Freudenberg Performance Materials celebrated the opening of a major expansion at its manufacturing facility in Chennai, India, on October 14th, adding 20,000 square feet of production space and introducing new production lines tailored to the Indian apparel market.

This strategic investment is aimed at significantly reducing lead times and enhancing the availability of high-quality, locally produced interlinings for the fast-evolving apparel sector in India and South Asia.

The expansion increases the facility’s manufacturing area from 40,000 to 60,000 square feet and introduces specialised production lines for both cotton and  polyester interlinings. The new lines notably enable local production of Chinese-equivalent polyester bi-elastic shirt and woven interlinings, meeting rising demand for premium materials with faster delivery.

Lead times for Indian manufacturers will be reduced from the 6-8 weeks needed for Chinese imports to just 1-2 weeks with local production. Additionally, customers can expect a cost advantage compared to duty-paid imported goods.

“This expansion marks a milestone in our 27-year journey in India,” says CEO Dr Andreas Raps. “When our customers gain speed and margin, we all succeed. By localising production of our advanced bi-elastic shirt and polyester woven interlinings, we’re not only improving speed-to-market but also empowering Indian apparel manufacturers to compete more effectively on the global stage.”

Since the company expanded into India in 1998, Freudenberg Apparel has developed a support network for the Indian textile industry, including technical solution studios in Chennai, Bangalore and Gurgaon. These studios provide technical consultations and seminars, solution services, trend collection mockups, interlining recommendation reports and fusing press audits – services that complement the expanded manufacturing capabilities.

The new production lines join existing paste dot, 3P printing, and powder dot printing capabilities at Chennai.

www.freudenberg-pm.com