Today, knitting is a complex industry with two main areas, each of which has its subdivisions of specializations. The two main areas of the knitting industry are as follows:

• One area produces knitted goods for apparel manufacturers, for sewing centers, for consumers and others.
  
  
• The other area manufactures completed garments like sweaters, hosiery and underwear.

Indian Knitting industry is a growing industry. It has emerged as a premier supplier of value added items.

Knitted garments are very popular in the modern fashion scene. Knitted garments are no longer confined to lingerie, underwear and stockings. There has been a revolution in knitwear. The range of styles that can be hand made or purchased is constantly expanding. It is a known fact that knitted garments are popular with kids since time immemorial. Children have always worn knitted garments more than adults. They are especially common for infants. But times have changed today. Knitwear has become popular for all-men, women and kids. The Indian knitting industry is one of the most innovative global producers of knitwear products.

Today, there has been a tremendous change in technology. A large number of sophisticated computerized knitting, embroidery machines, dyeing machines, state of the art sewing lines, CAD/CAM systems, large scale processing machines, and other machinery required in the knitwear manufacturing have been mostly imported are installed and functioning for export orders. The major technological developments provide an essential service to the knitting industry.

The Indian knitting industry is characterized by small scale units which lack adequate facilities for dyeing, processing and finishing. The knitting industry in India is concentrated in Tirupur (Tamilnadu) and Ludhiana (Punjab). Tirupur produces 60 percent of India's total knitwear exports. Knitted garments account for almost 32 percent of all exported garments from India.

The considerable investment in capital equipment made by all companies of all sizes has ensured that the India has not been left behind. The investment in this sector has seen the industry becoming one of the most creative users of many of the new types of machinery, which is re-enforcing our position in producing different varieties of knitwear and increasing our competitiveness within the global market. This is indeed a significant contribution to the Indian economy by the knitwear industry which has a bright future.