Garment firms cash in on trend for uniforms
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ALTHOUGH the garment industry is experiencing sluggish sales this year, the uniform business is booming with rising demand from many industries.
Yuttana Silpsarnvitch, managing director of Uniformworld Co and JM Apparel Co, said last week that his business is doing well because he has differentiated it by focusing on uniform production and sales, as many businesses have to use uniforms.
“I realised that the garment industry is highly competitive, so I diversified my company to uniforms as low players in the industry, but seeing high demand in the market.
“Nowadays, many companies like banks, restaurants, department stores, hospitals and airlines have turned to using uniforms as a symbol for the company. Uniforms can also project a good image of each business,” he said.
The firms have paid close attention to fabric quality, designs and patterns. Many companies trust his firms to produce uniforms for their employees.
Uniformworld Co was launched almost two years ago and it doubled its sales last year. For this year, the firm also expects to double sales.
It generates more than Bt200 million in revenue a year.
JM Apparel was established in 1995 as a subcontractor and manufacturer of general garments. The business did well until the economic crisis when many foreign manufacturers shifted their production base to other countries.
At that time, Yuttana sought a solution to keep his business going by downsizing the factory from more than 600 employees to about 170. The combined workforce is now about 100 employees.
The company supplies products to other Thai producers with local plants, as well as to other factories in Asean, mainly in low-wage Vietnam and Cambodia.
Yuttana said he would not expand his firm rapidly like in the past, but will use a subcontracting model. He has invested in R&D through his company’s laboratory to serve the needs of his customers for a variety of uniforms.
The company has also focused on marketing to make it known as one of the country’s leading uniform manufacturers and suppliers.
It aims to become Thailand and Asean’s leading uniform supplier in three to five years following regional integration and the rising demand of many industries for uniforms.
To expand into Asean, the company is seeking partners in Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines.
To serve the high-end market, such as five-star hotels and international hospitals, Uniformworld will work with Japan’s leading uniform producer to import high quality uniforms.
Japan would help transfer know-how and technology to the company and make it one of the strongest uniform producers, he added.
