A PROJECT REPORT ON TECHNOECONOMIC FEASIBILITY OF CHINESE VIS-AVIS USED AND NEW EU/JAPANESE LOOMS IN DECENTRALISED SECTOR

BY

CHETAN B. PATIL

UNDER THE GUIDENCE OF MR. ABHIJIT KHOT

INTRODUCTION In terms of the technology status of the various sectors of the industry, spinning has always been hailed as being technologically on par with the best in the world. However, it has been recognized that the weaving and processing sectors have been lagging behind and efforts are being made by the various stakeholders (government, textile industry and textile engineering industry) to upgrade and modernize these sectors. The weaving sector has about 19 lakh shuttle looms. A large part of these shuttle looms (almost 15 lakh) are obsolete. (According to the Ministry of Textiles, there are 1.923 mn powerlooms in the country distributed over 430,000 units. The sector accounts for 63% of the total cloth production in the country and provides employment to 4.815 mn people.) Most of the Power loom units are concentrated in semi urban, or rural area. The Number of shuttle less looms has augmented to almost 50,000 and from this about 35,000 looms are working in the decentralized sector, most installed during the last five years, largely encouraged by incentives provided under the TUF scheme, offered by the Ministry of Textiles. However, a large percentage of these (almost 70%) are imported and of these too, a large percentage comprises of used machines. The textile industry of India operates largely in the form of clusters mostly natural clusters with roughly 70 textile clusters producing 80% of the countrys total textiles. The clusters I visited include Vita, Ichalkaranji, Solapur and Bhiwandi each of it has its own specialty and need brief introduction of these clusters

Ichalkaranji, popular as the Manchester of Maharashtra, has about 25 yarn units with about 1.25 lakh powerlooms, 20,000 semi- automatic looms and 7,000 shuttle- less looms, apart from numerous power and handprocessing houses. The town produces one core meters of yarn everyday that translates into a business of Rs 40 core a day. Of the total production, 15 per cent is directly exported while another 40 per cent is for indirect export after processing. According to locals, over 50,000 weavers depend on their livelihood working in the powerlooms in town. Most of units are in to job work where they get sized beam and they need to weave that beam and give the cloth to the trader. The weft yarn is also provided by the trader, the loom owner gets money for weaving based on job rate which depends on the market. There are sizing units which only size the cotton beam and also warping units for the purpose of producing beams of filaments or synthetic yarns where sizing is not necessary. The Ichalkaranji is famous for shirting and most job work is for shirting only. Bhiwandi, known for its powerlooms is situated at about 30 kilometers away from Mumbai in Maharashtra state. Bhiwandi is a key textile center of western India. Bhiwandi has approximately 6 lakhs powerlooms, which is 33% of countries total powerlooms. Turnover of this segment is projected to be around Rs. 10,000 Crore annually. With approximately 1.6 lakh customers this industry is spread across 700 sq. km of area. Bhiwandi powerlooms support family of about 15 lakh workers; most of them being migrants from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Nearly 40 % of the national production from the powerloom sector is contributed by this township. Although in its early years, Bhiwandi entered into cloth making business with Handlooms, it slowly transformed itself into powerlooms hub. Powerloom industry of Bhiwandi started blossoming fully during era of 80s. Majority of the powerlooms in Bhiwandi produce grey materials which are used as shirting and

dress material later. Cloth produced in Bhiwandi is mainly consumed by Indian market as it is not up to the mark in the international market .The State government estimates that over 40 lakh people are dependent directly or indirectly on the looms of Bhiwandi. The products manufactured in Solapur Textile Cluster are cotton terry towels and bed sheets. The towels and bed sheets are renowned in the country and have good market in India. The main raw material for the units is cotton yarn, which is procured from local spinning mills and agents. Majority of the cluster units are of integrated type, where the raw material yarn is processed in-house to the final product. The energy cost is second to the raw materials cost. Majority of the units in the cluster are dependent on local/ run of the mill technologies of low end and with little investment initiatives and technology up-gradation. Production process The main operational process for production of towels and bed sheets in cluster units are: Doubling In the Doubling process, thin single yarn is converted to double yarn for strengthening the yarn by using doubling machine. Yarn dyeing Initially, the yarn is soaked in soap water for 24 hours to remove the dirt and other foreign materials and after soaking, the yarn is taken for bleaching. Bleaching is carried out by soaking the yarn in tanks mixed with bleaching agents and after completion of the process; the yarn is washed with normal water. The hang dyeing machine tanks are filled with required quantity of normal water and required chemicals and dyeing agents are added. The temperature of the water is raised by

