Technical Textiles have a significant part of growth in world textiles .It represents about 31% of the total Textile Production.
Technical textiles are defined as textile materials and products used primarily for their technical performance and functional properties rather than their aesthetic or decorative characteristics.
Other terms used for defining technical textiles include industrial textiles, functional textiles, performance textiles, engineering textiles, invisible textiles and hi-tech textiles.
Technical textiles are used individually or as a component/part of another product. Technical textiles are used individually to satisfy specific functionssuch as fire retardant fabric for uniforms of firemen and coated fabric to beused as awnings.
As a component or part of another product, they are used to enhance the strength, performance or other functional properties of that product as done by the tyre cord fabrics in tyres and interlining in shirt collars.
They are also used as accessories in processes to manufacture other products like filter fabric in food industry or paper maker felt in paper mills
Global Demand and Growth
The global demand for a variety of technical textiles has continuously increased as a result of their rising base of applications in end‐use industries.
Major end‐use industries are automotive, construction, healthcare, protective clothing, agriculture, sports equipment/sportswear and environmental protection. Increased demand for technical textiles will be seen in both the developed and developing parts of the world. .
The global technical textile market is geographically segmented into five key regions: North America, Latin America, Eastern and Western Europe, Asia Pacific, and Africa and Middle East.
Growth Drivers – Key factors defining potential opportunités forTechnical Textiles in India
- Growing domestic consumption & Enhanced requirement from institutions
- Promising export potential
- Changing regulations & industry norms
- Re-alignments of Global Supply chain & multi country trade partnerships
- Rising incomes and an increasing standard of living along with advances in medical technology,
- Expanding construction sectors,
- An awareness of safety and environmentalism and
- Increased spending on healthcare.
Overall, market drivers of Global Technical Textiles include:
Global population growth,Replacement of conventional building materials, increasing complexity of industrial production, Expansion of healthcare, Growth in vehicle production, Growth in expenditure on sport and leisure products andPermanent opening up of new areas of application.
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Table – 1& 2 Source: Indian Technical Textile Industry: Current Scenario & Opportunities, Techtextil, India Symposium 08, September, 2016 by ICRA Management Consulting Services Limited
| Growth Drivers for some of the key Technical Textiles Segments Table -3 | |
| Sector | Growth drivers |
| Mobiltech | • Growing Automobile industry • Growing usage of products like seat belts, airbags and automotive carpets |
| Sportech | • Increasing National and International tournaments in India • Government Schemes such as subsidies to university/colleges to improve sports infrastructure |
| Buildtech | • Demand is expected to increase on account of increasing spending on infrastructure • Increasing awareness and usage of products like architectural membrane, scaffolding nets |
| Meditech | • Growth of Healthcare industry • Growth in population and product acceptance |
| Protech | • Increase in Defense spending • More and more hazardous industries are making use of fire retardant clothing & chemical protective clothing |
| Geotech | • Significant investment in infrastructure is being planned in India by Government; on its own and in Public-Private-Partnership mode where Geotech products will have a lot of scope |
Table -3 Source:Knowledge Paper on Technical Textiles: Towards a Smart Future Technotex 2016 – Fifth International Exhibition & Conference on Technical Textiles April 21 – 23, 2016, Mumbai, India
Centers of Excellence set up by Ministry of Textiles on Technical Textiles
Objectives:
- Standardization,
- Creating common testing facilities with national / international accreditation,
- Indigenous development of prototypes and resource center with I.T. infrastructure.
The essential facilities created in the Center of Excellence are as follows
- Facilities for testing and evaluation of products of identified segments of technical textiles with national / international accreditation and collaboration with foreign institutes / laboratories,
- Resource Centre with I.T. infrastructure,
- Facilities for indigenous development of prototypes ,
- Facilities for training of core personnel and regular training of personnel from
the technical textile industry,
- Knowledge sharing with stake holders,
- Incubation Centre, Setting up of standards at par with global level.
