January saw Ludhiana host two technology fairs – KnitWorld and Knit Vision within a span of almost a week and both witnessed good visitation and strong participation. This is definitely an indication that Ludhiana is now ready to take the leap forward in technology, and from the feedback of the participants, new directions are emerging which augurs well for the growth of the industry. Team Apparel Online catches the pulse from both events…
(Knit World) Enthusiastic visitation reflects reviving business in Ludhiana as global market revives
Ludhiana is today at the cusp of change and despite back-to-back events that highlighted the latest technology, the enthusiasm was notable with nearly 28,000 visitors thronging the 21st edition of KnitWorld. The overall feel was positive and participants shared that the industry is preparing for the revival of business in the global market…
A recognized comprehensive flat knitting technology solution provider, Shima Seiki, represented by Janaksons International in India, was very upbeat of future growth prospects. “The market is rejuvenated considering the high manufacturing costs of China and India’s competence in value-added knits. There are buyers who want to buy quantities like 500,000 pieces from India. At the same time, opportunities, like Uniqlo have improved the investment mood. Within 2-3 years, India will see a remarkable surge as the business will shift from Bangladesh as well,” remarked Ashwani Behl, President, Janaksons International. For Ashwani, the presence of cheaper Chinese alternatives has not made Ludhiana (a price-sensitive market) a tough arena for high-end Shima Seiki machines. “The competition from Chinese manufacturers is decimating with each passing edition. From about 20 exhibitors last year, it has come down to a meager handful, while our advantage of low carriage weight, faster turnaround time, high productivity, WHOLEGARMENT, training initiatives and patented mechanisms like DSCS have not only helped us remain afloat, but grow as well,” he said.
Omex Mechanical Works, a Ludhiana-based knitting machine manufacturer, presented its fully computerized flatbed knitting machine, one-up from the semi-computerized flatbed knitting machine that was exhibited at the previous edition of the exhibition. “The fair has successfully managed to mark the onset of business recovery in the region. We have received enquiries for the machines exhibited by us,” said Harish Daffu, Owner, Omex, gauging the response at the fair. Having started the journey as an importer and distributor of spandex yarn, and then moving into knitting needles after sensing opportunity in the fast evolving Indian knitting industry, Alpex has come a long way as a leading solution provider to the knitting industry. Today, the company has four distinct business divisions – spandex yarns, knitting needles, solar panel manufacturing and wind energy generation. The company was present at KnitWorld and displayed innovative needles from its principal, Samsung. “Although the market conditions have been slightly dull, but the good news is that the demand has not come down and Ludhiana continues to be an important market,” said Vipin Sehgal, Director, Alpex.
Joint Sales Division, Shima Seiki
Exhibiting a portfolio of technology solutions from Siruba, Duerkopp Adler and Orbito; and a deep understanding of the industry, Mehala’s presence at KnitWorld 2015 was marked by the formal introduction of Ludhiana to sewing room automation by the supplier. “Gauging the decrease in skilled labour availability, we have displayed an automat for the first time in Ludhiana. It is 745-35S, a pocket welting machine from Duerkopp Adler,” revealed Ashim Das, CEO, Mehala. Of immense utility to sportswear manufacturers, the machine received enquiries from numerous prospective buyers. “From the overall response that we have received, it can be said that the market is upbeat and witnessing investments for both expansions and new setups,” observed MP Maharajan, Product Head JAM Automatic Machines and Regional Manager, Mehala.
With a strong market presence of over a century, HCA is amongst the nation’s premier suppliers of garment manufacturing technology, offering a wide range of industrial machines from machinery stalwarts like Kansai Special, Highlead, ASS, SWF, Strobel, Yuho, Cutex and Grand, to name a few. At KnitWorld, HCA leveraged its portfolio to present a complete set of solutions from cutting room to finishing room, dedicated to product categories such as knitwear and home furnishings, which Ludhiana is best known for. “Ludhiana has welcomed the exhibition heartily. We have received the best response from our customers in the entire past decade of participation at this fair with about 15-20 new projects of 500 machines,” revealed Shiv Dhiman, Branch Manager, HCA Ludhiana. Shiv attributes the commendable investments by Ludhiana-based manufacturers to the increasing participation of the new generation in the apparel manufacturing industry. “New generation entrepreneurs are going for automation as they understand the value it holds,” he concluded.
Having spent three-and-a-half decades guiding the apparel manufacturing industry by taking various hubs to the next level of technology, IIGM has intelligently kept in tune with market trends and consumer demand. At KnitWorld, the distributor exhibited a range of solutions from Yamato, Juki and Jack. “We have displayed pattern makers and UBT machines in DDL-9000 Juki, for the first time in Ludhiana, and new buttonhole and button-attach machines from Juki’s LK-1900BB and LBH-1790A series. Visitors have liked the products and we are getting very good enquiries as well,” remarked Satyadev Goyal, Branch Manager, IIGM. Further, Satyadev endorsed the graduation of Ludhiana as a manufacturing hub adopting automation as skilled and stable labour grew scarce. “Demand for UBT has increased a lot as compared to last year. People are asking for automatic placket making machines for T-shirts. We sold three ETON conveyor systems here and even have repeat orders from Space Knitwear who manufacture for Madura,” he added.
