Saint-Gobain begins construction at new manufacturing unit near Chennai

Chennai, Aug 12 (PTI) Nearly a year after the ground-breaking ceremony, Saint-Gobain India, a leading glass maker and a player in the housing solutions business, has commenced construction activities for a new float glass manufacturing line and an insulation line at its Rs 3,400 crore facility in neighbouring Oragadam.
    The commencement of construction follows the ground-breaking ceremony held on August 21, 2024 in which Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin took part. Saint-Gobain had signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Tamil Nadu, entailing investments of Rs 3,400 crore.

    In a press release on Wednesday, Saint-Gobain said the Oragadam site located about 45 km from Chennai, is poised to become Saint-Gobain's largest multi-business manufacturing hub. The Saint-Gobain World Complex, proposed to come up on a 122 acre land, would feature manufacturing facilities across the company's businesses, including Glasswool, gypsum plasterboards, plasters, acoustic ceilings, float glass, solar glass, adhesives, sealants among others.

    The 7th Float Glass Line and 5th Mineral wool insulation line would be established at the facility and the expansion marks a significant milestone, reinforcing the Group's strategic commitment to strengthen local manufacturing.

    The plant, after becoming operational, is expected to create over 1,100 direct and indirect jobs in the region.

    According to Saint-Gobain, the new float glass line at the factory would have a production capacity of 1,000 tonne per day. It would be designed to minimise energy consumption and environmental impact while integrating advanced digital capabilities for operational excellence.

    Commenting on the occasion, Saint-Gobain Senior Vice-President and CEO Asia Pacific and India, Sreedhar N said his company is uniquely positioned to serve the Indian construction market with a comprehensive portfolio of solutions that are both light and sustainable.

    "The two new investments, leveraging advanced engineering and industry 4.0 technologies, will further enhance our ability to deliver high-performance and differentiated solutions to our customers, aligning seamlessly with our commitment to innovation and excellence," he said.

    The 5th mineral wool insulation line at the factory would be the largest investment made by Saint-Gobain in the Asia Pacific region and it would have a production capacity of 50,000 tonne per annum. This insulation plant follows the company's move to expand its insulation business post the acquisition of Rockwool India and UP Twiga (Twigainsul) entities.

    The Chennai plant would serve the growing insulation needs in building construction across India and feature the latest digital and engineering innovations to deliver superior insulation solutions for the growing Indian market, the company said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)