‘WE Space’ to give a boost to apparel making

Facility to be inaugurated at Angamaly today

April 20, 2017 08:40 pm | Updated 08:40 pm IST

KOCHI: Minister for Industries A.C. Moideen will launch ‘WE Space’, the first of its kind infrastructure initiative to bring together women entrepreneurs, at Angamaly on Friday.

The 42,000 sq.ft. space is in INKEL Tower II at Angamaly, and it will be used entirely for apparel making. ‘WE Space’ is part of efforts by the Kerala State Industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC), which had launched ‘WE Mission’ earlier.

The new facility is expected to set the stage for women entrepreneurs to turn to apparel making and export. The inauguration of the facility is scheduled for 4 p.m. Rogi John, MLA, will preside over the function, said a statement issued here.

Meanwhile, Mahila Apparels Park, a successful model of women’s enterprises in the State, will be among the units that function from WE Space.

A total of 150 women work with the Mahila Apparels unit, producing cotton products, mostly for export. Cottons shirt has been one of the most successful products from the Mahila Apparels stable. The unit also makes ladies and kidswear. It now plans to make surgical and theatre uniforms for both export and domestic market.

Meanwhile, sources in Mahila Apparels said demonetisation had hit business hard. Transactions had come down, and the supply of raw materials was affected badly owing to currency crunch.

The cost of materials too had gone up along with labour cost, plunging the business into crisis. However, sources sounded optimistic, saying that the bad effects would soon fade away.

The unit had a turnover of around ₹1.25 crore in the last financial year, and it is expected to touch ₹3 crore this fiscal.

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