Signs Of Demand For Textile Industry Picking Up: Rathi Laxmikant

The Ideal Group is a pioneer in the manufacturing of spinning parts, which includes sipping tubes, bobbins and holders, and also dyeing cheese and cones. The company recently returned from a successful participation in a physical exhibition, CAITME 21, in Tashkent. In an exclusive and concise interview, Mr. Rathi Laxmikant, President– Sales and Marketing, Ideal Group, speaks to the Textile Value Chain. excerpts

What has the response been to the industry, and particularly to Ideal Group’s products, now that you have returned from the first physical exhibition, CAITME 21, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan?

Rathi Laxmikant: Because of the overall good demand, the textile and clothing industries are having the best of times. In the last 8–10 months, robust demand has been observed across all sectors and across all major markets. Due to the positive business environment, there is a lot of enthusiasm in the industry for innovation and new developments. The CAITME 21 was placed exactly during this positive time and, therefore, the response from the industry was excellent. Of course, the start was a roller-coaster ride with a lukewarm response from the exhibitors. There were many challenges due to COVID-19 protocols, like travel restrictions, limited flights, etc. But, the focused exhibitors decided to go ahead and make it a huge success. Ideal presented the following products: • HIG and Slim HCC spinning tubes. • The most reliable simplex bobbins • The Millennium series bobbin holders • The dyed cheese and cones The products offer unique advantages over their competitors. For example, the bobbin falling from the Bobbin Transport System is a unique issue, and Ideal’s Millennium series bobbin holders provide a complete solution to the same. Similarly, the high-impact ABS simplex has higher strength and stability compared to the PP simplex, which is used in this market.

Key Points

• Due to the positive business environment, there is a lot of enthusiasm in the industry for innovation and new developments. • The products offer unique advantages over their competitors. • The high-impact ABS simplex has higher strength and stability • We have launched a completely new Millennium series of bobbin holders • Central Asia is blessed with excellent quality cotton for coarse and medium counts.

Do you feel that physical exhibitions will be a reality now, especially in 2022 and beyond?

Substantiate with what you saw on the 13th CAITME.

Rathi Laxmikant: Virtual exhibitions can’t replace physical ones. The personal interactions add a lot of value and create the perfect dialogue. During CAITME 13, we could feel the customer’s expectations and, thus, were able to offer the best possible solutions. I have no doubt that physical exhibitions will be a reality in 2022 and beyond.

How did the Ideal Group fare during the nearly two years when the pandemic CONVID-19 was at its peak worldwide?

Rathi Laxmikant: The time was challenging, and such a time is the best to introspect, take stock of the situation, and improve. I think challenges like these bring new opportunities.

Ideal has done a lot of work on product and process improvement. We have launched a completely new Millennium series of bobbin holders along with some other products. The upgrade of the Hi-Tech lappet hook to Ultratech brought in many more opportunities too. Similarly, the use of digital communication helped us spread our wings in new markets.

How has the group fared in exports during this time?

Rathi Laxmikant: We can call it a blessing in disguise. We could get in contact with different markets through various digital channels and establish our presence there.

Which are the major segments, you think, that hold good prospects in the

Rathi Laxmikant: Central Asia is blessed with excellent quality cotton for coarse and medium counts. Investments in spinning will continue at the same pace for the next few years. At the same time, countries like Uzbekistan have started encouraging investment in further processes to strengthen the textile value chain. Investment in knitting, dyeing, and also weaving will gather more momentum in the coming months.

Will your company be exhibiting at major exhibitions in 2022? What is the strategy for the near future?

Rathi Laxmikant: We are interested in participating in major exhibitions like India ITME, ITMA Europe, etc. and displaying our new range of products.

What was the take-home message from the CAITME 2021?

Rathi Laxmikant: CAITME was a successful event due to the good participation from industry entrepreneurs and technocrats. The COVID protocols ensured the safety of the participants.

NEWS UPDATE

ITALIAN TEXTILE MACHINERY: THIRD QUARTER 2021 REMAINS POSITIVE FOR NEW ORDERS

The index of orders intake for Italian textile machines, as compiled by ACIMIT, the association that groups together Italian textile machinery producers, rose by 66% for the period from July to September 2021 compared to the same period in 2020. The value of the index stood at 119.8 points (basis 2015=100). This growth has concerned both the Italian and foreign markets, with an increase in domestic orders of 130% compared to the same period in 2020, and up 54% for foreign orders.

However, the index of orders intake shows a -17% drop when compared to the previous quarter this year, due mainly to the summer break and a demand for machinery that has stabilized over the last few months.

ACIMIT President Alessandro Zucchi says regarding these figures, “Overall, the numbers for new orders remain positive, in spite of a slight decline compared to the months prior to the summer period. This proves that Italian companies have been capable of responding quickly to new market conditions, as has often happened in other historical periods. The ability to adapt, coupled with a remarkable flexibility, are part of our DNA as Italian businesses, not just in our specific sector”. This positive moment for Italy’s textile machinery sector is expected to continue through to the year’s end, as ACIMIT’s analysis notes. Indeed, Italian machinery manufacturers are forecasting an increase in the orders intake for the last quarter of the year, both abroad and domestically. ACIMIT’s President concludes: “The resumption in trade show attendance we’ve witnessed has improved the climate of confidence among companies. However, we need to make the most of this moment, since the difficulties are not yet entirely behind us. In particular, we must continue on the path of digitalisation and sustainability”.