On 21 June 2017, the team of Helsa Fashion Shaping with Aartee Patil (CEO helsa Icon India) was able to open a new, highly modern and light-flooded production building in the capital city (pop. 7,000,000) of the Indian State of Telangana. An appealing combination of glass, stone and wood dominates the exterior of this impressive building that radiates the spirit of innovation. It takes account of the requirements of a modern shoulder-upholstery production.

Helsa Icon India produces shoulder pads and sleeve head rolls for the garment industry in Hyderabad. An enormous growth in this area has made it necessary to expand the production area. If 1.7 million pairs of pads were manufactured in 2012, the figure for 2017 is expected to be over 5 million pairs.

As an employer, Helsa is committed to the same standards in India as in Germany or all other Helsa factories around the world. "We are a family, which means that we promote our employees worldwide. In India, this can mean giving a young seamstress the opportunity to learn to read and write, in order to be able to assume more responsibility later. It is important for us to see the individual and we are ready to take special paths that will take us all to more common welfare.”

Monika Sandler (Helsa company owner), Aartee Patil and Sandeep Prasad (General Manager India) together with their team members proudly presented the work of many weeks and months to the public.

A special honour was the presence of K. T. Rama Rao, Minister of IT, Industry and Urban Development in Telangana. After the symbolic ribbon cutting, his speech was followed by numerous representatives of the press with great attention.

Monika Sandler recalled in her address how it was six years ago when Helsa Icon India was first founded. She praised Aartee Patil for her commitment and dedication, her good instinct with regard to customers and markets, and for playing such a large part in the success of the company. Helsa is a well-known and respected brand in India’s apparel industry.

After the speeches, a guided tour of the light flooded production rooms of the single-storey building followed and visitors were able to see the shoulder pad production line at various points.

We interviewed CEO Aartee Patil about helsa and their collaboration with the international helsa team.

Aartee Patil: "The helsa Icon India joint venture is on a solid footing. The dedicated Helsa team has introduced us to a new era of work environment. We are enthusiastic about the passionate and binding cooperation with our customers of the fashion industry. It is a pleasure to be part of this fantastic alliance. The well-known quote from Henry Ford, the founder of the Ford Motor Company, stands as an example for our cooperation: 'Coming together is beginning, Staying together is progress, Working together is success. '"