oil circulation or direct steam injection. Fire wood is used as fuel. The required colors are added to the yarn and the dyeing process takes about 90 to 120 minutes per batch. After dyeing, the yarn is washed with normal water, and the yarn is taken for soaping for colour fixation in hot water for about 20 minutes in hang dyeing machines. The water is drained to the waste drainage lines. The wet yarn is taken to hydro extractors for removing the water in the yarn and taken for drying in the natural sunlight. Winding The yarn after drying is taken for winding in which the yarn is wounded to bobbins and cones. The winded yarn is taken for further process. Warping In warping, the winded yarn is wound to beams according to designed pattern (customized designs). Then the beams are taken for Weaving. Weaving The beams, which are wound with yarn are taken and placed in power looms where the designed pattern is already set. In power looms, the yarn is converted to final product (Towel or bed sheets) by weaving. The product obtained from weaving is taken for stitching and packing. The general process flow diagram of a typical unit for production of towels and bed Sheets is furnished in Figure 1.1. The production process as depicted below figure is similar for all textile units in Solapur textile cluster. However, depending on type of product and product quality, the above stated process flow varies as per the requirement of the industry.

SINGLE YARN (Raw material)

DOUBLING MACHINES

REELING MACHINES

Drained wate

CHULHA

MANUALDYEING IN HOT WATER

Drained water

FUEL

HYDRO EXTRACTORS

OPEN

WINDING MACHINES

WARPING MACHINES

POWER LOOMS

STITCHING & PACKING

DISPATCH

Figure 1.1 Process flow chart of typical textile unit

All these clusters are now a days facing labour problem as powerlooms require more workers. These powerlooms has lot of disadvantages as against shuttleless machines. DISADVANTAGES OF POWER LOOM 55-65% Efficiency Lower Output per shift Lower Output per operator High Labor requirement Kandi / Shuttle / Pirn-Winder machine & operator required High Maintenance because of extremely high vibration Higher & Faster Wear-n-Tear of components Light-Weight leading to shorter life and higher vibrations Lower Output per unit area of floor space High Production Cost Due to lower labor productivity and lower efficiencies and higher costs per meter of fabric.

That is why automation is important in the weaving sector; Global competition ensures that only the fittest survive. Todays weaver needs to ensure that he/she is able to manufacture and supply the finest quality of fabric, at the lowest cost, in the shortest possible time-frame. Automation is the only option which will allow the weaver to attain this objective. Entrepreneurs in the decentralized sector need to be educated about the benefits of investment in modernization and that such investment can actually bring down the cost of production, reduce fabric defects and help them compete with low-cost, obsolete weaving machines.

The Textile Industry, in general, in earlier years and the decentralized sector in particular, always preferred cheap used vintage machinery from abroad. The low level of technology was encouraged by the Government particularly in the weaving sector even under the TUFS. Cheaper imports from China are preferred. Even today the second hand shuttleless looms are imported in large numbers Import of Shuttleless Looms During 2007-2008 to 2010-2011

Items of Looms Imported

2007-08 No Value (Rs. Cr) 240.91 134.61 30.47 170.92 48.66 16.63 642.2

2008-09 No Value (Rs. Cr) 127.46

2009-2010 No

2010-2011 Value (Rs. Cr) 404.15 11.9 57.92 249.07 15.65 49.38 788.07

New Air jet Looms New Rapier Looms Second hand Air jet Loom Secondhand Rapier Loom Secondhand Projectile Loom Second land Water jet Loom Total Second hand loom import%

1113 719 339 1801 734 536 5242 65%

507 113 8 153 548 407 246

692

Value No (Rs. Cr) 225.12 1765 154

110.97 1607 164.36 12.08 38.63 32.71 6.63 900

324.66 1062

2644 164.44 3719 2060 307.06 2161 1474 96.37 1497

299 328.48 9377 1282.0 1035 9 1 8 45% 75% 81%

All the shuttleless rapier machines can be categorized into three categories 1. Slow speed mechanical rapier machines (220 to 250 rpm) 2. High speed electronic Chinese machines (300 to 350 rpm) 3. Second hand European machines (300 to 400 rpm)

