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•SPECIAL FEATURE: NATURAL FIBRES... 34
•SPOTLIGHT: APPAREL MARKET... 36

YEARS

1890 - 2019

www.indiantextilejournal.com Circulated in India & South Asia | ISSN0019 - 6436 | May 2020

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 The Indian Textile Journal March 2020 Vol. CXXX No. 6
The Indian Textile Journal March 2020 Vol. CXXX No. 6

Editor’s Desk Desk

TheThe Indian
Indian Textile
Textile Journal
Journal MayMarch
2020 2020 Vol. CXXX
Vol. CXXX No. 8No. 6

The Indian
FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
TextilePADODE
PRATAP
FOUNDER
PRATAP PADODE
Journal March 2020 Vol. CXXX No. 6
& EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Editor’s
Editor’s
Editor’s Desk
Desk
FOUNDER & EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
End GST disparity to gain global share
Editor’s Desk
End GST disparity to gain global share
EXECUTIVE
PRATAP PADODE EDITOR
RAKESH RAO

EndI GST
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
ndia’s textile exports have plateaued during the past five to seven years.
When will disparity
uncertainty
to gain
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RAKESH RAO
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founder
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KARTHIK
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Textile
Limited. textile products from other countries. Follow me on twitter @PratapPadode
14 The Indian Textile Journal | March 2020 Follow me on twitter @PratapPadode

14 The Indian Textile Journal | March 2020 The Indian Textile Journal
Follow me on| twitter 2020 | 5
May @PratapPadode

14 The Indian Textile Journal | March 2020 Follow me on twitter @PratapPadode

 Contents
Cover Story: automation
impact of covid-19
Please click the headline to view the page

special feature: material

SpeCial natural fibres
HanDlinG

Locked Down!�����������������������������������������
Modernisation is indispensable 14 On the rise��������������������������������������������������
Technology
Technology on the
on the Forefront
Forefront ������������������������ 34
��������������������� 32
32
The increase
Textile in awareness
mills face
face numberof
aa number ofthe damage
issues with caused
the
for textile ������������������������������������������������������� 22 Textile mills of issues with the
movement of raw materials such as cotton,has
by synthetic
movement ofmaterials
raw on
materials the environment
such as cotton, yarn,
yarn,led
to
andthe development
fabric from one of eco-friendly
department or
and fabric from one department or machine, ormaterials.
machine, ITJ
or
reports
floor
floor to on
to various
another.
another. Not
Notnatural
only does
only fibresthe
does available.
the transportation of
transportation of
materials consume time and resources,
materials consume time and resources, but there arebut there are
also various challenges
spotlight:
also various challenges
apparel market in ensuring
in ensuring thatthat material
material is is
handled safely, efficiently, and economically without
In the doldrums!
handled
compromising the
�����������������������������������������
safely, efficiently,
the production
and economically without
production targets.
targets.
36
compromising

Covid-19 virus that has thrown the economic Material handling in spinning mill ������������ 36
activity out of gear across the world has Material handling
Material handling in spinning
involves mill��������������
the movement of 36
also halted the Indian textile industry to a Material
materials,handling
manually involves the movement
or mechanically of or
in batches
grinding halt materials, manually or mechanically in batches
one item at a time within the plant. The movement or
Without modernisation of its entire value chain, one item at a time within the plant. The movement
may be horizontal, vertical or the combination of
India may
thesebe horizontal,
two, vertical or the combination of
says r Senthilkumar..
ITMFcan nevergovts
urges become globalglobe
across champion in
these two, says r Senthilkumar..
textile sector.
to support textile industry���������������������17
The results of second ITMF Corona Survey, which “Key is to understand the needs of
“Automation
“Automation isis must
mustfor
fortextile
textile
were released recently, revealed that on average manufacturingindustry"
manufacturing industry"�������������
������������ 40
factories
factories
orders are down to
by -31 per meet
to cent
meet production
production
and the turnover
Indian appareladitya vazirani,
businesses couldfounder
face up Director,
to
and
for 2020 is expectedquality
to dropdemands”
and quality demands”������������
by ��������� 30
30 rGl, speaks about the automation
40 per cent loss of revenue and many smaller
-28 per cent. Jhankar Dutta, managing Director, systems adopted by the company, and
players are contemplating closure.
B&r industrial automation, how it has helped the garment and
Textile industry
india,under
explainspressure������������19
trends in textile textile business.
CURRICULUM
manufacturing VITAE
Going forward,in India
the andindustry
textile importance of
scenario FACE2FACE
automation
will depend and digitalisation
on how in textile
the situation industry.
evolves in the “Impact
SpotliGHt: impaCt of Covid-19 will be
of CoronaviruS
domestic and international markets and faster
return to normalcy will enable the industry to
damaging on UK & ASEAN”�����38
curtail the damages and improve on its Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Chair,
faCe2faCe
growth prospects. UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC),
“Indian nonwoven
“Indian nonwoven market
SIVASAILAM G market has has speaks on the encouraging UK
been growing
been growing
Can retail industry survive and will
and will continue
Managing Director
continue
Freudenberg Performance Materials India Pvt Ltd, Chennai, India
businesses to explore opportunities
within ASEAN.
to grow”
grow”����������������������������������
������������������������������������ 45
Covid-19 lockdown��������������������������������30
Born: 45
February 11, 1969 in Chennai, India

Sivasailam
Retailers in the country G,
Studies:
at mD, freudenberg
Engineering Diploma in Fiber Technology, India
this point are not GUEST ARTICLE
performance materials
looking to make profits, but are rather india,
looking
Chennai, speaks on the present Mediation, real or virtual��������������������������� 40
for a way to stay afloat and provide for the
Indian nonwovens market, and importance of Sumit Banerjee and Rashika Narain discuss the
employees and other stakeholders,
sustainability in the development of spunlace and Industryfears
Industry
looming on
on‘wait-n-watch’
‘wait-n-watch’ mode
of a recession that ����������������������48
mode ��������������� 48
is growing
writes Sanjay Vakharia.
wetlaid nonwovens. uncertainty and panic.
CAREER HISTORY

since 2017 Member of Extended Leadership Team,

More drive. ACOPOS P3.

RBU Apparel Asia, FPM
2010 – 2016 Managing Director of FPM India
2009 – 2010 Director on the Board of FNI, with responsibilities
of Sales, Finance and Admin www.br-automation.com/ACOPOSP3
2004 – 2009 Business Head, Apparel In India,
Freudenberg Nonwovens India
1999 – 2004 Branch Manager, Coats Ltd,
National Capital Region, Delhi
More speed MoreTechnical
1995 – 1999 intelligence MoreCoats
Services Executive of India, precision
Ltd More power
3-axis servo drive with 1991 – 1994 Safe
SalesMotion up with
Executive Virtual sensors for more
to Coats Ltd Highest power density
50 µs sampling time SIL3 / PL e / Cat.4 precise control in its class
1990 Research Assistant in Raymonds, Kota, India

The
The Indian
Indian Textile
Textile Journal | April
Journal | May2020 7
2020| |15
NEWSline
ITMA ASIA + CITME
rescheduled to June 2021
I n light of the current coronavirus
(Covid-19) pandemic, ITMA ASIA +
CITME 2020 has been rescheduled,
despite receiving strong response
from exhibitors. Originally slated to
be held in October, the combined
show will now take place from 12 to
16 June 2021 at the National
Exhibition and Convention Centre
(NECC), Shanghai.
According to show owners
CEMATEX and Chinese partners, the
Sub-Council of Textile Industry, CCPIT
(CCPIT-Tex), China Textile Machinery
Association (CTMA) and China
Exhibition Centre Group Corporation
(CIEC), the postponement is
necessary due to the coronavirus
pandemic.
Fritz P. Mayer, President of
CEMATEX, said: “We seek your
understanding as this decision has
been made with the safety and
health concerns of our participants
and partners in mind. The global
economy has been severely affected
ATIRA develops India’s first filter
cloth to make N99 masks
T he Ahmedabad Textile Industry’s
Research Association (ATIRA)
recently announced that it has
developed a filter cloth to make N99
masks in association with Defence
Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO). This nano
coated medium for face mask has
99+ per cent filtration efficiency.
Currently, the filter cloth material
is manufactured at state of the art
facility at ATIRA as per the WHO
guidelines. The government of India
and DRDO have given recognition to
these masks.
Speaking about this, Punit
8 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020
by the pandemic. On a positive note,
the International Monetary Fund has
predicted that there would be global
economic growth at 5.8 per cent next
year. Hence, it is more prudent to
look at a date around mid of next
year.”
Added Wang Shutian, Honorary
President of China Textile Machinery
Association (CTMA), “The outbreak of
the coronavirus has caused a severe
impact on global economy, and also
affected the manufacturing sector.
Our exhibitors, especially those from
other parts of the world, are deeply
affected by the lockdowns. Therefore,
we believe that the combined show
with the new exhibition dates would
be timely when the global economy
is predicted to improve. We would
like to thank the exhibitors who have
applied for space for their strong
vote of confidence in the combined
show.”
In spite of the pandemic, at the
close of space application, almost all
Lalbhai, Council Member, ATIRA, said
“We are happy that we are able help
the Indian government and its
populace during such unprecedented
times. Our partnership with DRDO
has yielded something noteworthy
for the country.”
Leading this project at ATIRA,
Deepali Palawat, Deputy Director,
highlighted that “this project is the
finest example of collaboration and
coordination with the government,
who has moved mountains to help us
procure raw materials and provide
full support during lock down. We too
are determined to do whatever it
the space reserved at NECC has been
filled. The show owners will create a
wait list for the late applicants and if
necessary, to secure additional
exhibition space from the venue to
accommodate more exhibitors.
Buyers to ITMA ASIA + CITME
2020 can expect to meet industry
leaders who will showcase a wide
array of latest technology solutions
that will help textile makers to
become more competitive.
ITMA ASIA + CITME 2020 is
organised by Beijing Textile
Machinery International Exhibition
Co Ltd and co-organised by ITMA
Services. Japan Textile Machinery
Association is a special partner of the
show.
The last ITMA ASIA + CITME
combined show in 2018 welcomed
the participation of 1,733 exhibitors
from 28 countries and economies and
registered visitorship of over
1,00,000 from 116 countries and
regions.
takes to support our nation and those
working to save our lives. Fifteen
staff of ATIRA including Scientific
Officers and technicians are working
round the clock to fulfil the order
placed by DRDO of five lakh masks.”
“Ninety nine per cent filtration is
the highest amongst all types of
masks available in India. There were
many challenges initially, but with
untiring efforts of our highly
competent scientists and research
technicians we were able to
successfully develop it and produce
on large scale,” added Pragnesh Shah,
Director, ATIRA.

ITM & HIGHTEX postponed to 22-26 June 2021
T he ITM International
Textile Machinery
Exhibition and the
HIGHTEX International
Technical Textiles and
Nonwoven Exhibition, held
every two years in
partnership with Tüyap
Tüm Fuarcılık Inc. and
Teknik Fuarcılık Inc, and in
cooperation with TEMSAD,
were planned to be held between
June 2-6 this year. However, as the
Coronavirus (Covid-19) continue to
increasingly impact all the world, the
ITM and HIGHTEX exhibitions had
been postponed to 14-18 July 2020,
but it has been announced that the
events have been rescheduled to
22-26 June 2021.
The ITM and HIGHTEX Exhibitions,
which were previously planned to take
place between June 2-6 this year, were
postponed to 22-26 June 2021 due to
the coronavirus outbreak seeming to
occupy the world over the coming
months.
The ITM and HIGHTEX Project
Group stated the following regarding
Cematex elects permanent Secretary General
A new Secretary General has been
chosen by Cematex, the
European Committee of Textile
Machinery Manufacturers. Cornelia
Buchwalder has served on an interim
basis since June 2019, following the
retirement of Maria Avery, and was
elected to the permanent position by
the Cematex Board on March 12.
Buchwalder has a wide knowledge
of the global textile equipment sector,
having managed the Swiss Textile
Machinery Association since 2013 and
been closely involved in organising
participation at the major global trade
shows and various international
events. Her experience takes in the
ITMA exhibitions in Europe at Milan
the postponement: “We continue our
efforts for the ITM and HIGHTEX
exhibitions at full steam. We believe
that our textile industry will be
revitalized and reach a better point
with the end of the coronavirus
pandemic. While all the world is
suffering a shortage of masks and
protective clothing, Turkey is among
the largest manufacturers of
nonwoven fabrics and sanitary outfits
in the world as well as in Europe
thanks to its strong infrastructure for
the production of textiles, garments
and nonwovens. We know that the
Turkish textile industry, which
manufactures masks and protective
clothing to offer health benefits to all
(2015) and Barcelona (2019), as well as
three ITMA Asia + CITME fairs, in
2014, 2016 and 2018. She will continue
to combine the two posts as Secretary
General of both Swiss Textile
Machinery and of Cematex.
Cematex President Fritz P. Mayer
said “I am very pleased with the new
permanent appointment of Cornelia
Buchwalder, and I am confident the
The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 9
www.indiantextilejournal.com
the world today, will grow
stronger in this process and
continue its investments at
full speed. We believe that
this synergy and strength in
the Turkish textile industry
will have a positive impact
on our events. For this
reason, we believe that our
the ITM and HIGHTEX
Exhibitions, that we had to
postpone to 2021, will provide great
opportunities for the global and
Turkish textile industries, which we
expect to will gain momentum after
the coronavirus outbreak.”
Preparations for the ITM and
HIGHTEX 2021 Exhibitions continue at
full steam to bring together hundreds
of manufacturers and global investors
who develop leading technologies in
their fields. The latest technologies
and new products to be displayed at
ITM and HIGHTEX Exhibitions, which
will open their doors in Istanbul
Tuyap Fair Convention and Congress
Center next year, will meet with
textile investors from all over the
world.
industry will continue to benefit from
her knowledge, dedication, energy and
enthusiasm, as we face the ongoing
challenges of delivering the best textile
technology to our manufacturing
partners worldwide.”
CEMATEX (Le Comité Européen des
Constructeurs de Machines Textiles) is
an organisation comprising nine
national European textile machinery
associations (Acimit; Amec-Amtex,
BTMA, GTM, Swissmem, Symatex,
TMAS, UCMTF, VDMA) in the free
market economy. CEMATEX is the
owner of ITMA, the world’s largest
international textile machinery
exhibition. Cematex is headquartered
in Zurich.
NEWSline
Satyam Fashion Institute showcases
women power on ramp
C elebrating women power is
something every individual
should endorse the different facets of
her personality, she dresses to
impress, to feel good, to give her the
power stride she needs to leave that
lasting impression and that’s why
Fashion never runs Out of Fashion in
her world.
Marking the celebration of
International Women’s Day and
dedicating the true spirit of
womanhood TRIPTYCH 2020 was a gala
evening of everything outstanding,
stylish and fashionable; the graduating
students of Satyam Fashion Institute
(SFI), Noida put together a dreamy
sequence of 23 different themes
celebrating life, women, and more over
99 students graduating from fashion
design, textile design, lifestyle
accessories and post graduate diploma
in fashion design. The show was
recently held Satyam Fashion Institute;
sector 62 Noida was choreographed by
Rachna Sikka.
The glamorous event provided a
Apparel sector could take a hit of Rs 1 lakh cr: CMAI
T he Indian apparel industry could
take a hit of almost Rs 1 lakh crore
due to the lockdown to contain the
Covid-19 outbreak and a significant
slowdown is expected in economic
growth once the lockdown ends,
according to a survey by the Clothing
Manufacturers Association of India
(CMAI), which concluded that almost
50 lakh jobs in the apparel industry
are at risk. Almost a crore jobs may be
lost in the textile and apparel
industries, the survey estimated.
Out of nearly 4,000 CMAI
members, more than 1,500 with
annual sales of about Rs 60,000 crore
and employing 400,000 plus people,
reported a possibility of more than 40
per cent drop in demand after the
lockdown.
10 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020
platform to showcase the ravishing
attire designed by the Graduating
Batch from scratch under the
supervision of Show Organisers Dr.
Vandana Jaglan, Principal, and Dr.
Neetu Malhotra, HOD SFI.
TRIPTYCH 2020 was aptly organised
and celebrated with the unabashed
spirit of a woman on the auspicious
occasion of the International Woman’s
Day. Sneh Singh, Chairperson, and
Pradeep Gupta, Secretary, Satyam
Group of Institutions talked about their
experience with organising the evening
“Every individual and every year that
goes by is an inspiration. The ideas, the
presentation, the out of the box
innovative styles of representing
something new, something old,
something beautiful and sometimes
something not so beautiful keeps us
going year after year. Being around
such creative spirits motivates you to
bring out the best in yourself.”
Dr Vandana Jaglan, Show Organiser
& Principal, Satyam Fashion Institute,
said, “We aim to make a difference in
Despite government measures, the
apparel industry, especially its
members from the micro, small and
medium enterprises (MSME) sector
that constitute 90 per cent of the
industry, needs more support, the
survey found. Wage subsidy and
working capital support for the long
working capital cycle is the need of
the hour.
Eighty per cent of the respondents
indicated the need to downsize their
organisation immediately. A minimum
30 per cent reduction in employee
count and about 20 per cent reduction
in salaries for all employees is the
action that CMAI members are likely
to take to ensure survival after the
lockdown, the survey found.
Ninety per cent of the members
the design industry, the way people
dress, the way people perceive clothes.
For us, the design industry is an open
canvas and it allows us to depict our
emotions, thoughts, and vision. I can
foresee a great future for all of them
and the industry, they have the tools,
the skillset, and the mindset to make a
difference and make it count.”
Dr Neetu Malhotra, Show Organiser
& HOD, Satyam Fashion Institute said,
“The 23 themes that our students have
embraced are a clear indication of how
diverse fashion is. This is just the
beginning for these young visionaries,
the road ahead will be full of
challenges but we have complete faith
in the talent we are producing. When
you have so much talent and creativity
around you, the end result is always
spectacular.”
expect a 30-40 per cent increase in
inventory due to zero sales during the
lockdown. All companies are worried
about collection from trade post the
lockdown. A quarter of the collections
may become bad debts and members
expect a minimum 90 days additional
delay in collections. The choking of
working capital will lead to a delay in
reviving factories, and therefore,
three-fourths of the respondents
expect normalcy in the market only in
fiscal 2021-22.
A fifth of the respondents
indicated they may consider closing
down their business as they will not
have the required additional resources
to pay for costs during lockdown and
the inevitable slowdown in the
economy.

