Background of the Conference

The world market for technical textiles was estimated to be around 21 million tonnes with a value of US$ 115 billion during 2007 which is expected to increase to 24 million tonnes with a value of US$ 127 billion by 2010.  The drivers for future growth of this industry are expected to be Asian countries like China and India.  The development in Technical Textiles is expected to speed up with the launching of Technology Mission on Technical Textiles in the XI Five Year by the Government of India as announced by the Honourable Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh in his Valedictory Address of Tex-Summit 2007 organized by Ministry of Textiles.

The  Department of Textile Technology, IIT Delhi has been quite active in the area of Technical Textiles for quite some time by the way of Research and Development as well as knowledge dissemination through conducting seminars and conferences in this important area.  Technical textiles are predominantly man-made / inorganic fibre/yarn based because of inherent advantages of strength and versatility of such fibre/yarn and this trend is expected to continue in future also.  Fibre wise consumption indicates that polyoliefin and polyester accounts for 50 percent of the consumption followed by glass and jute at 15 percent and 14 percent respectively.  Cotton and viscose account for 7 percent and 6 percent respectively.  The specialized fibres and yarns such as aramids and carbon fibres account for the rest of total textile materials used in technical textile application. 

There is increasing interest in composite fabrics that combine the advantages of different textile constructions, including knitted fabrics, wovens, nonwovens and membranes. Worldwide, the nonwoven industry continues to expand about 7.5% in tonnage per year. This world growth is in part due to several industrializing economies and their increasing demand for nonwoven materials. However, woven, knitted and braided textiles are also showing good demand.

The usage of technical textile materials in the industries around the world is growing substantially, offering a lucrative business opportunity. According to a study conducted by David Rigby Associates, the renowned textile consultants based in UK, in many developed countries like USA and Japan, technical textiles account for over 35 per cent of the textile industry output. For developing countries, such as China, the share is well over 19 per cent, but in India, it is only five per cent. The study report also highlights that the real engine of world growth in the end-use consumption lies in Asia and "the fastest growth prospects appear to lie with entirely new markets such as India and other emergent Asian economies ".   Considering the severe competition emerging in the world markets, it is time for India to exploit the full market potential for technical textiles.

Objectives of the Conference

In recent years there is increased activity in the area of Nonwovens and Technical textiles in India in terms of new industries being set up by Indian entrepreneurs and leading MNCs putting up manufacturing or out sourcing from India.  There has been increased number of workshops and conferences held in this important upcoming area to spread the awareness.

The development of a technical textiles industry is only possible in an environment that supports interdisciplinary networks between researchers, engineers, technicians and industries. This can be done by the re-engineering of a traditional textile company, by the integration of textile processes by a user company, for whom these new materials provide an improved solution compared to traditional materials.  In this respect, there is tremendous need for a common platform where experts from traditional textile industries, leading players in the current technical textiles industry, raw material manufactures, research organizations and academia can come together and discuss the current status of both domestic and global Nonwovens and Technical Textiles industry.  The conference will benefit the industries which are looking forward to take advantage of the opened up global market and the research organizations and academic institutions to identify the areas to concentrate their R&D efforts and develop appropriate technology and products.

Papers will be presented both by the leading industries involved in the Nonwovens and other Technical Textiles activities, experts from the Research and Development organizations and academic institutions.  The areas of the papers to be presented and discussed will be on design aspects and manufacturing technologies for various technical textile products including technical yarns, woven, knitted, braided and nonwovens products.