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS OF VARIOUS MACHINES AVAILABLE IN THE DECENTRALISED SECTOR

Name of the Machine - Budget Excel Flexible Rapier Loom (Budget Excel) Technical Specifications Width available: 180cm to 360cm Electronic & Mechanical Dobby available. - 20 Shaft dobby Picanol Type14 Heald Frames 6 Weft feeders(Normal or Mega gold are available)with 1 stand 3 set rapier tape with Gripper 2 Beams, Diameter: 800mm 2 cloth rollers Features Advanced model of Budget Plus model Can Weave all types of Yarns Flexible &Noise less loom 10000 Riderless Dropper & Heald Wires

RAPIER LOOM MODEL GA738-II SPECIFICATION Nominal reed width - 2000-2200mm Speed : Max operating speed 320 Pick /min, max insertion rate 600m/min Weft yarn count range: Cotton-5Ne-80Ne o Wool-8Nm-130Nm o Man-made fibers-1200dtex-75tex Fabric weight: From 70 to 600 g/sqm Power: Main motor 3kw-6pole Shedding: Lower positive mechanical Dobby max.20 shafts, pitch 12 or mechanical jacquard. Beat-up: Four-bar linkage with short connecting rod Let-off: Mechanical positive and continuous warp let off, pick density from 4 to 73 picks/cm Take-up: Mechanical positive and continuous warp cloth take-up. Pick density from 4-73 picks/cm, the max winding diameter Full rolling diameter is 500mm Warp stop: Electrical warp stop device with 6 bars Weft stop: Piezo-electronic weft monitor with high sensitivity Weft selection: Electronic weft selection which is available in single or mixed or multicolor up to 6 colors. Weft feed: The loom is possible to be equipped with different types of weft accumulators. Selvedges: Leno selvedges are driven by the 1st and 2nd of heald frame Electrical control: The most advance electrical control system, microprocessor units guarantees all the machine functions, supervising operation, collecting and storage and display of productivity data. Lubrication: The whole needful lubricating point is concentrative lubricated by means of a manual pump.

Himson Textile Engineering Industries Pvt. Ltd. Offers Rapier Weaving Machine with Speed up to 250 RPM. Salient features of Rapier Weaving Machine with Speed up to 250 RPM are: Low cost cam beat up machine with unique design of single cam box and false Rapier drive, specially designed for decentralized weaving sector. Heavy construction with steel cross- binders ensures vibration free operation even at higher speed. Special wide width Rapier Taper will ensure weavability of all kinds of fibres. Medium to heavy fabric with excellent cover-tractors the specialty of this machine. Key Specifications of Rapier Weaving Machine with Speed up to 250 RPM are: Model: Wonder Speed: Up to 250 RPM Nominal Working Width: 75`` Shedding [Standard]: Tappets Shedding [Optional]: Dobby/Jacquard/Cam Motion Reed Motion: Cam Driven [one side Gear Box] Rapier Drive Motion: Double band flexible Left-off Motion: Positive with Auto Control Weft Selection: Up to 8 colour Weft Selection Mode: Programmable with Micro Processor control

 Weft Detection: Electronically [slide sensor] Warp Stop Motion: 6 Row Electro- Mechanical Selvedges: Leno Selvedge Installed Power: 3 HP 3 Phase Electro-Magnetic brake motor

RIFA Main Technical Parameter Reed width (cm ) Nominal: 190, 210.230.260.280. Working reed width: reduce 0~40cm from nominal width Yarn range Cotton and man-made fiber yarn: 500tex(1.2Ne)~5tex (120Ne) o Slub & worsted: 680tex(1.5Nm)~0tex (100Nm) o Filament: 10dte(9Td)~1650dte (1500Td) Weaving speed Working speed: 380~450 rpm Weft Insertion rate: 1200m/min Weft selector: 4~8 colors high speed electronic selector Accumulator: FPD electronic accumulator Weft cutter: mechanical Power : super direct motor Shedding Electronic dobby (20 shafts max) or electronic jacquard Beating Conjugated cams with double drive on both sides Insertion Driven by conjugated cams Let-off Continuous alternative current servo electronic let-off Flange dia: 800mm. 1000mm

