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Fashion Value Chain

TELEPHONE YARN: Blending Tradition and Sustainability in Embroidery Threads

Ankit Jain, Managing Director TELEPHONE YARN, Neelam Thread Pvt. Ltd. TELEPHONE YARN, the flagship brand of Neelam Thread Pvt. Ltd., is a pioneer in India's embroidery thread industry since 1979. Renowned for its 'Telephone' brand, the company manufactures premium Viscose Rayon and Polyester embroidery threads in over 2,000 color shades, serving fashion designers, exporters, and home décor brands across India and global markets. The management team combines tradition and innovation: Ankit Jain, Managing Director, leads the company's growth, focusing on industry trends and sustainability initiatives such as eco-friendly and FSC-certified threads, while Amit Jain, Director, oversees dyeing and production, ensuring consistent quality and operational excellence. With a production capacity of 700 tonnes annually, TELEPHONE YARN is committed to timely delivery, superior quality, and environmental responsibility, strengthening its reputation as a trusted partner for leading designers and exporters worldwide. Recently, the TVC Media team had the privilege to talk to Ankit Jain about how the company continues to balance its rich legacy with cutting-edge innovations and a robust vision for sustainability. Neelam Thread Pvt. Ltd. has grown significantly since its inception in 1979. What core values and business principles have been central to maintaining your leadership in the embroidery thread market over the decades? Neelam Thread's growth and market leadership since 46 years are driven by core values of quality, innovation, and customer-centricity. A commitment to superior thread quality ensures reliability and trust among global and domestic clients. Continuous innovation in products and processes keeps the brand ahead of industry trends. The company's focus on building strong relationships with employees and clients and adapting to their needs has solidified its reputation as a trusted partner in the embroidery thread industry. Legacy with Vision: While upholding the values set by our founder late Shri Stander Kumar Jain, we continuously modernise operations and product lines to stay relevant in a fast-changing fashion ecosystem. Commitment to Quality: Our threads are known for durability, precision, and consistent performance across applications, ensuring consistency, strength, and finish that meet global standards. Customer-Centric Approach: We prioritise client needs by offering customised shades, fast service, and dependable support. Innovation & Adaptability: We stay ahead by continuously exploring new materials and sustainable solutions to meet evolving fashion trends, whether it's introducing spun poly for matte embroidery or developing recycled threads. Ethical Business Practices, Integrity & Trust: Transparency, honesty, and long-term partnerships are central to our way of working. These principles have enabled us to remain a trusted name for over four decades. As the industry evolves, how is Neelam Thread responding to the increasing demand for eco-friendly, sustainable threads, and how have your initiatives, like solar energy and OEKO-TEX certification, impacted your business and customer relationships? Yes, there is a significant and growing demand for sustainable products and production methods globally, including in India. Many brands now ask for specific sustainability certifications to ensure transparency and credibility: FSC certification, Global Recycled Standard (GRS), and OEKO-TEX Standard 100. These certifications help brands meet both regulatory standards and consumer expectations. We are actively responding to the growing demand for sustainable solutions by integrating sustainable practices across our operations: Sustainable Product Development: We have introduced FSC-certified viscose embroidery thread and are soon to launch GRS-certified polyester embroidery threads without compromising on quality or performance, aligning with the needs of conscious fashion brands. Clean Energy Adoption: Our investment in solar energy has reduced our carbon footprint, reinforcing our commitment to environmental responsibility. OEKO-TEX Certification: Our threads are OEKO-TEX certified, assuring customers that our products are free from harmful substances. These initiatives have strengthened our credibility with leading designers and exporters who prioritize sustainability. They not only enhance customer trust but also position Telephone Thread as a forward-thinking, responsible brand in a competitive market. SUSTAINABILITY AT TELEPHONE THREAD Our commitment to the environment is deeply ingrained in our business philosophy. We take various measures to minimize resource wastage and invest in eco-friendly infrastructure. We've implemented multiple sustainable practices in our production: ETP Plant: Installed an Effluent Treatment Plant to treat and reuse wastewater, reducing water pollution. Gas-Based Boilers: Shifted from coal to gas-based boilers to cut carbon emissions and improve energy efficiency. Oeko Tex certified yarn and Eco-Friendly Dyes. Efficient Resource Use: Optimized processes to reduce waste, water, and energy use across operations. Our company office in Delhi runs on 100 % Solar energy and 100 % LED lights. We are having Oeko Tex certifications for our products in product class I (including baby articles). Minimizing waste through better production planning and the reuse of leftover threads. Working with certified partners (FSC, OEKO-TEX) to ensure sustainable input and process. Raw material pricing and availability pose major challenges for manufacturers, especially with recent price hikes in viscose and polyester. What strategies have you found effective in managing these cost pressures and ensuring uninterrupted production? To manage raw material cost fluctuations and ensure uninterrupted production, we have adopted a balanced approach: Customer-Centric Pricing Despite fluctuations in viscose and polyester costs, we strive to offer stable pricing to our clients through planned procurement and efficient production practices. We adapt quickly to demand patterns and prioritize high-moving shades and qualities to ensure timely deliveries without disruption. Continuous improvements in production efficiency, dyeing processes, and waste reduction help us control internal costs without compromising on quality. Product Diversification Offering