textile magazine - textile magazine

Contents6 Editorial

policy initiatives8 Newtextileparkswillprovidefourlakh additionaljobs18 SIMAthanksCMforsanctioningRs.9-crore grantfortextileparks62 Maharashtratextilepolicyenvisages Rs.40,000-croreinvestment

2 | The TexTile Magazine jANUARY 2012

AdityaBirlaGrouptoinvest$500millioninTurkishVSFplant

Arvind-PDjointventureforglassfabrics

12

cover story“IndiaisrankedamongtheTop3marketsworldwideforthePicanolGroup.Wewillcon-tinue...”– P. KasiViswanathan, Head of Indian Operations, Picanol India Private Ltd.

40

20exclusive26 KTTMplantoexpandcapacityandwiden productrange

new products32 Lenzing’sModalfibrewithEdelweisseffect70 LYCRA(R)Sportfabricbrandsetsfresh performancestandards84 Y-Tester,forsmarteryarntesting


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Contents

corporate news16 Debt restructuring imminent in cotton textile sector: Fitch34 stovec sets up marketing network for direct sales38 suvin selected as consultant for technical textiles growth50 rotorcraft roCos to revolutionize compact spinning52 shri Lakshmi Cotsyn expansion to be completed by March61 rieter ComforJet licence for Hermann Bühler AG63 nakoda plans rs. 1,935-crore investment for capacity hike66 Karl Mayer Academy offers extensive product training69 invista makes global organizational changes

FoundationlaidforSELTExTILES’Rs.1,500-croreintegratedfacility

22

fong’s bangladeshi customer Day proves most successful

76

gtn’s new growth strategy for cotstyle apparels

36

46 AwArDsl MSME Award - CTA Apparels l EEPC Award - K U SodalamuthuteCHnOLOGy54 updated OeKO-tex test criteria coming into force82 Groz-Beckert gauge part system for process reliability with functional interactionspinninG58 sovereign guarantees quality components for spinning segment60 Vrt, trusted supplier of a variety of travellers for decadesBAnGLADesH textiLe news72 turag goes vertical and selects Monforts stenter for new mill80 Largest Bangla garment exporter’s main reliance on Monforts technology76 Fong’s Bangladeshi Customer Day proves most successful

Debt rescheduling indispensable

All the Indian cotton textile companies without exception having reported heavy losses throughout the year just gone by, the Textiles Ministry felt constrained to concede the industry demand for a comprehensive re-lief package to get over the crisis, including a moratorium on mills’ repayment of bank loans and interest. In fact, the operating loss-es of mills are more pronounced in the case of cotton yarn and lower-end fabric manu-facturers due mainly to extreme volatility in cotton prices making them more prone to severe liquidity risks. The Government’s erratic and unpredictable cotton and yarn policy is largely to blame for the plight of thousands of spinning mills. The mid-year announcement of a ceiling of 720 million kg of cotton yarn shipments, which of course was lifted later, and the decision on export of an additional 10 lakh bales of cotton, besides the exportable surplus of 55 lakh bales, added to the woes of mills. Higher inventories, coupled with liquidity pres-sures, forced cotton textile mills to put off buying of high-cost cotton and yarn. At one particular stage cotton prices shot by 40 per cent.

What has come as a morale-booster to the industry is the Centre’s pro-posal to extend interest waiver on loans to those companies which were left out under the subsidy scheme last year. Further, Fitch has rightly said that, based on its study of working of mills faced with mounting cash losses, immediate debt restructuring is indispensable. True, debt repayment capac-ity of some companies has deteriorated further, leading to over-utilisation of working capital limits. Debt restructuring has of course its drawbacks. If, for instance, the extended moratorium on repayment of loans is made available to all the companies, some of them needing no funds may also opt for extension as done during the 2008-09 slowdown. Again, there is no guarantee that debt rescheduling would yield the desired results in view of the nagging uncertainties gripping the global economy, with its adverse influence on the individual economies across the world.

As elsewhere, there is nothing to cheer on the domestic front too. The Indian economy is on the slide with extremely poor stock market opera-tions pushing the Sensex to far below the 16000-level, a steady erosion in the rupee value and the steep decline in aggregate exports, with the rate of growth in December at just 6.7 per cent. Of immediate concern are the US slowdown and the EU debt crisis, since the two regions together absorb about 60 per cent of India’s textile exports.


52nd

anniversarye D i t i o n

r. natarajan, Managing editor & publisher

publishersGopali & Co., Quanta Zen Building, No.38, Thomas Road, 2nd Street, Off. South Boag Road, T.Nagar, Chennai-600017. Ph.: 24330979, 42024951. Fax: 044-24332413 Email: [email protected] [email protected]: www.indiantextilemagazine.comFounderM. RajagopalanMentorRajagopalan KalidasanManaging editor & publisherR. Natarajan (Mobile: 9381062161 (R) 24343475)Assistant editor K.N. Ananthanarayanan (Mobile: 9003053132)executive editor & General ManagerK. Gopalakrishnan (Mobile: 9840897542)editorial CorrespondentN. Balasubramanian (Mobile: 9840597082)Email: [email protected] MarketingG. MohanN. AnandanDesignerE. MarimuthuMumbai R. BalasubramanianG 102, Shrinagar Co.Op. Housing Society, P.L. Lokande Marg, Chembur (West), Mumbai - 400 089. Ph.: 022-25252377. Cell: 9323711291. Email: [email protected] KalidasanFlat No.A1-42, TVH EkantaNo.5/179, Masakalipalayam RoadUppilipalayam, Coimbatore 641 015.Cell: 97909 26388Email: [email protected]. SaravanamBS 23, 2nd Floor, Block ‘B’ Ittina Neela, Nr. Gold Coins Club, Andapura, Electronics City P.O.,Bangalore - 560 100. Cell: 9880974765Email: [email protected] INS / AINEC / IFSMANEdited & Published by R. Natarajan on behalf of Gopali & Co., Quanta Zen Building, No.38, Thomas Road, 2nd Street, T.Nagar, Chennai-17, and Printed by B. Ashok Kumar at Rathna Offset Printers, 40, Peters Road, Royapettah, Chennai-14The views presented herein are those of the authors. They are not necessarily the views of the editor.All rights reserved. Neither this publication nor any part of it may be reproduced in any form or by any means, nor may it be printed, photocopied or stored on microfilm with-out the written permission of the publisher.

TexTile MagazineTHE

new textile parks will provide four lakh additional jobs

policy initiatives

Speaking at the Parliamentary Consultative Committee on Tex-tiles, Mr. Sharma said: “Besides nurturing what we have, it is essen-tial to remain globally competitive. Increasing employability and stay-ing competitive are the key objec-tive for us.”

The committee discussed the In-tegrated Skill Development Scheme (ISDS) and the Scheme for Integrat-ed Textiles Parks (SITP).

The Minister informed the mem-bers that the Indian textiles industry has an overwhelming presence in the economic life of the country. The sector contributes 14 per cent of in-dustrial production, four per cent of GDP and 10.63 per cent of the coun-try’s export earnings. It provides di-

rect employment to over 35 million people, which includes a substantial number of SC/ST and women. The sector is the second largest provider of employment after agriculture.

Allocation for textiles under the 11th Plan was Rs. 14,000 crores, which was enhanced by Rs. 5,000 crores to Rs. 19,000 crores. The Government has formulated the National Fibre Policy to provide a holistic boost to the development of the sector.

On the Integrated Skill Develop-ment Scheme (ISDS), the Minister explained that the focus is on crea-tion of a large variety of skills, from basic to specialized, to meet the needs of the industry. Textiles, be-ing the second largest employment

the Union minister of

commerce, industry and

textiles, mr. anand shar-

ma, has exhorted the tex-

tiles industry to improve

its competitiveness at the

global stage.

Mr. AnAnD sHArMA, union Minister of Commerce, industry and textiles



g e n e r a t i n g sector, requires a diversified portfolio of skills both across sub-sectors and processes. Skill creation un-der this sector is therefore strongly linked to quality standards and com-petitiveness, especially in export markets.

As on date, 18 institutions are be-ing funded under the first compo-nent and 12 organizations have been selected under the second. The Min-istry is developing a skill exchange portal and an MIS portal. These portals will help improve scheme implementation. Under the scheme projects amounting to Rs. 423 crores for component I and Rs. 60 crores for component II approved. Against the target of 2.5 lakh textiles work-ers to be trained, a target of 1.5 lakh workers would be achieved by March next.

Referring to SITPs, the Minister said that in the 11th Plan 40 such parks were sanctioned, with a fi-

n a n c i a l allocation of Rs. 1,400 crores. Of these, seven parks have been completed, 14 parks have drawn 90 per cent of grants, and 15 parks are in progress. The Govern-ment sanctioned 21 new parks in October last to generate Rs. 9,000 crores worth of investment in the textile sector and create employ-ment for four lakh workers.

The SITP scheme has attracted in-ternational attention and the Prime Minister has announced setting up of an Integrated Textile Park in Af-rica at an outlay of Rs. 350 crores under the India Africa Forum Sum-mit II Declaration.

The Minister also referred to the recently approved packages for weavers.

Mr. Mahendra Kumar Roy of Jal-paiguri raised the issues pertaining to the jute sector and asked the Gov-ernment to look into the problems of jute growers and mill workers.

Mr. P. Vishwanath raised the is-sue of the Kancheepuram textiles industry, while Mr. Kanjibhai Patel sought details about the PPP com-ponent of the ISDS scheme and the criteria of selection of SITPs.

The Minister of State, Ms. Pana-baka Lakshmi, and the Secretary (Textiles), Ms. Rita Menon, were also present along with senior offic-ers and key stakeholders.

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policy initiatives

aditya birla group to invest $500 million in turkish vsf plant

“In the VSF sector, we are reck-oned as a marquee group with over 21 per cent of the global market share. For us, VSF is a core busi-ness. Our aspiration is to signifi-cantly ramp up our global market share and our capacities by the turn of the decade. Establishing a world-class plant in Turkey is a step in this direction,” commented Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group.

Elaborating, Mr. K.K. Ma-heshwari, Global Director of VSF Business, said: “Currently, our VSF manufacturing capacity is 750

ktpa. Our ambition is to raise it to 1.1 million tonnes by 2015. We expect to commission our plant in Turkey by early 2015. This capac-ity in Turkey will primarily cater to the textile industries here. Cur-rently, 100 per cent of VSF used in the textile and non-woven sectors is imported. Turkey, I believe, is the 4th largest consumer of VSF in the world. It is expected to become the 2nd largest consumer over the next five years. So setting up the VSF manufacturing facility here makes immense sense. We have been much encouraged by the Govern-

the $35 billion aditya

birla group has unveiled

its plans to set up a vis-

cose staple fibre (vsf)

plant in turkey’s adana

organised industrial Zone.

the world’s no.1 vsf

manufacturer, the group

proposes to invest $500

million over the next five

years to set up a 180 ktpa

fully integrated plant with

a captive power plant, cs2

plant and a sulphuric acid

plant. the vsf plant will

come up in two phases.

Mr. KuMAr MAnGALAM BirLA, Chairman, Aditya Birla Group

corporate news



ment’s proactive industrial policies and the work ethos.”

While the plant will cater pri-marily to the domestic market, the group will export around 20 per cent of the VSF produced in Tur-key to the European Union and other neighbouring countries. “It will provide employment to nearly 500 Turkish nationals, besides gen-erating substantial indirect employ-ment through its engagement with the ancillary industries”, he added.

Aditya Birla Group’s pulp & fi-bre operations span six countries – Canada, Sweden, Thailand, Indo-nesia, China and India. The group

is on an ambitious expansion tra-jectory and is ramping up capaci-ties in other parts of the world as well. A 120 ktpa greenfield project at Vilayat in Gujarat and a 36 ktpa brownfield expansion project at Harihar in Karnataka are underway at a total invest-ment of $450 million.

The Aditya Birla Group, with a market cap of $29 billion, is in the league of the Fortune 500 companies. It operates in 36 countries across the globe, and is anchored by 133,000 employees belonging to 42 different nation-alities. This meritorious group was ranked No.4 in the global “Top Companies For Leaders” and ranked No.1 in Asia in a sur-vey conducted by Aon Hewitt, Fortune Magazine and RBL, a strategic HR & leadership advi-sory firm, in 2011.

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corporate news


corporate news

The TexTile Magazine jANUARY 2012 | 17

Fitch Ratings says cash losses in the Indian cotton textile sector are impairing the debt servicing capacity of manufacturers, making debt restructuring imminent. The agency also notes that while the Government’s debt restructuring proposal for the textile sector will provide temporary relief from liquidity pressures, it will not stem deterioration in the capital structure of cotton tex-tile companies, most of which are heavily-geared.

The Textiles Ministry recently recommended a mor-atorium extension by Indian banks on loans extended to Indian textile companies after cotton textile manu-facturers reported operating losses for the first half of 2011-12. The operating losses were most pronounced in cotton yarn manufacturing and lower-end fabric due to exceptional volatility in cotton prices, making them more prone to severe liquidity risks. Exposure of Indian banks to the textile sector is estimated at INR 600 bil-lion, of which 75 per cent is the troubled cotton yarn sector.

“Restructuring of loans will delay the deleveraging of Indian textile companies as repayments are resched-uled or deferred, keeping debt levels high,” says Tanu Sharma, Associate Director in Fitch’s Corporates team. “Leveraging continues to be impacted adversely by high working capital debt and lower margins.”

Fitch notes that because of cash losses in the first half of 2011-12 and the fact that funds are tied up in inven-tories, the debt repayment capacity of some textile com-panies has deteriorated, leading to over-utilisation of working capital limits. In some cases, companies have defaulted due to an inability to obtain timely increase of working capital facilities, as banks tightened lending criteria for the sector.

“Given the uncertainty over global economic recovery and, consequently, around overseas demand for textiles, the risk is that cotton textile companies, hit by cash loss-

es or with large debt amid ongoing capex, would need to undergo a financial restructuring,” says Ms. Sharma.