Take-up Continuous alternative current servo electronic take-up Cloth roller dia: 550mm Pick density: 5~120 picks /cm Selvage: mechanical Selvage cutter: mechanical Temple: LH & RH independent temples Lubrication Bath oil & pressure oil Stop motion Warp yarn: 6 line electronic contact stop motion Weft yarn: electronic high-sensitive piezoelectricity inspection Stop display: the panel shows the reason, function 4-color stop lights showing Automatic point stop/auto pick- finding/cloth-fell auto- compensation/auto warp tension adjustment/auto inspection/auto reposition/ auto fault showing. Controlling: functional CPU controlling system can control, scout, auto diagnosing, information showing. Display: big LCD screen showing bidirectional communication, button operation, instant adjustment/ parameter setting programming.

DETAILS OF VARIOUS SECOND MANCHINES USED

SOMET SM93 Rapier Looms Place of Origin Italy Secondhand/Used Width 190 CM Dobby 2232 Staubli Heald Frames 6 Beam 1.5 Cloth Roller 1.5 Color 8

SOMET SUPER EXCEL Brand Name SOMET Model Number SUPER EXCEL Place of Origin Italy Year 1998 Type Rapier Loom Width 3200mm Staubli Dobby Electronic Weft Selector 8 Colours 4 Heald Frames 9000 Heddles And Droppers Socos System Electronic Take Up 6 Warp Stop motion Bars Eltex Weft Stop 1.5 Cloth Rollers 1.5 Warp Beams 380V 50Hz 3 Weft Feeders LGL Progress LGL Bobbin Rack

SOMET ALPHA Brand Name SOMET Model Number ALPHA Place of Origin Italy Year 2005 Type Rapier Loom Width 190cm YOC Italy Year 2005 Dobby FIM-6P Dobby Configuration Stand Beam And Cloth Roller 1.5

PICANOL GAMMA Place of Origin France Brand Name Picanol Model Number Gamma Year 1998 Staubli Dobby 2670 Color 8 Width 190 cm Weft Acc 2 Cloth Roller 1 Heald Frame 10

PICANOL GAMMA X-230 Place of Origin Belgium Brand Name Picanol Model Number Gamma-X-230 Year 2004 Dobby Staubli 2670

PICANOL GAMMAX-8R Place of Origin France Brand Name Picanol Model Number Gammax-8R Year 2004 Dobby 2670 Width 230cm Feeders 3 Heald Frame 8

VAMATEX P401S Place of Origin Italy Brand Name VAMATEX Model Number P401S Year 1993 Width 190cm Dobby Heald frame 6 Weft feeder 2 Cloth roller 1.5 Warp beam 1.5

VAMATEX P401S-1 Place of Origin Italy Brand Name VAMATEX Model Number P401S-1 Year 1997 Width 190cm Dobby Heald frame 6 Weft feeder 2 Cloth roller 1.5 Warp beam 1.5

SULZER G6300 Place of Origin Switzerland Brand Name Sulzer Model Number G6300 Year 2002 Width 190cm Dobby 2668 e-dobby Heald frame 8 Weft feeder 3 Cloth roller 1.5 Warp beam 1.5

PICANOL GTX Place of Origin Belgium Brand Name Picanol Model Number GTX Year 1996 Width 190 cm Dobby 2660 Heald Frame 8 Weft Feeder 2 Cloth Roller & Warp Beam 1.5

PICANOL GTM Place of Origin Belgium Brand Name Picanol Model Number GTM Year Width 190 cm Dobby 2660 Heald Frame 8 Weft Feeder 2 Cloth Roller & Warp Beam 1.5

PICANOL GTM A Place of Origin Belgium Brand Name Picanol Model Number GTM A Year 1995 Width 190 cm Dobby STAUBLI Heald Frame 8 Weft Feeder 2 Cloth Roller & Warp Beam 1.5

