Sushil Verma: We too are poised to grow rapidly to meet the challenges in the coming years
Kusters Calico Machinery is today Rs 1.80 billion company catering to wide range of customers in all major textile markets both in India & Abroad for wet finishing & processing industry. It is 100 per cent owned by Jagenberg AG, Germany. Company is spread over 42 acre of land with 225,000 sq ft covered area. To maintain quality company has policy to manufacture all major parts/ assemblies inhouse. The company has full-fledged fabrication shop with laser welding machines, fully CNC machine shop, assembly shop, blasting & painting shop with oven, electrical panel wiring & testing shop etc. The company has most modern manufacturing facility today in India. Sushil Verma, Managing Director, Kusters Calico Machinery, highlights the importance of technological modernisation in the Indian textile industry and how his company is adopting it.
According to you, what is the present state of the Indian T&As industry and textile machinery & accessories (TMA) industry?
Both Indian Textile & Machinery industries are doing well. There is lot of initiative by government to grow this industry which is employing maximum no. of workers next to agriculture. When T&A industry does good, TMA automatically do better. The current geopolitical situation is in favour of India and giving us an opportunity to grow & manufacturer better quality products for the world market. We only need to adhere to set quality standards and always aspire to enhance productivity & quality.
The Indian textile sector has set an ambitious target of achieving $350 billion in market size by 2030. In your opinion, what are the significant challenges or barriers that could hinder this progress?
Considering the Indian market growth and opportunities worldwide I am of the opinion that the target is achievable but industry & government has to focus on the following points:
- Must spend resources on development & improvement.
- In house training must be compulsory to achieve quality & efficiency.
- Issue of skilled labour shortage must be addressed.
- Labour laws must be reformed and inspector raj must be finished.
- Ease of doing business must be brought in. You can’t get any government subsidy without involvement of agents today.
- Inflation must be capped under 4 per cent & bank interest rates under 8%.
How important is technological modernisation for enhancing the Indian T&As industry’s global competitiveness? What more can be done to accelerate the adoption of cutting-edge technologies in this sector?
I have already listed above to commit resources for technical development without which company can’t survive for a long. Today competition is very high and if regular advancements in the products are not done you will be left behind. You have to be in top 3 otherwise no survival. Companies must collaborate with technical educational institutes for R&D and support. It should be joint efforts by industry & academia to work on issues and development. There are many untapped markets which must be explored. Industry chambers in Indian embassies in cooperation with industry could also play a vital role in advertising our products through seminars, conferences, exhibitions etc.
What opportunities do you foresee for your company as the Indian T&As industry aims to achieve their 2030 target?
When textile industry grows, better machines are required to produce fabrics. We believe in continuous quality & efficiency enhancement. We have strict 100 per cent quality requirements and still working to achieve better tolerances. We have completely revamped our manufacturing facility and only 3D drawings are being used so that mistakes can be avoided as every order is mostly custom built. All machines are CNC controlled, latest design software are used. We too are poised to grow rapidly to meet the challenges in the coming years.
With the need for sustainability growing in the T&As industry, how is your company helping T&A makers to achieve their green goals?
This year we are installing 500 KW solar panels for the entire plant to curb the carbon footprint. Work has already started. All lights installed in the factory are already LEDs. In factory transparent sheets on roof are used so no LEDs are used during the day time. Our washers use minimum 15 per cent less water due to better Kusters technology in wash boxes. We can offer no. of solutions for fabric washing. Kusters padder with S Roll technology squeezes maximum uniform moisture out of fabric width which requires less power to dry fabrics.
What are emerging trends in the textile machinery & accessories industry?
Today people prefer more stretchable fabrics then the normal woven fabrics due to its comfort and flexibility in wearing. Hence textile machines are to be modified for knits due to fabrics nature of curling and elongation while processing. Kusters Calico is currently working to bring a range of processing machines for the knit’s fabric as well. We already have Padders & washing machines for knits.
What are your growth plans in the next two years?
We are currently going for the 3rd phase of the plant capacity enhancement, modernisation and efficiency improvement with a budget of around Rs 100 million. We have already completed 1st & 2nd phase of the modernisation in last 4 years. We invite our customers to plan a visit to see our manufacturing infrastructure which is one of the best in the industry. Our aim is to “Always Give 100 per cent”
