SDCE’s Multifibre DW is maintaining its position as the market leader, thanks to ongoing measures being taken to set the product aside from inferior copies. The adjacent fabric – which features Acetate, Cotton, Nylon, Polyester, Acrylic and Wool stripes in a narrow-weave construction – is trusted worldwide to provide a broad range of staining results in accordance with the level required by ISO 105 F10, and is the only fabric specified by many leading retailers and testing professionals.
SDCE took the decision to introduce a seventh stripe into its Multifibre DW in 2005, incorporating a unique security thread to set the product aside from inferior products which were perceived to be an emerging threat in the market. The move has been described as pivotal by SDCE’s global network of distributors, reassuring customers and laboratories alike that their results will be guaranteed by a genuine, SDCE product.
“The introduction of the security thread has been a game changer for us,” says Puneet Rawal, managing director at Ramp Impex, one of SDCE’s official distributors for Bangladesh and India. “We felt that some of our customers were becoming misguided when they were presented with fabrics purporting to be Multifibre DW at a cheaper price, when in reality they did not comply with the ISO standard. It was difficult for us to educate every client individually, but the introduction of a security thread made every client aware that only fabrics featuring this thread were genuine, SDCE products.
“These days, clients who specify that only SDCE Multifibre meets their individual standards can have the confidence in our products without having to ring us for reassurance; it saves us time, and it confirms our position as a genuine supplier. That little thread represents everything we stand for with regard to quality control, and the consistency that has made SDCE a market leader for so many years.”
Over in the Far East, one of SDCE’s official distributor for China, Taiwan and Vietnam reports a similar experience since the introduction of the security thread. For Hank Kao, vice general manager at GOIN International, the thread has helped to combat an age-old problem of inferior copies being passed off as genuine SDCE products.
“We have long been aware of locally-based Chinese firms claiming to perform “equally to SDCE,” he admits. “It’s an ongoing challenge as inferior manufacturers try to compete on price, without any of the necessary quality controls or standards to back up their products. Anything that helps us to educate clients as to how to identify an SDCE product can only be a good thing, and the thread sets each of our goods aside as a product made by the worldwide pioneer for Multifibre. We know we are selling the best-quality product on the market, and we back this up with the best customer service possible from GOIN International.”
Even in territories where counterfeits and copies are not perceived to be an issue, the knowledge that each roll of SDCE Multifibre DW bears a hallmark of quality is a reassurance to distributors and customers alike.
“We are not yet aware of any inferior copies of SDCE Multifibre DW in our market,” says Saleem Soreefan, general manager at SDCE’s official distributor for Mauritius Supplies Solution. “However, we do feel reassured that the security thread will help us to differentiate our products as genuine SDCE items should the case arise in the future.”
The security thread has been so well-received that it was immediately incorporated into SDCE’s new subsequent variations of Multifibre; LyoW® and SLW. Launched in 2013, Multifibre LyoW® was originally produced exclusively for M&S, and replaced the Acetate stripe in DW with a Regenerated Cellulose element. Multifibre SLW meanwhile replaces DW’s Acrylic stripe with Regenerated Cellulose, and features an additional element of silk in accordance with the requirements of the sector’s more premium retailers.
Such ongoing evolution keeps SDCE at the forefront of the industry, and its ongoing measures to hallmark its goods are consistently welcomed by the wider industry for whom premium quality must come as standard.
“When each piece of multifibre can be clearly identified as SDCE, testers are in a position to demonstrate their use of the highest quality materials to both accreditors and those commissioning the tests,” says Mark Yare, SDCE’s managing director. “In combination with our clearly branded packaging and certificates of conformity, SDCE products can be clearly identified throughout an extensive supply chain up to and including the final test report. While there will sometimes be inferior products available on the market that occasional give similar results, professionals wishing to use the product recognised as the world leader in quality are better placed than ever to be reassured that genuine products have been sourced.”
For more information about SDCE’s Multifibre Adjacent fabric, please see the full range of products here.