Textile Exchange unveils Organic
Content Standard 3.0
T extile Exchange (TE) has
launched the Organic Content
Standard (OCS) 3.0 after the
conclusion of a regular revision
process involving an international
working group and following
Textile Exchange’s standard setting
procedures. Textile Exchange works
to drive industry transformation in
preferred fibres, integrity and
standards, and responsible supply
networks.
The OCS is an international,
voluntary standard that provides
chain of custody verification for
materials originating on a farm
certified to recognised national
organic standards. The standard is
used to verify organically grown raw
materials from the farm to the final
product.
The former OCS implementation
Screen Print India Mumbai edition postponed
T aking into account the public
health concerns, travel
restrictions and market volatility due
to the Coronavirus outbreak, Messe
Frankfurt Trade Fairs India has
decided to postpone the Mumbai
edition of Screen Print India 2020
scheduled to be held from 24-26
April 2020. The Mumbai edition is
planned to be held in the later part
of the year, and the new dates will
be announced in the coming weeks,
after consultations with the fair’s
international and local supporting
associations. The Delhi launch
edition continues to be on schedule
from 21 – 23 August 2020.
In view of restrictions on
international travel due to visa
suspensions, limitation in movement
and the blanket ban issued on events
by local authorities to curb the
spread of Covid-19, the Indian
manual is now divided into two
documents. The OCS User Manual
provides interpretation and guidance
for users of the standard while the
OCS certification procedures details
requirements certification bodies
must follow. The new version comes
with more robust traceability
between the farm and first processor,
according to Textile Exchange.
subsidiary of Messe Frankfurt has
taken a pre-emptive decision of
postponing the 15th edition of
Screen Print India 2020 scheduled
next month in April. “We have had
to take this time-sensitive decision in
the interest of our exhibitors,
visitors, employees and all the
stakeholders involved. While it is a
tough call for us as organisers, it is a
responsible decision and we are
happy to have the full support of the
industry,” says Mr Raj Manek,
Executive Director and Board
Member, Messe Frankfurt Asia
Holdings Ltd.
The postponement decision has
been welcomed by exhibitors given
the current market volatility and
travel curbs which will affect regular
business. Over the years, Screen
Print India has become a
convergence point for country and
The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 11
www.indiantextilejournal.com
GMO testing for organic cotton
must occur in accordance with
Textile Exchange’s OCS-103 GMO
screening of organic cotton. Organic
wool inputs must be non-mulesed
(according to the non-mulesed
definition of the Responsible Wool
Standard) or from a farm with
ceased-mulesing status. Certified
organisations must now maintain
technical specifications for all OCS
materials.
“The Organic Content Standard
was our first standard and the basis
of establishing our Chain of Custody,
which is the backbone for all of our
standards. I am proud of the
evolution of the OCS through the
revision process. It remains a key tool
for supporting and stabilising organic
fibres,” La Rhea Pepper, managing
director at Textile Exchange said.
association delegations from across
Asia as they gather for this unique
event and the international factor
has become even stronger.
With a large international
contingent from China, France,
Germany, Italy, Japan, Malaysia,
Switzerland, Singapore, Thailand and
the USA slated to participate at the
upcoming fair in April, the travel
restrictions put in place by
governments and local authorities
across the world make it difficult for
the exhibition to take place as
normal and demanded an immediate
analysis of the situation. The
organiser stated that the overriding
factor in any decision is the health
and safety of its exhibitors, visitors,
employees and the stakeholders
associated and the increased risk due
to significant international
participation cannot be ignored.
NEWSline
SIMA hails financial package relief
announced by RBI
I ndian textiles and clothing industry
has been reeling under financial
crisis during the last four years due to
de-growth in the exports, cheaper
imports and glut in the domestic
market. The industry has been
pleading for two years moratorium
period for payment of all term loans
which was duly recommended by
Textile Minister, Smriti Zubin Irani.
The same demand was made when
the textile industry delegation met
the Prime Minister on December 26,
2019. Under these circumstances, the
unforeseen Covid-19 pandemic has
created severe financial stress
especially after the announcement of
21-days lockdown. The textile
industry, being highly capital, labour
and power intensive, is facing acute
crisis. The industry had represented
to the Government to give one year
moratorium for payment of loan and
interest, provide 25 per cent
additional working capital without
additional collateral or margin money
and defer payment of electricity
charges for three months. Under
these circumstances, the relief
package announced by RBI has come
as a sigh of relief for the ailing textile
industry.
Ashwin Chandran, Chairman, The
Indo Intertex postponed to next year
I ndo Intertex 2020 (The 18th
Indonesia International Textile
and Garment Machinery &
Accessories Exhibition) and its
co-related events, originally
scheduled on 14-17 July 2020, is
postponed to 2021, its organiser
Peraga Expo has announced. The
decision is an effort to strengthen
the prevention and control of the
recent Covid-19 pandemic.
12 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020
Southern India Mills’ Association
(SIMA) has thanked the Prime
Minister, Finance Minister and Textile
Minister for making certain
announcements on financial relief
package through RBI. Chandran has
welcomed the announcement of three
months moratorium period for
payment of term loans and working
capital interest, advising the banks to
re-calculate the drawing power
liberally and extending additional
working capital facility, substantially
reducing the Repo rate thereby
enabling the financial institutions to as the industry would not be in a
reduce the rate of interest and position to make any payment since
making provisions to exclude the they have to make payments for
three months moratorium period for salaries and wages and meet the
asset re-classification and credit huge standing charges. He has urged
rating. Chandran has stated that to the Prime Minister to advise RBI to
these measures have come as a great issue clear direction immediately for
relief for the textile industry in the extending the moratorium for the
short run. payment of interest on term loans as
SIMA chief has appealed to the the March 2020 quarter is fast
Prime Minister to advise RBI and approaching. Chandran hoped that
banks to give clear instructions to the Government would review the
provide additional working capital to situation in the days to come and
the tune of 25 per cent without any announce suitable financial measures.
additional collateral or margin money. He has also appealed to the State
He has also strongly felt that Governments in South India to defer
extending three months moratorium payment of current consumption
for the interest payment towards charges for three months and waive
term loan also is the need of the hour the demand charges for electricity.
“Our primary responsibility is
to protect the health and safety of
our valued participants, visitors,
and collaborators at this stage,”
the organiser said while
announcing the postponement.
The co-related events, i.e.
Inatex, Indo Dyechem, Indo
Texprint, and Nonwovens
Indonesia also stand postponed to
next calendar year.

industry update
TexMin announces new PPE rules
T he Union Ministry of Textiles has
announced a new regulatory
framework for the production of
personal protective equipment (PPE)
units after reports emerged that
Indian manufacturers, who failed
laboratory tests, have sold their
rejected products to a section of
private hospitals.
The Ministry has laid down new
norms, which require a Unique
Certification Code called UCC-Covid19
and a tamper-proof sticker in indelible
ink specifying details of the
manufacturer.
The Ministry issued a notification
to this effect on April 6, saying that the
code would apply to both PPE
garments and fabric that pass the
laboratory tests, as stipulated by the
South India Textile Research
Association (SITRA) and the Defence
Research & Development Establishment
(DRDE). The code will record the type of
garment, its test procedure and also
the date of the test. The certification
will be valid for a fixed time frame and
both SITRA and DRDE will preserve the
sample sent by the manufacturer, said
the notification, accessed by HT.
The move, ministry officials said,
was to tighten the production of PPE
units by Indian manufacturers in line
with the specifications of the World
Health Organisation (WHO) and the
Union Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare (MoHFW). Approvals have been
Trident adds antimicrobial treatment to towels
M ajor home textiles mill
Trident India will now make
antimicrobial treatment standard in
every towel it produces. With
consumers expressing heightened
concern about their home
environment due to the COVID-19
pandemic, the company said the
decision felt right.
“As we recover from this
situation, we expect the consumer
behavior to change significantly.
Health, hygiene and personal
given by the Coimbatore-based SITRA,
an autonomous body under the
ministry, and Gwalior-based DRDE.
The notification stated that in case
of coveralls a manufacturer needs to
print in indelible ink or in tamper-proof
sticker detail such as the name of the
maker, code, test standard, batch
number and order details.
A ministry official, on condition of
anonymity, told HT that the move was
prompted by media reports that some
manufacturers, whose products were
rejected by SITRA and DRDE, were
found to be supplying their units to a
section of private hospitals. The
ministry’s directive has been sent to
states as well.
Nihar Ranjan Dash, a joint secretary
in the ministry, said that the
certification primarily concerns
coveralls and fabric provided by certain
manufacturers of PPEs. “The directive
doesn’t concern masks, as they’re
certified by the Bureau of Indian
Standards. We relied on imports of
masks for all this while, and their
specifications were of international
protection are going to be number
one priority for all of us,” said Jeffrey
J Kambak, CEO – US Operations.
As a goodwill gesture to its
partners, Trident said it will absorb
the entire cost of the treatment.
“We will also developing
appropriate labeling informing the
consumer that the product has
antimicrobial treatment. This will all
be carried out in close collaboration
with our retail partners,” said
Kambak.
The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 13
www.indiantextilejournal.com
standards,” said Dash.
The tightening of norms would
help Indian manufacturers prepare for
the global market, he added. The
current capacity of the Indian industry
is to manufacture 10,000 PPE units per
day, but Dash said that in about three
months, the country is likely to
produce three lakh units.
Since India began domestic
production of PPE in March owing to
the spread of the Covid-19, these two
testing agencies have approved 18
manufacturers to produce PPE units
with non-woven textiles such as masks
and coveralls. Later, the agencies
approved 20 more manufacturers of the
fabric. Only 50 per cent of the
manufacturers passed the test at the
outset, the official said. “However, the
success rate has come up to 80 per cent
now,” he added.
M Rajaa of Coimbatore-based
Saastha Textiles, one of the approved
manufacturers of waterproof,
laminated thermoplastic polyurethane
and thermoplastic elastomers fabric in
knitted, woven and non-woven fabric
used in PPE units, told HT that the
fabric needs to have a certain type of
lamination to ensure that blood and
virus do not contaminate a health care
worker. “We also need to use only
polypropylene virgin material to ensure
that the material is protective and
some manufacturers are also using
reprocessed materials,” said Rajaa.
Cover Story: Impact of Covid-19
TEXTILE INDUSTRY
Locked down!
Covid-19 virus that has thrown the economic activity out of gear across the world has
also halted the Indian textile industry to a grinding halt.
I
ndia’s overall textile exports during FY 2017-18 stood
at $39.2 billion in FY18 and expected to increase to
$82.00 billion by 2021, according to Ministry of
Exports’ report. However, due to spread of Covid-19,
all the estimated figures have gone for a toss. The
pandemic came at a time when the sector was battling
sluggish growth.
According to the Cotton Textiles Export Promotion
Council (Texprocil), 11 countries buy 41 per cent of India’s
cotton yarn exports and these countries have reported
Covid-19 cases. In value terms, yarn exports are down 30
percent in January-February against a year ago. Cotton
yarn exports to China, Iran, Korea and Vietnam have seen a
steep decline. The US and the Europe are the two largest
markets for Indian textile exporters. Both are imploding
with new cases everyday.
There could be as many as one crore job cuts in the
textiles sector, which has been severely hit by the ongoing
lockdown, if there is no support and revival package from
the government, according to apparel industry body
Clothing Manufacturers Association of India. With around
80 per cent of the garment industry mostly micro, small
and medium enterprises, CMAI, which has around 3,700
14 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020
members employing over 7 lakh people, said most of its
members do not have the kind of reserves to see them
through 3-6 months of this magnitude.
“The spread of the virus in China and which later got
spread to EU and USA has majorly impacted us as they are
huge markets for Indian textile products,” said
T Rajkumar, Chairman, Confederation of Indian Textile
Industry (CITI).
The government’s directions to close all the malls and
retail outlets to tackle the outbreak has resulted in the
substantial reduction in the sales of the domestic textiles
and clothing. Countries across the world have extended
support packages to tide over the crisis. Germany has
announced a financial package of half trillion Euros for
companies impacted by the crisis to boost their liquidity.
Indian textile exporters, which employ about five
million workers, have sought government aid to pay
wages after cancelling about $4 billion in overseas orders
amid a nationwide lockdown to combat the coronavirus.
The Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC), representing
about 8,500 exporters, urged the government to pay
workers’ wages for at least April and May from the social
security fund, set up with contributions of workers

and employers.
“We are in a real crisis,” said AEPC chairman A.
Sakthivel, citing cancellation of orders by buyers from
Europe and the US.
The ITMF Corona-Survey revealed that the companies
are struggling with many issues. The two most important
and pressing issues are, first, to keep the workforce safe,
and second, to have enough liquidity to cover all the
running expenses. Both issues are essential for the survival
of each company. In the short-term, the safety and health
of everyone working in a company is indispensable. In the
medium-term, the availability of liquidity is crucial. In such
a situation it is important that governments step in, if
possible, with the support of international financial
institutions like the International Monetary Fund or the
World Bank to provide fibre, textile and apparel companies
with financial assistance. “The ITMF is asking governments
to provide banks with additional credit facilities backed by
guarantees of states and/or international institutions, to
suspend any taxes or any other forms of social levies and
contributions, etc. with the objective to provide companies
with enough liquidity to overcome this critical period”,
ITMF President, Kihak Sung noted.
At the same time the ITMF is asking all stakeholder in
the supply chain to work closely together. Above all, ITMF
is asking retailers and brands to refrain from making use of
any ‘force majeure clauses’ in their contracts with
suppliers. These would lead to a cascade of cancellations of
orders that are ready for shipment or in the process of
completion. Instead, brands and retailers as well as all
other stakeholders in the supply chain should have
dialogues and look for creative solutions that allow
partners to survive this unprecedented period together.
According to a report from CARE Ratings, “The demand
for textiles will face headwinds in both the markets,
domestic and international. The closure of retail stores and
malls on account of lockdown situation across the nation
will affect the industry’s sales. Even after the lockdown is
lifted, demand for textiles will take time to pick up. This is
because footfalls will be low in malls and retail stores as
people will avoid visiting crowded markets.”
On the international front, the outbreak of Covid-19 is
expected to keep the textile demand under pressure in
China thus hurting the Chinese cotton yarn and polyester
markets. China is the largest export destination for India’s
cotton yarn outbound shipments. Therefore, muted
demand from China is likely to affect India’s total cotton
yarn outbound shipments and the export unit realisations
and the domestic prices. This, in turn, will soften the
cotton prices in India to an extent.
Some relief
In a major step from the government, garment
exporters will continue to get rebate on central and state
taxes on their outward shipments as the government has
www.indiantextilejournal.com
decided to extend the RoSCTL scheme beyond March 2020
to enhance the competitiveness of the labour-intensive
textiles sector.
The Ministry of Textiles has issued a notification
extending the Scheme of Rebate of State and Central Taxes
and Levies on Export of Garments and Made-ups (RoSCTL)
which was in force up to March 31, 2020. The RoSCTL
scheme provides rebate on all embedded taxes on exports.
“The Government has decided to continue the said scheme
w.e.f. April 1, 2020 until such time that the RoSCTL Scheme
is merged with Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported
Products (RoDTEP) Scheme without any change in Scheme
guidelines and rates as notified (earlier),” said the
notification. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had in
September last year approved the RoDTEP to incentivise
exporters at an estimated cost of Rs 50,000 crore to
the exchequer.
She had said RoDTEP will replace the existing incentive
schemes and “will more than adequately incentivise
exporters than the existing schemes put together.”
“The textile and apparel industry was of the opinion
that government should not withdraw RoSCTL till RoDTEP
comes into force effectively, as it will hurt the cost
competitiveness of Indian apparels and made-ups in the
international market where Indian products have to
compete with cheap products of China, Bangladesh,
Vietnam, etc,” said the CITI Chairman.
He observed that the continuation of RoSCTL will make
Indian apparels and made-ups cost competitive
internationally by rebating all taxes and levies which are
currently not being rebated under any other scheme.
“However, looking at the current pandemic of Covid-19,
we request the government to extend support by covering
the entire textile value chain under the RoSCTL scheme,
which will help in increasing the exports of entire textiles
value chain,” Rajkumar suggested.
Under the RoSCTL scheme, maximum rate of rebate for
The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 15
Cover Story: Impact of Covid-19
apparel is 6.05 per cent, while for made-ups, this goes up
to 8.2 per cent. The made-ups segment comprises home
textiles products such as bed linen, curtains, pillows and
carpets. Meanwhile, the Textile Ministry has also decided
to ease norms under Amended Technology Upgradation
Fund Scheme (ATUFS) during post lockdown period.
Kapil Pathare, Director, VIP Clothing, said, “The
Covid-19 pandemic is primarily expected to adversely
impact exports and with second order impact on the
domestic markets with both exports as well as domestic
sales falling. The pandemic has affected the majority of
India’s export market (the US and EU together constitute
for approximately, 60 per cent of the total apparel exports
from India in value terms), causing order cancellations/
deferral of order leading to inventory build-up and
expectation of slower realisation of export receivables
leading to higher working capital requirements.”
He added, “apparel exports are expected to fall due to
drying up of order in the last quarter of FY20, working
capital issues and lack of clarity on the duties and
incentives especially when exporters from Bangladesh,
Sri Lanka and Vietnam receive preferential access.”
The losses for the retail industry alone have crossed
$30 billion in the fortnight, and the number is only
rising. Given the current scenario, the industry will take
at least six months to get back on track in terms of cash
inflows; but how many companies can actually survive
this downfall for the next 6 months? Additionally, the
losses over six months can cross a figure of about $700
billion (estimated from $30 billion fortnight) and the
recovery period of these losses can be over a decade for
some business.
Said Sanjay Vakharia, CEO, Spykar Lifestyles:
“Retailers in the country at this point are not looking to
make profits, but are rather looking for a way to stay
afloat and provide for the employees and other
16 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020
stakeholders. At a time where the entire nation and world
has to be on lockdown, industries and business owners
are looking towards the government to provide support
in order to sustain businesses and salaries of the
employees. Globally, governments have announced
multiple incentives for the businesses within the retail
sector; however, no such announcements have been
made in India so far.”
Vakharia felt, “The government’s effort of dealing
with the Covid-19 crisis by promptly enforcing a
lockdown is highly appreciated, keeping in mind that
even developed nations have not dealt with this as
effectively. However, on the other hand, businesses and
industries cannot be ignored for much longer. Policies,
exemptions, and support from the government is an
urgent requirement. The whole economy is standing at
the edge of a major downfall; it’s either going to be a full
blown crash or a moderately safe crash landing.”
According to Seshadri Ramkumar, Professor, Texas
Tech University, “Textile sector needs to seriously focus
on hygiene and healthcare related products. Particularly,
focusing on “functional textiles,” raw materials,
machinery and processing aspects for advanced textiles
will provide new opportunities. Currently, according to
Morgan Stanley, China dominates the world in surgical
masks with over 80 per cent global share. This situation
has put stress on the supply of such health-related
products during the current pandemic, which will result
in market shifts.”
Going forward, the textile industry scenario will
depend on how the situation evolves in the domestic and
international markets and faster return to normalcy will
enable the industry to curtail the damages and improve
on its growth prospects.
- KARTHIK MUTHUVEERAN
 www.indiantextilejournal.com

ITMF urges govts across globe

to support textile industry
The results of second ITMF Corona Survey, which were released recently, revealed that on average
orders are down by -31 per cent and the turnover for 2020 is expected to drop by -28 per cent.

A
gainst the backdrop of the Corona-pandemic, international institutions and the private sector, that can
which has spread across the entire globe, the be implemented quickly, Sung added.
International Textile Manufacturers The Corona-pandemic has forced governments
Federation (ITMF) is urging governments to around the world to introduce lockdowns and all sorts of
increase the support their textile and apparel industries exit restrictions, leading to a sudden closure of all sorts
to overcome this period of an unprecedented demand of “offline” business for textiles and apparel. Within a
and supply shock. The results of second ITMF Corona few days, shops and stores of any kind selling
Survey, which were released recently, revealed that on “unessential” products had to close, cutting of global
average orders are down by -31 per cent and the demand of textiles and apparel. In the past three weeks,
turnover for 2020 is expected to drop by -28 per cent. In ITMF has conducted two surveys among textile
our lifetimes such a demand shock is unprecedented. companies around the world. The first ITMF Corona-
“The textile and apparel companies around the world are Survey in the second half of March indicated already the
2nd ITMF-Survey
struggling about
and with them millions the Impact
of workers and of the Corona-Pandemic
dire consequences of this demand onandthe Global
supply shock: Textile Indus
2employees.
nd
ITMF-Survey
In such times,about
both thethe
publicImpact of the Corona-Pandemic
and the private orders were down by an average on the Global
of around -8 perTextile
cent Industry
Between
sectors March
must work 28-April
closely 6, 2020,
together, to avoidITMF has conducted
an economic a second
globally survey
and turnover in among ITMF Members
2020 is expected to be down and
on affiliated
and companies
BetweensocialMarch and
meltdown”, associations
28-April
ITMF 6, 2020,about
President,ITMF
Kihakhas the
Sung,impact the average
conducted aCorona-pandemic
secondby survey on the
-10.5 peramong
cent global
ITMF
compared totextile
Members
2019. Thevalue
and chain, especially
affiliated
second
emphasised.
currentand
companies orders and expected
associations aboutturnover
the impact in 2020. ITMF Corona-Survey
In total 700 companies
the Corona-pandemic conducted
on thefrom at the
around
global end
textilethe of
value March
world and
participated.
chain, especially on
Some industrialised countries have sophisticated beginning of April highlighted the devastating impact
current orders
instruments likeand expected turnover
short-time in 2020. In total 700Corona-pandemic
companies from hasaround the world
textileparticipated.
Worldwide, current work.
ordersToare
avoid laying
down byoff-31% on theaverage on the global industry.
workers, companies are reducing their working hours Across all continents, orders dropped on average by
Worldwide,
and The
wages, current
with the orders aremaking
government down bysome -31% of on
theaverage
results show that companiesup in all regions dramatic
of the world-32suffered
per cent.significant
On average,numbers
companiesof around the
cancellations and/or
employees’ lost income. Most governments in developing world expect their turnover to plunge by -29 per cent
The postponements
results show thatofcompanies
orders. Globally, currentoforders
in all regions
countries do not have the necessary mechanisms in place
dropped
the world by -31%
suffered
compared to 2019.
on average.
significant numbers Theofseverity of the decrease
cancellations and/or ra
and from
postponements -20.0%
are lacking inorders.
East Asia
theofresources. to -41%
Globally,
“Therefore, itinis South
current important America.
orders dropped by -31% on
Furthermore, theaverage. The severity
ITMF Corona-Survey of the
revealed decrease ranges
that
from -20.0% in East Asia to -41% in South America.
to find creative solutions between governments, the companies are struggling with many issues. The two
Corona-Pandemic's Impact on Orders
Corona-Pandemic's
South East Impact
Europe (incl.on Orders South North
East Asia Asia
South East South Asia Turkey)
Europe (incl. Africa South
America North
America World
East Asia Asia South Asia Turkey) Africa America America World
average per region (%)

-10% -4%
-7% -7% -8% -8%
average per region (%)

-9% -9% -4%

-10% -7% -13% -8%
-7% -9% -9% -8%
-20% -13%
-30%
-20% -30%
-30% -31%
-34% -35% -33%
-30% -38% -31%
-34% -35% -41% -33%
-50% -38% -41%
-50% March 13-25, 2020 March 28 - April 6, 2020
March 13-25, 2020 March 28 - April 6, 2020
Source: ITMF Survey (March 28-April 6, 2020)
Source: ITMF Survey (March 28-April 6, 2020)
Worldwide, expected turnover 2020 vs. 2019 is down by -28% on average
The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 17
Worldwide, expected turnover 2020 vs. 2019 is down by -28% on average
The results show that companies in all regions of the world are expecting their turnovers in 2020 to be significan
lower than
The results showinthat
2019. On worldinaverage,
companies theof
all regions turnover in 2020
the world is expected
are expecting to turnovers
their be -28% lower than
in 2020 toinbe2019. While in
significantly
 Corona-Pandemic's
South East Impact
Europe (incl.on Orders South North
East Asia Asia
South East South Asia Turkey)
Europe (incl. Africa America
South America
North World
East Asia Asia South Asia Turkey) Africa America America World

average per region (%)

-10% -4%
Cover Story: Impact
-7% -9%of Covid-19 -7% -8% -8%

average per region (%)

