Carborundum Universal opens R&D centre in Tamil Nadu

Carborundum Universal (CUMI), one of the leading players in the area of material sciences and a part of the Murugappa Group, has opened a research and development (R&D) centre in its industrial ceramics division facility in Hosur, Tamil Nadu. This facility boasts of advanced equipment for material characterisation, microstructural analysis, finished component analysis and other critical areas, supplementing the existing R&D activity of the unit. 

M M Murugappan, chairman, CUMI, and vice chairman, Murugappa Group, said, “We are very happy to be a part of the advancing technology and research in the area of material sciences. We look forward to more activity in the areas of mining, cement, steel, colliery, paper, agro, dredging for wear ceramic vertical & space, defence, automobile, defence, power distribution segment for technical ceramc verticals, and are well-poised to bring technologically advanced materials to address global market requirements, in addition to supporting the domestic industry.”

The new R&D centre will focus on research in technical ceramics for industrial & advanced applications, and will serve to address CUMI’s aspirations to grow in wear resistant & technical ceramics including metallised ceramic range of products. This new R&D Centre would further strengthen the platform of competency for sustainable growth & its position in the wear resistance & technical ceramic products market.

K Srinivasan, managing director, Carborundum Universal, added, “It has been CUMI’s endeavour to develop new and advanced materials for a wide range of cutting-edge applications. Our vision is to be a leading global player in the field of advanced ceramics by 2020. We believe that this new R&D centre is a very important step towards that.”

Carborundum Universal was founded in 1954 as a tripartite collaboration between the Murugappa Group, the Carborundum Co of USA and the Universal Grinding Wheel Co Ltd of the UK. The company pioneered the manufacture of coated abrasives and bonded abrasives in India in addition to the manufacture of super refractories, electro minerals, industrial ceramics and ceramic fibres. Today, the company's range of over 20,000 different varieties of abrasives, refractory products and electro-minerals are manufactured in ten locations across various parts of the country.