Details of Centers of Excellence
Product Focused Centers of Excellence
- The Bombay Textile Research Association (BTRA), Mumbai – Geotextiles & Oekotech
- Synthetic & Art Silk Mills Research Association (SASMIRA), Mumbai – Agrotextile & Packtech
- Northern India Textile Research Association (NITRA), Ghaziabad – Protective Textiles & Mobiltech
- South India Textile Research Association (SITRA), Coimbatore – Medical Textiles
- PSG College of Technology, Coimbatore – Industrial Textiles & Hometech
- Wool Research Association (WRA),Thane- Sports Textiles
Process Focused Centers of Excellence
- D K T E’s Textile & Engineering Institute, Ichalkaranji, Kolhapur – Non-Wovens & Clothtech
- Ahmedabad Textile Industry’s Research Association (ATIRA), Ahmedabad Composites & Buildtech
Source: Knowledge Paper on Technical Textiles: Towards a Smart Future Technotex 2016 – Fifth International Exhibition & Conference on Technical Textiles April 21 – 23, 2016, Mumbai, India
Government’s Initiatives in Technical Textiles
- Technology Mission on Technical Textiles (TMTT) – Eight Centre of Excellences have been established.
- Focus Incubation Centres under TMTT – Helping potential investors to enter into technical textiles.
- Scheme for Promoting Usage of Agrotextiles – Encouraging utilization of Agrotextiles in improving the agriculture, horticulture, floricultural & sericulture development in the North-Eastern region of India.
- Scheme for Promoting Usage of Geotextiles in North Eastern Region (NER) – Promoting and utilizing Geotechnical textiles in development of infrastructure in the NE states by providing technological and financial support.
Centre of Excellence in Technical Textiles in India
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Table-4 Source: Technology Mission on Technical Textiles, Compendium on Centres of Excellence 2011
Market Data – World & India
| Worldwide: Demand for Technical Textiles | ||||
| Year | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2018 |
| Value in US $ Bn | 122 | 126 | 133.93 | 160.38 |
| Asia Pacific Region – Real Power Engine for Global Technical Textiles Market. Table-5 | ||||
Asia’s Influence on the Global Technical Textiles Market
Asian Technical Textiles Market Share in Global Technical Textiles Market In 2011, 45% in 2018, 61% (expected).
Key markets – China, India, South Korea, and Taiwan.Key Sectors – Automotive, Infrastructure Agriculture, Protective Textiles, Health & Medicare.
Table -5 Sources: IFAI Specialty Fabrics Review, February 2012 and Transparency Market Research, USA, July 5, 2013, Technical Textiles Creating Value for Spunbond Nonwovens, Presented at: THE SOUHTERN GUJARAT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY, SURAT, INDIA MARCH 24, 2014
GLOBAL MARKET SHARES FOR TECHNICAL TEXTILES 2011
China and India account for almost half of global production – Source: Commerzbank
China – 30%, America -19%, India-18%, EU-16%, Rest of the World – 17%
World Textile Production in 2014 – 89 Million Tons, Conventional Textile -69% and Technical Textiles – 31%.
Technical Textile Production – 28.1 Million Tons which consists of the followings
- Knitted, Woven, Braided and Yarn Type – 15.65 Million Tons
- Non Wovens – 8.55 Million Tons
- Composites (Textile share without matrix) – 3.9 Million Tons
Source: Technical Textiles & Nonwovens a global market – a global market overview by Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH, www.techtextil.com
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Table-6 Source: Technical Textiles & Nonwovens – a global market overview by Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH, www.techtextil.com
| India: Technical Textile Scenario 2007-2017 Table -7 | |||
| Year | 2007-08 | 2012-13 | 2016-17 |
| Value in US $ Bn | 7 | 15.2 | 26.33 |
| 2007-08 to 2012-13, annual growth rate of 11%registered. 2012-13 to 2016-17, annual growth rate of 20% expected. |
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Table – 7 Sources: Seshadri Ramkumar, TexSnips, July 3, 2013, Technical Textiles Creating Value for Spunbond Nonwovens, Presented at: THE SOUHTERN GUJARAT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY, SURAT, INDIA MARCH 24, 2014
