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Star Knitwear, a sucess story

8 février 2005, 00:00

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?Is it so bad here?? This phrase from Ali Parkar, the Chief Executive and Chairman of Star Knitwear Group, sounds ironical in the difficult context of the textile industry. Yet, the beautiful new building, which has housed Star Knitwear?s head office in Rivière Du Rempart for six months, is anything but an illusion! Star Knitwear is successful and its management is proud of its achievements. But what is their secret?

Actually, there is no big deal? ?Hard work, commitment and trust? are the key words of the company. ?We are here six days a week and we look after our business. I mean there is no magic formula ? you have to work hard to make your company fruitful?? But there is more than hard work behind this success story?.

Trust may even be more important. Trust between all the stakeholders of the company. The employees have to feel happy within the company to do a good job and satisfy the customers. As a result, the boss is also satisfied and knows he can rely on his staff. Customers are satisfied with their orders and will continue to order from this company.

?My first client from the time when I opened my factory in 1987 is still with me today? And I know he will remain as long as I am able to provide high quality and a good service. Likewise, many of the employees I started with are still with me today; even their sons or daughters come and work with me after their parents leave. I suppose this means they are happy in the company,? he says with a smile.

Ali Parkar strongly believes that good relations between the management and staff greatly contribute to the success of a company. ?I try to walk around every department every day to talk with the employees and encourage them to talk to me about any problem they might have. This seems to be working pretty well!?

His success and experience stand out? But somehow Ali Parkar has a fatherly side, which makes the 2,000 people employed at Star Knitwear feel attached to him and to his company! Before coming to Mauritius in 1985, Ali Parkar was ?doing anything but textiles! But I really think that as long as you have business skills you can start a business in any field.?

<B>Bright future</B>

Well, how to explain why so many factories have had to close down or lay off so many people? Won?t the end of the Multi Fibre Agreement (MFA) cause even more problems for the sector? According to Ali Parkar, this should not be the end of the textile industry in Mauritius. He thinks the future of his company is bright! ?I am not an idiot! I invest Rs 15 to Rs 17 million every year, I?ve built a brand new office and opened a new factory in Coromandel? do you think I would have done all this if I had no trust in the sector? China and India can?t compete with Mauritius! Even if clients order from them, they?ll quickly come back to look for our quality standards and reliability!?

In his opinion, factories have closed down for different reasons; some thought they had nothing to gain by remaining in Mauritius, others were involved in knitwear, which is a sector facing difficulties worldwide. Then, some companies were simply badly run. ?One of the strengths of Star Knitwear is the fact that the managers are also the ones who own the business. The management consists of my three children and my son-in-law who have worked hard to achieve these results. Now, we will have to pass on these values to my grand-children to make sure they?ll work as hard and respect the human dignity of each of the employees as we have always done!?