Mr. N. Subramaniam has been appointed Chairman of the Goa-based Franstek Belts Private Ltd., an affiliate company of Chiorino S.p.A., Italy, with effect from February 1. Chiorino is a worldwide leader in the production of conveyor and process belts, transmission belts and rubber aprons. Chiorino conveyor and transmission belts provide excellent handling solutions for all industrial sectors.
All these belts are fabricated at Franstek’s manufacturing facility in Goa. In addition to this facility, a branch will be set up in Coimbatore to cater to the needs of customers in the southern part of the country.
Mr. Subramaniam is also joining Sagotharen, a partnership company in Coimbatore, manufacturing new age synthetic sandwich spindle tapes. He is also as a consultant supporting Sutham Nylocots, manufacturing industrial fabrics and technical textiles.
After completing graduation, Mr. Subramaniam spent a few years working for a chemical unit and then moved back to Coimbatore to join Shanthi Gears in 1981-82. Subsequently, he worked with the Elgi Group for a few years. In 1987 he, along with some of his friends, started IAKOKA Syntrans for manufacturing synthetic spindle tapes at a time when the market was predominantly using cotton tapes.
During this period, Mr. Subramaniam travelled extensively and established close personal relationship with various textile units, right from the shop-floor people to the top management. It was in 1995 that Mr. Subramaniam approached Habasit-Switzerland for partnering it in the Indian market. After more than 20 years at the helm of the joint venture company, he stepped down in 2015.
After a break of three years, Mr. Subramaniam is back to serve the industry.
Born in 1948 in a small village near Coimbatore, Mr. Subramaniam completed high school and went on to pursue Mechanical Engineering at PSG Tech in the city. He recollects that 70-80 per cent of the people in and around his village worked in textile mills. Textiles has been a part of Mr. Subramaniam’s life right from his childhood days.