Abhishek Expands

Diversifies from Terry into Sheeting

By Jennifer Marks -- Home Textiles Today, 6/2/2008 12:00:00 AM

Ludhiana, India —

For expanding supplier Trident/Abhishek Industries, construction is well underway on a new spinning and weaving factory at Bundi in Madhya Pradesh that will put the towel manufacturer into the sheet business.

The $5 million facility is expected to begin production in spring 2009. In its first phase, the plant will house more than 100,000 spindles geared toward value-added yarns and those used in finer counts of cotton. The phase will also bring on line 400 looms devoted to wide-width sheeting. The sheeting capacity will be 100,000 meters per day.

"The new facility will provide us economies of scale and help in catering to the captive consumption by our textile division as well as the niche markets in India and abroad for value addition," said Rajinder Gupta, ceo and managing director of Abhishek Industries (Trident Group).

The mill also continues to expand its core capabilities, recently adding 82 new looms that expand its towel capacity to 12 million pieces per month. Trident counts itself among the top five terry towel manufacturers in the world.

Like many large corporations in India, the diversified company plans to diversify some more. The $350 million conglomerate already produces yarn, towels, paper, chemicals, information technology, sugar and energy. It is now planning to develop a multi-utility complex in the Barnala area of its home Punjab state that will include a restaurant, shopping mall, sports facilities and theatre.

Trident is already active with social development in the area through a Rural Health and Outreach Program that organizes free medical healthcare; operating a school that caters to 12 villages covering 10,000 people; and providing free evening classes at Punjab Agriculture University (PAU) for farmers.