Samsonite India increasing manufacturing to 700,000 units a month

Samsonite India has expanded capacity at its Nashik plant to 700,000 bags a month, strengthening domestic manufacturing, exports and readiness for rising travel demand amid growing competition

Samsonite India has increased its manufacturing capacity at its Nashik facility to about 700,000 pieces a month from its pre Covid number of 220,000 pieces a month, the luggage maker said. 

“Manufacturing is very important, that’s what sets us apart from anybody else as we make most of it in India,” Jai Krishnan, chief executive officer-India, Samsonite South Asia told Business Standard in an interview. 

Krishnan said that Samsonite Nashik has become internally the company’s number one manufacturing unit. Due to the current capacity expansion, the company is well placed for the next two years and will only look to setting up another manufacturing facility after 2027. 

While talking about increased competition in the travel luggage space, Krishnan said that the category has seen immense changes in pricing in the last five years than it has seen in previous years as newer brands are coming in and competing for space in the category. 

He explained, “It is easier to put an organisation together. They (new entrants) are only talking about taking small bites into the industry. It’s only that with a low entry barrier now it’s easy to put together an organisation. It’s easy to put together a brand and launch and even with media as it is digital.”

 

He also said that the after service is also important and the core belief of the brand is to have fewer bags on the planet. “We talked about sustainability even before it was fashionable to talk about it,” Krishnan added.

 

While talking about rupee depreciation having an impact on the company, Krishnan said that most of its bags are made domestically and only depends on imports for its premium products. He also added that 10 per cent of what is manufactured at its plant in Nashik is exported.

 

The company sees 16 per cent of its sales through ecommerce, and Krishnan expects it to reach 20 per cent of its total sales in India over the next two years.

 

While talking about quick commerce also witnessing a rise for the travel luggage segment, Krishnan said, “Quick commerce is a subset of e-commerce, but it is growing. There are dark stores now, not just in not just in big cities, even in smaller cities. It is growing for us. It is a segment that will continue to grow,” he added.

 

While talking about the outlook for 2026, Krishnan said, “Things are only going to get better for India. Travel is something that is linked to general prosperity. It is linked to progress, if those are things that are happening in the country. And if travel is going to grow, our business has to also grow.”