The Hindu Business Line : Bombay Dyeing eyes southern market for new business

PSF market growth
The domestic PSF market is growing at an average of about 10 per cent
The quota abolition and newer products in textiles and non-textiles sectors have given hopes for higher volume marketing for PSF producers
PSF production has also been enhanced by Reliance and Indo-Rama and Bombay Dyeing's entry into PSF manufacture is expected to increase PSF output to over 100,000 tonnes per month

Coimbatore , Sept. 14

Bombay Dyeing and Manufacturing Company Ltd is seeking a slice of the South's man-made fibre market as the Mumbai-based textile major's new polyester staple fibre (PSF) facility at Patalganga in Maharashtra is getting ready for commercial launch sometime this year-end.

The Rs 400-crore PSF plant, promoted by Bombay Dyeing within its existing Patalganga manufacturing complex producing the polymer intermediary, Dimethyl terephthalate (DMT), is expected to go on trial production in November. The 500-tonnes-per-day PSF plant is being set up as a forward integration facility by the company as it will be using the in-house DMT as the raw material for the PSF, according to Mr P.V. Kuppuswamy, Joint Managing Director (Polyester division), Bombay Dyeing.

Plant technology

The new plant would be using technology extended by Invista (formerly Du Pont Textiles and Interiors) of US, lately acquired by the fibres and polymers conglomerate Koch Industries.

Bombay Dyeing is also busy setting up its southern regional marketing establishment at Coimbatore, which will, according to Mr Kuppuswamy, take care of customer interests and provide technical support for marketing its PSF in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, southern Andhra and Karnataka.

"Before selling our fibre range in the South, we'll be testing out our fibres with select textile mills in the region. Based on this, we'll extend to others gradually," the Joint Managing Director told Business Line.

Increase in competition

The entry of Bombay Dyeing to sell PSF into the predominantly cotton consuming South market is expected to increase competition in the limited man-made fibre market. Reliance Industries, the country's largest PSF producers and the second biggest man-made fibre producers, Indo-Rama Synthetics India Ltd, currently have a large presence in the man-made fibre market.

Moreover, the conventional textile applications which use the PSF in blends with cotton/viscose fibres, the opportunities opening up in the non-apparel segments such as the industrial/technical textiles and non-woven applications are also being explored by the PSF manufacturers of late.

PSF market

The domestic PSF market is growing at about 10 per cent. The abolition of quota and newer products in textiles and non-textiles sectors are some of the pointers lifting the hopes of the domestic PSF producers aiming for higher volume marketing.

With both Reliance and Indo-Rama enhancing their PSF production and with Bombay Dyeing's entry into PSF manufacture, the total domestic PSF output is poised to cross 100,000 tonnes per month. This volume is perceived to be slightly more than what the market can immediately absorb. This would mean the individual PSF producers would seek to give an extra push through product counselling and market facilitation to the end-users in the coming months.

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