NEWS BRIEFS All eyes would be searching for the next big thing in nonwovens. The huge gap between supply and demand glo- bally has created great business op- portunities for PPE kit and mask material. The next big business op- portunity of the decade with the Co- rona virus situation expected to get worse, people who join the manufac- turing set up and start producing face masks in bulk. It is very easy and convenient to become a manufacturer of surgical masks. The material re- quired to manufacture face mask is easily available in the market at very attractive prices. Mostly face mask material is PP-based and uv treated. Following are the details of the expert opinion expressed by Mr. Chirag Kalra - Managing director of Nikshe Multi Products and co-founder of The Slipper Factory. They are a leading Ahmedabad-based manufacturer of non woven PPE products catering to the medical field.No Classification for Good in HSN: “For India, the non-woven industry is at a very nascent stage and we are yet to ascertain the actual scalability of the Industry. For Medical applica- tions, particular in India, we have very limited companies making these prod- ucts. Also there is an extreme lack of general awareness amongst the masses and industry people on its ap- plication. Non-woven fabric was majorly linked to the Non-Woven Shopping bags. Unlike global econo- mies where there is constant R&D happening at the base level and hence they are very much evolved.”"The second problem which we real- ize is that there is no proper classifi- cation for products made from Non- Woven fabric. Since the inception of GST, there has been a constant am- biguity amongst manufacturers on the classification of the products they make. The confusion is across the product range as the only clarification or classification given by the GST is on the Fabric i.e. 5603. This also cre- ates a lot of problem when we look at exporting the goods. Some send their goods under Chapter 63 (Which clearly states that items manufac- tured from Chapter 56 i.e. technical textiles need not be considered un- der Chapter 63), while some send good under Chapter 39 which is for plastics." Problems Being Faced:Dependence on China for Machines: "The authorities themselves are not aware about which products are to be used and where. For example, during the COVID-19 pandemic, majority of the buyers like institutional, govern- ing authorities etc do not know that a 3-Ply Face Mask compulsorily needs to have a bacteria filter in the middle. There is very less awareness on the necessity of Melt Blown fabric. Whereas globally, even a retail buyer is informed that the 3-Ply Mask is the one having bacteria filter.""One main reason for why we are lack- ing behind in the industry is also be- cause we don’t have any major manu- facturing company making converting machines. We are totally dependent on global companies mainly Chinese companies. The lack of local manu- facturers at some levels restrains the domestic units to take risks and in- vest in newer technology or products." Certifications: "Due to the less general awareness NCM-APRIL 2020 86amongst the users, there are no cer- tifications asked by the governing authorities due to which a lot of manu- facturers make the products in ex- treme unhygienic conditions. Unfortu- nately, the products which are to be used in extremely hygiene sensitive areas are manufactured at the most unhygienic places and supplied. As the products do not fall under any Governing authority, very less manu- factures avail certifications which are a pre-requisite in the global market." “According to me, it is high time that the authorities take non-woven medi- cal items under the supervision of FDCA (Food and Drug Controller Ad- ministration) and support in evolving the industry like China. We have all the resources available in India right from polymer, labour (as we have far more young labour than that In China), vast domestic market of more than 135 Crore people for consump- tion. The only thing which we need is Government’s interest in developing machines locally in India and creat- ing awareness amongst the users. If we create facilities having global cer- tifications, I am sure that we can see an emergence of a new employment generating sector for India. We can also import better quality products. It will boost up our foreign trade as well.” (Deepak Agrawal, Director, Sparkle Texfab Pvt Ltd.)