On February 16, 2016 ISME organized an industrial visit to Madura Garments, a subsidiary of Aditya Birla Group. We got an opportunity to get a personalized look at the operations that goes into making of the shirts, brands likes of Van Heusen and Allen Solly.

Madura Garments is the stitching unit for these brands. Also Madura makes and sells garments under its own brand name. The bail of cotton that reaches the unit goes under quality checks. The fabric is then segregated under three grades, the fourth grade fabric is rejected. The unit employs CAD method to optimize the use of fabric. Madura aims to make a difference to the society and for that it employs mostly women for the job who have left their studies in middle for various reasons.

Madura boasts of reducing lead time from 10 days to 4 days by segregating operation in modular lines. By doing so, the 47 operations got reduced to only 20 operations, reducing the lead time.

To cut attrition rate, which was a common earlier, it started making employees specialist in certain areas. Also it improved its personnel management by arranging for education for those who left their studies in middle, providing nutritional millet drink, making crèche for their children among various other initiatives. It showed positive results and attrition rate came down drastically.

Thanks to its implementation of efficient software it is one of India’s fastest growing branded apparel companies and a premium lifestyle player in the retail sector. Overall this visit was a great learning experience to all of us students, and we thank profusely to all our faculties and college authorities for facilitating it. 

Compiled by Shreesh Sharan, ISME Literary Club