VISIT SUMMERY I visited around 40 units in decentralized clusters situated in vita, kadegaon, ichalkaranji and Bhiwandi in a span of 1 month. In visit to all these units I came across different type of rapier machines being used. Most units have European second hand machines imported from various European nations. Also some have slow speed mechanical Chinese machines and few have high speed electronically controlled Chinese machines most being installed in last 3 to 4 years. . I didnt found any unit in decentralized sector where new European machines are installed. During my visit to these units I tried to collect as much as information possible regarding machine details and machine selection. On the basis of information collected from these units following feasibility points are drawn

FEASIBILITY POINTS The cost of Chinese machines is less compared to European machines you can get a new Chinese machine working at an rpm of 350 at nearly about same cost that of used European machine that would be running at same rpm thus we can say Chinese machines are cost effective. The new machines are ready to start after installations thus no delays as in case of used machines where it takes much time to erect the machine and start production as we have to replace worn out parts and bearings and sometimes few parts are missing. The erection of new machines is responsibility of machine manufacture and is done by their technician and they are responsible for any erection problems but in case of used machines the shed owner has to do it on his own risk. The built that casting of European machines is heavy as against the Chinese machine which has poor casting and less weight. Thus these machines are liable to more vibrations at higher speeds if we continue producing fabric at higher speeds then maintenance cost increases due to increase in breakdowns we have to reduce the machine speeds to reduce maintenance cost. We have to cut down the rpm which results in production losses. The life of Chinese machines is less and few years after installations the maintenance cost increases compared to European machines The slow speed simple rapiers are good option to replace shuttle looms where labour problem is more as one worker can handle 3 to 4 rapier machines and also they higher speeds compared to shuttle looms, greater efficiency than shuttle looms, also some electronic functions to reduce downtimes. This machine is driven mostly by 3 HP motor the power consumption is less. The simple mechanical rapier machine costs around 5 to 6 lakhs

The spare consumption of Chinese machines is more compared to European machines due to poor casting of machine and spare parts too. The cost of spare parts is very less but has poor life as against costly spares of European machine which has better life. Poor life of spare leads to frequent stoppages thus less shed efficiency thus increasing production cost. The machine design of European machines is ergonomically good thus mechanical settings are easily and precisely done. Settings on Chinese machines are not easily and precisely done due to poor machine designing. There is not much difference in the quality of fabric produced but still the cover of fabric produced with European machines is better than Chinese machines thus job rate for fabrics produced on Chinese machines is less. We can produce all qualities on European machines from light to heavy but on Chinese machines heavy qualities cannot be work efficiently and gives more maintenance. Resell value of Chinese machines is less compared to European machines which has good resell value. Installation of new European machines is not viable in the decentralized sector as the speeds of these machines are about 550 to 600 and to run machine at such high speed we need a better quality raw material and high quality preparation which are not possible in these sector as raw material is given by trader and sizing is done somewhere, and have to maintain high humidity in the plant which adds up to manufacturing cost and to be competitive in this market you cannot put such a high investment required for new machines and conditioning.

SCENERIO OF SOLAPUR MARKET As mentioned earlier the Solapur is famous for towel and chaddar manufacturing, traditionally this are manufactured on power looms attached with jacquard shedding. One worker can handle only one loom at most two if only one colour in weft, thus large number of labours are required also back process requires large number of workers because hank dyeing is done and re reeling of these hanks into bigger packages requires more number of workers and such work is done by lady workers only which puts time limitation thus in powerlooms there is only one shift. The market is facing shortage of workers, thus most of them are replacing shuttle with rapier machines. The most of rapiers installed are of simple mechanical with terry motion and electronically controlled let off for pile threads runs with an 200 rpm. Speed The normal speed of the conventional power looms is around 120 RPM, where as in rapier looms, the speeds up to 220 RPM (actual) can be attained and coupled with high efficiencies of up to 95%, this machine gives up to 3 times more productivity than the conventional power looms. Color Weft Insertion Rapier looms offers up to 8 Color Pick-at-Will weft insertions, so that weave the fanciest of fabrics can be attained. The pick-at-will system is computerized and microprocessor controlled, hence letting the program sequences of more than 1, 00,000 picks. Such technological edge will definitely give you an edge in the market.

