Profile: Paul Levinson

Mar 5 2008 by Alistair Houghton, Liverpool Daily Post

Alistair Houghton meets PAUL LEVINSON, managing director of Ioma

UNIFORMS and branded clothes are so common that we take them for granted. But, whenever Paul Levinson sees a uniform supplied by his family’s south Liverpool company, Ioma, he can’t help but smile.

Ioma customises and supplies clothing and uniforms to organisations ranging from blue-chip companies to airline and ferry operators and local councils.

The company acts as the outsourced clothing department for its clients, shipping out bespoke and branded items around the country from its Speke warehouse.

Ioma’s products have had some high-profile models. It has made bespoke clothes for movies such as Saving Private Ryan and Bond flick Tomorrow Never Dies, and its work even featured in an episode of Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares, when it supplied new uniforms for Morgan’s restaurant in Woolton.

Levinson’s family has worked in the UK textile industry for more than 80 years and has seen it change beyond all recognition as manufacturing has moved away from the UK.

That change spelt the end for many UK textile firms – but, says Levinson, Ioma avoided becoming “pigeonholed” as a manufacturer and instead turned the outsourcing trend to its advantage.

“There’s very few companies in the UK textile industry that have survived this length of time,” said Levinson.

“We had to look at the erosion of manufacturing and we had to evolve. We could not survive doing what we were doing in the way we were doing it.

“We’re not making the garments any more but we’re sourcing them, getting them produced and managing the warehousing, logistics, distribution and branding aspects for other people.

“We’re still in the textile trade but I don’t call myself a manufacturer. I run a service business.”

Ioma’s clients include Scottish ferry company Caledonian MacBrayne and business airline Silverjet, as well as many facilities management firms.

It’s not just about polo shirts with logos – Ioma can supply clothing from uniforms for ferry or airline captains to clothing stewardesses or engine room workers.

Amendments and embroidery are still carried out in Speke, and products are packed and distributed from there. The company brands and stores over 250,000 garments a year.

ŠIoma’s origins stretch back more than 80 years but Ioma itself – whose name refers to its origins as an Isle of Man business – was founded in 1952.

Levinson joined the company 15 years ago and became managing director in 1999.

One of his core beliefs is that outsourcing is nothing to be scared of.

“There’s a lot of hysteria about the concept, but in principle it’s very sound,” he said.

“People always seem to think it’s about cost. There can be a cost saving but it should, when done right, be more about quality of service.

“Why should an organisation that has no expertise in uniforms pay for people, resources and space to do things when we can do it better because of the scale of our business?”

Ioma markets itself as a service for companies looking to be outsourced, but also outsources a key part of its work itself – clothing manufacturing.

“We used to buy from companies in the UK,” said Levinson. “Over the years, people have closed down and prices have been driven down, so we’re sourcing from all over the world.

“Some countries are better at producing some things than others. China is fabulous at producing wet weather and outdoor gear but Bangladesh has great expertise in shirts.”

The key now, says Levinson, is mixing those supply chains. If a customer wants 5,000 items in three months’ time, then they’ll come from China – if at the last minute they want another 300 items, then Ioma might switch to comparatively close suppliers in Portugal to sort the order.

The rate of change in the UK textile industry has been phenomenal and it is rare now to read “made in the UK” on any clothing label. Levinson says he is surprised at how little outcry the change has caused.

“The number of people employed in the UK clothing industry has fallen by 90% in probably the last 30 years and no-one has batted an eyelid,” he said.

“When Rover closed at Longbridge, it was a huge story. But when textile companies have closed with that many jobs nobody batted an eyelid.”

The company has worked on almost 40 films, as well as a number of stage musicals. Ioma was subject to confidentiality clauses on other films it has worked on, but Levinson says they have kitted out stars such as Brad Pitt.

“The machinists fought to make Brad Pitt’s trousers,” he smiled. Ioma was, of course, an outsourced supplier for those films – another example, says Levinson, of the fact that outsourcing is nothing to fear.

Its name may betray its Manx origins, but Ioma is today a keystone of the south Liverpool business world

Levinson’s father Hershel, still Ioma’s chairman, was an active member of the South Liverpool Business Network, and his son has followed in his footsteps as a director of the networking group.

Levinson is proud of his firm’s history, and says the clothing business has long been in his blood.

“I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t a family business,” he said. “I did a degree in clothing management because it’s something I had a long interest in.

“I was brought up knowing the business. Listening to conversations about the business, you learn by osmosis.

“From pretty much my early teens, I knew that I wanted to work in the business. Everything else was geared towards that goal. I was aware I would come to the business and, subject to ability would one day take over.”

Levinson may be proud of Ioma’s past, but says its future is even more exciting as more companies outsource non-core activities such as uniform supply to firms such as his.

“It’s about ring-fencing your costs,” he said.

“When you employ people, it’s difficult to calculate the cost. With us, you get an invoice.”

alistairhoughton