-9% -4%
-10% -7% -13% -8%
-7% -9% -9% -8%
-20% -13%
-30%
-20% -30%
-30% -31%
-34% -35% -33%
-30% -38% -31%
-34% -35% -41% -33%
-50% -38% -41%
-50% March 13-25, 2020 March 28 - April 6, 2020
March 13-25, 2020 March 28 - April 6, 2020
Source: ITMF Survey (March 28-April 6, 2020)
Source: ITMF Survey (March 28-April 6, 2020)
Worldwide, expected turnover 2020 vs. 2019 is down by -28% on average
Worldwide, expected turnover 2020 vs. 2019 is down by -28% on average
The results show that companies in all regions of the world are expecting their turnovers in 2020 to be signific
lower than
The results showinthat
2019. On worldinaverage,
companies all regions theofturnover
the worldin are
2020 is expected
expecting toturnovers
their be -28% lower than
in 2020 in 2019.
to be While
significantly
lowerSouth Asia
than in the On
2019. expected turnover the
world average, will turnover
fall by -15%, companies
in 2020 in Africa
is expected to beare expecting
-28% a drop
lower than of -45%.
in 2019. While in
South Asia the expected turnover will fall by -15%, companies in Africa are expecting a drop of -45%.
Corona-pandemic's impact on turnover
Corona-pandemic's
South East impact
Europe on turnover
(incl. South North
East Asia
South EastAsia South Europe
Asia (incl.
Turkey) Africa SouthAmericaNorthAmerica World
East Asia Asia South Asia Turkey) Africa America America World
average per region (%)

-10%
-8% -8% -8%
average per region (%)

-9% -8% -10%

-10% -13%
-8% -8% -9% -15% -18% -8% -8% -10%
-24% -23% -15% -13%
-30% -18%
-29% -28%
-30% -24% -23% -33%
-29% -28%
-33% -41%
-50% -45%
-41%
-50% -45%
March 13-25, 2020 March 28 - April 6, 2020
March 13-25, 2020 March 28 - April 6, 2020
Source: ITMF Survey (March 13-25, 2020)
Source:
most ITMF Survey
important (March
and pressing 13-25,
issues 2020)
are, first,
secretariat@itmf.org / www.itmf.org
to keep the making use of any ‘force majeure clauses’ in their
1

workforce safe, and second, to have enough secretariat@itmf.org

liquidity to contracts
cover all the running expenses. Both issues are essential
for the survival of each company. In the short-term, the
safety and health of everyone working in a company is
indispensable. In the medium-term, the availability of
liquidity is crucial. In such a situation it is important that solutions that allow partners to survive this
governments step in, if possible, with the support of
international financial institutions like the International
Monetary Fund or the World Bank to provide fibre, textile
and apparel companies with financial assistance. “The
ITMF is asking governments to provide banks with
additional credit facilities backed by guarantees of states
and/or international institutions, to suspend any taxes or
any other forms of social levies and contributions, etc.
with the objective to provide companies with enough
liquidity to overcome this critical period”, Sung noted.
At the same time the ITMF is asking all stakeholder in
the supply chain to work closely together. Above all,
ITMF is asking retailers and brands to refrain from
with suppliers. These would lead to a cascade1
/ www.itmf.org
of cancellations of orders that are ready for shipment or
in the process of completion. Instead, brands and
retailers as well as all other stakeholders in the supply
chain should have dialogues and look for creative
unprecedented period together.
While the supply chain is certainly disrupted
dramatically, all stakeholders should do their part not to
destroy it. If otherwise healthy companies go under
because of insufficient numbers of orders and/or a lack of
liquidity, the supply chain will not be capable to produce
the necessary number of products with the necessary
quality and speed once demand is returning.
ITMF was founded in 1904 and its members are
associations and companies in the fibre, textile, apparel,
home textile, textile machinery and textile chemical
industry in almost 60 countries around the world, that
are employing directly and indirectly millions of people.

18 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020


Textile industry
under pressure
Going forward, the textile industry scenario will depend on how the situation evolves in the domestic
and international markets and faster return to normalcy will enable the industry to curtail the damages
and improve on its growth prospects.
T
his report updates on the current scenario of
the Indian textiles industry highlighting the
aspects of production, trade and prices. The
segments covered in the report are: cotton,
cotton yarn, blended and 100 per cent non cotton yarn,
man-made fibre and readymade garments. In addition to
this, the report also discusses the potential impact of
Covid-19 on the Indian textiles industry.
Cotton production
Cotton output in India is estimated to grow by 13.6
per cent y-o-y to 6 million tonnes during the cotton
season (CS) 2019-20 on account of higher yields backed by
favourable monsoon conditions. Also, an increase in MSP
for CS20 is believed to have aided its output. The MSP
was raised by 2 per cent to Rs 5,255 per quintal and by
1.8 per cent to Rs 5,550 per quintal for medium staple
www.indiantextilejournal.com
and long staple variety, respectively, for CS20. During the
last cotton season (CS19), the MSP was hiked in the range
of 26 to 28 per cent to support farmer’s income.
The cotton production had declined by 15.7 per cent
to 5.3 million tonnes in CS19 due to unfavourable
monsoon and pink bollworm attacks in Maharashtra and
Karnataka.
Trend in cotton prices
The domestic cotton prices S-6 and J-34 on a y-o-y
basis declined by 7.1 per cent to Rs 115 per kg and by
13.2 per cent to Rs 105 per kg, respectively, during the
first 6 months (October 2019-March 2020) of CS20. In
October 2018, the S-6 and J-34 prices averaged at Rs.130
per kg and Rs 123 per kg, respectively. After a year, the
prices fell to their lowest level in October 2019 as shown
in the chart 2. During the month, the prices declined by
The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 19
 CS20 is believed to have aided its output. The MSP was raised by 2% to Rs.
5,255 per quintal and by 1.8% to Rs. 5,550 per quintal for medium staple
and long staple variety, respectively, for CS20. During the last cotton
season (CS19), the MSP was hiked in the range of 26%-28% to support
Cover Story: Impact of Covid-19
farmer’s income.

Chart 1: Trend in cotton production November 2019. This was mainly due to uncompetitive
6.5 17
domestic cotton prices compared to the international
6.3 13.6 cotton prices. Lower cotton production in India during
12
CS19 supported the higher domestic prices. Imports of
7.2 6.0 7 raw cotton inclusive waste on the other hand more than
6.0
2 doubled to 6.5 lakh tonnes in the first 8 months of FY20.
-3
5.5 Cotton yarn
5.3 -8 The cotton yarn output remained in the range of 4.1
-13 million tonnes (MT) to 4.2 MT during FY17 to FY19. The
-15.7 production which was stable during FY18 increased in
5.0 -18
CS18 CS19 CS20 (E) FY19. During the first 10 months (April-January) of FY20
cotton yarn output declined by 4 per cent to 3.4 MT.
Production (million tonnes) (LHS) y-o-y % change (RHS)
Weak cotton yarn export demand during FY20
d.
Source: Office of Textile Commissioner, Cotton Association of India affected India’s output. Exports account for around 28
nd
on Note: E - Estimate per cent of the total cotton yarn production and thus
er movement in exports have an impact on its output and
in
ble The cotton production had declined by 15.7% to 5.3 million tonnes in CS19 prices which is discussed going ahead.
or 12.8 per cent
due to unfavourable to Rs 113
monsoon and(S-6)
pinkand 21.2 per
bollworm cent to
attacks in Rs 97
Maharashtra Weak export scenario can be seen in the chart 5
ed (J-34). This was mainly on account of a fall in where we see that cotton yarn outbound shipments from
no and Karnataka.
international cotton prices and weak export scenario. India declined by a sharp 23.8 per cent to 0.8 MT during
The international prices had declined to their lowest April 2019-January 2020 from 1 MT in the same period
Trend in cotton prices Research I Textiles Update – April 2020
Industry
level in August 2019 for the period shown in the chart 3 last year. A drastic 42.6 per cent fall in cotton yarn
to $1.6 per kg from $1.9 per kg, fall of 18.3 per cent. exports to China (accounting for about 35 per cent of the
The domestic cottonofprices
Estimates higher S-6global
and J-34 on a y-o-yamid
production basisstable
declined by 7.1% total cotton yarn exports) affected the overall outbound
to Rs.115consumption,
per kg and byUS-China
13.2% to trade
Rs.105warperthat
kg, respectively,
found no major during the shipments. In addition to this, exports from India to rest
2019(October
first 6 months as shownin
breakthrough inJuly
the2019
2019-Marchchartmeeting
2 below.
2020) During
of CS20.
resulted In the month,
October
in the thethe
2018,
price prices declined
of the worldbyalso
12.8% to Rs.113
fell by 13.6 per (S-6) and 21.2% to Rs.97 (J-
cent.
S-6 and fall.34).Post
J-34 This
priceswasaveraged
this, mainly onataccount
the international ofper
Rs.130prices a fall
kg inand
improvedinternational
on a percotton
Rs.123 kg, prices andcotton
Higher weak export scenario.prices
(raw material) The international
in India due prices
to
had After
m-o-m
respectively. declined
basis to their
till
a year, lowest
January
the prices2019 level in August
totoaverage
fell their at2019
lowest $1.74for
levelperthe
in kg period increase
October shown inin the chart
MSP has3 raised
below the
to USD
cost1.6 per kg from for
of production USD 1.9
per kg,declined
which fall of 18.3%.
to $1.69Estimates
per kg in ofFebruary
higher global2019 production
due to amid stable making
spinners consumption, US-China
it difficult trade
for them to war that found
compete in the no
major breakthrough in July 2019 meeting resulted in the price fall. Post this, the international prices improved on alower
Covid-19 challenges. international market thus affecting exports. Also, m-o-m
Similarly,
basis the price
till January 2019 ofto J-34 variety
average fell to
at USD 1.74Rsper
104kgperwhich cottontoproduction
kg declined USD 1.69 perin India
kg in during
February CS19
2019 supported higher
due to Covid-19
in March 2020 from Rs 109 per kg in January 2020 and
challenges.
domestic prices. In addition to this, India has a price
the price of S-6 variety declined to Rs 113 in March 2020 drawback in exporting cotton yarn to China as
from Rs 116 per kg in January 2020. The domestic prices competitors like Vietnam, Pakistan and Indonesia enjoy
Similarly,
had remainedthe price
firm of J-34 variety
during November fell to Rs.104 per kg
2019-January in March 2020
2020. fromentry
duty free Rs.109toper kg in January
Chinese 2020market.
cotton yarn and theAll
price of S-
these
6 variety declined to Rs.113 in March 2020
The exports of raw cotton inclusive waste declined by from Rs.116 per kgfactors impacted the export unit realisation of India’s firm
in January 2020. The domestic prices had remained
aduring
drasticNovember
66.4 per cent2019-January
to 2.2 lakh 2020.
tonnes during April- cotton yarn as the realisations declined by 6.9 per cent

Chart 2: Domestic cotton prices (Rs./kg) Chart 3: Cotlook A index (USD/kg)

135 2.0
130 130 1.91 1.92
1.9
125
123
120 1.8
115 1.74
113 113 1.7
110
105 104 1.6
100 1.56
97 1.5
95
Apr-19
Oct-18

Dec-18

Mar-19

May-19
Nov-18

Jan-19

Jun-19

Aug-19

Oct-19

Dec-19
Nov-19

Jan-20
Feb-19

Jul-19

Sep-19

Feb-20
Mar-19
Apr-19
May-19

Jan-20
Dec-18

Mar-20
Oct-18

Jan-19

Jun-19

Aug-19

Dec-19
Nov-18

Jul-19

Oct-19
Feb-19

Sep-19

Nov-19

Feb-20

S-6 Rs/kg J-34 Rs/Kg

Source: Ministry of Textiles, Textile Excellence, CMIE Source: Indexmundi

The exports of raw cotton incl. waste declined by a drastic 66.4% to 2.2 lakh tonnes during April-November 2019. This was
20 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020
mainly due to uncompetitive domestic cotton prices compared to the international cotton prices. Lower cotton production
in India during CS19 supported the higher domestic prices. Imports of raw cotton incl. waste on the other hand more than
doubled to 6.5 lakh tonnes in the first 8 months of FY20.
 Industry Research I Textiles Update – April 2020
Cover Story: Impact of Covid-19
y-o-y to Rs 204 per kg during the period April Chart 4: Trend in cotton yarn production
2019-January 2020 and the average domestic cotton hank 4.5 4.2 4
4.1 4.1 3.5 3.3
yarn prices remained almost stable at Rs 268 per kg 4.0 2
compared to the same period last year. 3.5
3.4
3.5 0.2 0
Cotton yarn imports by India are quite small when
3.0 -1.8 -2
compared to exports. During the last two years FY18 and
FY19, the imports had declined by 15.5 per cent and 18.6 2.5 -4.0 -4
per cent, respectively. The trend however saw a change 2.0 -6
and the cotton yarn imports by India increased by 4.9 per FY17 FY18 FY19 FY19 (Apr-Jan)FY20 (Apr-Jan)
Industry
cent to Research
4.9 thousand I Textiles
tonnes duringUpdate – April
the period 2020
April Production (million tonnes) (LHS) y-o-y % change (RHS)
2019-January 2020. The exports of cotton yarn on the
Source: CMIE
other hand declined by 23.8 per cent during this period
as discussed above.
Weak export scenario can be seen in the chart 5 below where we see that cotton yarn outbound shipments
Chart 4: Trend in cottonfibre
yarn output
production
close to 80 per cent and viscose holds a share
declined by a sharp 23.8% to 0.8 million tonnes during April 2019-January 2020 from 1 million tonne in the same
Blended and 100% non-cotton yarn
4.5 year. A3.5
4.2
of about 15 per cent in the total production.
drastic 42.6% fall in cotton yarn exports to China (accounting 4 These fibres
for about 35% of the total cotton yar
4.1 fibres of 4.1
Blended yarn is integrating various lengths, are used to produce 3.3100 per cent non-cotton fabrics and
4.0 affected the overall outbound shipments. In addition to this, exports 2 from India to rest of the world also fell by 13
origins, thickness or colour to prepare yarn. It also helps blended fabrics3.5which, in turn, are used in readymade
3.5by integrating expensive 0.2 fibres with 3.4 0
in reducing the cost Higher cotton (raw material) prices in India due to increase in MSP has raisedtextiles.
garments, home textiles and other industrial the cost of production for spinners
the not so expensive
3.0 ones. The major
-1.8 type of blended Of the total
difficult for them to compete in the output of man-made
international market thus -2 fibres, polyester
affecting exports. Also, lower cotton productio
yarn in India includes polyester/cotton and polyester/ filament
during CS19 supported higheryarn (PFY)prices.
domestic has In the largest
addition share
to this, followed
India has a pricebydrawback in exporting cott
viscose yarns. The 2.5
other major blend yarn includes polyester staple fibre (PSF), viscose -4
-4.0 staple
China as competitors like Vietnam, Pakistan and Indonesia enjoy duty free entry fibre (VSF) and cotton yarn market
to Chinese
cotton/viscose, acrylic/cotton,
2.0 poly/acrylic, poly/woolfactors impacted viscose
the exportfilament yarnof (VFY).
unit realisation During
India’s cotton yarnFY18, PFY, PSF, VSF
-6as the realisations declined by 6.9% y-o-y to Rs.
among others. As the nameFY17 FY18per cent
suggests, 100 FY19the periodand
during AprilVFY FY19 (Apr-Jan)FY20
accounted
2019-January 2020for
and43.5 the(Apr-Jan)
per cent,
average 34 per
domestic cent,
cotton hank14.8
yarn per
prices remained almos
non-cotton yarn is cotton free yarn.Production (million Rs.268 per kg
tonnes) (LHS) cent and
compared 1.9
to the
y-o-yper
same cent,last(RHS)
% period
change respectively,
year. of the total man-made
The production of blended and 100 per cent non- fibre production.
cotton yarn remained Source: CMIE during FY18 as it rose by
subdued Chart 5: Trend in cotton yarn exports from India Chart 6: Trend in cotton yarn imports by In
only 0.7 per cent to 1,616 million kg. The output gathered 1.4 Trend in PSF and 17.8 PFY trade
20 10 36.9
Weak exportwhere
scenario 14.7cotton yarn outbound shipments
pace in FY19 the can be seen grew
production in thebychart
4.1 5per
below
1.2 where we It
cent see canthatbe seen from the charts 10 that8 India from
7.8 is a net India

y-o-y % change
6.6
million tonnes

to declined by a sharp
1,682 million 23.8%
kg. In to 0.8nine
the first million tonnes
months FY20,1.0
ofduring April
the 2019-January
exporter2020 from the
for both 1 million
varietiestonne PSFin and
the same period
PFY. The last 5.3
exports
0.8 0.8 0 6 4.6 4
output
year. increased marginally
A drastic 42.6% fall inby 1.6 per
cotton cent
yarn exports to 0.8
to 1,279 of0.8PFY accounted
China (accounting for about 35% for
0.7 about
of the 65 per
total cent
cottonof its
yarn production
exports)
0.6 -7.9 -8.8 -10also 4 by
million kg.the overall outbound shipments. In addition to this, exports
affected andfromthe outbound
India to restshipments
of the0.6world of PSF fell
had a 13.6%.
share of around
0.4 -15.5 -18.6 -14.9
26 per cent in its output during -20FY18. 2
Man-made fibre 0.2 0.5 0.5 0.4
0.3 During April 2019-January -23.82020 of FY20, exports of
Higher cotton (raw material) prices in India due to increase 0.0 in MSP has raised the cost of production0.2
-30 for spinners
0 making it
Duringfor
difficult thethem
yeartoFY19, man-made
compete in the fibre production
international market in FY17
thus both
affectingthe varieties FY19
FY18 FY19exports. Also,
increased
lower in the range of
FY20 cotton production FY173 per cent-6
inFY18
India FY19 FY19
India
during CS19 supported higher domestic prices. In addition to this, India has a price drawback in exporting cotton yarn rate
increased by 3.8 per cent to 2,602 million kg. The per cent while their imports
(Apr- (Apr- grew at a much faster to of
(Apr-Jan)(A
output for the first 9 months of FY20 grew by a higher 39 per cent-50 per Jan) cent. Jan)
In fact, import ofImportsthe two
(thousand tonnes) (LHS) y-o-y %
China as competitors like Vietnam, Pakistan and IndonesiaChina enjoy duty Restfree
of theentry
world to Chinese
y-o-y % cotton
change yarn market. All these
5.7 per cent to 2,054 million kg. Man-made fibre varieties during this period (10 months of FY20) is higher
factors impacted the export unit realisation of India’s cotton
Source: CMIE yarn as the realisations declined by 6.9% y-o-y to Rs.204 per kg
production primarily includes polyester and viscose. than their imports in each of the last 3 years FY17 to
during the period April 2019-January 2020 and the average domestic cotton hank yarn prices remained almost stable at
Polyester accounts for a majority of the total man-made FY19.
Rs.268 per kg compared to the same period last year.
Cotton yarn imports by India are quite small when compared to exports. During the last two years FY18 and
imports had declined by 15.5% and 18.6%, respectively. The trend however saw a change and the cotton yarn i
Chart 5: Trend in cotton yarn exports from India Chart 6: Trend in cotton yarn imports by India
1.4 20 10 36.9 40
17.8
1.2 14.7 7.8
10 8
y-o-y % change

6.6 20
million tonnes

1.0
0.8 0 6 5.3
0.8 0.8 4.6 4.9 4.9
0.8 0.7 0
0.6 -7.9 -8.8 -10 4
0.6
0.4 -15.5 -18.6 -14.9
-20
0.5 0.5 -20 2
0.2 0.3 0.4 -23.8
0.2
0.0 -30 0 -40
FY17 FY18 FY19 FY19 FY20 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY19 FY20
(Apr- (Apr- (Apr-Jan) (Apr-Jan)
Jan) Jan) Imports (thousand tonnes) (LHS) y-o-y % change (RHS)
China Rest of the world y-o-y % change

Source: CMIE

Cotton yarn imports by India are quite small when compared to exports. During the last two years FY18 and FY19, the
imports had declined by 15.5% and 18.6%, respectively. The trend however saw a change and the cotton yarn imports by
 During the year FY19, man-made fibre production in India increased by 3.8% to 2,602 million kg. The outp
ntegrating fibres of various lengths, origins, thickness or colour to months
prepare of FY20
yarn. grewhelps
It also by a inhigher 5.7% to 2,054 million kg. Man-made fibre production primarily include
reducing
rating expensive fibres with the not so expensive ones. The major viscose. Polyesteryarn
type of blended accounts
in Indiaforincludes
a majority of the total man-made fibre output close to 80% and viscose
and polyester/viscose yarns. The other major blend yarn includes cotton/viscose,
about 15% acrylic/cotton,
in the total production. These fibres are used to producewww.indiantextilejournal.com
100% non-cotton fabrics and blended
/wool among others. As the name suggests, 100% non-cotton yarn isturn, cotton free yarn.
are used in readymade garments, home textiles and other industrial textiles.

