Women on Wings’ business partner Fabric Plus aims to become the number one silk supplier in India and has ambitious growth plans for its turnover in this fiscal year. End of April, Women on Wings worked with Fabric Plus on its growth plans.
Encouraging to Plan, Do, Check and Adjust
Expert Jan Anne Schelling and Ronald van het Hof, MD Women on Wings India, visited the Fabric Plus plant near Guwahati, Assam, where the yarns are being spun. Jan Anne: “Since my last visit, a lot of progress has been made. Time to make the next step with the factory management and first line supervisors. One of the subjects this time was waste. A customer doesn’t like to pay for waste, so we should focus on the customer needs and improve productivity. We can do that by reducing every type of waste you can identify, from waste of raw materials to waste of transportation, waste of time etc..”
Next to working on waste reduction, Jan Anne and Ronald worked with the management on how to activate LEAN and the Plan Do Check Adjust cycle.
Working on growth
After two days working at the plant, Jan Anne left and Ellen Tacoma, co-founder Women on Wings, came to Guwahati to work with the board of Fabric Plus. Last year, Fabric Plus changed its board and the new board structure turns out very well. The growth is speeding up and the younger generation in management is taking ownership and is dedicated to reach the targets. Women on Wings and Fabric Plus analyzed the growth plan, looked at production capacity and explored markets. Dilip Barooah, Managing Founder Fabric Plus: ‘Ellen and Ronald also did a workshop with our Heads of Department. Are we ready for growth, do we know each other well enough to really support each other and where are gaps in the supply chain? It was a very effective workshop with clear results and actions.”
Business innovation leads to social impact
Fabric Plus offers a wide range of silk products from yarns to fabric, garments and accessories. It is known for its high level of innovation in yarns and in the design of the ready to wear products. Its products find their way to both national and international markets. Fabric Plus is socially committed to nourish rural craftsmanship. Since 2009, Women on Wings and Fabric Plus partner in creating more employment opportunities for women in rural north east India. Currently, the partnership impacts the lives of over 33,000 rural families in Assam.
