India-ITME
Textile World Asia Special ReportIndia-ITMEA Technology ShowcaseThis year’s India-ITME proves
particularly significant as the country’s textile industry prepares for the elimination of textile
export quotas in January 2005.The curtain raiser for free trade in textiles” is how organizers are
touting this year’s India International Textile Machinery Exhibition (India-ITME), which is
scheduled to take place at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai, India, December 4-11. This
year’s show will be the 7th edition of the show, which was launched in 1979 and takes place every
four years.According to the Mumbai-based India ITME Society, the event’s organizer, India-ITME is
the largest textile machinery exhibition of its kind in India. The event will showcase
technological developments in the machinery and component fields and will be a medium for the
international exchange of products and ideas.
Global ParticipantsIndia-ITME has received overwhelming responses from textile machinery and
component manufacturers worldwide. As of press time, there are 725 confirmed exhibitors, of which
425 are from India. There were 615 exhibitors in 2000.“This year, we will have the biggest ever
textile exhibition. Our gross area is 50,000 square meters (compared to 22,700 square meters in the
last exhibition) spread over four halls,” said C.V. Radhakrishnan, executive director, India ITME
Society. “Furthermore, we expect more than 120,000 visitors, which is much more than the number in
earlier exhibitions. (There were approximately 100,000 attendees in 2000.) Even at this late stage,
there is a continuing high demand for space from national and international exhibitors. India-ITME
is unable to accommodate any more participants due to paucity of exhibition space.”India-ITME 2004
has attracted exhibitors from more than 25 countries and regions, including Austria, Belgium,
China, the Czech Republic, Germany, France, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the
United States, and others. This year, ITME has special pavilions for Italy and Germany, as well as
China, which has taken out 900 square meters for its pavilion.“This is the first time China is
participating in such a large scale,” said Radhakrishnan.
Tremendous OpportunityAccording to a report titled “Freeing India’s Textile Industry,”
published by U.S.-based McKinsey and Co., a management consulting firm, India will be one of the
biggest beneficiaries of the ending of the quota system. The firm estimates India’s textile and
garment exports could increase by 15 percent to 18 percent annually over the next nine to 10 years.
The report also said this expansion would enable India to win 5 percent of the global apparel
export market by 2008 and to capture $25 billion to $30 billion by 2013.However, the report also
stressed that the Indian textile industry will have to gear itself up to compete in a globally
integrated market. This will require heavy investments in all segments of the textile industry and
thus, the opportunity for the textile machinery and component sectors will be tremendous. To
prepare for this post-quota boom, India’s textile industry has chalked up plans to set up new
factories and upgrade existing ones. Moreover, according to McKinsey, the Indian government has
removed many of the barriers hindering the sector’s growth.Looking at this anticipated scenario,
Radhakrishnan said, “ITME is expected to fulfill the industry’s demand. With Asia becoming the
major source for textiles, our aim is to provide a platform for the global textile engineering
industry to showcase its products to the local industry.”In preparation, India’s textile and
clothing industry plans to invest about $2 billion over the next few years to expand capacity to
meet demand from United States and European Union buyers, who are expected to consolidate their
orders to several large suppliers.Industry GrowthThe textile engineering industry in India
manufactures the entire range of machinery, including components and accessories for processing
cotton, manmade fibers and filaments into finished fabrics. In the past five decades, the entire
industry has made significant progress in technology use and performance. The industry has an
annual production capacity exceeding $675 million and employs a massive 75,000 employees. Annual
exports are in the region of $100 million. Ajit Yadav, chairman and managing director of
India-based ManiMore Synthetics Pvt. Ltd. and CMC Textiles Pvt. Ltd., said, “The ITME show is very
eagerly looked forward to by the industry. We can see both local and international developments
under one roof. It is a great opportunity for the textile industry to view the technological
advancements and plan investments in newer technologies for their expansions.”G.T. Dembla, chairman
of ITME Society, expressed robust optimism. He said, “The upturn in outlook for the textile
business and the dismantling of the quota regime by January 2005 will give a shot in the arm for
the textile engineering industry. India-ITME 2004 looks forward to a successful and beneficial
interfacing between machinery exhibitors and textile producers.”In conjunction with the show, the
Federation of Textile Engineering Industry has organized a seminar, titled “New Dimensions for
Textile Engineering Industry — Roadmap for the Decade,” to be held December 8 during the
exhibition. There will be a number of speakers from India and around the world present.