multiple thread types and finishes allows us to cater to a wider market and reduce our dependency on any single material. Innovation and technology are key drivers in manufacturing. Could you share how investments in high-tech dyeing plants and automation have revolutionised your production process and product quality? Our modern dyeing setup allows precise control over shades and consistency, reducing reworks and ensuring quicker turnaround times—something our clients value deeply. Automated winding, rewinding, and packing systems ensure uniform tension, finish, and precision in every tube/cone, enhancing customer satisfaction and brand reliability. With real-time monitoring and process optimization, we've significantly improved production speed, reduced wastage, and ensured uninterrupted supply—even during peak demands. With your vast shade card and the addition of new colour options, how do you anticipate and respond to changing fashion trends and the requirements of buying houses, exporters, and designers? As Telephone thread, we stay closely connected to the pulse of the fashion industry to anticipate and respond to evolving trends. We actively engage with designers, exporters, and buying houses to understand their seasonal requirements, while also tracking global fashion forecasts and participating in key textile exhibitions. This allows us to stay ahead of colour trends and design expectations. Our in-house colour lab enables quick shade development and precise colour matching, allowing us to respond rapidly to client needs. Beyond this, we are deeply invested in research and innovation, and also experiments with special-effect threads like ombré, metallic blends, and matte textures to align with evolving design preferences. Trilobal polyester and spun polyester threads are gaining traction, especially for their matt finish and cost-effectiveness. How is Neelam Thread balancing its focus between the traditional viscose segment and these emerging categories? Viscose rayon has been the cornerstone of our product line for over 40 years, valued for its luxurious sheen and soft texture. In response to rising demand for cost-effective and durable alternatives, we introduced trilobal polyester threads in 2001—ideal for high-speed embroidery and vibrant finishes. Similarly, with the increasing preference for matte-finish embroidery in recent years, we launched spun polyester threads in 2016 under the brand name 'Worldwide' to meet the needs of modern fashion and export markets. Each of these threads serves a distinct purpose, and by offering all three, we provide our clients with a versatile and complete solution tailored to various design aesthetics and application requirements. Exports and international presence are increasingly important. What challenges has Neelam Thread faced in expanding its global footprint, and what steps are you taking to further strengthen your overseas business? While our primary focus has been the domestic market, we must honestly admit that we have not actively explored exports until now. However, with growing interest from international buyers and the evolving global demand for quality threads, we are now strategically preparing to enter the export space in a focused and structured manner. Building a global presence comes with its own set of challenges, including understanding diverse market needs, meeting international compliance standards, and creating a reliable distribution network. To prepare for this, we are strengthening product certifications like Sedex, Higg, etc, and aligning our shade range with global fashion trends. Participation in global textile events and enhancing our digital presence are part of our strategy to increase visibility. With a strong foundation built over four decades in the domestic market, we are confident in taking 'TELEPHONE' Thread to a global audience with the same commitment to quality, service, and innovation. What are your strategic goals for the next five years in terms of product innovation, sustainable practices, and market expansion, and where do you see the greatest opportunities for Neelam Thread Pvt. Ltd. in the future? In the next five years, we are focused on driving growth through product innovation, sustainable practices, and strategic market expansion. On the innovation front, we aim to diversify our portfolio with new-age embroidery threads such as textured finishes, multi-effect threads, and customized solutions for high-speed industrial machines. We have introduced FSC-certified Viscose embroidery threads and are working on GRS-certified recycled polyester yarn. Key sustainable features: FSC-Certified Viscose Threads: Made from wood pulp sourced from responsibly managed forests. GRS-Certified Recycled Polyester Threads: Made from post-consumer plastic waste (like PET bottles). Reduced carbon footprint compared to virgin polyester. These threads offer the same strength and sheen as regular threads but with a much lower environmental impact. Sustainability will continue to be a core area of focus. We plan to scale up our range of recycled threads and adopt more eco-efficient dyeing technologies, while further expanding the use of solar power and reducing water and chemical usage across our processes. From a market perspective, our key goal is to establish a strong footprint in exports. While we've built a trusted brand in the Indian market over four decades, we see significant potential in catering to international fashion and apparel manufacturers. Targeting New Customers: We plan to target more global fashion brands and expand our presence in ethnic and traditional garment manufacturers. Direct-to-Consumer (D2C): Exploring e-commerce platforms to sell our threads directly to smaller businesses and individual artisans. B2B Market: Exploring partnerships with larger apparel exporters and corporate clients for bulk thread supplies. We're also looking to deepen collaborations with premium Indian designers, corporate brands, and buying houses by offering faster turnaround, customised shade development. Invest in our people: we are committed to ensuring that they are ready to face the market, technological, and cultural changes of the next decade. We will achieve this by reinforcing skills development and increasing the number of experts we have in key growth areas. The future for Neelam Thread lies in combining tradition with transformation—bringing high-quality, responsibly made threads to both domestic and global stages.