By Fracis Chan

JAMAICAN sprint king Usain Bolt was carrying a piece of Singapore with him on his way to winning three gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.

That's because the yellow, black and green tank-top, which Bolt wore during his record breaking feat, was made by a Singapore-based apparel manufacturer.

'We were excited to see Usain Bolt cross the finishing line wearing the Puma apparel that we helped make,' said Ms Lynn Tan, director of Bodynits Group.

'I still remember that it was a very challenging project due to the complex design behind the apparel for Team Jamaica,' she added. 'We had many sleepless nights over it, but seeing the results of our hard work on such a grand stage like the Olympics was very satisfying.'

With a production capacity of almost 14million garments a year, Bodynits is one of the region's largest apparel contract manufacturers.

It has three retail stores in Marina Square, Centrepoint and Suntec City, and its combined production facilities in Singapore, China, Indonesia and Vietnam take up 330,000sqft of factory space.

The firm has more than 3,600 employees in the region and counts global sportswear giants like Puma, Nike, adidas, Under Armor, Champion, Fila and Reebok as long-term clients.

But the firm's success as a sporting apparel contract manufacturer was built on more modest foundations.

Ms Tan, who is married to a finance professional, told The Straits Times that the idea for Bodynits emerged in the 1980s when she was helping to run her mother's undergarment retail stores.

'My sister and I had to help our parents run their business,' said the 51-year-old. 'It was just the way we were brought up.'

Over time, while helping out at her mother's stores in Katong and Bukit Timah, Ms Tan developed a keen sense of what customers wanted.

That led her to stumble upon a unique market opening that was just picking up in Singapore at the time.

'Aerobics was the 'in' thing with Singaporeans in the 1980s and many came to our stores asking if we sold apparel for aerobics,' said Ms Tan. 'My eldest sister and I then came up with the idea of importing leotards and tights to fill that vacuum,' she added.

With the growing demand, business naturally picked up, but Ms Tan, then only 27, also knew that she could not sustain a business by just importing apparel from the Philippines and Hong Kong.

She knew that, as a retailer, the business ultimately ran the risk of losing out if brand owners one day decided to stop distributing their products through her mother's stores.

'We learned from the ladies undergarment business that a brand owner can just as easily take its products away from you to distribute them on its own once they gain popularity,' she explained.

'If that happens, there's really nothing you can do about it, which was why we felt the need to develop our own brand.'

Ms Tan and her eldest sister, Poh Kheng, now 54, then started making their own garments in their mother's backyard and branded them Bodynits.

'It was a six-man operation consisting of my other siblings,' said Ms Tan.

Her motley crew of six, however, outgrew her mother's backyard in just six months.

'So we moved to a small 1,000sqft unit at Lavender where we had to walk up six floors just to get to our factory,' said Ms Tan. 'But we had no choice as my mother was tearing her hair out because of us,' she added with a laugh.

The budding entrepreneur's stay in Lavender Street was also short-lived, but only because business flourished.

'At the time, rising labour costs in the United States and Europe resulted in big name brands looking to Asia-Pacific firms to take on manufacturing jobs,' said Ms Tan.

Those firms chanced upon Bodynits products, which by 1986 were available in department stores here.

'A trade fair organised by the Trade Development Board, or what is now called IE Singapore, also exposed our business to international buyers,' said Ms Tan. 'They liked our quality and also appreciated the fact that we spoke English, which convinced them that we understood their requirements and could deliver on their order specifications.'

As the business grew, she found herself having to move yet again - this time, to a larger 10,000sqft factory in the Lipo Building, off Aljunied Road.

By 1987, she had doubled her factory space and had also set up her first store at Marina Square, retailing Bodynits fitness apparel.

But the firm continued to receive more contract manufacturing jobs meant for the US and European markets.

So slowly but surely, the main thrust of Ms Tan's business shifted to cater to the international export market.

Today, the business continues to retail its own line of fitness-wear under the Bodynits and Bods labels. However, Ms Tan said she has no new plans to expand the retail arm of Bodynits.

'We prefer to focus on developing our business-to-business strategy instead,' she said. 'Our domestic market is just too small and I just don't see the need.'

But she said her retail outlets still serve as a way to stay in touch with customers and to gather data on what end-users of the company's products want in terms of design and presentation.

'With the added feedback, we can serve our clients even better,' she said.

Bodynits' competitive advantage, she said, is down to its technical expertise and product knowledge.

'We know that athletes want to wear something that moves with their skin, that keeps them comfortable and is able to take the stress of sports,' she said.

'So our understanding of the technical details behind performance fabrics is very important.'

She also said that garment manufacturing today involves a 'tedious process' and firms like Bodynits not only have to manufacture quality apparel but also add value for their clients.

'To effectively serve big brand names like Nike and adidas, we also needed to source, distribute... and ensure our products do not compromise the reputation of our international clients,' she said.

In addition, due to its large market share, Bodynits has to ensure it is able to handle large orders on tight deadlines.

One of the firm's biggest tests was during the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics, said Ms Tan.

'We were manufacturing many of the national teams' apparel, designed by brands like Puma, Nike and adidas, and everyone wanted the goods fast,' she said. 'But we were happy to deliver.'

To this day, four of Ms Tan's five siblings remain actively involved in different areas of the business, from production to accounting.

On the future of the firm, Ms Tan said that any plans to expand would depend on Bodynits finding a partner that shares her family's vision and passion.

On the current economic climate, she said she sees it as an opportunity to take stock of the business and rethink its growth strategy.

'The slowdown will give us a chance to consolidate and think about new ways to re-position the business,' said Ms Tan.

'We can take the opportunity to train our staff and strengthen our core businesses in preparation for the next wave.'

Bodynits generated in excess of $100million in turnover last year and is on course to achieve a similar result this year.

Judging by its track record so far, it is certainly in a strong position to continue making the headlines in both the business and sporting arenas.

This article was first published in The Straits Times on October 01, 2008.