Tata Group’s Voltas Limited marked its presence at the show with knitting solutions from LongXing, a Chinese brand from parent company Jiangsu Jinlong Technology Co. Ltd, and terry towel weaving solutions from Shangdong RIFA Textile Machinery Ltd., LongXing, the recipient of awards like ‘National Torch Program Project’ and ‘China’s Well-known Trademark’. “The response to the fair has been impressive,” said Mukesh Dharmani from Textile Machinery Division of Voltas. “The scope of weaving has grown a lot in India and now the new Government is expected to raise the momentum of investments,” added Zhu Lei, Sales Manager, Rifa. Coimbatore, Ahmedabad, and Surat are a few markets where Rifa enjoys acceptance. The principal is looking at growing by 10 per cent this year.
Delhi-NCR based accessories manufacturers/suppliers are grabbing their share in the Ludhiana market by offering new products. The12-year-old company, Lable Solutions, offered light patches (for kidswear), which were earlier being imported from China mainly. The company claims that these are fully safe as batteries are lithium-free and don’t have any issue with regards to washing. Amit Khosla, Director of the company said, “We are trying to compete with China so we are working accordingly, be it fast delivery or better quality. As we are importing just parts rather than the complete product, we are effective on cost as well.” Silicon transfers (direct on fabrics) and digital printing on different surfaces like PVC and PU are other strengths of the company, which has most of the processes in-house.
Offering a variety of quality zippers, Delhi-based Accessories World has its office in Ludhiana also. Mukesh Kumar, Director of the company, informed, “We are in this market since the last five years and have grown almost four times. Earlier, we had to convince Ludhiana-based manufacturers about quality, but now they are very aware and insist only on quality-products.” The company recently offered shining zippers, zipper with beads and different kinds of attractive sliders, which were appreciated by garment manufacturers. Apparel Engineers, Ludhiana, known for various kinds of products, is continuously moving ahead with its product strength, be it elastic tapes, buttons, transfer stickers and allied products. “We offer variety and various products under one roof, which motivates garment manufacturers to use new things and make value additions. In this way, both of us support each other and grow our businesses,” added Sanjay Maheshwari of the company.
Expressing his satisfaction on the fair, Narinder Mohan, Organizer, KnitWorld said, “We are happy to serve the Ludhiana market and complete 21 years of our company’s success. Though a few days before the event, the market scenario, especially for Ludhiana was not so good and positive sentiments were not so high, but due to change in weather, our exhibitors got good response. Also, the industry suppliers and manufacturers were happy with technologies on display.”
(Knit Vision) New developments set to bring better support to companies in Ludhiana for doing more business
The 17th edition of Knit Vision organized by Showman Associates recently, was satisfying for both the visitors and exhibitors. With Ludhiana growing and moving towards newer technologies, the new developments in machinery for knitting and garmenting sector attracted attention as did fresh products by accessories suppliers.
Narinder International, along with its regular offering of flat and circular knitting machines, displayed a compact model of the fully-fashioned Kauo Heng KH-600 (Taiwan), a more economical option from China as compared to similar machines from other countries. While the earlier machine had a bed-size of around 80 inches and gave two patterns, the new model has a bed-size of 45 inches and gives one pattern. Happy with the current market of Ludhiana, Narinder Kumar, MD of the company informed, “Kauo Heng is coming up with another model soon, which will have more features and offer higher possibilities of pattern making and various types of selections. The Ludhiana market is good as of now and we are continuously offering new products to keep pace with demand.”
KP Exim showcased a variety of machines; the big attraction was a robot from Steiger (that puts ribs directly to linkage machine), while the high speed (130 knits effective per minutes) in the flat knitting (HP2-52C) of Cixing was also appreciated. As per the company, both the products are quite new in the Indian knitting industry, and both can provide support in tackling the critical labour shortage issue in the industry. Darshan Gauba, partner in the company, said, “Flat knitting and embroidery machines are still the most in-demand as local manufacturers are moving towards advanced machines and high-fashion products. Though business was a little low last season, we are hopeful about business picking up in the next season.”
Developers of indigenous flat knitting machines still form a strong base in Ludhiana and they keep moving ahead with new developments. Krishan Mastana of Mastana Mechanical Works said, “Competition is continuously increasing, so we try to give newer models to the industry. In one of our new models, both sides can make the pearl stitch. We are the first to develop such a technique; in fact, we have made many such technical changes to give the best products to users.” Karan Kharbanda, Marketing Head, Knitsew International, which displayed machines of Stoll, was vocal about the Ludhiana market. “Based on the recent ups and downs of the market, I can say that the industry now prefers fine gauge rather than core gauge. So in my view there is going to be no in-between gauges,” he said.