Should the extended moratorium be made available to all textile companies, Fitch does not preclude the pos-sibility that some companies which are not in immedi-ate need of liquidity may also opt for the extension as they had done during the 2008-2009 slowdown. Fitch assesses restructurings in line with its distressed debt exchange criteria which entails making an assessment as to whether or not a restructuring should be treated as distressed and taking appropriate rating actions.

Demand for cotton and cotton products was weak between May and November 2011 as increased inven-tories and liquidity pressures caused textile mills to postpone buying of cotton and yarn. EBITDA margins of cotton yarn manufacturers fell in the first half of the year as companies sold off the high-cost inventories ac-quired earlier at the cost of lower margins and booked losses on forward contracts for cotton purchase. Margin recovery is expected for most textile companies in the fourth quarter of the year on the back of falling cotton prices although potentially weaker-than-expected over-seas demand could offset the impact of such recovery.

In YTD FY12 (end-March), Fitch has downgraded two textile companies by one notch to ‘Fitch B+(ind)’, revised the Outlooks of four companies to Negative from Stable, downgraded six textile companies to ‘Fitch D(ind)’ and assigned two companies ‘Fitch D(ind)’.

Fitch has outstanding ratings on 54 textile companies, (excluding those in the non-monitored category), out of which two-thirds are cotton textile companies, and one-third are in synthetic or blended textiles. It has largely factored in the impact of cotton price volatility and refi-nancing risks in its ratings of Indian textile manufactur-ers, with 80 per cent of the cotton textile entities rated ‘Fitch BB+(ind)’ and below. w

corporate news


sima thanks cm for sanctioning rs. 9-crore grant for textile parks

policy initiatives

Though the Indian textile industry has its inherent ad-vantages, infrastructure bottlenecks is one of the prime areas of concern for the weaving and processing sec-tors which are the weakest link in the entire textile value chain. Therefore, the Government launched the Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks (SITP) in July 2005 to cre-ate new textile parks of international standard at poten-tial growth centres.

The scheme had overwhelming response and attracted investments in 30 parks in the 10th Five-Year Plan and 10 parks in the 11th. For the 12th Five-Year Plan, 21 parks have already been sanctioned.

The scheme provides 40 per cent grant, subject to a maximum of Rs. 40 crores, for infrastructure develop-ment, including land building, roads, drainage, water supply, electricity, effluent treatment plant, training centre, testing, laboratory, canteen, workers hostel, rec-reation facilities, and marketing support system.

The Centre also encourages the State Governments to give another 9 per cent, subject to a maximum of Rs. 9 crores, under the scheme to further strengthen the facili-ties. The Tamil Nadu Government considered the pro-posal positively and sanctioned funds.

In a press release, Mr. S. Dinakaran, Chairman, Southern India Mills’ Association (SIMA), has thanked the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister for sanctioning the State subsidy from SITP in spite of the severe financial crunch prevailing in the State, considering the urgent need for sustenance of the competitiveness of the State textile in-dustry. Though the State accounts for one-third of the textile business and 47 per cent spinning capacity, it has suffered a severe setback in the weaving and processing sectors due to obsolete technology and pollution issues.

Mr. Dinakaran has stated that the State Government subsidy would encourage consolidation and small & medium powerlooms and processing units in the State and go in for state-of-the-art technology with world class infrastructure facilities. He has also welcomed the nomination of the Director of Handlooms as the sin-

gle window facilitator for availing and monitoring the scheme.

Out of 40 textile parks coming up in the country eight are in Tamil Nadu, of which only one park which is be-ing promoted by SIMA is the dedicated textile process-ing park with marine discharge facility at Cuddalore.

Mr. Dinakaran has appealed to the Chief Minister to nominate the Director of Handlooms as the single win-dow facilitator for getting all clearances from the vari-ous State and Central Government authorities to expe-dite the process of implementing the park. It has taken more than six years for SIMA to get all the clearances to kick-start the park. The SIMA park would commence commercial production in 18 months and provide direct and indirect employment to 30,000 people in the State.

The SIMA chief has also pointed out that of the 21 parks recently sanctioned, only two are in Tamil Nadu. He has appealed to the State Government to earmark sufficient land along the coastal line and declare it as dedicated zone for textile processing and attract invest-ments, thereby giving permanent solution for the peren-nial pollution problem in the State. w

Mr. s. DinAKArAn, siMA Chairman


arvind-pD joint venture for glass fabrics

corporate news

These three sectors – wind energy, automotive and infrastructure – are likely to lead the growth of the glass fabric market in India.

The joint venture, Arvind PD Glass Composites Pvt. Ltd., will have a 51:49 equity participation from Arvind and PD Group respec-tively. A total investment of Rs. 80 crores in five years is planned for the project which will manufacture 30,000 MT/year of glass fabrics.

Mr. Sanjay Lalbhai, Chairman and Managing Director, Arvind Ltd.,

said: “This move is part of a long-term strategy for our technical tex-tiles business – a division we have established to explore new technolo-gies in advanced textiles. We believe the coming years will see the global glass composite industry grow at a staggering 25% every year. This JV is projected to achieve a revenue of Rs. 250 crores after the first phase of investments. This will double to a revenue of Rs. 500 crores after the investments made in the second phase”.

Mr. Preiss – Daimler, Managing Director, PD Management Group, observed: “In line with our growth aspirations and conviction in the global growth story of Fiber Glass Reinforcements, this is an impor-tant step for covering a larger global market and providing cost efficient solutions. Arvind, with its experi-ence in weaving technology, and PD Group being the pioneer of the glass fiber to fabric industry, complement each other well in this partnership.”

The new facility will manufac-ture woven, bi-axial and multi-axial glass fabrics along with stitched and chopped mat-glass fabrics. A large part of the new company’s output will be marketed overseas.

India currently is a small market for glass fabrics, but as the country’s aerospace, auto and wind energy sectors grow demand is likely to ex-pand considerably. w

Arvind Ltd. has announced the formation of a joint venture with the PD Fiber Glass Group of Germany for the manufacture of glass fabrics in India. The venture will cater to the requirements of a cross-section of industries like automobiles & trans-portation, wind energy, aerospace, ship building & infrastructure, etc.

Besides infrastructure, India is making rapid strides in wind en-ergy by becoming the fourth largest player in the world. It is also becom-ing a hub for automobile production.

Mr. sAnJAy LALBHAi, Chairman and M.D., Arvind Ltd


foundation laid for sel textiles’ rs. 1,500-crore integrated facility

SEL Textiles Ltd. of the SEL Group has taken another step in its expansion and capacity augmenta-tion drive with the Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab, Mr. S. Sukhbir Singh Badal, laying the foundation-stone on December 16 for the state-of-the-art greenfield mega integrated textile park being set up at Panjava village in Muktsar District at an in-vestment of about Rs. 1,500 crores.

The ceremony was attended by a large number of company officials,

industrialists and the public from the adjoining areas. This project had earlier received the approval of the State Empowered Committee under the Scheme for Integrated Textile Park.

SEL is setting up the project with capacities of 188,160 spindles in ring spinning, 40 million metres in denim fabric and eight million piec-es of denim garments per annum. The project will be operational in the next fiscal.

The flagship company of the SEL Group, viz., SEL Manufacturing Company Ltd. had earlier commis-sioned the first phase of its four lakh spindlage plant at Mehatwara vil-lage in Sehore district of Madhya Pradesh in record time and estab-lished a new benchmark in project implementation.

The textile park is expected to cat-alyse significant additional invest-ments in the textile industry of Pun-jab. On the one hand, the plant will

Mr. s. sukhbir singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister of punjab, laying foundation for the new greenfield facility

corporate news


be ultra-modern with the latest tech-nology and strong systems. On the other hand, special emphasis will be laid on employment of women and regional workforce, besides devel-opment of green-belts. The ma-jor raw material, cotton, would be procured mainly from the northern belt comprising Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, creating value addition for the textile sector in the region. The textile park will generate direct employment for 8 , 000 -10 ,000 people and indi-rect employment for over 40,000 people.

The company feels that with the growing

world trade in textiles and clothing, India has immense opportunities as it has presence in the complete tex-tile value chain and also advantages on account of availability of low-cost skilled manpower, increasing cotton production and a fast grow-ing synthetic fibre industry. China,

India and Pakistan account for a major portion of the world fiber con-sumption. Over the years, the size of spinning mills is also getting bigger. Greater investment and FDI oppor-tunities are also available.

All this is bound to increase the competitiveness of the Indian tex-tile sector, especially against ma-jor competitors like China. Though China has been ahead of India in textile exports, the latter has am-ple opportunities for future growth. There is ever-increasing domestic demand because of growing popu-lation and higher income levels. In-dia is also emerging as a preferred sourcing destination for consumers across the world. The textile indus-try’s committed efforts to harness its fundamental strengths is evident in the growing investments, leading to capacity augmentation with ultra-modern technologies.

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Mr. neerAJ sALuJA, Managing Director, seL textiles

corporate news


exclUsive

Kirloskar toyoda textile machinery private ltd. (Kttm) will

shortly reach another important milestone of selling three mil-

lion spindles. although the company has been associated with

the indian textile industry for more than a decade and a half, much of

its growth was achieved in the last five years, says mr. t. parabrahman,

Kttm managing Director.

By K. Gopalakrishnan


The first millionth spindle was handed over to the Vardhman Group and the second millionth spindle to Loyal Textiles. Both achievements were made in the last seven years.

Despite volatility in the textile industry, KTTM has been making steady progress in the Indian mar-ket. The company has plans to ex-pand capacity, add new products, improve on the production systems and offer new technologies to cus-

tomers.Mr. Masafumi Kunito, Deputy

Managing Director of KTTM, says: “We are implementing Toyota Pro-duction System (TPS) and creating for the first time the concept of fac-tory showroom. This is expected to tremendously improve our produc-tivity”.

Currently, KTTM has an installed monthly capacity to manufacture 20,000 spindles but is already op-erating at a capacity of 30,000 spindles per month. It is targeting sales of 360,000 spindles in 2011-12. With minimal investments and with the implementation of TPS it will able to increase its capacity to 40,000 spindles per month, says Mr. Parabrahman.

There are different estimates of the installed spindleage in India, but the most reliable estimates indicate

around 50 million spindles in all. Annually another three million spin-dles are added or replaced. This of-fers a huge opportunity for KTTM for future growth.

On the current recession, Mr. Pa-rabrahman says: “It is very clear that the spinning industry has gone through an extremely bad phase for about 6 to 8 months. However, most of our customers are quite new. I be-lieve the market will swing back by the middle of this year. Companies like KTTM have understood the phenomenon of these wild swings. Our partners in the supply chain also respond to these fluctuating trends. We work with over 135 component suppliers, and we take care of them during the good and bad times”.

KTTM currently offers the popu-lar RXI 240 series of spin frames. In the last couple of years, over 90

Mr. t. parabrahman, Managing Director, flanked by Mr. Mr. Masafumi Kunito, Deputy Managing Director (left), and Mr. Ashok Juneja, Associate Vice president (Marketing), KttM

exclUsive


per cent of sales have been with auto doffer and most of the machines have been long frames of 1440 spin-dles. The company introduced Toy-ota’s Compact System (EST) in In-dia a couple of years back, and over 120,000 Compact spindles have been delivered so far.

KTTM is also seriously contem-plating introduction of Toyota rov-ing frame FL200. The company is currently conducting market re-search and a decision will be taken in the current year.

“Our product reliability, lower op-erating cost, on-time delivery with-out price escalation are the strength of KTTM, keeping us retain our market share. This has also helped

us in booking repeat orders to the extent of almost 60 per cent of our production capacity for which we are thankful to our esteemed cus-tomers”, says Mr. Parabrahman.

Toyota’s strong philosophy of “Customer First” is followed at KTTM too. A pan-Indian sales & service network provides solution to customers within the shortest possible time. They also advise cus-tomers on predictive maintenance & overhauling of equipment to achieve optimal machine uptime. A well-stocked spares section further supports the customer by ensuring timely supply of parts with very low lead time, he adds.

Today most of the leading spin-

ners in the Indian textile industry are customers of KTTM, through Toyota’s global network. It has also bagged a couple of projects in Viet-nam and Bangladesh.

Mr. Parabrahman is confident that “in the next 10 years we expect KTTM to be one of the major play-ers in the Indian textile industry”.

KTTM also produces a range of auto components for export. Its auto parts division has received many awards for excellence in manufac-turing. The total sales turnover in the last fiscal was about Rs. 300 crores, with 60 per cent contribution from the Textile Machinery Division.

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exclUsive


lenzing’s modal fibre with edelweiss effect

new proDUcts

lenzing, the world’s leading manufacturer of innovative cel-lulose fibers, presented the bo-tanic towel featuring the edel-weiss effect at Heimtextil in frankfurt held during January 11-14. thanks to the natural origin of the fiber, lenzing mo-dal is made from beech wood, and the botanic feeling can be incorporated into remarkable terry goods. beech wood pro-liferates by rejuvenation. so no reforestation or plantations are necessary. more than half of the wood used at lenzing comes from austria and the remainder from the neighbor-ing countries.

The botanic origin of Lenzing Modal provides critical sustainability benefits for terry goods, benefits that are becom-ing increasingly important. However, it is not only the fiber’s eco-friendliness that makes it so compelling. Its per-formance properties such as color bril-liance, absorbency and softness make terry goods of Lenzing Modal particu-larly appealing to consumers. In fact, 89 per cent of consumers in a recent survey stated that towels with Lenzing Modal stay softer than 100 per cent cot-ton towels even after repeated washing. Plus, colors are richer and more intense

Dr. susAnne JAry, Head of Marketing for Home textiles, Lenzing


with Lenzing Modal. Gradual fading or graying is no longer an issue with

Lenzing Modal terry goods. Finally, these towels deliver a higher absorption rate than 100 per cent cotton towels, thanks to the fiber’s unique structure.

With Edelweiss, Lenzing is setting new technological and environmental standards for the entire cellulose fiber industry. Lenzing’s innovative Modal production process involves oxygen-based chemistry. It is more environmen-tally friendly than conventional production procedures.

