Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly emerging as a transformative technology for India’s textile industry, offering opportunities to improve productivity, reduce waste, strengthen quality control and expand market access. Recognising the growing importance of AI across the textile value chain, the Indian Textile Accessories and Machinery Manufacturers’ Association (ITAMMA), jointly with the South India Textile Research Association (SITRA) and with the support of the Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), will organise an international conference titled “AI – A Friend & Not Enemy of Textile Industry” on September 25, 2026, in Coimbatore.
The conference is aimed at creating greater awareness and practical understanding of AI among textile manufacturers, engineering companies, machinery and component manufacturers, MSMEs, researchers and academia. It will examine how AI can be adopted across textile manufacturing and address key questions including why, when, where, what and how to apply AI.
AI Opens New Opportunities for Textile Manufacturing
India’s textile industry, valued at around ₹12 lakh crore, is witnessing increasing interest in AI-driven technologies. AI applications such as fabric inspection, automated design, predictive maintenance, computer vision, product photography, catalogue creation and supply-chain optimisation are enabling businesses to improve operational efficiency while reducing costs and waste.
AI is also creating new possibilities for fabric sellers, designers and manufacturers. Businesses can increasingly visualise finished garments from raw fabrics, generate product catalogues automatically and reach buyers digitally at scale. AI-powered tools are helping shorten the journey from physical fabric inventory to digital presentation from days to minutes.
The technology is particularly relevant for MSMEs, which can use accessible AI solutions to improve product presentation, quality, productivity and speed without requiring large technology investments.
Addressing the AI Adoption Gap
Despite the potential, AI adoption remains uneven across India’s textile businesses. Large manufacturers are increasingly experimenting with trend intelligence and AI-based quality control, while smaller businesses are using AI mainly for image enhancement, digital catalogues and basic automation.
The conference will therefore focus on building awareness and demonstrating practical applications that can help businesses of different sizes identify suitable AI opportunities.
The growing use of man-made fibre (MMF) textiles globally is another factor driving the need for advanced digital technologies. With MMF accounting for a major share of global textile fibre consumption, innovation is taking place across fibre, yarn, fabric and fashion stages. The increasing complexity of textile processes makes real-time monitoring, data analysis and intelligent automation increasingly important.
AI Applications Across the Textile Value Chain
AI is already being applied across several areas of the textile and fashion ecosystem. These include fabric visualisation, AI-powered product photography, automated catalogue creation, design intelligence and trend prediction.
Computer vision is helping manufacturers strengthen quality inspection, while AI-driven supply-chain and inventory optimisation can support better planning and resource utilisation. Predictive maintenance can also help textile mills identify potential equipment issues before they result in significant downtime.
The broader objective is to position AI as a tool that complements human expertise rather than replacing it, enabling textile professionals to make faster and more informed decisions.
International and Industry Experts to Share Insights
The Coimbatore conference will feature international speakers proposed from MAS Holdings, Sri Lanka, and SMARTEX.AI, Portugal, who will discuss AI’s contribution to the global textile industry.
A keynote address is expected from Dr. Sridhar Chitraju, Director and Chief Technology Officer, Center of Excellence (CTO CoE), Kyndryl and former IBM executive.
Senior representatives from textile companies including Raymond Lifestyle Ltd., Krios Global Pvt. Ltd. (Daga Group – Import & Export Division), TT Ltd., KPR Mill Limited and Arvind Limited have also been invited to share their experiences in implementing AI within textile manufacturing operations.
The research and development segment will highlight AI initiatives being undertaken by SITRA and academic institutions including KCT, PSG and SVPIT, with discussions covering pilot-plant and production-level implementation.
Conference to Bring Together Textile Industry Stakeholders
The organisers expect more than 250 delegates, including senior representatives from textile mills, machinery and component manufacturing companies across Southern India, along with members of the academic and research community.
Government officials, including representatives from the textile and MSME ministries, are also expected to share their perspectives on government initiatives related to AI and technology adoption.
Beyond awareness creation, ITAMMA plans to use the conference as a technological platform for its members and emerging start-ups in the textile engineering industry to explore new business opportunities, joint ventures and technology-transfer arrangements.
With AI moving rapidly from experimentation to practical industrial applications, the Coimbatore conference is expected to provide textile stakeholders with insights into how emerging technologies can be integrated into existing operations while retaining human expertise at the centre of decision-making.
