Granula to build masterbatch plant in India

Swiss masterbatch producer Granula AG and SOM SHIVA (IMPEX) LTD, an Indian plastics company, set formed a joint venture in India. The joint venture, Granula Masterbatches India Pvt. Ltd., will produce and sell masterbatches in the local market. It will also construct a state-of-the-art masterbatch production facility equipped with the latest production technology. The plant is located near Ahmedabad, in the state of Gujarat.  

 

Granula Masterbatches India (GMI) will be one of the first occupants of the new industrial zone that is being developed in the area. The company will mainly target sectors including the food packaging, medical, cosmetic and automotive industries in India. According to Granula, production is projected to start in the second quarter of 2017.

 

Rising need for technical competence in plastics in India is pushing demand for masterbatches. Granula’s masterbatch formulations modify and enhance end product properties, providing the consistent results that global brands depend on. Where international food contact approvals and competence for the medical or the automotive section is required, the new company will be one of the first addresses to contact. “Right now, there is a huge, unmet demand for basic consumer goods in India. But this is changing fast with a vastly increasing middle class,” explained Jürg Weibel, owner and director of Granula AG. “As masterbatch producers, we see enormous opportunities in the steps India is taking to open up the domestic market and moving to higher quality products. We want to be part of that change.”

 

 

Granula AG is a member company of Granula Group, a specialized supplier of color and functional masterbatch solutions for plastics. Founded in 1961, the privately-owned Group currently operates at three production locations in Switzerland, Germany and India. Granula Group produces and sells a wide range of proprietary compounds and formulated color, additives and combination batches in markets around the world, including Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.