At Techtextil India, Oerlikon Textile reaffirmed its pivotal role in shaping the future of man-made fibers and technical textiles. Mr. D. Ghosh, Vice President – Sales & Marketing, Oerlikon Textile India Pvt. Ltd., speaking to The Textile Magazine outlined how its end-to-end “melt-to-yarn” expertise, new recycling solutions, deepening India footprint positions it to support the country’s fast-growing textile ambitions. Backed by global R&D, local service investments and a clear sustainability mandate, Oerlikon is readying Indian converters and spinners for a next decade of structural growth.
Melt-to-Yarn: An Integrated Solution for MMF and Technical Fibres
The core proposition of Oerlikon is an integrated value chain: polymerization, spinning, draw texturing, staple fibre, downstream spinning and nonwovens. Mr. Ghosh referred to the company as “a complete solution provider in the field of man-made fibre,” with the firm capable of supplying the full spectrum-from raw polymer handling to high-quality yarn for demanding technical applications. This is germane to India’s move into performance fabrics, geotextiles, industrial yarns and even defense applications that need assured high-specification feedstock.
This opportunity is reinforced by India’s macro trajectory. Significant volumes of PFY, PSF, and viscose are already produced in the country, and ambitious PTA expansions by leading private and public players will strengthen feedstock security even more. Mr. Ghosh goes on to say that India’s MMF industry would scale up hand-in-hand with the nation’s growth in GDP and commodity production, adding that he forecasts the coming decade to witness a step-change in high-performance yarn demand across both domestic and export markets.
Recycling and Sustainability: From Bottles to Textile-to-Textile Solutions
And sustainability stopped being an option a while back-Oerlikon enshrined it into product strategy. The company displayed mechanical recycling solutions to convert PET bottle waste and textile waste into usable fibre, and presented these capabilities at global platforms including K-Show and its open houses in Germany. Mr Ghosh said that textile-to-textile recycling-the ability to reclaim and respin process and garment waste-is the most critical development for the industry’s ambitions on circularity.
Oerlikon’s attention to recycling compliments its melt-to-yarn portfolio in customers’ possibilities of feeding recycled feedstocks without compromising on yarn performance. As Mr. Ghosh puts it, developing reliable routes for recycling is “key for the future” given the global need to address growing textile waste and reduce lifecycle emissions.
India: An Emerging and Strategic Market
Now, India’s textile growth attracts both capital and technology. While China’s momentum is moderating, Mr. Ghosh said, India is emerging as the fastest-growing large economy with its textile sector growing in tandem with infrastructure and rising domestic consumption. Supportive policies of the Government of India like capital subsidies and Production-Linked Incentives rise as powerful catalysts, making Indian investments compelling and competitive globally.
Comparatively, while regional markets are experiencing slowdowns, India is firming up capabilities in synthetics, sportswear and technical segments. Oerlikon sees accelerating demand from segments such as geotextiles for infrastructure, performance outerwear, and industrial yarns-areas that are in crucial need of high-quality input and advanced processing technology.
Local Support, Service Excellence and Strategic Localization
A distinguishing feature of Oerlikon’s approach in India is its emphasis on customer intimacy and local enablement. The company has established a dedicated service station and repair shop in Baroda, stocked critical spare parts locally, and invested in a capable project-engineering and service team. “When a customer buys our machine he becomes our partner,” Mr. Ghosh said, stressing Oerlikon’s commitment to on-site support and rapid response-factors that materially reduce downtime and protect production. Looking ahead, Oerlikon continues to pursue more localization opportunities that would help reduce lead times and allow Indian projects to be realized with a local content when possible. This strategy aims at combining global technology with local agility and making the best solution available across the subcontinent.
