Report from ATNT-2009 India

Developments to watch in nonwovens and technical textiles.

India is being watched carefully by the global community due to its economic growth numbers and growing political stature in the world. Investments from North American and European companies are already underway: Finland-based Ahlstrom will soon commission a $47 million facility for developing spunmelt medical fabrics in the State of Gujarat, India; Strata Geosystems India Pvt. Ltd. has been established as a joint venture with Strata Inc., U.S.A., which is part of Glen Raven. Opportunities are increasing in India for capital investments, technology collaboration and trade relationships.

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Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas, has been actively engaging with India since 2004, providing an international platform to present the latest research, and sharing technical and marketing ideas by conducting an annual international conference, Advances in Textiles, Machinery, Nonwovens and Technical Textiles (ATNT). On Dec. 7-9, 2009, Texas Tech University rolled out the 6th edition of ATNT as a collaborative event with the Bannari Amman Institute of Technology (BIT) on the BIT campus in Sathyamangalam in South India. BIT is an engineering school managed by the Bannari Amman Group, a business conglomerate with interests in textiles, auto dealerships, sugar and spirits.
ATNT-2009 was supported by IFAI, INDA, the Nonwovens Engineers and Technologists Division of TAPPI, the Plains Cotton Growers of Lubbock, Texas, the Society of Dyers and Colourists, India, The Textile Institute, U.K., The Southern India Mill Owners Association, Coimbatore, India, and the Tiruppur Exporters Association, India. This is the first time that the conference had received broad-based support from the U.S., U.K. and India. More than 150 people from seven countries (U.S, Egypt, Hong Kong?China, India, Czech Republic, Turkey and Italy) participated. The conference offered attendees time for networking as well, to enjoy Indian cuisine and culture.
Due to the importance of the textiles industry in India, valued at $62 billion, the conference also received support from the government of India. Mrs. Panabaaka Lakshmi, the Union Minister of State for Textiles, inaugurated the conference. Mrs. Lakshmi, who is number two in the Ministry of Textiles, India, outlined some of the schemes which are having positive impacts on the textile industry, such as the Technology Upgradation Scheme (TUF) and the Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks. TUF covers the nonwovens and technical textiles sector as well; in the current phase, emphasis has been placed on weaving, processing and technical textiles, as these are currently the weakest links in the Indian textile industry. Under this scheme, the government of India will provide a 10 percent capital subsidy and 5 percent interest subsidy on technical textile projects involving new machinery. In addition, the government allows the import of technical textiles machinery under concessional base import duty.
A global platform
ATNT-2009 provided a platform for the international academic and business communities to learn about the current situation and future potential for investments in India. In addition, participants focused on finding solutions to some of the difficulties faced by the Indian textile industry, and providing information on new market opportunities for global players. The major thrust of the conference was to bring industry, academia and government agencies together on a single platform.
Twenty-five technical sessions and a record number of 140 papers were presented over the three days. The technical sessions opened with a plenary talk, ?Reacting to Change?Unlimited Opportunities in the Textile Marketplace,? by Curtis White of AEGIS Environmental, Midland, Mich., U.S.A. He provided an overview of the new opportunities in the textiles sector and how the textile industry has to adapt to the changes in the global marketplace, and emphasized the use of specialty products such as biocides and functional materials to enhance product and performance characteristics. White also encouraged the Indian textile industry to concentrate on adding value with the use of specialty products. Currently, India does not have a well-organized manufacturing sector for specialty products such as biocidal chemicals and flame retardants, and there is a need for research and development in this area. The 6th edition of the ATNT placed particular emphasis on value-added textiles, nonwovens, technical textiles and cotton.