FICCI TAG 2014 Conference which took place on 18 November 2014 in Mumbai focused on Driving Growth through Innovation in the textile and apparel industry. A white paper on "Driving Growth through Innovation" prepared by FICCI and Wazir was also released at the conference.

The conference kick starts with the welcome address by Mr. Deepak Mukhi, Head, FICCI-Maharashtra State Council. In his welcome address, he informed that India ranks at 76th position among 143 countries in the global innovation index 2014. These certainly suggest India requires lot of efforts to be made in R& D and product development.

Mr. Suresh Kotak, Chairman, Subgroup on Textile & Technical Textiles, FICCI – MSC in his address requested the textile industry entrepreneurs to put efforts to made the Indian textile industry innovative and take this industry to the new of heights of the success.

In the theme presentation, Mr. Prashant Agarwal, Jt. Managing Director, Wazir Advisors Pvt Ltd discussed about the importance of the innovation in the today's business. This is right time where every textile company in the entire value chain should focus on the innovation to bring the business excellence.

Mr. Dilip Jiwrajka, Managing Director, Alok Industries Ltd stated that each company should invest in the innovative technology which ultimately gave you the right product with right price which is the important where company's profits come out.

In the panel discussion on the Product, Process and Systems Innovation – The Success Mantra, eminent panelists from different sectors discussed about the innovations taking place in textile and apparel industry around the globe from fibre to finished goods stage. The panellists such as Mr. Dilip Jiwrajka, Alok Industries, Mr. Rajiv Dayal, Mafatlal Industries, Mr. S S Aich, Welspun India, Mr. Mohit Marwaha, INVISTA, Mr. Jayant Khera, Novozymes South Asia, deliberated on how innovation is the backbone of success in changing global scenario and how their companies have innovated product, process or systems to remain competitive and contemporary.

In the panel discussion on the Achieving Excellence in Today's Competitive World, panelists such as Mr. Arindam Saha, Wazir Advisors, Mr. Anil Rajvanshi, Reliance Industries, Mr. Vinu Sudan, Brandix India Apparel City, Mr. Manohar Samuel, Birla Cellulose and Mr. Yogesh Mehta, Welspun Zucchi Textiles, discussed about the competition in the export and domestic market and how successful manufacturers have grown their market share through a core strategy to excel.

In the last session speakers like Mr. Avinash Mayekar, Suvin Advisors, Mr. Ashish Sharma, Truetzschler India, Mr. Peter Obrist, Karl Mayer and Mr. Navin Agrawal, A.T.E. Enterprises talked about the Role of Technology to Improve Productivity and Product Quality. With increase in manufacturing costs globally, businesses are focusing more on enhancing productivity to improve the bottom line and new technology is playing key role in achieving it.

The major points which came out in the conference was innovation is necessary not the choice in this competitive world and have to build up same culture in the companies. Textile industry needs to act as one unit and the entire value chain should come together to raise their agenda in a single voice.

Customer is kings and look at their need so that companies will know from customers what to innovate and work backward accordingly. India is not less innovative in nature but obviously its need to be spread entire value chain of textile industry. As a country we have the strength but we have leverage it to further.

Technology is for survival so we have to use the latest and innovative technology to be competitive in the market and build up the innovative technologies more and more.