Necessity is the mother of all inventions. The Coimbatore-based Tex-Tech Industries (India) Private Ltd., a global leader in manufacture of retrofit kits and critical spare parts for cotton combing machines, is making related diversifications, which will further strengthen the existing business and also reduce its dependency on the core business. The recession in the textile industry and the power crisis in Tamil Nadu has made Coimbatore-based companies find ways to de-risk their businesses and also look for related diversifications.
Metrological lab
Mr. Malligarjunan, Managing Director of Tex-Tech, says he is investing on both technology and people as part of the company’s expansion and diversification plans. The first major initiative at Tex-Tech has been the setting up of a state-of-the-art metrological lab for testing physical and chemical properties of raw materials. “We want to be an OEM component supplier catering to the requirement of global and domestic machinery manufacturers. To ensure that we adhere to the quality standards set by the OEMs, we have established an advanced metrological lab for testing the physical and chemical properties of raw materials. We are working on getting NABL accreditation for our lab”, says Mr. Malligarjunan.
The new lab is equipped with spectrometer for testing chemical properties, hardness & surface roughness testers, ultra sound equipments for testing hair line cracks, co-ordinate measuring machines and video measuring systems for measuring big as well as small and tiny objects. The company is also investing on UTMs, IZOD and Chope impact testers. All these machines have been sourced from leading European manufacturers, says Mr. Malligarjunan.
The lab has been established as an independent entity and will cater not only to the requirement of Tex-Tech but also to other external agencies and customers. The lab has already started working with companies from pump and automotive industry and will very soon offer services to aerospace industry.
Refurbished machines
The name Tex-Tech has become synonymous to retrofit kits and comber parts. The company has established its leadership in this segment both in the Indian domestic market and overseas markets. To further leverage on its understanding of these machines and its strong brand equity, Tex-Tech has embarked on a major project to offer complete refurbished comber machines. “We have started to procure second-hand comber machines from Europe, refurbish them, upgrade it to the latest version and offer it to customers. We exhibited the first set of machines at India ITME and it received tremendous response”, says Mr. Malligarjunan.
The company is typically sourcing used E7/5A, E7/6 combers from the overseas market and upgrade it to E62 type by installing Noil Saving Nippers, New Coiler, Hi speed Gear box, Modified Detaching & Draw box Assemblies, PLC from Omron (Japan), Dual Speed Motor (LEDL) and offers a one year warranty on these machines.
The first set of refurbished combers delivered has earned customer satisfaction and to our surprise, at the India ITME show we received many enquiries from overseas customers also, says Mr. Malligarjunan. This is another major step forward for Tex-Tech and the company is very confident about the future growth prospects in this business.
Saro Mirra Services
The third major diversification for Tex-Tech is the launch of Saro Mirra Services, a company which will provide consultancy services on a wide range of activities. For this, Mr. Malligarjunan has joined hands with Mr. Joseph, a Textile Technologist with rich experience in implementing large textile projects in Egypt, and with Mr. Thulessiraman, who comes with three decades of experience in textile equipment selling. Through SMS, the company will offer technical services to mills, project consultancy for new projects and will also help in sourcing second-hand machineries for customers. SMS will also sell raw cotton and yarn, particularly for customers catering to the export market. The company is planning to offer monitoring and validation services at the Indian customer location to ensure the overseas buyer is more assured of the quality of products he receives.
“We are linking the overseas customers directly to the Indian suppliers enabling them to directly export. This is an additional benefit for those who are sourcing yarn from us”, says Mr. Joseph, Director of SMS.
SMS has also been appointed the agent for Italy humidification company Canalair for Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh markets. The company is also looking at some developments in the area of nonwovens.
Retrofit kits and comber parts
In its core business of retrofit kits and comber parts, Tex-Tech continues to march forward with a series of new products for the aftermarket. The company has its new range of Mirra Combs, for which it has tied up with American Trutzschler. The Wires are imported in Coil Form and processed in Special Purpose Machines to make these Unicombs for Domestic and Export Markets. Another important product is the self-cleaning top combs, which the company plans to launch later this year.
After serving the after-market for more than 3 decades Tex-Tech is building pillars to strengthen its core business and also diversify into related fields which will help de-risk itself from the core business. All these initiatives will deepen its engagement with existing customers and will also open new avenues for future growth of the company.