Intertek & fibre2fashion Ink Alliance to Promote iSupplier

February 01, 2012 - India

Intertek, the leading provider of quality and safety solutions to the manufacturing industry, recently signed an exclusive Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Fibre2Fashion, one of the world’s largest e-marketplaces for the textile-apparel-fashion industry.

The companies will work together to facilitate global sourcing in the textile value chains in South Asian countries, including India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, using the iSupplier platform.

iSupplier has been developed as a cost-effective solution for buyers who require trusted information about the identities, capabilities and processes of their suppliers when making purchasing decisions.

The Key to Smart Sourcing, iSupplier also acts as an online community where suppliers can showcase their performance through a series of certifications, standards and compliance levels that are widely recognized across their particular industry.

Simply put, this platform that effectively bridges the gap between buyers and suppliers, maximizing visibility, minimizing risks and facilitating business success.

The collaboration between Intertek and Fibre2Fashion.com through iSupplier will bring the best of two worlds together to provide authentic supplier information on the South Asian textile-apparel-fashion industry, verified for consistency, validity, credibility and accuracy.

This will facilitate global sourcing and supplier management of South Asian suppliers and is exactly what many global buyers are looking for, as they shift their sourcing focus from China to emerging South Asian economies.

Through, iSupplier buyers can obtain accurate and updated supplier profiles and data, effectively manage risk through visibility and traceability. They can save cost and time significantly as verified supplier information is readily available on the platform.

On the other hand, suppliers have a channel to showcase their capabilities and achievements through a trusted source, and to reach global buyers through the platform. With this genuine community of buyers and suppliers, the level of confidence and trust in the supply chains can be greatly increased.

Mr. Rajesh Saigal, Managing Director, Intertek India, said: “This MoU between the two parties will bring new opportunities for the textile and apparel industry in South Asia. Intertek and Fibre2Fashion.com will be actively organizing joint seminars, conferences, trainings and business-matching events between buyers and suppliers across the region".

He added, "Fibre2Fashion.com will promote Intertek services in addition to iSupplier throughits extensive online presence and Intertek in return will promote Fibre2Fashion.com services in the textile value chains.”

Adding to the vision for the future business Mr. Sanjiv Shah, CEO, Fibre2Fashion.com said, “We look forward very much to the development of this partnership and see great potential in further exploring the markets in India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. This alliance is likely to greatly strengthen the South Asian textile and apparel industry in the context of the world stage".

"With Intertek’s global network of quality buyers and suppliers, and the online tools to identify, filter and pre-qualify suppliers through the iSupplier platform, we hope to reach out to our target stakeholders and offer them a comprehensive solution for trading with global buyers”, he informed.

About Intertek:

Intertek is a leading provider of quality and safety solutions serving a wide range of industries around the world. From auditing and inspection, to testing, quality assurance and certification, Intertek is dedicated to adding value to customers' products and processes, and to supporting their success in the global marketplace.

Intertek has the expertise, resources and global reach to support its customers through its network of more than 1,000 laboratories and offices and 30,000 people in over 100 countries around the world. Intertek Group plc (LSE: ITRK) is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 index.

About Fibre2Fashion.com:

Fibre2Fashion is one of the world's largest B2B platforms for textiles, apparparel, fashion and technical textiles trade, trends and technologies. The portal attracts over one million visitors from 190 countries and offers business and knowledge services as well as recruitment solutions, facilitating merger-&-acquisition and advertising-and-branding solutions. www.TechicalTextile.Net is a Fibre2Fashion Venture.