Indian weaving sector has conventionally been one of the most promising businesses within the textile industry with huge employment opportunity. In fact, many reports claim that our weaving industry is the second largest provider of work force, only behind agriculture. There are many factors contributing to the success of this industry in our country, namely, abundance of raw material, availability of cheap labour and increase in domestic demand are the key USP’s for growth.
That being said, ITEMA, a name so popular within the Indian weaving industry recently did a survey, along with The Textile Magazine, with a few of the top weaving mills of India. Lets see what they have to say.
Christy Textiles –
“From decision taking to delivery, it was a great experience with ITEMA” – Mohanasundaram, Christy Textiles
Christy Textiles was established in 2004 with an investment of Rs. 6 million. The initial turnover in 2004-2005 was Rs. 5 lakhs, and the company was able to raise its turnover to Rs. 60 lakhs in the subsequent year.
Christy Textiles, a subsidiary of the Christy Group, is a leading manufacturer and exporter of terry towels. The products include bath towels, hand towels, face towels, pool towels and beach towels along with bath accessories such as bath mat, and bathrobes ranging from 300 to 1200 GSM. The company later ventured into the business of providing high-end bedlinen to the hotel industry.
The main market of Christy Textiles lies in the Middle East region, including famous hotels of Dubai, Qatar, Kuwait, the UK and a few places in Australia. With around 220 employees, the production capacity is 100 tons per month. There is also a processing unit which was opened in 2013.
Christy Apparels in the city of Tirupur manufactures hosiery products for a diversified group.
Technology support is very crucial for any business to flourish. Christy Textiles has tried varied options of foreign machinery and technology before settling for ITEMA machines in 2012. Initially, it tried working with some other brands which didn’t perform upto the expectation, resulting in an enhanced cost of production. All the requirements were met when it started working with ITEMA machines.
Christy Textiles purchased 25 ITEMA machines in 2017. Expressing great satisfaction over the product performance and its impact on the quality of product, Mr. Mohanasundaram, Director of Christy Textiles, said: “ITEMA has never caused any concern for us. There is no issue of quality, maintenance, the technology utilized”.
He also spoke about the way ITEMA’s support has always benefited the company. The staff gives a prompt reply in case of any assistance that is needed. “Since there is a minimum chance of failure of the machine, there is lower maintenance and work break is minimized.”
Praising the ITEMA, Mr. Mohanasundaram also explained how the entire unit is energy saving. This is an important objective for both companies. They aim at being energy efficient as well as deliver better products. Christy Textiles had the best experience with ITEMA after experimenting with various foreign technologies.
The future plan for Christy Textiles is further expansion of business. It also wants to focus more on the domestic market and supply goods to the domestic market. One of the reasons that the company is successfully running is that it has identified its competitors in the market, which are Pakistan and Bangladesh. By identifying the competitors the company has changed its growth strategy.
Jain Cords
“One of the best brands in the market today” –Amit Jain, JainCords
Jain Cords Industries is a company which started its business in 1958. It established its first small dyeing corduroy plant in Amritsar where it began its journey as the Jain Group of Industries. After gradually growing, the company shifted its operation from Amritsar to Gurgaon in 1987.
The company initially started with manufacturing corduroy. Currently the turnover of the group is Rs. 400 crores. The company production volume has increased several times. Initially with 200 weaving machines, the capacity has increased to a million meters per month. The monthly dyeing capacity has increased to 1.2 lakh meters.
With its hard work and resilience, Jain Cords has become the biggest supplier of corduroy material in India. Today it provides materials to international as well as domestic brands. Multinational clothing brands such as Marks and Spencer, Zara and H&M Sainsbury are among the major clients. Domestic brands such as Pantaloons, Future Groups and Benetton form the client base for the company.
In 2006, the company established RC Apparel for manufacturing denim fabric mainly for bottoms. Today the company supplies around 2 lakh pieces per month of only bottoms to brands like United Colors of Benetton.
One of the reasons that Jain Cords Industries is relied on by international brands is the technology it uses. In the textile industry, the biggest challenge one faces is to strike a balance between cost-effectiveness and the product quality. For Jain Cords, ITEMA has provided a perfect solution. The partnership began two years ago when Jain Cords bought six machines from ITEMA. The process for the selection was rigid. Various parameters were considered before selecting ITEMA as the best-suited option to them. Toyota and ITEMA’s airjets were shortlisted choices, but ITEMA’s dedication to innovation and improvement in technology for better services was a major plus point. The production is about 350 to 400 gsm. A sampling of 430 gsm has already been sent for trial.
While talking about aftersales services, Mr. Amit Jain of Jain Cords disclosed: “The product was attractive and the aftersales services even better. They were always just a call away”.
By the end of the next year, Jain Cords aims to buy 12 more such machines from ITEMA after the dyeing unit gets started. It is also looking forward to being a part of ITMA Barcelona.
While Jain Textiles has been merged into Jain Cords the company aims to merge its weaving plants too. By 2023-24, the aim is to be a Rs. 1,000-crore company.
Mr. Jain who is a second generation entrepreneur who plays a major role in the company’s creative expansion, said: “Once we achieve our set goals it will be the right time for us to go public, and the company has already started working towards that”.
Faze Three
“ITEMA has had our orders for over 2 decades” – Ajay Anand, Faze Three Ltd.
