Ludhiana-based Elex International has been supplying flat knitting machines to the Indian industry for the past five decades working in close association with its Chinese associates to develop many semi-automatic, automatic and computerised technologies suitable for the country. Representing the company at the fair, Gurudev Singh Panesar was satisfied with the response generated for flat knit innovations displayed from Elex. “If we compare this edition of the fair to the last one, this event is actually better as people are no longer sceptical about computerized flat knitting machines,” says Gurudev Singh.
Elex was showcasing flat knitting machines from Zhangjiagang Feilan Import & Export, China, for fully fashioned garments. Among the number of machine displayed, the Elex FF256SA was most inquired by the visitors. Apart from the ability to do basic knitting of sweaters, the machine can perform tuck, pointelle, non-dashed intarsia and jacquard designs. The machine provides a knitting width of 48 to 60 inches and gauge options ranging from 5G to 14G. The electronic tension mechanism in the machine efficiently handles both the large knots which can cause the machine to stop and the small knots, which causes the machine to slow down, so that the machine resumes operations at the set speed. “We have been associated with the company for about three years and currently more than 100 machines are running in Ludhiana and Delhi/NCR,” adds Gurudev Singh. Clearing the misconceptions regarding performance of Chinese machines in India, he added, “People have now tried and tested Chinese knitting machines and recognized the good ones, and are now expecting automation from them.”
Talking about the Ludhiana market in general, Gurudev Singh informed that one cannot say whether people are going in more for flat knitting machines or circular knitting machines. “People are now mixing both the set of machines to suit their needs and demands of the market,” he muses. Similarly, regarding automation, there is an increase in the number of people going for automation, but the majority still wants basic machines due to low capital cost and easy maintenance.
