Lathish Kumar
Dessau-Roßlau
Summary
An apparel manufacturing industry executive with substantial expertise in Merchandising, Product Development, Garment costing, Production planning, Material utilization & control, Purchasing, Time & action Management, Order execution from sampling till shipment, Factory systems & reports, Cost analysis, Shipment planning, Factory SOP's, Root cause analysis, Factory audit & compliance and Dead stock analysis. As an experienced merchandiser I have handled various customers of USA, Europe across multiple products in Woven (Soft dressing, Tops, Bottoms, Denims, Active Wear, Outer Wear), Knits (Polos, T Shirts, Casual wear etc.) and Inner Wear (Lingerie, Panty & Swimwear).
Overview
26
26
years of professional experience
Work History
Proprietor
Self Employed
05.2023 - Current
- Launched menswear casuals brand called "Jolly Ripple" for B2B & D2C selling
- Apparel wholesale purchase and selling
Senior Manager - Merchandising
Intimate creations Ltd
12.2022 - 05.2023
- Heading the Merchandising team of 12, handling customers Bonprix & Kappahl (Lingerie, Panty & Swimwear).
- Responsible for Sampling, Material purchase, Order execution, Production, Quality & Shipment.
- Responsible for critical decision making by liaising with the Top Management & the owner of the company.
- Optimized supply chain processes, reducing lead times and increasing operational efficiency.
- Collaborated closely with peers from other departments to drive organizational success jointly as one cohesive unit.
Senior Manager - Merchandising & Manufacturing
Modenik Lifestyle Pvt Ltd (Formerly Dixcy)
01.2022 - 12.2022
- In-charge of Casual wear Merchandising & Outsource manufacturing department
- In charge of team handling casual wear with a turnover of around 400 crores per annum ( Aprx 55 million USD)
- Responsible for Co-ordinating with Design for Seasonal product development, Sales for Monthly & quarterly Projections.
- Responsible for Outsourcing the orders to around 100 plus Job work vendors and get the goods inward as per monthly projection requirements.
- Ensure timely delivery of materials to vendors & get the goods inwards within the stipulated TA. Attended all issues related to the production & quality of the vendors.
- Ensure Inventory is maintained as per the sales requirement & take necessary actions to increase the output by adding new vendors as and when required.
Freelance sourcing & trading in Gloves, Masks & PPE items
Self-employed
07.2020 - 09.2021
- Self-motivated, with a strong sense of personal responsibility.
Merchandising Manager
Pt. Modindo
06.2015 - 02.2020
- Responsible to receive orders from customers and executing it until Shipment by coordinating with all concerned departments of production chain.
- Work in tandem with buyers/agents for product development of new seasons, product costings, negotiations and order confirmations.
- Purchase all raw material required and follow up to get it inhouse as per planned TA
- Ensure smooth functioning of all subcontracted activities.
- Joined the company since inception in June 2015 and successfully built the team of merchandisers & Exim from Scratch which is now capable of functioning independently handling volume of 300,000 pcs per month with Annual turnover of$ 25 million USD.
- Successfully added subcon capacity during peak season which resulted in an increase of sales by 3 million USD per year.
- Introduced a new buyer called GIII which resulted in business of $300,000 per month.
- Successfully marketed to add a buyer called MGF Sourcing to the company customer list.
- Successfully Implemented an ERP System called WFX in merchandising department and was part of implementation for the factory.
Divisional Merchandising Manager
Pt. Sainath group
06.2011 - 05.2015
- In-charge of accounts HM, AEO, Comtex, Biscotti, Byer California leading a team of 10 merchandisers. Total Volume handled is 800,000 pcs per month valued at $5 million USD.
- Successfully handled surge in HM orders as it was shifted from Bangladesh to Indonesia suddenly due to a crisis. At that point, lead the team to handle a volume of 3,5 million pcs to be shipped in 90 days (about 3 months).
- Was the main coordinator with the customer Byer California who was based in factory for 3 months for a crisis. Earned praise from the customer for the dedication shown towards managing the same.
- Was one of the Key front line team members as I was handling key accounts of the factory which employed more than 10,000 people. Successfully fulfilled this role to the satisfaction of the Management.
Asst Merchandising Manager
Slam clothing Pvt ltd
01.2010 - 05.2011
- Responsible to liaise with buyers based in Germany & Spain for product developments, Fabric developments, Costing, Sales samples, Order confirmation and execution.
