Crea Solution is one of the first IT partner supplying software and hardware solutions to fashion, automotive, leather, furniture and composite industries. The company recently entered into India market, and for the first time participated in an Indian exhibition Knit-tech in Tirupur with its loca partner Sahara Technologies. To know more about the company and its further plans for the India market Knitting Views Editor Arvind Kumar met and interviewed Veronica Sanzaro Export Manager Crea Solution Srl. Given are some excerpts……
As a company, what all products are you offering?
Crea Solution Srl offers software and hardware solutions to the fashion, automotive, aerospace, leather goods and furniture industries. Some of our major products for textile industry are: Made To Measure – Creafit™ for Undisputed tailoring quality, automated production. Tailor-made tailoring consists of different and complex processing phases. Automating these processes has been a challenge that Crea Solution has accepted by designing integrated solutions for tailors or large fashion houses that offer this service to their customers. Creafit ™ allows you to automate the creation of the model at 100 per cent simply by entering the measurements of the end customer. Today, it is possible to collect in a database all the personal data, measurements, models and orders of countless clients, integrate this information with PLM or ERP and automate the production of the garment, from design to placement and cutting; Our innovation CAD 2D Fashion – Create™ is the next-generation software for the creation, edit, and grading of patterns, capable of providing intuitive and effective tools to create new patterns and storing existing ones. The pattern maker is assisted by various work tools and commands to help them in their own creations. Icons and tools are organised in a functional way, simplifying the management of internal features such as notches, buttons and holes. Thanks to the reduction of designing times, designers are able to fully express their creativity. Apart from fashion, we offer services for automotive, furniture, leather, leather goods industry also.
Can you highlight how you’re different from the others already in the market?
Crea Solution is not just a simple provider of great solutions, but rather a partner, capable of properly understanding the needs of their clients, ensuring complete support. Our clients know we are a transparent and adaptable partner, ready to help them to satisfy their needs with projects and products with cutting edge technology. Drawing from our extensive expertise, we offer solutions aimed at optimizing the production processes in order to ensure a continuous and efficient workflow. Our solutions are really user-friendly. E.g. We have started a software, where you normally need a couple of days’ training and then you’re able to do the job yourself. The software is full of shortcuts and once you know how to operate it, it’s very easy to control it with your keyboard. The interface is like Macro Office and it is divided into sections. Once you go into a particular section, you can find all the tools that you need. You can open several patterns at the same time and one pattern can be copied to another; it is very simple to use. In the last release, we introduced the macro functions. So we have a lot of primitives which allow the operator to do the job in 5 minutes; saving time is the most important feature. In the next thing, the marker, we’ll have different algorithms according to customer needs. So, you can do manually that too very fast. We can save a lot of fabric.
How difficult is it for you as a software company to convince the customer to buy only the software part?
We collaborate with some companies and also with some cutting machines worldwide. If they ask us for the complete solution, we can sell the same. Of course abroad is bit different since shipping from Italy would cost a lot. We also do integration with different kinds of machines, for example, this project with MTM is based on a typical machine but we can also customize accordingly with other machines. So the added value is that we do not sell only the products but also the projects. This is helping us a lot to open foreign markets, especially here in India there are people working manually, so we give them the added value to save time, money and man power. So, most of the times it is not difficult to convince customers to buy just the software but when it is, we explain the advantages and they’re happy to buy it as it’s a good investment. When you have right partnership with cutting solution or plotter companies normally they offer software with solutions at a very good price. We have tie-ups with some companies like this. Some of our more than 1400 satisfied client all around the world are: Dolce & Gabbana, Timberland, Twinset, Pinko, Kaos, Cristinaeffe, Ralph Lauren, Manila Grace, Subdued, Canali, Kiton, Elisabetta Franchi, Leva, Ferrari, Paul & Shark, Pellemoda, Burberry, Joma, Poltrone & Sofà, Liviana Conti, Kiko, Moncler, Australian, Kaos, Bikkermbergs…
Can you tell me something more about the company?
In 2004 we were just a startup, and now we are IT partners of the largest fashion brands. So we have a lot of know-how on softwares. We started just with a CAD and then we did a lot of products. We’ve grown up a lot and we’re still growing. I’m here to open up the Asian market. We’ve got 7 dealers. We’re very strong in MTM projects; and have got a lot of big customers and very good references. We have a very good name and we are here to promote the company in Indian market. We have team of 80 people, we’ve got different departments with each one dedicated to a different product; this gives us the possibility to develop very good products.
Please tell us about the support services you are giving to customers?
Our solutions are specifically designed to make our customers’ lives easier. Our app support team works hard to pinpoint the best solutions to every possible software or hardware issue. The support contract will allow you to have an experienced professional always by your side. We offer both On-line and On-site support contracts to our clients. These contracts are renewed on a yearly basis and ensure you will be assisted within 48 hours in case of shutdowns or any other needs related to your automatic cutting system, CAD tools or plotter. In our warehouses, we always store supplies of spare parts, consumables such as plotter ink, nibs, cartridges, automatic cutter parts and so forth. Our company will always be at your side in understanding the problem and helping you find the right spare part.
Do you provide training services also?
The only way to benefit from an exceptional tool is learning how to use it at its full potential. Our team of trainers has a longstanding experience in designing patterns and possesses an in-depth knowledge of all of our software tools. They will be ready to help you develop a deeper understanding of our products, both with training days and shoulder to shoulder support during operations. You can choose between individual or group intensive training in CAD, 3D CAD, PLM at our headquarters.
How long have you been in India?
It’s only been a few months since we started and this is for the first time we are participating in any exhibition with our very good partner. They are inviting a lot of customers who are seeing the software and liking it, so our partners already have some follow up to do and I think that this is a very good opportunity for our company.
India is a big market. What is your plan for the market here and how are you going to cater to it?
We’re starting with Bangalore and Tirupur. We also have some contacts around who are helping us in sales in other parts of India with agents like North and West. Very soon we will finalise our network all over India.
Talking about the importance of the Indian market, don’t you think you are late to enter the market?
We’re not really late as India is a very big market and people are still working manually, so the market is still here. Some customers were already using other brands present in India for a long time but once they see our software, the challenge is over. So it’s never too late; technology is always evolving and we’re ready for the new market and new requirements of customers. Moreover we can customize the software according to their needs.
What about Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and other Asian markets?
Yes, we’re already there. I went to the last exhibition in Bangladesh DTG, and also in Vietnam at VTG. In Sri Lanka, we already have a dealer, so I’m already working in these markets.
How has your experience been working with Indian factories? How is the market here now?
I’m really happy; the people are really open-minded. Compared to other markets, it is really good; the people here understand the use of the technology, are curious and are open to new ideas and projects.
India is a second largest exporter of textile after China and it’s a big market. As per our local agent, last two years the exporters here had a difficult time. Since November exports market is improving so there are signs of positivity. After tough time, the last 3-4 months have been good. There’s a feeling that after elections, things would be much better.
