Denim players invest in automation to improve product quality

In a bid to enhance export orders, improve product

 quality and bring down overall input costs, denim fabric makers are looking at investing big time in new technology automate their manufacturing. While on one hand the move is caused by the desire to improve product quality, it is also in order to become less people intensive due to growing scarcity of skilled manpower in the industry.

Major denim players like Arvind, Aarvee Denims among others feel that automation is the way forward, since it not only improves product quality and designs it also makes less people intensive and results in increased production. Turel Group, an automated technology provider for denim industry, says not only large denim players but also newer ones are opting for automation to reduce input and manpower costs.

Available in the range of Rs 8-20 lakh, the automated technology offers de-skilling of operations, apart from consistent quality. If in the past, a company required 80 machines for a particular order, now they can complete it with less than 40 machines and that too with reduced skilled manpower. This has resulted in de-skilling of operations and has brought down power and manpower requirements by more than 50 per cent. Even Mafatlal Industries, which got an ISO 14001 certification for its denim plant as a result of bringing in technology, roots for new trend of automation.