‘BIAC Provides Future-Ready, Highly Efficient Industrial Ecosystem’

In this exclusive interview with Textile Insights, Kushal Motiani shares insights into how BIAC has emerged as a world-class, sustainability-driven apparel and textiles hub. With over 20,000 employees, state-of-the-art infrastructure and strong ESG credentials, BIAC combines scale, speed and efficiency to serve global brands like Uniqlo, Victoria’s Secret and PVH. Motiani discusses workforce development, plug-and-play operations, government incentives, sustainability initiatives, and the park’s vision for the next decade as a leading global manufacturing destination.
 
What makes BIAC stand out compared to other industrial parks in India and Asia?
Over the past decade, India has made significant strides in industrial park development, with several world-class, sector-specific parks attracting substantial manufacturing investments.

BIAC was conceived as a greenfield, integrated textiles and apparel park, designed to set a global benchmark. Leveraging the group’s international experience and understanding of operational challenges worldwide, BIAC was developed to combine scale, efficiency and sustainability, creating a standard few others could match.

A key differentiator of BIAC is its focus on people, water and waste management, which are critical to textiles and apparel manufacturing. Attracting and supporting a skilled workforce is central to the park’s design. To facilitate manpower, BIAC operates nearly 200 buses daily, through transport agencies, to bring workers from nearby villages.

In partnership with the Akshaya Patra Foundation, a full-fledged central kitchen serves over 10,000 meals per day. Plans are also underway to develop on-site worker housing in collaboration with institutional operators, further enhancing the park’s appeal to talent.

Reliable water supply and sustainable management are another cornerstones. The park ensures uninterrupted water through government agreements and on-site infrastructure, including a 60-million-litre-per-day water treatment plant and two rainwater harvesting ponds with a combined 500-million-litre capacity, meeting nearly half of the park’s needs. The stormwater network is designed on natural slopes to reduce pumping, lowering energy consumption and operational costs.

BIAC also leads in waste management. Its Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) is capable of treating 56 million litres of effluent per day, treating all discharge from manufacturing units. Process solids are repurposed for cement production or dried with solar energy for fuel, eliminating landfill dependency. An on-site compliance team manages all permits, testing and reporting, allowing manufacturers to focus entirely on production.

By combining world-class infrastructure, sustainable water and waste management, and comprehensive workforce support, BIAC provides a future-ready, highly efficient industrial ecosystem that sets it apart from other industrial parks in India and Asia.

How does BIAC’s proximity to Vizag Port and Airport give it a strategic edge for global exports?
Historically, manufacturing operations have thrived in locations close to ports, as proximity facilitates both imports and exports. BIAC enjoys a distinct logistical advantage from its nearness to Visakhapatnam Port and Airport, strengthening trade flows in both directions. Being located near a major port enables companies within the Park to move goods swiftly to global markets, resulting in cost savings and faster turnaround times.

Export operations are primarily centred on Full Container Load (FCL) sea shipments, depending on customer approvals and lead times. While international air cargo operations from Vizag remain limited due to connectivity and customs infrastructure, companies leverage nearby hubs such as Hyderabad and Chennai, which are fully equipped for freight and customs clearance.

With the upcoming Bhogapuram International Airport, expected to begin passenger operations by mid-2026 and freight services by late 2026, air connectivity is set to improve significantly, further strengthening BIAC’s global export capabilities in the near future.

BIAC claims to be among the lowest-cost, highest-efficiency operations in Asia. What makes this possible?
BIAC embodies the Prime Minister’s vision of developing integrated textile parks under PM MITRA, aligned with the ‘5F’ formula: Farm to Fibre to Factory to Fashion to Foreign, by housing the entire value chain from raw materials to finished exports in one location. Situated just 50 km from Visakhapatnam Port, the Park’s design eliminates hand-offs, reduces transit time and converts efficiency directly into margin.

