HFDA’s first mentoring programme to involve six textile manufacturers

The first manufacturer mentoring programme of the Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency has been launched to equip participants with up-to-date business and technological know-how in the field of manufacturing. A board of experts has selected six textile manufacturers that will attend six online workshops and 12 sessions of professional consultancy in the next few months. They will be tutored by Hungarian experts to acquire knowledge to achieve international success.

The Hungarian Fashion & Design Agency has started its first manufacturer mentoring programme launched with the objective of supporting national manufacturers active in the textile industry by opening up international scopes for those selected to participate. The mentoring programme scheduled to last for four months will include online workshops with a focus on management, innovations in technology and sustainability. With this new knowledge, manufacturers are expected to incorporate successful trends and good practices into their operation.

From a large number of applicants responding to the open call, the board of experts selected manufacturers that proved responsive to innovation, were open to competition, that are key employers in their region and have a relevant mission in achieving sustainability. According to the decision of the board, the following companies have scored highest in the selection procedure and therefore have been selected to participate in the programme: Ezerkéz Bt., az Amazon Ipari, Kereskedelmi és Szolgáltató Kft., a Rose Ruhaipari és Szolgáltató Kft, az Unicon Zrt., a Gold Consulting Szolgáltató, Gyártó és Kereskedelmi Szociális Szövetkezet and the Nyír-Gestum Rehablitációs Kereskedelmi és Szolgáltató Kft. In the first phase of the programme, the mentees will learn how to increase the efficiency of their operation. They will be helped by experts of the Export Academy under the Hungarian Export Promotion Agency (HEPA) – Mr András Bakos and Mr Zoltán Légrádi – owing to the professional cooperation scheme forged between HFDA and HEPA.

In this part of the programme, they will gain an insight into the methodologies of manufacturing processes and how they should be organised, and will also learn about costs incurred in logistics and manufacturing related to exports. In phase two, they will work with Ms Alexandra Horváth, an expert of Edutorial Consultancy, who will offer them ways out of the maze of a company’s activities in financing, and they will also get information about current technological innovations from Ms Gabriella Juhász, Dr István Dénes Legeza and Mr Szabolcs Rabb. By the end of the workshop, the attendees will have learnt about a range of funding opportunities and about the benefits and drawbacks of technological innovations.

The programme includes 12 sessions of professional consultancy with organizational development consultant Dr Andrea Sólyom who will help manufacturers to optimize their operation. In the first phase of one-to-one meetings, participants will be asked to estimate their operational efficiency and will then be invited to prepare a plan for further development. The programme also includes building strategies in international markets as well as export promotion. The speakers of this block will include Mr Iván Gyurácz Németh representing Absolvo Consulting, Dr. Árpád Papp-Váry of the Hungarian Marketing Association, and Ms Edina Varga, from HEPA who will all explain international market trends. Participants will learn what makes a product ready and suitable for export and how to pick and segment target markets. Last but not least, Mr Ákos Lukács, Senior Manager of Environment, Sustainability and Climate Change at Deloitte will analyse the findings of national and international studies to introduce best practices that could serve as examples for any manufacturers committed to the environment.