As foreign buyers are now setting high quality standards for fabrics used in the apparel production. NIFT-TEA Knitwear Institute has launched two e-tools namely loop length calculator and fabric width planner to help the apparel exporters ensure that high quality fabrics were used in apparel production. The e-tools have been developed by the Industrial Relation wing of the NIFT-TEA Institute

V.K.V. Sekaran, chief coordinator of the Industrial Relation wing of the Institute said that the loop length calculator would enable the apparel manufacturers to fix the loop length for getting the accurate GSM (grams per square metre) readings for single jersey, single rib and interlock fabrics made of cotton.

The calculation could be made by entering the fabric type and yarn count details in the spreadsheet programme embedded in the said e-tool.

They will be soon modifying the version to facilitate the calculation of loop length for pique and lacoste fabrics, he said.

On the fabric width planner, Mr. Sekaran said that it would guide the user the selection of correct knitting diameter and compacting width of the fabric by entering the data related to classification of width like tubular or open width and shrinkage percentage, among others.

Mr. Sekaran said that both the e-tools would work on windows and linux operating systems and it would be soon extended to applications using mobile phones.

Both the software solutions will be given free-of-cost to the exporters who wished to obtain the same.