The market for home textiles & furnishing fabrics in India is extremely wide and varied in terms of prices, designs and colours. While affluent consumers prefer refined international taste in terms of quality and design, with price no constraint, the mid and economy segment consumers offer huge volumes for reasonably priced products.
With growing awareness on environment, safety, hygiene and functionality, the demand for better quality home textiles with features like stain-resistance, flame retardant, fragrance, etc., is increasing, thus forcing manufacturers to use nothing but the best technology if they want to stay ahead of competition. Gujarat Flotex, a world class manufacturing set-up located 50 kms from Ahmedabad, is one such brand that never hesitates to invest in cutting edge technology to stay out in front.
Gujarat Flotex Pvt. Ltd. (GFPL) is one of the emerging manufacturers, suppliers and exporters of Flocked Velvet, Flocked Fabrics and Furnishings and Home Furnishings. Commissioned in the year 2001, the company has three state-of-the-art flocking lines, processing, finishing and laminating units spread across an area of 35 acres.
The Textile Magazine got an opportunity to meet Mr. Vikas Mehta, GFPL Director, in Ahmedabad at the company headquarters and spoke to him in detail about the journey till date and the future prospects of his company.
The company belongs to the Western Flocks Group which is almost 35 years old. The parent company was started as a flocking company and later shifted focus into designer upholstery, garments, automotive and curtain fabrics made of polyester, viscose, rayon and cotton blend. Currently GFPL produces 18-20 lakh metres of fabric every month in three shifts and have capacity to further expand. Almost 25% of its production is exported across the globe and rest being consumed domestically.
GFPL has a long-standing relationship with A.T.E. “We have purchased few machines like Monfong’s Stenter and Fongs dyeing machines thru A.T.E. due to their pricing and quality. These machines are 25-30% more efficient compared to other stenters. Their aftersales and service is very good. We are very happy with the quality and performance of these machines. A lot of energy is saved by using them.”
He added: “The uniform temperature of the hot air, the RPM of the blowers, the exhaust system and heat recovery system are some of the notable characters that makes this Montex 6500 machine different from others. Online support is also provided when required. If we think of buying a new stenter, Monfongs will be our first choice”.
Expansion plans for 2016
Gujarat Flotex has invested almost Rs. 60-70 crores in this unit in the past 15 years and is planning to pump in Rs. 35 crores more this year. The company is installing an Italian yarn making unit and is also expanding its weaving segment with 28 looms initially. The construction of the new premises is to begin anytime now and shall commence production from 2017. GFPL recorded an overall turnover of Rs. 210 crores last year which is expected to increase 20-25% to Rs. 270-275 this fiscal.
Vision 2020
Talking about the company’s vision for 2020, Mr. Mehta says: “We would like to decorate more Indian homes and beautify their lives. Once we increase our loom capacity we will come up with a wide range of curtain fabrics. As for the turnover, we will assure that this group achieves Rs. 500 crores. We will focus more on international presence.”
GFPL is associating itself with a number of foreign buyers and is collaborating with some design houses. The company already has a few Italian and Spanish designers for product design and development.
Post-ITMA, the Indian textile industry is witnessing a positive trend. The home textile market here is growing at a rate of 10-12 per cent every year. There is a need for manufacturers to invest more on technology, to bring in more new products to keep the market rolling.
“We started working for Monfongs since 2013 and we have already sold more than 40 machines across India. We have created good references in various segment like…shirting/bottoms, wider width sheeting, denim, knitted fabric and upholster/automotive and home furnishing. We sincerely thank GFPL for giving an opportunity for proving our strength in upholstery and home furnishing. We are business partner and we have developed an excellent relationship. GFPL are excited with our execution since we designed the machine specially for handling their products. Monfongs is supplying the original TWIN AIR technology of Monforts, Germany and all of our customers are satisfied with the performance and our pre- and post-sales services.” – Mr. S. Rajendran, A.T.E.