Interview with Ketan Sarvaiya Director of Colorband Dyestuff (P) Ltd.

Could you please let us know more about COLORBAND Group and products, goals and success story?

Colorband Dyestuff P. Ltd. is a dyestuff manufacturing company, with its focus on textile dyes. The company was founded in 1998, completing 21 years this year. Our product profile includes disperse dyes for polyester, reactive dyes for cotton/cellulose/viscose/linen, reactive dyes for wool, acid dyes for wool/nylon and basic dyes for acrylic. We also have a small, but growing, range of textile auxiliaries. Our focus market until recently has always been in India, but Colorband has grown it’s exports in the past 2-3 years and now exports to 24 countries around the world.

What do you think about Middle East and Africa textile and garment market and it’s potentials?

Due to rising labour costs and stricter effluent restrictions, the European market continues to shrink. We expect this market to shift towards the Middle East and Africa due labour availability and lower operation costs.  

Do you have export to the region? Which countries in Middle East and Africa are your main destination? 

Colorband already has a presence in the East African countries of Kenya, Ethiopia, Ghana, Uganda and Tanzania as well as in Egypt and South Africa. Our target markets for the future are Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia in the north where we expect the textile markets to grow.

How do you evaluate textile auxiliaries industry in India and Globally? What kind of innovation is expected in your dyestuff and chemicals?

The growing textile industry in India, surging exports of textile products and increasing set-ups of manufacturing will support the growth of the textile auxiliary industry in India. The potential for Indian textile auxiliaries is very big as companies are now increasingly looking at India as a primary source. There is constant R&D in the field of dyes and chemicals as we are in search of newer technology in dyes that can help with better fixation and better exhaustion. There is also a need of innovation in the dyes and chemicals field that will help in the reduction of effluent generation.

How big is the your market for textile dyestuff in Middle East and Africa?

Compared to the Asian and East Asian textile dyestuff markets, the Middle East and African markets are relatively smaller. However, as mentioned we expect a shift from the European markets to the markets which will see their growth and an increase in demand for superior quality products.

What are the major barriers in the textile investment and trade in the region?

The biggest barriers in the textile market is the non-availability of raw materials. There is also lack of qualified chemical technicians in this field. Another major barrier is the scale of production is very small compared to the more industrial countries.

Normally how many exhibitions you participate annually and which ones? Your next participation is in which country?

Normally we participate in 2-3 exhibitions in year. The next participation will be for ITME Africa 2020 held in Ethiopia.