JIT- Innovation by an Indian entrepreneur revolutionizes the textile and fashion industry
Indian Beautiful Art, also known as IBA Craft, is one of the largest sellers in the e-commerce industry for Indian products globally. Founded in New Delhi in 2009 by Nitin Kapoor who is the CEO & co-founder. Recently IBA was a finalist in the National startup awards AR category as well. IBA has shipped over 1 million products to over 136 countries, crossing revenues of 5 million USD. The company proudly boasts a steady base of 500,000 customers around the world. It is known worldwide for its focus on redefining the process on which the garment industry runs. Excelling in the textile industry, Mr. Nitin came across a major challenge of ‘Inventory’ & decided to iron out. The uncertain & dynamic demands of customers in the industry has lead to the piling of unsold inventory and outdated designs. In the end diluting the stocks at throwaway prices.
He has also Implemented technology like AR and VR in retail which helps retailers and consumers alike have a better shopping experience while reducing operating costs for retailers, and offering an immersive, engaging experience to consumers. Decoding the complex issue of Stocking/Inventory’ in the Textile industry, Mr. Kapoor introduced JIT – A new tool in TexTech (Textile Technology). The technology deals with the ‘demand-oriented production’ methodology with an objective to produce what is demanded by the market and control utilization of natural resources along with no dumping of waste fabric or garment. The problem is being solved in two parts, instead of getting prints of the photoshoot, images on the clothes are tested using technology. This effectively cuts the cost of photoshoot production and creates a single prototype for various patterns of the same garment. The colors and designs can be changed directly with sizes till 5 XL, saving time and resources. Secondly, it is assisting in compliance of energy, water, and environment conservation.
With JIT, the garment is only manufactured once the customer has placed their order. Right from printing to dispatching the product, the order is managed just within 48 hours with Zero’ wastage of natural resources. When a garment is not sold it is mostly dumped or burnt, so JIT is the most relevant now. We show the catalog to the customer first and then get the garment manufactured only after the customer has placed their order. Right from printing to dispatching the product, the order is managed just within 48 hours, so that there is no wastage, says Nitin Kapoor. JIT helps to save the warehousing cost involved which is the biggest problem of all the online and offline brands. IBA’ believes that sustainability has to be rooted in the DNA of the brand and communicated in entirety to the consumer. with “Just in time” the final cost of the output is minimal as the cost of the input is very less. With JIT technology, they have the luxury to create garments for every segment, and we are already in women’s, men’s, and kids’ clothing in both the categories fashion and ethnic. With process automation through in-build technology, they are able to match the cost of manufacturing as compared to bulk manufacturing; with the same, they are sure to touch a large number of customers in every age group.
