Published: Published by Andrew Wilson on 30th Jul 2024
Whilst WBC was founded in 1989, the fabric bag side of the business began in earnest in 2005 and was the start of an exciting journey with our Indian partners who were suppliers but are now very much friends. I am writing this on my way back from another productive trip to Kolkata where I was once again amazed at the pace of change; it shows no sign of slowing down. For this trip, I was joined by a veteran of many trips to India, Jo (Fabric Bag Manager), and a first-timer, Jess (Account Manager).
Seeing Jess take it all in, reminds me of my first trips here. We had just acquired Canby Bags in May 2012 and I was introducing myself to their key suppliers. The self-proclaimed father of the UK Jute bag industry and owner of Canby, David Gould, traveled with me to make the introductions. The first stop was an ambitious family-run company run by father and son team, Sajjan and Siddarth. At the time they were embarking on a huge program of investment and phase 1 was the re-location of their main production unit from the chaotic and cramped unit in the city of Howrah to a lovely verdant site 30 miles outside Kolkata towards the Bangladesh border, right in the heart of jute growing land. At the time the 30 miles took over 4 hours along busy and potholed roads accompanied by the sound of horns the whole way. The first new unit had been completed and was starting to play its part in the production process, rolls of jute/juco were being laminated and teams of stitchers were turning cut and printed panels into bags.
Jump forward 12 years and all 4 huge production units have been finished plus a showroom and staff canteen. The grounds have been landscaped and it really is amazing to behold. The long original screen printing tables are still in use but they sit alongside a whole floor of state-of-the-art, semi-automated, carousel screen printers with between 7 and 12 print stations on each one. These machines can print very complex multi-coloured designs with tighter registration between colours than is possible on the old long tables. Huge flat printers, taking up whole rooms whir away, printing simpler designs, 10 panels at a time onto 300m rolls. Even more impressive are the new air-conditioned rooms full of the latest, large format, direct-to-fabric digital printers running 22 hours a day printing the most complex of designs that I never imagined would have been possible a few years ago. I clearly remember going to a printing equipment fair in Delhi in 2014 with Siddarth and deciding to buy a small digital printer as we felt it was going to be the future. That printer could print a bag in about 4 to 5 minutes but technology quickly moved on and the new machines will print multiple bags in less than a minute.
In addition to this facility, another new facility has sprung up nearer Kolkata to keep up with demand. This is in the garment district and the area was chosen because of the availability of skilled stitchers to turn the cut and printed panels into bags. Good stitchers are becoming harder to find and this leads nicely into something else that is housed in the new facility, our joint social project “Cocobagh” which translates as “Coconut Garden”. The name came from the coconut trees we planted when we inaugurated the first building the project was housed in back in 2015. I was delighted to see that those coconuts are now huge trees (photo below). The project sprung from conversations we had with Sajjan and Siddarth back in 2013 about setting up a training facility for marginalised women (mainly widows). There have been many bumps along the road and false starts, but things have been running more smoothly the last couple of years. We now have around 30 ladies every 6 months being trained to stitch bags and those that complete the course end up with an accreditation, a transferable skill, and most importantly a job that allows them to support themselves and their families.
Along with developments at the factory, the whole Kolkata area has developed beyond recognition. The journey that took 4+ hours now takes less than 1.45 hours. Modern buildings and hotels have sprung up, the aerial metro rail line to the airport is nearly finished, and the airport is modern and huge and is served by burgeoning fleets of brand-new aircraft that fly bang on time and put travel in Europe to shame. It really does feel like a very exciting place to be!
It is not only buildings and technology that have changed though. As everyone becomes more environmentally aware, demand for more eco-conscious materials shows no sign of abating. Jute and Juco have always scored very highly in this regard but on the cotton side we are seeing great new recycled options and also a reduction in demand for the plastic-based linings and a move to stiffening with starch. Plastic kimbles to attach swing tags are being replaced with natural string, and plastic in packing is being replaced with paper or biodegradable alternatives. Inks are all water-based and filtration plants ensure clean waste. Solar panels are gradually being introduced to power the factories. Even the cars we travel into and from the factories are hybrid or electric.
Kolkata and this part of India throw lots of challenges at you and producing bags here is certainly not stress-free! The weather is extremely hot touching 42 degrees this week while we were here. It is also very humid with long monsoon seasons but this allows the jute crop to flourish and that is why the bags are made here. There are no direct shipping routes to Europe so it all goes by sea via Sri Lanka. Religion comes first in India and there are a lot of religious festivals that impact production. Despite all of these obstacles, we can still produce amazing bags, it is just that they sometimes take a little longer than anticipated. One thing I have learned after all these years of traveling to India is to be patient! Good things come to those who wait!
Below I have shared a few of my favourite photos taken from our trip, we hope to come back again soon!
