Tukacenter Debuts in Fashion District
Tukatech Inc. opened the doors to its first U.S.-based Tukacenter in downtown Los Angeles last week. Company executives are hoping other doors will open for Los Angeles’ apparel industry since the centers are equipped to bring hi-tech CAD-based pattern making to the masses.
The opening drew industry veteran Joe Ganete of Ganete & Ganete and executives from Rampage and XOXO. Tuka’s chief executive officer Ram Sareen declared it a day of liberation for Los Angeles’ smaller manufacturers who cannot afford the lofty price tags of the latest plotters, CAD systems, digitizers and other equipment now necessary to compete effectively.
“Pattern makers have no time,” he said. “In fashion you work around the clock and this center is for those people.”
The 2,400-square-foot center at 1029 S. Broadway, around the corner from the California Mart, offers 24-hour access to Tukatech’s CAD systems and inkjet plotters at rates as low as $50 per month and $10 per hour. The center also offers design systems and on-site training for pattern making, grading and marking.
Tukatech already has Tucacenters in the garment capitals of Korea, Vietnam, India and the Dominican Republic. Sareen said he sees plenty of potential for Los Angeles, where about 25 percent of domestic-made apparel is produced. Sareen said he is looking at opening another center on the Westside down the line. He has a goal of rolling out 250 centers globally over the next year. Some of these will be franchised out.
The Fashion District center features about 30 workstations and a training center where two classes are offered each day, six times a week. Four ink-jet plotters (36-inch and 72-inch) are on hand along with a digitizing table. Sareen boasted that it’s possible to produce a sample in about two and a halfhours at the center.
“This is what the industry has been waiting for,” he said. “You just have to have the basic techniques. If you only want to do one step of the process, we can finish it for you. What it comes down to is shortening the cycle time.”
Ganete, one of the pioneers in apparel technology, called the center “fantastic. I switched over to these systems five years ago. They are easier to handle and you don’t have to pay maintenance fees. It’s all very dependable.”
The Los Angeles Tukacenter is offering a 24-hour, three-session course for $750, which includes 75 hours of time at the center. Use of plotters are calculated at $1 per yard. For more information call (323) 726-3836.
