The open-end spinning mills segment has been witnessing an impressive growth in recent years. With the growing emphasis on sustainability, this is one segment which has got excellent growth potential. A lot of innovation is taking place in this line, wherein now manufacturers are using recycled yarn, garment cuts and recycled fibre from PET bottles to produce gray as well as coloured yarn.
We caught up with Mr. M. Jayabal, President, and Mr. G. Arulmozhi, Secretary of the Coimbatore-based, Open End Spinning Mills Association (OSMA) and found out from them about the latest happenings in this important market segment.
Giving details about the history of the Association, Mr. Jayabal said that it was started in 1994 by Mr. Thulasidharan, a well-known figure among the textile fraternity, having been the ex-chairman of leading industry -associations like SIMA and CITI. “It started with just 25 members. The open-end spinning industry has been clocking impressive growth rates. In 1984, there were some 20,000 rotors in the country. Now Tamil Nadu alone has 7 lakh rotors. There are around 11 lakh rotors in the country. Around 60% of the capacity is located in and around Coimbatore and Tirupur. There are about 400 open-end spinning mills in Tamil Nadu, out of which nearly 295 are members of OSMA.”
Elaborating on the products being manufactured by the members, Mr. Arulmozhi said: “We are mainly into manufacturing of recycled yarn, which is in demand globally, what with the rising emphasis on sustainability and environment-friendly manufacturing processes as well as products. One of the primary yarns that our members manufacture is gray yarn, out of cotton spinning mill waste. This yarn is supplied to powerloom and handloom units. Remember, gray yarn is a cheaper option as compared to virgin cotton. The gray fabric also goes to places such as Gujarat and Jaipur where it is dyed or printed, and once again it comes back into the southern States where it is now used for the manufacture of garments such as nighties, as well as home textiles.”
He added: “Our members also focus on colour yarn manufacturing. In fact, 175 of our members are into this line. The yarn is manufactured out of the waste coming out of garment factories that is recycled. The waste garment is cut and the fibre removed. This fibre is mixed with polyester fibre obtained from recycling PET bottles. Around 40 different colours are possible. The advantage with the yarn is that you can directly use it in garments. There is no need to dye. It is used mainly for lungis, towels and terry towels. In fact, in Tirupur now around 20% of companies use the colour yarn to produce what is popularly known as the ‘one dollar’ T-shirt which is exported to African countries.”
Pointing to the other key areas of focus of OSMA, Mr. Jayabal observed that it has been conducting a series of seminars aimed at creating awareness among its members about the latest available machineries. “We also have two separate Whatsapp groups. One for the members producing gray yarn and the other for those into colour yarn manufacturing wherein we regularly send messages helping them keep up to date with the latest happenings in the field, such as the market trends, latest technology, etc. We also regularly participate in exhibitions. This has helped us create better awareness of the products of open-end spinning mills,” he said.
Mr. Arulmozhi added: “The Tamil Nadu Government had recently banned the use of plastic bags. Cloth bags manufactured by our powerloom members are now in demand. This is another area where there is excellent potential.”
Rounding off the interaction, Mr. Jayabal said that OSMA Training and Research Centre Pvt. Ltd. in Kalappatti, Coimbatore, with its members’ investment of around Rs. 1.5 crores is coming up. Work on installing the LMW blowroom machine, LMW card, LMW drawframe and Elitex BD 200 SN open-end 600 rotors machinery is going on. The centre is expected to be commissioned by March first week. At the centre every month around 100 open-end operators and technicians will be trained.
According to Mr. Jayabal, the Textile Skill Council has also approved the training centre, the only one for open-end mills in the country.