Speciality chemicals company Clariant has performed the groundbreaking ceremony for its new £6.5m manufacturing plant in India.
The plant, located in Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, will manufacture moisture-control products for the growing generic pharmaceutical industry in India. It is expected to be operational by 2017.
'The new Healthcare Packaging manufacturing plant here in Cuddalore is another important step within our strategy to intensify growth and increase our market share in the emerging India region by rapidly addressing customer needs,' said Christian Kohlpaintner, member of the Clariant Executive Committee.
The new plant will initially produce desiccant canisters and packets, which are inserted into pharmaceutical packaging to control moisture and protect the stability of the medicine during shelf life. The desiccant production area will be in a Class 100,000 cleanroom and certified ISO 8. It will meet all relevant cGMP and US FDA standards.
'With this new plant, we are responding to our customers' growing demand for high-quality desiccants. This facility will enable us to expand current capacities and provide easy access to potential as well as existing customers in the pharma packaging segment in the India region,' said Deepak Parikh, Clariant Region President India.
With ten production sites in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu and a state-of-the-art Regional Innovation Centre in Mumbai, Clariant's new greenfield plant in Cuddalore will further reinforce its commitment to manufacture and sell in India.