCT) and Member of Parliament (MP), Barabanki constituency, inaugurated the Skill Camp on July 28 in presence of Shri A.A. Naqvi, Managing Di-

rector, NBCFDC; Shri Rishipal Singh, Zonal Director, NYKS, Lucknow; and Dr. A.A. Farooqui, Deputy Youth Coordinator, NYKS, Barabanki. Shri Puniya lauded the latest machinery at the Skill Camp.

Another ATDC-SMART Skill Camp was inaugurated at Inhauna, Amethi constituency, on September 14 with support from NYKS and ATDC-Kanpur. The Skill Camp was inaugurated by Shri Saleem Ahmed, Director General, NYKS in presence of Shri Gopal Bhasin, General Manager (SMART Project), NYKS officials local community and selected trainees. NYKS has sanctioned additional 540 trainees for training at districts like Amethi, Allahabad, Sultanpur, Pratapgarh, Rae Bareli, Pandrauna, Lakhimpur, Sitapur and Shahjahanpur. With such moves, ATDC has begun to reach the mofussils and hinterlands of the largest Indian state.

AT UNNAO Next on the anvil was Unnao Skill Camp. Shri Puniya inaugurated the Camp in

TWO NEW SKILL CAMPS AT ATDC-SURAT ATDC Surat has launched two new Skill Camps in Gujarat — Singhanpur (Surat) and Godhra. The Singhanpur Skill Camp was inaugurated on the occasion of Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar’s birth anniversary this year. Thirty-six students have already been trained at the Skill Camp. The ATDC-SMART Godhra Skill Camp commenced recently.

ATDC OPENS NAIHATI SKILL CAMP

he ATDC-Naihati Skill Camp was recently inaugurated by Naihati MLA Shri Tamal Bhowmik in presence of Chairman of Naihati Municipality Shri Ramesh Halder, councillors and town project officers of Naihati Municipality in North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal. Mr. Bhowmik stressed on the need for job-oriented training programmes

being provided by ATDC and asked the students to make most of the opportunities. Shri Ramesh Halder praised the infrastructure at the ATDC SMART Centre and hailed the course curricula. Nearly 120 candidates, majority of them women, are already being trained in Sewing Operator (Basic & Advanced) courses.

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Visits

Fostering India-Mauritius apparel bond

ATDC, A ROLE MODEL ON BIHAR’S SKILL MAP

n a significant move to strengthen collaborations between India and Mauritius in the apparel and textiles sector, a high-level Mauritian delegation visited ATDC’s national head-office situated at Paridhan Vikas Bhawan in Gurgaon on July 25. The delegation was led by Ms. Asha Burrenchobay, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Consumer Protection (MoICCP), and Mr. Ramjit Imrit, Director of Industry, MoICCP, Government of Mauritius. Mr. Robindro Ghose, Principal Industrial Analyst, MoICCP, and Ms. Nivedita Bauhadoor-Pillay Ponisamy, Second Secretary, Mauritius High Commission in New Delhi, were the other two members of the delegation. Vijay Jindal, ATDC-LMC member Faridabad and SPL Industries’ owner, was also present.

The delegation was unanimous on one thought: availability of world-class infrastructure at ATDC & ATDC-SMART Centre & Skill Camps to boost efficiency and productivity, thus providing an industry-ready workforce. Mr. Ghose, throwing light on the Mauritian apparel sector, said special attention needs to be given to technological development and productivity so that we can have a strong presence in the global apparel scene. Emphasising on Mauritius being an attractive destination for the sector, Mr. Ghose said political stability and safe environment makes the ocean country a viable option for industry. The visit was organised on the sidelines of the event, titled ‘Joint Committee on Cooperation about the Textile and Clothing Industry’.

