The Surat textile sector was the shining star for advanced weaving machines manufacturer Itema, in 2024. In fact, with India performing as the second best market on a global scale for the company, Surat accounted as the main rapier machine market in the country. And the trend seems destined to continue, thanks to the growing demand from local weavers to replace shuttle looms with more modern and high-performance rapier looms.
Weaving Technology and Shift from Shuttle Looms
“The weavers who are shifting from shuttle looms are adopting high-end technology only for better quality of fabrics and also higher productivity. Nowadays, our biggest market for rapier machines in India is Surat. We offer Surat weavers two rapier models: the R9500EVO and the Galileo-RX. We advise our customers on which model to choose according to their targets and expectations in terms of performances and budget,” Mr Sameer Kulkarni, General Manager at Itema Weaving (India) Pvt Ltd explained to The Textile Magazine.
Evolution of the Surat Textile Market
“When I joined Itema more than a decade back, the Indian and even Surat market was not ready for advanced rapier weaving machines. But every year, progressively, the demand for modernization of weaving plants has increased and we have been ready to support our customers in the transition of change. In 2022, we experienced the boom in modernization of the textile industry of Surat, considering that in just one year we supplied almost 2,000 advanced rapier weaving machines. We know very well, the weaving companies in Surat, since we have been taking care of the industry for more than 30 years,” he said.
“The Surat textile industry has evolved very much in the last one decade. The market is moving towards more fashionable garments, creativity is playing a central role with lots of fancy yarns involved in the weaving process and Itema has a rich experience of offering weaving technologies for fancy yarns. Textile mastery and versatility are added value of the Itema weaving technology,” Mr. Kulkarni added when speaking about the evolution of the Surat weaving market.
Energy Efficiency and User-Friendliness of Itema Machines
Always working on improving customer benefits and to make weavers’ life easier, Itema focused on implementing key advancements on the Itema R9500EVO that now makes this machine, energy efficient while ensuring excellent performance and fabric quality.
Moreover, the Itema weaving machine platform, already renowned for its user-friendliness, thanks to reduced covers leading to minimized waste of time for the operator, has been further optimized to ensure the best user-experience ever. Both the R9500EVO and the Galileo-RX feature further technological and design advancements to fully meet the needs of the market, reaching unbeatable levels in terms of performance, textile mastery, eco-efficiency and ease of weaving.
Surat’s Transformation and the Shift to Advanced Weaving Machines
The first wave of Surat customers shifting towards advanced weaving machines was from those who were using imported second-hand weaving machines. The second transformation was from those who were earlier using Chinese looms and who then purchased Itema weaving machines. In both cases, the advantages for weavers were undeniable, for example, it was possible to maximize the value of the investment thanks to the purchase of machinery capable of producing a wider range of fabrics with the highest quality, streamline the production process, reduce maintenance costs, acquire technology with a higher resale value and, last but not least, the possibility to count on a prepared and timely customer service.
“Now, our biggest challenge is to convert the owners of weaving factories who operate shuttle looms. But on that front too, we are moving forward by gaining the trust of a growing number of companies,” he observed.
Surat’s Dynamic Textile Industry and Fast-Paced Growth
Mr. Kulkarni further added, “Every year, we opine that the there is a limit to the growth of the Surat weaving industry. But to our surprise, every year and year on year, the industry is growing strongly. The Surat textile industry is very dynamic and they are quick decision makers. They keep us on our toes when it comes to after sales service. The conversions from shuttle looms are faster in Surat then elsewhere in India. At Itema, we are committed to guaranteeing this market at the speed they need to support their transformation process. We are the market leaders in the high-end rapier weaving looms category in Surat, when it comes to European brands, and we will work hard to maintain this lead.”
Challenges in the Indian Textile Industry
While speaking about challenges faced by the Indian textile industry, he stated, “The industry is still going through a challenging period and will still take some time to get back on its feet. As per my opinion, new investments in the Indian textile industry have not reached pre-pandemic levels yet, as there were a lot of expansions happening before 2020, both in the organised as well in the unorganised sector of the industry.”
Positive Outlook for the Future
According to Mr. Kulkarni, the SITEX exhibition was very good for Itema. The Itema stall received a large number of buyers, customers, friends and the enthusiasm was evident. In this scenario, Itema expects to be able to play a central role alongside its customers to support them in their growth plans.
