“India Will Be Our No. 1 Market” DOSO Strengthens its India Presence with DEBMAC

DOSO, a Chinese manufacturer of sewing machines and automation solutions, is strengthening its presence in the Indian market through its collaboration with DEBMAC. With a manufacturing history dating back to 1999, the company is expanding its Indian network, strengthening technical support and focusing on automation as a key driver for the future of garment manufacturing. In an exclusive conversation with Arvind Kumar, Editor, Apparel Views, YE Xianchong, Chairman, DOSO discusses DOSO’s journey, its partnership with DEBMAC and the company’s plans for the Indian market.

Could you tell us about DOSO and its collaboration with DEBMAC?

DOSO started in 1999, so it is a very established company. In the beginning, we focused on basic machines. After many years of development, we expanded our portfolio to include automation solutions.

Previously, DOSO undertook a significant amount of OEM manufacturing for other suppliers and customers. Although the DOSO brand was present in India earlier, our sales were not very large. This year, we believe the Indian market has very strong potential, so we want to focus strongly on India. Going forward, we also plan to invest more in the Indian market.

A very good opportunity came when Mr. Alok Desai from DEBMAC visited our factory last year. We had a very good meeting, understood each other well and decided to begin our collaboration in the Indian market.

Going forward, we will work with DEBMAC as partners and invest more in the Indian market through exhibitions, promotions, road shows and private shows. We will also organise important conferences and promotional activities with our dealers.

What are your plans for expanding your presence across India?

We already have four offices in Bangalore, Delhi, Tirupur and Ahmedabad. In the future, we plan to establish more offices in major cities such as Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai.

Our objective is to strengthen our presence across India and serve our endusers and customers better. We also plan to develop more agents and dealers throughout the Indian market. Our focus is to provide fast service and quick responses to our customers.

What is DOSO’s position in the Chinese sewing machine industry?

We can say DOSO is among the top 10 manufacturers in the sewing machine industry in China. It is a very established company, and we have many experienced technicians and R&D engineers. Our technology is very good, and our service team is also strong.

However, our overseas sales have been comparatively weak, which is why we need the support of DEBMAC as a strong partner. Going forward, we want to focus more on overseas markets.

The Chinese market is not strong this year, and manufacturing costs are increasing year by year. The number of garment factories is also declining. Therefore, we will focus more on overseas markets and invest particularly in India.

India has a very large population and significant potential demand for sewing machines and garments. In our strategy, we will regard India as our No. 1 market. That is why we wanted to find a strong company like DEBMAC to cooperate with us in India.

What kind of technical and sales support will DOSO provide to its Indian partners?

Our plan is to first invite the DEBMAC team to China for training on all our machines. Later, we can also send our Chinese technicians to India.

I think every office should have at least one sales and technician person to provide support. If there is any problem, we want to respond very quickly.

At the same time, we will provide training to our agents, dealers and technicians. If factories are interested, they can also send their technicians to our offices, where we will provide training. Our objective is to provide a quick response and the best possible service in the Indian market.

What is your plan regarding spare-parts availability in India?

We have a dedicated spare-parts department and already maintain all kinds of spare parts in our warehouse in China. With every order and every container, we can send spare parts for backup.

Normal spare parts are easily available in the Indian market. For special parts, we will maintain sufficient backup at each office.

If a customer requires a part, we can provide it immediately. Usually, we will provide spare parts free of charge. If there is a major problem, we will charge only the cost. We will not make money from spare parts. Our focus is on providing service.

What is the range of machines available from DOSO?

DOSO has a complete range of sewing machines across different categories. We have lockstitch, overlock, interlock, buttonhole, buttonstitch, bartacking and heavyduty sewing machines. These are our basic machines.

We are also very strong in automation. The pocket-welting machine is one of our star products. We also have template machines and intelligent cutting machines. We can provide complete solutions for shirts, denim and other applications, including shoes and bags. We can provide solutions across all these categories.

What is the manufacturing capacity at your facility in China?

For automation machines, we can produce at least 20 machines every day. For basic machines, thousands of machines are produced every month. The actual production depends on market requirements, so capacity is not a problem.

Our company has seven buildings, with a total building space of more than 30,000 square metres. The factory is located in Taizhou. We have our own land and our own industrial park.

How has the market responded so far? What is your plan and target for the Indian market?

The response has been very good. We have had only three months of cooperation, and we have already sold more than 3,000 machines. Customers have responded very positively and like our machines very much.

You can also see the saffron colour on our machines, which we call the Indian colour. We designed it for India. The design was developed in India. In the future, we also want to have more machines designed in India.

We will invest more in the Indian market through exhibitions, online promotions, road shows and private shows. We will also organise important conferences with all our dealers in the future.

We also have plans to establish more offices in India. We currently have four offices in Bangalore, Delhi, Tirupur and Ahmedabad. In the future, we plan to have more offices in Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai, covering all the major cities.

Our target for the first year is at least US$10 million. Over the next three years, I think we will be among the top three sewing machine brands in India.

Which other international markets are important for DOSO?

Vietnam is a very big market for us and for our brand. Brazil is also a very important market. We are also focusing on markets such as Egypt, South Africa, Cambodia and Indonesia, particularly across Southeast Asia.

What trends do you see, particularly in India? Where should garment manufacturers invest?

In my opinion, automation is the future. Automation is good for workers because they can do less manual work, while factories can reduce labour costs. It is also easier for workers to operate automated machines.

Previously, workers had to sit in front of machines for eight or ten hours, with their hands and feet continuously moving. With our automation, they only need to press the buttons. Automation can also help factory owners reduce costs because production becomes more efficient and delivers consistent quality, which can lead to fewer rejections.