Much like an environmental ecosystem that fosters symbiotic relationships, Brandix India Apparel City (BIAC) has flourished into a vertically integrated park that spans fabric to finished garments. Two decades in, the hub continues to evolve in response to industry needs.
Plans for the park were initiated in 2005 following discussions between Brandix and the Government of Andhra Pradesh, a state on the East Coast of India. What began as a proposal for a 50-acre facility expanded into a larger vision for an integrated manufacturing hub in Achuthapuram—today a 1,000-acre apparel ecosystem serving leading global brands.“The state government offered land and regulatory support, while we brought our experience in building vertically integrated apparel ecosystems,” said Hasitha Premaratne, Brandix managing director. “The local labor force, large and trainable, was among the decisive factors that led us to this partnership. We began by setting up a training school and a small export factory even before the park’s full infrastructure was in place to ensure we were ready from the outset.”
BIAC is home to six apparel manufacturing units, which have a combined annual capacity of over 110 million pieces. In addition, Brandix has curated a network of suppliers within the park to create an increasingly self-sufficient, co-located production flow. Fabric mill Teejay India supplies knit textiles while Vardhman Yarn and Thread (A&E) provides thread. Pioneer Elastics, Ribest Ribbons and S&S Industries supply trims such as elastics, ribbons and bra underwires. Tags and labels are available on site through ITL, and companies can turn to Econopack for packing materials.
Keeping production within the park significantly reduces transit time between processes and removes transportation-related delays. For instance, one brand has reduced lead times to between 11 and 21 days by co-locating production at BIAC. In addition to inter-hub transport benefits, the park is only 31 miles from Vizag Port, allowing BIAC to offer lead times that rival those from key sourcing destinations such as Chittagong and Shanghai. From the port, it takes roughly 27 to 30 days to travel to the East Coast of the United States and 32 days to reach the West Coast. Meanwhile, the airport is just an hour away by car.
Although the park’s coverage already spans most of the manufacturing process, there are plans to expand the verticality and production capabilities on site. BIAC is exploring adding fiber and yarn manufacturing, and it is also responding to demand for synthetic fabric mills, infrared tags, lace manufacturing and advanced finishing and embellishment.