Per Capita Consumption of Technical Textile in India is Infrastructure
1.7 Kg Vs 10 -12 kgs in Developed Countries. Also in India, Per Capita Consumption is Rs.615.
Source: Baseline Survey of Technical textiles in India -2014-15, Opportunities in Technical Textiles & Nonwovens in India –Role of DKTE Centre of Excellence in Nonwovens, ITMA, 2015
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Table – 8 Source: OTxC – Baseline report 2012-13, IMaCS Analysis, Indian Technical Textile Industry: Current Scenario & Opportunities, Techtextil, India Symposium 08, September, 2016 by ICRA Management Consulting Services Limited
- Indian Technical textile industry is gradually shifting from low value add intermediate goods to high value add end products
- High value add segments – Meditech, Mobiltech, Buildtech, Protech, Indutech, Geo & Oekotech Low value add segment – Agrotech, Packtech, Sportech, Clothtech, Hometech
- Indian Technical textile industry has substantially reduced imports in high value add segments
- In 2007-08 – India was a major importer of value added segments .2012-13 – India developed its own capacities in majority of value added segments
- Factors attributed are – Many domestic units have been setup, Creation of domestic manufacturing capabilities for high visibility & high altitude clothing, New capacities for filtration products & composites, Domestic manufacturing of flex fabrics and HDPE tarpaulins.
Source: Indian Technical Textile Industry: Current Scenario & Opportunities Sep 2016, Mumbai, iMacs, techtextil, India.
Export of Technical Textiles from India
- India exported technical textiles products worth US$1.7 Bn in 2014-15 with a CAGR of 16%
since 2007-08.
- India mainly exports commodity products which are not very Research and Development intensive. Indutech and Packtech are the largest exported segments with a share of 44% and 30% respectively.
- The products include flexible intermediate bulk containers (FIBCs), tarpaulins, jute carpet backing, hessian, fishnets, surgical dressings, crop covers, etc. Segment like Meditech, Agrotech, Mobiltech and Geotech are also gaining competitiveness in the market.
- Largest export markets include USA, UAE, Indonesia, China and UK
Source: Knowledge Paper on Technical Textiles: Towards a Smart Future Technotex 2016 – Fifth International Exhibition & Conference on Technical Textiles April 21 – 23, 2016, Mumbai, India
Import of Technical Textiles in India
- Despite fluctuations in recent times, the overall imports of technical textiles has increased overthe years along with the market demand.
- Imports of technical textiles is around US$1.4 Bn in 2014-15 with a CAGR of 8% since 2007-08.
- The imports is mainly driven by Indutech segment accounting for 83% of the total imports, followed by Meditech, Packtech, Clothtech and Hometech. Major imported products include baby diapers, adult diapers, PP spun bound fabric for disposables, wipes, protective clothing, hoses, webbings for seat belts, etc.
- Major Suppliers to India are China followed by Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea and USA.
Source: Knowledge Paper on Technical Textiles: Towards a Smart Future
Technotex 2016 – Fifth International Exhibition & Conference on Technical Textiles
April 21 – 23, 2016, Mumbai, India
Fiber Scenario
Fibers used in Technical Textile Manufacturing Table – 9
Table -9 Source: Technotex 2011, Mumbai, India – Knowledge Paper, Enabling Framework for accelerating growth and investments in Technical Textiles in India
Details of raw-materials for technical textiles
Technical Textiles are manufactured from a variety of fibres/filaments based on the desired properties of the end product. The fibres/filaments used can be broadly classified as Natural and Man Made.