Thus Lenzing Modal Edelweiss is the only Modal fiber to satisfy the highest environmental standards. Environmental benefits such as the replenishable and natural raw material, CO

2-neutrality and the highest production yield make the new Lenzing Modal Edelweiss the eco-fiber of choice.

Lenzing Modal Edelweiss is produced differently from the conventional Lenzing Modal, but the fibers’ main prop-erties such as softness and color brilliance are the same. The fibers process identically at all points in the textile chain.

Susanne Jary, Lenzing’s head of marketing for home tex-tiles, explains how unique Edelweiss is. “The fiber plant in Lenzing Austria is the only one in the world which is fully integrated and has all production steps, from the pulp to the fiber, perfectly under control. Throughout the entire proc-ess, attention is paid to environmental protection”.

Lenzing is a pioneer in the field of wood-organic refin-eries. The integrated, CO

2-neutral process at the company site, in combination with other innovative processes, results in excess energy gener-ation and the produc-tion of high quality chemicals from the wood. The pulp fac-tory serves as a net supplier of power for the entire Lenzing site. These special processes were de-veloped by Lenzing and are not commer-cially available.

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Lenzing Modal terry (left) immediately soaks up water. water droplets remain on the sur-face of 100% cotton terry (right).

intense and brilliant colors with Lenzing Modal terry good (left) compared to 100% cotton terry (right).

new proDUcts


Lenzing AG, the world market lead-er for man-made cellulose fibers, and the German company smartfiber AG/Rudolstadt are expanding their mutual co-operation. In the future Lenzing will exclusively produce the lyocell specialty fibers smartcel and SeaCell developed by smartfiber at the Lenzing site in Upper Austria.

In 2007, Lenzing already granted smartfiber a licence for pilot production of the new type of lyocell specialty fib-ers. Moreover, smartfiber and Lenzing have been co-operating for several years to develop fabrics and on various re-search projects.

For reasons of profitability, the pilot plant of smartfiber is being relocated from Rudolstadt to Lenzing in order to be able to rapidly move ahead with the commercial exploitation of smartcel and SeaCell fibers in spite of rising energy and raw material prices. The integration of the facility in Lenzing, the world’s largest cellulose fiber production site, will facilitate a significantly better cost structure. Moreover, the smartfiber pilot plant had recently reached its capacity limits due to the continually increasing order volume, which no longer made it possible to optimally co-ordinate the in-coming orders and accept large orders. smartfiber will continue to be responsible for the sales and marketing of smartcel and SeaCell.

The smartcel and SeaCell fibers are primarily used in home textiles as well as in the fashion and medicine segments. The SeaCell fibers contain valuable ac-tive substances from seaweed which promotes health, nurtures the skin and protects against free radicals. smartcel sensitive is the first anti-bacterial, natu-ral fiber available on the market to which the essential trace element zinc is added, thus enabling regenerative skin care and hygiene in textiles.

The management of smartfiber con-siders the intensified co-operation with Lenzing to be an important and future-oriented step for the benefit of customers – a win-win situation for the two com-panies involved. Thus the high level of competence on the part of Lenzing with respect to the production and processing of lyocell fibers under the brand TEN-CEL will be combined with the original and innovative patented technology of the function-oriented fiber products de-veloped by smartfiber. The objective of smartfiber is to be able to offer the best possible quality, service-oriented order processing and intensified sales-driven marketing support to customers in the future. For Lenzing the launch of pilot production for smartfiber at the Lenzing site is a consistent continuation of the research and development partnership which smartfiber and Lenzing have pur-sued for years. w

new proDUcts


stovec sets up marketing network for direct sales

corporate news

stovec industries ltd. has informed bse

that stovec industries ltd. and a.t.e. en-

terprises pvt. ltd., the sole selling agent

of the company, have mutually decided

through a formal agreement on December

5 last to terminate the agency agreement

for textile capital print and preprint equip-

ments. stovec now sells these products di-

rectly, with effect from January 1.Stork Prints is a global leader in the textile and graph-

ics printing market, providing total system solutions from screens, lacquers, inks and digital engraving to a broad range of rotary screen and digital printing sys-tems. It made several new introductions in both digital equipment and consumables at ITMA 2011.

The new digital textile printer Sphene is designed to print on Polyamide Lycra swimwear fabric using acid inks. It can realise print speeds of up to an amazing 555 m²/hr, while its feeding system allows virtually any fab-ric imaginable to be used, at widths of up to 1.85 metres.

The Pegasus EVO manages to combine excellent print quality with exceptional efficiency and flexibility in op-eration. Its sophisticated and flexible squeegee system gives brilliant colours in the widest range of applica-tions for halftones, fine lines and blotches.

It also offers the most precise registration in the mar-ket. Through a combination of a unique paste recovery technology, the use of a blade squeegee, a superior dry-ing process and an intelligent waste water recycling sys-tem, the EVO can save in excess of Euro 80,000, every year, in running costs.

Yet it still manages to offer the flexibility today’s textile printers are looking for. For example, it ac-cepts blade-, air-flow and magnet squeegees, and can be equipped with integrated coating & finishing tech-nology to enable production of many different types of coated fabric.

Moreover, the machine can also offer superb value for customers by retrofitting the new EVO upper part onto the existing RD 4, RDD and RD 8 frames. Customers can enjoy the advantages of individual drive, using the existing infrastructure and foundation of their machine.

TwonewrotaryscreensUsers of Stork Prints rotary screen printing technol-

ogy can also look to the future with confidence. For example, two new screens were introduced at ITMA. The 125/RR is characterised by a random distribution of conical holes. This significantly reduces the moiré ef-fect whilst printing, which means less need for trials and fewer remakes and rejects. It also offers more freedom in design possibilities, for example through its ability to

Mr. AsHisH KAuL, Managing Director


produce realistic weaving and tweed effects.

Meanwhile, the new 195/19% No-vaScreen distinguishes itself by com-bining high paste transfer rates with superb resolution. A patented design combines a high mesh count with minimum spacing between wider and ingeniously conical holes, so the maximum amount of paste is trans-ferred to the substrate. It has been specially designed for printing fine halftones on voluminous substrates like single jersey, and also gives full penetration print on CV georgette or crepe articles.

With the pre-press solutions on dis-play, Stork Prints underlined that it is the only global partner that can offer solutions for every phase of the production process as well as consumables. For example, at its stand there was a bestLEN 8413 di-rect laser engraver doing what it does best – rapidly and

accurately engraving screens. This was accompanied by a brand new highly advanced bestLEX laser exposure system, which integrates the advantages of optical screen exposure with those of digital laser technology. w

corporate news

gtn’s new growth strategy for cotstyle apparels

Cotstyle Apparels plans to in-vest more than Rs. 200 million in its world-class mercerised cot-ton garment facilities to support its new growth strategy. Cotstyle Apparels sells 50,000 units of Cotstyle Single Fibre single and double mercerized cotton in more than 750 stores spread across ma-jor cities. The focus is to increase its presence in many cities across the country to meet the growing needs of its retail partners and consumers as well as increase its

store footprint from the current level of 750 to 1,200 stores.

“We want to unlock the huge growth potential of Cotstyle Ap-parels in the domestic market”, Mr. M.K. Patodia, Chairman & Managing Director of GTN In-dustries Group, said. “Our new strategy is in line with our am-bitious growth plan for Cotstyle mercerized line of Polo shirts and socks. This shift will also bring marketing focus, consistency and simplicity as consumer accept-

gtn industries, a vertical-

ly integrated yarns, fab-

rics and apparels group

and a market leader in

100 per cent cotton pima

& giZa mercerised single

fibre polo shirts and for-

mal dress socks, has an-

nounced its plans to boost

its branded apparels mar-

ket leadership by bringing

‘cotstyle’ business into

cotstyle apparels ltd.

corporate news

Mr. M.K. pAtODiA, Chairman & M.D., Gtn industries Group



ance and demand for our business casual collections in the niche single fibre product markets con-tinue to propel.”

Cotstyle Apparels plans to in-vest more than Rs. 200 million in its world-class mercerised cotton garment facilities to sup-port its new growth strategy. The overall investment by the group is Rs. 350 million. It has 90,000 spindles spread across Hydera-bad and Nagpur. The group has yarn mercerising unit in Shadna-gar and fabric processing unit at Indiranagar near Hyderabad. The knitting facilities are located at Isnapur and garment-making in Patancheru and Balanagar, all in and around Hyderabad.

“Domestic market growth will be a major focus area for Cot-style. We are confident consum-ers in the domestic market will find tremendous clothing value in Cotstyle, as our apparels are made from the best cottons from all over the world – Egyptian Giza and American Pima. We make very fine yarn, and our body-friendly single fibre cotton is our unique selling proposition or USP”, Mr. Patodia added.

Cotstyle Apparels has also an-nounced its Spring Summer Col-lections 2012. It expects its brand

new solids to striped Spring Sum-mer Collections will spin sales volumes of Cotstyle mercerized Polo shirts and socks by 50 per cent as more stores begin to sell the range of apparels. The Men’s Collection will include luxury mercerised cotton polo shirts, Pima and Giza cotton knitwear in a range of colours, including a new collection of stylish and modern colour palettes which will not only look good but also feel good.

The Cotstyle garment unit has the capacity to manufacture 2,00,000 units per year. “We may expand this capacity based on the market response in the next few years”, said Mr. Patodia.

Cotstyle Apparels operates in a niche market and does not see any competition in its segment as the other players in the mar-ket are mainly brand-focused and not process-centric like Cotstyle. Currently, Cotstyle makes Polo shirts and formal dress socks. The major export markets include Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, the US and Canada. The brand is equally dominant in Italy, Germany and the Nether-lands.

The company plans to tap new export markets, including the UK, Ireland and South American mar-kets. It also plans to launch its branded stores in select cities.

w

corporate news

suvin selected as consultant for technical textiles growth

corporate news

Many steps have already been tak-en to promote the technical textile industry, including the scheme for growth and development of techni-cal textiles (SGDTT), concessional customs duty for major technical textile machinery, technical textile machinery covered under TUFS, etc.

Technical textiles is now the fast-est growing segment in India, but entrepreneurs have difficulties in investing in technical textiles due to lack of knowledge about the tech-nology, products, markets, proc-ess, and raw material requirement. To support them, the Ministry had sought applications from COE and other associations / institutes / inde-pendent bodies for empanelment of consultant for business start-up.

The empanelled consultant will

assist entrepreneurs in identification of product, selection of technology, machinery, raw material, etc. The consultant will also help in prepa-ration of techno-economic feasibil-ity project report and further guide them till project completion.

Suvin Advisors is a professional engineering consultancy firm pro-viding services like overall project and process management consultan-cy for sectors like technical textiles, traditional textiles, food, retail and other infrastructural facilities.

Suvin has its strong presence in the technical textile industry, with its experts trained in international technical textile technology, execu-tion of textile & industrial projects, etc., especially in developed coun-tries.

w

suvin advisors pvt. ltd.

has been empanelled by

the ministry of textiles as

consultant for business

start-up under the technol-

ogy mission on technical

textiles (tmtt) with the

office of textile commis-

sioner. this initiative by

the ministry is bound to

boost the technical textile

industry in india.

Mr. AVinAsH MAyeKAr, M.D. & CeO, suvin Advisors pvt. Ltd



cover story

By K. Gopalakrishnan


the going has been really good for picanol india since its commencement of op-

erations in the country four years ago. in fact, the company’s business in the

country has expanded consistently over the years, thanks to its continuous in-

novation in products and services and the strong relationship that team picanol has

established with its customers. with over 15,000 picanol machines operating across

india, the company has clearly emerged the leading supplier of weaving machines to

the indian textile industry.

cover story


Spearheading much of Picanol’s growth in India is the dynamic sales team headed by Mr. P. KasiViswa-nathan, Head of Indian Operations, Picanol India Pvt. Ltd. In an inter-view to The TexTile Maga-zine, Mr. KasiViswanathan spoke in detail about the company’s growth story so far and the future expansion strategy.

Excerpts:TexTile Magazine: how

was the year just gone by for the indian economy, particularly the textile sector?

KasiViswanathan: Well, a lot happened in 2011, mostly negative in nature. The Indian currency was devalued to the extent of 19 per cent as compared to 2010. Though partly attributable to local conditions, the European debt crisis and the US slowdown mainly accounted for the FII pull-out from the stock ex-change (capital market). More than 60 per cent of the Indian stock ex-change transactions revolve around

FIIs. The Sensex went down by 25 per cent in the last 12 months. This was probably in line with the fall in other Asian countries. The index in China was down by 21.7 per cent, Hong Kong 20 per cent and in Japan by 17.3 per cent. However, the US market was higher by six per cent. The strength of the US dollar against other major currencies also pulled INR down. Overall exports from In-dia were at a two-year low. On the other hand, I am surprised that the weak INR is not seen as an oppor-tunity for Indian textile exports, as raw materials and labour (major cost components in textiles) are sourced locally in INR and thus offer lower cost compared to China where the currency has been strengthening against both the Euro and the dollar.

Let us hope the new initiatives like allowing foreigners to invest directly in Indian stocks would attract more foreign funds, reduce market vola-tility and stabilise the Indian capi-tal market. Local conditions are no

better either. Factors like high interest rate (RBI revised the interest rate seven times in 2011 alone to control inflation which remained high at 9-10 per cent), rising fiscal and cur-rent account deficit, slow decision making due to political compulsions, etc., had their impact on all in-dustry sectors, including textiles. Even though, of late, the textile market is most domestic market-ori-ented as compared to the condition obtaining some 10 years ago, we need to focus on the export market mainly for earning valu-able foreign exchange.

Restoration of TUFS for the textile industry and the additional benefit of 10 per cent capital subsidy for new weaving machines were of course welcome signs.

TM: Picanol has completed four years of its operations in india. how was the journey so far?

