Demand for fashion garments from the EX and US consumer is slated to drive the growth of the Indian textile machinery manufacturers. Indian apparel players pulling up their socks to meet the fresh demand, the Rs 5753.44-crore Indian machinery manufacturing industry could expect things to improve in 2010, predicts the Textiles Committee that has recently finished a study on "India's Textile Engineering Industry in the global trade".

India imported textile machinery worth Rs 7081.50 crore in 2008-09 lower than the Rs 7965.74 crore it did in '07-08, as the textiles production was down.

Europe is the primary market for high-end machines. A European delegation currently touring textile manufacturing hubs across the country (Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Coimbatore & Tirupur), has spotted prospective clients in Ruby Mills, Swan Energy Ltd, Kusumgar Corporates, Eastern Silk Industries Ltd, Sharda Terry Products Ltd for supply of high-end machines worth Euro 5 million for 2010.

The Textile Engineering Industry (TEI) census (2006-07) conducted by the Textiles Committee covering over 1,446 units recently, estimated the turnover of the industry to be Rs 5753.44 crore, with a majority (48.55%) located in Gujarat, followed by Tamil Nadu (31.12%).

The investments in the TEI units so far stand at Rs 6905.44 crore. While the investments rose to Rs 2681.99 crore (2006-07), a 35.45% jump over 2005-06, 477 units are keen to modernise now that the situation seems to have revived.

Out of the 477 units keen to modernise, 77 units will modernise through Computerised Numeric Controlled machinery, 265 others will expand their production capacity, building & infrastructure, procuring new machines. The rest will go for product diversification.  A new wave of technology modernisation in Indian mills is in offing in 2010.