EH Turel displayed for the first time in Ludhiana a button stitch machine with feeder, and Typical’s newly launched High Speed Electronic Crew-Cut Buttonholing Machine (GT 1790 Series). It does not require replacement of the knife and one can create a sequence where vertical or horizontal button holes are required. Also on display was direct drive single-needle lockstitch with integrated panels instead of panels on top of the machine. Viraf E. Turel, MD of the company, strongly felt that Ludhiana was moving towards more and more automation, which was good for the industry at large.
Juki Machinery (India) was present with its relatively new Dry Oil Pan system, in which the oil pan is concealed such that there will be no oil dropping, which will keep the machine clean at all times. The oil top-up is from the upper side, so no dust can get inside. The machine does not require any cleaning, and the life of the machine is increased as the oil remains clean. R Gopal Kukreti, Regional Manager Marketing of the company claimed that in the world has the same technology, and the machine is comparatively of low cost compared to dry head machines.
Also on display were printing machines with the latest features. Grafica Flextronica, which has made 25-30 installations in Ludhiana in the last one-and-a-half years, launched two new models at the event. The 18-palette machine with smaller print area (15”x18”) was more convenient for kids’ garments, had all solid colours palette for more options. The other machine had the same palette but a bigger print area of 30”x40”. Hanish Mehta, GM-Sales & Marketing of the company informed that they were focusing more on the domestic market, which was a little shaky, yet a lot of manufacturers had started putting up pre-press setups to make a screen better and give better quality.
The presence of several digital printing companies highlighted the growing trend of digital prints in Ludhiana. Having made 100 or so installations (mainly sublimation) in Ludhiana, Dhaval Color Lab had a good visitation at the show. Kannav Arora of the company felt that local manufacturers have realized that they have to invest in good technology if they want to survive. “Both digital as well as sublimation have good prospects here,” he said.
Though Ludhiana has few CAD users, Tukatech is positive about the market and continues to explore and create awareness about better use of technology. It has recently added one more user and a few more are in the pipeline in Ludhiana, where it has made 5 installations. Umesh Gaur, President-Asia, Tukatech, said, “We are trying to tell the industry to go for quality systems, they are becoming much more aware of it and are appreciating quality. Even domestic brands are interested in such technology and we are enthusiastic about reaching out to them with our products.”
A good number of companies were offering accessories and machinery, but the only company that offered fabric was Parmeshwari Silk Mills, which had been focusing on Ludhiana’s wholesalers and traders, and is now spreading its reach and connecting directly with garment exporters and top retail brands. The company has in-house weaving and value addition processes and is exploring new markets. “Till now we were into dress material only, but now we are approaching garment exporters and brands as we strongly feel that people really don’t know what kinds of fabrics are available in Ludhiana, and we are trying to fill this vacuum. For this, we are participating in various exhibitions and fairs,” said Ranbir Singh, President (Marketing) at the company, which was offering various blends in cotton as well as man-made fabrics. The company has a good design team and 5 digital printers, and is planning to increase its weaving capacity.
Having almost 10 customers (basic CAD users) in Ludhiana, all of which approached Bangalore-based Krishna Lamicoat themselves, motivated the company to explore this market and participate in its first ever exhibition in Ludhiana. “We have clients here, though with small billing amounts, but, one can’t deny that cities like Ludhiana and even smaller hubs have more potential. So we want to reach the small- and medium-level players. For this, we are approaching the operators in the companies (besides the owners), as the operators would be directly concerned with our products, and would be the right people to recommend them to the owners. We plan to penetrate the entire spectrum of the industry, as we are following the phrase: ‘catch them young and watch them grow’ for this market,” said Ashok Chhajer, Director of the company.
Juki Machinery (India)
Vikas Chachra, Head Business Development-India 1, Archroma India, Delhi, is also enthusiastic and positive about the Ludhiana market. “The focus of Ludhiana is more on the domestic market and demand for new things and the latest fashion is increasing rapidly. We are offering solutions to the industry in terms of specialized printing effects, which is an increasingly popular trend as of now as it gives specialized finishing effects. Fortunately for us, the manufacturers here are also looking for new solutions and quality products, so domestic does not mean cheap. We are seeing good growth in this market as our major thrust is on printing, and manufacturers in this hub are focusing more on printing in their value additions.”
What makes Ludhiana market attractive and gives it a good feel factor is the fact that every segment is growing. Jindal Fibres of Ludhiana is offering garment felts, PV interlining, embroidery paper, micro dot fusing, with a total capacity of 15 tonnes per day, and is getting almost the same or equal demand for all its products. “We have demand for all of our products. Unfortunately, many manufacturers are still offering medium-level quality, which they need to focus on and improve. We always offer the best quality products as we are using the fibres of Reliance and imported fibres, and prefer customers who ask for quality,” said Ruby Jindal, Marketing Head of the company. Besides Ludhiana it has a plant in Dharmapuri in Tamil Nadu.
Organizer and MD of Showman Associates, Satish Sharma, pleased with the turnout of 23,000 visitors approximately said, “Once again we have proved our track record, and every exhibitor and visitor is happy with the event, which supports the industry in a big way. The next edition will be bigger than this and will include the textile segment.”
