At the end of January 2025, Oerlikon Manmade Fibers Solutions held its much awaited Innovation and Technology Day at the Deltin Hotel in Daman. In order to learn about the most recent developments and trends in the Indian manufactured fibers business, more than 300 people attended the event, including partners, stakeholders, and industry experts.
More than 300 participants listened attentively throughout the day and were impressed by the technology solutions presented by the Oerlikon experts.
Experts from Oerlikon Barmag, Oerlikon Neumag and Oerlikon Nonwoven, as well as from BB Engineering, Luwa, IGH/IGA and Thema presented the latest technology developments in the field of manmade fibers production to over 300 participants.
The Innovation and Technology Day commenced with a warm welcome and introduction by Wolfgang Ernst, Chief Sales Officer (CSO) at Oerlikon Manmade Fibers Solutions, and Debabrata Ghosh, Head of Sales at Oerlikon Textile India. They provided an overview of the Indian market and its challenges. “The Indian textile industry, particularly the chemical fiber sector, is experiencing significant growth and transformation. This development is driven by increasing production capacities, strategic investments, and a shift in global consumption patterns”, said Ghosh. India’s production of manmade fibers (MMF) is robust, with annual outputs of 4.8 million tons of Polyester Filament Yarn (PFY), 1.7 million tons of Polyester Staple Fiber (PSF), 0.7 million tons of viscose, 0.2 million tons of Polyamide 6 (PA 6), and 25 thousand tons of acrylic. Additionally, the country boasts substantial capacities for PET bottles and films, growing at rates of 7% and 15% per annum, respectively. The Indian market is witnessing significant expansions in PTA (Purified Terephthalic Acid) capacity, with major projects underway by Indian Oil Corporation, GAIL, MCPI, Reliance Industries, and the Adani-Indorama joint venture. These expansions are set to increase the PTA capacity from the current 6.296 million tons to over 14 million tons by 2030.
Market Dynamics and strategic investments
“The global consumption landscape is shifting towards India and emerging Asia, driven by rising incomes and changing demographics. By 2050, India and emerging Asia are expected to account for 30% of global consumption at purchasing-power parity (PPP), up from 12% in 1997. This shift underscores the growing importance of these regions in the global economic landscape”, Ghosh continuous. Significant investments are being made to enhance production capacities and integrate advanced technologies. Indian Oil Corporation, in a joint venture with MCPI, is establishing a 900 TPD continuous polymerization unit in Odisha, supported by substantial government subsidies. Similarly, the Adani Group, in partnership with Indorama, is entering the petrochemical sector with a $3 billion PTA plant in Maharashtra.
Challenges and Opportunities
Despite the positive outlook, the industry faces challenges such as ensuring cost efficiency, scalability, and the seamless integration of new technologies into existing production processes. However, the sector is optimistic about improving profitability, driven by favorable supply-demand dynamics and strategic investments. “The Indian textile and chemical fiber industry is poised for significant growth, supported by strategic investments, capacity expansions, and a favorable global consumption shift. These developments position India as a key player in the global textile market, driving towards a sustainable and prosperous future”, said Ernst.
Following an overview of the current state of the market, Oerlikon and its partners showcased their technological and solution expertise along the textile value production chain, “From Melt to Yarn, Fibers, and Nonwovens,” in a series of technical presentations.
“To spin an excellent yarn, you need the prefect melt”, said Moderator André Wissenberg, Head of Marketing, Corporate Communications, and Public Affairs at Oerlikon Manmade Fibers Solutions. How this can be produced using extrusion or continuous polycondensation technology was demonstrated by the keynote speakers Sven Streiber, Regional Sales Director at Oerlikon Barmag, Deepak Lokre, Head of Engineering at Oerlikon Textile India, and Matthias Schmitz, Head of Engineering Recycling Technology at BB Engineering (BBE).