TN Textiles Secretary at ATDC-SMART Egmore Centre n order to take stock of the quality of training being provided to ATDC students, Tamil Nadu Handloom and Textiles Secretary Mr. G. Santhanam visited the ATDC-SMART Egmore Centre on August 12. He interacted with ATDC students, sponsored by the Tamil Nadu Corporation for Development of Women, and inquired about the programmes. Mr. Santhanam said ATDC under the aegis of AEPC and the Tamil Nadu government are working in tandem to provide job-oriented skills training to

deal with unemployment of youth in the state. He also mentioned that efforts were being made to evolve a new strategy to open more ATDC-SMART Centres in Tamil Nadu in the future.

n last few years, ATDC-SMART Centres/Skill Camps in Bihar have elevated their role in skilling workforce for the apparel and textiles sector to such a level that now, the buzz has reached foreign shores. The idea was to showcase skill initiatives in Bihar, and the destination was pre-destined — the recently operationalised ATDC-SMART Madhubani Skill Camp. On August 30, it was a Pagg-Dupatta (traditional headwear and scarf) welcome for Ms. Claire Tyntey Erwin, First Secretary, Economic Trade, British High Commission, at the Skill Camp. Accompanied by state Rural Development Minister Shri Nitish Mishra, Ms. Erwin was in for a surprise when she met 60 candidates undergoing training in the SMART Sewing Operator course.

She not only interacted and motivated ATDC-SMART students to hone their skills but also praised the stitch work done by them and distributed SMART tool-kit to them. Shri Mishra, accompanied by a team of district administrators, distributed participation certificates to students and assured necessary support from the government. Earlier, a welcome speech by Anjani Kr. Mishra, Principal, ATDCPatna, focused on how the ATDC SMART courses are helping increase quality, productivity and efficiency of the SMART trainees and the road-map ahead. He added that the ATDC Madhubani Centre was ready to support the disadvantaged sections of the society by expanding its base.

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Awareness Programmes

Placements

Rajasthan villages on ATDC radar

Jobs galore for ATDC students

n a move to empower the disadvantaged sections in Rajasthan villages, ATDC-SMART Jaipur Centre recently conducted two awareness camps — one at Geejgarh and another at villages surrounding the holy town of Pushkar. At Geejgarh, SMART trainers Mr. Hemendra Haldia and Ms. Shabana Khan explained the benefits of the fast-track SMART training programmes for various industry trades like sewing operator, Quality Checker and Machine Mechanic, etc. to nearly 50 participants. Later, they selected 32 students for the first batch. In the future, ATDC-SMART Jaipur Centre is planning to conduct a 45-day training for SMART Operator (Basic) course at Geejgarh, with contribution from M/s. Read India towards course fee and help in placements. At holy town of Pushkar, ATDC-SMART Jaipur team interacted with villagers and informed them about the Fast-Track SMART training methodology, job opportunities in the apparel sector and how to form Self-Help Groups (SHGs) for self employment so that they can uplift their living status.

Empowering ‘Bega’ tribe A TDC-SMART Centre, Dindori, Madhya Pradesh, has joined hands with the Dindori District Collectorate for the upliftment of the Bega tribe (Bega Janjati). The Bega Janjati has been given the status of

Super Special Scheduled Tribe in Madhya Pradesh. ATDC-SMART Skill Camp is skilling the tribal students to help them earn livelihood. At present, 25 female students in age 18-35 are undergoing training.

total of 21 candidates were successfully placed through three separate campus placement interviews held at the ATDC National Head Office (NHO) at Paridhan Vikas Bhawan, Gurgaon, on August 8, 9 and 27. Luna Exports Pvt. Ltd., an apparel exports/imports company, visited the campus placement session on August 8. Out of the 85 candidates who appeared for the interview, Luna Exports recruited 11 candidates for positions like Quality Analyst/Quality Controller, Sampling Coordinator and Production Supervisor, among others. The selected candidates have been offered `8,000-`15,000 salary per month. “I am pleased to find that the ATDC students have sound theoretical and technical knowledge. They are immensely talented. I am confident that they would be able to make a difference once they get more practical experience, said Ms. Ronie Khanna, CEO, Luna Exports. M/s House of Pearl participated in the campus placement session on August 9 and selected five candidates for its Industrial Engineering (IE) Department. Mr. Siddharth, IE Head and Mr. Aanis Anwar, Deputy General Manager, M/S House of Pearl, visited the ATDC National Head Office. The selected candidates were scheduled to joined the company at a salary of `7,500 per month each. M/S Chelsea Mills visited ATDC on August 27. Mr. Anuj Bhatia, Factory Head, Chelsea Mills, conducted the interview sessions for recruiting candidates for the positions of Quality Analyst/Quality Controller, Sampling Coordinator and Production Supervisor. The five selected candidates were hired on `8,000-`8,500 a month.

