S. P. Apparels in India Implement the Fastreact Enterprise solution
The Company
S.P. Apparels Ltd, based in Coimbatore, India, is one of the regions leading knitwear manufacturing and exporting companies. Supplying clothing for infants, children and adults, their clients include many leading European brands such as Marks & Spencer, Mothercare, Dunnes Stores, George at Asda, Tesco, United Colors of Benetton, The Children’s Place & The Disney Store outlets.
Currently producing garments to the value of 80 million $US per year, the company have manufacturing facilities which include spinning, knitting, dyeing, printing and complete garment production.
S.P. Apparels have enjoyed great success in the booming post-quota Indian economy; however they are fully aware that booms can be short-lived and the reality is that their ongoing success is dependant on continuous improvement and innovation.
The Challenges
Chief Financial Officer – Mr. Stanley Jothiraj comments: "As with all apparel businesses with many challenges, (stiff competition, reduced lead times and a business growing in size and complexity), we knew that effective planning was essential and when we were introduced to Fastreact via recommendation from one of our customers, we were delighted that it met all our expectations."
The Solution
S.P. Apparels implemented the Fastreact Enterprise solution in August 2005 and were so pleased that within a year they upgraded to the top of the range Evolution version.
Chief Operating Officer – Mrs. P. V. Jeeva added: "Fastreact is user friendly & very easy to install when compared to other software. Our planning department picked it up very quickly but of course to get the most from the system all the production and merchandising departments need to get acquainted with it. Frequent visits from Fastreact personnel have helped us a lot by giving us ongoing practical advice and project guidance".
The Benefits
Executive Director – Mrs. Latha Sundararajan talks about the benefits: "Through Fastreact we have seen good improvement in capacity utilization & delivery performance. This has translated into real financial returns to the business with air freight expenses drastically reduced & lapses in capacity now being avoided".
Managing Director - Mr. P. Sundararajan comments on the return on investment: "As a fully integrated manufacturer, S.P. Apparels has found Fastreact of particular benefit in synchronising our key operational areas. From a financial perspective, the use of Fastreact has improved our On Time Delivery Performance (OTDP%) and has contributed to our sales growth. Good planning is fundamental to success in today's fast moving apparel industry. Fastreact is the key driver to achieving successful control of this vital area. In our experience, the return on investment was around 6 months from full implementation".
