2008-4-14

　　The worldwide nonwoven industry has grown steadily at about 7.5% per annum in tonnage in the last decade. While the nonwoven industries growth in North America, Europe and Japan has slowed with maturity, these countries are still growing at 5% per annum. A significant portion of worldwide nonwoven expansion is due to the rising demand for these materials as emerging economies like Asia expands. India and China are the key players contributing to this growth.

　　India has a huge opportunity to capitalize on much larger portion of this growth. Government of India emphasized the promotion of all steps of the textile industry, especially by paying attention to the innumerable use of nonwovens in unnoticed applications. Indian industry is starting to expose itself to international trends by inviting foreign players to partner with entrepreneurs in India. As nonwovens and technical textiles have been considered to be the most promising and dynamic segment of the textile industry, the demand and consumption of nonwovens and technical textiles will grow enormously in the near future.

　　The questions that come an individuals mind is that "Is India the next booming market for nonwovens? Will India be reaching the new horizons in nonwovens and technical textiles?

　　Analysts from fibre2fashion conducted a survey of industry personnel and consultants to study the strengths and weaknesses of this emerging field of material science in Indian context.

　　Strength:

　　With a large textile manufacturing base and technical manpower, India has the potential to become the leading exporter of various nonwovens and technical textile products. The promotion of nonwovens in India is promising in healthcare as traditional textiles are replaced with single-use disposables, improving agriculture for better crop protection and in geotextiles to meet increasing needs in infrastructure and the possibility of controlling floods. The major strength for Indian Nonwoven industry is listed below:

Weakness:

Some of the major weaknesses for Indian nonwovens industry are:

　　In an Interview with Mr. G Ravishankar, an expert Nonwoven consultant from India, analysts from fibre2fashion tried to portray the current scenario of Nonwovens industry in India with some future forecast statistics to have a guideline for entrepreneurs and new entrants into this emerging field.

　　Q. How do you see the future of Nonwovens in India for next 10 years? Give us some facts and figures for the same?

　　A: The current Indian production levels in Nonwovens are miniscule by developed world standards. I expect the production level to touch 1.0 million tons in ten years which would mean a very high growth rate. 

　　The nonwovens consumption is directly related to economic development and per-capita income of the population.  As over 60% nonwovens usage is in disposable products, the availability of surplus income and increase in hygiene awareness are important factors for growth.  Current nonwoven production level is only about 70,000 tons per annum which was the same level in China, fifteen years ago.  China today is producing over 1 million tons of nonwovens. 

　　With more emphasis on renewable raw materials like cotton and viscose for disposable nonwovens, many European and American manufacturers are expected to set base in India  due abundance of these two raw materials in India.

 

Q. Please highlight the bottlenecks (production and marketing) for nonwovens industry in India? How to overcome them?

A: Lack of knowledge is a bottleneck that India as the product is into its initial stage in India.  The second is absence of converters in India to transform the roll goods into a consumable product.  Development of conversion industry in the medium and small scale sector is essential for growth of this industry.  We have seen this happen in plastic industry during the Seventies and same model has to be repeated for the Nonwovens industry.

The final nonwovens product is affordable by current market prices and industry will grow rapidly when taken up by large world players.  The advent of supermarkets makes the marketing of these products easier. 

We have example of success in scrub market where 3M scotch bright has become household name and at least another 5 companies have started making similar nonwoven products and established a distribution network. Indian shoe and garment industry is large enough and exports all over the world. However most of the nonwovens requirement of these industries is still imported due to no availability of quality goods in the local market.

Q. Is the Indian nonwoven industry competent enough to cater to the entire value chain from raw material to finished product? What are the probable applications that Indian nonwoven manufacturers should focus on?

A: Indian Nonwovens industry is competent but limited by old technology and second hand machines.  We need to invest in latest technology for markets in Filtration, Geotextiles, medical textiles and Protective textiles. 

There is also a huge scope in Agricultural textiles which is left untapped.  Countries like Egypt are using Nonwovens in greater quantities (exported from India) to improve agricultural productivity.  Horticulture and Floriculture industry can also benefit immediately by Nonwovens.  Knowledge and availability are important factors in the industry. 

Governmental initiative similar to that made in Drip Irrigation is essential for fast development.  The use of Geotextiles has already begun and with little more support like regulatory mechanism or mandate. This industry will grow rapidly due to basic economic advantages of using Geotextiles in all infrastructure related projects.

Q. Do you think the government initiatives / support is sufficient for this upcoming industry? If not, what are the additional requirements in terms of policy initiatives?

A: Policy initiatives are required to standardize the use of Geotextiles in major infrastructure projects.   There has to be more state wise incentive to promote Geotextiles companies in every developing region. 

For Medical hygiene end use, compulsory use of disposables in hospitals will reduce cross infection in hospitals and thereby reduce overall health  care costs to the Nation. 

Policy initiative is required in Agriculture to use Nonwovens for Crop protection.  Major fertilizer companies should take up distribution of these products so that it can reach the farmers with minimum distribution costs in a vast country like India. 

Strict norms in pollution control and environmental protection will necessitate use of filters in the industry at various levels.  Strict effluent and air pollution standards (similar to USA and Europe) and their implementation will give impetus to growth of Nonwoven filter media.  This is already a fast growing market in rest of the world.

Indian exports in Nonwovens are miniscule.  We have the Raw materials for nonwoven products, only need to invest in roll goods and conversion industry to supply to rest of the world in the most economic way.  China has taken the lead and done successfully and there is no reason why India cannot do the same.  If we can compete in Garments, we can also compete in Converted products.

From the detailed conversation with industry experts and other consultants in the field of technical textiles, analysts from fibre2fashion could very well notice the phase change in the applications for such products which are new to Indian market. With the younger workforce and growing per-capita income, the middle and upper classes will grow significantly, and spending will increase. Although the use of nonwovens per-capita is extremely low in India at $0.04/capita compared to $2.73/capita in North America.

The market is growing rapidly for end uses in feminine care, medical, geotextiles, automotives and packaging applications. The hygiene market in India has a great potential because of the low penetration and the sheer size of the market. The entry strategies with feminine hygiene products followed by baby diapers, and eventually adult incontinence, will make it possible for women, children and adults to benefit from new, hygienic and easy-to-use products. The need for single-use surgical products (gowns and drapes) is imminent in Indian hospitals.

India in Global Economy:

To play a major role in the global economy, India has much more to offer. However, progression from the current state of development to a higher international standard is entirely in the hands of India itself. To build this momentum, change must happen much faster and with a greater degree of business expertise and planning. No doubt, the country has the tools to build a highly industrial nation, but implementation is where we need to focus on. Another area of concern was how disposable products affect landfills and other types of waste disposal. As is the case in many Western countries, landfills is simply not the solution, but municipal waste can be used for energy provision and therefore benefit the country and the environment.

Conclusion:

Experts believe that Indias technical textile industry will be worth 12-15 billion dollars by 2012 and achieve a 10% of the global market share. The period between 2010 and 2030 will be crucial for the technical textile sector in India as it will provide tremendous opportunities for both international and domestic players to enter into a market segment with a growth rate of 15% per annum. India is shining and is certainly a technical textile playing field to be in for the coming decade.

The Indian market requires about 6-7 million square meters of geotextiles for construction of 14,000 km of highway. Governments initiative to mandate the usage of geotextiles and necessary steps for implementation may bring enormous results in quality of infrastructure and also boost the market for technical textiles in years to come.