AkzoNobel inaugurates Rs 14.5-crore factory

After expansion of its industrial coating site in Songjiang, China, which doubled its annual production capacity in 2014, AkzoNobel has set up a new industrial coating facility in Navi Mumbai with an investment of Rs 14.5 crores.

15 Jul 2014 | By Rushikesh Aravkar

The new plant was inaugurated on 11 July 2014 by AB Ghosh, managing director - industrial coatings and Ashok Joshi, director - packaging coatings at AkzoNobel.


(l-r) Joshi and Ghosh of AkzoNobel inaugurating the new plant

Seen as a step to strengthen its position in India and neighbouring countries, this new plant for the packaging coating segment has a production capacity of 5000 tonnes per year. It is poised to cater to "vigorous growth" that the company foresees in the packaging segment.

Jayakumar Krishnaswamy, managing director, AkzoNobel India, said, “In India we see enormous opportunities, and having the manufacturing capacity of packaging coatings, close to our customers means we can better serve them.”
 
The Navi Mumbai plant will produce a range of products including specialised coatings for food and beer cans, internal and external coatings for caps and closures, and water-borne external coatings for beverage cans. It is also capable of producing various functional and barrier coatings for the flexible packaging industry.
 
Rahul Tikoo, regional business manager, Packaging Coatings, AkzoNobel said, “When we assessed India’s packaging market, we found that there is a clear need for a partner that can supply packaging coatings that this emerging market requires. AkzoNobel's new unit has the capability to provide end-to-end solutions, which are high on quality and sustainability.”


(l-r) Joshi, Ghosh, Krishnaswamy and Tikoo

The production facility, which is located in the campus of AkzoNobel’s existing decorative coatings plant in Navi Mumbai, is based on the infrastructure of its plant in Vilafranca. To ensure best practice performance, it will operate in full compliance with all AkzoNobel health, safety, environmental, and security standards (HSE&S) using the AkzoNobel’s HSE&S Management System.