Technical textile has market of Rs.1.4 billion, India sees huge potential in technical textiles. At present, most of the market is in US who use 16.5 kg per capita, Europe with 12 kg per capita while India with merely 1.7 kg per capita of technical textile. By bring improving the value chain and favorable policies supporting the industry to overcome India can achieve faster growth in Technical textile according to Sashi Singh, Executive Director, Indian Technical Textile Association (ITTA) and former Joint Textile Commissioner.

Sashi at the inaugural function of the Indo-Czech International Conference (ICIC) 2014 on Advancements in Speciality Textiles and their applications in Material Engineering and Medical Sciences organised by Kumaraguru College of Technology in association with Technical University of Liberec, Czech Republic and Indian Technical Textile Association, Mumbai said that the Indian technical textile players need to step up the value chain to accomplish the vast potential.

She also sees possibilities of Coimbatore emerging as the next hub for technical textile and has urged young entrepreneurs to come up with projects.

To push up the demand for technical textiles products, ITTA has been working closely with the Central Government to make the use of air bags in cars, geotextiles and agrotextiles compulsory. Many of technical textile products are usually developed based on customer requirements. Hence users have to work closely with producers.

According to Shankar Vanavarayar, Joint Correspondent, KCT, just like the way Manchester had changed itself a few years ago, Coimbatore also needs to reinvent itself.

KCT has already entered into a strategic partnership with the Czech Republic that will help bring about changes in the way technical textiles are manufactured in Coimbatore. Technical textiles contribute to about 30 per cent of a car’s part at present.