The segment wise consumption of fibres is given in the table below:
| Natural Fibers Table – 10 | |
| Fiber | Key Segments |
| Cotton | Buildtech Clothtech Packtech Mobiltech Meditech Sportech Hometech Indutech |
| Jute | Buildtech Geotech Packtech Agrotech Sportech |
| Silk | Clothtech Meditech Hometech |
| Coir | Geotech Hometech |
| Man – made Fibers Table -11 | |
| Fiber | Key Segments |
| Polyester | Buidtech Geotech Cothtech Packtech Meditech Agrotech Sportech Hometech Indutech |
| Nylon | Buildtech Clothtech Packtech Mobiletech Meditech Agrotech Sportech Indutech |
| Acrylic/Modacrylic | Buildtech Protech Meditech Hometech |
| Polypropylene | Buidtech Geotech Cothtech Packtech Mobiletech Meditech Agrotech Sportech Hometech Indutech |
| HEPE | Buildtech Oekotech Packtech Sportech Indutech |
| LDPE /LLDPE | Packtech Agrotech Sportech |
Table 10 &11 Source: Details of raw-materials for technical textile
An outstanding feature of the technical textiles and nonwovens industry is the range and diversity
of raw materials, processes, products and applications that it encompasses.
Indeed, technical textiles and nonwovens are increasingly being seen as just one part of
a wider discipline of the “engineering of flexible materials” including foams, films, powders, resins and plastics and metals
The Complexity of the Technical Textile Process Chain (Table – 12)
Table -12 Source: IFP – A Study of Technical Textiles – Scope and Classifications,
Textile Exchange
Production of Technical Textiles
- Application of certain chemicals ( water and fire proofing etc)
- Use of intelligent fibers (glass fiber, carbon fibers)
- Special technical in fabric formation (3 D weaving, Double layer knitting etc)
Seven Ways to Make Technical Textiles
Thermo-forming, Three Dimensional Weaving, Three Dimensional Knitting
Fabrics Produced Using Nanotechnology, Heat-set Synthetics
Finishing Treatments such as Water-resistant Coatings & Holographic Laminates
Hand-made elements such as Stitch or Appliqué(Tex.in, 2009)
Types of Technical Textiles
- Mechanical functions (Mechanical resistance, Reinforcement of materials, Elasticity)
- Exchange functions (Filtration, Insulation and conductivity, Drainage Impermeability, Absorption)
- Functionalities for living beings (Antibacterial, Antirust, mites, Biocompatibility, Biodegradability/bioresorption)
- Protective functions (Thermal, Fire, Mechanical, Chemicals, Impermeable, – Breathable, Antistatic Particles, antireleaseVicenza, Electrical insulation, IR and UV rays, NBC High visibility Electromagnetic fields …..) Nomez divides Technical textiles into main four classes based on their functions (Nomez)
Source: Technical Textile: A promising Future by Muhammad Mushtaq Mangat
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Table -13 Source: Technotex 2011, Mumbai, India – Knowledge Paper, Enabling Framework for accelerating growth and investments in Technical Textiles in India
Investments in Technical Textiles
The Indian technical textiles industry is largely unorganized in nature and size of the manufacturing units vary to a large extent.
Although there are various large players present, the production of certain goods is still concentrated to the small scale segment like canvas tarpaulin, carpet backing, woven sacks, shoe laces, soft luggage, zip fasteners, stuffed toys, fabrication of awnings, canopies and blinds, etc.
There are a few Multi-National Companies like Ahlstrom, Johnson & Johnson, Du Pont, Procter & Gamble, 3M, SKAPs, Kimberly Clark, etc. which are internationally very large players in technical textiles and have set up their units in India as well.
Large Indian companies include SRF, Entremonde Polycoaters, Kusumgarh Corporates, Supreme Nonwovens Pvt. Ltd., Garware Wall Ropes, Century Enka, Techfab India Ltd., PacificNon-Woven, Vardhman, Unimin, etc.
