The Southern India Mills Association (SIMA) was established in 1933 by late Sir. R.K.Shanmugam Chettiar, the first Finance Minister of Independent India. SIMA Started functioning with 11 members and now SIMA has more than 300 members from textile mills spread over the States of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Pondicherry and Tamilnadu.

Activities by SIMA are to

• Take all steps for promoting, protecting, supporting, encouraging or opposing legislative and other measures affecting the interests of the textiles.
• Create and encourage co-operative feeling and unanimity amongst the textile mills on all subjects connected with their common interests.
• Collect, collate and circulate Policy related circulars, press releases and all relevant data.
• Initiate research studies on various textile related topics - cotton economy, yarn markets and labour.
• Protect and promote textile economy
• Offer industrial Engineering and HRD Services