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| My
trip to Thailand Nov 23 - Dec 28 2008 |
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Obstacles Create Opportunities
I arrived at 1 a.m. Nov 23, a day before the Thai airport had
to close due to protestors. My dad picked me up and we saw protestors
everywhere at the airport. My dad used to work as an advisor to
the Thai Prime Minister before he retired 10 years ago. He always
informs me about Thai politics. We were a little worried, but
it was a peaceful demonstration and we were unharmed. As you probably
heard in U.S. coverage, the protests shut down the airport. Two
of Sassy Thai’s shipments were delayed just before Christmas
because airplanes could not take off.
The unstable political climate has hurt Thailand’s tourist
industry and export companies, compounding problems caused by
unstable gas prices and the failing world economy.
2008 was a hard year for all of us. Sassy Thai products are hand-made
by villagers working at home. Production is decentralized, using
different villages and operations for cutting garments, adding
embellishments (appliqué, beading, painted illustrations,
tapestry, embroidery) and assembling final garments. I visit Thailand
twice a year and only spend a few weeks each time. There is always
much work to do, many meetings. I also need time with my family
– my parents and my sister and her family. I have breakfast
with my family every day, then leave the house at 8. Sometimes
I do not get back until midnight.
Since we started Sassy Thai, we have been trying to improve the
process to save time and production costs in order to offer beautiful
products at reasonable prices. In the past two years, the Thai
currency exchange rate against the U.S. dollar has increased our
costs by 20 percent, and last year’s increase in gas prices
also affected us. This year the price of gas affected our costs
even more.
So, for this trip, I determined to examine and improve our production
process. I know for a fact that no matter how beautiful products
we design, cost will be the most important factor for our retailers,
their customers and the fashion industry in 2009.
My first week was spent with my design team, planning and developing
samples for our new lines. Khun Kop is my head designer in Thailand.
We came up with several new items and ideas for Spring/Summer
and Fall. We are creating garments unlike anything we have done
before.
In the second week, I visited different worker groups and talked
about the impact of U.S. and global economic conditions and anticipated
decrease in sales. For several years, we have been the primary
source of income for many of our workers and they now need to
do other work to make additional income. I was honest about our
prospects and they were sad about the conditions, but grateful
that we will still provide consistent work, though less than before.
Working together, we assessed group skills and discussed ways
to distribute work more efficiently, decreasing the distance each
garment must travel for production.
We decided to set up central facilities in a place where many
workers live nearby and bring a complete team together –
coordinator, artisans, cutting and sewing workers. We reviewed
each product closely to identify what worker group fits each product,
assigning the work in a way that reduces transportation costs
and saves time.
Most of our groups concentrate on appliqués and embellishments.
By integrating cutting and sewing with these groups, we will be
able to address the impact of difficult economic conditions without
sacrificing the quality of our products or diminishing our mission
to provide good work for our Thai villagers. We have invested
in this process – it will take time to implement, but we
think it will improve efficiency.
We tested our new process during the third and fourth week. One
of our good customers placed a small order and I chose a group
to produce it.
I talked with some established small companies in the area to
help with centralizing production since they already have resources
in place. Khun Lek is the owner of one of those small companies,
and she became our cutting/sewing coordinator and my new production
partner for Sassy Thai. Khun Lek worked for a big export company
for more than 10 years. She knows what type of quality we need
to provide and she has a great heart to provide good wages and
valuable training to our Thai artisans.
The concept of a centralized location is different from a factory
because we are still making the clothes by hand, using artisans
who specialize in each segment of production to perform their
tasks. We are paying a good wage and taking steps to make sure
we are employing - not exploiting - our workers.
Time with the Family
During my visit, I spent at least one day a week with my twin
nephews, who just turned 18 months old. They are so much fun and
keep the entire family smiling. Roy, my husband, joined me in
the last two weeks to celebrate holidays with us.
Right before Christmas, Dec 22-24, Roy and I joined my mom for
a three-day trip to Chiaeng Mai, in a northern province of Thailand.
We were pampered in a Spa facility on our first day. Roy convinced
me that we needed the best relaxation after a long hard working
year. It's his favorite thing to do in Thailand.
On our second day, we took a trip to the highest mountain of Thailand.
We went to waterfall, visited hill tribe villagers that weave
fabrics by hand and toured King and Queen pagodas. In the evening
we had traditional northern Thai dinners and watched cultural
plays. On the last day, we went shopping for gifts for friends
and family.
You will see new products at the show soon, and we’ll
have new items on our website by then end of January. We will
continue to add new items to our collection every month. Our new
year’s resolution is to offer better prices in certain styles
as a result of our new centralized – yet always uniquely
styled – production.
I left Thailand Dec. 28 with great hope and faith. I always believe
every obstacle creates new opportunities as long as we keep trying
and never give up. It could take more time and effort than we
anticipate when we make changes to improve, but we just need to
hope and pray. I hope everybody would keep that in mind and start
New Year with that spirit.
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