Setu Services

Published by: George Korn / Last updated: September 6, 2026 at 08:15

Sourcing services that cover the full supply chain in India

Published by Priya Nair · Last updated September 6, 2026

Key takeaways

Four modular services: product sourcing (a vetted short-list with compared quotes), product development (from idea to production-ready sample), quality control (three checkpoints plus lab testing), and logistics (factory floor to your warehouse). Flat-fee pricing, no factory commissions, run from our Gurugram desk in Udyog Vihar, the Delhi NCR district where international buying offices are based.

Four services, one specialist city at a time

India rarely has one best factory for a product: it has a specialist city for almost everything. Knitwear comes out of Tirupur, home textiles out of Panipat and Karur, leather out of Kanpur and Chennai, solid wood furniture out of Jodhpur, brass out of Moradabad, ceramics out of Khurja. Our job is to put your order in the right cluster, with a vetted exporter, at the right price. If you are still scoping your category, start with what products are made in India.

1

Product sourcing

We identify the best-fit factories for your specifications, starting from the manufacturing cluster that specializes in your category. Each supplier is vetted before we present it: production capacity, quality systems, export track record, and legal and ethical compliance.

One check matters more in India than anywhere else: a supplier without an IEC (Importer-Exporter Code, issued by the DGFT) cannot legally export at all. We verify it first, before any sampling starts.

The service includes supplier shortlisting on MOQ, target price and certifications; requests for quotation with price benchmarking across competing hubs; on-site factory vetting in the Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Haryana clusters; and a comparison report to choose between candidates.

You get a short-list of reliable exporters, with negotiated prices, before any commitment. And because Indian exports are zero-rated for GST, no Indian tax should ever appear on your export invoice; we check that too.

2

Product development

We turn an idea or design into a production-ready product. The team works from concept to validated sample, in direct contact with the workshop: design, technical adaptation, prototyping, testing, and pre-launch optimization.

India’s advantage here is vertical: it grows its own cotton, tans its own leather and mills its own wood, so material changes during development do not depend on an import loop through a third country.

Approving the sample is the cheapest checkpoint of the whole project. A change costs a few days at prototype stage, and a full production run once the line has started.

3

Quality control

A placed order is not a controlled order. India’s export base is largely made of small and mid-size workshops, which is exactly what makes prices attractive, and exactly why factory-to-factory variance is higher than in more consolidated supply bases. Supervision on site is not optional here.

Production follows three fixed checkpoints: prototype inspection before the line starts, an in-production check while defects are still correctable, and a pre-shipment review against AQL before the container leaves. You receive a report at each stage and validate the goods before paying the balance.

We also test products with accredited labs and fix issues on the factory floor. For textiles, India is strong ground for certified production: it counts more GOTS-certified organic textile facilities than any other country, and SMETA, BSCI and OEKO-TEX audited factories are common in the main export clusters.

4

Logistics

We handle transport from the factory floor to your warehouse: domestic freight to port, ocean freight, customs clearance, and export documentation.

Most of our clients’ containers leave from Nhava Sheva (JNPT) near Mumbai, India’s largest container port, or from Mundra; Chennai serves the southern leather and knitwear belts. Plan on roughly 28 to 38 days to the US East Coast, 30 to 35 days to the West Coast, and 18 to 30 days to Northern Europe. India to Europe remains structurally one of the shortest Asia-Europe runs.

Coordination includes pickup, consolidation, and on-time shipment. You track progress without managing intermediaries.

Priya Nair, Key Account Manager at SETU SOURCING
“Every exporter shows you their best sample. The in-production check is where you find out what the other nine hundred pieces look like.”
Priya Nair · Key Account Manager, SETU SOURCING

What sourcing with Setu costs

We work on a flat fee agreed before the project starts, itemized line by line, not on a commission from factories: the FOB price you see is the price the factory quoted, and no unit pays us anything to be recommended.

18%
US tariff on Indian goods since the February 2026 deal, among the lowest of major origins
$145-170
average monthly garment wage, among Asia’s lowest
13
specialist manufacturing hubs we source from

A typical first project runs on this clock:

StageTypical duration
Brief review and hub match2-3 business days
Shortlist with compared quotes1-2 weeks
Sampling2-3 weeks per round
Production30-60 days depending on category
Ocean freight18-38 days depending on destination

Categories we cover

We source across India’s strongest export categories. Textiles and solid wood furniture are our core specialty; the full directory lives on our guide to finding Indian manufacturers.

CategoryHubWhere to start
Cotton knitwear, t-shirts, activewear, kidswearTirupur (about 55% of India’s knitwear exports)T-shirt manufacturers
Full clothing range and woven fashionMulti-hubClothing manufacturers
Home textiles: bed linen, towels, curtainsPanipat and KarurHome textile manufacturers
Solid wood and reclaimed furnitureJodhpur and JaipurFurniture manufacturers
Brass and metalwareMoradabadHandicraft manufacturers
Leather bags and small goodsKanpur and ChennaiBag manufacturers
Leather footwearAgraShoes made in India
Hand-knotted carpets and rugsBhadohi and Mirzapur, about 40% of world handmade exportsCarpet and rug manufacturers
Jewelry: silver, gemstones, imitationJaipur and Mumbai SEEPZJewelry manufacturers
Natural stone: marble, granite, quartziteRajasthan and South IndiaMarble and granite manufacturers

This list is not exhaustive. Ceramics come out of Khurja, glassware out of Firozabad, jute out of Kolkata. If you don’t see your category, contact us and we’ll confirm whether we can source it.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to take the full package?

No. The four services are modular: many clients come to us with a factory already chosen and use only quality control, or only logistics. The pricing is per service, itemized.

Do you disclose the factories?

Yes, from the shortlist stage. You can meet them, visit them, and contract with them directly if you prefer. An agent who hides the factory’s name is charging you a hidden margin; we charge a visible fee instead.

What order size do you take?

From small-batch test orders around 25 to 300 pieces in apparel and craft categories up to full-container programs. The process is identical; only the shortlist changes.

Can you work alongside my existing supplier?

Yes. Factory audits, inline inspections and pre-shipment reviews on a supplier you found yourself are among our most requested services.

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