New odour-fighting shirts hit stores tomorrow
The success earlier this year of the country's first silver nanotechnology polo shirt has prompted Innotech Textile Co Ltd to introduce four new designs to its collection, which the company hopes will bring in Bt30 million in sales next year.
Because manufacturing such special polo shirts is difficult, due to the possibility the silver nanomaterial might break, project director Yongnum Sittipongporn said the first lot, to be launched tomorrow, would consist of only 10,000 polo shirts. That is because in producing silver nano polo shirts, each lot must meet economy-of-scale volume. The company launched its first silver nanotechnology polo shirt in April to celebrate the 60th anniversary of His Majesty the King's accession to the throne. Overwhelming demand for the unusual items meant the company soon sold out of its initial run. "The company had projected we would sell 120,000 polo shirts, but demand rose to 200,000," said Yongnum, adding that consumers were satisfied with the special absorbent quality of the material, which prevents body odours escaping and protects against bacteria and fungi, making it a healthy fabric. Innotech Textile is a subsidiary of United Textile Mills, representing the parent company's expansion into garment manufacturing. From the beginning, Innotech focused on the high-end market, but from next year will introduce underwear and socks. However, the change will not require much investment, as the company will be able to use its existing machines and also outsource. Innotech, which began operating earlier this year, would not reveal its sales estimates for the year, but Yongnum said he expected domestic sales to reach Bt30 million next year. Yongnum has been conducting a promotional road show, introducing the company's new collections to the media. "The strategy helped us save on our marketing budget and directly promote our products. In the beginning, we spent a lot of money hiring an actor to promote them," he said. The company is currently looking for more distributors. So far, it has signed up with Se-Ed Book Centres, the Central Group and the Charoen Pokphand Group to distribute its products. Yongnum said the company also planned to begin exporting next year, focusing on the US, Europe and Asia. However, export revenues have not been projected; instead, the export result will come out in the middle of next year. Achara Pongvutitham The Nation
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