To meet growing demand for chlorinated polyvinyl chloride (CPVC) pipe and fittings in India, Lubrizol Advanced Materials, a global specialty chemical leader and the market leader for CPVC, and Grasim Industries, a flagship company of the Aditya Birla Group, have entered into a definitive agreement to manufacture and supply CPVC resin in India.
Once commissioned, this near 100,000 metric-ton state-of-the-art CPVC plant at Grasim’s site in Vilayat, Gujarat, will be the largest single-site capacity for CPVC resin production globally. The project will take part in two phases, with the first phase of production expected to be operational in late 2022. The CPVC resin produced at Vilayat will enable product sold under Lubrizol’s FlowGuard Plus, Corzan and BlazeMaster brands.
This collaboration, in support of the government of India’s “Make in India” initiative, is expected to bolster economic development in the state of Gujarat. To further support the local market, Lubrizol will make additional investments in the coming years to expand its existing CPVC compound plant in Dahej, Gujarat and establish a local innovation center as demand continues to grow.
India is amongst the largest consumers of CPVC, primarily in the form of plumbing pipe and fittings, and growing needs for clean water in all residential and commercial buildings will drive continued growth. Lubrizol is the inventor and largest manufacturer of CPVC resin and CPVC compounds worldwide. With billions of feet installed globally, Lubrizol’s CPVC solutions enable long-lasting systems and reliable access to clean, safe drinking water to millions of homes, in alignment with the company’s mission to help the world Live Better. To-date, Lubrizol products have been instrumental in delivering safer water to some 200 million citizens in South Asia. Lubrizol has plans to introduce other advanced water solutions in India in the near future.
With this investment to supply resin to its existing compounding plant in Dahej, Gujarat, Lubrizol becomes the only company in India with end-to-end CPVC capability. In addition to its regional manufacturing capabilities, Lubrizol continues to strengthen its customer network, collaborating with local leaders like Ashirvad Pipes, an Aliaxis company, and Prince Pipes to ensure robust distribution in India and South Asia. As part of its regional support, Lubrizol is also committed to the ongoing development of plumbers in India, having trained nearly 100,000 local plumbers on installation of advanced plumbing systems.
“This alliance will help Lubrizol better serve our customers in India and South Asia, as well as support the Indian economy,” said Arnau Pano, VP, Lubrizol Advanced Materials, South Asia. “Connecting with Grasim Industries who share our commitment to sustainable chemical production, will allow us to provide our customers with increased, reliable CPVC supply and further our goal of improving access to clean, safe drinking water for millions of global citizens through the advantages offered by FlowGuard® Plus plumbing solutions.”
“This collaboration with Lubrizol Advanced Materials is part of our long-term direction to bring in world-class technologies to India and additionally complements our growth strategy in Chlor-Alkali and Derivatives platform,” said Kalyan Ram Madabhushi, CEO-Global Chemicals & Group Business Head-Fertilisers & Insulators, Aditya Birla Group. “The collaboration will support the ‘Make in India’ initiative and is expected to create local jobs and downstream opportunities.”
This collaboration also will enable Aditya Birla Group and The Lubrizol Corporation to explore collaboration opportunities across additional segments, such as water management, construction, textiles, automotive and piping by leveraging the technologies and market channels of both groups.