Interview with Seema Srivastava
Seema Srivastava
Executive Director
India ITME Society
Executive Director
India ITME Society
Will promote 'Make in India' initiative of government
India International Textile Machinery Exhibitions Society or the 'India ITME Society' is a non-profit apex industry body, established in 1980, with the sole motto to support and serve the textile engineering industry through exhibitions and events. Seema Srivastava - Executive Director of ITME Society, speaks to Paulami Chatterjee on the role the Society has played in the last 40 years, to facilitate and stimulate the growth of the textile machinery industry, dealing with the many challenges the industry faces.
This year marks the 40th year of India ITME Society. What are the 5 turning points in this long journey that revived or changed the fortunes of the textiles machinery niche?
Forty years of India ITME Society's journey has its own triumphs and challenges and the event which started with just 120 exhibitors, today has become a globally renowned event for the textile industry and all the machine manufacturers across the globe.
The Society started its activities in 1980, when there was no major machinery manufacturing in India except for a handful of companies. Today, many globally renowned machine manufacturers from Europe have their manufacturing base in India. Apart from this, those who are not manufacturing in India, has set their sales office in India proving India's journey from being insignificant to the second largest textile market in the world today.
Many activities are being undertaken by the government and various research institutions to develop new technologies and encourage self-sufficiency in this segment (machinery) for India. Society is doing its bit to facilitate and stimulate the growth of the industry in a comprehensive manner through various new activities introduced in its 40th year of successful contribution to the industry such as e-library for knowledge dissemination and sharing, technical seminars supporting the next generation to acquire updated technological development in the world. We have also set up a portal and activities to encourage women entrepreneurs in the textile engineering sector.
Going forward, the Society is undertaking many innovative activities to consolidate India's place globally.
What are the major concerns that buyers and manufacturers of machinery have when it comes to sourcing machinery? How are these addressed?
Indian buyers are looking for best technology at affordable cost which is not available in the market. We will be promoting the 'Make in India' initiative of the government through various forums and direct marketing initiatives. India ITME society would like to take up this issue to make machines tailor made for Indian customers. In this type of scenario, we will be exchanging a thought process with various machinery suppliers to produce international quality machinery in India at affordable cost. Moreover, we are encouraging existing Indian machinery suppliers to upgrade their technology to meet international standards.
Which are the top textile machinery sourcing markets for India?
The top textile machinery sourcing markets for India are China, Japan, Germany, Italy and Belgium.
Which are the top export markets for India? In which other markets is the demand growing?
Top export markets for textile machineries are Bangladesh, Germany, Netherlands, Vietnam and Turkey. In addition to this, countries such as Ethiopia some and other countries in the African continent, Cambodia, China, Pakistan, have shown significant demand for Indian machinery and accessories.
Which machine commodities have seen the highest growth in terms of their revenue earning capacity from foreign markets?
The machine commodities that have seen the highest growth in terms of their revenue earning capacity from foreign markets are spinning accessories, weaving looms, knitting machines, dobbies, jacquards, automatic stop motions, shuttle changing mechanisms parts, manufacture of finishing felt for nonwovens.
How many textile industry members are currently enrolled with you?
India ITME Society is sponsored by 1) Bureau of Indian Standards, Govt of India 2) Textile Machinery Manufacturers Association 3) Indian Textile Accessories & Machinery Mfrs Association 4) Textile Association (India) and 5) Confederations of Indian Textile Industry. The members of the above associations are Pan India and all of them are associated with India ITME Society. ITME Society do not have direct membership.
How did the Indian textile machinery industry fare in 2019? What is the goal set for 2020 beyond?
The Indian textile machinery industry has shown an increase in exports by 25 per cent and imports have increased by 1 per cent.
Globally, India still lags China in the textile machinery market by coming in the fourth position. What should the country do to match up to China?
As such China has a big market share in global market which has major contribution from its own domestic industry. In order to encash more profitable industry segments, we presume either China would reduce its share in textile and apparel industry which in turn would have reduced global market share or China would invest in other countries which has already happened in countries like Vietnam, Cambodia etc. Similarly, India has its own growing domestic market and has shown inclination to increase its share through advanced technological growth, technical collaboration with global brands, multinational market treaties and government initiatives like 'Make in India'.
