Exclusive Interview by K. Gopalakrishnan, Pics by Manikandan
As India’s technical textile and nonwoven sectors enter a pivotal phase of capacity expansion, sustainability transformation, and recycling-led innovation, global technology leader ANDRITZ is strategically strengthening its presence to support this accelerating growth. At Techtextil India, senior executives Thierry Masi, Area Sales Manager – ANDRITZ Nonwoven & Textile, and Sajeesh Narayanan, Deputy General Manager – ANDRITZ Nonwoven & Textile, India, shared insights on ANDRITZ’s groundbreaking solutions—ranging from decortication and automatic sorting for textile recycling to advanced web-forming and bonding technologies—along with its expanding service infrastructure in India.
The conversations underline one central message: ANDRITZ is preparing the Indian market for the next era of sustainable, high-performance, and digitally intelligent nonwoven and textile production.
Pioneering Natural Fibre Processing and Sustainable Nonwoven Technologies
For decades, ANDRITZ has been synonymous with advanced engineering for nonwoven and textile industries. At Techtextil India the company showcased several of its newest innovations in India—particularly around bast fibre decortication, cellulosic processing, and sustainable nonwovens.
Thierry Masi elaborated on ANDRITZ’s complete decortication line, designed to mechanically separate fibre and shiv from crops such as hemp, jute, flax, and kenaf. This technology enables a scalable and industrial production process for natural fibres—addressing booming demand for sustainable materials worldwide.
The separated shiv, prized for its acoustic and thermal properties, finds applications in construction, mulching, insulation, and biobased composites. The fibre can be further processed using ANDRITZ Laroche’s cottonization technology, enabling:
- Blended yarn spinning with cotton
- High-quality nonwovens via spunlacing
- Thermobonded acoustic/thermal insulation
- Biodegradable agro-textiles that replace plastics in geotextiles
“Using 100% natural fibres without chemical imbibition, we are enabling a new class of sustainable products,” Masi explained. The ability to transform agricultural fibre into commercial-grade yarns and nonwovens positions ANDRITZ as a key enabler of India’s bio-based textile ambitions.
Uniformity, Precision and High Performance: ANDRITZ’s Innovative Technologies
One of ANDRITZ’s most relevant offerings for India is the ProWinTM web profiling and optimization technology—a breakthrough enabling exceptional uniformity, fibre savings and product regularity across bonding technologies. With Indian manufacturers increasingly prioritizing quality, consistency, and yield optimization, ProWin emerges as a future-proof solution.
“Customers want regularity, uniformity, and cost reduction. That is exactly what ProWin delivers,” said Masi.
ANDRITZ remains one of the few global companies offering the entire suite of web-forming and bonding options—needle punching, spunlace, thermobonding, airlay, and more—allowing Indian manufacturers to diversify into hygiene, filtration, automotive, industrial, agro-tech and home furnishing nonwovens.
Leading the Future of Textile Recycling: Automatic Sorting Innovations
Sustainability sits at the core of ANDRITZ’s global strategy. One of the most significant innovations showcased was ANDRITZ’s automatic sorting technology for textile recycling—engineered over four years and now fully commercial.
The system uses advanced sensors to detect colour, fibre composition, and material structure, enabling precise segregation of textile waste. This is the first and most critical step in preparing material for:
- Mechanical recycling
- Chemical recycling
- Thermal recycling
Already proven at industrial scale in France, the solution allows customers to create high-quality recycled yarns and fibres, including blends such as 60% polyester, 20% cotton, and 20% recycled polyester—demonstrated through a T-shirt made by an ANDRITZ customer in Portugal.
“Sorting is the missing link in textile recycling. Without it, true circularity is impossible,” Masi emphasised. ANDRITZ aims to bring this capability to India as demand for circular and recycled textiles accelerates.
India: A High-Priority Market with Strong Growth Potential
With over 2,000 employees in India——ANDRITZ already has a strong footprint. But the company is now intensifying its focus on nonwoven and textile technologies, supported by a robust local service ecosystem and strong customer relationships.
“India is one of the most important emerging markets for nonwovens and technical textiles. The future here is undeniable,” said Masi.
From hygiene and filtration to geotextiles and insulation, the industry’s evolution towards value-added applications positions India as a critical market for ANDRITZ’s innovations.
Strengthening India Operations: Local Service, Local Spares, Global Expertise
In the technical textiles sector, technology matters—but service determines long-term success. Recognizing this, ANDRITZ has invested heavily in building a reliable, India-based service and automation ecosystem.
According to Sajeesh Narayanan, ANDRITZ’s service infrastructure includes:
- A dedicated team of Indian service engineers trained in Europe
- A local warehouse for critical spares, enabling same-currency, quick-delivery operations
- ANDRITZ Synergy contracts – Lifecycle management programs
- 24/7 global hotline support
- Remote troubleshooting capabilities
Metris VibePro – A solution for preventive maintenance.
Metris Vibepro is a cutting-edge wireless condition monitoring solution designed to keep your industrial operations running at peak efficiency. With 24/7 real-time monitoring, advanced diagnostics, and seamless integration, VibePro empowers you to detect issues early, prevent costly failures, and extend equipment life.
“Our goal is to ensure Indian customers never have to wait. Remote diagnostics often solve issues overnight, reducing downtime dramatically,” said Narayanan.
By blending global expertise with local availability, ANDRITZ ensures seamless commissioning, production optimization, and long-term lifecycle support for high-value machinery.
Digitalization and Automation: Building Tomorrow’s Smart Nonwoven Plants
ANDRITZ’s automation division is accelerating digital transformation across customer plants. From AI-based monitoring to remote commissioning, the company is pioneering Industry 4.0 capabilities for nonwoven and textile manufacturers.
Key features include:
- Metris VibePro for predictive maintenance
- Digital twins for process optimization
- Cloud-based machine monitoring
- Integrated automation systems for energy efficiency and waste reduction
These tools empower Indian customers to transition towards intelligent, automated, and sustainable production ecosystems.
With a powerful combination of cutting-edge fibre processing technologies, leadership in textile recycling, advanced web-forming and bonding solutions, and a deeply localised service ecosystem, ANDRITZ is positioned to play a transformative role in India’s nonwoven and technical textiles revolution.
As manufacturers increasingly embrace circularity, high-value applications, and digitalization, ANDRITZ’s innovations—from decortication of natural fibres to predictive maintenance—offer the capabilities and confidence to scale with the next decade of growth. India’s booming technical textile sector is not just a market of interest for ANDRITZ—it is a strategic priority, and the company is fully geared to partner in shaping its sustainable, technology-led future.
