How to find fabric manufacturers in India?
Bulk purchasing is difficult. There can be a lot of factors that could go wrong and mess up thousands of rupees. This is exactly why you need to have a proper plan for procuring the items.
Before you begin
- Know your goals
It is important to decide the end goal of procuring the fabric. Is it to make women's apparel or is it to make upholstery. The reason why we should decide this before planning to contact the manufacturers is that manufacturers always work on a niche item. For example, a manufacturer who makes high-width woven fabric may not make knit fabrics. Each manufacturer have their own strengths. So, in order to identify the best manufacturer for your purpose, define your goal.
2. Set quantity limit
Quantity is also a big factor when it comes to manufacturing. Depending on the quantity, manufacturers may or may not accept your order. For example, You are planning to make 100 meters of special print fabric for shirting. Now, not all manufacturers may accept this quantity. It may not come under their MOQ (Minimum ordering quantity), since 100 is a low quantity. But don’t get disheartened, there are manufacturers who specifically work for low MOQ’s. They will happily serve you.
3. What is your budget?
If you don’t have a clear budget for this project, your search may lag. Instead, fix a maximum budget you can allocate for this project. Manufacturers tend to quote various prices for the same product. This is because of various company features and policies.
4. Local or international manufacturer?
Some rare fiber materials like the SeaCell fibers are not available in most countries. So one is forced to look for international manufacturers. In the case of fabrics which are available in your country, it is better to approach them. You contribute to the development of your country and you can save money on transport, import tax and lower lead time.
Best sources to find fabric manufacturers?
1. Business listing websites
Business listing websites are a portal in which you can search for certain products to receive all the manufacturers listed on the website. You can go through each of the results and approach the manufacturers whom you think can provide the best service.
Some popular portals are
2. Physical factory visit
This method is the oldest form of finding manufacturers. In India, manufacturers often are located in clusters. For example: If you are looking for woven fabrics, then you can find woven fabric manufacturers in Bhiwandi & Ichalkaranj in Maharashtra, Bhilwara in Rajasthan, Surat & Ahmedabad in Gujarat, Coimbatore and Erode in Tamil Nadu.
Dinesh Exports is a leading woven fabric manufacturer from erode.
In the case of knitted fabrics, Ludhiana and Tiruppur are the clusters
3. Via Agents or consultants
The above-mentioned two methods are highly time and energy-consuming. Especially if you are a newbie to this industry. There are chances you end up with the wrong manufacturer. To make your journey a bit easier, you can contact consultants or agents who are in the field for decades and strong relationship with various manufacturers. All you have to do is give your requirements, they will handle everything and deliver the result to you. The only con here will be the slight change in prices and loose communication.
4. Manufacturer websites
A quick search on the web will give you ’n’ number of results for a certain product manufacturer. Today, manufacturers are making buying experience easier for their customers by building a simple website to get in touch and quickly start the business.
I hope this article helps you in finding your manufacturer in a more systematic manner. If you think I have missed out on a point, please let me know in the comments below.
