To manufacture Blu-ray Laser later on
In a bid to cash in on the potential rise in demand for Blu-ray discs, De Core Nanosemiconductors Limited, a subsidiary of De Core Science & Technologies Limited plans to manufacture Blu-ray laser from its upcoming nano semiconductor chips plant for lighting systems at Gandhinagar at a later stage. The company is also eyeing the LED LCD TVs and high frequency electronics segment for its semiconductor chips.
To commission by 2011, the plant is being set up at an investment of Rs 900 crore and expected to bear a capacity of 400 million small chips that will be used mostly for LED luminaires.
"The Gandhinagar plant will not only come out with semiconductor chips for lighting systems, but we are also planning to manufacture Blu-ray laser technology in near future," said Deepak Loomba, managing director and chief executive officer, De Core Nanosemiconductors Limited, adding that the plant will also manufacture LED luminaires apart from chips. According to Loomba, the semiconductor chips are required to manufacture LED based highly energy efficient and long living lamps.
Besides, enhancing investment in chip production in Gandhinagar the company has aggressive plans to get into mass scale chip packaging and manufacture of LED lamps for domestic consumption as well as exports. The company intends to invest Rs 1,100 crore in the next five years for both its Noida as well as upcoming Gandhinagar plants. Currently, De Core runs a plant in Noida for manufacture of LED based lighting applications and intends to provide composite LED lighting solutions in sectors of street lighting, industrial lighting as well as commercial lighting.
Of the $10 billion global market of LED, lighting components forms seven per cent. However, De Core intends to manufacture LED luminaires for rural markets in the country. "While 50 per cent of the production will be exported, the rest will be offered to the domestic market, 60-70 per cent of which will be for rural areas," Loomba added.
De Core has found financiers in IFCI Ventures and IDFC who have picked up equity stake in the company, along with IDBI Bank and EXIM Bank offering loans to it. In order to source technical manpower in Gujarat, the company also plans to set up an engineering institute at Gandhinagar. "We will offer courses in material sciences that will come handy at our semiconductor plant. We hope to begin work on the institute by next year," Loomba said.
