Communication - Press
Imerys inaugurates Visakhapatnam plant in the presence of the French ambassador and President of the World Refractory Association
- Production at Rs. 350 Crore manufacturing plant to be ramped to 50k tonnes by 2030
- Additional Rs. 12 Crore investment for commercial launch of additional calcium aluminate binders for local use
- Imerys is opening a regional R&D Centre at Vizag to support product development
- Decarbonization efforts underway with a solar plant project under assessment
- 200 employees and contractors from Andhra Pradesh work at the plant
- Imerys’ presence in India: 800 people located in 16 industrial sites and 8 sales offices
On October 12, 2022, Imerys, the world leader in mineral-based specialty solutions for industry, officially inaugurated its plant in Visakhapatnam (Vizag), Andhra Pradesh. The Group also announced an expansion programme in India, with plans to step up production, research & development and sustainability efforts at its manufacturing plant.
The Vizag plant currently has a capacity to produce 30 thousand tonnes of calcium aluminate binder for use in the Indian refractory and construction industries. Imerys plans to expand capacity to 50 thousand tonnes by 2030 to serve rising demand from the domestic steel and cement sectors, which continue to add capacity across the country. This makes the Vizag facility, the single largest site and investment in India for Imerys’ refractory, and construction businesses
At a ceremony attended by Emmanuel Lenain, the French Ambassador to India, to formally inaugurate the Vizag plant, Imerys said that more than 95% of employees were local hires from Andhra Pradesh, these include 100 full time employees and 100 contractors. As part of its strong focus on developing bespoke products for the local markets, Imerys is also in the process of setting up a regional Research & Development Centre at Vizag. The centre will support local product development and innovation for specific customer mandates in India, and Imerys expects that it will also contribute to augmenting the company’s global technical and manufacturing standards.
Parmod Sagar, President of the World Refractory Association commented “Considering such growth ambitions that the Global refractory industry has in India, I would like to say that this investment by Imerys has been very well timed. The industry needs strong commitment from its critical input suppliers like Imerys to realise its true growth potential in the country
Emmanuel Lenain, his Excellency the Ambassador of France to India who officially inaugurated the plant said that
“Imerys’ state of the art plant in Andhra Pradesh” was a great example of Indo-French business relationship and that “India and France share a great level of trust ''.
Imerys also informed CEOs from several of its Indian customers that the company had enlarged its globally trusted Secar range of products for the market through its locally manufactured product calcium aluminate binders, ideally suited for refractory solutions and high end dry-mix mortars in infrastructure. The company is investing an additional Rs. 12 Crore in equipment to further increase operations to produce Secar 71.
Imerys is committed to growing its India business sustainability and has commenced work to create solar powered energy to power its plant in Vizag. This is in line with Imerys’ global efforts to limit environmental impact across the value chain of its operations by carving out a measurable pathway called SustainAgility, a scientific approach to decarbonization. Imerys is committed to reducing scope 1 and scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 36% relative to revenue by 2030, in alignment with the COP21 climate change agreement.
Commenting on Imerys’ India investment plans, Philippe Bourg, Senior Vice President, Imerys said:
“India is the second largest steel and cement manufacturer in the world and therefore a key market for Imerys. We have been present in India for decades through imports. As an example in 2021, we generated sales of over RS 160 crore. Thanks to our plant in Vizag, we are now becoming a local player able to even better serve the domestic market. Imerys has a strong willingness to keep on growing and reinforce our presence in the Indian Refractory market but also in the Infrastructure sector with sustainable solutions.”
Segi Idicula, Managing Director of Imerys India, added:
“Our Vizag facility will address the strong demand for refractories and other high temperature materials, essential to support the growing steel, cement and other metallurgical industries. Vizag is an important industrial hub in India with great port connectivity and a business-friendly environment, leading to efficient operations to meet the increasing demand not just within the country but exports too”
Imerys’ Vizag plant reduces the import burden and associated costs and risks, such as forex volatility. While the company remains focused on serving Indian demand, the Vizag manufacturing facility is well equipped for servicing overseas markets such as Asia Pacific and the Middle East, contributing to India’s efforts to strengthen its position in the global manufacturing supply chain.
About Imerys
The world leader in mineral-based specialty solutions for industry, with €4.4 billion revenue (RS. 35,000 crore) and 17000 employees in 2021, Imerys delivers high value-added, functional solutions to diversified set of industrial sectors, from processing industries to consumer goods. The Group draws on its knowledge of applications, technological expertise and its material science know-how to deliver solutions based on beneficiation of its mineral resources, synthetic minerals and formulations. These contribute essential properties to customers’ products and performance, including refractoriness, hardness, conductivity, opacity, durability, purity, lightness, filtration, absorption and repellency. Imerys is determined to develop responsibly, in particular by fostering the emergence of environmentally-friendly products and processes.
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