ITAMMA highlights packaging and industry preparedness at 82nd AGM
The AGM featured presentations from Dr Babu Rao Guduri, Additional Director and Professor HOD, T & E and Laboratory Departments, Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), Mumbai, and Avinash Mayekar, Managing Director, Suvin Expo LLP.
The 82nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Indian Textile Accessories & Machinery Manufacturers’ Association (ITAMMA), held at the ITME Centre, Mumbai, focused on “Packaging Aspects” and the preparedness of the Indian textile engineering industry for the nation’s long-term vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
In his opening remarks, N D Mhatre, Director General (Tech), ITAMMA, highlighted industry concerns regarding the rejection of goods due to inadequate packaging. He emphasized the growing need for careful handling of electronic components and attachments in textile machinery during logistics, noting that ITAMMA’s activities are guided by global industry trends and evolving sector needs. The AGM featured presentations from Dr Babu Rao Guduri, Additional Director and Professor HOD, T & E and Laboratory Departments, Indian Institute of Packaging (IIP), Mumbai, and Avinash Mayekar, Managing Director, Suvin Expo LLP.
Omprakash Mantry, President, ITAMMA, in his welcome address, underscored the significance of the Indian textile machinery industry, comprising approximately 3,000 manufacturing units with an expected market size of USD 2.02 billion by 2033. He highlighted the importance of packaging in safeguarding industrial and agricultural goods, noting a trend toward sustainable and smart packaging solutions, with government initiatives encouraging biodegradable and paper-based alternatives to reduce single-use plastics. The IIP, a national apex body established in 1966 under the Ministry of Commerce, was recognized for its role in promoting export competitiveness and improving packaging infrastructure in India.
Avinash Mayekar presented on “Expectations from the Indian Textile Engineering Industry to be prepared for Viksit Bharat 2047.” He emphasized that India’s textile sector must strengthen technology capabilities to achieve the government’s vision of US$ 600 billion in textile exports, a domestic market of US$ 1.8 trillion, and a technical textiles market of US$ 309 billion by 2047. Key strategies outlined included:
- Import substitution to reduce dependency
- Auxiliary business development for sectors lacking domestic production
- Technology partnerships and OEM collaborations
- Supply chain enhancement for raw materials and critical components
- Infrastructure creation through textile parks, clusters, R&D centers, and centers of excellence
Dr Babu Rao Guduri, in his Guest of Honour address, provided insights into IIP’s initiatives and sustainable packaging practices, reinforced with case studies highlighting the critical role of packaging in exports.
The AGM also felicitated Dr Seema Srivastava, Executive Director, India ITME Society, for successfully completing her Doctorate Program in Management Studies and receiving an A-grade award from the Indian Institute of Business Management and Studies.
The event included the 5th “B K Mehta Technology Networking Mission-2030”, featuring a documentary on BK Mehta’s contributions to the textile engineering sector. The mission aims to engage academia, research, government, and industry stakeholders nationally and internationally, providing students from textile institutes opportunities to interact with industry experts, implement pilot projects, and contribute to sectoral innovation.
Experts observing the projects included Dr Ravindra D Kale, Professor, ICT (UDCT), Mumbai, Dr Deepa V Raisinghani, VJTI, and Dr Prasanta Kumar Panda, Bombay Textile Research Association. The session reinforced ITAMMA’s commitment to fostering industry-academia collaboration, innovation, and strategic planning for India’s textile engineering sector.
