Technical textile is a textile product that is manufactured for purposes that are not worn regularly on a day to day basis, but these come in to use where function is the primary criterion, and in today's market opportunities it is a large and growing sector and supports a vast array of other industries. Technical textile are two words that whem combined resonate with opportunity for a growing number of companies in the textile industry, and today the most widely technical textile materials are used in filter clothing, furniture, hygiene medicals and construction material. Other terms such as industrial, specialty, performance and engineered textiles may also be used in some markets, but technical textiles encompass each of these areas. Technical textiles are predominately characterized as having specific performance-based attributes and typically must meet established performance specification criteria. Tensile strength and elongation, weight, elasticity, resistance to flammability and high heat levels, moisture-transport capabilities, durability, and weatherability are some examples of attributes that could be included in a technical textiles performance specification. As can be expected, the technical textiles industry is as broad and diverse as the products it generates, with new and innovative applications being developed on a daily basis.

 

Technical textiles are products manufactured primarily for their technical performance and functional properties rather than aesthetic and decorative characteristics. The technical textile industry in India, whose current size is estimated at $17 billion, is seen as the next hub for both manufacturing and consumption, he said. India is seen as a key growth market for the sector, given the sheer size of its population. Cost-effectiveness, durability and versatility have made technical textile popular in the domestic market; and with the discovery of new applications every day, the growth of the industry is only expected to amplify. India's technical textile industry is expected to grow at a rate of 20% annually to touch $36 billion by the end of 2017, according to industry experts. Technical textile is an important part of the overall textile sector in India. Not only has it grown at an annual rate of 11% during 2006-11, but is also estimated to expand at a rate of 20% to reach $36 billion by the end of 2017. Based on the projected growth of this sector, employment in the technical textiles industry is estimated to grow at 13% annually to over 2.6 million by the end of 2017. And to promote technical textile sector, the government plans to increase fund outlay for various schemes to over Rs 700 crore during the 12^th five year period, a central minister said today. The market size of technical textiles in India is estimated to have grown to an annual growth rate of 11%.

 

In order to continue building on this success, we are looking to increase the fund outlay for various schemes for the promotion of technical textiles to over Rs 700 crore during the 12^th five year period. With proper policy support, promotional efforts and standardisation and regulation, and the sector has the potential to reach Rs 1.58 lakh crore by the end of 2017. Some core products include woven fabrics for protective apparel used in military, police and firefighter, racing, industrial, and antistatic applications. In addition to imports, exports and domestically trades traditional and technical textile fibers, yarns and fabrics, some companies product offerings include high-tenacity flat and textured nylon and polyester yarns for technical markets, along with a new line of spun meta-aramid yarns that are being developed for high-heat-resistant filtration applications. Some companies manufacture yarn and flat, tubular and shaped woven and knit fabrics for a wide variety of specialty applications including seating, filtration, architectural and industrial end-uses, along with manufacturing of woven and braided 2-D and 3-D flat and net shape fabrics custom-engineered for aerospace, military, marine, sporting, and industrial technical textile and composite applications and a wide variety of applications including seating, filtration, architectural and industrial end uses.

 

To develop technical textile in the northeastern states, the government has sanctioned government support of Rs 55 crore for geo textile and another Rs 500 crore and under process. And mainly because of the astonishing diversity and range of applications in the technical textiles arena, product trends are difficult to accurately portray for each of the different segments in a brief review. Advances in fiber, yarn, fabric and manufacturing technologies continue to lead to new application opportunities and are helping fabric manufacturers meet the continuously expanding technical objectives and expectations of their customers. Lesser-grade technical textiles inevitably become commodities and tend towards imports. However, very few, if any, industry participants feel completely safe from increased foreign competition. As many of these technical applications are evolving, traditional customer/supplier relationships are also evolving into more of a working partnership. Theres now more emphasis on research and development and more customer involvement through every step of the process.

 

As more advanced technical textile concepts are realized and publicized, customer expectations will only continue to grow. Also of note is that consumers of technical textiles, especially in the more highly engineered applications, appear to have a preference for local sthecing of technical textiles, instead of importing them. This is primarily due to the potential for liability issues related to engineered products with specific performance attributes and a level of confidence achieved with these manufacturers. The current perception is that the US and European technical textiles manufacturers are the leaders in innovation, performance, quality and technical merit of these engineered products, making them less susceptible to possible litigation. The challenges abound in the technical textiles marketplace, as some are expected because of the nature of the raw materials and technical applications, but others can only be described as challenging. And most importantly Service is an enormous part of the business today, and being challenged by the customer base to provide a broader technical product offering and to be seeing demand from smaller, diverse manufacturers looking for local sthecing and just-in-time delivery. However, the biggest current challenge as a yarn supplier is to maintain margins. Its a constant battle because the cost of raw materials continually increases, but of cthese the weavers are constantly looking for a better price. In the past we may have taken some very low-margin business in order to maintain or create a customer relationship. We simply cant afford to do that anymore, so were now looking for new ways to service and add value for the customers. As a result, future growth looks very positive.