The Hoera unit of India Foils Ltd today got a fresh lease of life as Ess Dee Aluminium re-opened the factory after six years.
India Foils, one of the largest producers of aluminium foil in Asia, has undergone a change in management twice, first under the B M Khaitan group and again in 2008 when Malco, part of the Vedanta group, sold the sick company to Ess Dee Aluminium.
Since then Ess Dee revived the Kamarhati plant in 2008 and now Hoera. The combined rolling capacity of the two units would be 19,000 tonne.
“We have invested around Rs 100 crore in the units,” Ess Dee Aluminium chairman, Sudip Datta, said.
This is just the first phase for Hoera. Another round of expansion is in the wings. “The Hoera plant has a huge land bank and we are exploring possibilities to set up another manufacturing facility which will double the capacity. West Bengal is strategically located and gives us immense scope as we strongly feel this could be the gateway to the eastern corridor of the world,” Datta said.
The Rs 1,600 crore Ess Dee Aluminium has a presence in the prophylactics segment and provides specialised aluminium foil-based laminates for contraceptive brands.
Ess Dee’s facility at Daman has been approved by contraceptive manufacturing companies like TTK and Hindustan Latex. The Hoera plant will further enhance production capabilities for the brands.
The Hoera unit will also supply foils to FMCG companies. “It will supply 400 tonne to ITC,” Datta said.
Ess Dee also caters to Nestle, Unilever and is a primary a packaging material producer to pharma companies like GSK, Pfizer, Aurovindo, Dr Reddy, Cipla, Lupin.
