Saint-Gobain’s Gyproc Business launches the largest plasterboard manufacturing facility in India to serve the growing Indian market. Saint-Gobain has invested Rs 350 crore in this world-class class facility at a new site in Jhagadia, Gujarat.  Pierre-André de Chalendar, Chairman and CEO of Compagnie de Saint-Gobain, inaugurated India’s largest plasterboard manufacturing plant recently. Located in Jhagadia, Gujarat, this is India’s largest gypsum based plasterboard manufacturing facility till date, with an annual capacity of 30 million sq m. Gyproc India has three existing plants in India located in Haryana, Maharashtra and Karnataka. In the last few years, India has witnessed an ever increasing demand for infrastructure, owing to the rapid growth in urban population along with scarcity of land. It is estimated that in the next 20 years there will be more than 68 cities with a population exceeding 1 million. With the construction sector in India expected to remain buoyant, growing demand requires developers in India to go for high-rise constructions, and hence, explore faster, greener and more efficient construction methods. Gypsum plasterboard based ceilings and drywall solutions are ideal for such construction as they are lightweight, environmentally friendly, facilitate faster construction and offer a lot of flexibility in terms of aesthetics. They can be designed to deliver a superior performance across comfort parameters like acoustics, thermal, visual, air-quality and provide fire-safety as well. Keeping in line with the government’s focus towards the re-generation of existing cities and urban areas as part of its urban development mission, market leader Saint-Gobain’s Gyproc business in India is rapidly taking the lead in offering efficient and green construction solutions and has already gained a strong foothold in the construction market. Speaking on the Jhagadia plant inauguration, Pierre-André de Chalendar, Chairman and CEO-Compagnie de Saint-Gobain, said, “As one of the fastest growing economies in the world, India is an important market for Saint-Gobain. Being a global leader in the construction industry, we see lot of opportunities in India to utilise our expertise in sustainable building solutions to enhance human habitats and promote well-being in living spaces. Over the past two decades, we have consistently invested in India in developing new markets, in building new world-class manufacturing facilities, in technology and in human capital. In all our businesses, we work closely with our customers with the intent of addressing their current needs while simultaneously anticipating their future needs. We focus a lot on research and development (R&D) and our world-class Saint-Gobain Research India (SGRI) facility in Chennai is developing innovative solutions for markets such as India. The Jhagadia plant, which incorporates the best technology, will help us to grow and to serve the Indian market.”  Anand Mahajan, General Delegate, Saint-Gobain Group in India, said, “India is among the best performing regions for Saint-Gobain and it has been our constant endeavor to develop the markets in India by bringing the best technologies and building world-class manufacturing facilities, in line with the government’s ‘Make in India’ mission. Over the years, we have made significant investments across all our businesses – glass for buildings and automotive, gypsum plasterboard and plasters, abrasives, ceramic materials, performance plastics and so on. Today, more than 95 per cent of our local sales are from products manufactured in India. We believe that our Gyproc Business has the potential to play an important role in shaping the future of the Indian construction landscape. The Jhagadia plant is our 22nd manufacturing entity in India and will help us further strengthen our leadership position in the gypsum industry.” Also speaking on the launch and growth outlook of the business, Venkat Subramanian, Regional CEO Construction Products India & Managing Director, Gyproc India, said, “As a pioneer in the gypsum industry, our Gyproc business in India has been at the forefront of developing the construction market through end-to-end design and system capability, innovative products and solutions. We dedicatedly work towards creating new categories in the interior spaces through smart marketing campaigns and continuously build awareness through close engagement with architects and contractors. Gyproc India is an active contributor to the Skill India initiative and we partner with Skill Training institutes across India to address this skill gap by creating employable high-quality workforce. Over the past decade, Gyproc India has successfully created a robust distribution network and our strategically located Jhagadia plant will help us serve our customers across India more effectively.” As a market leader, the Gyproc business is committed to grow the gypsum industry in India through its market development efforts, distributed manufacturing footprint, innovative products and solutions, skill development, R&D and superior customer service.