The revival plan for National Textile Corporation (NTC) mills, which will be retained by the government, includes focussing on brand building and producing products for which the mills have a captive market.
The company has evolved a marketing strategy for its goods which will aim at consumers in the lower middle class, said textiles secretary SB Mohapatra.
Products such as bed linen and shirts will be produced at the mills and sold at prices which will be affordable.
For instance, poly cotton bush shirts will be made available in the range of Rs 250 per piece, Mohapatra added. Also, bed linen will be about 30-40 per cent cheaper than the well known brands available in the market, he added.
The company is already exporting some of its products through export houses. By next year, it will be in a position to start exporting on its own also.
NTC aims to encash on the popularity of well known brands such as Finlay, Entice, Minerva, Goldmohur and Tata Mills. While, initially the plan was to pick on only one brand and focus the countrywide marketing effort on it, it was later decided to focus on numerous leading brands which the company has.
Besides this, the company has earmarked some mills exclusively for production of yarn for the handloom sector. It is also considering dedicating some mills to production of cloth for uniforms. This area constitutes a huge market and NTC can supply the product at reasonable prices, say officials.
The company is also in the process of closing down some of its loss making sale counters, giving voluntary retirement to the employees and inducting franchisees.
Sixty six of a total of 119 mills are to be closed, while the remaining will be revived. Twenty five mills have already been shut down and the government aims to close fourteen more by the end December.
