Textiles meet in Mumbai

Consultancy firm KSA Technopak will organise the second International Textile and Apparel Congress (ITAC), a two-day summit, in Mumbai starting from July 15.

Executives from global retailers such as Wal-Mart, JCPenney, IKEA, Calvin Klein and Li & Fung, which source textile and apparel items from the south Asian region, will attend the meet.

Raghav Gupta, associate director, KSA Technopak, said, "The theme of the summit will be 'growth through innovation'."

According to Gupta, the event attempts to bring all the major south Asian textile firms on a single platform as global buyers always look at the subcontinent as one whole sourcing region.

KSA Technopak will present a white paper on the opportunities for the region when the multi-fibre arrangement comes into effect in 2005. Gupta said, "We will also release a report on the domestic textile market."

Among Indian manufacturers, Sanjay Lalbhai, managing director, Arvind Mills, SP Oswal, chairman, Oswal Spinning Mills, and SP Sapra, president (Polyester), Reliance Industries, will participate in the summit.

"The event offers a great business opportunity for Indian firms. Companies such as Ikea and Wal-Mart are already sourcing textile products worth more than $400 million from India. With such a large number of high-profile buyers coming in, Indian manufacturers could gain a lot," said Gupta.

He added that the presence of Herwig Strolz, director general of International Textile Manufacturers Federation, the global apex body for the industry, will be one of the chief attractions of the event.