Every perfect garment begins long before the first stitch is sewn. It starts in the cutting room, the heart of any apparel factory, where accuracy shapes the final result. Amidst the hum of machines and stacks of fabric worth thousands of dollars, one simple material often goes unnoticed: paper.
It is the base beneath every layer, the quiet support that helps ensure each fabric piece is cut just right. When the paper fails, the quality of the garment takes a hit, leading to rejection or repairs and then the blame game starts.
That’s where Krishna Lamicoat comes in, turning specialised papers into dependable tools for every cutting room.
The company is a leading manufacturer of Specialty Paper/Polyfilms for the CAD-CAM operations in the garment industry.
“One layer of cutting paper is used to cut through 70 to 80 layers of fabric. You’re risking fabric worth around US $ 70 with paper that costs barely US $ 0.05 per metre. So is that really worth the risk? That’s the question I always ask,” said Ashok Chhajer, Director, Krishna Lamicoat.
Talking about the two key innovations that define their product, Ashok said, “The first is a 35 GSM recycled perforated paper that even Chinese manufacturers haven’t been able to produce successfully. The challenge with such thin paper is that most machines can’t create clean perforations and the paper collapses into the holes during punching. With over 30 years of experience, we’ve perfected this process and ensured consistency and strength.”
The second, he mentioned, is microperforation, where each hole is spaced just two millimetres apart. “Globally, only Lectra offers a similar product. Most Chinese or Turkish papers have perforations spaced 7 to 10 millimetres apart,” he highlighted. This small difference is critical for precision cutting, especially in lingerie and automotive parts, where even a one millimetre shift can affect size and fitting. The dense perforation keeps the fabric firmly in place during cutting, ensuring accurate results every time.
But for Krishna Lamicoat, innovation doesn’t stop at paper. The company has applied the same precision-driven philosophy to its plastic films, another critical yet often overlooked component in the cutting process.
In most cutting rooms, films used to separate fabric layers are typically made from 40–70 micron sheets derived from recycled material blended with calcium carbonate. This mix helps reduce cost but comes with trade-offs in durability and machine performance. Krishna Lamicoat has taken a different route, producing a 15-20 micron film made entirely from virgin material. A special additive enhances its toughness, ensuring that even at lower thickness, the film resists punctures and maintains uniform performance.
| “One layer of cutting paper is used to cut through 70 to 80 layers of fabric. You’re risking fabric worth around US $ 70 with paper that costs barely US $ 0.05 per metre. So is that really worth the risk? That’s the question I always ask.” Ashok Chhajer Director, Krishna Lamicoat |
He said even though the conversation around sustainability is gaining traction, there hasn’t been much demand for sustainable products. Still the company has developed a biodegradable and compostable alternative to conventional plastic. The product is ready, but it hasn’t reached the market yet, mainly because it costs about two-and-a-half times more than regular plastic.
Elaborating on the company’s expansion, Ashok shared, “Our second unit is now operational and we’ve diversified into a new product line – paper ropes and paper handles.”
