Revman spreads out diversity

Staff -- Home Textiles Today, 10/1/2001 12:00:00 AM

Revman Industries

New York

President: Rich Roman

Principal business: bedding & bath, designer licenses

Virtually all of Revman's diversified product line, from sheets to Bed To Go, is now produced offshore, said Rich Roman, president.

"About 95 percent to 98 percent of everything we do. We're sourcing from China, India and Pakistan, and most of all from Mexico. I don't even think of Mexico as being an import right now. It's part of our trading bloc under NAFTA. And I can get to Mexico City faster than I can get to Los Angeles.

"We work with our suppliers on about a six- to seven-week lead time, which is about the same — or better, even — than working domestically. So lead times aren't really a problem."

More routinely, he said, the problems encountered in sourcing are "getting the screens cut right, getting the color right and getting the strike-offs on time." Laughing, he added, " But those are just as much of a problem here."

Some additional costs are involved, he noted: "You have your design people going back and forth all the time. But all that's offset by the lower labor costs and the lower cost of the product." Other problems are logistical. "The time difference is a little bit of a problem, but you learn to work around those things."

Beyond the obvious cost savings, Roman noted, imported product often has other, less talked about advantages as well. Because of less stringent environmental standards in other nations, "Revman has a "much easier time getting the hand, the feel, the color, the look we want offshore."