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     Dhonifan Side Hero Username: Dhonifan Post Number: 2450 Registered: 12-2012 Posted From: 50.5.231.207 Rating: N/A |
Kerneos to make India debut with Rs 120 cr plant in Visakhapatnam VISAKHAPATNAM: European player KerneosAluminate Technologies is planning to invest Rs 120 crore in its maiden investment in India in Visakhapatnam district, where it is set to begin constructing a calcium aluminate cement production plant soon. Sources at Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) said Kerneos has recently received consent from the AP Pollution Control Board (APPCB) for setting up the plant in the district. While the firm has already acquired around 20.55 acres at Atchutapuram for the manufacturing unit, sources said it is gunning for a production capacity of around 30,000 tonnes per annum catering largely to refractory industries. The company is also expected to double its capacity in the coming years, once the first phase of the project is completed. Kerneos already has 11 production sites in six countries and the Vizag unit will be its 12th facility in the world. While the main focus is to cater to domestic markets, APIIC sources said the firm may use Vizag as a base for exporting products to neighbouring countries as the district has two major ports providing a strategic advantage to the facility. "Kerneos is expected to produce calcium aluminate that is mainly supplied to the refractory industry," said an APIIC official, adding that Vizag already houses a few refractory players such as Andhra Refractories, Vesuvius, RHI Clasil apart from a few in Odisha. He said that Kerneos wanted to start construction earlier but due to bifurcation issues and elections, the registration of land was delayed. Industry sources said that calcium aluminate is mainly used in industries related to the steel sector and also for manufacture of cement, aluminium, glass among others. A steel industry source said, "The volumes of steel industry are likely to increase keeping in mind the focus on construction and infrastructure segments by the present governments. Once the demand for steel increases, demand for products from refractories will go up too. Considering the expected increase in demand for steel, the establishment of a manufacturing unit will prove to be a major advantage for steel-based industries in the region." Furthermore, he noted that with bifurcation of the state, the new AP government is also looking at investing heavily in infrastructure projects. An industry such as this could benefit immensely by investing in AP, he added. The production unit will also prove to be advantageous for the local refractory industry as the manufacturing cost of calcium aluminate cement will go down. Currently, the product, used for improving castable refractories, is being imported from China, France and United Kingdom. |
