Profile of CONTIGO´s partner Sadaan

Supply chain

Trading partner: Sadaan, microenterprise
Function: Producer
Structure: Own production plant, affiliated production groups
Tradeway: Direct import CONTIGO

Products

Lanterns and decorative items made of powder-coated iron and steel sheets

Location

Moradabad, 170 km east of New-Delhi, in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India – distance to Europe: 6,000 km

Founded in 2000

History

• Founder Sartaj Khan has been doing metalwork ever since
• 1995: Sartaj Khan starts his own business with his own workshop
• 2000: Establishment of local sales channels
• 2010: With growing experience and new ranges the company starts exporting; by then “Sadaan Handicrafts” is registered in the commercial register
• 2021: Expansion of production to lamps and interior lighting

Cooperation with CONTIGO since 2016

Why does CONTIGO work with Sadaan: Company with many experiences in metal processing, well-structured work organization, open to new ideas and suggestions.

 

Structure of the business

Number of employees:

• Permanent staff
  • 9 employees (7 men, 2 women)
  • departments: product development, administration, marketing, management
  • women do quality control and packaging
  • receive monthly fixed salaries – see below (Fair wages)
• Subcontractors with their own workshops (in house)
  • 19 employees: 12 men, 7 women
  • departments: forging, quality control
  • women do quality control and packaging
  • receive agreed piece-rated wages
• Cooperation with 5 independant groups (out door workshops)
  • production steps: metal cutting, moulding, welding
  • contract on agreed piece rate

Work organisation and environment:

• Separate building with office, showroom, quality control and packing department
• Rented workshop area with different buildings (specialized in individual production steps)
• Some production steps (such as metal cutting, moulding, welding) are outsourced to specialized workshops

Production steps:

• Basic shapes are cut out by machines (squares and rectangles)
• Irregularly shaped parts are cut out by hand
• Working out the patterns in an etching process
• Stamping the edges to prepare for welding
• Welding together the individual molds (electric spot welding or surface welding with gas)
• Pretreatment of the surface (cleaning, degreasing)
• Electronic powder coating and polishing

Sales

Exports to the U.S., France, Italy, Germany, Dubai, Lebanon, Great Britain

 

Fairtrade classification

FTP = Fairtrade in Progress

 

Fairtrade aspects

Sadaan complies with the following Fairtrade Principles:

No child labour

No discrimination

No discrimination due to gender, disability, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, political orientation, or infection with HIV.

• Elected staff committee (1 member of management, 2 employees)
• Weekly meetings with all employees
• Suggestion box for complaints and suggestions

Fair wages

• Minimum wages in the metal manufactories sector in the state of Uttar Pradesh: (INR = Indian Rupee), as of 2021
  • un-skilled worker: INR 9,078/month
  • semi-skilled worker: INR 9,985/month
  • skilled worker: INR 11,185/month

• Average wages at Sadaan:
  • Salary for un-skilled workers: INR 9,078–10,500/month
  • Salary for semi-skilled workers: INR 9,985–13,000/month
  • Salary for skilled workers: INR 11,185–25,000/month
• Payment twice a month in cash or per cheque
• Bonus payments
  • Holiday bonus (Diwali) in the form of half a month’s salary
  • After finishing of orders (variable additional payment) for all craftsmen in production

Humane working conditions

Working hours:

• 8 hours/day (10 am – 7 pm)
• 1 hour lunch break
• 6 days/week

Social benefits:

• Paid leave (27 days)
  • 15 holidays – for all salaried employees and piece-rated employees
  • 12 days for recreation – for salaried employees only
• Continued payment of wage in case of sickness or accidents on presentation of a medical certificate
• In case of need Sadaan pays hospital bills for the employees

Occupational safety:

• First aid equipment, 1 trained first aider
• Protective clothing is provided
• Fire protection (fire extinguishers, fire alarm, evacuation plan)
• Regular emergency exercises
• Clean drinking water
• Clean sanitary facilities for men and women

Transparency

• Payroll is available
• Pay slips are available
• SAR (Self Assessment Report) was duly submitted to CONTIGO

 

Monitoring

• Personal visits in Moradabad (2018)
• SMETA Audit (2019)
• ISO-9001:2015 Zertifizierung (2021)

 

Country information

See Encyclopaedia Britannica: India

 

Photos

Visiting Sadaan in March 2018