The sector of technical textiles which was still emerging sector at the time when it witnessed a revolution in the year 1970 and Mr. Y K Kusumgar recognizing the potential of the said sector opened Kusumgar Corporate Private Limited (KCPL). Mr. Kusumgar, who was a great visionary of his time realized the fact that the demand for textiles is dynamic in nature and that subsequent years would see an upsurge in the demand of technical textiles. Therefore to make the most of such an opportunity, he started his small business venture which has grown into the big success that it is today.
Today, the company is almost 50 years old and is regarded as a pioneer in the entire industry making its name synonymous with the words ‘technical textile’. The company has been intensely innovation focused, always looking at products and applications which are not being done by others in the industry. It is reflected in their business principle: “We starts where others stop”. Mr. Siddharth Kusumgar, Managing Director, and Mr. Ankur Kothari, CEO of Kusumgar give a glimpse of the company’s future endeavors.
The structure of business in this company is set up across four different verticals of Defense, Industrial, Outdoor and Specialty. The company is known to customize the products according to the need of the consumers and the same are designed in such a way to provide a final solution.
The company’s focus stems from a dedicated approach to innovation. According to Mr. Siddharth Kusumgar, “We accept challenges that may be too daunting for others. We spend a lot of time in solving complex technical problems. It leads to days and weeks and months and sometimes years of trials and errors and revisions, but all worth it when we finally get there”.
Kusumgar also witnessed an upgrade in its product line in 2019 when it was given the Transfer of Technology (ToT) by the Ministry of Defense for the manufacturing of parachutes for the Indian Army. The first commercial project under the ToT is of manufacturing of parachutes of the Gaganyaan Human Space Programme. Mr. Siddharth Kusumgar highlighting the importance of this venture stated the following, “We are humbled by the belief that the Government has shown in us and our product. At present, we are assisting them in completing the 70 tests that will be done before launching of said program which is scheduled to take place in the year 2022. We will play our part with complete dedication till the very end of this initiative successfully”.
Kusumgar rightly deserves the partnership in this project given the long-standing consistent performance that it has been delivering since its inception. Recently, it also collaborated in developing a Bio-Suit for the DRDO adding its value to the nation in combating the COVID crisis. Kusumgar proves to be a perfect partner for the Indian Armed Forces as it provides with the much-needed assurance of manufacturing innovative, long-lasting, and excellent quality of products to serve better our heroes. According to Mr. Ankur Kothari, “We work with our customers to understand their needs and creating customized solutions. We do not offer a set library of products to customers. We ask them what they want to achieve and every product that we create is usually specific to our customer’s requirements.”
It has been a very exciting year for the brand as they got an opportunity to explore new avenues and think about expanding their product base, especially in the US market. The company is looking at partnering up with a few family-managed businesses which are based in Europe or the US. Special skills of like-minded companies such as technology, certifications standard, qualifications will be acquired or partnered up under this initiative.
The previous joint ventures such as Saati Kusumgar Pvt. Ltd. and Toray Kusumgar Advance Textiles and other companies across the globe have been very successful. The same have added capabilities to their portfolio and have significantly increased the quality of services so provided. Mr. Ankur Kothari in our exclusive interview with him stated the following, “To meet the needs of our global customers means an intense focus on quality and consistency. We ensure the smallest aspect is taken care of to ensure our customers get the product they desire. Every small quality issue is discussed at the senior most levels and measures incorporated to ensure it is not repeated”.
The company is always striving to upgrade itself and make lucrative investments in technology which will benefit the business immensely and help in the manufacturing of innovative and great quality products. Fulfilling its commitment to provide innovative products, the company recently invested in Hotmelt Lamination technology and has started working on new applications in relation to the medical industry and inflatable technology as well as narrow woven fabrics for various applications. Kusumgar is also developing fine denier polyester and nylon fabrics which are currently imported in the country. Recently Kusumgar also started manufacturing of solution-dyed acrylic fabric for outdoor applications. Most these applications are where there are no local manufacturers in the country. As Mr. Siddharth Kusumgar outlines Kusumgar’s philosophy, “We are pioneers, not followers. If we see others are already manufacturing certain products, we try not to venture there”.
Kusumgar has been a market leader for years now and has been setting examples for the others. For any product manufacturing company, it is necessary to understand that raw material forms the basic yet the most important component in the process of manufacturing. However, time and again a lot of companies have complained about the shortage of raw material or that their demands are not being met as a result of which the turnover is affected. Kusumgar has a very interesting approach of treating their raw material suppliers as their business partners rather than counting them as mere suppliers. Mr. Ankur Kothari while deliberating the said policy of the company stated the following, “We work very closely and cohesively with the raw materials suppliers because the company understands their value to the business. However, one thing that the company has noticed is that procuring raw materials when there happens to be a sudden need for it and the same has not been forecasted proves to be a very difficult task. This is something that we together as an industry need to think about and come up with a solution for.”
The company has three integrated facilities set up in Gujarat which begin with yarn modification and are followed by process such as those of weaving, dyeing, coating, finishing, bleaching, scouring, calendaring machines, and lamination. Currently, the facilities are operating at 80-85% capacity and the company is setting up a new facility to achieve much more than this in the subsequent financial year. The production facilities are equipped with advanced conventional shuttle looms, Dornier rapier looms, water jet looms, and Sulzer flexible rapier looms and weaving machines.
Being a pioneer in its field, Kusumgar happens to be the only technical textile manufacturing company to have bagged the National Award for Indigenization from the Government of India for performing stupendously and providing strong, sturdy, and great quality nuclear biological warfare clothing and zero porosity fabrics. The other accolades that the company has received over the years include Gold Vendor Award by Garware Bestretch, Supplier Excellence Awards by Parker Hannifin, and Quality Promise to Zero Defect Award by Johnson and Johnson.
Kusumgar has always persistently worked towards expanding its applications so that they can make a difference to the lives of more and more people. The company has the perfect combination of an innovative approach to solve problems, a dedicated team of employees and workers, and experienced and visionary leadership which makes it a dream team to achieve various levels of success. Even after 50 years of operation, the company has not lost its zeal and courage to expand and try out new ventures. Mr. Siddharth Kusumgar and Mr. Ankur Kothari who form a part of the leadership team aim towards achieving a turnover of 1,000 crores in the next few years. The company has already started working in full swing towards the aforementioned direction and is all set to fulfill all its ambitions one after the other.
Camouflage Nets
Kusumgar presents the latest development of UV, Visual, anti-Radar, NIR detection 3D Synthetic camouflage nets for desert terrain, green belt terrain and various others. Engineered camouflage fabric coated with specialized pigments makes them non traceable by blending with background terrain and these lightweight fabric makes easy moveability by the soldier on the ground. State of art designing of the camouflage net makes it suitable for withstanding 40mph wind with operating temperature at -20deg to +55deg Celsius with inherent antibacterial property. The net meets all the international quality standards and is best for Anti Detection Camouflage Nets.
