The Arvind Group has entered into a joint venture to manufacture glass fiber for transportation, wind energy, aerospace and infrastructure, amongst others. It was a major step forward for the group’s long-term strategy to develop the technical textiles business as a major growth engine. The company has set up its Advanced Material Division fully dedicated for high end performance materials and fabric solutions for composites, including solutions for growing sectors like personal protection, industrial filtration, wind energy, Defence, auto components, transportation, and housing & infrastructure.
The company is strategizing to further scale up its Advanced Materials Division (AMD) and push the bar on sustainability. AMD is focusing on IP-driven human protection and industrial products. It offers speciality suits, gloves and gears for firefighting, high altitude, chemical and radiation protection, etc. In Industrial Application, the company offers non-woven filters, felts and auto interiors, coated fabrics for tents, awnings, large signages, etc., and glass and carbon reinforced composites. Arvind is targeting a turnover of Rs. 1,600 crores in this business by 2023. Currently AMD business clocks a turnover of Rs. 505 crores.
Arvind Group has recently entered into a joint venture with Top Glass of Italy to offer advanced composite solutions in India and across the globe. The company has also partnered with JCB to provide safety-compliant industrial uniforms. This is the first-ever tie-up for manufacturing co-branded industrial wear in India.
Arvind – Top Glass venture
Arvind has entered into a technology partnership with Top Glass Industries S.p.A. (Italy), a global leader in making composite products. The partnership aims at bringing together the world class technology of Top Glass Industries and the manufacturing capabilities of Arvind’s AMD to India.
Founded in 1963, Top Glass is one of the leading and advanced manufacturer of pultrusion composite profiles based out of Italy. The company specializes in manufacturing standard or customized profiles in composite materials with pultrusion, pullwinding and centrifugal casting technology.
Top Glass is globally renowned and appreciated for its steadfast commitment to innovation. It has been at the forefront of innovation and has been one among the first to develop pultrusion, centrifugal casting equipment and products such as radio antennas. It has two world-class composite factories, serves more than 2,000 customers across 25 countries and produces more than 6000 km of composite profiles per year with 70% exports.
This partnership will give impetus to the ‘Make in India’ campaign and thus enable Arvind AMD to reduce down India’s dependence on imports of products like antenna solutions used in telecommunication, parts and specialty products used in electrical equipment like transformers. The emerging areas like newer construction materials for window frames and blinds, telescopic profiles, etc., will also get a boost with this partnership. In addition to bringing newer technologies into the country, this collaboration will help the economy save valuable foreign exchange with significant import substitution.
Top Glass Industries will now be a long-term knowledge partner for Arvind, and together, the two will bring significant impact into the competitive telecom and electrical infrastructure market in India. Further, the partnership with Top Glass will help Arvind enhance its pultrusion technology and introduce new products in the Indian and global markets, thereby enabling both companies to serve their composite customers more effectively. Arvind will also be the licensee of the “I Love Composites” trademark of Top Glass. Arvind AMD will now also export its specialty composite products to European markets.
Composite products find high application in industries such as infrastructure, telecom, electrical and construction industries. Composite materials are known to be corrosion resistant and demonstrate a high strength to weight ratio making them suitable for advanced architecture. Structural composites that are formed through Pultrusion are light-weight and maintenance-free alternatives to wood, concrete and metals.
Commenting on the partnership Mr. Ashish Kumar, CEO – Advanced Materials Division & Arvind Envisol, Arvind Ltd., said: “We are transforming our business quickly through technologies that enable us to explore and create new opportunities across our business divisions. We aim to extend our manufacturing capabilities into new frontiers such as human protection, construction, and mobility. Our partnership with Top Glass Industries S.p.A. is in line with our commitment to providing customers with world-class composite solutions.”
Mr. Alfonso Branca, CEO, Top Glass Industries, said: “Our company is committed to delivering Best Value and World Class solutions to our customers while enhancing Composite product portfolio through technology leadership. Our partnership with Arvind Ltd. gives us an exciting opportunity to do just that in India and globally in the rapidly growing Specialty Composite market.”
India continues to be a fast growing economy and is at a nascent stage for adoption of newer materials like composite glass fabrics. Globally, composite materials have made inroads into diverse segments such as telecommunications, electrical infrastructure, automobile, railways, aviation, renewable and wind energy, etc.
Arvind-JCB partnership
Arvind and JCB have entered into a partnership to introduce protective, smart, comfortable and stylish ready-to-wear industrial uniforms. This partnership is the first of its kind to offer co-branded protective wear and industrial uniforms for India’s workforce. The product range will be made available through Arvind and JCB India’s distribution network and point-of-sale locations across the country.
JCB India Ltd. is a leading manufacturer of earthmoving and construction equipment in India. The company started as a joint venture in 1979 and is now a fully owned subsidiary of J.C. Bamford Excavators of the UK. With five state-of-the-art factories in India, it now turns out over 50 products in eight product lines there are not only sold in India but have been exported to over 90 countries.
JCB has the largest dealer network in the construction equipment industry with over 60 dealers and 650 outlets spread throughout India. JCB machines have been used to build world-class infrastructure in India for close to four decades. JCB today provides a full range of infrastructure equipment solutions for customers.
Industrial uniforms have become essential in view of the increasing focus on occupational safety and health (OSH) and regulatory compliance in India. Stringent Government norms, growing awareness of safety regulations, globalization of domestic companies, and the growing number of MNCs setting up manufacturing facilities in India have contributed to the increase in demand for safety-compliant and comfortable industrial uniforms.
While the OSH market is growing, there is limited choice in branded ready-to-wear industrial uniforms in the country. The partnership between Arvind and JCB India will unlock new opportunities in this market segment by offering best-in-class products for core sectors like healthcare, pharmaceuticals, iron & steel manufacturing, mining, automobiles, Defence, armed forces, and construction, among others.
Arvind will complement JCB India’s safety shoes business with its value-added protective wear and personal protective equipment (PPE) product basket, which includes coveralls, dungarees, rain wear and balaclavas. These products are fire, chemical and shock-resistant, and possess other such properties that serve to protect factory workers, fire-fighters, construction crew, soldiers, healthcare professionals, and security personnel from the harsh operating environments that their respective jobs entail.
Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Ashish Kumar, CEO – Advanced Materials Division & Arvind Envisol, Arvind Ltd., said: “We are transforming our business quickly through technologies and partnerships that enable us to explore and create new opportunities. Extending textile manufacturing beyond fashion and into areas like safety and protection is our main concern now. This partnership will leverage JCB’s market presence with Arvind’s textile manufacturing capabilities to provide industrial wear that will meet the highest standards of safety and protection.”
“Safety is of paramount importance for us at JCB. It does not get limited to our machines on construction sites only, but is an overarching philosophy. We are committed to introducing products which enhance safety and protection and our partnership with Arvind Ltd. gives us an exciting opportunity to do just that in the area of apparel. In India’s rapidly growing occupational safety and health market, we look forward to working together to create a market presence for value-added protective wear and personal protective equipment,” Mr. Vipin Sondhi, MD and CEO, JCB India Ltd.