By:

Dr. Subrata Das

Consumer Testing Laboratories (India) Limited, Inc.
No.35, Mirage Point, 80 Feet Road, ST Bed, Koramangala,
Bangalore - 560034
The Indian apparel industry, which took off in the mid 60s, is worth around $15 billion
now. In fact, the industry has advanced gradually in terms of technology adoption and
has reached a critical mass today. One of the primary drawbacks in Indias clothing chain
is the lack of adequate fabric / garment processing capacity of requisite quality
standards. While the issue of fabric processing has been debated for long, the area of
garment wet processing has started creating interest only in the recent past.
A significant part of the apparel export from India is dominated by Cotton garments. Out
of the total exports, mens shirts, T-shirts and to some extent skirts and kids garments
have a large use of cotton fabric. These are not only high growth areas in Indias apparel
export, but also expose themselves to a variety of wet processing options. Further,
categories such as trousers, shorts and denim apparel, which internationally are high
growth categories, have wet processing as an integral part of its value addition. Thus,
one of the prime reasons for garment wet processing sectors rising importance is its
ability to introduce a variety of aesthetic and functional innovations.
Garments have been subjected to a wide range of performance-enhancing functional
finishes in the recent years. Some of the more widely used functional finishes include but
not limited to Water & Oil Repellent (WOR), Wrinkle Resistant (WR), Anti-Microbial, AntiOzonate, UV resistant, Fire Retardant, Moisture Management, Sensory Perception etc. A
large number of Domestic Brands have been employing the above functional finishes
quite widely and have accepted these in their finish program. Unlike the aesthetic
appeal, these finishes build in a specific functional characteristic in the apparel and
hence make the garment more intelligent. This helps in raising the unit value realization
and
also
provides
with
a
differentiation
strategy.
In recent years interest from overseas buyers in sourcing garments is been seen that
has a large inclination towards wash factor, due to the fashion trends currently in
vogue. Finally, a number of wet processes are being carried out on the garment stage
rather than the fabric stage, since this gives a better control element to the garment
manufacturer. Hence, washing which started off initially to pre-shrink garments (prior to
reaching the consumer) has come a long way now to provide fashion and functionality
elements. Now washing programs are many such as silicone wash, enzyme wash,
denim wash, vintage wash, bio wash, steam wash, sand wash, caustic wash, stone
wash, stain guard wash, peach skin finishing, acid wash, cold tip wash, wicking effect,
golf ball wash, melange wash etc. but choice remains with consumer.
While the garment sector in general has been traditionally in the unorganized sector, the
wet processing sector has been further relegated due to its low importance in the initial

years of garment manufacturing in the country. Even till date, garment exporters
continue to accord this department lowest priority, which can be seen from the fact that
the laundry is either manned by masters or on contract basis, unlike other departments.

The wet processing sector of garment in India is highly fragmented a large number of
small sized units scattered across the major garment manufacturing centers. The
average size of the units would be around 1000 - 2000 garments per day capacity
(enzyme wash cycle), which is by far very low compared to international standards.
Garment wet processing capacities even in neighbouring countries are higher than the
Indian
average.
Laundries, with indigenously developed machines which can deliver the basic functions
pretty well, lack the sophistication desired for improving wash reproducibility, enhancing
efficiencies or boosting productivities. In the Indian scenario, laundries by and large do
not have well laid out systems since these are master-driven, who do have high skill
level but a low knowledge level. The information pertaining to wet processing is kept
secret with few individuals who do not want to share for the garment industry as a whole.
There is lack of wash development updates or courses available and the academic
institutes too have chosen to ignore this area till very recently.
On the environmental issue, garment wet processing sector releases large amounts of
effluents but is not geared to cater to the effluent treatment requirements another
reason
of
being
in
the
small-scale
sector.
Despite automations, garment wet processing has a large component of manual
intervention that is required for its efficient running. Apart from product development, the
production facilities need trained technicians to understand the inter-linkages between
machine-material-chemical. Further, despite sophisticated control instrumentation, a
number of online quality checks are in the form of visual or tactile testing and hence
necessitate
the
requisite
training.
In order to understand the recent scenario of garment wet processing industry in India, a
SWOT analysis has been done. There is a vast scope for improvement, but proper
initiation at the end of the industry owners and policy makers in the country is highly
desirable if one tries to achieve operational excellence and produce mind blowing
products to satisfy fashion needs on economic scale.