Indo Count Industries Ltd. (ICIL), the third largest manufacturer of bed linen in India and the fourth largest supplier to the US, is in the process of reaching out to a wider range of customers by exploring newer channels of marketing. The company success thus far can be attributed to a combination of factors like its state-of-the-art machineries and product innovation. An aggressive reach into new markets, low asset light model and special focus on sustainable products are the other contributing factors.
ICIL started as a cotton yarn spinning company in 1991. Since then, the company has been steadily working on the yarn segment till it evolved into the largest strategic business unit of the group with 80,000 spindles and 14,000 tons per annum. Backed by this capacity, ICIL began to offer one-stop solutions to its customers through a variety of products in yarn ranges, from 20s to 120s, in 100% cotton.
Having consolidated its position in yarn spinning, the company forayed into the home textile space in 2007. The timing was just right as the home decor and lifestyle segments were opening up in a big way in India. To meet the new emerging need, ICIL began focusing on weaving till it gained competency – 128 looms (contractual 350 looms). In the case of processing, it reached 68 million metres per annum, and with made-ups, it is 17 million sets.
From the consumer point of view, the expanded product range covers duvet covers, comforters, pillow covers, utility bedding (mattress pads and mattress protectors), fashion bedding and institutional bedding, which work well with the existing sheet sets. These cover a bouquet of products to the retailers, thereby becoming a one-stop solution for all bed related needs.
Given this bandwidth, it’s no surprise that retailers like Wal-Mart, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target, Kohl’s, Kmart, JC Penney, Sam’s Club, Macy’s, Debenhams, John Lewis and Home Centre rank among its clients spread across 49 countries in five continents. “Product portfolio expansion, geographical expansion, improving client mix, lower constraints post-exit from CDR and gradual steps into e-retailing are the multiple growth drivers for the company, going forward,” said Mr. Anil Kumar Jain, Chairman & Managing Director, Indo Count Industries Ltd.
In Home Textiles, ICIL has procured machineries from well-known suppliers like Benninger (Switzerland), Tsudakoma (Japan), Monforts and Oshtoff (Germany), Juki (Japan), Mathis (the UK), Zimmer (Austria) and Airoli (Italy).
In the Spinning Division, the machineries include those from Rieter (Switzerland), Schlafhorst (Germany), Volkmann TFO (Germany), Xorella and Uster (Switzerland), Mayer and CIE (Germany) and LMW (India). All this comes with a support system. “Indo Count Global, Inc., our US subsidiary, has showroom and designing facilities in New York and EDI facilities in Charlotte, which provide us a competitive edge to directly serve our customers from the US shores,” explained Mr. Jain.
With a turnover of Rs. 1,680 crores for FY14-FY15, the company is in the process of expanding its marketing channel. An e-commerce business is being set up to reach out to retailers and e-commerce platforms of the ICIL collection. It’s a known fact that the online medium helps in brand visibility and track customer behaviour.
Moving ahead, ICIL is looking forward to get recognized as a name synonymous to “bedding” and has a vision to become “the Global Bed Linen Company”.