KV: A pretty good and smooth ride, I would say. Our focus was very clear when we started our operations. Picanol India started as a small set-up with three offices, one each in Delhi, Mumbai and Coimbatore. Today we are functioning as a complete team with sales, service and print repair shops capable of fulfilling the needs of individual customers all over India. We have also developed a separate team to take care of customer require-ments of spares & accessories, etc.

TM: how successful were the company operations in india in the last four years?

KV: Setting up of the Indian office made a lot of difference to the compa-ny customers. They are indeed happy with the decision to set up the Indian

Mr. p. KasiViswanathan, Head of Operations, picanol india, (right), in conversation with a customer

cover story


office with a dedicated sales & serv-ice set-up. Each regional office is self-sufficient, in the sense that it is equipped with adequate manpower to promptly attend to sales and serv-ice calls. By making frequent visits to customers, the rapport with them is getting better, making it easier to understand the market trend. We could also explore more and more new markets during the four-year period.

TM: how many Picanol ma-chines are currently in operation in india and how many market lo-cations? Please name some of the leading company customers and the major projects that you’ve ex-ecuted for them so far?

KV: We have more than 15,000 machines running all over the coun-try, covering organised and mid-seg-ment market areas like Ichalkaranji, Bhiwandi, Bhilwara, etc. Almost all major textile groups in India have installed Picanol weaving machines. Some top customers are Bombay Rayon, Alok industries, Vardhman Textiles, Nahar Industrial Enterpris-es, Bharat Vinay Mills, LNJ Denim, NSL Group, etc.

TM: Can you throw some light on the weaving segment of the tex-tile industry in india – the market size, the growth witnessed in the last few years and the major play-ers in the segment?

KV: At the moment, weaving is only in its formative stage as com-pared to spinning. There are now only a handful of textile units with integrated plant facilities for spin-ning, weaving, processing and knit-ting. Though the opportunities for conversion from spinning to weav-ing are enormous, it is difficult to predict the market size as the growth of the weaving segment would de-pend on many factors.

A large number of spinners can go for value addition, which implies opening up of the weaving market. Most powerloom units are getting themselves ready for modernisation. With policy support from the Gov-ernment to go in for new machines with 10 per cent capital subsidy, the mid-segment markets will prefer new machines to imported second-hand machines. With the ongoing modernisation, even corporates from the organised sector would replace even 10-year-old machines with new ones.

TM: What are the brand weav-ing products and solutions offered by the company in the indian mar-ket? What is its current market share?

KV: Thanks to our loyal custom-

ers and the repeat orders from them, we enjoy a leading market share in airjet and rapier technology. We re-leased our latest airjet technology, OmniplusSummum, at ITMA 2011 in Barcelona and are happy that the product attracted most customer at-tention at our booth. Basically we focus on lower consumption in or-der to reduce the cost of operation for the customer, higher speed, use of the latest hardware & software technology for our control station, etc. The star attraction among the weaving machines was the Omni-plusSummum. We also released the new Rapier loom OPTIMAX with its potential for 540 cm wider width looms, as well as a positive guided gripper version, aiming at extending our range of applications in techni-

cover story

the global team of picanol Group


cal textiles. We have a major market share in both these technologies as proved over a period of time.

TM: how prompt and efficient is your after-sales service? any special initiative which you would like to highlight in this regard?

KV: Our talented service team is a blend of youth and experience. The aim is that, with Picanol looms, new or second-hand, the customer should be able to get the best out of our ma-chines. We can extend our expertise not only with regard to installation, regular servicing and in-plant train-ing, but work with customers on per-formance enhancement program by which our team would jointly work with the customer team to accept the challenge of increasing the efficien-cy of loom shed and enhancement of

the quality of the preparatory depart-ment.

We continue emphasising the role of “original Picanol spares” on our machines, as this is the best way to safeguard the value of our custom-ers’ investment. We even offer sev-eral weave-up or upgrade packages by which we offer our customers the opportunity to take advantage from innovations on new machine types without having to invest in a com-pletely new machine. Some of the packages such as Cordless, Airmas-ter, ARVD+, LDEC System, etc., have attracted customer attention worldwide.

TM: how will be the new Year for the weaving industry in gener-al, and Picanol in particular?

KV: Customers focusing on fab-rics designed to meet local demand will have an edge over the others. This is true considering the wide currency fluctuations and an uncer-tain export market due to the Euro-pean debt crisis and the reduced de-mand from the US. In this context, I feel there will be greater demand for denim fabrics in India. This segment, with enormous potential, keeps growing year after year. You will also see India emerging soon as a leading global producer of denim fabrics. Yet another growing mar-ket is for shirting, followed by terry towel and sheeting. Though the latter is at present export-oriented, it will attract equal domestic attention over the next few years.

TM: in the current uncertain economic scenario, what would be the factors driving demand, par-ticularly for textile products?

KV: The weakening of the Indian rupee is of major concern for eve-rybody (though, as said earlier, in my opinion this is an opportunity for Indian textile exports). Added to

this are the gradual decline in overall industrial output and withdrawal of FIIs from the financial market. How-ever, I am sure that India, an emerg-ing Asian industrial power with its vibrant economy, will once again set an example by leading an economic revival from the current slowdown as it did a couple of years back by being the first to come out of the worst-ev-er global recession of 2008. What is needed is political stability and quick decision making. All eyes are on the forthcoming Budget, as well as the expected positive signals from the European Union and the US.

TM: are you planning any new product introduction in the emerg-ing situation?

KV: No. Since we utilised ITMA 2011 at Barcelona as the launching pad for several new machine mod-els, we are sure the current year will witness surging demand for such sophisticated products, particularly OmniplusSummum which was the star attraction at the show, and the gradual market introduction of Op-timax in wide and positive execu-tion in the growing technical textiles segment. In brief, we are just assess-ing the market for the new products launched at the exhibition.

TM: how important is the in-dian market for Picanol, and what are the future growth and expan-sion plans?

KV: India is always ranked among the Top 3 for the Picanol Group. We will continue investing on expanding our sales and service activities in the country. Further, we will accelerate the expansion programme depend-ing upon the achievements made in the next three years. Since, at the moment, weaving is getting top priority, we would like to see more value addition at the mid-segment market as well. w

cover story


best msme award presented to cta apparels ltd.

awarDs

Dr. Mukesh Kansal, Chairman, CTA Apparels Pvt. Ltd., received the Award for the best MSME in the ‘Textile, Apparels and Acces-sories’ category at the recently held ‘ET NOW-IndiaMART Leaders of Tomorrow Awards 2011’ in Mum-bai. Mr. N.R. Narayana Murthy, Chairman Emeritus, Infosys Tech-nologies, presented the prestigious Award to him and complimented CTA Apparels on achieving this recognition.

Underlining the massive scope for MSMEs in the textile industry, Mr. Dinesh Agarwal, Founder & CEO, IndiaMART.com, said: “We

have an MSME intensive textile and apparel sector. It requires all these enterprises to successfully match up with the evolving requirements and awareness of Indian consum-ers who are watching global trends closely. Such a scenario calls for a focused approach, besides grit and determination, from entrepreneurs to succeed and outshine others. CTA Apparels has done just that to become the Leader of Tomorrow. We highly appreciate CTA to have proven the potential and creativity to bag the Award.”

Accepting the Award, Dr. Muke-sh Kansal observed: “Exhilarated,

acknowledged and humbled. This best describes how I feel on win-ning this prestigious Award. We, at CTA, always endeavour to achieve perfection and strive to elicit a feel-ing of ultimate customer delight. I feel that by achieving this mile-stone, we have raised the bar on our benchmarking process. We are now motivated to perform better and exceed the expectations of our cus-tomers. Let me also share that win-ning this Award was akin to getting a distinction in academics! Last but not the least, this Award has placed CTA Apparels on a globally visible platform.”

Dr. Mukesh Kansal, Chairman, CtA Apparels pvt. Ltd. receiving the Award from Mr. n.r. narayana Murthy, Chairman emeritus, infosys technologies (extreme right)


A visionary entrepreneur, a Fel-low Chartered Accountant and Fellow Company Secretary, Dr. Kansal also holds a doctorate (Stock Exchanges in India). Under his dynamic leadership, CTA Ap-parels has grown exponentially and boasts an annual turnover of over $25 million at present.

While the company’s customer-focused and client-friendly opera-tions manage to retain key custom-er relationships in today’s highly competitive market, Dr. Kansal’s keen financial acumen ensures that CTA Apparels offers a price con-scious product that suits the cus-tomer need.

After winning this Award, CTA Apparels set higher benchmarks in terms of quality, compliance and “all time on-time deliveries” for itself to achieve. They pledged to evolve and offer their valued cli-ents more value.

CTA Apparels, based in Noida near New Delhi, manufactures and exports ready-to-wear fashion gar-ments for men, women and kids to some of the leading retail chain stores across the globe. It is a pro-fessionally managed company with an annual turnover of over $25 mil-lion. With over 2,500 machines across its three high-tech compos-ite factories, the company has a ca-pacity of producing over 6,00,000 pieces monthly.

The company specializes in readymade garments which in-clude woven, women, men and kids garments / accessories and home furnishings. It strictly adheres to ethical and environmental codes as well as health & safety codes.

awarDs

eepc award again for K.U. sodalamuthu

The Coimbatore-based K.U. So-dalamuthu And Co. Pvt. Ltd. has once again won the Regional Award from the Engineering Export Pro-motion Council (EEPC) in recog-nition of its achieving the highest exports during 2009-10 in the cat-egory “’Star Performer - Medium Enterprise”.

The company manufactures and exports paper conversion machinery for production of paper cones, tubes, edge protectors and pulp-moulded products since 1970. Apart from be-

ing the market leader in India, it also exports to several countries, includ-ing the US, China, Brazil, Mexico, Russia, Egypt, Turkey, South Af-rica, etc.

The Award was presented by Dr. K. Rosaiah, Governor of Tamil Nadu, at a function held recently in Chennai to the company’s Manag-ing Director, Mr. K.S. Balamuru-gan.

K.U. Sodalamuthu has been win-ning the export Awards consecu-tively for 18 years.

Mr. K.s. Balamurugan, Managing Director, K u sodalamuthu And Co pvt. Ltd., receiving the Award from Dr. K. rosaiah, tamil nadu Governor

rotorcraft rocos to revolutionize compact spinning

corporate news

Being aware of the fact that com-pact yarns are more and more be-coming standard and that pneumatic compacting systems are expensive as far as investment and running cost are concerned, Mr. Hans Stahl-ecker and his team have been doing extensive research in developing a compacting system which does not require air-suction, elaborate main-tenance, costly spare parts and ever-increasing cost of power. The result of this research is the RoCoS com-pacting system – the only one on the market today that allows spinning

perfect compact yarn at no extra running expense compared to the spinning of regular yarn.

The second generation in compact spinning, RoCoS (Rotorcraft Com-pact Spinning) enabling spinning mills to produce compact yarn at the cost of a normal ring yarn, has been well accepted by the industry.

Depending on the end use of the yarn, RoCoS 1.21 opens up a new

rotorcraft was founded

in switzerland in 1973 by

the current chairman and

president, mr. Hans stahl-

ecker. it has since become

a world leader in designing

and marketing innovative

spinning solutions.

By Ganesh Kalidasan



approach in market-ing the yarn:

• Selling the yarn with a premium as compact yarn.

• Use a lower grade cotton mix and sell the yarn as standard yarn with similar proper-ties but reduced hairiness.

• Reducing the twist of the yarn resulting in a softer hand and gaining increased productivity on the ring frame.

• Reducing the amount of comber noil and still keeping the same tenacity level at substantial lower hairiness.

The latest innovation Rotorcraft has successfully brought to the ring spinning market is the energy sav-

ing spindle, RoLeC (Rotorcraft Low Energy consumption Spindle). The optimized spindle design for tubes

of up to 200 mm in length reduces power consumption by as much as 10-15 per cent. RoLeC is offered as complete spindles to mills or as inserts MM52 to spindle makers. Depending on the power cost the ad-ditional investment can be retrieved within 1½-2 years.

At 2011 ITMA Barcelona, Ro-torcraft introduced new additions to its product portfolio: RoLuB (Rotorcraft Lubrication Beam), an entirely new spindle lubricating sys-tem which allows carrying out the oil change without removing the spindle top part or the necessity to take down the tapes.

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balamurugan appointed sales Director of rotorcraft india

Mr. Soundararajan Balamurugan has been appointed Sales Director of Rotorcraft in India. He will be in charge of all sales and service activi-ties in India.

After completion of his studies in textile technologies, followed by a diploma from PSG Polytechnic in Coimbatore, Mr. Balamurugan was associated for over 20 years with the textile industry in India and abroad. For the last nine years, he was em-ployed at Premier Evolvics Pvt. Ltd.

With the appointment of Mr. Balamurugan, Rotorcraft is further strengthening its sales and service forces in India. Rotorcraft entered the Indian market in 2005, and with a population of over 7,00,000 spindles of RoCoS and substantial orders post ITMA 2011, India is one of the most important markets for the company worldwide.

corporate news


shri lakshmi cotsyn expansion to be completed by march

corporate news

Dr. M.P. Agarwal, Chairman-cum-Managing Director, Shri Lak-shmi Cotsyn Ltd. (SLCL), has said the Rs. 992-crore expansion plan of the company, which includes expan-sion in the technical textile, denim and sheeting project, is scheduled to be completed in March.

Addressing the company AGM, Dr. Agarwal disclosed that the net sales of the company in 2010-11 increased by 17.12 per cent at Rs. 1798.38 crores as compared to Rs. 1535.48 crores in 2009-10. The net profit rose 13.60 per cent to Rs. 104.11 crores (Rs. 91.64 crores). Earnings per share increased to Rs. 49.35 from Rs. 45.90.

Dollar appreciation benefited the

company during the period, result-ing in a 137.08 per cent jump in its export turnover, from Rs. 95.63 crores to Rs. 226.72 crore.

SLCL has announced a dividend of 30 per cent, i.e., Rs. 3 per share.

