Umang Banthia
Director SL Banthia Textiles Pvt Ltd
We want to be leader in coated fabrics
Established in 2005, SL Banthia Textiles manufactures coated fabrics. Director Umang Banthia says airjets and rapiers are in most demand for the export market, but the local market is still dependent on waterjets and powerlooms.
Tell us briefly about the journey of your company. How did you come to start your company, who are the founders and the milestones achieved?
Our company was established in 2005. We started manufacturing coated fabrics used for different applications. Our founders are Santosh Kumar Banthia and Mahesh Kumar Banthia. We started supplying to world-class companies such as Samsonite, American Tourister, VIP industries, etc.
Which regions in India are investing in rapier and waterjet technologies?
Surat being the polyester capital of India, huge investments are happening in Surat and its vicinity. Waterjet and rapier machines manufacture polyester woven fabrics, and thus many industrialists are planning expansions in similar weaving technologies.
Has Surat's textiles industry recovered from the effects of GST and demonetisation?
Companies which are dealing only in textiles or ones related to the fashion industry are affected the most. Surat has not yet recovered from GST and demonetisation, as Surat was always into overproducing goods and supplying goods at competitive prices. All verticals of the fashion industry such as weaving, dyeing, trading, etc, were affected as the overall money circulation in the market was hit due to overproduction and lowering of prices due to overstocking.
Which weaving machines are in demand in the domestic and export markets?
Airjets and rapiers are in most demand for the export market, but the local market is still dependent on waterjets and powerloom as the market demands low-priced fabrics.
What are your thoughts on Industry 4.0?
Banking on India's strength in information technology and a large workforce of IT professionals, the transformative journey of manufacturing through Industry 4.0 has already begun in the country. The concept of Industry 4.0 is going to change the way India manufactures, designs and refurbishes products. Driven by the power of big data, high computing capacity, artificial intelligence and analytics, Industry 4.0 aims to completely digitise the manufacturing sector.
How sustainable are your manufacturing units?
Our manufacturing units are more sustainable, as we have installed various equipment to recycle and recover a number of raw materials such as solvents, water and chemicals.
What is the annual budget allocated towards R&D? How big is the R&D team?
Our average budget towards R&D is about 2-3 per cent of net profit. Our team involves four people with one of the partners playing an active role in leading the team.
What is your production capacity? Where do you source raw material from?
We weave 70,000 metres and process about 1 lakh metres daily. Our biggest supplier is Reliance Industries.
What are your expansion plans?
We want to expand and manufacture other technical textile fabrics and wish to become India's leading supplier in the sector of coated fabrics. We want to give tough competition to imported fabrics and make India self-sustained in these sectors.(PA)
Published on: 25/07/2018
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
