IMA is celebrating 40 years of its cutting rooms solutions in the industry. The company has seen a 360-degree change in the mindset of the Indian apparel industry from being resistant to technology in the cutting room due to long ROI period and feasibility of the machinery, to being open towards automation. Manufacturing companies now are so upfront on cutting room solutions that they prefer to set-up a complete cutting line in their factories rather than purchase a single piece of machinery such as a spreader in one purchase cycle and a cutter in the next.
“The domestic industry is also moving towards automation because of quality, less manpower and the urge to create a brand identity worldwide. India is the next obvious destination for buyers after China and many companies, particularly in Tirupur, are going for expansions and vertical setups,” said Guna, Managing Director, IMA-MACPI Group during the fair.
With Italy-based technology, IMA India’s focus is on supply and the post-supply services and to educate the market which has helped IMA to grow. Around 10-14 per cent of the revenue generated by the company is because of their existing clientele, which in itself is a mark of trust that the customers have in the company.
IMA’s cutting room solutions work well not only for factories with large order quantities, but also with mass customization setups as well, where it easily handles the complications that arise due to individual, customized styles and aids the company by allowing flexibility in their cutting line.
The diverse nature of IMA cutting solutions with a little customization in equipment gives IMA an edge over others, along with the option of upgradation of machines at any time according to their requirements. “What gives an edge or makes us better is our transformation from analogue to digital PLC, which has been made possible by Mitsubishi.
Mitsubishi gave us the firmware and we developed the hardware which would communicate with Mitsubishi to control our mechanical items. IMA is the first machine in the world that comes into the digital communication of the firmware, delivering the precision of communicating in mm. We promote the brain which subsequently results in the sale of hardware,” avers Guna.
Investing four years in research and development, IMA has now been able to manufacture Formula Evo Plus 919 that can cut up to 10 cm compressed height, surpassing the world’s pioneer cutters. The machine comes with a modern human machine interface that ensures maximum reliability. The IMA Cutting Control Centre is the connecting link between the machine and the operator, which allows the user to program and better organize the work queues, displays and manage all the machine operating parameters while also monitoring the state of maintenance and efficiency of the machine. It consists of an ergonomic graphical, friendly and completely customizable user interface.