Chart 7: Trend in blended and 100% non-cotton yarn production (million kg)
Chart 8: Trend in man-made fibre production (million kg)
2000
1,604 1,616 1,682 3000 2,602
2,523 2,506
1500 1,259 1,279 1,943 2,054
2000
1000
1000
500
0
0
FY17 FY18 FY19 FY19 (Apr- FY20 (Apr-
FY17 FY18 FY19 FY19 (Apr- FY20 (Apr-
Dec) Dec) (P) Dec) Dec) (P)
Source: Office of Textile Commissioner Note: P - Provisional Source: Office of Textile Commissioner Note: P - Provisional

of blended and 100% non-cotton yarn remained subdued during FY18 as it rose by only 0.7% to 1,616
Trend in VSF and VFY trade Trend in prices of PSF and PFY
utput gathered pace in FY19 where the production grew by 4.1% to 1,682 million kg. In the first 9 months
It can be understood from the charts that India is a The prices of PSF and PFY (126 D) had increased by 8
ut increased marginally by 1.6% to 1,279 million kg.
net exporter of VSF and a net importer of VFY. The per cent-4 per cent during FY18. In the next year, the
imports of VFY are mainly on account of its small growth rate accelerated and the prices rose by 17 to 23
production in India compared to the varieties of PSF, PFY per cent. The trend in prices however witnessed a change
and VSF. Exports of VSF accounted for 34 per cent of its in the current year as the prices saw a steep decline
FY19, man-made fibre production in India increased by 3.8% to 2,602 million kg. The output for the first 9
production and outbound shipments of VFY had a share during April 2019-January 2020. The prices of PSF
grew by a higher 5.7% to 2,054 million kg. Man-made fibre production primarily includes polyester and
of 16 per cent in its output during FY18. declined by 13.3 per cent to Rs.108 per kg and that of PFY
r accounts for a majority of the total man-made fibre output close to 80% and viscose holds a share of
total production. These fibres are used to produce 100% non-cotton fabrics and blended (126
During the first 10 months of FY20, while exports of D)which,
fabrics fell byin a sharper 19.4 per cent to Rs.100 per kg
VSF and VFY declined in the range
readymade garments, home textiles and other industrial textiles. of 6 per cent-9 per during the mentioned period. Lower raw material prices
cent, imports of VSF increased by 24.3 per cent to 46 (PTA and MEG) led to the drop in prices of PSF and PFY
million
Chart kg and
8: Trend imports of
in man-made VYF
fibre grew by(million
production 54.9 per kg)cent to (126 D) varieties. The trend in raw material prices is
20.6 million kg. detailed in the following section.
3000 2,523 2,602
It is to2,506
be noted that while the imports of all the 2,054 four
1,943
2000 varieties have surged during April 2019-January 2020, Trend in PTA and MEG prices
their exports have either declined or increased at a much The primary or key raw materials used to make
1000
slower pace compared to imports. Inverted duty structure polyester are Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) and Mono
0 with respect to GST and issues associated with input tax Ethylene Glycol (MEG). During FY20, the domestic prices
FY17
credit thatFY18 impacts FY19 FY19 (Apr- FY20
working capital operations of the(Apr- of PTA declined by 15.4 per cent to Rs 60 per kg and that
Dec) Dec) (P)
companies is the primary reason affecting exports and of MEG fell by a steeper 29 per cent to Rs 46 per kg.
Source: Office supporting imports of MMF. Man-made Note:
of Textile Commissioner fibrePand textiles
- Provisional The US-China trade war impacted the prices of these
attract GST of 18 per cent, 12 per cent and 5 per cent on raw materials during the year. In addition to this, excess
fibre, filament yarn/ spun yarn and fabrics, respectively.
4
capacities of PTA in China kept the prices of PTA under
This implies that the tax rates are more on raw materials check. Also, higher port inventory of MEG in China
compared to the final output. This, in turn, hinders the affected its prices. India is net importer of PTA and MEG
exports of MMF and encourages their imports. and thus the demand-supply situation in the
international market have a direct influence on the
domestic prices. Moreover, lower crude oil prices during
the year exerted pressure on prices of PAT and MEG. The
Brent crude oil prices had declined by 9.4 per cent to
$61.5 per barrel during FY20. PTA and MEG are
derivatives of crude oil and thus their prices are
influenced by the movement in crude oil prices.
Moreover, Covid-19 outbreak impacted the polyester
demand in China (the largest polyester market) which, in
turn, kept the prices of raw materials PTA and MEG under
pressure during January-March 2020.
In the Union Budget 2020-21, the anti-dumping duty
on PTA was abolished to provide easy access to the raw
material at competitive prices. This may augur well for
man-made fibre industry as it will help the industry to
decrease its cost of production thus supporting the
profitability.

The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 25

It can be seen from the charts below that India is a net exporter for both the varieties PSF and PFY. The exports of PFY
accounted for about 65% of its production and the outbound shipments of PSF had a share of around 26% in its output
Cover Story: Impact of Covid-19
during FY18.

Chart 9: Trend in PSF trade (million kg) Chart 10: Trend in PFY trade (million kg)
300 255 800 747 717 695
214 227 212 231 574 592
Industry
200 Research I Textiles Update – April 2020 600
100 89 92 103 400
100 74
200 84 82 83 64 96
0 0
Of the total
FY17output of man-made
FY18 FY19 fibres, Polyester
FY19 Filament
FY20 Yarn (PFY) has
FY17the largest
FY18 share
FY19followed by Polyester
FY19 Staple
FY20
(Apr-Jan) (Apr-Jan)
Fibre (PSF), Viscose Staple Fibre (VSF) and Viscose Filament Yarn (VFY). During FY18, PFY, PSF, VSF and VFY accounted
(Apr-Jan) for
(Apr-Jan)
43.5%, 34%, 14.8% and Exports
1.9%, respectively,
Imports of the total man-made fibre production. Exports Imports

Source: CMIE
Trend in PSF and PFY trade
Readymade
During April 2019-Januarygarment 2020 of (RMG)FY20, exports of both the varieties factorsincreased
that tapered
in theoutbound
range ofshipments
3%-6% while of apparels,
their importsthe
It can be seen exports
Apparel from the charts below
contribute the that Indiainisoverall
maximum a net exporter for both the
international varieties
factors too PSF andthe
affected PFY.exports.
The exports
The of PFY
apparel
grew at a much faster rate of 39%-50%. In fact, import of the 2 varieties during this period (10 months of FY20) is higher
accounted
exports of fortextile
aboutitems
65% of its production
accounting and the outbound
for approximately 45 shipments
exports fromof PSF
India had a share
faces toughofcompetition
around 26% in its
from theoutput
than their imports in each of the last 3 years FY17 to FY19.
during FY18.on an average. Of the total apparel exports,
per cent competitors Bangladesh and Vietnam as they get
outbound shipments of cotton inclusive accessories hold preferred access to India’s key market – the European
Trend in VSF
a lion’s andofVFY
share trade
close to 50 per cent followed by man- Union. The Chart
European marketinaccounts for(million
about 33
Chart 9: Trend in PSF trade (million kg) 10: Trend PFY trade kg)per
made fibres (about 25 per cent), other textile materials cent of the
747
total apparel
717
exports in value terms, followed
300 255 800 695
(around
It can be214 20 per227
understood cent)from
andthewool and silk
charts beloweachthat
212 231 is a net exporter
accounting
India by US (around
of VSF23 andpera cent) and UAE of
net importer (approximately
VFY.574The imports18 of
592
for about 1 per cent as shown in chart 15. 600
per cent). These reasons are
200are mainly on account of its small production in India compared to the varieties of PSF, PFY and VSF. Exports of VSF primarily impacting the
VFY
The 100growth in89export of 92apparels remained 103
accounted
100 for 34% of its production and outbound 74 subdued growth
400 of RMG exports from India.
shipments of VFY had a share of 16% in its output during FY18.
during FY17 to FY19 and continued with similar trend 200To add to the woes
84 82 of the83sector, the Merchandise 64 96
during
0 the period April 2019 to January 2020 as outbound Export Incentive Scheme (MEIS) which provides 4 per
Chart 11: Trend in VSF trade (million kg) 0 Charton12: Trendofinapparel
VFY trade
shipments
FY17 of apparel
FY18 exportsFY19 increased by a marginal
FY19 FY200.2 cent benefit exports and(million
made-ups kg)sector
30 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY19 FY20
per cent y-o-y to $12.9 billion. While exports
200 of cotton
(Apr-Jan) (Apr-Jan) was withdrawn by the government on January 29, 2020
(Apr-Jan) (Apr-Jan)
158
incl. accessories segment either remained flat or with retrospective effect from March 7, 2019. This scheme 20.6
150 125 Exports Imports 20 16.5
increased in FY18, FY19 and April 2019-January 2020, was withdrawn on Exports
account of Imports
introduction of RoSCTL
13.7 13.3
outbound shipments from
100 79 MMF segment 66 declined 62 in the scheme 10.7
on March 7, 2019. The government had stated
Source: CMIE 7.2 7.5 7.4 6.4
range of 34 4 to 19 per 42
cent during these years 37 and exports 46 10
that MEIS is not WTO compliant. 5.8
50 28
from other textile materials segment declined by 4 to 10 The removal of MEIS benefit will affect the exporters
During Aprilexcept
0 cent
per 2019-January
for FY19.2020 of FY20, exports of both the varieties 0 have
that increased
gainedinexport
the range
orders of considering
3%-6% whilethe their imports
benefits
grew atDelays
aFY17
much faster
FY18 rateFY19
of disbursements of 39%-50%.
under Rebate In fact,
FY19 import
of State FY20of the 2 of
Levies varieties
MEIS FY17during
and this The
FY18
RoSCTL. period
FY19 (10 months
RoSCTL scheme of FY20)
FY19
has beenisFY20 higher
than their imports in each of the last 3 years FY17 to FY19.
(RoSL) scheme, rebate of State and Central(Apr-Jan)
taxes (Apr-Jan)
and recently extended fromExports
1 April Imports
2020 (Apr-Jan)
onward until (Apr-Jan)
such
Exports Imports
levies (RoSCTL) scheme and IGST refunds have been time that the scheme is merged with Remission of Duties
affecting
Source: in
CMIE RMG exports. The RoSL scheme was replaced by and Taxes on Exported Products (RoDTEP). On March 13,
Trend VSF and VFY trade
RoSCTL scheme on 7 March 2019. However, replacement 2020, the CCEA approved the RoDTEP scheme (which is
of scheme did not provide much relief to the exports as WTO compliant) to boost exports. Under this scheme,
It can be understood
delays continued even fromunder
the charts
the RoSCTLbelowscheme.
that India All is a net exporter of VSF andata the
taxes/duties/levies netcentral,
importer of VFY.
state The imports
and local level, of
VFYthese
are mainly
factors on account
affected theofsentiments
its small production
of exportersinand, Indiaincompared
whichto arethe varieties
currently notofbeing
PSF, PFY and VSF.
refunded underExports
any other5of VSF
accounted for 34%
turn, apparel of its production
exports. While theseand areoutbound
some domesticshipments of VFY had a share
mechanism, willofbe16% in its output during FY18.
reimbursed.

Chart 11: Trend in VSF trade (million kg) Chart 12: Trend in VFY trade (million kg)
200 30
158
20.6
150 125 20 16.5
13.7 13.3
100 79 66 10.7
62 7.2 7.5 7.4
34 42 37 46 10 6.4 5.8
50 28

0 0
FY17 FY18 FY19 FY19 FY20 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY19 FY20
(Apr-Jan) (Apr-Jan) Exports Imports (Apr-Jan) (Apr-Jan)
Exports Imports

Source: CMIE

26 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020

5
 and PFY (126 D) had increased by 8%-4% during FY18. In the next year, the growth rate accelerated and
y 17%-23%. The trend in prices however witnessed a change in the current year as the prices saw a steep
pril 2019-January 2020. The prices of PSF declined by 13.3% to Rs.108 per kg and thatIndustry
of PFYResearch Textiles
(126 D)I fell by Update – April 2020
to Rs.100 per kg during the mentioned period. Lower raw material prices (PTA and MEG) led to the drop in www.indiantextilejournal.com

PFY (126 D) varieties. The trend in raw material prices is detailed in the following section.
demand in China (the largest polyester market) which, in turn, kept the prices of raw materials PTA and MEG under
pressure during January-March 2020.

Chart 13: Trend in PSF and PFY prices (in Rs. per kg) Chart 14: Trend in PTA and MEG prices (Rs. /kg)
130 125 125 124
119 90
85 84
108
110 102 101 100 80

91 93
75
72
70 70
90 65
60 60
70 55 56 56
50
45 45
50 40
FY17 FY18 FY19 FY19 (Apr- FY20 (Apr-

Apr-18
May-18

Dec-18
Jun-18

Aug-18

Oct-18

Apr-19
May-19

Dec-19
Jul-18

Sep-18

Jan-19

Mar-19

Jun-19

Aug-19

Oct-19
Nov-18

Feb-19

Jul-19

Sep-19

Jan-20

Mar-20
Nov-19

Feb-20
Jan) Jan)
PTA MEG
PSF PFY (126 D)
Source: CMIE

tile Commissioner
In the Union Budget 2020-21, the anti-dumping duty on PTA was abolished to provide easy access to the raw material at
competitive prices. This may augur well for man-made fibre industry as it will help the industry to decrease its cost of
MEG prices The RMG imports by India are very small compared to the markets, domestic and international. The closure of
production thus supporting the profitability.

its exports. During April-November 2019, RMG imports Readymade retail stores
Garments and malls on account of lockdown situation
(RMG)
ey raw materials used to make polyester are Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) and Mono Ethylene Glycol will affect the industry’s sales. Even
by India increased by 7.1 per cent to $802 million. This is across the nation
Apparel exports contribute the maximum in overall exports of textile items accounting for approximately 45% on an
20, the domesticmore
pricesthan the
of PTA annualbyimports
declined 15.4% toofRs.60
$771permillion
kg andby
thatIndia after
of MEG average.
fell by the lockdown
a steeper
Of to isoutbound
29% exports,
the total apparel
lifted,shipments
demand for textiles will take
of cotton inclusive accessories hold a lion’s share of close to
during FY18 where the imports had increased sharply by 50% followed time bytoman-made
pick up. This is because footfalls will be
fibres (about 25%), other textile materials (around 20%)low in and silk each accounting for
and wool
29.4 per cent on a y-o-y basis. malls
about 1% and
as shown retail
in chart stores as people will avoid visiting
15 below.

de war impacted the prices of these raw materials during the year. In addition to this, crowded
excess
The growth
markets.
capacities
in export of remained subdued during FY17 to FY19 and continued with similar trend during the
of apparels
Outlook and impact of Covid-19 period April On
t the prices of PTA under check. Also, higher port inventory of MEG in China affected its
2019 the
prices.
international
to January
India is
2020 as outbound
net
front, theofoutbreak
shipments apparel exports ofincreased
Covid-19 is 0.2% y-o-y to USD
by a marginal
12.9 billion. While exports of cotton incl. accessories segment either remained flat or increased in FY18, FY19 and Apri
As already discussed export scenario of the Indian expected to keep the textile demand under pressure in
and MEG and thus the demand-supply situation in the international market have a2019-January
direct influence on the
2020, outbound shipments from MMF segment declined in the range of 4%-19% during these years and
textiles industry remains weak. In addition to this, spread exportsChina from otherthus
textilehurting the Chinese
materials segment cotton
declined by 4%-10% yarn
except and polyester
for FY19.
Moreover, lower crude oil prices during the year exerted pressure on prices of PAT and MEG. The Brent
of Covid-19 will further aggravate the industry’s markets. China is the largest export destination for
ad declined by 9.4% to USD 61.5 per barrel during FY20. PTA and MEG are derivatives ofofcrude
Delays oil andunder
disbursements thus Rebate of State Levies (RoSL) scheme, Rebate of State and Central taxes and levies (RoSCTL)
difficulties. The pandemic has disturbed the demand- India’s cotton yarn outbound shipments. Therefore,
scheme and IGST refunds have been affecting RMG exports. The RoSL scheme was replaced by RoSCTL scheme on 7 March
nfluenced by the movement in crude oil prices. Moreover, Covid-19 outbreak impacted the polyester
supply situation of the Indian textiles industry. mutedreplacement
2019. However, demandoffrom schemeChina is likely
did not provide muchto affect
relief India’s
to the exports totalcontinued even under the
as delays
The demand for textiles will face headwinds in both RoSCTLcotton scheme. All these factors affected the sentiments of exporters and, in turn, apparel exports. While these are some
yarn outbound shipments and the export unit
domestic factors that tapered outbound shipments of apparels, the international factors too affected the exports. The
6
apparel exports from India faces tough competition from the competitors Bangladesh and Vietnam as they get preferred
access to India’s key market - the European Union. The European market accounts for about 33% of the total appare

The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 27

 exports in value terms, followed by US (around 23%) and UAE (approximately 18%). These reasons are primarily impacting
the growth of RMG exports from India.
Cover Story: Impact of Covid-19
Chart 15: Trend in exports of apparels
20,000 3
2.4 2
1
15,000 3,460 3,121 0.2 0

y-o-y % change
3,225
USD million

-1
5,033 4,745 2,614 2,508 -2
10,000 3,844
2,924 -3
-3.5 3,038
-3.8 -4
5,000 -5
8,509 8,508 8,690 -6
6,908 7,215
-6.6 -7
0 -8
ustry Research I Textiles Update – April 2020 FY17 FY18 FY19 FY19 (Apr-Jan) FY20 (Apr-Jan)

Cotton incl. Accessories Man-made Fibres Other Textile Materials

Wool Silk y-o-y % change
in value terms, followed by US (around 23%) and UAE (approximately 18%). These reasons are primarily impacting
wth of RMG exports from India.
Source: CMIE

Chart 15: Trend in exports of apparels

realisations
To add to the andwoes
the domestic prices.the
of the sector, This,
Merchandise export orders
in turn, willExport Incentive Schemehas led to build-up
(MEIS) of inventories
which provides with the
4% benefit on exports
20,000 3
soften2.4 the cotton prices in India to an extent. textile companies. Also, unsold stock with the industry
of apparel and made-ups sector was withdrawn by the government 2 on 29 January 2020 with retrospective effect from 7
Also, international cotton prices are expected to be players
1 may soon run out of fashion for the next season
15,000 March
3,460 2019.
under check3,121 This scheme
due to the3,225 was withdrawn on account
global demand-supply disruptions 0.2 to come of introduction
0 of
whichRoSCTL scheme
will add to theon 7 March burden.
industry’s 2019. The government
Given
y-o-y % change

had stated that MEIS is not (the

WTOlargest
compliant.
USD million

caused by the virus. China’s polyester market) -1

the unfavourable demand scenario, textile firms may not
5,033 4,745 2,614 2,508 -2
3,844
10,000 subdued polyester demand is likely to influence the utilise
-3 their full capacities or may undertake production
-3.5 3,038 2,924
prices of key raw
-3.8materials PTA and MEG. This is
The removal of MEIS benefit will affect the exporters that have-4 gained cuts thus bringing
export down
ordersthe overall output
considering of textiles
the benefits of MEIS and
5,000 expected to result in moderation of PTA and MEG prices. -5
during FY21. In addition to this, labour disruption (many
RoSCTL. The RoSCTL scheme has been recently
8,509 8,508 8,690
6,908 extended
7,215 from -6 1 April 2020 onward until such time that the scheme is
Also, fall in crude oil prices will soften the prices of PTA
-6.6 labours
-7 have migrated to their hometowns) will also
0
merged with Remission of Duties and
and MEG. It is to be noted that the anti-dumping duty on Taxes on Exported Products
affect (RoDTEP). On 13 March 2020, the CCEA approved the
-8 the total textile production numbers. Textiles
RoDTEP
FY17
PTA scheme
FY18
was abolished (which is WTOBudget
FY19Union
in the compliant) to toboost
FY19 (Apr-Jan)
2020-21 FY20exports. Underisthis
(Apr-Jan)industry scheme, taxes/duties/levies
a labour-intensive industry. at the central, state
and
Cottonlocal
provide easy
incl. level, which
access
Accessories are raw
toMan-made
the currently
material
Fibres notatbeing
Otherrefunded
competitive under any
Textile Materials other
Going mechanism,
forward, will be
the textile reimbursed.
industry scenario will
prices.
Wool Silk y-o-y % change depend on how the situation evolves in the domestic and
Source: CMIE
In addition to the above mentioned segments,Chart 16: Trend international
the in imports ofmarkets
RMG and faster return to normalcy will
outbound shipment of RMG/apparels (the largest segment enable the industry to curtail the damages and improve
to the woes of theinsector,
India’sthe total textileExport
Merchandise exports) is1000
Incentive also expected
Scheme to take
(MEIS) which provides on its on
a 4% benefit growth
exportsprospects. 35
rel and made-ups hit. This
sector wasiswithdrawn
becausebyIndia’s export scenario
the government remains
on 29 January 2020 with retrospective In thefrom
effect 7771 to long
medium 29.4 term, 30some demand from the
800
2019. This scheme depressed
was withdrawn forontheaccount of introduction
top export of RoSCTL European
destinations, scheme on 7 March 2019. US The government
and the EU markets is expected
25 to shift (though
y-o-y % change

582 595
USD million

ted that MEIS is notmarkets

WTO compliant.
(including UK) and US (they 600 together account for gradually) from China to other major garment
20
about 60 per cent of the total apparel exports) given the manufacturers viz. Vietnam, Bangladesh, India and
moval of MEIS benefit will affect the exporters that have gained 400export orders considering the benefits of MEIS and 15
spread of Covid-19 in these markets and the lockdown Cambodia, as the customers will like to decrease their
11.0such time that the scheme is
. The RoSCTL scheme has been recently extended from 1 April 2020 onward until 10
situation there. dependence on China.
with Remission of Duties and Taxes on Exported Products 200 (RoDTEP). On 13 March 2020, the CCEA approved the 5
The demand distortions as discussed will hurt the
scheme (which is WTO compliant) to boost exports. Under this scheme, taxes/duties/levies at the central, 2.3 state
domestic
al level, which are currently nottextiles production
being refunded under anyasother
well.0mechanism,
Cancellationwill beofreimbursed.
0
The article is authored by Bhagyashree C Bhati, Deputy Manager
FY16 FY17 FY18
– Industry Research at CARE Ratings. She can be contacted on:
Chart 16: Trend in imports of RMG bhagyashree.bhati@careratings.com or +91-11-4533 3306.
Imports y-o-y % change
1000 35 Courtesy: Industry Research I Textiles Update – April 2020
771
Source: Office of Textile Commissioner 29.4 30
800
y-o-y % change