SLCL is an integrated textile player engaged in manufacturing and processing a wide range of tex-tile products and technical textiles for the defence sector. It has seven manufacturing facilities, in Aung, Malwan, Rewari Bujurg and Ab-haypur in Fatehpur district of Ut-tar Pradesh, Sonepat (Haryana), Roorkee (Uttarakhand) and Noida. Its product range includes bed-lin-en, terry towel, denim and bottom weights, readymade garments, fu-sible interlinings, and embroidered

fabrics and zippers. It services large institutional clients with a range of uniform fabrics, ballistics, 360 de-gree protected armoured vehicles, fabricated equipments such as sleep-ing bags and tents and fabrics like haversacks, facelets, and protective clothing and casualty bags.

SLCL is a market leader in fusi-ble interlining with over 35 per cent market share. Its product range is spread across several brands such as “STAR TRACK” (fusible in-terlining), “SVL” (zippers), “ALI-SHA” (embroidery and lace fabric), “GALAXY” (denim trousers, gar-ments and bottom weight fabrics), “WEAVES” (home furnishing) and now the “DYFI” brand for ready-made garments. w

Dr. M p Agarwal, Chairman-cum-Managing Director

Updated oeKo-tex test criteria coming into force on april 1

tecHnology

The regular re-evaluation of the test parameters is based on current market and product developments, new toxicological findings and new legal requirements, also taking into consideration the REACh legisla-tion, including the SVHC substanc-es relevant to textile manufacturing which have been added in 2011.

The OEKO-TEX criteria cata-logue stipulates the following amendments:

• With respect to the current ver-sion of the REACh candidate list and the current consultations, wet spun fibres and coatings will in fu-ture be tested for n-methyl-pyrro-lidone and dimethylacetamide. Both chemicals are listed in the new cat-

egory “Solvent Residues” and must not exceed a limit value of 0.1% weight by weight.

• In addition, relevant test sam-ples must also be tested for four new plasticisers: di-C6-8-chain alkyl phthalates, di-C7-11-chain alkyl phthalates, di-n-hexyl phthalates (DHP) and bis(2-methoxyethyl)phthalates. These will be incorporat-ed with the phthalates already listed in the Oeko-Tex Standard 100. The total limit value of 0.1% weight by weight shall remain unchanged.

• In analogy to the existing ban on alkylphenolethoxylates (APEO) within the framework of certification of environmentally-friendly produc-tion sites according to OEKO-TEX

the oeKo-tex associa-

tion has as usual updated

the applicable test criteria

and limit values for test-

ing textiles for harmful

substances according to

oeKo-tex standard 100.

the new requirements will

come into force on april 1.



Standard 1000, the successful test-ing for nonylphenols, nonylphenol-(1-9)-ethoxylates, octylphenols and octylphenol-(1-2)-ethoxylates will in future also form a prerequisite for product certification according to OEKO-TEX Standard 100.

The limit values that apply to all four product classes are nonyl-phenols: 100 ppm, octylphenols: 100 ppm, total nonylphenol-(1-9)-ethoxylates: 1000 ppm, and total octylphenol-(1-2)-ethoxylates: 1000 ppm.

The tests begin with the publica-tion of the new Standard. In order to allow companies an adequate time-frame to implement any neces-sary changes in their production, the

requirements will only come into force definitively after a transition period on April 1, 2013. This regu-lation does not apply to companies certified according to OEKO-TEX Standard 1000, as they already com-ply with the required criteria.

• The limit value for extractable chromium is set at 10 mg/kg for leather products in product class IV. This exception to the usual chro-mium limit values for textile articles corresponds to the best available technology on the market at the cur-rent time and does not pose any tox-icological risk when such products are used as intended.

In addition to the new test parame-ters, the scope of the control tests on

the OEKO-TEX certified products carried out throughout the world is being extended to cover 20 per cent of all certificates issued annually in future, as opposed to the minimum 15 per cent tested to date. In prac-tice, over recent years, an average of 18 per cent of certificates have been tested using product samples taken from the shops at the expense of the OEKO-TEX Association.

A new complement to the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 is now also avail-able, on the basis of which it will be possible to certify special products such as tents, prams, office chairs or rucksacks according to OEKO-TEX Standard 100 in future.

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With 11,283 certificates issued in the last year alone, and more than 9,500 companies involved in the scheme in over 90 countries, the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 has once again confirmed its position as the world’s leading certification scheme for textiles tested for harmful sub-stances.

This was the conclusion at the meeting of the heads of OEKO-TEX institutes, which, in view of the growing number of certificates issued to production companies in Asian countries such as India, took place in Delhi for the first time on November 7 and 8 last. As always, the agenda included decision-mak-ing on the new version of the OE-KO-TEX list of criteria, and internal agreement by the 15 OEKO-TEX member-institutes on the existing quality control procedures to en-

Delhi meet discusses major issuessure a consistent standard of testing and compliance with the required product quality, as well as on the question of international trademark protection for the “Confidence in Textiles” label.

Another focus for discussion at the meeting was an analysis of the com-pany audits that were introduced in 2010. Since April last year, said the OEKO-TEX General Secretary, Dr. Jean-Pierre Haug, the OEKO-TEX Association had already visited over 2,000 companies internationally as part of the certification process, in or-der to give them customised support with implementing the OEKO-TEX requirements regarding operational quality control. “When we carry out company audits on the spot, we can clarify any unresolved issues face-to-face with the quality managers, and so help the companies to gain

maximum value for money from the certification process.”

It was therefore unanimously agreed by the General Managers of the OEKO-TEX institutes that glo-bal company monitoring would con-tinue. The aim is for all certificate-holders to have been successfully audited by 2013.

The OEKO-TEX representatives also unanimously confirmed the ini-tiative by the technical OEKO-TEX Executive Committee to introduce checking for alkylphenolethoxylates (APEOs) such as nonylphenol as a requirement for product certification under the OEKO-TEX Standard 100 in future. From January, nonylphe-nol, nonylphenol-(1-9) ethoxylates, octylphenol and octylphenol-(1-2) ethoxylates will be included in the OEKO-TEX list of criteria. So from April 2013 companies will be

tecHnology


obliged to comply with the defined limit values in all certification proc-esses.

By also regulating these substanc-es under the product-related OEKO-TEX Standard 100, the OEKO-TEX Association expects to have a sig-nificant impact on the global textile chain so that the use of these kinds of tensides will be considerably re-duced. In order to start helping to eliminate alkylphenolethoxylates even sooner, the OEKO-TEX Asso-ciation will begin testing for alkyl-phenolethoxylates straightaway as part of its regular control tests, and during company audits it will be helping certificate-holders to iden-tify at this early stage the possible sources of this group of substances in their delivery chain, and to find substitutes.

Alkylphenolethoxylates have been excluded since 1995 under the production-based certification of en-vironmentally-friendly production sites in accordance with the OEKO-TEX Standard 1000, and are tested for accordingly by the OEKO-TEX

member-institutes.The OEKO-TEX General Manag-

ers attending the meeting in Delhi were also unanimous in agreeing to extend the scale of regular control testing of certified products world-wide from the current level of at least 15 per cent of all certificates issued annually to 20 per cent in fu-ture. In practice, in recent years an average of 18 per cent of the certifi-cates have already been tested at the OEKO-TEX Association’s own ex-pense, using product samples taken from retailers.

Another innovation that was in-troduced at the meeting was a sup-plement listing additional specifica-tions which would enable special articles such as tents, buggies or push-chairs, office chairs and ruck-sacks to be certified under the OE-KO-TEX Standard 100, with imme-diate effect.

Finally, the heads of the OEKO-TEX institutes announced that the forthcoming 20th anniversary of testing for harmful substances un-der the OEKO-TEX Standard 100

would be appropriately marked by some special promotions. Planned projects include a re-launch of the existing 16-language website at www.oeko-tex.com, a specialist international conference, a Knowl-edge Olympics for specialist retail-ers in eight European countries and a competition for a media and cor-porate prize on the theme of sustain-ability.

India has issued 624 currently valid OEKO-TEX certificates, thus being the fifth in an international comparison of the countries issu-ing the most certificates, behind China, Germany, Turkey and Italy. Since the first OEKO-TEX branch office was opened in India in 2005, demand for OEKO-TEX product certifications from local companies at all stages of the processing chain has increased steadily and continues to do so.

Customer enquiries are now han-dled by four OEKO-TEX agencies, in Mumbai, Delhi, Tirupur and Ahmedabad, with a further office in Sri Lanka. w

General Managers of Oeko-tex institutes meeting in Delhi

tecHnology


sovereign guarantees quality components for spinning segment

spinning

Quality & productivity in textiles decides the survival of a company in this new era. Sovereign Engi-neers stands for quality drafting components since 1972, engaging high precision machinery for manu-facturing and to maintain accuracy of the products such as fluted & knurled rollers, roller stand assem-bly, nose bar, bottom tension device, arm bar, arm bar bracket, gearing unit and other drafting spares along with SKF top arm drafting compo-nents for all makes of ring spinning frames / speed frames.

More than a million spindles of ring frame and three lakh spindles of speed frame are converted by Sover-eign are in operation the world over. The company has been awarded

ISO 9001 – 2008 by TUV SUD South Asia Private Ltd., for im-plementing and maintaining the quality systems.

Major mills usually renovate their drafting once in 10-12 years maximum to maintain product quality and to get higher produc-tivity. Even if the top arms are in good condition, bottom roll-ers need to be changed within the specified period to meet the quality standards.

Tailor-made execution in drafting conversion work un-dertaken by the company for different makes / types of ring frames and speed frames in re-

Mr. s. Dorairaj, Director, sovereign engineers

By Ganesh Kalidasan


puted mills like Lakshmi Mills Ltd., Madura Coats Group, Selvaraja Mills (P) Ltd., JCT Ltd., GIS Cot-ton Mills, Banswara Syntex, RSWM Ltd. Group, Nahar Group, Vardha-man Group, Vikram Woollens (P) Ltd., Modern Woollens, Bhiwani Textiles Mills, Orient Syntex, ST. Cottex Exports, Gujarat Ambhuja Exports, Arvind Group, Rajasthan Syntex & Rajasthan Textile Mills, Reliance Group and Raymond’s Group.

Sovereign exports its products to Bangladesh, Thailand, Indonesia, Spain, Germany, Italy, Phillipines, Vietnam, Syria, Turkey, Egypt, etc. It also supplies drafting components to reputed textile machinery manu-facturers as original equipment manufacturer (OEM) both in India and abroad.

Sovereign has a market share of 40-50 per cent in the domestic vertical, and exports contribute to more than 50 per cent of their rev-enue. Every year its export market is steadily growing, and concentration is now more on generation of orders from overseas & OEMs. The well-equipped infrastructure, lab and inspection facility to produce high precision and quality products has always been its biggest advantage.

The company provides drafting conversions for ring spinning frame & speed frames to achieve desired quality standards such as Evenness, Imperfections and Classimat faults. This can be achieved by retro-fit-ment work with conversion kits like bottom rollers, nose bar or apron tension device.

One of the most important fea-tures of the bottom roller is its hard-

ness which is carried out as part of in-house facility to impart the uni-form and required hardness. This ensures maximum top arm loads to avoid any distortion even during higher speeds. Hard chrome plating prevents the roller from any surface damage. This results in extended life span without affecting the perform-ance and quality deterioration.

Roller stand and slides are made up of special grade cast iron with different inclinations and centre heights. Nose bars short, medium

and long profiles are used to proc-ess different types of fibre. Drafting spares like spacers, roving guides, inlet condensers, back condensers, etc., are also available with Sover-eign Engineers.

The Sovereign Group comprises spinning mills with one lakh spin-dles, two engineering industries for manufacturing drafting conversion materials and one engineering in-dustry for manufacturing ring trav-ellers in Coimbatore.

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spinning


vrt, trusted supplier of a variety of travellers for decades

VRT is one of the renowned and well experienced traveller manufac-turers in India. Established in 1964, traveller is a tiny component to insert the twist between ring and front roll nip. Also it is responsible for wind-ing and binding the yarn on bobbins in the spinning process. Wide ranges of ring travellers are manufactured with state-of-art technology for both ring frames and doubling frames.

VRT offers a variety of travellers to process cotton, synthetics, man-made fibers and blends, and they are well received in the market. VRT provides different types of travel-lers such as ‘C’, Ear, Concord and ‘J’ types used for different types of rings.

It provides better lubrication be-tween the fiber and the traveller, smooth running results, low break-age rate and the best S3 & hairiness index values. Traveller wire selec-tion, profile forming and surface

finish are the most important factors which are perfectly maintained at the works for providing better qual-ity & performance. VRT is adding new customers to its list day by day.

Non-coated travellers in different profiles used for running in proc-ess for conditioning new rings to get longer life & better performance throughout the period of its life. VRT provides diffusion treatment with higher effect and the traveller is named as SUPER for nominal speeds. The nickel-coated traveller named ULTRA for higher speeds is also manufactured by VRT.

The traveller speed can be acceler-ated to a maximum of 40-45 metres per second. Its life can be main-tained to a minimum of 180 to 240 hours without affecting the quality and performance. According to the ring’s web width 3.2 mm known as 1 flange for spinning travellers available in the types of L1, M1, H1

flat profile travellers for low crown rings.

Flat profile travellers EL1, EM1 and EH1 are also manufactured by VRT. They are suitable for low crown and anti-wedge rings and are commonly used to spin cotton. L1, M1, H1, EL1, EM1, EH1, UDR (Ul-tra Demi Round) & HO (Half oval) profile travellers suitable for low crown & elliptical rings to spin cot-ton, synthetics and blends. Travel-lers are also available in the range of number 1/O to 26/O and number 1 to 6 for ring spinning.

The company offers a wide range of travellers like M2, EM2, Flat, 0M2, EM2 UDR and M2, EM2, EH2 and HO profile for doubling / twisting the yarns. In the market the travellers are established as “easy access to excellent quality” enhanc-ing productivity.

