Coats Bangladesh Ltd., a joint venture between AK Khan & Company Ltd. and Coats plc., is part of the world’s largest manufacturer of sewing threads. Coats has changed almost every facet of sewing thread manufacturing and delivers high value to its customers. It is a one-stop destination for all sewing and embroidery thread requirements for many industries, e.g. apparel, footwear, leather goods, and specialized areas like automotive, tea bags, carbon composites, etc.
Coats has an enviable list of customers, and factories trust its high levels of quality and service. However, it’s not merely the company’s name and reputation that is driving the industry to rely on Coats for its needs, it is also the support, collaboration and guidance that Coats offers in each and every aspect of garment manufacture – from the ordering, right through to the end use of the thread to attain the perfect seam.
The company has specialized teams for technical support, which not only help in correct thread selection and order volume, but also trouble shooting during sewing complex seams and fabrics. The company’s website, coatsindustrial.com, has made the job easy and convenient by providing a rich source of information relating to garment manufacture from a threads perspective. In addition, customers can also post related queries, which will be answered by the Coats experts within a short time frame. “It’s a huge success and has set new benchmarks,” says Kunal Kapur, Sales & Marketing Director, Coats Bangladesh adding, “People are really happy with this initiative. Many customers have registered with us to stay updated on threads and sewing related developments.”
Coats is also a pioneer in the constantly evolving technology and e-commerce space. The company’s foresight and investment in digital has added a new dimension to its business and helped customers reduce lead times and costs. To adapt to the increasing and new demands of customers, Coats has launched, Coats eComm, an online thread supply chain management service which makes thread ordering easier and faster than ever. This is a state-of-the-art tool for placing thread orders anytime, anywhere, in the way the customer wants using their own data conventions. Tracking order status, checking stock availability, receiving order confirmation, advance ship notices and generating purchase reports are just some of the beneficial features available on Coats eComm. It also connects in real time with Coats’ internal systems, so reduces the thread order fulfilment time. “Coats eComm ultimately provides accuracy, adds speed and saves cost. More than 25% of our overall orders are coming through eComm and we plan to shift 100% to eComm by the end of 2015,” informs Kunal.
Coats is also regularly launching new products to extend its portfolio of world class innovations. Recent launches include Coats Hemseal and Coats Secura.
Hemseal is an adhesive thread with a low melt portion which adheres to fabrics when pressed under heat, helping to hold hems in place even if the stitching fails.
Blind stitching hems of garments produces a neat, unobtrusive hem line but, because it is a chain stitch using a single thread, it can easily unravel and cause the hem to drop down. Hemseal is used as part of the hem construction and can also be reactivated by repressing. The hem remains in place even if the blind stitch used to sew it unravels. This helps enhance the durability of the tailored garments like suits and school uniforms.
Coats Secura is a fusible polyester/polyester core spun, self-locking thread for secure button and sequin attachment. The bonding properties of the thread are activated by steaming or ironing which ensure increased button security.
Buttons attached with Coats Secura achieve a higher button pull through strength. The thread has excellent sewability, gives good abrasion resistance as well as clean appearance due to the sealing of any loose ends.
Coats has also recently launched an innovative reflective thread, designed primarily for fashion applications. Coats Signal thread has a high level of retroreflectance when illuminated in dark or low visibility conditions, and can be used to create reflective features in logos, stitching patterns and seams.
While it is mainly decorative, when sewn on outdoor and active wear, it also helps enhance visibility at night time or in difficult weather conditions. The thread has a special lubricated finish to protect it from needle heat and ensure smooth sewing, so it retains its reflectivity after the intense sewing process, offering excellent strength and durability.
Coats has also moved very effectively into the services area. Today’s apparel, footwear and sewn products industries operate in a highly volatile and complex global environment. Brands, retailers, manufacturers and suppliers face unprecedented challenges across the supply chain.
Responding to customer‘s’ demands, Coats has established its Global Services business to help industry partners realize productivity and supply chain gains, develop people and enhance corporate responsibility worldwide.
To adapt to the increasing and new demands of customers, Coats has launched, Coats eComm, an online thread supply chain management service which makes thread ordering easier and faster than ever. This is a state-of-the-art tool for placing thread orders anytime, anywhere, in the way the customer wants using their own data conventions.
As a further step in this direction, Coats recently acquired methods analysis and productivity improvement solutions provider GSD Corporate Ltd., following a strategic alliance announced in May 2014.
Coats Global Services and GSD will work together to deliver management solutions to maximize productivity and drive down costs in the sewn products manufacturing sector, with GSD providing time-cost benchmarking and Coats offering consulting and technical production expertise, for retailers, brands and their supply chain vendors.
The commitment to offer something new all the time has driven the company to continuously look for gaps in the market and put mechanisms in place to fill them. In July 2015, Coats will launch its Opti brand of metal zippers in Bangladesh. Work is already underway to update machinery and infrastructure for this. “Bangladesh is the second largest garment exporter globally, and if a zip company is to succeed, it has to be in Bangladesh first,” observed Kunal optimistically.
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