Brandix switches to TukaTech to meet efficiency goals

Brandix, one of the largest garment manufacturers in Asia and the largest in Sri Lanka, recently installed Tukatech’s apparel software system thereby dramatically improving the efficiency of their product development and production.

TUKA systems were initially tested by Brandix Denim division and showed dramatic results in the quality of patterns and the speed and efficiency in which they were produced. “We are now getting more than double the production of patterns that fit the first time, saving a large amount of fabric, and better utilizing our human resources. These changes motivated us to look at TUKA systems for our company,” said Iswaran Senthil, CEO of Brandix Denim. “Besides providing us with CAD-CAM systems, Tukatech offered valuable consulting, engineered the work flow and the pattern room, and even increased productivity in our cutting rooms.”

Though they had invested a significant amount of time and manpower into their previous CAD system, Dhananjaya Rajapaksha, CEO of Brandix Casualwear, could not ignore the incredible changes made in the denim division, and decided to move forward with Tukatech.  Tukatech’s team provided in-person support to make the transition between CAD systems as easy as possible and worked with the staff of Brandix to customize the system to their specifications. “Tukatech CEO Ram Sareen sent his technical team from the United States and India to our offices, and many of our requests for what we wanted to see in the software were accommodated.”  “Tukatech’s team worked with us and we had a very fast implementation. I have a lot of years of experience, and I know what my team needs. Tukatech was able to give us exactly that,” said Thushad Saumydasa, Head of Product Development. Brandix Casualwear, primarily a producer of women’s bottoms and very technically complicated products, had seen many of their customers shifting their business out of Sri Lanka to countries where garments could be produced at a cheaper price. Dhananjaya knew that in order to stay competitive, he would need to increase the efficiency of his operation by 1/3, and Tukatech helped him meet his goal.  With TUKAcad and SMARTmark quickly installed, Dhananjaya was able to increase the factory’s efficiency by 1/3. “I’m happy to say that we did meet our goals, and Tukatech was a part of that.”  Since the installation, Dhananjaya and his staff have expressed their satisfaction with the system, saying that it has automated much of what they once did manually, despite the fact that prior to installing Tukatech they had other CAD software, and they further stated that TUKAcad has broadened the use of CAD software throughout the company. “Today, our people are using Tukatech’s CAD to a much larger extent than they were with our previous CAD system,” said Thushad.

“The feedback I’ve gotten from my managers is that the new Tukatech system has more functionality compared to the previous CAD systems they had and it is much easier to manage and use,” said Dhananjaya. “The most encouraging thing I’ve heard from employees is the way that the implementation of the system was handled. Tukatech’s interactions with our technical team were very beneficial. They listened to what we do and customized the systems to our needs. Many of our requests regarding the software were addressed during this period.”

“I see vast improvement,” said Thushad. “With Tukatech, everything is automated and very accommodating. Many things that I used to do manually are now automatic, and that means I can direct my attention to other matters.” “We are in the fashion apparel industry, and fashion keeps changing fast. We must also be fast,” said Dhananjaya. “Tukatech allows us to be faster, more efficient, and ultimately improves our bottom line.”

 Brandix Casualwear forms the core of the Brandix group, and supplies woven bottoms, basic pants, cargo pants, 5-pocket jeans, shorts and skirts to the world’s top brands. Its seven production facilities include a state-of-the-art, fully automated denim facility which is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka. Adding yet another milestone, Brandix commissioned its Green Factory in April 2008, setting a new benchmark as the first one of its kind in the country.

Tukatech is a Los Angeles-based company that provides 2D and 3D software solutions and manufacturing equipment to garment producers. It also provides web-based product development services and PDM/PLM systems, supported by brick and mortar centers strategically located in garment hubs worldwide. With over 12,000 systems sold and about 3,500 competitive systems replaced, Tukatech is the fastest growing garment CAD/CAM company in the world. Tukatech has been ranked by Apparel Magazine as the #1 Apparel software company in the world.