Dr Gurudas Aras: Global vendors and supply chains must shift to India to make manufacturing more viable and economical
The Indian textile machinery industry holds significant potential but continues to rely heavily on other countries for various needs. Dr Gurudas Aras, Independent Director & Strategic Advisor at Rossari Biotech, The Ruby Mills, The Indian Card Clothing Company, and Yamuna Machine Works, in this interaction with Divya Shetty, explains the reasons behind this dependence and outlines what the industry must do to become more self-reliant.
How would you describe the current state of the Indian textile machinery industry?
The Indian textile machinery industry is a vital pillar of the country’s textile sector. The growth of the textile industry is not possible without the participation of the domestic machinery manufacturing sector. Despite this, the textile machinery sector has not grown to the extent it should have due to various reasons. If we look at the sector segment-wise, then spinning is quite self-sufficient with most of the machines now manufactured in India, except the Autoconers (Automatic winding machines). However, in all other value chain segments, including weaving, knitting, processing and garmenting, the major dependence is still on the imported machinery. Currently, more than 60 per cent of the annual textile machinery requirement is met through imports. The size of the Indian textile machinery market is about Rs 220 billion. Out of this, around Rs 80 billion worth of machinery and accessories are supplied from domestic manufacturers. More than Rs 140 billion worth of machinery is still imported from Europe, Japan and China. Out of the total machinery and accessories imports, more than 75 per cent are from China alone, mainly in weaving machines, knitting machines, stitching and sewing machines.
What are the biggest challenges the machinery sector is currently facing?
The biggest challenges for the Indian textile machinery sector are underutilisation in some segments, global competition from countries like China and Germany, the prevalence of outdated technology and infrastructure, a significant dependence on imported machinery, competition from the import of used machines and issues with fragmented supply chains and logistics. Other challenges include navigating complex export regulations and tariffs, a shortage of skilled labour, and pressure to adopt sustainable and environmentally friendly practices in line with global trends. The fortunes of the machinery sector are directly intertwined with those of the textile industry; hence, any disturbances in the user industry directly affect the machinery sector in terms of intake of new orders.
How competitive are Indian-made textile machines compared to global standards in terms of technology, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness?
In the last few years, many of the Indian textile machinery manufacturers have made very good progress in terms of technology improvement, which has helped in bridging the gap with European and Japanese technologies. This is more so in spinning and processing segments. The Indian made spinning machinery is quite competitive vis-à-vis the global competitors. However, there is a big vacuum in weaving, knitting and garmenting where there is no renowned player in India, resulting in huge imports from Europe, Japan and China. China dominates the imports in weaving, knitting and garmenting. In the processing segment, although not all machines are yet manufactured in India, whatever is made is technologically good and offers better ROI vis-à-vis imported machines. India badly needs investments in the textile machinery segment for the manufacturing of weaving machines, knitting machines, finishingmachines and garmenting machines as import substitutes.
How is sustainability being integrated into textile machinery design and manufacturing in the industry?
Sustainability is integrated into textile machinery manufacturing by designing equipment that reduces energy, water, and chemical consumption, minimises waste, and utilises recycled materials. Innovations like Smart Automation, AI-powered systems, and advanced machinery promote efficiency, improve resource management, and support the production of sustainable textiles from recycled or renewable sources. This focus on eco-friendly equipment addresses environmental concerns and creates business opportunities for responsible manufacturers.
Machines are now designed to lower power usage through automation and precision, which decreases the carbon footprint. Eco-friendly machines minimise water use in processes like dyeing and finishing, a major source of pollution. Innovations in knitting and weaving machines reduce waste by optimising yarn usage and increasing efficiency. Closed-loop recycling to re-integrate waste into the manufacturing process is also part of the efforts now.
Could you share some of the key innovations or technological advancements the industry has recently introduced?
Key recent innovations in textile machinery include advanced AI-powered automation for quality control and predictive maintenance, digital and 3D printing for customised and sustainable production, smart textiles with integrated functionality, IoT integration for real-time monitoring, and blockchain for supply chain transparency and ethical sourcing. These advancements enhance efficiency, productivity, quality, and sustainability by enabling mass customisation, reducing waste, and providing greater insight into the production process.
On the technological front, the Waterless dyeing technologies like Supercritical CO2 dyeing are slowly getting commercialised. Nanotechnology is used to integrate tiny particles to create innovative fabrics that are lighter, stronger, self-cleaning, and fire-repellent. 3D Printing is used for rapid prototyping of garments, creating intricate designs, and enabling on-demand production with reduced material waste.
Looking ahead, what opportunities and growth areas do you foresee for Indian textile machinery manufacturers in the domestic and global markets?
The Indian textile machinery industry has great potential to grow in view of the backlog of modernisation of the textile industry, export opportunities and the fact that more than 60 per cent of the machinery is still being imported. There is a huge scope to manufacture airjet and waterjet weaving machines, knitting machines, some critical finishing machines, and garmenting machines in India. What is needed are the right technology transfers, technical collaborations and/or joint ventures with the global manufacturers to expedite the import substitution and necessary capacity expansion. What is required is that apart from the global machinery manufacturers putting in their shops here, their vendors and the supply chain also must come to India, which will make the manufacturing more viable and economical. India also holds a great promise to become a global textile machinery and accessories manufacturing hub in view of the growing local and nearby markets.
