Mumbai: French Ambassador to India, Emmanuel Lenain here on Wednesday inaugurated Imerys' calcium aluminate binder production facility, set up at a cost of Rs 350 crore.
The Visakhapatnam facility is Imerys' largest site in India and also the largest investment in its refractory and construction businesses.
Imerys is a leading global player in mineral-based speciality solutions for industry with a revenue (in 2021) of over Rs 35,000 crore.
The plant has a capacity to produce 30,000 tonnes of calcium aluminate binder for use in the refractory and construction industries, Imerys senior vice-president Philippe Bourg said on the occasion.
The company has plans to expand capacity to 50,000 tonnes by 2030 to meet the growing demand from the domestic steel and cement sectors, he said.
"Imerys is also in the process of setting up a regional Research and Development Centre at Vizag. The centre will support local product development and innovation for specific customer requirements in India," Bourg added.
"The R and D Centre will also contribute to augmenting the company's global technical and manufacturing standards. We are also committed to growing our India business sustainability and have commenced work to generate solar energy to power the Vizag plant," he said.
The senior vice-president also said Imerys generated sales of Rs 160 crore in 2021 in India.
While the company remained focused on serving Indian market demand, the Vizag manufacturing facility was also equipped to serve overseas markets in Asia Pacific and the Middle East. "This will contribute to strengthening India's position in the global manufacturing supply chain," Bourg said.
Imerys India managing director Segi Idicula and other officials attended the event.
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