The Indian garment manufacturing industry is slowly but surely making an effort to move up the value chain and one of the key areas to do so is adding enhanced value to the garment by way of finishes and unique techniques. Supporting this movement is new technology in the defined area by international leaders. One such player is Turkey-based Laser Systems Technology (LST) which is providing finishing options for denim and knits for the Indian market in partnership with Batliboi. The technologies that the company is promoting are laser marking systems, ozone oxidizing systems and 3D whiskers generation systems.
With the vintage and worn out look dominating fashion trends in denim, technology providers around the world are working on ways to achieve the look quickly and also with consistent results. In fact these are the two qualities that differentiate an ordinary technology from a superior one. LST claims that it has solutions that are benchmarks in speed of operations and reproducibility. “With our technology, mass production is viable though each garment has to be handled separately,” says Erol Shashaty, Managing Partner, LST. In India for the last three years, all three machines are installed in the country and Arvind Mills is their biggest client.
The LSTTex – laser marking system is a quick way to achieve natural whiskers, hand sanding effects, reverse whiskers, grinding and destroyed effect, besides creating designs, pictures and patterns on the garment. The patent pending FastScan burning process provides added speed to the operations, which may take from just few seconds to one minute per garment. The same effect was earlier achieved through a manual process and the final output was dependent on the training and skill of workers. However, now with the computer-driven laser technology, consistency of quality is assured. Priced at around 100,000 euro, the system is flexible and effective on different fabrics.
The second technology that LST is promoting is OZON – ozone oxidizing systems, which have become popular only in the last three years. “We were one of the first companies to invest in this technology which is an eco-friendly way to bleach colour for the faded look, about six years ago,” says Erol. Ozone (gas) has the property to kill bacteria and when exposed to denim, leads to the garment losing its colour for a more grayish tint. In a normal wash process, up to 80 litres of water may be required per jean to finish it and achieve a faded “vintage” look, but the ozone technology is designed wherein no water is required in the process thereby reducing the total water consumption in the entire process by 35-60% depending on the look desired. Some well known sportswear brands are even developing jeans processes with no water at all using LST’s Ozone systems to achieve the desired finish.
The other savings on the Ozon are of chemicals and energy by up to 50% and 30%, respectively. However, there is a catch, ozone itself is a dangerous gas and if inhaled over a long period of time in high concentrations can be killing. Hence, one of the most critical areas for the machine is the sensors build in to detect leakage and shut off ozone generation for complete safety. “We have built in safety measures way beyond the legal requirement,” says Erol. The biggest advantage of the system is the ability to totally control the ozone production from 400 gm/hour to 4000 gm/hour to ensure repeatable and reliable results. Repeatability of an ozone process is the most critical and difficult part and this is what we do best, said Erol. Furthermore, due to the super high capacity of LST’s Ozon system, “What is achievable in other low-cost ozone machines in 40 minutes is possible in LST’s Ozon system in 5 to 7 minutes only,” claims Erol. He adds that the yellowing effect generally associated with ozone technology is not found in their system.
Recently, Levis has approved the Ozon system and now all companies manufacturing for the brand will have to install the system. It is the flexibility in the design and fashion process and especially its environmentally friendly aspect which makes the system popular with leading brands. The cost of the machine is between 60,000 – 200,000 euro. The company claims that though this is an expensive technology, the savings led to an ROI of less than a year.
Another technology which the company is very upbeat about is the IrCure v4 that generates 3D whisker effects. The system allows controlled pre-curing crinkles using special calibrated wavelength infra-red lamps. The curing time is reduced considerably, thanks to the unique and efficient design that also ensures repeatable results.
With all major brands looking for value in jeans, LST is confident that there is a growing market for its technology. “India is a very potential market and there is scope both in the export and domestic arena,” says Erol. It is not only jean manufacturers but many knitwear companies too have shown interest in the technologies and Tirupur is a major market for the company.
