ITAMMA organized Seminar on “Road map for manufacturing machines and components for technical textiles - with b2b interactions - an initiative of ITAMMA Technology Cell ” and enrolled good number of new members during “Texfair 2024” from 21-24 th June 24 at Coimbatore.

Mr Bhavesh Patel in his felicitation speech said that “The market for Indian textiles and apparel is projected to grow to reach US$ 350 billion by 2030 and exports expected to reach US$ 100 billion. In 2022-23, the production of fibre in India stood at 2.15 million tones, yarn stood at 5,185 million kgs, whereby Natural fibres being backbone of the Indian textile industry, expected to grow from US$ 138 billion to US$ 195 billion by 2025.

Considering the above huge potential for Indian Textile Industry which is a good sign, thus increasing the demand for relevant textile machines and components whereby such exhibition is a good platform, connecting Supply and User Industry to understand their problems and demands for future business growth.”

14th edition of SIMA Texfair 2024 had an overwhelming response, with 240 Exhibitors and over 60,000 visitors and understood that the business recorded was around Rs.1000 crores.

ITAMMA, being closely associated with SIMA, supporting its each Texfair series since decades was offered a stall no. D 112-A to execute our services and activities to the visitors.

Considering ease of doing business, environment during Texfair’24, we interacted with more than 75 exhibitors and invited them to be our member.

Mr Bhavesh Patel, President, ITAMMA delivered his felicitation speech and joined Lamp lighting and Souvenir release celebrations during inaugural ceremony of Texfair 24. Mr Ganapathi Rajkumar, Member of Parliament was the Chief Guest.

Mr Bhavesh Patel in his welcome speech said that “Today, Technical textiles is considered as the sunrise industry whereby India is the 5th largest market in the world, as the Exports for 247 technical textile items stood at Rs. 5,946 crore (US$ 715.48 million) between April-June (2023-24); and so Govt. of India has also extended its support through various dynamic schemes.

Accordingly we have taken initiatives by forming a Technology Cell of Industry Experts & Textile Research Institutes and Associations to help our member companies to transform into Technical Textile field. A Seminar on “Road map for manufacturing machines and components for technical textiles - with b2b interactions - an initiative of ITAMMA Technology Cell ” was organized inviting the stalwart as guest speaker Mr Sudarsan Rajagopalan, A Textile Engineer (B.Text Engr) from MS University, Baroda (1991), Post Graduation in Management studies (MBA) from Bharathiar University (1998) and a drop out of PhD (2014) with a specialization on Strategic Management. in the field of medical textiles for his technical presentations on the subject.

Mr Sudarsan Rajagopalan, presented as below:

They say that the sale is made in the first seconds of any conversation. To the topic “Road for manufacturing machines and components for Technical Textiles” the direct answer on its potency was a “Definite Yes”.

The evening was only to discuss beyond the known and rhetoric about Technical Textiles. The meeting was intended to build confidence, motivation and clarity while taking a step forward. He tried to look beyond the known and rhetoric stratification viz. Autotex, Meditex, Agritex etc. He forecasted the concept of high-value and high-volume and the criticality associated with it. He also conservatively computed the quantum of its value while orienting the thinking to that abundance.

Sudarsan Rajagopalan presentation was a slice of his experiments in Technical Textiles. He tried to keep his presentation deliberately away from what was available on the internet. He has been an advocate of Technical Textiles for decades. His oration only scoped that the potential was immense. However, one has to set his own plate from the buffet service.

Traditionally, the supplies of textile machines, the investors of those machines, the producer of yarn or fabric, the finishing, garment or Made-up converters or even the retailers; all are hail from the same “Textile” Industry. However, in Technical Textiles the customers will be from a totally different industry. Their language, their terminology, would have to be adopted. One has to self-equip with the knowledge, alternatively heir personnel or team up with competent resources and communicate with the end user to understand their needs.

A JV with companies within the Indian union states could be a new order of collaboration. International association beyond just advance countries can be a new dimension to look at while sourcing elements or technology. Getting out of the cosy space can make exponential earning. The liability one’s produce does not end at the gate of the manufacturer but will have to be extended to the domain of its usage.

Communicating with the ultimate customeris a new talent to be acquired. Channel partners and the team has to be secured with good MOU and NCNDA (non-circumventing, non-disclosures) agreements. Patents make countries powerful. Textile needs to patent its own innovations when it is relatively easy now. We must inspire ourselves from our own Vaccine Story as we are challenged to fly where eagles dare.

Technical Textiles is a performance-oriented execution and it will have some Empirical Values (EV) to be attained with dexterity. Benchmarking quality, compliance to standards and patenting has to be a collateral objective while making a sustainable business model. Textiles has accrued great & deep vocabulary over eons and it has to draft a sensible sentence for the customer (across the domain) in a simple act of Transduction.(Like DC to AC current conversion, translating the Textile Terminology to the domain of usage and vice versa).

The speaker pronounced that “Testing may be Expensive but No-Testing is even more Expensive in Technical Textiles”.

Rolled goods need converter. Converters spread the products, get market access and provides for the last mile reach of the services. More rolled goods investment will arrive with more converters and market access. The converter and a trader has to be a parallel path. They should not be confused. Converters are capable of customizing to the customers’ needs; which may not be possible by the roll goods manufacture at all times with the volume or customization specifics. Converters` can involve into MASS-CUSTOMISATION. The synergy of convertor, rolled goods manufacturer, customer, research agencies, and government could be a big-bang theory.

Entrepreneurs provide the opportunity to reduce cost, introduce innovation and provide value. He seeks a good sustainable investment. Technical Textiles offers the objective strategically. For tactically benefits his access to technology, knowledge and machines should be a simple possibility. His present machines or tools are sometimes cross-industry supply borrowed from leather or traditional garments (Sewing machine); which are just make shift. He desires more innovations by the machine & equipment suppliers that suites his needs. If Gaganyan is to put the man in space, who is making the composite fabric and stitching the space suite? The speaker suggested that ITAMMA needs to synergise the opportunity with the machine manufacturers to create SPVs and look up the NTTM (National Technical Textile Mission) scheme to develop local machines and tools/ equipment for opportunities that opens with Technical Textiles as a whole. It would take the supplies to the domestic and the world too.

The Technical Textiles uses synthetic in excess. The synthetics are hydrocarbons and a source of energy. Textiles industry has many systems for reuse or recycle of its wastage coming out of the production process. However, textiles disposed after usage has challenged environments. Flexible textiles are an enigma to the recycling operator and most of them land in sea beds. Machines to segregate shred    and process are not-well accomplished in the disposal process. Besides the mechanical shredding and processing, the elementary configuration of the product has to be understood as they can become a rogue during the thermodynamic disposal cycle.

It would mean either avoid those elements that pollute or take care of them in the process of disposal so that they avert a pollution. These Waste to energy needs a proper machine for flexible textile machine. The speaker also explained the pollution process and also highlighted that disposal cycle also needs machines for processing flexible textile.

About 4 ITAMMA Members registered for b2b sessions and interacted across the table with the guest speaker for the road –map for exploring Technology and Business opportunities for them in Technical Textiles either starting a new Start-up OR modifying their present business set-up for the manufacturing of Technical Textiles

Taking forward the above initiatives under ‘ITAMMA Technology Cell’ we will be forming “Member-Group for Technical Textile Project” under different fields/applications of Technical Textiles. Accordingly inviting related Industry Experts of that field for rendering guidance /consultancy/handling turnkey projects for the members of these groups.

Note: The content of this press release has not been edited by Fibre2Fashion staff.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (HU)