Yarn: A Welcome Twist

This is no ordinary yarn. Spinners are spinning a new success story with innovations, both in-house and with the help of imported fibres. Samuel Joseph reveals this new dimension to the yarn story.

India stands second to China in the overall global yarn production. But a new revolution in another dimension is brewing now. Indian yarn market is causing a stir, thanks to the countless variety of yarns available today, most of which being in-house novelties. Commodity yarns have given way to speciality yarns, which today are flooding the Indian textile market. Be it cotton or synthetic, speciality yarns have started dominating the market sentiments in such a way that the line separating commodity yarn from speciality yarn is becoming almost non-existent. As one industry observer quipped: "Every yarn has some speciality or the other that now all yarns are just special yarns. Though count determines one of its key characteristics, a simple yarn is either Giza yarn, Supima yarn or compact yarn and so on. The characteristics are sewn into the yarn at the fibre stage itself. Functional values of yarn have multiplied."

Big with bigger brands

The big players are already expanding their portfolios. Recron from Reliance has been perpetually breeding new avatars. "The latest is Recron® FeelFresh, which are fibres and yarns with antimicrobial properties that help retain freshness for hours together. Recron® FeetFresh contains silver ions that destroy odour causing bacteria and keep the fabric fresh through long hours of use", says GR Das, Assistant Vice President-Speciality Products, Reliance Industries Ltd. Other Recron varieties include Recron Fancyy, Recron LP, etc., with the total number of Recron family exceeding 20 members as of now.

Reliances industrial yarn production plant at Hazira manufactures super high tenacity yarns, adhesive activated yarns and low shrinkage yarns for various industrial applications. It has entered dope dyed yarn and is also doing its mite for the environment with Recron Green, a recycled yarn, the primary purpose of which is to reduce dependency on natural resources and boost sustainability. Recron Gree has been granted the "Global Recycle Standard" by the Dutch organisation, Control Union Certifications.

Rising new textile applications of textiles has spawned an assortment of in-house creations from companies. INVIYA is a 100 per cent innovation from the house of Indorama Industries Ltd. Calling it the New Freedom Fibre, Shalendra Vasudeva, Chief Marketing Officer, Indorama, says: "INVIYA® with its exceptional qualities of stretch and recovery enables clothes to provide perfect fit and shape with enhanced comfort and freedom of movement. Indorama Industries Limited (IIL), part of Indorama Corporation, Singapore, has launched the new revolutionary branded spandex product "INVIYA®" in 2012. It is now the only company in India to manufacture spandex filament. INVIYA® the new freedom fibre, is the new high-tech spandex filament that is already revolutionising the fashion industry."

INVIYA® was launched at the All India Textile Conference held at Stein Auditorium, the Indian Habitat Centre, New Delhi in February 2012 by IIL. The company already has launched a Rs 1,000-crore investment in Himachal Pradeshs facilities. INVIYA® is being commercially produced in their manufacturing plant in Baddi, Himachal Pradesh using dry spun continuous polymerisation technology and equipment from Italy, PRC and Japan. It is a zero waste discharge plant and will have a capacity of 15,000 tonne per year in a phased manner, with current capacity being 5,000 tonne per year.

INVIYA®, Indias premium elastomeric fibre, has also a new I-300 series, which have significantly higher