2017-18 has been a very important year in the history of Himatsingka. The company commenced commercial operations of its spinning facility in February 2018 and started construction of terry towel facility in the last quarter of FY18.
The Himatsingka Group is a vertically integrated home textile major that designs, develops, manufactures, retails and distributes bedding, bath, drapery & upholstery, ultra-fine, cotton yarn, terry towel and bed linen products.
The company successfully commissioned the brownfield sheeting expansion project that enhanced the installed sheeting capacity from 23 million meters per annum (mmpa) to 46 mmpa. This project was commissioned on schedule in October 2016.
To enhance its integration quotient, Himatsingka commenced construction of its ultra-fine count cotton spinning facility in July 2016. This facility, with an installed capacity of 2,11,584 spindles, will meet the cotton yarn requirements of the sheeting division, making it the world’s largest cotton spinning plant under one roof.
Himatsingka is also setting up a new terry towels facility. This facility will have an installed capacity of 25,000 tonnes per annum (TPA). These investments are part of the Rs. 1,300-crore expansion program to augment its manufacturing portfolio and are being carried out in phases.
Himatsingka has also taken commendable steps to strengthen its brand portfolio. It has emerged a global leader in track and trace capabilities with regard to the cotton value chain. With exclusive global rights to the patented DNA tagging-and-fibre typing technologies, the company has an edge in bringing traceability solutions to its clients. Its Pimacott, HomeGrown Cotton and Organicott brands will be focused to cater to the client requirements, where products will be equipped with the DNA-based tagging technology.
During FY 2018, Himatsingka has remained focused on furthering its global presence across its product categories. This has been possible with increased capacity utilization at its manufacturing facilities and greater penetration of the company brands across the existing and new markets.
The global manufacturing landscape has been inundated with technology platforms and opportunities that will pave the way for next generation shop floors and usher in a new manufacturing culture. The textile industry is no exception. Himatsingka has been constantly exploring technologies that may have transformational impact on productivity and efficiency. The company does this by leveraging automation and virtual platforms that radically alter the way it looks at manufacturing. These themes are especially important, given the emphasis on making India a global manufacturing hub.
Himatsingka believes that a combination of technology and scale in the textile sector will be essential to take India’s share of the global textile trade further up.