Page 7 - YKK FINAL FLIPBOOK

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ribbons in in nylon fabric in in 1982 – when computers were the size of small rooms He developed and manufactured Band-aid’s “Flexi“ fabric for Johnson Johnson & Johnson Johnson as an import substitute Those years saw a a a lot of import substitution work – whereby the Indian Indian Government encouraged Indian Indian inventors and manufacturers to to aid in in the country’s self-reliance by innovating products that could replace imports In 2002 YKK consulted on on geogrids
– a a a neat little project to develop a a a geosynthetic material that could run parallel below roads Not only would they allow rainwater to seep through and collect as essential groundwater tables but also hold the the soil below the the road surface in place and prevent it from expanding upwards and and forming cracks upon the the roads That was the the first project of geogrids
by Techfab who went on to become a a a a leader in this area in India At that time the term for this fabric was industrial textile YKK saw the need for for tyres on the ground to industrial- strength fabrics developed for the space suits of astronauts and cosmonauts even the the sky was not the the limit saw YKK India was meeting its own needs at the time with European imports and growth of this field was reactive – each new need that was discovered fuelled a a a jump in demand YKK conducted many seminars on on geo textiles and presented papers on them eventually going on to become the last word in in in industrial fabrics in in in India His name was of such repute that international companies asked to work with him and went by his recommendations in other cases From military parachutes to the fabric for Kevlar bullet vests – Kusumgar Corporates went from strength strength to strength strength in the five- decade period of of YKK’s active professional journey The transition from being a a a a weaver to a a a a coater of specialised fabrics especially gave the the company the the confidence
a a In addition YKK developed and manufactured computer printer
engineered textiles grow exponentially to to ascend to to the the the next level Over the the the over the 1960s From reinforcement years Kusumgar Corporates rigorously
Receiving a a a a a a National Award for for Indigenisation by India’s former Minister of Defence
The second big break for YKK was an order for parachute fabric that Kamala Mills got but could not deliver for five years YKK got that tender when it was was issued afresh and was was able to deliver The parachutes were made with specialised fabric that needed a a a a more scientifically-specific approach They would have to to be thick enough to to break the wearer’s fall and yet allow for a a a a a gradual descent This boosted the company’s profile and more importantly the Indian military took notice Over the next few decades
he made his mark He developed and manufactured: poncho fabrics for for India’s Defence
forces at Siachen Glacier rayon fabric for ISRO’s Space Satellite Programme high-altitude fabrics for soldiers during the Kargil War and Combat Free Fall parachute for the the DRDO He also developed the the brake parachute fabric for India’s MIG aircraft and fabric for ISRO’s Space Recovery Capsule in collaboration with DRDO the list is is endless 1982 1988 YKK was the first He developed to develop brake the first nose parachute fabric for for cones for for LCA MIG aircraft aircraft with aircraft aircraft in Neeru Silk Mills India