The Hindu : Tamil Nadu News : NIFT-TEA institute plans technology development at Rs. 70 lakh

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Monday, Nov 22, 2010
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Tamil Nadu

NIFT-TEA institute plans technology development at Rs. 70 lakh

R Vimal Kumar

Tirupur: The recognition of NIFT-TEA College of Knitwear Fashion, an institute promoted by Tirupur Exporters Association, as an ‘accredited implementing agency for knitwear business incubator projects' by the Central Government is all set to kick-start a technology revolution in Tirupur textile cluster.

With the attainment of the new status, granted under the ‘Incubator Centre Scheme' of the Union Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, the institute would be taking up projects at an outlay of around Rs.70 lakh this fiscal for developing technologies to manufacture value-added garments catering to all seasons.

At present, the garment manufacturers in the cluster had been struggling to expand their product portfolio beyond the predominant cotton-based garments suited as summer wear owing to lack of high quality research and development in place.

“Venturing into all-season apparels at affordable costs has become the need of the hour for the small and medium scale manufacturers in the Tirupur cluster to survive in the highly priced and quality-driven global apparel market,” NIFT-TEA institute chairman Raja M. Shanmugam told The Hindu.

The business incubator at the NIFT-TEA institute would be named as NIFT-TEA Knitwear Technology Business Incubator (NT-KTBI).

Thrust areas

Mr.Shanmugam said that the institute would be focussing on developing technology to make moisture management fabrics, wet discharge print process to protect garments from fading, jute-cotton blend apparels and produce natural dyes for kids wear.

“Standardisation of new technology to make apparels from jute-cotton blend will help the manufacturers come out with winter garments,” he added.

Under moisture management fabrics, the attention would be on sports wear with the capability to absorb profuse sweating.

“We will invite suggestions from technocrats outside the institute, industrialists and general public while designing new technologies,” Mr.Shanmugam said.

Once the procedures were developed and standardised, the institute planned to disseminate the same to the industry through interactive sessions, he added.

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