Tamil Nadu Chief Minister inaugurates 3 Saint-Gobain units near Chennai

Facilities Set Up With An Investment Of Over Rs 1,200 cr

Saint-Gobain recently launched three world class facilities to meet the growing demand of both the domestic and the international glass markets. Each of these facilities was dedicated to the nation by the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami.

Set up with an investment of over Rs 1,200 crore, the units take the cumulative investment in the World Glass Complex, Sriperumbudur, near state capital Chennai, to over Rs 3,000 crore. The three facilities include a third float glass manufacturing plant, an advanced magnetron coater and glass solutions’ lines and a 72 million capacity rainwater harvesting reservoir. Speaking on the occasion, Pierre-André de CHALENDAR, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Compagnie de Saint-Gobain, France, said: “As one of the fastest growing economies in the world, India is an important market and investment destination for Saint-Gobain. As a global leader in the construction industry we see immense opportunities in India to utilize our expertise in sustainable building solutions to enhance human habitats and promote well-being in living spaces. Over the past two decades, we have consistently invested in developing new markets, in building new world-class manufacturing facilities, in technology and in human capital.” Touching upon the company’s focus on innovation and research, the chairman and CEO added: “We are an innovation-driven company and our investment in Saint-Gobain Research India, our world-class research centre in Chennai, is aimed at developing innovative solutions not only for markets such as India, but also for the world. And India has consistently encouraged and supported us – our products are well accepted; our businesses have leadership positions; the Brand recall of Saint-Gobain in India is as good as that in France. Indeed, we are as much an Indian company as we are French.” Saint-Gobain India Private Limited Chairman Anand Y Mahajan reiterated the importance of the Indian market to Saint-Gobain, saying: “India is among the best performing regions for Saint-Gobain and it has been our constant endeavour to develop the markets in India by bringing the best technologies and building world-class manufacturing facilities, in line with the Government’s ‘Make in India” mission.” “Over the years, we have made significant investments across all our businesses – Glass for buildings and for automotive, Gypsum Plasterboard and Plasters, Abrasives, Ceramic Materials, Performance Plastics and so on. Since our entry into India in 1996, we have invested about Rs 7,500 crores. Today, we have built a pan-India manufacturing presence and have developed strong market positions in all our businesses. About 95 % of our local sales are of products manufactured at our plants in India,” Mahajan added. Saint-Gobain India Private Limited Managing Director B Santhanam said: “We strongly believe in India’s future and have consistently invested ahead of time in Capacity, Capability, Technology and Innovation. The World Glass Complex at Sriperumbudur, Saint-Gobain’s largest investment in a single location worldwide is set to welcome the largest and most advanced glass manufacturing plant in India along with advanced magnetron coater and glass solutions’ lines. This new expansion will accelerate Saint-Gobain’s momentum in realizing the vision of being the clear choice for glass solutions in India and the adjoining region.” The third float glass plant The third float glass plant will be the largest in India and the adjoining region, and is equipped to manufacture a wide range of complex products that cater to the needs of sustainable habitats and affordable luxury. It is an automated, energy efficient, scalable and flexible, state-of-the-art integrated glass facility. The plant features several innovative processes that are being deployed for the first time in India and the region – a modern plant with advanced robotic technology, a 3.5 MW rooftop solar power generation facility as well as an 1.2 MW electrical power generation from the waste heat of the furnace, meeting almost 100% of its electrical energy needs. In line with Saint-Gobain’s commitment to sustainable development, the facility will incorporate several innovations contributing to sustainability. The energy efficiency measures on the float-line make it one of the most efficient furnaces of Saint-Gobain and will be a benchmark for glass manufacturing facilities worldwide. Advanced Magnetron Coater and Glass Solutions’ Lines Keeping in mind the global trends, Saint-Gobain invested in a second magnetron coater facility. With this, the World Glass Complex will have the capacity to manufacture 140 million sq ft of high-performance, high-selective, energy-efficient glass, catering to entire Africa, the Middle East, ASEAN and the Oceania region. It will accelerate Saint-Gobain’s vision to develop the World Glass Complex at Sriperumbudur as a regional hub for catering to the needs of international clients. The Glass Solutions’ lines that got inaugurated, manufacture advanced insulated and laminated glass. The lines are equipped with the state of art cutting & grinding facilities, tempering furnaces, screen printing, lamination and insulated glass unit production lines – with capability of handling jumbo glass sizes as well. The solutions facility will serve as a one stop source for servicing the requirements of mega and supermega projects in India and around the world. The Second Rainwater Harvesting Reservoir A second rain water harvesting reservoir with a capacity of over 72 million litres was also inaugurated by the chief minister. With this capacity addition, the World Glass Complex will have an overall capacity of 130 million litres and would meet a significant part of the water requirements.