Saint Gobain to invest Rs 1,000 cr in Bhiwadi facility

Chennai, Jun 23 (UNI) As part of its target of achieving Rs 5,000 crore group by 2013, Saint Gobain Glass India would invest about Rs 1,000 crore in a new facility at Bhiwadi in Rajasthan, about 65 km from New Delhi.

Talking to reporters here, Company Managing Director B Santhanam said the new facility would be envisaged as a new world glass complex housing a multitude of manufacturing facilities on a larger scale.

The location of the plant, which would become operational by the first quarter of 2010, has been strategically chosen to cater to the fast growing North-West corridor between Delhi and Mumbai.

The first phase of this new world glass complex would be investment in float glass plant with a capacity to produce more than 300,000 tonnes per annum, to meet 30 per cent of the country's growing demand.

It would be one of the world's largest float glass plants which would be followed by investments in other facilities to equip the company in providing end to end solution to the Architectural, Automotive and Solar industries.

To a question, Mr Santhanam said logistics cost was very significant and the company chose to set up its new facility in Bhiwadi. ''It will make sense to have a plant with close proximity to raw materials' availability.'' He said the group's business stood at Rs 2,000 crore during the last fiscal and was planning to become Rs 5,000 crore business group by 2013.

UNI GV SJ 1537