For details, access: www.sover-eignengineers.com w

spinning


rieter comforJet licence for Hermann bühler ag

corporate news

Hermann Bühler AG, the spinning major in Switzerland, has acquired the Rieter licence for ComforJet yarns. The official handover of the certificate took place at ITMA in Barcelona. On the Rieter stand, Reto Thom, Rieter’s Head of Sales, pre-sented the certificate to Mr. Dr. Beat Denzler, Chairman of the Board and Mr. Martin Kägi, CEO, Hermann Bühler AG, in the presence of nu-merous visitors.

Hermann Bühler AG, with head-quarters in Winterthur-Sennhof, Switzerland, produces yarns for cus-tomers with the highest demands. With innovative products, top qual-ity and a perfect customer service,

the spinning plant sets standards. Al-ways interested in the latest technol-ogy, the company has been involved from the start in the development of the Rieter air-jet spinning machine. Consequently, it is also one of the first certified suppliers of ComforJet yarns.

The form of the yarn construction on the air-jet spinning machine, tur-bulence from an air stream in a spin-ning nozzle, results in a new type of yarn structure. Typical features are the very low hairiness, the smooth yarn surface and the associated soft and voluminous yarn character. This yarn from the Rieter air-jet spin-ning machine is marketed under

the brand name ComforJet. It offers many benefits, not only in down-stream processing but also in the end product, and opens up new areas of application.

Rieter actively promotes the sup-ply sources for licensed yarns and also provides a direct link to the li-censee via the Rieter website. Cus-tomers who have decided in favour of a yarn licence additionally have the option of exploiting the kno-whow of the Rieter specialists and being supported by them in specific projects. Also, with their own mar-keting activities, licensed customers receive support from Rieter.

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From left, Model, Mr. M. Kägi, CeO Hermann Bühler AG, Mr. Dr. B. Denzler, Chairman of the Board, Hermann Bühler AG, Mr. r. thom, rieter Head of sales, and Model, at the ceremony marking the handover of the rieter ComforJet licence to Hermann Bühler AG.


maharashtra textile policy envisages rs. 40,000-crore investment

policy initiatives

The Maharashtra Cabinet has cleared the textile poli-cy which aims to bring in investment to the tune of Rs. 40,000 crores and create employment opportunity for around 11 lakh people. The highlight of the policy is that it provides for 12.5 per cent interest subsidy and 10 per cent capital subsidy for new co-operative and pri-vate sector textile units in the cotton growing belts of Vidarbha, Marathwada and North Maharashtra.

Concessions under the policy will be applicable to all areas concerned with the textile industry like cotton gin-ning and processing, weaving / knitting, readymade gar-ment manufacturing, processing of fibre / yarn / fabrics / garments, modernisation / expansion and rehabilitation of existing textile units, textile parks, and skill devel-opment activities, among others. Similarly, in the rest of the State, the interest subsidy is 10.5 per cent which

includes five per cent from the Centre and four-five per cent from the State industrial policy, besides the recent provision.

The State Textiles Minister, Mr. Mohammed Arif Naseem Khan, said the policy aims at development of the cotton growing belt of the State and welfare of the farmers in the region. The policy also proposes insur-ance, housing and medical health scheme for handloom and powerloom workers. “Because of the subsidies, the State exchequer will face a burden of Rs. 450 crores every year.”

According to him, out of the 22 lakh powerloom units in the country, Nagpur, Bhiwandi, Malegaon and Solapur districts of Maharashtra have around 10 lakh units.

“The Government had released loans to the tune of Rs. 1,919 crores to as many as 123 co-operative textile units in the State up to the 10th Five-Year Plan (2002-07), of which only Rs. 54 crores has been repaid,” he added.

At present, as many as 59 co-operative textile units and 110 privately-run textile units are functioning in the State. w

Mr. MOHAMMeD AriF nAseeM KHAnstate textiles Minister


nakoda plans rs. 1,935-crore investment for capacity hike

corporate news

Nakoda Ltd. has decided to venture into further capac-ity expansion at a new loca-tion by setting up a 2,80,000 MTPA plant comprising continuous polymerisation and direct melt spinning for the manufacture of POY and FDY in the denier range of 30 to 500 having 12 to 578 filaments in bright, semi-dull, full-dull, cationic and dope-dyed yarns.

The Board of Directors, at its meeting held on Janu-ary 5, approved the major expansion plan to significantly en-hance capacities and produce spe-cialty yarns. After the completion of the expansion project, Nakoda will be in a position to cater to the en-tire range of polyester yarns in the domestic as well as international markets.

The project, estimated to cost Rs. 1,935 crores, is proposed to be fi-nanced by a mix of equity and in-ternal resources and also long-term debts. The required equity for the same is already raised partly through GDRs and partly through preferen-tial allotments to the promoters and strategic investors.

Nokoda, incorporated in August 1984, was engaged in trading of tex-tiles for a year since incorporation, and established its own texturising

plant at Silvassa in the Union Ter-ritory of Dadra & Nagar Haveli in February 1986. It was engaged in processing of polyester yarn like texturising and twisting. Its licensed and installed capacity for texturising was 708 MTPA and for twisting 525 MTPA. The texturising capacity was then expanded to 2,658 MTPA by adding new texturising machines. The expansion plant was set up at Karanj village in Surat district.

The company embarked upon in-tegrated plan of POY spinning with an installed capacity of 6000 MTPA. Initially, the POY spinning lines alongwith other machineries were erected at the site and commercial production commenced in March 1997. Gradually, the POY capacity was enhanced to 12,500 MTPA by

installing the balance equip-ments, increasing productiv-ity, introducing cost control and by developing capabili-ties of human resources.

In 2010 the spinning ca-pacity was enhanced from 50,000 MTPA to 1,00,000 MTPA. The core business was expanded by imple-menting a continuous po-lymerisation (CP) plant as backward integration with capacity of 1,40,000 MTPA.

The new project will be a state-of-the-art R&D facility

to develop specialty yarns. About 50 per cent of the production will be captively utilized at Surat Super Yarn Park Ltd. (SSYPL) located in the vicinity of the project. This is ex-pected to be the only fully integrated polyester filament yarn plant as well as the first fully automatic plant in India. It has 100 per cent coal-based captive power generation assuring uninterrupted quality power supply at much cheaper rates.

The project is expected to yield significant savings in packaging cost by elimination of cartons for the ma-terial to be supplied to SSYPL. It is also expected to result in savings in the cost of certain inventories like spools, caps, pallets, etc.

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Mr. B.G. JAin, Chairman and M.D.

Jaipur rugs to train 10,000 indians in advanced carpet weaving

corporate social responsibility

Jaipur Rugs, one of the largest manufacturers of hand-knotted car-pets in India, is helping low-income people – approximately 60 per cent of whom are women – in the most economically disadvantaged re-gions of India gain access to local employment opportunities. Weav-ers in Bihar, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan will receive one-month training in ad-vanced carpet weaving techniques and quality control to improve the quality and quantity of rugs pro-

duced. Jaipur Rugs is globally

renowned for its hand-knotted rugs and the way they are woven to con-tribute to socio-economic development. The rugs are exported to about 30 countries. It is famous across the world for its Social Entrepreneurship Model which it has de-veloped over the three decades by making pro-duction of hand-knotted rug industry completely meant for grassroots level people.

There are more than 60 processes in producing hand-knotted rugs. Each process provides its own potential of employabil-ity or work scope. This

model or business was founded in 1978 with nine artisans. Since then, Jaipur Rugs has evolved 40,000 jobless people by assigning them to these processes.

Weavers who demonstrate excep-tional carpet making skills will go on to receive training to train and manage other weavers in the vil-lage.

“Although there are 2.5 million artisans weaving rugs in India, most are not well-paid. In recent years, weavers have seen their wages

Jaipur rugs company

has announced that it will

train some 10,000 peo-

ple in northern india on

advanced carpet weaving

techniques and provide

them with access to global

markets by 2015 as part

of the firm’s commitment

to the business call to

action (bcta), a global

initiative that encourages

companies to fight poverty

while boosting business

opportunities in develop-

ing countries.

Ms. AsHA CHAuDHAryCeO, Jaipur rugs



plummet due to contractors impos-ing unfair pricing practices when purchasing carpets at the village level,” said Susan Chaffin, BCtA Programme Manager. “We at BCtA welcome Jaipur Rugs’ commitment to creating new and sustainable job opportunities for women and un-skilled, low-income labourers in villages, thereby enabling them to earn a secure livelihood.”

According to the International Labour Organisation, approxi-mately 17 per cent of men and 66 per cent of women in rural villages are unemployed. Among those that have jobs, 30 per cent of men and

36 per cent of women live below the poverty line.

Initiatives such as Jaipur’s provide jobs and opportu-nities to those people that need it the most. Trained weavers contracted through Jaipur Rugs earn an average of $300-$500 more per year than unskilled artisans.

“Through this initiative, we have the opportunity to provide sustainable live-lihoods to the poorest of the poor in an economi-cally disadvantaged region of the world,” said Asha

Chaudhary, CEO of Jaipur Rugs. “Each time you buy a rug and I sell it, we con-tribute to allevia-tion of poverty and create em-ployment for unders-erved communities.”

Since inception, Jaipur Rugs has provided train-ing to more than 28,000 low-income home-based weavers and an addition-al 12,000 wool spinners and dyers. This latest commitment by Jaipur Rugs is part of the com-pany’s long-term growth strategy and plans to ex-tend its market globally.

The Business Call to Action is a global initiative that seeks to challenge companies to develop inclusive busi-ness models that offer

the potential for development im-pact along with commercial suc-cess. The initiative is the result of a partnership between the Australian Agency for International Develop-ment, Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Swedish International De-velopment Cooperation Agency, UK Department for International Development, US Agency for In-ternational Development, United Nations Development Programme, UN Global Compact, Clinton Glo-bal Initiative and the International Business Leaders Forum to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.

Companies report on progress toward commitments on an annual basis. w

corporate social responsibility


Karl mayer academy offers extensive product training

corporate news

Karl mayer’s customers not

only benefit from its high-tech

machines. the company’s know-

how and expertise can also give

them the edge over their com-

petitors.Companies can win leading market po-

sitions and tap into new applications us-ing efficient high-speed Tricot machines and Raschel machines, and the opportuni-ties offered by the Karl Mayer Academy to learn more about them are available to textile manufacturers worldwide.

The company’s Training Centre runs its own training programmes at its headquar-ters in Obertshausen and at its subsidiary in Changzhou. The instructors at both lo-cations work closely with each other, and this enables them to take into account the special regional requirements of custom-ers on the company’s main markets.

A comprehensive training programme was recently held at Karl Mayer (China) Ltd., which was attended by the product developer, Stefan Gross, and the instruc-tor, Stephan Jung. These two specialists travelled from Germany to hold a series of courses on the RSJ range of machines and the RD 7 EL double-bar Raschel machine.

The courses on the RSJ machine were held from October 17 to 26 at the Karl Mayer Academy in Changzhou. The pro-gramme consisted of three training cours-es, each lasting three days, providing in-formation at different levels of detail.

The course mainly attracted designers Mr. Fritz p. MAyer, CeO, Karl Mayer


who had already had experience us-ing the RSJ machines. The aim of the course was to provide them with the necessary expertise to develop more intricate patterns, to open up untapped markets, and to enable them to optimise the potential of the versatile RSJ machines.

Standard articles, such as Pow-ernet, can be produced on majority of the machines currently available on the market, but the options can be extended by working new, more sophisticated designs. The possibili-ties of producing more fashionable articles, such as lightweight Spotnet fabrics with attractive, lace-like pat-terns and functional lingerie fabrics with body-shaping zones should guarantee long-term capital utiliza-tion and good business – concepts that newcomers to this sector are also finding particularly attractive.

Basically, the course involved presenting the range of machines and highlighting the differences be-tween the various models, explain-ing the jacquard principles, and de-veloping basic lapping and design parameters based on these princi-ples. The experienced pattern devel-opers were particularly interested in the performance features of the soft-ware and its latest upgrade. “High-end designs can be developed much easier and quicker using the latest functions. The edges of the motifs in particular have an incredibly smooth appearance,” said one of the course participants enthusiastically.

The theoretical part was followed by the practical part, which involved drafting various patterns and pro-ducing them on an RSJ 5/1 EL in

the training centre. As the machine was running, the advantages of us-ing the individual functions, such as lapping changeover, the Multi-Speed function, and control of the fabric take-down to produce stitches of different size, became clear im-mediately – an invaluable learning experience for all the participants in

the RSJ course, who were delighted with the course content.

The Chinese designers and tex-tile specialists developed many new ideas for generating future business and collected useful tips that would be invaluable to them in their day-to-day work. They were also given the opportunity to discuss produc-

corporate news


tion problems with the head of the course, Stefan Gross, and develop new ideas.TheRD7ELscopefordesigning

The two-part training course on the RD 7 EL was held a month after the RSJ course. The first part took place from November 14 to 19 and covered the construction of the 3D textiles produced on the double-bar Raschel machine. It was aimed pri-marily at designers and product de-velopers.

The second part of the course was held from November 21 to 26, when the instructor, Stephan Jung, de-scribed the technical features of the machine and the sequences involved in producing the various patterns, using the machine available on site.

One of the main aspects covered in the course concerned the relation-ships between the construction of the pile spacer layer and important textile parameters such as thick-ness, weight per unit area, and com-pression resistance. Other topics covered included the quality of the warp-knitted spacer textiles, espe-cially the design potential offered

by the RD 7 EL. The specific configuration of the

double-bar Raschel machine in the Karl Mayer Academy (four pattern-ing ground guide bars on the front needle bar, one pile bar, two stitch-forming ground guide bars on the rear needle bar and EL drive) of-fers a wide range of possibilities. For example, the course participants learned how to create structured surfaces, different coloured effects, soft-touch constructions and mesh patterns having different opening widths. Particularly interesting is the production of different pore siz-es, not only on the upper and lower surfaces but also over the length and width of an area.

To consolidate what they had learned, the students used the Proc-Cadwarpknit 3D system to simulate patterns and then produced them on a training machine. The RD course, which combined theory with prac-tice, proved to be an extremely ef-ficient and novel way of increasing the students’ knowledge. With their new-found knowledge, the partici-pants returned home to breathe new life into the production of spacer

textiles and thus to contribute to the success of their companies.

