The textile industry scenario might be subdued; thankfully though it has not delayed or held up the conduct of the 7th edition of Texfair, scheduled between March 2 and 5 at the Codissia Trade Fair Complex here.
Industry sources told Business Line that they were quite apprehensive about organising the fair successfully, say two months back. “We did not expect the bookings to cross 50. Today, 150 exhibitors have confirmed participation. We are happy about his positive response,' said the Deputy Chairman of the Southern India Mills Association (SIMA), Mr T. Rajkumar.
Texfair 2012, organised by the apex body of textile mills in the South – SIMA is a platform for showcasing the latest developments in the textile machinery, spares and accessories space, testing equipment, electrical and electronic components among others.
“It is considered an ideal platform for the mills to zero in on their requirements, meet all suppliers and plan their investments prudentially,” said Mr Rajkumar.
For the first time this year SIMA is also considering a buyer-seller meet during the four-day event.
Apart from leading textile machinery, spares, accessories manufacturers and suppliers in Tamil Nadu, exhibitors from upcountry locations such as Gujarat, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, New Delhi and Karnataka are also expected to display their products. The expo would include participation from Japan, China and Germany as well, the SIMA Deputy Chairman added.
Studies show that the mills, on an average, spend 2.5 per cent to 3 per cent of their annual turnover on accessories and spares and plough back 4-6 per cent of their annual turnover on modernisation. An estimated 4 lakh spindles are said to be added every year in the country.
The organisers are expecting at least 50,000 visitors to turn up and business enquiries – estimated to cross Rs 200 crore.
Coinciding with Texfair 2012, SIMA has also proposed to organise seminars on ‘Energy Conservation and Power Planning', ‘Energy Savings in air compressors', ‘Natural gas supplies through Cochin-Bangalore – Mangalore Pipeline by GAIL and gas-based captive power generation.
“This is the need of the hour in Tamil Nadu, which is reeling in darkness. Mills are already facing production loss of about 20 per cent due to prolonged outages in power,” he said.
That's not all. The mills here are having difficulty in servicing their debt and the situation is worsening by the day, Mr Rajkumar told Business Line .
He further stressed the need for bringing about uniformity in pollution control norms amongst the different states. “Today these norms differ from state to state. The Centre should intervene and impose uniformity,” he said. lnr@thehindu.co.in