How do you perceive the current textile machinery market with respect to Industry 4.0 compliancy? What support does the Indian machinery industry need to bring in more automation?
India is in a confused state of mind to adopt automation. There are tremendous efforts being made to accept and incorporate Industry 4.0 in its simplest form. Machinery manufacturers have shown their readiness to implement the same and are taking due course of action to incorporate Industry 4.0 in their manufacturing programme. However, level of automation changes from customer to customer. We strongly believe that with collaborative efforts from major technology developers from countries like Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Japan, China etc, we would be able to implement Industry 4.0 effectively and appropriately.
Are there any major challenges faced behind the concept of 'Make in India' in textile engineering? If yes, what are they?
The major challenge is to meet requirements of Indian customers to supply machinery at affordable price and with the best technology, which is only possible when major machinery suppliers show their inclination to have either collaboration with Indian companies or put up their own 100 per cent subsidiary in India.
Could you throw some light on the type of support programmes, exhibitions and presentations you run to facilitate the Indian textile industry?
The main activities of India ITME Society is promoting trade, investment, joint venture and technological advancement of the industry through exhibitions. During our exhibition, various technical seminars and focus topics are selected for presentations, speaker sessions and panel discussions. This helps industry and the students to update themselves with the current industry topics and research topics. All these programmes are provided free of cost for the academic and the student community. We also have various institutes, research organisations and associates who work with us to facilitate training programmes in India and overseas. Associates like Suvin Advisors provide technical support and advice in our endeavours. Recently, Trupti Khedekar from Suvin Advisors, who has been providing technical support to our exhibitions, was acknowledged and awarded for her contributions to India ITME Society exhibitions.
What will be the major highlights for the upcoming fair of ITME Africa in February 2020 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia? What key topics will be discussed at this event?
With the moto 'Prosperity Through Technology', ITME Africa 2020, the first of its kind of business and technology event, will be hosted in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from February 14-16, 2020. India ITME Society - a non-profit apex industry body in India, International Trade Centre (ITC-UN), Geneva, a global organisation promoting trade between nations and Ethiopian Chamber of Commerce & Sectoral Associations (ECCSA), autonomous national Chamber of Ethiopia, have come together for ITME Africa 2020 in order to encourage and facilitate bilateral, regional, intra-regional collaborations to stimulate trade and investment through technology and engineering especially in the textile sector. This largest technology and engineering event in the African continent will be supported by Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Ministry of Textiles (GOI), Ministry of Commerce & Industry, Engineering Exports Promotion Council (EEPC, Govt of India), Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry (FICCI), Federal Democratic Government, Republic of Ethiopia; Ethiopian Textile Development Institute & International Trade Centre (ITC), Switzerland, Geneva.
ITME Africa 2020 will see a total of 172 exhibitors from 15 countries - the highest number of exhibitors, and 87+ companies from India. Apart from India, country pavilions from Switzerland, Italy, Turkey, China, will showcase the world's best machinery and technology in 23 chapters.
This international exhibition and technical seminar promoted globally for over a year, will see a convergence of business delegations and visitors from 32 countries. ITME Africa will witness industry buyers and visitors from 7 African countries (Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda), once again registering the largest number of visitors. A technical seminar sharing the experiences of India and showcasing the latest award-winning technology by Indian Institute of Technology, a premium technology and engineering institute of India, will be showcased at ITME Africa 2020.
During the exhibition, live demonstration of weaving machines manufactured in India by Laxmi shuttles Looms Pvt Ltd, will be available and then further donated to Bahir Dar University for Student Lab & Research Study, stimulating and encouraging technical education in the country. The event is poised to be a catalyst not only for the textile and manufacturing industry but also for education and research institutes across the continent.
Apart from encouraging trade and investment, ITME Africa 2020 will also influence cultural amalgamation with fusion music and performance. ITME Africa is not just an event but is the beginning of a journey towards self-reliance, socio-economic advancement and cooperation for entire continent of Africa. (PC)
Published on: 10/02/2020
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.