Coimbatore-based Indian Texpreneurs Federation (ITF) hosted a discussion on the Indian textile industry on January 04, 2022

At this discussion, DrSeshadriRamkumar, Professor, Nonwovens and Advanced Materials Laboratory, placed his views on mid to long-term understanding of the textile landscape.

It is important to focus on “4S, a ” concept adopted by U.S. Department of Defense while planning ahead for any sector, says Ramkumar. These 4Ss include: Sense, Shape; Shield and Sustain, he adds.

Good planning on stocking raw materials is the key, says Ramkumar. He advises exploring different blend options to balance costs besides finding new applications. Dinakaran, Textile Industrialists and Former Chairman, SIMA, advised the Indian textiles sector to look for product enhancement. He explained how China utilized new fibers such as modal, etc., and offered new blends to the world market.

While sustainability is keenly looked at by the world markets, incremental developments such as the use of recycled materials will be a step in the right direction Countries like India, which once used to enjoy labor cost advantages must go for lean manufacturing and value-addition as the competitive advantage is eroding.

One should look at the sector as a four-legged table and all the four legs should be balanced to put the table to use. These four legs include technology, cost, marketing, and messaging, added Ramkumar.