Technology Showcase At ITME 2004In an effort to demonstrate its leadership position in East
and Southeast Asia, Italy-based Itema Group will be represented at the show by its
divisions.Promatech S.p.A.’s entire product range will be on show, including both air-jet and
rapier technologies. The Mythos Tec 1,900 millimeter air-jet loom, set up for cotton clothing,
boasts high productivity and the ability to weave all types of styles, even the heaviest, with
quality. The rapier looms will be shown with a HI Drive motorized version of the Leonardo Silver
1900 loom.According to Promatech, this technological development for the Indian market, which can
appreciate the new performance of this loom, is presented with quality shirting.The Alpha 3200
loom, on the other hand, will be shown in a jacquard version for complex furnishing styles,
demonstrating the insertion capacity of the loom. The Leonardo Dynaterry terry loom will be shown
making terry cloth with increased productivity.Itema (Shanghai) Textile Machinery, the group’s
China-based subsidiary, will present the wool fabric version of the K88.
Leonardo Dynaterry terry loom
Belgium-based Picanol NV has been serving the Indian textile industry for many decades. At
the show, the company will be showcasing its GTXplus rapier and Olympica air-jet machines, as well
as the GamMax and OMNIplus systems, which are favored by large Indian textiles companies as upgrade
investments.Machines on display include the OMNIplus 2 P 340, OMNIplus 4 P 190, GamMax 4 R 190,
GamMax 6 R 220, GamMax 8 J 190, GTXplus 4 R 190 and Olympica 2 P 190.Germany-based Dilo System
Group will present the latest Dilo and Spinnbau technologies.The Dilo Hyperpunch technology is an
established standard in high-capacity needle looms. The company said this technology has the
ability to reach substantially higher production speeds with significant quality improvements. The
elliptical needle beam movement reduces lateral shrinkage during needling, yielding a better end
product, homogeneous and improved surface appearance.The new Di-Lour IV Hyperpunch machine is for
structured velour applications. Combined with the company’s Advance technology, very fine-pitch
patterns, diamond and herringbone structures are possible.Also on display will be the Spinnbau
high-production cards, HyperspeedCard and DeltaCard. A new feature is the fiber preparation area of
the cards. The machines can satisfy demands for high-production and manageable fiber orientation
prior to consolidating the web in the spunlace process.
DeltaCard carding machineGermany-based Lindauer Dornier GmbH will present its family of
weaving machines at the show. The air-jet weaving machine runs with the new patented,
pressure-regulation type ServoControl®. It minimizes thread load and allows automatic, reproducible
pressure adjustments for every color, resulting in higher performance and improved fabric quality.
In combination with the new PWC Positive Weft Clamp device, weaving of greige denim with flamé
filling on a 360-centimeter (cm)-wide machine at 600 revolutions per minute is feasible.The company
will also display rapier weaving machines, including a 170-cmwide machine with eight colors in
combination with a 5,120 hook Jacquard machine shown with a typical Indian silk sari that has
tucked selvedges on both sides. The machine shown is fitted with the new, patented AirGuide® air
cushion guide, which will be presented for the first time in India.The new ServoTerry® air-jet
terry weaving machine targets the home textiles sector. According to Dornier, the machine’s
advantage over existing systems is the direct drive of the terry movement using a servomotor while
retaining precise and gentle reed impact. This allows varying pile weave and infinitely adjustable
pile heights during running.Another machine for technical textiles and home furnishings is the
EasyLeno® leno weaving system.
ServoTerry® air-jet terry weaving machine
Winter 2004