The organised mill sector in India is almost two centuries old. However, almost all the machinery requirements of the mill industry used to be met through imports till the 1920s. The in-house workshops were not capable of repairing/making the important spares, and the imports were becoming costlier day by day. The first unit for the manufacture of spares was set up in 1904 in the name of Ahmedabad Victoria Iron Works Co. Ltd. in Ahmedbad. This was followed by other smaller units in Ahmedabd and Bombay manufacturing the spares as there was urgent requirement for the textile industry.
The prices of imported machinery also started rising steeply after the Second World War. The Indian textile industry found it extremely difficult to cope with the situation as the cost of replacement and purchase of new machinery as well as spares for the old machinery became uneconomical. This was the reason behind the creation of the organized Textile Engineering Industry (TEI) in India.
Status
TEI is an important part of the capital goods industry today. It has developed a strong engineering base capable of manufacturing the entire range of machinery, parts/components and accessories for the textile industry. It supplied over 70 per cent of the requirements of the textile industry from the 1960s to the 1990s. It has over the last 5½ decades built up an annual estimated capacity of Rs. 8,048 crores of complete machinery and other equipment, parts/components and accessories right from ginning, opening up of the fibres to the production of finished fabrics. In the synthetic sector, the entire range of fibre/filament mechanical/chemical processing machinery and its parts/components and accessories of latest technology are manufactured in India.
This survey indicates the presence of 1,446 units, 598 units manufacturing complete machinery and 848 units making parts and accessories. It also indicates a production level of Rs. 5,753 crores during 2006-07, Rs. 4,402 crores in 2005-06 and Rs. 3,705 crores in 2004-05, recording an average increase of 39 per cent in three years. Based on this survey, the production of the subsequent years is as under:
Production of textile machinery has been steadily increasing over the last few years. However, the demand recession during 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 has adversely affected the growth of TEI significantly. The capacity utilization of the industry which increased during 2004-05 to 2007-08 fallen in the subsequent years due to demand recession.
There are a large number of SMEs manufacturing complete machinery as well as all types of components/parts and accessories, testing and monitoring equipments and auxiliaries. A good number of firms are of international standard in terms of product design, capacities and technology. The SMEs developed their products by indigenising technology through foreign collaborations/joint ventures and/or obtaining technical knowhow from the R&D Centres and Technical Institutes within the country or by their own developments.
Spinning
The entire range of spinning machinery is manufactured in India, including blowroom machinery, cards, draw frame, combers, speed frame, ring frame, ancillary machinery, open-end spinning, two for one twisting and auto-cone winding machines and parts and accessories of international standard.
In spinning, the entire blow room parts & accessories, card room accessories and parts such as card clothing, card clothing mounting and polishing, card cans, top & bottom rollers for drawing, cans, etc., speed frame parts, fliers, spindles, etc., ring frame parts, namely, spindles, cots & aprons, flyers, rings & ring travelers, fluted rollers, etc., are made in India. Except compact spinning attachment and parts for the imported spinning machinery, practically nothing is imported.
South India, Tamil Nadu is the main region for spinning machinery parts and accessories. Technology is at par with international standards. Many of the parts of spinning machinery are exported. Some of the reputed manufacturers are Lakshmi Machine Works, Lakshmi Card Clothing, Autotex, Lakshmi Ring Travellers, Lakshmi Precision Tools, Indian Card Clothing, Inarco, Precitex, InspirOn Engineering, SKF, AB Carter, M.K. Brothers, Delux Machinery, Sovereign Engineers, Supertex Industries, Unitech Texmech and Zenith Engineering Works.
Weaving
The weaving industry in India is mainly concentrated in the States of Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra and Gujarat. India became self-sufficient in weaving preparatory machinery, i.e., high speed sectional warping, direct warping and sizing by and large matching up with world class technology. The machines produced in the pre-weaving segments such as winding, twisting, rewinding, warping and sizing are of international standard and are exported to several countries. TEI has developed shuttleless rapier looms, airjet looms and waterjet looms.
All parts and accessories both for weaving preparatory machinery are manufactured in India. Reed, heald/flat steel heald, heald wire, drop wire, dobby, Jacquard, etc., are manufactured. India is capable of fabricating any type of machinery of high quality. Maksteel Fabricators, Narendra Industries, Lakshmi Automatic Loom, Surya Machinery, Honest Trading Company, Himson Textile Engineering, Alidhra Weavetech, Texsapares Machines, Umbergaon Textile Machinery, Kothari Techno Tex, Mayur Reeds and Healds, National Wire Heads are some of the important manufacturers.
In case of shuttleless rapier looms, airjet looms and waterjet looms, all parts relating to the weft insertion system with or without electronics, profile reed, etc., are being imported. In the case of sizing temperature controls and other PLC controlled drives and equipments are imported.
Almost the entire range of processing machinery is now being manufactured in the country, with continuous scouring, bleaching, mercerising, washing, dyeing plants, pre-shrinking ranges and more, being produced by domestic manufacturers. The indigenous machinery available now competes on an even footing with their European counterparts with low material to liquor ratio, and is capable of processing fabric with comparable results at a very reasonable cost. All critical electronic components and equipments are imported.
All types of parts and accessories are also made in India. Important manufacturers are Blue Moon Engineering & Mfg. Co., Dalal Engineering Pvt. Ltd., Erhardt + Leimer (India) Ltd., Harish Enerprise Pvt. Ltd., Radiant Engineering Works, Stovec Industries Ltd., Shakti Textile Engineers Pvt. Ltd., R.B. Electronic & Engineering Pvt. Ltd., Tex-Fab Engineers (India) Pvt. Ltd., Trueshape Engineers, JK Textile Engineers, K.B. Sons, etc.
