Sports firms shape up in face of Chinese competition

Manufacturing units move towards diversification

Jalandhar's sports industry is in the news. Many manufacturing units have started moving towards diversification by installing modern machinery and introducing new products. This is mainly to counter the stiff competition offered by China.

"Golf balls and boxing gloves are on our diversification list and they have great demand in European countries," said Rajesh Mayor, owner of Mayor & Co, which manufactures footballs.

"There was stagnation in the demand for traditional sports items and so we are producing golf balls and boxing gloves for the international market," he added.

To ensure proper liaison with foreign buyers, mayor & co has set up its golf ball-manufacturing unit in Haryana. "since a majority of foreign buyers land in Delhi for outsourcing sports goods, we made our production facilities as well as marketing systems more accessible to these customers in the satellite towns of Delhi itself," he said.

Ashok Katyal, a leading exporter of the region, says that earlier they were manufacturing footballs and basketballs, but now with the import of several new machines, we have started manufacture of shoes as well.

"We are hoping to add some more items in the coming years, apart from the increasing existing manufacturing," he says.

The tide just may turn in favour of the Jalandhar sports industry. Jagdish Chandar Kohli, Chairman of Jalandhar Sports Forum, says nearly 150 families have been manufacturing sports goods in Jalandhar after migrating from sialkot in Pakistan in 1947.

"Since then, we have been using old techniques and machines to manufacture various sports goods, including footballs, cricket, boxing and trekking equipment, besides hockey sticks, but now some manufacturing units have also added new products as well. This is a good sign", Kohli said.

Raghunath Singh Rana, an exporter, agrees, "my company has started producing boxing gloves while new machines have been imported for the purpose of laminating footballs and to ensure consistency of cricket bats in weight and size terms."

It's the shortage of wood for cricket bats that has led to this diversification. "but at least we are attempting something new," says Ashwini Savara.

"Many manufacturing units which were making badminton and shuttles had to shut down their units with the arrival of cheaper Chinese goods-they, too, are diverting towards other goods," he added.