Start-Mark Prevention System Rapier looms realises the most delicate need of rapier users to prevent start-marks in weaving. The custom designed HT-Drive motor of the machine supplies more than 150% torque for the first-pick to successfully prevent the start marks. Lower per meter Costs Considering 3 times more productivity with same space and even lesser amount of man power along with lower power consumption, it is quite obvious that rapier looms can offer lower production costs compared to conventional power-looms or even rapier-shuttle change machines. Moreover continuous weft-insertion eliminates the need for investing in pirnwinding machines or even extra operators. Lower Maintenance Due to lower vibrations, theres less wear-n-tear of rotating components and bearings resulting in lower maintenance costs. Also, centralised lubrication offered on the looms gives single-point lubrication for the complete machine, thus further reducing the headaches of maintenance Shedding The rapier loom has the flexibility and can easily add and attach any of the shedding motions available in the market including: Dobby Jacquard Take-Up Universal 7-wheel ratchet-n-Pawl semi-positive take-up is the most widely used and well established Take-Up system offered in rapiers around the world. The well designed take-up is capable of handling a weft-density of 4-120 picks per Inch.

Let-Off The capability of rapier looms to weave any and all kinds of fabrics has been created due to 3 different let-off options available with the machine depending on your fabric. Ruti-Type For weavers of regular cotton-fabrics whove been used to highly versatile RutiType let-off. Microprocessor Controller The heart of the complete control system, this microprocessor is one of the most powerful control systems offered today for crank-type rapier looms. The system can be programmed to output any kinds of pick programs. The standard functions include: Constant monitoring of weft and warp yarn for breakages Cloth Length Counter Pick-programming Weft-Controller Exclusive Feature For all power loom users, investing in Rapier looms normally require them to erect a completely new building infrastructure. But, with AWT-250EX, machines can fit in the regular 16-feet sheds, thus eliminating the need for any additional investment and hence brings down the up-gradation costs considerably. In Solapur Textile Cluster units, majority of the units has power looms, Considering the above facts and benefits of the rapier loom and for reducing the overall production cost, it is suggested to replace power looms with rapier looms.

Conventional Power-Loom 55-65% Efficiency Max. 110 RPM (eff. 70 RPM due to lower Efficiency) Lower Output per shift Upto 2.5 times more output per shift

Rapier 85-95% Efficiency Max. 220 RPM (eff. 200 RPM due to Higher Efficiency) Lower Output per operator Upto 2.5 times more output per operator

High Labor requirement Low labor Shuttle less (No Kandi, No Pirn, No requirement Pirn Machine Kandi / Shuttle / Pirn-Winder machine Operator) & operator required High Maintenance because of extremely Extremely Low vibration, hence lower high maintenance vibration Higher & Faster Wear-n-Tear of components Light-Weight leading to shorter life and higher vibrations Lower Output per unit area of floor space High Production Cost Due to lower labor productivity and lower efficiencies and higher costs per meter of fabric Lower vibration leads to better & longer life Heavy-Duty Structure to reduce vibration thus leading to longer life 3 times more output per unit area of floor space Lower Production Cost Due to lower labor and lower area and lower power requirement per meter of fabric.

The slow speed mechanical simple rapier is suitable in Solapur and is trend in Solapur and many more units of same rapier are being installed there are about 350 such looms against 25 to 30 European machines and many are planning to put such units but now due to fall in value of rupee against dollar They have postponed their planning. The reasons for the success of this machine are The cost of machine is less around 5 to 6 lakhs Labour problem is solved and can work for two shifts of 12 hours Quality of towel is good that good even pile formation Seconds are controlled and less defective pieces This machine can be handled by powerloom worker with basic training so no need of highly skilled worker Technician is not required as it is mechanical machine and power loom technician can handle this machine Also beams prepared on simple warping machine can work efficiently as speed in not much high Till now it is used for simple terry towel still jacquard is not used as it is not feasible as cost of electronic jacquard is very high The most machines are HANG ZHOU-HUAHONG which runs at 160 rpm and then of HIMSON YUEFENG ENGINEERING COMPANY which runs at 180 rpm

In Solapur there is need for development in back processes of yarn dyeing and warp preparatory so as to establish the European machines and the unit must be of minimum 12 machines to afford a technician and spares must be made available in the local market