Vesuvius expands its presence in India with a flux manufacturing facility

By OEM Update Editorial April 19, 2024 12:53 pm IST

Vesuvius strengthens its foothold in India by establishing a cutting-edge flux manufacturing facility. The facility, the first of three new production units set to open in 2024, is part of Vesuvius’ India initiative, which also includes expanding existing manufacturing operations and constructing three new green-field factories.

Vesuvius, a global leader in the refractory firm, constructed a new Mould Flux manufacturing facility in Visakhapatnam. The facility is intended to address the growing demand for flux, a critical component in the continuous casting process at steel factories.

While addressing the inaugural function, Patrick Andre, Chief Executive of London headquartered Vesuvius group stated “we are delighted to inaugurate our new state-of-the-art Flux manufacturing facility, a testament to our relentless pursuit of innovation and our commitment to meeting the needs of our customers and the market. Given our compelling growth in India and basis our investment pipeline, we envisage surpassing our earlier stated investment plans of ₹ 500 crore to reach close to ₹ 1,000 crores outlay over the next few years.”

Over the last couple of years, Vesuvius has been making significant investments in India by expanding the capacity of its existing manufacturing plants as well as setting up three new greenfield manufacturing plants which will create an additional capacity of 2,50,000 tons per annum. The flux manufacturing plant is first of the three new manufacturing plants expected to be operational in 2024.

“India has always been a strategic market for the group – we were the earliest refractory manufacturer globally to recognize the potential of this dynamic market and co-incidentally complete 30 years of starting our first manufacturing plant in India this year. Our investment in manufacturing capabilities in India will not only further enhance our competitive position in the country but also contribute to the socio-economic development of the communities where we operate and the development of the Indian economy.” said Biswadip Gupta, Chairman of Vesuvius India Limited (VIL).

 Nitin Jain, Managing Director of VIL, said “With the inauguration of this cutting-edge manufacturing plant, we embark on a path that not only redefines industry standards but also reaffirms our dedication to delivering value to our customers. We have invested in state-of- the-art plant design with product consistency as the core. Further, kept sustainability in focus for energy efficiencies as well as waste management. On overall investment plans, we continue to make investments ahead of time to expand our capacity as well as product portfolio. This plant represents a significant step forward in our journey towards sustainable growth and reinforces our position as a leader in the industry.”