SMART Innovations ‘Smart’ MoU in Bangalore

Connecting North-East with mainstream

n order to provide better facilities to students, ATDC-SMART Centre, Bangalore, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with select leading apparel export units like M/S L.T. Karle & Raymonds, etc. They would provide free hostel facilities to candi-

dates seeking training under the ATDC-SMART training programme. ATDC Bangalore has trained over 200 students from rural hinterlands since July 2011.

n order to rehabilitate the unemployed youth in the North-Eastern region, ATDC, in collaboration with Bangalore-based Texport Syndicate Ltd., is offering one-year Apparel Manufacturing Technology (AMT) course. A batch of 30 students from North-East is al-

ready undergoing training in ATDC-SMART Sewing Operator Course at L.T. Karle & Raymonds company in Bangalore. The Ministry of Development of North-Eastern Region (DONER) is taking care of course fee, boarding and lodging.

Stories to tell

ATDC Bhilwara

ATDC Kolkata

‘A new identity’

Quality matters

Hailing from the remote village of Kadambera in Bankura District of West Bengal, Kalidas Tudu, who belongs to the Scheduled Tribe (ST) community, had all the abilities and aspirations to succeed in life. All he needed was a right opportunity. After completing secondary education, Kalidas availed of the sponsorship of Backward Class Welfare Department, Government of West Bengal, for pursuing a oneyear Diploma in Apparel Manufacturing Technology (AMT) from ATDC-Kolkata. Soon after, Kalidas joined P.S. Apparel, a Chennai-based export company, as a Quality Controller. He is now working as Quality Controller at JPM Exports, Kolkata.

Smooth transition

The sudden death of her father last year was the turning point in young Kayanat Parveen’s life. Being the eldest daughter of the house, one thought was haunting her. Would she be able to become the breadwinner for her family, living in Shahpura village in Bhilwara, Rajasthan? Just when Kayanat was thinking about her family’s future, destiny smiled at her when a neighbour informed her about the launch of the ATDC-SMART Skill Camp in Shahpura that would train the youth in sewing and embroidery. Kayanat wasted no time, got herself enrolled and successfully completed the one-month Fast-Track ATDC-SMART course in June last year. She has never looked back since then. She started with taking tailoring orders and within a year, saved enough money to open her own cloth shop, ‘Roshni Matching Centre’, that sells both stitched clothes and dress material. Both Kayanat and her sisters have resumed their studies. “I owe it to ATDC. Today, I am self-employed and take care of my family. I have learnt how to manage work and study together. ATDC has given me a new identity. Thank you ATDC-SMART for guiding me,” says a beaming Kayanat.

Life was a jigsaw puzzle for Priya Shaw. After completing her graduation, Priya wanted to pursue a professional course that could easily land her a job.That's when an ATDC advertisement caught her eye. Priya soon decided to pursue a one-year Diploma in Apparel Manufacturing Technology from ATDC-Kolkata.To her satisfaction, getting a job after completing the diploma in January 2010 wasn’t difficult at all. She got placed as a merchandiser in Swift Project Pvt. Ltd. in Kolkata, with an initial salary of `10,000 per month.

Break the boundaries Breaking away from his family’s traditional fast food business, Subhankar Das joined the two-year Advance Fashion Design Technology (AFDT) Programme at ATDC-Kolkata in 2009. Even before the completion of his course, Subhankar, along with Prodip Polley, an ATDC alumnus, applied for the ‘Blender’s Pride Bangalore Fashion Week’ in 2011, and got through the preliminary selection rounds. Shubhankar and Prodip showcased their collection titled ‘Break the Boundaries’ under the GenNext category.With 16 outfits on offer, their collection highlighted natural fabrics like cotton and linen for new-age Indian.The success story continues...

ATDC Kannur

Stitching an enterprise A

few skills in garment technology can make a huge difference in the employment scenario of a village. This is hardly a secret. The story of a batch of 25 unemployed women of Kasargod district in Kerala, who received off-campus training for 45 days from ATDC-SMART Centre, Kannur, is no different.

