Innovation, Recognition & Resilience: ITAMMA Celebrates Excellence at Annual Award Function 2024/25

"The time has come to perform by way of innovation taking advantage of AI," declared S. Krishnakumar, MD, Sulochana Cotton Spinning Mills and Deputy Chairman, SIMA, while D. Venkadesan, CEO, Sri Jayajothi and Company, underscored that "true innovation comes from empowered employees" — two defining notes that set the tone at the ITAMMA Award (2024/25) function held at Jenny's Club, Coimbatore, on 7th March 2026.

Mr Omprakash Mantry, President, ITAMMA, delivering the Welcome Address

Setting the Stage: An Industry at a Crossroads

The Indian Textile Machinery and Accessories Manufacturers' Association (ITAMMA) convened its annual awards ceremony against the backdrop of a sector navigating significant headwinds. In his welcome address, Mr Omprakash Mantry, President, ITAMMA, painted a candid picture of the global landscape: geopolitical tensions, Red Sea shipping disruptions, inflationary pressures, and protectionist tariffs have collectively constrained India's textile exports, leading to reduced orders and tightened margins through 2025-26.

A 9-10% contraction in textile exports to the United States has been projected for 2026 due to punitive tariffs, with an estimated Rs 15,000 crore revenue loss in key hubs such as Tirupur. Conflict in the Red Sea has further inflated shipping costs, slowing trade with Europe and the US.

Yet, Mr. Mantry was equally clear about the opportunities ahead. India's 'China+1' strategy continues to offer meaningful market share gains, provided the country addresses internal bottlenecks such as fragmented manufacturing and infrastructure deficits. The finalized 18% tariff reduction with the US, alongside new Free Trade Agreements with the UK (effective 2026), are positioned to improve India's competitiveness against peers like Bangladesh and Pakistan. The industry is increasingly diversifying its market base and pivoting towards value-added, sustainable, and eco-friendly products to meet tightened EU regulations. Despite a current 4% global market share and an export dip in 2024, the long-term outlook remains positive, with analysts expecting modest growth through 2026.

Chief Guest Address: "The Time Has Come to Perform"

Chief Guest Mr S. Krishnakumar, MD, Sulochana Cotton Spinning Mills & Deputy Chairman, SIMA, delivering the Chief Guest Address

Mr S. Krishnakumar, MD, Sulochana Cotton Spinning Mills and Deputy Chairman, SIMA, delivered the chief guest address with both appreciation and conviction. He commended ITAMMA's yeomen services to the textile machinery, spares, and accessories sector since 1948, and specifically acknowledged the contributions of outgoing President Mr Bhavesh Patel, urging that his expertise and involvement continue in his capacity as Immediate Past President.

Mr Krishnakumar praised ITAMMA's awards architecture as uniquely comprehensive — encompassing Make in India, Recognition of Patents, Export Excellence across multiple segments, and an overall export performance award — noting that no other organisation in the sector offered such a breadth of recognition categories. He described these as powerful, consistent motivators for industrial units to improve performance and emerge as leaders in their respective domains.

Addressing the much-discussed recession in the textile sector, he offered a confident counter-narrative:

"In my opinion, the Indian Textile Industry has totally come out of the bad period and the industry is poised to achieve double digit growth rate in a short span of time."

He pointed to the Union Budget 2026-27's announcement of five Mega Schemes, the Mission for Cotton Productivity, the removal of Anti-Dumping Duty on all Man-Made Fibre (MMF) raw materials, the placement of the entire MMF value chain in the 5% GST slab, and the conclusion of three Mega FTA agreements with the UK, US, and EU. He also cited the PM MITRA Park Scheme, PLI Scheme, and NTTM Scheme as accelerators for investments and global competitiveness. His closing call was unambiguous: the time has come to leverage Artificial Intelligence and modern technologies to make India the Global Leader in Textiles and clothing manufacturing.

Guest Speaker: Innovation is Not Technology — It is People

Mr D. Venkadesan, CEO, Sri Jayajothi and Company Pvt. Ltd., Rajapalayam, delivering his presentation

Mr D. Venkadesan, CEO, Sri Jayajothi and Company Private Limited, Rajapalayam, delivered a thought-provoking technical presentation titled 'Innovation is Not Technology — It is People.' Sri Jayajothi and Company operates over 70,800 spindles under a single roof, offering 100% cotton yarn, blended yarn, warp yarns, hosiery yarn, ply yarns, cabled yarns, slub yarns, and multi-count and multi-twist yarns. He explained how the company has perfected its spinning processes through state-of-the-art automation and innovation at every phase of yarn manufacturing.

