Seshadri Ramkumar, Texas Tech University, USA
Nonwoven and technical textiles have important roles to play towards the growth of the Indian textiles sector. India wants its textile sector to reach $US 250 billion by 2020. There needs to be growth in natural fiber, synthetic fiber, conventional and technical textiles sectors to achieve this economic figure.
Government of India has supported the growth of nonwovens industry by establishing a Center of Excellence in Nonwovens in Ichalkaranji, Maharashtra.
Amidst lush sugarcane fields, a nonwoven R&D and incubation center is fully operational at DKTE Textile and Engineering Institute in Ichalkaranji. Some 90 companies have availed the help from the institute in their product development and research.
Trutzschler’s 2-meter wide needlepunching line with domestically made through-air bonding machine serve nonwoven companies and start-ups in developing a myriad of nonwoven products that find applications in filtration and insulation. A coating line has been added for functional finishing of nonwovens. Industry regularly uses the manufacturing size nonwoven machines and the testing center for their product development stated, Aniket Bhute, Assistant Director of the center.
The center has been financially supported by DKTE Institute and has been established by public and private partnership stated, Professor P. V. Kadole, Director of DKTE Institute. Many novel projects such as linen needlepunched nonwovens, solar water nonwoven filter, membranes for ethanol-water separation are currently ongoing at the center.
Nearly a decade ago, this scribe predicted the growth of India’s nonwoven sector using the relationship between per capita nonwoven consumption and GDP growth rate. The model predicted India’s growth to be in double digits, which is now fairly accepted growth figure for the nonwoven sector in India.