With suppliers and manufacturers co-located from fabric mills and trims to printing, packaging and logistics, programmes that once took weeks can now move in hours. Plug-and-play infrastructure further lowers capital risk, enabling new units to begin production in interim space within three months and transition to permanent facilities in about a year.

All units connect seamlessly to shared systems for water, effluent treatment, power and compliance with BIAC managing permits, testing and reporting so manufacturers can focus solely on production.

Speed is another advantage: a customs office inside the Park and proximity to the port ensure predictable despatch, with some U.S. programmes shipped in as little as eleven days from purchase order to warehouse delivery. The Park also provides dual-market flexibility, enabling domestic and export operations from the same site to maximize asset utilization.

A deep talent pool underpins this ecosystem. Initially seeded with experienced Sri Lankan leaders, BIAC has since localized talent, training over 100,000 people and employing more than 20,000 on-site today, the majority being women.

Safe transport, on-site training and a stable workforce ensure reliable productivity. Sustainability is equally embedded, with shared environmental infrastructure, rainwater harvesting, common effluent treatment with marine outfall, and solar sludge drying, standardizing compliance while reducing duplication of costs.

Put simply, co-location saves time, shared services cut costs, and a trained workforce drives consistency. This powerful combination allows brands to achieve both lower landed costs and faster, more reliable lead times at BIAC.

What government incentives and fiscal concessions are available for investors setting up units in the park?
In addition to the wide-ranging fiscal benefits available under the SEZ scheme, the Government of Andhra Pradesh, through its Industrial Policy 2024, extends highly attractive incentives for investors at BIAC. These include capital subsidies, interest subsidies, stamp duty exemptions and electricity duty exemptions, among others. As BIAC is a partner project with the state government, all such benefits are directly applicable to units setting up operations within the Park.

Andhra Pradesh has consistently ranked among the top states for ease of doing business and is known for offering customized, case-specific incentives for large-scale or strategically important investments. This ensures that businesses at BIAC not only gain from a strong policy framework but also from a state ecosystem committed to supporting long-term industrial growth.

How does the plug-and-play infrastructure model reduce set-up time for new companies?
Traditionally, setting up a new manufacturing unit could take 18–24 months from site finalization to operations. At BIAC, this timeline is significantly reduced through streamlined approvals, staged customer support and plug-and-play infrastructure.

Companies receive end-to-end assistance across their lifecycle, as shown below:

A major differentiator is BIAC’s Plug-and-Play Staging Units (Standard Design Factories), which allow companies to begin operations immediately while their permanent facilities are under construction.

These interim units provide a base for early hiring, training and pilot production, ensuring a smooth transition once the main factory is ready. Many customers affirm that this model has saved them both time and cost, accelerating their journey to market readiness.

With over 20,000 employees, mostly women, how is BIAC addressing workforce availability and skill development?
Leveraging Brandix Group’s 50+ years of global experience, BIAC has adopted a holistic approach to workforce development, employee welfare and community engagement. A state-of-the-art skills training centre supports employee upskilling, complemented by programmes that attract and retain talent. Benefits include marriage and first-baby support, along with scholarships for employees’ children from school through postgraduate studies.

Workplace policies ensure safety and inclusivity, evolving from the 2016 POSH policy to the 2021 gender-neutral Abuse & Harassment-Free Workplace policy. Occupational health services, launched in 2019, enhance employee wellbeing. Daily meals are served to 10,000 employees via the central kitchen in collaboration with the Akshaya Patra Foundation, while 200 buses cover 600 villages, improving accessibility.

Associate wellness initiatives include in-house counselling, legal aid clinics, Al-Anon family support, and tele-counselling during COVID-19. The P.A.C.E. programme (2021) promotes women’s skill-building and career growth, while the RISE Respect programme (2023) strengthens leadership, confidence, and workplace empowerment.

