After a gap of two years, Ludhiana recently held the 6th edition of its prestigious technology and machinery event GMMSA Expo, which was organised by Garments Machinery Manufacturers & Suppliers Association (GMMSA).
The apparel and textile industry of Ludhiana had been grappling with negative vibes till last year due to after-effects of COVID-19 pandemic; however, the visitation at GMMSA distinctly indicated an improvement in the business sentiments.
The event became more important as it not only attracted good visitation – with exhibitors receiving a large number of inquiries – but also signalled that the apparel manufacturers will not look back from here, at least in the near future.
The four-day event saw participation from around 200 exhibitors, almost all major technology providers, while 2,000 products were on display across circular and flat knitting machines, sewing and value addition machines, dyeing, finishing, different types of software and accessories, etc.
The soaring summer couldn’t stop the quality footfall. Importantly, the exhibitors were also satisfied as after a long gap they got an opportunity to again meet industry players from other hubs like Ahmedabad, Delhi-NCR, Panipat, Amritsar, Jalandhar, Jammu and even Nepal.
The event majorly witnessed the changing mindset of Ludhiana’s industry as they are now willing to have more upgradation in their factory premises.
Satyadev Goyal, VP, IIGM shared that the industry is now picking up and the company is in touch with garmenting units that are planning to expand and in next few months there will be expansion. He said “In the event also, we met many SMEs and good companies who took interest in our various machines. We are upbeat about the market.” IIGM is one of the largest companies offering a variety of sewing machinery and equipment.
Kanpur-based Shobaprad Machinery is associated with Ludhiana’s companies since the last two decades and is known for majorly dealing in original spare parts of circular knitting machines.
Ashish Agarwal, Chief Executive of the company also had a similar experience (like Belloshiva India) at the expo. Apart from many local and lesser-known technology and trims suppliers, well-known companies like Groz-Beckert, IIGM, HCA, KP Global, and Narinder International, were also strongly present in the event.
“Despite all odds we are positive and that is why we put effort into GMMSA Expo. The industry has to work out some new options, will have to put more efforts and need to develop more fashion-oriented products. Garment manufacturers are positive, and wish to work and grow to overcome the recent challenging years,” said Gurpreet Singh, Owner, KP Global Inc., who is known to offer high-quality knitting and value-added machinery.
Narinder Kumar, President, GMMSA Expo India 2022 told Apparel Resources, “To grow in this ever-challenging scenario, the industry has to work more on design and productivity. The machines displayed in GMMSA, with upgraded software and small but important improvements, will help the industry. The event will certainly help the industry to increase its focus on design and productivity, reduce cost and increase saleability.”
Coimbatore-based Fahi-Q Innovation, just a three-year-old company, had displayed its screen printing machines. It has already supplied 60 machines to Tirupur and 7 to Ludhiana as of yet and is looking at enhancing its presence in the city.
Mohamed Ansari, Manager, Sales & Marketing of the company said, “Initially we even got a few good inquiries from Ludhiana through social media so we decided to explore this market. Now we were able to approach many more prospective clients in the expo; for us, Ludhiana is next to Tirupur only.”
Ansari further added that some of the parts of his machines are being imported but largely they are made and assembled in India. And the company also does customisation as per the client’s needs and suggestions.
