Technical Textile Value Chain took an exclusive interview with
Prof. Sujit Gulhane- Pursuing PhD, M.Tech- IIT Delhi,
Assistant Professor, SVKM’S NMIMS, MPSTME Centre for Textile Functions, Shirpur Campus.
Tell us about your educational qualifications and experience. And why did you chose this stream? What motivated you to complete your studies till masters degree?
After finishing my HSC in 2004, I chose to study Textile Engineering programme at Jawaharlal Darda Institute of Engineering and Technology (JDIET), Yavatmal. The primary motivation for me to pursue a career in textiles, possibly, nucleated from the presence of the company Raymond Uco Denim Limited, Yavatmal which is at the vicinity of my native place. After passing out in 2008 I cleared GATE and joined the Masters Programme at Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. This was a life-changing chance for me. The student life at IIT was the happiest period in my life; I learned a lot from the top instructors and teachers, enjoyed dorm life, met and created friends from all over India and had many more joyful memories that I used to share with my family and friends for hours till date.
In 2010, at the completion of M. Tech from IIT Delhi I joined as Post Graduate Trainee (PGT) at Alok Industries Ltd. in its Spinning Division. Shortly I switched job to Mafatlal Burlington Industries Ltd. at Navsari, where I gained knowledge in denim fabric manufacturing, production planning and quality control.
With this little experience in textile production, I got an offer from my alma mater, JDIET, for a position of Assistant Professor. This was the beginning of my serious academic career since August 2011. At the end of 2015, I got two job offers: one, at Ordinance Factory in Ministry of Defence and the other as Asst. Prof at SVKM’s NMIMS Deemed to be the University’s Shirpur Campus. To continue my interest in academics and research I opted to join SVKM’s NMIMS in February 2016. I teach Technical Textiles, Smart Textiles, Electronics in Industrial Automation, Industrial Management, Textile Mill Planning etc. the subjects which are broad based and trending.
I’m thankful to all my teachers, mentors, seniors who encouraged me to focus on current studies, choose professional paths and emphasise the value of higher education. My Doctoral programme, registered with NMIMS University, is also on the verge of completion.
As a part of being an academician, research is an integral part. How do you develop a research temperament or what motivates you to carry out research?
Academic and research are the two sides of a coin, one complements the other. I believe, one academician should always thrive for improving one’s performance through collating new information, new developments and adopt similar approaches to deliver sustainable lectures year after year. This comes with consistent effort of creativity and innovation introduced in his regular activities. Besides, I was encouraged to do research after witnessing potential growth in my pupils when they were given the opportunity to run experiments and examine the influence of variables on manufacturing process and increase productivity. This help me develop research temperament and motivates me to excel in this field.
My involvement in research outlook, therefore, reflects in the students’ involvement in research and that is the best way to generate skilled technocrats for work on the shop floor. We conduct industry-oriented research project in collaboration with industry professionals at Shirpur Textile Park that has cutting-edge textile production facility.
I have published more than 55 research articles in prestigious Scopus journals. My B.Tech project has been patented and two more patents are published.
Would you like to share some interesting incidents/ instances that happened with you while working as a consultant to different industries or while teaching a batch of students…
I constantly chose new areas (subjects) to teach and while students first show lack of interest, they gradually developed an interest and became fascinated to that area, preferring to work in that specific profession too.
I recall that when I first began teaching “Certification standards and how to put them into practice”. Students often said that they would prefer to work in this field where such standards were given very little weightage and were only occasionally followed. I used these students’ ideas to mould them, introduced them to the current certification process and the businesses involved, and arranged their interactions with the technical auditors of certification agencies. Surprisingly, six B.Tech. students from that class are employed as certifiers by inspection and auditing organisations. I’m happy to share with you that every year four to five students have been offered the chance to enter the certification and auditing fields.
Another instance I’d like to share is that when I first started teaching “Technical Textile” topic to diploma students, they were doubtful to accept the application of advanced fibres like glass and carbon fibres in high pressure vessels or advantages of using fabrics made from textiles in road construction. I used to tell them at that time, “even these products are not available for us to see, but they will be available very soon”. Students became inquisitive. Surprisingly, it happened, one student brought a piece of geogrid from the site of a nearby bridge construction area and he himself demonstrated how geogrids are installed in construction and the advantages it offers. At the same time, another student mentioned that he brought a lightweight gas cylinder made of glass-filament built composite (GRP) material that is available from a local gas vendor. The discussion on various applications of technical textile goods ceaselessly continued till date.
