Saint-Gobain To Invest Rs 1,500 Cr; Eyes New Factory In Andhra Pradesh or Tamil Nadu

aint-Gobain Glass India (SGGI), manufacturers of a broad variety of flat glass items, has framed plans to make an investment of Rs 1,500 crore in India across its production plants over a period of two years.

In addition, float glass maker Saint Gobain is in search of land to establish a novel solar glass factory.

Saint Gobain Glass India managing director, Mr. B. Santhanam stated, “We are looking for land in both Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh to set up a full-fledged facility at an outlay of Rs 500 crore.”

The company is also lifting up FDI worth $140 million.

Mr. B. Santhanam said that the company projects to establish a giant complex, which will manufacture crystalline silica, thin-film photovoltaic cells and solar mirrors all under one roof.

Recently, the company got hold of Sezal Glass’ float glass facility in Bharuch, Gujarat.

The facility began functioning during February last year.

With the subsisting glass complex at Sriperumbudur and the forthcoming new glass complex at Bhiwadi, this strategic acquirement will give a pan-India manufacturing footprint to SGGI.

Santanam said, “We would be making additional investments of R100 crore in the acquired plant for raw materials and it would be used as a manufacutring hub for West India.”

SGGI, a wholly owned arm of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain, headquartered in Paris, started Indian functioning in the year 2000 with the accreditation of its initial float glass facility at Sriperumbudur, near Chennai.

The R1,600 crore glass complex at Sriperumbudur, spread over 177 acres, houses two float glass plants to manufacture 1,200 tonnes of finished international quality float glass every day.