The Sky Group, with its manufacturing units located at Tirupur, Palladam and Udumalpet in Tamil Nadu, is a leading manufacturer of yarns, fabrics and institutional textile products. The group companies are Sky Cotex India Private Ltd., which is into manufacture and export of yarns, Karthikeya Cotton Mills, manufacturing and supplying of fabrics for the domestic market, Sky Weaves, manufacturing and supplying Sulzer woven fabrics for the domestic market, Sky International, manufacturing and exporting fabrics, and Sky Cotex India Private Ltd., which is into manufacture and export of institutional textile products and home textiles.
In an exclusive interview to The Textile Magazine, Mr. S. Karthikeyan, the group Managing Director and a third generation entrepreneur, gave detailed insights into the growth of the company over the years. “The group started its operations in a small way in 1968 under Mr. A. Velusamy, my grandfather, with four powerloom machines. My father, Mr. V. Sundararaj, joined him later on and developed the business.”
Mr. Karthikeyan cited the company’s strong infrastructure focus as one of the key reasons for its consistent growth story. The group’s spinning mill with 27,600 spindles located near Udumalpet features modern machinery from Rieter, Trutzchler, LMW and Muratec. The weaving facility near Palladam has 96 Sulzer projectile looms. Similarly, the group’s sewing facility features the latest sewing machines from Juki, Eastman, Pegasus, Yamato and Siruba.
The group’s garmenting division was established in 2007. It manufactures home textiles, shopping bags and knitted garments, catering to both the domestic and international markets. The division markets its products to hotels and hospitals under the brand name ‘Sky Linens’, and as ‘Sky Home Collections’ in the domestic retail market.
Outlining the key reasons behind the Sky Group’s growth story, Mr. Karthikeyan said: “The first and foremost is our strong commitment to quality. Next is reasonable pricing. Prompt delivery every time is another reason for our success. Plus, of course, our superior customer service.”
The group companies are certified by Bureau Veritas Certification for ISO 9001:2008 Quality Management Systems. “Our in-house quality assurance team puts our products through rigorous quality checks at our modern testing laboratory. Our customers also carry out quality audits before they buy our products,” pointed out Mr. Karthikeyan, throwing light on the group companies’ quality commitment.
Touching on the prospects of the textile industry, he said: “There is a lot of scope for the growth of the industry. Many new opportunities are arising in the Tirupur cluster. Technical textiles are a good example. Value added products are another good example. We see a lot of positive steps being taken by the Government with respect to entering into FTAs with leading countries. All these developments augur well for the textile industry.”