Home > Last Word > Full Story

‘We are currently establishing Tencel supply chain in partnership’

Tencel fibre is slowly but steadily finding its base in India. The broad range applications of this versatile fibre is expected to ride the faster growth in apparel and nonwoven sectors in coming years. In an exclusive interview with Arbind Gupta, Mr Prem Sadhwani, country manager, Tencel talks about the company’s strategy to promote Tencel in India.

Tencel is a relatively new fibre in India. How has been the response so far in the domestic market?

In the domestic market, the response has been very encouraging. Our turnover in terms of volume has gone up remarkably since we started our commercial operation in 2000. By 2004, we are expecting our business to more than double from the present level. Currently, more than 90 per cent of our fibre supplied to the domestic market is finding its way to export-oriented fabrics or garments, mainly catering to the US and EU markets.

Tencel has still not been able to make its domestic customer base in India? What kind of efforts are being made to popularise this fibre?

India, at present is serving as a sourcing centre. But things are likely to change in future with more awareness about the fibre and its characteristics. We have already started a major campaign with our partner brands in this regard. Our customer base is slowly expanding. The price of fibre which is currently on the higher side, will come down with growing volume in future and this will help us broaden our customer base in the domestic market. The denim market is doing quite well and we would like to explore this growth in adding to our bottom line.

We are working with all the major Indian mills and their brands like Arvind Mills, Ashima, Nahar, Rajesthan Spinning, Mafatlal Industries, GFK Laser Finishing, Maral Overseas, Damodar Menon International, etc. We are working in partnership with these mills in establishing a supply chain for Tencel. We provide a complete package that includes apart from raw material supply (Tencel), technical assistance, product development, design and colour forecasting.

As a new age fashion innovation, Tencel is now available in Tencel denim, Tencel linen, Tencel stretch and much more. Tencel is one of the few fibre brands that is increasing its presence in global fashion brands like Zara, Banana Republic, Liz Claiborne, Levi’s Nike, Marks & Spencer, Mango, DKNY, Dockers, Perry Ellis and Gap.
Is there any move to set up a manufacturing base in India which is being seen as a major player of textiles?
No doubt, India is a potential market for Tencel Ltd which is owned by Acordis Group, based in the Netherlands. But so far we don’t have any plan to set up production base in India. Our current requirement is being met by our overseas plant which involves a very sophisticated technology.

Tencel is also used in the nonwoven sector which is an emerging market with high growth potential. Comment.
We are closely looking at the nonwoven sector which is expected to exhibit much faster growth in future. Already, Tencel is perfect for home textiles including bedding, mattress ticking and towels and for markets with critical performance requirements. At Present, Tencel nonwovens are dominated by wet wipes sector, meeting the ever increased diversity of new wipes bring developed. In future, we would like to diversify into other sectors also.

Cotton is currently facing tough competition from not only cellulosic fibres but also other synthetic fibres. Where do you place Tencel in this scenario?

I don’t see cotton as a competing fibre. In fact, Tencel should be viewed as a complementary fibre to cotton.

Why should Tencel find customer support at a time when other similar cellulosic fibres have failed to make any significant inroads?

Tencel is a more ecological fibre than any other cellulosic fibre produced world wide. Though made from wood pulp, process involves much cleaner production technology which reduces the emissions through almost total recycling of the solvent. The advanced closed loop solvent spinning process has minimal impact on the environment and uses least energy and water. Moreover, the fibre is completely biodegradable and offers a unique combination of the properties of both manmade and natural fibres. The wood pulp used to create Tencel is harvested from self-sustaining tree farms which requires limited use of pesticides for cultivation.