What are the major differences in the industries earlier and now? Tell us about the work ethics as well apart from the technological advancements.
Textile industry in India is nearly 150-year-old. Manufacturing activities in these factories used to run with old technologies. The obvious drawbacks were limited production, high labour cost, poor productivity etc. Over the past 20-30 years Government of India through Ministry of Textiles have introduced many schemes to rejuvenate the textile industry segment. Textile upgradation fund scheme TUFS), Integrated Textile Park(SITP), Silk Samagra, Powertex India, Samarth, Integrated Wool Development Programme and Centre of Excellence for Technical Textiles are to name a few that helped the sector through advanced machineries, latest technology, newer products, processes and the likes.
Artificial intelligence is utilised in advanced manufacturing setups to control process parameters and produce high-quality goods. With such a significant revolution, the working conditions in the textile industry have improved, however, the job of a textile technocrat has become more complex. Today, he or she must comprehend both the technology of producing textiles and the technology of machines. It pronounces how to control each parameter to produce the best results with the fewest resources. The centralised sector of the textile manufacturing industry has made many larger investments. HR policies in this sector, today, are fairly clearly laid out, which has helped to improve employees’ morale.
How do you teach/ inform your students about the latest developments in the industry and make them ready for working in the industry?
I recall that there wasn’t much information on the internet when I was a student, especially in regards to the technical parts of the textile manufacturing machines. Nearly every textile machine manufacturer now uses the internet as a means of reaching consumers and spreading awareness of the most recent technological advancements in machines. The manufacturer’s website and YouTube both made the information available. Recent technological advancements in the field of textile manufacturing are also frequently discussed on blogs.
At Shirpur Textile Park, we have state of the art machineries for making textiles in addition to our traditional resources where we show to students how advanced textile manufacturing technology is used in practice and demonstrate live how these machines are programmed to provide the highest production, quality and productivity.
How do you think the pandemic has affected the education system? Tell us both the pros and cons.
The COVID 19 The pandemic had a significant impact on the educational system; the benefits of the pandemic include advancements in teaching and learning methods. After the epidemic, remote learning and internet learning are widely recognised. The cost of learning is minimised since children can stay at home and learn from teachers who also teach from home. This ease of teaching and learning is only possible because there were no other options during a pandemic. These are the pros.
On the other hand, the pandemic had a significant impact on students’ learning, with only a few students who are serious about their studies were able to concentrate on their studies and others left it pending. During online classes, students were unable to ask whether they understood or not, but in off-line classes, teachers understood students based on their body language and facial expressions. Students who live in remote areas were unable to deal with online learning methods and lost roughly two to three years of schooling only to fall behind their peers.
How are management studies important for Textile students? How does it help in increasing productivity?
Management studies help students understand many skills which are needed on the shop floor viz. leadership & people’s management, handle difficult situations (crisis management), quick and effective decision making, marketing skills, good oration and communication capability etc.
The textile manufacturing process involves a number of batch and continuous manufacturing processes where managerial skills are necessary to achieve high productivity. The textile industry is renowned for its mass manufacturing and high human, machine, time, and material requirements. Along with this, investment – bulk of textile industries are operating with extremely poor profit margins. Any breakdown in the manufacturing process results in substantial losses for the industry. This loss might be significant in certain circumstances, causing damage to the industry’s reputation in the market. Textile industries have grown as a result of the greatest efforts made by designers and leaders. Management abilities are vital not only for the efficient operation of the industry, but for the development of employees also. Employees with good managerial skills will advance professionally quickly in the business of textiles.
What is your take on the new trend of ‘Organic fibres’ especially use of Organic Cotton?
