February 2020 Issue Apparel February 2020 issue | Page 90

NEW AVENUES
DRIVEN BY NEXT-GEN
MANUFACTURING
This rise is based on the shift in the
manufacturing focus that moves towards
enhanced textiles, which advanced economies
are developing for new products. Regions such
as North America and Europe have already
begun to shift their focus from commodity
goods to value-added products. With advances
in wearable technologies, medical sciences,
and military development, the need for these
new textiles is on the rise. This implies that the
manufacturing of generic textile products is
beginning to fall lower in priority as compared to
niche technical textiles, resulting in a slowdown
of demand for regular textiles. Other industries,
like construction and automotion, are also
seeking new materials from the textile industry
to power their next-generation products. This
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February 2020
complementary demand from other industries is a
key motivator for innovation in the manufacturing
and production of technical textiles.
Typically, the pattern of manufacturing overseas
has ensured that export-oriented economies in
Asia supply the global demand. However, due to
the technology-intensive nature of development
in this field, the core resource, i.e. the patents
and technological breakthroughs, are becoming
more indigenous to regions. As a competitive
measure, nations such as China and India have
begun to invest more deeply in building their own
technical textiles through original research and
development. India, for instance, is recognising
its lagging stature in this market and has
made commitments to compete in this arena.
One such initiative is the Ministry of Textiles’
support towards building India’s first incubation
centre for technical textiles at the Science and
Technology Entrepreneurs’ Park, Indian Institute
of Technology (IIT) Kharagpur.
FROM TECHNICAL TO SMART
While it may seem that smart textiles and
technical textiles are the same thing, it is not the
case. Smart textiles are more precise in their
intended uses and represent an emerging market
of US$5.4 billion in five years, with a compound
annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 28 per cent.
Smart textiles are differentiated based on their
CHINA AND INDIA HAVE BEGUN TO
INVEST MORE DEEPLY IN BUILDING
THEIR OWN TECHNICAL TEXTILES
THROUGH ORIGINAL RESEARCH
AND DEVELOPMENT.