KEN Global Designs has inaugurated a new 30-head computerised embroidery unit at our Ichalkaranji facility — a significant expansion of our value-add manufacturing capabilities that brings sophisticated embellishment in-house for the first time.
Until now, embroidery work for clients requiring embellished garments was handled through a managed outsourcing arrangement with specialist vendors. While this approach allowed us to offer embroidery as a service, it introduced lead time variability, quality control dependencies, and logistics complexity that limited our ability to guarantee the speed and consistency that our clients require.
The new unit — featuring 30 heads of computer-controlled embroidery capability — eliminates these dependencies entirely. Embroidery is now an in-house operation, integrated directly into our production line workflow. Design files are digitised, programmed, and executed on-site, with full quality control at each stage. The lead time for embroidered garments has been reduced from approximately 5–7 days of outsourced turnaround to same-day processing within our facility.
"Embroidery is a high-value-add process. Brands who want embellished products are typically operating at the premium end of the market, and they have zero tolerance for quality variation or delivery uncertainty," said our production director. "Bringing this capability in-house was about making a commitment to those clients that their embellishment work is as controlled and consistent as every other element of their production."
The 30-head unit is capable of processing complex multi-colour embroidery designs across a wide range of fabric types, including the lightweight and structured materials that dominate our current client portfolio. The system's digitising software allows for rapid design adaptation — changes to artwork can be implemented and tested within hours, not days.
We are already in discussion with several existing clients about adding embroidered product lines to their current KEN manufacturing programmes. We expect the embroidery unit to become a meaningful contributor to our revenue mix in the coming seasons, while deepening our position as a full-service garment manufacturing partner rather than a commodity CMT operator.