Soon after completing the training, these women of extraordinary courage and determination, with the help of Kudumbasree Apparel Park, a Women Self-Help Group’s apparel park in Kerala, set up their own production unit. Started with a capital of `3,00,000 as bank loan and a contribution of `3,000 per person, this small enterprise is expanding. With help of 25 latest SNLS ma-

chines and four interlock machines, these women are producing 530 pieces of ladies undergarments daily. At the initial stage, their products were being sold through Kudumbasree Home Shops. Mr. K. Kunhiraman, MLA from Uduma constituency, launched their products for the market at a recently-held function. This unique enterprise is planning to provide employment to 1,000 unemployed women in the future.

IN SUMMARY PROF. (DR.) PRABIR JANA Head (Information Technology) National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Ministry of Textiles, GoI

New directions in garment technology Although last three decades produced only incremental developments in sewn product technology, it can be predicted that coming decade will see some interesting developments. In pre-sewing category material inspection, preparation and cutting operations has already reached a highest level of automation. But fabric joining operation (sewing) and ever increasing type of surface embellishment still uses fairly good amount of human intervention. Use of thread and needle for fabric joining will face serious competition from welding/bonding technology. Current constraint of mandatory thermoplastic fibre content and high cost will come down with years. The future of wet processing of textiles i.e. dyeing/printing, will be completely water-free, follow digital route and value-added finish on jeans, and casual wear will follow laser/ozone and other dry-finishing technique. Real-time data collection from labour-oriented

HARISH GUPTA CEO, Fashion Learning Resources, Gurgaon, India

After almost two decades of practicing apparel trade, when we started working on the concept of Digital learning for entry level skill training in this trade, it involved lot of learning and relearning. This was based on feedback received from students, field trainers and management while testing pilot at various ATDC training centres. It made us realise that entry-level skill training is a different challenge and made us completely overhaul our methodology, pedagogy and content.

l The

Contact: Apparel Training & Design Centre, National Head Office Paridhan Vikas Bhawan, Plot-No. 50, Institutional Area, Sector-44, Gurgaon-122003 Phone: 0124-4659500/01 Website: www.atdcindia.co.in

The time-wasting aspect of globalised garment production is sampling and approval process. Future application of telepresence technology, 3D scanning of human body and cloning in virtual form, virtual simulation of fabric behaviour in static and dynamic state and digital colour management solution will make garment prototyping faster and right first time. The environment concern and sustainability will drive technological developments to a different direction. Use of recyclable material and renewable energy will be theme of development.

Digitisation is here to stay

Development Learnings The key learning’s for digital education relevant are: l Digitisation objective should be standardisation of content & quality delivery across the geographies.

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sewing floor was every manager’s challenge and fancy, which currently uses barcode or RFID-based technology. A factory in remote South Asia or Africa will not only be monitored through IP-based CCTV, but through sewing machine motor also. A new realtime shopfloor data collection technology will collect real-time data directly from sewing machine motor about machine uptime, cause of machine downtime, operator off-standard time and will be able to control SPI of all machines remotely through Internet!

trainers or the facilitators are the key pivot (and not the digital contents) as they are still considered as ‘guru’ by the learners. These trainers exercise maximum influence at this level of learners. It is important to involve them at all levels and motivate them to facilitate training delivery — using the digital contents.

l Digitisation advantage in making the content and

course interesting, relevant, engaging and a bit entertaining (keeping in mind the profile of learners), should be rightly exploited. This will lead to better skill transfer for learners.

Myth of High Technology It is a great myth that only higher the technology, better the results in training products. One of the best examples in digital space which I often give is of a Hindi movie Sholay (1975). I saw it in 1980 and still remember almost every sequence and dialogue even now. Later, I have seen numerous movies involving the best of the technologies including 3D but do not have any such vivid digital memories. So with optimum technology, relevant and engaging content, delivered with the help of motivated ‘gurus,’ we could do wonders. Future Going forward with high mobile and Internet penetration, digital content has come to stay. Faster roll out in local languages will only accelerate the process. Small snippets of practice videos with limited number of views could be allowed to be downloaded on learners’ mobiles (or AKASH tablets) which they could use to practice. Also In apparel trade, the machine technology is not changing as rapidly, so right course design and content will stay relevant for longer period. Digital learning would move away from the novelty feature to being integrated as the basic requirement of skill training courses, as being done at various ATDC centres. Thus helping the learners skill themselves better, lead better career and fulfilling life.