>We have seen very good response from the Indian apparel industryDaniel Harari, CEO, Lectra

What has been the role of integrated technology solutions (CAD and CAM) for fashion and apparel markets?

Globally, the fashion industry is increasingly considering cost optimization solutions that is product and operating costs reductions, as they need to maintain their growth and secure their margins, or will have to turn to high value business models. And this is where Lectras expertise and solutions come into play. Lectras objective is to help our fashion customers overcome the challenges that they are facing. In these tough times, bringing the right product to the market at the right time is crucial to stay ahead of the competition. As a result, PLM is a natural evolution of our offer. With Lectra Fashion PLM our goal is to support companies as they seek to deliver high quality, cost-effective, and on-trend collections in a timely manner, season after season. Our PLM solutions offer the possibilities to evolve towards collaborative software platforms to further improve their processes.

Do you see Indian apparels industry to be the adopters of integrated technology solutions?

The Indian garment industry did not evolve as the way it evolved in China or any other country, in terms of scale or size of operations. This is due to the fact that the Indian government provides special incentive packages and tax advantages for small to medium companies, so it has become beneficial for the garment companies to remain as SMB. One more reason is the mindset of Indian entrepreneurs, who would like to set up manufacturing facilities dedicated to one type of product or buyer. But, the strength of India has always been quick turnaround time, good product development abilities, meeting the buyers requirements, and being able to take small orders. We are constantly educating and demonstrating the benefits of Lectra integrated solutions. We have seen very good response from the Indian apparel industry, to move towards adopting such solutions.

What is the value proposition offered by the company to its customers?

Lectra has major assets in terms of technology and industry expertise, served by a unique range of solutions indispensable to our customers. Our goal for 2010-12 is to move to the next level by reinforcing our industrial and strategic partnerships with our clients. Since our customers are facing a dramatically more competitive environment, providing quality products with benefits and remaining committed to service is mandatory, keeping a critical focus on added value as well. Responding to the customers needs must be the outcome of a proactive analysis. Our approach goes far beyond merely offering value added products or servicesit implies rephrasing the customers request.

Role of CAD/CAM is yet to take off in a big way in the education segment in India. How would Lectra leverage on this opportunity?

To help prepare students for their future professional lives, Lectra has introduced an Education Partnership Program. Each partnership is adapted to the specificities of the institution, the courses it offers, and the students themselves. It is based on mutual commitments. We provide students with our latest technologies, as well as all of our expertise, and we help professors to integrate them into their academic curricula. We align ourselves with the leading educational institutions, and provide the most up-to-date textile and garment designing, marker-making and pattern making solutions. We also train the faculty, and keep them updated with the latest developments. By doing this, we are ensuring that students passing out are trained on the latest software versions which are currently used in the industry for their day-to-day activities in design and product development. There is a demand for trained resources in India. The education institutions in India have already included CAD/CAM in the curricula, as per the industry requirements. We are happy to be associated with over forty-five leading fashion institutes in India. We intend to associate with selected key institutes which manage to train their students on world-class solutions, and help them get a breakthrough in their careers.

PC Suraj

surajp@cybermedia.co.in