Domestic technical textiles Industry Segment-wise consumption of ...

The Ordnance Factory is the only indigenous manufacturer and supplier of NBC suits in India
managed by the Government of India. The technology is developed by the Defence Research
Development Organisation and suits are manufactured by Ordnance Factories. Ordnance Factory has
supplied around five lakh NBC suits to the army.
Market size of and future forecast
The Indian Defence forces have around 1.5 million soldiers, out of these around 25% (0.375 million)
are tasked with operating in an environment with potentially high radiation and chemical/biological
threats. The Ordnance Factory has supplied around five lakh NBC suits to the army. The current level
of penetration indicates that the domestic demand is going to be more of a replacement demand. The
average life of a NBC suit is assumed to be 7 years. Although the demand for these suits is not steady
and products are generally built-to-order or tender, it is assumed that the demand would be uniformly
distributed over the years as more units are also equipped. These suits cost around Rs 10,000 per
piece.
The current and future forecast of the domestic usage of NBC suits is given below:
Market size
NBC suits 2007-08 2012-13
Quantity (Lakh Pieces) 0.22 0.50
Value (Rs crore) 22 50
Source: Industry survey, IMaCS Analysis
The market size for NBC suits is estimated at approximately 22,000 pieces valued at Rs. 22 crore
(though the initial demand was for 50,000 suits, the available capacity was only for 22,000 suits). The
demand for NBC suits has been conservatively estimated at 50,000 suits in 2012–13 (same as the
potential demand for 2007-08). Hence, the market potential in 2012–13 is estimated to be around Rs.
50 crore. No inflationary increase is considered for estimating the market size.
Import and Exports of NBC suits
The export and imports of these NBC suits are negligible.
Quality Control and Standards
No specified quality standards, usually specification driven as per Defence Research Development
Organisation.