Oerlikon’s technology partner for spinning mills for manufactured fibers was the main topic of the second session. Topics discussed in the presentations included air texturizing methods, automated handling solutions, quality inspections, and improving the production of synthetic fibers through creative air engineering. Luca Lacitignola, Sales Director at Irico Gualchierani Handling (IGH), Simone Ducceschi, Sales & Project Manager at Thema Systems, Ralf Morgenroth, Head of Engineering Textile Machinery at BBE, and Praveen Kumar Singh, Managing Director of Luwa India, were among the notable speakers.
With an emphasis on Oerlikon Barmag POY/DTY, FDY, and IDY technologies, as well as Oerlikon Neumag BCF and staple fiber line facilities, the third session explored ways to produce the ideal fibers and yarns. Philip Jungbecker, Head of R&D at Oerlikon Barmag, and Guido Dresen, Regional Sales Director, as well as Chetan Bhagat, General Manager of Sales, and Sameer Mehrotra, General Manager of Service at Oerlikon Textile India, gave presentations. Additional information about the VarioFil compact spinning solution from BBE was provided by Ralf Morgenroth.
Environmentally friendly recycling solutions
The fourth session highlighted environmentally friendly recycling solutions, featuring insights from Sven Streiber and Sudipto Mandal, Sales and Marketing Manager at Oerlikon Textile India, and again Matthias Schmitz, BBE. They provided a detailed portfolio overview in the field of mechanical and chemical recycling. The new partnership between Oerlikon Barmag and Evonik was also presented to the audience. Finally, this was followed by a session on customer services and digital solutions, where Michael Ruebenhagen, Head of Global Service Sales and Ivan Gallo, Digital Solutions, both at Oerlikon Manmade Fibers Solutions discussed current upgrade and retrofit options, the Digital Academy, and the future of digitalization in manmade fiber spinning mills. Shared Kulkarnie, General Manager Service Sales & Workshops, as well as Chandru Gurbaxani, Digital Solutions, performed together with their German colleagues.
Wolfgang Ernst gave final remarks once more, this time outlining the global market and its prospects for 2025. Atul Vaidya, Managing Director of Oerlikon Textile India, made closing remarks. With over 500 attendees, the event concluded with a spectacular evening that included a fashion display, dancing, music, and delectable food, all sponsored by Decathlon and Garden Vareli.
A huge success, the Oerlikon manufactured Fibers Solutions Innovation and Technology Day 2025 helped industry professionals collaborate and share expertise while laying the groundwork for future developments in the manufactured fibers sector. During the event, attendees had the chance to network with professionals from Oerlikon, Luwa, IGA/IGH, Thema, and BBE in several marketplaces.
About Oerlikon Manmade Fibers Solutions
With its Oerlikon Barmag, Oerlikon Neumag and Oerlikon Nonwoven brands, Oerlikon Manmade Fibers Solutions is one of the leading providers of manmade fiber filament spinning systems, texturing machines, BCF systems, staple fiber systems and solutions for the production of nonwovens and – as a service provider – offers engineering solutions for the entire textile value added chain. As a future-oriented company, the research and development are driven by energy-efficiency and sustainable technologies (e-save). With its range of polycondensation and extrusion systems and their key components, the company caters to the entire manufacturing process – from the monomer all the way through to the textured yarn. The product portfolio is rounded off with automation and Industrie 4.0 solutions. The primary markets for the product portfolio of Oerlikon Barmag are in Asia, especially in China, India and Turkey, and – for those of Oerlikon Neumag and Oerlikon Nonwoven – in the USA, Asia, Turkey and Europe. Worldwide, Oerlikon Manmade Fibers Solutions has about 2,500 employees and a presence in 120 countries with production, sales and distribution and service organizations. At the R&D centers in Remscheid, Neumünster (Germany) and Suzhou (China), highly qualified engineers, technologists and technicians develop innovative and technologically leading products for tomorrow’s world.
Oerlikon Manmade Fibers Solutions is part of the publicly listed Oerlikon Group, headquartered in Switzerland, which has more than 12 600 employees and generated sales of CHF 2.7 billion in 2023.