Interview with Saktiprasad Chakraborty

Saktiprasad Chakraborty
Saktiprasad Chakraborty
Secretary-General
TMMA
TMMA

There should be more emphasis on R&D and innovative ideas
Premier trade body Textile Machinery Manufacturers' Association (India) (TMMA), since its inception in May 1958, has been able to stitch together 85 per cent of the organised sector of the textile engineering industry (TEI). TMMA members include major manufacturers of cotton, synthetic, jute, knitting, hosiery and woollen machinery, textile testing measuring instruments and parts & accessories, as also agents, dealers, exporters and consultants. The TMMA is also the founder of the India-ITME Exhibition Society that has been organising the India-International Textile Machinery Exhibition in India since 1980 every four years. TMMA Secretary-General Saktiprasad Chakraborty in conversation with Richa Bansal

As secretary-general of TMMA, what is your five-point strategy that could spearhead the growth of textile machinery manufacturers in India? I believe:

1. The TEI should give more importance to research & development and innovative ideas. 2. It needs to acquire technology either by reverse engineering or buying drawings and designs or take the collaboration route. 3. Need to venture into garment-making machines and knitting machines where there is potential demand. 4. Development of spares for high-tech machines by reverse engineering. 5. Maximising exports to other countries i.e. looking beyond domestic demand.

Why do you think India has not been able to realise its potential as a leading textile machinery maker?

Like the other capital goods sectors, various factors have affected the textile engineering industry too. The liberalisation of trade and import policy during 1991 and 1992 helped the manufacturing sector as also the textiles industry to expand its capacity with the help of imported machinery, specifically used machinery from abroad in the name of exports. There had been temporary growth for such industries for about a decade. However, the policy severely affected the viability of the domestic capital goods sector. The worst affected were Indian machine tools and the TEI. The import-led growth of he manufacturing sector removed the competitive edge of the capital goods ector and the TEI in particular. It took considerable time for this sector to just survive under the adverse situation.

What is the mandate that TMMA has set for itself and what will it take up in the next fiscal?

The TEI mandate is to seek a level-playing field from the government. At the same time, avail the government’s various schemes to develop items under the PPP mode with financial assistance from the government and technological help from the engineering research institutes; to set up common facility centres to help the MSME units as a one-stop shop for all facilities like training, testing, product development, etc.

How does the textile machinery industry deal with issues of skilled personnel? What will the TMMA agenda be towards this?

TMMA has associated itself with the Capital Goods Skill Council set up under the NSDC, New Delhi. Being the founder member of the council, it has helped in finalising the draft occupational standards for 52 trades. Further actions towards the skill development are being initiated.
Published on: 01/02/2016

DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.