Faze Three Ltd. (‘Faze3’) was established in 1985. It initially started manufacturing in home textiles, and as demand started growing, it expanded in various other categories of finished goods in home textile and floor coverings, manufactured in one of its 7 locations.
In 1995, Faze3 took up the challenge for supplies of automotive textiles. In 1997, the company started production of automotive textile for the Indian markets. Today, the customers (OEMs) see the company as a leading and innovative supplier in automotive textiles.
Mr. Ajay Anand, Managing Director, observes: “To survive in this industry, one has to be very patient and relentlessly keep introducing newer technology. Faze3 owes its success to product diversification and introduction of newer technology. It is one of the few companies to have made their mark in the market, both in Automotive and Home Textiles, by collaborating with global companies.”
The correct use of machines is a very important factor in ascertaining the product quality that Faze3 manufactures. It chose ITEMA weaving machines for this very reason. ITEMA provides complete solutions for weaving as required by the company.
Mr. Ajay Anand says: “ITEMA has always been at the forefront with its excellent aftersales services”. It also proves a very reliable and supportive partner. Its machinery has always been useful and aftersales services excellent. The performance, reliability and cost efficiency have constituted a perfect combination which is the reason why Faze3 prefers using ITEMA machines from its very inception.
Faze3 today has a combined revenue from both auto and home textiles of approx. ~$70 million. The group expects its revenue to double in the next 3-4 years.
Sutlej
“Versatility, high performance and efficient Total Cost of Ownership” – Updeep Singh, Sutlej Textiles
Sutlej Textiles and Industries Ltd. was founded in 1963 by Sutlej Industries Ltd. in the Okara province of undivided Punjab in the pre-Independence era.
Later, Sutlej Textile was set up at Bhawanimandi, Rajasthan, to produce cotton yarn. In 1981, a spinning unit was leased at Kathua in Jammu and Kashmir, which manufactured cotton yarn and synthetic yarn.
At present Sutlej Textiles and Industries has four manufacturing units. Apart from Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir, it has one unit at Baddi in Himachal Pradesh for producing cotton yarn. Another unit at Daheli in Gujarat is for production of home textiles.
As of 2017-2018, Sutlej is a $380 million company and its spinning capacity amounts to 418,680 spindles. Sutlej has also made its mark in the international market by acquiring American Silk Mills in 2017, which manufactures home textiles. The company produces a variety of value-added yarn, including man-made as well as cotton yarn. As for the home textiles sector, it produces upholstery and curtains made-up.
With the advent of globalization, there is growing market competition. To be consistent in this market a company has to ensure that its products are the best suited to the customer. With the growing developments in the textile sector, a lot of companies have emerged creating even stiffer competition. For a company to achieve its desired objective it is necessary to have a supporting force providing reliable machinery. Sutlej Textiles has been in weaving business for 13-14 years and has been using ITEMA’s machinery throughout.
The first product that it purchased from ITEMA was in 2006. The business has been flourishing since then. It mainly uses three products of ITEMA – Alpha, Alpha PGA and R9500 for home textiles. With ITEMA’s efficient and versatile fabric forming technology and customer services, Sutlej has remained its loyal customer.
Mr. Updeep Singh, elaborating on the overall experience with ITEMA machines, said: “Since the time of our first decision of ITEMA weaving machines we have been making repeats because of the value in terms of the total cost of ownership of these machines and their performance. Today Sutlej has reached an installed weaving capacity of 9.6 million meters per annum.
He added: “The fact that Sutlej has been a customer to ITEMA for more than a decade is a testimonial enough to the unmatched performance and professional aftersales services provided by the company”.
The ITEMA team in India backed by the headquarters in Italy has always stood by the company by providing not only excellent technology and aftersales services but also keeping it abreast of the latest technological advancements in the industry.
ITEMA has truly been a reliable technology partner for the Home Textiles Division at Sutlej Textiles and Industries.
Raymond UCO
“Customer-centric approach is the winning factor of ITEMA” – Nitin Shrivastava, Raymond UCO Denim Pvt. Ltd.
Raymond’s denim journey began in 1996 with a manufacturing capacity of 10 million meters per annum. Since inception, the company has focused on providing top-class services to its worldwide customers. Its commitment to innovation and quality has made it one of the major denim players across the globe. In the past two decades, the company has grown in volumetric capacity, customer diversity and product variability. The first to introduce the concept of ring denim in India. Its state-of-the-art plant is situated in the cotton-belt of Yavatmal, with manufacturing capacity of upto 47 million meters of denim fabric per annum.
Mr. Nitin Shrivastava has been with the company since its inception and currently heads the plant as Works Director. With over 23 years of experience in the denim business, Mr. Shrivastava believes that continuous efforts to innovate, enhance product offering and maintain consistent quality are the essential ingredients for the success.
Raymond UCO has been associated with ITEMA since 2015 when it upgraded its loom shed with the new ITEMA rapier looms. With two decades of working experience with rapier looms and thorough research in options available in the market, it zeroed down on ITEMA looms, and installed R9500 rapier looms which are specially designed for weaving heavy denim fabric.
Mr. Shrivastava added: “ITEMA provided seamless installation of 52 looms and excellent aftersales service which is the key for maintaining consistent quality”.