Globally renowned manufacturer of rings and ring travellers, AB Carter has also established a very strong presence in India and has an ambitious plan going forward, says Sandeep Shetty, Managing Director, AB Carter India (Pvt) Ltd., in this exclusive interview to The Textile Magazine
AB Carter has recently completed 100 years of existence. Can you look back and give a glimpse of the company’s history and its journey so far?
AB Carter, Inc. was founded in 1922 by the late Arthur Bynum Carter in Gastonia, North Carolina. Carter Traveler Company soon began to supply high-quality ring travelers in the USA market and grew into global markets. As business expanded, Carter Traveler Company took the vast knowledge in ring travelers and began selling and manufacturing rings for yarn spinning applications. Nearly 60 years ago, the company began manufacturing nylon travelers. In 2006, AB Carter, Inc. formed a joint venture with the BSR Group of companies.
It then set up a state-of-the-art facility for manufacturing rings and ring travellers in Bangalore. AB Carter India in the last 16 years has grown into a preferred supplier of rings and ring travellers. AB Carter India’s second plant was set up in 2017 for ring expansion. AB Carter has set up its Third Plant in the year 2021 for High Precision Engineering products for the Textiles and for exports. AB Carter believes that our customers are our partners and we should always go above and beyond to serve them.
What are the products and solutions offered by AB Carter globally for various industry verticals including textiles?
Our global demand has been positive and growing. Our customers are not only working with our rings and ring travelers but asking for technical assistance in the ring spinning process. Spinning mills today must be flexible and move quickly as global market demands shift and expand. Our technical engineers have many years of experience to help optimise the spinning process along with our rings and ring travelers in all types of applications. We value this relationship as we work to help make our customers successful.
Which are the key global markets for AB Carter and which are the emerging markets which look promising for the company? Can you elaborate on your global presence and manufacturing infrastructure?
We have a global presence all over the world. Our research and development and engineering teams have worked diligently as the demands of the spinning mills are increasing. We are excited about our new ring traveler series as we are seeing excellent improvements in traveler life and yarn quality parameters. Also, we have new developments introduced with our rings and we are obtaining optimal results when paired with our new ring traveler series. These innovations are paramount as we partner with our customers to optimise the spinning process.
Since how long has AB Carter been in the Indian market? How is the company’s presence currently in the Indian market?
AB Carter has been in the Indian market for over 16 years and we have a large share in the ‘A’ class mills in the Indian market.
What are the products and solutions you offer for the Indian market, more particularly for the Indian textile industry?
AB Carter offers a wide range of ring traveller profiles, probably the largest variables from any of the world’s rings and ring travellers manufacturers. We have widest range of Ring traveller Profiles for all the applications for the spinning segment. We are OEM suppliers to KTTM and have supplied more than 2 million rings to them.
How important is India for AB Carter globally? With large investment and growth expected in India in the coming years, do you expect greater opportunities in the future? What are your expectations from the Indian market?
The Indian spinning mills today compete in a global market. Spinning optimisation is critical to mill profitability. Our partnerships with our customers are valuable as these contacts help propel our innovation to improve to the next level. Our commitment to continual innovation began 100 years ago with Arthur Bynum Carter’s drive and passion. We look forward to continuing our next chapter as we move forward in the ever-changing spinning industry.
Rings and travellers are some of the most competitive and price-sensitive products with many Indian and global manufacturers offering solutions at various price points. Given this fact, why should a customer consider buying AB Carter’s products? What are the advantages you offer compared to the competition?
Our key technology differentiator is that AB Carter has its own vertical integrated wire supplying unit, which gives us a technological edge over the competition in terms of metallurgy, ultimately translating to superior performance. As such, AB Carter has 100 years of legacy. Given that rings and travellers are niche products, AB Carter is in a position to provide renowned expertise in offering a one-stop solution to the end-user. ‘Your demands are our solutions’ has always been our endeavour.
After-sales service and customer support is a very critical factor. How do you handle this globally and in India?
AB Carter globally has offices in five countries and agents in 44 countries. We have a large network of channel partners and highly experienced textile engineers to address the spinners’ requirements.
Have you launched or are planning to launch any new product for the textile spinning segment?
We are launching our new range of Rings for the high-speed segment in the INDIA-ITME 2022 Fair for multi-fibre spinning applications. The GS Series ring travellers will contribute toward higher productivity and consistent quality standards with extended traveller life. We are also going to launch the Miracle ring travellers that will be a proven solution for synthetic applications.
Can you elaborate on AB Carter India’s CSR initiatives?
At AB Carter we believe in giving back to the community. We have initiated various CSR activities in our manufacturing location at Doddaballapur by undertaking projects at the local Government Urban Primary School & Govt. Urban Primary health centres in providing the required facilities & infrastructure.
Completing 100 years of existence and surviving many global challenges like the recent pandemic and many in the past is a great achievement. What is AB Carter’s vision for the future?
AB Carter will continue to innovate, establish technology for improving yarn quality and productivity to be abreast of the growing spinners’ requirements.
