Aryan Engineering, a Karnataka-based manufacturer of silk reeling machinery, demonstrated a fully indigenous Automatic Reeling Machine (IARM) at its manufacturing facility in Kanakapura on 16 December 2025. The demonstration was witnessed by senior officials of the Central Silk Board (CSB), marking a milestone in the localisation of advanced silk reeling equipment.
The IARM project was initiated in 2022 and has undergone more than three years of design, engineering and testing. The system draws technical reference from Japanese automatic reeling technologies, with adaptations made to suit Indian operating conditions and cost requirements. Some advanced features, including a denier indicator, are still under refinement and are expected to be integrated at a later stage.
Aryan Engineering, a small-scale engineering firm supplying equipment to the silk sector since 1955, is known for manufacturing multi-end reeling machines (MRMs) for decentralized silk reeling units. According to information shared during the event, the company has supplied more than 400 MRMs across India and over 500 cottage-based reeling units, supporting small producers and rural reeling operations. The Kanakapura unit currently employs 16 skilled workers.
The demonstration was inaugurated by P. Sivakumar, Member Secretary of the Central Silk Board, along with S. Periasamy, Director of the CSB–Central Silk Technological Research Institute (CSTRI). During the visit, the officials were briefed on the machine’s design architecture, operational workflow and the company’s in-house manufacturing capabilities.
According to officials present at the event, the project received technical guidance from CSB and CSTRI, particularly in quality assurance, performance benchmarking and standardisation. These inputs were aimed at aligning the machine with domestic industry requirements and export-oriented quality norms. Aryan Engineering is also planning to pursue Zero Effect, Zero Defect (ZED) certification and has initiated the process for a capital investment subsidy under applicable government schemes.
Sivakumar said the development of the indigenous automatic reeling machine reduces reliance on imported equipment and reflects the growing engineering capabilities of small Indian manufacturers. He encouraged continued improvement in performance and quality to meet higher benchmarks in silk reeling technology.
The event was attended by silk reelers from the Kanakapura region as well as serving and retired scientists from CSTRI, highlighting collaboration between industry, research institutions and end users. The demonstration of the indigenous IARM represents a step toward expanding domestic manufacturing capability in silk reeling machinery and supporting the modernisation of India’s silk value chain.
The Central Silk Board functions under the Ministry of Textiles and is responsible for the overall development of the silk sector in India, including research, technology dissemination and quality standards across the silk production and processing ecosystem.
