On  1 December last year the STAL-Project was launched. 35 Thai smaller and medium sized textile/garment businesses have been participating in the OSMEP funded project aimed at streamlining processes, benchmarking as well as engaging and motivating staff more effectively to secure productivity increase up to 30%.

The STAL-Project focused on Process Audit and Benchmark to find for each of the 35 participating Companies their individual strengths and weaknesses. Based on the findings outcomes Training Programs were developed to eliminate the weaknesses and achieve company wide improvement. The comprehensive Project-Program was designed and built up by TTCMSO (Thai Textile Clothing MemberShip Organization) and integrated competencies offered by TTCMSO’s local and international Alliance Partners, including academic textile / garment experts and institutes.

Now Top-Executives from 3 participating Companies met to share their experience and views about the STAL-Project and its outcome. The three companies included Soi 29, Covenant, and Pomme Fashion.

Soi 29 Co., Ltd. is an expert company marketing, selling and manufacturing 500 styles of Children Wear/ day, all exported to Spain. Products of the 184 staff company are 95 % woven-fabric-made. Half of raw material is locally sourced. After being in business for 14 years and affected by the world economic crisis, Soi 29 Co., Ltd. started also to create its own “Froggy” Brand serving local markets successfully. “Froggy” was followed soon by another brand “Mon Ange” for toddlers.

Product manager Phoonsombat Singhaphan, though very exited about the STAL-Project, said: “At our factory, most workers are well trained with long experience. We are very careful in every process for quality product and service!” Soi 29’s markets have done well during the past seasons.  But competition requires Soi 29 to move forward in Branding by setting up a Strategic Alliance with a Spanish Design Team to develop another brand “Candy Floss” for Spain. So, everything sounds smooth for Soi 29. “Why than did Soi 29 join the STAL-Project”?

“We want to put the right man on the right job” Khun Phoonsombat said. “Our staffs seem unable to handle their job themselves. So, when we were contacted by the TTCMSO Team and got to hear all the ingredients of the project we jumped in at once!” Phoonsombat also told, “That everything seems running back to me, to decide, to solve, and even to assure my staff for their own decisions. Sometimes I felt so exhausted that I want to stop and do nothing at all,” he confessed. Yet after the project he already noticed some improvement. STAL-Project activities helped him to find out Soi 29’s real problems. Soi 29 received STAL-Project’s advice for urgent and long-term solutions which started to be implemented already. “My production line flows better with faster work. My staffs now work with no confusion. We can give assignments to our staff and evaluate their performances more easily and more efficiently. Besides, together with the TTCMSO Team, I found that partly I myself contributed to the problems we experience,” Khun Phoonsombat frankly admitted smiling.

STAL project Summary

Covenant Co., Ltd. also joined STAL project but with different reason.

“My company has been doing very well. But my staffs are not happy with work. I want to have my company become a happy workplace,” Wisan Wanasaksrisakul, Covenant’s managing director said. Wisan started his Company seven years ago as a small garment shop-house factory with only three sewing machines.  Now, his business is far bigger and nearly brings the total textile/garment value chain together, only dyeing is missing--yet.

“Every year I create a new product. In the first business-year, I did only garment. In the second year I added embroidery machines. In the third year I brought in knitting machines. The following year, I got more innovative knitting machines. So far, everything has progressed successfully as planned,” he enthusiastically said.

Being a sharp, modern businessman, Wisan turns crisis or gaps into opportunities. He built up his small garment factory by marketing, selling, producing uniforms, polo-necked T-shirts, related garment and accessories. His clients range from large corporate companies to temples in the Northeast. Products include robes for Buddhist monks. Now there are 60 sewing machines and 180 staff. The local market generates at least 100 million baht annually which does not include monk robes worth 24 million baht this year alone, double from last year. “Our strength consists of innovation, quality and speed. We keep improving our products and services.  We focus on best efficiency,” he stressed while explaining the company’s development of long-lasting UV protection fiber and light, no-shrink fabric with no-water absorption.

But besides all that, a successful Wisan said his staff left for other jobs with lower salaries and less challenging work. Something he did not understand. Yet this was the reason why he signed in with the STAL-Project.  His decision to join, and that is why he is enthusiastic, gave him what he expected —answers to problems he always wondered about and ideas for new marketing and branding. “The project team helped diagnose the symptoms of my company, like a doctor diagnosis his patients. The team audited and developed solutions —pointing clearly out our weak and strong points and, what to do! This was very good, precise and very practical,” Wisan said. But he also added that he formerly hired consulting firms for similar  services but none ever gave him any satisfying result or solution comparable to the support he from STAL!

Besides Soi 29 and Covenant, Pomme Fashion Co., Ltd. is the third party of the meeting which signed in the STAL-Project. Vorathep Kulthavorn, managing director explained, when he was approached by the TTCMSO-Team, he told his staffs to go for the project training with no hesitation. “I want my workers to learn and gain experience so they may be able to think creatively and improve their ability. That, in effect, will benefit not just their work but themselves, too,” Vorathep said.

Pomme Fashion is in business since 15 years. The Added Value both for men-and women-wear, mostly jackets and pants, is focused on garment dyed clothing for European export. Pomme Fashion products are not aimed for mass markets but for specific niches. That is one reason why Vorathep’s factory is small with few scores of workers whom he himself is always training parallel to the work they are performing.

“I graduated in chemistry, so basically it had little to do with textile business. But I am always curious and want to know both in theory and practice. Since I entered the garment business I had quite a lot of experience with foreigners in other countries which kept myself learning and experimenting for better results. I found that we have to apply theory and practice together to get quality work. And that needs creative thinking and confidence to express our opinions to others, and to make them convinced” he explained. Vorathep also added that the problem at his Company (similar to others) is partly due to Thai culture. Many local workers tend to do their work day by day following their supervisors with no creative thinking, but blaming others, resulting in extra work, unnecessary problems to management and production.  Staff is also afraid to express opinions, especially when contacting foreigners.

Vorathep experienced that the STAL-Project’s Process Audit, Benchmark and Training Program provided similar views which he often tried to train himself. For him the STAL-Project is like re-assurance to what he thinks and that is why he said: “The STAL-Project is good” and that he wishes to continue and even extend it into wider ranges.  “Some of my workers seem getting improved while others, and that will never change, just remain where they are. I think it is not just about the education level to make a person learn and understand to develop his/her creative thinking so they can gain confidence. It is also part of the individual attitude,” he said.

Phoonsombat and Wisan agreed with Vorathep that the STAL-Project together with it’s Process Audit, it’s highly important Benchmark and the Individualized Training Program not to forget other side line effects is great value for textile /garment. A STAL-Project can help businesses to better explore their backyard and realize how and at what level they are performing, not just in manufacturing but in the total Company. Following that, total solutions, suitable for improvement and sustainability amid fierce competitions, are established.  Moreover, the three executives unanimously suggested that the Government should further support and promote this kind of “Total Company Projects” executed by Experts as it has been in the STAL-Project. This always must include high caliber Training as it did in the STAL-Project helping not only SME’s but the total industry consistently and continuously. All in all, everyone agreed, the STAL-Project is extraordinary, important and successful, not least because of its totally New Approach upgrading Companies.