Ahmedabad is famous for its cotton textile industries.

The textile industry of

the city of Ahmedabad in the state of Gujarat in India dates to the 19th
century, when the city and the industry were established under the British raj.
Textile mills employed thousands of people from across the state, and the
cotton garments manufactured were exported across the world. The
prosperity of the industry was the mainstay of the city's economy. It is called
the Manchester of India because of the similarity with the famous cotton
textile centre of Manchester, Great Britain. The warm, humid climate, port for
importing machinery, availability of raw material and skilled labour resulted in
rapid expansion of the industry in the region.

AREA
Cotton textile industries have the largest concentration in Ahmedabad
(Gujarat) because of the following reasons:
Availability of raw materials- There is large scale production of cotton in this
region. Hence, there is regular supply of raw materials.
Favourable Climate - Ahmedabad has a hot, semi-arid climate with marginally
less rain than required for a tropical savannah climate. Thus region has an
equitable climate which ensures the production of cotton.
Availability of Capital- A large amount of capital is also required for the
establishment of textile industry, and the required capital is also available in
the markets.
Export facility- Ahmedabad is a seaport of India. Through it, good cotton
quality, machines and raw materials are easily imported, and finished products
can be easily exported.

PROCESS OF MAKING CLOTH

Cotton is easily spun into yarn as the cotton fibres flatten, twist, and naturally
interlock for spinning. De-seeded cotton is cleaned, carded (fibres aligned),
spun, and woven into a fabric that is also referred to as cotton
There are three basic steps required for fabric production.
Spinning- The small, sticky seeds must be separated from the wool in order to
process the cotton for spinning and weaving. Here, the raw materials that
have been harvested and processed are transformed from raw fibres into yarn
and threads. This is done by spinning the fibres. These days, most of the
spinning is done by spinning wheel. The fibres are drawn across the wheel, and
as it spins, the fibres are collected on a cylindrical object called a bobbin. The
bobbin holds the spun fibres, which are now connected into a long strand of
thread or yarn. In the next step, the bobbins will be transferred to another
machine, where the yarn will continue its journey into fabric.
Weaving After the raw materials have been converted into yarn, they're ready
for the second step in the production process, which involves joining these
individual threads together to form fabric known as weaving. Weaving is done
on a machine known as a loom and requires two sets of yarn. The first set,
called the warp set, is strung tautly across a metal frame. The second, called
the weft, is connected to metal rods, with one thread per rod.
Processing After the fabric has been woven, it's removed from the loom and is
ready for the final step: processing. Fabric that's fresh off the loom is called
greige. Greige does not look like the clothes we wear. It's discoloured and full
of impurities, seed particles and debris. Before it can be transformed into
useful textiles, it must be cleaned by the following steps:
First, it's treated with bleach to purify the base colour.
Next, it's treated with a variety of chemicals and cleaners to remove oil, wax
and other elements that are naturally occurring in most fibres.
Finally, it's ready to be shipped out to clothing and textile manufacturers.

MAIN PRODUCTION UNITS

1. The Arvind Mills is a company that processes denim for jeans worldwide, it
is located near the Sabarmati River; as such the water required for the textile
industry is easily available. The black soil found abundantly in Gujarat is best
suited for the cultivation of cotton which is mostly required for the industry.
2. Another major company in Ahmedabad is Ashima group. Electricity and
cheap labour are available in abundance. Ahmedabad stands very near to the
sea and as such export and import becomes easy.
3. The Ahmedabad Spinning and Weaving Company Ltd. was the first textile
mill and garments company established in Ahmedabad and one of the first
textile mills of India. It was opened on 30 May 1861, and started by
entrepreneur, Ranchhodlal Chhotalal.

TEXTILE MILLS OF AHMEDABAD

The Ahmedabad cotton textile industry consists of 63 composite mill units and
4 spinning units. Ahmedabad has a concentration of 66 textile mills within a
radius of 8 to 10 kilometres, of which 62 are composite mills.

MARKET
The large hinterland of Gujarat was able to supply cotton readily. Local Gujarati
entrepreneurs supplied abundant money as capital. Nearness to Cambay Bay
also helped in import and export activities. The ready market and goods supply
network through railway and roads to Gujarat, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh,
Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh also favoured the growth of the region.

The textile industry is primarily concerned with the design, production and distribution of
yarn, cloth and clothing. The raw material may be natural or synthetic using products of
the chemical industry.