#Technical Textiles
“ We have multiple companies and divisions operating in textiles, and we decided to integrate them into one platform. ”
Interview
Kapil Agrawal
Business Head Textiles, Acrylic Fibres & Overseas Spinning
ADITYA BIRLA GROUP
by Oliver Schmidt
Mr Agrawal, the Aditya Birla Group is presenting its full technical textiles portfolio at Techtextil for the first time. This reflects your transformation from a traditional textile player into a solutions-driven, sustainability-led partner for high-performance and safety-critical applications. How do you define this transformation in concrete terms – and what is your expected timeline?
First of all, let me briefly introduce the Aditya Birla Group. We operate in 41 countries, with a turnover of about USD 67 billion and a market capitalisation of around USD 112 billion. We are active in more than 20 sectors, from cement and paints to fashion, telecom and aluminum, with around 227,500 employees across locations.Textiles have been a foundation of our group since around 1947. Today, our textile business represents around USD 5 billion. The idea of bringing our textile activities together emerged about two years ago.We have multiple companies and divisions operating in textiles, and we decided to integrate them into one platform. What you see today is the result of that process.In addition to our strength in commodities, our focus is also moving towards growing in specialty and technical textiles. Beyond the product itself, customers look for confidence and trust in a partner, and this is something the Aditya Birla Group stands for. We work closely with our value chain partners to develop solutions together.
A second key element is research and development. We have three world-class facilities in India and invest significantly in new products. For example, we are active in circularity, with fibres developed in Thailand on an acrylic basis, known as ReGen, and further developments in India. The third element is our financial strength, which allows us to invest and scale our business.
Are there already products on the booth that clearly reflect this shift from a textile company to an integrated group?
We have always been active in textiles through different entities. What we are presenting now is a one-stop platform for our customers. It covers applications in protective apparel, automotive applications, tyre cord, home textiles and other segments. When you walk through the booth, you see solutions across several technical textile areas where we are already present.
Within technical textiles, where do you currently see the biggest shifts towards higher value creation – at the material level, in applications, or in integrated solutions?
In my view, the main shift is in integrated solutions. It is about understanding the challenges of the industry and the end users, and then working backwards to provide solutions. That is where the major value addition happens.
Can you share a concrete example where you have already moved into a higher value segment?
We have recently developed FR products, which represent a move up in the value chain. We are also a major spinning company in Germany, Europe along with working with leading fibre suppliers globally.
The full interview can be read in the latest issue of textile.4U, available for free download here:
