Brandix
Apparel Pays Tribute to its Vendors
Brandix Apparel Limited held its inaugural vendor summit on
October 12, 2006 at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel. The summit was
held with the participation of a host of distinguished guests,
including over 150 local and foreign supply chain partners
of the company. Whilst the conference focused on the importance
of ‘stepping up’ collaboration amongst supply
chain partners, it was also an opportunity to felicitate the
organisation’s global vendor base.
Ashroff Omar, CEO of Brandix Lanka Limited began the proceedings
by delivering the welcome address. He spoke of the many challenges
the apparel industry faced as a result of rapid changes in
the industry over the past few years.
“Our challenge has been not only to deliver innovative
products, but also to be flexible to quick changes in style,
while maintaining a high standard at a low price. At Brandix,
we have responded by aspiring towards our vision ‘to
be the inspired solution for branded clothing’. In order
to realise this vision we have invested heavily on vertical
integration, focused on product development and design, enhanced
our spending on training and development of our Human Resources
and attracted a new category of Executives to complement our
experienced team in order to grow aggressively. Most importantly,
we have recognised the importance of collaborating with our
suppliers,” he said.
“Collaboration does not come easily in an industry where
it is natural to compete. Thus, we need a mature mindset to
work as a team to work towards the demands of our customers”.
He reiterated that sharing information and resources, transparency
and planning ahead is imperative to the growth of the entire
supply chain.
Ajith Johnpillai, Managing Director, Brandix Casualwear Limited
presented an overview of Brandix and its operations. It was
revealed that over the past few years Brandix had consolidated
its vendor base by over 50%.
In this regard Samal Dissanayake, Manager of Procurement,
Brandix Casualwear Limited said “Those who are with
us today are partners that we value. We strongly see a need
to focus on a concise vendor base that can adapt swiftly to
the rapidly changing market requirements – such vendors
will grow with us”. He also spoke of the importance
of supplier relations and Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s).
“As key business partners we rely on you to make timely
deliveries to ensure that we succeed in our business. There
are many here today who know the benefits of maintaining good
supply chain KPI’s and how it has helped them grow their
business. We realise that this is no longer a journey that
we can go alone. To make our mutual relationships grow qualitatively
and quantitatively, we must know be clear of our requirements”
Dissanayake said. The Head of Supply Chain, Brandix Casualwear
Limited, Sunil Panwar also spoke of the supply chain going
forward.
Udena Wickramasooriya, Director Brandix Lanka and Head of
the Brandix India Apparel City, spoke of the opportunities
for both local and international vendors that arise from the
mammoth Indian venture regarded as a new frontier in global
expansion for the company. The Central Government of Andhra
Pradesh’s commitment to developing the textile and apparel
industries as well as its rich base of highly skilled and
trained specialists, were the strong fundamentals used to
make India a natural choice for geographic diversification.
“In simple terms the project is a combination of speed,
flexibility, cost efficiency and innovation. This will drive
the Brandix vertical solutions approach and we envisage a
self-sufficient 1,000-acre city, which will follow the concept
of ‘fibre to store.’ We carry with us over 30
years of expertise, best practices and partnerships towards
the development and success of the project, in collaboration
with a world-class vendor team”. He said.
The summit concluded on a high note with the distribution
of awards to key vendors as tokens of appreciation for their
hard work and commitment. The top Awards for the Vendor of
the year for Textiles and Accessories were presented to Brandix
Textiles Limited and Stretch Line (Pvt) Limited respectively.
Brandix Apparel’s parent company, Brandix Lanka Limited
is Sri Lanka’s largest apparel manufacturer as well
as the single largest contributor to the country’s export
portfolio. The company is a USD 280 million international
organisation with over 20 manufacturing facilities in Sri
Lanka and international sourcing offices. Brandix caters to
the world’s top retailers such as Gap, NEXT, Marks &
Spencer, Abercrombie & Fitch, Levis. The Group’s
command of its supply chain in both woven and knits is its
key strength; this includes Apparel Manufacturing and Finishing,
Design and Development, Fabric and Accessories, including
thread, buttons and hangers. The company’s ethos encompasses
the ideal of providing complete solutions to the fashion industry.
23rd October, 2006 |
