India’s technical textile sector was out in force last week as TechTextil India 2009 got underway in Mumbai. The three day event took place between 10-12 October and attracted visitors across India and further afield, all looking to exploit the huge growth opportunities that the country’s technical textile market has to offer. UK-based Super Absorbent Fibre (SAF) manufacturer Technical Absorbents Ltd (TAL) says it was inundated with enquiries throughout the show.

“TAL had a stand of 24m2 and enjoyed an enviable location close to the main entrance and registration desks. During the exhibition it certainly raised further awareness of its technology within the Indian technical textiles industry, and attracted interested companies from key market sectors, such as cable yarns and tapes, apparel, dental, medical, hygiene, food packaging and technical textiles”,  the company said today.

TAL is owned by Bluestar Fibres Ltd, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of China National Bluestar Corporation, which in-turn is wholly-owned by ChemChina.

In addition to the manufacture of SAF, TAL also toll manufactures nonwovens, yarns, woven fabrics and finished consumer goods, all containing SAF. This is as a result of the relationships it has built with some of the world’s leading specialist fibre converters, roll-goods producers and end product manufacturers. It is now working to develop similar networks with Indian companies in order to enhance routes to market within this region.

“India offers an exciting market potential for TAL,” explains the company’s Business Development Manager Dave Hill. “The country has a high skill-set in terms of scientific and technical manpower and huge levels of expertise within the textile market. This means that the understanding of what SAF technology can offer and the ease of its application for new product development is made easier.

“We pride ourselves on our ability to create new and innovative absorbent solutions and at TechTextil India we spoke to many people who were looking for this type of technology for new development projects. Some key areas of market interest were for TAL’s new washable sweat absorbent under jackets, TAL’s agro textile products and TAL’s geo textile range of products. India’s knowledge of SAF and its endless possibilities has definitely increased over the past few years, which lead to more in-depth conversations than at previous events.

“TAL already has a presence in India through Business Co-ordination House (BCH), which is a vital resource. The team has excellent links with both the global and Indian technical textile industries and has already been successful in introducing TAL to various companies, entrepreneurs, students, academicians and other industry stakeholders. TAL now has dedicated member of the BCH team to help it develop the India market even further and help follow up enquiries from trade exhibitions such as this.”