Even as processors in Delhi-NCR continue to face uncertainty and fret over chances of impending business loss due to new norms of ZLD (Zero Liquid Discharge), which will definitely affect apparel exporters of the region, Barhi Textile Park (Sonipat) is away from all these worries and is expecting good business in the next few months. Many new initiatives are underway which will help the processors/dyers at the Park not only to increase their capacity, but also reduce their cost. Looking to these changing scenarios, the area which currently has 60 operational units is ready for many more. Apparel Online met some unit heads in this area and was happy to note the positivity reflected by them for the future.
Most of the units at the Barhi Textile Park are completing a decade of their establishment in the area and are happy with the overall infrastructure be it quality and availability of ground water, proximity with Delhi-NCR, availability of raw material, peaceful working environment and availability of labour. The only disturbing issue is electricity which is adding cost as units are forced to use generator sets. Shiv Keshan, President, Barhi Industrial Association however is positive that the situation is finally going to improve. “Haryana has no scarcity of electricity, so issue is not availability but the proper distribution, for which a new power house is required within the hub as the existing one is 13 km away from this area. We had various meetings with the concerned authorities and now it should not take much time for the matter to be resolved,” he says.
The other big reason which gives a strong reason to the existing units to expect good business in the coming years is the commencement of the new CETP with a capacity of 16 MLD by November 2015. The current operational CETP is having capacity of only 8 MLD and does not fulfil the necessary requirement for ZLD which is going to become a big issue in the next one year due to strictness of pollution control board. The new CETP will help the existing units to increase their capacities and will reduce their cost also. “The new CETP will follow the norms of ZLD so once it will be operational, current CETP of 8 MLD will be discarded. “We will be leading on ZLD norms in comparison to units in Faridabad, Gurgaon and Ghaziabad. Also, we will be lesser dependent on ground water as ZLD will allow us to reuse the water completely, so I can confidently say that Barhi is now one of the best places for textile units and the processing industry will definitely grow here,” claims Shiv Keshan who is also running a washing unit, Spectrum Washing known for denim in the Park.
Bahadurgarh, which is emerging as a centre for processing with small and unorganized units, is affecting some parts of business as their unsystematic structure helps them to be low in costing, but as the city is not offering quality, we are hopeful that business will come back to us, as we are far better in quality, follow systems and also environmental norms. Secondly, if the Park gets a local bus stop, it will be more comfortable for workers. – RK Jain, GCR Dyeing
Enthusing about the future prospects at the Park, Shiv Keshan also added that many well known exporters of DelhiNCR and few processing houses have already approached the association with enquiries, as improving power condition and new CETP, ZLD have created positive vibes. It is worth mentioning that the new CETP would allow units to discharge 350 BOD (main focus of wastewater treatment plants is to reduce the BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) in the waste water) as against 30 BOD permitted today, as a result of which primary treatment will not be necessary for many units and their treatment cost will be less than half of what it is today.
The hub offers every support to its members in regards to processing or dyeing, be it yarn dyeing, fabric or garment dyeing. As most of the units have their own specializations like knitted fabric dyeing, denim washing, yarn dyeing, etc. they offer reasonably good quality. These units also claim to follow sustainable practices by using only the allowed chemicals, be it for export or domestic because in case of using banned or harmful chemicals, they have to pay extra cost for water treatment which nobody would like to pay.
It is a wrong perception that many units have shifted from the Park due to difficulties; electricity may be one reason, but a majority of the units that have shifted from here don’t want to work properly/ in papers. There is no other suitable place like Barhi for processing in the Delhi-NCR. Ground level of water in Faridabad is going deeper while we don’t have any such problem; quality of Barhi’s underground water is also helpful in dyeing/ washing. – Shiv Keshan, President, Barhi Industrial Association
MK Dyeing, working for more than 10 years as processors and offering different washes and finishes on knitted fabric, claims that the company is approved for working with the suppliers of Inditex. Having expertise in dyeing and washing on knitted fabric only, the unit has 3 check points at dyeing, washing and after completion of job through in-house check points. “Bio wash and gold finish in silicon are in great demand from the last few years. Buyers are now very selective on quality so these processes, which give good hand feel are more in demand, especially on cotton fabric,” shares Shalabh Jain, Director, MK Dyeing. The company has a capacity of 3 tonnes per day and works regularly with 8-10 exporters of Delhi-NCR like Celestial India, Shivank Udyog and also with a few domestic brands. Shalabh is very expectant of good business ahead. “Business currently is on a downward trend and the only reason is a slow international market, but as market conditions will improve, the edges that we enjoy will support us. We are also focusing on bringing knitting in-house as currently we outsource knitting and we are planning to start a new unit with at least 5 circular knitting machines by this December,” avers Shalabh.
Whereas new offerings or product development is concerned, only few units are active on this front, as units working for exporters restrict themselves to whatever the exporters require. Among those that are interested and keen to offer new finishing is Utkarsh Keshan, the young leader of Spectrum Washing. The company is trying to offer its clients, mostly domestic brands, those processes which are being done by top international brands and that too at low cost. “We have developed deep understanding of various finishes, machinery and processes. Our strong knowledge of textile chemistry and non dependency on ‘masters’ also helps us in achieving quality and we are able to do many of the things that international brands are doing. We are persuading our customers to go in for more new trends and quality, rather than just copying others and they are ready to accept and pay accordingly,” says Utkarsh. Shalabh also suggests exporters to try new things, which they are happy to accept.
