FEBRUARY 20268ATTERO TO DEPLOY RS 7,000 CRORE IN INDIA'S RARE-EARTH CORRIDOR PUSHBASF EXPANDS DISPERSIONS PRODUCTION TO MEET INDIAN DEMANDBASF is strengthening its manufacturing footprint in India with the launch of a new dispersions production line at its Mangalore facility. The expansion is meant to address the increasing demand of the company in areas like architectural paints, construction chemicals and paper applications in the country.This action is part of the long-term strategy of BASF to increase local production and value to supply reliability of one of its fundamental markets of growth. As the requirements of high-performance and sustainable The investment will be made in establishing the facilities in the southern states, but Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh are the states that have emerged as important locations. It is projected that the facilities will handle the rare-earth elements and other crucial minerals that include lithium, cobalt, nickel, and graphite, which are necessities in the manufacture of electric vehicles, renewable energy systems, electronics, and defense manufacturing.Nitin Gupta, CEO, Attero Recycling, said, "Over the next five years, we will deploy around Rs 7,000 crore. All of this will be within the corridor that the government has announced."Attero already operates in 22 of the 30 critical minerals that have been released by the Centre and is substantially increasing its lithium-ion battery recycling capacity of 17,000 tonnes to 300,000 tonnes. The company will also increase the magnet recycling capacity to 100 tonnes per day in two years, as compared to one tonne per day.It is estimated that the rare-earth corridor will cut across mineral endowed states such as Odisha and Kerala, which will help India in processing of the rare-earth and sustainable urban mining and contributes to clean energy transition. dispersions get higher, the new production line will provide locally produced solutions in accordance with the particular requirements of India.Andreas Fechtenkoetter, Senior Vice President, Dispersions Asia Pacific at BASF, noted that the new line will enhance supply dependability and integrate more efficiently within the company's broader Asia Pacific manufacturing network. This expansion supports BASF's goal of offering cost-competitive and technology-driven dispersion solutions to Indian and regional markets.The urge to develop the infrastructure in India, rapid urbanization, and rise in consumption are contributing to the growth in the paints and construction industries. Given this increase in production in Mangalore, BASF is set to fulfill the demand of premium and sustainable raw materials in the field of coatings, waterproofing systems and specialty paper.The new line will produce high technology dispersions, like Acronal and Basonal, which will provide high tensile, scuff resistance, and reduced environmental impact. Milind Joshi, Business Director, Dispersions, South Asia, stressed that this action would bring both performance and environmental value along with dependable local manufacturing. TOP STORIESAs a significant addition to the critical minerals ecosystem and rare-earth ecosystem in India, Attero Recycling has declared that it will invest Rs 7,000 crore in the next 5 years in order to set up refining and processing units as part of the government-proposed rare-earth corridor program.The relocation is in line with the overall Indian policy of eliminating the reliance on imports and enhancing domestic supply chains of strategic minerals.
< Page 7 | Page 9 >