"True innovation comes from empowered employees. Innovation is fundamentally a human-driven process — a mindset, an initiative, and a culture that empowers people to solve problems, adapt, and create value."

Mr Venkadesan cautioned that technology becomes a 'crutch' if people are not empowered to use it for genuine, human-centric change. The best innovations involve improving, collaborating, and rethinking processes — not simply procuring new technology. True innovation stems from understanding human needs rather than pushing technical capabilities. Sri Jayajothi, he noted, is known for its experienced promoters, emphasis on employee development, a culture of continuous improvement, and the leveraging of human experience to drive operational excellence in textile manufacturing.

Awards: Recognising Excellence Across the Value Chain

The ceremony recognised outstanding contributions across multiple categories:

• ITAMMA Make in India Award (2024-25): Mr Arpit Sidhpura, Director, Maksteel Wire Healds Pvt. Ltd., Vadodara.
• Recognition of Patent Award (2024-25): Mr A. Srivaradhan, Joint Managing Director, Millwright Engineering Pvt. Ltd., Coimbatore.
• Highest Export Excellence Award (2024-25) (Textile Machine Parts & Accessories Sector): Mrs Pooja Arpit Sidhpura, Director, Maksteel Wire Healds Pvt. Ltd., Vadodara.
• Export Excellence Award (2024-25) (Accessories Sector — Spinning Segment, Large Scale Manufacturers): Mr Diven Dembla, MD, and Mr Sameer Dua, GM Sales & Strategy-Exports, Precision Rubber Industries Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai.
• Export Excellence Award (2024-25) (Accessories Sector — Spinning Segment, Large Scale Manufacturers): Mr J.M. Balaji, Vice-President, Lakshmi Ring Travellers (Coimbatore) Pvt. Ltd., Coimbatore.
• Export Excellence Award (2024-25) (Accessories Sector — Spinning Segment, MSME Category): Mr Jugal Kishore Pansari, Director, and Mr Arun Jhunjhunwala, Business Manager (South Zone), Supertex Industries Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai.
• Export Excellence Award (2023-24) (Accessories Sector — Processing Segment, MSME Category): Mr Omprakash Mantry, Director, Century Inks Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai.
• Special Award for Dyestuff & Chemical Products (2024-25): Mr Jugal Kishore Pansari, Director, and Mr Anuj Bajpae, Asst. General Manager (Technical Sales & Marketing), Yogesh Dyestuff Products (P) Ltd., Mumbai.
• Debutant Exporter Excellence Award (2024-25): Mr Laxsmikant Rathi, Vice-President, and Mr Mohan Raj, Vice-President, Sales, The Indian Card Clothing Co. Ltd., Maharashtra.

Other Highlights

Release of ITAMMA Voice No. 19 at the function

The event also witnessed the release of ITAMMA Voice No. 19. A presentation titled 'The Next Wave of Textile Manufacturing: Automation, AI and Smart Factories' was delivered by Mr. Jaivardhan, Director — Strategy & Global Sales, Indo Texnology Pvt. Ltd., followed by his felicitation with a memento. Co-sponsors AU Small Finance Bank Limited (a Scheduled Commercial Bank) and Ayushman Solar (Channel Partner of TATA Power) were similarly felicitated.

Felicitation of Mr Bhavesh Patel, Immediate Past President, ITAMMA, by Office Bearers

Mr Bhavesh Patel, Immediate Past President (2024/25), delivered his farewell speech and was warmly felicitated by office bearers, the Chief Guest, ITAMMA staff, and the India ITME Society. A special felicitation was extended to Mr Sundar Raj for his excellent efforts in making the event a grand success. The vote of thanks was delivered by Mr Vishal Masand, Vice-President (2026/27), ITAMMA, who congratulated all award winners and thanked the Chief Guest, Immediate Past President, guest speakers, sponsors, the press, and the audience for their participation.

The ITAMMA Award function continues to serve as a vital platform for the textile machinery and accessories industry — one that recognises performance, celebrates innovation, and reaffirms the sector's collective resolve to position India as a global leader in textile manufacturing