582 595 25 Disclaimer: This report is prepared by CARE Ratings. CARE Ratings
USD million

600 20
15
has taken utmost care to ensure accuracy and objectivity while 8
400 developing this report based on information available in public
11.0 10 domain. However, neither the accuracy nor completeness of
200 information contained in this report is guaranteed. CARE Ratings is
5
2.3 not responsible for any errors or omissions in analysis/inferences/
0 0
FY16 FY17 FY18 views or for results obtained from the use of information contained
in this report and especially states that CARE Ratings has no
Imports y-o-y % change financial liability whatsoever to the user of this report.
Source: Office of Textile Commissioner

28 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 8


Textile dynamics in the
wake of Covid-19
S
upply chain changes, interruptions and the
need for innovation have become reality with
the Covid-19 pandemic. About 3 billion people
in lockdown globally, world will face a new
normal. Many governments are working hard to
counter the pandemic. Non-medical countermeasures
such as masks, PPEs, wipes have become life-saving
essentials.
Recent economic forecast by the International
Monetary Fund (IMF) indicates that the global economy
will squeeze by 3 per cent this year and the effect of
this pandemic will wipe $9 trillion out of the global
economy in two years.
This global phenomenon has exposed the
vulnerability of nations that depend on a single
country for consumer items, pharmaceuticals and other
essentials. It has also exposed the weaknesses of the
industrial sector that do not have long term planning,
rather focus on short-term efficiencies and profits.
While the world will have a new normal, it will
entail manufacturing and other sectors to have a
contingency plan and a mid to long term vision. This
scenario is of importance for the textile sector that
focuses on commodity and consumer items.
Textile sector needs to seriously focus on hygiene
and healthcare related products. Particularly, focusing
on “functional textiles,” raw materials, machinery and
processing aspects for advanced textiles will provide
new opportunities. Currently, according to Morgan
Stanley, China dominates the world in surgical masks
with over 80 per cent global share. This situation has
put stress on the supply of such health-related products
during the current pandemic, which will result in
market shifts.
Dependence on a single country as a major supplier
may not be highly efficient in future, which will
provide opportunities for countries like India,
Bangladesh, Vietnam, Russia, Indonesia to start
diversifying into value-added textiles. Why is this
important? Given that the Chinese economy has shrunk
this quarter by 6.8 per cent, high gear activities by
other countries will prove worthy shortly.
Serious gaps in the technologies and the availability
of raw materials for advanced textiles must be
identified. In the case of India, its research base in
spunmelt technology and its converting sector must be
www.indiantextilejournal.com
enhanced. I have been articulating the need for
developing the converting sector in India for more than
a decade (Read: Tips for growing technical textiles,
Indian Textile Journal, October 2011).
The need to bring a shift in the supply chain
scenario is emphasised by Professor Gajanan Bhat of
the Department of Textiles, Merchandising and
Interiors, University of Georgia, Athens, USA. “At
current situation, where the supply chain must shift
back to US, there is need for more mask production
lines and meltblown nonwoven fabric production in the
US. Whereas, it takes time to increase meltblown fabric
production in the US to meet increasing demand, mask
production machinery can be installed much sooner,
and current capacities in nonwoven production may
have to be diverted for the short term to increase
domestic production of meltblown nonwovens,” stated
Bhat.
Industry associations can play a vital role in kick
starting the innovation engine. Inventions may be hard
to come by in a short time span, but innovations which
involve the combination of ideas, technologies, raw
materials, etc., to meet the requirements are relatively
easy to put together. Small and medium scale
enterprises (SMEs), which are the backbone of the
economy these days need to be supported with good
research and development subsidies and support
network. Many innovations have been happening in
the SMEs such the Chennai-based WellGro United,
which has successfully repurposed its nonwoven
technology to develop filter substrates. “Marketing
support is critical to develop innovative products,”
stated Nambi Srinivasan, Vice President – Marketing for
WellGro United.
Different raw materials such as cotton and blends
could be explored to develop functional materials. This
needs the development of a new growth map for the
textile industry.
Innovation ecosystem needs to be strengthened,
which needs coordination among industry associations,
academia and government agencies. Covid-19 has
heightened the necessity of enhancing innovation and
maintaining buffer efficiencies.
The article is authored by Seshadri Ramkumar, Professor, Texas
Tech University.
The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 29
Cover Story: Impact of Covid-19

Can retail industry survive

Covid-19 lockdown
Retailers in the country at this point are not looking to make profits, but are rather looking for a way to
stay afloat and provide for the employees and other stakeholders, writes Sanjay Vakharia.

T
he Covid-19 has slowed down the economy.
The unprecedented global crisis is creating a
further negative impact on the already low
consumer sentiments that the retail sector
had been tackling. The complete lockdown, a necessity
from the health care perspective; has only further
damaged the businesses at large.
Retail industry is the second largest employer of
the country, and provides for a large segment of the
population. To put things in perspective, small and
medium sized firms alone employ about 400 to 450
million people and undertake a monthly business of
about $70 billion. Keeping in mind the high number of
expenses at this point with near to zero inflow of cash,
the question arises; will retail companies be able to
survive this shutdown? Companies in other countries
have already started declaring bankruptcy and are
shutting down, so how will the Indian retail market
survive, where the sentiment to save has always been
higher than that of spending?
Retailers in the country at this point are not
looking to make profits, but are rather looking for a
way to stay afloat and provide for the employees and
other stakeholders. At a time where the entire nation
and world has to be on lockdown, industries and
business owners are looking towards the government
to provide support in order to sustain businesses and
salaries of the employees. Globally, governments have
announced multiple incentives for the businesses
within the retail sector; however, no such seasonal sales and collections, and with the fixed
announcements have been made in India so far. expenditures being stagnant and high, the seasonal
The losses for the retail industry alone have crossed inflow of cash is what keeps the companies afloat.
$30 billion in the fortnight, and the number is only Absence of this inflow threatens the existence of the
rising. Given the current scenario, the industry will businesses at large. In order to cut down expenses,
take at least six months to get back on track in terms salary cuts are already taking place, but wage support
of cash inflows; but how many companies can actually is urgently required from the Finance Minister of the
survive this downfall for the next 6 months? country. Without support from the government,
Additionally, the losses over six months can cross a business at large will be forced to look at major layoffs
figure of about $700 billion (estimated from $30 billion and downsizing.
fortnight) and the recovery period of these losses can The government’s effort of dealing with the
be over a decade for some business. Covid-19 crisis by promptly enforcing a lockdown is
The liquidity in the retail businesses is driven by highly appreciated, keeping in mind that even

30 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020

 www.indiantextilejournal.com

developed nations have not dealt with this as
effectively. However, on the other hand, businesses
and industries cannot be ignored for much longer.
Policies, exemptions, and support from the
government is an urgent requirement. The whole
economy is standing at the edge of a major downfall;
it’s either going to be a full blown crash or a
moderately safe crash landing.
The article is authored by Sanjay Vakharia, CEO, Spykar Lifestyles.

iMaster H2O
Mastering resources intelligently.

Visit us at
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The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 31

Cover Story: Impact of Covid-19
Economic impact & road ahead
The special Covid-19 economic task force announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi would likely
work on an economic package for the sectors most affected by the coronavirus outbreak as also
people working in the informal sectors.
W
ith Covid-19 coming into the picture, the
Indian economy is going through a major
slowdown, which was evident over the
recent quarters even before the crisis
struck. In the third quarter of the current financial year,
the economy grew at a six-year low rate of 4.7 per cent.
With rising unemployment, the banking sector distress,
interest rates, and fiscal deficit, the Indian economy is
witnessing challenging times not witnessed in recent
times.
Though India will be better off, in comparison to other
countries due to high dependence on domestic markets,
economists predict dip of nearly 0.7-1 per cent in India’s
economic growth due to coronavirus or Covid-19 outbreak.
The Indian GDP is expected to witness growth slowdown
to 4 to 4.5 per cent for the financial year 2021 (April 2020
– March 2021). Data from China indicates the virus resulted
in a 20 per cent GDP decline in the first two months of
2020; other countries forced to implement aggressive
social distancing will likely experience similar effects.
Impact on the consumption demand and
industry
Travel, tourism and hotel industries are some of the
worst-affected sectors due to travel bans, social distancing
and suspension of business activities. Closing of
restaurants, entertainment sector and declining footfall in
shopping complexes has affected the retail sector by
impacting the consumption of both essential and
discretionary items. As the consumption of any product or
services goes down, it leads to an impact on the workforce.
32 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020
In the current scenario, with all the retailers closing down
their services, the jobs of the employees are at a huge risk.
The supply-side impact of shutting down of factories
resulted in a delay in supply of goods from China, which
has affected a huge number of manufacturing sectors
which source their intermediate and final product
requirements from China. Some sectors like automobiles,
pharmaceuticals, electronics, chemical products etc were
impacted big time.
Below are the key fallouts which have emerged for the
Indian economy:
Tourism: India has a large and flourishing tourism
industry, attracting domestic and foreign nationals
throughout the year. But with visas being suspended and
tourist attractions being shut indefinitely, the whole
tourism value chain, which includes hotels, restaurants,
attractions, agents, and operators is expected to face losses
worth millions of dollars. Experts believe the tourism
industry is likely to take a massive hit, and it could end up
crippling the industry for the foreseeable future.
The supplies of auto component parts have been
disrupted. China accounts for 27 percent of India’s
automotive part imports and it is two to three times
higher in the case of the electric vehicle segment. The
shipments via sea have been suspended, and hence the
Indian OEMs are unable to produce beyond the inventory
already lying with them. The positive side is that it has
also led companies to look within and source more parts
locally, which has given a boost to the local auto
components industry.
The impact on the pharmaceutical industry is of major
concern for India, as 70 per cent of active pharmaceutical
ingredients (API) are imported from China. As Covid-19 is
rapidly making its way through India, medication is going
to be the number one consumer demand, subsequently
traders and the market are witnessing skyrocketing prices.
The prices of vitamins and penicillin alone already see a 50
per cent surge.
Most mobile parts are imported from China and
assembled in India. Hence the smartphone sales may fall
by 10 to 15 per cent in January-March quarter. Textile
segment has also been impacted due to suspension of
shipments to China. Additionally, China is India’s third
largest export partner for export of raw materials like
organic chemicals, mineral fuels, cotton, etc.; and a
lockdown of the countries is likely to lead to a substantial

trade deficit for India. SME segments have been impacted
due to closure and lack of access to digital technologies
Impact of Covid 19 outbreak on consumer behaviour:
 Increased focus and spends on Hygiene will be the new
normal
 Consumers deferring their purchases and discretionary
spends apart from the health and personal hygiene
segment and daily essential
 Faster adoption of remote offices, digital payments,
ecommerce and digital media
 Cancellation of travel, weddings, social events and
holidays (both domestic and international) due to
restrictions
 Significant wealth erosion due to stock market crash
has dampened the sentiments amongst middle class
households and led to postponement of large
investments
 The trauma of the pandemic will force society to accept
restraints on mass consumer culture as a reasonable
price to pay to defend ourselves against future
contagions
 Decreased levels of polarisation as Covid-19 spread is
looked as “common enemy”
Healthcare will emerge as key investment
Governments focus on modernisation and capacity
expansion of the healthcare delivery infrastructure in
collaboration with private investors beyond the current
crisis. Increased investments in creating capacities in
essential healthcare products and pharmaceutical supply
chains in a decentralised manner. This may also drive
telemedicine technologies. Capacity creation to skill people
in the health care sector shall take center stage and see
increased private investments and faster technology
adoption.
Supply chain reengineering
Risk mitigation of the supply chain and create
manufacturing/engineering capacities outside of China.
East European countries and Asian countries like India/
Thailand/Indonesia may benefit from this capacity
creation.
Segments like textile, pharma, electronics and auto
components (especially EV) have witnessed the maximum
impact due to supply chain disruptions and shipments via
sea being suspended. This will lead to strategic
investments for localisation/decentralisation. Investments
in safer logistics including screening, packaging, material
handling, automation, cold chain and disinfection.
Few other trends that may emerge
Faster adoption of remote offices, digital payments,
ecommerce and digital media shall drive the demand for
telecommunication infrastructure creation and shift to 5G.
This lean period is increasingly used by the organisations
www.indiantextilejournal.com
to look beyond conventional sectors like automotive,
power, oil and gas and focus on emerging sectors like
medical, electronics, railways, water, environment and
waste management, aerospace, defence.
Impact on commercial real-estate due to disruption of
the multiplexes, malls, hospitality and
restaurants segment. This could lead to cancellation in
the expansion programs and demand for commercial real
estate.
Government interventions to support the
economy
India is already running short on its GST revenue
collection, and the coronavirus scare could make matters
worse. With less than 200 active Covid-19 cases in a 1.33
billion population, the Government of India is not in a rush
to make any drastic changes in policy and offer tax relief
(even though Indian enterprise leaders are calling for cuts
in import duties). They have, however, announced an
extension in filings of GST for FY 2018-19 until June 30,
2020. India has also rescheduled the introduction of
mandatory e-invoicing until October 1, 2020.
The special Covid-19 economic task force announced by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi would likely work on an
economic package for the sectors most affected by the
coronavirus outbreak as also people working in the
informal sectors. Led by Finance Minister Nirmala
Sitharaman, this task force has to take drastic steps like
relaxation in NPA norms, deferral of tax payments and
announcement of income support to the people working in
the unorganised sector.
The Finance Ministry, it seems, has already identified
some of the worst-affected sectors as the Finance Minister
has, on Friday, called a meeting of ministers of civil
aviation, MSMEs, tourism, and fisheries, animal husbandry
and dairying to assess the impact off coronavirus on these
sectors.
Speaking on measures to combat the economic impact
from the rapidly spreading coronavirus, Chief Economist of
the International Monetary Fund, Gita Gopinath said that
Government policymakers would need to implement a
substantial targeted fiscal. She also advised on broader
monetary stimulus and policy rate cuts to help normalize
the economic situation.
The article is authored by K C Mani, Chairman & Managing Director of
BDB India.
Disclaimer : This document is meant for e communication only.
The information contained herein is of a general nature and is not
intended to address the circumstances of any particular individual
or entity. Although we endeavor to provide accurate and timely
information, there can be no guarantee that such information is
accurate as of the date it is received or that it will continue to be
accurate in the near future. No one should act on such information
without appropriate professional advice after a thorough examination
of the particular situation.
The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 33
special feature: Natural fibres
On the rise
The increase in awareness of the damage caused by synthetic materials on the environment has led to
the development of eco-friendly materials. ITJ reports on various natural fibres available.
W
ith increasing concerns regarding
envionment, rising oil prices and
customer demand, textile researchers,
producers and manufacturers are
looking to biodegradable and sustainable fibres as an
effective way of reducing the impact textiles have on
the environment. Natural fibres are getting
considerable research interest as reinforcement for the
generation of polymer composites due to their high
performance profile, environmental sustainability,
biodegradability, lightweight, and low cost.
New fibres are developed by using new
technologies, such as genetic technology,
biotechnology, nano technology, microelectronics.
New fibres that are the result of new technologies and
keep appearing on the market are nano fibres made
from several materials, ie., genetically changed natural
fibres such as regenerated cellulose fibres (Tencel),
chemical fibres from naturally renewed sources.
Natural fibres such as jute, sisal, silk, and coir are
34 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020
inexpensive, abundant and renewable, lightweight,
with low density, high toughness, and are
biodegradable. Natural fibres such as jute have the
potential to be used as a replacement for traditional
reinforcement materials in composites for applications
which require a high strength-to-weight ratio and
further weight reduction. However, natural fibres have
low strength.
Regenerated bamboo fibre is obtained from the
bamboo plant, which is an abundant and cheap
natural resource. Bamboo, as a regenerated cellulosic
fibre, is being more widely used in the textile industry
due to its features such as being antibacterial, soft
feeling, easy dyeability, absorbancy, breathability and
having a smooth texture.
The development of a wool-like fibre from soya
beans is a story of technological innovation. A soy
protein fibre is the only plant protein fibre and a
man-made fibre.
Linen fibre is a cellulose fibre derived from the flax
 www.indiantextilejournal.com

Advantages and disadvantages of natural fibres

Advantages Disadvantages
• Producible with low investment at low cost,
which makes the material an interesting
product for low-wage countries.
• Thermal recycling is possible, where
glass causes problems in combustion furnaces.
• Low specific weight, which results in higher
specific strength and stiffness than glass.
This is a benefit especially in parts designed
for bending stiffness
• It is a renewable resource, the production
requires little energy, CO2 is used while oxygen
is given back to the environment.
• Price can fluctuate by harvest results or agricultural
politics.
• Lower durability, fibre treatments can improve this
considerably.
• Moisture absorption, which causes swelling of the
fibres.
• Lower strength properties, particularly its impact
strength.

plant trunk. Linen yarn is woven from the long fibres

found behind the bark in a multi-layered stalk of the
flax plant. In order to restore cellulose fibres from the
plant, the wooden trunk and the inner pith (pectin),
which binds the fibres together in a clump, must be
eliminated away. Cellulose fibres are then ready for
spinning. Linen fibre is one of the most strength of
natural fibres. It is also comfortable and still widely
used. The largest exporters’ countries of flax yarns are
China, Italy, Tunisia, and Lithuania, along with other
high-quality linen fabrics producers such as Ireland,
Belgium, Poland, Austria, France, Germany, Sweden,
Denmark, Belarus, Latvia, the Netherlands, Spain,
Switzerland, and India. Flax has the highest specific
stiffness of all natural fibres.
Rieter’s Com4® yarns are the yarns spun on Rieter
end spinning machines. They fulfil the most exacting
requirements and ensure competitiveness in a
dynamic market. The spinning technology is decisive
for the yarn characteristic. The four different spinning
technologies ring, compact, rotor and air-jet spinning
create four different yarn types: Com4®ring,
Com4®compact, Com4®rotor, Com4®jet. Rieter has
comprehensively evaluated important criteria for yarn
trader, weaver and knitter. The best suitable yarn will olden times, and India is the largest producer of the
support the quality of the final product and improve Arecanut in the world. The Arecanut husk (which is a
the customer satisfaction. byproduct) is used as firewood and is rich in fibre and
As an alternative, of banana fibre based on yarn is used in production of yarn. The mixture of arecanut
and fabrics has features like lightweight, highly strong husk and cotton in fabrics has strong qualities like
with low elongation coupled with physical and good bleaching and dyeing properties, which makes it
chemical characteristics. This Banana yarn & fabrics a suitable input material for designers in the advance
matches linen in its feel and textures, and is definitely fashion technology world.
an alternative choice. The banana fibre based apparels Suvin cotton is the world’s higest long staple
are biodegradable with no negative effects and is cotton, a traditional variety seed from Tamil Nadu. This
ecofriendly. cotton is famous for hand feel and strength.
Arecanut cultivation is one of the traditional
indigenous agricultural crops of the country, since - KARTHIK MUTHUVEERAN

The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 35

Spotlight: Apparel market
In the doldrums!
Indian apparel businesses could face up to 40 per cent loss of revenue and many smaller players are
contemplating closure.
M
ost countries are under lockdown since
mid-March due to Covid-19. This means a
total of total 3 to 4 months closure for
almost all the brick-and mortar fashion
stores. Currently, online stores remain the only option to
buy apparel, but consumers are primarily focusing on
grocery, medicines and staples purchase. According to a
report from Wazir Advisors: “Apparel purchasing will
largely be delayed due to: no urgency to replenish,
uncertain economic scenario, reduction in occasions to go
out (schools, offices, restaurants, gyms, etc. are all
closed), limited product options and late and expensive
deliveries (online stores), and US as a society is more
consumerist compared to Europe. Younger population
with a habit of regular spending will cause US to
maintaina tad higher consumption than EU during the
lockdown period; and more importantly, faster return to
normal consumption levels.”
India’s textiles and apparel sector production is
expected to decline by 10-12 per cent in the April-June
quarter owing to the coronavirus pandemic, according to
a study by KPMG in India. Demand shocks are expected to
hurt India’s textile exports over the next few quarters,
the study observed, assessing the current and potential
36 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020
impact of coronavirus on the sector.
With lockdown in China, price of man-made fibre
imports is expected to rise significantly, resulting in
higher price for some goods in the domestic market. If
the current scenario persists over the next few months,
the domestic retail market would also be impacted
significantly.
Rahul Mehta of the Clothing Manufacturer Association
of India (CMAI) said that apparel businesses could face up
to 40 per cent loss of revenue and many smaller players
are contemplating closure. “In the absence of relief from
the government, the apparels and garment sector could
lose one crore jobs,” said Mehta.
Mehta pointed out that almost 80 per cent of the
garments industry falls under MSME business category—
more on the micro business side than any other—and
would therefore be impacted much harder. He suggested
wage subsidy as one of the possible solutions to retain
workers and said that he hopes the government would
help with providing working capital and an incentive
package to restart the industry.
Owing to this, India’s retailer associations have urged
the government to announce a wage support subsidy
that will help them save millions of jobs in the retail

space reeling under Covid-19 stress.
The Reserve Bank has announced a slew of liquidity-
boosting measures for NBFCs and other segments
including further easing of bad-loan rules, freezing
dividend payment by lenders and pushing banks to lend
more by cutting the reverse repo rate by 25 basis points,
which has helped in lifting sentiments amid the Covid-19
gloom.
With Europe and the US being affected the most,
there will be a huge impact on exports as global demand
is expected to come down significantly, it said on
outward shipments from MSMEs. A study by the All India
Manufacturer’s Organisation (AIMO) estimates that
about a quarter of over 75 million MSMEs in India will
face closure if the lockdown due to COVID- 19 goes
beyond four weeks and this figure is estimated to touch
a whopping 43 per cent if the situation extends beyond
eight weeks, said the KPMG report.
The pandemic has already led to big fashion labels
announcing cancellation of orders and relieving labour.
Macy’s, the US-based retail giant, has announced that it
would grant leave to most of its 1,30,000 employees.
British luxury giant Burberry have predicted a steep drop
in sales of about 70-80 percent. The UK-based retailer
Primark has cancelled all new orders and Inditex (the
owner of popular brand Zara) has written off some $336
million worth of inventory.
www.indiantextilejournal.com
“We will of course pay for these goods and we will do
it under agreed payment terms,” H&M spokesperson said
in a statement. “This is in accordance with our
responsible purchasing practices and not only thhe case
in Bangladesh, but in all production countries.”
“We will do our outmost to live up to our
commitments and take delivery of garments already
made and those in production. We are aware of our
responsibility and we are in close dialogue with each of
our suppliers on how to handle the current crisis,” said
Thomas Børglum, CFO, Bestseller.
Macy’s declared that the heavy toll from coronavirus
is forcing it to freeze both hiring and spending, reducing
receipts and extending the terms for payment of all
goods and services.
A spokesperson from Primark said, “We are losing
sales of £650m a month... We have large quantities of
existing stock in our stores, our depots and in transit,
that is paid for. If we had not taken this action, we
would be taking delivery of stock that we simply could
not sell.”
Mehta of CMAI, concluded, “the apparel industry
would need to rethink its volume-driven strategy,
and relook the scale of their operations and their
pricing policies.”
- KARTHIK MUTHUVEERAN
The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 37
face2face

“Impact of Covid-19 will be

damaging on UK & ASEAN”
T
he UK-ASEAN Business Council (UKABC) is the
leading UK-based organisation promoting trade
and investment between the UK and ASEAN’s
dynamic markets.Baroness Neville-Rolfe, Chair,
UKABC speaks on the encouraging UK businesses to
explore opportunities within ASEAN.

