PPE suits order of the day for Ludhiana textile industry

Eight firms in state have got orders for 17 lakh suits for supply across the country; production is being ramped up, with admn supporting them totally, say owners

Ludhiana At Shiva Tex Fab’s manufacturing facility, there is ceasless activity as 1,000 workers are on the job to produce the most important and critical order for the company in recent times, Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs). The company is among eight in the state to have got an order to manufacture it; seven of these are from in and around Ludhiana.

Owner Akhil Malhotra of Shiva Tex Fab says his company received government nod to manufacture PPE kits on April 6 and N-95 masks on April 10. He adds that the approval to the kits is granted only after samples clear stringent quality control of SITRA (South India Textile Research Association), an autonomous body in Coimbatore under the Union textile ministry. In the case of N-95 and N-99 masks, Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) grants approval.

“We started with making a few hundred PPE kits a day and within a week, we are now making 2,000 a day. I have 1,000 workers on the job and hope to increase production to 10,000 a day,” Malhotra says, adding that

Hindustan Latex Limited (HLL), the centralised disbursing authority, has given the company an order of 1 lakh PPE suits. “From curfew passes to procuring raw material to hiring labour and even in ensuring that social distancing norms are met, the administration is supporting us. Officials are available around the clock,” Malhotra adds.

Shinghora Textiles, Evershine, Shiva Tex, Swamy Tex, Versatile Ludhiana have received SITRA approval to make PPE suits, Guru Kirpa Tex and Navyug Laminates are making the fabric for the PPEs.

Shinghora Textiles is making 1 lakh suits to be supplied to police and hospitals. “This is the time for industry to help the country and we are doing the best we can,” said Mridula Jain, owner of Shinghora Textiles.

JCT Mills in Phagwara has emerged as the largest supplier in the country with an order of 10 lakh PPEs. “Only yesterday, we have supplied 2,000 suits to Kerala as ordered by the HLL,” said Kamal Bhasin, business head, JCT Fabrics in Phagwara. The company had received SITRA nod on March 29.

Shiva Tex and Payas Corporation in Ludhiana are making N-95 masks; Oxyclear Ludhiana has been ordered to make N-99 masks. A Hoshiarpur firm is also making N-95 masks.

25 Ludhiana firms send sample

for inspection; duplicates a concern

Ludhiana district industries centre general manager Mahesh Khanna said, “I have received 25 fresh samples of PPEs from companies wanting approval. These have been forwarded to SITRA in Coimbatore for approval.” He added some firms resend samples, after modification, if their first version was rejected. Conscious of this, Punjab industries director Sibin C said that the government procured only SITRA-approved kits. “If any manufacturer tries to sell PPE kits to private players without SITRA approval, it becomes the buyer’s responsibility to check for the nod,” Sibin added.