The Indian textile engineering industry started developing testing and monitoring equipment in the 1960s and today a wide range of high quality latest generation testing and monitoring equipment is being manufactured in the country. Almost 80 per cent of the requirement is met by the domestic manufacturers.
Important manufacturers are Premier Evolvics Pvt. Ltd., Sieger Spintex Equipments B-Tex Engineering, MAG Solvics Pvt. Ltd., Semitronik Industries/Instruments, Patwa Kinarivala Electronics Ltd., Pioneer Textile Testing Services, Paramount Instruments, Texlab Industries, Inava Instruments, Katlax Enterprises, etc. In this segment critical components and electronic controls are imported.
Synthetic machinery
The textile engineering industry located in and around Surat developed synthetic yarn and fabric processing machinery, viz., draw texturising machines, draw twisters, two-for-one twisters for filament yarn, zero-twist filament sizing machines, rewinders and precision cone winding machines. With the development of such machinery indigenously, the industry is not only catering to domestic demand but is also exporting its products.
Most of the components of the synthetic fibre/filament mechanical processing machinery are made in India. Surat, Rajkot and Surendranagar are the main centers for the manufacture of spindles, spindle pots, spindle inserts, etc. Only critical electronic equipment like PLC controls, servo motors, etc., are imported.
Even in jute machinery, the percentage share of demand is over 60 per cent. There are half-a-dozen good manufacturers of jute machinery in the eastern sector. Many items of jute machinery are being manufactured in the country.
Lagan Engineering Co. Ltd., Kolkata, is a major manufacturer of jute machinery and its parts, components and accessories. There are some small engineering units also manufacturing jute machinery parts and accessories in Kolkata.
The growth of the textile industry across the country necessitated manufacture of parts and accessories for machinery. Today, barring a few critical items of equipment and accessories, almost all parts and accessories of high quality are manufactured in the country. Most of the requirement is met from domestic sources.
The other spares and accessories also play a major role in manufacturing and maintenance of textile machineries. These are bearings, beams, bobbins, bobbin holders, bushes, card gauges, ceramic guides, cone and tubes, cops-aluminum/steel, drums, filters, flat tops, motors, needles, pins, pirns, belts, rollers, humidifiers, etc. The major manufacturers are Basant Wire Industries, Elgi Electric Industries, Idealin Fogging Syestems, J.S. Metal, Lakshmi Electrical Drives, KCI Bearings, Luxite Industries, NRB Bearings, RMP Bearings, National Bobbins, Samruddhi Engineeering, Tensor Consulting Engineers and Usha Industrial Corporation.
The parts and accessories of textile machinery manufacturing over the last eight decades have come of age. The manufacturing technologies have reached international standards. This is evident from the fact that exports of parts and accessories have reached the Rs. 433-crore level.
As mentioned earlier, there are 848 units manufacturing parts and accessories. Though the estimated capacity as per the survey conducted by the Textiles Committee shows the capacity as only Rs. 322.38 crores, the realistic estimate of the capacity would be Rs. 550-600 crores as of today.
The technological advancements made in manufacturing of spares and accessories and high tech infrastructure facilities already available and are being made available in the country are conducive for development of critical parts/components and accessories required to manufacture high-tech machines. There are manufacturers who already have their capability to develop high-tech items and others are likely to follow suit. Such companies are in Surat, Ahmedabad and Rajkot in Gujarat, in and around Coimbatore, and also in Mumbai, Pune, etc.
Thus India could be a hub for production and supply of high-tech components to the world. Though some of the State Governments have taken initiatives to help the SME sector, the Centre should come out with definite and long-term policies to create a level playing field for the development of this sector.
Production of textile machinery
(Value in Rs. crores)
Categories 2004- 05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10(Est)
Spinning & allied machines 2204.63 2618.86 3423.12 3662.22 2417.44 2034.00
Synthetic fibre / yarn machines 376.42 447.20 584.48 625.30 412.79 346.00
Weaving & allied machines 374.23 444.49 580.95 621.64 410.35 345.00
Processing machines 382.36 454.11 593.85 635.19 419.29 351.00
Miscellaneous (spinning, weaving &
processing) machines 111.52 132.42 172.99 185.26 122.00 103.00
Textile testing / monitoring / controlling
equipment / systems 73.34 87.14 114.01 121.86 80.43 68.00
Hosiery needles & machines 30.36 36.04 47.00 50.46 33.31 28.00
Textile machinery parts & accessories 152.41 181.32 237.04 253.07 167.39 140.00
Total 3705.27 4401.58 5753.44 6155.00 4063.00 3415
Percentage increase (decrease)
over previous year +20% +31% +7% -34% -16%
Source: Office of Textile Commissioner & TEI
Actual production, export & import of textile machinery, parts and accessories
(Value in Rs. crores)
Total Spares, etc. Spares, etc. Total
Years Production Exports Exports Imports Imports
2005-06 4,402 377 240.61 861 5065
2006-07 5,753 425 277.55 1115 6884
2007-08 6,155 640 433.35 920 5255
2008-09 4,063 607 372.89 942 4411
2009-10 (E) 3,415 500 307.00 1000 4500
E = Estimated Source: Production figures are taken and estimated as per recent survey of Textile Committee; Import and Export data from DGCIS, Kolkata