Excerpts…
What are the implications of Covid-19 for ASEAN and the
work of the UKABC?
In the short term the impact on the UK and ASEAN will
be damaging, but this is a worldwide challenge. Most
South-east Asian countries have large populations,
stretched health services and economies that are
dependent on trade and the movement of goods and
services. This is also true for the UK. However, we are all
resilient, have weathered storms before and will transcend
these testing times. At the UKABC we are having to think
innovatively about how to continue to link UK companies
with the region through technology.
For example, we will host the UK’s ambassador to
ASEAN, Jon Lambe, in April 2020 for an online discussion
regarding the business implications of Covid-19.
How is the UK engaging with ASEAN, and what strengths does
the UK bring to the relationship?
The UK has been a key partner for ASEAN and the
relationship is continually evolving. The UKABC’s efforts to
boost UK-ASEAN trade have been enhanced considerably
by a number of recent key appointments, including Natalie
Black as the first UK trade commissioner based in ASEAN,
and the UK’s first ambassador to ASEAN, Jon Lambe. They
will be in a strong position to help UK businesses engage
with the region.
The UK’s strengths lie in innovation and sustainability
– areas that complement South-east Asia’s growth. Key
strengths for the UK include technology, infrastructure,
education, finance and professional services. ASEAN is a
rapidly developing region facing the impact of technology.
Technological innovation is driving new growth sectors,
but is also disrupting large segments of society that face
difficulties keeping pace with change.
Which sectors offer prime opportunities for UK companies
to bring technological innovation to South-east Asia?
Innovation is in the DNA of UK companies and
technology is increasingly being applied in innovative
ways across all the sectors. For example, Prudential
Assurance Company is modernising health care by rolling
out a health app called Pulse in Malaysia, and will expand
it throughout South-east Asia in the future. HSBC
conducted its first fully digitised trade transaction in
Singapore in 2018 as a pilot. Through collaboration with
other banks, the company is slated to roll out a new
system, Contour, for commercial use in the second quarter
of 2020.
Education is a worldwide challenge and a focus of all
the ministers I meet. It plays a key role in enabling
countries to embrace technology and create flexible,
business-ready citizens who can adapt to the changing
requirements of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Companies in the education field such as Pearson now
offer online courses that can reach people who were
previously excluded due to financial constraints or
geography.
UK innovation starts with youthful curiosity. We
showcased this at the ASEAN Business and Investment
Summit in Bangkok in November 2019 through an
inspirational 13-year-old UK coder, Femi Owolade-
Coombes, who started a business that helped other young
coders with learning difficulties. For South-east Asia’s
economies to thrive in the digital age there needs to be
opportunities for the population to learn, engage, innovate
and retrain if necessary, including through partnerships
with the UK.

38 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020


Where are the standout opportunities for UK businesses
within ASEAN, and what more could be done to ensure that
these are fully leveraged?
UK businesses that are already operating within ASEAN
are positive about the region’s outlook, citing a young,
dynamic and hard-working workforce as a key factor in
this optimism.
Flagship projects and programmes across South-east
Asia range from Thailand’s Eastern Economic Corridor to
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the Philippines’ Build, Build, Build to Indonesia’s capital
city. The new capital will be a smart city using the latest
technology including artificial intelligence and
autonomous vehicles, with sustainability at its core – all
areas of UK expertise.
The opportunities across ASEAN are considerable. The
challenge is to ensure UK companies are aware of these
opportunities. The key role of the UKABC is to work closely
with governments, chambers of commerce and trade
associations, and engage with UK companies to highlight
commercial opportunities in South-east Asia.
In what ways is Vietnam, especially in its position as chair of
ASEAN in 2020, appealing to UK businesses looking to expand
into a new market in the region?
Vietnam’s annual growth rate has averaged 6 to 7 per
cent in recent years, adding to the appeal of its young and
entrepreneurial population – with 70 per cent of its 97m-
strong demographic under the age of 35. Vietnam is
prioritising the international development of its small and
medium-sized enterprises, and seeks to enable them to
develop into global brands. Indeed, the government is
aiming for five unicorns by 2025. We see the UK as a key
partner as Vietnam looks to establish and grow
international collaborations.
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The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 39
Guest Article
Mediation, real or virtual
Re-examining resolution of disputes in post pandemic India.
O
ur civil society is hardly complete without
effective and timely dispute resolution
mechanisms. Prior to the coronavirus
pandemic we had several traditional and
non-traditional choices when it came to conflict
resolution. Although this virus has brought economies
across the world to a grinding halt, it seems as if most of
our support systems have also failed us to some extent.
While blame is being freely thrown around, and
“jugaad” is being discussed, this lockdown definitely
gives us some time to introspect. “How have our
systems failed us?”
There are different answers if we look at different
spheres; in some sectors the lockdown is possibly more
to blame than our systems; let’s look at healthcare
systems for instance, where the nature of the spread of
this virus being unprecedented, the massive
infrastructure requirements were unanticipated. No one
saw this magnitude of a calamity coming. However, if
we look at dispute resolution systems in India, we
certainly must look a little deeper before answering this
question. In a country with over 32 million pending
court cases with an average wait time of 17 years from
start to finish, and not even counting the huge number
of ongoing arbitration cases, can we really blame the
virus for justice not being dispensed today?
40 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020
Courts have shut across the country for nearly three
weeks, may be more, thereby burdening our courts
even further into the future. While this lockdown was
indeed unforeseen, can the same be said about the
existing millions that are pending? Which brings us to a
slightly different question, “If justice delayed is justice
denied, then were our justice delivery systems
working?” It is safe to say that dispute resolution
scenario in India has been far from perfect, and with the
existing pendency, and with the resultant near-
impossibility of enforcing contracts, our position on
global indices such as Ease of Doing Business, are also
suspect.
This pandemic has been described as a portal into
the future, depending on how we choose to respond
when its all over: do we step back into the same old
routine that brought us here or may we understand our
weaknesses and make efforts to strengthen them? If we
do adopt the second route, we will need to identify
frailties from within our existing systems and processes.
Litigation is the status-quo for dispute resolution, it
is currently the most popular dispute resolution
mechanism in India and is fraught with problems – its
costly, time consuming, being adversarial it destroys pre
– existing relationships and courts cannot provide relief
that is not mandated by law. While these are textbook
 www.indiantextilejournal.com

more and more of conflicts that will eventually burden

our already distressed court rooms. We need to think
beyond, we need to innovate, and we must do things
differently. As more and more of legacy systems fail us
and newer crises befall us, we need to push our
boundaries and script novel pathways for the future.
Virtual online mediation is not the only solution, but it
must become our preferred choice, because it promises
the parties a chance to take control of their conflict, and
maintaining social distancing at the same time, and in
the process also save carbon emissions! Mediation is a
drawbacks of most adversarial processes, they are great leveler of rich and poor, large and small, powerful
particularly exacerbated in India, where access to and weak. This is how man will resolve disputes and
justice is already a monumental challenge for all, mitigate conflicts in days to come.
especially for the underprivileged sections of the
society.
Mediation is akin to an assisted negotiation where a Sumit Banerjee, Chairman, Advisory Board of ASAPP Info Global
Services. He holds B.Tech. (Hons.) from IIT Kharagpur, Former Vice
trained mediator helps parties find solutions to a Chairman Reliance Infra and Cement, Former CEO and MD ACC. He
conflict rather than pass a verdict. Mediation is not new is presently Member of Managing Committee of Bombay Chamber of
to India, it finds its roots from references in the Commerce and Industry.
Mahabharata to references in Indian legislations Rashika Narain, 4th Year, B.A. LL.B. (Hons.), WB National University
including the Consumer Protection Act, Code of Civil of Juridical Sciences (NUJS), Kolkata. Rashika can be contacted
at: Contact: +91 95389 07743 or rashika.95@gmail.com |
Procedure, Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code,
rashikanarain@nujs.edu. Rashika is a lawyer based out of Mumbai
Companies Act and Commercial Courts Act. The and is actively engaged in advocacy to promote mediation in India,
Supreme Court even mooted an “Indian Mediation Act” including efforts to introduce a mediation legislation.
last year.
As a process, mediation helps parties identify
underlying common interests they may have, to resolve
their problem. It seeks to facilitate parties to arrive at a
settlement best suited to their needs, and if parties are
not happy with the solution they can decline and move
away, - the mediator holds no power or authority over
the parties. Given this unique mutuality inherent in
mediation, it doesn’t come as a surprise that studies in
USA show that parties are in fact more likely to follow a
mediation settlement than a court decree. Examining
other parameters on which we can test mediation, it is
important to note that through mediation, disputes in
India have been resolved in as quick as 126 minutes!
Being a voluntary process and one which strikes at the
core of the conflict, mediation has the potential to save
relationships, time and money.
Moreover, given the flexible nature of mediation and
welcome absence of rigid templates, mediation takes
place regularly in the online environment through
video conferencing and even through calls. India has
several mediation centers both annexed to the courts
and highly reputed private Mediation centers that
provide these services. If we can have the possibility of
resolving conflicts from the confines of our home, what
better time to give it a shot than during this
unprecedented lockdown which restricts any kind of
movement?
The looming fears of a recession, the growing
uncertainty and panic – all these are factors that lead to

The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 41

 Report
Rieter outlook for FY2020 in
spin & wind
semi-annual report
At present, it is not possible to predict how the global Covid-19 pandemic will affect Rieter’s sales
and earnings in the first and second half of 2020, and thus also for 2020 as a whole.
I
n relation to participation in the Annual General
Meeting on April 16, 2020, the Board of Directors of
Rieter Holding arranged exclusively written or
electronic voting and the granting of power of
attorney to the independent proxy. In taking this
approach, the Board of Directors relied on Article 6a, lit. b
of Ordinance 2 of the Swiss Federal Council (Measures to
Combat the Coronavirus of March 16, 2020). Physical
participation by the shareholders was therefore not
possible. The Annual General Meeting was held on the
premises of Rieter Holding at the company’s
headquarters in Winterthur.
At the Annual General Meeting of Rieter Holding on
April 16, 2020, the independent proxy represented a total
of 2,025 shareholders who hold 64.3 per cent of the share
capital.
A dividend of CHF 4.50 per share was agreed. The
shareholders approved the proposed maximum total
amounts of the remuneration of the members of the
Board of Directors and of the Group Executive
Committee for fiscal year 2021.
The Chairman of the Board, Bernhard Jucker, and the
members of the Board of Directors This E. Schneider,
Michael Pieper, Hans-Peter Schwald, Peter Spuhler, Roger
Baillod, Carl Illi and Luc Tack were confirmed for an
additional one-year term of office.
Furthermore, This E. Schneider, Hans-Peter Schwald
and Bernhard Jucker, the members of the Remuneration
Committee who were standing for election, were also
each re-elected for a one-year term of office.
Shareholders also adopted all other motions
proposed by the Board of Directors, namely approval of
the annual report, the financial statements and the
42 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020
consolidated financial statements for 2019, and formal
approval of the actions of the members of the Board of
Directors and those of the Group Executive Committee in
the year under review. In addition, the authorised capital
was extended for a further two years.
COVID-19
At present, it is not possible to predict how the global
Covid-19 pandemic will affect Rieter’s sales and earnings
in the first and second half of 2020, and thus also for
2020 as a whole.
Rieter therefore refrains from providing an outlook for
financial year 2020 and will issue the relevant information
as part of the semi-annual report on July 16, 2020. The
company has taken the necessary measures to protect
employees and to meet commitments to customers as
far as possible. Thanks to long-standing customer
relationships, a focus on innovation, global positioning
and the company’s financial stability, Rieter will
successfully overcome the challenges.
Rieter is the world’s leading supplier of systems for
short-staple fibre spinning. Based in Winterthur
(Switzerland), the company develops and manufactures
machinery, systems and components used to convert
natural and manmade fibres and their blends into yarns.
Rieter is the only supplier worldwide to cover both
spinning preparation processes and all four end spinning
processes currently established on the market.
Furthermore, Rieter is a leader in the field of precision
winding machines. With 16 manufacturing locations in
ten countries, the company employs a global workforce
of some 4 590, about 21 per cent of whom are based in
Switzerland.
 www.indiantextilejournal.com

New Head of Textile

spin & wind

Technology at Uster
Textile industry expert Oswald Baldischwieler will focus on value-added services for customers.

U
ster Technologies is pleased to announce that
Oswald Baldischwieler starts his new position
as Head of the Textile Technology Department
and member of the Executive Committee in
April.
Baldischwieler is an experienced textile technologist
and manager. His entire career has been dedicated to the
development and promotion of the textile industry, in a
number of senior roles. After working as Mill Manager for
the German textile producer Lauffenmühle and as
Technical Director and Chief Operating Officer at spinning
mill Hermann Bühler, Baldischwieler joined Uster
Technologies in 2017.
As Product Manager for In-line Process Control, he has
been responsible for a large part of the Uster portfolio.
“The past three years have been a great opportunity for
me to get to know Uster Technologies as a company, to
become familiar with the systems and solutions and to
appreciate the immense know-how and service
capacities,” Baldischwieler says.

Customer services and support

For Uster, value-added services are a fundamental part
of the company philosophy: “The job is not complete just
by developing great innovative products. We need to
make sure that our customers learn how to use them
effectively and efficiently every day,” he says.
Uster Technologies offers a wide range of textile
services and support to its customers and partners. These
include the USTER® STATISTICS global benchmarks,
laboratory testing services, and textile training and
consulting programmes. A worldwide team of more than
50 textile technologists, together with more than 200
service engineers, is taking care of 4,500 customers in 75
countries – working at customer sites or in Uster
laboratories – conducting training, carrying out tests and
providing application know-how.
“For Uster, it is a great pleasure and a unique
opportunity, to work together with someone as
experienced as Oswald Baldischwieler as Head of Textile
Technology,” says Thomas Nasiou, Chief Executive Officer
of Uster Technologies. “Our Textile Technology is a core
element of Uster – it is where all our textile know-how
comes from and where our customers receive the special
support they appreciate.”
Uster is the world’s leading provider of quality
management solutions from fiber to fabric.Uster
Technologies offers high-technology instruments,
systems and services for quality control, prediction,
certification and optimisation in the textile industry. This
includes systems for quality management, laboratory
testing and in-line process control for fibers, staple and
filament yarns, fabric inspection as well as value-added
services.
Uster provides the globally-acknowledged USTER®
STATISTICS benchmarks for trading, textile know-how
training, consulting and worldwide after-sales services
– always aspiring to fulfill the textile market’s needs, to
drive innovation forward with ‘quality in mind’.

The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 43

 Report

T-LED: Informed at the

spin & wind

speed of light
T-LED concisely displays the status of the respective machine and thus enables controlling an entire
production process remotely – even with little staff.

L
ight guides our perception. Whether the turn
signal on the car, the indicator lamp on the
oven or—much more romantic—a sunset: In
all cases, light has an immediate meaning.
With T-LED, this principle was transferred to Truetzschler
machine technology. The combinations of the
illuminated LEDs indicate more than “OK”, “Warning” or
“Fault”. In particular, information on productivity and
quality can be read at a glance – from afar.
Imagine standing in a spinning mill. A great hall, long
distances and a large number of machines, of which the
operation must be checked. Signals and information
must be understood and prioritised, so that production is
affected as little as possible by disturbances. With T-LED,
Truetzschler simplifies this important communication
process immensely: Machine operators can read machine
status quickly and from a distance using colored light
signals and take the necessary measures immediately.
recognises that new cans are needed. The operator
At first sight immediately sets off with the empty cans.
T-LED concisely displays the status of the respective
machine and thus enables controlling an entire The intelligent use of light
production process remotely – even with little staff. T-LED not only avoids unnecessary movements, but
Intuitive human-machine interaction is provided by also helps to set priorities in order to maintain
easy-to-remember lighting combinations. The employee production and avoid downtimes. Errors and faults are
knows instantly what the machine needs for further displayed primarily so that one can react quickly. In
operation and can react accordingly. If, for example, he addition, quality and productivity data, such as sliver
sees a yellow running light on the distant machine, he count variations or fill quantities, can be displayed. With
TD 10, for example, it is important to be informed about
the quality limits of the CV value, while it can be useful to
display can filling quantity at breaker draw frames. These
different displays are freely selectable and can be
adapted to individual requirements.
T-LED: A component of digital transformation
Spinning mills today face the great challenge of
finding qualified personnel for their machinery. Where
there is a shortage of staff, the digital transformation
should intervene. Truetzschler supports this
transformation in addition to its digital solutions with
intelligent machine concepts such as T-LED. These make
it possible to keep production continuity at a high level
even with few personnel.