- Responsible for efficient execution of the order by making TA and adhering to it.
- Responsible for purchasing & follow up of materials based on TA & as required by production planning.
- Responsible for production follow up, Problem solving & shipment execution.
- Buyers handled: Marco polo, Cortefiel, Zara & Turkey buyers.
- Chennai Liaison office of SETH GmbH, Germany
Department Head PPIC
Pt. Ungaran sari garments. Busana Apparel group
12.2004 - 05.2009
- Leading the PPMC department with team of 15 people which was responsible for the Order execution, Procurement, T&A, production planning of unit with 650 machines & 950 employees. Handled monthly capacity of 100,000 pcs of Outerwear/ Jacket. From May 08 the unit was converted to knit wear with capacity of 250,000 pcs. The turnover of the unit is $ 14 M per annum.
- Responsible for co-ordination with marketing for Capacity analysis, Costing, Product development, Order confirmation and Sampling.
- Responsible for planning & monitoring orders in subcon. Handled up to 7 subcon factories at one time.
- Responsible to ensure dead stock is within target of 1.8%. Successfully reduced the dead stock of all buyers handled with goods results. Dead stock of Nike reduced from 3.6% to 1.2% and Hollit from 4.5 % to 2.3%.
- Actively involved in factory audits& compliances to ensure approval by buyers. Ensuring action plan with timeline is made to correct all audit related issues highlighted by buyer.
- Process owner of outerwear unit in implementing the ERP system of "Movex" in Ungaran sari garments. Successfully implemented the ERP system in the unit.
Merchandiser
Sari international
03.2003 - 06.2004
- Responsible for Product Development, Sampling, Washing approvals, finishing approvals, purchasing and order execution for buyers Gloria Vanderbilt & Levis.
- Product handled - Woven bottoms with washing & different finishes.
- Responsible for making TA plan and ensuring its followed.
- Responsible for making shipment plan, coordinating with all departments to ensure it's on time.
Merchandiser
Rising sun garments
06.2000 - 02.2003
- Managed buyers Miss Erika & Federated department stores. Product handled - Woven tops, Blouses, Skirts, Shirts, Capri's, Shorts.
- Responsible for product development, order bookings, Order implementation from raw material procurement and shipment.
- Coordinating between 2 different manufacturing bases in Sri Lanka for order execution.
- Was given charge of handling merchandising coordination for the new Rising sun factory in Kenya from Colombo office.
Education
Post Graduate Diplomas - Garment Manufacturing Technology
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY (NIFT)
Chennai, India01.2000
Graduate - Bachelor of Science with Honors in Mathematics
UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS, LOYOLA COLLEGE
Chennai, India01.1998
Skills
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Problem-solving
- Time management
- Attention to detail
- Flexible and adaptable
- Dependable and responsible
Languages
English
Tamil
Malayalam
Hindi
Indonesian
German (A1)
Training
- Nike - Pegasus application training
- ERP Knowledge - Process owner in implementation of MOVEX software at Pt.USG, Movex - Working knowledge, WFX- Working Knowledge
- Export & Import process training
- Operations & Supply Chain Management - NTPEL Online course
Timeline
Proprietor
Self Employed
05.2023 - Current
Senior Manager - Merchandising
Intimate creations Ltd
12.2022 - 05.2023
Senior Manager - Merchandising & Manufacturing
Modenik Lifestyle Pvt Ltd (Formerly Dixcy)
01.2022 - 12.2022
Freelance sourcing & trading in Gloves, Masks & PPE items
Self-employed
07.2020 - 09.2021
Merchandising Manager
Pt. Modindo
06.2015 - 02.2020
Divisional Merchandising Manager
Pt. Sainath group
06.2011 - 05.2015
Asst Merchandising Manager
Slam clothing Pvt ltd
01.2010 - 05.2011
Department Head PPIC
Pt. Ungaran sari garments. Busana Apparel group
12.2004 - 05.2009
Merchandiser
Sari international
03.2003 - 06.2004
Merchandiser
Rising sun garments
06.2000 - 02.2003
Graduate - Bachelor of Science with Honors in Mathematics
UNIVERSITY OF MADRAS, LOYOLA COLLEGE
Post Graduate Diplomas - Garment Manufacturing Technology
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF FASHION TECHNOLOGY (NIFT)