Clothing Manufacturer in India |
How to Find Clothing Manufacturers in India ?
Hi Fellas ! In today's day and age of internet and technology , Import-Export has been more easy yet difficult than it has ever been in the history of the world. Humanity has come a long way from Sailing through the sea winds to fighting them in the sea, to move cargos in plains , everything has become very quick.
But, one thing that has not been easy back then and even today is Trust, especially if you are an importer, you would be knowing the value of trust. In today's article , we are going to assist you in your journey to find a clothing manufacturer in India.
How to find Clothing Manufacturer in India ?
India is a home to a large segment of Textile/ Garment Manufacturing but not every Manufacturer is the same or suitable to your requirement.
First, make a clear list of specifications or a tech pack of an item you are looking to source for, knowing what you want as a buyer makes the whole process more precise, and quick than generality. If you don't exact technical specs, that's also not something to worry but rather something you can work with the manufacturer.
DIFFERENT TYPES OF MANUFACTURERS
From my experience, i have broadly categorized manufacturers into 3 categories
Domestic Indian Supplier
Potential for better quality ( Flexible on quality )
Export oriented Manufacturer.
Domestic Indian Supplier - These are not manufacturers that are essentially bad in production ,but the thing is they thrive on quantity , their identification marks include Very high MOQ and less flexibility. These factories have potential to make even 10,000 t-shirts a day but the quality has to be highly regulated or can lead to production being uneven or dis-satisfactory to European or USA , UK market consumers. You can approach them if you want to import mass market bulk quantity and then resell them in local markets.
Potential for better quality - These manufacturers have a dedicated team in their company where they understand and co-ordinate the sampling and then replicate them. These factories can be identified with MOQ's between 2000-5000 per style/design. They don't only make bulk production standard products but have complex machinery for complex designs. They can meet USA, UK market demands but their quotation would be a bit expensive compared to 1st category.
Export Oriented Manufacturer - These are manufacturers that have built their entire system based on research in the apparel sectors of their target countries. These are factories that have high precision low error machinery which can work on small as well as Big order. Their identification marks comes as they are compliant to the norms such as SEDEX 4 PILLAR , CT-PAT, Higgs FEM , and they usually work with fabrics that are OEKO TEX 100 Certified . These manufacturers are highly professional in their dealings and usually have 3rd party connections with buying houses or sourcing companies that simplify their technical problems and handle the communication between buyer and them . Their Pricing can not be compared to the first two types as these have different requirement of capability and trained staff.
Now, Arises another question,
How do i find One ?
There are many ways one can find these factories . Some of the ways are
LinkedIn Search
Manufacturers Association
Open Source RFQ's
Direct search from Google.
All these are very basic online ways through which importers find suppliers but an appearance in online search result does not necessarily means they can work with you or the sourcing journey would be comfortable .
You need to check out about their processes and management to see whether they can actually fulfill your needs or not.
Direct Factory Sourcing V/s Sourcing via Buying House/Sourcing company
Direct Factory Sourcing includes that you find the factory in India , communicate your needs , trust the factory that they will provide what they promised. It's a very standard process in the global ways of procurement but their is always a risk factor that comes to the buyers mind like what if they make a wrong sizing , what if they used some other type of fabric, what if the shipment deadline is missed because they received a bigger order from some other party. Of course, not every manufacturer will do this, but these are the problems i have found prevalent in international direct sourcing. Strong Personal relationships and trust always report better outcome than any thing else.
Sourcing via Buying House - Buying House or Sourcing company is a company that assist in international Procurement from India. These companies roles are often undermined at first glance as some middleman but they have much more to put into the transaction. Buying House works as your eyes and ears on the factory floor making it sure that your order gets a priority and is fulfilled during the process. Under this model, a buyer approaches the Buying House and share their Requirements. Once requirements as discussed , buying house or a sourcing company has many pre-audited vendors onboarded with compliances and Quality checks from previous orders. They know the owners on the grounds , they know the people on the factory floor and know the type of work a particular factory is good at.
Then, after your requirement is submitted, they either suggest you a factory or provide you a combined Final price based on the model , they offer or you choose between the Two. Usually, Buying Houses work on big quantities for brands and they charge a flat percentage between 5% - 8% on the FOB Value ,depending upon the task but some buying houses cater to small order quantities also, but they usually give you a final quote on the product (including a markup) and they handle and manage all the chores of your production on the Indian Soil.
Personal Opinion:- In my humble opinion, it is always easier to work through a Buying house as they become a single stop point for your production in the Country. Instead , of getting into contact with 5 different factories directly and coordinating it's usually more convenient to contact a buying house with a requirement and they handle the rest on Indian Soil.
On the Final Note, Choosing a Direct Factory or Sourcing via Buying House/ Sourcing Company, it is always best to do your due diligence and communication with the company you are dealing with.
Looking for a Clothing Manufacturer in India?
STEES helps international clothing brands source and develop apparel through Indian manufacturing partners.
From product development and sampling to production, quality control and shipment coordination, our team can help coordinate your apparel sourcing requirements in India.
Share your tech pack, product specifications, reference images or estimated quantity with our team to start your sourcing project.
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