HGH India 2016, the fifth annual edition of the trade show for home textiles, home décor, gifts and houseware, held recently at Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai, had a 10 per cent rise in the number of trade visitors at 25,000, primarily retailers from 422 cities and towns covering all the States of India. The display in this trade show focused on home fashion trends for 2016-17. Over 450 leading Indian and international brands and manufacturers from 30 countries unveiled their innovations and new collections at HGH India 2016.

SPGPrints has announced the sale of a six-colour PIKE® digital textile printer to the Dongheng Group, in Changzhou, Jiangsu province (near Shanghai), China. DHG wanted to expand its digital capabilities for a variety of reasons. First, it needed to offer greater service flexibility, meeting customer demands for both high-quality, short runs and faster lead-times.

Waste and environmental factors also influenced the decision to install the PIKE: with no need for screen preparation, minimal substrate waste, and lower water and energy usage, the PIKE met DHG’s requirements.

Danfoss and Sondex have announced an agreement for Danfoss to acquire full ownership of privately-held Sondex Holding A/S, a global leader in heat transfer technologies. Sondex develops, produces and markets heat exchangers, and the company represents an ideal match to the Danfoss Heating business segment. Thus the acquisition confirms Danfoss’ strategic focus on building leading positions and accelerating profitable growth.

The CPM – Collection Première Moscow – which will be held from August 31 to September 3, 2016 in Moscow will present CPM, CPM kids, CPM Premium, CPM Accessories as well as Mode Lingerie & Swim Moscow. Collections from the 2017 Spring/Summer will be featured. CPM is also recording new country participations. Indonesia will be exhibiting for the first time with the designers Alleira, Itang Yunasz, Ardistia New York and Warnatasku.

Shri Vallabh Pittie Industries (SVP), a leader in polyester and cotton blended yarn inaugurated its Rs 450 crore new textile plant in Jhalawar in Rajasthan. The plant is fully automated with 1,00,000 spindles holding a manufacturing capacity of 22,000 tonnes per annum and is spread across 25 acres of area. After inaugurating the plant recently, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said, “We are committed towards forging partnerships that promote manufacturing and create employment opportunities in Rajasthan.”

The Telangana State Government will frame a new policy aimed at development of the textile industry in the State.While the state produces around 60 lakh bales of cotton annually, only about 10 lakh bales are consumed within the State. The new textile policy will aim to increase cotton consumption within the state.

The Southern Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI) has proposed to set up a Rs 800 crore state-of-the art textile processing cluster housing about 100 dyeing and printing mills in Surat district and has approached the central government for 50 per cent funding. The total project cost for the cluster is pegged at Rs 800 crore. The SGCCI is eyeing 50 per cent grant from the Central Government and 25 per cent each from the State Government and the industry, according to a newspaper report.

Britain’s decision to exit from the European Union is likely to heighten the uncertainty in garments and other sectors in India. Karthik Muthuveeran analyses its impact on textiles. The Brexit impact is not only limited to Britain, but also European countries. London has always acted as a financial hub, which gives access to capital markets of the world to Europe. But with Brexit, European Union will end up having a limited access to capital markets. In all likelihood, access to this market will form a key part of trade negotiations. There are as many pros as cons in Britain exiting the Europe.

With the referendum to quit European Union, the impact on India’s textiles export to Great Britain will be minimal although it is a major market for apparels made in India. However, there could be initial turmoil due to structural changes and fresh negotiations being finalised. In perspective, EU imported textiles worth $235 billion in 2015 from the world. Of this, UK accounted for 15 per cent or $35 billion. Thus, the country is one of the largest markets for textiles including fibres, yarns, fabrics, apparels and other textile products. However, it is not a major supplier of this industry and thus will have negligible impact on sourcing.