Apparel label business ITL Intelligent Label Solutions has established a new production facility at Poppy’s Knitwear PVT Ltd’s Tirupur plant which will produce all of the Indian knitwear manufacturer’s labels for Marks & Spencer and mark a major step in its bid to create a vertically integrated supply chain.
The 1,470 sq ft facility, which will have the capability to produce rotary printed care labels, heat transfers, variable data labels including barcodes and RFID, will be managed by ITL and have the capacity to produce all of Poppy’s Marks & Spencer labelling requirements as well as for other Poppy’s customers as the need arises.
Poppy’s is one of India’s largest knitwear manufacturers with a knitwear turnover of US$50m, an annual turnover of $120m and a customer portfolio that also includes Mothercare, Next and Carrefour. It is understood to be the largest vendor to M&S.
“In order for Poppy’s to remain at the forefront of knitwear supply to global brands and retailers, it’s essential for us to create a vertically integrated supply chain and we see the on-site production of labels and packaging as a pivotal part of this,” said Poppy’s managing director Sakthivel Kaleswara Vignesh. “This partnership with ITL will allow us to further improve lead times for our customers and provide a level of flexibility and agility that our competitors cannot match”.
The move is the latest in a number of similar ventures that ITL has rolled out with strategic customers in recent years including three such service facilities in Sri-Lanka, as well as collaborations in India and Mexico.
“Providing customers with best in class availability remains at the forefront of ITL’s strategy and we are committed to being as close to needlepoint as possible,” said Chris Currie, ITL’s Group COO and head of global manufacturing operations.
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By GlobalData“Usually, our network of wholly owned service bureaus are able to provide ample coverage for the industry’s increasingly globalised sourcing needs but we recognise that on occasion, logistically, there will be an additional need for us to align especially closely with the requirements of our customers and manufacture their requirements to order on site inside their operations.
“This collaboration with Poppy’s is one such venture and allows us to significantly improve our lead times and service to them through more direct efficient communication, a dedicated production facility, as well as removing the delivery logistic, cost and lead time associated with sending goods from our Bangalore factory to Poppy’s Tirupur operation.”
ITL recently became the latest firm to set up premises in Ethiopia’s Hawassa Industrial Park, in a move it claims makes it the first global apparel label manufacturer to establish a factory in the country.