44 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020


B&R adds new compact PLC to
Compact-S series
With Ethernet, POWERLINK, USB and RS232, it offers plenty of communication options. An optional
CAN interface is also available. With no fans or batteries, the PLC is also maintenance free.
B&R’s new compact PLC offers twice the RAM of previous models from
the Compact-S series.
B
&R is offering a new Compact-S PLC with 512
MB of RAM and 2 GB of internal flash memory.
That gives the X20CP0484-1 more than twice
the RAM capacity of previous models from the
Compact-S series. It is ideal for applications with high
requirements for memory and performance.
With a width of only 37.5 mm including the power
supply, the X20CP0484-1 is a part of B&R’s compact PLC
portfolio. With Ethernet, POWERLINK, USB and RS232, it
offers plenty of communication options. An optional CAN
interface is also available. With no fans or batteries, the
PLC is also maintenance free.
X20 I/O modules can be connected directly to the
controller and line up seamlessly. The entire system saves a
large amount of space in the control cabinet. Even with its
narrow dimensions, the controller has a built-in power
supply for itself and the connected I/O modules. There is
no need for a separate power supply module.
B&R offers new vertical-mount variant of
SuperTrak
B&R’s intelligent track system SuperTrak is now
available in a vertical-mount variant. This helps to
optimise the output per square meter of floor space. If
www.indiantextilejournal.com
spin & wind
products are only transported on the upper side of the
SuperTrak, the weight is not supported magnetically.
Instead the load is transferred directly to the rollers. The
shuttles have a much higher payload capacity.
The SuperTrak power electronics have been
repositioned, making them readily accessible from the
front even when mounted vertically for easy installation.
The connections between SuperTrak segments have also
been reinforced to ensure mechanical rigidity and
maximum stability and reliability in the vertical
orientation.
The independently controlled SuperTrak shuttles can
be positioned freely to group products of different sizes
and create a multi-pack of different beverages or other
products. On a vertically mounted SuperTrak system, this
type of solution can be implemented on approximately half
the floor space for a significant increase in output per
square meter.
B&R’s SuperTrak enables advanced manufacturing
concepts that deliver flexible, efficient production at any
batch size. The track system was designed specifically for
24x7 operation under harsh industrial conditions. It is
highly reliable and safe. Individual segments and shuttles
can easily be replaced without having to disassemble the
track. Downtime for mechanical changeover can often be
eliminated entirely. The impact on overall equipment
effectiveness (OEE) is substantial.
A vertically mounted SuperTrak system offers increased shuttle payload
and optimises utilisation of available floor space.
The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 45
 Report
Insulated sectional overhead doors
spin & wind
from Gandhi Automations
Overhead doors are made of several jointed panels that roll up on tracks above the access or
across the ceiling. These doors come with different rail systems depending on the building and
the space available.
I
nsulated sectional overhead doors are
manufactured to suit individual openings for all
types of commercial and industrial buildings
where the need for energy conservation is desired.
Most commonly used for warehouses, commercial
buildings, industries, logistical applications, etc.
What is an overhead door?
Overhead doors are made of several jointed panels
that roll up on tracks above the access or across the
ceiling. These doors come with different rail systems
depending on the building and the space available. The
tracks can either go straight up above the doorway,
with a bend towards the ceiling or they can follow the
roof pitch. The overhead door is primarily used as a
service door but also very popular as garage door.
46 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020
Sectional door
The overhead door currently is the bestselling door
on the market. It is known by different names such as
sectional door, section door or garage door.
History of the overhead door
In the late 70s and early 80s of the last century
overhead doors were introduced as an alternative to
non-insulated rolling shutters. Because they consist of
insulated sandwich panels overhead doors have
excellent insulating qualities. Another advantage was
the ability to fill the doorframe with glass panels and
the installation of a wicket door. Furthermore, overhead
doors are very stable and suitable for relatively large
door sizes.
The compact door as an alternative
service door
The Compact door can be regarded as an overhead
door, because the door panels are stored ‘overhead’
when the door is open. From the outside it even looks
like another overhead door, but all the difference is
made on the inside. The main advantage is that the
compact door is a folding door. This means that it saves
a lot of space.
Due to the universal rail system a compact door
always fits and doesn’t require complex structures.
Architects have a lot more freedom in design this way
and the saved space can be used for other important
things. The compact door doesn’t have maintenance
prone counterbalance springs. Moreover, the engine is
installed on the self-supporting system of the door so it
does not require structural adjustments.
Advantages of compact door
Depending on the situation there are many
advantages in the use of a Compact door to the
sectional door. In buildings where crane tracks are used,
for example. Compact doors do not block the daylight
coming through skylights or windows above the
doorway. The extra space above the doorway can be
used as storage space. Or for the extra height that is

needed for a car lifting platform right behind the door.
Or a sprinkler system, a heater over the door or piping
and tubes. The possibilities are virtually endless.
Rather than rolling or sliding like conventional doors,
the overhead stacking door stacks at the top of the
opening. This gives a huge benefit in terms of headroom
requirements over a traditional sectional door and still
provides excellent levels of insulation. The door also
provides good security due to an automatic anti-lift locking
system. It is a quiet and low maintenance door, requiring
minimal structural support.
Overhead stacking door offer superior resistance to all
weather conditions; along with offering security and
excellent insulation. These qualities, combined with simple
and efficient operation makes them a popular choice for
external doorways on temperature-controlled buildings.
An overhead door having a plurality of unconnected
panels. Each panel has a top and bottom edge interlocking
retention geometry and end caps. The end caps engage
dual track guide assemblies to completely separate the
panels as the door is raised.
Sectional doors have the advantage of having no areas
of cold bridging to satisfy Building Regulations for new
buildings. Also available are insulated vision windows or
architectural glazed and aluminum panels which are a
popular choice for vehicle workshops, allowing plenty of
daylight into the working area.
www.indiantextilejournal.com
spin & wind
The doors have motorised operation with a variety of
control methods. The doors can also be fitted with integral
personnel doors to facilitate pedestrian traffic with
minimal energy loss.
 Minimal headroom required
 Good air-tightness
 Excellent insulation performance
 Secure and reliable external doors
 Available as European tested and classified overhead
stacking door
 Ideal door solution for installation situations with
restricted room
 Special safety construction
Sectional overhead doors manufactured by Gandhi
Automations are perfect for all logistical and industrial
warehouse requirements. These doors help in maintaining
controlled atmosphere inside warehouse.
Our sectional door design is best for clients who need
robust, well-insulated and space-saving doors with
security and offer astonishing benefits. Sectional Overhead
Door side runners transfer vertically along the wall and
parallel to the ceiling, guaranteeing best use of the
available inner space. Its heat insulation and
soundproofing confirmed by insulated panels, can
maintain internal environment conditions and energy
consumption. Quality materials, exact processing and
constant quality checks promise flawless safety,
dependability and long service life. All our doors obey with
safety obligation of international standards.
Doors are electrically and manually operated and
Gandhi Automations assists the customers from the design
aspects to the installation of these doors and provide
round the clock maintenance.
The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 47
 Report
Making day-to-day warp
wEAVE & kNIT
knitting easier
Innovations in spare parts and tools for KARL MAYER machines.
K
ARL MAYER continuously develops not only
its machines, but also well thought-out
solutions to make operating them simpler
and more efficient. In addition, the
manufacturer continues to expand its WEBSHOP SPARE
PARTS step by step.
One of the latest tools is the Needle Slot Protector,
which is a small but highly effective component. It
unfolds when the working width deviates from the
machine width. As a cap-like element with flat
u-profile, the Needle Slot Protector is placed on the
needle- free section of the needle bar and fixed with the
needle bar cover, which protects the covered section
from damage and contamination. The practical cover
also contributes to the dimensional stability of the bar.
The Needle Slot Protector is one inch wide, is made
from lightweight plastic, and is easy to grip thanks to
its rough surface. It is currently only available for some
HKS models; versions for other series will follow. It is
easy to order directly from KARL MAYER’s WEBSHOP
SPARE PARTS or by using the k.maintenance app and
48 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020
scan-to-order function.
Another innovation ensures shorter resetting times
with minimum material waste when loading the
ground guide bars of warp knitting machines. For fast
changeover, two-inch variants are used instead of
one-inch guide units, which can be separated into two
halves using one-inch segmentation. If a guide needle
is defective, it is not necessary to replace the entire
unit, as is the case with standard two-inch versions. It
is sufficient to simply separate the one-inch part from
the damaged area and replace it separately. The
practical two-inch plastic guide unit with sophisticated
one-inch segmentation was launched at the ITMA 2019
in Barcelona. Since then, customer interest has been
growing worldwide. Numerous machines have already
been equipped with the new two-inch guide units, and
series machines with the units included will be
delivered in the near future. There are also plans to
expand the fineness variants. The segmented two-inch
guide units are available for certain types of guide
needles in gauges E 18 to a maximum of E 36.
 www.indiantextilejournal.com

2013 as a joint venture. “To differentiate yourself from

wEAVE & kNIT

The Needle Slot Protector in use.
KARL MAYER has made its WEBSHOP SPARE PARTS at
its headquarters even more attractive, and has
therefore expanded its range of spare parts for warp
knitting machines – over 6,000 parts can now be
ordered directly via the digital ordering portal. The
extended selection also includes selected articles for
the RACOP and COPCENTRA series machines. The latest
webshop upgrade also introduced additional product
categories to simplify product searches within the
catalogue. For example, under the “Knitting elements”
heading, the tools, knitting elements and threading-in
comb/yarn separating comb categories have been
added, and the “mechanical parts” heading has been
extended to include the following categories: bearing,
spring, joint rod socket, Knockover plate and screws/
nuts/washers.
your competitors, you need to be innovative and
proactive, especially in today’s highly competitive and
fast changing market,” says Director Stephen Tung.
To ensure that his company can get new
developments moving quickly and offer a diverse range
of products, the prudent owner has opted for the
PRODYE-S from KARL MAYER to expand its warp
preparation capacity. The slasher dyeing machine has
been configured especially for this application.
“PRODYE-S is fitted with a large number of set screws
for customising the dyeing process. It allows us to
make decisive expansions to our product range and
produce items that cannot be copied”, explains Director
Stephen Tung. The versatile indigo dyeing machine is
suitable for many different kinds of yarn, such as
TENCEL™, modal, and core-spun.
PRODYE boasts many additional features that set it
apart from the competition. These include a darker
indigo shade of up to 5 per cent, lower water
consumption and waste yarn, plus double productivity
for the production of lightweight denim. KARL MAYER
uses its expertise to help its clients unlock this
huge potential.

PRODYE installation begins in China

The KARL MAYER success story has now reached
China, thanks to the PRODYE indigo dyeing machine.
The efficient warp preparation equipment for denim
production is already a worldwide commercial success,
and spring 2020 will see the commissioning of the first
machine in China.
The premiere model has been ordered by H.W.
Textiles Co, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hingtex
Holdings. A fully integrated manufacturer based in
Hong Kong, Hingtex is one of the world’s most
important producers of denim. Key to the company’s
success is its continual provision of a product portfolio
bursting with quality, variety and uniqueness,
particularly since it entered into partnership with
Kurabo Industries. Hingtex’s strategic alliance with the saviotexcone@gmail.com
Japanese textiles company was originally established in

The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 49

 Report

Stop biopolishing and

DYE & PROCESS

start singeing!
Singeing is a widely accepted process in the woven processing industry. However, in the knit
processing industry, singeing is much less common as textile manufacturers have historically
worked with tubular knits.

S
ingeing is the process of removal of protruding
fibres from the surface of fabric through the
application of open flames while the fabric is in
motion. The fuel typically used is LPG, with a
defined ratio of gas to air. Singeing helps improve the
fabric’s appearance and reduces its tendency to form
pills; this also helps prevent the surface of the fabric
from picking up dirt. The singeing process is performed
in the grey stage itself, in order to take advantage of the
dry state of the fabric. Also, singed fabric also can be
dyed and processed better.
Singeing is a widely accepted process in the woven
processing industry. However, in the knit processing
industry, singeing is much less common as textile
manufacturers have historically worked with tubular
knits. Singeing is difficult to perform on fabrics in tubular
form as the flame to fabric distance is hard to control
accurately, which results in uneven singeing.
In order to impart to tubular knit fabrics the same
kind of finish achieved through singeing in woven
fabrics, the surface of the knitted fabric is cleaned in a
soft flow dyeing machine through biopolishing. In this
method, the fabric is treated with aggressive textile
auxiliaries. However, biopolishing has several
disadvantages:
 Reduced fabric tensile strength
 Considerable reduction in depth of the shade after
biopolishing
 Increased fluff generation
 Significant reduction in fabric weight
 Auxiliaries used for biopolishing increase the COD of
the effluent tremendously
 Reduced productivity of soft flow dyeing machine
 Cost of biopolishing is at least twice that of singeing
To address these pain areas, Osthoff Senge – a
leading German textile machine manufacturer – has
introduced a singeing machine that can singe open
width knit fabric. Through innovative German
technology, Osthoff’s open width knit singeing machine
solves a number of problems faced in tubular singeing
machines. Open width singeing not only provides
excellent value addition to the finished fabric, but it is
also eco-friendly.
Osthoff’s open width knit singeing machine is a
proven product. More than 70 open width knit singeing
machines are in operation around the world, with more
than 40 machines in Turkey, and two machines in
operation in India.
While a few open width process houses have been
established in India, the industry overall is yet to adopt at
scale some of the established practises that are used in
knit processing industries around the world. With the
pronounced advantages of open width singeing over
biopolishing, it is hoped that the industry would switch
over to this best practice sooner rather than later.
Osthoff Senge situated in Wuppertal, Germany, is
specialised in the manufacture of singeing machines and
is the global market leader in the field of textile singeing
and pre-treatment. Osthoff has a rich history of more
than a century in manufacturing textile processing
machinery.
A.T.E. offers an entire range of world class textile
processing solutions including effluent treatment plants
and other utilities from leading global manufacturers
and solution providers. With more than 80 years of
experience in the Indian textile industry, A.T.E. is renowned
for its deep domain knowledge and impeccable customer
service.

50 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020


New Internet presence for Mahlo
In a modern design, the homepage gives customers and interested parties a comprehensive
overview of the company and products. Ready to enter the site, visitors can choose either by
their industry or by product areas.
M
ahlo GmbH has completely revamped its
Internet presence. An even clearer
structure, an improved search function
and full-responsiveness of all pages are
among the innovations.
In a modern design, the homepage gives customers
and interested parties a comprehensive overview of the
company and products. Ready to enter the site, visitors
can choose either by their industry or by product areas.
The new, categorised search function lists the relevant
results for users quickly and easily. Great importance is
also attached to the service area on the new site. In
addition to the service hotline in Saal and contact
details for service and sales partners around the world,
there is also a clearly arranged form for service
requests, the possibility of ordering remote
maintenance, and information on repair orders and
ordering spare parts.
Not only business partners but also potential
www.indiantextilejournal.com
DYE & PROCESS
employees and trainees are in good hands at www.
mahlo.com. There you can inform yourself about job
opportunities and vacancies and apply directly online. A
big change is the full-responsiveness of the pages. This
means that all contents can be called up on all mobile
devices without any problems and adapt to the size of
the screen. The look of the Mahlo-CI represents the
characteristics of the world market leader: professional,
modern, competent.
Mahlo GmbH belongs to the worldwide leading
manufacturers of measuring, control and automation
systems for the textile and finishing industry as well as
the coating, film and paper sector. Mahlo is located in
Saal on the Danube in lower Bavaria but operates
worldwide: Five branch offices in Italy, Belgium, Spain,
China and the US serve as support stations for the key
markets. Numerous international agencies and service
stations offer customer support throughout the
whole world.
The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 51
 Tech
Techtextil NEXT hackathon: Revolutionising
Technical textiles
the sector through sustainability
Techtextil NEXT hackathon, as India’s very first hackathon in technical textiles, targeted such issues
and brainstormed considerable ideas for growth of the sector.
B
ringing inventive solutions and intriguing
conversations to the desk, India’s very first
technical textile hackathon at the last
Techtextil India led thrilling debates via a
design thinking approach on what’s best for the sector
on an Indian and Global scale.
Entrepreneurial innovation is driving change across
industries. Technological advances and the internet
economy lend support to new ways of reaching
customers and innovative business models. The technical
textiles sector is especially a potent hotbed of emerging
solutions to real world problems.
Known as India’s sunrise industry, the technical
textile industry is undeniably one of the most crucial
sectors of India with its 12 widespread application areas
contributing massively to the economy. The sector
permeates every aspect of our modern living, ranging
from fashionable and funky apparel to the far-reaching
infrastructure and agriculture, thus raising its
prominence even beyond fashion.
Despite its unprecedented potential, the sector has
been bogged down with gaps in knowledge sharing
between stakeholders and the lack of avenues enabling
52 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020
entrepreneurial collaborations. While the government
has been fairly generous in supporting the sector through
subsidies and start-up initiatives, there is an essential
need for promoting better awareness and collaboration
in the industry. Techtextil NEXT hackathon, as India’s
very first hackathon in technical textiles, targeted such
issues and brainstormed considerable ideas for growth of
the sector. The hackathon witnessed stirring debates
between investors, textile associations, designers,
start-ups and entrepreneurs.
With an intense flair for breakthroughs, the founders,
investors and other leading professionals like Saumil
Shah (Co-Founder of Broadcast Wearables), Rajiv Indimath
(An Investor and Co-Founder of High Performance Sports
Coaching in Stealth Mode), Mohit Rana (Managing
Director- Raina Industries), Neha Rao (Head of Product
Innovation, Boheco), and Dayal Mehta (Senior Marketing
Manager of Nonwovens, Technical Textiles and Protective
Textiles) steered discussions on introducing better
standard of innovations.
On the other hand, discussing alternatives to
promoting sustainability in technical textiles, were
(Sustainable Development Goals) SDG promoters, textile

associations and other major fields of the sector
including Shrikar Dhole, (Founder and CEO- SDG
Foundation), Anup Rakshit (Executive Director- Indian
Technical Textile Association), Mohapatra (Bombay
Technical Textile Association) and Miss Niharika Gautam
(Advisor- United Nations SDG and Chairperson- All Ladies
League).
As these experts led discussions on various challenges
faced by the segment, the knowledge and collaboration
gaps hampering a sustainable approach and thereby
innovation were observed as the two most predominant
areas that needed attention. As an example to presenting
a prime solution to sustainability, the experts factored
the use of bio-degradable and recyclable materials as a
worthy replacement for pollutive composites, also
leading way to fair wages and proper working condition
for workers. One of the notable applications mentioned
in this space was as follows - The millions of tonnes of
plastic dumped in the ocean every year; if used as a
replaceable raw material in manufacture of various
technical textiles could shrink the extensive use of
synthetic composites, reducing the cost of procurement
and eliminating excess pollution emitted in the process of
their extraction.
On the domestic front, the comprehensive seminars
Industrial Products Finder
India’s Most Trusted & Largest Circulated Industrial Magazine since 1972
www.ipfonline.com
Just like Demonetisation accelerated the need for digital payments,
the current COVID19 crisis is paving the way for gaining knowledge,
connecting with prospective and generating leads. Industrial Products
Finder, India’s Largest Circulated SME magazine for last 48 years,
reaches out to SME owners across 600 cities in India. It addresses the
needs of the engineering sector by offering 38 industrial sectors every
month. Its portal IPFonline.com has 77,000 industrial products which
are extensively searched by buyers from all corners of the country.
Presenting the
Industrial
Products
Finder
SME
Webinar
Series.
CLICk hErE
TO gET MOrE uPDaTES On ThE uPCOMIng wEbInar VISIT https://www.ipfonline.com/
www.indiantextilejournal.com
and workshops headed by India’s Centre of Excellence
Technical textiles
institutions have proven to be a great knowledge
platform for raising awareness about the fast-pacing
sector, however a lack of collaboration still persists
within the industry. To resolve this issue, the hackathon
flagged integration as the answer. With the dispersed
application areas of technical textiles strongly supporting
each other through their individual resources and
innovations, the sector could achieve exponential growth
and garner massive attention towards its flourishing
potential.
The Co-Founder of a start-up known as ‘High
Performance Sports Coaching in Stealth Mode’, Rajiv
Indimath, shared his impression of hackathon at the end
of an enthralling session: “The hackathon has been a
great melting pot and a great platform for expanding
horizons and mindset. The sharing of experiences and
fresh radical ideas are what made the Techtextil NEXT
hackathon so great.”
Generating unique takes from across the various
streams of technical textiles, Techtextil NEXT hackathon
witnessed a brilliant response throughout the session
and will lead way to more dynamic discussions as the
second Techtextil NEXT hackathon is set to occur during
Techtextil India in 2021.
CLICk hErE
The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 53
 Tech
Technology transfer that
Technical textiles
is creating waves
The focus of all events was on the latest product and service developments from the Oerlikon
Barmag, Oerlikon Neumag and Oerlikon Nonwoven brands. With ‘Clean Technology, Smart Factory’
motto, the engineers from Germany presented selected machines and systems specifically designed
for the Indian market, along with the associated services.
F
or more than a decade now, the Manmade Fibers
segment of the Swiss Oerlikon Group has been
hosting a comprehensive technology symposium
at the beginning of each year in the Indian
region around Silvassa/Daman. Numerous Indian
manmade fibre producers have settled in this area,
around a four-hour drive north of Mumbai. Fed from
Oerlikon polycondensation and extrusion systems, these
companies manufacture polyester, nylon and
polypropylene on large-scale installations with Oerlikon
Barmag WINGS POY, WINGS FDY, IDY and DTY product
lines and using Oerlikon Neumag’s staple fibre and BCF
technologies.
Reason enough for the Manmade Fibers segment’s
experts to regularly provide their clientele with detailed
specialist presentations in India on the latest
developments of the product and service portfolio.
And this was once again the case at the event held at
the beginning of 2020, where around 450 managers and
employees from local businesses took the opportunity to
exchange ideas and information. For the third time in
succession, Oerlikon also entered into dialog with the
next generation of managers at major Indian polyester
and nylon manufacturers in a separate event hosted in
Mumbai beforehand. The technology symposium was
again held – for the very first time – just a few days later
and in a slightly modified form at a second venue: in
Kolkata in West Bengal, a potential second future key
location for manufacturing manmade fibres in India
54 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020
according to plans revealed by the Indian government.
Here, the discussions held by the Oerlikon experts
focused above all on the transfer of technologies for
manufacturing polyester, nylon and polypropylene.
Oerlikon is able to offer the entire process chain – from
the melt to the textured yarn or the fibres and including
the necessary semi- and fully automated logistics process
– from a single source. This is of interest above all for
potential new customers and investors in West Bengal
and neighbouring Bangladesh, as some do not have
decades of expertise in manufacturing manmade fibres,
as is the case for most companies in the region around
Silvassa/Daman.
Clean Technology. Smart Factory.
The focus of all events was on the latest product and
service developments from the Oerlikon Barmag, Oerlikon
Neumag and Oerlikon Nonwoven brands. With their
‘Clean Technology. Smart Factory.’ motto, the engineers
from Germany presented selected machines and systems
specifically designed for the Indian market, along with
the associated services. Needless to say, the innovations
unveiled at the last ITMA were of particular interest to all
attendees. eAFK Evo and WINGS FDY PA6 promise greater
productivity Philip Jungbecker, Senior Technology
Manager for texturing machines at Oerlikon Barmag,
presented the new Oerlikon Barmag eAFK Evo generation
of machines. “The eAFK Evo promises superior speeds,
greater productivity and consistently high product
quality, along with lower energy consumption and
simpler operation vis-à-vis comparable market solutions”,
comments Jungbecker. In particular, the machine
concept’s numerous new value-added features include
two that are excelling with fantastic technology: the
optimized, innovative EvoHeater and the EvoCooler, a
completely newly-developed active cooling unit. These
proved to be of huge interest to the attendees of the
technology symposium.
WINGS FDY is now also available for the polyamide 6
process. To this end, the new 24-end winding concept

