Pioneer Instruments and Innovations, considered one of the top names in the field of textile quality control and testing instruments, launched a unique electronic fibre & strength tester at India ITME 2016.
In an exclusive interaction with The Textile Magazine on the sidelines of the event, Mr. E. Ramanathan, Chief Executive of the company, observed: “The Electronic Fibre & Strength Tester is the result of years of R&D effort. The hard work is worth the while. We have developed what is probably a first-of-its-kind instrument which can be used to test a variety of fibres such as colored cotton, short fibres, comber noils, etc.”
Throwing light on the key strengths of the company which was established in 1990, Mr. Ramanathan pointed out that unlike a good majority of others Pioneer believes in offering 100% indigenous products. Elaborating on the point, he said: “We don’t want to follow a herd mentality. You can take a look at similar products available in the market and compare them with those offered by overseas manufacturers. Except perhaps the color, in a majority of cases, both the instruments would be similar. We can assertively say that we have not taken this short cut. Our products are a result of extensive R&D. Mills across India will vouch for our quality.”
The company has over 90 per cent market share in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh and is rapidly expanding into other parts of the country. “Now that we are done with the development of the Electronic Fibre & Strength Tester we are focusing on marketing and expansion of our footprint, both domestically and overseas.”
Another encouraging factor is the fact that right from the CEO to the R&D team everyone is a qualified textile professional. This apart, the rich experience that the company has gained with its commercial testing lab. “Everyday around 200 new samples come to our lab. Any day a new fiber is launched, it lands up in our lab. This is an advantage that none of our competitors enjoy,” he disclosed.
The company which participated in India ITME for the third consecutive time also started an Institute of Testing six months back. Going into details, Mr. Ramanathan said: “There is a dearth of skilled manpower in the quality control sector. So, what we have done is to offer a tailor-made course, namely, IQEA – INSTRUMENTAL QUALITY EVALUATION ANALYST. This is a six-day course for anyone who has basic knowledge of English and mathematics. We also have 1 and 2-day programs for B.Tech (Textiles) and Diploma for Textile students, respectively. We keep the batch small. The program is designed to offer both theoretical inputs and practical training. Even the evaluation process is different. We call each student and individual evaluation is done. We make them understand where they have gone wrong. We are not interested in the commercials or number of students, what we want is to ensure that we produce quality professionals, who will make a mark and hopefully help transform the industry.”
Mr. Ramanathan was also happy with the response that the company products received at India ITME 2016.