TIRUCHY: Synthetic stone merchants in the city are slowly recovering from the loss owing to the pandemic and have hopes on coming festival season to see increase in business. The sale of once-famous iconic synthetic stone - ‘Tiruchy kallu or Tiruchy gem stone’- lost sheen following the entry of polished stones from China.
However, National Institute of Technology Tiruchy (NIT) Tiruchy and Siemens Centre of Excellence in Manufacturing (Siemens CoE) have now completed a digital prototype of a synthetic stone-cutting and polishing machine. With technology coming within their reach, the merchants are ready to lock horns with Chinese stones.
“At present, China is the major market player in the synthetic stone industry. We were not able to compete with its mass production as synthetic stone cutting and manufacturing machines were also made in China. Now, our experts in NIT, under the guidance of Dr M Duraiselvam, have successfully developed the digital prototype of the machine. We hope we will be able to restore the past glory of the synthetic stone in the next two years,” said MR Venugopal, president, All India Synthetic Gems Manufacturers and Dealers Association.
Rajashekar, a gem merchant, currently using the cutting and polishing machine imported from China, explained the challenges involved and the need for government’s support. “I spent about `20 lakh importing the machine from China. But, I face a lot of hassles when the machine runs into repair and it is impossible to set it right here. We are badly in need of an indigenously developed machine to compete with China. The indigenously developed machine would be a better choice for merchants as they would be able to get it repaired here. But, we also need financial support from the government,” he said.
Young Indians’ (Yi) Tiruchy chapter of Confederation of Indian Industry, which supports the merchants opined that the industry would create job opportunities for many people. “The synthetic stone industry in Tiruchy once used to employ so many people, especially women from the rural areas. Restoring the past glory of this industry can create job opportunities for many people. Yi Tiruchy chapter is offering all support to this industry,” said Ketan J Vora, immediate-past Chairman, Yi-CII’s Tiruchy Chapter.