Going forward further investments are expected along with the growing market attractiveness.
Source : Knowledge Paper on Technical Textiles: Towards a Smart Future Technotex 2016 – Fifth International Exhibition & Conference on Technical Textiles, April 21 – 23, 2016, Mumbai, India
Standard
In Technical Textiles for each product and its segment, there is a need for standards, standardization as well as regulation for growth and development.
STANDARDIZATION
Standardization is the process of establishing a technical standards which could be Standard specification, Standard test method, Standard definition, Standard procedure or practice, etc.
By using standardization, provider and user can easily communicate through the set guidelines.
FUNCTIONS OF STANDARDS
- Make the development, manufacturing and supply of products and services more efficient, safer and cleaner
- Facilitate trade between countries and make it fairer
- Provide governments with a technical base for health, safety and environmental legislation, and conformity assessment
- Share technological advances and good management practice
- Disseminate innovation
- Safeguard consumers, and users in general, of products and services
- Make life simpler by providing solutions to common problems
BENEFITS OF STANDARDS
- For businesses, the widespread adoption of International Standards means that suppliers can develop and offer products and services meeting specifications that have wide international acceptance in their sectors. Therefore, businesses using International Standards can compete on many more markets around the world.
- For innovators of new technologies, International Standards on aspects like terminology, compatibility and safety speed up the dissemination of innovations and their development into manufacturable and marketable products.
- For customers, the worldwide compatibility of technology which is achieved when products and services are based on International Standards gives them a broad choice of offers. They also benefit from the effects of competition among suppliers
- For governments, International Standards provide the technological and scientific bases underpinning health, safety and environmental legislation.
- For trade officials, International Standards create guideline for all competitors in the markets. The existence of divergent national or regional standards can create technical barriers to trade. International Standards are the technical means by which political trade agreements can be put into practice.
- For developing countries, International Standards that represent an international consensus on the state of the art are an important source of technological know-how.
- By defining the characteristics that products and services will be expected to meet on export markets, International Standards give developing countries a basis for making the right decisions when investing their scarce resources and thus avoid squandering them.
Source: Standardization – COE Approach, DKTE-Centre of Excellence in Nonwovens
Techtextil and Texprocess worldwide
Table -14 Source :techtextil,Mumbai, India Sep,2017, TTI Brochure 2017 ,Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt Ltd
6 Th INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION &CONFERENCE ON TECHNICAL TEXTILES – Technotex 2017
April 12-14, 2017 Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, India www.technotexindia.in
OBJECTIVES
- Make India a manufacturing hub in the area of Technical Textiles under the “Make in India” initiative of the Government of India.
- Project the latest technological developments in Technical Textiles.
- Project the status, facilities and services on R&D, quality control, govt. regulations and controls, rules and procedures.
- Supply of plant, machinery and equipment in Technical Textiles.
- Showcase the latest products, machinery, equipment & developments in the industry for generating business and test marketing.
- Technology adaptation and up gradation.
- Joint venture partnerships, project collaborations, transfer of technology, investments and R&D.
Participants
Manufacturers of Machinery for Technical Textile, Technology Providers, Raw Material Suppliers
Textile Chemicals, Consultants, R&D Companies, Major Textile Institutions
Source: 6 th INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION &CONFERENCE ON TECHNICAL TEXTILES – Technotex 2017 April 12-14, 2017 Bombay Exhibition Centre, Mumbai, India www.technotexindia.in
Coloration of technical textiles
A wide range of fibers are used in producing Technical Textiles. For colouring these fibers, different class of dyes and pigments as per the requrirement, specification and regulaton are selected for meeting the targets set.
Various Colouration techniques used are Exhaust, Semi Continuous and Continuous.
Also Pigment Dyeing, Dope Dyeing, Waterless Dyeing, Conventional Printing, Transfer Printing, Digital Printing as well as Coating Technique are also employed.
