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

5. Open punch - Open-punch felts are on-machine seamed felts which have been developed for
easier felt installation onto paper machines. When the felts are installed onto the machines, loop
holes at both ends of the felts are joined with pintle-wire to make them endless.
6. Nip punch - Nip-punch felts are of the BOB type developed as the first needled felts, the base
fabrics of which are made of spun yarn and/or a combination of spun and filament yarns.
7. Warp punch - Warp-punch felts are of the BOB type which has been developed with the aim of
minimum contamination in base fabrics, with the characteristic of having a very small amount of
weft yarn if any.
8. Flat punch - Flat-punch felts are of the BOB type which have been developed for better
smoothness to the paper surface and have the characteristic of light weight base fabric.
Market dynamics and key growth drivers
The Indian paper industry has a total production at eight million tonnes. Per capita paper consumption
in India is seven kilogram. A modest increase of one kilogram per capita translates into 1.15 million
tonnes of additional paper demand. Growth of domestic paper industry is higher than GDP growth.
With growth in GDP and Purchasing Power, per capita paper consumption is bound to increase from
the current low, thus leading to increased consumption of Fabrics. Some existing papermakers are in
the process of expanding their production capacities and some new players have also indicated
intention to set up paper mills in India, which could be a good opportunity for paper making felt
manufacturers.
Key manufacturers of paper making fabric
The major producers of paper making fabrics in India are as given below:
Manufacturer Year Quantity Value Installed
(Rs. Crore) capacity
Voith Paper
Fabrics Limited
2006-07 234 45.12 310 MT
Wires & Fabriks
Limited
2006-07 102566* 37.93 65105 SqM
Source: Capitaline, IMaCS Analysis
*Wires & Fabriks is operating at 145% capacity utilisation, also surplus stocks from previous yeas
Market size of paper making fabrics in India
The demand for paper making fabric in India is partially catered by the two companies- Voith Paper
Fabrics Ltd. and Wires & Fabriks S.A. Limited and rest is sourced through imports. The above
mentioned companies are active in export market as well. The products are woven fabrics made from
synthetic yarns (Nylon, Polyester and Polyamide) and can be classified as 100% technical textile. The
synthetic yarns have completely replaced the traditional bronze wire fabrics.