The seventh TANTU seminar brought forth discussion on something which since its start has been able to come to the closet of each one us. This time the topic was It’s in your Jeans and it was held on 14th September 2019 at India International Centre, New Delhi. It was an exciting gathering of industry experts, academicians, professionals, and Govt. officials from all over India and abroad, discussing on the technicalities, futuristic aesthetics, and most importantly sustainability when it comes to denim jeans manufacturing.
Dr. Prabir Jana, President, TANTU inaugurated the seminar providing with the intentions based on which such a topic was decided. He explained the uniqueness of TANTU seminar where information & knowledge is extracted from the expert to maximize value to the audience. With the seminar evolving over the years, this time manufacturing professionals from Bangladesh, USA was also present in the seminar.
The seminar was started by the title sponsors, Ramsons where in Mr. Sunder Belani, MD spoke about the involvement of the company with denim. He also discussed their latest and greatest machinery for denim finishing with technologies like Nanotechnology, ozone finishing, laser technology, conveyorized dryer, etc. all to minimize the use of water and be ever more sustainable throughout their system and products.
As per the customs of TANTU seminars this year also three curative panel discussions were held discussing the critical issues about the denim jeans manufacturing. The first panel discussion, moderated by Dr. Prabir Jana himself raised the question on whether denim fabric development is an art or science based on specialty yarn, fabric construction, surface finish, etc. The discussion started with the panelist’s views on knitted and embroidered denim jeans. With the versatility of denim jeans being discussed, the focus on the demand of striped denim along with plaids was also initiated.
Mr. Ram Sareen, CEO, Tukatech had a special speech dedicated to denim fit wherein the focus was made with on digital sampling system through their chains of software. They bring forward the visualization of the denim jeans with various types of finishes eliminating the step of product development. Along with that, he brought forward the use of data in laser finishing which is soon going to revolutionize the denim industry.
Following this, the second panel discussion started on the topic of wet and dry denim finishing with environmental impact and sustainability. The panel discussion was moderated by Suvodeep Mukherjee, Sr General Manager, TUV SUD. The discussion kicked off with the idea of sustainability in the use of indigo by Manuj Kanchan General Manager, Jeanologia. The topic after which moved towards the abused sustainability model of the apparel industry and chemical inventory management and its impacts. It was concluded with the idea that denim being such a staple should be manufactured keeping sustainability in mind so as to minimize its effect on nature.
From there Vinod Krishnamoorthy, MD, Fortuna colors and Printers Ltd took to stage to discuss the advantages of industrial inkjet printing. This included its power to have minimum water consumption throughout the printing process and with a possibility of changing the printing industry altogether.
After this Rahul Mahajan of Datatex gave a brief about his company discussing its roles in acting as a bridge between both textiles and apparel industries. Emphasis was made on their web-based ERP system which can cover a wide bandwidth in use through an organization starting from process/machinery scheduling, real-time data recording and automation, fabric inspection system, product tracking systems, etc.
B.K. Mohanty, Macpi discussed the importance of mechanized denim finishing scenario wherein processes will happen sequentially through machines. Their latest product, Multihead Automatic finishing machine with conveyor system suited to be the right kind of product for such job with the functions like pressing, steaming, etc. happening simultaneously.
Jay Nagessur, MD, SipItaly discussed the importance of automatic machinery in sewing of denim jeans components, significantly reducing the sewing time. Their products which solely dedicated to denim jeans sewing include pocket hemming machines, surging machines, pocket design as well as attaching machines. The speech felt very technical with a video demonstration of the various machines they offer.
Yawer Ali Shah, AMA herbal presented with their best approach towards sustainability with the use of natural dyes. With more and more chemical dyes being shut down of their use in industries due to their impact on nature itself, natural dyes become the only hope towards sustainability. Along with this, a wide range of dyed fabric was also showcased thus providing us with a promising future when it comes to dyes.
Lastly, the third panel discussion went into motion on the topic of start-ups centering on the ideas based on denim wear recycling and circularity. Mr. Pranav Khanna, Builder at X moderated the panel discussion focusing on the market strategy options to become a successful start-up, through incremental innovation or disruptive innovation. Apart from that business terms such as circular economy, reverse logistics, extended product serviceability was also brought up as with the changing market scenario these have become a need of the hour. From the discussion, it became almost certain that for start-ups or even organization, restructuring their business model in aiming towards the customer is of utmost importance to be competitive in the market.