makes the efficient production of FDY PA6 yarns a
reality”, explained Guido Dresen, Regional Sales Manager
at Oerlikon Barmag. Extending the polyamide yarn
production from 12 to 24 ends with DIO and WINGS FDY
pays yarn producers dividends, particularly in terms of
investment expenditure (CAPEX) and operating
expenditure (OPEX): significant savings with regards to
energy, footprint and – due to the more ergonomic design
– string-up time are among the concept’s most
convincing arguments.
The enclosed draw unit ensures low spin finish
emissions, offering a safe working environment. Offering
swift string-up, the optimized yarn path of the tried-and-
tested WINGS FDY PET system is united with the high
relaxing performance of conventional polyamide systems
to create a completely new concept. The 24-end WINGS
FDY PA hence profitably combines the benefits of both
processes.
The result: outstanding yarn properties, superlative
dyeability, optimum process performance and high full
package rate. A perfect package build guarantees
excellent further processing properties in the
downstream processes. With a 116-mm stroke, this
winder makes high package weights possible, therefore
delivering added-value yarns for further processing. As a
consequence, yarn manufacturers can give themselves a
competitive advantage in the marketplace.
The BCF S8’s impressive
performance data
With the new BCF S8 production platform, Nis
Lehmann-Matthaei, Sales Manager at Oerlikon Neumag,
promised manufacturers of carpet yarns greater
performance within this fiercely-competitive market:
“Superlative spinning speeds, up to 700 individual
filaments and fine titers of up to 2.5 dpf – our new
system’s performance data and technological finesse are
truly impressive. Our customers’ feedback on the new
system is outstanding”, comments Lehmann-Matthaei.
Zero-waste philosophy successfully
implemented
With the new VacuFil® recycling range, Oerlikon
Barmag is now offering – in cooperation with its joint
venture partner, BBEngineering – a zero-waste
philosophy solution. Decades of experience in the areas
of extrusion, filtration and spinning systems have been
bundled into a new, innovative core component – the
vacuum filter. It unites gentle large-scale filtration and
controlled intrinsic-viscosity build-up for consistently
outstanding melt quality. The vacuum unit – located
adjacent to the filter – swiftly and reliably removes
volatile contamination (such as spinning oil, for example).
The excellent degasification performance additionally
relieves energy-intensive predrying”, explained Dr Klaus
www.indiantextilejournal.com
Schäfer, Managing Director of BBEngineering. The
Technical textiles
modular structure of the VacuFil® range offers numerous
possibilities for the process guiding system. Whether as a
standalone solution with downstream granulation or as
an inline variant with 3DD additive feed – customer
requirements can be optimally catered for with various
system configurations.
Exciting podium discussion on
digitalisation
In addition to presenting the four 2019 world
premières, the program also included talks on further
technology innovations. To this end, the latest
developments of the relatively nascent Oerlikon
Nonwoven brand were unveiled and the upgrade
packages for the CW and ACW winder generations were
explained. Within the context of a podium discussion,
Jochen Adler, Chief Technology Officer of the Manmade
Fibers segment, together with further Oerlikon experts,
answered questions relating to the future of
digitalisation, automation and recycling along the textile
value chain, among other things.
Here, Jochen Adler stated: “Digitally upgrading our
machines and production systems for manufacturing
yarns, fibres and nonwovens along the textile value chain
is increasingly becoming a focus of our customers’
interest. Here, our promise is: creating digital value-
added beyond our excellent hardware. We want to
further optimize the efficiency of our systems and the
quality of the end products with our digital solutions.
True to our e-save philosophy, our mission is to protect
the environment and to promote the sustainability of our
solutions – in future undoubtedly also with a focus on
recycling. For this, we are deploying the know-how of our
entire large-scale systems engineering team, including
full-automation, transport, packaging and warehouse
logistics and end-product automated quality control. We
combine these with our process competencies and digital
data handling using our Plant Operation Center, or POC
for short, and our artificial intelligence-based software
solutions – known as ‘AIM’, our abbreviation for ‘Artificial
Intelligence Manufacturing’. This has created innovative
Industrie 4.0-solutions for our customers – with
integrated storage and communication capabilities,
wireless sensors, embedded actuators and intelligent
software systems. In turn, this allows us to build bridges
between data and material flows and between the virtual
and real worlds.
Complex large-scale systems from a
single source
Michael Roellke, Head of Global Factory Sales, showed
the interested audience how the Oerlikon Manmade
Fibers segment experts execute complex large-scale
systems, simultaneously accompanying its customers
The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 55
 Tech
with its decades of experience and expertise from day
Technical textiles
one. In his talk, he also once again emphasised the
Oerlikon Group’s performance, including supporting the
financing of projects as well.
Roellke also explained the benefits of executing a
factory project with Oerlikon: “Our customers have a
contract partner who assumes the responsibility. There is
a project manager as the primary contact partner. This
reduces the number of interfaces and means fewer
organisations on the customers’ part. We have a huge
network of experts. All core components come from
Oerlikon’s in-house manufacturing facilities. We offer
planning reliability, high efficiency as a result of continual
process optimisation, an optimised CAPEX/OPEX ratio as
well as comprehensive handling of quality data – from
the raw material all the way through to the individual
package.” This is absolutely unique in this form within
the manmade fibre industry.
Economic centre of gravity returns to Asia
Eagerly anticipated by the audience, André
Wissenberg, Vice President, Head of Marketing, Corporate
Communications and Public Affairs, spoke about the
uncertain times amidst the global trade conflict between
the US and China and the emerging countries suffering as
a result. He determined that the manufacture of
manmade fibres in countries such as India and
Bangladesh has tremendous potential for the future. He
stated: “Over the next few years, the manmade fibre
industry will – to an above average extent – continue to
benefit from market growth and the shift of market
shares from cotton to manmade fibres. Currently, growth
of polyester lies at +2.4 per cent CAGR. According to a
study compiled by Wood Mackenzie, the anticipated
growth rate for all polyester fibers between 2016 and
2030 is +3.3 per cent, with +2.1 per cent for staple
fibers and even +3.8 per cent for filaments. The per-
capita consumption in India, which was 5.9 kg in 2018, is
expected to reach 8.5 kg by 2030.”
New challenges for China, India and
Bangladesh
“This rapidly-changing global scenario is presenting
us all with new challenges”, continues Wissenberg.
“Almost 50 per cent of the population will in future live
in cities, and the demand for water, food and energy will
rise considerably, above all in Asia and Africa. The quest
for political and economic solutions for emerging
countries will impact on all aspects of life, and the textile
industry in particular. The economic center of gravity will
continue to shift towards Asia. And we have to be ready
for this.” The US and Europe will definitely lose ground to
China and India. In terms of gross domestic product,
China ranked no. 1 in 2016, followed by the US, India,
Japan and Germany. By 2050, India will be ranked second,
56 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020
with US shifting to third, while Indonesia displaces Japan
to take fourth. And – with Africa – a new demographic
giant will emerge, whose young and growing population
could become a powerful growth engine for the
continent, as long as there is sufficient investment in
education, health and the economy. Africa’s population
growth will be responsible for around 58 per cent of
global growth between 2018 and 2050.
Commenting on the situation in China, Wissenberg
stated: “The trends in China in 2019 have shown us that
the country has transitioned from a high-speed economy
into a society with high-quality growth. China’s economy
slowed from 6.9 per cent in 2017 to 6.6 per cent in 2018,
which is predominantly down to the tightening of
financial supervision within the banking sector and the
expanding trade conflict with the US. A further
slowdown of 6.2 per cent and 6 per cent respectively is
forecast for 2019 and 2020. Here, the impact of the
coronavirus epidemic has not be taken into account.” The
reforms in China have progressed in several key areas,
including: 1. Strengthening of the financial rules; 2.
Control of local authority investments; 3. Slowdown of
debt accumulation; 4. New FDI law and redrafting of the
list of FDI entries. The general government deficit is
currently estimated to be 11 per cent of GDP. If the trade
dispute were to further escalate, there are rumours
emanating from China that fiscal incentives, above all,
would be justified.
Overall, the global economy would benefit from a
more open, more stable and more transparent rule based
international trading system. Wissenberg listed the
biggest challenges for the Indian economy: maintaining
and achieving annual average growth of between 9 and
10 per cent, providing investor-friendly rights and
taxation systems, limiting financial reporting and
budgetary deficits, developing a world-class
infrastructure for maintaining growth in all economic
sectors, reducing currency devaluation, removing
environmental obstacles for foreign direct investment,
controlling inflation and permitting foreign direct
investment in various areas. Overall, Wissenberg
therefore sees an optimistic mood for the manmade fibre
industry in India in this new decade, but simultaneously
warns of the above-mentioned global risks.
Cultural highlights
Both technology symposiums were each accompanied
by a cultural highlight. In Daman, a musical and dance
performance showcased the history of Kashmir, while the
‘Amar Sonar Bangla’ program entertained the attendees
in Kolkata. Here, Debabrata Ghosh, General Manager
Sales at Oerlikon Textile India, demonstrated particular
commitment and created both programs with the
internationally-renowned ‘Sukalyann d’entourage’ dance
studio in Mumbai and Toronto.

ANDRITZ develops converting line for
production of face masks
The new ANDRITZ D-Tech Face Mask line produces and laminates three or more layers of fabrics
(spunbond, meltblown, thermo-bonded nonwovens and others) and ensures highest quality and
hygiene standards.
Karweb Nonwovens spunlace line.
A
NDRITZ Diatec, part of international
technology Group ANDRITZ, has developed a
fully automatic, high-speed face mask
converting line for the production of
disposable face masks. In the first configuration, this new
converting line will be able to produce masks for surgical/
medical applications; other mask types—like N95/
FFP2—are currently being evaluated.
The new ANDRITZ D-Tech Face Mask line produces and
laminates three or more layers of fabrics (spunbond,
meltblown, thermo-bonded nonwovens and others) and
ensures highest quality and hygiene standards. It
comprises unwinding and guiding units for nonwoven
webs, cutting and positioning devices for the metal nose
bar, an edge welding and cutting unit, a 90 degree rotation
process, as well as positioning and welding of the ear loop
elastics.
The line has a speed of up to 110 m/min and is able to
produce up to 7,50,000 face masks per day. There are also
different packaging options available: products can be
packed in bags by an automatic flow wrapping machine or
in cardboard boxes by an automatic cartoner.
ANDRITZ Diatec is one of the globally leading
specialists for converting machines for the production of
hygiene end products: diapers for children and adults,
feminine hygiene, underpads, absorbent pads for the food
industry, and now also face masks.
ANDRITZ receives order from Karweb
ANDRITZ receives order from Karweb Nonwovens to
supply a complete neXline spunlace line for its plant
located in Gaziantep, Turkey. The line is scheduled for
installation and start-up at the beginning of 2021.
www.indiantextilejournal.com
Technical textiles
This new neXline spunlace eXcelle line is dedicated to
the production of viscose and polyester wipes as well as
biodegradable wipes. The production capacity can be up to
18,000 t/a.
ANDRITZ will provide a full line with state-of-the-art
equipment – from web forming to drying. The scope of
supply includes the complete opening and blending
machinery, two inline high-speed TT cards, a proven
JetlaceEssentiel unit (including a water filtration unit) for
hydroentanglement, a neXdry through-air dryer, and a
neXecodry S1 system for energy saving.
This order confirms the strong and successful
relationship between ANDRITZ and Karweb Nonwovens. In
2017, ANDRITZ supplied a spunlace line to Karweb for
production of roll-goods made from several types of fibers,
such as polyester, viscose, Tencel, cotton and polyamide.
Karweb Nonwovens, founded in 2013, is a division of
Kara Holding and the first and only Turkish manufacturer
of airlaid products for health care, hygiene and special
disposable materials. The company serves customers
worldwide.
ANDRITZ offers a broad portfolio of innovative plants,
equipment, systems and services for the pulp and paper
industry, the hydropower sector, the metals processing and
forming industry, solid/liquid separation in the municipal
and industrial sectors, as well as animal
feed and biomass pelleting. The global product and
service portfolio is rounded off with plants for power
generation, recycling, the production of nonwovens and
panelboard, as well as automation and digital solutions
offered under the brand name of Metris. The publicly listed
group today has around 29,500 employees and more than
280 locations in over 40 countries.
The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020 57
 Report
ColorJet encourages industry to
DIGITAL PRINTING
contribute for PM Cares Fund
I
n response to the honourable Indian Prime
Minister Narendra Modi’s call to donate to the PM
Cares Fund, to help fight the Covid-19 menace,
wide format inkjet digital printer manufacturer,
Colorjet Group, has started a campaign to help the
government by encouraging its associates, customers
and industry partners to contribute to the fund.
“People from all walks of life expressed their desire
to donate to India’s war against COVID-19. Respecting
that spirit, the Prime Minister’s Citizen Assistance and
Relief in Emergency Situations Fund has been
constituted. This will go a long way in creating a
healthier India. Kindly contribute to the PM-CARES
Fund,” PM Modi had said while launching the fund.
To kick off this initiative, ColorJet has donated Rs
5,00,000 to the PM Cares Fund and has also created a
dedicated page to donate on the ColorJet website. All
contributions get directly transferred to the PM Cares
Fund, with ColorJet acting only as an intermediate.
ColorJet will also be giving certificates of appreciation
to all donors.
ColorJet has set a goal to generate contributions
amounting to Rs 2.5 million and till date the donations
have totalled INR 725,816 received from 118 donors,
with donations also pouring in from industry partners
58 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020
in UAE, USA, Japan, etc. ColorJet is reaching out to its
associates, partners and customers in the inkjet
printing industry through conference calls, emails and
social media.
“ColorJet being an industry leader has been playing
a proactive part in the fight against the Corona Virus
pandemic. At the onset of this outbreak, we took several
initiatives to protect our employees by maintaining
social distancing and regular sanitisation. We decided to
launch this campaign to motivate all our industry
partners to donate generously for this cause. Only by
coming together, we will be able to fight through these
difficult andunimaginable times,” Mr Smarth Bansal,
DGM-Product & Brand at ColorJet said.
“The ongoing COVID-19 crisis is making an
unprecedented impact on the world and it is not going
to pass in a hurry and it will take its time and toll on us.
At this time, when the society is facing such an
immense crisis, whatever individual efforts we put is
good, but by coming together, our collective synergy
can help overcome this crisis better. We are constantly
monitoring the situation and would be ready to
cooperate with the government in any capacity to help
fight this pandemic,” Madhu Sudan Dadu, Chairman at
ColorJet added.
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 Report
SPGPrints demonstrates sustainability
DIGITAL PRINTING
with Level 3 classification in ZDHC audit
The ZDHC Foundation has created a platform where companies within the sports, fashion, luxury and
outdoor industries work closely together to phase out the usage of hazardous substances.
S
ociety has become increasingly aware that
certain chemicals are extremely damaging to
human health and the environment. SPGPrints
has always taken responsibility to find the most
sustainable printing solutions and has been working to
meet all common sustainability standards with their
digital printing products meant for textiles. In that light,
SPGPrints has opted to comply to one of the youngest
and most progressive sustainability initiatives: the ZDHC
Foundation Roadmap to Zero Program.
The ZDHC Foundation has created a platform where
companies within the sports, fashion, luxury and
outdoor industries work closely together to phase out
the usage of hazardous substances. Intensive testing of
all reactive inks for digital printing of textiles from
SPGPrints, followed by a recent audit, performed by a
third-party, has resulted in the highest possible ZDHC
compliance: the level 3 conformance. This clearly
shows that SPGPrints greatly contributes to the
ZDHC’s ideal.
“The ZDHC platform enables SPGPrints to show that
they are doing their very best to create a process that is
as sustainable as possible,” explains Fred Schmitz,
Product Stewardship & Regulatory Compliance (PS&RC)
Specialist at SPGPrints. “You should meet customers’
wishes, but at the same time create results that are not
60 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020
harmful to human health and the environment.”
SPGPrints strives for high-value printers that contribute
to sustainability, being eco-friendly and qualitative at the
same time.
For companies like SPGPrints, the audit system of the
ZDHC is a suitable method to display products and
services that comply with these guidelines. For potential
customers, the ZDHC Foundation created a trustworthy
platform that shows how companies are working very
hard towards a sustainable production process. In this
way, the consumer knows he is helping the ideal of a
better world by buying sustainable products.
Are you curious about SPGPrints’ ideals or do you
want to know more about our products and the way we
produce them? The sustainability video on our website
shows you how we incorporate these ideals in all our
processes.
SPGPrints is the global leading provider of integrated
solutions for textile, label and industrial printing
markets. It provides total system solutions, with a
portfolio including screens, lacquers, inks, digital
engravers and a broad range of rotary screen and digital
printing systems. The company has applied its
electroforming expertise to developing highly reliable
rotary screen technology. SPGPrints also has in-house
development and ink-production.
 www.indiantextilejournal.com

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Trade Talk
Apparel production to fall 10-12%
in Apr-Jun: KPMG
I
ndia’s textiles and apparel sector production is
expected to decline by 10-12 per cent in the April-
June quarter owing to the coronavirus pandemic,
according to a study by KPMG in India. Demand
shocks are expected to hurt India’s textile exports over the
next few quarters, the study observed, assessing the
current and potential impact of coronavirus on the sector.
“With lockdown in China, price of man-made fibre
imports is expected to rise significantly, resulting in higher
price for some goods in the domestic market. If the current
scenario persists over the next few months, the domestic
retail market would also be impacted significantly,” said
the study. From a manufacturing perspective, employment
would be impacted owing to limited demand in both
domestic and international market, it revealed. Besides,
assessing the coronavirus impact on the country’s micro,
small and medium enterprises, the study noted that
contractual, wage labour will get impacted more leading
Apparel sector could take a hit of
Rs 1 lakh cr: CMAI
T
he Indian apparel industry could take a hit of
almost Rs 1 lakh crore due to the lockdown to
contain the Covid-19 outbreak and a significant
slowdown is expected in economic growth once
the lockdown ends, according to a survey by the Clothing
Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI), which
concluded that almost 50 lakh jobs in the apparel
industry are at risk. Almost a crore jobs may be lost in the
textile and apparel industries, the survey estimated.
Out of nearly 4,000 CMAI members, more than 1,500
with annual sales of about Rs 60,000 crore and employing
400,000 plus people, reported a possibility of more than 40
per cent drop in demand after the lockdown.
Despite government measures, the apparel industry,
especially its members from the micro, small and medium
enterprises (MSME) sector that constitute 90 per cent of
the industry, needs more support, the survey found. Wage
subsidy and working capital support for the long working
capital cycle is the need of the hour.
62 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020
to layoffs, unrest, lowering of purchasing power.
With Europe and the US being affected the most, there
will be a huge impact on exports as global demand is
expected to come down significantly, it said on outward
shipments from MSMEs. A study by the All India
Manufacturer’s Organisation (AIMO) estimates that about a
quarter of over 75 million MSMEs in India will face closure
if the lockdown due to COVID- 19 goes beyond four weeks
and this figure is estimated to touch a whopping 43 per
cent if the situation extends beyond eight weeks, said the
KPMG report.
Eighty per cent of the respondents indicated the need
to downsize their organisation immediately. A minimum
30 per cent reduction in employee count and about 20 per
cent reduction in salaries for all employees is the action
that CMAI members are likely to take to ensure survival
after the lockdown, the survey found.
Ninety per cent of the members expect a 30-40 per cent
increase in inventory due to zero sales during the
lockdown. All companies are worried about collection from
trade post the lockdown. A quarter of the collections may
become bad debts and members expect a minimum 90
days additional delay in collections. The choking of
working capital will lead to a delay in reviving factories,
and therefore, three-fourths of the respondents expect
normalcy in the market only in fiscal 2021-22.
A fifth of the respondents indicated they may consider
closing down their business as they will not have the
required additional resources to pay for costs during
lockdown and the inevitable slowdown in the economy.
 www.indiantextilejournal.com

Atlas Copco completes new

project in record time
A
tlas Copco, a leader in
medical and laboratory
gas systems, completed
the medical gas pipeline
system project at Sassoon Hospital,
Pune in a record time of 11 days.
Where it normally takes 4 to 5
months planning and executing a
project of such magnitude, the
company undertook to complete the
project in a much shorter time to
provide support to the hospital in
treating Covid-19 patients.
Amit Kumar Srivastava, Business
Line Manager, Atlas Copco
Compressor Technique, said, “We
were actively involved in the
process to ensure that we deliver
our best services to the hospital in
view of this pandemic. The project
required flawless collaboration,
along with strategic planning to
accomplish the task within the
almost impossible timeline. We as
an organisation feel very proud and
humbled that we were able to
contribute our bit to the fight
against Covid-19 and complete the
medical gas pipeline project in a
record time of 11 days.”
All parts of the medical gas
pipeline system by Beacon Medaes,
such as medical oxygen system,
medical air system, medical vacuum
system, medical gas outlet and
other accessories, are as per
international medical standards.
Atlas Copco has employees working
remotely, and also at sites
supporting essential services,
following all health and safety
guidelines, and is committed to
strengthening and maintaining
support to customers and partners
at all times.

June 2020
Textile Machinery & Accessories – Global Vs India
Interviews and articles of manufacturers of textile machinery &
accessories will be the focus of this issue.
Special Focus: Home Textiles
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66 The Indian Textile Journal | May 2020