The pandemic showed how exposed supply chains are
He started Tukatech, a fashion technology solutions company, in 1995 after he suffered a heart attack following his retirement. The goal then, at a time when people were still using paper, was to get pattern makers to make patterns on the computer. Today, Tukatech is credited with successfully bringing digital pattern making to dozens of countries and as an innovative leader in virtual sample making for design and fit with real-time motion simulation. It was the first to develop and implement on-demand manufacturing processes and is known for advanced cutting room solutions. Tukatech's robust systems are implemented by fashion experts from all corners of the garment industry. Founder and chairman Ram Sareen talks to Richa Bansal.
How can fashion businesses pick and choose the right suite of software? What will be your sure shot five tips to not go wrong?
1. Consider the problem at hand-you cannot choose the right solution if you don't properly understand the problem. For example, "quality issues" are not the problem; bad planning and fabric management is the problem. Really drill down to the root.
2. End-to-end solutions-better yet, is the solution a complete system, or does it just cover one part of the entire process?
3. Data utilisation-is the data generated usable by the next person in the process, or will they have to duplicate work?
4. Training and support-is the solution provider just trying to make a sale and move on, or will they actually make sure your people know what they are doing? Are they going to send you an invoice for every phone call? How many "hidden fees" do they surprise you with?
5. Results oriented-what is the solution provider's measure of success? Are they only looking at the number of stations they can sell you, or are they committed to making sure you are operating as efficiently as possible?
How has the demand been from educational institutions?
In all honesty, I am very disappointed with the educational institutions. I hear from industry professionals who hire from these schools expecting someone who has a clue about the industry, and they end up investing a year just to get these students up to starting point zero.
Fashion schools need to consider: What is your objective? Are you just churning out degrees, or are you really concerned with making sure graduates are adding value right away?
That being said, there are some institutes who are rising to the occasion and trying to incorporate technology into their curriculum. But if they are not constantly communicating with fashion businesses, they will always be disconnected and fall behind.
The ones who lose are the students in this case. They spend tens of thousands of dollars and have next to nothing to show for it. They deserve better.
As a fashion company offering tech solutions, and as someone who has been up close with the business of fashion, what are the disruptions that the fashion industry needs and where do you think they are coming from or can come from?
The fashion industry needs to understand that the pandemic didn't really change anything. It only accelerated the timeline for what was already on its way: Fashion businesses will make fewer garments, but they will make more SKUs. They will need to offer low prices and short lead times.
The pandemic showed that the industry is capable of adapting their business model to a change in circumstances. All of a sudden, the people who spent years rejecting 3D sampling were desperate to adopt the technology so they could work remotely.
Many businesses have decided to continue working remotely even after the pandemic is over. This is only possible with digital product development and collaboration.
3D, AI, blockchain, NFT-all these are gaining currency like never before. How does one splice through all the noise?
It's easy to get caught up in all the latest tech trends. The biggest thing is to be thoughtful and analytical about what your company does, and what you actually need. Not everything is for
everyone. Consider what gaps you have in your business, and whether a given technology will fill that gap.
Consider your customer as well. Is the technology helping you to meet them where they are and serve them well?
Again, slow fashion, sustainability, circularity-the clamour is only getting stronger and perhaps rightly so. The pandemic is giving us warnings aplenty. How can clean technology help further businesses with these missions in mind?
In this case we're talking about social trends. A lot of companies "greenwash" their business, meaning they use these buzzwords and act like they are sustainable, yet they are still overproducing inventory and wasting material in product development.
In some cases, there is outright deceit. For example, it has become popular to use recycled plastics from water bottles as materials for new garments. But some manufacturers will just go straight to the bottle manufacturer and buy them brand new. Can they technically say, "Made from recycled materials?" Sure. Are they actually reducing the volume of wasted materials? Absolutely not.
You've got to look beyond slogans, hashtags, and initiatives and instead consider what is happening in practice.
A peep into Tukatech-how did Tukatech come about? Please share your journey, and if possible any interesting anecdote that could have triggered or served as a catalyst in founding and growth of your company?
I started Tukatech in 1995 after I had a heart attack after my retirement. My goal was only to get pattern makers to make patterns on the computer. At the time people were still using paper, and then digitising, but no one made a CAD (computer-aided design) pattern from scratch. I never dreamed that within a few years, not only would we reach this goal, but pattern makers would be
able to get the software on subscription and use it without any formal training. My approach was and remains very focused.
Pattern making, 3D fitting software- what is the promise of accuracy as compared to by-hand or other software?
Our CAD pattern making system is precise to three decimal places. When this pattern is draped in 3D, we use a model that was custom made from a 3D body scan and rigged with real time motion simulation. The virtual cloth has the same behaviour as the physical fabric.
We are focused on making sure the 3D garment can be used to analyse design and fit. We are not just trying to get a pretty picture on the screen. We are using real data that can be used for production after the virtual sample has been approved.
There is a great reduction in human error because the computer doesn't lie; it shows you exactly what you made. What's more, because Tukatech has an end-to-end digital product development solution, there is nothing lost by converting a file from one system to another.
What about the tech solutions from Tukatech? How do they help in reducing wastage, etc?
The fashion industry's "dirty little secret" is how much waste happens behind the scenes in product development. Think about the number of physical samples produced and then shipped around the globe, only to end up in the landfill because the industry's average adoption rate is something like 15 per cent. Then because the process is so slow, you miss the window where you can sell the goods at full price, so they end up marked down and eventually thrown away.
In production, there is so much wasted fabric simply because of bad planning. The QC requirements actually destroy the fabric, then you lay a marker on top with six inches of unused marker width, which goes straight to the garbage.
Product development and planning can be digitised all the way up until the knife touches the fabric. Digital pattern making, grading, marker making, fabric planning, and virtual sample making reduce the amount of physical resources put into design and development. There is also a time savings, which means you can finish production more quickly and get the product in front of the customers when they are ready to buy it at full price.
How has the pandemic impacted business? Has there been an uptick considering that since the pandemic struck, the world has moved online like never before?
Yes, we saw an increase in software utilisation from those who had to move to remote work. We've also seen an increase in cutting room equipment, as a lot of businesses added PPE (personal protective equipment) and masks to their repertoire. More than that, the pandemic showed how exposed the supply chains are, and that made a lot of people want to manufacture closer to
the market they sell to.
What has the growth story been at Tukatech? What is the target set for the next six months?
I have never followed the fashion industry, because as a whole it is so backwards and upside down when it comes to processes and engineering. We have differentiated ourselves by thinking differently from others in the industry and looking at where we are actually headed.
Right now, there is a growing skills gap, especially in the US. No one comes out of school knowing how to make patterns anymore, and the artisan pattern masters are starting to retire. In order to bridge this gap, we created an extension to our pattern making software which actually creates graded patterns by filling out a spec sheet, basically digitising the first pattern maker. Now the junior pattern maker only needs to adjust the style lines, and doesn't need to start from scratch.
Additionally, we've created a library of CAD patterns and 3D garments. Designers can go in and select something they like, visualise their artwork, and if they like it they can get the pattern and have it made. (RB)
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