Sasmira: A torch-bearer in agrotech

The Synthetic & Art Silk Mills´ Research Association (SASMIRA), established in 1950, is a co-operative venture set up by the man-made textile industry of India as a multi-functional institute to serve its scientific and technological needs. Major projects executed in the last few years include technical textile products like superabsorbent polymer mats for domestic horticulture applications, unique oil spill mats to combat oil spill pollution for environmental control, barrier packaging for extended shelf life of products, specialty work wear for Indian farmers. In the process development segment, SASMIRA has successfully developed a process for energy conservation in textile wet processing by way of ultrasonic dyeing and finishing process, a process for effluent treatment of wet processing industry by way of nano technology and reverse osmosis.

A bold step further in this endeavour to bail out the textile wet processing industry is the ongoing project on technology development for ¨waterless dyeing¨. It is envisaged to develop pilot model of a dyeing vessel capable of dyeing and finishing textiles by use of supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-CO2).

SASMIRA´s state-of-the-art laboratory, under the accreditation of NABL, India and A2LA US, has been serving the industry through testing and certification of the right product to the consumer. SASMIRA´s Development of Textile Testing Instrument originally aiming at import substitution has led to the successful development of a light fastness testing instrument, grey scales for evaluation of fastness properties, colour viewing cabinet, shade-o-meter an instrument for measurement of light shading of agrotextile products, EMI shielding tester a device for measurement of the EMI shielding capacity of textile materials.

Owing to the leading role played by R&D and testing and technical services by SASMIRA in the field of technical textiles, the Ministry of Textiles, Government of India has designated SASMIRA as a Centre of Excellence (COE) for agrotech. Major activities under COE are testing and certification, demonstration cum incubation facilities, training and demonstration. The COE is instrumental in prototype development of major agrotextile products through R&D and is also actively involved in the setting up of standards for these agrotextile products in collaboration with the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS).

Since inception, SASMIRA´s institute is known for imparting technical education. The institute offers three year diploma course on textile technology, textile processing and knitting technology, which are approved by AICTE and supported by the Department of Technical Education, Government of Maharashtra. SASMIRA is also engaged in training 15,000 trainees under the implementation of MOT´s ¨Integrated Skill Development Scheme¨ for the textile and apparel sector for textile technology, fashion technology, apparel merchandising, export and import, CAD and weaving.

Sasmira´s Institute of Management Studies & Research (SIMSR) offers a two year full-time post-graduate programme the Master of Management Studies (M.M.S.), approved by AICTE and affiliated to University of Mumbai. It also conducts the three semester e-MBA (PGCM) and B.Sc. as well as M.B.A. in Fashion Management affiliated to the Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU).

During last 40 years, the institute has turned out more than 30,000 students who are gainfully employed in various sectors of the textile industry.

Besides, also has its dedicated services to the decentralised sector at Bhiwandi and dissemination of R&D information through its technical journal ¨Man-Made Textiles In India¨ for the last 57 years, which is abstracted by the World Textile Abstracts, Textile Technology Digest, Indian Science Index, etc.

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