Survey No. 241, Sanosara, Opp. Khamta Village Bus Stop,
Rajkot-Jamnagar Highway, Ta – Dhrol, Jamanagar,
Gujarat, India 360 110
[email protected]
www.ktexnonwovens.com

Established in 2018, KTEX Nonwovens is a producer of spunbond, spunmelt and bicomponent spunbond/spunmelt nonwovens based in Rajkot, Gujarat, India. The company was formed through a joint venture between the KT Group and Karam Group of Companies.

The owners, Dhilan Kanakia and Himanshu Patel, have a combined experience of over three decades in the nonwovens industry. Kanakia’s company KT Group was founded in 2000 with a focus on bringing Indian technical textiles for various applications to the global market. Twenty-three years later, KT is a trading juggernaut selling approximately 1000 mt per month globally. Meanwhile, Patel and the Karam Group have approximately 15 years of experience in the spunbond market. Karam Multipack was one of the first companies in India to introduce a two-beam spunbond line. “The combination of marketing (Dhilan) and production knowledge (Himanshu) came together to form KTEX Nonwovens with the specific goal of offering our nonwovens to India’s burgeoning requirement for ADH products,” says Nikhil Vaswani, global sales & marketing head, KTEX Nonwovens.

KTEX Nonwovens’ first line, a 1.8 meter wide SSMMS line, started production in 2018 with approximately 6000 mt/year capacity. Last year the company added a 3.2 meter wide Reifenhauser SMMS BICO line with a capacity of about 10,000 mt/year. Most recently, KTEX added a 4.2 meter wide Reifenhauser SSMMMS with approximately 18,000 mt/year capacity.

“We have expanded our capacity from 6000 mt in 2018 to 34,000 mt by the end of 2023. This makes us the fastest growing nonwovens manufacturer in the region,” Vaswani says.

KTEX’s BICO line is the first of its kind in India. This line can offer a cotton-feel additive-free super soft material. Additionally, the line can offer a lower GSM product, and also cater to customers with a wider width requirement.

The company’s location in the western part of India has some of the best road infrastructure systems in the country, allowing it to easily supply its materials across India. The location is also approximately 100 km from Mundra Port, allowing it to serve international customers with relative ease. Currently KTEX serves customers in India, the U.S., Nigeria, Egypt, Tunisia, Nepal, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Columbia, Mexico, Peru, Guatemala and Brazil.

With all of its lines, KTEX is targeting the baby diaper, feminine care and adult incontinence product industries.

According to Vaswani, the developing markets of India and South Africa are showing a lot of promise as they have lower, but fast-growing market penetration for absorbent hygiene products. “India will drive the demand for ADH products over the next two decades, with South Africa (or Africa) not too far behind,” he says.

Meanwhile, the U.S. market continues to be stable. “We receive consistent volumes from our U.S. customers, and we expect to add more customers in the region,” Vaswani says.

In India, the current market penetration for baby diapers is 22%, while feminine care is 37% and adult incontinence is 2.6%. Potential growth over the next 20 years is predicted to be in the double digits, according to Vaswani. “As personal incomes increase in India, consumers are starting to demand more comfort and more premium products. We are well placed to cater for that requirement,” he adds.

Company executives say it’s a good time to be in the nonwovens business, especially when it comes to developing markets such as India. “Growth potential is very high,” Vaswani explains. “Market penetration is low, and as it grows we are well placed to meet that demand. India is also an anomaly, where the western markets are moving to reusable products, while India is moving aggressively towards disposable hygiene products.”