Dunlop India's Sahagunj factory will reopen tomorrow under the new management led by Pawan Ruia, after almost five years. The Sahagunj factory was closed in March 2001 though the lockout was officially declared in August 2001.Pawan Ruia took over Dunlop from the Jumbo group in December 2005 and has already reopened the Ambattur factory of Dunlop. Ruia had earlier said that initial investment of Rs 125 crore would be needed for maintenance and working capital for the Sahagunj unit. The new management would start with cleaning operations first, followed by actual production. "The cleaning operation will take 3-4 months to complete after which we hope to start production," a company official said. A production target of 130 tonne per day - to be achieved by January 2007 - has been set for the Sahagunj facility. The unit would initially start producing LCV and HCV truck tyres, off-road tyres, conveyor belts and other related products. Later, aircraft tyres, produced at Sahagunj earlier, could be added to the product line. "Dunlop needs to update technology for that," a company official said. The new management has said it would retain 1,179 employees of Dunlop and the remaining 1,475 would be given VRS. On Friday, 50 employees would report to the management. "We shall absorb employees in phases as per requirements," a company official said.