Talent development extends to academic engagement through internships, project-based learning, and the Dual System Training programme. BILD Academy (2020) builds a pipeline of skilled professionals with behavioural and leadership training.

Community initiatives include school infrastructure improvements benefiting 1,200 students, 142 free eye camps providing 38,000 glasses, women and adolescent health programmes reaching 22,000 participants, distribution of 3,100 Shakti kits for maternal nutrition, and ongoing village drinking water projects.

BIAC takes pride in long-serving employees, many with 14–15 years at the park, and in second-generation staff returning to white-collar roles, reflecting a culture of skill development, empowerment and opportunity that spans families and communities.

What sustainability initiatives, such as net-zero targets, CETP and zero-landfill practices, make BIAC appealing to ESG-focused investors?
BIAC is a sustainability-driven industrial park with initiatives that strongly resonate with ESG-focused investors. The park is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, backed by ongoing investments in clean energy and energy-efficient technologies. Its pioneering zero-landfill approach ensures that all solid waste is recycled, repurposed or used as fuel, supported by innovations like solar sludge dryers and biocatalyst treatments that significantly reduce waste volumes.

Water sustainability is another core focus, with nearly half of annual consumption met through large-scale rainwater harvesting. BIAC also maintains strict compliance with environmental regulations and governance standards, enhancing operational resilience and long-term viability.

Being part of the Brandix ecosystem further strengthens BIAC’s ESG credentials. The group has set ambitious science-based climate targets, achieved globally recognized certifications and embedded circularity and resource efficiency throughout its operations. Collectively, these measures minimize environmental and regulatory risks while aligning with global ESG benchmarks, making BIAC a highly attractive destination for responsible and sustainability-minded investors.

Leading global brands like Uniqlo, Victoria’s Secret, and PVH are already present at BIAC. How has their experience influenced the park’s growth?
The presence of leading global brands has been pivotal in BIAC’s evolution. Until recently, India lacked the capability to meet the exacting standards these brands demand. To bridge this gap, Brandix Apparel, the group’s manufacturing arm, invested heavily in workforce training, raw material quality, process upgrades and finishing techniques.

A key step was relocating experienced personnel from Sri Lanka and other established hubs to transfer technology and mentor the local workforce. Over the years, these initiatives have created a skilled local talent pool capable of independently meeting global quality standards, allowing many migrant experts to return home.

Speed and reliability of execution are additional strengths. BIAC’s integrated apparel park model enables streamlined operations and record-time deliveries, enhancing efficiency for all brands.

Together, these measures—world-class quality, a skilled workforce, and rapid execution—have cemented BIAC’s reputation as a preferred destination for global apparel brands, driving growth, capability development and long-term sustainability in India’s apparel manufacturing sector.

Looking 5–10 years ahead, what is your vision for BIAC as a global manufacturing hub?
When BIAC was established in Atchutapuram, Andhra Pradesh, the area was considered a hinterland. Today, through sustained development and the creation of over 100,000 jobs, it has emerged as a sought-after industrial destination, attracting global companies across sectors, including Pepsi, Coca-Cola, Saint-Gobain Glass, Uniparts, Yokohama, Asian Paints, Nerolac, and Laurus Labs.

While apparel and textiles remain a core focus, recent government approvals to expand into related sectors such as toys, accessories, and footwear offer additional growth avenues. These industries complement textiles and apparel, creating operational synergies that accelerate park development.

Government initiatives promoting textiles and apparel to new markets, alongside FTAs with the UK, Australia, and other regions, as well as PLI incentives, further strengthen India’s global manufacturing prospects. BIAC is strategically aligning its outreach initiatives over the next 12–18 months to leverage these opportunities.

Our vision is to position BIAC as a world-class, diversified manufacturing hub combining scale, speed and quality to serve global markets. By fostering a skilled workforce, supporting allied industries and maintaining a strong focus on innovation and efficiency, BIAC aims to remain at the forefront of India’s industrial and economic growth.