While the training courses were being held in China, the training activities in the Academy in Obert-shausen were continuing at full swing. If everything goes accord-ing to plan, roughly 220 participants will have attended courses on warp knitting by the end of the year. Most of the courses focus on Tricot ma-chines.

Basic courses (WKB) are avail-able, which cover the basics of these versatile, efficient machines, and advanced courses are available for more experienced users. Special training courses are available for special applications.

Most of the people attending the courses are employees of the com-pany’s clients and they come from all over the world. They are able to benefit from a well-balanced mix of theoretical and practical instruc-tion provided by a highly commit-ted, experienced team of instructors in the Academy which is equipped with all the latest machinery and equipment.

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corporate news


lycra(r) sport fabric brand sets fresh performance standards

new proDUcts

INVISTA, owner of the LYCRA(R) fiber brand, set new textile technology standards in high-performance active wear and outdoor apparel standards when it initially launched its LYCRA(R) SPORT fabric certification program two years ago. The company is now using this product of many years of textile expertise and innovations as a basis for expansion, and is introduc-ing two additional tiers of perform-ance standards focused specifically on the fast-growing compression and shaping categories within sports apparel categories: LYCRA(R) SPORT ENERGY fabric and LYCRA(R) SPORT BEAUTY fab-ric. INVISTA will be exhibiting at two tradeshows in late January – one at Outdoor Retailer Winter Market in North America and the other at ISPO Munich where the new tiers will be launched.

INVISTA is one of the world’s largest integrated producers of polymers and fibers, primarily for nylon, spandex and polyester ap-plications. Its global businesses deliver exceptional value for cus-tomers through technology innova-tions, market insights and a power-ful portfolio of global trademarks, including COOLMAX(R) fab-ric, CORDURA(R) fabric, fresh-FX (R) fiber, LYCRA(R) fiber, SUPPLEX(R) fabric, TACTEL(R) fiber, and THERMOLITE(R) fabric.


The LYCRA(R) SPORT fabric platform combines the stretch fiber technology and the demanding fabric per-formance requirements designed specifically for sports and outdoor apparel. The program was originally devel-oped in response to feedback from athletes and active people who expect freedom of movement and fit and shape retention in their athletic apparel – the same ben-efits that they also associate with the LYCRA(R) fiber brand. As a result, purchase interest for garments with LYCRA(R) SPORT fabric reach 60 per cent in consum-er surveys.

“We are very excited to be moving the LYCRA(R) SPORT fabric brand forward with new tiers that have clearly defined performance standards for the growing active and athletic audience that is looking for well-made garments, with excellent fit and freedom of move-ment,” said David Capdevila, INVISTA Apparel’s glo-bal marketing director for active and outerwear. “We are confident that both the industry and end-consumers, both men and women, will find our tiers are the solution they are looking for to fill the gap in the market.”

The new performance standards that make up the new tiers, built from the original LYCRA(R) SPORT fab-ric platform, were developed in recognition of the more unique requirements of the compression and shapewear sub-categories. The new three differentiated tiers of LYCRA(R) SPORT fabric are:

lYCRa(R) SPORT fabric: The current perform-ance standards enabling fabrics to maintain their original properties for longer, and delivering freedom of move-ment, bi-directional stretch, comfort and long-lasting fit. New to this tier is the qualification of natural fibers in fabrics meeting the required performance standards. All existing LYCRA(R) SPORT fabrics will qualify for this tier.

lYCRa(R) SPORT eneRgY fabric: The new performance standards designed specifically for com-pression fabrics used in high intensity and high energy sports, maintaining the right balance between fabric compression power, freedom of movement and out-standing comfort. LYCRA(R) SPORT ENERGY fabric enables the creation of high performance compression garments.

lYCRa(R) SPORT BeaUTY fabric: The new performance standards designed specifically for sports

apparel where shaping performance meets beauty and style. This tier helps to improve the shaping impact of fabrics while maintaining the freedom of movement and comfort required in sporting activities. LYCRA(R) SPORT BEAUTY fabrics: looking in shape while get-ting in shape(TM).

Hangtags for all three tiers will be available for gar-ments made with LYCRA(R) SPORT fabric and that meet the demanding standards of each category. w

new proDUcts


banglaDesH textile news

a newly established textile mill in Dhaka has selected a monforts montex stenter as a key element in its vertical knitted production process.

The decision by Bangladesh’s Turag Garments & Ho-siery Mills Ltd. to convert itself from a small garments producer into a full-scale textiles mill has proved suc-

cessful following its transition in June 2009, with the company today supplying 100 per cent of its output to export markets.

A key element in the fitting out of the mill, which is located on the outskirts of Dhaka in the South Panishail district, was the installation of a Monforts Montex JV stenter supplied by the Monforts representative, Bengal Technological Corporation Ltd.

With the stenter installed, Turag is now undertaking


knitting, dyeing, sewing, printing, finishing and garment manufacture. “We have used top quality machinery from Europe for all the processes, and we needed the Monforts stenter for the flexibility it gives us in fabrics handling,” says Mr. D.S. Hemantha, Gen-eral Manager for textiles production, who commissioned the mill. “The stenter needs to handle all natural materials, together with

chemically treated fabrics and materials such as 100% polyester, and we also need particularly high-tempera-ture finishing. All this of course has to be of the best quality, because our entire business is for export, mainly to Europe.”

Turag was already an established name in the export markets, having been founded in 1998, although it had remained a small-scale garment manufacturer until the decision to expand into textiles production. Now occu-pying an area of 39,623 m² (426,500 ft²), the factory employs a workforce of 1,900.

Turag is best known for producing casual and sports-wear with a variety of patterns and sizes of knit fab-rics which are finished with different functions, such as wicking, moisture management, anti-bacterial, and mosquito-proof.

The company works with special yarns such as poly-ester, micro-polyester, modal, bamboo cotton, Polya-mide Tactel, Coolmax and Suplex.

Mr. Hemantha, who spent much of his career working in the textiles and garments sector in the UK, says that



the intention of making the mill a vertically integrated one was to better control supplies, quality and cost.

“To go from a single garment production unit to a ful-ly integrated mill is an enormous step. We had to start by constructing the buildings, which illustrates how new everything is. But we had extremely efficient support from Monforts and Bengal Technological, both in in-stallation and in training, and the mill is now working very effectively”, he adds.

The Montex stenter features a wide range of energy saving solutions providing reduced running costs, im-proved efficiency and productivity, and has an integrat-ed heat recovery system fitted as standard.

Energy saving, says Mr. Hemantha, is a very impor-tant aspect of textiles production in Bangladesh because of uncertainty of power supply, and as backup to the main supply the company has installed two generator

sets, one powered by gas and the other by diesel.Montex is handling approximately 10 tonnes of fabric

per day, working at the rate of 26 days per month, the remainder being holiday or downtime for maintenance. It can handle fabrics up to 240 cm in width, although the most usual widths range from 172 to 200 cm. The weight of the fabrics handled ranges from 180 to 320 g/m².

Flexibility of the Montex allows the mill to undertake small runs and to work with customers on developing new product lines, often niche products that will have a limited production run.

Turag is a 100% supplier to the export market, with Germany taking 30-40 per cent of output, and France and Sweden also representing significant markets. Small quantities are going to the UK and Japan.

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encouraged by the wide acclaim won by the india customer Day &

workshop held earlier, fong’s arranged the bangladeshi customer

Day & workshop at its shenzhen headquarters during December

27-29. the event which was attended by 20 bangladeshi guests

included seminars and a factory tour.


In his opening address, Mr. Shahabuddin, Managing Director of Pacific Associates Ltd., Fong’s agent in Bang-ladesh, explained the working relationship betweeen his company and Fong’s. This was followed by a detailed pres-entation on corporate updates by Mr. Walter Leung, Sales Director of Fong’s National Engineering Co. Ltd.

After the inagural function, Mr. Gary Cheng, Area Sales Manager of Fong’s National Engineering Co. Ltd., led a fac-

tory tour of the 110k sq. metre land site allocated by various brands production plants of Fong’s Na-tional, Monfort Fong’s, Tycon Alloy and Goller.

After the site visit, Fong’s technical team shared the latest company technology by making a pro-fessional presentation on THEN AIRFLOW, TEC Series and ALLWIN.

After the visit of Fong’s production base, the team was also taken around two China factories, namely, Kam Hing Textile and Donghaipang Tex-tile. The Bangladeshi guests were impressed with the success stories of FONG’S, THEN and Mon-fort Fong’s brand machines and systems.

Mr. Li Zhiyong, Managing Director of Dong-haipang, spoke in detail of his sophisticated factory

Mr. wALter LeunG, sales Director, Fong’s national engineering Co. Ltd.



with all the up-to-date auto-matic control systems.

He said: “We have used Fong’s overflow machine, THEN AIRFLOW and Mon-fort Fong’s stenter range. We have also applied the control system of Fong’s Viewtex and THEN’s CHD chemi-cal dispensing system. The reason why we are using the full range of Fong’s machin-ery and system is the group’s ability to provide one-stop service, avoiding the inevita-ble problem related to hard-ware and software. Secondly, Fong’s provides comprehen-sive technical support and af-ter-sales service, minimizing the debugging time. Thirdly, Fong’s provides all the mate-rials and parts needed for the system, assuring a standard quality”.

Based on the feedback from customers, all of them would definitely be keen to join this programme again and would like Fong’s to arrange such technical seminars in future.

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largest bangla garment exporter’s main reliance on monforts technology

The Noman Group, one of the largest vertically integrated tex-tile producers in Bangladesh and in 2010 the country’s biggest exporter of garments, has added a new Mon-forts Montex stenter to its line-up as part of massive investment aimed at keeping the group in its premier po-sition.

Originally founded as a trad-ing company in Dhaka in 1968 and which now owns 19 mills and em-ploys a workforce of more than 40,000, Noman is Monforts’ largest customer in Bangladesh.

The new Montex 6500 stenter was supplied and installed by the Mon-forts representative, Bengal Tech-nological Corporation, at the Noman Weaving Mills plant at Sreepur, on the outskirts of Dhaka.

Noman already uses a range of Monforts technology in its continu-ous dyeing and sanforising lines with

Monfortex and Toptex shrinkage units for woven and knitted fabrics. These sanforizers offer increased re-sidual shrinkage, higher production speeds, and reduced water consump-tion for cooling and substantial time savings for blanket changes.

Mr. Gabriel Tagasa, advisor at the group’s multiple outlets in the Sreep-ur Zone, said that Noman invested in new equipment throughout 2010 to expand spinning and dyeing capac-ity at its woven and knit garment units, ensuring that the group has the capacity to maintain its position as a major exporter.

Installing the new Monforts 6500-6F stenter, which joins two other Monforts stenters, will allow Noman to step up its output of dyed and knit-ted fabrics and offer faster and more flexible production times to its cus-tomers.

“All our work is exported,” says Mr. Tagasa. “Consequently, the Montex 6500 is an important invest-ment for us. It adds to the enormous flexibility we already have, which

is substantially based on our exist-ing Monforts technology. A lot of our customers are producing niche fashion items, sportswear and so on, often in relatively small production runs. We can therefore produce what is needed to meet their design and quality criteria”.

Meeting costs is also extremely important during this period of in-tensely tough competition, and the company wants to stay ahead of its domestic competitors as well as in-ternational producers.

Mr. Tagasa further says: “We work very closely with Bengal Technolo-gies and Monforts to achieve this, and regard our relationships as a real working partnership. In addition to the size and capacity of the Montex 6500, we are very impressed by the machine’s energy saving operation. There is a great shortage of energy supply in our country, and although we are fully backed up by genera-tors, we are always very conscious of the need to reduce our energy con-

sumption.” Noman has leapt into the

first place from its previ-ous position in the number three slot, benefiting from

the global slow-down that has created a wind-fall for Bang-ladesh textile importers in general. With $ 4 0 0 - $ 4 2 0

million worth of exports in 2010, Noman has ended a long-held domination by the Opex



Group and the Nassa Group. “The global downturn prompted many top low-cost

retailers to search for more economical supply sourc-es,” says Mr. Tagasa. “Since we operate on economy of scale and with very low profit margins, we are receiving increased orders from top retailers like Asda, Wal-Mart and Target.”

The group’s spinning mills have 463,600 spindles manufacturing from 8/s to 80/s counts both in carded and combed forms, supporting both the local and ex-port markets. In the home textiles sector, Noman is the largest producer in Asia and one of the biggest in the world, exporting to Europe and North America gener-ally, with leading names like H&M, M&S, IKEA, Wal-Mart, Asda, Carrefour, Aldi, Lidl, and JYSK amongst its customers.

In apparels, the company is greatly increasing its production capacity for twill, poplin, canvas and yarn dyed fabrics and will be launching a new product line in denim, towel and jersey knitted fabrics.

The company is now expanding its woven and knit garment units, adding a new 75,000 spindle spinning mill and an additional 100,000 m2 of fabric dyeing and finishing units. It is also investing in new poplin, bed-net, terry towel and home textile facilities.

Bangladesh’s more than 2,500 active garment and textile manufacturers exported $11 billion worth of knit, woven and home textile items in 2009, with only a handful exporting over $100 million or more.

Cotton prices have increased significantly in the last two years, but retailers and end customers were unwill-ing to raise their prices. In terms of pricing, however, Bangladesh is competitive due to the low wage econ-omy. The quality of products made in Bangladesh has also improved greatly, especially with those manufac-turers who have recently invested in European technol-ogy.

Noman has been able to build on these advantages by enacting new strategies such as cost minimisation in different areas of production, increasing value-added products, product diversification, segmenting the prod-ucts, opening new markets, and development of new products offering better margins.

A few years ago, European and North American customers thought Bangladesh was unable to turn out quality products, but now they are buying more from Bangladesh because of the price and quality of the textiles. w


groZ-becKert gauge part system for process reliability with functional interaction

The Groz-Beckert tufting gauge part systems offer tangible benefits in the manufacture of tufted floor coverings by ensuring the control-led and co-ordinated combination of materials and the functional inter-action of all tool components, for a tufting result which is truly impres-sive in terms of both its quality and economy.

