§1What this business is
Cotton yarn is woven into grey cloth, boiled and bleached in a kier, dried on a stenter, calendered, rolled, cut into 3–5 m rolls, sterilised in an autoclave and packed. Products include roller, crepe, triangular and gauze bandages.
Capacity: Rated output not printed; the report plans 50% use in year 1 rising to 70% in year 5 (year-1 sales ₹87.99 L).
§2Is it right for you?
Who it is for
Someone with textile or pharma-distribution experience who can meet quality rules.
Who it is not for
Someone who cannot keep sterile records or handle licences.
Advantages
- Steady demand from hospitals, clinics and chemists
- Simple cotton raw material
- Many product types from one line
- Government hospital tenders are a large buyer
Drawbacks
- Drug-controller licence and quality rules apply
- Thin margin against large makers
- Cotton yarn prices move
- Sterilisation must be documented batch by batch
Skills you need
- Weaving and bleaching
- Sterilisation and batch records
- Selling to hospitals and distributors
- Tender paperwork
Why difficulty 3/5: The process is known, but medical-product licences and buyer audits add work.
§3Market
Who buys
- Hospitals and nursing homes
- Chemists and medical stores
- Government health departments
How it sells
- Pharma and surgical distributors
- Government tenders
- Direct supply to hospitals
Good to know
- The report covers roller, tubular, triangular, crepe and adhesive bandages.
§4Raw material & machinery
| Item | Qty | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Warping machine | 1 | — |
| Power loom / air-jet loom | — | — |
| Bobbin winding machine | 1 | — |
| MS pressure kier | 1 | — |
| Stenter machine | 1 | — |
| Steam calendering machine | 1 | — |
| Bandage rolling machine | 1 | — |
| Bandage/gauze cutting machine | 1 | — |
| Baby boiler | 1 | — |
| Sterilizer | 1 | — |
| Bandage packing machine | 1 | — |
| Total plant & machinery | — | ₹13.50 lakh |
From: PMEGP sample project report — Bandage Making (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
- Cotton yarn or unbleached cotton fabricmuslin rolls use 56 × 60 mesh unbleached cloth
- Bleach, starch, washing chemicals, adhesivesfor processing
- Packing material and gummed labelsfor dispatch
From: PMEGP sample project report — Bandage Making (prepared by Udyami/Samadhan)
§5Licences & registration
- Udyam
- GST
- Manufacturing licence from the State Drug Controller (bandages and dressings are regulated)
- Pollution control board NOC
- Fire NOC
- Trademark (optional)
§6Schemes & subsidies
- PMEGPCentralActive15–35% subsidy
- MudraCentralActiveLoan up to ₹20 lakh, no collateral
- CGTMSECentralActiveNo collateral, up to ₹10 crore
The report is a PMEGP sample; MUDRA and CGTMSE can cover the loan.
§7Money
How the investment is worked out: Samadhan sample report: machinery ₹13.50 L, furniture ₹0.50 L, other assets ₹1.00 L, working capital ₹7.78 L = ₹22.78 L. Premises rented (₹40,000–50,000 a month).
Working capital: Working capital ₹7.78 L, of which a bank loan of ₹7.00 L.
Year not printed on the report — check current machinery prices.
§8Export potential
Confirm the HS code in the DGFT ITC(HS) lookup before you export
Export council / board: DGFT (IEC needed)
- Export buyers usually ask for the drug manufacturing licence and quality certificates.
§9Risks — where people fail
- Licence or quality failure
- Cotton price rise
- Slow payment from hospitals
- Competition from large brands
§1030 / 60 / 90-day plan
A general plan that applies to any business. A plan for this business will be added after research.
- Days 1–30: Visit a working surgical bandage making unit unit, ask 10 buyers about price and quantity, and get quotations from 3 suppliers.
- Days 31–60: Udyam and the licences you need (Udyam, GST), a project report (DPR), and the scheme or loan file.
- Days 61–90: Space and machines, trial production, and first deliveries to 10 customers.
§11Who to connect with
Associations, clusters and training institutes — the directory is being built. Connect
§12Watch
There is no episode on this business yet. Shows are coming soon on the Podcast page.
Want to start Surgical Bandage Making Unit?
DPR, loan file or registration — ask us on WhatsApp.
¶Sources
Data review: 6 October 2026. Spotted a mistake? Report it. For information only — not legal or financial advice.