Engineers of success: How SGCCI has been the driving force behind South Gujarat’s rise to textile prominence

Established in 1940, the South Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industries is recognized as one of the oldest chambers of commerce in the country, having played a vital role in the rise of many industries over the years. The SGCCI has but one prime focus- the growth and nurture of every single industry in the south Gujarat region from Bharuch to Vapi, and Umargaon to Mumbai, and plays its part by investing in a variety of areas, such as textile machinery, fabrics, diamond businesses, and many more.

The chamber has a powerful base, of over 10,000 members, more than 135 associates, and 1,00,000 indirect members, all of whom hail from a wide spectrum of trade and industry, and who’s growth can, to some extent, be attributed to the aid of the chamber. The chamber has worked over the years to ensure that Surat becomes the biggest textile hub in the country, with 65% of the nation’s fabric being procured from Surat alone. With this development in mind, the chamber deemed it fit to make an additional investment in textile machinery in Surat, and ensured that the most state-of-the-art machinery, such as the latest circular knitting machines were made available to local textile businesses. In the last 2-3 years alone, the SGCCI has made investments worth 4000 Crores, in south Gujarat, with the aim of improving the Man-Made Fibre (MMF) sector.

Besides making strategic investments in the area, the chamber is host to some of the textile industries most important exhibitions, with the Surat International Textile Expo (SITEX) being their crown jewel when it comes to textile machinery. The expo focuses on the entire textile value chain, with emphasis on cotton and MMF, and provides an excellent opportunity to manufacturers, dealers, and retailers of the textile industry to display their diverse range of goods and services that cater specifically to the textile industry. As an exhibition that provides large scope for lucrative business opportunities to companies around the world, SITEX has been an immense success, so much so that it was organised a second time (SITEX Season 2), in March 2022.

Additionally, the chamber also organized an expo specifically catering to weavers and knitters, known as WeaveKniTT in 2021. It laid importance on technical textiles, narrow fabrics, pile fabrics, whilst also providing a platform to fabric manufactures wholesale traders, retailers, fashion houses and fashion designers. The expo was a phenomenal success, and showcased an amazing variety of fabrics, many of which were the cause of surprise to even prominent members of the textile industry who were present at the expo.

Mr Himanshu Bodawala, the current vice-president of SGCCI, revealed what the advantages of participating in SITEX were if you were a machine manufacturer, in a recent interview. He believes that whether the company is an Indian, or a European machine manufacturer, it will inevitably thrive, due to massive investments being made in Surat, and other regions. The next ten years, according to him, can be regarded as a golden period, where one can see largescale factory upgradation with many local manufacturers ready to incorporate European textile machinery (which is globally coveted for its high levels of efficiency). Surat itself, will become a place where European technology is widely used, a change that can be attributed to the influence of the chamber’s exhibitions.

In a recent interview, Mr Deepak Shethwala, the Honourable Secretary stated that Surat is indeed one of the countries largest textile hubs, which incentivises many manufacturers to invest in their technology there and reap the benefits. While it was known for only weaving in the past, today all-round development in all textile processes is plainly visible, with a good export market. He also believes that the machine manufacturers from around the world are drawn to these exhibitions because of the growing industry in Surat and will continue to make their investments there. Mr Shethwala also shed some valuable insight into some of the other principal functions of the SGCCI, besides investing in trade and industry. He stated that the chamber is a very influential body in the government level, and have over the years, built their relationships with a wide network of MP’s, textile ministers and finance ministers. Their influence is of such significance, that they prevented issues that could potentially arise from certain policies, by communicating their concerns to the right people in the government, thereby preventing policy decisions that could gravely harm the industry.

The chamber also runs skill development courses, with the aim of encouraging the younger generation and rising entrepreneurs to become a part of the textile industry. Their facilities boast the highest quality and efficiency in the market, with their fabric testing facilities having the highest seen efficiency in the market, and is open to everyone, not just members of the Chamber. The chamber has always, from the beginning, placed utmost importance on entrepreneurs, having rightly recognized south Gujarat as a hub of entrepreneurs. They strongly believe that when these entrepreneurs take lead of associations, it will factor in exponential growth.

Both Mr Bodawala and Mr Shethwala are very optimistic about the chamber’s future, and believe that in the next 5 years, it would have most definitely doubled in growth. They are the proud facilitators of the industry and keep passionate track of where the industry is going, providing aid and development wherever needed. As it stands, their main focuses are in the textile industry as well as the diamond industry, two very promising industries in which they hope to grow their investments. To them, the growth of the industry, leads to the growth of the chamber, which will then facilitate further industry growth. It is this symbiotic cycle between the chamber and the industry, has led to exponential success in the south Gujarat region, and will hopefully maintain its rhythm in the coming years.