Lubrizol, Polyhose sign MoU to set up medical tubing unit near Chennai

Production is expected to commence in 2026, and will make tubing that can be used in highly specialised devices such as balloon and minimally-invasive-procedure catheters

Lubrizol, a global leader in speciality chemicals, and Chennai-based fluid conveyance system major Polyhose have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a greenfield specialised manufacturing unit for high-precision medical tubing.  

 

The groundbreaking ceremony for the site is expected in 2025, with operations commencing in 2026. The unit will increase Lubrizol’s local medical tubing volume five-fold, creating easier access to life-saving medical tubing in India as well as in export markets. High-quality medical tubing produced through the partnership will be used in neurovascular and cardiovascular medical disciplines, such as balloon catheters and minimally invasive procedure catheters.  

 

“This agreement brings precision manufacturing technology into India—a new business opportunity for the country to serve critical care markets in India and across the globe,” said Bhavana Bindra, Lubrizol’s managing director for India, Middle East, and Africa. 

   

“Lubrizol is proud to enable high-quality solutions and local access with in-region partners, ensuring the region expands into new categories while reducing reliance on imports to service medical device needs,” he added. 

 

The medical tubing will be produced with Lubrizol’s advanced medical-grade thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) along with other thermoplastic polymers, which offer biocompatibility and high performance while ensuring patient comfort. The new manufacturing facility will be ISO 13485 compliant, ensuring safe, high-quality medical tubing. 

 

“India serves as a hub for Lubrizol’s innovation and growth, and our ongoing investment highlights our dedication to a local-for-local and local-for-global strategy in India,” said Rebecca Liebert, president and chief executive officer, Lubrizol. “With this latest investment, we are positioned to deliver world-class medical tubing and play a significant role in the growth of the Indian medical industry.” 

 

Lubrizol has committed more than $350 million in Indian investments over the past year. This year, it opened a Global Capability Centre (GCC) in Pune and announced the purchase of a 120-acre plot of land in Aurangabad to construct Lubrizol’s largest manufacturing facility in India and second largest globally to support the region’s growing transportation and industrial markets. Just a year ago, the company broke ground on the first phase of a 100,000 metric-tonne CPVC resin plant in Vilayat, Gujarat—the largest single-site capacity for CPVC resin production globally. In addition, Lubrizol is doubling its CPVC compound manufacturing capacity at its Dahej, Gujarat, site to meet growing needs in the piping sector. 

 

“Our ongoing collaboration with Lubrizol over the past seven years has been a testament to this commitment, and today, we are excited to take this partnership to the next level,” said Shabbir Y J, managing director, Polyhose India Pvt Ltd, adding the MoU marks a new chapter in the two firms’ shared journey.