According to my understanding, ‘Organic Cotton’ spinning and certification was a popular topic in the cotton spinning sector in 2010. Later, it was focused on weaving and dyeing, as well as other textile manufacturing and certification divisions. Cotton grown without the use of any synthetically created chemicals (i.e. pesticides, growth regulators, defoliants, etc.) and fertilisers is referred to as ‘organic’ cotton. However, it cannot be claimed to be organic unless it is certified as such. The certifying agencies and criteria were unknown at beginning. The field of certification and testing standards is now well established. As a result, organic cotton is progressively gaining popularity both on the farm and in the marketplace. Today, a large range of items made from cotton that has been grown organically are offered, including shirts, jeans, socks, knickers, skirts, blouses, sheets and pillowcases. The variety of styles may be somewhat constrained, but new ones are always being created to meet the rising demand for garments made of organic cotton
What are some measures that need to be taken as a part of the Quality Management in Fabric Production?
Quality management is traditionally ignored by Indian manufacturers till some two decades ago. With the opening up of economy since 1991 emphasis on quality aspect has been prioritised. To maintain quality in any product the standard of raw material should be highest. Most of the decentralised industries in India are running with the yarn (raw material) available to them, instead they should follow standard specification to achieve quality of fabrics. Textile manufacturing is hugely process intensive, therefore, intermediate processes like yarn conditioning, singing, waxing, warping, sizing etc. should be taken into consideration to achieve quality product. Improved testing and analysis system that determines the quality of input and output material need to be looked into seriously. The online quality monitoring and control systems may be adopted to avoid loss due to poor quality produced fabric.
What are some of the Natural Fibres that are being used? Where do they find applications?
Natural fibres are those generated from bio-based sources such as plants and animal origin. All natural cellulosic fibres (cotton, jute, sisal, coir, flax, hemp, abaca, ramie, etc.) and protein-based fibres (such as wool and silk) are included in this description. There are also synthetic cellulose fibres (such as viscose rayon and cellulose acetate) created from pulped wood or other sources (cotton, bamboo).
The growing awareness of the environmental damage caused by synthetic materials has resulted in the creation of eco-friendly materials. Researchers are very interested in producing such materials that can replace synthetic materials. As a result, there has been an increase in demand for commercial use of natural fiber-based composites in many industrial sectors in recent years. Natural fibres are renewable materials that are abundant in nature and have benefits such as low cost, lightweight, renewability, biodegradability, and high specific characteristics.
Natural fibres have a high potential in a variety of industrial and commercial applications, including passenger car interiors, panels for partition and false ceilings, partition boards, roof tiles, coir fibres in packaging, furniture applications, as insulating materials in low energy houses, geotextiles for soil protection and erosion control, enhancing barrier properties, composites, and so on. Natural fibre utilisation has increased significantly in many applications as a result of research and development efforts in natural fibre modification and treatment technologies.
What is included in the concept of sustainable textiles? What are some measures taken by leading brands towards sustainable textiles?
The goal of sustainable textiles is to foster healthy ecosystems and communities. This may involve raising the value of local production and products, extending the lifecycle of materials, boosting the value of timeless clothes, minimising waste, and lowering the environmental impact caused by production and consumption. Another of its goals is to educate people about ecologically responsible consumption by supporting the “green consumer.”
To begin, sustainability in the textile and clothing business extends beyond the use of organic materials and efficient procedures. The textile industry uses a lot of water and energy, as well as a lot of chemicals and toxic substances. The majority of textile enterprises emit a large amount of hazardous waste, endangering natural bodies. There is an urgent need to use innovative production methods that do not harm the environment and to use natural resources to help us not just sustain the textile industry but the entire eco-system.
Following are important measures towards sustainability of textile industry.
• Utilisation of natural resources such as water and electricity in manufacturing operations.
• Sustainably sourced raw materials
• Chemical handling in procedures such as dyeing and coating
• Waste disposal and treatment
• Adherence to requirements to avoid worker and consumer health concerns
How I get motivated to teach number of students?
As a professor, I believe I have an opportunity to develop students and prepare them to work in industry in many different kinds of positions. Every student’s achievement makes me pleased, and it motivates me to teach every day. I feel that as parents, we try to fulfil our aspirations by educating and supporting our children, but as a teacher, I have many pupils/students who can help me fulfil all of my dreams.
13)Would you like to add/ tell us something else apart from the questions asked above?
I would like to say thank you to my parents, teachers, family members, friends and my dear students.
Also, I am thankful to you and entire team of Technical TVC for this interview..