Alongside an extensive fund of experience gathered over decades spent in the manufacture of needles and gauge parts for producing tufted

floor coverings, customers also ben-efit from Groz-Beckert’s acknowl-edged expertise and technological market leadership in every area of textile and fabric production.

Ultramodern design methods such as CAD and FEM guarantee the development of top-quality tufting gauge parts taking into account the specific needs of the relevant indus-try (engineered products).

Groz-Beckert works closely with tufting machine manufacturers and raw material suppliers, as well

the groz-beckert system

concept for deployment

of tufting gauge part

systems in all relevant

tufting applications is a

consistent development

which addresses the

growing demands of the

industry for precision and

process reliability.

tecHnology



as consulting with its customers around the globe, taking on board their requirements and their valu-able experience.Processcompetence

The continuous endeavours to improve products are aimed at minimizing production risks dur-ing the tufting process. Particular importance is attached to the selec-tion, application and combination of top-quality materials to ensure a progressive production process in compliance with the very strictest quality guidelines.

Groz-Beckert is able to call upon ultramodern laboratory and analyti-cal processes in the achievement of this goal. It produces all needles and tufting gauge parts in its own fully

integrated and certified production facility, in compliance with the most stringent environmental standards using internally developed machines and highly qualified workforce. It guarantees customers around the globe security of supply with its tuft-ing gauge parts. With this pledge, it offers the guarantee of fast, reliable and sustainable product quality.Applicationcompetence

The continuously updated and successful Groz-Beckert gauge part range is the culmination of many years of close co-operation with its customers, machine manufacturers and its own in-house development work. It applies its technical knowl-edge and its application-specific knowhow to all tufting applications.

With the aid of a production fa-cility in the Groz-Beckert Technol-ogy Centre, this fund of expertise allows customers to test and verify the process reliable interaction of a gauge part system solution under different conditions.

Its international sales presence is additionally backed by its unique online tufting catalogue which is de-signed to help select the ideal gauge parts for customer-specific require-ment, as well as providing informa-tion about product specifications and other useful details.

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tecHnology


y-tester, for smarter yarn testing

new proDUcts

The concept of testing yarn for evenness at the labora-tory has two main benefits – to test the yarn and confirm whether its qualities are within the specified limits, and to eliminate periodic faults generated by machines.

The progress in textile digital electronics has opened up new boundaries paving way for newer testing op-portunities and reduced cost of testing. TeFoc, in its pursuit of newer technologies, is introducing Investa’s Y-Tester, which can be an alternative to the laboratory evenness tester and can provide users with newer op-portunities of testing.

Mr. Jan Blasko, Sr., Technical Manager of Investa Uni and former scientist at the Czech Textile Research Institute VUB, has, in association with his former col-leagues, developed the Y-Tester, the unique instrument which simplifies yarn testing. With opportunities for more meaningful testing of yarn spinners can produce a consistently high quality yarn throughout.

The use of latest digital electronics and sensor elec-tronics has made the model simple. The system has a control unit attached to an optical sensor – the whole equipment is compact and can be easily carried – with provision of large storage of data, USB connectivity for transfer of data, etc.

The system can check the unevenness of CV% of yarn, U% of yarn, imperfections in yarn, spectrogram analysis, etc. It can also provide detailed statistical anal-ysis of data.

The system can be programmed for testing short yarn length (starting from 8 metres). It can be taken to the ring frame or open end machine, and each spindle/rotor can be tested for short lengths. The unevenness CV% of the yarn produced at each spindle/rotor is measured. If CV% in a particular spindle/rotor is within the average CV% value it could mean that the quality of yarn pro-duced at the spindle/rotor is good and the operator could proceed to check the next spindle/rotor.

As the testing of short length with the Y-Tester takes less than a minute it is possible to check a large volume of spindles/rotors a day and identify those that are pro-ducing bad quality yarn. These spindles/rotors, which

are giving high CV%, can further be checked for longer length of 100 metres and above and measure U%, im-perfections, spectrogram faults and count variations.Yarnqualitystudies

Another application where the Y-Tester comes in handy is while studying the performance of various components of the spinning machine. For instance, for components like cots, aprons, spacers, bobbin holders, etc., performance analysis can be done immediately, whereas with the conventional laboratory equipment this study is a long-drawn out process.

With all these data the factors for production of bad quality yarn can be identified and corrected instantane-ously.

The system can also be used in ring spinning mills and open-end mills without evenness tester as it this elimi-nates the need for an evenness tester at the laboratory. As the system is mobile it can be used for checking of yarn anywhere and everywhere.

With all these new opportunities the mills using this equipment can maintain a high quality level and stay above competition.

For details, contact: TeFoc Machineries, No. 301, Police Kandasamy Street, Behind Thasami Nest, Puli-yakulam, Coimbatore - 641 045. E-mail: info@tefoc. com w

Control unit sensor unit

testing on ring spinning

growing awareness of ill-effects of chemicals in textiles

international regUlations

Restricted substances, including harmful chemicals, can pose grave danger to people, the environment and companies using them. The re-call of a product for use of dangerous substances can cause irretrievable damage to a company’s reputation. Greenpeace International, for exam-ple, in its recent publication, ‘Dirty Laundry 2: Hung Out to Dry’, fo-cused on the use of the chemical no-nylphenolethoxylate (NPE) and its release into the environment from its use in the manufacture of clothes and footwear. The example high-lights how concern over chemicals doesn’t impact merely at the point of production. It can also come up at the point of sale, affecting both com-pany sales and consumer choice.

Many restricted substances are of

the group considered harmful to the environment and unfit for public ex-posure, creating new challenges for companies that manufacture and sell clothes and footwear. The industry has reacted by implementing an in-tegrated approach and presenting a united front as it meets the require-ments posed by local and interna-tional manufacturing regulation, international standards, chemical specifications and consumer prod-uct regulation. Hazardous chemicals now have to be identified and as-sessed throughout the entire supply chain.

It is therefore of the utmost impor-tance that the control and manage-ment of risk is undertaken at every point along the supply chain so as to ensure that the final product has

in the wake of renewed

consumer concern about

the chemicals used in

clothes and footwear and

their potential for harmful

effect on both individu-

als and the environment,

national and international

regulatory frameworks

such as reacH and cp-

sia have been created

with the aim of restricting

and prohibiting the use

of such substances. re-

stricted substances now

abound within the textile

industry in the light of

consumer awareness.



minimal, if any, impact on pub-lic health and the environment. Stringent quality assurance systems are required to ensure that products adhere to the re-quired standards from source to appearance on the market.

Vital elements to the process of quality assurance include factory system reviews, docu-mentation verification, opera-tion control and an assessment of the suppliers of raw materials. The management and evaluation of raw mate-rials and chemicals, including chemical substances and their components therein, is also of utmost importance in a thorough and stringent quality assurance system. Mechanisms that enable the consistent and fair evalu-ation of new components and suppliers also need to be established in order to ensure that no restricted chemical substance poses a threat to the quality of the finished product or even makes an appearance on the production line.

international regUlations

To increase a manufacturer’s competitiveness whilst build-ing the brand image and en-hancing the company’s repu-tation, not to mention making their product stand out from the rest, there is nothing bet-ter than showing that a com-pany takes its environmental responsibilities seriously.

SGS has extensive experi-ence within the regulatory field and has the expertise and thorough knowledge of the regulation that seeks to protect the environment from chemicals used in manu-facture. SGS experts (http://www.sgs.com/softlines) can help manufacturers to take action that will form the blueprint plan a company uses in its quest for chemical control. SGS is the world’s leading inspection, verifica-tion, testing and certification company. It is recognized as the global benchmark for quality and integrity. With 67,000 employees, SGS operates a network of over 1,250 offices and laboratories around the world. w

LiFetiMe suBsCriptiOn rs.3,000 OnLy


eDUcation

mr. anand sharma, Union minister of commerce, in-dustry & textiles, has asked fresh graduates of the na-tional institute of fashion technology (nift) to em-brace the traditional knowl-edge of design in their work and keep their connect with ethics and ethos alive.

“Our country is a rich nation in terms of tradition and old practices of design. The NIFT students and faculty have to adopt and take this forward as a responsibility”, he said at the 17th Convocation ceremony at NIFT.

The Minister congratulated NIFT on its completing 25 years and awarded Degrees for the fresh batch

of graduates and post-graduates of 2011 at the Convocation ceremony. The Board of Governors of NIFT and experts from the industry were also present on the occasion.

Mr. Sharma said that the Indian fashion industry is still evolving, but surely it has made its mark. “It has been a long journey, and the need is to keep creating hopes and harvest-ing dreams”. He lauded the NIFT efforts in preserving and propagat-ing the traditional arts and crafts of India at both the local and regional levels.

Ms. Monika S. Garg, Director General of NIFT, in her address, said: “NIFT is committed to creat-ing and maintaining an environment that promises an approach of knowl-edge transfer. Here the academic strategy embraces international-

ism and facilitates an invigorating thought-process which is multi-dis-ciplinary and dynamic.”

She disclosed that this year, in the presence of the Prime Ministers of both the countries at Dhaka, NIFT entered into an association with the BGMEA Institute of Fashion Tech-nology, Bangladesh, for collabo-ration in areas based on building specific professional competencies. “We are confident that this endeav-our will identify placement and job opportunities for NIFTians in Bang-ladesh. The institute this year has enhanced the international visibility and standing. NIFT has entered into a strategic alliance with the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, in the form of Dual Degree. Our strategy seeks to realize the oppor-tunities to find the better placement

Mr. Anand sharma, union Minister of Commerce, industry & textiles, and Mr. Venu srinivasan, Chairman, Board of Governors of niFt, along with students at the convocation ceremony


options for the students in India and overseas”.

NIFT has 15 centers in India. Since 1987 it has produced design-ers and fashion entrepreneurs who have shaped the Indian fashion in-dustry into a global leader.

The Director General also said that over the last few years NIFT has undertaken strategic steps to forge international linkages with international schools of repute. Cur-rently, it has over 30 MoUs with foreign fashion schools for student & faculty exchange, conferences, seminars and exhibitions. In 2011, the existing MoUs were reviewed, and four new ones were signed with the Fashion Institute of Technology, New York, the BGMEA Institute of Fashion Technology, Bangladesh, the University of Wolverhampton,

UK, and the Royal Academy of Arts, the Hague.

NIFT has also entered into an MoU with the Textile Committee to increase the knowledge base of its faculty, students and research scholars. As part of this agreement, facilities like library, publications, laboratories, etc., are made available by the Textile Committee to NIFT for research purposes.

Ms. Monika Garg presenting the annual Academic Report, recounted the journey of NIFT through expan-sion, extension and benchmarking in fashion education.

As per the NIFT policy, after completion of four years the com-plete curriculum is reviewed incor-porating views from industry and alumni. Accordingly, an elaborate and intensive exercise of peer and

industry review of the curriculum of their respective departments was carried out by the Chairpersons in January 2011. Two-day workshops were organized for each discipline in NIFT Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore and Gandhinagar, in which peer in-stitutes, industry members and NIFT alumni and faculty participated. The focus was on dynamic and emerg-ing needs of the industry and future trends. The new curriculum has been implemented with effect from July 2011 onwards.

Built into the academic curricu-lum are internship, industry visits, out-bound programmes as well as real life projects, seminars and in-teractions which provide opportu-nities for students to appreciate and understand the working of the in-dustry. The institute also undertakes research and consultancy projects for the industry with its expertise in Design, Management and Technol-ogy at strategic and operational lev-els. The students get the opportunity to work in stimulating environment with industry projects focusing on integrative abilities that use skills ranging from technical expertise to creative exposure.

As an attempt to inculcate social awareness, the Craft Cluster Project has been woven into the Academic Calendar. Understanding the social responsibility towards this sector, the NIFT students continue to con-tribute to the clusters through design intervention and product diversifica-tion. In all, 1,492 graduates from 10 streams of study and from nine cent-ers of NIFT were awarded Degrees.

Mr. Venu Srinivasan, Chairman, Board of Governors of NIFT, in his brief address, congratulated the graduating students. w

eDUcation

itm texpo eurasia to showcase turkey as major textile power

events

The overwhelming response re-ceived to ITM Texpo Eurasia 2012 to be held during April 21-24 also underlines the importance of Turkey in the global textile industry. Most of the exhibition space has been ful-ly booked. Foreign textile machin-ery manufacturers, who were not sure about the world textile industry trend and the future of textiles in Turkey a few months ago, do under-stand the growing importance of the Turkish companies, as the country ranked among the first three in terms of the number of exhibitors and visi-tors at the exhibition.

Especially in terms of machinery purchases, Turkish textile indus-trialists attracted attention in terms of their conscious investments as professional visitors at ITMA 2011.

ITM Texpo Eurasia 2012 has re-ceived very good response from in-ternational exhibitors.

ITM Texpo Eurasia 2012 Exhibi-tion organized simultaneously with HIGHTEX 2012 and Yarn Exhi-bition will be the most important sectoral meeting of the year. Hall 2 and Hall 3 dedicated for spinning and dyeing-printing-finishing tech-nologies are fully booked. Hall 7, which is also dedicated to dyeing-printing-finishing technologies, is booked 70 per cent. Hall 12, dedi-cated to weaving-knitting technolo-gies is booked 90 per cent, and in compliance with the space book-ing demands received, Hall 10 has also been dedicated for knitting and weaving technologies.

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the turkish textile ex-

ports were estimated at

$704.248.000 in octo-

ber 2011. compared to

the same period of the

previous year, this is an

increase of 12.3 per cent.

exports for the January-

october period also in-

creased by 25.8 per cent

compared to the previ-

ous year. these figures

indicate that the turkish

textile industry is again on

an upswing.

Mr. neCip Guney, sales Director


The TexTile Magazine – classified column


textile magazine - textile magazine

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