The CIEL Textile Chairman’s Manufacturing Excellence Awards (“CMEA”) is a biannual event allowing the Group to recognise and award the outstanding performances of its factories and employees from across its 19 global sites. For this year’s event, a fusion ceremony was organised in October 2022, to celebrate the best Apparel and Capital-Intensive accomplishments of the Group.
Under the Best Apparel Factory, Aquarelle India – RCC (Bangalore) came forth as the grand prize winner, while FSM Spinning and Carding (Mauritius) achieved the Capital-Intensive Factory/Department award.
The CMEA was broadcasted live in 4 countries to 1,500 attendees
By bringing together all of CIEL Textile’s employees, the event enables cross-fertilisation among the Group’s different factories, highlighting the major milestones, and opening the floor for further enhancements globally. "As we celebrate the Manufacturing Excellence, we are celebrating our talents who are the heartbeat of CIEL Textile and for what we are recognised as today – the Best Global Fashion Partner”, Eric Dorchies, CEO of CIEL Textile, stated during his keynote speech, as he conveyed his appreciation for the hard work and dedication of the employees.
Eric Dorchies outlined the challenges of the new context in which the textile industry operates. "The textile industry has undergone a major transformation, particularly with the growth of e-commerce, automation, and traceability in the production chain”, he said. “Today we are able to service with better traceability - from the choice of raw materials, and the production of fabrics to the manufacturing process and distribution. These processes have been streamlined by relying on our technical solutions, such as 3D, the eco Index or our virtual showroom. The fashion industry is constantly evolving and our ability to act as a true partner, not just a producer or a supplier, is key to our future”, he added.
50 years anniversary of Floreal and CIEL Textile
The CMEA ceremony had a very special resonance this year. It was held just a few days before Floreal’s Golden Jubilee. This anniversary was celebrated in the presence of The Honourable Prime Minister of the Republic of Mauritius, Pravind Kumar Jugnauth, in a mythical place - the old factory premises transformed into a modern business centre, Nouvelle Usine. This is where CIEL Textile’s story started out, with Floreal’s 150 employees…Today, 50 years later, the Group has diversified the apparel industry into 5 countries, notably, Mauritius, India, Madagascar, Bangladesh, and South Africa. It employs over 23,000 employees both locally and regionally across its 19 production units. Its international exposure has led CIEL Textile to be recognised as a trusted partner of renowned brands such as Lacoste, Puma, and ASOS, to name but a few. Commenting on the success of the Group’s diversification strategy, Eric Dorchies expressed that “this has been possible because of our very strong culture and values, which are winning well, passion, excellence at core, agility, and creativity”.
The year 2021 to 2022 has been prosperous for CIEL Textile with a 19% rise as opposed to the prior year
According to Jean-Pierre Dalais, Chairman of CIEL Textile and Group Chief Executive of CIEL, “our talents are what makes CIEL Textile great. You all have demonstrated unflinching teamwork, which plays a significant role in our success. We will continue to invest in providing you with the best-in-class training for you to become your best professional selves". The Chairman of CIEL Textile further emphasised the need to improve the fashion world. He commented, “Together we can contribute to positively impacting all the countries we operate in by preserving resources with eco-friendlier processes and optimised ways of producing garments”.
CMEA 2022: nurturing a culture of knowledge-sharing
The Chairman's Manufacturing Excellence Awards go beyond rewards, as it is an opportunity for the various production units to share their experiences, success stories, and techniques. These were unveiled during the CMEA through a series of presentations conceived and delivered by the employees from the different departments. Consequently, these allow prospects for developing and nurturing a culture of knowledge-sharing between the sister companies, gearing them to better face emerging competition.
CMEA Winners of 2022
Aquarelle India – RCC (Bangalore) won the Best Apparel factory award.
FSM Spinning and Carding (Mauritius) achieved the Capital-Intensive Factory/Department award.
