Tiruppur exporters working towards zero-defect plan

Apparel exporters from Tiruppur are working towards turning the cluster into a zero-defect manufacturing hub for textiles. They have called on the government for one-time intervention. NIFT-TEA knitwear fashion institute, founded by exporters, is already running various projects such as skill development initiatives with the help of the state and the Centre.

NIFT-TEA can undertake the task of making Tiruppur cluster a zero defect hub with a little assistance from stakeholders. According to a study by the institute, about 2 lakh employees need to be skilled in the cluster.

Over 80 per cent of the units in Tiruppur are MSMEs and cannot undertake initiatives for efficiency improvements. There is a huge scope for improving the operations of these MSMEs, but they do not take the professional approach owing to their small size, knowledge levels and cost absorption capacity, Raja M Shanmugham, president of Tiruppur Exporters' Association (TEA) told a leading daily.

Shanmugham said that to make the cluster a zero defect manufacturing hub, a state-funded intitiative needs to be undertaken. A 10 per cent reduction in defects and wastage can be expected to save close to Rs 2,000 crore a year. The upskilling cost will be about Rs 124 crore, according to NIFT-TEA.