A.T.E., the erstwhile Associated Textile Engineers, has been playing a prominent role in weaving the success of India’s textile story. For more than 75 years, the company has seen fluctuating fortunes of the Indian textile industry and feels that the best is yet to come.
In an exclusive interview, Mr. Gurudas Aras, Director, A.T.E. Enterprises Private Ltd., tells The Textile Magazine that 2014 was one of the best years for textile machinery business. Though other machinery manufacturers haven’t fared to the expected extent, A.T.E.’s performance was exemplary, with its special focus on diversification.
Its growing presence in the entire gamut of textile value chain gives A.T.E. a distinct advantage over its competitors. Segment-wise, spinning had one of the best years for A.T.E. where Trutzschler India put up an outstanding performance by selling more than 800 carding machines. A steep jump has also been noticed in its market share in blowroom and carding segments.
“It has also been one of the best years for warp knitting and warp preparation machines. The company sold more than 200 warp knitting machines of Karl Mayer. Revival of the Surat market accounted for almost 80 per cent of our business in this segment”, says Mr. Aras.
The reinforced TUF Scheme is mainly responsible for the growth in post-spinning in Surat and nearby markets. Amritsar is another potential market for A.T.E.’s warp knitting division. “Our processing vertical has been under-performing in the last 3-4 years, but there was a tremendous change in the last quarter of 2014. Looking at the huge number of confirmed orders, 2015 is going to be an outstanding year for our processing division,” stresses Mr. Aras.
Overall, the year just gone by has been one of consolidation for A.T.E. The company added four new principals to its existing portfolio. Always known to cater to the best in the industry because of its high-end products, the newly-added brands, particularly in weaving, will hopefully help the company garner a sizable market share even in the unorganized sector.
At the recent GTTES show, A.T.E. joined hands with yet another Chinese OEM, namely, Hangzhou Huahong Machinery Co. Ltd., for terry and simple rapier weaving machines, to cater more to the terry segment and also to the bottom of the pyramid segment where volumes are really high. “It’s a volume game, and we see a great potential for growth in this segment in the future. With the response generated at the GTTES show, I am sure this business division will perform well beyond expectations,” adds Mr. Aras.
A.T.E.’s in-house brands like Teraspin have performed very well in 2014 with a growth of 20-22 per cent in spinning components business. Exports have risen significantly with their products reaching the shores of Germany, Egypt, Iran, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Bangladesh and also, for the first time, in the Chinese market for OEM supply. The waste water treatment projects executed in Thailand and Indonesia are generating a good number of enquiries from the neighboring countries, apart from supplies to some leading names from the Indian textile industry.
Asked about the growth potential of Indian textile industry in 2015, Mr. Aras says: “The major growth driver for 2015 should come from weaving preparatory, warp knitting and processing. We are optimistic about a 20% growth in the above said business divisions. The future of A.T.E. is in manufacturing, and the focus is very clear as to have our own products wherever possible.”
A.T.E. now offers service for Zimmer machines too
A.T.E. has been representing Zimmer since 2013 for sale of its entire range of machinery covering digital printing systems, flat screen and rotary screen printing, coating, and drying machines for textiles as well as carpet finishing. The scope of representation has now been expanded to cover service, including erection, commissioning and trouble-shooting.
J. Zimmer Maschinenbau GmbH, Austria, which was established more than 135 years ago, offers a complete range of high quality, reliable printing systems as well as related software. Zimmer is also known for its complete process and application know-how in printing.
A.T.E. has a team of well-trained and experienced engineers who have been extensively trained in Zimmer machines and can now handle erection, commissioning and trouble-shooting of these machines independently. Thus, customers can now avail themselves of quick and cost-effective services from the company.
A.T.E. has already rendered satisfactory services, including erection and commissioning, for Zimmer rotary printing machines to various customers in India like Arvind Mills Ltd., Kitex Garments Ltd., GHCL Ltd., Bombay Dyeing & Mfg. Co. Ltd., and Morarjee Mills Ltd.