Bhilwara, a small town south of Jaipur, is a popular destination for suiting fabrics. With textiles being the main industry in the district, the area has more than 800 manufacturing units, making it a major textile centre specializing in synthetic fabrics for trousers and suitings. A strong weaving sector is another feather in the cap of Bhilwara’s prospering textile industry.
Weavers in this region specialize in different blends of polyester fabrics such as polyester-wool, polyester-viscose-modal, polyester-viscose-elastane and polyester-wool elastane.
Bhilwara was always considered a market for second-hand weaving machines. An average weaving unit has 6-12 machines under one roof. But this unorganized sector plays a major role, and one European brand which saw potential in this market and took measures to leverage on the opportunity was none other than the well-known Picanol.
Picanol has been playing an important role in equipping the Indian weaving industry with the best of technologies. Even for this world famous Belgium brand, it was a daunting task to penetrate into the Bhilwara market. “It took years of rigorous persuasion and unrelenting efforts by the team at Picanol India to break the ice in this cluster. Today the brand enjoys a leadership position in-terms of market share in Bhilwara for the number of new looms being installed,” says Mr. Kasiviswanathan, Head – Picanol India.
All the efforts are slowly paying off for Picanol, as more and more customers are reaping the benefits of purchasing newer machines compared to older days.
The recently conducted show, Temtech, has thrown the spotlight on the Bhilwara weaving industry and the huge potential it holds. Picanol had the biggest participation at the event, displaying its all-new OptiMax-i loom in working condition for customers.
The show attracted a good number of visitors from Bhilwara and the neighboring regions. The sentiments expressed were positive as many small time players showed interest in purchasing newer machines and OE spare parts.
“Bhilwara is a very important market for Picanol. Travelling to this small town for the last 25 years, I have seen the potential this market holds for us. It was difficult and testing at times to even sell a single machine, but the situation here is improving of late. We have sold a very good number of machines in the last couple of years, and we still feel we are just taking baby steps into this market,” adds Mr. Kasiviswanathan during his exclusive interview with The Textile Magazine, “I’m very proud to say we sold the first state-of-the-art OptiMax-i machine to a customer in Bhilwara.”
Always considered to be a PV suiting hub, Bhilwara is slowly tapping the potential in denim and home textiles. Many players have understood the need for a change and are diversifying into allied sectors. Denim manufacturers of Bhilwara are more inclined towards domestic sales as they are able to get better realizations than from exports.
Be it sheeting, denim or suiting customer, be it rapier or airjet, Picanol has definitely carved a niche for itself in this important textile hub of Rajasthan.