Afair number of Indian companies are today showing the way, none more so than Pratibha Syntex, which started its organic and sustainable manufacturing. Pratibha Syntex is a leading manufacturer and exporter of knitted garments and speciality yarns, and engages in organic cotton farming, manufacture of cotton, organic cotton, fair trade cotton, etc.
Pratibha’s success story largely revolves around it’s true verticality, sustainability, production efficiency, social responsibility and regular R&D. In an exclusive interaction with the Indian Textile Journal, Atul Mittal, Executive Director of Pratibha Syntex, said “We have always tried to provide flexibility and newness to our customers. Recent ones include successful implementation of the speed-to-market production system.†Incorporated in 1997, Pratibha Syntex is promoted by SK Chaudhary. The company has gradually increased its presence in the entire textile value chain and is now involved in cotton farming, spinning (cotton and blended yarns), knitting, dyeing and finishing and knitted apparel manufacturing (innerwear, active, lifestyle and fashion). Its manufacturing facilities are located in Pithampur, near Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The production site is accredited with coveted OEKO-TEK and IS/ISO 9001:2000 quality system certification.
Speaking on the possibilities of expanding their portfolio, Mittal said, “We are first planning to maximise the utilisation of current facilities. With the current infrastructure itself, we have a possibility to grow by 30 per cent. We plan to add more dyeing and knitting machines in the next financial year to meet the growing demand. There a larger market share available and our customers are willing to place more business. We will continuously augment our capacities and capabilities as per the business demand.â€Â
The company [currently] has three manufacturing facilities employing approximately 8,000 people. There has been a considerable contribution to the local communities including employment, business opportunities for shops and other business establishments, rental returns, plantation of trees, etc.
Pratibha has been dedicated to its organic cotton project for almost two decades now. There has been a continuous effort in growing the organic cotton farming community and today this family stands at more than 30,000 farmers. Fair Trade and BCI cotton farming has also been added. Mittal added, “We produce approximately 55 tonnes of yarns every day. The focus will be to add more innovative and value-added products.†“Other than those, we have been investing considerably in reducing our carbon and water footprint across our manufacturing facilities. This includes increasing usage of renewable energy, water recycling, minimising emissions, ZDHC, etc.,†Mittal avers.
Pratibha Syntex recently bagged the ‘Best Global Supplier of the Year Award’ for 2016 by C&A at Global Supplier Summit in Hong Kong. Commenting on this achievement, Shreyaskar Chaudhary, Managing Director, Pratibha Syntex, said, “We are honoured to have got this prestigious award from C&A. Pratibha Syntex has been working with C&A on various initiatives like organic farm and community development, sustainable product innovation, design assistance from Europe, rapid response, etc. This award has been a great incentive and motivation for us. To thrive in this highly competitive business, we knew we had to improve operations by leaps and bounds and offer a quick response model to our customers. For this, we have implemented Theory of Constraints company-wide with the help of Vector Consulting Group.â€Â
The company has even received silver trophy from the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC) for clocking second highest export in ‘Global Knit Clothing 500 Crore’ category. “The business from our existing customer base has increased considerably and we haven’t added any new market recently. But, we have added more products to our portfolio and will keep offering these to all our customers,†said Mittal.
The company supplies finished fabric and garments to various retailers and well-known brands. C&A is one of their largest customers. Pratibha Syntex has been a recipient of prestigious awards in the past for its excellence performance in the field of exports including the prestigious GLASA awards, Stockholm in 2015 for holistic water management practices and Textile Exchange farm innovation award.
“I don’t think India can become No. 1 in textile business in a short term, but surely has a huge potential to be a textile major globally,†equipped Mittal. “There’s a greater need to provide better infrastructure, administrative support, industry friendly policies, etc. Duty-free access to various importing countries needs to be pushed that will make India more competitive. Incentivisation to the industry is also needed to grow the global market share,†he concluded.