Technotex 2023 was a three-day flagship event organized by the Ministry of Textiles, Govt. of India, and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) from February 22nd to 24th, 2023. The event was held in Mumbai at the Bombay Exhibition Centre and was the 10th edition of the event.
The Conference on Technical Textiles and International Exhibition, Technotex-2023, was held from 22nd to 24th February 2023 at Grand B & C, Bombay Exhibition Centre, Nesco Centre, Goregaon (East), Mumbai. The theme of the conference was “Envisioning Indian Technical Textiles@ 2047”. The event was organized by the Organizing Committee & Chairman, Supreme Nonwovens Industries Pvt Ltd, with the support of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI).
The first day of the conference started with the inauguration ceremony at 11:00 AM. The ceremony began with the lighting of the lamp and the felicitation of dignitaries. The welcome remarks were delivered by Mr. Mohan Kavrie, Chairman & Mentor, FICCI Technotex SME, and R D Udeshi, Member National Executive Committee, FICCI. The keynote address was given by Mr. R D Udeshi, President, Polyster Chain, Reliance.
The Chief Guest Address was delivered by Smt Darshana Vikram Jardosh, Hon’ble Minister of State for Textiles & Railways, Government of India. The e-book on Technical Textiles was released during the ceremony, and the vote of thanks was given by Mr. Amit Agarwal, Chairman, ITTA & Chairman, CTM Technical Textiles Ltd.
After the inauguration, the exhibition was opened for visitors to explore the latest products, technologies, and services in the field of technical textiles. The networking lunch provided an opportunity for participants to network with industry experts, entrepreneurs, and researchers.
The first roundtable meeting focused on the investment potential and opportunities present in the Indian technical textiles industry. The session was chaired by Mr. U.P. Singh, Ex. Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India. The discussion emphasized capitalizing new opportunities, ease of doing business, and facilitating investments contributing to the rapid growth of the industry in India.
The second roundtable meeting focused on enabling the startup ecosystem in technical textiles and smart textiles. Dr. Asim Tewari, Chairman, Professor, IIT, Mumbai, chaired the session, which discussed startup deterrence in the technical textiles ecosystem, knowledge exchange on best practices for nurturing them, developing capacities of an entrepreneurial ecosystem, global/domestic capital for investments into startups, and the requirement of regulatory interventions.
The day ended with Technotex Honors, Cultural Evening & Dinner at Hotel Leela, Andheri, Mumbai.
Day 2 of Technotex witnessed a series of engaging roundtable meetings that focused on various aspects of technical textiles. The roundtable meetings provided a platform for industry experts, policymakers, and stakeholders to share their perspectives and insights on the critical issues that the technical textile industry is facing today.
The third roundtable meeting focused on technical textiles from a user’s perspective, particularly in the defence and security institutions. The discussion centered around understanding and meeting the demands of the buyers, which is crucial to achieve the overall category strategy and elevate technical textiles to a priority industry. The discussion further explored India’s product mix, innovation, quality levels, and product standardization in the protective textiles segment.
The fourth roundtable meeting focused on exploring the window of opportunity for the usage of technical textiles in PM GATI SHAKTI. The discussion emphasized understanding the expectations and perspectives of different line ministries and departments, particularly in geotextiles, agro textiles, building textiles, and industrial textiles. The focus was on understanding the opportunities for geotextiles in infrastructure projects such as PM GATI SHAKTI.
The fifth roundtable meeting cantered around exploring the potential of technical textiles for protected and sustainable agro-produce. The discussion emphasized the importance of agro textiles in protected and sustainable cultivation and its ability to render higher yields and quality of agro-produce. The potential of agrotextiles to empower farmers and fulfill the National Mission of “Doubling Farmers Income” was also discussed.
The sixth roundtable meeting focused on developing domestic capabilities and capacities in the field of Meditech. The discussion emphasized the huge opportunity for India to leverage its existing capabilities and play an important role in the global market for Meditech products. The usage of technical textiles for health, hygiene, and surgical applications is expected to increase rapidly in the coming years.
The seventh and final roundtable meeting of the day focused on canvassing standards, quality, regulatory, and trade aspects of technical textiles. The discussion emphasized the importance of maintaining and upgrading aspects such as standards, quality, regulatory, and trade in consonance with the dynamic demand conditions of the industry. The need for standardization to maintain product quality, reliability, and create efficiencies was also discussed.
The Third day’s events were focused on keynote sessions, felicitations of dignitaries, and a CEO’s forum, which provided valuable insights and perspectives on the current state of the technical textiles industry.
The day began with a welcome address by Mr. HK Aggarwal, Member National Executive Committee FICCI, and Managing Director, Grasim Industries Limited. He welcomed the participants and set the tone for the day’s events.
Following the welcome address, there were felicitations of dignitaries, which included Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Textiles, Government of India, Shri Rajeev Saxena, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, and Smt Darshana Vikram Jardosh, Hon’ble Minister of State for Textiles and Railways, Government of India.
Shri Rajeev Saxena then canvassed the outcome of Technotex 2023, highlighting the key takeaways and outcomes of the conference and exhibition.
Smt Darshana Vikram Jardosh, Hon’ble Minister of State for Textiles and Railways, Government of India, also spoke about the government’s initiatives to promote the technical textiles industry and its potential to create employment opportunities and contribute to the country’s economic growth.
The release of the Knowledge Report and BIS Standards was then announced by Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Textiles, Government of India. He shared his views on the importance of standardization in the technical textiles industry and its role in promoting its growth.
The event concluded with a vote of thanks by Mr. Mohan Kavrie, Chairman & Mentor, FICCI Technotex SME Organizing Committee & Chairman, Supreme Nonwovens Industries Pvt Ltd, who thanked the dignitaries, participants, and organizing committee for making the event a success.
In the afternoon, the CEO’s Forum was held, which was by invitation only. The forum was focused on discussing the challenges and opportunities in the technical textiles industry and included a welcome address by Smt Rachna Shah, Secretary, Ministry of Textiles, and Government of India.
Mr. Mohit Bhasin, Partner and Global Co-lead for Economic Growth Practice at KPMG, set the context for the CEO’s Forum and provided an overview of the industry’s current state.
The CEO’s Speak I Partner States Voice session included an address by Smt Darshana Vikram Jardosh, Hon’ble Minister of State for Textiles and Railways, Government of India, who shared her perspectives on the industry’s potential and the government’s role in promoting its growth.
The event concluded with concluding remarks by Shri Piyush Goyal, Hon’ble Union Minister of Commerce & Industry, Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution, Textiles, Government of India, and a vote of thanks by Mr. Dhiraj Shah, Chairman, SRTEPC & Managing Director of Shahlon Silk Industries Ltd.
Along with the roundtable discussions and meeting with the CEO’s the exhibition also was a resounding success. Many Technical textile companies, associations and research institutes participated in the exhibition.
