K. Prabhakar speaks to the top management of both companies to know more about how the synergy has led to creating high-quality products and excellent goodwill in the textile industry
‘Technical textiles’ seem to be the most trending keywords among the Indian textile fraternity in recent times. Given the huge potential that the domain offers, this does not come as a surprise. While it is still early days for this particular market segment, some early movers have already set the ball rolling and made a mark for themselves in this emerging domain. Coimbatore-based Shiva Texyarn is one such name that immediately comes to mind. Shiva Texyarn is part of the diversified Bannari Amman Group of Companies with interests in textiles, education, wind power generation and automobiles.
Specialised machinery from UK-based Amba Projex has been playing a key role in Shiva Texyarn’s successful foray into technical textiles. Amba Projex has carved a niche for itself through its laminating and coating machines globally. We caught up with Dr. S.K. Sundararaman, Managing Director of Shiva Texyarn, and Barry Goodwin, Managing Director of Amba Projex, at the former’s plant located in Karanampettai on the outskirts of Coimbatore and got to know more about this successful partnership.
A strong bond
The relationship between Shiva Texyarn and Amba Projex goes back a long way. Going into details about how it all started, Dr. Sundararaman said: “Our association took roots about 14 years ago. I knew both Barry Goodwin and Jayesh Nanavati, whose company Sainit Textiles represents them in India since 2005. They have been our exclusive supplier for lamination machines. We got one machine from them in 2011 and another one recently in 2019.”
He further pointed out that his association with Goodwin started when the latter was actually heading another company which supplied Shiva Texyarn with roll-based lamination machines.
“They also supplied us coating lines and coating heads which were very hi-tech,” Dr. Sundararaman added. Throwing light on what makes the machines from Amba Projex stand out from the perspective of performance, Dr. Sundararaman said: “As mentioned earlier, we have purchased two hot melt lamination machines from them, i.e., one of 2 meter width and another 2.4 meters. As you know, we are the largest reactive polyurethane laminator in the country. What that means is that we need reliable machines. Needless to say, we are happy with the performance of their machines. They just run, run and run. They feature very robust technology. The consumption of spares is also very low. Overall, we find it the ideal technology platform for lamination.”
Expressing his appreciation of this long-term relationship with the company, Goodwin said: “I have been coming to India regularly for about 25 years now. Shiva Texyarn as we all know is one of the most respected names in the Indian textile industry. The quality of their products speaks for itself. Their branding is impeccable. We have seen their robust growth over the years. So far as technical textiles are concerned, they are among the frontrunners in this country. Needless to say it’s a pleasure to be associated with them.”
The right sharing formula
Providing an overview of Amba Projex, Goodwin said: “Our company was established in 2011. We have entered this area of coating and laminating all over the world. India is one of our key markets. We also have a strong presence in Australia, South Korea, Turkey and England. We have also recently appointed two more agencies in the US. We are a well-established name in the field of technical textiles. We are also a top name in the composites industry in Europe and the US. We are talking about glass and carbon here, where some interesting developments have been happening in recent times.”
According to Goodwin, apart from the equipment, the company also provides the necessary chemistry and raw materials that are employed on the machinery. Elaborating on the same, he said: “We supply adhesive powders, flock, aqueous-based and solvent-based chemistry, PVC, hot melt adhesives and 100% solid systems in many different forms including PSA, EVA, PUR, PAS and PES. In addition, we can also modify and upgrade our machines for different processes.” As someone who has witnessed from close quarters the growth of the technical textiles’ market segment in key global geographies, Goodwin has some interesting advice for aspiring entrepreneurs in India who are keen on exploring opportunities in this emerging area.
According to him, such entrants in the technical textiles’ domain should have in-depth discussions with machinery manufacturers and raw material suppliers in order to create an ideal setup for manufacturing these niche products. “You need to have partners who are willing to invest time in going through the journey and in discovering what is good for you, i.e., their customer. While giving you various technology options and offering their recommendations, they should also at the same time maintain a level of confidentiality. They need to address the concerns of the entrepreneur who may be thinking whether their project will be given the amount of confidentiality that they desire. It’s about striking a fine balance. We are a relationship company and for us fulfilling these sensitivities and striking the right balance is of vital importance for our growth in the market,” he added.
Customer first
“We value our relationship with all our customers. We are not here to just sell hardware and then disappear. We would like our customers to succeed because if they develop a product from the machine which is a success in the market, they will continue to buy equipment from us,” Goodwin said.
Summing up the key advantages offered by Amba Projex, Dr. Sundararaman said: “On a comparative basis they have got the lowest lifecycle costs. They are offering machines for lamination and specialty coatings.”
“Plus, they do pre-peg for the composite industry. In most of these technologies they have been able to create compact machines that can be deployed at a site within two to three days. It suits them and, most importantly, it also suits their customers well too. Moreover it’s a ‘fit and forget’ type of a product. The lifecycle cost is low. Their service support through their agent is excellent. What else do you want? It’s a win-win situation for them as well as their customers. Theirs is probably the best solution available in the market now,” he added.