Jaya Shree Textiles has risen through more than half a century of dynamic market conditions and thrived in a developing economy. Part of the Aditya Birla Group, the unit has adopted and enhanced the Group’s culture. Established in 1949 as a textile unit, it has today emerged India’s leading linen player and a preferred global wool supplier.
Over the decades, the company has earned the trust of millions of happy customers globally. Jayashree Textiles holds 42% share of the total linen fabric in the Indian OTC market, and a leading player in the worsted yarn segment while commanding a significant share in the knits market as well.
Jayashree Textiles has its operations at Rishra in West Bengal. The unit is divided into eight segments, out of which four are devoted to linen spinning, two to wool combing, one to worsted yarn and one to linen fabric. Equipped with state-of-the-art machinery, Jayashree has a huge production capacity. It produces 6,400 tons of linen yarn, 10 million meters of linen fabric, 8,800 tons of wool tops and 3,600 tons of worsted yarn per annum.
The company has almost revolutionized the Indian textile market by popularizing linen in the domestic market. It has its competitive edge in the world market with its in-house brand ‘Linen Club’. With 180+ exclusive brand outlets, Linen Club boasts of having the world’s largest retail chain in linen.
Always seeking growth, Jayashree Textiles has been investing on new technologies for expansion. With its latest addition of 21,000 spindles, the company has doubled its capacity to become the fourth largest linen yarn spinner in the world, accounting approximately 60% of India’s linen spinning capacities. It has its market for products as only 33% of production for in-house consumption, while the rest is sold majorly in the Indian market and some is exported to different countries across the globe.
With its linen manufacturing expertise, Jaya Shree has expanded its offering to cover the entire value chain from spinning to weaving to dyeing of fabrics to garmenting to retailing. In fact, the disproportionate focus of the company on apparel business has enabled it to consistently double the apparel annual top-line from FY17 to FY19. Further, the business has ventured into intimate linen fabric blends, another innovative trend in the Indian textile market.
Mr. Satyaki Ghosh took over as the CEO, Domestic Textiles & Acrylic Fiber, in January 2017. He was the former Head of Consumer Product Division of L’Oreal India and before that he worked for PepsiCo. Under his leadership, a lot of positive changes in management increased the overall efficiency of the company.
Mr. Ghosh said: “We have restructured the team with many separate units into to two integrated units of production and sales”. Previously the company was divided into many small segments which were working towards generating individual profit, but now the company is solely working towards attaining a single target while achieving their individual goals.
The unit is large and has a workforce of 4,200 on-roll workers, 1,500 contract workers and around 500 staff / management members. Some of the employees of the company have devoted multiple decades of their life to the company which has taken several initiatives to inculcate a great work culture.
Another major change is the repositioning of the company’s in-house brand, Linen Club, while retaining its premium appeal, to give out the message, ‘Made For the Different’. This highlights the unique style that the brand has in its fabrics and products and in the man who wears it. A new brand ambassador has been chosen and new talents have been hired for the promotion and management of the brand to make it ready for direct market exposure.
From the Aditya Birla Group’s point of view, Jaya Shree is one integrated unit working according to the group’s philosophy and targets. Seeking to be persistent in its leadership position in the segments it operates, the company is constantly evaluating its expansion options. There are no immediate expansion plans. However, Mr. Manmohan Singh, Unit Head, said: “As a group we are quite conscious of our role and are keeping our options open. We work according to the demand.”
Observing the macro consumer trends, the unit has recently invested to build an in-house capability to offer machine washable wool yarn to its customers.
In keeping with its commitments towards highest quality standards, the company has improved upon its sustainability standards. Its sustainability vision is to be “committed to be socially responsible with continuous improvement in business practices by balancing economic growth and constantly reducing the environmental footprint for the benefit of all stake-holders”.
In 2012, Jaya Shree Textiles was conferred the coveted ABG Sun Award for Overall Excellence in Business. In 2014, CII commended the business for Strong Commitment to Excel on the journey towards Business Excellence. The business has been consistently GRI-compliant since FY15.
Jaya Shree owns one of the largest plants in the east of India and is working towards improving the per person efficiency. The company has also set up a waste discharge plant, half of which is already operational and the other half will be ready to run by March 2019.
Jaya Shree was also the first company ever to adhere to the GRI sustainability standards. It is not only investing to improve technology but also to improve the work standards through focused training and skill development. The team is continuously working to devise methods to improve efficiency and reduce waste generation and energy consumption.
The company is also involved in numerous CSR activities, including sanitation campaigns, pulse polio campaigns, supporting the ‘Swacch Bharat’ movement and contributing towards the Pradhan Mantri Skill Development Initiative. The company is running two skill development centers which were started in 2014. More than 2,000 boys and girls have already been trained and given placements.
Another center provides training in jute bags making, and the sales are taken care of by the company. There are also established institutes that help children prepare for medical and other exams.
Overall, for Jaya Shree, the Indian market has proved very attractive and the leaders see good growth prospects in the market. Mr. Ghosh’s vision for the organization is to double the turnover in the next five years and generate sustainable profit. With Aditya Birla Group’s culture and the smart strategies adopted, the company has already achieved commendable success in the textile industry. Having made a mark in the market, it is navigating ahead to attain greater heights.