Fabric Science

Clothing has been called the second skin in recognition of its intimate connection with peoples physical and psychological comfort.

 Designers choose textile material very early in the product development cycle because the properties of fabric are linked to the silhouette and the mood of the collection. World of textile is an exciting area where fashion performance and marketing are blended to provide textile products for people all over the world.

Indian Textile Industry

It provides employment to more than 35 million people in India. It accounts for
4% of the GDP 14 % of industrial production Above 17 % of the countrys total export earnings.

 The textile industry is estimated to be around US$ 52 billion and is likely to touch US$ 110 billion by 2012. Indian textiles, handlooms and handicrafts are exported to more than 100 countries, with the US being the largest buyer (US$ 25 billion).

Three Sectors of Indian Textile Industry

Handloom sector Decentralized power loom sector Organised (composite) mill sector.

Handloom sector
The sector accounts for 15% of the total cloth produced in the country. The handloom mark launched on June 28 2006 serves as a guarantee for the buyer that the product being purchased is genuinely hand woven.

Power loom sector

The powerloom industry plays a pivotal role in meeting the clothing needs of the country and produces a wide variety of cloth, both grey, as well as, processed. More than 60% of the cloth comes from the powerloom sector Accounts for 20 lakhs powerlooms, more than 7 million workers

Organised mill sector

Largest organised industry in the country in terms of the employment and number of units. As on Dec 2007, there were 1744 cotton/manmade fiber textile mills (non-SSI) in the country with a capacity of 35 million spindles and 56000 looms

Various companies
Arvind mill Alok textiles Raymond Ltd Bombay dyeing Century textile Welspun Ltd Etc

Strengths
Huge textile production capacity Efficient multi fiber raw material manufacturing capacity Large pool of skilled and cheaper work force Entrepreneurial skill Huge export potential Large domestic market Very low import content Flexible textile manufacturing systems.

Weaknesses
Increased global competition in the post 2005 trade regime under WTO Imports of cheap textiles from other Asian neighbors Use of outdated manufacturing technology Poor supply chain management Huge unorganized and decentralized sector High production cost with respect to other countries.

Govt. Initiatives
100% FDI allowed through the automatic route. Technology mission on Cotton was launched in Feb 2000 to make quality raw material available at competitive prices. Technology Upgradation Fund Scheme ( TUFS) which was launched to facilitate the modernization and up gradation of the textile industry in 1999 has been given further extension till 2011-12. 40 textile parks are being set up under the Scheme for Integrated Textile Parks (SITP) which will attract an investment of US$ 4.38 billion.

Union Budget 2010-11

The central plan outlay for the industry has been enhanced to US$ 1.03 billion. Of this US$ 521.4 million is for TUFS, US$ 76 million for SITP, US$ 80.2 million for handlooms, US$ 69.3 million for handicrafts and US$ 98.4 million for sericulture. Allocation for textiles and jute industry is US$ 713.4 million. The total allocation for village and small enterprises sector which include handicrafts and handlooms is US$ 210.3 million. US$ 31.5 million has been provided for development of mega clusters in handlooms, handicrafts and powerloom sectors. Customs duty at 4 per cent for import of readymade garments for retail sales has been withdrawn. The micro small medium enterprises in textiles sector have been given full CENVAT credit on capital goods in one instalment in the year of receipt of such goods and the facility of payment of excise duty in quarterly basis.

Self study
Figure out which are the leading textile industries in India and write a short essay on each (covering product base, sources, buyers, share in market etc).