Table -15 Sources: Coloration of technical textiles, Ian Holme, School of Textile Industries, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 1JT, UK
Coloration of technical textile is a complex phenomenon due to a variety of fibres, filaments, yarns, fabrics and other materials used and the diverse nature of the end-use and performance requirements.
Coloration may be carried out by dyeing the materials to a uniform colour, or by printing to impart a design or motif to the technical textile. Fibres, yarns and fabrics may also be multi coloured by specialized dyeing techniques, for example space dyeing, or by weaving or knitting different coloured yarns.
The colorants used may be either water-soluble (or sparingly water-soluble) dyes, or alternatively water-insoluble pigments.
Pigments are physically entrapped within the filaments during synthetic fibre extrusion, for example by mass pigmentation, to give a spun-dyed fibre as well as adhered to technical textiles in pigment printing through the use of an adhesive binder.
The Vision for technical textiles
- To increase our Technical Textile manufacturing to Rs. 5.2 lakh crore by 2025
- Target exports of Rs. 1.3 lakh crore by 2025
- Become the preferred global Technical Textile manufacturing destination with focus on export oriented manufacturing specializing in high value added Technical Textile manufacturing, targeting the industrial and end user consumer segments
Key requirements
- Focus on increasing manufacturing capabilities – both capacity & Technology
- Focus on higher value add & product quality
- Ensuring skilled labour for high efficiency & quality
- Promoting exports
- Increasing the domestic retail & institutional consumer base
Source: Indian Technical Textile Industry: Current Scenario & Opportunities Sep 2016, Mumbai, iMacs, Techtextil, India
References
- Indian Technical Textile Industry: Current Scenario & Opportunities, Techtextil, India Symposium 08, September, 2016 by ICRAManagement Consulting Services Limited (Table 1& 2)Knowledge Paper on Technical Textiles: Towards a Smart Future Technotex 2016 – Fifth International Exhibition & Conference on Technical Textiles April 21 – 23, 2016, Mumbai, India ( Table -3)
- Technology Mission on Technical Textiles, Compendium on Centres of Excellence 2011(Table 4)
- IFAI Specialty Fabrics Review, February 2012 and Transparency Market Research, USA, July 5, 2013, Technical Textiles Creating Value for Spunbond Nonwovens,Presented at: THE SOUHTERN GUJARAT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY, SURAT, INDIAMARCH 24, 2014 (Table 5)
- Technical Textiles & Nonwovens – a global market overview by Messe Frankfurt Exhibition GmbH,www.techtextil.com (Table 6)
- Seshadri Ramkumar, TexSnips, July 3, 2013, Technical Textiles Creating Value for Spunbond Nonwovens,Presented at: THE SOUHTERN GUJARAT CHAMBER OF COMMERCE & INDUSTRY, SURAT, INDIA MARCH 24, 2014 (Table 7)
- OTxC – Baseline report 2012-13, IMaCS Analysis, Indian Technical Textile Industry: Current Scenario & Opportunities, Techtextil, India Symposium 08, September, 2016 by ICRA Management Consulting Services Limited (Table 8)
- Technotex 2011, Mumbai, India – Knowledge Paper, Enabling Framework for accelerating growth and investments in Technical Textiles in India (Table 9)
- Details of raw-materials for technical textiles(Table 10 & 11)
- A Study of Technical Textiles – Scope and Classifications,Textile Exchange (Table 12)
- 11. Technotex 2011, Mumbai, India – Knowledge Paper, Enabling Framework for accelerating growth and investments in Technical Textiles in India (Table 13)
- techtextil,Mumbai, India Sep,2017, TTI Brochure 2017, Messe Frankfurt Trade Fairs India Pvt Ltd (Table 14)
- Coloration of technical textiles, Ian Holme,School of Textile Industries, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 1JT, UK (Table 15)
