Aditya Birla Group to Expand Textile Value Chain Initiative

Aditya Birla Group to Expand Textile Value Chain Initiative

The $41-billion Aditya Birla Group will scale up and expand further the LIVA Accredited Partners Forum (LAPF) --a unique initiative to improve the textile value chain--by reaching out to more players from the rural hubs and small towns across the country.

“This is an attempt to bring all textile stakeholders on a single platform and promote innovation and quality, and make India the world’s leading cloth manufacturing hub in line with the Make in India strategy. India has the potential and can compete with any country including China,” said Prakash Nedungadi, President, Consumer Insights and Brand Development, Aditya Birla Group.

“This initiative is not just limited to cities, but it will also include small towns and rural players,” he said, at a stakeholders’ conclave here on Friday (December 4). The summit, involving over 200 leading textile players mainly from the Southern States, was held as part of the efforts to support design development, technical skills, marketing and buyer link support, under LAPF initiative.

“This is a unique unity for quality. We have 320 members on board and the forum plays a key role in improving the value chain through critical support,” said Aswhin J Laddha, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing (India, SAARC, Far East).

Birla Cellulose –the pulp and fibre manufacturing division of Grasim –has tied up with Mumbai-based Netcarrots to implement a customer relationship marketing program for the stakeholders. LAPF members include spinners, weavers, knitters and fabricators, with major participation from textile hubs such as Tirupur, Erode, Ludhiana, New Delhi, Kolkatta, Surat, Bhiwandi etc. The LAPF programme is linked to Birla Cellulose’s fibre brand LIVA which was launched in March this year in line with the group chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla’s vision of establishing connect with the end consumer.

The stakeholders also explained how they were benefiting from the collaboration with Aditya Birla Group, the world’s largest manufacturer of viscose staple fibre (VSF). Subhash Dhawan from Gokul Tex, felt that this partnership could make a big change in the textile sector by handholding the small players.

“Quality is the big difference that this initiative could make,” said Chellapandi of Asmara Group, while summing up his experience with the Forum. Likewise, Alakan Karuppannan of Pallava Group also pointed out that LAPF had proved the value in critical areas where small players faced challenges.

The company has also tied up with Bombay Textile Research Association (BTRA) to undertake quality improvement programs and stringent audits for the partners. The partners are shortlisted for the programme after they comply with eight stringent parameters. After the selection, the company will equip them with five major services, including Design & development, technical services, vendor management, marketing & buyer link support and market Intellegence.

Uday Khadilkar, Vice President and Head, Supply Chain, M Natarajan, Regional Head, (Southern Region - Sales and Marketing), Ritesh Khandelwal (head brands and retail), Rishi Sharma (Head Marketing, Digital Events and CRM), and Hemaxy Chotai (AGM, Design and Collections) also briefed the stakeholders on different aspects of the value chain.

LAPF partners, including fabricators, promote / market their products with LIVA accreditation. A Liva tag in a garment promises high quality fabrics. Leading brands in the country such as Pantaloons, Van Heusen, Allen Solly, People, Global Desi, Lifestyle, Melange, Shoppers Stop, Reliance trends, Wills Lifestyle, Desi Belle Chemistry, F-109, Fusion Beats, FBB, Etnicity and Max use LIVA branded fabric.

Birla Cellulose is the leading player in the VSF industry with 93% market share.