ITAMMA's Bhilwara Events Draw Strong Response from Industry Leaders

ITAMMA (Indian Textile Accessories & Machinery Manufacturers' Association) wrapped up a packed two-day programme in Bhilwara on January 30–31, 2026, bringing together industry leaders, academics, exhibitors, and students for what turned out to be a landmark textile event.

The proceedings kicked off on January 30 with a press conference at the Mewar Chamber of Commerce & Industry, where about 38 media representatives received press kits in both English and Hindi. ITAMMA President Omprakash Mantry addressed the gathering, previewing the 29th Product-cum-Catalogue Show scheduled for the following day at Ranbanka Heritage Hotel.

January 31 opened with the 6th edition of the "B. K. Mehta Technology Networking Mission-2030," organised jointly with the BK Mehta Endowment Fund. The session began with a documentary on the late Shri B. K. Mehta, honouring his contributions to the textile engineering industry. Director General (Tech) N. D. Mhatre explained that the Mission aims to engage academia, research, government, and industry at national and international levels while supporting key innovations in the textile sector.

Mantry credited Mrs Hansaben Mehta for strengthening the endowment fund and announced the "ITAMMA Technology Fund" to encourage student innovations testable at member factories. Prof (Dr) R. K. Somani, Dean of SANGAM University, stressed that institute-level projects must carry a strong R&D concept backed by extensive field trials in factories. Prof (Dr) Virendra Gupta of MLV Textile and Engineering College raised a pointed concern — engineering colleges face serious faculty shortages, and teacher selection should go beyond PhD qualifications to include industrial project experience, with promotions tied to industrial output rather than academic metrics alone.

Avinash Mayekar, Managing Director of Suvin Expo LLP, suggested a one-to-one feedback model between students and industry experts, recommending pre-seminar briefings and competitive formats across institutes. Dayal Mehta, CEO of AiTTiS, offered to support student start-ups from inception through to funding, citing active government initiatives in the technical textiles space.

The second session featured student project presentations from various colleges. Projects ranged from eco-friendly oil sorbents and acoustic nonwovens to light-emitting materials for textiles. Students received certificates of appreciation and tokens of recognition.

The afternoon "Special Session on Technical Textiles Turnkey Projects" saw Mhatre highlight Bhilwara's man-made fibre base as a natural foundation for transitioning into engineered textiles. Mayekar noted that India imports over 75% of its textile machinery, driving up capital costs, and argued for indigenous machine development. Laxmikant Rathi, President of ICC, urged the industry to be a "value provider rather than a volume provider," noting that Western economies control over 50% of global technical textiles through Meditech, Defence, and Autotech sectors. Rohit Parmar of KHS TECH TEX Pvt Ltd shared his hands-on experience in machine development, retrofitting, and spare parts, and discussed possibilities of innovating existing looms for technical textile production — work he had explored alongside Mhatre during a recent industry visit.

Six MoUs were signed with Mewar Chamber of Commerce & Industry, SANGAM University, MLV Textile & Engineering College, TEAM (Thriving Engineers Alumni of MLVTEC), AiTTiS, and Suvin Expo LLP. ITAMMA VOICE Issue No. 18 was also launched at the event.

The “29th Product-cum-catalogue show” connected 548 decision-makers with 61 exhibitors on the resort lawns. Inaugurated by Dr. S. N. Modaniji of Sangam India Ltd. and Dinesh Nolkhaji of Nitin Spinners Ltd., it drew praise from both. Modaniji offered SANGAM's premises for the next show; Nolkhaji acknowledged ITAMMA's outreach in driving strong footfalls. Delegate feedback rated information dissemination at 83.33% excellent. The Networking Dinner was sponsored by the India ITME Society.