3 days ago
SYNTHETIC TAKEOVER
There is a synthetic transformation under way in Tirupur, India's knitwear capital that accounts for 60% of exports in the segment and clocks $4.5 billion in annual business. Targeting to double its turnover to $10bn by 2030, the cluster is betting big on manmade fibres (MMF), aiming to increase MMF's share from the current 10% to 30%.
Manmade (artificial/synthetic) fibres are made using chemical processes, unlike natural ones derived from living organisms.
"The 'China Plus One' sentiment is driving global sourcing strategies. So, buyers are seeking alternatives in Bangladesh, Vietnam—and increasingly India, especially Tirupur. We hope to tap emerging markets in Africa and Latin America too," said Sunil Jhunjhunwala, MD, Techno Sportswear (P) Limited and Vice-Chairman, CII Tirupur.
The region will soon turn into a focussed market for MMF garment markets. "The idea is not to abandon cotton, but manmade fibres will grow faster—maybe five to six times by 2030," said Arun Ramaswamy, CEO, New Man Exports, who also serves as the chairman of Tirupur Exporters Association's (TEA) MMF sub-committee.
"The FTA with the UK, Canada, Australia, will also bring in good business opportunities," he said.
There are more than 5,000 units in Tirupur.
"From blended polyester-cotton-lycra or cotton-lycra to 100 percent rayon, every unit has undertaken a marginal production in MMF now. We are focussing exclusively on sports, athleisure wear and technical textiles. The usage of cotton in the sports segment is gradually dwindling, while everyone's gaze is towards MMF," he adds.
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Today, industries in Tirupur import fabric from China, make garments and export them.
"The next step for us is to make the yarn, like polyester and nylon filament, lyocell fibre, in India itself. Then, we will need to manufacture the raw materials locally, from petrochemicals," explained Jhunjhunwala. "Materials and equipment make up nearly one-third of the input cost for MMF exporters. With knitting and finishing capabilities still catching up, building an integrated MMF value chain is a priority.
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Tirupur needs to achieve in 3-4 years what China and Taiwan did in 15–20 years. "That means getting our learning curve right—investing in technology, training labour, and incentivising processing units. Everything from the yarn to the finished product should be from here," he explained.
This is also why Tirupur is looking up to Taiwanese firms—global leaders in the MMF ecosystem, for technical expertise. This year's Tamil Nadu-Taiwan technical textile partnership summit, which was recently held at Coimbatore focussed on processing expertise.
"These partnerships could help Indian exporters move up the value chain, especially in fast-growing segments like sportswear, activewear, workwear, rain jackets, industrial gear.
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Those who spearheaded the move to adopt MMF include A Sakthivel, Chairman, Poppys Knitwear (P) Ltd, who serves as honorary chairman, TEA, and vice chairman, apparel export promotion council (AEPC). K M Subramanian, founder-chairman of KM Knitwear, and president, TEA, is among the other industry leaders championing MMF, said Ramaswamy.
Still, challenges remain—especially skilled labour, and more infrastructure to tap. "The attrition rate is high. We need houses/dormitories for labourers to retain them. Besides, we need more plug and play facilities for the MMF," said G R Gopikumar, convenor of the textile panel for the confederation of Indian industry (CII), Tamil Nadu. There is also a need to create more hubs in and around Tirupur. "Basic product categories like babywear and undergarments could be shifted to newer hubs like Erode, Karur, and Salem—allowing Tirupur to specialise in high-value, technical exports.
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There has been assistance from the govt front as well. An official tells us, "Presently, there are subsidies under the industrial and MSME policies. Now to promote R&D in technical textiles and MMF, we have announced a 1 crore scheme. Industries and academic units can apply for this. But the final product should be commercializable. This research will help in coming out with raw materials." The govt has also launched the Tamil Nadu Tech Textile Mission.
"This is to offer end-to-end support. We will empanel consultants with whom the industries can engage to set up tech-textile units," the official added.
