The company is a vertically integrated end-to-end garment manufacturer and exporter. It is one of India’s biggest knitwear producers and Eastman Export’s core strength is its ability to design and develop a wide range of samples and products with a quick turnaround time
Eastman Exports is a name that will ring a bell to anyone familiar with the apparel exports industry of India. This Tiruppur–based company has emerged as a leading manufacturer and exporter of high-quality garments, knitted fabric, clothing and custom T-shirts. In an exclusive interaction, the company’s Chairman and Managing Director N Chandran shared detailed insights into the history of the company, its product range, manufacturing infrastructure, exports, sustainability initiatives, automation and digitisation focus and future plans, among others. We began the interaction by asking Chandran about the early days of the company.
“After completing my education, I decided to dive into the promising dyeing sector of Tiruppur and opened a small but modernised dyeing unit with my brothers in 1976. Tiruppur was a hub of white products but required mechanised and modernised dyeing units to drive the robust export numbers. After tasting success and recognition as the best dyeing house in Tiruppur, I decided to take a plunge into the export sector. In 1983, I started Eastman Exports and made shipments even during the major 1984 strike in the region. This boosted our confidence and by 1986 we focussed on building a vertically integrated garment manufacturing and exporting company. Now we don’t import any fabric for our production process and make over 8 million pieces of knitted garments monthly,” he said.
Sharing details about the product range manufactured by the company, Chandran informed, “Eastman Exports is a vertically integrated end-to-end garment manufacturer and exporter. It is one of India’s biggest knitwear producers. Eastman Export’s core strength is its ability to design and develop a wide range of samples and products with a quick turnaround time. Our product portfolio includes the entire range of knitwear garments from basic innerwear to premium and high-street fashion T-shirts, jackets, tops, etc. The company also manufactures eco-friendly products made of organic and recycled cotton and recycled polyester.”
Robust Infrastructure
Eastman Exports has always prided itself on its manufacturing infrastructure. Going into details about the manufacturing units and present capacity, N Chandran stated, “Eastman Exports has 35 manufacturing units with production capability of more than 8 million garments monthly. The group has 50,400 spindles, producing around 11,700 tonnes of finest quality multi-count cotton grey yarns per annum. The company has the most modern wet processing facility that houses European machines. It is one of the few eco-friendly and zero-discharge processing units in India. The facility can produce at least 56 TPD for fabric dyeing, 12 TPD for yarn dyeing and 10 TPD for fabric printing, respectively.”
“The group also has separate printing units for pot, thermal and flock printing along with high-density, sublimation, digital, photo prints and others .Since we are growth-oriented company, we will expand our capacities as and when required to meet our long-term targets. We have recently augmented our apparel capacities by acquiring a unit near Chirruper,” he added. The company has always been known for its strong research and development focus. “I have always believed that technology is the key to success and growing your business. Eastman Exports has a dedicated integrated research and development wing. It is the only DSIR-approved research centre for the knitwear industry, which is consistently filing patents with IPR India,” Chandran further said.
“The key focus of Eastman Exports’ research and development is product development. This includes making new raw materials like yarn and fabrics and developing efficient and ecological production lines. We have recently implemented ERP across our operations, which will enable smooth functioning. We expect improved customer servicing and much coordinated operations after ERP implementation. Overall, the objective is not only to create the finest products with optimisation in processes and costs but also provide our customers across the globe with quality that is internationally approved,” he explained.
Export Focus
According to N Chandran, more than 90% of the company’s revenues are derived from the export markets. “We utilise part of our yarn capacity actively while the remaining yarn is sold to domestic players,” he said, and added, “In the export market Eastman Exports is into mid to high fashion apparel manufacturing. The company manufactures products across various age groups – about 50% of the revenue comes from men’s clothing while women and kids accounts for the remaining 50%. Our customers are globally renowned brands and big box retailers across the US, Europe, the UK, Australia, Canada and others,” he said.
Referring to the key reasons which make the company stand out from the crowd, Chandran said, “Vertical integration of manufacturing processes enables us to customise our products as per the clients’ specifications with reliable quality assurance in a cost-effective manner. At the same time, we are able to develop innovative products while controlling quality, costs and timely delivery of production. Our team is a brilliant mix of the best in technology, design and manufacturing. Our research and development centres and in-house labs are fully equipped with the latest testing equipment. Needless to add, we surpass our clients’ expectations on quality and timely delivery.”
Ambitious Growth Plans
Sharing details regarding the growth of the company over the years, N Chandran said, “Over the decades our turnover has reached more than USD 220 million. We aspire to grow at twice the number of industry growth rate in the coming years.” When asked about the total number of employees and any specific employee welfare measures at Eastman Exports, Chandran elaborated, “Eastman Exports’ employs more than 18,000 workers across its 35 factories of which around 70% are women. To start with, we jointly run a programme with our clients known as Personal Advancement and Career Enhancement Program (PACE).”
This is a three-month long educational workshop to teach women various life and social skills. One such skill is financial planning where the company teaches the importance of saving money to become financially independent. “PACE is one of our flagship programmes as it helps women from Tier II cities to learn about the small and high-yielding saving methods. Out of the lot, one of the most important initiatives is gender sensitisation programmes where men are taught how to become actively involved to stop gender violence. A lot of these awareness initiatives involve traditional art forms to attract more people and impart impactful education,” he added.
Sustainability and Automation Initiatives
Eastman Exports has always been known to be a frontrunner when it comes to sustainable manufacturing. Elaborating about the company’s key green manufacturing initiatives, N Chandran said, “At Eastman Exports, sustainability is an integral part of every core process. A dedicated and integrated research and development wing apart, the company strives to replace coal and other traditional energy sources with biomass and renewable sources. In 2022, it has successfully converted 41% of coal-based energy sources with biomass. Additionally, Eastman Exports is a strong propagator of circular economy to reduce landfill dumping.”
“We use RCS-marked recycled cotton and have reduced fibre wastage by up to 30% in the production process. We were one of the first few companies to use zero liquid discharge technology for treating chemical effluents in the industrial wastewater in Tiruppur. Eastman Exports recycles around 90% of industrial wastewater in the dyeing facilities. Overall, it recycles 70% of water across its factories. It has built up an integrated chemical management system that is aligned with global guidelines, including zero discharge of hazardous chemicals (ZDHC),” he added.
Automation and digitisation is another area where the company has taken the lead. Speaking about the initiatives on this front, Chandran commented, “We continuously aim to improve the efficiency of our manufacturing process by adopting automation and ensuring compliance towards Industry 4.0 standards. With the help of advanced technologies such as machine learning, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT), we have automated several key processes to reduce human error, increase productivity and minimise waste. By integrating our production line with Industry 4.0-compliant technologies, we can collect and analyse data in real-time to make informed decisions and optimise our operations.”
“We want to stay ahead of the curve in the fast-paced world of manufacturing and will continue to explore innovative ways to improve our processes,” he added. Sharing his growth plans and vision for the company for 2025 and beyond, Chandran said, “In the long run Eastman Exports would like to become one of the best run apparel manufacturing companies in the world, be it in terms of cost, technology, talent or infrastructure. In the short run, we will focus on a lean cost structure and capturing growth from under penetrated regions and countries like the UK, Europe, Australia and MENA.”