Sri Lankan Apparel Manufacturer Winterquilts Adopts Coats Digital’s GSDCost and AI-Powered GSDQuest to Transform Garment Costing

In a significant move to modernize its manufacturing footprint, Sri Lankan apparel powerhouse Winterquilts (Pvt) Ltd. has officially announced a comprehensive investment in Coats Digital’s industry-leading GSDCost solution and its groundbreaking AI-powered platform, GSDQuest. This partnership marks a pivotal transition for the manufacturer, which oversees four major production facilities and employs over 3,000 workers, as it seeks to replace legacy manual costing processes with data-driven, scientifically benchmarked methodologies. By adopting these digital tools, Winterquilts aims to refine its operational efficiency, standardize garment costing across six distinct product libraries, and drastically reduce the time-to-market for its diverse output of 700,000 garments per month.

A Three-Decade Legacy Meets Future-Ready Technology

Established over 30 years ago, Winterquilts has carved out a reputation as a cornerstone of the Sri Lankan apparel export sector. The company has long maintained a steady partnership with global retail giants, most notably Marks & Spencer, by adhering to rigorous quality standards and maintaining a diverse production portfolio. Their manufacturing capabilities currently span a wide array of categories, including jersey knit and athleisure, woven shirts and blouses, woven bottoms, ladies’ fashion, as well as specialized babywear and childrenswear.

However, the rapid evolution of the global fashion supply chain has placed unprecedented pressure on manufacturers to deliver greater agility. For Winterquilts, the challenge lay in the inherent limitations of traditional, manual costing methods. These legacy systems often relied on subjective estimates, which created inconsistencies in Standard Minute Values (SMVs) and hampered the company’s ability to respond to volatile market shifts with the necessary speed.

Chronology of the Strategic Shift

The decision to partner with Coats Digital follows a period of internal assessment regarding the company’s scalability. Throughout early 2026, leadership at Winterquilts identified a widening gap between their existing manufacturing throughput and the agility required to remain competitive in an increasingly digital-first landscape.

• Early 2026: Winterquilts begins an audit of its internal costing processes, identifying excessive "firefighting" and manual data entry as primary bottlenecks in production planning.
• Mid-2026: The management team evaluates several digital manufacturing partners, focusing on solutions that offer both scientific benchmarking and future-proof AI integration.
• September 9, 2026: The official announcement of the partnership is made, confirming the rollout of GSDCost and GSDQuest across six key product lines.
• Q4 2026 and Beyond: Implementation phase commences, with the integration of the Fair Wage Tool, Thread Demand, and Material Size Factor modules to provide a holistic view of the factory floor.

The Science of Costing: GSDCost and GSDQuest

At the heart of this investment is the GSDCost platform, which serves as the global gold standard for establishing "International Standard Time Benchmarks." By utilizing predetermined motion codes, the software allows manufacturers to move away from guesswork, ensuring that every garment operation is measured against a scientifically established baseline.

The inclusion of GSDQuest adds an artificial intelligence layer to this foundation. By analyzing garment images, the AI-driven tool can automatically generate detailed Bills of Labour in seconds. This eliminates the repetitive, time-consuming tasks that have historically occupied industrial engineering teams, allowing them to shift their focus toward higher-value strategic objectives. According to industry analysts, this type of automation is expected to become the industry standard for large-scale manufacturers by 2030 as labor costs rise and margins tighten globally.

Perspectives from the Leadership

Mr. Rajen Amalean, Managing Director of Winterquilts, highlighted the necessity of this shift during the announcement. "Our existing processes required significant manual effort and could create challenges with turnaround times, consistency, and visibility," he noted. "We wanted to establish a more scientific approach that would improve costing accuracy, reduce operational firefighting, and provide greater confidence in the decisions we make throughout the product development and production process."

His sentiments were echoed by Mr. Akshay Amalean, Director at Winterquilts, who emphasized the synergy between the company’s legacy of craftsmanship and the promise of new technology. "Coats Digital’s deep understanding of apparel manufacturing, combined with its proven GSD methodology and commitment to innovation, made it the right partner for our next stage of development," he stated.

From the service provider’s side, Dhananjaya Dammika, Solutions Consulting Manager at Coats Digital, emphasized the broader implications for the manufacturer. "By investing in the latest generation of AI-powered costing alongside proven scientific methodologies, the company is creating a digital foundation designed to enhance operational performance today and provide the agility and resilience needed to navigate future industry demands."

Broader Industry Implications

The transition at Winterquilts serves as a microcosm of a broader trend within the global textile industry. As fashion brands demand more transparency, faster lead times, and higher levels of social and environmental accountability, manufacturers are finding that traditional, fragmented systems are no longer viable.

1. Standardization and Transparency: By adopting a common language for time and cost, Winterquilts is better positioned to facilitate fact-based negotiations with global brands. This transparency is increasingly vital for maintaining CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) standards, as it provides verifiable data on labor utilization.
2. AI-Driven Efficiency: The use of image-based AI to generate Bills of Labour represents a significant leap forward. It minimizes human error, ensures consistency across production batches, and allows the workforce to pivot between styles more efficiently—a critical requirement in the era of "fast-fashion" and frequent trend cycles.
3. Sustainability: Efficient manufacturing is inherently more sustainable. By optimizing the time required for each garment, manufacturers reduce energy waste and material inefficiency. The inclusion of the "Material Size Factor" and "Thread Demand" modules in the Winterquilts package suggests a move toward a more holistic resource management approach.

Preparing for the Next Generation of Fashion Manufacturing

The integration of these digital tools is not merely an operational upgrade; it is a strategic repositioning. With over 3,000 employees and a sophisticated, multi-product manufacturing facility, Winterquilts is setting a benchmark for the Sri Lankan apparel industry.

As the company moves forward with the implementation, the industry will be watching closely to see how these efficiencies translate into bottom-line growth and market share. The combination of Coats Digital’s established SaaS infrastructure—which won four categories at the 2023 International SaaS Awards—and the proactive leadership at Winterquilts suggests a model that other manufacturers in the region are likely to follow.

The move also underscores the growing importance of the "digital supply chain." As manufacturers in Southeast and South Asia face increasing competition from automated facilities in other regions, the ability to leverage data-driven insights will distinguish the leaders from the laggards. For Winterquilts, the path ahead involves not just producing garments, but managing a sophisticated data ecosystem that prioritizes accuracy, speed, and intelligence, ensuring that the company remains a trusted partner for global fashion retailers for decades to come.

In conclusion, this partnership marks a definitive step toward the "smart factory" of the future. By merging the human expertise of its workforce with the precision of AI-powered analytics, Winterquilts is demonstrating that the future of fashion manufacturing lies in the seamless intersection of technology and craftsmanship.